by J. M. Hagan
“Yes. Some of the greys that have been taken prisoner in the past, when outside of the Overseers range, have become free thinking, instead of mindless drones. In those documented cases, they did not survive for long.”
“Where do these dudes come from?” asked Jack.
“Rovian scientists have studied them for centuries. Though their origins are still shrouded in mystery, the most prominent theory maintains that they are from another space-time – a different dimension.”
Mark sighed. “Now we’re in the realms of science fiction.”
Cane frowned at him. “We already know that time travel is possible. Therefore, there must be other dimensions. They must have devised a way to travel between them. Venec’s research on the subject helped him to create his time-drive. I tried to study the calculations, though the task was nauseating, to say the least. He truly was a genius. The energy required to power the time-drive is immense, almost equal to the power of a tiny sun.”
“You’re saying we’re on a ship that’s carrying something nuclear?” cried Claudia.
“The time-drive is powered by the core of a Nova-bomb – it is perfectly safe though. There are multiple failsafe’s in place to protect us. The room where the time-drive is kept is sealed, and cannot be detected by external scans. In the event of an emergency, it can be jettisoned to space.”
6
The next day after their morning run, they had a few hours to kill like always. Wasting useless time had become a chore that they all dealt with in their own ways. Anderson usually napped at this time of the day, but he found that he was hungry rather than tired; his appetite was ferocious from the training.
Anderson set out from his room on the way to the kitchen. He made it a few steps, then heard, “Hello,” in rovian, at his back.
He turned and saw Siena. She was dressed in a grey t-shirt that showed her T-shaped shoulders and slender neck.
“Hello, Siena.”
Her metallic coloured eyes lit up when he offered a friendly smile. “I was going to the kitchen,” she said.
“Me too. Come on. Let’s get food,” he said, trying to pronounce his rovian correctly.
They went to the service point and retrieved packets of meat broth. Anderson wasn’t exactly sure what kind of meat it was, but he knew it was synthetic, tough like beef, and provided satisfactory nourishment.
They emptied the powdered packets into bowls and then popped on the kettle. “I’m starving,” said Siena, smiling awkwardly. “I had CQC with, Jack, just now.”
They were training together?
“Really?” he asked, trying to hide the agitation that was itching his neck.
He was quick to move in on her…
Anderson grinned toward her, then looked down.
She smelt like lilac, and looked damn fine. He was getting red, just being near her. The moment it took for the kettle to boil dragged on for what seemed a lifetime. He had to glance at her a couple of times to make it seem like he wasn’t feeling awkward, offering a small smile on each occasion.
“You did well today,” he complimented her, on her earlier performance.
It became Siena’s turn to get a little embarrassed. Her cheeks reddened, she looked back at the steaming kettle with a tiny smile. “Thanks.”
The kettle clicked and he picked it up to half-fill their bowls with boiling water. They stirred the contents with their spoons after, and he led them over to a table. In ways, he still felt like a guest on this ship. But Siena followed him like he was the owner and this was his home.
“Just a few weeks ago, you were hurt very badly. If I was you, I’d be proud I’d even made it through the day.”
As he stirred the watery bowl became a steaming broth that gave off a warm, spicy aroma. Anderson had a spoonful, finding it to have a stew-like texture. But it was way too hot, he fanned his mouth.
Siena giggled, still stirring hers. “You were too eager.”
“Huh?”
“To eat…”
“Oh, right. Yes.” He chuckled, blowing on it.
“You are doing well with your rovian,” she complimented him.
Anderson looked up in happy surprise. “Really? I happy to hear.”
Siena sniggered. What’s she laughing at? “It’s no problem. Although, there is some minor room for improvement.”
“Well, you are helping,” he answered truthfully, feeling pressured to continue strong. “Every time I have a talk in the common tongue, it helps me…to be better.” Almost got that out without a hitch.
Siena grinned. Her mercury eyes lit up. Then she looked down at her food and had a spoonful. With a groan of satisfaction, she began eating with a healthy appetite.
Anderson took some bread from a plate and ripped her off a piece. Siena’s eyes rolled from satisfaction again when she bit off a chunk. She requested more with her eyes.
“Take,” he urged her, grinning.
As she ate, Siena pointed to objects in the room, the service point, the refrigeration unit, the kettle, the sink, the cupboards – he told her the rovian for them. She congratulated him with a smile at first, then she was genuinely impressed.
*
Claudia went to the kitchen and heard their voices. She stopped and peeked in the door. Siena and Mark were at a table, talking over some food. They seemed to be getting along quite well. Avoiding Siena – Claudia went to Jack’s room instead.
She hadn’t seen him since that morning, and she wanted to know what he thought about Cane’s decision to allow Siena to train with them, as Mark was clearly fine with it.
She walked in and found Jack upside down in his bed, with his feet stretched up the wall. He was playing a game on the PDP which he’d claimed from Venec’s lab. It was an older model, Cane had said. But to them it blew everything they’d had before out of the water. It was like a portable super high-tech computer that could do almost anything.
Jack mostly just played videogames, though. “Yo, what’s up, partner?” Jack asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Ede the Horned Baska was currently stomping a dinosaur to death with her elephant sized feet. There was blood spraying in so many directions that it could’ve been considered comical, but the level of detail made the violence seem very real.
“Jack…are you okay with, Siena, joining our training?” asked Claudia, with concern in her tone. He paused his game and swung his legs around to sit on the bed.
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging. “Why not? She’s being watched all the time.”
“Yes, Jack, but she’s a criminal. Maybe not on our world, but on Venec’s world they’d lock her up and throw away the key.”
“We’re not on Venec’s world, man. Think about it…she’s got nowhere to go without us. She’s not some criminal mastermind, she’s just someone who went too far down a dark path. That’s how I see it, at least.”
As he spoke, she’d been reassured by the warm glow of his eyes. “You’ve really thought about this, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. Besides, if she can help, I say we welcome her on-board.” Jack shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know if any of us are up for taking a life. The only one who was capable of that for sure was, Venec, and we lost him. You’ve seen how, Cane, is with people. The guy is too sweet. He can kick ass in self-defence, obviously. But think about it, Claudia, everything he’s been teaching us isn’t about aggression, it’s about redirection. We’ve been learning how to disarm someone, throw them to the ground, but what do we know about snapping necks, or knife fighting?”
“Very little,” she said, sitting down on the bed. He had a point. They were out to kill a man, after all.
“That’s why I asked her to CQC earlier.”
“You did?” she questioned, pursing lips.
“Yeah. I was right to. Siena, can kick ass!”
“Really…?”
“Yeah.” Jack sat down next to her, oblivious to her disapproval, and made hand gestures to display what he was saying. “She w
as flipping me, throwing chops to the neck – I mean, not literally, but pausing just before she bitch-slapped me – and then she was showing me this neck thing, it was killer. She kicks like a donkey, too. I dunno. Whatever way she does this side-kick, “Jack was up and demonstrating, “it just has so much power! She’s tiny, too. Imagine if I was able to kick like that?”
“You think, Cane, can do stuff like that?” she asked, thinking of his long and powerful legs. She knew he was quick, too. Despite his height, his movements weren’t at all sluggish.
“I dunno. If he can, he hasn’t show us yet. He’s probably going to, I think that’s one of the reasons why he wants her to help so bad, you know?”
*
Needless to say, after all his persuading, Claudia was convinced that Siena could help. That very next day, she offered Siena to a friendly spar.
Cane had made them a dojo in an unused bedroom. He took out all of the furniture and then placed a square of two-inch thick white padding on the floor that was intended to be used for insulation.
Okay. Let’s see what she’s made of. Claudia stretched her arms and swayed side-to-side while tensing her abs. Just a few weeks ago, she didn’t have abs to speak of. But they were coming along nicely, and she already had some tone forming.
When she was loosened up, they took a stance before each other.
In a flash, Claudia swept in and put a hand on her neck, pulling Siena sideways into the ground. She dropped on her with a fist ready to strike and paused. Then she got up and gave her a hand getting to her feet.
“Well done,” said Siena.
Claudia took a stance again. Finally, a training partner I won’t hold back on, and who, hopefully, won’t hold back on me.
“Those guys are too soft in here. I haven’t been able to test myself properly yet.”
Siena smirked. “You should be glad of their chivalry. It isn’t common, the places I’ve been.”
Claudia didn’t understand most of what she’d said. Her eyes were geared in focus, as she watched Siena’s every movement.
When she saw an opening, Claudia swept a kick for her legs, and Siena leapt on the spot. As she turned, striking with the back of her hand, Siena caught her arm and spun under her, twisting it around her back, and Claudia had to act quickly in her defence. She tried to spin under her and reverse the hold, but Siena seized the back of her neck, and pressured her into the ground by spinning her until she lost her balance.
Her cheek in the matt, Claudia blew hair off her face. Was that a lesson in humility?
Siena helped her up this time, an unapologetic look on her face. After a moment spent staring each other out, Claudia took a stance, and Siena imitated her. Her eyes like hard wrought steel when she focused.
They didn’t have training gear such as gloves and protective padding. This was full contact, and though they held back the power of their strikes, they didn’t shy away from hitting each other. That was why she couldn’t train properly with her friends, the guys, aside from Cane, wouldn’t hit her.
Claudia grabbed Siena’s wrist and went through her guard striking her forehead. In reply, she struck Claudia’s shoulder with an open palm. The force of it sent her staggering back, and then Siena swept by, swinging a kick that she restrained abruptly a few centimetres from taking Claudia in the head.
Wow. She is really good. Her eyes wide, she stared at the sole of her foot, and watched as Siena lowered her leg.
“You show a lot of promise,” said Siena. “I didn’t even see your first takedown coming. But you still have a lot to learn.”
Claudia was trying to hide anger before, when she thought the girl was patronising her. However, a genuine tone helped Claudia realise Siena was being kind. I can obviously learn a lot from her. I’ll learn it, then I’ll kick her ass.
“Okay. Before we begin again, got any tips?”
*
In the gym, Jack was like a demon. His sweat-laced face was burning red, as he growled pushing on through the tenth rep of his squats. He was lifting twenty pounds more than him, and always doing an extra two or three reps.
Anderson would have been lying if he said he didn’t feel resentment toward him because of it. Yet, it was driving him. He didn’t want Jack to beat him at anything anymore.
They moved on to the bench press after. When it came to Anderson’s set, he was struggling after the sixth rep, as they increased the weight by 10lbs from yesterday. The bar threatened to beat him, and Jack sensed it.
“If you don’t get that damn weight up, I’m gonna twist your nipple! Stop being a pus –”
Anderson pushed hard while he berated him, giving it every last drop he had. His head was red and shaking all over. His jaw like iron, lips peeled back to show snarling teeth, and he raised the bar before Jack could even finish his sentence.
“Yes!” roared Jack.
He was about to take the bar, but Anderson brought it back down for another.
“Spot me!” he managed, between his breathing, and Jack put hands around the bar while he squeezed his chest and gave a mighty effort.
Jack guided the bar to the hooks and he set it down.
Anderson stood with water in his veiny eyes. His friend applauded his effort by giving him a slap on the shoulder. “Well done, kid,” said Jack, with a little wink.
“Thank you,” he managed, between panting breaths. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll take a break.”
“You okay?”
“Of course.” Anderson doubled over, holding his chest which was bulging. “Just a little dizzy.”
“A tell-tale sign that you gave it everything. Probably best to leave your chest for the rest of the day. Wouldn’t want you pulling another muscle.”
Jack was right – he didn’t want to go through that again. During their second week, Anderson had torn his quad while squatting. His body hadn’t been used to running, or weight training, or general exercise beyond a light stroll. He had been too soft. An injury like that placed him in the medical pod in the infirmary for an hour.
He felt claustrophobic as the warm air built up in the pod. The pad that wrapped itself around his torn muscle had stimulated his leg and warmed it like a hot water bottle.
“Jack, I’m way behind you guys – “
“No, you’re not. You’re just differently abled.”
“I’ve got CQC with, Siena, after this,” he revealed, trying to ignore Jack’s attempt to push his buttons.
“Private lessons?” he remarked, in a mocking tone. “Anderson – you horny bastard! You’re hoping that CQC training with her will lead to gland-to-gland combat, aren’t you?”
Anderson frowned deeply. “No, Jack, I just – “
“Wanna rub bacons?”
“—what the hell does that even mean?!”
Jack chuckled. “C’mon, don’t get upset. I mean, who am I to judge if you accidentally grope a chesticle, get a little too fond of the top-mount position, or smile while being taken down in head scissors?”
“I’m not trying to…look, I just want some help to keep up with you guys! God dammit, Jack, I’m useless in combat!”
“You’re not useless; you’re just underperforming.”
“Jesus. For the love of Christ – stop sugar-coating everything!” he cried, unable to stop it from getting out.
“Jack Murphy, conductor of the euphemism express, at your service,” he said, tilting an invisible cap. Then he smirked and winked. “Just kidding. Enjoy the rumpy-pumpy, my good man.”
Bastard. He always knows. “Whatever, Jack,” he moaned, forcing a hint of anger that wasn’t really there. “You’re just jealous because you know you’ll never get any off, Claudia.”
A wonderful thing occurred – Jack started getting red in a flash. Anderson’s eyes widened at the opportunity.
“Holy shit. I was joking. But…you actually want to bump uglies with her!” Two can play at this game, Jack-ass.
“Yeah,” he blurted, with an exasperated breath of laug
hter, “she wishes.”
“I highly doubt it.”
Then an exasperated chuckle. “Pfft.”
“Great comeback.”
Jack’s forming look of frustration had been the icing on the cake.
7
January…
Today marked their third attempt at the second assessment. If they passed, they would be rated highly enough to be considered tier-2 entries into the guild. This assessment, however, was the toughest challenge yet, and the crew, as a whole, were becoming frustrated with their failures.
They had to infiltrate an area locked down by a group of terrorists with their finger on the trigger of a Nova-bomb – a weapon of mass destruction that had the power of ten nuclear warheads, according to Cane.
“Damn! I’m sick of this shit!” Jack screamed, punching the ground when they failed again.
He got up, tossing his gun in the air, and headed for the exit, removing his vest as he went. Then he dusted off his hands.
Claudia followed after him, leaving Siena and Mark sulking in the HC.
“Jack, calm down,” she pleaded softly.
But he didn’t so much as look at her. He threw his vest on the ground and stormed off. “I’m sick of it all,” he moaned angrily.
She followed after him and he didn’t stop until they were halfway to the gym, which she guessed was his destination.
He turned, hands being guided to his hips as he bit down. His overgrown, sweaty hair was a mess. “I’m sorry. I just…damn,” he cursed meekly.
“I know what it feels like. Obviously, I’m frustrated.”
“Jesus,” he cried, looking up. “What I wouldn’t give for some time away from this damn ship – these hectic simulations – the constant pressure! It’s driving me nuts.”
“Deep breaths, Jack.”
“To hell with that. I don’t wanna calm down. You know what I wanna do?”
“What?”
“I wanna get drunk as a skunk,” he admitted truthfully. “What do ya say?”
Claudia almost smirked. “But…what about…”
“Screw ‘em. I don’t give a crap about any of it. I’m taking the rest of the day off.” Jack grabbed her hand and trailed her along. “And so are you!”
