by Trent Falls
“In a vacuum?” Alex asked uncertainly.
“Alex. I’m wearing your pressure suit.” John looked back at him somewhat mockingly. “Just leave the back end open for me. It won’t take me long to get back down here.”
“Okay.” Alex nodded in agreement.
“Maybe I should go in there with you.” John said, pulling out a pistol from one of the large pockets on his suit. He handed the pistol to Alex.
“I don’t need that.” Alex pushed the weapon away. “I don’t think there’s that many people in there anyway.”
“Bullshit! Take it.” John offered the pistol again.
“Keep it.” Alex protested. “I’ll take care of this! Just open that damn door.”
John didn’t have time to argue. The Xen would no doubt have more soldiers on top of them soon. They needed to get off that ship!
John ran off down the narrow access tunnel along side of the hangar. He kept his submachine gun ready but encountered no resistance. An opening in the side wall led into a traditional stairwell. The stairway was square with an open space in the middle with a steel pole running up the entire height of the three story stairwell. The pole was used in the event that the ship would lose gravity. The stair walkway itself was rather narrow, made of expanded metal that clanked uncomfortably loudly under John’s boots.
He was at the top in no time. The door wasn’t secured and slid open.
John’s weapon shot up to his sights as he found three completely shocked shipmen at the control consoles of the room. In grey and safety orange uniforms, they threw their hands up in submission.
“GET BACK!” John yelled at them, urging them back with his rifle menacingly. He should have killed them but for some reason didn’t.
The deck hands moved away from their stations and back towards the other door to the control room. They moved disjointedly backwards, terrified by John and not knowing how to retreat.
“This ship is going to explode!” John yelled at them. “Get to the escape pods!”
One of the hands, incensed by the threat to his ship, drew his pistol. John shot him through the chest. The pistol flew from the dead man’s hand before he could hit the ground. The other two deck hands raced through the open exit in a panic.
“Mother fucker!” John cursed himself, running up to the door depress its control box to seal the opening. John then pulled out his own Xen pistol and fired into the lock to destroy the mechanism.
He looked down at the dead deck hand at his feet before moving away from the door. The man was in his early twenties, with European and Asian features to his face. The astronaut’s young dead eyes were frozen open.
John shook humanity from his head. He needed to get the job done. He didn’t have time for emotions to slow him down.
He swore that when this was all over he would never kill again.
John hurried back to the control terminals, keeping one hand on his weapon while looking over the various two-dimensional computer screens. He cursed himself for not remembering the Xen language better. It took a few anxious moments for John to find the right screen. He tapped on the touch sensitive screen and brought up the hangar’s overall menu. A few more taps brought up the automated launch protocol. He keyed in the launch sequence.
Out in the hangar a number of yellow beacon warning lights activated.
Captain Shin was taken by surprise by the lights and the loud humming alert from the hangar loudspeakers.
“Launch sequence initiated.” A loud female computer voice called out. “All hands not in enviro suits are to leave the hangar bay immediately.”
Shin, still standing out in front of the Northwind shuttle, looked hurriedly around the hangar. He didn’t expect the launch sequence to run until he was on board. He then looked forward to see Alex Scoffield walking towards him.
“You!” Shin snapped out his sidearm and took aim on Alex.
Alex’s eyes flashed over as he walked calmly towards Shin. The pistol flew with incredible force out of Shin’s grip, slamming against the side of the hangar.
“How did you…” Shin was dumbstruck with fear as he stared back at Alex.
“You committed many men and resources to finding us.” Alex spoke, both aloud and in Shin’s mind. His eyes flashed over again, remaining bright white. “I’m going to offer you a deal – a deal you’ll likely find impossible to refuse.”
John peered out the angled windows of the control room. He saw Alex standing in front of Captain Shin. The two talked for a moment. John hadn’t a clue about their conversation but it lasted a few calm seconds.
“What the hell???” John tried to make out what was happening from the distance of about fifteen meters or so. He wished he could hear what was happening.
Shin seemed to remain calm and, shockingly, walked at a restrained pace towards the back of the large Xen shuttle.
John returned to his screen. He tapped in the cycle time, deciding that two and a half minutes was enough time to get to the shuttle. It took a few more seconds for John to finalize the program. If he could only read Xen better!
Upon looking back up John saw what looked like the Northwind’s pilot and copilot walking away from the ship on the hangar deck far below. Both flight officers simply walked away from their vehicle, their duty post, as their mothership was heavily damaged and under attack.
The Northwind seemed to be getting ready for launch. Its engines surged up to increase power. The fuel lines fell away and retracted back into the deck. John stared out through the control room glass and into the Northwind’s cockpit. He could see Alex’s distinct dark form in the pilot seat. He had gotten control of the ship and was awaiting takeoff.
Just as John moved away from the computer terminal he noticed a number of soldiers in heavy grey battle dress. Xen marines! They were all armed and hurrying towards the Northwind.
“Shit!” John rushed towards the exit of the control room. Rather than turning left back towards the stairwell he turned towards an opening to the right. He could hear the sound of loud jet noises coming from the opening. John ran out onto what was an elevated catwalk. The Xen marines were about twenty meters below him and to the left.
John had no choice. He raised his submachine gun up to his sight, aimed at the marines, and opened fire. His machine gun cracked in lout staccato anger at full auto. He managed to kill two of the unsuspecting marines and severely injured a third before the security company could scatter for the safety of cover.
“Kill that bastard!” John heard the words faintly in Xen as they were yelled out by a marine below.
John quickly pulled himself back inside the open doorway as the Xen marines below fired back at his position in unison. It was deafeningly loud, even over the surging sound of the shuttle’s engines. Bullets pounded like hard rain into the steel outside the doorway and off the ceiling. Despite his own terror and mortal fear, John forced himself back out through the opening to return fire. The Xen couldn’t be allowed to get to the Northwind shuttle. John fired back angrily, coldly finding his targets scattered among the tool boxes and equipment of the hangar deck below. John clipped one in the shoulder and shot another through the head, sending his helmet flying back.
There were still too many of them. John dove back for cover as the marines answered his fire in spades. John tried again to get back out through the opening but the bullets being fired back at him were simply too intense. Returning fire would have been suicide. From where he crouched against the floor he could see back into the control room. He could see the timer ticking down on the automated sequence. It was only at 2:03 – an eternity to zero!
“Alex, you read me?” John spoke into the suits com fixed into the hard collar assembly. It took a few second for John to toggle back to the suits original frequency. He hoped Alex would be monitoring the line. “Alex you there???”
“I’m here. We got a lot of visitors here.” Alex’s voice replied.
“You got any weapons on that bird?” John asked.
/> “Two pulse cannons but they’re missing their generators. I can’t give them enough power from the ships reactor.” Alex replied.
“So ‘no’ then.” John griped in clarification.
“None that I can find.” Alex replied. “Sorry!”
“Get her sealed up and ready to fly.” John responded. “I’m going to initiate the emergency launch sequence and cut the timer short.”
“John! Don’t give me this self-sacrifice shit again!” Alex argued angrily back. “I’m not leaving you behind!”
“I don’t intend to stay behind, buddy.” John answered calmly, running back into the control room to begin keying in the new launch procedure. “I’m going to leave here the same way I came in. I’m going to shunt a purge on an airlock and shoot myself into space. This suit has an EPIRB right?”
“It’s hardwired into the com system.” Alex confirmed.
“Can you track it in that ship?”
“Easy!”
“Good! Get your ass moving! Look for my signal and be ready to pick me up.” John keyed in the final command for the emergency launch. “Don’t leave me out there too long. I don’t think this suit has much air left.”
The yellow beacon alarm lights switched to red rotating beacon lights. The marines down below ceased fire and started to run.
The Northwind’s landing pads unlocked from the deck. Its rear ramp closed and sealed airtight. The small wings of the ship angled up as the ship elevated on repulse from the deck.
The marines ran for the exits. The large blast doors to the hangar were closing and anyone caught in the hangar when they closed would be exposed to a hard vacuum and a horrible death. The marines ran for their lives. The last marine made it through the door with inches to spare. The door sealed in the corridor outside of the control room. John watched as the huge space doors at the back of the hangar parted and swung open. The remaining thin air of the hangar flushed out in a mist.
The Northwind shuttle was levitating and turning around towards open space as John ran out of the control room. He hurried back towards the stairs and raced down their three flights. The passage to the hangar was cut off due to the open airlock beyond. He turned down another route, weapon ready, racing to find the nearest airlock. He figured there would be one on the outer perimeter of the vessel. There were no life pod hatches that he could see. John figured he was far from the side of the Nanjing. He thought of going back towards the rear of the ship or perhaps towards the engine rooms. Those stations likely had airlocks and lifepods nearby.
As John rounded a corner he impacted a group of Xen marines. The marines seemed as startled as John to run into him. There was disjointed chaos. In microseconds weapons moved. Intentions were set in motion.
“Kill that fucker!” one of the Xen marines yelled.
John shoved aside the marine’s pistol with his left forearm before it could be aimed at his head. With his right, John pulled out his own pistol. He shot the marine in the side but turned his body in the same motion to place it as a shield against the other marines.
John shot a second marine in the head but he knew it was over. He was seriously outnumbered. He could only hope to kill one more, possibly, before they ventilated him with bullets and knives.
A separate series of shots cracked loudly in the corridor. Two of the Xen marines were killed; shot in the back. A third was stabbed in the neck from behind with a knife by a familiar face.
Before John could fully realize what had happened he was standing over the bodies of seven Xen marines. Across from John stood Scott Euler. A smoking pistol was firmly gripped in Scott’s right hand. A blood soaked knife was in his left. Scott looked down coldly on the bodies and breathed heavily. Scott seemed partially in shock – or perhaps a bit mad. His killer’s eyes turned up from what he had done to look glaringly at John.
“Scott. Wait.” John began to speak.
Euler’s pistol flew up to aim at John’s head. John arm barred the weapon away in a flash of movement, punching Euler in the face with his right. John swung Euler’s right gun arm over his head to try and twist the weapon away. Euler punched John with his left, the reversed knife still in his hand. He wasn’t able to get the blade on John’s face but the handle of the knife made Euler’s hand more solid of a punch.
John’s legs were swept out from under him. He fell backwards. Euler moved to take aim on John as he lay on his back on the deck. John’s right hand found a loose Xen pistol and turned the gun up at Euler, firing before Scott could shoot. Rather than hit Scott’s head the bullet ricocheted freakishly off the side of Scott’s pistol, sending the weapon flying from his grasp.
John got to his feet in a flash and took better aim on Scott. Scott took a broad slash at John with his knife, causing John to pull back. Scott threw a hard side kick into John’s chest just as the gravity fluctuated. The odd timing and the impact sent John flying back about twenty feet. John landed on his back and slid another foot.
By the time John got up he saw Scott had picked up another gun. John bolted for the safety of an adjoining hall as Scott fired several rounds after him.
“We could have had it all, John!” Euler shouted out to John, who was now gone. He knew John wasn’t far. “We could have brought the human race to a new enlightened era! Given civilization a real gift! Now you’ve doomed our people to stagnate and die!”
John wasn’t far from Euler. He had doubled back to a maintenance corridor. The section of the Nanjing was a maze of passages both for common crew traffic and maintenance lines. He knew Euler was taunting him to try and get him to yell back – to reveal his position. John wasn’t having it.
Euler remained in the same position where he had stood originally in the corridor. There were a number of entries and exits to the corridor; too many to cover. Euler found himself spinning around, looking for where John might attack him from.
“Come out John! Let’s settle this like men!” Euler yelled out.
“We can go home Scott!” John’s voice came back from somewhere ahead of Euler to his left. “You and I. Let’s stop this and go home.”
Euler walked quickly towards the source of the sound. “There is no going home for me, Carn! How do you keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paris?”
Euler rounded a corner to where he thought John was hiding, turning his gun ahead of him. Nothing. Nothing but an empty deck corridor.
“That was a different war Scott! We haven’t really come far in two hundred years have we?” John’s voice came from another passage.
Euler ran ahead and into another maintenance passage, hoping to cut off John. Instead he found a live concussion grenade.
“SHIT!” Euler yelled out, backing away quickly behind the corner he just passed before the explosion could rip him apart.
The smoke was heavy and coarse. Euler coughed as he retreated towards yet another passage. He eyed the junction ahead, keeping his gun ready. He patiently watched, hoping he could catch John repositioning himself.
After about twenty seconds there was yet to be any sign of John.
The corridor ahead was empty. The lights flickered from white to red then remained red; the emergency lighting. Rather than fight John decided to continue on and leave Scott to his hatred. John needed to get off the ship fast.
There was a maintenance airlock ahead. John pressed the release switch and opened the door. The interior of the airlock was painted completely in safety yellow. The expanded metal deck and the metal walls were well worn, discolored at the edges from wear. Everything looked to have been painted over several times over, as was common on most starships. The chamber was about ten foot by ten foot square. John keyed the command to shut the door on the interior terminal and began to try and figure out where the purge program was located.
Air purges were a typical feature on all airlocks. Compressed air combined with a quick release of the outer door would shoot the contents of the airlock out into space. It was a typical means of throwing out garbage on
a starship. John found the correct file in the airlock’s computer and began the sequence.
It was then that the inner door slid open.
Scott Euler rushed into the small airlock with his pistol drawn. The door slid shut behind him.
John rushed Scott, tackling him into the back wall. John’s mobility was lessened a bit by the suit and Scott was in better shape. It took everything John had to try and remain competitive; his primal survival instinct. With both of Scott’s arms pinned back John head butted Euler. Scott’s eyes rolled back in a brief moment. John wrestled the gun from his hand and aimed it back at Euler. Scott kicked the weapon aside. Euler then pulled out his combat knife and slashed at John.
The compressed air was hissing into the chamber. John hoped to God his suit hadn’t been cut. Euler took a few more furious slashes at John with his reversed knife. John was able to evade, luckily, in quick not quite panicked moves.
Euler made a final rush at John, stabbing down for his head. John’s arms went up reflexively to stop the blade short of his forehead but Scott had the advantage of leverage. Scott powered John back, pushing him backwards forcefully so that John’s back was to the wall.
The flat black knife blade was barely an inch from John’s forehead.
The air continued to hiss into the airlock. John could feel his ears popping.
It took all of John’s resolve and strength to push Scott’s blade back an inch or so back.
John looked back into Scott’s menacing eyes.
“Scott. Thanks for saving my life.” John said plainly, with heartfelt sincerity.
Holding Euler’s knife back with only his left arm, John used his right to depress the activation switch on his left forearm. John’s suit mask was raised over his face and his helmet turned up over his head. John’s right hand then hammered sideways into a big red button on the control panel.
The airlock door shot open in a flash. The world seemed to fly by, becoming a realm of black and distant scattering of white stars.