by Amanda Rose
Line it up carefully, insert quickly, and try not to collapse the vein… she reminded herself. Freya took the needle in her hand and then took a deep breath. Lining it up, she plunged the needle with as much precision as she could muster into his vein and push the needle’s plunger down. Koji shot up mere seconds later, so fast that he head-butted Freya, which sent her reeling backward. “Ouff!” Freya hit the back of her pilot’s seat hard.
Koji sat up straight wide-eyed and panting. His heart felt like it was trying to escape from his chest, beating faster and stronger than ever before. Freya leaned forward, nursing her throbbing and bruised forehead. “You OK?” Freya asked, wincing through the pain. Koji didn’t answer, the discomfort of the adrenaline coursed through him and made his body feel incredibly strange. Freya just sat there, waiting for his response.
After a few moments Koji got his breathing under control, although he still felt the intensity of his heart. His eyes met Freya’s, and while he couldn’t muster words, he nodded at her. Freya nodded back, squeezed his hand, and then grabbed her helmet and climbed back into the pilot’s seat.
Once Freya put her helmet back on all she could hear was Raiden frantically trying to raise her on the comm. “I’m here, I’m here!” she said, trying to get him to calm down. “You won’t believe it,” she smiled and shook her head, “It was Koji.” There was dead air for a moment.
“How?” Raiden finally asked.
“Don’t know, he wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, but I gave him a shot of adrenaline and he’s pulling through but in no mood to talk,” Freya explained.
“Understood. Good work,” Raiden said, meaning it.
The ships quickly finished scavenging the debris field and then headed back to the Saisei. “We’re going in blind,” Raiden began to prepare Omega Squad, “so we’re going in with weapons hot. Be careful, there’s been more than enough loss of life today. Stay in contact, be vigilant, and let’s re-take the ship!”
A resounding “Yes, sir!” came back. Raiden squeezed his hands on the steering.
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Koi had worked his magic and had managed to override the controls with time to spare. Docking had gone smoothly for Omega Squadron, despite the dark. Emergency lighting made it exceedingly difficult to see in the large docking bay, but Omega Squad had practiced many drills over the years and could nearly dock blind. The soldiers had gotten out to explore hesitantly, only to find that no one else was in there with them. Once Raiden had cleared the hallway outside of Bay E, Freya had gone back for Koji, to escort him to the infirmary.
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine!” Koji protested. “It’s dangerous, they need you,” he insisted.
Freya sighed, feeling torn. Koji was in rough shape, but stable as far as she could tell, and her squad was in a potentially very dangerous situation. Despite her desire to join her squad, she knew what Raiden had ordered, and she felt the importance of verifying her friend’s health. Through all his objections, Freya managed to coax Koji into coming with her, partially through force.
Once Koji was out of the ship and standing upright with the gravity plating pulling down on him, fatigue hit him, and he leaned on Freya for support. They made their way up to the bay doors that led into the corridor, where Raiden was keeping watch. Raiden smiled at Koji, “You’re one lucky S.O.B. my friend.”
Koji let out a laugh, then cringed as it sent a shooting pain from his shoulder into his chest, “I’ve seen better days,” he muttered.
“How’s everyone doing?” Freya asked, dying to know.
“All reports showing the other bays are vacant so far,” Raiden said simply, but his guard was up.
Freya nodded, “OK, we’re off. You call me if things change,” she said firmly.
Raiden nodded. Freya and Koji set off down the hall, and Raiden watched them until they had vanished out of sight, and then set off in the opposite direction.
One by one they scoured each docking bay, clearing them. Finally, they arrived at the far end at the final bay, Bay A. Raiden hit the switch and opened the door. At first glance it had looked like all of the others. Then Raiden spotted someone lying on the floor, he signaled his soldiers to keep watch and provide cover, and then he made his way cautiously into the bay and over to the body.
Raiden first check for a pulse, and found a strong one, then he flipped the body over. “Gin!” Raiden exclaimed, seeing the man’s face. Gin was unconscious, but the movement had begun to bring him out of his stupor. “Gin, it’s me, Raiden,” he said, trying to help the man to focus. Gin squinted, his head foggy, as he tried to get his bearings.
“Help!” a cry came from across the room. Raiden looked up and saw the locked in councilors. Merrick was waving them over.
“Ken,” Raiden called one of his men over, Private Ken Adama, who had just joined the squad this past year.
“Yes?” Ken asked as he approached.
“Keep an eye on Gin here while we help the others,” Raiden said.
Ken nodded, “Yes, sir!”
Raiden took 3 other soldiers and went over to the storage area. As they got closer they could see 3 people lying on the ground, unmoving. Several of the councilors were in tears, others pacing. “Unlock the gate,” Raiden said, and one of his men hurried inside the control room and used the computer to release the locks.
Merrick stepped forward to greet Raiden, “It’s good to see some friendly faces, we have some injured in here,” he said, extending his hand. Raiden took it, and Merrick shook firmly. Merrick’s gaze fell to the 3 people on the floor, Jona was one of them, “They’re dead,” he said flatly.
Raiden looked at the bodies, but saw no wounds, “What happened?” he asked.
“Crushed to death… the poor bastards,” Merrick shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” Raiden said, the words feeling somehow inadequate. “Let’s get you out of here,” Raiden continued, “Councilor…?”
“Uda, Merrick Uda,” Merrick said.
“Pleasure sir, let’s get everyone to the infirmary. The halls and other bays have been cleared for safe passage,” Raiden informed him.
Merrick sighed, “Yeah, of course it’s safe, crazy bastard killed them all…”
Raiden furrowed his brow, “What do you mean?”
Merrick explained that while the insurgents were losing the battle, there had still been many of them fighting when the Niko had opened the exterior door. “…I saw the bastard do it,” Merrick said, pointing to the control room, showing Raiden his field of view.
Raiden shook his head in disgust at the news, “We’ll get him. I’ll need to interview you later, once we’ve helped everyone.”
Merrick nodded, “Of course.”
Raiden began to address all of the government officials, “Alright, we’re going to be evacuating the…”
Before Raiden could get another word out he heard footsteps on the metal floor to his left. Raiden readied his gun and he spun around, only to see Dr. Seto Takei and Zavion walk out from behind some storage crates looking groggy. Seto froze when he saw the gun pointed at them and stared at Raiden wide-eyed. Raiden lowered his gun, “More survivors, good, are you two OK?” he asked, happy to see friendly faces.
“OK is a matter of opinion,” Seto snipped, his patience gone.
“We’re fine,” Zavion chimed in.
Ken knelt down next to Gin to help him stand up. Gin’s head was swimming, and he wondered if he’d gotten a concussion when he’d lost consciousness. Everything was foggy, he tried to remember, but it came back in pieces. Holding on, staring at the floor, seeing the bodies fly out the door, the screams, the crate, “Davis!” Gin blurted out, the sprung to his feet, fueled by new found energy.
Gin pushed past Private Ken Adama, and ran forward, towards the outer door, to where Private Davis had been holding on. Gin collapsed on his knees, overcome with grief and anger. I should’ve done something! His mind screamed. He felt shame in his fear and his inaction. Tears blinded him, and the snot
and thick saliva made it hard to breathe. He sat there, breaths heaving, in a well of self-pity. His eyes drifted ahead, seeing all and nothing at once.
Ken came up slowly behind him, “It’s OK, you’re safe now.”
Ken tried to help Gin back up, but Gin just pulled his arm away. As he blinked out the tears, his eyes focused, and he saw something sparkle, barely visible, 10 feet ahead stuck under one of the grates. Gin scrambled to his feet and dashed ahead. When he got to the grate he crammed his fingers between the slats, with great difficulty, and tried to pull free the shiny object. After several failed attempts Gin finally grabbed hold to pull it up and out.
The second he saw what it was Gin dropped it and vomited bitter bile. Ken ran up to see what was happening. A delicate silver nail polish, with gold fleck that sparkled even in the dim light, decorated the nail of Davis’ severed finger which lay on the floor.
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Freya and Koji made their way slowly through the halls. Fatigue nagged at Koji, and he had a hard time walking. He finally felt his heart rate returning to normal, and as the adrenaline wore off, so did his ability to concentrate. The pain in his dislocated shoulder had become more acute and ignoring the stabbing grinding pain of it was now impossible for him to do.
The hallways felt eerie in their silence. The Saisei had always been a ship filled with boisterous life. Over a million people inhabited the massive ship, and there was never any calm within the passageways. Like busy bees in a hive, the residents of the Saisei were always going here and there, as they lived their lives. Freya felt an involuntary shiver ripple up her spine, and throughout her body, raising goosebumps on her skin.
“You OK?” Koji asked, feeling her quiver.
“Yeah, just a shiver,” Freya replied.
They kept quiet and alert as they made their way through the ship. Koji was struggling more and more, and Freya was having a hard time supporting him. “We’re almost there,” Freya told him, but Koji was barely awake.
Freya was losing her grip on him and they lurched forward, and she tried to ease him to the floor before dropping him. She sat him up against the wall and crouched down in front of him, then tapped his cheek. “Hey, hey, stay with me,” she said, trying to get his attention. Freya snapped her fingers in front of his face, “C’mon Koji! Hey!” she tried again, but Koji’s head just rolled back; he was unresponsive.
Freya let out a sigh and then felt the cold metal of a pistol barrel on the back of her neck. Her eyes bulged, and she held her breath. “Arms up,” Niko’s all too familiar voice said. Freya’s rifle was hanging by her side from her shoulder holster, and her eyes couldn’t help but fall on it. You’ll be dead before you touch it… she told herself, quelling her impulse, and raised her arms up.
“Now stand up slowly,” Niko said, his calm unnerving. Freya begrudgingly did as she was told, clenching her jaw to deal with the anger. Once she was fully erect, Niko spoke again, “Good. Now, don’t move. I’m going to take your rifle, and if I even think you’re going to try anything, you’ll dead before you know it. Understood?”
Fighting every urge in her body to turn around and choke the man to death, Freya answered, “Yes.”
Keeping the pistol pressed up at the base of Freya’s skull, Niko took the rifle in his other hand and began to pull it up over Freya’s extended arm. Think dammit… Freya’s mind raced. She knew if she didn’t think of something Niko would take them as hostages, or just shoot them and leave.
As Niko’s gaze was focused upward, Koji gazed up and met Freya’s eyes, and nodded at her ever so slightly. Freya winked back to let him know she’d seen him. Then Koji took the opportunity to kick Niko in the shin with all of his strength, and he could feel the bone break under the weight of his boot. “Urk!” Niko yelped in agony. Simultaneously, as Koji made his move, Freya ducked her head down, and snatched the rifle free of Niko’s grip. Niko, shocked, fell backward and squeezed his pistol’s trigger, firing a shot that hit the wall 3 feet to Freya’s left.
Before Niko could take stock of what had happened, he had the barrel of Freya’s riffle pointed right between his eyes. “Don’t fucking move!” Freya yelled at him, “Toss the pistol over there,” she said pointing next to Koji. Niko nodded, staring into her eyes unafraid. Niko arced his arm as if to throw the gun, but as he flung his arm forward he didn’t let go, and instead held onto the pistol, and when his arm was fully extended he took a pop shot at Freya, hitting her left bicep.
“Ahh!” Freya screamed when the bullet hit, the pain intense. The shot sent her reeling back. She’d seen Niko make his move a split second too late to avoid being hit. She squeezed down and the trigger immediately, and a spray of bullets tore through Niko’s head and chest. The wall behind Niko was painted in a spray of crimson blood. He was dead instantly.
Freya stumbled back against the wall and slid down to the floor next to Koji. Everything happened so fast, she just stared forward at Niko’s body, waiting for her mind to catch up. Koji was up on his knees next to her quickly to check on her, “Gotta check that wound, I’m going to pull off your flight jacket, OK?” he told her.
Absently she nodded. Koji carefully took her jacket off and looked at the gunshot wound. “Through and through, you’re good. Just need some stiches. But you’re bleeding pretty good here,” he said. Koji took off his belt and put it around Freya’s arm above the gunshot wound and did it up tight to slow down the bleeding. “That’ll help,” he said.
Freya stared at him for a moment before she spoke, “You’re OK?” she said, bewildered.
“My shoulder hurts like hell and I’m tired as fuck, but yeah, I’m OK. Sorry for the show, but I heard something while we were walking, and I didn’t want to give it away. I thought the ruse was the best bet, if we needed it,” he explained.
Freya grinned, “Crafty son of a bitch.”
They both laughed. “C’mon, your turn to lean on me,” Koji said, helping her to her feet.
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A few hours later the ship had been cleared of hostiles. A few insurgents had been arrested, and Dr. Takei had restored command controls to the bridge. The ship was taken out of lockdown, and the residents cautiously, in a solemn quiet with the events of the day still fresh, made their way about the ship. Norita had made a ship-wide announcement once she was able, and had explained the uprising, the destruction of the drill, and the unfortunate loss of life. There would be a mass funeral held in two days.
Norita relieved Koi of duty, insisting he get some rest, and despite his protests, he finally complied and let someone else take the helm. Norita wished for her bed as well, the day had been too long, and sleep had been too scarce the night before, but she was too riled up to sleep.
“Takeo, I want to come with you to debrief the pilots,” Norita said.
General Takeo Yamamoto nodded, “Let’s go.”
They made their way through the corridors. Few people were out and about, most had stayed holed up in their homes even after the lockdown had been lifted. Those who were out walked with their eyes on the ground. Norita felt unnerved as well but kept her head up; she knew she was their leader, and she had to set the right example.
The barracks beds were sparsely filled, too many had died that day. Some soldiers laid in bed, trying to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. When Norita and General Yamamoto had entered everyone snapped to attention, stood up and saluted. Takeo saluted them back. Norita smiled and nodded to them and felt a tinge of guilt for waking them.
Takeo led Norita through the hall and down to the officers’ quarters. They arrived in front of one of the doors, RAIDEN SAITO, listed as the occupant. Takeo rapped on the door but there was no response. “Hello?” he said, loud enough to be heard on the other side, but still no reply. Without skipping a beat Takeo took off further down the hall, at the room labeled for GIN YOSHINI. The door was open, and he walked in. Norita followed two steps behind.
In the room Raiden sat by Gin’s bedside. Gin was curled into a ball and openly sobbing. Raid
en looked up and saw the General, and the Empress, and shot up to his feet to salute.
“At ease, soldier,” Takeo said.
Raiden relaxed, “Good to see you, sir.”
Takeo tilted his head toward the hall, indicating for Raiden to follow. Takeo, Raiden, and Norita went into the hall, and stood just outside the door. “How is he?” Takeo asked.
Raiden shrugged, “He’s been hysterical for hours. He was raving and shouting until he finally exhausted himself. He’s been laying in there like that for the past 30 minutes. Med bay is full up, and he’s not hurt, so they can’t do anything.”
