Survivors

By Donna Steele

Brett and Lena, worked together in an agriculture lab, concentrating on micro-gardening. After a first date they find themselves transported to thirty-five years in the future following an unexplained attack on the planet that ruined the atmosphere and rendered most of the population sterile. Having to learn about each other as well as their new circumstances, they feel their way in this new and bleak world. Their skills bring new hope to the others around them, but the purpose of the location where they find themselves causes problems between them.

Discovering that the main purpose of the "dome" where they find themselves is reproduction to increase the dwindling population of humans, throws their fledgling relationship into turmoil and Lena into the nightmare that her former marriage became. A science fiction, dystopian, time travel, enforced proximity story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna Steele
• Release date: Mar 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224860296

Donna Steele

Women strong enough for love. Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love. Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream! She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. She can be reached at www.steelestories.com, www.facebook.com/donnasteeleauthor, or https://twitter.com/steele_donna

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By Donna Steele

Text Copyright @ 2024 By Donna Steele

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web without permission in writing from the publisher.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover illustration copyright @ 2024 by Leslie Ray

All rights reserved.

Dedication

My thanks to some old friends for this one – Mimic, Ravenwald, Wyncliffe, Kimmy, Sally, Tess, Char, Carol and of course Robin. That’s not all of you, but you know who you are why this one is for you...

And always Darwin.

Survivors

Chapter One

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He pushed the speed limit a little on his route to get to the lab. He wanted to be there before she arrived. Yes, he, Dr. Brett Adam Matthews, III was smitten. Lena Showfety, his new assistant had more than caught his eye. Assistant was a misnomer, she had nearly the same training he did. There had been a break in her education, which had slowed her down a little, though he had learned some new techniques from her already. He wasn’t privy to the reason for the break and it wasn’t any of his business anyway. This internship was the final part of her thesis to finalize her own Ph.D.

Even the plants had perked up with her presence. Her green thumb nearly glowed. He hadn’t heard her sing to them, but she hummed and that seemed to work the same. He personally never sang to the plants. Since he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket with a lid and two handles, he considered that a service to them.

Of course, the university would more than likely have something to say if the two of them did form a relationship, since technically she reported to him. And there was that one tiny hitch where he hadn’t actually asked her out yet. He planned to remedy that soon. Once he got up the courage.

Okay, beautiful women intimidated him. And she was beautiful. Her hair was long and dark blonde. She wore it up in a ponytail or a bun most days to get it out of the way for work in the lab, but the ponytail hung below her shoulders. Her eyes were a blue gray that sparkled with humor most of the time. She was tall enough that he didn’t have to stoop to see her, the perfect height for dancing, if he danced. He hadn’t since high school.

He did arrive before her and had time to hang up his coat, don his lab coat, and look like he’d been there for a while. Overeager much? Brett glanced over at the door. Lena would be walking in any minute. Was he a fool to know that? It was almost as if he could sense her, feel her approach. Stupid, but that’s what it felt like. They worked together, nothing more so far. The fact that he was intrigued and attracted by her should be beside the point. She was the best lab assistant he’d ever had, needing little to no instruction, highly intelligent, able to anticipate his needs and drill down to questions he needed asked, and willing to go along with some of his more out-there ideas.

Yes, he was well aware she should be off limits. For one thing she reported to him, though he hadn’t hired her. He’d attended all the mandatory HR classes. The foundation that handled the grant he worked under had done the hiring. Nearly his equal in education she only lacked the letters behind her name.

He’d run a background check when her application came in. That was de regur anymore. Twenty-seven, divorced, probably the cause for the break in her education. He’d never mentioned that. It had nothing to do with her job. Her grades were excellent and her work ethic top notch.

She held herself private.

Hell, so did he, but he became more than intrigued by her daily. He’d spoken to no one about it, not even Bruce, and they shared almost everything. Neither he nor Bruce had much family anymore, but they’d grown up together and were closer than brothers, if you looked at those of their friends who did have them. Bruce’s little sister had family enough for all of them, with her husband and boys. Brett wasn’t sure why he’d held back on mentioning Lena to Bruce.

Because it made him look ridiculous?

Yeah, that would do it.

His position as head of this area of research, hydroponics, and micro-gardening, using small spaces for maximum agriculture gave him great satisfaction. She had made the work even more pleasant. The roof gardens in New York were an excellent example, coming into their own now.

Push it aside, Brett! Especially the part about his attraction to her. She was lovely. Yes, smart was sexy, but the body went along with that. To hell with not noticing, at least he hadn’t acted on it.

More than once he’d awoken from dreams of her. The thoughts of her mane of hair spread across his chest had helped him get to sleep a couple of times too. He was a fool, but his inexperience in the area of seduction riveled his education in rocket science.

Time to get to work. If things went easier with Lena around, that was for the good of the project. Grow up!

He turned from the door and booted up his laptop. He needed to look busy.

~~

Lena Showfety stopped just outside of the lab, holding the pass card on her lanyard in her hand. Brett, Dr. Matthews was already here. She had no idea how she knew that, but she did. It was disturbing how aware she was of the man. He was her supervisor and a brilliant scientist, top of his field in compact gardening systems and hydroponics which was becoming more vital every day. His diploma hung on the wall in the small area he used as an office, but the certificate from Disney, Mickey in the corner, showing he had worked in The Land exhibit at Epcot always made her smile.

He was probably six feet. She’d never gotten out her yard stick, but he was a good height. Dark thick hair that almost always needed a trim though it wasn’t in his eyes, looked soft and silky. His eyes... so blue she could swoon. What were those called... Paul Newman eyes? Very distracting but looking away from them brought her to his body and that didn’t help. She figured him for a swimmer thought it hadn’t been mentioned. The butterfly stroke could have toned that torso.

The picture of him frolicking with two young boys caught her attention every time she was in his office as well. He’d never talked about them, which didn’t mean a lot in a business setting. They could be his, he could be divorced as well and only saw them occasionally. She’d made up a lot of theories about that particular picture in her mind, but she wasn’t in a position to ask.

She felt fortunate to get this job. There were others as qualified, but the two of them had hit it off well in the interview and the committee chose her. She was learning more now than in all her years of formal education.

So what if her personal life no longer existed. She’d shed herself of Kenneth, never Ken, and wasn’t lonely because of that. Her work didn’t leave a lot of time for anything else and that was her top priority now.

She glanced at her reflection in the glass of the door to the lab and smoothed her hair back where tendrils had come loose from the bun she wore. Taking a deep breath, she waved her card toward the scanner and heard the lock disengage.

Yes, he was there. His back was to her so she could watch him for a moment. His hair was getting too long again, but it was good look on him. It now curled over the back of the collar on his lab coat. Those eyes... It had become harder and harder to meet them, the vibrant blue drew her in, and she forgot where she was. He would tan well, if he ever got out of the lab, unlike her who burned in the shade. But it was the crooked smile that slayed her. He didn’t use it often but when he did, she was relieved not to be wearing a heart monitor.

Ridiculous. She’d just rid herself of a relationship. One that had become toxic. No reason to believe a new one wouldn’t be the same.

She watched his shoulders stiffen and he sat up from his computer, starting to turn. He knew she was here. Attempting a bland expression, she moved forward. The test results from overnight needed to be her focus.

Morning. His voice was raspy, as though unused until she arrived. Had he smoked sometime in his past? He didn’t now. Could he sound that sexy from just living?

Good morning, Dr. Matthews.

His eyebrow rose and she felt her cheeks warm. Dr. Showfety.

Sorry, Brett.

Thank you. Is it really that hard?

"It is a sign of respect."

Granted, but since some days you’re the only human I see, I’d rather have something more.

She felt her cheeks heat at that. He looked away,