Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  Mark started to hold the club up to the light shining down through the grated deck above when Mickey shifted frequencies for his eyes and he suddenly could see everything about the club and even into the car. He was holding up a human leg bone.

  “Mark, you have a human femur in your hand and the car has several corpses inside of it.” I am sorry I was preoccupied with trying to break the jamming signals but my power generators are not powerful enough yet to do everything at once not to mention that half my processors are not usable.”

  “Dian! Get out of there now!” Mark demanded.

  “Oh don’t be worried Mark there is nothing dangerous in here. It is just an old fancy air car. I have never been in a Ferrari before and it is kind of neat. The problem is that everything I touch seems to keep falling apart whatever the shit is. Oh, I have found the glove box and it is full of junk.” She started handing things out the crack in the hatch.

  “I am sorry Mark.” Mickey started in. “I should have paid more attention to what you were doing but it was taking all my processors and power to concentrate on getting a signal through for help but I failed. Please forgive me.”

  “Dian get out of the car now.” Mark reached through the crack and grabbed Dian by her arm and tried to pull her out and got his hand slapped.

  “Stop that Mark. There has to be something in this glove box or behind the seats in the back to help us.” Mark could hear her moving around and then hand out more junk including more parts of a human skeleton. “What is this round thing? It feels familiar but I just can’t seem to place it.” She handed out a skull with long hair still attached.

  Shaking, Mark took the skull while trying not to touch it and dropped it onto the roof of the car where it rolled down the back and into the water to disappear with a little splash.

  Chet’s goon yelled. “Hey boss I think I saw something move over there.”

  “What I don’t see anything. What was it? Did you see someone or not?”

  “Hell boss it was too small to be someone I think.”

  “What do you mean too small to be someone. What was it?”

  “Ahh. It could have been a fish. Are there fish down here? There is a lot of water here. I heard a story about a shark eating people down here. Its fin cutting the top of the water just before it bit them in half. The friend of my friend saw it for real.”

  “Crist you are a moron. Keep looking.”

  “What about Piranhas. I heard a story about Piranhas stripping the bones of late night swimmers. That is why I am not about to learn how to swim boss.”

  “As I said you’re a fricking moron. I heard that a good way to teach someone to swim is to throw them into deep water and they will naturally start swimming. It is in everyone’s genes.”

  “Not my genes boss! No sir, not my genes.”

  “You better spot them or we will find out.”

  Mark turned around as he heard Dian. “Mark, I think I found a flashlight. Hopefully it still has a charge.”

  “No Dian! Don’t turn it on. Just bring it out here first please. I have to tell you something. It is important.”

  “Oh don’t be silly I will only be another minute once I have some light and as thick as the sludge covering is over the ports, we don’t have to worry about Chet seeing anything.”

  The light suddenly turned on and Dian froze stiff. She didn’t say a word for a good 10 seconds and then she started screaming as she sat there shaking the whole car.

  Mark turned to look out the compartment. He knew they had to be able to hear Dian screaming even if she was still inside a mostly closed aircar. But Chet and his friend just kept looking around as Chet kept haranguing the pore guy about his failings and what he was going to do to him if he did not find Dian and Mark down amongst the junk.

  Mark turned back around expecting to see Dian lunging out of the car any second as he planned how to keep her from running out into the center of the tank not only telling Chet that they were still down here but that they did not need to swim to stay alive. While he was now confident that they could take on Chet and his single goon he, knew that given time Chet could get a whole squad of goons down here to easily take care of them.

  When Dian stopped screaming and just sat there to Mark’s surprise it suddenly dawned on him that he really did not need to worry about Chet and one Goon beating him up. Suddenly feeling stupid for hiding. He was so used to getting beaten up as soon as his glasses were knocked off that he did not even realize that he could defend himself now. Even against ass holes wielding pipes. Fact was with them feeling safe and concentrating on the pipes as weapons, it would be easy now with his new found speed to get inside the long weapons range, take the pipes away from them and even use the pipes on them before they even knew what hit them.

  Shaking his head in disgust at himself. “Ok Dian let’s go. I am tired of this shit.”

  Dian started rustling through the aircar again, shoving the two skeletons to one side or the other out of her way. Mark’s mouth dropped open trying to figure out what was going on. “You all right in there Dian?”

  “Yes Mark. They are only bones and I have seen enough bodies over the years to know the difference between bones and bodies. I think I have found several things we can use for weapons.” The hatch closed as Mark watched her climb into the back behind the seats.

  “Mark this is an expensive aircar and comes equipped with an emergency hatch release. It is in front of you.” Mickey highlighted it under the covering of silt. Mark reached over and pushed the hidden panel in and then pulled the revealed handle. The roof of the car tilted up from the front until it hit the overhead as the hatch on each side popped off hitting the sides with a clang then dropping to the deck leaning against the side bulkheads.

  Mark looked down at Dian rummaging behind the seat. With Mickey’s help he could see everything including what was under the water. Come on, there is nothing down there that can help us. Besides we don’t need help with only two thugs out there, let’s just go home.”

  Chapter 20 Acid Bombs

  “Hey I think I heard and saw something Boss.” The Goon said as a hatch creaked and Mark could hear several people walking on the grated catwalk. Mark peeked out and saw Chet’s father and the man that had been at the table on the mess deck, with the Goon Chet had sent out carrying a couple of canisters under his arms with two shop dust respirators hanging down on their straps.

  “What the hell is going on here Chet? Is that low life moron officer really in here?”

  “Ya dad. He is hiding in that bunch of garbage along the hull.”

  Mark looked at Chet’s father and realized that he was armed with a stun gun. A quick glance showed his gorilla friend was as well.

  “Mark, if you get hit with a stun gun you will drown in six inches of water let alone 2 feet.”

  “Ya tell me about it Mickey.”

  “Hey Mark, look at what I found?” Dian held up a small satchel case with some effort as she stood up. “Damn Mark it is heavy.” Sitting it on the seat back she opened it up. “And it is dry inside. As heavy as it was I expected it to be filled with water and not money and cloths.”

  “What?” Mark looked down from Chet and his father up on the catwalk. The roof of the car hiding them from any possibility of being seen. “Hell there must be a million credits here.”

  “Sorry Mark.” Mickey said. “There is only 250,000 credits. But several bearer bonds that may be worth something or not and some rare gems.”

  Dian pushed the seat back forward and placed the satchel on the dash and took out a nice blouse and slid into it. “Ok no shorts. But this is long enough. Now I am ready. You said something about leaving and going home.” She closed the satchel with a click.

  “Sorry that was before Chet’s father and his goon showed up with stun guns. All they would have to do is stun us and we would drown.”

  “No da Sherlock.” Dian said disappointed. “So now what?”

  “I don’t know. They brought some ca
nisters with them but I don’t know what they are.”

  “Mark.” Mickey said. “The canisters are pest control poison generators used for pest control in the holds. They have enough to fumigate the whole deck several times over. You can’t hid from them.”

  “Canisters to fumigate the whole deck? Shit.”

  “What was that Mark?” Dian slipped the strap on the satchel over her head carrying it like a purse and climbed out the other side of the aircar through the open hatch and started wading around to the front. She pointed the light through the notch at the hull into the next compartment. “Hey, there is a bunch of junk in here and more bags. What the heck is in all the damn bags?”

  Mark followed her into the next compartment as she put the light up against one of the clear dirty bags as she used her hand to wipe the slime away and found a face staring out at her.

  Dian screamed pushing the bag away as she jumped back against Mark hitting him trying to get around him and through the opening. Climbing over Mark pushing his head below the water she got back through the notch splashed past the front of the air car into the previous compartment they had started in and hid amongst the pile of bags Mark had concentrated into a barrier.

  Mark caught up to her just as her light fell onto the bags showing the faces of several more dead people staring out at her again and again she screamed and splashed back into the aircar compartment bowling Mark over in the process again.

  Mark heard Chet’s father bellow across the tank. “I see you have found our little stash of missing people. Too bad you will be joining them shortly. Been meaning to clean them off the ship but it was a bitch trying to get to them with all the water in here before. Was no reason to hurry with my brother on the board preventing the morons from using the tanks for anything else. A few hours after we launch this next time and you will be joining all the other people we have flushed out the airlocks. Though I have to admit you won’t be the first ship’s officer. The Captain gets a bit upset when her officers especially Commanders start disappearing. Thank Godstar, with the help of a Master at Arms puke that owed me lots of credits, I was able to make the last officer I killed look like a suicide before the Damn Captain tore the entire ship apart and found this stash looking for him.

  Mark followed Dian back into the car compartment and she launched herself onto his arms, wrapping herself around him as tears streaked down her cheeks. “They are all dead Mark.”

  “A, yes I see that Hun.” Mark looked out and with Mickey’s help watched Chet’s father rigging the canisters for fumigating the tank. Placing one next to each catwalk hatch on opposite sides of the compartment. “Mickey there has to be another way out of this tank?”

  Chet followed his father over away from the boys still standing at the center of walkway. “Dad. I had Stan get a couple of wood working respirators so they could stay and make sure Collins doesn’t escape before the gas kills him.” Loud enough for the two guys to hear and then in whisper. “I figure they could take the blame since they have a habit of running their mouths. I don’t trust them.”

  Chet’s father turned to his son. “Then why the hell did you bring them along?”

  “They are the ones I had watching the monitors and I didn’t have time to get anyone else to come with me. I figured if they were the ones with the bloody pipes, they would keep their mouths shut. But now, they are just bystanders.”

  “You have a point there. We will have to take precautions since they are known to have been with you recently but they won’t be able to prove anything. Especially with this gas destroying all DNA evidence if these tanks stay sealed long enough. You did good getting the dust filters. They won’t know the difference until it is too late” Slapping his son on the back. “Now let me finish arming these canisters and you prepare your buddies for guard duty.”

  Mark could not believe what he was hearing. He hated Chet’s goons but realized that they were only young boys caught up in the damn Gang shit Chet had been feeding them. They had no idea what they were getting into as Chet kept talking about all the money they were going to get for doing this simple task. “Mickey, we need a way out of here damn it.”

  “I am sorry Mark. I detect a hatch in the overhead directly above this row of compartments but you have no way to get to it. The deck under the hatch is no longer there. If you could get to the next compartment and shut all the hatches you would be safe from the gas but I can see now way to accomplish that.”

  Mark held Dian as he watched with Mickey helping Dian listen as well to Chet’s father make the last preparations to gas them. Mark watched as Chet made sure the dust masks fit the two boys. Then his father showed them how to use the two stun guns and went into again how they would be joining the family as trusted solders after they proved themselves doing this. Letting them practice shooting for a few minutes to the delight of the boys as Chet wondered over to the far side tank.

  Chet looked down at the tank and the remote actuation box attached to the gas connection. He noticed the little valve on top had a physical stop keeping the valve from opening all the way. The last thing he wanted was for it to take too long gassing the damn tanks and give that Collins puke long enough to pull something over on those stupid morons and escape. Taking out his knife Chet pried the stop off to one side far enough to let the valve open all the way with some satisfaction.

  “Chet! Get away from that before you break it. Get back over here now.” His father yelled to Chet’s back before turning back to Chet’s friends.

  “Make sure you keep these masks on and stay away from the tanks as they spray. If it gets on you it will itch a lot but won’t hurt you. The fog is heavier than air anyway and will settle down across the bottom of the tank. You two just have to make sure Collins or the bitch do not leave through one of the hatches using the stun guns. If you manage to stun them they may try to fake you out making it look like they have drowned so don’t leave. Otherwise we will be back in an hour when it is safe to take off your masks. Oh and you may feel some discomfort like dry mouth and a scratchy throat and a few other things but you will be all right, be just fine. Just keep your masks on and don’t take your eyes off that row of compartments. Just keep your minds on all the money you are making and the new games and decide what fancy aircar you want. Just don’t fuck up and leave this tank for any reason. You are part of the clan now.”

  Patting the two boys on the back he turned to Chet. “Here is the detonator for the tanks. I am proud of you son. This will make up for your stupidity on the junk deck ramp using the shotgun in public. You are taking a giant step to becoming my right hand man tonight. Wait a good five minutes so I have time to get up to the club to establish an alibi for both of us and then you can leave and detonate the tanks.” Taking Chet with his arm around his son’s shoulder to the hatch. “Just make sure you jam the hatch closed when you leave.” Handing one of the pipes Chet’s buddies had brought. “Just in case these morons have second thoughts before they die. Then go down and get into a vacuum suit and in an hour you can come back down and un jam the hatch and in three hours I will have an anonymous tip called in to report problems in the tank hold and hopefully half the Master at Arms and Ship’s Patrol staff will be killed before they realize what the problem is. Just make sure you have the suit cleaned and back in its locker and you are up in your cabin before then.” And then Chet’s father and body guard left.

  Chet spent a good 10 minutes. Reassuring his friends that they would be all right as long as they kept their filter masks on good and tight. Mark was starting to hope Chet was having second thoughts but he finally left doing something to the second tank before he closed the hatch behind him.

  The boys started talking about what they were going to do with all the money they were making for simply guarding a couple of officer pukes.

  Mark pushed Dian into the air car and then made his way out around the aircar into the open. Holding up his hands. “Don’t believe Chet and his father guys. They are lying to you. The gas will
kill you just as easily as us. You need to pull the actuator off each of the tanks or you are going to die to.”

  “Shut your mouth. We are going to be rich.”

  “You are going to be dead if you stay in here and don’t pull that actuator off.” Mark looked up at the hatch Mickey had talked about. It was definitely out of reach. “Listen guys. They gave you dust masks with dust filters. The chemical filters are purple not black. If you don’t disable the tanks you are going to die.”

  The twin beams of one of the stun guns streaked across the tank not even coming close to Mark. “Hey stupid. You are out of range here.” Mark looked at the hatch in the bulkhead in the opposite direction from Chet, his father and goon had gone. The hatch was well within range of the stun guns. A second pair of beams streaked across the tank not coming much closer. Then both boys started shooting at him sending dozens of beams across the tank but never coming close. Mark was starting to hope that the morons would use up the gun charges in time to let Dian and him escape.

  But then one of them stopped and then made the other stop firing as well. “We are wasting shots. Wait until they head for the hatch and get in range and then we can get them and earn a bonus.”

  Mark suddenly wondered if he had screwed up telling them that they were out of range. Kicking himself for his smart ass mouth. Dian joined him slipping her arm around him. Mark looked down at her. “We are going to have to try and make a run for the hatch Dian. If they hit me just keep going. If you stop for me you will only get hit yourself.”

  The Canisters suddenly started spewing gas. Chet’s father had set them up next to each of the upper catwalk hatches spraying down toward the open personnel hatches in the end bulkheads. The gas would cover the hatches long before the rest of the compartment making sure Dian and Mark had to go through a stream of gas to get out while doing the same for the two boys if they changed their minds and did try to run for it.