Mark McGinnis - The Simpleton

Tow, nodding, gestured for them to come up the ramp.

Jackie hesitated a moment as she looked again at the ship there before her. Looking excited, she glanced over at Cuddy.

“It’s okay. I promise, you’re safe here.”

She smiled and, taking in a deep breath, headed up the ramp behind Tow. Last, Cuddy followed behind. The alien stopped at the open hatch, bowed his head and gestured for them to proceed inside.

Inside the ship, Jackie—with an expression of utter astonishment—looked around at the surroundings. When the AI orb hovered into view from the bow, she took a step back. Cuddy felt her body press against him.

“It’s okay. That’s the orb… the artificial intelligence for the ship.” The orb hovered in close. One of its articulating arms began to extend, its claw—three finger-like digits—opened and closed. Cuddy tensed—his hands tightening into fists.

Tow ordered, “Back away, orb! Jackie is a friend. Amend your database to include her… do it now!”

“Database amended. Hello, Jackie… welcome aboard the Evermore .” Cuddy noticed the orb was sounding less alien-like than before.

“Tow,” he said. “…I think the Howsh took my brother.”

Jackie was uncharacteristically quiet as she continued to take in the glowing and naked, as usual, alien.

“That may be true, Cuddy. I am sorry. It is my fault; I have caused unexpected turmoil on your planet.”

“We need to rescue him. Find that ship… go get him.”

Jackie said, “And I’d like to help too.” Tow silently studied them both.

“The repairs to your ship… have you started yet?” Cuddy asked.

Tow nodded. “Yes, but I am quite weak. It is a slow process.” He searched Cuddy’s face and asked, “Tell me, how are you doing, Cuddy?”

“You mean since you used him like a lab rat in that chamber of horrors of yours?” Jackie interjected. Tow and Cuddy stared at her.

“It’s not like that, Jackie,” Cuddy said. “I thought you understood.” He was beginning to regret bringing her along.

Indignant, she looked at Tow. “He’s changed, you know. He’s not the same person he was before. He’s having a big problem adapting. Did you think about that before—”

“Jackie!” Cuddy snapped. “It’s what I wanted. What’s wrong with you, anyway? Stop attacking Tow. Remember, you’re a guest here.”

“It’s all right, Cuddy. She is correct. I did not fully anticipate the physical and mental repercussions those wellness chamber sessions would have on you beforehand… on a human. I made some assumptions that have proven to be incorrect, and I have thought about little else ever since.”

“Look, Jackie, I wouldn’t go back… to the way I was before, not for anything. What Tow did for me… was a gift. He’s changed my life for the better. I think you owe him an apology.”

Jackie said, “Fine, then… sorry,” crossing her arms over her chest.

Cuddy was well aware she could be tenacious—had spunk—but he’d never seen her be rude before. He chalked it up to her being overwhelmed. Any normal person would be freaking out about now.

“Tell me what to do, Tow; how I can help with the repairs?” Cuddy asked.

Tow was a good teacher—patient with Cuddy’s lack of knowledge of even the simplest of concepts. But Tow provided the necessary information along the way, as well as the rudimentary principles behind them. Tow had commented multiple times how quick a learner Cuddy was… which in and of itself was super encouraging.

They were in a section of the ship Cuddy had not seen before, and as far astern as they could go. Tow referred to the compartment as Engineering. The emersion-drives, each about twelve feet high by ten feet wide, took up the majority of the compartment’s space. Tow pointed out a specific area, where a Howsh plasma strike had breached both the outer and inner hulls, striking the drive. A charred, blackened section on the drive appeared to be in early stages of repair. Several newer-looking components had been added, and a cluster of optical cables, of sorts, hung loosely from some kind of conduit. Again, it didn’t go unnoticed on Cuddy that only a few days before he had no clue what an optical cable was, or of the basics of how a propulsion system performed. Now, his brain was like a sponge. He listened as Tow and the AI orb spoke, no longer attempting to speak in generalities, and found he had a greater affinity toward understanding—both the mechanical aspects of the propulsion system, as well as the physics that lay behind it.

Jackie was a hard worker. Her job, principally, was to carry various small parts from one of the nearby storage compartments, as requested, or hold items in place while the AI orb fastened them on, using an assortment of strange looking power tools. Cuddy mostly was tasked with using his brute strength wherever needed. One tool he used, looking nearly identical to the common crowbar, pried fried, welded-on components off the drive.

Tow leaned against a bulkhead, supervising only. Cuddy could see his friend was having a hard time staying vertical and then noticed something else as well—his beautiful white glowing radiance had significantly diminished. A sudden tightness gripped at Cuddy’s throat. He remembered the conversation—where Tow had talked so openly about his impending, inevitable, death. Cuddy’s heart felt heavy in his chest. He looked over to his alien friend and wished there was something he could do.

Standing next to Tow, Jackie watched him work from the opposing bulkhead on the damaged emersion-drive. Using brute force, Cuddy jammed the end of the crowbar into a small gap on the last, melted-together, metal component. He put his full strength behind prying it off. It was steamy hot in the small compartment and Cuddy had removed his shirt an hour before. His back muscles were tense beneath his wide shoulders, his abdomen flat. He had the muscular build of an athlete, which surprised her since, before that day, Jackie had never witnessed him do any form of exercise.

Over the preceding hours, Cuddy had asked a never-ending sequence of questions—mostly directed toward the AI orb. Seeming to have an insatiable hunger for information, he needed to understand not only the whats and hows of everything, but also the whys . Questions like, why did the designers of the ship’s propulsion system decide to install an emersion-drive system instead of some kind of anti-matter drive? It appeared that he was asking questions even Tow could not answer.

While Cuddy and the hovering orb conversed, Jackie asked, “So, what’s going to happen… next?”

Tow said, “Soon, the AI orb will attempt to initialize the drive. After that, the two drives need to be balanced… synchronized—”

“No, I mean with Cuddy. Will you be taking him away from us? Into space?”

Tow, watching Cuddy and the orb, said, “I no longer make those decisions, Jackie. Even if I could, I wouldn’t. My time here is almost at an end.” As if on cue, Tow began to cough into his open palm. Jackie waited silently for the deep hacking to let up. He then continued, “The question you need to consider asking is this: What will you do… go with him or stay here?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t asked me to go with him.”

“And he probably won’t,” Tow said. “Unfairly, he has taken on this burden by himself. No one should have such an enormous weight placed upon them… such as his now.”

“You mean returning the heritage pod to Primara?” Jackie asked.

Tow looked surprised.

“He told me about it. But I’m not surprised that Cuddy would want to help. I’ve never known a more decent person,” she added.