Deadly Betrayal

by Maria Hammarblad

  The only way I knew to distract him.

  *****

  I spent the next day being lazy, enjoying peace and quiet and my favorite people.

  I snuck away to finish reading my book late in the afternoon, but it didn’t take long before Adam came looking for me. “There you are. We should be at GA95 any time now. Let’s go to the bridge.”

  He looked so different in civilian clothes. Good thing I brought some, because seeing him in John’s clothes would have been confusing.

  “Alex?”

  “Mm-hm.”

  He crouched next to me and rested a hand on my arm. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  How long had I sat there just staring at him?

  Not my fault he looked so good.

  “Station, supplies, bridge?”

  Oh yes, he wanted me to do something.

  Couldn’t be all that important. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. If I held on to him, he might not vanish again.

  “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” He returned the embrace but sounded concerned. I should say something reassuring.

  “I’m just so happy to have you back.”

  “I love you too.” Wonderful words to hear, no matter how many times he said them.

  A good wife would ask how he felt about his mother, and about seeing his birth place again. I clearly wasn’t that good a wife.

  He pulled back enough to brush his lips over my temple. “John misses you. He hasn't seen you for almost an hour.”

  It was probably true, but his serene way of delivering such an absurd statement still made me laugh.

  “Alright. Let’s go keep him company.”

  I kept my arms around his neck and he pulled me up as he rose, held an arm around my waist, and carried me to the lift.

  *****

  John was already on the bridge.

  “I was starting to miss the two of you. We’ll be docking in a few minutes.”

  “Have I been here before?” All these places were so much alike, I couldn't keep track of them.

  “You have. You liked it. Son, I'm taking your wife to dinner tonight.”

  The proximity alert chimed, loud enough to make me slam my hands over my ears, drowning Adam’s answer.

  “What the hell?”

  A moment earlier the monitors showed nothing but empty space, but now a giant ship filled them. The Bell had appeared, out of nowhere.

  John said, “Crap.”

  He didn’t seem unnerved, more irritated. Odds were they weren’t looking for us, but they couldn’t help seeing us.

  I muttered, “The galaxy is so big, how can you accidentally meet someone you know?”

  A light blinked on the console and John glanced over at Adam. “Get out of sight.”

  I didn’t expect him to comply, hiding seemed atypical, but he went over to the side, out of reach of the communication cameras.

  It didn’t matter; The Bell opened a voice-only line. After initial greetings, the voice on the radio said, “You’ve been away for a long time.”

  John answered in an even voice. “We have, and we intend to stay gone a little longer.”

  “We have reports of you stowing our shuttle.”

  “Shuttle Twelve? Found it abandoned on GA703. I called you about it and you didn’t know who had it, so I picked it up. That place is out of the way.”

  How could he be so calm with secrets like ours?

  The anonymous voice said, “Apparently it flew itself out of the shuttle bay. No life forms aboard. At least no biological life forms. Funny that the two of you would stumble over it, of all people.”

  Who was this?

  John remained unfazed. “Isn’t it? We were going to bring it back, I just figured it wasn’t a big hurry since you have more of them.”

  Understatement of the year. The large ship held hundreds, maybe even thousands.

  “Why don’t you dock and unload it? Stay for dinner.”

  This was giving me a bad feeling.

  John seemed to share the sentiment. “Send someone over to get it. We’re on our way somewhere.”

  The other voice sharpened. “It wasn’t a request.”

  John reached for a control, but the person on the Bell was faster. This couldn’t be a spur of the moment decision; they were prepared for us running.

  A bright light caught us, pulling us toward a slowly opening door in the large hull. The docking bay port never came across as threatening before, but now the opening reminded me of a mouth wanting to swallow us whole. We were trapped in the Bell’s tractor beam.

  John turned the radio off. “I didn’t expect them to do that.”

  “Can we break free?”

  He gave a slight shrug. “Maybe, but that would be an admission of guilt. We don’t want to give them a reason to hunt us.” John turned to Adam. “You need to go hide. There’s a compartment behind the food storage. It will be tight, but you will fit, because I can fit. It’s shielded. They shouldn’t find you there, even if they’re scanning for you.”

  Adam frowned. “Is hiding really the right way?”

  John and I answered in unison. “Yes.”

  My father-in-law added, “With any luck we’ll be back here tonight or tomorrow. If we’re not, well, as long as they think you’re dead you will have some mobility.”

  “If they’ve scanned for me they already know I’m here.”

  “Son, I have a plan. Alex and I will deal with it. The sooner you disappear, the better.” He sounded exasperated. We were in a hurry and the two of them were equally stubborn.

  Adam didn’t look happy, but he left.

  “Run down at get me the head, will you? Bring some other junk too if you see anything that looks good.”

  His plan was taking shape in my mind. It was crazy; maybe crazy enough to work.

  *****

  I ran through the corridors, snatched up the lifeless android head, some random circuits and some tools, and ran back to the bridge.

  John said, “Good. I’m hoping this will explain why there’s a neural network on our ship. Hopefully they’re not looking for him, but we don’t know.” He paused and made a grimace. “Anya will be mad. I’m hoping she’ll be angry enough not to notice we think Adam is alive. It’s natural for both of us to think about him. And if she does, I intend to explain it with our little building project here.”

  “Do you think she would take their side?” I frowned at my own words. “I don’t know why I’m thinking like that, it shouldn’t be their side and our side, it’s the weirdest thing.”

  John nodded. “I feel it too. It’s atypical for them to grab us and drag us against our will. Keep your guard up.”

  I looked at the head in my hands, no longer worried it would bite me. I was happy it didn’t look like John and Adam. This was a good time to be grateful for the little things in life.

  The beam of light tugged us into the Bell’s innards and John got to his feet. “One more thing. I don’t think we should let them separate us. Do you agree?”

  “Yes. Yes I do. Whatever’s going on here I suspect the ship is nothing like when we left.”

  He nodded, swept his arms around me, and kissed me deeply. My legs reported an intention to fold and I held on to him to avoid falling. Yes, that was it. To avoid falling.

  When he pulled back he flashed an impish grin and I mumbled, “Damn you’re good at that. What was that for?”

  “That is the first thing she’ll see in our minds. Hopefully the only thing.”

  I still felt weak, but he slammed his arm around my shoulder, grabbed the android head, tucked it into my hands, and led the way towards the Bell.

  *****

  We didn’t exactly get a welcoming committee, but Anya and an ensign waited for us in the docking bay.

  Anya slapped John and he rubbed his cheek, feeling his jaw with a comical expression. “For being made of light you hit hard.”

  She stared at him with her bright e
yes. “I can understand Alex. Seriously, you and Adam were almost the same person, but you?”

  Her laser-stare moved to me. “You need to leave. Take him with you and don’t come back.”

  She stormed out, a perfect vision of a woman betrayed. I still couldn’t help but think she was warning us.

  John met my eyes. He clearly interpreted her words in the same way I did, but the ensign was clueless.

  “I didn’t know she had a temper. You must really have ticked her off.”

  I said, “We did, and she told us to go. We should go.”

  “The Captain wants to see you first, but you’ll have to surrender your weapons. I will take them.”

  John shook his head. “I’ll put them in the ship.”

  The ensign opened his mouth to object and John presented his best intimidating stare, making the young man wince and nod. “The ship is fine.”

  Blake was a good friend. Maybe he would provide some answers.

  John looked at the android head. “I think Captain Jones will be interested in our new project.”

  The ensign looked puzzled. “There is no Captain Jones. Captain Jia’Lyn wishes to speak with you right away. When you are done there your old quarters are waiting, ma’am, and I have prepared a guest room for you, Sir.”

  No more bunking with Anya. I felt a wave of sympathy for her. This wasn’t a good way to treat one’s best friend.

  I forced it down. She was surely watching from a distance and my emotions could get all of us in trouble.

  John said, “Thanks, but we will stay together.”

  Walking through the ship gave the strangest feeling. It looked just like it always did and smelled like it always did, but I was a stranger in the place that served as home for such a long time.

  Maybe it was true that one could never go back. My life had changed irrevocably.

  I felt like something worse than a stranger; I was an intruder in a place I shouldn’t see.

  I reached for John’s free hand and was relieved when he took it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Blake kept the Captain’s office sparsely furnished but friendly, not counting my aversion to the entire top deck. Now the walls were completely bare and a conference table took up most of the floor.

  Jia’lyn rose when we entered, giving me a flashback to the first time I met her and thought she must be the mythological Medusa. She had dark purple skin with light blue freckles spread over her nose and cheeks. Her large yellow eyes made a stunning contrast to her skin, but still weren’t the most remarkable thing about her. Where a human would have hair, she had a multitude of small gray snakes, glittering like silver. Each snake had bright blue eyes and I often wondered if they had minds of their own.

  She said, “Welcome home.”

  I sank down on a chair. “Everything is so different. What happened?”

  Even the snakes on her head seemed to shrug. “You two probably don’t remember the aftermath of the fiasco with the Grendl. Shortly after you left, Blake was reassigned and Ima went with him. I was next in line for the command.”

  John asked in a casual voice, “Isn’t it Confederacy policy not to let the second become captain on the same ship?”

  “It used to be. We have a shortage of officers. With Adam gone too they would have had to move me to another ship and replace the entire top crew on the Bell. Command felt keeping me on the ship would give a sense of continuity.”

  “I see.” He looked relaxed, but his eyes weren’t.

  Jia’Lyn was one of my best friends who had seen me through countless of bad times, so why was I so uncomfortable?

  She said, “You’re both welcome to stay as long as you wish, but I must warn you, the ship is more geared against battle now than it used to be.”

  “Battle with who?” Asking might not be the smartest thing, but I was curious.

  “General unrest. Nothing to be too worried about.”

  John leaned back in the chair. “Well, we didn’t want to come aboard in the first place, we’re on our way somewhere. Are we free to leave?”

  “Stick around for a few days.”

  So weird, it didn’t sound like her at all. And why was she so keen on us staying on the ship?

  Jia’Lyn smiled. “Your old room is still there. Why don’t you go relax for a couple of hours? I’d like to see you for dinner tonight. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  *****

  I stepped into the lift ahead of John and the door closed behind him, just like it was supposed to. He said, “Deck three” and the lift sank down, just like it was supposed to.

  It didn’t stop on deck three.

  John muttered, “Now what” and managed to frown and lift an eyebrow at the same time when a hologram of Anya flickered to life.

  “Are you going to hit me again?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “It doesn’t matter, I don’t have substance in here. Now be quiet and listen to me. You two have to find a way to get out of here. And bring the other one of him.” She eyed the lifeless android head under John’s arm.

  I opened my mouth and closed it again. The next time I opened it, words came out. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t have time to explain. Trust me. You know I love you both. Leave while you can.”

  John clearly paid as little attention to her message as I did. “Why aren’t you furious with me?”

  Anya laughed. “You two are adorable. If you were alone together in space for years you still wouldn’t get around to doing anything.”

  I said, “We totally would. Eventually”

  “Sure you would.” She still sounded about to fall over with mirth. “It’s as likely as Adam and I getting it on.”

  “How long do you think it would take?”

  “I don’t know, three years, maybe. Why are we still talking about this?”

  The lift slowed down and she fell serious. “Find a way to go somewhere this ship isn’t, and don’t come back. It’s not safe.”

  John ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand.”

  She said, “I have to go” and vanished.

  I inched myself closer to him. “This is a weird day, isn’t it?”

  He moved the android head over to his other side so he could wrap his arm around me.

  “Understatement.”

  It probably wasn’t safe to talk.

  The lift doors opened to a floor that certainly wasn’t ours. I leaned back against the wall and prepared to wait for going up again, but John said, “Oh, we’re down here. Let’s go see Debana.”

  Anya must have done that on purpose, sending us where we needed to be.

  *****

  John led the way into the lab and our orange-haired friend glanced up with a guarded look on her face.

  “You’re back!” Once Debana recognized us, she smiled and looked honestly happy.

  If talking wasn’t safe in other parts of the ship it probably wasn’t safe here either. I said, “Yes, we’re back.”

  Her eyes shifted color. The white turned into a swirling green, but just for a moment. What did it mean?

  “I have Sy’bit tea. Come, I’ll make you a cup.”

  What the hell was Sy’bit tea?

  John said, “That would be fantastic.”

  This was probably an excuse to get out of the lab, and I should follow them. I still wanted to look in all directions at once and it was hard to suppress the instinct and look cool.

  John stepped through the door to her room and sank down on the sofa as if he’d done it many times before. He had made it sound as if Debana provided him with booze. For all I knew they might be old friends and he might have been down here all the time.

  I opened my mouth to release at least one question, but the orange-haired beauty in front of me shook her head and mouthed, “Not yet.”

  She pulled out an instrument from a pocket, walked around the room, and watched the monitor with a frown. Then, she grabbed my han
d and pulled me towards the gigantic turquoise sofa. It matched the thick layers of fabric on the walls, giving the room an underwater quality.

  Once I sat down next to John, she turned on music and whispered, “I think it’s safe, but let’s be quiet. Did he find you?”

  Should the answer be yes or no? Debana had saved Adam’s life. They were friends. They appeared to be on the same side, whatever that side might be.

  John said, “Yes, he did.”

  “Good. I couldn’t do much to help him. I hoped he’d make it to you.”

  “How did you know he was there?” I didn’t mean to sound accusing, but I had been so sure I was the only one who knew he left the ship.

  A thin smile tugged at her lips. “Where do you think he got the bomb?”

  She moved closer and hushed her voice even more.

  “The Bell was sabotaged from the inside. Someone here worked with the people on the Grendl and everything has gone downhill since. I don’t know how many they are, but key personnel are under constant surveillance. That’s not all. The Captain was removed. He’s on some faraway planet now where he can’t cause any trouble, and several of the crew have… changed.”

  Like Jia’Lyn.

  Debana fixed her otherworldly eyes on me. “I teleported Adam with the lab’s developmental reactor. I tried to get to you, but you wouldn’t see me, and I didn’t know whom else I could trust. I know this sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory, but they’re everywhere.”

  “Thank you for saving him.”

  “You’re my friend. Adam saved my life. I will remember android bitch setting fire to him as long as I live.”

  It made sense. The idea of her struggling alone to save the Confederacy was more reasonable than imagining her a traitor.

  I said, “What are we going to do?”

  John muttered, “To start with, stay alive long enough to get out of here.”

  Debana winked at him. “I’ll get you that tea.”

  My mug smelled and tasted like tea. John’s certainly didn’t and he looked very pleased. “As always, you are a life saver.”

  She bent forward and whispered so quietly I could barely hear her, even though she was right between us. “I don’t know how they do it. I don’t think it’s in the air because not everyone is affected, but they might want to change you too. If I were you I wouldn’t sleep on this ship, and I wouldn’t accept anything to eat or drink from them.”