Captivity

by Maureen Toonkel

  “Pearson,” the Captain said. “I need you to report to the Conveyor Port. Please prepare to launch a space pod to the planet’s surface. We are ready to begin excavation at 1000 hours.”

  “I think that is an unwise move,” asserted Dennis.

  “I don’t particularly care what you think, Lieutenant Commander.” He gave Dennis a glaring look and then turned his chair around.

  Dennis was incensed. He grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around, so that Torgenson was facing him. “I think there are some factors that you need to consider before going ahead with your plans.”

  Captain Torgenson was not at all pleased with Dennis’ behavior. “I told you that I don’t care what you think. Now I gave you an order. I suggest you follow it, or I will have no choice but to have you escorted to the Brig for insubordination!”

  The fury in Dennis’ eyes frightened the Captain for a moment. But Dennis slowly relinquished his hold on Torgenson’s chair. He did an about face and boarded the elevator.

  The freshly dug hole was still there under the fence that stretched across the I and J Lanes. Joban assisted Josh in placing Dr. Loring on the ground. Then Joban crawled under the fence. Josh shoved the doctor’s legs into the hole beneath the fencing. With Joban pulling on his legs, and Josh pushing on his shoulders, Paul made it through. Josh followed after him. Then with Joban gripping the doctor under his shoulders and with Josh grasping his legs and walking backwards, they managed to slowly carry the dead-like body for several feet.

  Across the road a group of slaves were patrolling the entrance to the Greenhouse. Some of the slaves were loading fruits and vegetables onto a handcart. When they saw Josh and Joban the slaves stood up tall holding their shovels upright. Then a scrawny looking male slave with long dreadlocks held out his hand and said, “Joban.”

  Joban shook hands with the slave. “Hom,” he greeted the slave, “this is Josh Stoner and his friend Paul. Josh is going to help all of us escape.”

  “Yes, we know about that,” said Hom. “Wayne gave us the handcart, so we can haul food back to the slaves gathered at the Boulder Entrance, but it looks like you need it right now more than we do.” He ordered the slaves to empty the cart. Hom pushed it over to Joban and helped him lift Dr. Loring onto the cart. Then he motioned for the slaves to clear a path.

  “Thank you,” said Josh. “We will bring it right back.”

  “You are welcome,” said Hom. “Now hurry. We will guard the entrances. Godspeed.”

  Josh pushed Dr. Loring ahead with Joban following. He parked the cart alongside the gurney.

  Fully inflated orange dinghies were lined up along the shoreline. Wayne and Fabiana were lying on the ground using the boats as pillows. Wayne quickly jumped up when he spied the Captain. He was surprised to see Dr. Loring.

  “Wayne,” commanded Josh, “help Joban put Dr. Loring on the ground. Joban needs to return the cart to the slaves at the Greenhouse.”

  “Yes, sir,” snapped Wayne dashing over to assist Joban.

  “How are you coming with the handcuff?” Josh asked Keith.

  “I have not had any luck,” reported Keith. “Perhaps you want to try again. You are pretty good at picking locks.” He handed the paper clip to the Captain.

  Josh picked at the handcuff for several minutes, but the lock would not give. C’mon, get this damn thing open, Josh scolded himself. It’s just a simple little lock!

  Dave Andrews could see the Captain’s frustration. “Josh,” he said, “don’t waste any more time. Just leave me here. I will wait for help to arrive.”

  “Dave, you are very vulnerable chained to this gurney. I can’t just leave you here.”

  “You must,” insisted Andrews.

  “Wayne,” said Josh, “keep trying till we are ready to go.” Wayne took the paperclip from the Captain.

  “Sir, I’ll try, but I don’t think I’ll be of much help,” stated Wayne. “My hands are full of splinters.”

  “Oh?” questioned Keith coming over to the stretcher. “Let me take a look.” He examined Wayne’s hands. There were four splinters on the index finger of one hand and three on the middle finger of the other hand. Most were embedded under the skin. “I think I can help. Sit down.”

  The two officers sat down on the ground. Keith removed a number of items from his canvas bag; the scissors, adhesive tape, and several banana peels. He carefully cut the peels into long strips and then wrapped the strips around the fingers containing the splinters. He securely taped the peels in place.

  “Keith, what the heck are you doing?” asked the Captain. He and the others were standing nearby astounded by what they were seeing.

  “It’s something my great-grandmother once told me. I’ve never actually tried it. It’s one of those old-fashioned home remedies.”

  After five minutes, and with everyone looking on, Keith undid the tape and removed the banana peels from Wayne’s fingers. The splinters were gone.

  “Well, I’ll be,” said Josh. “Keith, you never cease to amaze me.” He looked past the gurney to the lakeshore. ”OK, it looks like the dinghies are all ready. Let’s get Dr. Loring into one.” With Wayne’s help, Keith and Josh lifted Paul Loring off the ground and lowered him into one of the orange boats. Then they dragged the small craft back to the edge of the lake.

  “I wish we had a way to contact the Gladiator, so they can prepare for our arrival,” Josh said to the group.

  “Sir,” spoke up Keith. He had noticed that the doctor was still wearing his belt pack. “Can I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course, Lieutenant,” said Josh. “Do you have something in your bag that we can use to call Dennis Pearson?”

  “No, sir,” said Keith, “but Dr. Loring may.” Everyone stared at Keith. “Perhaps he still has his sat phone in his belt pack.”

  Josh leaned over and unbuckled the nylon bag from Dr. Loring’s waist. He quickly zipped it open and rummaged through its contents. He withdrew a small blue phone. “Yes!” he snapped. “And look!” He held up his hand to reveal a single key dangling on a brass key ring. He tossed the key ring to Wayne Shasta who caught it with his right hand. Wayne inserted the key in the handcuff, and it clinked open.

  “Let’s get into the boats,” commanded Josh. He climbed into the dinghy with Dr. Loring. “Wayne, please go with Dave.” Then he flipped open Dr. Loring’s satellite phone.

  After handing out the oars, Keith stepped into the boat where Beverly was already seated. He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

  “Bleep, bleep, bleep.” A tiny speaker on the console in the Conveyor Port was ringing. Dennis dashed over as the elevator doors closed. The small digital screen lit up and spelled out “Dr. Paul Loring, Incoming Call.”

  It’s Dr. Loring calling from his sat phone, Dennis said to himself. This is fantastic. He flicked on the speaker button.

  “Paul, it is so good to hear from you,” shouted Dennis.

  “Denny, it’s Josh. We will be leaving Brisula in a small spacecraft. Please prepare for our entry.”

  “Sir, you’re alive. Thank goodness. Where have you been?” asked Dennis.

  “I don’t have time to explain right now,” Josh said quickly. “Just get ready for us. Oh, and Denny, please have Amanda Rugan available. We need medical assistance. Over.”

  The group of orange boats arrived at the spacecrafts that were anchored to a floating dock about a quarter of a mile from the shore. Lieutenant Hampton tossed a banana up into the breeze. He watched as it touched down and rested motionlessly atop the wharf. The banana did not bounce back by hitting a force field nor did it emit sparks from electricity. A flimsy rope ladder was attached to one side of the dock. Keith grabbed hold of the ladder with one hand and hoisted himself out of the dinghy. Joban leaned out of his boat and caught hold of Keith’s boat. After Keith climbed up the ladder and crawled onto the wooden dock, he leaned over and assisted Beverly. With Keith’s help she scampered up the ladder and onto the jetty. Joban released the empty boat, and he l
ifted Fabiana up onto the ladder. She managed to get to the top, and Keith pulled her up onto the platform. With help from Joban, Wayne, and Keith, a very weak Dave Andrews was able to reach the dock. Next they tried to lift Dr. Loring. Josh, Wayne, and Joban struggled as the boats bounced on the waves and they tried to keep their balance.

  Keith shouted down, “Sir, may I suggest that you tie the doctor to the ladder and then wrap the ladder around him.” He threw down a couple of rolls of gauze. “Hand me an oar.” Joban and Josh used the gauze to secure Paul to the ladder and then draped the rest of the ladder around Paul’s torso. Keith reached down with the oar and hooked it through two of the rungs, so it formed a sling. With Beverly and Fabiana’s assistance Keith pulled up on the oar while Josh used another oar to push up on Paul’s butt. Wayne held onto Josh to keep him from slipping. It worked, and soon Keith was able to pull the doctor onto the dock. He lowered the ladder, and Wayne, Joban, and lastly the Captain scrambled up.

  Josh patted Keith on the back. “Nice work,” he said. “Now, I have one more job for you.” He smiled and said, “You need to fly this spacecraft out of here and up to the Gladiator.”

  Keith looked at Josh with a blank stare. He had been wondering who was going to pilot the spacecraft. For some reason he was thinking that Captain Stoner was going to do it. But, deep down he knew that it was going to be him. After all he was the navigator on the Gladiator. However, he had never flown a small spacecraft, especially a foreign one that was docked in an underground lake.

  “Yes, sir,” responded Keith. “Do you have any idea how the craft gets out of the water?”

  “No, but you are very resourceful. I am sure you will figure it out.”

  They chose the spacecraft that was closest to where they were standing. It was painted green with the words Brisula Number Four stenciled in silver along the side. There were seats for eight passengers and one pilot. Behind the passenger seats was a wide open cargo area. Josh ordered everyone to be seated. They strapped the still unconscious Dr. Loring into a seat. Keith slid into the pilot’s chair and studied the dials on the dashboard and the levers bolted to the floor alongside his seat. Since there was a roof over the Lake, Keith reasoned that the spacecraft must be an amphibious type vehicle. That is, it most likely could be used as a submarine and as a spacecraft. He reckoned that the spacecraft would need to first submerge and then be propelled to the area where the Lake was above ground. At that point the craft could surface and begin its assent to the sky.

  Well, here goes nothing, thought Keith. He placed his right hand on a small round button on the dashboard and his left hand on one of the floor levers. “Ready for departure,” he announced to his crew. He pushed the button, and he could hear the release of the anchor and feel its movement as it rose up. He pulled back on the lever, and the spacecraft began to sink.

  The directional panels on the dashboard indicated that the depth of the Lake was shallower straight to the north. Keith steered the ship in that direction. After a while they could see a long meshed fence stretching across the floor of the Lake. Sparks erupted as the bottom of the ship touched the fence. The ship rocked back and forth momentarily, but they were able to cross over the fence. There had been fish of all sizes and colors swimming lazily alongside the spacecraft, but suddenly the Lake was devoid of fish. All at once everyone aboard could see rays of sunlight shining from above. Keith let up on the lever and switched to another one. He pushed forward, and the spacecraft slowly began to rise. As the craft broke the surface, Keith and the others had to close their eyes. The bright sunshine was actually painful after being in underground tunnels for so long. For Joban and Fabiana it was particularly both excruciating and awe inspiring at the same time. Neither had seen sunlight for many years.

  Keith grabbed a third lever and began pulling back on it. “We have take off,” he announced. “I will need guidance from the Gladiator.”

  Josh dialed the satellite phone. “Denny, we are space bound. Please locate our position and assist in navigation.”

  “I have you on our radar, sir,” came Dennis’ voice through the satellite phone speaker. “We’ll have you back in no time.”

  The massive launch pad doors were open wide. Keith decelerated and very carefully steered the Brisulan spacecraft though the doors. He brought the ship to a halt, and the hangar doors clanged shut.

  “Prepare to disembark,” Keith announced. He sounded quite pleased with himself but also relieved. He activated the control that lowered the exit ramp. Then he punched the button that opened the ship’s passenger door. As Captain Stoner headed for the exit he stopped and patted Keith on the back. Keith responded with a nod.

  Josh stepped off the craft and was immediately surrounded by several of his crew members. Dennis Pearson, Diane Pearson, Jackson Greene, Amanda Rugan, and Benjamin Rubin. They hugged him tightly as they tried to hold back their emotions. But they couldn’t. Teardrops streamed down the cheeks of Amanda and Diane. Jackson’s and Ben’s eyes were also swollen with tears. Even Dennis Pearson was choked up as he tried to welcome Josh home.

  “I appreciate all the fuss,” Josh told his crew. “But we need to act fast. Paul and Dave need medical attention. There are also others down below who need rescuing.”

  Keith and Wayne emerged from the ship carrying Dr. Loring. Amanda rushed over with a stretcher. Joban and Beverly helped Dave Andrews down the ramp. Then Joban returned to the craft to get Fabiana. At that moment the elevator doors opened. A small group of officers stepped out.

  Victor Torgenson eyed the disheveled bunch of former slaves assembled in the Conveyor Port. They wore torn and dirty clothes. Their hair was uncombed and mud streaks covered their exposed flesh. Most had numbers stapled to the rags they were wearing. “Who are these people?” roared Torgenson. “What are they doing on my ship?”

  “Your ship?” remarked a surprised Josh. “This is my ship.”

  “Who are you to make such a bold claim?” asked Torgenson.

  “I am Captain Joshua Stoner, and I am in command of the U.S.S. Gladiator. Who, may I ask, are you?”

  Captain Torgenson stood as still as a statue with his mouth hung open.

  Dennis answered the question for him. “Captain, sir. This is Captain Victor Torgenson. He was dispatched to the Gladiator to lead a Search and Rescue team. His assignment was to rescue you. He currently has taken charge of the ship.”

  “I see,” said Josh. He had taken an immediate dislike to Victor Torgenson. The man seemed bossy and authoritarian. “Well, as you can see I no longer need rescuing. I will resume command of the Gladiator. Thank you for your assistance.”

  Torgenson regained his senses. He did not like Joshua Stoner’s attitude, and he did not like being dismissed. “I will need to check with Admiral Wilcox before relinquishing command.” He asked one of his officers to call into UGC. The officer made the call and handed the phone to Victor who turned his back to Josh. He was on the phone for less than five minutes. Then he hung up and turned around.

  “Admiral Wilcox has directed me to turn over command of the Gladiator to Captain Stoner. My officers and I are to depart this evening for Space Station 16.” He gave Captain Stoner a salute and headed for the elevator with his officers following behind him. Before boarding the elevator he turned and said, “Oh, Captain Stoner, you need to be careful of this one.” He pointed at Dennis Pearson. “He tends to be insubordinate.” And with that he got into the elevator.

  “I can just imagine what you must have done to tick him off,” said Josh smiling at Pearson. “Amanda, please tend to Paul. He most likely was hit in the head with a shovel.”

  Amanda retrieved the medical bag from the cabinet on the wall behind the Conveyor console. She took out the Bio-Scan and held it over Paul Loring’s body. Starting at his feet she slowly moved the device up his legs, above his abdomen, and over his mid-section. She carefully read the digital information that flashed across the screen as the Bio-Scan checked all of his internal organs, bones, muscles,
and blood vessels.

  “Oh my stars!” shouted Amanda. She lowered the Bio-Scan and stepped away from the gurney. “It can’t be. It just can’t be.” She covered her mouth with her free hand.

  “What is it Amanda?” said Josh with alarm in his voice. Was Paul dead?

  “He’s — he’s — he’s—” stumbled Amanda.

  “He’s what? He’s dead?” asked Josh, now very alarmed.

  “He’s not dead. He’s a Tradian!”

  Captain Stoner got off the elevator and headed for Sick Bay. He was still wearing his slave clothes. After the shock of learning that his best friend and fellow officer was a Tradian, he ordered Amanda to begin administering medical treatment to Dr. Loring. Nurse Jill Mann was alerted to be ready in Sick Bay to treat Dave Andrews and Fabiana. Wayne Shasta, Keith Hampton, and Beverly Glenna were told to wash up, get into uniforms and report to Sick Bay for examinations. Josh himself went up to the Bridge and began making calls to United Galaxy Command. He was just concluding a conversation with Admiral Wilcox when Amanda Rugan called to inform him that Dr. Loring had regained consciousness.

  Josh hurried through the Sick Bay doors and was met by Nurse Mann. She eyed the Captain’s wardrobe.

  “Sir,” she said timidly, “you cannot come in here dressed that way.”

  Josh began arguing with her. She seemed frightened and backed off. But Amanda Rugan had heard the scuffle and came over to intercede.

  “Captain, I need to remind you that this is a hospital and therefore a sterile environment. We cannot risk spreading germs that may lead to infections. You will need to clean up before you will be allowed to see Dr. Loring.”

  Josh stared at Amanda for a few seconds, opened his mouth to argue with her and instead nodded and did an about face. He went to his quarters, a place where he hadn’t been for two weeks. All his belongings were there exactly as he had left them that day he returned to Brisula to search for Hampton and Glenna. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Had it really only been thirteen days? He stripped off his clothes and tossed them in a pile near the wastepaper basket under his desk. He adjusted the faucets, so that a hot stream of water hit his chest. Bending his head, so the jet stream poured water over his head and trickled down his back, he began thinking about Dr. Loring. Was Paul really a Tradian? He was Josh’s best friend. The person he trusted the most with his personal feelings and thoughts.