by Tripp Ellis
Surge tapped her earbud. "This is a bust. If you are sending me on wild goose chases, I swear to God—“
“She was there just a minute ago. There seems to be a lag with the feeds, and some of them freeze, then refresh."
Surge scoffed.
A moment later, Chad shouted, “Got her! She's in the port corridor on C deck, heading aft toward the reactor room."
A devious grin curled on Surge's lips, like a shark smelling blood in the water. She led her companions into the hallway and they descended the staircase to C deck.
Max was trapped in the corridor, trying to enter the cooling tower. She kept pressing her hand on the biometric keypad, but it wasn't granting access.
A flurry of gunshots erupted, spitting hot copper in her direction. The bullets snapped down the corridor, bouncing off the bulkheads.
Max flattened her back against the bulkhead, hiding behind a support brace. The other end of the hall lit up with muzzle flash and smoke. Max angled her weapon around the support brace and squeezed off a few rounds.
She ducked back as several bullets impacted the bulkhead in front of her, showering sparks and flakes of metal. She unlatched a thermal grenade from her tactical vest and gripped it in her hand like a baseball. She stared at it long and hard, contemplating the possible outcomes. She was in an exterior hallway. She wasn't sure how strong the bulkheads were. A grenade like this had the potential to rupture the hull. That could be disastrous.
Max took a deep breath.
Fuck it!
She lobbed the grenade down the hallway. It clanked across the deck, rolling to the feet of the goons.
Surge's eyes widened, and she dove for cover down a neighboring corridor.
Max dashed for the hatch to the cooling tower as the grenade exploded. The blast was deafening, rumbling through the entire ship. Shrapnel sprayed in all directions. Shards of blistering metal ricocheted off the bulkheads, tearing through Brody and Jaxon. Smoke and haze filled the corridor.
Surge had flattened herself against the deck and managed to escaped the blast unscathed. Brody and Jaxon weren't so lucky.
Their tortured screams filled the corridor as they writhed in agony on the deck. Blood gushed from multiple wounds, the scorching hot metal cooking their insides.
Surge clenched her jaw and sprang to her feet. She angled her weapon down the corridor and fired into the smoky haze.
Max placed her hand on the keypad, and this time, it slid open. She ducked into the compartment closing the hatch behind her as bullets pelted the metal.
The inside of the cooling tower was slightly hotter than a Thantonian desert. The wave of dry heat hit Max like an oven.
The compartment was a cylindrical tower that spanned several decks. There was a central cooling tank with several pipes twisting around it. The compartment looked like a Cold War era missile silo. A set of rungs affixed to the bulkhead ascended to the top of the shaft. Max grabbed hold and started climbing. The metal rungs clanked with each step, echoing throughout the chamber.
In case of emergency, the entire chamber could be vented to space, flooding the compartment with the sub-zero vacuum of space. Max hoped whoever was in control of the bridge didn't decide to vent the compartment while she was in it.
Surge opened the hatch and cautiously poked her head into the compartment, looking for Max. Her eyes found the rungs of the ladder, then found Max. She angled her weapon up and blasted several rounds.
Max climbed onto a grated metal landing a few decks above. Sparks showered as bullets pinged off the metal.
Surge kept her finger gripped tight around the trigger, squeezing off a flurry of rounds. She screamed with rage as the bolt locked forward and the magazine emptied. She pressed the mag release button, dropped the magazine out, and slapped another one in.
By that time Max was gone.
Tobias had thrown a full-scale temper tantrum when he returned to the bridge upon learning that the quantum modulator had been taken. It made everyone uncomfortable. Tobias was usually pretty well reserved, even when he was pissed off.
Chad cringed, fully expecting someone to get shot over the ordeal, most likely him.
After thrashing about for a few moments, Tobias took a deep breath, straightened his suit, and studied the bank of security monitors.
The cooling tower was visible on the security display. Chad watched on the monitor as Surge emptied her magazine. “Please tell that dipshit she's in a highly volatile area. One of those armor piercing rounds could puncture the cooling tank and we’d all end up having a real bad day."
"Stand down," Tobias barked into his earbud. "Come back to the bridge, immediately."
"I'm not finished," Surge growled.
"I don't care. You're going to get us all killed! Do you have any idea of where you are?"
Surge's face tensed, then she glanced around, taking in her surroundings, suddenly realizing the severity of the situation. "What about the quantum modulator?"
"I'll find a way to get it back,” Tobias said, “Trust me."
21
Chad watched the monitor as Max entered the communications room. The security room. She aimed the weapon at the console, then opened fire. He saw a brief muzzle flash before the screen went blank, filling with static. All of the surveillance feeds from across the ship met with the same fate.
"Whoops," Chad said.
Tobias clinched his jaw as he looked over Chad's shoulder at the display. "Answer me one simple question. How did she get into the security compartment in the first place? I thought all critical systems were locked down?"
Chad shrugged nervously. "I'm not sure. Maybe the same way she got into the quantum compartment?"
Tobias scowled at him.
Chad was relatively sure that Tobias couldn't kill him just yet. He still needed him. But that hadn’t always stopped Tobias before.
Max headed back into the corridor. At least now they couldn't track her movements throughout the ship, she thought—she hoped.
She dashed into a stairwell, trying to get out of the area as quickly as possible. She knew the destruction of the security center would draw attention.
"You are starting to become more than a minor annoyance," Tobias said, crackling into Max's earbud.
Max ascended to A deck and made her way down the corridor and found her stateroom. She pushed inside and sealed the hatch behind her. She glanced around, frantically looking for Felix. Her eyes filled with dread as she moved through the compartment—there was no sign of the kitty.
Tobias grumbled in Max’s earpiece, ”I will find you, sooner or later.”
"I'd be careful. You don’t want to find me. I don't think that would turn out well for you"
Tobias laughed. “You're outnumbered."
“Not for long. Maybe you should hire more competent employees. They aren’t doing such a good job.“
Tobias’s face tensed. The comment reflected poorly on his management skills, and it was easy to see that he didn't like that one bit.
"I want the quantum modulator. I have a cargo hold full of passengers, and I will go through them one by one until the modulator is in my possession. Their blood will be on your hands. You have 15 minutes to comply with my demand.” He paused a moment.
Max said nothing.
“I can assure your safety if you return the device to me within that timeframe. Failure to do so will result in the execution of a hostage. And I will continue executing them until there are none left. Do we understand each other?"
“Hey, sensors are picking up something weird,” Hank said, drifting through space on the StarKnight.
Jack didn't seem too concerned. He lit another joint and sucked in a deep breath. "What do you mean by weird?"
"The Celestial Voyager has jettisoned all of their escape pods. But they are not emitting distress signals.”
Jack handed him the joint. Hank waved it off, engrossed in the display.
"Are you sure you're not just high?”
&nb
sp; "Oh, I'm still pretty high. But I know how to read a scanner."
"Maybe it's some type of malfunction?” Jack said, taking another puff.
“I think we should go back and check it out."
"What's the point? Captain Gibson said everything was fine. He had the correct authorization code. Everything seemed to be in order.”
Hank had an uncertain look on his face. "Look, if something goes down, and we missed it, it's going to be our ass. I don't know about you, but I like this job. I don't have to work very hard, and I get high all day. And we confiscate a lot of free drugs. I'd hate for that to go away.”
That got Jack's attention. He sighed.
The StarKnight emerged from slide-space amid a sea of jettisoned escape pods. The ship was careening straight toward one.
Jack’s bloodshot eyes rounded and he yanked hard on the controls, trying to avoid imminent disaster. Both Jack and Hank screamed in terror. It looked like a collision was unavoidable. The nose of the craft lifted, barely clearing the top of the hull, scraping the underbelly of the StarKnight.
The two customs agents had held their breath through the ordeal, and now both of them exhaled heavy breaths of relief.
“What the fuck, dude?” Hank snapped. “Did you have to jump so close?”
Jack shrugged. “Shit happens.”
“I’m plotting jump coordinates next time.”
“Oh, hell no. Not after what happened on Rigel 3.”
Hank scowled at him.
Jack angled the vehicle around the Celestial Voyager. At a glance, it didn’t look in any type of distress. There were no obvious hull breaches. They weren’t under attack by marauders, or alien forces. They hadn’t gotten caught in a stray meteor shower. There seemed to be no obvious reason for the jettisoning of the escape pods.
“Celestial Voyager, this is CPPA 117, do you copy, over?”
There was a long silence.
“Celestial Voyager, this is CPPA 117, do you copy, over?”
“Back again?” Tobias asked, his voice crackling over the comm link. “Did you miss us?”
“Captain Gibson, we noticed you jettisoned the escape pods. Just wanted to make sure everything was still okay?”
“Slight technical malfunction. But, otherwise, everything is fine here.”
Jack and Hank exchanged a skeptical glance.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. I’ve got my technician debugging the system now. We’re working on remotely piloting the shuttles and re-docking them with the ship.”
“According to ISA regulations, the deployment of an escape vehicle is a reportable incident,” Jack said, surprisingly coherent given the amount of herb he had smoked.
“Have no fear, I have my first officer working on an incident report as we speak.”
“Also, as per ISA regulations, you must proceed to the nearest port if you do not have enough emergency vehicles to accommodate all passengers and crew.”
“Thank you. Yes, I am well aware of the ISA regulations. I can assure you, we will be in compliance shortly.”
Jack and Hank exchanged another wary glance. They were starting to get the vibe that something was a little off. “We are going to need to board and make a visual inspection. Prepare your flight deck to receive us.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“No problem,” Tobias said. “Proceed to flight deck A.”
Max caught sight of the StarKnight from the balcony of her stateroom. She twisted the small knob on her earbud, running through the frequencies until she picked up the transmission between the CPPA agents and the bridge. "Mayday, Mayday, terrorists have taken over the Celestial Voyageur and are holding the passengers hostage!”
“Ma'am, could you please identify yourself," Jack said.
“This is a reserved channel," Tobias said. "To the passenger making these ridiculous claims, may I remind you that falsifying distress claims is a violation of Federation law."
"This man is a terrorist!" Max exclaimed. "Contact headquarters and send reinforcements.”
"I'm sorry, you'll have to ignore her,” Tobias said. “She seems to be deranged.”
"Ma'am, could you please identify yourself?" Jack asked.
"Yes, could you please identify yourself?" Tobias asked as well.
Max wasn't about to divulge her identity. Tobias could easily look up the passenger manifest and identify her traveling companion, Winston.
"I'm going to have to report this incident," Jack said. "We'll be aboard shortly."
He had barely finished the words when the StarKnight exploded in a blinding fury. The Celestial Voyager’s defensive plasma cannons had pummeled the small craft into oblivion. Twisted shards of metal and bits of avionics spiraled into the abyss. There was nothing left of the craft but small fragments.
Max's throat tightened, and her whole body tensed.
"It seems your shenanigans have gotten two innocent CPPA agents killed. How do you feel about that?"
"I think you made a big mistake. When that ship doesn't check in, they will send a search and rescue team. Before long, this place will be swarming with the planetary guard."
"By that time, I will have acquired what I need, and you will have returned the quantum modulator.
"Don't count on it.”
From the coffee table, Max picked up a thin piece of smart glass and opened the home screen. It was a data pad that contained a directory of all shipboard amenities. It contained a room service menu, as well as the formal dining menus, a list of television stations, and the layout of the ship. Max studied the floor plan carefully, familiarizing herself with all the critical locations.
She set the pad back on the table, readied her weapon, and moved to the hatch. Each passenger compartment was equipped with a door camera that offered a panoramic view of the hall, which was displayed on a panel on the hatch. It was a safety feature mandated for all hotel rooms and passenger compartments. You could always see who was knocking at your door. Max used it to make sure the hallway was clear. She pressed a button on the bulkhead and the hatch slid open. Max flowed into the hallway and moved like a phantom. Her footsteps were light and soft against the deck.
She twisted through the maze of passageways, holding up around the corner from the vault. She carefully edged around the corner and caught sight of Carson working on his PDU, trying to crack the security measures. Max decided it was time to go on the offensive.
22
The barrel of Max's weapon pressed against Carson's head. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't notice her sneak up behind him. The music blasting through his earbuds didn't help either. Combined with the fact that Max could move without making a sound caught him completely off guard. Carson turned around to see who was poking him. "Hey, what the—”
"Alright, play time is over."
Carson looked Max up and down. She was hot. She took his breath away for a moment. Carson rarely got close to beautiful women. He regained his composure and stammered, “Who are you?"
"Disconnect your little toy."
"I'm afraid I can't do that,” he stammered. He wasn't so much defiant as he was scared. He knew the consequences of failing a task that Tobias had given him.
"Make a choice, kid. Pack up your gear, or I'll pack it up for you." The big barrel of her weapon stared him in the face.
Carson swallowed hard. “Right. I'm disconnecting now."
He pulled the cord out of the data port that connected his PDU to the vault. Max marched him down the corridor and forced him into one of the passenger compartments. It had the same layout as Max’s stateroom, just reversed and on the opposite side of the ship.
Max pushed him into the living room. "Get on the ground, face down, put your hands behind your head, and interlock your fingers!”
The wide-eyed kid complied. His terrified voice trembled, “You’re not going to kill me, are you, lady?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"How much trouble you give me."
"I'm not giving you any trouble, am I? I mean, I’ve done everything you said, haven't I?"
“Shut up."
“Shutting up."
Max grabbed a lamp and pulled the plug from the wall socket. She cut the cord with her tactical knife and used it to hogtie the nerd.
Carson grimaced as she cinched the cord tight around his wrists and ankles.
"You make a sound, you try to escape, you’re dead. Got it?"
Carson nodded. He ate carpet, flat on his belly with his hands and legs tied behind his back.
Max knelt down beside him. She pulled a thermal grenade from her tactical vest and held it in front of the kid. ”You see this?"
Carson nodded with eyes as round as saucers.
"It's a thermal grenade, with an incendiary liquid gel core. When it explodes, this outer shell fragments, spewing shards of scalding hot metal into your flesh."
Carson swallowed hard again.
"And if that wasn't bad enough, the incendiary liquid gel core oxidizes at 4000°. If the shrapnel doesn't kill you, the liquid gel will burn you to a crisp." Max pulled the pin.
Carson's eyes grew even wider.
"What exactly are you going to do with that?"
Max wedged the grenade between Carson’s feet. The only thing keeping the spoon depressed against the grenade were the sides of his shoes. If Carson spread his feet at all, the grenade would drop to the deck and would explode within a matter of seconds.
Sweat was beginning to bead on Carson's forehead.
"If I were you, I wouldn't move. I’d focus all of my attention on not dropping the grenade.” Max had a diabolical twinkle in her eyes. She tapped her earbud. “Hey, dipshit… I’ve got something you may be interested in.”
After a few moments, Tobias’s voice crackled through her earbud. “I know you weren’t addressing me as dipshit. Have you finally come to your senses and decided to return the quantum modulator?”
“Actually, I just thought I’d do you a courtesy and let you know that I have your safe cracker. So, if any of the hostages die, he dies. I would imagine that would put a little monkey wrench in your plan?”
