The large man frowned. “It’ll take a while.”
“We have plenty of time to kill.”
“Well, alright.” He paused, staring at his half-eaten sandwich. “I guess I can start with my name. My real name is Benjamin Williams, and I’m originally from Atlanta. You already know I used to be a Marine. Once I was discharged, I used my savings to open a car shop, pimping up cars for pompous young kids. It was a tough job, in the bad part of the city, but it paid the bills. Maria and I kept to ourselves and managed to stay away from the local thugs.” He chuckled. “I guess my appearance had something to do with it. I kept everything kosher, but people still thought someone like me must be running a chop shop.
“A few years back, a guy brought me a car with a broken windshield. I fixed it up, then a couple of gangbangers came by and demanded I take it apart for them. I guess the guy owed them money or something, and because of my reputation with the local gangs, they’d thought I’d go along with it. That was around the time Julia was born.” He closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath. “Maria and I had decided that it was time for us to contribute to the community, so she’d have a better neighborhood to grow in. Long story short, I told the gangbangers no, but they wouldn’t hear it, so I had to rough them up.” He let out a mirthless chuckle. ”That could have easily gone south fast, but I guess that thanks to my reputation, the kids decided to bring the matter up to Diamond. His barber shop was neutral ground for resolving disputes. Diamond’s a decent guy—he did right by me and those gangbangers left me alone. It was Diamond who started calling me Bulco, said it was because I was as strong as a bull. After that, he’d occasionally send me kids who were down on their luck to keep busy in my garage. For most of the kids growing up in our hood, the gangs were all they had. Between Diamond and me, we managed to help a lot of them get their lives together.” Bulco cracked his knuckles. “Some of them needed a little convincing at first, but it always worked in the end.”
Lana frowned. “That sounds dangerous. Gangs don’t like outside interference.”
“Oh, I was shot at a couple of times.” He gestured negligibly as if being shot at was not a big deal. “It was nothing serious. By the time Julia turned ten, you could walk around the hood at night safely.” He chuckled. “Well, unless you were white.” His voice died out and his eyes became haunted.
“And then the Calamity struck,” Nori guessed.
The large man nodded. “Yes. I took my girls and got out of Atlanta. Diamond and a few buddies of mine joined us. Once we made it to the suburbs, we huddled in the first shelter we found, what was later known as the Grand Mall. It was rough at first, but with me and a couple of our guys backing him up, Diamond became the shelter leader and managed to keep things under control, mostly. We weathered the first two months of the Calamity in relative safety, but in the third month, the Warped situation got worse. We started getting a rougher crowd of refugees. Some of them thought they should be top dogs, but we made it clear to them who’s in charge.” His face darkened. “They didn’t like that. Two of them waited until I was away and made it to our hut. When I got back it was too late. The two assholes thought that seeing the bodies of my wife and daughter would scare me to play along.” His fists tightened. “They were wrong. I beat them to death with my own hands. It took a while … they kept healing … probably was the same for them when they …” He choked, and a single tear dropped from the corner of his eye.
Nori looked away. Lana’s face was horrified.
He wiped at his eyes and his expression hardened. “After that, I gathered some of the guards and we took care of their friends too. But some escaped, so I left the shelter and hunted them down. I didn’t care what was out there, I just wanted them dead. We quickly learned how to kill efficiently. These days you can shoot a guy a dozen times but he’ll recover. A bullet to the head usually does the trick, but you have to get close to do it properly. For me, it was easier just to beat them up.” He let out another mirthless chuckle. “It’s funny, hit them with a crowbar and they’ll heal, but fists put them down for good. After we took down three gangs, I got the first ‘level up’ message. Once I had put the two points in Strength, killing became a lot easier. The Warped were still a threat, but with a few people holding them down with chains, I could finish off the small ones with my fists. We slowly worked our way up to killing the level twos and threes, and I kept getting stronger by absorbing their Tec. I was planning to keep at it and raise the levels of the rest of my group to hunt the bigger ones. We had casualties, but we learned how to work together. Having a functional vehicle helped a lot.”
“I meant to ask,” Nori said. “How did you make it run again? And how did you get a working light console?”
“About a month ago an alien object crashed outside the city,” he said. “We didn’t know what it was and there was hardly anything left after the impact, but I managed to scavenge some components. My interface showed me what they were, and that gave me an idea. I found the Hummer and replaced half the engine with the stuff I found. That seemed to do the job.”
“What was the thing that crashed down?” Lana asked with a frown. “Another freighter?”
Bulco shook his head. “Nah, it was small—even smaller than the shuttle. I think it was a single person escape pod but we didn’t find a body, so it might not have been occupied.”
“Aliens fighting aliens,” Nori muttered. “I wish to God we could finally get a grasp of what’s going on around here.”
Bulco shrugged. “As long as they’re killing each other and not us, I’m fine with it. Anyway, I got the Hummer to work and it was a huge help in taking down more of the Warped. Then my scouts spotted the freighter coming down, so we came over to investigate. I think you know the rest of the story.”
“You mean when you threatened us to get off your ship?” Nori’s lips curved.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I thought at first you were from one of the other gangs.”
Nori chuckled. “No chance. Though I did bump into them from time to time, before the Calamity.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”
“Not really.” She shrugged. “My full name is Nori Allegra. My father’s Italian-American. He immigrated to Brazil, where he met my mother. I grew up in São Paulo. My parents earned enough so we didn’t have to live in the favela, but most of my friends did. I started learning Capoeira when I was six so I could take care of myself.”
“That explains how you’re so strong,” Lana said. “It must have been a tough childhood.”
“Actually, no. I had good friends, and we kept each other safe. By the time I finished high school, I was already ranked as a Mestre. When I graduated, I received a martial arts scholarship to study in the US. My father’s nationality allowed me to register as a US citizen, and my parents insisted I seize the opportunity, so I did. I decided to stay after my graduation and eventually opened my own Capoeira studio and started teaching classes. Like Bulco, I wanted to make a difference, and teaching troubled youths self-discipline through martial arts seemed to be working. I was actually doing pretty well; I was thinking of opening another studio here when the Calamity hit.” Her expression hardened. “People died left and right. I tried to help when I could, but mostly, I just ran. I couldn’t stay in the shelter with the masses. I felt suffocated. I was a natural at evading the Warped, so I tried to help, mostly by bringing news from the outside.” She gestured toward Lana and Nathan. “I met those two a couple of days ago, and they saved me from running into a Warped ambush. Then the ship crashed down and you know the rest of it.”
Bulco nodded. He looked up at the two younger members. “And what’s your story?”
“I’m Lana DeMille, and Nathan’s last name’s Bar-Lev—he was an exchange student from Israel.” Lana looked down embarrassedly. “My old life wasn’t as exciting as yours. I’m a local. I lived with my parents, went to school, hung out with my friends, and went to college after grad
uation. All of that ended when the Calamity hit. Nathan and I found one another and kept each other safe, until you came, Nori.”
The taller woman shook her head. “Don’t sell yourself short, Lana. You have a quick mind, and you don’t panic easily. You always rise to the occasion and take charge when you have to. Without you, we’d probably still been trying to figure out what the hell is going on around us.”
Bulco looked at Nathan. “And what’s his story?”
The young man shifted uneasily.
Lana frowned. “He’s had it rough, leave him alone.”
“I think I know something about having it rough,” Bulco said. “But that kid has mystery written all over him. Why isn’t he talking? What’s that Scion crap next to his race? How can he control and reprogram an alien spaceship? And how the hell can you understand what he’s saying?”
Nori frowned but looked at Lana with an arched eyebrow. “He’s asking some valid questions.”
“I don’t know.” Lana threw up her arms. “Nathan is … Nathan. He was always quiet. And brilliant. But when the Calamity came and everyone died around us, he sort of … retreated into himself. We were the only ones left, we took care of each other, and we learned to ...” She threw the young man a guilty look.
Nathan took in a long breath and nodded at her.
Lana sighed and looked at Nori. “Even at level zero, he could still activate some of our technology.” She looked at Bulco. “That’s how he kept us safe. I think … I think … he can somehow manipulate the Tec directly, not just technology that contains it.” She looked back at the young man. “I guess that’s how he talks to me.”
Bulco straightened in his seat. “He’s actually talking to you?”
“Not exactly,” the woman replied. “He looks at me, and I sort of just know what he wants to say. It’s almost like I think up the words on my own, but they come from him.”
“You mean he’s a telepath?” Bulco said incredulously.
Lana shook her head. “No. I think … he can manipulate the Tec in my mind to carry messages.”
Nori frowned. “I don’t think that’s exactly it.” She looked at Nathan. “Can you send me a message?”
The young man’s forehead crinkled, then he shook his head.
“I thought so.” The tall woman turned to the shorter one. “It’s you, Lana. I don’t doubt that Nathan has some strange abilities, but it looks like you’re the only one that can receive those messages. It must be part of your talent for grasping information so easily. I’m guessing it synergizes with his ability.”
Lana furrowed her brow at that.
Nori’s lips curved. “Or to put it another way, it’s because you’re the Expert.”
“I guess that answers that,” the large Engineer grumbled. He narrowed his eyes at Nathan. "But after we're done dealing with the Warped, you and I are going to sit down and have a long conversation. So you better stock up on writing materials, or just learn how to talk again"
Nathan shifted uncomfortably.
“Okay, so now we know each other a little better,” Nori stepped in. “We still have five hours of flight left. I suggest we use the time to rest up.”
Lana nodded. “I agree.”
“Might not be a bad idea,” Bulco said. He got up and walked toward the exit. “First, I’m going to install the geometric stabilizer in the Hummer, then hit the shower and go to sleep. Wake me up when we get there.”
Lana frowned. “We have a shower?”
Wordlessly, the Engineer pointed at one of the full jerry cans.
Nori got into one of the empty beds. “We can all sleep. I set up an alarm to go off when we get close.”
They claimed their bunks and lay down. The impromptu kitchen silently retracted back into the floor as thin partitions rose around each bed, giving them a little privacy.
***
As always, Nathan’s dreams haunted him.
He thrashed weakly in his bed, beads of sweat sprouting over his body as he, again and again, watched the Warped tear people apart while calling to him to join them, become one with them.
And as in every other night, the brave young man resisted their call.
He would not succumb to those base desires; he would not let the Tec deprive him of his humanity.
***
A sharp whistle cut through the air, making everyone jump out of bed.
“Ugh, my ears,” Lana squirmed, covering her ears. “Make it stop.”
Nori ran to the bridge and the terrible noise died out.
“Sorry about that,” she said when she returned. “I didn’t think of checking the default alarm sound. I guess it sounds normal for the Inthidlon.”
“I know a great app for that,” Lana said with a smile. “Think the ship can run Android?”
“Worth a try.” Nori smiled back at her. “We’ve nearly reached the moon. We’ll enter orbit in ten minutes.”
The partitions around Bulco’s bed lowered and the large man appeared, putting on his shirt. “I’m ready for some moonwalking.”
The four stepped to the bridge and each assumed their seat in the amazingly comfortable chairs. The three large view screens reflected the moon in all its immensity, completely filling up their view.
Nori’s hands blurred at the console. “Reducing power to thrusters … entering an orbit vector … and … done. Alright, Lana, it’s your show now.”
The young woman frowned as she poured over her own console. “I’m getting strange readings from the surface, it’s … ugh … the ship’s sensors are the worst. I got three marked locations. I think they’re energy signatures, but I can’t say what they are exactly.”
“Ships?” Bulco asked sharply.
“I …I don’t think so. I had no trouble identifying Alzigo’s station, but maybe it was just because it was so big?”
“Can you zoom in on one of those points?” Nori asked.
“I can try,” Lana said without too much confidence. She worked her console and the moon’s view became bigger.
“That’s it?” Bulco asked gruffly. “It’s only twice as big.”
“I’m doing the best I can,” the young woman said defensively. “I’m starting to get the feeling that this ship was only meant to haul equipment from one point to another and nothing else. The previous owner obviously didn’t invest in anything other than the bare necessities to keep it running. It doesn’t even have landing gear.”
Nathan concentrated and a multi-layered light console appeared before him. He moved both his hands over the keys and the moon’s picture zoomed in some more, displaying a large crater.
“Thanks, Nathan,” Lana said. “That’s the place with the strongest signature. Whatever it is, it's in the center of that crater.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Nori said. “Let’s check it out.”
She confidently worked her consoles and the ship started descending.
“What do we do if we find aliens down there?” Bulco asked.
“We’ll continue approaching until our sensors manage to tell us what we're up against,“ Nori said. “If we find ships, I’ll get us out of here in an instant. Being already in flight should give us a head start in case they’re hostile. If it’s deserted … we’ll decide once we know more.”
“Makes sense.” The large man nodded and glanced at his own monitors. “The ship’s holding up well. Looks like the moon’s lower gravity puts less of a strain on it.”
“You know, I think it’s about time to name her,” Lana said. “We can’t keep referring to her as ‘the freighter’. She needs a proper name.”
“I’m going to kick the ass of the first person who suggests we call her the Enterprise,” Bulco threatened, crossing his arms.
“Oh no, that won’t do,” Lana said, her eyes shining. “I have a much better name in mind, how about--”
“We’re not calling her Earth Force One,” Nori cut her off.
“But--”
“No.”
&nbs
p; “Fine,” she said grumpily. “Then I’m all out of ideas.” She glanced at her monitors. “Sensors still not picking up anything conclusive.”
“Unity,” Nori said softly.
“What’s that?”
“That’s what we’ll call the ship. Unity. We’re four different people, from different backgrounds and from different places on Earth, but we all work together, trying to keep our home from falling apart. To unify what’s left of humanity.”
“Unity,” Lana spoke softly as if testing the word.
“Unity.” Bulco nodded.
“Unity,” Nathan said.
The other three turned to stare at the young man. He lowered his head, refusing to meet their eyes.
Bulco chuckled. “I guess that settles that.”
“Hey, I’m getting something,” Lana said suddenly, her eyes glued to her monitors.
“Is that a ship?” Nori asked tensely.
“No … it’s … it’s not broadcasting any signals, other than an energy signature. Whatever it is, I think it’s safe to approach.”
“Alright, I’m bringing us in.”
Unity turned gracefully, skidding above the moon’s surface, racing toward the beeping dot on the monitor. Nori put her hands on the armrests and the holographic controls materialized around her fingers. With gentle movements, she guided the ship toward their destination.
“I’m putting us a little farther away, behind that big rock,” she said. “It’s the only flat stretch of ground I can see around here and hopefully, if there’s someone there, they won’t see us coming.”
Lana winced. “I don’t know if walking a kilometer on foot is such a good idea.”
“That’s why we brought the Hummer, kiddo,” Bulco said. “It’s about time we put the fancy new paint job to the test.”
Nori stood up, her chair disappearing back into the floor. “We’ve landed.”
One by one the members of the Earth Force stood up. They walked into the hangar and approached the large vehicle.
“Shit,” Nori cursed. “I just realized we don’t have an airlock to exit the ship. Damn, why didn’t it occur to us before?”
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 20