Space Bound: A Dragon Soul Press Anthology

by J. E. Feldman

  The wolves moved closer. They stank of old death. Clotted blood stained their muzzles and pieces of bone flecked their hair. Anna almost whispered, “Athena, on my count to three, open the door behind me. The second I’m clear, close it. Don’t let the wolves inside.”

  Athena said, “You are alone in the corridor.”

  “Just do it, damn it. One. Two. Three.”

  Anna moved into the doorway and blocked it open with her body. After the wolves moved through the doorway, Anna shouted, “Athena, close the door.”

  The wolves’ bodies became blurry and indistinct. They shifted into smoke that boiled and rolled. They assumed human forms. Anna hugged the female. “Nadia, my beloved ancestor. I was so worried. Why the hell are you wandering around the damn ship? You were supposed to pilot until we reached Sirius and wake me before Athena woke the rest of the crew.”

  Bartok hugged Anna from behind. “We were starving. The nutrient drip that supplied us with blood from the sleeping crew malfunctioned. Redfeather’s blood clotting factor is much higher than expected and over the years, his blood clogged the system just like high cholesterol clogs human arteries. Nadia and I removed the monitors and drip system. We followed a maintenance bot into cryogenic hall three.”

  “There are thousands of bodies.”

  “We had to eat. We only killed one a day. We thawed them and drained them. We were going to wake you up when it was time.”

  “I can’t believe you left such a mess. Why didn’t you put the dead in the recycler?”

  Nadia bared her fangs. “My sweet descendant, there was no point. We still intended to wake you and kill the crew as originally planned. Bartok and I would retire to chambers impervious to the light of Sirius and let you land the plane and wake the surviving colonists. You’d blame the slaughter on Redfeather and the crew.”

  Bartok walked to a cryogenic chamber and admired the sleeping woman. He activated the waking sequence. “Beautiful. She’ll be delicious. Our plan will still work. Nadia and I will kill the crew and return you to suspended animation. We’ll wake you just before we get close enough to Sirius for its solar rays to affect us. Smuggle us planet-side at night. We’ll convert you and the three of us will have an entire planet filled with colonists to feast upon. Dracula would be proud.”

  Anna said, “It could work, but even if it doesn’t, I still have the ring containing your blood. If necessary, I’ll drink it. Once on planet, I can cut myself and use my infected blood to reconstitute both of you.”

  “That’s a long, slow alternative, but we have as much time as we need.”

  Anna kissed the ring. “Stay in this room. During my next shift, I’ll convince Hiroshi to stay behind. Take him first. After that, I’ll pretend to be sick and get Leo alone in sickbay. We can pick them off one at a time.”

  Bartok said, “Warm, living blood. I like that. The blood of the newly thawed is a bit cold for my taste.”

  Redfeather read the pilots’ personnel files three times. Both were Eastern European, possibly of Magyar descent. They had military backgrounds and excelled as pilots. Extraordinary reaction times. There was nothing unusual there. They applied for the Methuselah Protocol and testing proved that their metabolisms were compatible. “Athena, show me all data on the Methuselah treatment.”

  “Jefferson, I’ve 62,851 files on Methuselah Protocol.”

  “Limit the files to ones specific to the treatment method.”

  “Six thousand files.”

  Kendara said, “Athena, you aren’t helping. Most of those files are publicity blurbs and propaganda. Let me think. I have it. Athena, show me a list of restricted files on the Methuselah Protocol.”

  “I have one restricted video file. To view this file, Captain Redfeather has to declare a pilot-related emergency. First Officer Kendara Kamaguchi must confirm the request, and security officer, Greg Flynn, must also verify. In the event one of these three people is deceased and the ship’s computer confirms the death, the ship’s computer may approve in place of the deceased officer. All three officers are alive and present.”

  “Captain Jefferson Redfeather speaking, I declare an emergency situation exists. The pilots have vanished. Athena show us the file.”

  Kendara and Greg confirmed Redfeather’s request and Athena directed the crew’s attention to a wall monitor.

  “Good day. My name is Bradley Billings. I am the chief medical officer for the Interstellar Colonization Program. If you are watching this, there has been a failure with the Methuselah Protocol. One of two things have happened. If the pilots are deceased, this video will not help you. Request the ship’s computer show you File 87564, Alternate Pilot Procedures. The crew will stand one year watches as pilots. View the details on the referenced file.

  “The other potential failure is that the pilots are alive, but have abandoned their posts. Let me make this extremely clear. There is no Methuselah Protocol. The pilots are vampires, pure and simple. Take a moment. Yes, vampires are real. Vampirism, mystic or scientific, is a blood condition. Most of the stories are true. The disease is passed by an exchange of blood, but only a few people of Eastern European heritage are susceptible. Vampires are invisible to monitors and cameras. Their images don’t appear in mirrors and they can become mist, wolves, bats, and who knows what else. Your pilots agreed to pilot your ship until it approaches is destination. In interstellar space, solar rays aren’t strong enough to affect them and they can stay awake 24/7.

  “If things had happened properly, Bartok and Nadia would initiate the process to wake the crew, and depart the ship in specially-designed escape pods. The pods are programmed to land them on a different planet in the Sirius solar system. Everyone would get what they want. Humanity gets a colony on New Philadelphia, and Boris and Nadia get to live by feeding on the compatible life forms that exist on Sirius Six.

  “Vampires are not inherently evil, but they want to survive, just like everyone else. They’ll feed on you and the passengers to stay alive. In this worst-case scenario, the crew must destroy Bartok and Nadia. The ship computer will be of no help. The vampires are invisible to the ship.

  “Some old legends are true. Fire will kill them. You can disrupt their matrix by driving a sharp object into the center of their being. Traditionally, a wooden stake was used, but metal or plastic will suffice. The religious myths are nonsense. Holy water, communion wafers, and crosses are useless. Beheading will incapacitate the creatures, but burn the remains. Destroy the creatures completely. Even the smallest bit of flesh or a single drop of blood is enough for the vampire to survive. Complete regeneration in the presence of sufficient fresh blood has been documented.

  “Three components of sunlight are visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared light. The infrared component will destroy vampires. Matrix disrupting weapons and infrared flashlights are stored in compartment R14 in the crew’s quarters. It is recommended that the crew work in pairs until any threat from rogue pilots has been eliminated.”

  “Can you believe this shit?” said Kendara. “What kind of idiot uses vampires to pilot spaceships?”

  Hiroshi laughed. “The same idiots who believe in vampires.”

  Athena responded, “Public pressure for living pilots required a solution that was acceptable to the masses for the colonization program to achieve sufficient public support. The other option was for a small crew to stay awake for several years and wake successive replacement crews. An eight-hundred-year journey would require forty pairs serving twenty-five-year shifts. This was deemed unacceptable. The discovery of the vampire gene solved the problem. The Colonization Authority reached an understanding with vampires and rebranded the disease as the “Methuselah Protocol” for public consumption.”

  Redfeather said, “Thanks for nothing, Athena. Why didn’t you tell us this before?”

  “I did not have access to this data until you declared a pilot-related emergency.”

  “Fine,” grumbled Redfeather. “Okay, stay in teams. Let’s access our f
lashlights and stakes and go kill the vampires.”

  Kendara stood quickly, “Wait, where’s Anna?”

  Athena responded, “Anna is in CH3. One more colonist storage chamber went offline six minutes ago.”

  Redfeather ordered, “Athena, do not open the door to CH3 for anyone except me. The vampires must be in the hall. Anna’s a captive if they haven’t already killed her.”

  Leo stayed at the table and poured himself a nutrient drink refill. “Really, Redfeather, vampires? Surely you could come up with something better than this for an emergency drill. You expect us to go charging around the ship playing Van Helsing carrying flashlights and spears? This is crap. Let’s just finish cleaning up the dead, verify the ship’s readiness, and go back to sleep until we reach Sirius.”

  “Athena is not programed to joke.”

  Leo walked to the door. “Fine, if you say so. I won’t participate in this farce. I’ll clean sickbay and prepare our hibernation chambers. The rest of you have a good time playing cowboys and vampires. I’ll have your chambers prepared when you’re ready for your nap.”

  Redfeather said, “Anyone else in the mood to mutiny? I didn’t think so. Stay together.”

  Redfeather led Kendara, Carl, Susanne, and Hiroshi to Storage Compartment R14. Hiroshi bounced a short plastic spear up and down to check the balance. The spear tip was hardwood reinforced with stainless steel or silver.

  Hiroshi laughed. “This is a little more old-school than I expected. I’d hoped for a light saber.”

  Redfeather said, “We can’t hold a flashlight and fight with a spear at the same time. My plan is to use the flashlights to force Bartok and Nadia into a corner. Carl and Susanne will keep them pinned in place with the infrared light and the other three of us will stab them.”

  Hiroshi said, “I’ve never stabbed a person.”

  Kendara smacked her spear against his. “None of us has. Bartok and Nadia have killed thousands of people. You can either be a fearless vampire slayer or you can be on the dinner menu.”

  Redfeather said, “Athena, don’t let anyone, including Anna, out of CH3. Understood.”

  “Understood, captain.” Athena brought up a visual of Anna on the nearest monitor. She was seated on an empty cryogenic chamber. Her hands and feet were tied.

  Carl asked, “Why did they tie her up instead of killing her?”

  Kendara said, “Didn’t you ever watch old movies? They want us to try and rescue her and they didn’t have a railroad track.”

  “What’s a railroad track?”

  “If you don’t get killed in the next few minutes, I’ll show you later.”

  Carl and Suzanne clipped extra flashlights to their belts. Redfeather, Kendara, and Hiroshi carried a spear in one hand and a flashlight in the other. They lined up outside the door. Redfeather said, “On my command, Athena, open the door. Everyone, flashlights on. Carl and Suzanne enter first and the rest of us will follow. Athena, close the door immediately. Do not reopen it without command authorization codes. People, once inside, leave Anna tied up. Our first priority is to find and destroy Bartok and Nadia.”

  Five infrared flashlights clicked on and bright red lights filled the corridor.

  Suzanne said, “We shouldn’t be able to see infrared light.”

  “You can’t,” said Athena. “The light is tinted with red visible light so that you can see to aim it.”

  Redfeather stood to one side and motioned Suzanne and Carl into position. “Athena, open the door – NOW.”

  Athena slammed the door closed behind Kendara two seconds later and the five people formed a circle facing outward and bathed the room in infrared light. The cloying stench from the unrecycled dead hit their lungs like a punch to the gut. Red beams played across the room.

  Redfeather shouted, “Anna, where are Bartok and Nadia?”

  “I don’t know. Cut me loose.”

  “After we find them.”

  “I’m helpless. They’ll kill me.”

  “If they wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

  Anna screamed and cried. She begged.

  Suzanne left the group and ran to Anna. “Screw this. I’m cutting her loose.”

  Suzanne put down her flashlight and reached for the stiff knots binding Anna’s hands. The slick plastic rope came loose at her first touch. Anna kicked her feet free and grabbed Suzanne’s hands. “Thank you, dear.”

  “You’re welcome. Take one of the flashlights. Help us find them.”

  Anna tightened her grip on Suzanne’s hands. “I don’t need a flashlight. I’m perfectly safe.”

  Suzanne tried to free her hands, but Anna squeezed harder and shifted her weight. She wrapped her arms around Suzanne and pulled her into a full embrace. Suzanne hugged her back and said, “Let me go, we have to find the pilots.”

  Anna squeezed harder. “Don’t worry. They’ll find us.”

  Bartok congealed into human form behind Suzanne. He leaned close and licked her neck. Suzanne turned her head and screamed.

  Bartok said, “Thank you, Anna. Please be so kind as to disable her flashlights.” He bit into Suzanne’s throat and pulled her down behind the empty cryogenic chamber.

  Suzanne’s screams turned into a bubbling gurgle before going silent.

  Redfeather approached the empty chamber and kicked the ropes to one side. Anna jumped over the chamber and grabbed his spear with both hands. “Stop, Redfeather. You don’t understand.”

  Redfeather yelled to Kendara and Hiroshi, “Cover me with the infrared.” He dropped his flashlight and grappled for control of his spear. He tried to jerk it from Anna’s grip, but she was stronger than he expected. “Tell me what I don’t understand.”

  “Athena said that you accessed the Methuselah Protocol failure video. You know that Nadia and Bartok are vampires. You mustn’t hurt them. Vampires have coexisted with humanity since before people painted bison on cave walls. Nadia is my ancestor. She became a vampire before your people walked over the vanished land bridge from Asia to America.”

  Redfeather wrestled harder for the spear. “Changes nothing. Ancient evil is still evil.”

  He lifted one foot and kicked Anna in the chest. She fell over the empty chamber. She rolled to her feet and looked closely at her left hand. The golden ring with a ruby stone on her third finger was undamaged. She kissed it. “Bartok, a little help please.”

  Bartok flew at Redfeather. The vampire caught the spear’s shaft and ripped it from the captain’s grip. Carl and Kendara flanked the vampire and used the infrared lights to herd the creature against the nearest wall. His skin blackened and blistered. The flesh bubbled, melted, and dripped from ancient yellow bones. Bartok cowered and covered his face.

  Redfeather said, “Kill him, Hiroshi. I’ll keep Anna away from you and watch for Nadia.”

  Hiroshi poked and prodded the smoking creature. Kendara screamed. “Quick screwing around. For God’s sake, impale that son of a bitch. I don’t think he can shift while we’ve got him lit up. Stab him in the damn heart.”

  Hiroshi held the spear overhead with both hands, but before he could thrust, Nadia dropped from the ceiling like an avenging angel. She hit Hiroshi with her full weight and he crumpled like a paper doll. She rolled to the side. Carl hit her with an infrared beam. Her smoking flesh bubbled and blistered. She scuttled out of the light, dissolved into a mist, and vanished.

  “Let her go. We’ll find her later,” said Redfeather. “First, we finish Bartok. Everyone, light him up.”

  Bartok sizzled like a steak on a hot skillet. His flesh melted like tallow and his bones exploded like flash powder with a loud whoosh.

  Kendara said, “He’s gone. There’s no ash or even a stain.”

  Hiroshi groaned and sat against the wall. “I think she broke my collarbone.”

  Redfeather handed him two flashlights. We’re going to find Nadia. Protect yourself.”

  Hiroshi pointed across the room. “Anna’s trying to open the door.”

  Anna recited
the emergency override code to Athena.

  Nadia assumed human form at her side. “Hurry, my child.”

  Carl, Redfeather, and Kendara ran toward the door. Redfeather screamed, “No, Athena, no! Don’t open the door.”

  Athena said, “Emergency override code verified. Access granted.” She opened the door.

  Nadia shoved Anna aside and stepped into the open doorway. Leo stood facing her, reciting the emergency override codes. He almost fell over from surprise when the door opened before he finished. He stumbled backwards and clear liquid sloshed from the two large glass beakers. The cold liquid chilled his hands as it evaporated.

  Nadia showed her fangs and snarled at Leo. He threw the contents of both beakers in her face. Nadia froze for a moment and Leo took a lighter from his belt, shoved it in Nadia’s face, and clicked it three times. It ignited on the third click and the ethyl alcohol exploded into flame.

  Leo covered his face. He screamed, “Burn, witch, burn.”

  Carl and Hiroshi restrained Anna. Four flashlights played across Nadia’s burning body until nothing remained of the vampire.

  Anna cried, “I hope you’re happy. She was old before the first pyramid was built. She taught humans to hunt mastodons and fight sabretooths. You should be ashamed.”

  “No, I feel proud, tired, and afraid, but mostly proud.”

  Kendara said, “Leo, I thought you didn’t believe in vampires. I didn’t expect you to help us.”

  “I didn’t and I wasn’t, but I watched the monitor and when Suzanne’s throat exploded, I changed my mind. Fire was one of the things that kill vampires and I filled two beakers with ethyl alcohol and brought a lighter. I almost had a heart attack when the door opened before I finished saying the override codes.”

  Redfeather said, “First things first. Put Anna in a cryogenic chamber. Athena, don’t reanimate her until I say so.”