Ep.#9 - Resistance (The Frontiers Saga)

by Ryk Brown

  Jessica rolled her eyes and followed Tony and the other two resistance fighters, breaking into a run to chase them down the garage. They turned the corner and ran toward a row of six small delivery trucks, each of them backed up so close to the wall that they were nearly touching it. The resistance fighters ducked between two of the trucks. One of them slid up the roll-up, side loading door and hopped inside, the second one hopping in behind him.

  Jessica climbed into the back of the delivery van as well and turned toward the back of the van. The back door was open, revealing a ragged hole in the concrete wall that led into a space between the walls. She followed them in and to the left where there was a big hole with a simple wooden ladder leading down. Jessica laughed. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

  * * *

  “You’re making considerable progress, Mister Hayes,” Doctor Chen said. “The extra doses of nanites do seem to be helping. You’re sure they’re not bothering you too much?”

  “Not at all, Doc,” Josh said. He looked at Lieutenant Yosef, who was glaring at him. “In fact, you can give me another dose if you think it will speed things up.”

  “I expect you’ve got more than enough of them inside you as it is,” the doctor told him, “but I will talk to Doctor Galloway about it and see what she says.”

  “When will I be able to sleep in my own bed again, Doc?” Josh said.

  “If all goes well, in a few days. You’ll still have to take it easy, however.”

  “What about going back to work?”

  “I’m afraid that may take weeks.”

  “How about simulator time?”

  “Josh, you were exposed to all sorts of things,” Doctor Chen explained, “high-intensity electromagnetic fields, exotic particles, and different kinds of radiation, many of which I don’t even understand. You need to give yourself time to heal completely. Don’t be in such a hurry.”

  “Loki is already back at it,” Josh said.

  “You were in the front seat with no canopy over you. Loki was in the back with most of the canopy around him intact. Your exposure was far more severe.”

  “But I will get better, right?”

  “I cannot make you any promises, Josh,” Doctor Chen reminded him. “You know that. You are making excellent progress, however. That alone is very encouraging.”

  Josh sighed. “Right. Thanks, Doc.”

  Doctor Chen put her hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Try to get some rest, Josh. I’ll come by and check on you in the morning.” Doctor Chen looked at Lieutenant Yosef and smiled politely as she departed.

  Lieutenant Yosef smiled back from the other side of Josh’s medical bed. “Thank you, Doctor.” She waited a moment for the doctor to leave the room before speaking. “Why are you lying to your doctor?” she scolded.

  “I’m not lying.”

  “The hell you’re not,” she said. “I can tell you’re in pain. It’s those nanites you’ve overdosed on, isn’t it? That’s why you’re in pain.”

  “Overdosed? How do you overdose on nanites, Kaylah?”

  Kaylah looked him in the eyes. “Look at me and tell me the nanites aren’t causing you any pain.”

  Josh looked at her, then off to one side.

  “No, no, no. In my eyes.”

  Josh looked her in the eyes again. “The nanites are not causing me much pain.”

  “Wow,” Kaylah said. “I didn’t think that would work.”

  “You didn’t think what would work?”

  “I was sure you’d look me in the eye and lie your ass off.”

  “Yeah, well, normally I probably would. But Loki keeps telling me I need to be more honest, especially with you.”

  She smiled. “He’s a smart guy, smarter than I expected.”

  “Hey, I told the truth.”

  “Yeah, but you lied to your doctor, Josh,” Kaylah reminded him. “How is she supposed to take care of you if you lie to her?”

  “I only lied about the pain the nanites are causing; that’s all. I can handle it, all right?”

  “No, it’s not all right.”

  “Look, the extra nanites are helping. You heard her.”

  “I also heard her tell you not to rush your recovery, Joshua.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. Every time she called him Joshua, he knew he was about to lose an argument.

  “Why are you in such a hurry to recover, anyway?” she asked.

  “Because if I don’t get my ass back in the cockpit, they’re going to replace me. That’s why.”

  This time Kaylah rolled her eyes. “That’s stupid.”

  “They’re training replacements as we speak, Kaylah.”

  “They’re not replacements, Josh. They’re backups. The captain would never replace you. You’re probably the best pilot we have. The captain has said so himself, and on more than one occasion, I might add.”

  “It’s easy for you, Kaylah,” Josh argued. “You’re a member of the original crew. You’re Fleet trained, and you’re a lieutenant now. Your job is practically guaranteed. I’ve got no formal training and no rank. I’m not a member of anything. Hell, when Loki starts talking about orbital trajectories and such, my eyes start crossing.”

  “You’re just being silly now.”

  “Nice,” Josh said, crossing his arms.

  “Come on, Josh. I can guarantee you that the captain is not going to replace you.”

  “That’s what Loki said.”

  “Maybe you should listen to him.”

  “And if I don’t fully recover?” Josh wondered.

  Kaylah reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Then we’ll strap your nanite-riddled body to the helm so you don’t fall out of your chair and embarrass yourself while flying the ship.” She smiled at him.

  “Funny.”

  * * *

  “I suspect the leak is in one of the main transfer lines,” Devyn said over the comm-set.

  “What do we do?” Lieutenant Commander Kovacic asked.

  “First, we need to get everyone moved onto the bridge as soon as possible.”

  “Why the bridge?”

  “The bridge was designed to be a self-contained environment. Although it is currently being fed by the ship’s other environmental systems, it can be sealed off from the rest of the ship and run independently for extended periods of time.”

  “How extended?”

  “It was designed to support up to twenty people for at least a month. The problem is, the system isn’t completed. There are no scrubbers, no oxygen production cells, no air purifiers, no humidity controls…”

  “Okay, I get your point,” the lieutenant commander said. “But if it isn’t completed, why move us in here?”

  “I can pump the air in the other compartments on your deck into the holding tanks for the bridge.”

  “You want to depressurize the rest of the command deck?”

  “Yes, sir. The bridge has an airlock. It has two of them, actually: one leading topside via a rescue tunnel and another leading into the main corridor. You pass through it whenever you come and go.”

  “I didn’t even realize that was an airlock,” the lieutenant commander admitted, looking toward the port exit. “I still don’t see what moving us to the bridge accomplishes. You said the leak was in a transfer line, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then why depressurize the rest of the command deck?”

  “Because if I keep the main transfer line pressurized, it will eventually deplete the aft resources as well. We don’t have the production capacity to continually feed both sections, not if we continue bleeding oxygen into the outer hull spaces.”

  “So moving us to the bridge isn’t really fixing the problem as much as it is isolating
it.”

  “Yes, sir… in the hopes of preventing it from becoming worse while we find a solution.”

  “Very well, Ensign,” the lieutenant commander said with a sigh. “Keep on it. We’ll start moving immediately.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The lieutenant commander looked at the others. “Well, you heard the lady. Go round up everything we have and bring it here: food, water, blankets, pillows, medical kits… anything and everything.”

  “Where are we going to put it all?” Luis said.

  Lieutenant Commander Kovacic scratched at his cheek through his beard. “Well, we can haul some mattresses into the ready room and turn it into a dorm. It’s small, so it will be easier to keep warm.”

  “There’s not enough room in there for all eight of us,” Ensign Souza said.

  “We’ll hot rack,” the lieutenant commander said. “Four and four on twelve-hour rotations. We can use the bridge break room as our galley. And we have a functioning head.”

  “What about the supplies?” Ensign Schenker asked. “Where do we store all that stuff?”

  “Anywhere and everywhere,” the lieutenant commander said. “We’re only using two consoles now. There’s plenty of room in here for everything. So let’s get to it. The sooner we get moved in, the less oxygen we waste.”

  * * *

  The old cargo elevator came to a stop on the third floor. Jessica waited as the leader of the resistance team, the one they called Mack, raised the heavy, wire cage door. On the other side was a long corridor with an odd collection of furniture, scenery flats, and folding platforms piled along one wall. There were cobwebs strewn from the high windows along the corridor, and everything was covered with dust.

  “What is this place?” Jessica asked as they continued down the hallway.

  “It’s the old theater complex,” Synda said. “The university built a new one a few years ago. They were planning to tear this one down before the invasion. I guess their plans got delayed a bit.”

  “A little risky bringing us to your hideout, isn’t it?” Jessica taunted.

  “This isn’t our main base. It’s just a rally point we use on occasion. We’ve got lots of places like this,” Mack bragged. “Once we’re done with you, we’ll never come back here again.”

  “Clever,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  They turned the corner at the end of the hall and entered a large, black room with high ceilings, catwalks near the ceiling on three sides, and a glass window up high along the fourth.

  “Why do I feel like I’m in a video studio?” Jessica said.

  “They called this the Studio Theater,” Synda told her. “I went to a one-act play in here once. It was terrible.”

  “Artie, take watch,” Mack ordered. Artie disappeared through a door in the far corner. “Now, about you two,” Mack said as he stood and faced them in the middle of the empty, black room.

  “What about us?” Jessica asked. She was getting tired of dealing with Mack and was beginning to think she had made a mistake coming to his aid.

  “Who are you, and more importantly, how do you know him?” Mack asked pointing first to Synda and then to Tony.

  “I’m telling you, Mack, I don’t know either of them,” Tony insisted.

  “Tony, it’s me, Synda.”

  Tony looked at her oddly. “What?” He leaned forward to get a better look at Synda as she removed her cap letting her hair hang freely.

  “Easy!” Mack warned, raising his weapon in response to Synda’s sudden movements.

  “Holy shit. I thought you were dead,” Tony exclaimed.

  “I could say the same about you,” Synda said.

  Tony looked down at her jacket. “What happened to…”

  “Duct tape. Her idea,” she said, pointing at Jessica, “to keep the pervs away.”

  Tony nodded.

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Jessica said.

  “So you do know them,” Mack said, even more suspicious than before.

  “I know her, yeah,” Tony said, “from the gym. We used to spar together.”

  “With her,” Mack laughed. “Did she slap you around much?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Tony told him. “I don’t know her, though,” he added, pointing at Jessica.

  “Therein lies the problem, doesn’t it?” Mack said. “None of us know who you are,” he said to Jessica. He turned to face Synda. “How do you know her?”

  “I caught her trying to sleep in my place outside of town. She hired me to take her into the city, act as her guide. She said she was trying to find someone.”

  “Really?” Mack said, turning back to look at Jessica. “Now that is interesting. And who exactly is it you’re trying to find?”

  “No one you’d know,” Jessica answered.

  “Don’t be so sure. I know a lot of people in this city. Try me.”

  “No thanks.”

  “I said, ‘try me,’” Mack repeated, raising his weapon.

  Jessica sighed. “If you must know, I was trying to make contact with the resistance. I thought it was you. Now I know I’m mistaken. My apologies.”

  “What makes you think we aren’t the resistance?” Mack said.

  Jessica looked him squarely in the eyes. “Because you’re too stupid.” She smiled at him, taunting him further.

  “Wow,” Mack said, taking a step back. “You’re insulting the guy with the gun, and I’m the one who’s stupid.”

  “Now you’re catching on,” she added.

  Synda looked at Jessica like she was crazy.

  “Well, it looks like you’re the one who’s stupid, lady, because we are the resistance,” he announced, his hands held out at his sides.

  Jessica snickered. “I don’t think so.”

  “He used to be spec-ops,” Tony said.

  Jessica laughed again. “Doubtful.”

  Mack was becoming more agitated with every word that came out of Jessica’s mouth. “And why would you doubt that?”

  “You don’t have the moves,” Jessica told him. “And of course, there’s that stupid thing I mentioned earlier.”

  “I’m getting really tired of your smart mouth, bitch,” Mack said as he pointed his automatic weapon at her face.

  “Mack, come on!” Tony pleaded. “Let’s just ditch her and…”

  Mack swung his head toward Tony. “Shut up!”

  That was all she needed.

  Jessica’s right hand shot out and up, her palm turning outward as she grabbed his gun hand and pulled it down. At the same time, her left hand shot up, her left palm flat as she jammed it into his elbow. The opposing forces popped his elbow joint from its socket, dislocating his forearm and causing him to release his grip on his weapon.

  Mack screamed out in pain as Jessica ripped the gun from his hand. Without missing a step, she balled up her left hand, drew it back toward her, and fired a quick jab at his nose, knocking him backward.

  Jessica spun around with her newly acquired weapon to take aim at the other two men, but when she saw they were already taking aim at her and Synda, she stopped, turned her weapon toward the ceiling, and held her free hand open. “Don’t shoot! I’m done!”

  “Drop it!” Tony demanded, his weapon held high and ready.

  “Not this time,” Jessica told him as she slung the weapon over her shoulder.

  “YOU BITCH!” Mack screamed. “YOU BROKE MY FUCKING ARM!”

  “Stop whining, you crybaby,” Jessica said. “It’s only dislocated. Be a man and pop it back into place.” She turned back toward the other two men who were still nervously pointing their weapons at her. “Look, I came looking to make contact with the resistance. You four obviously aren’t who I’m looking for, so we’ll be on our merr
y way.”

  “How the fuck were you able to do that?” Tony asked, looking at their leader lying in the fetal position on the floor as he cried in pain.

  “Because unlike your fearless leader there, I am spec-ops,” she finally admitted. She turned toward the door to leave, then stopped and turned back. “I’ve got to warn you. If you continue following this moron, not only will you be stupid, but you’ll also be dead.” Jessica turned to Synda. “Are you still on the clock?”

  Synda moved to follow Jessica toward the exit.

  “Wait!” Tony called out after her, lowering his weapon.

  Jessica turned back around to face them.

  “He said he was spec-ops,” Tony said. “He knew all kinds of shit, had all kinds of guns. He said if we formed a cell and harassed the Jung, sooner or later, the resistance would contact us.”

  “And how long have you been doing this?” Jessica asked.

  “A few weeks,” Tony told her, “ever since word got out that the Aurora had returned.” Tony looked at her. “We were just trying to do the right thing, to fight them.”

  “By blowing up civilians?” Jessica wondered.

  “Mack said it was necessary, that we needed to make it look like it was the Jung’s fault innocent people were dying in order to get more people to join the fight.”

  Jessica shook her head, barely able to contain her anger. She looked at Tony. “Mind if I hit him a couple more times?” she asked, her fists clenched.

  “Synda,” Tony pleaded.

  “I believe him,” Synda told Jessica. “I know him. He’s okay.” Synda looked at Tony. “Stupid, but okay.”

  “Lady, we don’t know what we’re doing here. That much is obvious. We just lost two thirds of our group out there.”

  “Well, that would be because of Mister Spec-Ops’s totally random, nine-day attack schedule, wouldn’t it?” Jessica said in disgust.

  “Just tell us what we should do?”

  “I think I’ve wasted enough of my time on you amateurs today,” she said, turning toward the door again. “You’re on your own.”