Mindlink Read Free Page A

She
switched seats and whispered to her, “You didn’t read the information, did
you?”
    She glanced up, clearly surprised. “No. They didn’t send it to
me.”
    “You can read mine.” Ashley pulled the printed pages from her
carry-on bag and handed them to the other woman.
    “Thanks. No one else will speak to me. In real life, I run an
animal shelter but here, I’m a publicity stunt.” Natalie made a fist and slugged
the air. “Go! Cola keeps you on the go. They pay me to say that. Really, I don’t
even drink it.”
    Ashley eyed her. “Why did you enter the contest then?”
    “Oh, I didn’t.” She shrugged. “My brother. Big joke. ‘You don’t
get out enough. Always hanging out with animals instead of people. Since I can’t
get you to the bar down the street, let’s send you to the other side of the
universe.’ It wasn’t funny.”
    If none of the others would speak to Natalie, Ashley should
probably take the hint, but being ostracized sucked, especially on such a long
trip. And no one else had smiled at her during the introductions. “Then why show
up to claim the prize? Surely you have the option to say no.”
    “Well, they drew my name on national television, then hounded
me, constantly. Reporters camped out on my front lawn. I couldn’t go anywhere,
not even to the grocery store.” Her buddy’s mouth pursed. “You remind me of
someone. I can’t put my finger on it. Have you ever been on TV or in a movie,
maybe?”
    Heart pounding, Ashley tossed her fake hair. “Movie? I don’t
know what you mean. The last movie I saw was The Matrix with Swedish subtitles. I don’t have time for
entertainment.”
    Natalie squinted. “There’s just something about the way you
hold yourself. You weren’t an actress when you were younger, were you? I swear
I’ve seen your face somewhere.”
    Big, jagged puzzle-like pieces of her revived career and Oscar
dream started falling out at a rapid pace. David Renner had been clear. She had
no shot at the part in Vertigo Society without the free publicity. She had to get
on that ship as a scientist, not a movie star. Actress wasn’t on the alien’s
specific list of candidates.
    “I’m just a scientist.” Had she said something wrong? She
hadn’t, she knew she hadn’t. Three months of practice could not have failed
her.
    Natalie looked dismayed. “Oh. Well, sorry for the confusion. I
watch a lot of movies and except for the accent, you remind me of an actress I
like.”
    It had been a long time since someone said they liked her.
Natalie was a fan , one she hadn’t lost over the
arrests and bad karma and she couldn’t revel in it or sign an autograph or
anything. Fans meant everything to her, and gave her precious validation of her
acting skills. She had to fix her career to earn back their trust.
    Natalie searched her features, and leaned in, dousing Ashley
with a blast of vile knockoff perfume. Which went well with her clothes, hair,
shoes and handbag.
    She shoved a hand under her leg so Natalie couldn’t see it
trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m Dr. Astrid Jonsson, an astronautical engineer.”
    And she was. For six more weeks. Ashley V didn’t exist.
    * * *
    The transparent polycarbonate panel dividing the
Acquisitions workshop from the spacebarge bay whirred, and with a high-pitched
whine, ground to an unexpected halt halfway to the ground. Uniformed workers
filed toward the offending machinery and began diagnosing the issue with
handheld scanners. A pair of workers conferred verbally, indicating the
readouts, while the other pair examined the hydraulic mechanism designed to
raise and lower the massive panel.
    ZXQ - One observed the workers from his office on the second floor—the most efficient
viewing area in the pyramid-shaped building. Half of the Acquisitions building
housed administration and the other half, currently empty, held the spacebarge,
which had been sent to Earth to retrieve the volunteers who fulfilled the
requirements of the