Freedom's Last Gasp

by M. A. Rothman

  Everyone around Priya tightened their seatbelts. Hers was already tightened, so she merely gripped her armrests.

  After a moment, she both heard and felt the change as the engines cut off. The transport ship fell silent, and she felt almost as though her seat cushion was pushing her upward. It was both disturbing and exhilarating. The stars out the window turned as the transport rolled, then the engines came back on and she sank back into her seat.

  The mining intern sitting next to her shook his head. “I don’t understand why they had to turn the engines off.”

  “It’s pretty simple,” Priya said, and immediately bit her tongue.

  “Oh? Then explain it.”

  Priya sighed and held her hand out in front of her, palm down. “Imagine my hand is the ship, going toward Chrysalis. My palm is the floor of the ship. The top of my hand is the ceiling.”

  The redhead looked a bit annoyed at the way she was explaining this, but he nodded. “Okay.”

  “The entire time we’ve been in space, going toward Chrysalis, it’s felt like we’re on Earth. We walk around to the bathroom and get drinks and everything seems just like normal.” She mimicked fingers walking on the top of her hand. “That’s because the engines are accelerating us ‘upwards,’ or at least, upwards relative to the floor our seats are attached to. The floor moves up against us, so it feels like we’re pressing down against it.” She moved her hand upward slowly. “In space, of course, there’s no such thing as ‘up,’ we’re just going toward Chrysalis. We just have to travel there ceiling first, if you will.

  “But now we have to slow down, which means the engines have to fire in the opposite direction, pushing away from Chrysalis. But they still need to push ‘upwards,’ from our perspective, so that we feel gravity against the floor. To do that, the ship has to travel the rest of the way floor first.” She turned her hand over, palm up, but kept moving it upwards, her fingers walking along what was now the “bottom” of her hand.

  “And if the captain didn’t turn off the engines while we turn over…”

  The intern interrupted, his eyes widening. “I get it. If he didn’t turn the engines off when he flipped the ship over, the ship would have been pushing itself sideways, or in a loop or something. And if he just swiveled the engines instead of the ship, then we’d all be stuck to the roof of the cabin.”

  “Pretty much.” Priya smiled at the visual of everyone being scraped off the ceiling.

  “The maneuver is complete,” the captain announced. “You’re now once again free to move about the cabin. On behalf of the cockpit and crew, please sit back and enjoy the remainder of your trip to the Chrysalis mining colony.”

  Kevin, one of the flight attendants, stopped his cart at Priya’s row. “Would either of you care for a refreshment?”

  The redhead looked up. “What are my choices?”

  “Your choices are yes and no,” Kevin said gruffly.

  Priya had to cover her mouth to suppress a laugh.

  “Um, yes, then,” the redhead said meekly.

  Kevin poured him a glass of water, then turned to Priya. “And you?”

  “Yes, please,” Priya said, still smiling.

  When Kevin moved on, the redhead said, “Glad I can be of some amusement. My name’s Mike.”

  “Hi, Mike. I’m Priya.”

  “I know. I was behind you when the lady started fussing about not finding your name on her list.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  Mike shrugged. “It’s not your fault they screwed up their list. So, after the internship, where are you off to?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” Priya tried to keep her discomfort from showing. She hated liars, yet for the next handful of months she knew she’d have to get very good at lying. Lying was basically her job now. “I’m keeping my options open at the moment.”

  “That’s cool. My brother’s a miner on Asteroid X-55, out on the edge of the solar system. Lots of gold and rare minerals out there. Pretty nice bonuses too. He’s working on getting me a gig there as soon I’m finished here.”

  “X-55? Isn’t that more like a planetoid?”

  “Yup. Almost nine hundred miles wide. But it doesn’t compare to Chrysalis.” Mike grinned. “He’s already jealous I landed this internship.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first officer speaking. Keep an eye out for your flight attendants, as they’ll be coming down the aisle with presents for each of you.”

  Kevin showed up almost immediately, dropping a shrink-wrapped package onto Mike’s lap.

  “Ow!” Mike said. “Holy crap, that’s heavy!”

  Kevin placed Priya’s package gently in her lap. Clearly the man played favorites.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” Kevin said, “but due to some kind of snafu we didn’t have one of these prepared for you. I think this will work, but if it doesn’t, you call me.”

  Priya saw that although Mike’s package was stenciled with his name and seat number, hers said merely, “Female, 125-150 pounds.” Mike was right though: it was really, really heavy.

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” she said.

  The first officer’s voice returned. “Great gifts, aren’t they? Weight harnesses to wear while stationed on Chrysalis. Just what you’ve always wanted, am I right?” He chuckled. “Since Chrysalis gravity is only forty-five percent of Earth’s gravity, you’ll need these harnesses to compensate. You’ll want to wear them at all times—it’ll help prevent the loss of bone density that can result from extended stays in low-gravity environments.”

  “Jesus, this thing weighs a ton,” Mike said as he stood and wriggled into his harness. Despite its weight, it looked like an ordinary vest.

  Priya had a lot more trouble with her harness. As she struggled with it, Kevin appeared and, without saying a word, helped her into it. Mike looked sheepish, like he’d missed an opportunity.

  Kevin took a step back and studied Priya with a doubtful expression. “You sure that’s the right weight for you?”

  Priya nodded. “I think it’s okay. I just need to get used to it. Thanks.”

  She definitely needed to get used to it. As she sat back down, she wasn’t one hundred percent confident she’d be able to get back up again.

  Mike chuckled. “I wish that guy would have helped me. I think I pulled a muscle putting this thing on.”

  Sure you did, Mike, Priya thought inwardly. Next time help out a lady. But outwardly she just smiled.

  The captain’s voice came over the speaker a few minutes later. “Passengers, we’ll be arriving at the Chrysalis Mining Colony in approximately one hour.”

  Priya felt a pang of fear race through her. She was almost there.

  “You’ll be okay,” Harold tapped at her scalp.

  The captain continued. “In compliance with the UN-Chrysalis Immigration Charter, all passengers disembarking at the mining colony need to have been treated with Innoc-64 prior to arrival. This will ensure that all Earth-based pathogens have been eliminated from your systems, protecting the health of both you and the colonists during your stay. The flight attendants will be coming around with injectors. We appreciate your cooperation.”

  Priya hoped to get Kevin again, but the flight attendant who stopped at her row with a cart of injectors was the other one, Diane. Priya held out her arm.

  “You won’t feel a thing,” Diane said with a smile.

  The woman was a liar.

  The injection itself wasn’t bad—just the usual cooling effect of the anesthetic and the quick bite of a needle puncturing her skin. But about five seconds later, the effects kicked in. Her skin felt suddenly hot and her face flushed. She was burning up as the drugs went through her system, killing off whatever germs she might or might not have.

  It wasn’t just her; Mike, too, was red-faced and fanning himself with his hands.

  Priya wanted to take off the weight harness, but she feared she’d never get it back on again. She settled for pulling at the front of her blouse
to increase the airflow against her sweating skin.

  As she waited for the hot flashes to disappear, she hoped this was the worst of what she’d have to go through—yet she knew very well that that wouldn’t be the case.

  Terry sat with Carl Gustav in the governor’s private conference room, facing the scrutiny of the governor. That was never a place Terry wanted to be.

  “Three hundred and fifty-three miners were held in isolation in Dorm Block C for two days,” the governor said, giving Terry a withering stare. “They were held incommunicado, no family, no visitors, and for what?”

  Carl cleared his throat. “Madam Governor… our mining throughput wasn’t affected by the work stoppage—”

  “Because you shifted resources and delayed needed vacation time for the others!” She stopped herself, took a breath, and waved dismissively at Carl. “It’s fine. You did what you needed to. You made the right call.”

  She turned back to Terry. “But you…” She paused. “Tell me about the missing miner.”

  Terry winced. How could she know about that?

  “Of course, Madam Governor. Two minutes after the incoming alien signal was detected, video surveillance captured an unidentified miner leaving the dorm. Through process of elimination, we determined the miner is a man named Gerry Riddle. Three hours ago, we searched his room. We found this.”

  Terry tossed a slip of paper onto the conference room table.

  Governor Welch peered at it. “Radcliffe? Is that what this chicken scratch says?”

  Terry nodded. “As far as I can tell, yes. But I checked. We don’t have any—”

  A buzz sounded, and the governor tapped a flashing light on the conference room table. “This is the governor.”

  “Governor Welch, this is Denise. We just received a priority call from the tower at the main arrivals gate. There’s been a manifest change on an incoming flight. This change was not preapproved, so the flight is being held in orbit right now. And since only you and Mr. Chapper are authorized to approve a manifest change…”

  Terry leaned forward. “What’s the change?”

  “There was a late addition. A new intern.”

  The hairs on the back of Terry’s neck stood on end.

  “Do we know anything about this intern?” the governor asked. “Have we received his files?”

  “Yes ma’am, we have. They just came in. And it turns out it’s not a he, it’s a she—a twenty-four-year-old woman. Her profile is pretty bare though. Just her school records. No biographical data.”

  Terry swiped his finger on the mute icon. “Governor, I’ll bet you this is the spy. Twenty-four? And she’s three years older than any other intern they’ve previously sent. Something’s not right.”

  The governor unmuted the call. “What’s her name?”

  “Priya Radcliffe.”

  The governor’s eyes widened, and Terry gave her a look that said, Told you so.

  “Send me her records,” the governor said. “Do they contain an image of her?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Sending the records to your shared drive now.”

  The governor tapped at the access panel, a green light flashed across her face, and a holographic image of the intern’s records appeared above the table. Terry only had an instant to scan the school record—the girl had gotten top marks—before the governor swiped to an image of the girl. She was trim, dark-skinned, pretty. Probably Indian descent.

  Terry shook his head. “So she’s Indian, and her last name is Radcliffe. I guess we’re supposed to believe she’s a descendant? I thought they’d all died out.”

  But when he looked up at the governor, he was shocked to see that not only did she not share his disbelief… she was crying. It was only a single tear running down her cheek, but it was only the second time he’d ever seen this woman cry, and the first was at his father’s funeral, almost twenty years ago.

  Carl averted his gaze and looked around the room, decidedly uncomfortable.

  After a moment, the governor wiped her cheek and shook her head. “Denise, the manifest change is approved.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Denise disconnected, and the room fell silent.

  After a few long seconds, the governor turned to Terry. “I want you to be on this girl like white on rice. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No buts about it. She is most definitely a Radcliffe—but that doesn’t mean she’s not a danger to us. Under no circumstance is she allowed in the mines until we sort out what her story is. That guy who’s missing… I don’t get it, but the last thing I want is for Neeta to come to harm.”

  “Neeta?” Terry said.

  The governor waved her hand dismissively. “Or whatever this girl’s name is.” She swiped at the image, turning back to the girl’s school record. “Priya. I want a security detail on Priya Radcliffe at all times. You got me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The governor motioned toward the door. “Go. Greet her at arrivals. You and I will talk about the other matter later. Just remember—”

  “I know, I know. Keep an eye on the girl.”

  “Hey, Gene,” said Terry, pulling up a chair and plopping down next to the young air traffic controller. “I heard we’ve got an incoming Earth vessel.”

  “We do, but hold on a second.” Gene tapped on a button and spoke into his microphone. “Mining Shuttle 135, this is Chrysalis tower, for noise abatement turn right forty-five degrees.”

  “Chrysalis tower, we’re at thirty-five thousand feet. How much noise can we be producing? Mining Shuttle 135.”

  “Mining Shuttle 135, this is Chrysalis tower, have you ever heard the noise a local mining shuttle such as yours makes when it hits an Earth-based transport shuttle breaking out of orbit? I repeat, turn right forty-five degrees.”

  “Chrysalis tower, roger that, turning right forty-five degrees. Mining Shuttle 135.”

  Terry chuckled and patted Gene on the back. “I see you’ve grown a sense of humor on the job. That’s good.”

  Gene collapsed against the back of his chair and shook his head. “Some of these pilots just stress me the hell out. That’s all I need on my conscience: some dipwad ignoring me because I sound young, then going and getting himself and his entire crew killed.”

  “Hey, I get it.” Terry pointed upward. “How’s our incoming Earth shuttle?”

  Gene gestured to a radar image on his left. “They’re on final approach. Looks like they’re lined up with the runway. I’d say they should be taxiing into the gate in about five minutes.”

  Terry hopped up to his feet and patted Gene on the shoulder. “I’ll wander downstairs to the gate then. Keep up the great work.”

  As he left the room, Ranger barked at his side.

  “Come on, good boy. I’ve got a whole shuttle full of people for you to sniff.”

  Terry watched the new arrivals from the security room. It wasn’t often that people from Earth disembarked at the colony. Almost all of the traffic between the colony and Earth was for trade goods, so when there was actually a person disembarking, security was on full alert. Especially on a day like today, with a full two dozen visitors.

  “Spies come in all shapes and sizes, so I don’t care if they’re only interns,” groused Ian Wexler, one of Terry’s security supervisors. “I don’t trust anything coming from Earth anymore. Not after the crap they’ve pulled.”

  “Agreed. Bring the scanners up. They’re about to release the first one.”

  Ian swiped at the security console, and the window overseeing the arrivals gate glowed with a digital overlay. As the first visitor walked into the arrivals waiting area, the overlay populated with information.

  “John Lockhart,” Ian said. “He’s taken the Innoc-64. Age, height, and weight all match what’s on record.”

  The display also showed a rotating image of Mr. Lockhart, using the dyes in the Innoc-64 cocktail to highlight anything non-organic. Terry pointed at a glowing spot on the intern’s hip. “W
hat do the medical records say about that?”

  Ian scrolled through the intern’s record. “Accident at his uncle’s farm. Ceramic-on-ceramic total hip replacement.”

  Terry looked over the composition scan once more. “Okay, this guy looks clear. Send the next one in.”

  For the next forty-five minutes, Terry and Ian scanned twenty-two more interns. The last one to be allowed to disembark, at Terry’s direction, was going to be the Radcliffe girl. When her turn came, Terry shrugged his shoulders to loosen the tension.

  “Last one is Priya Radcliffe,” Ian said. “She’s positive for the Innoc-64. Age, height—” He stopped. “Holy shit, Terry. What the hell is on her head?”

  The visual image of the woman looked normal, but the biometric scan revealed something entirely different. Draped over her head and spreading down to her shoulders was an unidentified substance.

  There was only one substance Terry knew of that could disguise itself like that. And it was alien tech.

  “That’s not all,” Ian said. He zoomed in on the girl’s arm and pointed. “See there?”

  The Innoc-64 had done what it was designed to do, highlighting a small implant just under Priya Radcliffe’s skin. He read the analysis chart aloud. “Silicon-etched circuit with a near-field transponder encased in a silicate glass.”

  Ian stood. “I’ll take care of this.”

  “No.” Terry put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “The governor asked me to keep an eye on her. I’ve got a plan.”

  Chapter Seven

  Priya stepped off the transport, breathed in the air of a new world, and smiled. “Amazing,” she whispered. She’d never really traveled before—certainly never off-planet. Not even to the moon.

  As she walked along the airtube that connected the transport to the arrivals gate, she was greeted by floral scents that spoke of springtime, mixed with warm musky odors that were reminiscent of her visit to the Bizarre Bazaar. It was exhilarating.

  A large banner at the arrivals gate read, “Welcome to Chrysalis Mining Colony, Class of 2220!” Priya smiled at the old-fashioned style of date. Beyond the gate, the other interns were already mingling and enjoying refreshments that had been laid out for them. Padded lounge chairs all around the area gave off the distinct aroma of leather—an aroma that didn’t exist on Earth anymore. And yet it was a smell she recognized.