Escaping the Cradle

by Karen Page

Part 27

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Part 27
DATE:FC+121

Eos landed inside one of the industrial units across the road from The Anchor, filling the space inside. If any future ship variants were larger, the building wouldn't be able to fit it.

"Thank you for doing this," Becky said, climbing aboard.

"All part of a day's job. Saves us sitting around learning Hytuna," said James. "Let me contact them, make sure the landing site is clear."

"Saves me drilling you on Hytuna," Sam added and laughed along with James.

When Ashleigh and Becky were seated, James opened the interdimensional drive, and they arrived at Cranfield Airport.

They were relieved to discover there wasn't a crowd waiting to gawp at the ship. Ashleigh had been very specific about that, but it was always a concern. They'd said that landings were confidential, and that appeared to be the case.

"Be careful getting out, it's raining. We'll see you in a few hours," said James, as Sam opened the door. "We'll go back to base. Give us a shout when you want us to collect you."

"Thank you," Ashleigh said, stepping out of Eos and onto the tarmac. It had been dry when they'd left home.

They had parked close to Handling. She and Becky dashed out of the rain into the building. When they got there and looked back, Eos had gone.

"Hi," Ashleigh said, approaching the reception desk. It certainly wasn't as sterile as a commercial airport, but it wasn't as plush as Farnborough. "I'm Ashleigh from Star Bright. We spoke the other day."

A young man was sat there, his mouth open in shock. Ashleigh smirked and tried not to laugh. He'd seen Eos and even though he'd been warned, it was still a shock.

"It just disappeared," he uttered eventually.

"She does that," said Becky, finding it harder to keep a straight face.

Eventually he pulled himself together and even confirmed that a taxi would be here in a few minutes.

"Was that really the spaceship that everyone's been talking about?" he asked while they waited. "The one the aliens mentioned."

"Yes," Becky said, puzzled.

"Thank you. I'm at the uni. I work here a few mornings a week to pay my way. You've changed the world. It's changed us. It's given us all so much hope. A new type of future. Thank you."

The taxi arrived, and the two women dashed out to it. The rain came down as quickly as before.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked, as they pulled away from the car park.

Becky responded, "Milton Keynes railway station."

The city was remarkably close to Cranfield. The road soon became larger, and she realised they were on the famous Milton Keynes grid system. The driver had his radio on low, and the news came on. The first item was an announcement that UNOOSA had announced they'd been tasked with setting up a space planetary defence. The second item was that Eos had been spotted at Cranfield.

"Wow, you two were just there," the taxi driver said. "Did you see it?"

"We saw her," Ashleigh said, glancing at Becky. "She wasn't there long."

"If only I'd got there a few minutes earlier," he said with obvious regret. "I'd have seen it."

"She was only there for a few minutes," reassured Becky.

"You saw it though. Fancy something like that being made in Britain. Not China or America but Britain. Fantastic. The flag on the front of the ship. Those people must be so proud to be British."

Becky couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd seen the reddit groups where people were watching for Aurora or Eos but had thought it was just a few excited people. But just the thought of Eos having been in the area had excited people.

"The worlds getting smaller though," said Ashleigh. "They just said on the news about this global space planetary defence."

"Make sense. It's not something one country can or should do. We're all Earthlings after all."

When they drew up at the railway station, Becky paid and they hopped out. The rain had reduced to drizzle. The railway station complex had offices above it, and in neighbouring buildings covering the three sides of the square which was the car park. They went along, not into the station itself, but one of the buildings built alongside. This was the local mental health centre.

The setup was similar to the one in Cheltenham. It was bright and airy. The only thing it didn't have was an outside garden.

"That was so surreal," Becky whispered after they'd passed through reception. The waiting room was busy with about seven people waiting. Some were on their own, others with someone.

"What was?" Ashleigh responded.

"The way the taxi driver talked."

"You've lived in your little bubble. Remember when we went to Wales. The barman was the same."

"Perhaps it was just the taxi driver."

"We did just see Eos," Ashleigh announced, less quiet.

The person sitting nearby looked across and gaped. This must have been an early appointment, as they didn't pass very well. "You saw Eos?"

"Yes, she was at Cranfield Airport."

"Wow. That's so brilliant. You got to see it. That's fantastic. Eos in Cranfield. Go figure. What was it like? Did it just arrive and disappear instantly like on the news? Was it silent? Did you meet anybody from there? Wow, to meet them."

"Why?" Becky asked, frowning.

"To thank them. 'And this grey spirit yearning in desire. To follow knowledge like a sinking star. Beyond the utmost bound of human thought'," she quoted.

"Tennyson?" said Ashleigh tenuously.

"Yes. From Ulysses. One of the people from the Aurora project said to keep looking up and we might spot one of the ships. It went to Leicester, and a few other places. Today it was in Cranfield. One day I'll get to the stars."

"Mary Roberts," called one of the doctors, and the woman Ashleigh and Becky had been talking with got up.

"It was good to meet you," she said, and followed the doctor out.

"How did this happen?" Becky asked Ashleigh. "I never knew."

"I didn't know that you'd had this much impact," Ashleigh agreed. "But I think it's deserved."

"The impact we'd had. You are part of the team. Without you, Evan and Liam would have probably died and then there would have been no project."

"Becky Head," called another doctor, and Becky followed him out.

Ashleigh leaned back in her chair to wait. She took out her tablet and started checking on updates. She wanted to make sure that Henry and Liam had got to Manchester okay.

"Ashleigh Thompson," she heard called out. She looked up in surprise.

"Yes?" said Ashleigh, putting her tablet back in her bag and standing up.

The lady signalled for her to follow, and Ashleigh went through the security doors into a corridor with several doors leading off. They went into an office, and the lady shut the door.

Ashleigh looked around. The last time she'd been in a psychiatrist's office was while at university. This was totally different to that. Here there was a large plush black leather settee and facing it was a sage green wingback chair. The room, just like the waiting area, was bright, well-lit and felt safe.

"Have a seat," she said. "I'm Dr Tracy Dine. I know you are probably feeling a bit surprised, but sometimes we check on a partner of someone transitioning. They sometimes need someone independent to chat with. So, how are things going. Nothing you say will impact Becky's chat. This is purely something for you."

"Okay," agreed Ashleigh, still unsure of this conversation. There didn't seem any harm in it, so sat down.

"So, how long have you known Becky?"

"This is the second period of my life that I've known her. I started working at my current company the middle of last year and was very surprised to see her working there. I found out later she was one of the owners. I originally met her when I was a teenager but we..." Ashleigh trailed off. "We were barred from seeing each other."

"There sounds a story there. So, tell me when you first met Becky."

Ashleigh gave her nose a rub and thought about what to say. After a few seconds, she sighed and said, "My eldest sister, Caroline, played hockey. My mum used to take my youngest sibling to music practice, so I used to watch my sister play. I saw Becky watching and after a few weeks we got talking. I was very surprised when she told me her name was Richard."

"I'm sure it was. How did it make you feel?"

"Confused. Shocked. Perhaps a touch excited. We went into town to a new shopping area, and we relaxed. I forgot she was Richard, and I think she forgot to."

"You said your youngest sibling. That's a strange term to use."

Ashleigh gave a wry smile. "Yes. I suppose you would pick up that. At the time I would have said brother, but she is now my youngest sister. She went to a music school, and after leaving it seems she transitioned. I didn't see Tina until she was in her twenties."

"Tina Poop?" enquired Tracy.

"Yes, that's her."

"I think I'm going to ask someone else to talk with you. I know Tina, and I don't think it would be fair for you."

"You work at the music school?" guessed Ashleigh.

"Worked. I'm officially retired, but I give my time to helping the community and help out here. There's a few other retirees from that school here too."

"No wonder this clinic is rated the best in the country."

Ashleigh paused. It seemed an opening to mention Becky's wife, but she didn't want to be disloyal. She saw that Tracy was waiting, having noticed that Ashleigh was mulling something over. "Hilda Saunders was Becky's wife."

"I knew Hilda. When she died it was a huge shock. What a small world."

"I'm happy to continue to talk with you," said Ashleigh. "If you worked at Hayfield, I trust you are very good at your job and can be impartial."

"Okay. Let's continue. What's your relationship status with Becky?"

"We're engaged. Though she doesn't want us to marry until after she concludes her transition."

Tracy nodded. "Becky is seeing Dan. His job is to make sure she is on the right track. This session is to make sure you are okay. This isn't about Becky, though you are involved so I'm sure her name will come up."

"Will everything I say stay in this room?"

"Unless I think you are a danger to yourself or someone else, then yes."

Ashliegh nodded in acceptance and Tracy continued. "Was Becky your first romance?"

"Yes. We were both about sixteen. I'd never felt as alive as when I was with her. She did so much. We did so much. When we were out together, it's like we were in our own world. Our own bubble."

"But you were banned from seeing her. Why?"

"Becky didn't dress any differently from Richard. Just jeans and t-shirts, but if people didn't know her, they saw a girl. It seems Tina noticed and didn't realise anybody else did. Tony was caught dressed in girl's clothes and grounded. Tony said it wasn't fair that he was grounded when they had no issue with Becky. I was barred from seeing her and grounded too. They thought we were being deceitful and that Becky had led Tina astray."

"You seem very matter of fact about it," Tracy said, raising her right eyebrow slightly.

"It's old news. It happened. I can't change it. Over the years I've learnt to accept it."

Tracy remained impassive, "Why didn't you see Becky later, when you'd left home?"

"I'd wanted that," said Ashleigh quietly. "But Becky said no. She didn't tell me what university she was going to, and she disappeared from my life."

Tracy didn't say anything but waited, looking at Ashleigh to continue.

"I looked," Ashleigh said, a tear coming down her cheek. "I saved up and at weekends travelled to different universities looking for her. I never found her."

"Why did you look? Didn't you just want to move on?"

"She said she wanted me to still have a relationship with my parents. I loved her and the thought of being without her upset me more. After a few years I moved on. I tried both men and women, but nobody lived up to Becky. Nothing really lasted more than six months. After a while, I gave up trying. It was too painful. About five years ago, I thought perhaps I'd remembered Becky with rosy eyes, so tried again."

"And when you met Becky again, had you remembered her with rosy eyes?"

Ashleigh smiled, her eyes glazing slightly. "My memory hadn't done her justice. She is far more than I ever remembered."

"What would you say is the most frustrating thing with your current relationship with Becky?"

Tracy watched as Ashleigh frowned and fought internally. There was something, but she was really reluctant to say. "It's all confidential. I won't judge."

"She ..." Ashleigh paused and looked down. Barely audibly she said, "Becky doesn't want us to sleep together until she's complete."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"Yes. She says she doesn't want me to see her like that. I get that. I've been with men and women, so it doesn't cause me a problem. I don't care what's in her knickers."

Tracy nodded, sagely. "You are eager and happy. She's the one who has an issue with her body. Hence why she is transitioning."

Ashleigh continued to look down and examine her hands. "I know that up here," she said, pointing to her head. "But my heart is the one that struggles with it. I'm a bit jealous because Hilda slept with her, and I can't. I know that's because they were married before the start of transition, but..."

"At least you recognise it and are being sensible about it. You aren't the first to have such urges. And to be fair, you've waited a long time for this. Just relax and it will happen. Do you sleep there in a separate bedroom, or at your own place?"

"My own place. It's only down the road. The only time I've slept there was when Jenny got kidnapped. I just needed to stay close. I slept downstairs on the settee."

"This is the kidnapping that was in the press two months ago?" Tracy asked.

"Yes. We don't know who was behind it though."

"How is Jenny doing?"

"She's doing well. Some friends recommended a therapist in America. She got the support she needed and doesn't appear to be having nightmares anymore."

"Remote support isn't always the best, but if it helped then good. Now, let's get back to you and Becky."

When they finished, Ashleigh felt more content. She hadn't realised how much she'd been bottling up. Just talking had helped more than she expected.

"Becky will probably have a follow-up with a different psychiatrist in a few weeks. Do you want another chat then?"

"Do I need to?"

"It isn't compulsory, but you have more going on. It might help if you have chance to unpack it."

Ashleigh considered this and nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem. See you then."

Dismissed, Ashleigh made her way back to the waiting room. Becky was there waiting for her, and she smiled when she saw her approach.

"I didn't know you had an appointment," Becky remarked, as they made their way out.

"Nor me," laughed Ashleigh. "But it seems a transition impacts both of us, and they like to make sure the other person has support too."

"Wow, this is a great clinic. I've never heard of them doing that before."

The two of them walked along that path to the taxi rank, the rain having stopped. They both felt better, their anxiety once more in check.