Chapter 8 Chapter VII

Grism Academy is a medium-sized space station with six small berths built outside, each of which can accommodate small or medium-sized spaceships.Most of the docked ships were support ships, bringing from Elisium the resources necessary for the Institute's operations, and there were two daily public transport ships carrying passengers to the surface of the planet below. When Carly and Jiro arrived, Handel was waiting for them, watching the port outside from the observation window.Now that the space station is facing the universe instead of the planet they surround, Carly is a little disappointed. She has always thought that the sight of Elisium hovering below is spectacular, and she will never get tired of watching it.

Most of the people who came to visit—usually parents and friends—passed through Elisium, booked a seat at the academy, and came on the passenger ship.Only those who are important or rich enough will take a private spacecraft and drive the spacecraft to stop on the space station, which can save time and avoid the trouble of going through the spaceport. Direct access would also allow them to bypass customs and security on the station side, so the law requires security officials to be on site when they arrive. This is just a formality, and Handel usually assigns this task to one of his subordinates.But on the few occasions when, say, Grayson arrived, the head of security was always there to greet him in person.Carly knew it was a serious gesture, letting Grayson know that she was being watched.

Fortunately, Grayson's ship hadn't arrived yet.As they approached, Handel turned to look at them and his watch stopped. "I thought at first you wouldn't make it on time." His words were aimed at Carly, almost saying that he deliberately ignored Jiro's existence.She decided to sit back and watch. "How long will he be here?" "Five minutes, maybe ten minutes. I'll have Grayson sign in first, and he'll hand it over to you. Keep him in a restaurant or something for a few hours." "He wants to see his daughter right away," Jiro protested.

Handel glared at the young man as if he had just messed up a private meeting, then shook his head. "Sudden visits are not good for Gillian. I can't wake her up in the middle of the night just because her father is too selfish to wait until she wakes up in the morning to visit her." "She's been waking up very early in the past few months," Jiro continued. "She only sleeps for a few hours every night. The rest of the time she just sits on the bed and looks at the wall. I think it has something to do with her mental state." relation." A sour expression flashed across Handel's face. "Nobody told me that." He had always taken his work seriously, and he didn't like that anyone knew more about the habits and behavior of students than he did.

Carly thought he was just finding fault.She had to keep her eyes on him, she couldn't let him ruin the visit, for Grayson's sake or for Gillian's. "It's none of your business," Carly said coldly, "and Dr. Sanchez said it's nothing to worry about." Handel sensed the warning in her tone and told him not to deal with this matter.For the next few minutes they just stood without speaking, looking out the window.Handel broke the silence by saying something that seemed safe. "Look, it looks like your old friend is vying for a seat on the council," Handel said.

"Old friend?" Jiro asked suspiciously. "Commander David Anderson," the security chief explained, seemingly indifferent to Carly's shadow gnashing her teeth at him from the window. "They used to play for the league together." "How come you haven't said this before?" Jiro asked, turning to Carly. "That was a long time ago," she replied.Carrie could imagine what was going on in Jiro's head.He's a confident young man, but still sure to brood over his girlfriend's previous relationship with one of humanity's most famous war heroes.

"I prefer Ambassador Yudina to be a member of the council." He finally said.Carly was taken aback. "It's interesting to see how they campaign," Handel replied, although he also raised his eyes in doubt. The conversation was interrupted by a high-pitched chime from the communicator speaker above their heads, an announcement of a docked ship.They could see out of the viewing windows, the red lights on the outer edge of the berth blinking.A few seconds later, Grayson's ship—a small, high-end business executive ship—comes into view. The spaceship parked in its berth and drifted quietly in the vacuum of space.The spacecraft was parked on the hangar of the space station, and Carly felt a slight vibration under her feet.A pair of automatic large parking calipers lock the ship in the hangar.The space station stretches out the fully enclosed corridor and docks with the airtight door of the spacecraft to complete the entire process of locking.The pressurized and oxygenated tunnel allows passengers to enter the interior of the space station directly from the spacecraft parked in the external berth, without having to put on and take off the spacesuit.

"Okay, let's go down to meet the guests." Handel said, not hiding his displeasure at all. Passengers will enter the waiting room through a passage after disembarking from the spaceship.This is a large reception room, the outer layer is fully transparent bulletproof glass.Several waist-high pillars were placed in the middle of the room, and thick red ropes snaked through the pillars. If there were many visitors arriving at the same time, they could be queued here.On the edge of the waiting area were two Union guards, both armed - a reminder to everyone who entered Grism College that it was a dual-use facility.

Behind the guards is a door leading from the waiting room to the reception area, where another Union soldier sits behind a computer registering all arrivals and departures.Condition.This door is generally closed, unless the soldier sitting behind the reception desk and responsible for registration thinks that he meets the customs clearance conditions, and the visitors in the waiting room have the right to enter the space station, he will open the door. By the time they got to the reception room, Grayson was already in the waiting room, walking impatiently back and forth behind the yellow line.The guards in the room just stood at attention, seemingly ignoring how anxious he was.

The young woman behind the reception desk glanced at Handel and walked over.She had a smile on her face when she saw the security director of the promotion plan coming over. You're wasting your time, sister, Carly thought. "A guest, it has been arranged," her voice was a little light, too lively, which made people feel unprofessional. "Wait outside until we let him in." "Let him come," sighed Handel. She smiled and pressed a button on the keyboard.A small light on the glass door came on, the lock clicked open, and after a while, the door slid open silently.

"Come in, Mr. Grayson." Carly heard a guard in the waiting room say.But in fact Grayson walked in the door before he finished speaking. He looks so bad, Carly thought. Grayson was wearing a simple business suit, carrying a very expensive-looking briefcase; his clothes were clean and crisp, and he was clearly freshly shaved.Despite these efforts, he still had an unhealthy, even hopeless look on his face.He had always been thin, and now he looked even more bony; the clothes hanging from his body seemed to be falling off.His face was drooping and haggard; his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and his lips were dry and chapped.Carly still wasn't willing to fully agree with Handel that Grayson was a junkie, but Grayson certainly looked like a fanboy. "It's great to see you again, Mr. Grayson," said Carly, stepping forward and holding out her hand to keep Handel from saying something discordant. "It's been a long time," the security chief said, ignoring Carly's attitude. "We thought you forgot where we were." "I'd come more often if I could," Grayson replied, shaking Carly's hand but watching Handel speak.It doesn't look like he's angry.If anything, it was apology, or guilt, in his tone. "Things are now... very complicated... recently." "When we told Gillian you were coming, she was very happy, sir," Jiro said over Carly's shoulder. "I've always wanted to see her, Dr. Toruha," he replied with a smile.Carly noticed that his teeth were discolored, as if covered with a dark glossy material...another piece of evidence that he was a drug addict. "Do you need me to carry your bag?" Handel asked reluctantly. "I'll take it myself," Grayson replied, and Carrie noticed a look of displeasure flitting across Handel's face. "Come on," she said, taking Grayson's arm and pulling him a little from Handel toward her. "Let's go see your daughter." "It's really unfortunate to come at this time, and I'm really sorry." Grayson said to Carly.Together they walked across the academy to the dorms of the Ascension Project. "I've always been bad at adjusting my schedule to local time." "That's no problem, Mr. Grayson," she reassured. "You are welcome to visit Gillian any time of the day or night." "I don't feel good about waking her up," he continued, "but I'm leaving in a few hours." "We'll let her sleep in the dorm tomorrow during class time," Handel said, walking a few steps behind them. Grayson ignored him, and Carly wondered if he heard Handel's words.They didn't speak again until they reached Gillian's door. Carly waved her hand at the access control panel and the door slid open. "As soon as the light is turned on," Carly said, soft light flooded the room. Gillian didn't sleep.Just like Jiro said, she sat on the bed with her legs crossed on top of the covers.She looked a little too small in a pale pink pajamas; Carly remembered it was a birthday present from Grayson a few months earlier. "Hi, Gigi," Grayson entered the room, calling Gillian by her nickname. Gillian's eyes were shining, and she held out her arm to him, but did not move. "dad!" Grayson walked over to the bed and tipped over to Gillian, but only briefly hugged her. Still, he held his daughter's little hand lightly in his palm, and Gillian liked it that way. "You've grown so big!" Grayson said happily, letting go of her hand, and stepped back half a step to look at her carefully.He looked at it for a while, then said softly, "You look just like your mother." Carly patted Jiro and Handel's elbows lightly, and nodded towards the door, signaling that it was time for them to leave.The three of them quietly walked out of the room and closed the door gently behind them. "Come on," Carly said as they walked into the hall, "Let them be alone for a while." "At the Academy, all visitors must be accompanied," Handel objected. "I'll stay here," Jiro suggested. "He says he's only here for a few hours, so I don't mind hanging around here for a while. And I know Gillian's file if he has any questions." "That's it." Carly replied. Handel seemed to be arguing, but he just said, "You must register when he leaves, and let us know when he left." "Come on." Carly said to Handel, "Let's go to the restaurant, and I'll buy you coffee." The cafeteria is empty — it will be hours before staff and students come over for breakfast.Handel was sitting at a table by the door, and Carly went to the vending machine. She swiped her staff card on the card slot, ordered two cups of coffee, no sugar, and brought them to the table. , Give Handel a glass. "This bastard looks worse than last time," said the security chief.Take the coffee from her. "Maybe at the high point of drug use right now." "You're being too hard on him." Carly sighed, sitting on the table opposite Handel. "He is not the first parent of a child with biological abilities in the laboratory to suck red sand. Ordinary people like us need to understand what biological abilities are." "No," he said eagerly, "it's not some kind of psychic to have an orgasm with drugs and then fly a paper clip around for hours." "But this is the closest person to Grayson. Put yourself in his shoes. He just wants to feel closer to his daughter." "Then he can come to see her more, instead of only coming twice a year." "It wasn't easy for him," she reminded Handel. "His wife died in childbirth. His daughter was mentally ill and distant. Then he found out she had superpowers and he had to send her to a private school." "Every time he visits her, it's like an emotional roller coaster: love, guilt, loneliness. He knows he's doing what's in her best interest, but that doesn't mean it's easy for him." "I just felt bad about him. And I learned to trust my feelings." Carly didn't answer, just took a long sip of coffee.The hot coffee tastes good, just a bit bitter aftertaste. "We need to petition the school board for better coffee," she said.Hope to change the subject. "How long have you been with Jiro?" Handel asked her. "How long do you know?" "A few months." "Then it took you about two months to discover our relationship." "Watch out for that kid, Carly." She laughed. "I'll be careful not to hurt him." "That's not what I meant," he said, his voice turning serious. "I don't trust him a little bit. He's too sophisticated, too slick." "It's your feeling again?" She asked, raising the cup to her face, trying to hide the smile on her lips.Clearly it wasn't just the students that Handel wanted to protect. "You know how Anderson reacted when I brought up your past with him." "Thanks for reminding me anyway," she said, her eyebrows curled into a smile. "Looks like he's all right," Handel continued, ignoring her. "Looks like he already knew." "He knows, so what?" "Very well, obviously you didn't tell him. How did he know? The records of that mission are sealed. Hell, I know this because you told me yourself." "Everyone will. Maybe I mentioned it to someone on the staff and that person told him, you're overthinking it." "Maybe." He backed off. "Just be careful. I've learned to trust my instincts." Grayson spent the next four hours with Gillian.He let her talk on and on, a very eager, almost frantic conversation at first, then a quiet trickle, and even a long silence, as if she had forgotten that Grayson was here.He liked hearing her voice, but he didn't mind her silence either.Just seeing her is fine. She talks about things mostly about school and learning: which teacher she likes and which one she doesn't like, her favorite classes, what new things she learns in them.Grayson noticed that she never mentioned the other classmates, nor did she mention the biotic training.He decided not to force her to talk about these issues.He quickly got all the information he wanted to know. It was almost time for him to go.He knew that the longer he was here, the harder it would be to leave.He always set a time limit for his visits, he set a mission parameter so that the decision to leave would be easier for him. "Gigi?" he said softly. Gillian looked at the wall, lost in her own consciousness again. "Gigi?" he said a little louder. "Daddy is leaving, okay?" The last time he left to say goodbye, she didn't even nod.This time, however, she turned her head slightly and nodded.He didn't know which was worse. He stood up from the bed and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Go to sleep, baby. Tuck in the quilt and go to sleep." Gillian was as obedient as his voice-activated robot, and lay down slowly.She remained motionless, her eyes closed, and Grayson crossed the room and opened the door. "Turn off the lights," he said softly.As he closed the door, the room behind him darkened. Jiro was waiting for him in the lobby outside. "Is it safe here?" Grayson asked, his voice rougher than he wanted to say. "Should be safe," replied the young man, speaking quietly. "Everyone is in bed. We can go to my room if you have to wait." "That's okay, I'm leaving the fucking space station," Grayson said, getting down on one knee and putting the briefcase on the floor. He unlocked it, opened the mezzanine underneath, and took out the vial that Per had given him.Then he straightened up and handed the vial to Jiro.Jiro took the vial and looked at the light on the top of the corridor. "Looks like they've changed the recipe again now. The Phantom Man must be trying something different." He stuffed the vial into his pocket. "It doesn't show up in her physical, does it? I mean, there's no way this drug can be tracked, right?" "What do you think?" Grayson asked coldly. "Yeah, well, like before?" "They gave me no new instructions," Grayson replied. "Do you know what this novelty will do to her?" "I don't ask that kind of question," Grayson replied sharply, "and you don't, if you're sensible." God, he thought so as soon as he opened his mouth.Now I talk to Pell on the same note.To be honest, he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, although he thought his old partner would think it was funny. "They won't do anything to hurt her," Grayson said again, though he wasn't sure if that would convince Jiro or himself. "She's so important." Jiro nodded. "This is the latest result for all the students in the Ascension Project," he said, pulling a data disk from the pocket of his lab coat and handing it to Grayson. "And my private research on our star student." Nodding towards Jillian's door. Grayson didn't speak, took the data disk and put it in the briefcase. "Did you sleep with Sanders?" he asked after putting down the data disc. "I've been thinking about it in the mission." Jiro smiled. "I'm going to get her and get the information I need. So now I'm going to sleep with her every chance I get." "Be careful not to let your personal feelings get involved," Grayson warned him. "It will spoil things." "Everything is under control," Jiro assured.