A Hero

by Stephen Arseneault

  "Like this?"

  "Perfect. Now you and I will keep talking."

  "Where's mommy going?"

  "She's just checking to make sure everything is okay. You stay where you are. And please hold that bracelet up where I can see... that's good."

  Seconds later, Denise came at a run. The look on her face was one of determination... and annoyance with her lack of control over the situation.

  "Ray, I think we're about to be boarded."

  "What?" I stood. I desperately wanted to take action, but what could I do? "What do you mean?"

  "There are sparks on the outer wall of the cargo area. The stewards are gathered there just watching. Someone is about to come in. It's either pirates or..."

  Denise sprinted back toward the hold.

  Pea was tearing up. "Daddy? Mommy’s leaving again!"

  "Just stay where you are, sugar. We have to wait to see what your mommy is doing."

  I glanced around the waiting area. Everyone else was doing precisely as I was. We were all in a near panic, not knowing what to say to our loved ones. My arms wanted to reach through the display to grab my daughter... an impossible task.

  Denise came running back to the seat, carrying the Togmal souvenir weapon the merc captain had given me.

  I asked, "What are you doing with that?"

  "I don't know! But I'll figure it out. I have to do something."

  "The power cell is empty," I said. "It's useless."

  "I know. But it's the only weapon we have. Maybe it will buy us a few seconds."

  "What's going on in the hold? Are there security people aboard?"

  "A breach."

  Denise ran over and looked out a window as Pea followed her with the comm camera. When back, she grabbed the comm and looked straight into it. "It's Togmal. There's a ship attached to our hull. They're probably only minutes away from getting through. Haven't seen any security. I thought there would at least be a few of the mercs on here. We're defenseless, Ray!"

  It was as if I had been struck by lightning. The adrenaline in my body surged. I paced back and forth, clenching my fists, unable to do anything to help my family. I felt tremendous guilt for putting them aboard.

  "Go. Go toward the cockpit! Maybe someone up there has a weapon. They must have some minimum level of security on there. Is there an escape pod?"

  Denise put the comm bracelet around her wrist. She pulled Pea from her seat. She began to run toward the front of the ship.

  "The only weapon I saw is back there in the hold, Ray. One of the crew has a pistol. Plasma or otherwise, I don't know if it matters. He was aiming it toward the sparks. And his hands were shaking pretty bad."

  She found a corner near the locked cockpit door. The expression on her face was now one of resoluteness. She was a fighter. She always had been. And she was looking hard for a way out. She would do whatever it took to protect our daughter. But her options were limited.

  The cockpit door opened. A crewman rushed out, heading for the cargo hold. Denise took the opportunity, bolting inside before the navigator standing at the door could stop her.

  "You can't be in here!"

  Denise held up the Togmal rifle. "Says who?"

  The man backed away with his hands in the air.

  Denise set Pea on the deck. "Ray. We've got to do something. Give me some ideas!"

  I slowly shook my head as my mind raced. I had nothing.

  "You." Denise glared at the navigator. "Is there an escape pod on this ship? A lifeboat?"

  The navigator pointed toward the cargo area. "In the back of the hold."

  She yelled at the pilot. "Put the ship in a spin or something. Try to shake them off!"

  The pilot shook his head. "If they're clamped to the hull, it would rip us apart."

  Denise pulled the empty power cell from the weapon. "How do I charge this, Ray?"

  I held up my hands. "I don't know! It's alien."

  Denise growled. "You aren't helping." She turned. "Nav-boy. Can that lifeboat launch? Is it blocked by that ship?"

  "I... uh... it goes straight up through the top. Not sure if it's blocked or not."

  — Chapter 14 —

  * * *

  Denise looked into the comm. "I'm going for the pod, Ray. Tell me the mercs are already coming this way to rescue us."

  "I... I don't know. I'll check!"

  I scrambled to open a second comm to TC. It went unanswered.

  I nervously responded, "He didn’t’ reply, but surely they must be aware."

  Denise asked the pilot. "You in contact with the port?"

  "They're sending help. Twenty minutes at least."

  "Are we slowing and turning back?"

  "We can't. Not with that ship attached. We're not in control."

  Denise looked into the comm camera. "We're going for the pod, Ray. I don't want to be aboard when the Togmal come through. Make sure the mercs know to look for us."

  Before I could say anything, she had Pea back in her arms and was sprinting toward the cargo hold. Her comm showed me a quick glance at the sparks that had almost cut out a full circle. She tried to open the door to the lifeboat but found it was locked.

  "Gah!"

  She ran back to the cockpit. The door was now closed and locked.

  Denise banged with her fist. "Open this up or I'll blow it down!"

  The crew didn't reply.

  She shouted at the closed door "At least release the lock on the lifeboat door!"

  After several seconds of silence the navigator replied, "It's open."

  Another run was made to the back. "What a cluster, Ray. I'm on a transport loaded with idiots!"

  When she opened the pod door a loud clang reverberated through the room behind her. I told her to hurry. The sounds of several whumps from plasma rifles were followed by the bang of the steward’s pistol exploding. Denise hurried inside the pod and reached to pull the door shut. Togmal warriors flooded through the breach.

  Before the door could be fully closed, a Togmal wedged his boot in the opening. A kick with her foot dislodged the boot for long enough for the door to the life-pod be closed and locked.

  Denise dropped the rifle and set Pea on the deck, turning to the console. The crew had not released the controls.

  She pounded her fist on a panel. "Idiots! Ray. We're trapped. The console isn't active. I can't launch!"

  She moved back to the door to look through the small viewport. "They're dragging everyone into the hold. Crap. There's the crew. We're screwed."

  Denise held up her comm bracelet so I could see. A Togmal commander came through the breach. He looked the pilot, copilot, and navigator up and down for several seconds. He seemed unimpressed.

  The pilot and copilot attempted to grab a rifle. The struggle only lasted seconds. They were pushed to a corner and executed. The passengers turned away in horror.

  I remained frozen, watching from afar, unable to act.

  Several muted grunts by the commander were followed by the Togmal warriors ripping into the baggage in the hold. They opened up the suitcases and duffels and dumped them out. If they were looking for something, they didn’t seem to find it.

  After a prompt by a soldier, the commander's eyes turned to face the life-pod.

  Denise growled. "We're had, Ray. Can't believe I pushed so hard to be on this stupid transport. Figures."

  Her calm was something I lacked.

  "How is this happening? Do something, Ray!"

  My inability to do anything at all had me torn apart. And what if the merc crews arrived? What would be the outcome? Hostages? What if Denise and Pea were taken onto the alien ship? Or even worse...

  The commander waved for Denise to come out. She picked up Pea, wiped the tears from her little cheeks and told her to hold on tight to mommy before she reluctantly complied with the order.

  As the door opened, she said, "I love you, Ray."

  I again wanted to reach through the comm but I couldn't. "The pilot said the mercs are c
oming. Stall if you can. Just fifteen more minutes!"

  The commander walked to Denise, letting out a series of grunts. What happened next made my heart skip. Denise spat in his face. A punch from a soldier next to them knocked her backward. She instinctively grabbed her face, while making every effort to not fall on our daughter.

  The soldier pushed her back to a wall. I felt as though I was going to pass out. My blood pressure spiked.

  I could hear Paulette quietly crying as she clung to her mother. The Togmal commander stood above them, giving Denise a serious evaluation. She brought her hand away from her face as she stared him down. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

  The commander let out a grunt as he poked Denise with the tip of his rifle. She returned a defiant glare before spitting blood on his boot. The commander let out a huff, followed by an irritated expression that looked like the same reaction a human would have had.

  I was glued to the display. The commander let out another series of grunts, this time directed at his soldiers. They backed into the breach one by one until only the commander and a single soldier remained. The soldier moved over to the door going to the hall, pulling it closed. He used the butt of his rifle to damage the handle before checking to make certain it would not open. The soldier hurried past the commander, stopping in the breach to offer cover.

  The commander gutted out a series of grunts and then bared his teeth. Denise reached out for his weapon. My eyes grew wide. In response, he grabbed her by the arm, jerking her to her feet and knocking Pea to the floor. He dragged her toward his ship.

  She turned with an outstretched hand. "Pea!"

  The image from her comm bracelet bounced around, only showing small snippets of the situation. I remained frozen with fear.

  The commander stopped as he reached the cutout, looking down. Denise continued her defiant glare. He let out another grunt before throwing her back to the floor. He walked into the hole.

  Denise got to her knees and said, "That's it? That's all you lizards got?" I could see she knew what was coming next.

  I tried to scream into the display for her to shut up, to run back to the pod, but no sound came from my dry throat.

  Seconds later, I heard the breach hatch close with a heavy clump.

  Denise looked over at the navigator as she stood with Pea in her arms. "You! In the pod! Help me launch it!"

  The navigator was slow to move.

  Denise yelled, "Go! They're about to detach!"

  He stumbled ahead... practically falling into the pod. She was right behind with Pea, pulling the door closed. The other passengers didn’t try to join them, they were frozen in fear. For Denise, there wasn't time to wait.

  As the pod door locked, the Togmal ship de-clamped. Denise watched through the viewport as the passengers were sucked through the hole out into the cold, dark void of space.

  She pointed at the console. "Launch us, idiot!"

  The navigator flipped a switch and entered a password. A flashing green button indicated the pod was ready to go. Denise reached over with a glare, slapping it down. Several clanks rang out before the pod jettisoned.

  Denise looked into the comm, Pea turned to see me too. "Ray. I did the best I could. Pray for a miracle."

  I was unable to speak; I nodded and wiped the tears from my face.

  She moved back to the viewport in the door. The life-pod was in a slow roll. She held her comm up so I could see. The Togmal ship opened fire. Blue flashes and orange fireballs followed as plasma explosions ravaged the transport. The ship burned bright and then disintegrated into a long trail of debris.

  Denise said, "Ray. Take care, baby. I don’t think they will let us go. I love you."

  I again tried to speak, but nothing came out. My brain denied the whole event was happening.

  Pea clung to her mother, scared and confused about what was going on. I began to shake. Tears flowed from my eyes. I dropped to my knees, begging for something to happen, something to save my wife and daughter. She held the comm back up to the viewport. The Togmal ship slowly turned toward the pod.

  "Ray. Don't tell me if the mercs are almost here. Ignorance is bliss."

  I wanted to ask what she meant but didn’t get the chance. As the Togmal ship came up beside them, a small cannon was fired on the pod door. Before it hit, Denise pulled Pea around to her front and pointed the camera away from them, sparing me the view. The door blew open, expelling Denise, Pea, and the navigator into the cold dead of space. As her body slowly spun, every few seconds the comm camera showed an image of the enemy ship as it moved away.

  The image of the Togmal cannon flashed blue for an instant as the comm connection ended. My family was gone... vaporized by a stream of high-energy plasma.

  I was in shock. People surrounded me, all crying out, but I couldn't hear their voices. My emotions were running the gamut of despair, grief, sorrow, and outright rage, all at the same time.

  Several minutes passed before the sounds around me began to come through. Crying and wailing echoed along with the growing din of people talking and yelling as others came into the waiting area. My eyes looked around. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion.

  The moment I became fully aware, the shock of the noise and the crowd surrounding me, sent me falling backward onto the floor. I was slightly aware of being lifted onto a gurney and wheeled to a medical bay, but I was still unable to control my own body or speak. A sedative put me in a daze and my consciousness faded.

  When I opened my eyes, I recognized the bright lights of a hospital room, but it wouldn’t have Denise and Pea greeting me. My throat tightened when I saw a sad-eyed TC standing over me.

  "Ray, I'm so sorry. I came down as soon as I heard. This is horrible. I feel responsible for not getting them out sooner."

  My mind was still in a fog. I wanted to reach for his throat, but my muscles wouldn't move. TC said his peace and left the room before the full recognition of what had transpired came back into my thoughts.

  "This isn't real. She's going to walk through that door with Pea in her arms. Just wait, Ray. Any second..."

  The seconds turned into minutes as the scenes from before played in my head over and over. My blunt denial of the situation was not working. I willed for her to come to my side... but no one came. I rolled over, facing away from the psychiatric nurse who was sitting by my bed. I determined that none of this was happening.

  My denial lasted three days. I wouldn't eat. I wouldn't drink. I wanted desperately to be with my wife and daughter. The hospital staff was keeping me alive with IVs.

  On the third day, the merc captain came to see me, carrying a bag. "Mr. Jackson. I'm so sorry. We arrived only minutes too late. The ship was nothing more than a debris field. But we did find the pod. And this."

  He removed the trophy rifle from the bag.

  "I wasn't sure if you would want it or not. And no one else knows we recovered it. So if you want to toss it feel free to do so. Again, so sorry for your loss. We'll make them pay, sir. This won't go unsettled."

  The merc captain bowed and left. I stared at the bag with the rifle. It was not something I had any desire to see. But there it was... a symbol of Denise's defiance, and one of the last things she touched.

  The protective curtain of denial suddenly flew back. That denial went straight to rage. I had an epiphany. I would not just shrivel up and die. I would not allow TC or the Togmal to win. I would fight back with every breath, exacting justice for Denise and Pea. It was what Denise would have wanted me to do. Her defiance to the end showed me the way.

  I yanked the IV from my arm and stood, taking a moment to stabilize myself as the blood rushed from my head. My action shocked the half-asleep nurse into awareness. I grabbed my comm and placed it on my wrist.

  "Mr. Jackson? What are you doing? Where are you going?"

  "Home. I have to things to do."

  "You might want to put on some clothes first."

  I glanced down and saw my back half wa
s naked.

  "They've been cleaned and are on the counter over there."

  I got dressed, grabbed the rifle-bag and stormed out. My first stop was our apartment. I didn't know why I had gone. I knew it would be overwhelming. When I opened the door, a strange family was sitting around our table.

  "What are you people doing here?"

  A woman said, "They moved us in while ours was being repaired. Who are you?"

  "I live here."

  The man at the table was apologetic. "Sorry. The corporation put us in here. Maybe they thought you were dead?"

  "Where's my stuff?"

  The man shrugged. "Was empty when they moved us in."

  A comm came in from TC. "Ray. Where are you?"

  "In my apartment. There are other people living here."

  "Yes. I had your things moved up a level. I thought it might be less... stressful. The med bay called and said you had left. Please, allow me to help. Come up to my office so we can talk."

  I balled up a fist and headed his way. I laid the blame at TC's feet. His delays had placed Denise and Pea on that transport. The punch I had wanted to deliver so many times before was coming his way.

  When I entered his office, two bulky security guards were standing in front of me. They thwarted my attempts to go around. It was then I saw TC's face. It was sullen. There was a darkness around his eyes. He was looking down and to the side.

  "Please sit, Ray. I don't have the energy to fight."

  "You put them on that ship, Thomas! You are responsible for their deaths!"

  TC held up a hand in capitulation. "I am. And I'm responsible for the deaths of the other ninety-six passengers as well. I put them on that transport. I sent it out without an escort. I know it doesn't help, but I tendered my resignation to my father."

  The situation caught me off guard. I was expecting to find a defiant and smug TC Goodall. Instead I faced what appeared to be a broken man. More of a kid really. The thought raced through my head that we were both kids. What person our age was ready to take on the management of an entire planet— during a war! And who would be emotionally equipped to handle the loss I had just had?

  As my anger at TC eased, it grew with myself.