Chương 69: Chapter 31: Going Home

The George Washington bridge was a beautiful sight to see with the massive cables stretching up to the unbelievably tall columns holding the suspension bridge in place. The street ahead of me was completely empty, giving me a nice view of the cliffsides of New Jersey. The cityscape was stretching across the view to my left with a nice atmospheric haze making them all blend together into a singular hazy shape.

It was very unlike the city on the lifeboat, even standing at the far end looking out toward the windows, there was no haze. The air was perfectly clear all the way out, making it feel artificial. The view of the city felt almost cozy to me, despite having never seen one on earth in my life. At least, not to the same scale. Despite my insistence to police officers as I'd driven up the West side highway, they assured me that everything would be taken care of and that I could keep the scooter.

I figured they had the license plate and would probably just give the person I'd taken it from another scooter. Which was probably for the best since the front wheel had a slight wobble in it after the crash. I glanced in the rearview mirror as I saw the wave of police cars behind me. There were at least fifty of them, plus a helicopter flying overhead, all watching me as I drove along I95.

By the time I had reached the bridge they already looked me up, which is what I was hoping for, as they'd already cleared out the roads ahead of me, letting me pass by as I took the long drive back to Colorado. I knew I could probably ask for a ride, they would likely accommodate me. But I needed to clear my head. I needed to be alone.

I didn't want to talk to anyone, I didn't want to explain myself, I didn't want to have anyone try to convince me to do something else, go somewhere else, join back with the other melodians. Whatever it was they'd want me to do, I already made up my mind. The cold winter air was surprisingly nice against my face. The lifeboats were always kept at a fairly comfortable temperature, but it was always the same.

It never rained, it never snowed, it was never cloudy or hot or cold, it was always perfect, which made it feel monotonous. I missed seasons and unpredictable weather, I missed the sky, I missed having a normal day and night. I wish Flint was here to see it, I thought. I sighed as my thoughts drifted back to the lifeboat and everything that happened. I regretted a lot, but I also felt like there was a lot going against me. Artemis was the part that made the least sense to me.

He saved me from lifeboat seven, sent me to earth and clearly didn't want me to go back to the lifeboats. But he seemed to work against me as often as he helped. Throughout my entire time on the lifeboat I felt like his decisions and actions didn't make sense. He was in charge of the listeners, yet convinced them he was the evil they had to destroy. He brought Nori and Lampro to me, yet when I tried to talk to Rosa, he tried to block me from her.

He saved so few people from Lifeboat seven, yet none of them seemed to know why they were the ones that were chosen. For some reason he couldn't talk to me the same way he could talk to others, yet as soon as we figured out a way to communicate with each other, he turned his back on the melodians and told the mechara about the instruments. I took a deep breath as my thoughts went back to my ride.

With all the thoughts going through my head it was like I'd skipped large sections of the drive, skipping through different places as I found myself cutting through the rest of New Jersey as I saw a sign reading "Welcome to Pennsylvania" up ahead of me. Each toll booth I passed by had a bunch of people with high visibility vests standing at them, all watching as they waved me through. I was still angry with Nori. I thought she was a friend, I thought she was on my side.

She knew how the melodians were mistreated, yet as soon as she had an opportunity to stand up for them, she didn't. It was disappointing, but Flint and Abel were both right about her. It hurt to admit, I thought she was different, but I was wrong. A large crowd of people stood along the edge of a bridge up ahead, holding out a large banner that read "Welcome to Earth" on it. I smiled, giving them a little wave just before I passed underneath them.

If they knew me better, they probably would have written 'welcome back' instead. Hours passed as I tried my best to not think about Flint. It hurt. After everything we'd been through, after he was so excited to join me, he got left behind at the last moment. I gripped my handle a little harder. Knowing what Artemis did to alert the mechara to the instruments, if he had alerted them to us getting onto the lander, knowing that he would get left behind…

As I thought about it the lifeboats appeared over the horizon in front of me. Lifeboat 8 was the smaller of the two shapes with lifeboat seven and its large balloon appearing next to it as they drifted through the sky, eventually passing overhead as they continued along their orbit. The sun was setting, causing the reflected light to shine brightly as they flew overhead. I glared at lifeboat eight, hoping Artemis was happy with himself after everything he'd done.

The motor started to putter, taking my eyes off the lifeboats as I looked down to see the gas needle was firmly against the E side of the meter.

"Ah darn it…" I said to myself as the scooter's motor puttered out as I started to bleed off speed until I eventually reached a full stop. I hit the kickstand down as I stepped off the scooter, looking back to see the police cars had come to a stop about two hundred yards behind me. They probably figured out what happened as one car drove past them all on the shoulder. Oddly enough though, it wasn't a police car, it instead looked like a regular sedan.

It felt strange to stand there in the middle of the highway, by myself as the cars on the opposite side started to pull over to the shoulder. People were stepping out of their cars, taking photos but thankfully having the sense to not jump over the barrier to get closer to me. I watched as the sedan approached, slowing to a stop next to me to reveal a single person inside. As they got out I held up my hand.

"Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I want to get home. You probably know where that is already. I don't want to answer questions, I don't want to explain myself, I don't want a ride, I just want to go home." The man nodded, not seeming to want to put up any kind of fight. He reached in the back seat, pulling out a red plastic gas can and started bringing it over to me. I figured they knew I'd run out of gas eventually so they likely had been waiting for this moment for a while.

He carried it over to the scooter, removing the cap as he started pouring gas into the tank.

"Thank you" I said, feeling a little awkward all of a sudden. I felt like I practically jumped at him as soon as he exited the car. I didn't want to be rude. He looked up at me with a smile.

"They really weren't kiddin'" he said. My ears perked, his voice, I recognized it. He continued "They said you wouldn't know who I was unless I…" I cut him off as I gave him a hug.

"It's you! The police officer person! I… I don't think I ever got your name, you were the one that gave me the ride home!" I exclaimed. He laughed, hugging me with one arm as he continued filling the gas tank with the other.

"I guess I never introduced myself back then did I? My name's George, it's good to see you again kid" he said as the can emptied itself completely, letting him pull it out and set it to the side.

"Why are you here?" I asked him. He got down on one knee to talk to me easier.

"Well, the others said there was 'no way' you'd be on that flight back here to earth, so they didn't bother coming out, but I decided to drive myself out here on the off chance I'd get to see you again. When all that stuff happened earlier today and you started driving off, they figured you'd run out of gas at some point and wanted to send someone out here that you already knew" he said.

"The others?" I asked.

"You know, Gav, Emily, Oliver, Claudia. Oh we've been busy since you left last Spring. When all those videos showed up with you talking to that crowd of people at the base of the mountain there were so many questions about who you were. After talking to the government folks for the first few months they let us talk to others. The four of us ended up being invited to more interviews than we could count" he said with a big grin on his face.

"Sorry, Claudia?" I asked, not recognizing that name.

"Oh, she's the lady that gave you all those camping supplies" he said. My stomach sank a little as he mentioned her, "Ah… I uh… Meant to have Oliver reach out to her. I think I forgot about all that. I felt terrible for taking all that stuff…" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. George laughed "Don't you worry 'bout that, she made a hundred times more than she lost from that whole thing.

After everything went public, everybody wanted to visit the store that the weird alien girl stole a bunch of stuff from."

"Huh… Okay well… That's good I guess?" I said, not feeling terribly thrilled about being called the 'weird alien girl,' "So the others are doing okay?" I asked. He nodded, "They're all doing fine. They're waiting for you back home actually. They wanted to come out and join you here but we figured this was already a complex enough operation, we didn't need to add more to the mix." I nodded "So, they're okay with me riding this back to Colorado?"

"Yup yup! We'll be with you the whole way" he said.

"Oh. Well that works for me I guess" I said, but something stood out to me, "Hey, why aren't you in a police car like the others?"

"Ah, yeah I left that pretty soon after our encounter. With everything that was going on, I didn't feel like I wanted to stay there so I retired early" he said. I gave him another hug and thanked him again as I got back on the scooter, not knowing how many more fill ups I'd need to get back home but I didn't mind since it meant I'd get another opportunity to talk to George again.

I sat on the side of the bridge, looking out at St Louis as George filled up the little scooter for the third time in the trip. It was a little past midnight, giving me a beautiful view of the city lights. It was something the lifeboats never really got. Night time. We were right under their orbital paths so I had a chance to look up at them every hour or so. I couldn't help but wonder how things were going for Flint.

Abel seemed pretty confident that he would be able to handle himself, but he got by on the lifeboats by hiding in the shadows, not making himself obvious. With everything that happened, he'd have a spotlight on him all of a sudden.

"You're sure you don't want to have a phone call with them?" George asked as he finished filling the tank. I sighed, he'd asked me for the past few stops if I'd like to talk to Oliver or Emily over the phone since they'd been reaching out for him for updates.

"It's fine, no I'd rather just see them in person. I'm already halfway right? It's not too far off now" I said. I of course wasn't telling the whole truth. The honest answer was that I had no idea what I'd say to them. The conversation had played out in my head so many times during the drive. How did everything go on the lifeboat? I could imagine Emily asking. Great!

I met some people, found out my kind are a bunch of slaves that had their entire culture stripped away from them, but don't worry, I was there to help out and get the last bit of humanity taken from them before I left them high and dry to come back here to live a cozy life while they all suffer I said to myself.

"Tess? Hello?" I heard George say, cutting through my thoughts.

"Hm?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I asked how you're holding up. You're grabbin' that handle bar like it's gonna run away from you" he said. I took a deep breath, pulling away from the scooter as I realized I'd nearly squeezed the rubber out from between my finger tips. The more I thought about the lifeboats the angrier I felt. Everything was wrong. I should have been able to help. I should have done something rather than just leaving everything the way it was.

I kept playing through the last few weeks on the lifeboats in my head, wondering what I could have done differently, what the melodians could have done to keep the music secret, what I could have said to Nori that would convince her that we needed her help. Everything felt so wrong and it felt like I couldn't do anything about it.

"Sorry" I said quietly as I turned away from George, looking back out at the city, crossing my arms as I tried to shift my focus away from the lifeboats and onto whatever I was going to tell the others. I didn't want to lie to them, but I also didn't want to make them upset. They sacrificed so much to help me get to the lifeboats in the first place, I didn't want them to think that we did it all for nothing.

It was the next day, the sun was already past its highest point as it started going down as I saw a familiar sight in front of me. The Rocky Mountains were the only landscape I ever knew growing up, but after traveling through cities, corn fields, endless meadows and farm lands and forests with unfamiliar trees and fauna, I finally felt like I was in a familiar place again. The warmth of returning home after such a long trip was something I'd never quite felt before.

I'd been driving all through the night with a stop here and there to get more gas with George telling me everything that was going on. The mechara had resorted to just doing video conferences with different world leaders after they decided that sending more convoys down to the planet wasn't a good idea now that they knew Sloan could be anywhere. Apparently they had no idea if Sloan was still around since she hadn't shown up at all since the original encounter back at Sheep's Nose.

After Sloan took the ship she disappeared out over the Atlantic ocean and hadn't been seen since. It was worrying, but I at least felt a little relief knowing she went the opposite direction I was going.

There was a worry in the back of my head that she could come after me again, especially since she'd know where I was, but at the same time there wasn't anything I could do about it and I figured I had plenty of other things to worry about that I actually did have control over, like what I'd tell the others when I got back.

"Did you try playing in the gravity games at all?" he asked. I smiled, leaning against the side of his car as I thought about the gravity games. It felt strange hearing him saying the name in English.

"No, no I just watched" I said. It felt like it would be too much to start explaining my experience with the car, driving through the ship and escaping from the high gravity, but in its own way it felt like I had my own little gravity game experience, just without the crowd… and with an added sense of danger.

"That's too bad. I hope they broadcast that again, it was amazing to watch. Ever since they sent that footage down there have been some folks trying to make their own version of the gravity games using a big spinning carnival ride" he said with excitement in his voice. I nodded, "I'd love to see that actually" I said. Whatever version they were putting together on earth, I knew it was going to be missing the most important part. The music.

"Well, that should do it" he said as he pulled the tank away, screwing the cap back onto the gas tank, "that's the last fill-up you'll need between now and when you get back. I'm gonna need some rest but I'll visit all of you soon up at the house. It'd be great to get everyone together" he said in a cheerful tone. I reached out, giving him a hug.

"Thanks for all this" I said.

"Oh it's no problem, I always like road trips" he said.

"No not just this" I said, pulling back and looking up at him, "For everything, you didn't need to help me when we first met." He nodded, placing his hand on my shoulder "Of course. I mean, it started off pretty rocky there but once everything settled down I just saw a kid who needed some help, I'm sure you'd have done the same. Now you get goin', I'm gonna head back home and get some shut eye." I sighed.

It was too much to say in that moment, but I felt like I could have done so much more for the melodians I'd left behind. Within a minute he had gotten into his car, driving off ahead of me, leaving me alone on the highway with the convoy of police cars stopped behind me. It all started to feel so much more real. I was going home again, after all the time I'd spent away, I didn't even know how I should feel.

I took a deep breath as I set off once more, the cold winter air billowing in my face as I approached Colorado Springs. The ride was nice, but as I approached I felt my anxiety building with each passing moment, knowing I couldn't avoid it much longer. They'd be waiting for me there and I'd have to say something to them. Thankfully I was able to take my mind off it a bit as I started approaching the city. There were people lining both sides of the highway, all wanting to see me as I passed through.

Many waved, many held signs, but most of them were holding out their phones, taking photos as I passed by. I did my best to humor them by waving as I drove through. It was like I was some sort of celebrity. My hands gripped a little tighter as I pulled into the city proper as I recognized some of the buildings. I'd only been in Colorado Springs once, but it was something I'd never be able to forget.

The snow storm, the snow plows, the encounter at the bar, running away, hiding in the bush nearby until Emily eventually found me and drove me back home. It was the night that started everything. It felt like it was a lifetime ago. The shy, inexperienced and naive version of me that last went through Colorado Springs would hardly recognize who I'd become.

As I passed through the city the route was laid out in front of me, like a one person parade with the streets blocked off as people had gathered along both sides to see me pass by. Eventually I found myself on a familiar road. It was the highway I'd taken into Colorado Springs on my scooter. The same road Emily and I had traveled on as we made our way back to my house. I recognized certain rocks, trees, shapes in the landscape. I recognized the town I went into before I had gotten to the city.

It felt strange to see such familiar sights after being on the lifeboat for so long. A few miles later another familiar sight came into view as it was almost time to turn right to head up into the mountains. But right there along the side of the highway was Emily's veterinary office. To my surprise, the parking lot was filled with cars as a large crowd had gathered near the side of the road as two of them held a giant sign between them that read "Welcome Home!"

I couldn't help but smile as I was reminded of my thoughts back at the beginning of the drive. With a tap of the breaks I slowed a bit as I made the turn, making my way back up toward my house. The road was far more familiar, especially since the last time I'd seen it I was on foot. The scooter made the distance feel a lot shorter than it had felt before.

The memory of the helicopters flying overhead, darting into the snowbanks as each car would pass by came to the front of my thoughts as I continued making my way up. With a final turn, the driveway fell into view. Several police cars were stationed just past it, not allowing any cars through as they had anticipated my approach. I gulped, taking several deep breaths as I tried to prepare myself for whatever I was about to see.

The entrance was lined with large men in black suits, but the driveway itself was clear as they seemed to make a path for me to get through. I waved to them as I passed by but only some of them waved back. My hands were starting to shake as I turned onto the dirt road and made my way up to my house. The last time I'd seen it, it was a wooden skeleton of what it once was. It had been almost a year since then, but I wasn't sure how different it would be.

I didn't have to wonder for too long as I made the last turn, getting my first good view of the house. The scooter's engine wound down as I pulled it out of gear, putting my foot down to hold myself up as I came to a slow stop. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was as if nothing had happened. The house was fully rebuilt with the only indication of its past being how fresh the coat of paint was on the outside. Every window, every door, every shape along the walls and roof were exactly what the old house was.

It was as if the fire had never happened. It was as if my brain had stopped working, I couldn't form a thought as I found myself getting pulled toward the house, my gaze locked onto every detail I could see as I approached. Time had stopped moving, nothing felt real. I couldn't tell if it was good or bad. It was so alien. I felt like I could just walk inside and see John sitting at the kitchen table, say hi as if nothing ever happened.

"Welcome home!" I heard Emily's voice come from my side. I hadn't even noticed she was there, I couldn't take my eyes off the house. Home I repeated in my head, I'm home.