by Tripp Ellis
"Move forward, slowly. We’re going to walk across the compartment and exit through the hatch. Then I'm going to take you to see Tobias. You're going to give him the quantum modulator."
"Then what?"
"Then I am going to make sure that you enjoy a slow, painful death.“
“Sounds like fun."
"You should have kept your nose out of this."
"But I like sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."
Surge’s face tensed. Rage boiled under her skin. The veins in her neck bulged. With every fiber of her being she wanted to destroy Max. But she couldn't do it just yet. "You made a big mistake when you killed Rex. You're going to pay dearly for that."
"I take it you two were close?"
“Shut up and keep moving.” She marched Max across the catwalk. They were now midway across the narrow path, hovering over the sea of passengers below. With the agility of a prima ballerina, Max hiked her leg up, spun it around over the hand-railing, and roundhouse kicked Surge’s pistol from her hand.
The weapon spun through the air and caught between the housing of a light fixture, wedged in the yoke affixing it to the grid. It rested in a precarious position, far out of reach.
Surge’s eyes filled with rage. She swung a backhanded titanium fist at Max. It was like a freight train careening toward her face. Getting hit by that chunk of metal would hurt, it didn’t matter who you were. It would be enough to knock out a heavyweight boxer with a solid chin.
Max leaned back and the titanium fist whooshed millimeters from her nose.
The swing left Surge wide open.
Max swung a hard right cross. It connected with the cyborg’s jaw, wrenching her neck aside. The blow didn’t seem to stagger her one bit. She turned her face back to Max and grinned slightly. It was a grin that said is that the best you got?”
The cyborg swung her shiny fist again. The wrecking ball plowed toward Max’s jaw. She stepped aside, blocked, and countered with an elbow to Surge’s face. She planted a knee in the cyborg’s belly, but it didn’t seem to do much good.
Surge backhanded her again. This time she connected. The blow split Max’s lip, and blood spewed from the gash. The impact twisted Max’s entire body aside, throwing her against the railing. Her momentum carried her forward as she clutched the bar. It was all she could do not to topple over the railing.
She pushed away and backed off a few steps as Surge attacked. The cyborg hammered down her fist. It crashed against the railing where Max used to be, leaving a sizable dent in the steel.
Max had picked plenty of fights with tough opponents in her day, but she was beginning to think that maybe she had met her match. Surge was strong, fast, and fearless—and hell bent on destruction.
29
Max squared off with the cyborg. The two stood toe-to-toe on the catwalk. Surge jabbed twice, walking Max down. Max dodged and weaved. She countered with a right hook that cracked Surge in the nose, sending a river of blood gushing from her nostrils.
Surge's tongue slid across her upper lip, tasting the blood. She grinned again. She had a crazed look in her eye like some type of wild animal. Possessed.
She spun a roundhouse kick that hit Max in the side of the face. The force flung Max into the railing, doubling over.
Surge charged, grabbing her legs, flipping Max the rest of the way over the bar. Max clung on to the bottom of the catwalk, her fingers clinging to the slats of the metal grating. She dangled over the sea of passengers below. The fall to the deck from this height would result in at least a few broken bones. Perhaps some torn ligaments in the knee. Maybe even a dislocated hip. A spinal fracture and even death were within the range of possibilities.
Max's fearful eyes glanced up at her tormentor.
Surge towered over her, putting a boot on her fingertips, applying gentle pressure. Her fingers were still bruised and sore from the last time she found herself in a position like this. “You need me alive, or you'll never find the quantum modulator."
Surge was in another world. She was consumed by rage and thoughts of revenge. She increased the pressure on Max's fingertips, her eyes sparkling with glee.
The grooves in the catwalk were cutting into Max's fingers. The grids were serrated to provide extra traction, now those serrations were going to carve out Max's fingers if the pressure continued.
“Enough!” Marco said. "Tobias needs her alive, for now."
He had seen the commotion from below and made his way up the catwalk. His assault rifle was aimed at Max. Marco looked like a surfer with the physique of a body builder.
Max could see the inner turmoil on Surge's face. She clenched her jaw and grumbled under her breath, then knelt down and extended a hand to Max.
Max clasped the titanium hand with trepidation. There were remnants of crusted blood on the knuckles where this very fist had pummeled Max's face.
Surge hoisted Max with ease, and soon she found herself back on sure footing.
“No hard feelings," Max said in jest.
"Fuck you!" Surge said.
Max found herself tied to a chair in the engine room. The two massive thrusters filled the compartment, one on either side of the ship. Pipes and wiring ran alongside the cylindrical units. They were dotted with display clusters and switches, thermal couplers and power converters. A beam of arcing blue energy flowed between two terminals in the midsection of each cylinder. At the forward part of the compartment there was a control station. The control terminal flickered with lights and gauges.
Max sat in between the two thrusters as Surge continued to tenderize her face. The cyborg’s shiny metal fist smacked into Max's cheek, repeatedly. Her skin was multiple shades of purple, black, blue, green, and a sickly yellow. The continuous beating had opened up several gashes on Max's face. Her skin was drizzled with a mixture of crusted and fresh blood. Her nose was smashed into an unnatural angle. The left side of her face had been taking the brunt of the abuse, since Surge was a right-hander. It was swollen and lumpy like the surface of a battered moon.
Surge was having the time of her life. There was a diabolical glimmer in her eyes. She was exacting her revenge, one punch at a time. And she appeared to be happy to do this for the foreseeable future.
The tinny metallic taste of blood filled Max's mouth. She constantly spit a mouth full of red goo onto the deck. The insides of her cheek were sliced and torn from the cyborg’s fist pummeling her jaw, mashing the tender flesh against Max's molars.
Seconds ticked by like hours. Max wasn't sure if the beating was ever going to stop. She had always been able to push pain aside and put it in that special place. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tune it out this time. She was nearing the point where she felt like she was going to blackout. Her neck ached from being wrenched to the side with every blow. Max was beginning to think falling to her death in the cargo bay would have been a better option than this.
Max's bloodshot eyes blinked up at the cyborg as the titanium fist cracked her once again. Max’s vision blurred and doubled, and she felt like she was about to pass out.
"Enough," Tobias said.
Surge was so keyed up, it was hard for her to stop. She reared back, ready to throw another fist—another wrecking ball.
"I said, enough!" Tobias’s voice was stern and uncompromising.
Surge snapped out of her violent trance and backed away.
Tobias stepped closer to Max, eyeing her mangled face. Marco and Blitz stood behind him with assault rifles, just in case Max got out of line. Blitz had been a former defensive lineman in the FFL, hence the name.
Tobias leaned in close to Max. "I think now would be a good time for you to tell me where the quantum modulator is."
Marco had searched Max for it, but came up empty-handed. It was nowhere to be found.
"Go fuck yourself," Max slurred. She was barely able to enunciate the words. She sounded like someone who had just gotten back from the dentist after having their wisdom teeth pulled and had a mouth
ful of gauze and a numb face.
"Now, that's not exactly the answer I was hoping for.” Tobias sighed.
He stood tall again and folded his arms. “I’m happy to let Surge continue mutilating that pretty face of yours, but I fear it will get us nowhere. If you were going to break, you would have done so by now. But I think I have another, more effective method of making you talk."
Max looked at him, with defiant eyes. Tobias could let Surge beat Max unconscious, but she wasn't going to say anything.
Tobias nodded to Marco. He marched to the hatch and opened it. Yuri dragged Hannah into the compartment from the corridor. She sobbed as tears streamed down her cheek.
Max's eyes widened. The muscles in her jaw flexed, and every part of her body tensed. She struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. She wasn't getting out of that chair anytime soon. She snarled at him, “You leave her alone!”
"Tell me what I want to know, and I will,” Tobias said.
Yuri pressed the pistol against the little girl’s head.
30
Yuri’s finger was wrapped tight around the trigger. The barrel of the pistol pressed against Hannah’s temple. Her terrified eyes gazed at Max.
An indescribable rage filled Max's body. They could do whatever they wanted to her, but leave Hannah out of this, she thought. It was beyond disgusting that Tobias would stoop so low. "Leave her alone, or I swear to God—”
“You're not really in a position to make threats," Tobias said. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't tell me where the modulator is, Yuri is going to put a bullet in this adorable little girl’s brain."
Max snarled at him.
"One… Two…"
"In my stateroom.” She told them the number and that the modulator was located in a drawer. She had stuffed it in there during her last visit. She thought it best not to keep it on her just in case a situation like this arose.
"Go check it out," Tobias commanded.
Marco and Blitz marched out of the compartment. Yuri stayed, continuing to keep the weapon pressed against Hannah’s head.
"I hope for your sake, and hers, that you are telling the truth,” Tobias threatened.
Max glared at him. "I hope all of this is worth it."
"It most certainly will be."
The room was thick with tension. After what seemed like an eternity, Marco’s voice crackled into Tobias’s ear. "Got it!”
Tobias smiled. "Excellent. Now put it back in the quantum field generator, and we’ll be on our way."
Marco hesitated a moment. "I don't exactly know how to do that."
Tobias grimaced with frustration. "Then bring it to Chad on the bridge and instruct him to replace it. He should know how to do that."
"Roger that."
Tobias shook his head at the incompetence. He muttered to himself, “Good help is so hard to find."
Tobias stood up and headed toward the hatch.
"What now?" Surge asked.
Tobias shrugged. “She is of no more use to me. I'll leave it up to your discretion."
"What about the girl?" Yuri asked.
"Take her back to the cargo bay. I’m not a heartless monster. I would never hurt such an innocent thing," Tobias said, winking at Max.
She flashed him a sour look.
Yuri followed him out of the compartment, towing Hannah along.
Max was left alone with her nemesis.
Surge smiled. "Looks like it's just you and me."
Marco handed Chad the modulator.
"What do you want me to do with it?" Chad asked.
"Put it back where it’s supposed to go."
"Why can't you do it?"
Marco scowled at him. "I don't know how. This is the kind of shit that you're here for anyway."
Chad pushed away from the console and sighed. "Fine. It's not like it's difficult."
Marco glared at him as he strolled out of the compartment. "I swear to God, I'm going to put a bullet in that little smart-ass’s head the minute this is all over."
“Relax," Blitz said. "When that robot cracks the vault, we never have to worry about anything as long as we live.”
Marco grinned with visions of riches sparkling in his eyes.
Chad marched through the labyrinth of passageways to the quantum field generator. He installed the modulator and powered up the device. At the control terminal, he went through a series of diagnostic evaluations and recalibrated the unit. The last thing you wanted were fluctuations in the quantum field generator. It could throw off your navigation by millions of light years, putting you in places you didn't want to be.
Satisfied that it was functioning properly, he made his way back to the bridge. By the time he arrived, Tobias had returned—and by the look on his face he wasn't happy. It didn't take long for Chad to see why.
A dozen CPPA ships had surrounded the Celestial Voyager. They were visible through the viewport, and the long range scanner system was aglow with flashing icons. "Whoops."
"Yes. Whoops," Tobias said "I trust the quantum modulator is in place and all systems are functional?"
"Yes," Chad said.
"Then what are you waiting for. Plot jump coordinates for Andromeda Station!”
Chad scrambled to take a seat behind the controls. "Why Andromeda Station?"
Tobias scowled at him, looking perturbed. "Because we are going to make things simple for them. They will, no doubt, track our quantum signature. Wherever we go, they will eventually follow. Only through misdirection will we make our escape.”
Chad frantically made the calculations.
An angry voice crackled over the comm system. "Celestial Voyager, this is Agent Stone of the Customs and Planetary Protection Agency, do you copy, over?”
“Agent Stone, so good of you to join us," Tobias said"
“To whom am I speaking with?"
"That matters not. What does matter are the 627 hostages that I have on board. If you wish for them to remain alive, you and your friends will leave the area immediately. Is that understood?"
"What is it that you want?"
"I just told you what I want. I'll give you one minute to have your ships pull back."
"I can have the other ships leave, but I'll need to stay here to establish a dialogue with you. You'll need a point of contact if you hope to have your demands fulfilled."
"What if I have no demands?"
"Then why are you holding hostages?"
"Perhaps I enjoy it." Tobias smiled. "You have 30 seconds left."
One by one, the CPPA ships jumped into slide-space, leaving quantum distortions in their wake. Agent Stone’s vessel remained near the Celestial Voyager.
"That's a start. But you're still here, Agent Stone."
"Let me help you," Stone said. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, now that you mention it, I would like two trillion credits transferred into a numbered account on Nova Reticuli. You will have two hours to comply. If the funds are not deposited within that timeframe, the hostages on board will die, and I will plow the Celestial Voyager into a highly populated space station of my choosing."
There was a momentary pause. "Two hours is not enough time to transfer those kind of funds."
"Well then, you're going to have a lot of dead civilians on your hands." Tobias could care less about the demands. He already had what he wanted. But why not make the CPPA run around in circles?
Tobias slid his finger across his throat, motioning for Chad to cut the communications.
Chad pressed a button, cutting the comm line.
31
A light flickered on the console. Chad caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye. His face twisted up, perplexed. "This is weird," he mumbled to himself.
"What is it?” Tobias asked.
"Somebody's trying to connect to room service."
Tobias raised his eyebrows curiously. "Who did we miss?" he grumbled to himself. "Can you answer the call? See who it is."
Chad pressed the
button. "Room service. How can I help you?"
Carson's voice bellowed through the comm line. "Thank God. I've been trying to get a hold of someone for an hour. I've been sitting here in this compartment, screaming my head off. Are you people deaf?"
"What are you doing, Carson?" Tobias asked.
"That crazy bitch kidnapped me and stuffed me in one of the staterooms. I've got a fucking grenade wedged between my feet. I can't move. I've been stuck this way.” Then he asked in a sardonic tone, “Do you think you might be able to send somebody to help me?"
Tobias’s eyes flicked to Marco. "Go get him." Tobias looked at the display. He's in suite A-119."
"I'm on it," Marco said as he marched out of the compartment.
"Hang tight," Tobias said. "Marco is on the way." Tobias turned his attention back to Chad. "How are those calculations coming along?"
Chad watched the display intently as the system finished processing the jump coordinates. "Done!"
"Then get us out of here!”
Chad engaged the slide-space drive. The bulkheads rippled and warbled as a quantum distortion washed through the ship. Time and space dilated for a moment, then snapped back like a rubber band.
"Hold the fort down. I'm going to go check on the robot and see if he's made any progress." Tobias marched out of the bridge and weaved his way through the corridors to the vault.
Winston looked as if he was in a trance. He stood in the hallway, not moving.
"Please tell me you're making some progress and not sleeping on the job?” Tobias said.
Winston turned his head and met Tobias’s gaze like he had just woken up from a nap. "I do not require sleep. This is a complex neural network with many intricacies. It has not been easy to bypass the security measures."
"But you can open it, can't you?"
"I believe so. I'm trying my best."
Tobias unholstered his pistol and aimed it at Winston's head. "Perhaps you need some motivation?”
Winston had an instinct for self-preservation. A bullet through his head could possibly damage his neural network beyond repair. The concept of death was something the robot had often contemplated. Many humans held a belief in the afterlife—some sort of spiritual utopia. But would it be the same for a robot? Did robots have souls? He feared that when his neural network ceased to exist that it would be the end. Like shutting off the light switch. Light bulbs don't go to heaven. Neither do toasters, blenders, or even advanced computers. Winston had never met another artificial intelligence that believed in an afterlife for robots. He knew that alien beings existed without corporeal form—a type of life that existed as consciousness only—an inter-dimensional life form. Perhaps consciousness was all someone needed in order to have a soul? Either way Winston wasn't ready to find out just yet.
