“Heads exploding everywhere. Big death.” Kai tried to be supportive.
“Less help,” Christina whispered harshly.
“Fine,” Ted said, but never stopped tapping and working the three-dimensional projections surrounding him. Kai and Christina waited, shifting uncomfortably as time dragged on.
“Uncle Ted?” Kai ventured.
“You’re still here? I sent it to Smedley. Manufacture has begun. Now, go away. I’m busy.”
“That’s cool. Thank you, Uncle Ted,” Kai said. Once out in the corridor, they realized that they still had Ted’s lunch. Kai handed the Red Bull to Christina and she returned to the CIC.
“Almost forgot. Here’s your lunch. Felicity says you’re supposed to eat. Peanut butter and jelly with a Red Bull.”
Ted didn’t answer, but a finger pointed to his feet while he continued his intricate weaving and holographic-screen tapping. Christina put the bag and can on the floor at his feet and slowly backed out.
Kai was waiting. “Now that that’s over, it looks like we have some time to kill.”
“Incorrigible.” She slapped his hand away as he reached for her, then turned and bolted, almost running over Dokken. “Sorry, buddy, busy.”
She ran a hand down his back before continuing on her way.
“Sorry, buddy,” Kai called as he raced after Christina.
Humans, the dog lamented. So shallow. That reminds me. I’m hungry. Let’s see what’s for dinner.
Chapter Twelve
Band Rayal Seven, Okkoto
“Fuck off!” Terry bellowed as he tried to focus. He stood up, slightly wavering. “Nope, not enough sleep.”
The pounding stopped with his yell but started up after a few moments.
Char sat up in bed. “Your vacations suck.”
“Now you know why I work all the time,” Terry agreed.
Char raised her laser pistol. Terry took a few deep breaths and put on his war face, ready to battle with whatever waited beyond the door. He counted down on his fingers and yanked the knife from its place holding the door closed, and it instantly slid to the side. Outside stood Tonie, red-faced and out of breath.
“This is my room,” he said, outrage clear on his face.
“I thought you meant for us to use it when you gave me your wristband,” Terry said, quickly reaching out to find a solid being. Terry’s hand recoiled of its own volition, and he forced himself to reach out and poke the Erthos.
“Ouch!” Tonie looked put out. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have someplace else to be?”
“You don’t sound like the others,” Char said, not stating what she was thinking. He sounded intelligent and apparently had an independent mind.
“I am so sorry. I misunderstood. My wife knew better, but I talked her into it. Please accept my apologies.” Terry checked his pockets. He was disappointed that he wouldn’t get a shower. Char checked her gear as well and followed Terry into the corridor. “Oh, and there’s a dead body in your shower.”
Tonie hurried in and the door closed. They waited. When the door opened, Tonie’s face was pale. “W-why did you kill Lucinda?”
“Lucinda tried to have us taken into custody, and we simply cannot have that,” Terry explained. “We’re trying to leave, and it looks like we’ll get no help in finding our way out of this place.”
“I have to report this.”
“Do what you have to do,” Terry mumbled, too tired to argue. “But know this: I will kill every single person in this complex if I have to. We came down an elevator shaft, and it pains me to believe there’s no way for that elevator to return to the surface. Someone will help us or everyone will perish. That’s not a threat, but this place has been hostile to us since we arrived. That female in there? Killed her twice.
“There were some nice folks in one of the hydroponics labs, and you were exceedingly kind. Maybe it’s time for everyone to simply stay out of our way. We’ll take care of it. Just stop shooting at us, and stop trying to fight us.”
“I see,” Tonie said. “Take the body, and I won’t report you.”
“Sure,” Terry said. He didn’t want to, but it was the best option at the moment. He returned to the hallway with Lucinda on his hip. She’d started to stiffen.
The door closed, leaving the two humans and their dead Erthos.
“Can we ditch the stiff?” Char asked. Terry nodded toward the power room at the end of the corridor and strolled that way. The door opened for him, and he tossed the body inside. He rubbed his hands on his pants and returned to Char.
“I bet we’ll run into Lucinda Three before this day is out.”
“Probably, but we’re not going to kill everyone down here.”
“No, although I have a tendency toward extreme violence when I’m tired and people shoot at me.”
“We’ll just have to shoot them right back.” Char started walking, her steps mechanical, barely with a purpose.
“Let’s go move some more rocks,” Terry suggested.
“What if the security bots have been replaced? I’m not in any shape to fight them.”
“Nor I.” Terry had to make a concerted effort not to drag his feet. “Why am I so tired? I must be out of shape.”
“You’re not out of shape, you’ve been up for too long. Just like me. Don’t make me say it again. Stop beating a dead horse, and let’s find a place to get some sleep. Even this floor looks comfortable.”
Terry grumbled his consent and they slow-walked back the way they’d come, taking every right until they arrived at the first room they’d entered. The lab. When the door opened, Terry and Char dodged out of the way, expecting another robot, but this time, the room was empty.
The door shut behind them and Terry jammed his Ka-bar into the slot, wedging the mechanism to give them some privacy. He toed the wall as he shuffled along it until he found the secret cleaning access door, dumped a heavy metal table on its side, and slid it against the opening.
“Let them have peace. The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords, in such a just and charitable war,” Terry quoted Shakespeare.
“If they demand a war, let it start here!” Char added. “After a decent rest, of course.”
Her eyes closed, and she was out. Terry stroked the silver streak in her hair. “I will move heaven and Earth so you may walk out of here.” He laid on the floor next to the table where Charumati slept and closed his eyes, but sleep remained elusive. What if they were trapped forever beneath five hundred feet of Okkoto’s bedrock?
In orbit above the Efluyez Homeworld, Alganor Sector
“I don’t like your plan.” Captain Micky San Marino shook his head. “Not in the least. We have to return to orbit after we’ve dropped you into the cauldron?”
“You make it sound like you’re serving us up to savages,” Christina replied. “I’ll personally kick their leadership in the balls if one-tenth of what I’m expecting happens. How many of their own are they willing to sacrifice?”
“All of them? Remember what Nero did to Rome?” Kai interjected.
“How old do you think I am?” Christina shot back before she realized he wasn’t speaking about anything more than a knowledge of history. “Yes, he burned Rome so it could be rebuilt as he wanted, bypassing the Senate.”
“All of them. Look for the Magnate. If he’s there, you might be safe, unless it’s one of his scheming inner circle. Wouldn’t be the first time an insider killed the boss to take over,” Micky said, nodding slowly after thinking it through
“I’ll ask for a list of dignitaries who will be attending, and more importantly, who won’t be attending. We’ll run that through Smedley’s outstanding facial recognition subroutines to come up with a list of the missing. Maybe we can forestall the damage, find our perp, and have a great parade that doesn’t end in fireworks.” Christina held her hands up as if that was it. End of discussion.
“Smedley, get me the Magnate.”
“He is unavailable, it appears
, but the Executive Secretary is most eager for a conversation.”
“I bet he is. Put that fucking putz on the line.”
“He already is,” Smedley said softly.
She shook her head slowly. “Mister Executive Secretary. I require a list of everyone who will be in attendance at the parade.”
“We don’t have such a list.”
“Then just the dignitaries will do. We need to know who we’re going to salute when the time comes. It’ll be a magnificent tribute!” she declared with a flourish.
“The only one you need to salute is the Magnate. Now, if I can get in a word, it won’t do that you met with the Frikandans. That won’t do at all. We’re considering canceling our contract with you.”
“Fucking do it!” she blurted before sucking her lips in and casting a guilty look at Micky. He shrugged his indifference to her approach but supported her intent.
“You seem to be uncaring about half a million credits. Most organizations would bend over backwards for such a sum to be paid for only four hours’ work.”
“Listen here, you fucking toad. We don’t need your money, but didn’t like a hole in our schedule. We thought we could help you and a little parade never hurt anyone, but I’ve about had it with you. Don’t jack us around, you little fuckwad. Let me talk with the Magnate directly.”
“That is not going to happen,” the toad replied. “I cannot put a common soldier in front of the greatest one who has ever lived.”
“When this is over, I’m going to find you, and you will regret the day you were born. And if the Magnate does not show up for the parade, you will be the first one I hunt down for answers.”
“I can’t imagine what answers anyone would owe bottom-dwelling sea creatures such as the Bad Company.”
Christina fumed. She gritted her teeth and growled, and Kai poked her in the shoulder. His toothy grin met her fury.
“He’s baiting you,” he whispered. She straightened and threw her head back.
“I appreciate you sending us the list. We’ll head to the surface when we have it in hand. It would be a pity to leave before we march, but if we don’t have the complete list of at least the dignitaries, we will not be able to march in your parade. We’ve been practicing twenty-nine hours a day to get it right. Pity. This is the War Axe, signing off. Toodles!”
“Nice comeback,” Kai told her.
Micky grimaced. “I better make sure the weapons systems are operating at peak performance. That conversation did not instill confidence.”
“Me either, Skipper,” Christina admitted. “We better check on those helmets.” She took Kai’s hand, and they left the bridge.
The captain looked at his small bridge crew. Clifton and Ruzfell went about their duties while waiting for the captain to issue an order. “Immediate response drills for weapons. Notify Engineering that we’ll be conducting drills until we get the word to return to the planet.”
“When will that be, sir?” Ruzfell asked.
“Not for a while, I suspect.”
“Prepare for Intra-atmospheric Weapons Engagement Drill Alpha,” Micky ordered and leaned back to watch the crew in action.
Band Rayal Seven, Okkoto
Terry rolled over and bumped his head against the table leg, which startled him awake. He smacked his dry lips before pulling a pouch of water from his pocket. He took a long drink, downing half of it before re-sealing it. He was hungry even though he remembered that he had eaten right before he’d laid down. Could have been four hours or fourteen.
He stood and stretched, assuming a few yoga positions to welcome the new day. While Char continued to sleep, he did a quick inventory of what he carried. A little food in the way of the protein bars that came in the jacket, the multi-tool, the flashlight, and a single water pouch. His Ka-bar was wedged in the door. Combined, it wasn’t much, but he also had his hands, which were deadly weapons or tools, whatever he needed them to be. He flexed his digits, knowing they would get a workout during the upcoming day.
“Are you ready to roll some stone?” he asked them. The fingers, as they were wont to do, did not respond.
He checked the table blocking the cleaning bot access, which was undisturbed. He wouldn’t pull his Ka-bar out until Char was awake, so he sat on the floor and ran through everything they knew about the place.
Elevator shaft. No cable, traction driven. A door had slammed shut above them after they’d descended. Even if they climbed upward, they’d be stymied by that. They needed the elevator to work so it could ascend, opening the door as part of its normal operation.
The outpost. A survival site in case of an attack on the moon’s surface. Cut off. Not Kurtherians, but powered by the Etheric. Race looks human and is up on human tastes, which they couldn’t possibly be. A chocolate milkshake? Locked down here for how many millennia?
Clones. Recycled beings. No self-motivation. Little more than drones, except Tonie. He seemed to think for himself, and he was solid. Bethany Anne’s hand had gone right through him. Maybe she was the ghost.
But not a ghost. Existing across the Etheric through a door that was opened when they broke the seal? How could she help them if she was only there in spirit? “Show us the way, my Queen,” Terry whispered almost as a prayer.
Chapter Thirteen
“How early do you hard-rubbing nut-lovers get up?” Bethany Anne asked, kneeling next to TH.
“What time is it?”
“I still don’t know.” BA smirked. “What time do you think it is?”
“This is why I would never, ever, no matter how long I live, go to a therapist. I just want to know the time. I feel rested, so I’m going to go with morning. That works for me, whether it is or isn’t.”
BA stood. “Was that so hard?”
“As a hard-rubbing nut-lover can get,” Terry replied. Char stirred and propped herself up on one elbow.
“Good morning,” Char offered.
“I rest my case.” Terry stood up. “I could use a cup of coffee. I hope the chow hall is open.”
“Dining facility,” Char corrected.
“We agree. It needs to be open. Did you see a bathroom anywhere in your travels? I’d hate to impose on Tonie since that’s the only one I saw.”
BA shook her head. She appeared to lean against the wall.
“Are you real?” Terry asked.
“What kind of clusterfucked brain-boiled question is that?”
Terry started to reach toward her.
BA’s lips pressed tightly together. “I will reach down your throat and pull your nutsack out through your mouth,” she warned.
Terry considered the risk versus the reward before deciding to put his hand down. “Sounds like you. I have a theory—”
Char coughed. “Is it a long or short one? I could use a bathroom.”
“Me, too. I’ll talk as we walk.” Terry looked at BA. “Is the passage clear?”
She held her hands up and shrugged.
“Fine.” Terry made sure Char was ready, laser pistol in hand before he yanked his Ka-bar out. The door immediately popped open, revealing the well-lit and empty corridor beyond. Terry waved his wristband at each of the three doorways on both sides of the hallway. When he reached the intersection, he went straight toward the dead end to check the remaining six doors.
The first one opened—a storeroom that was mostly filled. Once sure there was no one inside, he entered and checked the shelves and stacks. “I don’t read Kurtherian.”
“But you do,” Char remarked. “Your chip translates it. If you can’t read it, then it’s not Kurtherian or any other language that the chip knows.”
“We can understand them. I think they are speaking present-day English.”
“That’s what I hear too, without the usual delay between their mouths moving and what my brain hears.”
“BA?” Terry asked.
“I am at a complete loss, TH.”
“It’s like a really sucky game of Clue,” Terry said before pic
king up a couple small pieces from a bin. “I don’t know what any of this stuff is.”
Char joined him while BA waited in the corridor. “Why is this stuff here? Wouldn’t spare parts be close to their point of use?”
“In a perfect world. We don’t know what’s behind the other doors in this corridor.”
“And this isn’t getting us closer to a bathroom.”
“A shower would be nice,” Terry admitted.
“Ooh,” BA crooned from the corridor, standing with her arms across her chest.
“You stuffed me into a Pod-doc, so you’ve already seen all there is. And I have to thank you again for saving my life. Antarctica sucked more than this game of Clue that we appear to be losing.”
“You’ve been a good member of my team. Akio says hi, by the way.”
“I love that guy!” Terry blurted. Char chuckled before heading to the next door. She waved her angry-female-Erthos wristband at it and it opened to a sprawling room that spread into the distance.
“Bingo.” Terry and BA looked in.
“Lots of stuff going on in there.” From one movement to another, they followed as they tried to figure out what the active systems were being used for.
“Manufacturing using print-on-demand technology for everything from spare parts to people?” BA offered.
Terry and Char nodded. “The people part is disconcerting, but they had to be built somewhere.”
The three entered the complex. “It looked so innocent as a non-descript door among other non-descript doors in a plain corridor,” Char said.
“Would you look at who’s here to greet us? It’s the mean woman called Lucinda!” Terry exclaimed.
“I got this,” BA said as she sauntered toward her. Char looked enviously at her boots.
“We’ll find where she got them, and we’ll get you a better pair,” Terry whispered. Char responded by taking his hand as they waited for the Queen to engage.
“We’re looking for a bathroom,” Bethany Anne said evenly.
“Out the entrance. First door on your left.”
Discovery Page 11
