The 13: Mission's End Book One

by M. M. Perry

  “And the counselors?” Chef asked.

  “They cut into their heads.”

  Chef and Book shared the same horrified expression.

  “Why haven’t they rebelled already?” Chef asked, appalled. “It’s not like they’d need us to help. They outnumber Command ten to one, easy.”

  “It’s the conformity,” Mike said.

  “The conformity? You mean how closely we adhere to the computer’s birthing schedule?” Book asked.

  Mike nodded.

  “How would that stop anything? They wouldn’t have to kill them. They could just lock up everyone in Command. The ship wouldn’t have to incubate more people. It would still see the population as steady,” Chef said, disbelieving.

  “The people up there,” Mike said, “think conformity has to do with how well they follow the rules. They don’t know it’s just about the schedule of births. At least most of them don’t know. I’m pretty sure Marcus and most of the senior staff, I’m pretty sure they know everything. And they use the fear of counseling to keep everyone in line.”

  “Even your red-head, sir?” Chef asked. “Isn’t she a friend of Alphea’s? Alphea knows the truth, why hasn’t she said anything to Naomi?”

  “Probably for the same reason I was reluctant to tell her. We have a mission tomorrow. If I tell her that her whole life she’s been lied to, controlled by Command… I don’t think she needs that right now. I’ll tell her afterwards.”

  Mike stared at his hands guiltily. He looked up when he felt Book’s hand on his shoulder.

  “Alright,” Book said, “you’ve convinced me. We never should have fucking believed them when they spaced those kids. Anyone that could do that, you can’t trust anything they say.”

  “It’s the obedience training,” Chef said putting her hand on Book’s arm. “Don’t feel bad for not seeing it, Gerry. You know how hard it was to doubt them in the first place. They are even now, in the back of your mind telling you what to do. Don’t blame yourself for believing them then. We know better now. We can do something about it.”

  “Yeah,” Book said, looking up at Mike. “Thanks, brother. I know I’m a pain in the ass sometimes, but thanks for dragging me into the light. I don’t just mean now either. All those years ago… this is twice now you’ve opened my eyes. So thanks for that.”

  “Seconded,” Chef said.

  Mike put a hand on each of their shoulders.

  “This is the start. Let’s make it count.”

  Book pounded the table with his fist.

  “Power to the people. It’s coup time.”

  Mike smiled.

  “First the mission. Then the coup.”

  Seven

  Naomi was pulling on her jumpsuit when the door to the leisure unit opened and Maria walked in. She smiled at Naomi placidly. Naomi felt her heart stop. She was alone. Jeremy was in the shower cleaning off and Todd was still in his pod.

  “Maria,” she said, stunned. “You came.”

  “It was on my calendar for last night. I didn’t make it, though. I was in Observation. I can’t remember why I was there. Every time I thought I needed to be somewhere, I couldn’t remember where it was I wanted to be. Eventually I noticed the reminder. And I saw the message there. I don’t know why I didn’t think to check before. I… I thought you might still be here. But now that I’m here, I’m not sure why we were supposed to meet.”

  Maria was babbling, her eyes glassy. She didn’t approach Naomi and give her their customary hug. She simply stood in the middle of the room in a daze. Jeremy came out of the shower and stopped in his tracks when he saw Maria.

  “Maria.”

  Naomi half-expected Maria to launch into flirty teases about Jeremy’s nakedness. It was such a routine for her that, despite the fact she knew Maria had been counseled, Naomi was still shocked when it didn’t happen.

  “Hello, Jeremy.”

  Naomi rushed to Maria and hugged her, hoping she’d find a shred of the person she knew inside, who’d respond to her warmth even a little bit. But Maria was wooden in Naomi’s embrace. When she pulled back from Maria, Maria looked confused.

  Naomi looked from Jeremy to Todd’s pod nervously, anticipating a reunion she knew wouldn’t be a happy one.

  “Naomi, would you like to walk Maria to her shift?” he asked, picking up on Naomi’s concern.

  “Yes, I’d like that. Would you like that Maria?”

  Maria just stared at Naomi, her eyes foggy.

  “I don’t know,” Maria said simply.

  Todd’s pod door slid open.

  “If no one else is planning to use the shower right n… Maria?”

  Todd slipped out of his pod. Naomi was struck again by the fact that Maria had nothing to say about Todd’s state of undress. She always complimented the men when they came out of their pods. Her quip was the same each time, “Good morning to you, too, Sunshine. That’s better than a cup of coffee.”

  The words rung through Naomi’s memory and felt far too distant. All three of them stared at Maria, as if willing her to say it. Maria understood they expected something from her, but she said nothing.

  The group was paralyzed by the strangeness; their closeness shattered by people who decided Maria had been too emotional to leave to her own devices. Nothing would ever be the same between them. Naomi began to grieve the loss of all their future game nights together, all their discussions of what went on over the week, all their leisure days laughing at old shows together. Naomi bleakly wondered if Maria, who always laughed so easily, was even capable of it anymore.

  Naomi fell back into a seat, her breathing ragged. Her arm began to glow pink as her vitals climbed. Todd and Jeremy went to her side.

  “Naomi,” Jeremy said calmly. “Naomi, count. Count them Naomi. Don’t think about anything else, just count.”

  Naomi closed her eyes and tried to count. She felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She didn’t open them again until she heard Maria leave. She didn’t want to see Maria’s numb confusion. Todd put his hand on Naomi’s arm.

  “She’s gone,” he said.

  Naomi opened her eyes. Jeremy and Todd looked as distraught as she felt. She pulled them both close to her. They remained that way until they knew they had to go back to their lives, pretending everything was okay, and nothing had bothered them too much.

  “This is where you’ll go. Can you find it again?”

  Naomi and Jeremy stood in front of Alphea’s door. The encounter with Maria had left Naomi terrified of what could happen to Jeremy.

  “Yeah, but it’s a restricted station. I won’t be able to get in there.”

  Naomi placed her palm on the door. It slid open.

  “Come here a minute.”

  She approached one of Alphea’s workstations. It was logged in already, just as it had been when she’d seen it last. She tapped the screen, getting to the area she wanted. A square appeared on the screen and glowed.

  “Put your hand there,” Naomi said.

  “Naomi,” Jeremy said, surprised. “You’ll get in trouble. Way more trouble than a few demerits.”

  Naomi shook her head, determined to make the feeling of dread go away.

  “No, I won’t. Alphea will understand. I’ll tell her so she knows. It’ll be okay. You know I wouldn’t be unsafe.”

  Jeremy hesitated for a few seconds before placing his hand in the square. The screen lit up as it scanned him. His name and file appeared on the screen with a small notation indicating his newly granted access to Alphea’s office.

  “This is it then,” he said as he pulled his hand back. “Walk there with me?”

  “Of course,” Naomi said.

  The shuttle bay was even busier than when Naomi had been there for training. Jeremy squeezed her hand and whispered good luck to her.

  “I… come back safe,” Jeremy said, counting in his head.

  Naomi nodded, then headed toward the group of engineers milling around the newly outfitted shuttle. Alphea was standing ne
arby with the soldiers. When Alphea noticed Naomi, she motioned her aside to have a quiet conversation.

  “Are you ready, Naomi?”

  “Yes. As much as I can be,” she said, trying to feel confident.

  “It’s alright. I’ll be in your ear talking to you the whole time,” Alphea said.

  She placed a small communication device in Naomi’s hand.

  “Just my ear?”

  “Just yours. I can talk to everyone of course, but this unit has a private channel. Anything you say to me on channel seven will only be to me. Channel two is everyone else. Do you understand?”

  Naomi nodded.

  “Good. Before you address the soldiers, I’ll remind you that you should be careful what you say to them. Henry is not your friend. He’ll report you to Command if he thinks you’ve broken some rules.”

  “I’ll stick to information included in my official reports about the physical condition of the ship. I was given permission to advise Carrie so long as it related directly to repairs, so I don’t think it’ll be out of line if I mention certain areas of the ship aren’t pressurized. That should cover any structural dangers we might encounter on the mission,” Naomi paused, looking around to make sure they were still alone. “There is some stuff I can’t say though, and we never got around to discussing it.”

  “Go on,” Alphea prompted.

  “It’s about the people there,” Naomi said, taking a breath to calm herself. “It’s not concrete. It’s a gut feeling. But the way Carrie talked about the disposition of her co-workers and unitmates. They sounded fine mere weeks ago. Some hints of trouble brewing, maybe, but I always assumed it was minor. She was either unable or unwilling to speak about it in detail with me. I do know some of it had to do with disagreements about their cooperation with us. If there has been mutiny,” Naomi paused at the word, almost unable to say it, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the people we encounter are less than friendly toward us.”

  Alphea looked thoughtful as she processed the new information.

  “I think it’s safe to keep this between us. The soldiers are preparing for the possibility of resistance, so I don’t imagine they’d be taken by surprise. If you feel you need to say something, if you feel they’re walking into a trap, warn Mike. He’ll listen to you and keep the source of your information discreet.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now, is that all you wanted to tell me?”

  “No,” Naomi said guiltily. “I gave Jeremy access to your office.”

  “Did you?” Alphea asked, smiling. “That is excellent news. I was wondering how I’d talk to him without drawing attention. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking he was someone I was concerned for. I shall endeavor to keep him safe for you, should the need arise.”

  “Thank you,” Naomi said, relieved.

  “Of course,” Alphea said, guiding Naomi back to the group.

  Naomi stayed on the fringes, unsure of both where she should be and of who might do something foul to her. She waited patiently trying to read the group and determine the best time to assert her authority. It had to be done, she knew. She quietly counted names in her head to give her strength. This time, she counted the names of the people on the Tereshkova - people Carrie had talked about over the last year.

  Once they were all assembled in a group, Mike motioned for her to come forward. Naomi moved through the soldiers with confidence, staring right at Mike to avoid eye contact with anyone who would weaken her resolve. When she turned to face the group, the first person she locked eyes with was Alphea, smiling at her. She saw Alphea’s mouth move slightly and tried not to look alarmed when Alphea’s voice spoke closely into her ear.

  “They’re just people, like you and me. With weaknesses and strengths, like you and me. Take command of them, Naomi.”

  Naomi nodded. Henry, sneering at her, looked like he was about to say something when Naomi cut him off.

  “The Tereshkova was identical in every way to this ship when it was built,” she began. “For the most part, aside from blue corridors instead of orange ones, it’s going to feel like you’re home. But don’t get too comfortable. I learned a lot of things about the state of the Tereshkova over the last year speaking with First Engineer Carrie Nye. They haven’t had as easy a time as we have. Some years back, their lifts stopped working. Almost all of them were dismantled and replaced with ladders and stairwells. Ten years ago they had a massive fire that destroyed a large portion of the port section of the ship. They’ve been slowly rebuilding it but many areas remain uninhabitable and depressurized, one of the many reasons they were slow to relinquish a spare part.

  “In fact, Port E storage, the area where the part is stored, will require following a very specific route to get to. We will proceed with the utmost caution. Efficiency is not our goal. It won’t matter how fast we get there if we accidentally space ourselves in the massive hull breach in the Port Main Cafeteria. I’ve made maps of the trouble areas I personally know about. But Carrie didn’t give me a systematic rundown of all the damage on their ship. There are certainly dangers that are not marked on this map. But the map should cover the major environmental factors we’ll face on the Tereshkova.”

  Naomi looked the soldiers over. At some point the soldiers had all come to attention. Even Henry was paying attention. His smug self-assurance had been wiped away in favor of a look of dread. The soldiers managed to look sterner but still apprehensive. She knew they’d been briefed, but it was becoming clear their chief hadn’t been as detail-oriented as she was.

  “I’ll do my best to guide us there safely and back. I know I’m in charge of the mission, but you’re in charge of our lives. I’ll tell you where we need to go, but do not doubt that I’ll follow your orders with regard to how we get there. If I tell you something, it won’t be to undermine you, only to aid you to complete the mission successfully.”

  Naomi finished her speech and Mike gave her an approving look.

  “Alright, soldiers,” he said, “the gear has been stowed. Depending on the situation on the Tereshkova, this may take more than one day. It’s our hope it’ll be faster, but we can’t count on that. We’ve trained hard for this. I trust you. We’ll complete this mission. Move out.”

  The soldiers picked up their packs and headed into the shuttle. Naomi hefted her own pack clumsily onto her back. She was unused to carrying so much weight.

  “Everything alright?” Mike asked.

  “I’ll get used to it,” Naomi said, gamely.

  “That’s the spirit,” Mike said. He gave Alphea a curt nod before he led Naomi into the shuttle.

  The inside of the shuttle was especially cramped. Normally, Naomi recalled, the shuttle could seat thirty comfortably, but they’d had to bring down the occupancy to just the two pilots and the eight of them. Mike gestured to a seat sticking out from the wall just behind the pilot. After she took off her pack and secured it under the seat, Mike helped strap her in.

  “Alright,” he said, sitting next to Naomi and buckling his own straps, “everybody secure?”

  Naomi looked around the confined shuttle and watched all the soldiers give the thumbs up. She looked across at Henry, who was a little pale. Mike pointed to the mouth guard around her neck. Naomi nodded and strained against her restraints to reach the rubbery guard. She shoved it in her mouth and immediately felt like she was salivating too much.

  As the pilots began flipping switches one of them, first pilot Alicia Wright, shouted back at them.

  “Don’t you folks worry about the trip none. We’ll make sure you get there safely. We know you all have things to do. Gardens to see. We’ll get you there and back.”

  Naomi felt her lips tug at the rubbery guard in her mouth. Jeremy had sent along a personal message to her via his fellow pilots. She gripped her restraints as the shuttle rumbled to life. She felt her stomach lurch as the shuttle rose. She was afraid to close her eyes, fearing the lack of visual stimulation would make the feeling worse. She stared at the ground, concent
rating on the back and forth banter among the pilot, co-pilot and flight command on the Magellan. Numbers and adjustments blurred in her mind as she listened to the public channel. She wondered briefly what it would feel like if the shuttle blew up just then. Before she could think on that much, the pilots were requesting permission to dock with the Tereshkova.

  “No reply, Command,” Wright said.

  The next voice Naomi heard sounded familiar.

  “Roger, Maggie One. Enter bay override code Alpha, Tango, Bravo, Bravo, Zero, Niner, Niner.”

  “Roger that, entering Alpha, Tango, Bravo, Bravo, Zero, Niner, Niner.”

  There was static before Wright came back on.

  “Shuttle bay opening for docking. Maggie one, preparing to dock.”

  Naomi could sense the mood in the cabin changing as they got closer to landing. The stern soldiers around her looked assured, but something in the air told her they were less certain than they allowed their faces to show. She bit down on her mouth guard nervously as she felt the landing gear lower from the shuttle. The landing was soft. The pilots were skilled at their job. She felt movement beside her and looked to see Mike pulling off his restraints. Naomi fiddled with her own for a few seconds before Mike was there, helping her.

  “Everybody up and out,” he said while unbuckling Naomi. “Shuttle doors are open no more than sixty seconds. Go, go, go!”

  Mike placed his hand on Naomi’s shoulder indicating she should wait while the rest of them rushed past her. Once the shuttle was empty he grabbed her pack from beneath her seat and took her hand.