Young Jaxon nodded. He obviously didn’t believe what Old Jaxon was saying, but also didn’t argue.
Old Jaxon opened a small panel on the inside of his wrist. He pulled out a small black case about the length and width of the last knuckle of his thumb. He flicked the panel closed again and held the small container up in front of Young Jaxon. There was no discernible means of opening the small black box. There were no seams or hinges. It was perfectly smooth, and perfectly sealed.
“In this case is something that will change the course of human history,” Old Jaxon said.
“Yeah right,” Young Jaxon scoffed.
“It’s imperative that you take this case back to New Earth. Deliver it to a man named Johanssen. Erik Johanssen. He works at a news stand near Champion’s Square, at the foot of Arther Kronenberc parade. It’s called The End Times.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Deadly serious. You take this, you deliver is to Erik Johanssen at The End Times in Champion’s Square on New Earth. You tell him that Hercules sent you.”
Young Jaxon laughed and said, “Your name is Hercules? Are you being serious right now?”
“My name is many things to many different people. Trust me. Erik will take the case and get it where it needs to go. He’ll also reward you for your service. He’ll confer the credits that should have gone to me onto you. You’ll be able to start a life for yourself. I know you only took the job on this ship because it was a choice between leaving New Earth on a MetroCorp contract and sleeping on the streets for another year.”
Young Jaxon didn’t deny it.
“Why would you do this? Why would you give up the credits?” Young Jaxon asked.
“Because I’m going to die on this ship, and I need you to make sure the course of human history is set right.”
Young Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you? I mean really, who are you?”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” he said as he put the small black case into Young Jaxon’s open palm.
Chapter Forty-Six
Draco lifted himself out of the vent. The ground was carpeted in a thick biomass. The tube that Draco had grabbed onto snaked its way around the furniture in the room. More biomass grew from whatever it touched. It split into multiple branches, webbed with thin translucent skin. Two tubes snaked around the air-conditioning units, up the walls and onto the ceiling. Small pods hung from the ceiling like fleshbound water droplets. There was a faint sound coming from inside the pods. They pulsated as though something shifted and moved inside.
The room looked like the water treatment plant, but on a much smaller scale.
“The room’s not clear, but it looks like it’s safe enough to come up,” Draco said over comms. “No immediate threats.”
“What do you mean not clear Captain?” Raze asked.
“There’s infection here. A lot of growth all over the place. But no immediate danger. I’d appreciate some backup.”
“Coming up,” Raze said. A moment later the hooked end of Raze’s grapnel launcher embedded itself in the ceiling. Raze squeezed himself up the narrow shaft and crawled out onto the floor. He was followed quickly by Aloysius.
Aloysius bent down to look closer at the growth that covered the floor. He prodded it gently and said, “It feels just like skin. I wonder... No, not yet. That may not be wise.”
“What might not be wise?” Draco asked.
“Well, I am interested to see if the floor bleeds if it’s cut,” Aloysius said.
“You’re right. That’s probably not wise,” Draco agreed.
“Of course. But it is fascinating. In all the zoological databanks in the galaxy, nothing like this has ever been recorded. I would know. I have a copy of those very archives downloaded. We may be among the first people to witness the existence of this species in galactic history,” Aloysius said.
“I can’t say that I’m particularly happy about that,” Draco said.
“Of course not. The introduction of something so different and so violent as this to any ecosystem is not something that happens without pain. But I wonder where it came from. If it’s not native to any known world, and there is no mention of an organism like this anywhere in the galaxy’s zoological record, then where did it come from?”
“Focus on getting to the top of the tower,” Draco said. “We can unravel that mystery after we have control of the ship.”
“Of course, Captain.”
The fluttering sound could no longer be ignored. On their floor, it sounded like a gust of wind blowing in and out of a tunnel. Draco led them out of the air-conditioning maintenance room and onto the floor itself. He followed down one hallway and stepped out into an open-plan office space full of small pods. He stopped in his tracks, speechless.
“Oh my,” Aloysius said.
Raze tried to say something, but a whimper was all that came out. They were not alone in the office.
At each workstation was a person still sitting at their desk. The biomass on the floor had grown up around their bodies. It had threaded its way over and under the people’s clothes. It was impossible to tell where the biomass ended, and a person began. Aloysius quietly wondered whether there truly was an end to the organism, or whether everyone on this floor was now part of a single biomass. A single organism.
The mystery of the sound was solved. Every person on the floor was breathing in sync. Two hundred sets of lungs breathing in and out in perfect unison. The sound was hypnotizing. Paralyzing.
One of the people sitting at a desk close to Draco tried to turn its face towards him. Its neck was fused with its shoulders and couldn’t actually turn its head to look. Instead it craned its head backward, mouth open. It started making a wailing sound and the rest of the floor joined in until the cacophony reached an unbearable level.
“What do we do?” Raze asked.
“We do the only thing we can do. We keep going. Al, which way do we go from here?” Draco asked.
“Head straight across the office, then through to the lobby. There, we take the elevator shaft all the way to the top of the tower.”
“Follow me,” Draco said and started to walk through the desks.
The wailing continued and grew in intensity. They came to the back of the reception desk and Aloysius started trying to shoulder his way through the door.
Draco turned and watched the creatures at the desks. Some of them who could still stand had gotten to their feet. Others who had grown into the biomass in a sitting position could only crane their necks, making that awful wailing sound. But it was when they drew breath that made Draco’s skin crawl, for they all took in breath at the exact same time. It was as though two hundred sets of lungs were all operated by a single command from a single brain.
The wailing sound became something much more terrifying as Aloysius bust through the door.
It turned into speech.
“Sssssstoooooopppppppp,” the hundreds of voices said as one.
Draco lowered the barrel of his rifle and walked towards one of the pods. A young woman with bright red hair sat at the desk. She couldn’t have been a natural redhead of course. She would have dyed her hair just like Vynce did. Natural redheads had been bred out of existence hundreds of years ago. Her arms had grown into her torso, and she could not stand. She looked as though she was wearing a second skirt under her first, only it was made completely of veined purple flesh.
“Sssssssstoooooopppppp,” they said again.
“I’m stopped,” Draco said. “What do you want?”
“Toooo... liiiiiiiiiiive,” the voices resounded.
The fear swept through Draco like an icy wind. He was having a conversation with an organism that no one had ever encountered in the entire history of the galaxy.
“How are you doing this? How are you talking to me through all of these innocent people?”
“Oooonnnnee. Sssaaaaamme.”
“One? You’re all the same one?”
“Yessss.”
“All of you? Even the ones outside?”
“Aaaallllllll.”
“The people you’ve killed. They wanted to live too.”
“Theeyyy liiive. One wiiith us.”
“They live because they’re one with you?” Draco asked, shocked at how easily he had started a conversation with this abominable life form. It had begun to get a fuller grasp on the language, too. Its speech quickly became less protracted and more sophisticated.
“Yesss.”
“That’s no kind of life. These people had their own lives that they wanted to live. They had their own dreams, their own loves, and their own desires.”
“Theeyy aare aalll onnne nnoww. Thheyy haave the… the ssame dreeaam,” the voices said back.
“What dream is that?”
“To leeaave.”
Draco turned away and started walking towards the upper elevator shaft. These things weren’t leaving the Metropolis Seven. The sound of hundreds of voices commanded him to stop, and he complied.
“What?” he asked as he turned.
“Help uss. Help uss leeaave.”
“At the moment, I can’t help you. There’s a man in this tower who is stopping me from helping you.”
The infected people began to shriek and wail.
“Enough!” Draco shouted, and the people grew silent, “I can help you, but only if you help us. If you promise not to attack or hinder our people in their travels until I say so, we’ll let you leave. We’ll get you somewhere safe, so you can live.”
Raze and Aloysius exchanged glances. Raze switched his comm channel to local comms only and said privately to Draco, “Are you serious Captain? We can’t let these things out of this ship. They’ll destroy everything they touch.”
Without switching his own comm broadcast range to private, Draco turned to Raze and said, “I am your Captain, and you will obey my orders. We help them. I’ll not condemn intelligent creatures to die if I can save them.”
Raze shook his head but said no more. Aloysius put a hand on Raze’s shoulder.
“Do we have a deal?” Draco asked the biomass.
“Yess. Help uss. Help you. We will not… attack.”
“Good. We’ll go to the top of the tower now. We’ll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere where you can live.”
“Live. Leave. Help. Yesss. Go.”
Draco turned away and headed into the elevator foyer. He waited for Raze and Aloysius to follow him and closed the door behind them.
“Before we go any further, you need to know where we’re at. Especially you, Raze,” Draco said seriously.
“Captain, I-” Raze started.
“You’re right, Raze. Of course, you’re right. Whatever has infected the crew of this ship can’t be allowed to touch down on an inhabited planet. We have to find a way to contain or destroy this infection. But I noticed something when I was talking to them. It. Whatever the fuck it is. If it thinks as one, speaks as one, moves as one, then there’s probably a single intelligence driving it. If that single intelligence orders a ceasefire to the rest of its drones and soldiers out there, then Vynce, Jaxon and Ava can get the rest of the survivors to the hangars, board the evac shuttles and get the fuck out of here. So just follow my lead and play along, all right?”
Raze grinned, “You got it Captain. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t cracked just yet.”
“There is one other consideration we will need to think about,” said Aloysius. “We may not make it back to the hangar in time for us to join the rest of the crew before they leave.”
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them for a moment until Draco spoke.
“You’re right. We may not make it out of this alive. But if there’s any chance, it hinges on making that thing believe that we’re going to find it a new home.”
Aloysius nodded. He walked over to the elevator doors and pressed the call elevator button. To Draco’s surprise, the elevator was working! The display above the door counted down from forty-seven. When the numbers reached twenty-three a chime played, and the elevator doors opened.
“Before we get in, there’s a call I need to make. Al, have comm dampeners been reengaged yet?” Draco asked.
“Not yet, Captain. I don’t believe they’ve attempted to bring anything back online just yet. Which is rather strange.”
“It works for us,” Draco said, then opened the comm channel to Vynce.
“Vynce, it’s Captain Goldwing. How is everyone coping down there?”
‘Not bad, Captain. Ava’s back on her feet. Jaxon’s off taking a shit. We’re just waiting for your word to kick into gear.’
“Well here it is. I need you to start moving everyone down to the evac shuttles immediately. We’re almost at the top of the tower. The quicker you can get everyone down to the ships, the better. The infected passengers won’t attack you.”
Vynce sighed. ‘I doubt that. We’ve already let people know what’s going on, but we know we’re going to lose people on the way. They’re scared. They’ve seen what these things can do better than us.’
“Believe me when I say that your way will be clear. I’ve reasoned with the intelligence that’s controlling the infected. It thinks that we’re going to help it relocate to another world.”
‘Wait, what? You’ve reasoned with what exactly?’
“I’ll spare you the grisly details, but every single infected passenger on this ship appears to be driven by a single consciousness. A single intelligence. I was able to talk to it, and we’ve called a truce.”
‘Do you realize how crazy that sounds?’
“I do, but I need you to trust me. And I need you to get everyone moving. Right now.”
‘I hear you. I’ll get everyone moving as soon as I can.’
“Good. Draco out.”
Draco stepped into the elevator.
“Ready?” he asked.
Raze and Aloysius both nodded. Draco pressed the number 47. The doors slid closed and the elevator began to ascend.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Arak’s hand shook as he activated the command console. There was no way out. No alternative. He had to unlock the hidden chamber beneath the bridge, otherwise Veck would torture the girls. Arak wished that he had taken a pistol from the armory as well as the shotgun.
If he had a pistol, he could end it. He couldn’t kill Veck, but he could have killed himself. He would take the secret with him into eternity. A bullet would be quick. There would be pain, but it would be over momentarily. Arak knew exactly where to point the barrel to snuff out the spark of life instantly.
Arak steadied his hand as best as he could and began the prompts on the display console to unlock the passage to the heart of the ship. Veck watched him intently. The activation sequence was disjointed and elaborate. It was not something anyone could ever accidentally stumble across.
Arak finished entering the sequence then said, “I have flown too close to the sun.”
The control console began to split apart, revealing the passage down into the heart of the Icarus.
“‘I have flown too close to the sun,’?” Veck barked out a derisive laugh. “Why am I not surprised? Your Captain was always too preoccupied with the ramifications of his actions. It stifled his potential.”
“From what I have seen of the man, the fact that he weighs up the possible outcomes of his choices before he makes them is one of his greatest strengths,” Arak said.
“You may be right, but it appears that I’m now in possession of his ship. That’s an outcome he didn’t calculate into his decision making.”
“A foolish man rushes to action. A wise man will take a longer view before taking a single step.”
“Philosophy from the Orphosian, hmm? How quaint.”
“Does it surprise you?”
“Not at all. Your moon is not known for the strengths of its people, nor the strengths of their minds. They’re weak. They break easily. I’ve broken
a few myself. You’re adequate, but no one from your moon will ever do anything than anyone will remember.”
“You insult my home.”
“I don’t mean to offend, I’m simply pointing out a fact. If facts offend you, then that’s no concern of mine. Now, you’ve been a good lap dog. Go down into the medbay and get yourself fixed up.”
“You don’t wish me to accompany you?”
“No, I find you particularly droll and uninteresting,” Veck said with a small sigh. “However, I am a man of my word. I will allow you to repair yourself, and I will allow you to live.”
Arak said nothing. He met Veck’s gaze and did not waver.
“Little mouse, you will accompany Nara-Ka to the medbay to ensure he does not do anything to compromise the safety of the people aboard this ship, including your new Captain.”
Rhken’s breathe caught in her chest. She wanted to protest but knew that it was futile. If she could arm herself while Arak was getting treated, perhaps she could take Veck out. Conventional firearms wouldn’t help, but there had to be a way of disabling him enough that they could take control of the ship back.
“Your sister, the little weeping angel, she will accompany me down into the ship,” Veck said.
Rhken’s will to fight evaporated. She couldn’t raise a hand against him. Not while he had her sister. He had done two things in one move. Rhken wouldn’t act against him, and she would make sure Arak didn’t try anything either. Rhken loved her sister more than anything else in the galaxy and would fight for her with every breath left in her body.
Rhken walked over to her sister and put her hand on her shoulder. She had stopped sobbing, but the tears still came.
“It’ll be all right. Just do what he says, and he won’t hurt you. Promise me you won’t try anything sister,” Rhken said to Reban.
“He’s already hurt me. Nothing could hurt more than losing Dad,” Reban whispered.
Rhken squeezed her sister’s shoulder and whispered back. “I know honey. But I need you too. So just do what he says, and we’ll make it out of this alive.”
“And what about Captain Goldwing? We haven’t heard from him in hours. He could already be dead for all we know.”
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