by Justin Sloan
“What’s the meaning of this?” he asked, furious. “Do you have any idea what…” He froze, eyes focused on Marick for the first time. “You… Marick?”
Marick took a step back, eyes darting between Veles and this new man. “You setting me up?”
“I, too, would like to know what’s happening,” Veles said, turning to Yerbuna.
She smiled, holding up her hands. “Now, now… let me explain. You’ve come for the Heel? She’s here, but she’s not in the best of moods, as you’d imagine. But what you really came for were answers, and I recognize this man, so does Intrepid.”
The bald man nodded. “It’s Marick. Or, sorry, Stealth…?”
“Marick will do.” Marick frowned. “Why do you know me?”
Intrepid was trying to hold back a smile, that much was clear. “Ah, man, it’s so hard to not give you a hug right now. We really weren’t sure if you were alive or dead, but… here you are.”
“You knew me?”
“We were in the Marines together,” Intrepid said slowly. And even as the words came out, Marick knew the man. Not as Intrepid, but as Lance Corporal Ekeke, a tough guy who was never afraid to stand up for the little man. “You know me, don’t you?”
“You want me to call you Intrepid, or Ek—” he started, but Intrepid held up his hands.
“Not up here. Trying to keep that name on the down-low.”
Marick nodded, hands clammy and mouth dry at the realization that he was standing here with this man, more and more memories flooding over him. A shared fire as jets took off around them, watching them fly away and then staring at the stars, dreaming together of one day going up there to serve.
Now they were here, and it was nothing like they had imagined. But to be back with him, even though parts of the memories were fuzzy, meant a lot.
“We were friends,” Marick said, choking up slightly.
“I like to think we still are,” Intrepid said with a grin. “I mean, hell, you were my Staff Sergeant and kicked my butt around, but overall, yeah. Friends.”
“There were two others with the Heel,” Veles explained. “Might as well turn this little love fest into an orgy, eh?”
Intrepid laughed, but shook his head. “Others?”
“They came up a while back, smuggled in with the hired terraformers, and joined up with me when they learned the truth,” Veles said.
“Guys, you’re going to want to see this,” a voice said from inside the room. “Alice must have triggered something.”
“Alice…?”
Intrepid eyed him, then nodded. “We’ll find those other two Marines, but first… you need to hear this, I think.”
“Who is Alice?” Marick said.
“You knew her as Alicia,” Intrepid replied. “She’s your wife.”
Marick saw the woman again, the face, the image dancing paired with her in the dome. Of course he knew it, somewhere deep within. It’s why he couldn’t betray her, why he felt this connection and was willing to throw away all of this to be back with her.
Alicia. He stormed into the room, not waiting for more. “Is she here?” He looked at each of them, hopeful. But no, these people were definitely not his Alicia.
Intrepid followed behind and quickly made introductions. It was weird, being looked at like they all knew him, when they didn’t. He focused on the task at hand though, repeating the question about Alicia’s whereabouts.
“Ah, right,” the man Intrepid had introduced as Swinger said. “Your, er, wife has actually infiltrated the dome as a PD soldier, and as we speak—”
“She what!”
“To find you,” Intrepid explained. “As crazy as that sounds… but not just that. We’re rescuing two of our own, and then we’re taking them down, with this… Right, Swinger?”
Swinger beamed, swiping a screen so it became large enough for all to see. “They’re creating an army, working together with the other space stations.”
“Right, of course,” Marick said. “We all know that.”
“No, not an army for out there.” Swinger highlighted specific sections, beaming. “They’re planning an invasion, and I don’t mean some alien planet. This army, everything they’re building up here… well, not everything, as they are serious about terraforming and space exploration… but the rest of it. Skimming here, it looks like they have targets on Earth.”
“It looks,” Intrepid said, moving some screens about to show maps and battle plans, “like it’s more than just some targets. It’s every major country with a military.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Yerbuna said, stepping in now to take a better look.
Marick cocked his head in thought. “Maybe, but depends on the target. If New Origins moves in fast and takes out the heads of military, maybe even state… Yeah, I can see it. Nobody on Earth has this super soldier capacity like they do, and they have the weapons developed for attacking aliens. So why not Earth, right?”
Veles chuckled, not missing how easily Marick referred to his once-team as ‘they.’ “If someone on Earth got their hands on this, we wouldn’t have such a hard time getting rid of New Origins and the rest of the scumbags up here, that’s for sure.”
“Alicia’s sister,” Intrepid said, eyes widening.
“She has a sister?” Marick tried imagining her, getting nothing.
“Yeah, she was just going FBI when we left, or trying to get in or something like that. If we can get to her, maybe…?”
“You’re all talking like you can get off the station,” Oliver said, eyeing them with confusion. “Is that really possible?”
It was a reality check, and the whole team took a moment to look around at each other, wondering. If they couldn’t get off the space station, they could try to communicate the news. But that would likely get intercepted.
“We have miners and terraformers that go between space stations,” Yerbuna said. “Religious representatives among them.”
“If I could get the IDs in order….” Veles smiled, catching on.
“The space elevator from here would be the first thing shut down,” Marick said, nodding in agreement. “But if we could get to one of the other space stations fast enough, before they respond, then get down through their elevator… it might work!”
He turned, running his hands through his hair and breathing in the taste of hope, and smiled. “First step, though, we need to get my wife back to me.”
28
Alice: The Dome
There was no doubting what Alice had in front of her, and she had just transmitted it to her team. She hoped they saw it for what it was, but just in case, she was already storing it in her wrist piece. This effectively meant she would be carrying New Origins’s grand plans for treason and world domination on her body, making her target number one if they found out.
As she waited, she pulled up the blueprints of the dome, quickly locating the holding cells. No more than a day had passed since the PD soldiers had captured Scorpio and then Norwal, so they would likely be there still, held for questioning. She didn’t expect to find them in the best of shape, but as long as they were alive, she would be happy enough.
“What the hell do you mean he was there and then disappeared?” a woman’s voice sounded, one Alice was fairly certain she recognized. Nightshade! Here?
The backup was at eighty-five percent. Alice knew where to find her teammates, but she didn’t have anything on Marick yet. Then again, if Nightshade was here and Marick was with the Taipans, he would likely be here too. That was what she figured anyway, until the voice, growing closer, sounded again.
“You bring me Stealth’s head, you understand me? Because if he’s alive when I see him next, I swear to the Titan I will tear him limb from limb, skin him alive…”
The door opened.
Ninety-nine percent. Alice turned around to the side of the server, waiting—one hundred. She pulled back as Nightshade entered, speaking into her helmet.
“You tell that slacker Trop to find out
how the hell someone disappears right in front of you, or I’m going to tear him a new one too, while I’m at it!”
She swiped her hand and cut off the call, then entered, glancing around. During the last few words, though, Alice had been backing up very carefully. Now that Nightshade was here, she needed to not be.
A glance back up showed her escape route—the same way she had entered, using the server station as footing so she could reach the ceiling. She was very careful, moving quickly as Nightshade began typing on the computer. Then Alice was out of there, replacing the ceiling tile before the tirade of swearing started from below.
“Someone’s in our system!” Nightshade shouted, furious, and then stormed out. Alice took a moment, breathed to find her calm. She still had her friends below to save, but she paused, glancing back toward the secret room she had spotted earlier.
Alarms were about to go off at any minute anyway, right? She figured she had better get in there now, while she could. Scurrying along, she dropped down in the next room over, walked out, and came face to face with a guard and a scientist talking.
“Intruder,” she said. “Nightshade wants me to check on this room, ensure nothing was taken.”
“If anything was taken, we’d likely know,” the scientist said with a worried chuckle. “And… be in some serious trouble.”
“Then we’d better make sure, hadn’t we?” She turned to the guard, adding, “Come, soldier, we need to get that list checked off.”
The guard eyed her, then her uniform. She was wearing the sergeant’s insignia, and hoped that this man wouldn’t know all of who’s who on the station. She could be with one of the other units, right? He was a corporal, so in theory this would work.
“How come I haven’t seen you around?” he asked, but was already starting to open the door.
“Flirt on your own damn time,” the scientist said, the panic of something actually being missing making him agitated. Alice was glad to have avoided the question.
The guard entered first, the scientist pushing his way past, and then she came behind. The guard worked to disarm the alarms that would go off with them in there. In a matter of seconds, the scientist did a quick inventory. Walls were lined with odd knick-knacks—futuristic guns, belts and little balls that looked like paintballs but had tiny gray circles within.
“All accounted for?” Alice asked, glancing around in wonder.
“How the hell should I know?” the scientist said, going over to a wall of drawers and glancing in. “Basically, none of the big stuff is missing. If a thief were smart and knew what they were doing here, those would’ve been the first to go.” He motioned to a wall with a glass case. In it was one of the belts with a glass belt buckle—a screen, she realized—and harness for the shoulders. She frowned, stepping up to look at it, and noticed a small wrist piece next to it, similar to her own.
Picking it up to inspect it, she waved her hand over it and saw a screen with several options pop up, including one she had been hoping for. One that hadn’t been enabled on most purchasable wrist computers.
Turning it on, she selected “Stun,” then put it on her wrist.
“Be careful with that,” the guard said, pulling back in shock as she let two small stun pellets shoot out and into his neck. He lunged toward her, eyes narrowing, and then hit the floor. The scientist started to protest, hands up and wild spittle flying from his mouth, but at the last second he spun toward the alarms. The pellets hit him and he collapsed to the floor before he could reach them.
No time to waste, Alice broke the glass with a smash from one of the guns nearby, then took the belt and harness and strapped it on. Whatever it was, she knew it had value, and was therefore taking it with her. Her best bet was that everything in here was some sort of weapon being produced by the scientists.
She grabbed a few of the ball things, along with an interesting augment to her older wrist computer, the one on her left arm.
“Attention, we have at least one intruder,” a voice on the speakers said as alarms sounded from other parts of the dome. “We will be going into lockdown immediately. Please stay in your designated areas until all is clear.”
The sounds of metal sliding across glass filled the dome, and Alice had a choice to make. She could make a run for it now, or get down to the lower level and find Scorpio and Norwal. Then the three of them would make an escape, somehow. Or, they might be trapped. And killed.
She knew herself, though, and that meant she really only had one option. Plus, there was still the whole issue with Marick, and him possibly being here. She hoped Scorpio would have an idea of how to find Marick and get him out, too. Worst-case scenario, though, they would figure that part out on a different day. A day when death wasn’t so imminent.
As far as she knew, nobody here had discovered the sergeant in the enhancement room, so no alarms there. She wasn’t sure if these people knew her face. Walking to the room below was most likely her best bet… and doing so as a guard made a lot of sense.
The only difference between their two uniforms was that he wore a half helmet with visor, though he’d had it pulled back when speaking with the scientist. She slipped it on, then stepped out into the halls and began making her way down. Other soldiers and guards were moving about, escorting scientists and workers to their sections, moving to check in with their superiors about what was going on.
As far as they knew, she was just one of them going to report in.
“What’s happening?” a woman in gray asked.
“We’re looking into it,” Alice replied, continuing on and giving a slight nod to a soldier as he passed.
So far, so good.
At least, she thought so until a familiar face stood before her. Matias, the son of New Origins’s CEO. He had a pensive look, but when he saw her his eyes lit up momentarily before moving to her guard helmet and insignia.
“I did look you up, you know,” he said, leaning back against the rail and watching the lower levels of people moving about. “Facial scan.”
“And?” Alice had her hand ready to activate her new equipment, even if she wasn’t sure what it would do or if it could really help her escape. She was trapped here, otherwise, so had to try something.
“My family,” he started, turning to stare into her eyes with a look of a little boy, lost and confused, “they never really bothered to explain all of this to me. One day I walk into a room and find that we’re essentially brainwashing men and women. They tell me more, big plans that are so against everything my time on Earth taught me is okay. No morals in space, I guess… but I can’t turn against them either.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “What exactly… are you saying?”
“That I can’t choose sides, not in a situation like this, not against my family and certainly not against humanity.” He waved her off. “Go, check on the security situation… er, stuff. We’ll be fine here.”
He was letting her go, just like that. Taking a step away, she whispered, “Thank you,” and then kept on.
“I’ll see you for lunch,” he said, and she glanced back to see him wink, then turn and walk away. Strange man, that guy. But it was good to know there was someone in the higher-ups who wasn’t a complete tool, even if he wasn’t exactly decisive.
At the next level, taking the circular walkway down instead of the elevator, a soldier pointed to a group of civilians crowded up against the door. “Get them the hell out of here,” he said to Alice.
She nodded and strode over to the group, saying, “Follow me.” Where they were supposed to go, she hadn’t the slightest, but figured she could use this to her advantage. The civilians started asking where they were going, and she told them they’d be safer below ground, with less chance of action.
Arriving at the entrance to the holding rooms, two guards approached her with confusion on their faces at seeing the small crowd.
“I was told to bring them here,” Alice explained. “Safest place in the dome, at the moment.”
<
br /> “This is great,” one of the guards said. “Any idea what’s going on up there?”
She shook her head, then leaned in conspiratorially. “I hear one of the sergeants went crazy. Was caught attacking some of the new recruits.”
“That ain’t new,” the other guard said with a chuckle. “Red eyes?”
Alice blinked, caught off guard by that. “Yeah, that sounds right.”
He nodded again, then opened the door. “We had one of the officers go crazy not long ago, just after enhancements. Some of these guys just can’t take it.”
“Damn shame,” the first said. “Hey, you all hang tight in room B, right? Safest place, and away from the others.”
“The others being in A?” Alice asked.
“No, we call their room the Grandeur.” He smiled smugly.
It took her a moment to process where she’d heard that name before. “Oh, as in the ship from that story with Valerie? They have that up here?”
“Just watched it yesterday,” the guy said. “In the break room, if you want to check it out later.”
She put on a fake smile, shrugged, and led the group in. What was it with guys in here hitting on her?
Room B was clearly marked, and so she led the people in, promising this was where they’d be safe. It was true, though she didn’t mention the fact that it was her they supposedly needed to be kept safe from.
A glance back showed the guards had closed the door and were still on the other side. She made her way down the brightly lit hall, stopping at a room where the words “Singlaxeon Grandeur” had been written in marker on a paper placard. In a way it was a relief to know that, even here, nerds continued on.
Leaning into the door, she pushed. And nothing happened. A hand scanner next to the door called her attention, and she cursed. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
She pushed again, just to be sure, then glanced around, looking for other options. Several empty rooms, and then the room where they put items they confiscated from the prisoners. This was promising.
It was a standard room with bins. The two closest were almost empty, but one had what looked like either Scorpio’s or Norwal’s earpiece. Using this could mean an easy trace on her, but it might also be the only way out of there.