97. Scientific speech

Today’s chapter starts with a short silent story. After this, it’s high time we return to Tusnelda. After all, she is the origin of this whole story.
When we last met her and Martin, she seemed to be in the process of healing from her miscarriage, and since then life has moved on. However, she may not have completely given up on the idea of ​​pregnancy. She is a woman who firmly believes in the possibilities of science to solve any problem. The question is whether she is ready to agree to the conditions she is offered. Some untold secrets come to light and we will once again return to Allan in StrangerVille.

Warning: The chapter contains StrangerVille spoilers.

*****

San Myshuno 920 Medina Studios

Before we really get started, a little story unfolds during the night in silence.

At dawn, a ghost leaves the apartment. in a good mood after a job well done.
What the apartment’s residents will say about his gift remains to be seen.

*****

Brindleton Bay early in the morning

Tusnelda has just sat down at the chessboard when she receives a call. She has for a while been trying to arrange this meeting, which now finally seems possible.

She has not managed to get pregnant since her miscarriage despite the fact that she and Martin haven’t been on the lazy side. Now she feels physically and mentally ready to let science provide assistance.

She hasn’t told Martin yet because she knows he will be worried that her actions are guided by her feelings of guilt. But this meeting isn’t about finding the culprit, it’s about her taking responsibility for finding a solution.

Martin has a soccer match later today and should update his research on the opposing team, but she can see that he is not at the computer yet.

She knows exactly where to find him.

As expected, she finds him on the treadmill and hesitates a bit. She has promised him that they will solve this challenge together, but she still finds it difficult to talk about.

“Is that you, Tusnelda?” Martin asks when he senses her in the room.

“You look pretty good from this angle.” she says.

“Pretty good, indeed..”

“What!?” he asks, turning around.

Quick as a cat, he stands before her. “What are you after, woman?” he asks with a deep growl.

“I just wanna talk.” she says.

“We can talk,” he says, kissing her, which actually makes it pretty impossible for her to utter a word.

“Sorry Martin, but there’s actually something we need to talk about,” she says.

“It’s ok, let’s go inside.” he says cooperatively and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

As they enter the bedroom, her gaze catches his burning, curious eyes.

“What are you doing over there Sweetie, come sit down so we can talk.” he urges.

She has herself to thank for turning him on and now she feels a shiver in her body that threatens to sabotage her plans.

His glowing eyes follow her movements as she approaches the bed.

She senses that this conversation will have a different outcome than she intended.

She sits in the far corner of the bed to try to stay on track, but she can’t let go of the fire in his gaze and she can feel it has already ignited her as well.

Soon they will be lying side by side….

“Let us talk.” he says in a hoarse voice.

“You’re so stupid Martin.” she giggles.

After all, this conversation feels far more enticing than the talk she didn’t get to start.

It’s going to be a pretty steamy conversation. They’ve actually been doing amazing since they talked everything through and found each other again.

Back then, during a time of grief, it threatened to tear them apart, but regardless of their different takes on life, in the end, they always end up on the same page.

*****

Morning in San Myshuno

When Fatima gets up, she gets a nasty surprise. First she finds a disgusting toilet, and when she tries to flush it, she is hit by a cascade of stinking water.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting!” she shouts loudly.

She has no idea what has happened. How could she?

The first step is to repair the damage.

Then she really needs to take a bath.

When Elijah comes out to the bathroom a little later, he looks in wonder at the puddle on the floor and Fatima, who is busy cleaning.

“Don’t talk to me.” says Fatima stoutly.

He slips into the shower without a word.

Fatima stops and looks at his naked body. Gosh, he’s a handsome man!

Right now, however, she has other cravings and she goes into the kitchen to start the coffee machine.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee helps her mood a little.

Elijah comes into the kitchen to start breakfast while she takes the first blessed sip of coffee.

What a pleasure!

Elijah adds some salt to the scrambled eggs and continues making breakfast in silence. He knows Fatima is a slow starter and she needs time (and coffee) to wake up.

Fatima washes her used cup.

She turns to Elijah and the stove. “It smells really good,” she says kindly.

“Good morning Fatima! Sounds like you found your spirits.” he says.

“That coffee works wonders every day. Do you have any plans today?” he smiles.

“Yes, I have to work. I have a deadline for a website assignment.” she says.

“I guess I’d better find some new photo assignments.” he says.

It’s not because they lack the income on top of his lottery winning, but it is an occupation he finds interesting and challenging and therefore loves to do.

Fatima finds her laptop and starts working on her task.

Elijah looks out the window. The day is unlike the day before, a gray and cloudy day. The honeymoon is truly over.

*****

Morning in StrangerVille

Allan has just gone into the bathroom and now his gaze has caught something outside the window that makes him shudder.

During the night, the glowing plant has grown even more and is now starting to produce purple dust.

Like with a cough, it sends an enormous amount of dust into the morning air, thus spreading even more disease.

When the street lights go out, it stands glowing and waves its tentacles as it will perform a dance of joy.

The tentacles look like hands pointing enticingly at its fully developed fruit as if it were saying “Pick me, eat me and taste my sweet flavor.”

Allan shoots it an evil look back. He won’t give in to temptation.

He takes one last look out the window and gets ready to take a shower.

Outside, he sees Private Duvall is on his morning expedition.

The sun has risen fully, though it cannot penetrate the unhealthy, poisonous green sky. Allan does not envy him.

*****

Morning in Brindleton Bay

Martin is sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Tusnelda.

“Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about before?” he asks.

“Yes, there is something.” she says, walking over to the bed to sit down.

“Do you ever think about it anymore Martin? The baby we lost.” she says somewhat uncomfortable.

“Oh that!? Yes, I think about it sometimes.” he replies.

“But I thought we agreed to let time and nature take its course. I think we’re doing so well right now, sweetie,” he says.

“Yes, I agree, Martin, but I think it’s time we looked into alternative options.”

“I actually have an appointment with Dr. Flex today, just to see what he can suggest,” she says.

“Oh him?” Martin says as he feels the discomfort of an old wound begin to fester.

“Tusnelda, there may be other alternative possibilities.” Martin says, taking her hand.

“I know Martin, that’s exactly what I’m investigating.” she says.

“Have you ever considered adopting?” he asks, catching her eye.

She gives him an uncertain, confused look back.

“No, I really want us to make that baby together,” she says.

“Yes, of course sweetie,” he replies softly.

He calmly starts massaging her neck muscles. She feels tense.

He knows her so well and knows that with Tusnelda it will never pay of to push. Once she has decided on an idea, she needs time to move her mine set. At least he tried to plant a seed.

Tusnelda surrenders herself casually to Martin’s care. She finally shared her thoughts and no longer has to feel like she’s going behind his back. It’s such a relief.

“I’ll take a shower.” she says and gets up.

“Do you know, you look pretty good from this angle?” He says, teasingly.

*****

When Tusnelda comes out to the bathroom, she first has to take care of a water pipe. Since she has maximized her crafting skills due to her work as a scientist, it is not a big problem to solve.

Martin sits down at the computer to catch up on what he hasn’t yet achieved. He prepares today’s soccer match by analyzing the opponent’s team.

In many ways it has been a really lovely morning. Life with Tusnelda is sometimes troublesome and messy, but he wouldn’t want it any other way.

Tusnelda is back in her clothes but she has gone to bed for a nap. Delving into the problems of her infertility is such a sore point and drains her mental strength.

Shortly afterwards, Martin leaves for the match.

*****

Morning in StrangerVille

Allan is on his way to meet a contact.

He has done some research since Erwin sold him a hazmat suit the other day. However, Erwin wouldn’t recommend a standard air filter for this task, so he encouraged Allan to find some scientists who would collaborate with him to develop a safer filter.

Through some convoluted detours on the web, Allan has managed to get in touch with a young male scientist named Peter, who seems willing to cooperate.
They have agreed to meet behind the library to check each other out.

Now Allan is on his way, keeping a close eye on people passing by. They are mostly military people and scientists. The area is teeming with them.

He stops in surprise when he sees the agreed meeting place. His contact is not a man.

“Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Peter?” Allan asks kindly. Perhaps Peter is a disguised name for this woman.

“Why do you ask and who are you?” she replies rather dismissively.

“My name is Allan. I have a feeling we have written together online,” Allan says tentatively.

“Absolutely not! Who do you think I am?” the woman says dismissively, sending him a cold, angry look.

Allan is fully aware of his mistake when he sees a young man approaching.

At the same time, the woman continues her tantrum, sending a cloud of curses at him.

“Are you Peter?” Allan asks as the guy gets closer.

“Yes and you must be Allan and I see you’ve met my colleague Amalie,” says Peter, a little surprised to see him with a colleague.

“Maybe we should find another place to talk, but what do you say?” Allan asks eagerly.

“Well, I can vouch for Amalie so we can speak freely. If I’m going to help you with your mission, which I only have sympathy for, then I’ll need large quantities of plant spores to test the equipment, which is why you need a scanner,” says Peter.

Peter stops, distracted by a possessed woman who passes him.

“I understand we had an unfortunate start and I apologize for that. Do you know where I can find a scanner?” Allan asks, addressing Amalie.

“You should know. The military has confiscated all the equipment,” Amalie says with an accusing look.

“I apologize, but I really had no idea.” Allan says.

*****

Allan rushes on. This city is so full of untold secrets and it takes so long to separate them from each other.

He sees more possessed people every day, so he’s very busy. Imagine if this disease ends up outside StrangerVille and starts infecting more cities.

He has no idea where to find a scanner, but he knows someone who might be able to help him.

“Welcome back soldier. How can I help you?” Erwin says welcomingly.

“You can call me Allan,” Allan says kindly.

“Well, I found a scientist, but I need a scanner that can detect the plant spores I need,” says Allan.

“Oh, but the military has confiscated them all, so I can’t get it for you,” Erwin says seriously…

“Perhaps I have a tip that you might want to try. You should look for a Warrant Officer Schröder tonight at 8 Bells bar. Use the code Tulip,” he finally says.

Allan looks out over the landscape and the bleak green sky that doesn’t let the sun shine through. Over the crater hangs a heavy, impenetrable cloud.

He can feel it starting to affect his mood. He seems to be constantly encountering new obstacles and he is finding it increasingly difficult to control his temper.

He should probably go home and do some yoga while he waits for evening.

*****

Afternoon at the public hospital

Tusnelda felt her mood drop several degrees as she walked through the hospital’s main entrance.

She is once again sent back to the fateful day when she and Martin lost their unborn child. Apparently, she is not quite as healed as she thought.

Her thoughts are interrupted when a young woman at the reception welcomes her and asks about her errand.

“I’ve arranged a meeting with Doctor Flex,” says Tusnelda.

“I don’t see an appointment in his calendar.” says the receptionist.

“That’s fine Cecilie. I got a cancellation.” interrupts the doctor, who at the same time appears behind Tusnelda’s back

“How am I supposed to manage the reception when the calendars aren’t updated?” the receptionist says in frustration.

“Mrs. Andersen, would you please follow me?” the doctor says, ignoring the receptionist’s complaints.

Tusnelda follows the doctor who walks forward with quick steps.

They cut through an office she’s never been in before.

“Let’s just refresh your facts,” the doctor says.

They end up in a room where she had a scan done on that fateful day. However, she doesn’t get the chance to dwell on the sad memory as the doctor is already presenting some facts.

“Of course, we need to take new pictures, but the results from your latest scan show that there should be no physiological obstacle to pregnancy. Vitamins and hormone balance look fine and there is no reason to believe that this has changed. However, some of the measurements indicate that your egg quality is not as good as you would like,” the doctor says, scrolling back and forth between different measurements.

Tusnelda has difficulty keeping up with all the data because of the speed at which it is displayed.

“My eggs, you say? How can I change it?” she asks seriously.

“That is not possible.” the doctor says shortly.

She doesn’t believe him, but now he’s already moving on, cutting off any further discussion.

Tusnelda follows him as he quickly approaches another room.

“This is where the treatment will take place,” the doctor says calmly.

Tusnelda stops in shock when she recognizes the room.

“This room. This is where I had my abortion,” she says in despair.

“Well, yes. This is where we have the medical equipment we need,” says the doctor, confused.

“But I didn’t expect that.” she says.

“You can say, we remove something or we add something. It’s basically the same operation, just the other way around,” says the doctor a little too cheerfully.

“Now let me explain the treatment options…We can consider several options. In vitro fertilization may be an option, perhaps we can consider donor eggs? As a start, however, I would suggest we optimize the sperm quality with a screening and selection and perform an insemination. It is a simple intervention that is performed daily by farmers on cows,” explains the doctor.

“Who! Stop it. Why are you talking about cows? Now I’ve got some images in my head that I don’t want.” Tusnelda protested.

She feels overwhelmed by the amount of information and her emotional fluctuations.

“Well, that’s just an example to explain the simplicity of the treatment,” the doctor explains.

“It’s a bad example.” says Tusnelda dismissively.

“Well it might be, but it is not significant. I would suggest that you and your husband have a sensible conversation about the possibilities and then I hope to see you both next time.

“Yes, we will do that.” Tusnelda replies, already on her way out the door. That doctor seems a little too superficial for her to take him seriously.

After Mrs. Andersen’s quick detour, Marcus leaves the room.

He has a feeling that this conversation didn’t go quite smoothly.

He quickly walks towards the hospital’s personnel department.

The hospital has a small exercise room and if there’s one thing that helps Marcus shake off stress and bad experiences, it’s exercise.

It’s an unusually quiet day at the hospital, so luckily there’s nothing stopping him from going for a nice long run.

*****

Afternoon in StrangerVille

Like Marcus, Allan also often chooses to exercise to stay in balance.

From the treadmill, he can see Private Kane heading towards the kitchen with a stack of used dishes.

Fortunately, both Taylor and Ezra are tidy people, so the kitchen is always neat and clean.

Allan is quickly summoned when he hears a loud ominous cry from Kane.

A water pipe is broken, but in addition, something indeterminate appears in the sink.

Allan lets out a roar of surprise when he sees some creepy plant shoots growing out of the drain.
This is already much worse than he had imagined.

With furious movements, he rips the plant shoots out of the drain, while Taylor watches helplessly from a distance.

“Private Kane, find something sensible to do.” Allan hisses, using the poor young private as a diversion for his angry frustration.

Ezra is summoned by the commotion and begins to mop up water from the floor while Allan tries to repair the water pipe.

“What happened, sir?” Ezra asks, unaware of what caused this chaos.

“This is bad, Duvall. Much worse than you could imagine,” Allan says.

Allan finds himself some leftover food while Taylor angrily tears at the dumbbells on the exercise bench.

Like Allan, Taylor is deeply frustrated by this monstrosity, but dares not take his frustrations out on others…which is actually a healthier way to deal with anger.

Ezra continues to clean the kitchen. As I said, he is a very neat Sim.

Taylor continues to angrily thrash around in the training bench. He hates this place and he absolutely hates this mission, which so far has not resulted in any actual action.

“So what’s the next step, sir.” Ezra asks his superior.

The truth is that Allan is groping his way forward in far too small steps at a time, but he can’t say this.

“The next step is that we go to 8 Bells bar tonight. I need to find a contact and you and Kane need to keep your eyes and ears open for anything that might lead to a solution,” Allan says in a firm voice.

To Ezra, a night at a bar doesn’t sound like the worst way to fulfill a duty.

*****

When Allan later goes to the toilet, he realizes to his horror that the aggressive plant shoots have probably infected the entire pipe system under the house.

He angrily starts removing them from the toilet, while deep down he thinks that this is Sisyphus’s work. For every shot he removes, a new one will take over. A solution is more urgent than he dares to think about.

*****

Afternoon, Skyward Palms in Oasis Springs

Tonight the Space Cutters are holding their club meeting at the Space Zone

Tusnelda is feeling rather uneasy. The meeting with Doctor Flex didn’t go quite as she had hoped. Perhaps she was a little too tense and sensitive and overreacted, but their unfortunate conversation has not given her any new courage to find a solution to achieve pregnancy.

Ove, who is Tusnelda’s half-breed alien friend, notices her bad mood and asks if she has had an unfortunate day in the lab.

“No, I haven’t been to the lab,” she replies.

“I have been to the hospital to talk to a doctor today,” she says.

“Are you sick?” Ove asks.

“Not really, but it seems I can’t get pregnant and when I sought professional guidance, the doctor started talking about insemination of cows,” she explains indignantly.

Immediately, Ove and an alien called Nu start laughing out loud…

“I don’t see the humor,” Tusnelda says with a frown.

“I’m sorry…. but…why cows!?” Ove sobs, laughing big time.

Tusnelda considers leaving but luckily the laughter stops.

Ove looks at her inquiringly. “You look quite serious Tusnelda, won’t you tell us the whole story?” he asks.

*****

They buy some drinks and sit down.

Tusnelda begins to tell her whole tragic story. About the long-awaited pregnancy and how it ended in a miscarriage.

Then she talks about the doctor and how he seems to take everything with a joke… “But this isn’t funny!” she says angrily.

“I am so sorry.” Ove says kindly.

“As far as I remember, you have a man who could be quite useable. I can recommend an efficient pollination technician,” interjects Nu.

“What are you talking about?” Tusnelda asks in surprise.

“You earthlings think way too primitively. Earthlings’ baby making is sweaty and noisy and the birth of babies is tiring and dangerous.”

“In Sixam, pollination is performed with a clean incision by a trained pollination technician and earthlings’ men have proven to be particularly suitable as surrogates.”

“Surrogates? Surely that’s not physically possible. Men don’t have a uterus and they can’t give birth,” Tusnelda protests.

“Does a hen need a uterus? Still, it can hatch an egg and so can men. The pollination technician implants the embryo and a nutritious yolk sac, in the surrogate’s abdominal cavity. When the child is fully developed, the birth is so easy that even an earthling can figure it out. It is performed under clinical conditions by a skilled surgeon. No harm no pain.” Ove calmly explains.

“Oh!?” says Tusnelda, stunned by the thought of Martin being subjected to that kind of intervention.

” I can contact a pollination technician when I get home to Sixam tonight,” Nu says kindly.

“No thanks, that won’t be necessary.” says Tusnelda and looks Nu firmly in the eyes.”

“But Tusnelda, there’s nothing to fear. I was conceived by my father using that method and ended up being completely normal,” interjects Ove.

“Well yes, I remember you telling me that story.” says Tusnelda and refrains from commenting about whether she finds Ove completely normal.

“Well, I assume you should consider which scientific method you believe in the most. The cow or the chicken, so to speak,” says Ove cheerfully.

Tusnelda lets out a deep sigh.

“Come here girl. I’m just teasing you. You know I’ll support you no matter what science you believe in,” Ove says and gives her a hug.

Ove is a good friend and she really needs that hug right now, so she doesn’t reject him.

*****

Late afternoon at the public hospital

Marcus feels more relaxed after training and he opens the fridge to find a snack.

He puts the chocolate cake in the microwave to heat it while thinking about his conversation with Mrs. Andersen. It didn’t go quite as planned.

He is used to women in her situation being vulnerable and fragile, but most are grateful for his help.

Mrs. Andersen is different. It seems like she always wants to be in control even though this is outside her area of ​​expertise. It’s the strangest things that seem like insurmountable obstacles to her. She is difficult to understand and sometimes it feels like she is messing with his sanity.

*****

When Marcus a little later walks around the hospital to review the equipment, he is greeted by a sight that paralyzes him.

A cow!?

“How did it end up here?” he asks blankly into the room.

“You called me yourself, didn’t you?” the cow says in a deep voice.

“What!?” Marcus exclaims.

Marcus sits down exhausted. He must be stressed.

The preceding busy period at the hospital, Jade’s surprise pregnancy, the upcoming wedding, the failed conversation with Mrs. Andersen….. and now he’s met a talking cow!?

He must have lost it.

“Just make sure I come home again,” the cow concludes.

*****

Late afternoon in StrangerVille

Late in the afternoon, Allan and his team head to 8 Bells bar. Allan immediately goes inside to look for the Warrant Officer Erwin mentioned.

Ezra and Taylor remain standing and look out over the city.

The sun finally seems to be breaking through the fog, but the sky still has an artificial color.

“I absolutely don’t like this, Ezra. Let’s go inside and get drunk,” Taylor says with a shudder.

“I don’t think our superiors will approve.” Ezra says.
.

Ezra is certainly right, but right now his sergeant commander is busy with other things than keeping two young men in line.

Allan asks a random bar guest for Warrant Officer Schröder. It turns out to be easier than expected.

“Officer Schröder sits by the wall to your right,” he replies.

Taylor is already in the process of ordering his first drink when Ezra meets a fellow soldier he knows from his home barracks.

“Hallie, great to see you here,” he cheers.

It quickly becomes clear to those around them that these two know each other extremely well, as Ezra spontaneously gives Hallie a rose.

“I’ve come to report for duty for the mission. Do you know where I can find Sergeant Minor Chandran?” Hallie asks.

“Cool, I miss you Hallie, but right now you probably shouldn’t interrupt the Sergeant,” Ezra says.

Ezra is once again right in his assumptions because at this very minute Allan has found Officer Schröder and he will absolutely not appreciate any kind of interruption.

“Yes, it’s me. Please introduce yourself and the reason you are seeking me out,” the officer says kindly.

“Well, I’m Sergeant Minor Chandran and I’m in StrangerVille on a special mission, which unfortunately I can’t give you any details about. I need a scanner, and I’ve been informed that you have access to some confiscated equipment,” Allan says bluntly.

“Who on earth gave you that information. Confiscated items are safely locked away in a safe and what you are asking me to do is highly illegal. I should report you to the military police.” the officer replies angrily.

“Do tulips mean anything to you?” asks Allan without letting himself be intimidated.

“Oh, I see,” Officer Schröder replies, after which she seems to bite back her anger.

“Tulips are my favorite flower,” she says, standing up from the table as a bar guest seeking company sits down.

Allan sends him an angry look, hoping he will disappear.

At the bar, Taylor has ordered his second drink while he chats with the other patrons. Ezra doesn’t get a seat but makes eye contact with Hallie.

The Officer stands by the wall and signals to Allan with a wink. He suddenly becomes doubtful about what she is up to.

“Meet me in servile clothing in the alley behind the building after dark, I might have something you need,” she whispers.

Allan looks at her inquiringly and she blinks again.

“I really like tulips,” she says.

*****

Ezra follows Hallie as she heads for the exit.

He’s really been dreaming of doing this since he saw her outside 8 Bells bar and it doesn’t look like Hallie has anything against it.

“Oh, young love. Aren’t they cute together?” says Officer Schröder.

Allan can definitely recognize at least one voice from this cute couple and that doesn’t make him happy.

He turns towards the voices and, as expected, sees Private Duvall flirting with Private Mooney. Oh yes, he recognizes them both.

“Private Duvall, you’re dismissed! Go home do some and exercise. We must prepare for a battle,” he shouts angrily.

Hallie has realized that this is not the moment for her to report for duty. It will probably not be well received.

“Oh, you shouldn’t be so hard on them. It’s so wonderful to be young and in love,” says Officer Schröder cheerfully.

“I don’t give a damn.” Allan growls angrily.

In fact, it affects him more than he cares to think about. This morning when he spoke to Alice she seemed distracted and distant which immediately gave him the suspicion that she was up to something.

Presumably she hasn’t returned to the cream bun as rumor has it he recently got married, but he got a suspicion something was amiss.

Allan suffers a lot from jealousy and it may not be entirely unprovoked.

He goes up to the bar to order a drink. Just to soothe his uneasiness. He is no less provoked by seeing Private Kane in conversation with a young woman. This place is oozing with way too many young soldiers with way too many hormones.

He turns and glares angrily at the Warrant Officer. Who knows what she’s up to when they meet in the dark. If she has such intentions, it will be without his participation.

Argh! He really needs that scanner.

*****

As the sun’s last rays disappear behind the horizon, the sky turns a dark ocher red.

The color almost threatens to swallow the flat red rock formations.

Not far from the bar, the soldiers’ quarters are bathed in a red sky before everything turns black.

Ezra is standing behind the house cleaning the grill. He wants to make some dinner.

It has been a surprising afternoon and he is feeling good about himself.

He turns around when he hears footsteps coming down the stairs.

He is not alone.

*****

Hallie and Ezra sit together on the edge of his bed. He has ditched the burgers and instead found a box of sweet treats.

Hallie is as sweet as the goodies in the box.

It’s hard to keep their hands off each other’s bodies and they start teasingly tickling each other.

Ezra whispers. This is bound to end in a bad way.

*****

Evening in the Space Zone Bar

Tusnelda is standing at the portal in the attic, performing a repair.

“I don’t know what happened, but suddenly it won’t let me through,” says Nu.

Tusnelda tentatively sticks her measuring equipment into the portal’s opening.

“It seems to be OK now,” she says.

“Thank you very much Tusnelda, I promise to do you a favor in advance.” Nu says gratefully.

“There’s no need for that. I think it’s safe for you to travel home through it now,” Tusnelda replies.

In fact, Tusnelda is also looking forward to coming home. She feels exhausted.

*****

Simultaneously on the planet Sixam

In a laboratory at Sixam, pollination technician #5 is preparing some nutritious yolk sacs.

She has just completed her examination as a pollination technician with the highest distinction.

She has several years of theoretical and practical training as an apprentice to a senior pollination technician and this is her first independent assignment.

She is proud to be appointed to breed. Her eggs are mature and she is ready to reproduce. Now she just needs some suitable surrogates.

*****

After preparing the yolk sacs, she goes for a walk in the area to get some fresh air. She greets a fellow alien kindly and asks if any abductions are planned.

A little later she meets Nu, who has just returned home to the planet and she has an interesting story to tell.

“Oh, this is really exciting news. Thanks for telling me. Where do I find the target?” she asks, beaming with joy.

*****

Late evening in Brindleton Bay

Many hundreds of thousands of miles from Sixam, the unsuspecting target is sitting at a computer typing a code.

Tusnelda hasn’t come home from her club meeting yet and Martin takes advantage of her absence to visit a website that is, for now, his secret.

The homepage’s opening image shows a building called Via Romanza. The name is a relic from a distant past and may perhaps lead the viewer to some associations. Most of them are probably far from reality.

Via Romanza is managed by two warm-hearted women. One is quite young and the other is an older woman with a past as a nurse.

When Martin scrolls to the next page, he sees the children. Almost all of them toddlers and infants. Little orphans, all waiting for caring parents.

He has been visiting the site for a while and one day he will show it to Tusnelda. So far it remains his secret as he clearly senses that she is not ready yet…..

What the website shows

*****

Martin quickly closes the website when he hears Tusnelda coming home.

“Hey sweetie, did you have a nice day?” he asks.

“Why did you close the computer? Do you have any secrets?” Tusnelda asks cheerfully.

“You’re home now, aren’t you?” he asks evasively.

He gives her a kiss on the cheek.

She embraces him immediately.

“It feels so good to be home with you again,” she says, feeling all the worries of the day melt away.

“Yeah, for me too sweetie.” he says.

“How about I make some burgers on the grill and then we can talk about your day over the meal,” Martin suggests.

“Yes, that would be really nice,” she replies with a loving look.

She worships everything about him. He is like a solid, unshakable rock in her life.

Tusnelda starts harvesting some crops while Martin starts up the grill.

Martin turns the ground beefs on the grill.

He’s not quite sure how he feels about Tusnelda returning to Doctor Flex. Of course, he would love to have a child with her, but last time she was so plagued by grief, anger and guilt that it threatened to tear them apart.

However, he knows he can’t stop her once she’s chosen that path. He just has to stand by her side no matter what.

We will leave them here while they each take care of their own. There are other things to pick up on in this chapter.

*****

Late night in StrangerVille behind 8 Bells bar

As they have agreed, Allan seeks out the Warrant Officer in an alley behind the bar, wearing servile clothes.

She turns towards him when she hears him coming. She is wearing a long coat in neutral brown.

“Well there you are young man, you can call me Julia” she says kindly.

“There’s no need to get too familiar. Did you bring the scanner?” Allan says brusquely.

“That’s a somewhat harsh greeting,” she says with a surprised look.

“I apologize but there’s really no time for pleasantries. I’m trying to stop this virus before it runs wild. It’s accelerating every hour.” Allan says.

Julia looks over Allan’s shoulder, startled. “Someone’s coming.” she says.

“What?” Allan asks, confused.

“Shh!” Julia hushes.

A young guy in a hoodie looks at them curiously as he walks past.

“Why should I really help you? You’re rude and I’m putting myself at great risk. There must be something in it for me,” Julia says angrily.

Allan feels some kind of regret about his bad temper. It’s not the first time he’s pushed people away for that reason.

“I might have something that can convince you,” he says and continues in a whisper.

“But it isn’t legal.” Julia says in shock.

Regardless, she accepts the 1000 Simoleons she is offered as a bribe and Allan receives a small sealed package.

“This must never come out. We could both risk our jobs and if you talk over you I will deny everything,” she says harshly. ….”Besides, I’ll go first and you wait half an hour before following,” she continues.

“Of course. You should know I’m really grateful for your help,” Allan says kindly.

Julia leaves him quickly and Allan stays and finds his phone.

It’s almost midnight but he sends Alice a text message anyway. Of course he doesn’t get a reply. Andy often wakes up early so she’s probably already asleep.

Julia quickly distances herself from Allan.

It’s not that she doesn’t have sympathy for his mission, but did he really need to be such an unsympathetic scumbag.

*****

Midnight in Brindleton Bay

Martin listens to Tusnelda as she recounts the conversation with the doctor. She tells him every detail she can remember about his previous test results and the treatment options he offers.

He definitely should have attended that meeting because he’s not sure Tusnelda got it all right, although he has to admit to her that the doctor can seem quite arrogant and insensitive.

As Tusnelda continues to talk about Ove’s explanation of Alien’s reproductive behavior, he becomes even more skeptical.

“Those Aliens are kind of crazy. You know, they accuse human reproduction of being primitive, noisy and sweaty,” she says with a laugh.

“Well, maybe there’s some truth to that,” Martin says with a smirk.

Tusnelda first looks at him inquiringly, not quite understanding what he is referring to.

Then she bursts into loud laughter.

Martin blows her a kiss.

“I just love seeing you laugh,” he says.

“Thanks for reminding me. I think I might have been a bit too serious today.” says she.

“You are exactly as you should be, Tusnelda. Let’s skip the food and go to bed,” he says.

They both stand up.

He catches her before they go inside and gives her a kiss.

*****

They sit together on the edge of the bed for a while before going to sleep.

“It sounds like you’ve had a pretty challenging day today, Tusnelda?” says Martin.

“Yes, you can say that, but I won’t give up Martin. I really want us to make a baby together.” she answers.

“I know, sweetie. I want that too,” he says softly.

We will leave them here in each other’s care knowing that whatever happens, they will get through it together.

*****

Midnight in StrangerVille

In StrangerVille, we still find Ezra and Hallie in a close embrace.

“You could stay here tonight” Ezra whispers.

“Please Ezra! I’m trying to sleep and I can hear every drool. Find another room,” Taylor says sullenly from the bed on the other side of the room.

“Well, I guess we better say goodbye. I assume I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ezra says.
The only other available room in the house is the sergeant’s bedroom, and he has absolutely no desire to go in there.

Then he says a proper goodbye to Hallie.

Hallie quickly slips down the stairs.

She looks around for the sergeant but he’s not in the area. That’s probably for the best.

Tomorrow she will return and report for duty, but tonight she must return home to the barracks.

*****

Allan is actually not that far from the young private. Since he is sure that the officer is completely out of sight, he is busy.

He walks close to one of the glowing growths in the area.

He hears a car driving close by.

Since the van has listening equipment on the roof, he thinks it’s best to remain passive. He doesn’t want to lose the scanner now that he finally has it in his possession.

When the van is completely gone, Allan takes out the scanner.

A possessed person wanders by in a state of euphoria. Since he is mentally out of reach, he is probably no danger.

*****

Ezra has decided to resume cooking and is now standing looking up at the moon.

The night sky is amazingly clear.

He feels there is something ominous about the darkness and the unpredictable sky.

Then he moves his gaze back to the ground beefs and the grill.

Even in times of crisis, they need food and perhaps his superiors will be appeased by the sight of a burger when he gets home.

On the other side of the house, Allan is trying to get the damn scanner to work. He’s not getting much out of it. Only a single plant spore at a time.

Maybe he should test it in front of the lab tomorrow, because at this rate it’s going to take months to collect enough usable test material.

He is working in deep concentration, and therefore his thoughts are elsewhere than worrying about Alice and what she is up to. That might be good.

*****

Midnight in Windenburg

Alice has got a new blue dress and and right now she finds herself with the Partyhouse Club at The Narwhal Arms to dance. Who knows what she might end up with?

We will see more of her in another chapter.