by Simon Haynes
There was a roar outside as the jet fired up, and then with a swirl of dust, it was gone. Harriet pulled the door open and ran outside, shielding her eyes as she watched the ship rising gracefully into the sky. She'd put on the front for the others, but inside she was sick with worry. Sure, Alice was resourceful, but Darting was cunning and desperate.
"You realise you might never see them again?" demanded Birch. "I can't believe—"
"Dave, I had no choice. Ben would have been killed for sure, and at least this way they've both got a chance."
"You don't know that woman," said Birch quietly.
"Yeah, but I know Alice." Harriet turned the others. "We've got to head back to the station. It's the only place we can hold Darting's people off."
"Too late," said Birch, and he nodded towards the road. "They just found us."
Three or four vans were pulling up, and as they came to a halt the doors opened and about a dozen of the enemy poured out.
— ♦ —
Alice watched the planetary surface dropping away beneath them, her mind in turmoil. She considered one plan after another, discarding each as impractical, impossible or just plain crazy. For example, there was a transparent canopy enclosing the cockpit, and she wondered if she could open it in flight, without warning. But what would that achieve? She could throw the ship all over the sky until Darting begged her to stop, but unless she got hold of the woman's gun there was no point.
She'd already asked Darting where they were going, but the woman told her to ask again once they were in orbit. She probably guessed, correctly, that Alice would immediately relay their destination to Harriet.
Alice was under no illusions about the danger she was in. Once they got to their destination, she was pretty sure Darting would leave no witnesses. She'd either shoot Alice and Ben out of hand, or her people would arrange for them to disappear. Either way, the future was bleak.
Alice considered calling the spaceport, or the orbiter, or any nearby ships for help, but what could they do? Plus Darting would hear her speaking the minute she tried to communicate with anyone. Her lips pressed into a thin line, Alice continued to plot as the ship rose higher into the morning sky. They'd almost reached 20,000 metres of altitude, far out over the ocean, before she risked a look back at her passengers. The piloting console was exposed to the sunshine, with the canopy directly overhead, but the passenger chairs were further back, set lower in the flight deck. Anyone sitting in those chairs, like Darting for example, only had a narrow field of view out the top of the canopy. They couldn't look out the sides, and they certainly couldn't see the ocean, far below. In fact, Darting had no idea how high up they were, and that gave Alice an idea. It was a bit crazy, it was unlikely to work, and she'd probably get shot into the bargain, but she couldn't think of anything better.
"We're going to need some fuel," she shouted over her shoulder. "I'm just setting down at the spaceport. It won't take long."
"I didn't say you could land," said Darting.
"If we don't refuel, we'll be landing whether you want to or not," said Alice drily.
"All right, but be quick about it."
"We'll be landing in about five minutes."
Alice leaned forward and selected a sub-menu on the console in front of her. She typed out a command for Arnie, the ship's computer, and submitted it: Arnie, don't speak. Wait five minutes then idle the engines.
The reply was immediate: Understood.
After you cut the thrust, say the words 'landing complete'.
Complying, was the response.
Alice smiled. As an ex-military ship, Arnie was not one to question orders. Even crazy ones. Quickly, she typed another command: Don't fire the jets unless we're about to crash into the surface.
Understood, replied Arnie.
Alice glanced over her shoulder. "We'll be setting down in a minute. Hold on, you might feel a bump." I doubt that very much, she thought, since they weren't actually landing anywhere. On cue, the engines throttled back to a muted roar. The ship's anti-gravity field cancelled out the sudden loss of altitude, but even so Alice felt a twinge in her stomach. The ship was no longer climbing, and was now dropping like a rock towards the planet. By her calculation, they had six or seven minutes before they smashed into the ground.
"Landing complete," said Arnie.
Alice threw off the harness and stood up. "Just going to organise the ground crew," she told Darting.
"Why do you need to speak to them?"
"Last time I filled up here, they used the cheap stuff. I had engine troubles for a week afterwards."
"All right, but don't move out of my sight. And nobody leaves the ship."
Alice gestured at the staircase, which was at the rear of the flight deck. "I've got to go down to the airlock."
"Then we're coming with you."
"Whatever." Alice pushed past as Darting got up, her gun still on Ben, and took the ladder to the airlock with the others behind her. The engines were still idling, their noise almost disguising the sound of wind whistling past the ship. To Alice the faint noise was unmistakable, but she knew the ship and Darting didn't. The anti-gravity cancelled out all motion, so there wasn't even a tell-tale swaying as they dropped towards the ground. In fact, if she hadn't already known, it would have been almost impossible to tell the ship wasn't sitting on the ground. She just hoped Darting wasn't some expert on space travel.
"What's all that noise?" asked Darting. "Why are the engines still running?"
"They have to tick over for a few minutes. It's a cooldown period." Alice held her breath. If Darting did know anything about spaceships, the game was over. However, the woman said nothing, and Alice relaxed.
The three of them reached the airlock, and Alice reached for the hatch set into the floor. Before she opened it, she caught Ben's eye. "Hang on tight, the blast from the thrusters is strong enough to rip your clothes off."
"Just get on with it," snapped Darting, keeping them both covered with her gun.
Alice shrugged and unsealed the hatch. The force of the air pressure blew it in, slamming it back against the deck, and a howling, whistling wind thundered into the ship. Alice's ears popped under the immense air pressure, and they were all thrown backwards, away from the hatch. The gun went flying, skidding across the floor, and Alice recovered first, diving across the deck to scoop it up. Before her fingers closed on the grip, Darting's shoe came down on her wrist, pinning her arm to the deck. Then Darting crouched, fighting the roaring headwind as she scrabbled for the gun. She managed to get hold of it by the barrel, and as she turned it in her hand, ready to fire, Alice realised her gamble had failed. She'd lost.
The gun came up, and Alice braced herself for the shot. Then she realised Darting couldn't shoot her … there was nobody else to fly the jet!
Unfortunately, nobody told Darting. Her face was a mask of anger after Alice's ruse, her eyes mere slits, and as she levelled the weapon it was obvious she was going to shoot.
Ben saw what was about to happen, and he sprang at Darting, ramming her with his shoulder. She was thrown across the airlock directly towards the hatch, and Alice's eyes widened as she saw the woman heading straight for the gaping hole. But instead of falling out the ship, the air pressure blew her upwards, pinning her to the ceiling. There was a thud as she hit the roof, and the gun went flying again, hitting the wall before clattering to the deck at Alice's feet.
Alice grabbed the gun, and as her fingers closed on the grip she felt a fierce surge of triumph. That was it! She'd won! She could take Darting back to Chirless in chains, or tied up with a piece of rope at least, and Alice was just picturing the medal she'd receive when the ship's thrusters came on with a thundering roar. Startled, she glanced down through the hatch, and saw the choppy surface of the ocean approaching at terrifying speed.
Darting was still pinned to the roof, but before they could grab her and drag her to safety, the ship began to slow. Despite the anti-gravity, Alice felt a huge weight on her s
houlders, and her knees threatened to buckle under the strain.
That was nothing to Darting's problems, though. There was a blur as the older woman went straight though the hatch, arms and legs flailing, and Alice had one final glimpse of her enemy's shocked face before Darting vanished against the vast, empty ocean.
The ship's thrusters continued to roar, slowing the ship's plunge towards the water. Finally, they stopped falling, and as they started to rise again, Alice slammed the hatch and sealed it. Then she glanced at Ben, who looked pale and shocked. "You all right?" she asked him.
He stared at her. "She … fell out," he said at last. "She's gone!"
"Yeah." Alice paused. "At least I kept my promise."
"What promise?" asked Ben, his voice rising. "What are you talking about?"
"I said I'd drop her off at the nearest planet."
Chapter 28
"I think she's their leader," muttered Birch, indicating a red-headed woman stepping out of a van. "I saw her ordering them around earlier."
The woman had one arm in a makeshift sling, and there was a heavy bruise on the side of her face. She held a blaster in her free hand, covering Harriet.
"You can put that away," said Harriet. "Darting agreed to a deal. It's over."
"Sure. I believe you." The woman nodded to her men, and they fanned out, guns at the ready.
Harriet saw her own people aiming weapons, and she realised one itchy trigger finger could lead to a massacre. "Lower your weapons," she said calmly.
"No chance," said the woman.
"I was talking to my people." Harriet turned slowly, and motioned with both hands. "Everyone, weapons down. It's time to talk."
They obeyed, and Harriet turned to the redhead. "Believe me, the shooting is over. Darting's on her way to another planet."
"She'd never surrender!" The woman's grip tightened on her gun. "Did you kill her? Is that it?"
"Why don't you call her? She'll confirm everything I'm saying."
Slowly, the woman took out her commset. She dialled, and waited, but there was no reply. After directing a glance laden with suspicion at Harriet, she tried again. Again, there was no reply. "It says it's out of range."
"Right." Harriet indicated the empty building behind her. "If we'd killed her, you'd be able to hear it ringing."
The woman came to a decision. "Say we talk. What do you want?"
"Nothing. Take that freighter of yours and leave this planet."
"How can we trust you?"
"I give you my word," said Harriet calmly. "Take your wounded and leave this planet for good. My people won't harm you."
"That's it?"
'That's it." Harriet paused. "But if you come back, we'll arrest every last one of you, and you'll spend the rest of your lives in jail. This planet is under Peace Force protection, and you're not welcome."
The woman eyed her thoughtfully, then ran her gaze over Harriet's people. Finally, she stared at Bernie, who stood nearby like a walking, talking battle tank. Harriet knew the robot had to be running on the last dregs of her charge, but the enemy didn't.
"It seems you have a deal," said the woman at last, and she gestured at her people. Harriet sent Birch to fetch the prisoners they'd taken during the attack, then watched as they trooped across the expanse of land towards the redhead. Then, all of the enemy got back into the vans, and with a roar from the engines and a squeal of tortured tyres, they were gone.
"Phew," said Harriet, with feeling. "That was close."
"I don't mean to be picky," said Moira, "but shouldn't you have arrested them?"
"I didn't want to push my luck. They could have slaughtered us where we stood, and if Darting found out her people had taken the planet that would have been it for Alice and Ben, too." Harriet glanced at the sky, concerned. She had no idea how long it would take Alice to drop Darting off, and —
Rrrinnggg!
Harriet felt in her pocket, and took out her commset. "Hello? Alice?"
"Hi sis. Just letting you know we're on the way back."
Harriet's stomach dropped. "What do you mean? We made a deal with Darting!"
"Don't worry, she's out of the picture." Alice hesitated. "Are you still near that dump of a shopping mall?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Hold tight, I'll be back in ten. And Harriet?"
"Yes?"
"Tell the others it's over. We won."
Harriet disconnected. She wasn't sure quite how Alice had managed it, but her sister seemed absolutely positive Darting wouldn't be a problem any more. With a rush of relief, she turned to the others and gave them the good news, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face as they raised their weapons and cheered.
— ♦ —
Harriet sat beside Alice as the jet flew everyone to the Chirless Peace Force station. Ben was in the back, crammed in with the rest of the Peace Force people, and Harriet couldn't help noticing he looked pale and drawn. Alice was her usual chirpy self, but there seemed to be a dark undercurrent to her mood.
"All right. What happened?" Harriet asked her. "Where did you drop Darting off?"
Alice winced. "You could have phrased that better."
"Why?"
There was no reply, and Harriet frowned at her sister. "Alice, stop messing about. Ben looks like he's seen a ghost, and there's no way you had time to fly to another planet. You couldn't have even reached the orbiter in the time you were gone, so what happened?"
Slowly, as the ship crossed the city, Alice told her. As her sister explained what happened, Harriet listened without interrupting. When Alice finished, she squeezed her arm. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know."
"I mean, you don't have to feel guilty."
"I don't." Alice glanced across the cockpit. "Why do you think I pretended the ship had landed? Why do you think I told her about the refueling? I knew she'd follow me to the hatch."
"Yes, but—"
"But nothing. My plan was to get the hatch open and push her out." Alice shrugged. "She saved me the bother."
"Alice! We're supposed to uphold the law, not go around executing people."
"She was a criminal. And you should read the stuff on the Peace Force that Bernie makes me study. Did you know we can do whatever we want?"
"Not on this planet," said Harriet firmly.
They were both silent until Alice cleared her throat. "So, are you going to arrest me?"
"Of course not. Darting fell out of the ship. If there's any comeback over this, Ben was there as a witness."
"What if I'd pushed her out? Would you lock me up?"
"No, because I don't believe you'd have done it."
"Just wait until next time."
Privately, Harriet hoped there wouldn't be a next time. "I'm glad you're safe, anyway. I wasn't sure I'd see you again."
Alice smiled at that. "It'd take more than some has-been crime boss to get rid of me."
Harriet would have said more, but at that moment the Chirless station came into view. This time they weren't carrying Bernie, who'd declared she'd had enough of criss-crossing the planet clinging to a ladder. Instead, the big robot had taken a cab.
Arnie approached the building at speed, flared above the rooftop, and set down in the middle of the landing pad. Alice got up and made her way past the people jammed into the cockpit, and once the hatch was open they filed out and took the ladder to the ground. Harriet was left on her own, still sitting in her seat. She could see the others talking animatedly as they crossed the roof to the stairwell. She watched Birch approach Ben, giving him what had to be a pep talk, and she smiled at the sight. Birch was a treasure.
"Arnie," she said suddenly. "Do you keep in-flight recordings?"
"Yes. Voice, vision and data."
Harriet hesitated. Part of her wanted to listen to Alice's final confrontation with Darting, to verify her sister's story. On the other hand, she was afraid what the recording might show. What if Alice was lying? What if she pushed Darting out of the ship,
then forced Ben to back her up? Then she decided to take Alice's word for it. "Arnie, delete today's data. All of it, including any backups."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Data and backups erased."
"Thanks Arnie." Harriet got up and made her way to the rear of the flight deck. She took the steps down to the airlock, where she paused to look at the open hatch. Alice's story had a ring of truth to it, but for a split second she wished she'd confirmed it with Arnie. There would always be that nagging doubt.
Then she shrugged, and took the ladder down to the rooftop.
— ♦ —
By the time Harriet reached the ground floor, the others had already started tidying up. Flint got Caldavir to help him with Scrap, who was still hidden where Harriet had left him. They set the robot on a table, and when Harriet saw Flint's expression, she went over to speak with him. "I promise you we'll get him repaired. He helped to save us, and I won't forget that."
"Thanks," said Flint, with a brief smile. "I know he's just another robot to most of you, but I don't know what I'd do without him."
Harriet saw Birch, and called him over. "Do you still have a number for that robot guy who fixed Bernie once? Jeremy, wasn't it?"
"Sure." Birch eyed the damaged robot laid out on the table. "Want me to give him a call?"
"Yeah. I'd like Scrap fixed as quick as possible. Today, if he can manage it."
"I'll see what I can do." Birch went off to speak with the robot tech in private, and Harriet went to find Ben. He was sitting on the stairs with Alice, the pair of them looking into space and saying very little. "Ben, do you need a lift home?"
"No, I'll get a cab." He got up, then looked down at Alice. "You wanna hang out some time?"
"I guess."
"Bye then."
"Bye."
Ben left, and Alice groaned. "God, that was awkward."
"I think he likes you."
"That's why it's awkward." Alice looked over her shoulder. "I think Dave wants you."
Harriet glanced round. "All right, back in a minute." She walked over to Birch, who still had the commset in his hand. "What's up?"