Carson Mach 1: The Atlantis Ship

by A. C. Hadfield

  “All this news about the Axis and the Atlantis ship has brought up some old memories, Q-Pod. I miss my old friends.”

  “That’s what we’re here for,” Q-Pod said, raising its two ear-like antennae.

  Kingsley wanted to say they weren’t enough, but didn’t want to introduce any glitches into the AI algorithms. The self-learning protocols could be influenced by negative input and he didn’t have the mental energy to recalibrate.

  He walked to the edge of the dome and stared out at Minerva.

  It was the perfect planet for living in exile. So desolate and offering nothing of value in terms of minerals or resources meant that not even pirates would come here.

  All anyone would find if they were to visit would be dry air that scorched the lungs after a few hours, winters that would chill even the most frost-resistant of species; sunsets that made the planet look as if it were on fire, and jagged mountain ranges that were sheer and smooth as glass, making traversing the landscape a difficult, if not impossible prospect.

  Any life that may have once existed here was long gone. Kingsley had made two drones to survey for signs of life—methane deposits, carbon dioxide emissions and even any kind of radio signal—but after five years, the two drones found absolutely nothing. Just how Kingsley wanted it.

  He sat in a well-worn armchair he had made from one of the ship’s berths, in front of the glass panes of the dome. The bright red sun dipped down behind a craggy collection of mountains he had called ‘The Spires’ due to their triangular uniform shape. They pierced the red sky like black talons as if some great creature from beneath the surface was trying to bust out of its prison.

  Yet they never moved.

  They were as permanent as the sand and the dust that blew constantly against his makeshift HAB. He had come to enjoy the sounds at night when the winds died down and Minerva’s dry particulate rained down rhythmically, creating a soothing white noise.

  This solitary soundtrack helped chase away the memories, the reasons for his exile. It happened twenty years ago and was the one and only time he had regretted his curious nature. With regard to the old saying, curiosity killed more than just cats; through his undying need to know, he had inadvertently signed the death warrants of more than a thousand humans and fidesians.

  He was manning the cyber-combat unit on the CW’s flagship destroyer when they had breached through the battle lines into deep horan territory. After the horans were defeated and scattered they were left in a sector of uncharted space… only it wasn’t empty.

  And they weren’t alone.

  Kingsley and his crew had detected an unusual radio signal. When he tracked its source, he discovered an unknown alien object. Even now Kingsley didn’t know what it was, whether it was a station, ship, or just some satellite.

  It didn’t matter in the end, though.

  All that mattered was that Kingsley, under no orders, decided to hack into the source of the signal and by so doing unleashed a devastating virus that spread throughout the CW, taking down communications and altering the commands of the QRF drones.

  Two shuttles full of civilians heading for Fides Beta were caught in a devastating crossfire that killed thousands before Kingsley and his team realized what had happened and managed to quarantine the alien virus.

  Shortly after, the signal had disappeared along with any trace of the alien source. Kingsley faced court-martial and even more severe punishment, but he fled and made his way to the most remote planet his ship could find: Minerva, an ancient lactern mining planet that had nothing of value left in its rocky crust.

  For the next twenty years, Kingsley had been trying to decode the signal and the virus in order to seek revenge, or at least gain some understanding of what happened so that it might bring some closure to the families of those who were killed. He owed them that much at least.

  Still, he had yet to make a breakthrough.

  The old memory brought him back to the present. “Better get working again, Kingsley. All this chatter about mythical ships is just going to distract you from your primary task.”

  With the sun now fully set, the planet outside shrouded in darkness, Kingsley made his way back to the office and slumped into his chair, preparing to try a new idea that might lead to a breakthrough in breaking the alien encryption.

  “Sir, there’s… a message coming through for you,” Squid said. The small drone hovered over a table made from an empty gas drum. It was Squid’s preferred place to rest when not in active mode.

  “Are you pranking me again?” Kingsley asked. He had programmed Squid to have a sense of humor, knowing that all the years spent alone would be damaging to his psyche. A certain amount of humor would help him remain grounded and focused.

  “Not at all, sir, I believe it’s a friend of yours, if your muttering is accurate.”

  Kingsley raised a wiry gray eyebrow and adjusted his spectacles. “I have few friends, Squid. Just tell me, what’s the message? And where did it come from? No one should know I’m here.” He picked up his cup of coffee from earlier and began to sip the bitter contents.

  “They don’t,” Squid said. “It was a broadcast message using a signature encryption belonging to Theo Beringer, and it appears to be about all this Atlantis ship nonsense.”

  Kingsley nearly choked on his coffee, spitting it out of his mouth. “Theo? You sure?”

  “Unless you have shared your encryption keys with anyone else, then I’d say I’m sure.”

  With a hand that trembled with excitement and nerves, Kingsley Babcock switched his smart-screen on to his communication program and read Theo’s message. The blood drained from his face, and his heart, although cybernetic, quickened its pace.

  “What is it, sir?” Squid asked.

  Kingsley looked up at his small friend. “He… wants me to join a secret mission… with Carson Mach to find and capture the Atlantis ship. It’s apparently real.”

  Chapter Ten

  Mach rolled his right shoulder and grimaced. The horan at the bar had dealt him a heavy blow during their brief fight. He stood at his cell window and watched the circular ceiling lights in the corridor flick off in turn.

  Night procedure, meaning no cells were opened until the morning checks. Two guards patrolled the corridors at fifteen-minute intervals.

  After their next pass, he planned to make his move.

  The soldiers locked him and Sanchez in neighboring solitary cells. They didn’t go through the full checking-in procedure designed for long-term residents. This was more of a screw around on our planet, and we’ll make things uncomfortable for you deal. Carson twisted his fingernail into the artificial skin around his forearm and released the security swipe from the secret pocket.

  Morgan had sent a message two hours ago. He provided the coordinates on Minerva for Kingsley Babcock, an old pal of Mach’s from back in the CW. He was a techy geek that nearly brought the CW down. Babcock was the final member of Mach’s crew… if he could convince Adira to join.

  Adira had a simple option, agree to the mission or rot on Summanus for the rest of her natural days. Mach knew that went against her instincts. She was a fighter and would relish the chance of winning her freedom by assisting him in finding the Atlantis ship.

  Footsteps echoed along the corridor outside. Two beams of light flashed around the corridor’s walls. Mach jumped back on his bed and lay in the fetal position. He waited for the guards to walk to the end of the corridor, return, and gave them a couple of minutes to get back to the reception area.

  Mach keyed in a message to Phalanx-E on his smart-screen, telling the JPs to prepare for takeoff. He gambled that the drones wouldn’t shoot them down right away.

  Sanchez could be relied upon in situations like this. During every tight spot when they spent a few months gun-running, the big man always had his back. Cornered by lactern pirates, Sanchez always fired first and asked questions later. Threatened in a bar, he threw the first punch. This was all on top of providing Mach with mod
ified CW weapons he created after reengineering the best parts of horan and vestan technology.

  Taking one last check outside, Mach took a deep breath and decided to go for it. He held the security swipe against the door. A bolt clanked and he pushed the door open.

  The lights along the corridor blinked on.

  A piercing siren blasted from speakers on the ceiling. Security cameras spun toward Mach’s cell.

  Sanchez peered through his window. Mach swiped his door and the electronic bolt thudded open.

  “You take me out, bring me back in and now we’re in a world of shit,” Sanchez said with enthusiasm. Mach felt pleased Sanchez had lost none of his sparkle.

  “Did you see Adira’s cell on our way in?”

  “Nope, but we need to find her quick,” Sanchez said.

  Mach turned and looked toward the thirty cells leading toward the false wall at the end of the corridor. A vague square outline betrayed the position of their escape.

  Boots echoed along the A-wing corridor. The guards would round the corner in less than a minute. Mach didn’t fancy being on the receiving end of their stunners. If they had any sense, they’d be accessing the system to block the stolen swipe too. He sprinted past the cells, checking names on the digital display. Half were blank. The rest had horan names.

  Mach skidded to a halt at the second to last cell.

  Adira’s green-tinged face pressed against the glass. Her delicate claret lips, ski-slope nose, and dazzling emerald eyes looked as beautiful as ever. She took a step back after seeing Mach and her eyes widened.

  Mach placed the swipe against her door. He wouldn’t have time to explain and hoped Adira would follow. The guards were close. One of them shouted, but he still didn’t have a visual.

  Adira ripped the door open and stepped out. Her black ponytail flicked over her shoulder. “Mach, what the hell?”

  “You’ve got two seconds,” Mach said. “Follow me. I’ve got a ship outside. Are you in, or do you want to stay here?”

  “Where are we going? The guards—”

  “Decide,” Mach said, cutting her off. “I’m going now. Are you in?”

  “Lead the way,” Adira said.

  “We all need to throw ourselves at the vague square outline,” Mach said and pointed to the false wall five meters away. “It’s a hidden emergency exit.”

  Sanchez dropped his shoulder and charged. Carson immediately followed, making sure they created a dual impact. Adira’s footsteps lagged behind, but she carried far less weight. Her skills were stealth and expert knife handling.

  Mach threw himself at the wall. Sanchez hit at the same time and they punched through a section of painted plasterboard and hit a firmer wall half a meter on the other side of it.

  Guards skidded around the corner and aimed their lasers. Adira jumped in the cavity and slipped to one side.

  Sanchez slammed his boot against the outer wall, but it didn’t move.

  Mach joined him and they kicked it repeatedly. Nothing happened. He raised his smart-screen. “Danick, Lassea, bring up the map and check the cavity.”

  Adira waved them to the right. Mach hunched and followed her between two thin walls. She edged around a right angle and continued forward.

  Dust hung in the cool air and stung Mach’s eyes. He squinted into the gloom as his shoulders bumped against either side of the blocks.

  “There’s a sewer system. Leads to the landing zone,” Lassea said. “We’re tracking you and it’s fifty meters ahead.”

  “You’re a diamond,” Mach said. He rushed forward and grabbed Adira’s shoulder. “Keep your eye out for a sewer entrance in fifty meters.”

  “Got it.”

  Mach glanced over his shoulder. Sanchez’s stocky figure followed directly behind. A figure appeared at the end of the cavity and a laser zipped into the gloom. It passed over their heads and dust dropped from above.

  Adira rounded another corner. She knelt by a circular metal hatch and heaved. Mach dropped to his knees, shouldered her out of the way and grabbed the handle. He gritted his teeth, heaved, and the hatch opened upward with a metallic groan.

  Shouts echoed along the cavity. Mach waved Adira and Sanchez down. They both descended down a ladder into the gloom. A laser fired again, passing underneath his arm.

  Mach ducked and scrambled through the hatch. He gripped the cool ladder rungs and clanked down. A stench of human and alien waste invaded his nostrils, reminding him of the long-drop toilets on Fides Gamma.

  Sanchez and Adira waited at the bottom and peered up at Mach. He jumped a meter from the water and his boots splashed in the fetid mess.

  The tunnel led left and right. He raised his smart-screen. “Give me a direction?”

  After a brief pause, Danick replied, “Left and up the second ladder. It takes you close to us. We’ve got the Phalanx-E ready to go.”

  A laser punched down the shaft and sizzled in the water. Mach ran between Adira and Sanchez and headed down the tunnel. He cupped his hand against his nose and ignored the small objects that brushed against his legs. They both followed.

  The metal clanks of somebody descending the ladder echoed through the tunnel, between their splashing footsteps.

  Mach reached the second ladder along the tunnel. He scrambled up it and thrust his arm against the hatch. Adira and Sanchez followed him up the five-meter ladder and waited. He shoved it again and it swung open.

  Rain pelted against Mach’s face from the pitch-black sky. He came out between two swallow-shaped horan fighters and hauled Adira out of the gap.

  “You need to get this off me,” Adira said, gripping the security ring around her neck.

  “We landed inside the perimeter,” Sanchez said after climbing out and retching. “I’ll get it off when we get back to the shuttle.”

  Security lights thumped on around the building behind them, brightening the area around the prison. Mach sprinted straight for the shuttle, two hundred meters away.

  By the time the guards approached with caution from the sewer, it would be too late to catch them; they could cover the ground in twenty-five seconds. The reception door slammed open and two other guards ran out. It wasn’t too late for them.

  One crouched and fired. A thin red line stabbed into the gloom, passing just over Adira’s shoulder.

  Sanchez cried out and stumbled. “They hit my bloody boot.”

  Mach grabbed his arm and pulled Sanchez along. He staggered and winced but didn’t slow too much.

  The Phalanx-E’s side door opened. Mach could just make out Danick’s and Lassea’s faces through the cockpit window, probably wondering what the hell was going on. Adira raced up the ramp. Mach dragged Sanchez up. The two men collapsed to the smooth black rubber flooring.

  The door slid down behind them with an electric whine.

  “I take it we need to go,” Lassea said, already manipulating the holocontrols.

  “Took the words out of my mouth,” Mach said. “Head away from the drones.”

  “What about the ring?” Adira said.

  Sanchez produced the multipurpose tool from the back of his pants. “Come here and I’ll take the damned thing off.”

  The shuttle’s engines roared and they rose off the ground. The chasing guards had stopped their pursuit, their weapons no match for the protective armor of an E-class shuttle. Only the drones stopped them getting away.

  “Guys,” Mach said to the JPs, “this is Adira. Be nice to her or she’ll slit your throat.”

  Lassea looked over her shoulder and nodded. Danick remained focused on the controls. “Tracking three drones to the west,” Danick said. “We’ll head east and go straight for the atmosphere.”

  They thrust diagonally up. Adira took a sharp intake of breath and grabbed the security ring around her neck.

  “It’s tightening,” Sanchez said while he worked on the electronics. “Make a pass over the prison.”

  “It’ll give the drones time to catch us,” Danick said.

  �
�Do it or she chokes to death,” Mach said. He sat in the captain’s chair and watched the tracking monitor. The shuttle banked over the prison. Rain battered against the window and sheet lightning flashed in the sky.

  “It’s still tightening,” Sanchez said, his voice rising an octave.

  Adira gasped and coughed.

  Three drones closed in, only a klick away. Mach looked through the window and saw their dim lights approaching in the dark angry sky. Metal clanked against the floor behind him. He turned to see the security ring on the floor. Adira rubbed her neck and took a deep breath. Sanchez sat with his back against the door and unfastened his boot.

  “Head for the atmosphere,” Mach said. “Give it everything.”

  Lassea worked the controls and the ship thrust upward. Mach continued to watch the holoscreen. Two of the drones changed course and headed straight after them. The other went into a holding pattern below.

  “They’re actually going to try to shoot us down,” Mach said.

  Danick’s hands trembled on his controls. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking, boy? The drone in the holding pattern is there to take us out after we crash land. Get ready to switch to the LD.”

  “We can’t jump inside the atmosphere, it’ll rip us to pieces,” Danick said.

  Mach rolled his eyes. “Wait until we’re three-quarters through. Don’t they teach you anything at the academy?”

  At least the two young JPs were reacting. Mach remembered Morgan saying that the best way to test a person was to chuck them in a container of runny shit. Some naturally swam; others sank while taking a mouthful. Morgan probably quit opining the analogy now he was an admiral, but Mach found it to be true.

  The Phalanx-E juddered as it entered the atmosphere. An electronic beep pulsed from the console.

  “Torpedoes locked on,” Lassea said. “Preparing to L-jump.”

  “Wait for my command,” Mach said.

  Ten more seconds would do it. Adira and Sanchez joined Mach in the cockpit and gazed at the tracking monitor.

  The electronic beep switched to a constant hum.