The Oceans of Emptiness

by Tiffany Weems

  Gerald closed his eyes a moment then opened them again. He turned to Wilk to see if he could see them too, but Wilk had his head down, messing with the control panel. With a gentle nudge, Wilk looked up.

  “Great auspicious eye in the sky, what are those?” he asked.

  Gerald shook his head.

  “What is it?” Luna asked.

  Gerald jumped. He'd forgotten she was there. “Sorry, um, there's...a lot.”

  “A lot of what?”

  “A lot of...things,” Wilk said. “Ma'am I don't know that we can describe what we're seeing.”

  “Link it up.”

  Wilk worked his magic and Luna's face appeared on the dome. Though she appeared to be looking at Gerald and Wilk, Gerald was sure she was really looking in the other direction, into the not so empty ocean.

  “Wow,” was all she said before she disappeared. “We should bring you two back.”

  Gerald hesitated a moment. “Don't you think we should take one?”

  “It's too risky. We don't know what they're capable of or their intelligence level. However, what we can conclude at this moment, is their origin is not of this planet. Therefore, for further scientific study, it is far more appropriate to leave them be.”

  With a nod, he looked out through the water at the thousands upon thousands of...fish? They were in water. What else would they be? But she was right, they weren't from Earth. There was something prehistoric in the way they looked, the way they swam, everything about them. Something that made him just a little uneasy. There were tiny ones, no bigger than the palm of his hand with eyes on antennae and six side fins. They whipped through the water with ease and precision. There was a fish with sharp barbs sticking out from its chin. It stabbed fish after fish, sliding its victim down the barb and into its mouth. There were larger fish that had almost hand like front fins and a massive tail fin that whipped about causing anything in their wake to be blown off course. There were things that Gerald had never seen before, things that didn't really look like fish, but they weren't any other classification of animal either. They were just bizarre looking. Smooth and scaly, hairy and rough. Some had mouths and some didn't have any discernible facial features at all. Then, in the distance at the edge of their light, he could make out the massive shadow, the one that they had seen the night before. It stayed at the edge of the light, as though it knew they were watching or as if it was watching them.

  The pod turned and soared back toward the boat, the light going back to its normal distance.

  Once docked, Wilk opened the dome and was the first out. Gerald, however, stayed seated. “Maybe I should go back down.”

  “Would you let it go? You can't catch one. What good would it do anyway?”

  “We should study them, understand them,” Gerald said with a shrug. “Where did they come from?”

  “If you can't figure that out, I don't believe there's any true hope for you. Remind me again why they picked you to come on this mission?”

  “Whose side are you on?”

  “Gerald, I get you're not a Martian, but try to listen, for one second, to what you are saying. Studying things, animals such as these, can only be done in their habitat. To pull them from there, probe them, dissect them, is cruel and provides unreliable data. If one were to die of natural causes, then their carcass, if we are able to grab it, would be used for research. Do you see what I'm saying?”

  Gerald held his breath. He closed his eyes and breathed as slowly as he could before speaking again. “You don't have to talk to me in such a condescending tone. If we are going to study them here, as they are, then I volunteer to be one of the members of that crew. I need to know.”

  “Why do you care?” Wilk asked.

  “Because I lived here so long in the barren desert wasteland with nothing but faith to keep me alive. It's nice to see something actually thriving on the planet for once.” He pushed the buttons on the side and heard the helmet click. Then, after watching Wilk do it, he managed to stretch the rim and pull his helmet off, placing it gently back on the shelf where he'd gotten it. “So, about where they came from, are you suggesting my father brought them here by accident?”

  Wilk started to answer, but the lift lowered and Luna exited.

  She didn't seem happy; Gerald wasn't sure if he had ever seen her happy. “Good work. We're cutting the mission short and headed back to Mars first thing in the morning. If you don't mind, I'd like you out of those suits and on deck within five minutes. We need to update Wallis on the situation and you two will need to set up a meeting with him upon our arrival. I do not tolerate insubordination in my crew.” Then she turned and went up first.

  Gerald stripped the suit off and hung it back up on the wall. “How much trouble do think we'll be in?”

  “Depends on how good of a find it was.”

  Gerald patted his pocket. “I think we'll be fine.”

    

  The trip back had taken way too long for Gerald's taste. He'd spent most of the day just going over and over in his head the different scenarios for when he met with Wallis. Then there was Jessica who had insisted Gerald not go on the trip at all. If she knew for one second that Gerald had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, Jessica would be certain to get Gerald kicked out of the program for sure.

  The moment they landed, Wilk and Gerald were instructed to immediately report to Wallis. Luna had made it clear that she would not tell Wallis of the nature of the meeting, but if she found out they'd lied, she would not hesitate to change her mind.

  So Gerald walked through Capena with the same amount of enthusiasm he’d have if he were headed to his own execution. His lead feet dragged with each step. Wilk ,beside him, walked just as slowly. “It's not too late to turn around.”

  Wilk shook his head. “If you really think that thing is worth something, you need to do this. It kind of makes this whole risk useless if you don't.”

  They at last reached Wallis's office. Wallis, however, was seated outside, leaning back against the wall.

  “It's a beautiful day, boys,” Wallis said. “Why don't you join me?”

  Wilk sat down immediately to Wallis's left.

  Gerald stayed standing. “I'm not sure we should talk about this in the open. Someone might overhear.”

  “There are no secrets from the people of Capena. Take a seat Gerald.”

  With a glance in all directions, Gerald took a seat. The settlement wasn't showing much activity.

  “Now, I understand that the two of you have something important to tell me.”

  Gerald cleared his throat. “We broke your trust.”

  Wallis laughed. “Of course you did. You don't think I didn't know you had a purpose for wanting to return to Earth. I'm not naïve, Gerald. So did you at least find what you were looking for?”

  Gerald looked around Wallis to Wilk. The old man was totally crazy. “You knew we were going to sneak off and try to get back home?”

  “Your former home and, though I did warn against it, I knew you would do it anyway. Just didn't know who you were going to do it with.” Wallis turned and faced Wilk. “You must be a good friend to put yourself at such a high risk for Gerald.”

  “Um...yeah,” Wilk said.

  “Do you know anything about what he's brought back?”

  “I'm sorry? But what makes you think I've brought anything back?” Gerald asked.

  Wallis never turned around. “I know a bit about you. So, Wilk, do you have much a part in this?”

  Wilk shrugged. “Not really, I wasn't even in the room when he opened it up.”

  “Then you can go. Thank you for your honesty and, if you want it, you are more than welcome to have a seat on the mission back to Earth to further study these creatures that have spawned.”

  “But, I thought I'd stay for support.”

  “Gerald is a big boy. He and I have much to discuss.”

  Wilk stood up and walked away.

  Gerald felt his shoulders dro
p slightly.

  “I think now we'll move inside, Gerald,” Wallis said standing up with the wall as a support.

  Gerald followed Wallis inside and took a seat in front of the computer top desk. Wallis sat on the other side. “I do apologize for my actions Wallis, but I won’t apologize for the results. I think you’ll agree.”

  “Why don't you tell me why?”

  “On Earth, things got bad. Mankind was dying and there wasn't much we could do about it. In the midst of that I developed a habit of collecting things, anything that symbolized where we'd been and what we'd done. Art, instruments, scientific equipment. I collected it all. Drove my mother nuts.” He smiled, but Wallis didn't. “I found a space probe on top of a grocery store when we did a food run not long before my father returned. There was something unique about it and I'm not just talking about the strange glow. I took it back home and examined it on my own time, alone. Inside, I found something.”

  “What?”

  “I think I need to show you.” Gerald reached inside his pocket and pulled out the haltengoss. He placed it on the table and activated it. Slowly the contents began to emerge, little by little, until everything he had taken from the space probe lay on the desk between them.

  “What am I looking at?”

  “Remnants of that space probe. I think it's from a really early one, one that was sent beyond our solar system that shouldn't have made it back.”

  “We can have our teams analyze it. But I highly doubt you're correct in that assertion.”

  “I found the NASA insignia on it. Also...” Gerald reached for the largest piece on the table, it took up more than half of the desk, and gently pulled it apart. As it lay open on the table, neither of them spoke.

  Wallis, after several minutes, finally leaned forward and closed the container. “You cannot mention this to anyone until we know more.”

  Gerald nodded. He reached for the space probe pieces, but was stopped.

  “These now belong to Capena Research. They'll determine the accuracy of your story. Gerald, if you manage to keep this secret, I promise to make sure you're allowed to return to Earth with the study team if that is what you wish.”

  “I definitely would love to be considered.” Gerald took a deep breath. “Could you also keep me in the loop on the progress of the research? I’d really appreciate it.”

  “There are very few things that I feel any need to keep secret around here. This discovery is big. Far larger than any we’ve made in human history, as far as I’m concerned and because of that, you and all of mankind deserve to know about it. This will be public knowledge someday, just not yet. Any and all updates you want, however, are yours to have.”

  Gerald smiled. “Thank you.”

  9

  Fugitive

  The afternoon went slowly. Patricia was standing in front of the class with about three different holograms pulled up. She was trying to explain the difference between several formulas used for space travel when the door opened.

  “Patricia Meyer?” the first guard to enter asked. Two others stood behind him.

  Patricia nodded. “Yeah. Can I help you with anything?”

  “You can come with us peacefully or we can take you by force. Comply.”

  “What’s this about?”

  “You are to be interrogated. Comply.”

  “Interrogated about what?” she asked. In the corner of her eye she could just make out a smirk growing on Lance’s face. “Whatever this is about, I’m sure it can wait until class is over. If you don’t mind, I was in the middle of a lecture.” She ignored the guards and turned back to her students, trying hard to stop her body from shaking in anger. “As I was saying, this formula ,here,is the guide they used to develop the gas that is currently operating the ship. When we jump, however, a different formula will be needed. Different particles were needed to provide an extra propulsion that allows faster movement than what should be possible. Not the speed of light, but still pretty fast. Can anyone tell me exactly how fast we are expected to travel through the universe to reach our new home?”

  Something grabbed her shoulder. Patricia reacted immediately. She grabbed hold of the arm and the hand of the guard, pulled him forward toward her back and yanked down, throwing him over her shoulder. The guard lay motionless on the desk tops. The four students had wheeled backwards just in time to avoid being hit.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Patricia said. Another guard ran at her. Patricia jumped out of the way. “Can we talk about this?” He turned and ran at her again. She threw out her hand, thrusting it upward, snapping his nose. Small amounts of blood began to drip from his nostrils. “Just stop.” He used only one hand to jab at her. She dodged easily and when he wouldn’t stop the poking, she did two rapid jabs; one to his head and one to the gut. He lay on the ground motionless. The last guard stood in the doorway. “I don’t want to fight you. Please. Just let me finish the lecture and then I’ll go with you.”

  He, however, didn’t appear to want to fight either. There was something in his eyes. He backed out the door and turned and ran.

  “Shit,” Patricia said. “Tinka, why don’t you take over for the day? You know these formulas pretty well, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Tinka said. She stood up and approached the stage.

  “What are we supposed to do with them?” Teral asked, indicating the two motionless guards.

  Patricia sighed. She grabbed the arms of the one that had landed on their desks and dragged him onto the floor. With a little effort, she managed to pull him over to the side of the room.“They’ll be fine when they wake up.” Then, before leaving the room, she bent down right next to Lance. When she spoke it was barely an audible whisper. “I don’t know what you did, but if this does have to do with you, I will find a way to pay you back.”

  “Good luck,” Lance said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  She ran to the elevator and got in. Which direction should she go? To her room? No, there was nothing there. To Xana? What was she going to do? To John. He seemed the most plausible answer. “Level one,” Patricia said and the elevator began to move.

  The moment the doors opened she was met with five guards and a very angry captain. Behind him was Troubalene.

  “What’s this about?” Patricia asked.

  “Patricia,” Troubalene said. “We need to have a word. Please step this way.”

  Patricia pushed her way through the guards and followed Troubalene past several doors to one that was secured. Using her hand to open the door, the first mate stepped aside to let Patricia in first. Then she and the captain followed her inside. The door slid shut.

  “Take a seat Patricia.”

  “I don’t know what this is about.”

  “You will obey a direct order from a senior officer, is that clear?” Captain Creighton said.

  Patricia didn’t argue, though she did have to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She took a seat and looked between the two, waiting for them to speak again. Did they know about the file? Did they know she’d been with Tuft the night before? Maybe they’d looked at the camera footage.

  “Where is it?” he asked with a slight crack.

  Patricia shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where’s what?”

  “Patricia Meyer, I am the captain of this vessel and when things go missing I am the first to know. So again, I ask, where is it?”

  Patricia still shook her head.

  “Please, you need to just tell us where it is and this will all be over,” Troubalene said. “Patricia, why did you do it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I have two incapacitated guards and a scared one that say otherwise. Where is it?”

  “You’re getting nowhere with this,” Patricia said. “Maybe if you just tell me what it is your looking for.”

  Creighton slammed his hands down on the table. “You were on the seventh level last night. What did you do with the thing you to
ok?”

  “No I wasn’t,” Patricia said incredulously. She wanted to yell that she was with Tuft, that they should check the first floor cameras, but then they’d know about what she had actually stolen, something they didn’t appear to know. “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “Show her,” the captain said.

  Patricia turned to Troubalene who was busy pulling something up on her tablet. She flipped it around so Patricia could watch. An image of the hallway she’d only been in once before came up on the screen. It was empty, but only for a few seconds. Someone walked through, turning their face right toward the camera. Patricia shook her head. “That’s not me. That can’t be me because I wasn’t down there.”

  “Well it sure looks like you,” Creighton said. “You are not going to be able to explain this one away.”

  “This doesn’t look good, Patricia,” Troubalene said. “If you give it back, we won’t pursue the extreme punishment.”

  “Which is?” Patricia asked in shaky voice.

  “You will be frozen for the rest of the trip if we do not get back what you stole within the day.”

  “I have one day?”

  “Yes. One day to deliver it to either myself or the captain. In the meantime, security detail will be placed on you at all times. If, for one moment, you think of beating up these guards, we will freeze you without delay.” Troubalene leaned in and whispered. “Use this time wisely.”

  “I didn’t do it,” Patricia whispered back.

  Troubalene gave a small curt nod. Did she believe her? Patricia couldn’t tell for sure.

  “Can I go then?” she asked.

  The captain opened the door. “You have until this time tomorrow. They’ll bring you right up here if you don’t return it by then.”

  Patricia made her way to her room with her security detail right behind. She knew who had taken whatever it was they were missing. That seemed obvious. But what she didn’t know was if she was going to be able to get it from him. She couldn’t corner him in front of the guards. All he’d have to do is put on an act, a believable one which she was sure he was capable of. Then how was she supposed to get it from him. Maybe John would be able to help, if he believed her.