by L Bowers
“Oh I bet you were,” Ariella scoffed.
“Anyway,” Bridget said. “Elevator is here. If you are done “thinking” maybe we can get going?”
“That is a great idea.” I smiled and patted Bridget’s rear end as I passed causing her to yelp. Going all the way in, I put my back to the wall, while both women stood outside staring at me with looks of incredulity. “You two just going to stand there lost in thought, or are we going?” I smirked.
“Smart ass,” Bridget said as she entered the elevator car with Ariella right behind her.
We rode in silence for a few seconds but I couldn’t let that stand. “So people don’t talk in space-elevators?” I asked.
“From what I understand that is universal,” Ariella said. “I don’t really know why.”
“It could be …” the elevator doors opened interrupting me. “Doesn’t matter. Let's go see this cube of ours.”
The elevator let us out in the cargo hold. Pallets of what I assumed were supplies lined the space directly in front of us but the top of the cube was visible above them. Bridget lead through the ordered rows of supplies with Ariella behind her and me at their six. In less than a hundred yards we stepped out of the pallets and into the open space around the cube.
The black box stood roughly three hundred feet tall. Which was the same measurement for all of it’s dimensions according to what Titan’s sensors said. Standing close to the box put Titan’s size into perspective.
We stepped closer and I began to feel funny. Like the air was charged. “You two feel that?’ I asked.
“Bridget stopped and turned around to face me. “What exactly do you feel?”
“It's like I’m standing under low hanging high voltage lines. Like I can feel the magnetic field. Does that makes sense?” I asked.
“If we felt the same it would make sense, but I don't feel it,” Ariella said. “You feeling it, Bridget?”
“No, nothing. Can you take some readings before we get closer?” Bridget asked.
“On it.” Ariella pulled a tablet and cylindrical shaped device from her bag. She tapped the device to the tablet then waived it around in a slow arch. She took a step closer and waved the device around again. She stopped just shy of touching the cube.
“I read nothing,” Ariella said as she faced us. “It’s like Titan with no discernable energy signature.”
“That’s not right,” I said. “Titan told me he picked up an energy signature identical to his own. I don’t understand how you’re not reading anything or how you guys don’t feel that.”
I walked up to the cube to stand next to Ariella. “Yeah, it’s stronger here.” I reached out and just as my hand touched the cube both women shouted.
A bright flash blinded me and hit me with the force of a semi-truck. Metal crates fastened down to metal pallets were kind enough to break my fall. Metal tore and bent from the force of the impact.
I woke to my body jerking and a metal shard digging into my shoulder. My eyes opened to the site of two angels hovering over me but they kept bobbing and obscuring my view.
“Would you two stand still? I’m trying to enjoy the view,” I said.
“Hold on, Tom, help is on the way,” Bridget said.
“What are you …” That was when I looked down. The shard poking my side had done far more than poke as it’s pointy end stuck out of my skin just bellow my ribs on my left side. My legs and artificial arm jerked and twitched causing my body to flail around. I let my head fall back and closed my eyes. “Ah shit.”
A cool hand touched my cheek and I looked up at the owner. Bridget smiled at me. “It’s okay, Tom. We are going to fix this and figure out what happened. We will have you up and about in no time.”
“I got it!” Ariella shouted. She came into my field of view and tapped her tablet against my chest. A few strokes of her fingers and my limbs stopped. “I got you, Tom. You can’t move right now but your body will finish rebooting in a minute and you will be moving voluntarily again. Not that you should move while that is sticking out of you.” She pointed to my side.
“Shouldn’t I be in a lot of pain?” I asked.
“That would be the work of your Masters Gear. Pain dampeners,” Bridget said.
“Yeah, gotta keep you soldiers in the fight,” Ariella said with a frown.
“I’m a Marine, not a soldier.” I said with a grown. While I didn’t feel pain, someone forgot to tell my body that. My joints were stiff and I felt like I was ran trough a carwash with no car and the brushes set to fast spin.
“Sorry. Anyway it’s one of the many fucked up things the Champions do to their troops.”
“Any other fucked up thing done to me I should know about?”
“That’s the only one we kept,” Bridget said as she shot a glare at Ariella that could melt steel. “Please forgive our good technician as she sometimes talks without thinking. I promise that we didn’t leave anything harmful in the machines used to augment your body. We need your help too much to risk you up and leaving with Titan. I …”
“Stand back, ma’am,” a high male voice said from somewhere to my left.
Two troops in grey uniforms, that resembled most of the other I had seen with the exception of red piping along the seams, approached with a stretcher.
“Sir,” the second medic, a female, said to me. “We have to cut the metal to get you free then we are going to take you to see the ship’s physician.”
The female medic set a red and white bag down next to me and crouched. She placed two fingers on my wrist and looked down at me. Her raven curls bounced as she moved highlighting her stunning grey eyes.
“Hey,” I said with a half smile. “I’m Tom, what’s your name?”
“You really want to pick up a woman right now considering that you are pinned to the ground by twelve inches of steel?” The medic asked.
“No time like the present.”
“While I’m sure he is not delirious, I would ignore him for now,” Bridget said. “After we get him fixed up you can accept his offer or turn him down at your leisure.”
The medic chuckled. “Understood, Senator. Okay, Tom. This might hurt a bit, but I need to get enough of the metal under you exposed so we can cut it. Are you ready?”
“Sweetheart, I was born ready,” I replied.
The medic shook her head then she went to work. Pain shot through me as my body position was shifted and held still by the lovely medic. Her partner bent down holding a pencil shaped tool with a glowing red tip. He moved the device under me and an a moment later heat joined the pain.
“Bridget,” I said through clenched teeth. “Can we turn up the pain blockers?”
“Sorry, love, but we have no control over that. If it hurts the blockers must want you to stop so you don’t injure yourself more than you are.”
There came a clink sound and the pain lessened. The medic lowered me back down and patted my chest.
“There you go, you big baby. The bad man stopped hurting you.”
“Ha, ha,” I fake laughed. “You are not funny at all.”
“I thought it was hilarious. Hang tight, getting the stretcher so we can get you out of here,” she said.
“Sure,” I said as she stood.” Hey Bridget, once I’m clear I want to talk with our prisoner. We need some answers about this box.”
“I think we’re going to have a chat with her while you are recovering. I don’t see a reason to wait,” Bridget said.
“I think it best to wait. I have a rapport with the woman,” I said.
“Really? Is that why you don’t want anyone to talk to her or are you afraid she might take a liking to someone else?”
“Do I detect some jealousy?” I asked. “You don’t seem like the type.”
“Oh, I’m not jealous or the type to get jealous. I was just making sure you have your head in the game. While I don’t care if you hook up with every chick on this boat as long as I get some too, I still need you focused on the mission,” Bridge
t said.
“If anyone knows about hooking up with every chick on this boat it’s Bridget,” Ariella mumbled.
“Is that so?” I asked.
“Sorry to interrupt,” the male medic said. “We need to get the patient to the infirmary.”
Bridget moved out of the way and the medics stepped in. The locked the wheels of the stretcher and bent down on either side of me.
“I think I can stand,” I said.
“You do that and I will lay you out,” the female medic said.
“I was just trying to make this easier for you two.”
“On two,” she said to her partner while ignoring me “Two, one, lift!”
The pair stood while holding me up with their hands under my back and butt. They sidestepped until I was over the stretcher then set me down. A second later two straps held me to the portable bed.
Ariella walked up and placed a hand on my chest. “Take care of our boy here. There is a lot riding on him,” she said.
“We will ma’am,” the male said.
Chapter 13
The beeping of the machines monitoring my vitals woke me. The soft infirmary bed tempted me with promises of more restful sleep, but I had a mission.
A quick glance down for wires and tubes showed that I was free of such things. Space tech was amazing. When I woke up in earth hospitals after many surgeries there were always wires and tubes connected to me. The lack of those was refreshing and welcome.
“Welcome back to the land of the living.” The pretty female medic entered my field of view. She pressed a button on the machine mounted on a wheeled pole next to his bed. She gave a satisfied nod then turned her full attention to me. “How do you feel?”
“I feel fine. My side aches, but not enough to stop me from moving it. Almost like I just finished working out, kind of sore,” I said.
“That’s good, I guess. This is new to all of us. No one has worked on someone like you before. It’s amazing how your augments affect your actual flesh. Simply amazing.”
Her gaze turned serious and she locked eyes on mine. Her visage took on a haunted look, one I knew all too well. It spoke of friends lost to the ravages of battle. “I know you might feel invincible now, but try not letting that go to your head. I promise you there is something that can hurt you. Please don’t prove me right.”
“You lost someone,” I said more a statement than a question.
My abs pulled me to sitting position with no problems. I swung my legs off the bed and faced the woman. I reached out and took one of her hands in mine. “I have too. I used to hold it all inside and it almost killed me. You need to talk to someone about the pain you feel or you will drown in it,” I said.
Her jaw muscle bunched up and she snatched her hand from mine. “I don’t need you telling me how to deal with my issues, thank you very much.”
I held my hands up palms out. “Sorry, I meant no offense. You know what? I think we started on the wrong foot.” I offered my right hand to her. “ I’m Tom. Sorry for offending you. I hope we can be friends.”
“I don’t know why you are pointing all of your fingers at me, but I accept your apology. However, I am not looking for anymore friends,” she said.
“The hand thing is a greeting,” I said. “On my planet we clasp hands and shake to greet one another or to accept a deal, that sort of thing.”
“Oh, okay.” She placed her hand in mine and I pumped our hands up and down once.
“You still have to tell me your name,” I said while keeping her hand in mine.
“My name is Janae,” she said.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Janae.” I smiled and the corners of her lips turned up into a small smile of her own. “I understand your reluctance to make new friends and more so when that friend might die while piloting a giant robot. But if you agree to consider being my friend, I will agree to not die.”
“You can’t keep that promise,” She said in a no nonsense tone of voice.
“The hell I can’t. You just be sure to pay attention so you can see it for yourself,” I said as cocky as I pleased.
I let her hand go. As much as I wanted to stay and charm her pants off, literally, I had a job to do. “Well, Janae, I have to go. There’s a woman I have to see about a box.” I hoped off the bed and winced at the twinge of pain in my shoulder.
“You should stay, but I have a feeling you won't. So I’ll just tell you to take it easy so you don’t have to wince after doing something stupid like jumping off the bed.”
I chuckled. “Okay, you got me there. I’ll see you soon, Janae.”
“I hope not,” she replied with a scowl.
“Not because I plan on getting hurt. I plan to have dinner with you soon,” I said with the biggest shit eating grin I could muster.
“Is that so?” She crossed her arms under her breasts.
“Oh yeah, count on it.”
I left before she could respond. And as I walked I realized I was wearing the shorts I had worn under my armor along with a bandage wrapped around my middle. I need to get some clothes and soon. Better yet, I needed space-clothes.
I stopped the first person I came across. “Excuse me,” I said to the young looking man. “I’m lost and need to find my room. Can you point me in the right direction?”
He tilted his head to the side and I noticed just how alien he was from me. Gills parted on the side of his otherwise human looking neck. “You are the pilot, right?”
“If you are talking about the giant robot in the belly of this beast, then yup. Guilty as charged.”
“I haven’t accused you of anything, sir,” he said as worry creased his brow.
“No, sorry. It’s a saying where I come from. Doesn’t matter. I’m the pilot,” I replied.
“Follow me and I will take you to your room, sir.” He spun on his heels executing a perfect about face and began marching.
“Please don’t call me sir. My name is Tom,” I said as I followed behind.
“Sorry, sir, but on this ship you are an officer. I’m enlisted and …”
“Enough said,” I interrupted. “I was an enlisted man myself. I understand the way it works. It’s all good.”
Before I finished talking we stopped in front of my door. “Here we are, Sir.”
“I didn’t think it would be so close to the infirmary,” I said.
“You are centrally located since the entire purpose of this ship is to transport Titan and support it’s pilot,” The soldier said.
“That’s good to know. Thanks for showing me the way and the info,” I said.
“You are welcome, sir. Have a good day and I’m glad to see you up and about.”
“Thanks, Soldier. You have yourself a good day as well.” I entered my room and looked around at the sparse furnishings. I had done so much since leaving this room it felt like a lifetime since I was last here.
“It is about time you returned,” Titan’s deep voice rumbled through my room.
“Titan!” I shouted elated to hear my giant robot’s voice. “How are you talking to me right now?”
“We are connected, you and I. What's more this ship is designed to support us. Your room is connected to me allowing us to communicate and you to travel straight to me from there.” An iris portal opened in the ceiling and a second in the floor. A cable like the one from Ariella’s shop dropped from the ceiling over the hole in the floor. “When the time comes you will grab the bar and descend to reach your control chamber in me. For now,” The cable retracted and both holes closed. “For now go and find out what is in the black container. Its energy calls to me,” Titan said.
“You got it buddy,” I replied. “There is just …”
A wall panel to my left slid open revealing a closest packed full of clothes. “This what you needed?” Titan asked.
“That is exactly what I needed. Thanks, Titan.”
My giant buddy didn’t respond so I checked out my closet. There were several uniforms like the crew of the
ship wore but I was not a sailor so that idea was out.
A pair of khaki colored cargo pants caught my eye. I paired it with a set of black combat boots and an olive drab t-shirt. The clothes auto adjusted to my size when I put them on elevating their status to space-clothes. With new gear on my back I headed for the door.
“Before you go,” Titan’s deep voice boomed. “Check the desk, Pilot.”
I turned and saw a panel open on the top of my desk. Upon closer inspection I found a silver band large enough to be a bracelet.
“Jewelry? You shouldn’t have, Titan. We’ve only been on one date. It’s too soon and I fear we might be moving too fast,” I said.
“Basically this device is an antenna that gives me the ability to tap into your augments remotely,” Titan said ignoring my joke. “This will allow us to communicate when you are
away from this room., but the range is limited unless the signal is boosted.”
“That is freaking awesome!” I shouted. “You are something like Kit, but I don’t want to be the Hoff.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Pilot,” Titan said.
“It doesn’t matter, Titan. All that matters is that you call me Tom. This pilot shit ain’t cutting it, buddy,” I said.
“Very well, Tom. Pilot designation Tom recorded in pilot preferences.”
“Good to know,” I said as I slid the silver band onto my wrist.
“Slide it up onto your forearm so it is tight on your arm,” Titan said.
I did as instructed. “I am heading out, Titan. Places to go and people to see.”
“Indeed.”
Bridget and Ariella waited in the brig along with the director himself. Feeling a glee I hadn’t experienced in a long time made my steps light and my heart beat to a new tune. I scooped up the beautiful senator and pressed my lips to hers. She gasped then pressed herself against me and returned my kiss. Soft lips parted enough to allow my tongue entry.
We parted after a moment and I turned to give the director a nod. Still feeling elated I greeted Ariella in the same manner as Bridget. The feline featured woman tensed up like a cable pulled taught and for a second I thought I misread her. Slender arms wrapped around my waist and a tongue slightly rough like a cat’s snaked into my mouth. The tension fell away from Ariella as we expressed our passion.