by William Wood
“That’s reassuring.”
Calvin did his best to stay on the same trajectory, but it was very difficult. A constant bombardment of wind tossed the ship in all directions. Several times he thought he saw a dark shape looming ahead, he jerked the controls to the side, terrified the base was right in front of them. He had to force himself to stay steady, realizing his imagination and his eyes were playing tricks on him. It felt like time had slowed to a near stop.
Without warning, a solid mass of metal appeared directly in front of them.
“Calvin!” Astra shouted. He quickly turned the Frost hard to the left and reversed the engines to avoid colliding into it. Astra gripped the sides of her chair and groaned.
“OK, it’s OK,” Calvin said. “Wow. That was close.”
“No kidding,” Astra said, letting go of the armrest and taking a deep breath. “Good job by the way.”
“Thanks,” Calvin said. “Now what? Any idea how to get inside?”
“We need to find a docking port,” Astra said. “It’s a big station, there’s probably more than one.”
Not sure where to go, Calvin flew along the top of the structure. He kept their speed to a crawl, and his eyes open, looking for some irregular shape on the hull. The surrounding dark thick clouds made it very hard to see. He had to turn off the enhancements Ion made to the sensors because it was confusing him.
Then Calvin saw a small docking port. He almost missed it. He pulled the Frost up alongside, as close as he could. The computer asked if he wanted to dock, and Calvin pressed ‘yes.’
Four giant arms extended from the base, wrapped around the Frost and pulled it closer. The docking port on the Frost was connected to the base, creating a perfect seal. Calvin saw a green light on his computer, informing him the docking procedure was complete.
Astra checked the sensors again. “Totally useless,” she said.
Calvin took one more look at the short range sensors. The screen was dark with white bursts of static. The Goremog battleship could be floating directly above them, getting ready to send hundreds of battle robots into the station. They wouldn’t find out until it was too late.
“We have no way of knowing if a ship followed us down here?” Calvin asked.
“No,” Astra said. “It doesn’t help worrying about it.”
“I was afraid of this,” Ion said. “We can’t scan the interior of the base either.”
“So no way to find out what’s waiting for us,” Calvin said, with images of Goremog battle robots already inside waiting for them. “Ion, I’d like you to stay on the bridge, in case we need to get out of here in a hurry.”
“Yes sir,” Ion said. “I will stay. May I recommend you take the new special combat units with you? I can have them report to the airlock.”
“Yes, thank you,” Calvin said.
“Let’s get ready,” Astra said. “Ion, keep the comm channel open.”
“Yes mistress. Please be careful.”
The armory was on deck two. Rows of black pistols and rifles hung in racks on the wall, along with an assortment of scopes and other tools Calvin didn’t recognize. Another room within the armory contained lockers and benches. Each locker contained field gear; everything a soldier required for a typical field mission.
Calvin and Astra each took a white armored vest, laser pistol, combat riffle, extra ammo packs, and portable shield generators. Astra handed him a helmet, also white. It was heavy and had complicated looking equipment inside. Astra quickly showed him how to use it.
“This is your Helcomp,” Astra said. “Short for helmet computer, the most advanced powered armor we have. There are sensors in the vest and helmet that relay information directly into the visor that delivers crystal clear vision in any light level. It can penetrate smoke or any other airborne disruption. The screen displays highly detailed information regarding your environment including temperature, atmosphere quality and content. That’s important because you want to know if there are toxins in the air.”
“You’ve given this speech before,” Calvin said.
“Hush,” Astra said, smiling. “But my favorite feature is the location tracker and mapping system. All that information is available all around in your peripheral vision, leaving your hands free to focus on weapons. Your communication system is also built in.”
“How do I control it?”
“The comm system is voice activated,” Astra explained. “The shield generator is automatic, so is the oxygen supply. Also, if you’re in a group, all the sensors pool information from everyone’s sensors. So if we were to separate, you get all my sensor data.”
“Interesting color,” Calvin said. “All white. Won’t that make us easy to spot?”
“It’s an adaptive camouflage,” Astra explained. “The vest and helmet change color and tone based on surrounding light level and terrain.”
“Astra Corel!” Calvin said. “Please tell me why haven’t I seen this stuff before? This would have come in handy when we went down on the ice planet, the freighter, or, I don’t know, the planet full of Dark Terrors.”
“That’s not my fault,” Astra said defensively. “The basic combat gear we had on board before should have been sufficient, but after everything that happened so far, and that fact that we have no backup at all, Commander Rale decided we should take the advanced gear.”
“Wow,” Calvin said, sticking another pistol in a second holster. “How bad did it have to get before we got the good stuff? Better late than never, I guess.” He also grabbed another shield generator and put it in a front pocket on his vest.
“Isn’t that a little overkill?”
“Yes, it is.” Calvin said. “If I’ve learned anything on this mission, it’s to expect the worst. There’s no such thing as overkill.”
Astra followed Calvin into the corridor where the lights were less bright, the floors were dark gray industrial carpet and the walls were light gray. Immediately their armor and helmets turned a light shade of gray.
“Nice,” Calvin muttered.
They arrived at the main airlock to find Dev, Wexton, Petori and Freks waiting, fully armed. Four large robots stood along the wall. They weren’t the robots that Calvin was used to seeing. These looked dangerous. They were seven feet tall, silver with thick black heavy armor plates across their frames. The first robot in line had a dark red helmet. Calvin wondered if that meant he was the commander. The robots also had an array of weapons built into their arms, and small miniature missile racks mounted on their shoulders.
“I copied the segment scanner into our Helcomps,” Astra told them. “You’ll see a green arrow in the bottom right of your vision. The station is very large. I think the best thing for us to do is stay together. Calvin, what do you think?”
“I agree,” Calvin said. “Let’s find the fifth segment as quickly as possible and get out.”
“One more thing,” Astra said. “There is a Goremog Battleship in the system. We don’t know what they’re going to do, but we know they saw us enter the atmosphere.”
“So we could have company down here?” Dev asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Calvin said.
Petori and Freks high fived each other and shouted, “Yes!”
“Then let’s get going,” Wexton said, checking his riffle and slapped the power pack.
Astra checked the door. “There’s air out there, and it’s breathable.”
“What happens if the air becomes un-breathable?” Dev asked.
“Your force field will turn on automatically,” Astra said. “And so will your oxygen.”
The robot commander turned and faced Calvin. It spoke with a deep gravelly voice. “Sir, I recommend you load your weapons before we proceed.”
“Thank you,” Calvin said. “Make sure your weapons are loaded.” Calvin inserted an ammo pack into both pistols, and one into the riffle.
“What’s your name?” Calvin asked the commander. “Your designation.”
“Sierra One,�
�� The robot said.
“Sierra one, are your troops ready?”
“Yes sir.”
The door slid open and Calvin peered outside. A long empty corridor stretched out ahead of them with another door on the far end. It was pitch black at first, but his Helcomp quickly adjusted the image and gave him a computer enhanced view, fully lighted. In the dark, everyone’s helmets and armor turned black.
Wexton was the first to move. He walked to the door and stepped into the hallway. Petori and Freks were right behind him, weapons ready. They seemed far too eager to fight the Goremog. That worried Calvin. He really hoped he wasn’t going to have a problem with them. He could just see Petori and Freks letting their desire for revenge compromise the mission. He’d keep a close eye on them.
One by one they stepped into the corridor, perfectly camouflaged in the darkness. Dev was the last one out, and closed the door to the Frost. If history was any indicator, this would not be as easy as they planned.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:
THE BLACK HOLE
Wexton led the way, with Calvin right behind him. The robots spread themselves through the group. They walked single file. It was very quiet. The only thing Calvin could hear was the loud echo of their footsteps, as if they were wearing heavy boots made of metal, but they weren’t.
“I wonder why the lights didn’t come on,” Calvin said. “Usually they come on automatically on your ships and space stations, don’t they?”
“The power systems must be down,” Astra said. “Who knows the last time anyone was here.”
At the end of the hallway was a set of double doors. They opened with a soft whoosh. Wexton went first, everyone else followed in single file. Again, Dev was last and closed the doors.
Calvin was expecting to see a large open area, as in previous bases. He was surprised to find a hallway that led away to the right and left.
“I think we should leave a couple of robots here, to guard the ship,” Wexton suggested.
Why hadn’t he thought of that? “I think that’s a good idea,” Calvin agreed. “Sierra Two and Sierra Three, stay here and guard the ship.”
“Yes sir,” Both robots said simultaneously. Calvin glanced at the direction indicator on his scanner, but Astra was one step ahead of him.
“Go left,” she said, pointing. Wexton led the way. He had a grim smile on his face. The walls and floor were dirty gray and featureless. Small emergency lights on the ceiling faintly glowed, and cast an eerie shadow on the wall next to each of them. When his Helcomp first displayed his shadow it tried to enhance it, and for a second, it looked like a perfect copy of him. He was startled, and almost spun around and pointed his gun at it. But he realized what it was and forced himself to relax. The Helcomp must have realized it was just a shadow too, and changed the image back to dark colors on the wall. Calvin shivered. ‘That was creepy.’
As they walked, Calvin glanced up at the emergency lights. His Helcomp automatically locked onto one and informed him emergency power was two percent.
“I’m not reading any life signs,” Astra said. “Or active robot signals. At least we know the Goremog aren’t here.” Calvin saw the scanner image in his helmet. It took practice; there was a great deal of information available to him through the Helcomp, all controllable by the way he moved his eyes. Once he learned where to find what he wanted, and how to put it where he could see it, he was able to display the base map. It was a sprawling complex, spreading out in all directions. He was happy that there were no red dots anywhere.
“Or anyone else,” Dev said.
“Who else would be here?” Wexton asked.
“I don’t know. There could be pirates.” Dev suggested.
“When was the last time you saw any other humans in the universe?” Wexton asked.
“Doonterria,” Dev replied. “Nils and the others.”
“OK, but that was unusual,” Wexton said. “There aren’t a lot of humans left.”
Suddenly Dev jumped. “What was that?” He said, spinning around.
“Relax,” Wexton said. “It was just a shadow. In fact, I think it was your own shadow.”
Calvin suppressed the urge to laugh, and heard Astra giggle behind him.
“Oh,” Dev whispered.
“Nervous Dev?” Petori asked.
“I’m fine,” Dev asserted.
They walked at a steady pace, not too fast, and scanned everything they passed. Calvin was on edge, every little noise made him turn and scan his immediate surroundings. Knowing the Goremog had a massive battleship with thousands of combat robots on board made him feel very uneasy. How much time did they have before the Goremog found the station? Were they close? Wexton on the other hand didn’t seem nervous or scared at all. In fact he was the opposite, as if he were hoping for a fight. But it was different than Petori and Freks. He wasn’t anxious to go out of his way to find one.
After twenty minutes of corridors and stairwells the passage ended at a pair of large double doors.
“I don’t understand,” Calvin said. “If this place is dead, has no power, why is it still in one piece this deep in the atmosphere?”
“I don’t know,” Astra said. “That’s a very good question.”
“One more reason to get out of here,” Dev said.
“You seem disappointed,” Wexton said to Petori. “Are you that anxious for combat?”
“I don’t know if anxious is the right word,” Petori said flatly. “But fighting against the Goremog is the only thing we have left. We can’t fly space ships, can’t repair engines, but we can fight, and we want to do our part.”
“I understand how you feel,” Wexton said.
“I wouldn’t worry,” Calvin added. “I’ve got a bad feeling you’ll get a chance to fight before we get out of here.”
Petori smiled. “I really hope you’re right.”
Wexton put his hands on a long bar on the door and pushed; nothing happened. He tried several times, pushing as hard as he could, but it would not open. “It’s locked,” he said.
“Excuse me,” Astra said. She stepped past Wexton and examined the door. “Look, there’s a force field.” Calvin stood next to her, and for the first time noticed a purple haze around the edges of the door. They shared a knowing look, and put their hands on the door handle. The handle glowed bright green, there was a soft click and the door cracked open. Astra smiled. Calvin and Astra pushed the door open easily. Wexton tried to push past Astra to get in first, but she didn’t let him.
“It’s OK, Wexton,” Astra said.
“You don’t know what’s in there,” Wexton said. “It could be dangerous.”
“The door was sealed,” she said. “Only a combination of specific DNA can open it.” Reluctantly, Wexton stepped back.
Calvin and Astra strode into the room. Sierra One stayed close. The other robot stood near the door with Petori and Freks. The room was large with rows of flat tables against the wall to the right, and tall work tables on the left. What looked like laboratory work stations filled the middle of the room. As soon as Calvin entered the room his Helcomp went crazy scanning every item; computers, monitors, diagnostic machines, lasers and a host of completely unknown equipment spread throughout the room on tables. Calvin, Astra, Dev and Wexton fanned out.
“What are we looking for?” Dev asked.
“Somewhere in this room is the fifth segment,” Astra answered.
Dev and Wexton separated, going around the perimeter of the room. Calvin and Astra walked down the middle, heading towards the back.
When he reached the middle of the room, Calvin noticed a large window on the wall to his right. Instinctively, he walked to it and looked through.
What he saw was a round chamber with shiny white surfaces. A large multi-layered mirror hung on each wall with focus lenses pointed at a pedestal in the center. Calvin shrugged and moved on.
“There’s nothing here,” Dev said with disappointment. He pressed power buttons on all of the computers, bu
t nothing happened. “Now what? Did someone swipe it before we got here?”
“No,” Astra said. “The scientists didn’t leave segments sitting out in the middle of labs for someone to easily find. They hid them; locked them up in secret rooms. We just need to find it.”
Calvin checked the segment detector. Instead of a green arrow he saw a yellow square.
“Master Calvin,” Ion said over the comm system. “There is a Goremog assault shuttle flying over the base. They are looking for a docking port.” Everyone heard it, and froze.
“How much time do we have?” Calvin asked,
“There’s no way to know sir,” Ion said. “But I think it’s safe to say you don’t have very much time.”
“Thank you. Let me know when they board.”
“Yes sir.”
“We’re gonna have company soon,” Calvin said. “We need to hurry. Check the walls. The door might be hard to find.” Everyone scattered again, carefully examining the walls.
It didn’t take long. “I found something,” Dev said from a corner. “Over here.”
Everyone converged on his location. When Calvin got closer, his Helcomp locked onto the cracks and highlighted them, including a small metal bar on the wall. How did they miss that?
Calvin knew what it was and Astra was right behind him. They approached the corner together, and without hesitation put their hands on it and pushed on the door. Calvin took a deep breath, and gasped in surprise as he walked through the door.
Bright lights turned on automatically, causing everyone to jump. But the Helcomp handled it nicely, adjusting his visor almost instantly, but not quite.
The room was much smaller than the lab. A large computer station on the right side of the room was powering up. Several screens displayed text and images that didn’t look like anything Calvin had ever seen before.