noticed Naomi and her husband holding hands. It reminded her of how nice it must feel to have someone to be close to in an unforgiving world. She felt happy for them and tried to push the unhappy thoughts of her past from her mind. It has been almost a year since Nathan’s death and she still missed him terribly.
“Did you like the menu tonight Ava?” Naomi asked pleasantly.
“Yes, it was delicious. It was so kind of you all to invite me to join you.”
“We were glad you could come. Perhaps next time you can invite your friend.”
“My friend?”
“When we were in the Square you mentioned that you had a friend on the ship that brought you here from Earth.”
“Yes. I did have a friend. Unfortunately I won’t be able to see her again,” Ava said sadly as she stared at the ground.
“Why not?”
“She had a difficult time affording groceries, even though I took her with me to Infinity. Then she wouldn’t accept my help. She told me that a co-worker suggested she visit a store on Level 11. They promised her that she would be able to afford the groceries there and she decided to go. I tried to stop her. I told her that you and Wesley advised me never to go down there but she went anyway. I even rode down the lift with her to Level 11 but she still didn’t listen to me.” Naomi raised a concerned eyebrow. “After she left I never saw her again. When she didn’t come back I checked the obituary list and it reported that she died of a cardiac arrest. I’m not sure I believe that.”
“Oh Ava, I’m so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you did everything you could to prevent her from going down there. Whatever happened to her was not your fault.”
“What do you think happened to her? It’s unusual for a seemingly healthy twenty-four year old woman suffer a cardiac arrest.”
It was Andre who spoke next. “Level 11 is not a safe place for several reasons. Many of the businesses are fraudulent. Not to mention that illicit drug use runs rampant down there. If your young friend died of a heart attack she most likely overdosed on something, either willingly or unknowingly.”
“You think someone drugged her?”
“It’s possible.”
“What about the authorities, wouldn’t they do an investigation if they suspected something like that?”
“Not unless she was someone of great importance, or if she was very wealthy. The authorities on Orionis are extremely strict, but not when it concerns Level 11.”
“That’s outrageous. You mean to tell me that the law enforcement here would turn a blind eye to an unsolved death of a young woman just because it happened on the lower levels and she didn’t have a lot of money or connections?”
“Unfortunately it’s an unfeeling world we live in. The ITO is a corrupt system. So many people migrate to the stations only to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Desperate people will do anything to survive. It can be a recipe for disaster. As the ITO knows with the station census, when one person departs, another spot opens up for the next person, and thus they can collect the next migration fee. It’s an unrelenting cycle.”
“I can’t believe it. That’s so unjust.”
“Unfortunately that’s life,” he added softly.
Ava didn’t say much the rest of the way home. She had such a nice time tonight, now the conversation about Helena had upset her. She felt tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Helena was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she would have to let it go and learn to move on without closure.
Chapter 6: The Computer
Over the next few weeks Ava’s life on Orionis began to improve. She started to become used to her new routine and began to explore more of her surroundings. Work flowed well and by shopping at Infinity Ava started to put back on some of the weight that she had lost. As Naomi had said, Ava’s body became more physically acclimated to environment and she began to feel stronger.
“Did you like the menu tonight Ava?” Naomi asked pleasantly.
“Yes, it was delicious. It was so kind of you all to invite me to join you.”
“We were glad you could come. Perhaps next time you can invite your friend.”
“My friend?”
“When we were in the Square you mentioned that you had a friend on the ship that brought you here from Earth.”
“Yes. I did have a friend. Unfortunately I won’t be able to see her again,” Ava said sadly as she stared at the ground.
“Why not?”
“She had a difficult time affording groceries, even though I took her with me to Infinity. Then she wouldn’t accept my help. She told me that a co-worker suggested she visit a store on Level 11. They promised her that she would be able to afford the groceries there and she decided to go. I tried to stop her. I told her that you and Wesley advised me never to go down there but she went anyway. I even rode down the lift with her to Level 11 but she still didn’t listen to me.” Naomi raised a concerned eyebrow. “After she left I never saw her again. When she didn’t come back I checked the obituary list and it reported that she died of a cardiac arrest. I’m not sure I believe that.”
“Oh Ava, I’m so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you did everything you could to prevent her from going down there. Whatever happened to her was not your fault.”
“What do you think happened to her? It’s unusual for a seemingly healthy twenty-four year old woman suffer a cardiac arrest.”
It was Andre who spoke next. “Level 11 is not a safe place for several reasons. Many of the businesses are fraudulent. Not to mention that illicit drug use runs rampant down there. If your young friend died of a heart attack she most likely overdosed on something, either willingly or unknowingly.”
“You think someone drugged her?”
“It’s possible.”
“What about the authorities, wouldn’t they do an investigation if they suspected something like that?”
“Not unless she was someone of great importance, or if she was very wealthy. The authorities on Orionis are extremely strict, but not when it concerns Level 11.”
“That’s outrageous. You mean to tell me that the law enforcement here would turn a blind eye to an unsolved death of a young woman just because it happened on the lower levels and she didn’t have a lot of money or connections?”
“Unfortunately it’s an unfeeling world we live in. The ITO is a corrupt system. So many people migrate to the stations only to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Desperate people will do anything to survive. It can be a recipe for disaster. As the ITO knows with the station census, when one person departs, another spot opens up for the next person, and thus they can collect the next migration fee. It’s an unrelenting cycle.”
“I can’t believe it. That’s so unjust.”
“Unfortunately that’s life,” he added softly.
Ava didn’t say much the rest of the way home. She had such a nice time tonight, now the conversation about Helena had upset her. She felt tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Helena was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she would have to let it go and learn to move on without closure.
Chapter 6: The Computer
Over the next few weeks Ava’s life on Orionis began to improve. She started to become used to her new routine and began to explore more of her surroundings. Work flowed well and by shopping at Infinity Ava started to put back on some of the weight that she had lost. As Naomi had said, Ava’s body became more physically acclimated to environment and she began to feel stronger.
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