Dark Side of the Moon

by P. C. Rasmussen

  "Oh, we are," Kyle confirmed and shifted a little forward, thereby putting himself between Daniel and the two others. "But I didn't see any No Trespassing signs anywhere, so I figured it was okay to come for a visit."

  Jack and Andy glanced at each other and their uncertainty shone through. They had no idea what he meant by that. "Yeah, well, you chose to relocate, so why don't you just go back to where you came from?" Andy snarled.

  Jack, however, laid a hand on his arm. "Forget it, Andy. He's right. It's not like it's our dome," he said while never taking his eyes off Kyle.

  "Damned straight it ain't," Kyle countered. "Look, guys, we moved out, you stayed. That's as far as this goes, right? No hard feelings?"

  "Over what? That you called us cowards? That you only turn up here when you want something?" Andy growled. He looked like he was about ready to get into a fight over this.

  His words made Kyle frown. "Honestly, man, you think I want something from you? There's nothing you have that I could possibly want," he said quietly.

  "Except for Bark's location, of course," Andy spat angrily.

  "Yeah, thanks for the hint, by the way. We found him too," Kyle countered. "I actually think we would have found him anyway, but still. I appreciate the help."

  "Then put in a good word for us with the gardeners," Jack suggested.

  So that was what this was about? They didn't want to stay alone in dome 2 anymore and wanted to join the gardeners? "Funny, I thought you said they were man-eating monsters," Kyle said and smiled disarmingly. "Look, I'd like to, but Stella doesn't seem to like you very much. So ... maybe you should talk to her yourself?"

  Jack snorted. "That bitch? No thanks. I thought she might have croaked. No such luck, I guess," he countered with a roll of the eyes and a light shake of the head.

  The other man's response caught Kyle a little off guard. "Okay," he tried, a little confused. "Well, then don't. But I doubt you'll get very far if you don't talk to her. She seems to be the unofficial leader of the gardeners."

  "And a woman should be able to run the baddest group in this joint?" Jack asked, his tone sarcastic. "Yeah, right. She's got Mike whipped. That's all there is to it. Mike used to be the real power in that dome until she showed up and took over."

  It struck Kyle right there and then that Jack, for all his welcoming openness and apparent understanding, was a misogynist. "You're kidding, right? You have issues with Stella running the gardeners?"

  Jack snorted again. "You haven't been on her bad side yet, I take it," he said. "Just wait. At some point you're going to step on her toes and when you do, you're gonna get your ass kicked." Obviously, this struck him as funny, because he struggled against a smile and didn't quite manage. "In fact, you'll probably end up on their dinner plates."

  While Jack shot off his mouth, Kyle observed both men and noted that Andy wasn't so much watching him as staring at Daniel. And that look would make anyone nervous. Ignoring Jack's blather - considering that it was based on an appalling lack of knowledge - Kyle snapped his fingers in Andy's line of vision, attracting the man's attention. "It's funny," he said and wondered if these two dickheads had actually had an agreement with the moron twins. "It just strikes me as obscenely weird that you two are so fucking upset with the way things are. You have this dome to yourselves with no real risk of getting fucked up beyond all recognition at the moment ... and all you do is blather on about the gardeners? If either of you had bothered to get to know them on their terms, you might not be so quick to judge." They really were a lost cause, he decided. Why should he bother trying to get through to them? They belonged among the petty masses.

  Obviously something about what he'd said didn't get through to Jack. "What?" He glanced at Andy, who was now watching Kyle with the same withering expression he had reserved for Daniel before. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Kyle made a dismissive wave with one hand. "Never mind. We'll just get out of your way now," he said and took a step forward. Neither of the two made any move to get out of his way, though, and it struck him right there and then that Daniel had made no attempts at joining the conversation.

  "You know ... I really don't like your attitude," Jack said and there was a hint of warning in his voice.

  Kyle couldn't help a smirk. He remembered Jack's response to the demise of the moron twins, and it would seem the other man had at this point either forgotten or chosen to ignore the fact that Kyle had singled-handedly taken down one of the twins, and it bore reminding. "Don't you now?" he asked and stepped into the other man's space, his eyes locked on Jack's. If he was right, Jack would back down. If he had read the man wrong, he was about to get his ass kicked.

  For a long moment it was like a Mexican standoff, where Kyle held Jack's gaze and Jack didn't back down. Then Jack grimaced and broke eye-contact while taking a half-step back. "Have it your way," he growled, but was incapable of putting much strength into the dismissal. The light sheen of sweat that had formed on his brow was further statement to the fact that he was a coward.

  Andy, on the other hand, was a bit of a loose cannon in this. Kyle didn't really know where he stood and what he might do next. "Then back off," he advised in a tone that was neither angry nor timid. He shifted his attention back and forth between the two until Daniel's hand fell heavily on his shoulder.

  "Don't bother," he said and there was a fairly strong undercurrent of something that sounded like bitterness in his voice. "They're not going to do anything. They never do."

  If Kyle's unwillingness to back down hadn't defused the situation, then Daniel's bitter words did. Even Andy had the decency to look crestfallen and stepped aside instantly. Jack eyed Daniel for a moment, then followed suit.

  Kyle rolled his eyes and turned sideways to let Daniel pass. He wasn't going to let him take up the rear with those two behind them. "Let's move. We've got places to go," he said and followed Daniel when the younger man walked away.

  They walked in silence for a bit until Daniel finally glanced behind them and, finding that nobody was following them, he began to relax a little.

  "What a pair of nitwits," Kyle said.

  Daniel glanced at him, one eyebrow arched. "Nitwits?" he asked. "That's a bit mild for you, isn't it?"

  Kyle smirked. "I guess," he said with a shrug. "Dickheads is probably the word I'm looking for." He sent a glance backward as well. "You know, Jack I get. He's a world class coward. No matter how fast he talks, he'll never be able to convince anyone of anything else. But Andy? Him I don't get. He's ... volatile."

  Another glance back brought Daniel to a stop. "No, he's not. He just wants you to think he is. One of the first times the twins went for me, he was right there, in the shower. And he just left. He didn't even try to get help. He just took off, disappeared. That guy's only in it for himself. And he's scared shitless of getting hurt." He sounded so bitter that it made Kyle's skin crawl.

  Kyle eyed the kid, not sure how to respond to that at first. He couldn't reassure him, not as long as they were still stuck in this dump, and it made him wonder how much longer Daniel would last. The kid seemed to have a tendency to drop into a deep bottomless pit of despair if he wasn't watched closely, and one of these days, he might not be able to crawl back out.

  "When we get out of here, what are you gonna do? Go back home?" Kyle asked. He needed to spur the kid on in a positive direction; even if it just turned out to be a pipedream in the end. Right now, it was a matter of keeping Daniel as upbeat as possible.

  Daniel frowned lightly. "When?" he asked. "Don't you mean if?"

  "No, I mean when," Kyle countered evenly.

  They started walking again, their pace slow. "I don't know," Daniel said, his eyes locked on the path ahead of them. "I don't really think my mom will be very happy to see me. Not only have I disgraced the family, but she'll see this as a jailbreak."

  "Jailbreak? You're getting a get-out-of-jail-free card here. I may not think much of my dad, but he's got
enough leverage in Pangaea to give you a clean slate. And I know just how to wrangle it so he will. Your mom's not much of a mom, is she?" Kyle countered, not sure that was the right approach.

  Daniel sighed lightly. "No, I guess she isn't," he agreed and he sounded more depressed than ever.

  It struck Kyle right there and then that Daniel had nowhere to go if they managed to get out of here, and that was a sobering thought. "You must have other family members," he tried.

  "Apart from my mom and sister?" Daniel gave him a slightly puzzled yet heavily weighed-down glance. "No, there's nobody else. If we get back to Earth ... I don't have anywhere to go."

  Kyle frowned for a second, but then shrugged lightly. "Well, that's okay. You can stay with me. My apartment ... providing my father hasn't sold it off ... is big enough for four," he said and smirked when Daniel glanced sideways at him, his expression full of disbelief. "And the whole place is automated, too. Light, water, doors, the whole shebang."

  "Why would your father keep it?" Daniel asked.

  They both came to a stop in front of the door to the 'mall', which was closed. Kyle glanced upward, but had no idea what he was looking for and shrugged. "He may or may not have. Needless to say, he owes me big time for this fuck-up. So ... whether the apartment still exists or not, you can still stay with me. I'll find a new place and my dad is gonna pay for it."

  Apparently that was funny, because Daniel chuckled a little hesitantly. "It must be nice to be born rich," he commented and glanced up at the dome above them too. He narrowed his eyes briefly, studying something that lay beyond Kyle's comprehension, and then sighed. "It'll be another half hour or so before the door opens," he said.

  "Well, great. Maybe we should grab something to eat in the mess hall while we wait," Kyle countered. They started walking again, this time heading toward the mess hall. "I don't know about you, but personally I can't wait to get some decent food again. All things considered, that moon-cow meat may be delicious, but I'm not too keen on the side-effects."

  "I'm not eating that again," Daniel said, his tone subdued. "Once was enough. The fact that I now know where it comes from ..." He shuddered. "No thanks."

  Kyle couldn't help a smirk. "You really don't like bugs, do you?" he asked.

  The younger man glanced at him and there was something in his eyes that made Kyle pay more attention. "It's not just that. I mean, yeah, they look like bugs and that grosses me out. But ... they're alien. And, for all we know, they may be connected to whatever is in dome 6."

  "You believe in aliens?" Kyle asked while they stepped into the mess hall and headed toward the food dispensers.

  "Yeah, I do," Daniel agreed. "I mean ... I think it's kind of arrogant to think we're the only living beings out here. If we were, wouldn't that make us a mistake or something?" He suddenly stopped short, frowning. Then he glanced around the mess hall and focused on the other end.

  Kyle followed his line of sight and was surprised to realize they didn't have the place to themselves. At the far end, furthest from the entrance, was a group of people, sitting together at a few tables, and they were all watching them.

  As always, Kyle had a hard time seeing anyone as a possible threat until he was proven wrong. And even though they seemed weird, the way they were clustered together and staring at them, Kyle sensed no danger from them. "Who are they?"

  "The Russians," Daniel said. "Part of that minority on Earth that still clings to its roots."

  None of the Russians made any move to get up or speak to them, so Kyle shrugged it off. "Good for them," he said and covered the distance to the food dispensers in a few long strides. He eyed the selection for a moment and let out a sigh. "This I will not miss," he said.

  "Maybe you shouldn't talk about your ... plans out loud," Daniel suggested quietly. He had followed him after a second, but kept looking back at the group in the corner.

  Kyle glanced over at the group and realized they'd lost interest. They were now talking quietly amongst themselves. He stabbed a button at random on the machine and pulled the tray out of the opening. "Might be an idea," he agreed, pushed another button and grabbed the bottle of water that followed in the wake of the tray.

  They ate in silence, not exactly relishing the food, and Kyle noted how Daniel kept glancing over at the Russians. When the group across the way started to get up, Daniel tensed and it made Kyle wonder if he had experienced a run-in with them or if it was just a natural side-effect of the trauma he had been through.

  The Russians dutifully discarded their left-overs and trailed toward the exit, but halfway there, the whole group stopped as one. One of them, an older man, broke away from the group and walked steadily toward their table. He stopped next to Kyle's chair and Kyle looked up at him, having to crane his neck a little because of the proximity.

  "You new?" the old-timer asked, his steely eyes locked on Kyle.

  "Yeah," Kyle agreed readily and watched the man closely. Whatever this was about, the old-timer seemed mostly interested in him and not in Daniel.

  "You seen'em yet?" the old man asked and narrowed his gaze, his bushy eyebrows drawing together over the bridge of his nose.

  Kyle arched one of his, a bit surprised but also curious about this. "Seen who?" he countered.

  The old man's eyes bore into him with an intensity that was almost breathtaking. Then he glanced at Daniel, before settling his stare on Kyle again. "Never mind," he finally said, turned around and walked back to his group.

  "Nice meeting you too," Kyle called after him, and then gave Daniel a scrutinizing look. "What the hell was that about?"

  Daniel watched the progress of the group for a moment, and when he was convinced they were heading out the door and not coming back for more, he returned his attention to his meal, his shoulders hunched, his expression stiff. "Don't know," he muttered. "Maybe they're just crazy."

  Kyle exhaled, puffing out his cheeks in the process, before scrubbing a hand over his lips. "Pretty much everybody here seems to have a touch of the crazies," he agreed. "Must be the vibes this place gives off."

  Startled, Daniel looked up and met Kyle's gaze. "What vibes?" he asked.

  Kyle tilted his head forward a bit without ever taking his eyes off the younger man's wide gaze. "Come on," he huffed. "You can't be oblivious to the vibes. You're having the dreams, kiddo. You know something's up in this place. And it's more than it being a prison for lifers on a lifeless rock of dust."

  Daniel's expression closed off and he dropped his gaze as well as his chin. "I don't know what you mean," he muttered, thereby telling Kyle very clearly that he knew exactly what he meant.

  "Dan," he said. "Look ... I know it's not easy to ... admit or agree to or whatever you wanna call it, but ... dude ... you cannot tell me that you don't feel it, that you haven't noticed it in people's behavior?"

  "We're in a prison; on the Moon; with no guards, nobody to keep the bad elements at bay. You think there's something more going on here than basic human nature?" Daniel asked and looked up again. There was something unhinged in his eyes, something that made him look just as crazy as Kyle felt everybody else around here was.

  "Yes, I do," Kyle agreed readily. The craziness seeped out of Daniel's eyes in a hurry. "And you believe it too. I don't know what it is; aliens, monsters or genetic mutations. Who the hell knows? All I know is, it's here, it's real and it's influencing everybody. Those that are the least influenced are those sheep in dome 1. The closer you get to the source, the weirder people behave. The gardeners are smack dab in the middle, which makes them the balance on a knife's edge. Have you noticed the people in dome 4? They're like fucking zombies. They're one step away from becoming loonies." To better get his point across, he reached out and grabbed Daniel's wrist. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed this."

  For a long moment all Daniel did was stare at him. Then he pulled his wrist almost carefully out of Kyle's grip and leaned back. His attention shifted sideways and he got that
far-away look in his eyes he sometimes had. "No, I've noticed," he admitted reluctantly and then focused on Kyle again. "And it scares the crap out of me. It's like I can ... feel it. It's like a ... bug under your skin. I can feel it slithering around in here." He patted his chest with one hand, then his brow, "and here. It's in my head. It's under my skin. It's everywhere. I wanna get out of here, Kyle. I wanna go home." The last part was accompanied by a shaky voice and tears gleaming in his eyes, and Kyle realized for the first time since meeting the kid that the assaults were only half of what freaked him out about this place.

  "So ... the longer you're here, the worse it gets?" he asked and Daniel nodded curtly. "What about Stella? Or Mike? They seem pretty together and it's my understanding that they've been here awhile."

  "They have. I think some are immune to it. Or don't catch whatever it is that quickly. But ... someone like Mr. Shanghai ..." He shuddered and briefly hunched his shoulders again. "I know you never met him, and you should hope never to meet anyone like him. His eyes ... they were cold, like a snake's. He looked like he could devour you in one swallow. He was stark-raving mad, no question there. But it was more than that. It was ..." He swallowed hard, paling. "I don't know. It's hard to explain. There was just something about him that was ... it freaked everybody out. And all his cohorts ... they were just as nuts and hung on every word he said."

  "That's not so uncommon for insane leaders," Kyle mused. "But I get what you're saying. I feel it too. It's like a thrum under everything else, like a ... heartbeat. Like this place has a life of its own, a pulse that runs through everything."

  Daniel nodded. "Exactly," he agreed.

  "Well, I suggest we get a move on then. Let's go get the wires we need and get back to Bark. Come hell or high water, we're getting off this rock. And I don't care how it's done," Kyle said, pushed the remains of his food away and got up.

  ***

  The 'mall' was open when they got there and Kyle wasted no time. He started at the far end where he'd glimpsed some interesting stuff earlier. Daniel started at the other end and together they methodically went through the rows of shelving.