The Quantum Objective by F. Habib Page B

there’ll be a chance to reason with him. Beth pushed away a surge of trepidation. She focused on Galen and the imperative need to remain calm.

*
Precisely two hours later, a man dressed in resplendent livery arrived to escort her to dinner. As Beth walked behind him she marvelled at the intricate detail of his uniform. She looked about the long corridor and slowed to a halt. Her wide gaze took in the endless cream carpet and fine panelling on the walls. The domed ceiling was filled with tiny lights that brightened as you approached and dimmed as you passed. The paintings looked as though they belonged in a museum. She was art illiterate but sensed that nothing on this ship was less than the best.
Whoever this Khoen character is, he’s obviously very wealthy, and not shy about it - fussy too.
Beth caught sight of her escort waiting patiently for her to stop gawping.
Anyone who expects their waiter, or guard, or whatever this man is, to wear such a uniform has significant unresolved issues.
Brain on, Irving. Khoen is either royalty or came from a dirt-poor background and is making up for it. And what the hell kind of name is Khoen anyway? Sounds Jewish. Is it his surname? Hadn’t sounded like it.
Beth started moving again, and the guard picked up the pace.
One thing’s for sure, a colossal ego is lurking hereabouts, and I think he’s my dinner date.
The guard stopped and she nearly smacked into the back of him. He opened wide white doors, and gestured for her to enter. A deep breath steadied her nerves before she walked in and stood stock-still. The ceiling was at least four meters high and in front of her was a wall of uninterrupted glass that offered her a panoramic view of a breath-taking ocean sunset.
She gaped and finally understood why she couldn’t feel the sea. The ship was a super-tanker. From one corner of the window she could see the full length of it stretching far away below her. The deck looked fairly normal, but having seen one corridor, she was certain it was a façade.
This ship is a palace in disguise. It’s probably more than a palace; it could house a small town.
‘Mum!’
She spun on her heel and saw Galen seated on an enormous sofa, half-asleep. He looked freshly scrubbed and dressed; he’d even had a haircut.
She crushed him till he complained. Seeing him safe was nearly her undoing. Tears surged to the surface again.
‘Mum, calm down. You’re going to give me the shakes.’ He touched his head to hers and rubbed her back lightly, bringing her back from the brink of self-pity.
‘I’m sorry darling. Are you ok? They didn’t hurt you did they?’ Her hands ran over him before he could swat them.
‘Yes, I’m fine. They locked me in a glass bowl for a bit, then I was sent to an amazing room where a lady cut my hair and showed me where my new stuff was. She said I had to look smart.’ His expression said he couldn’t imagine why.
‘Glass bowl?’ Beth held him by the shoulders, ‘Where? Why? What did they say to you?’
‘Mum you really need to calm down, ok? There were doctors, one was like you, and a…nurse; they said they didn’t want to hurt us, just to learn from us; as long as I was a good boy and didn’t make any trouble.’
‘A doctor like me? You mean a physicist? What were their names?’
‘I don’t remember,’ Galen shrugged. Beth released her grasp and sank back into the chair.
‘Never mind. I don’t suppose names matter much at this point.’ I’ll find out soon enough. She stood and began pacing while he snuggled up to some pillows and watched her think.
A physicist means this place probably houses a lab too. They know about Galen’s powers, but they can’t know much. Even assuming they did some post-mortem work on their people in France, they couldn’t have learned much; and I burned all the notebooks.
She looked out on the dusky waves far below.
All this started before Galen was even conceived - before I met Liam. Though clearly, there