Repo Earth

by Jeff Walsh

  Genny turned and saw her Bond-o-Threads folded nearby. In a mere flash she'd moved across the room and snatched them up. As soon as she made contact they burst into a puff of smoke and covered her in a black and gray vac-suit. She ripped away the gown, turned, and pulled on the medical bay door to open it. She broke it off the wall.

  Genny held the door aloft for a moment, surprise causing her to linger. She turned and noticed the lifeless bodies of a half dozen guards lying about.

  “What's going on,” she muttered to herself.

  She pushed her confusion from her mind. She had to figure out a way to get off the Imperium. She looked to her right, then to her left. The corridor stretched on for quite a long way in both directions.

  From above she heard click.

  A hatch released and she watched as a spidery looking machine descended upon her.

  Instinctively she caught it.

  The drone thrashed about. Its spindly legs struck inward across her midsection. Nothing it did phased her.

  Genny's mind began to grow dark again. She fought against it once more, but her struggle with the drone broke her focus. Suddenly she hoisted it up and yanked on its two legs. Metal began to screech and wires became exposed

  Just then the entire Imperium shuddered.

  Genny stumbled back and dropped the drone.

  It landed and spun its pulse canon around and fired point blank into her face.

  Chapter 15

  Anthony watched as the Platnium's display lit up with streaks of light. Tiny white dots, once scattered across the darkness of space, suddenly shifted to brilliant streaks. After a few moments the entire screen was nothing but pure white. The Platnium shuttered, but only slightly. Anthony gripped his arm rests tightly; his knuckles turned white. He could feel the intense speed at which they were traveling. The sensation wasn't like before, when they escaped the Attilians. This time there was something counteracting the force.

  The ship slowed and Anthony watched as the streaks of light returned to bright and shining stars.

  “That's intense,” Anthony said. He was short on breath.

  “Yeah,” Taam said. “You get used to it. The dampners weren't able to completely compensate since we left from a standstill.”

  “Are we safe?” Anthony asked.

  He reached over and pressed the red button on his seat; the buckles unclasped and the straps reeled back.

  “We are for now,” Bartl said as he worked a console near the ship's main display. “The damage to the Starfaller was significant. We punched a crater in their aft section. That'll take at least a half cycle to repair.”

  He chuckled.

  “And what about Genny?” Anthony jumped to his feet and spun to face Taam.

  Taam's face was pale and Anthony could see sweat covering his brow, but he chose to ignore it and pressed on.

  “If we just blew out a section out of that ship,” Anthony stated. “How do we know Genny wasn't in the blast?”

  Taam broke into a coughing fit. Anthony watched him wipe black liquid from his mouth.

  “She should be fine,” Bartl said. “We had a good idea where she was being held.”

  “A good idea?” Anthony spat out. “You convinced me to leave my friend on that ship we just took a chunk out of, and you only had a hunch as to where Genny was?”

  “I know you're upset,” Taam said. “But you need to trust us.”

  “Trust you?” Anthony said. “Trust you!” He turned and looked at Bartl then back to Taam.

  “Why would I trust you?” Anthony blurted out. “Ever since I've met you it's been nothing but danger and crisis. There's been people shooting at us since before we left Earth. Then we had to chase some mechanical rat around the ship before it got us blown up. I ended up in jail for like an hour. Marcus is gone. We just abandoned Genny. And you literally look like you're about to die. So tell me, why would I trust you?”

  Taam and Anthony locked eyes.

  “Going with you two has been nothing but trouble,” Anthony said coldly. “I'm starting to think Genny had the right idea. They showed us your bounty. You aren't normal guys out on an adventure. You're pirates; you break the law to get what you want and somehow you convinced me and my friends to join up with you.”

  Taam began hacking up more blood.

  Anthony dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head.

  “We got on a ship with space pirates,” he said softly to himself. “All because it sounded like an adventure.”

  Bartl looked to Taam who just stared at Anthony.

  Time seemed to linger for a moment in the silence. Anthony just stared at the ground.

  Finally, Taam said, “You're not wrong.”

  Anthony looked up. His vision blurred as he fought back the tears.

  “We're outlaws,” Taam said. “Have been for years. And ever since you and your friends joined up with us you've been in constant danger. And the worst part, we still have a long way to go in order to reach our goal.”

  “Quite the pep talk,” Bartl said.

  Taam ignored him and continued, “It's a funny thing about adventures.”

  He paused for a moment.

  Anthony looked on, he could tell Taam was reflecting on something.

  “They never seem to have that 'fun adventure' feel when you're in the middle of one. Instead, it just feels like surviving.” Taam paused for a second. “Nothing turns out the way you planned. You're forced to react to things you never thought could happen. Everything you do feels like a series of involuntary improvisation. The worst is that you can get so caught up in the idea of doing what's right that you forget the consequences. It's so easy to forget that you might end up stranded and away from the people you care about.”

  “He's right” Anthony said and pointed to Bartl. “You're horrible at this.”

  Taam laughed slightly.

  “And you're right,” Anthony said. “I'm just freaking out; it's been kind of a rough day.”

  He turned, plopped back into the chair, and rubbed his eyes. “You two showed up and snatched us up before things got really bad,” he continued. “You weren't the people shooting from the sky.” He turned and looked to Bartl. “You were the one standing right there with us, trying to convince three humans of the impossible.”

  “Ugh,” Bartl aired out. He threw hands out dismissively. “Are we all going to sing a song and hug now?”

  “Nah,” Taam answered with a smirk. “We aren't done with the impossible yet.”

  Anthony took a deep breath and exhaled. “You're sure Genny's fine?”

  “I--” Taam began to hack and cough once again. He attempted to catch his breath but couldn't. He wobbled forward a few steps. Bartl dashed over and caught him as he passed out.

  ҉

  Genny stumbled back from the blast. Her face felt like it was on fire and she could barely see. Touching gently at her face she felt flakes of charred skin flutter away. A second later the burning sensation began to fade and her vision cleared. Her skin started to feel smooth again. She heard the drone powering up another shot.

  The dark rage overtook her mind almost instantly. Her gaze snapped to the drone.

  The canon turned slightly as it prepared to fire.

  Genny sprung forward faster than the drone could accomplish its goal. She swung out and slammed her fist right through center section of the drone. She pivoted on her right foot and hoisted the drone into the air once more. With her other hand she grabbed and pulled hard, ripping the drone in half. It's pieces slammed to the floor.

  From above, a series of clicks rang out all down the corridor. Genny watched as nearly two dozen drones dropped from the ceiling.

  She gritted her teeth and bellowed a scream. She was no longer herself in this moment. The torrent of rage pushed her. Every flicker of clear thought was whisked away by raw fury.

  The drones landed.

  Genny reached down and ripped two legs off the drone she'd just ripped in half. Turning to face the
corridor of drones, she crouched slightly.

  The drones took aim.

  Genny curled inward, bellowed out another scream, and bolted toward them.

  ҉

  Anthony watched as Taam opened his eyes.

  “Take it easy,” Bartl said. “I've managed to clean you up for the most part. But you'll need at least another go around to be completely rid of the poison.”

  He stepped toward Taam and held out a couple pills and a glass of water.

  “Take these,” he said. “It'll off set the cleaning symptoms.”

  Taam sat up slightly, took the pills, and gulped down the entire glass of water. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

  Anthony stepped forward and Taam looked at him.

  “He told me what you did,” Anthony said as he gestured to Bartl. “He said your suit was killing you because you used it to sneak aboard the Imperium to get me and Genny out of there.”

  Taam looked to the floor. “It's not as heroic as it sounds,” he said.

  “You asked me to trust you,” Anthony said.

  Taam looked at him once more.

  “And that's twice now I've doubted you,” Anthony said. “I just want you to know, no matter what happens from here on out, there won't be a third.”

  “So what's the plan?” Bartl interrupted. “Or are you two not done gazing deeply into each other's eyes.”

  “I think someone needs a hug,” Anthony said.

  He stepped toward Bartl.

  Barlt snapped his pistol up. “I will shoot you...in the face.”

  Anthony laughed.

  “I'm not sure,” Taam said, responding to Bartl's previous question. “Ever since we started this, things don't seem to be going very smoothly.”

  He slid off the medical table and grabbed his jacket which was slung over a chair.

  “Well,” Bartl said. “How about we pick up Alvin and Marcus?”

  “I tried to establish a link the minute we got on the bridge,” Taam said. “Alvin's turned off the tracker.”

  “You think some scavs found them on Vex?” Bartl asked.

  “Unlikely,” Taam responded. “Alvin's not stupid; he wouldn't have landed if there was even a hint of someone tracking them.”

  “The Attillians are pretty stealthy,” Bartl said.

  “Are you trying to give me a panic attack?” Anthony said to Bartl. “My best friend is lost in space and I just abandoned his wife on a ship we blew a hole in. And here you are just throwing out the worst possible things that could be happening.” He paused for a moment. “Can I go back to being mad again?”

  “No,” Bartl said flatly. “Alvin wouldn't have turned off the tracker unless it was needed.”

  “Agreed,” Taam said. “At this point, we have to assume Marcus and Alvin are doing fine on their own.”

  “Is that what we're assuming?” Anthony asked.

  “If they got into trouble,” Bartl said. “Alvin would've left us a trail to follow. He's dropped out of sight for a reason, most likely to keep Marcus safe. Alvin's a one-of-a-kind; he knows what he's doing out there.”

  “I wouldn't have sent two of them out there if I wasn't completely confident Alvin could protect him,” Taam said.

  “Okay,” Anthony said. “So we can't track Marcus down. Genny is a no go. What's next?”

  “The Attillians are working with Prime Command,” Taam said. “And there's probably a dozen or more competent scav crews looking for us by now. Even if we regroup with everyone, we're still no closer to Volja and ending this mess.”

  “Well, that's not completely true,” Bartl said. “Follow me.”

  The three made their way back to the Platnium's bridge and Bartl dug into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a strip of metal.

  Anthony noticed three little strips of gold colored metal wrapped around the end.

  “While you were busy setting off alarms and getting the air locks popped back on the Imperium,” Bartl said. “I ripped a keyword download from their system. Everything Prime Command has on Volja, we now have.”

  He plopped down into a chair and spun around to face a console. He slid the strip of metal into a socket and punched away at the console. After a few moments he snapped his final stroke with gusto. He spun around and a holographic display lit up in the center of the bridge.

  “Whoa,” Anthony said as he turned and saw the display.

  There were dozens of screens with information flashing by. Ticker type reports were zipping across various spots. But for all the information, a star chart took center stage.

  “Either the Attillians or Prime Command figured out how to track Volja,” Bartl said. “Those spots that keep lighting up and disappearing.” He pointed toward the start chart. “That's our prize. We are watching Volja appear and vanish in real time.”

  “You're a genius,” Taam said.

  “I know,” Bartl replied. “When I was stuck in that room, I took the opportunity to do a cursory scan of any odd files. I found a locked file that only needed low level bridge access to decrypt.”

  “Well,” Anthony said. “That sounds pretty convenient.”

  “Only because it's bait,” Taam said.

  “This file might as well have been named 'Heezarian Trap',” Bartl said. “But it's legit. I was able to view the travel log of the Imperium; they've been following Volja for at least a full cycle using this chart.”

  “Okay,” Taam said. “So they bait us into grabbing this file loaded full of solid information and leave it out for us to find--”

  “We're being setup,” Anthony said.

  “I think they intended us to do all the heavy lifting, while they get all the credit,” Bartl said. “We grab the humans, and they charge us with kidnapping. They lose this star chart, and now we've stolen Central Core classified documents. Once Volja is locked down, they say we're attempting to pillage the ancient planet and claim heroics as they take possession of it. We get a bunch of new charges against us, but The Core comes out looking like the good guys.

  At some point after Volja is taken over by the Core, the Attillians or Prime Command snag us, lay the blame on us, and we're most likely killed in an 'escape attempt.'”

  “Regardless,” Taam said. “If the file is good, we're tracking Volja now. If we can hunt down the Zorg and get his device we can keep Volja from shifting. Who knows, we might just pull this whole thing off.”

  “Great,” Anthony said. “We just have to track down an alien hacker who's never been found, steal his gizmo, rescue Genny from the almighty Prime Command, locate Marcus and Alvin, and retrieve them. We have to do all of this while avoiding the Attillians, a bunch of bounty hunters, and pretty much anyone connected to the Central Core. All of which, we just discovered, is probably an elaborate trap to capture us all.”

  “Isn't outer space great!” Bartl said gleefully.

  ҉

  Genny stood there breathing hard. She had scorch marks all across her body. The Bond-o-Threads rewove themselves as Genny's skin healed. Her mind began to clear once more and she watched as her wounds faded away.

  She touched her skin. The last few moments were completely blank as she tried to remember what just happened. It felt as though she'd passed out and was trying to remember a bad dream as it fluttered from her memory.

  She knew she'd been in a fight, but everything was hazy. Glancing up she gazed over the abundance of smashed drone parts scattered down the corridor. Her mind calmed further. She felt the flood of rage subsiding. After a deep breath she turned and saw a plaque on the wall ML-0562.

  If she was correct about the numbering system, the Platnium was ten decks down and Anthony was being held three decks up. The sound of boots striking hard floor rang out in her ears. Genny turned and saw at least three dozen guards marching toward her.

  The contingent of soldiers halted and Sir Halen stepped out from them.

  “We can help you,” he said.

  Genny gritted her teeth.

  “I understand yo
ur anger,” Sir Halen continued. “But you don't realize what's happening, or the very real danger you're in. You've been modified, yes, but your body's acclimation process was a failure. There are anomalies forming within your genetic code that have never before been seen.”

  “Failure!” Genny screamed. “Anomalies? I heard your man back in the lab. There was never any intention of acclimating me to this...thing, you've turned me into. I was to be discarded, remember.”

  “We can fix this,” Sir Halen said.

  “Fix this?” Genny belted.

  She looked down at herself. She didn't know what was happening. Her thoughts were cloudy.

  “Fix this?” she said softly.

  “Yes,” Sir Halen said. “And I'm the only one who can now. I'm sorry to be the messenger of this news, but your friends nearly destroyed this ship trying to escape. They've abandoned you to save themselves.”

  “What?” Genny said. She looked up at Sir Halen.

  “I'm sure you felt it,” he said. “The entire Imperium shuttered at their escape. It appears Taam Heezarian snuck aboard somehow. He found Bartl and the two of them rescued your friend Anthony. After which, the three proceeded to bay nine and blew a rather large crater into the back part of our ship. They're gone, and chose to leave you here.”

  “I don't believe you,” Genny said.

  “I thought that might be the case,” Sir Halen replied.

  He raised his hand and held within was small, thin, rectangular device. He clicked it and a screen of light appeared between Genny and himself.

  “This is the Imperium's security surveillance footage,” he said.

  The screen showed Taam and Bartl running down a hall with Anthony, heat-sink beams and canon fire whizzed by them. The screen flashed and the scene changed. Genny watched as the three ran up into the Platnium. A few moments passed and she saw drones blasting the underbelly of the ship. A flash of light turned the screen white. The display flickered and disappeared.

  “That was the moment they left you,” Sir Halen continued. “As I said, you've been abandoned.”