by Isaac Hooke
“Got a problem,” Ms. Bounty said.
“What is it?” Rade asked.
“I’ve detected a shuttle launch from our prey,” Ms. Bounty said. “It’s directed toward the core of the gas giant. Surus is aboard.”
“Are you sure?” Rade said. If Surus was truly aboard, and destined for the gas giant, the normally invulnerable Green would never escape the immense gravity well. It was a fate similar to being thrown into the core of a star: trapped deep inside the planet, Surus would eventually starve to death as the millennia passed.
Ms. Bounty nodded. “I’ve accessed the shuttle’s internal sensors. They indicate the presence of the black box containing the Green.”
Lui frowned behind his faceplate. “If you’ve accessed the internal sensors, can’t you access its controls as well?”
“I’m locked out of the actual controls,” Ms. Bounty said. “I can only utilize the sensors.”
“I think our foe could’ve locked you out of the sensors as well,” Tahoe said. “He wants us to know he’s launched Surus toward the planet. To draw us off his tail.”
“Could those readings be faked?” TJ asked.
“Hmm, I suppose it’s possible,” Ms. Bounty said. “Though I’m not sure the Black would have had time to prepare something like that.”
“So you’re not sure Surus is aboard then, after all,” Rade said.
Ms. Bounty paused. “My gut tells me that she is. The Black would want to destroy the Green at the first available opportunity.”
“Your gut,” Bender said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, AI’s don’t have no gut feelings. I don’t believe Surus is aboard.”
“Well I do,” Rade said quietly.
“What if the Artificial is wrong?” Bender pressed.
“Do we want to risk the chance that she isn’t?” Rade said.
Bender didn’t answer.
“I didn’t think so,” Rade continued. “Ms. Bounty, bring us on an intercept course.”
“The requested course change will put us another day behind our prey,” Ms. Bounty said.
“I understand,” Rade said. “Do it.”
“Done,” Ms. Bounty said. “You know, it looks like our earlier course change actually proved beneficial after all. If we were still in a higher orbit, we would have never made it in time.”
“The question is,” Lui said. “Once we’re in range, what then? This ship doesn’t have any grappling hooks. Or does it?”
“No,” Ms. Bounty said.
“I have an idea,” Rade said. “But first of all, Ms. Bounty, can you fly the shuttle in the hangar bay?”
“I can.”
“Good,” Rade said. And he explained his plan.
twenty-five
When Rade was done speaking, Ms. Bounty nodded. “Yes. That might work.”
“Wait,” Shaw said. “So you intend to take Ms. Bounty with you. That’s fine and all, but how are we supposed to control the ship in her absence?”
“I can fix that,” Ms. Bounty said. “Unit A, come here.”
The Centurion complied.
Ms. Bounty gave Unit A her left glove, keeping the right one for herself. The fingertips on both hand coverings contained the funnel-like pheromone generators, Rade noticed.
“Put it on,” Ms. Bounty urged the unit.
The Centurion replaced its glove with the one she had given.
“You don’t need two to interface with the tech?” Rade asked Ms. Bounty.
“No,” Ms. Bounty said. “We are machines... even with just one hand, we can move fast enough to simulate two antennae.” She addressed Unit A: “Accept my data transfer request.”
“Accepted,” Unit A responded.
Ms. Bounty glanced at Rade. “This will take about three minutes. We won’t be close enough to the descending shuttle for another seven anyway.”
“And once we arrive, how much time will we have before passing the point of no return?” Rade asked.
“Fifteen minutes,” Ms. Bounty said.
Rade took a seat along the rim of the depression and waited impatiently while Ms. Bounty transferred the necessary knowledge to the Centurion.
Shaw sat down beside him and initiated a direct connection.
“Rade,” Shaw said. “You don’t have to do this. Let someone else go.”
“No,” Rade said. “It has to be me. I won’t put anyone else’s life at risk for this. It’s my plan, my risk.”
“At least let me come.”
Rade shook his head. “I need you here.” He gripped her gloved hand. “I’ll be back. Trust me.”
Shaw closed her eyes and shook her head behind the faceplate. “If anything happens to you...”
“Nothing will,” Rade said. “Look at me. Look.”
She did.
“This is a simple spacewalk,” Rade said. “In a Hoplite. What could go wrong?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm that edged his tone.
Shaw chuckled sadly. “Famous last words.”
Rade sighed. He decided not to say anything else lest he worry her even further.
“Thank you,” Shaw said.
“For what?” Rade asked.
“For just holding me,” she replied.
Three minutes later Unit A turned toward Shaw. “I understand how to interface with this ship.”
“Do so,” Rade said.
The Centurion approached the pillar and touched the special glove to it.
“Sensors on the glove interrupt and convert the chemical data returned by the interface into tactile sensations for my fingertips,” the unit explained. “Allowing me to interpret the data. I can ‘see’ all the celestial bodies around me, for example. I know the position of the incoming shuttle, and the more distant ship. Other sensors interpret my finger presses and release pheromones in turn, allowing me to guide the vessel.”
“Try adjusting our course,” Rade said. “Bring us closer to the shuttle.”
“It’s working,” Unit A said.
“Bring us alongside,” Rade said. “Close to within five hundred meters on the starboard side and match its course and speed.”
“Aye boss,” Unit A replied.
Rade stood. “All right,” he told Ms. Bounty. “Let’s go.”
Shaw rose and gave him one last, tight hug. “Come back.”
“I always do.” Rade departed.
Ms. Bounty led him into the passageway outside and through the different breach seals. At the hangar, two such seals had descended, forming an airlock. After passing through, Rade loaded into Electron and assumed manual control. He missed the usual greeting from the inactive AI.
Ms. Bounty meanwhile entered the alien shuttle and sealed the ramp behind her.
“Do you read me?” her voice came over the radio.
“Loud and clear,” Rade answered.
He wrapped the arms of his mech around the shuttle’s aft fuselage. Apparently, if he attached his magnets to the port or starboard sides, the weight and magnetism would throw off the internal gyroscopes. He could have clung to the front area, where the shaded visor resided, but apparently that would have interfered with the shuttle’s sensor array, in addition to blocking Ms. Bounty’s external view. That left only the aft area, which meant Ms. Bounty wouldn’t be able to exit until he moved aside, as the ramp unfolded via the same region.
Once he was in place, Rade activated the magnetic mounts in his chest and elbows, and felt his mech firmly attach. He rested the Hoplite’s feet on the two small wings that protruded near the base.
“Are you secure?” Ms. Bounty transmitted.
“I am,” Rade said.
“Depressurizing the compartment,” Ms. Bounty said.
The airlock had already sealed behind them; in moments the atmosphere vented from the bay. The twin doors opened; the shuttle floated into the air and then accelerated outside while Rade hung on. He felt the sense of weightlessness instantly, his stomach doing belly flops.
The red and blue gas giant
with its four large ring systems devoured the stars immediately above them. The craft moved forward quickly, headed toward the second shuttle traveling five hundred meters from the starboard side of the Magnet.
“I’m decelerating,” Ms. Bounty transmitted. “Prepare for spacewalk.”
“How much time again until we pass beyond the point of no return?” Rade asked.
“About ten minutes now,” Ms. Bounty said. “For these shuttles, anyway. For your mech, you’re already past that point, of course.”
“I guess you’re saying I should be careful not to let go of the shuttle.”
“Yes.”
“Shaw, do you read?” Rade tried.
A voice came over his comm, but it was so distorted he couldn’t understand the words, let alone ascertain who the speaker was.
“The gas giant is producing too much radiation,” Ms. Bounty said. “The comm node in your Hoplite is far to weak to connect with the other Hoplites aboard, even at this relatively short range.”
The shuttle approached the second craft, finally halting two meters away. Well, it hadn’t really halted, of course. While it might look like both shuttles merely floated there, Rade knew the pair were hurtling through space at thousands of kilometers per hour, falling inexorably toward the massive giant above them.
“I’m ready to open the ramp,” Ms. Bounty said.
“Disconnecting,” Rade said. He released the magnetic mounts, activated a minuscule burst of lateral thrust, then reset the mounts and reattached farther along the starboard side of the shuttle, away from the aft area. While he couldn’t hang on to the flanks of the craft during flight, it was perfectly fine when the engines were inactive. “Proceed.”
The aft portion of the flattened ovule cracked open, and the ramp lowered. Ms. Bounty’s gloved fingers appeared along the rim, and she pulled herself outside.
Rade extended Electron’s hand toward her; she grabbed onto the mech and then clambered into his passenger seat. She had to rely on his mech because, like the rest of the Argonauts, she hadn’t recovered the jetpack for her jumpsuit.
Rade gently pushed away from the Magnet’s shuttle, and initiated another lateral burst of thrust to turn around. He fired a quick burst of countering thrust when he was facing the target craft.
Rade silently latched on to the port side of the shuttle that contained Surus and extended his arm toward the aft region.
Ms. Bounty climbed along his metal arm and paused beside the ramp location. She touched the fingers of the pheromone-generating glove to several small indentations along the edge of the craft. Her hand moved in a blur between them.
The pod cracked open and the ramp lowered.
“I’m going in.” Ms. Bounty lowered the stun rifle and pulled herself past the edge, vanishing from view.
Rade tried to switch to her point of view. He received an access denied message.
“Ms. Bounty, you have me locked out of your guest observer system,” Rade said.
“Sorry,” Ms. Bounty replied. “Fixed that. I have Surus.”
The video feed came back as Ms. Bounty took control of the shuttle. She was facing the tinted glass that provided a view of the space beyond. Her gloved hand was on the control pillar.
“You aren’t going to let Surus enter you?” Rade asked.
“I already have,” Ms. Bounty replied. “This is Surus speaking. I’m taking us back to the Magnet. Please reposition to the aft area.”
Rade released his magnets and activated a tiny burst of lateral thrust. But before he could reattach, the shuttle sped away.
“Uh, Surus?” Rade said. “I didn’t get a chance to attach.”
The shuttle continued toward the Magnet.
“Surus?” Rade tried again.
With a sinking feeling, he realized the King had outsmarted them once again.
“Shaw, this is Rade,” he transmitted. “I believe Ms. Bounty has been possessed once again. Surus wasn’t aboard that shuttle. It was the King. We’ve been tricked.”
He received no reply. He tried again. Still nothing.
Rade jetted back to the original shuttle and attached to it. He wasn’t sure why he did it. He had no way to control the shuttle, not without that special pheromone glove and the knowledge to use it. But there was something reassuring about hanging onto a solid object in space.
He glanced up at the gas giant that loomed so massively above him. Lurking there, blotting out all those stars, it seemed like it was waiting to devour him.
Well, I guess this is finally it.
He just hoped Shaw was able to make it out of this alive.
Because his time had come.
THE KING SMILED at his ingenuity.
He had reprogrammed the shuttle to send out a false sensor image of the interior, mimicking the signature of the box that contained the trapped Green. Then he had locked out remote access and set the craft on a collision course with the gas giant.
Of course, he had been ready to assume control if it turned out the humans hadn’t fallen for his ruse.
But they had.
Hook.
Line.
And sinker.
The King had been lurking upon the overhead of the cabin. In the cold vacuum of space he had reverted to his gaseous form, which allowed him to move more quickly. When the so-called Ms. Bounty entered, he misted into the helmet of her jumpsuit immediately, before she had a chance to even raise that stun weapon of hers. It had all been so easy.
And now he was about to reunite with his Queen.
The Magnet seemed to be altering course to close with his shuttle more quickly. All the better.
As the King came within range of the Magnet, a woman’s voice came over the comm. The King recognized it as the one named Shaw.
“Ms. Bounty, are you there?” Shaw said. “Ms. Bounty?”
“I’m here,” the King replied. It was odd, hearing a woman’s voice come from his throat. He was accustomed to possessing Artificials modeled after human males. Still, it was arousing in a way.
“I’m not able to reach Rade,” Shaw said. “His mech isn’t showing up on my overhead map.”
“The intense radiation damaged Electron’s comm node during the spacewalk,” the King said. “But he’s right here with me.”
“Then why isn’t the weaker comm node in his suit allowing him to reach me?” Shaw said. “The node in your suit seems to be working well enough.”
The King cursed silently to himself, and thought quickly. “Rade has fallen unconscious. He’s going to need radiation treatment. I’m sorry.”
“Oh no,” Shaw said. “I told him not to go. Get aboard as quickly as you can.”
“I intend to,” the King replied.
The hangar doors opened and he steered the shuttle inside. After he docked, he stared at the rifle that hung from his shoulder. The so-called “stun rifle” that had caused him so many problems. He lowered the weapon and broke it over one knee.
Good luck subduing me now, he thought.
The bay doors closed and he opened the shuttle’s ramp before the hangar fully pressurized. He approached the airlock from the side, blaster at the ready. He could sense his Queen aboard, somewhere.
When the atmosphere stabilized the inner hatch opened. He aimed the blaster at the entrance and waited for Shaw and the others to rush inside.
No one came.
Have they discovered my ruse?
He realized he was only wearing one of the pheromone generating gloves. That meant there was potentially another machine aboard that could interface with the ship; perhaps it knew enough about the internal systems to access the hangar bay scanners, and thus determine only Ms. Bounty had returned. Not Rade.
I should have used a different lie.
The King slowly peered past the edge of the airlock and into the passage beyond. Empty.
Blaster in hand, he stepped through the airlock and into the corridor, intending to make his way to the bridge. He was ready to revert to his liqu
id form and incinerate them all. Well, everyone except for Shaw, who would know the new codes he needed to open the container that trapped his Queen.
But he had only taken a few steps before he perceived a loud thud behind him. At first he thought it was the airlock door sealing, but he realized he had heard that softer sound already. This noise was different: the sound of a glass door shutting.
“No,” the King said.
He began to float into the air.
SHAW KICKED THE emitters aside and watched with satisfaction as Ms. Bounty began to revolve inside the glass container, along with the black liquid of the Queen.
King and Queen were reunited at last.
Enjoy it while you can, you embodiments of evil.
She boarded Nemesis; the mech was waiting beside the glass container. Unit A resided in the passenger seat.
“Open up the airlock, Unit A,” Shaw ordered.
The combat robot leaped down, squeezed past the glass container, and used its glove to open both the inner and outer hatches of the airlock. Then the Centurion proceeded inside the hangar bay to wait for her.
Shaw stepped forward in the Hoplite, shoving the glass container into the hangar to move it out of the way.
Tahoe and Bender followed her inside, also in their mechs.
Shaw moved the glass container back through the airlock and into the passageway, where the other Argonauts waited in their jumpsuits, prepared to release Ms. Bounty the moment the King was extracted from her.
Unit A used its special glove to seal the airlock from the inside, as well as evacuate the hangar and open the bay doors. Then Unit A entered the shuttle and flew the craft outside.
Shaw took a running leap and followed the shuttle from the ship. She felt sick as the weightlessness took over.
The gas giant filled the starscape above. It was dizzying.
She jetted forward, positioning herself behind the aft section of the shuttle. She latched on with her magnetic mounts.
Tahoe and Bender were behind her. They attached to her with their own magnets, forming a chain.
Shaw scanned the space around her and detected Rade’s faint heat signature above them. She had had Unit A bring the Magnet closer when she realized what had happened.