“That’s okay.”
I swear I see them smile… even though they’re just darkness in the shape of a human body with lightning striking though them occasionally.
“What is wrong?” they ask. “And how can I help?”
There’s no point in keeping my problems to myself. “I told you when I started working here that I was doing it to pay off debts.”
“Yes.”
“I was almost done, and then someone decided to bury me again.”
I still don’t understand how she did it and I have to screw my eyes shut against the frustrated tears that want to well up.
There’s a faint static crackle in the air. “Is it safe for you to return to Earth?” Phantom asks.
“Yeah, I don’t think the bank is going to come for kneecaps…” I laugh, because I used to make jokes about the hospital repo-ing my knees.
The sound is bitter to my ears.
“Do youwantto return to Earth?”
“What?” I blink at them.
“If returning to Earth causes this distress, I would be happy to discuss alternatives.”
“I could just stay?”
I know other human women who work at Phantom’s live on the station, but I’d never actually been told how or why.”
“It is an option. If you would like to remove yourself from those debts, we could discuss a… work visa.”
I laugh because those two words feel so utterly human, so steeped in bureaucracy that they feelwrongcoming from an alien.
“You’re offering me the option to move here?”
“Yes.” They lean forward, a shifting shadow. “Your debts could not follow you here.”
But my guilt can.
Still, I consider it for a moment, wondering if I might wind up in an “owe my soul to the company store” situation if I was to accept that offer.
“You can think about it if you like.” They wave their hand toward the bulkhead and the station beyond it. “Take a day or two, explore the station, consider what you might gain from leaving those problems behind.”
“What kind of problems would I find here?”
“Only fun ones, I hope.” A silver bracelet appears on the desk between us. “Wear that and you’ll be able to go almost anywhere on station.”
I pick it up, trying not to think of it as a futuristic ankle monitor.
“Anything you need, charge it to me.”
“How will I know what I need to repay?”
“The next two days are completely free to you. There won’t be anything to repay.” They motion to the bracelet. “If you get lost and need to come back. Just tap it and someone will come to collect you.”
So… very much like an ankle monitor.
But if it’s the price to pay for free rein of the station… I slip the bracelet on and stand.
