by Saxon Andrew
“You mean kill them,” Taffy stated.
Grady looked at her, “That’s what removes means, Taffy. Are you up to this?” Taffy’s eyes tightened, and she nodded. “Alright, move into the bay with the robots and be ready to go.”
The sky was getting brighter in the east and Grady flew the ship down on muffled thrusters and landed it beside the front entrance. He jumped up and ran toward the bay.
Taffy looked around the bay and, though the ship was small, this room was huge compared to the other rooms in the ship. She looked up and saw Grady running down the corridor toward her. He punched the button beside the door and the port flew open and the ramp extended to just in front of the main entrance.
Grady rushed up to the entrance and the doors flew open. Now that was a surprise. He used the blaster to melt the tracks and the wide doors stayed open. “GO! GO! GO!” he yelled to the robots. He turned to Taffy, “Follow Bob and keep an eye on him!” Taffy nodded and ran after the large robot as it left the ship pulling a cart. Grady ran out of the ship following Robbie. He stopped at the end of the aisle Robbie ran into and he saw Taffy was at the end of the aisle Bob had entered.
• • •
Taffy was amazed at how fast Bob filled the cart. It used one of its arms to sweep groceries off the shelves into the cart and in less than a minute, it was rushing back up the aisle. It passed her at high speed and disappeared out of the entrance. Ten-seconds later, it was out of the bay headed back toward the aisle. She looked at Grady several aisles away and he shouted, “They’re dumping the carts in the bay.” Taffy nodded and kept her eyes on Bob as he rushed down the aisle to where he left off.
Things went fine for forty-minutes, then they heard one of the ship’s blasters discharge. Grady ran to the entrance and rushed back, “They’re keeping their distance, for the moment!”
Taffy felt her tension rising as the blaster fired again ten-minutes later. Grady shouted to the robots, “Speed it up!” The robots went into a higher gear and they were passing them at an incredible rate. Two-blasters fired and both of then heard a loud sound coming from the rear of the building. Grady shouted, “Cover Bob!!”
Taffy nodded and stared at the robot as it moved up a new aisle. She glanced at Grady and saw him scanning the aisles around him. She turned back to Bob and saw a large man running up behind him with a raised ax. Taffy didn’t even have time to think; the blaster was out and in her hand in an instant and she leaned slightly forward as she fired it. The man had the ax raised right behind Bob and his head burned off his shoulders. His body fell forward and the ax hit the floor in front of him. Grady rushed forward as Taffy fired and he saw the man hit the floor. “They’re breaking in through the back wall.”
Grady rushed back to the aisle Robbie was on and Taffy saw two-men step out of the end aisle and raise their weapons, “GET DOWN, GRADY!” Grady hit the floor and Taffy fired two bolts at the men. One fell into the man beside him throwing off his aim. Grady finished the second man from a prone position on the floor. Taffy had bent her knees to fire and she heard a projectile whiz slightly above her head. Grady yelled, “RUN TO THE SHIP!!” Both robots stopped what they were doing and accelerated out of the aisles they were in, “Taffy, keep Bob covered!”
Taffy stared down the long aisle and saw a shape move into it with a raised weapon. She fired hitting the man in the leg. He collapsed screaming and the shot intended for Bob went high. Taffy kept the blaster in her hand and kept her eyes on the end of the aisle. Suddenly, she felt a hot wind pass her and then heard Grady’s blaster. She looked to her left and saw three men lying on the floor. Bob rushed out of the aisle and headed toward the front entrance. She began backing up, keeping the blaster raised. She saw Robbie fly out of the entrance and Grady was backing up behind him. Taffy yelled, “GET ON THE SHIP; I’M FASTER!!” Grady turned and ran through the entrance as Taffy continued to backpedal toward the door. She jerked her head to her right and saw a man step out of the end aisle with something on his shoulder. She fired three quick bolts and saw a huge explosion. She turned and dove for the entrance as the concussion rolled past her. She saw white spots and was deafened as Grady lifted her and carried her into the ship. He closed the port and heard loud hits on the ship’s hull. He left Taffy laying on the floor and ran to the bridge. He jumped over the back of his chair and fell in it. He pushed the thruster control forward and the ship shot off the ground vertically. The morning sun had heated the expansion fluid and the ship disappeared high overhead in an instant. Grady wanted to go check on Taffy, but he couldn’t leave the ship hovering. He turned the ship vertical and it leapt forward faster than the speed of sound. He heard a moan and Taffy stumbled into the bridge and collapsed into her chair. “Are you all right?” Taffy shook her head. “Just hang on, we’ll be home in a minute!” Taffy put her head in her hands as Grady saw the mountains appear on the monitor. He flew the ship into the cavern and kept the bow pointed toward the rear, so the port would be on the side of the freight elevator. He jumped up and went to Taffy, “What’s your name!”
“You know my name!” Taffy said with a slur.
“TELL ME YOUR NAME!!”
“ADELLE!” Grady’s head went back, and he lifted Taffy out of her chair and carried her to the bay. He opened the port and ordered, “Implement your programming!” The robots began filling the carts as Grady carried Taffy to the bedroom and put her down gently on the bed. He ran to the refrigerator and collected some ice. He put it in a towel and put it on her head. He stared at her with a worried brow and, after a few minutes, she opened her eyes. Grady saw she was still disoriented. He waited, and Taffy finally focused her eyes on him. “What happened?”
“One of them tried to fire a high-explosive rocket at you. You hit it before he launched it and I believe the blast gave you a minor concussion.”
Taffy nodded slightly and immediately closed her eyes. She kept them closed for a few minutes and then opened them again, “Remind me not to nod, the room really does wacky things when I do.”
Grady removed the bath cloth and put his hands gently on Taffy’s head. “What are you doing?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
“Checking to see if you have any swelling. Keep your eyes closed and be still!”
Grady ran his hands gently through her hair and Taffy smiled, “That feels really good.”
Grady shook his head and didn’t find any knots or swelling. He continued to rub her head and Taffy smiled until she fell asleep.
• • •
The next morning, Taffy opened her eyes and immediately closed them. She waited a moment and slowly opened them again. The vertigo didn’t hit her again and she slowly sat up on the bed. She had a headache, but it was bearable. She held on the headboard and slowly stood up. The vertigo hit her for a moment and she almost sat back down…but it passed. She blew out a breath and put her hand on the wall. She looked down and saw all she had on was shorts and her briefs-bra. She thought about it, but decided she was not going to attempt putting anything else on. She stepped out of the bedroom holding on to the door frame and heard noise to the right. She looked and saw Grady and one of the robots filling a cart with green balls. She stumbled forward and sat down slowly in a chair. Grady looked up and walked over to her, “How do you feel?”
“Don’t ask!”
“That good?” Grady replied. Taffy raised her eyes to him and Grady said, “I’ll cook you something to eat after we finish this cart.”
Taffy tried to stand up but fell back down on the chair, “I should be helping you.”
“You’ve done enough, Taffy. Now take it easy and I’ll give you something for your headache after you eat something.”
“How do you know I have a headache?”
“Perhaps by how you’re rubbing your temples,” Grady replied with a smile. He went back to the cart and Taffy sighed. She wasn’t aware she had her hands on her head. They finished filling the cart and Robbie pulled the cart over toward the ship. Grady came over and started cooki
ng in the kitchen.
“How long have I been out?”
“About a day.” Taffy sighed. “We’re close to wrapping up with the food we brought back.”
“We should have left sooner,” Taffy said softly.
“You’re right; the bay was full when we left and we’re not going to have room for a lot of the food we gathered. We’re still going to process it in the event we ever come back.” Grady looked up and asked, “How were you able to make it to the bridge?”
“I don’t remember going to the bridge.”
Grady hesitated and asked, “Do you remember what happened in the distribution center?”
Taffy shook her head slightly. She looked up at him, “Should I?”
“We’ll discuss it later. The important thing is that we gathered the food we need. Take it easy and I’ll have breakfast ready shortly.”
Taffy ate slowly, and Grady had her swallow a white tablet when she finished. She started moving back and forth slightly, and Grady picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He put her down sitting on the bed as he moved the covers. He lifted her and laid her prone on the mattress. He pulled the covers over her and she said with her eyes closed, “My headache is gone.” Grady watched her for a minute until her breathing was regular and then went back out to the chutes.
• • •
Taffy and Grady were eating dinner and she was silent. Grady had tried to get her talking but had failed. Finally, he asked, “What’s bothering you?”
Taffy was staring into her plate and she looked up at him, “How many did I kill?” Grady was silent, and Taffy continued, “There was the man with the ax, the two that were…”
“Five or six, Taffy!” Grady interrupted.
Taffy lowered her eyes again and asked, “How many died outside?”
“Forty or fifty.” Taffy’s eyes came back up. Grady shook his head, “I don’t know where they got it, but the locals pulled up a mobile heavy-blaster and were setting it up to fire on the ship. Thirty or more of them died in the explosion when one of our blasters hit it.”
“I’ve never physically hurt anyone, much less kill someone,” Taffy said with tears in her eyes. “It all happened so fast, Grady!”
“And now you’re thinking that those you killed had families and children and now their father and husbands are gone, right?” Taffy’s eyes closed slightly, and she nodded.
Grady was silent, and Taffy asked, “What are you thinking? Do you see me as some kind of cold-blooded killer now?”
“No, Taffy. That’s how you see yourself. And you’re wrong!” Taffy stared at Grady and he asked, “Did you fire at anyone that wasn’t trying to kill you or our robots?” Taffy shook her head. “You got it right when you were begging me to allow you to stay with me; the only law out here is survival. If you didn’t shoot, what would have happened?” Taffy lowered her eyes. “Let me tell you,” Grady said firmly. “We would have lost Bob and gathering all this food would have been a wasted effort.”
“Why?”
“Because those two robots are what keeps my ship flying. If we lost them, the ship would not last very long. I took a huge risk taking them on this project and you prevented Bob from being damaged. I would also be dead, you saved my life. And if you hadn’t made me run out first, I couldn’t have flown the ship out. Those attackers made a conscious decision to go after us and it came down to us or them; would you prefer it had been us that died?”
“No,” Taffy said softly.
“You’re not the only one dealing with this, Taffy. I’ve never killed anyone either.”
“But you’re in the military!” Taffy replied.
“I was a scientist, Taffy. I worked at a desk job and I’ve never served in the active military. I also have to deal with what happened, but I know we did the right thing. Knowing that, I can deal with it.” Grady paused, “If I had sent you out, what do you think would have happened to you?”
“I would have been killed,” Taffy answered softly.
“And they were trying to kill you in that building. Would you take it lying down without trying to protect yourself?” Taffy shook her head. “Then get this right, those survivors see it as sixty less mouths to feed. You should as well.”
Taffy nodded and forced a small smile, “I know you’re right. I’ll be OK.”
“Good! By the way, who’s Adelle?” Cassie’s head went back, and her eyes flew open. “I was asking you to tell me your name to check you for a concussion and you said it was Adelle. I’ve thought about that and you told me Taffy was a nickname; what is your real name?”
“I’d rather not say, Grady.”
“Oh, so you can ask me my name and not tell me yours; what is your name?”
Taffy shook her head slightly, “Adelle Alexandra Boshran.”
Grady’s head tilted slightly and then his eyes flew open, “Are you…”
Taffy nodded and interrupted Grady, “My father was Alexander Phillip Boshran.”
“He’s the richest man on the planet!”
Taffy shook her head, “Not anymore; he’s dead.”
Grady was shaking his head as he said, “You have some splaining to do, Taffy. Are you telling me you ran away from the wealthiest family in the Union. Phillip Boshran owned most of the manufacturing facilities that provided the military their technology and weapons! Hell, more than half of the components I used to build this ship have Boshran on them.” Taffy lowered her head and sighed. Grady saw her sadness and softly said, “You don’t have to tell me, Taffy. I can see it will only make you sad.”
Taffy raised a shoulder and kept her head down, “The problem was all the social events. From the time I was six-years-old, my parents took me to all the balls, gatherings, and events they were expected to attend. I saw early on that most of those in attendance looked at me and raised their noses; Phillip Boshran had a fat daughter. They’d smile a knowing smile that he wasn’t as perfect as he thought; just look at his fat kid.”
Taffy paused, and Grady reached across the table and put his hand on hers. Taffy continued, “It got worse, much worse, when I was a teenager. Even my father would look at me and I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I begged not to go to those gatherings, but he refused. I eventually couldn’t take it anymore, I gathered some clothes and funds I had hidden and ran away.”
“Taffy, with his wealth, you couldn’t have remained hidden from him.”
“I didn’t. His detectives found me quickly, but I refused to go with them; you know in the Union, no one over the age of sixteen can be forced to go anywhere against their will. I was seventeen and it broke my heart that he didn’t really push me to come back. I think he was glad I was gone and wouldn’t embarrass him again.”
“What about your mother?” Grady asked.
“It broke her heart. She loved me, truly loved me, and my father threatened to leave her if she pushed the issue. She taught me so much and I adored her and the time we spent together.”
Taffy looked up at Grady and saw him shake his head slightly. “But do you know what, Grady?”
“What is that?”
“I was happier in my one-bedroom apartment among the freaks than any time I lived in the four-hundred-room mansion of my parents. Wealth is a harsh lover, and even the greatest can lose themselves in its embrace.”
“I’m sorry I made you remember, Taffy.”
“Don’t be. I needed to get this out.” She looked up, “Did you have a family, Grady.”
Grady blew out a harsh breath and nodded. Taffy waited, and Grady looked away, “When I accepted this assignment, I was forbidden to communicate with my parents and sister. I was ordered to play the role of being insane and I broke my family’s hearts when I turned my back on them. That night when the aliens attacked, I looked at the Union’s capital first and then turned the satellite to see the city I was raised in. I saw the section of the city where my family lived go up in flames.” Grady turned to her, “I didn’t get to tell them goodbye, either,”
he said in a low voice.
Taffy stood up and went to Grady. She sat down in his lap and said, “Please, just for now, hold me.” Grady put his arms around her and felt his tears. He needed to get this out as well.
Chapter Six
Taffy woke up the next morning and saw she was sleeping on Grady’s side of the bed. She smiled slightly and then thought, am I ever going to wake up before him? She threw the covers off, stood up, and stretched. She felt better. The aches and pains from the explosion were gone and the only thing remaining was some stiffness. She picked up her clothes off the floor and went to the bathroom. She threw her clothes in the washer and turned on the shower. She closed her eyes and felt the warm water on her body, it was soooo good.
Grady opened the bathroom door slightly and shouted, “You need to get it moving!”
“Why?”
“We’re shoving off shortly. I’m sending Bob in here to move the things you want to take with you to the ship!” Grady closed the door and Taffy grabbed the shampoo and soap. She rushed through the shower, stepped out, and wrapped a towel around her. She took the clothes out of the washer and threw them in the dryer. She stepped out of the bathroom and saw Bob waiting for her. “Bob, take the clothes hanging up in the closet and the boxes on the floor to the ship. Put them where Grady wants them.” The robot flashed, and Taffy ran forward and grabbed the pants she had made from a flight suit out of the closet. Bob hesitated and then continued gathering the items. She went to the chest-of-drawers and took out a pair of Grady’s briefs that she had changed and put them on. She pulled the pants on and took out a long-sleeve tee-shirt out of the top drawer. She pulled it on and went to the dryer. Her socks weren’t dry yet. She closed the dryer and went back to the open drawers. She ran barefooted out to the cavern and found an empty box. She began loading the contents of the chest into the box and handed it to Bob when he returned. She went to the dryer and pulled out the clothes, folded them, and put on the socks. She pulled her boots on and was thankful they only went just above her ankles; she didn’t like the full boots Grady wore; they were too restrictive.
