Come with me or stay and fight

"I'm going to mars and I'm not coming back."

"Couldn't you pick a better planet?" He laughed.

"I would go to enceladus if it was still alive. Enceladus was beautiful."

"Your ice moon of jupiter."

"My home planet before earth."

"Can I come?"

"I was hoping you could give me a ride. I'm fresh out of space ships."

"You're fresh out?" He laughed again like a boy.

When he laughed like that it struck her heart like a hot coil. She knew he liked to have fun, only her fun was different.

"I only have access to two spaceships right now and neither one is mine. So what do you say? I'll give you money for the uranium."

"I don't know Lucy. I want you to stay on earth for a while." He looked very seriously into her eyes.

"With or without you I'm going." It was hard to call her look defiant because her gaze was so calculated and cool. By definition Lucy was all he thought he wanted, but only in part because she gave him space. She already sensed he was going to make her departure harder.

"Lucy how can you be so cold? You want to leave me here alone?"

"You wouldn't exactly be alone. What's the population?"

"What are you trying to get away from? Ever since I first met you I got that impression."

"Something worse than death. I'm leaving Taylor. Come with me or stay and find out for yourself."