by M. R. Forbes
“Six,” Francis said. “The scan should have told you that.”
It was the first time he had spoken. His voice was deeper than Hayden expected. He sounded older than he appeared to be. Maybe he wasn’t a kid after all?
“I didn’t remember. It was a long night.”
Francis didn’t respond.
“Are you always this quiet?”
Francis shrugged.
“I’ll cut to the heart of it,” Hayden said. “Sarah already told me about the other guy and the fact that neither one of you laid a hand on her. Obviously, that’s left me a little confused. One, who is the other guy? Two, why were you chasing him? Three, how did you get the code to the maintenance box? And four, where did you get the knife?”
Francis stared at him again.
“If I went to search your cube, what would I find?” Hayden asked. He watched Francis’ face for a reaction. He noticed a slight twitch in the man’s eye. “Something you don’t want me to find? I’ll tell you what; you answer my questions, I won’t search your place. How does that sound?”
Francis breathed out. “Fine.”
Hayden smiled. “Good. Start at question one and work your way through.”
“Are you sure you want the answers, Sheriff?” Francis asked.
“It’s my job to ask them, so why wouldn’t I?”
“There’s an old saying. Ignorance is bliss.”
“I know it. I’ve never found that to be true. I prefer ‘ignorance is for the stupid.’”
Francis almost cracked a smile.
“The PASS is damaged, Sheriff.”
“I’m aware.”
“How did it get that way?”
“I don’t know. It happened a long time ago. I thought I was asking the questions?”
“The answers to your questions are meaningless without context. I’ll say this again, Sheriff Duke. Some things that are better off forgotten. Once you remember one thing, it’s never enough. You always want to know if there’s something else you’re missing.”
“Is there?”
“I don’t know yet. But maybe it’s better to be stupid.”
“Is that a veiled threat? You did attack me.”
“To avoid this situation. More for your sake than for mine.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Do you know how long the Pilgrim has been out here, Sheriff?”
“No. I don’t even know where here is.”
“Me neither. But I do know the answer to my prior question. Three-hundred ninety-six years.”
Hayden felt his heart skip a little faster. “What?”
Francis nodded solemnly. “Do you know how long we were supposed to be out here, Sheriff?”
Hayden shook his head.
“The Pilgrim was designed for a three hundred year duty cycle.”
Hayden’s brow creased. His body was suddenly cold.
“That’s right,” Francis said, noticing his body language. “We’re almost a century past the maximum expected lifespan of the ship. And we still haven’t gotten where we were going.”
“How do you know this?” Hayden asked, forcing himself to regain his composure. He was the Sheriff here. “The PASS doesn’t have that data.”
“The data was corrupted. We have ways to filter it.”
“We?”
“The guy I was chasing. He helped me figure out how to scrub the corrupted data.”
“He’s an Engineer?”
“No. Just a curious resident, like me.” Francis sighed. “He was coming to the Station, to you, believe it or not, to tell you what we knew. I was trying to stop him. I told him it was too soon. That we hadn’t learned enough. That it wasn’t safe.”
“You think I would do something to you to keep you from talking?”
“That one fact could cause mass panic in Metro. So, yeah.”
Hayden took a deep breath. He knew Francis was right. He was already starting to feel panicked. Not that it was news to him that the ship was breaking down, but knowing how long overdue it was?
“I told you ignorance was bliss,” Francis said.
The door to the room opened, and Wilson ducked her head in. “Sheriff, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but Governor Malcolm is in your office. He wants to talk to you. Immediately.” She said the last word in a mimic of the Governor’s deep voice.
Hayden felt a different panic hit him. The Governor was mad enough about the Code Blue to come down to the Station as soon as he started his shift? He forced himself to calm. Malcolm had still given Natalia the birth ticket. He couldn't be that upset.
“Will you wait here?” Hayden asked.
Francis nodded, falling silent again. His eyes were pleading, suggesting that Hayden keep his mouth shut about what he had learned.
He had already decided he wasn’t going to mention Francis to the Governor. Not yet. He needed more time to understand all of this, a lot more time before he was going to carry it up the line.
Hayden left the room, heading to the back of the Station where his office was located. The door was already open, and he could see Governor Malcolm in his chair, feet up on the desk. He was short and thin, dressed in a dark blue one-piece, with a badge of office over his chest so everyone would know who he was.
“Governor,” Hayden said, entering the room. He reached back to pull the door closed before the Governor asked.
“Hayden,” Governor Malcolm replied without changing his position. “You already closed the door. Why don’t you have a seat?”
“I’ll stand,” Hayden said.
He had known Malcolm for a long time. He knew the Governor liked to take advantage of his position to lord over the residents of Metro, especially his direct subordinates.
He wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction, and he knew Malcolm wouldn’t expect him to.
Malcolm smiled. He had a row of crooked but bright white teeth. Medical could have straightened them for him, but for some reason, he didn’t want them to.
“Have it your way, Sheriff.” He paused. “I stopped by your cube last night.”
Hayden nodded. “Natalia told me.”
“Of course, she did.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you, Sheriff.”
“Thank you, Governor.”
“You’re welcome. But I’m sure you know, I didn’t do it for you.”
“The Code Blue-”
“The Code Blue is not optional, Hayden,” Malcolm shouted, dropping his feet to the floor. “This city is on the razor’s edge of life and death. From outside the Pilgrim, and from inside. We can’t control the external forces, but we have total control over critical life support systems. Failing to adequately address any problem with those systems, no matter how small, puts the lives of everyone in Metro at risk.”
Hayden could feel the heat on his face. He knew Malcolm had come to chew him out. He knew he deserved it. He knew he shouldn’t try to defend himself, but he couldn’t help it.
“Natalia had everything under control,” he said.
“As always,” Malcolm replied, still angry. “Your wife is definitely your better half, Sheriff. She’s one of the best Engineers the Pilgrim’s ever had. That’s why I gave you the birth ticket. I want another one just like her. This ship needs another one just like her. I can only hope they get the right mix of DNA.”
Hayden clenched his hand into a fist. That one stung. He had to stay calm.
“I had a situation in the strands,” Hayden said. “Someone was in trouble.”
“Someone? Singular? Did you just miss the part where I said you put every single person on this ship’s life at risk?”
“I didn’t. Natalia-”
“This time, Sheriff. She saved your ass this time. Or you got lucky it was the waste system and not the damned atmospherics. I’m responsible for everyone on this ship. I’m responsible for keeping it all running smoothly, even as more and more of it breaks down every day. You make the wrong prio
ritization once; it’s my job to make sure you don’t ever, ever, ever do it again. Are we clear, Hayden?”
Hayden clenched his jaw and nodded. “Yes, Governor.”
The anger faded from the Governor as if it had been an act the entire time. He smiled widely, the same smile he had ridden to his election. “Good. Because I don’t want Natalia to have to find a new man to help her make a baby.”
The remark gave Hayden a fresh chill. There were very few offenses that led to capital punishment, and as far as he knew only six people had been put to death in the entire time the Pilgrim had been in space. That the Governor was suggesting what he had done was one of those offenses drove home how big of an error in judgment he had made.
“Yes, Governor,” he said.
“So what happened last night in the strands?” Malcolm asked. “Your wife told me you had Sarah Kaine and some guy from Block Twenty-four locked up over it?”
Hayden stared at the Governor without speaking right away. How much should he tell him?
“I did.”
“Past tense?”
“I released Sarah right before you arrived.”
“With another stern warning that she’ll ignore?”
“I can’t put her in lockup because she wants to take care of her mother.”
“That woman needs to die,” Malcolm said. “I know it sounds bad, but it’s the truth.”
“I know. I told her as much. A little more gently.”
“You’re much more diplomatic than I am, Hayden.”
“I sure as hell hope that isn’t true, Governor.”
“I’m done yelling at you. You can call me Malcolm again.” He laughed. “So, what about this other suspect? You let him go yet?”
Hayden hesitated. Malcolm wouldn’t question him if he said he had, and it would make it easier to get to the bottom of the whole thing. If the Governor decided to talk to Francis personally, it might shut him down altogether. At the same time, he didn’t want to risk putting himself on Malcolm’s bad side again, especially not right now.
“I thought that was an easy question,” Malcolm said.
Hayden opened his mouth to answer.
Something hit the Pilgrim.
Hard.
8
The shock was sudden and violent, the force enough that it traveled through the ship in an instant, creating a shockwave that knocked both Hayden and the Governor off their feet, and spilled the items on Hayden’s desk to the floor. A whine and pop from the superstructure came with it, so loud that it left their ears ringing as they hit the ground.
“What the hell?” Malcolm said, staying down as the turbulence caused the ship to reverberate with smaller aftershocks.
“I don’t know,” Hayden replied.
Normally, big turbs like that were preceded and followed by smaller waves. This one had come out of nowhere.
“We’d better check in with Engineering,” Malcolm said.
The ship shook again, a smaller turb this time.
Hayden tapped his badge with his chin. “Engineering.”
It took a few seconds for someone to pick up, but that didn’t surprise him. He could picture the control room and the chaos within as the Engineers scrambled to identify damage to the systems.
“Sheriff Duke,” Mae said.
“Is everyone there okay?” Hayden asked.
“Yes, Sheriff,” she replied. “We’re all fine.”
“Mae, this is the Governor,” Malcolm said. Not that he needed to announce himself like that. She knew his voice well enough to recognize him.
“Governor Malcolm,” Mae said. “We’re all okay. No critical damage showing on our displays.”
“Do you have any idea what the hell caused that?”
“Do we ever, Governor? I’ve never felt one come on so strong out of nowhere like that.”
“Me neither. We’ve got the all clear on life support?”
“Yes, Governor.”
“Mae, is Natalia there?” Hayden asked.
“No, Sheriff. She was out near Section C, checking on one of the power inputs near the secure zone. I can radio her for you?”
“That’s all right,” Hayden replied. “I’ll contact her myself.”
“Thank you, Mae,” Malcolm said. He motioned for Hayden to cut the connection. “I’m going to head out into the street to check on the residents and make sure they all stay calm. Normally I wouldn’t worry, but this is outside the norm.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“There’s no need. Take care of your business, Hayden. I’ll take care of mine.” He put his hand out for balance as the Pilgrim shuddered slightly, the turbs diminishing. “You can start by cleaning up this mess.” He smiled. “You’re a slob, Sheriff.”
Hayden smiled with him. He only had a few items on his desk. His hat, an old photograph of a dog that had been passed down through Natalia’s family, and a printout of the last sonogram Medical had done before the miscarriage. All three were on the floor.
“Sheriff.”
Deputy Wilson opened the door, sticking her head in. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got a small problem, sir.”
“What is it, Deputy?” Hayden asked.
“It’s Francis, sir,” she said. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Hayden said.
“He took off after the first turb hit. I couldn’t get to him in time.”
“Who’s Francis?” Malcolm asked.
“The person of interest I was questioning,” Hayden said. “From Block Twenty-four.”
Malcolm laughed. “He ran off? Where’s he going to go?”
Hayden didn’t say it, but he knew Francis had something at his cube that he wanted to hide. Maybe he had gone to hide it.
“Wilson,” Malcolm said. “Send Bradshaw and Hicks to Block Twenty-four, whatever his cube number is.”
“Yes, Governor.”
Wilson disappeared. Malcolm headed for the door, putting his hand on Hayden’s shoulder on the way out. “Why would he run, Sheriff?”
Hayden didn’t want to tell him anything. He had to tell him something. “I think he found a way to hack the codes on the maintenance boxes, and he left evidence exposed in his cube.”
Malcolm’s eyes lowered slightly. “Maybe you should get over there, too? That’s a serious offense.”
“Yes, sir,” Hayden said.
He bent down to grab his hat, and then followed the Governor out into the split. There were more residents out there than usual, but they didn’t seem too concerned about the turbs.
“I want him back at the Station immediately, Sheriff,” Malcolm said. “I’m sorry I yelled at you in there. If this guy has access to the maintenance boxes, you may have saved the whole city.”
“You were right to ream me out,” Hayden said. “But thank you.”
Malcolm nodded and headed off toward a group of residents. Hayden turned to look down the length of the split. Law used to have transports to carry them across Metro in a hurry, but like many other things they had been broken down for parts years ago.
The Station door and the lack of transportation. That’s what was keeping his middle from spreading a little too far beyond his pants.
He started to run.
Residents moved aside for him, accustomed to the Law running through the splits to one place or another. Some of them shouted greetings as he passed. A few urged him on and offered motivation. He ignored it all, focusing on his pace and breathing. He had to cross over a kilometer, and he had to do it without falling too far behind Francis.
He was almost halfway when his badge beeped an incoming transmission.
“Hayden,” Natalia said, in a voice that brought him to a quick stop.
She sounded terrified.
“Nat, what’s wrong?” he asked, breathing heavily.
“Hayden. I. I was. I was in the corridor near Section C. Near. Near an access door.” She paused. He was about to ask her what was wrong again. “There’s a body
here, Hayden. A man.”
“A body?”
His pulse was already quick, but somehow it found another speed. There hadn’t been a murder in Metro in all the time he had been Sheriff. It just didn’t happen. Not here.
“He’s. His blood is everywhere. I don’t know. I don’t see a wound. He’s dead.”
She was scared and out of sorts. He hated to hear her like that. But there was nothing he could do. Not immediately. Malcolm had sent him after Francis. If he were going on his own, he would turn around, but he couldn’t. Not now.
“Okay. Nat, it’s okay. I know you’re scared. I know it’s shocking. Please try to calm down. Governor Malcolm sent me to Block Twenty-four. I have to stop in there, and then I’ll come to you, okay?”
“Hayden,” she said, short of breath. “You don’t. You don’t understand. He’s dead.”
“Nat, it’s okay. I do understand. You found a body. Trust me; it isn’t going anywhere. You don’t have to stay with it. Head back to Control. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.”
“Damn it, Hayden,” she said, finding some strength in her voice. “This isn’t just a body. It. It. The clothes.”
She paused again before spitting out the most chilling words he had ever heard.
“He isn’t one of ours. He isn’t from Metro.”
9
Hayden didn’t know how to respond. His heart was racing. His mind was racing faster, her words echoing within. Not one of ours? How could that be?
“Nat, I want you to go back to Control, okay? I want you to go back to Control right now.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be there as fast as I can. I’ll meet you there. Okay?”
“Yes. Just hurry. I don’t like this at all.”
“Me neither. I’m on my way. I need to disconnect to tell Bradshaw I’m changing direction.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“Definitely.”
“Hayden?”
“What is it?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Hayden dropped the transmission and then tapped on the badge again. He also started walking back in the opposite direction. Back toward Engineering. “Deputy Bradshaw.”
