To the
moon
The sun was just coming over the horizon when Alice reached
for Tyson’s hand. He gave her fingers a little squeeze. He imagined for a
second that he could feel the shift as the train connected to the stellar
bridge.
That was impossible of course; these trains were designed so
well that the transfer was often seamless.
It was one of the few pleasures this trip would offer him. Alice
nervously ran a hand through her fiery auburn hair as she tried to be brave for
the both of them.
“It’s okay you know,” Tyson said.
“Nothing about this is okay,” she shot back.
Tyson couldn’t help smiling at how concerned his woman was
about him. It meant even more to him that she let him see it.
The other passengers snuck glances in their direction,
amazed at the sight of a tall tattooed tough guy sitting across from such a
petite woman. He couldn’t blame them, with his Mohawk and the large spider
tattoo on his neck he looked exactly like the gangster he was. Despite the
censure in their eyes the only person who mattered was staring at him sadly, a
universe’s worth of love in her beautiful blue eyes.
“This train will be coming into the station in exactly 15
minutes,” a female voice announced over the speakers.
“That was fast,” Tyson joked.
“How can you be so calm about this?” Alice asked him.
Tyson tried to reach out his hands but the chain securing
his handcuffs to the table stopped him short. Alice stood up in her seat so
that she could close the space between them. Tyson caressed her face with the
back of his fingers and smiled when she closed her eyes and leaned into his
touch.
“I’m calm because I have you with me,” he told her.
There was a slight shudder as the high speed train slowed
down then came to a complete stop.
“We have now arrived at the Lunar Settlement. Passengers may
begin disembarking. Thank you,” the voice over the speakers informed them.
“That’s our cue,” Tyson said.
Alice reached into her jacket and pulled out a titanium
chip. She ducked under the table and inserted it in a lock at Tyson’s feet.
There was a soft click and when the small light on the side of the lock turned
green the chain fell from the handcuffs.
Alice stood up and reached for one of Tyson’s arms. She
gently pulled him forward as he hobbled weighed down by the other set of cuffs
around his ankles.
“Do you think they’ll make me wait before they execute me,”
Tyson asked with a smile in his voice.
“No,” Marshall Alice Locke said, the first of many tears
beginning to fall, “no I’m sure they’ll do it right away.”
She could see the Lunar State Prison officers waiting on the
platform in their purple uniforms. She tried to draw strength from Tyson’s
peaceful aura but all she could feel was panic and an overwhelming fear that
was squeezing at her heart.
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