Coast Sunset Express

After the war, Emily takes the train to Seattle.

The trip would be quicker by boat, but the train was better off, and the war made him a real person. (He once flew, but then he put that thought into his mind.)

Besides, he is happy with the delay in his arrival and all that he has in common. It's been four years since they traveled anywhere, and they enjoy the transcendent landscape: the jungle forests, backed by mountain shadows, the green rocks above the crashing waves.

The component door swings open. Jelena is standing in the hallway, with long yellow teeth protruding from her gray, pale face, wearing almost a suit. It moves in an empty chair; question.

Emily forces herself to relax, smile and nod. It is because of Jellenae that the war is over and she is on the train, rather than starving at a certain camp in Penryn. It's just hard to trust any aliens after what the Pterys did on Earth.

Jelena pushes and sits with a grin. He stares out the window. "Beautiful!"

Its sound is hard and low, but it is easy to understand. "Yes," said Emily, "I love Northern California."

"I'm visiting P-for-portland," he struggles with the name of the city. "The city is beautiful."

"I've always wanted to go to Portland," In fact, Emily was planning to go to school there, until Pteryn's ships landed and landed in Tokyo. He then shattered his dreams, as an old-fashioned jersey tucked into a shelf. "I'm on my way to Seattle."

You leave an unspecified reason for the trip: you need a job. After the United States Defense disbanded, closing the factory in Oakland, he received a $ 500 debt cancellation and a letter of reference. Her sister gave her a spare bedroom until Emily got up, but Emily could see that she was not happy. Her sister has an injured veteran husband, three children, and a full-time nursing job. She doesn't need to take care of her little sister either.

"We have such mountains in Jellen." A bad voice scares him because of his remorse.

Emily is skeptical, not sure what is decent. "How was Jellen?"

Jelena puffs her cheeks. "Like the Earth, but more. The tall mountains, the forests of the big trees. The endless sea with the floodwaters. It's all gone now."

Emily swallows. There were no aliens who would come in and save the Jellenae from the Pteryn; their country was devastated, leaving the survivors to flee and reunite. It was the source of a never-ending debate in Oakland, as to whether Jellenae came to Earth for revenge, or for selfish reasons to protect humanity. "I'm sorry."

"I was lucky. To see it. I was a child when the Pteryns arrived." Jelena breathes out loud. "Man or Jelena, you do not know that life will lead you to water. I never thought I would see mountains again. But here ...."

He can't read the expression on his face, but somehow he understands exactly what it sounds like: sadness, but gratitude. Surprised that he is still alive. “I'm glad to see the mountains again,” he says, amazed at its honesty.

Jelena puts a paw on her chest. They watch the Cascade Range become more and more focused as the train heads north, with snow covering distant peaks. Finally, Emily is drowsy, dreaming of strange forests lit up for two days.

Hours later, he wakes up to find his train still standing. "Portland," declares the intercom. The room is empty; Jelena must have been out. Rubbing her eyes, Emily sees her leave her coat on the chair. He lifts it with hesitant fingers, and a small machine - a two-inch metal cube - falls out of his pocket. It sits down with a click and a small circular space on the sides of the slides is opened. Suddenly a light flashes from the device, forming a hologram on the floor of the train, an image of an unknown mountain surrounded by mountains. You can see you're looking at Jellen's homeland monument.

The train is moving forward, preparing to leave the station. Emily picks up the device, learning the details of the hologram: rough peaks, beautiful, curved structures. He wonders how the construction of Portland is compared, and how the city has changed since the war; heard that Williamette Valley had begun producing wine again.

Her sister is waiting for her for three hours. She has a room, her husband has a leading job. Emily knows what works, what works.

The hologram is clicked, the small hole is closed.

Emily pulls her suitcase under the chair and grabs Jellena's coat. The train starts to move forward as it exits the room, but there is still time to get off and find Jelena.

He is alive. It is still time to find any mountains that are waiting for him.