by Ray, Joseph
“Close it,” Bear ordered, pulling himself up to a seated position against the wall.
Janys stumbled to the panel, undoing the bypass she’d performed to gain entry ten minutes earlier. The door slid shut, preventing the dust and smoke from pouring through the open doorway. She thought about the soldiers that’d been lost in the first explosion, realizing that she hadn’t even managed a glimpse at their faces. She’d never know whom she’d lost versus who’d willingly left with the Cybers in the harrier. No one would ever know who were heroes and who were traitors. The thought didn’t sit well in her stomach.
“Sarge, come in,” a voice crackled over the speaker from the wall.
Bearden motioned to Janys and waited for her to begin the link. She pressed a few icons on the screen, smoothing out the steady stream of static coming from the unseen speaker.
“He’s listening,” she stated, collapsing against the wall.
“Oh, thank God,” the voice continued. “The harriers are lifting off Sargent. I called down to the defense turrets, but I’m yet to receive a response. I sent two men to investigate, but I doubt they’ll reach the station in time.”
Bearden offered Janys a worried look as they silently contemplated the three men she’d left to protect the defensive grid. They both wondered if the men had been killed, or if they were in on the attack, keeping their true nature hidden until the moment arrived to gain an opportunity.
“I copy,” Bear snapped. “Tell your men to be careful, we don’t know who we can trust.”
“What do you mean Sargent?” the voice asked. “Do you mean that our own…..”
The speaker overloaded with the sound of gunfire from the other end of the connection. Screams could be heard, men and women alike, as automatic gunfire poured through the speaker. Bearden closed his eyes, wishing for the day to be over, or to wake from the nightmare.
“Central, come in!” Janys yelled, pressing herself off the wall. “Central, do you copy?”
Static filled the air as the connection severed. Janys looked down to the Sargent on the floor, unsure of what she should be doing at the moment.
“We need to move,” he snapped, trying to will himself to his feet.
“No,” she snapped. “I need to get a message through to Earth. We NEED reinforcements!”
Bearden stumbled but managed to maintain his balance as he shuffled his feet. The room swayed in his vision as he closed in on the Corporal, placing his hand over hers and pulling her away from the station.
“They’re blocking it,” he told her.
Her pale blue eyes locked into his, pondering the suggestion. Her mouth dropped open in protest, but he foresaw her confusion.
“We got a distress call out before the power went down,” he whispered. “Where’s the support? They should have been here by now. At the least, they should be calling us. Whatever we send isn’t getting off this planet. We’re on our own and they know where we are.”
“That can’t be,” she stammered. “Surely someone is……”
Her voice trailed off as she tried to think whom would be alive. Central held the majority of the soldiers and techs during a crisis. Those who remained would be isolated, groups of two guarded critical infrastructures of the facility. Most of them had already been killed or were against them from the start. She thought of the ten men who died helping them, wondering if they’d come from Central or from their stations.
“We’re alone,” he reemphasized. “Now move your ass soldier.”
***********
“I don’t give two shits what you just showed me,” Quaid snapped as he walked away from the screen. “You could have created those files for all we know. The plan was to steal a pad and bring it to us so we could ALL look. What happened to that plan Abe? You just making this up as you go now?”
“I was presented with a method that didn’t require stealing,” Abraham replied. “You can either believe what I have shown you, or you can’t. Either way, I need you to move the Hopper to that outpost.”
“No,” Quaid snapped, ignoring Sandra grasping for his elbow as he tore away from the common room.
The group followed as the Captain stormed through the hallways, heading for the back of the ship. He stopped abruptly and turned in the middle of the empty cargo bay, waiting for Abraham to catch up to him.
“That place is being watched,” Quaid continued. “If we go in there, someone will see us. We’ll be put in jail and questioned. Quite frankly, I have no issue with telling the authorities who you are if it saves the rest of us from prison. At the very least, they ground the Hopper and we’re stuck here. Either way, there’s nothing in it for us. I’ll drop you and your Jill-in-a-box off close to it, but that’s it.”
“Now hold on,” Sandra snapped. “We don’t know for sure that the outpost is being watched. Besides, we can go at night. If we run dark, no one will see us flying in.”
“The outpost is near a cliff,” Jenna added, looking to her data pad. “We could stay in the recess until we reach the outpost and then lift up. No one would see us coming or going.”
“They have scanners, dumbass,” Quaid muttered. “We could fly through a magic cloud of smoke and they could still see us.”
“That’s not fair,” Sandra yelled. “You said you’d consider our next option once he cleared himself. Abe cleared himself, but you’re not even considering going through with this plan.”
“Oh, you think I haven’t considered it?” Quaid replied, stepping toe to toe with Sandra. “I’m weighing my options pretty heavily. Right now, I see a bunch of dead weight that we need to dump.”
Abraham placed a hand on Sandra’s shoulder, gently pulling her away from the taller man with whom she locked eyes. He stepped between them, lowering his hands in front of his body.
“I won’t allow this to continue,” Abraham started. “You came upon me by accident. None of you owes me anything. If the Captain wants me off the ship, then so be it. I can’t think of anywhere safer to mend Cybill’s injuries. If the abandoned outpost is my best opportunity, and the Captain is uncomfortable with flying there, then I see no better options on the horizon. You can drop me off nearby, with a compromise of what we took from the facility. I won’t have this crew torn apart over my needs.”
“There won’t be a compromise,” Sandra stated. “We’re coming with you. ALL of us.”
“The hell we are,” Quaid muttered. “If he’s okay with going on his own, then so am I. Sooner he’s off the ship, the sooner we can get back to work instead of jumping planet to planet.”
Sandra couldn’t look at Quaid. Whenever the Captain’s greed outgrew his compassion, she found herself at odds with him. Instead, she locked her gaze with her little sister, attempting to communicate without words. Jenna returned the gaze, slightly swinging her eyes towards Abraham, indicating whom she sided. Sandra considered the possibilities, trying to look further down the road than just what rested in the next mile ahead. Quaid had been a decent Captain, but she got the sense that life on the Hopper would be more of the same. The code for the large Gabriel Rings was outdated, nearing its expiration. As soon as the code that came with the ship expired, they’d have to apply with the government on Earth for a new one. Quaid was very quiet when it came to how he’d acquired the Hopper, forcing her to doubt he would be able to renew the ring code. That means they’d be stuck in the current system. Scavenging was becoming more difficult with each passing year. Jenna’s age didn’t help either. Sandra knew her little sister deserved better than to remain on the ship for the rest of her youth. She needed to be around others her own age, exploring life as well as herself. The Hopper offered her little, if no future.
“We’re staying with Abe,” she stated, trying to sound confident. “Jenna and I will pack our personal belongings. You can drop all of us off.”
“What?!” Quaid snapped. “You’d rather take your chances with the Cyber then stay with me. There’s no freedom in that choice, Sandy. He’ll have you dead
or in prison within the next year. Mark my words, if you go with him, you’re through.”
“Fine,” Sandra snapped, turning back down the corridor and stomping away from the group.
Jenna raced after her older sister, leaving the two men alone in the cargo bay of the Hopper. Quaid sized up the Cyber, looking him from head to toe. The bald man stood before the Captain, wearing the clothes off his own back, standing in his ship, and had the nerve to steal his crew away from him. If it weren’t for the superior reflexes of the Cyber, Quaid would consider putting a bullet through his head and ending the situation.
“You’ve screwed up everything,” Quaid snapped, closing the distance between them. “We had a good thing going here before you showed up.”
“I find that difficult to believe,” Abraham replied, maintaining his composure. “Your system was broken, your ship is falling apart, and you have six months before your ring code expires. What exactly were you planning to do once that happened? Did you think the government would accept your request for renewal when the ship isn’t in your name? Somehow, I suspect that you stole this ship. As soon as you apply for renewal, they’ll place you under arrest. You’ll have no ship, no crew, and no freedom. Is that what you really want for yourself? Is that the life you can offer those girls?”
“I didn’t steal this ship!” Quaid snapped.
“Really? Then why isn’t it registered under your name?”
Quaid tried to speak, but his anger was getting the best of him. He stepped to the Cyber, contemplating his chances if his fist were to suddenly have an accident with the smug face before him.
“Perhaps it’s because there is no Julius Quaid,” Abraham continued. “Your name is fake, as are your documents. What’s your real name? Does it come with a long history of crime?”
“You know so damn much about me,” Quaid muttered. “Why don’t you tell me who I am then?”
Abraham looked over the man’s shoulder, noting the empty corridor behind him. It was true that he had no love loss for the man, but he didn’t want to ruin the reputation of the Captain in front of the crew.
“You were a slaver,” Abraham whispered. “That’s why you needed the fake name. Your real name is flagged in every system, except for this one. That’s why you continue to stay here, salvaging whatever you can from wrecked ships and abandoned facilities. Sooner or later, your luck is going to run out. As I said before, those girls deserve better than what YOU can offer them.”
The Captain wanted to reply, but the words had escaped his mind. Reacting upon instinct, his right hand swung out, aimed at the Cyber’s head. A thousand calculations were made the second Quaid’s shoulder flexed. Abraham was able to project the path of the blow, long before the hand had cleared his own hip. The Cyber’s left hand shot upward, catching the wrist of Quaid and pulling the man’s body forward, following his momentum. He pivoted, throwing a foot out and tripping the smaller man as he released his grip on the wrist. Quaid stumbled to the floor, his hands shredding against the grating of the metal base of the Hopper. He regained his balance and lunged once more, only to have a hand strike his throat, shutting off his windpipe. Quaid fell to his knees, gasping for air.
“I can do this all day, Captain,” Abraham said as he circled the kneeling man. “You’re thinking about pulling your gun from the holster so you can put a bullet in my skull and retake your crew. I would advise against further hostilities. If you draw on me, I will sidestep your shot, close the distance, and take your pistol from you. You will attempt to take it back, leaving me little choice but to fire upon you. Are you prepared to die from your own gun, Captain Quaid?”
Quaid remained on his knees, stilling trying to regain his breath. His eyes bore a hole through the Cyber, his hatred boiling within his chest. His muscles tightened, but wisdom reminded him that further violence would be met with superior forces, leaving him little options other than to obey.
“Good,” Abraham continued. “Here is what will happen. We will each take our pick from your weapon stash, as well as enough ammo for each weapon. We take all of the medical equipment as well as the tools I brought on board. We will take only the emergency type medical supplies, their personal belongings, and four of the hover boards. That leaves you with plenty to sell. I suggest you find someone to forge your ships records and renew your code. This isn’t a deal, and I’m not asking you.”
Quaid finally regained his breath, grunting as he forced himself to his feet. The skin and muscles on his throat throbbed as he gained his equilibrium. He muttered something beneath his breath as he lowered his head and stormed down the corridor. Abraham followed him to the common room, allowing the man his privacy as he slipped into the cockpit. The ship’s engines fired up just before the Hopper lifted off the ground. The trip was slow and steady, maintaining a level plane as Quaid piloted the ship to the former Cyber outpost.
The ship landed as smoothly as it’d taken off, allowing for the crew to continue gathering their belongings as Quaid lowered the back hatch. He never left the cockpit as he waited for the crew to vacate his ship. It took just under an hour for everyone to choose their weapon, their ammo, to split the medical supplies, and make multiple trips with the hoverboards. Eventually, they had everything they wished to take from the ship. Quaid had been watching the video feed, closing the rear hatch as Sandra waved to him.
Sandra and Jenna Oliver watched the Hopper lift off the ground, then disappear from their view. The siblings shared mixed emotions as their former home and employer left them behind. Nothing was said as the two girls turned to their new leader, closing in behind him as he worked on the security door.
“You know what you’re doing?” Jenna asked, watching the man’s fingers dance over the touch screen.
“I do,” he replied. “I’m just being careful. I need to disable the live-feed BEFORE I open the door. No sense in announcing to everyone that we’re here.”
Jenna continued to watch the Cyber work though her eyes were barely able to keep up with the screens as he changed from one to the next. The sun reached its highest peak as the Cyber managed to shut down the live feed, then opened the exterior doors to the outpost.
The opened doorway offered them nothing but darkness as Sandra guided Cybill’s cryo chamber into the outpost, aided by the hovering board. She waited for several moments before Abraham was able to turn on the lights. There was little of significance in the room. A metal table was on the right, with a small path to the thin side next to the front door where a computer terminal rested. The area on the opposite long end of the table was lined with three couches though they did not look as though they were designed with comfort in mind. The left wall offered them three closed doors, with access to the climate control resting between the second and third doorways. Another set of doors lies straight ahead from the front entrance, with a staircase in the back right corner. Sandra pushed the hovering board past the table, thinking that they would need access to the table’s surface in order to unload the remaining supplies.
The trio said nothing as they went back and forth with the hoverboards, bringing in all the supplies from the outside. Jenna did her best to sort the supplies on the long, metal table, noting that the food supplies were lower than she would have hoped. The medical supplies were lined up next to the food, with bulk packages stacked neatly on top of one another. The guns and their appropriate ammo rested in the center of the table, leaving little room for the women to place their personal belongings. The tools and medical equipment were left on the boards as well as the cryo chamber.
Sandra and Jenna slumped down on the couch, looking at the heap of supplies in front of them. Sandra shifted in her seat, thankful that it was more comfortable than it appeared as Jenna curled up on her side, resting her head upon her sister’s thigh. Her eyes slowly closed while Abraham searched through the screens of the wall terminal, determining where everything lay within the outpost.
“The outpost is much larger than it appears,” Abraham stated, k
eeping his voice hushed as he noted Jenna’s vital signs were slowing. “Those two doors over there lead to the mess hall and storage rooms. Two of the three on the left are meeting rooms, with the third one leading hall to the medical and mechanical labs. The stairs lead up to the bedrooms. There are five of them, so it seems that we will have plenty of room. I’ll take Cybill to the lab if you can get the food put into storage. I’ll come back for my tools and the medical supplies. Just get the food put away and then get some rest.”
“You don’t want to talk about it, do you?” Sandra whispered, stroking Jenna’s hair as she slept. “You haven’t even asked why we came with you rather than leave with Quaid. Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
Abraham continued to edge the board carrying Cybill’s chamber into the doorway, which he pried open with another board. He hung his head down, not wishing to answer the question. His mind told him that the girls had chosen the best of the possible scenarios, looking down the path to their futures. His heart, however, told him there were personal reasons that he was not considering. He slowly turned to face the seated woman, noting that Jenna had rolled over, her head still on Sandra’s thigh, though with her back now turned to him. There was something peaceful about the scene though he wasn’t sure if it were the resting girl or the sense of a home that made the scene what it was.
“I had only considered that you wanted something more than Quaid could offer you,” Abraham replied, taking a seat next to Sandra. “Since you’ve started the discussion, though, I’m left with few options other than to ask. Why did you choose to remain with me, rather than remain with Quaid?”
Sandra shifted slightly, enabling her to look at Abe without having to strain her neck. Jenna offered a moan in retaliation though remained asleep. Her eyes peered into the black discs, trying to decide where she should be looking. She opted for the dead center, the black circle that lies inside the thin orange lights.
