by Barry Solway
Jon stared out the window. “I wish we were never here.”
Anna’s voice came haltingly over the intercom. “Hailing… Kathor…”
The ship shook again as another missile slammed into the rear. The ship listed, and Riley and Jon hung onto their seats as the gravity failed. The ship spun, causing the moon to rotate past their vision every thirty seconds. First, they would see the moon, then the Order ship would come into view. On the third rotation, as the Order ship drifted across the window, it burst into an orange-red flame.
“What the hell was that?” Riley said.
“No idea,” Jon said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Kathor…” Anna’s voice said, her voice faint. “Good luck… to both… you…” A minor vibration filled the ship as Anna fired the directional thrusters and the ship slowly stopped spinning.
“Anna? Anna, wait,” Riley said. Anna didn’t respond. “Dammit.” They could see the front of Kathor’s ship as it moved up next to them. A moment later, they felt the vibration as the other ship matched their trajectory and pulled their craft into the dock.
Riley unstrapped himself and swam back to the main cabin, hefting one of the rifles. He tossed another one to Jon. Swimming to the door, they could feel the slight pop as the pressure equalized, and then the door slid open.
Riley dove through the door, rifle already seeking a target. Gravity snapped back into place as he hit the deck of the docking bay. He rolled back up, but the room was empty. Jon jumped down next to him a moment later.
As they scanned the room, the door to the main hallway slid open.
“Deja vu,” Riley said. “If you see anything, light ‘em up.”
Jon nodded, and they both took a step forward. A moment later, two figures turned the corner and stood in the doorway, one behind the other. Evan and Riley opened fire simultaneously. A dozen rounds slammed into the combat droid, the same model they had fought against in their initial training months ago. The android stood there unmoving, until it finally sparked and fell over. Riley and Evan both stopped firing, staring in shock at the figure behind the robot.
“Anna?” Riley said, his mouth agape.
It looked like Anna, but the eyes stared straight ahead, holding no recognition of either of them.
“Anna? Is that you?” Jon asked. “What the hell is going on?”
“It’s not Anna. Just another artificial construct that looks like her.” The voice came from beyond the hallway. “I’d like to come out of hiding, if you don’t mind. Promise not to shoot me?”
Riley’s head swam, and he saw Jon’s rifle drop, a look of shock on his face. A second later, Mel turned the corner and stepped past Anna.
“Mel?” Riley managed to get out. “I can’t deal with this.”
“Where are your cybernetics?” Jon asked. Riley did a double-take. It was Mel, fully human, without any cybernetics or injuries.
“I’m not that Mel,” Mel said, with a playful smile. “Meet clone number… well, I may have lost track. Four, I think. Which means I’m Mel Five. Or, you know, Mel for short.”
“You’re a clone,” Riley said, trying to shake the confusion out of his head.
“Yes, but technically, so was Mel Four.” Mel turned back to the Anna replica. “Banana, initiate the jump to Chota before any more Order ships get here.” The android looked at Mel for a moment, then nodded briefly. Otherwise, it didn’t move.
“Anna said Mel died,” Riley said. “On Asadhara.”
Mel nodded, a look of pain and sorrow on her face. “I know. I felt it. We’re… connected. Sometimes it feels like a dream, but it was getting stronger with time. I have some of her memories.”
“You talked to her? With Mel?” Jon asked.
“Yes. It’s how she knew where Kathor would be. I have a lot to tell you, but it will have to wait.” Mel turned back to the Anna android, which was still standing and staring straight ahead. “Banana, go get the qCore out of the cockpit. Take her back to the lab and do your magic. Be careful, she’s already suffered enough damage.” The Anna replica marched forward stiffly, passing Riley and Jon as if they didn’t exist.
“Banana?” Riley said, shaking his head again. He finally dropped his rifle. “Have I gone completely crazy? I feel like I’ve gone crazy.”
Mel shrugged. “Maybe you were already crazy. It’s a replica of the original Anna android. I had Kathor make a second model. But we don’t have Anna’s personality core. That thing is completely dull. No sense of humor at all. It’s been hideous being stuck on this ship with Kathor and a walking toaster for company.”
“Mel. This really is a lot to take in,” Riley said. “I understand you’re a clone, but… can you explain what’s going on?”
“I have a deal with Kathor. You can put the guns down. You’re both safe here. There are a ton of Order ships in this system, so the first thing we’re doing is getting out of here. Then we’re going to save Anna.” As Mel finished her sentence, the android came back out of the ship, carrying the qCore carefully in front of it with both hands. “Excellent. Get down to the lab. Hurry, she doesn’t have much time before the damage is permanent.”
The robot shuffled out of the docking room, leaving Riley and Jon staring at Mel.
“I was really hoping to shoot someone,” Jon said. “I’m not sure what to do now.”
“That’s not dysfunctional at all,” Mel said. “Try to relax. We’ll get Anna taken care of. And then we’ll talk.” Mel sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I have to say, it’s really good to see you two again.”
“Uh, yeah,” Riley said. “It’s good to see you too, Mel. I guess.”
“You’ll get used to it, Riley. I’m still Mel. I was created about a week after you guys escaped. But I have some of Mel Four’s memories. I know a lot of what you went through trying to find Kathor. I’m still me.”
“Okay. I’ll take that on faith. I promise not to shoot anyone, for now.”
“I don’t,” Jon said.
“It’s a start,” Mel replied.
“What kind of arrangement do you have with Kathor?” Jon asked.
“Good question. When I found out that Anna was damaged, I made Kathor agree to restore her to a new body with a new processing unit. That’s happening now. He also agreed that he wouldn’t try to take any of you as prisoners again. We’re partners now.”
“Partners? With Kathor? My head hurts,” Riley said.
“You’re avoiding my question,” Jon said. “What does he get in return?”
Mel sighed and held up a placating hand. “He gets me. In return for saving all of you, I’ve agreed to fight in the Gauntlet Prime.”
“Gauntlet what?” Jon asked.
“Ah, Mel. How could you agree to that?” Riley said.
Mel shrugged. “I offered to wash dishes, but Kathor wasn’t going for it. I’ve always wanted to save you guys first. To save all of us. That’s never changed. A bit ironic that I can’t seem to get out of the gauntlets, isn’t it? But it’s just me. I told Kathor that you guys weren’t part of the agreement. None of you have to fight in the games again.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Riley said. “Gorgeous, Beats, and Evan were captured by the Order. We don’t have a team anymore.”
“That’s the last part of the agreement with Kathor. Gem is still back on Asadhara. We need to let things settle down and then go back and find her. And then… we’re going to rescue the others from the Order.”
“Seriously?” Jon said. “That’s your plan? Invade the Order and break them out of a high-tech alien prison? You know, you haven’t changed a bit.”
“I told you I was the same, didn’t I?” Mel said. “But that will have to wait a few days. In the meantime, you two should get cleaned up and settled in. I have shrimp cocktails waiting by the pool. Tonight, we relax. Tomorrow, we free our friends.”
Books In This Series
The Gauntlet Prime
GLADIATOR
You will suffer. In yo
ur body and mind. In your soul.
No one survives the Gauntlets.
GHOSTS
Hunted. On the run. The only way to survive is to become a ghost.
GAUNTLET
Their final play for freedom. Enter the deadliest Gauntlet ever, a tournament of elite teams: The Gauntlet Prime.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I love creating new story ideas, then throwing it to the wind to watch it grow and morph into it's own thing. It's the thing I can't not do.
Stories have the power to take me to new, unexplored worlds. There's magic to the written word that other forms of media can't replace.
Thanks for picking up Ghosts I believe each of us can dig deep during difficult moments and find ways to overcome the struggles we face. We all have the power to be amazing and seeing it happen to others (even fictional others) allows us to see it in ourselves. Again, welcome to my worlds. Pull up a chair, we're going to have some fun.
- Barry Solway, April 2020
