by Jake Macklem
As the two embraced, Ace felt a warm sensation flow throughout her body. She squeezed Glitter hard. “I missed… this place.”
Glitter stepped back and looked Ace up and down. “Damn, girl, you look good!”
Ace blushed. “Thanks. You do too.”
“Stop it. I look like trash. Haven’t done anything this morning.” Glitter laughed.
Ace looked around the club. “Is Mick around?”
The laughter stopped and the color drained from Glitter’s face. “Oh, Ace.”
At Glitter’s expression, a cold dread swept over Ace. Her stomach dissolved into a hot pit and threatened to melt her from the inside. “Where’s Mick? They let him out, right?”
Tears formed and streaked down Glitter’s cheek. “He’s dead, Ace.”
“What? No. NO! What do you mean he’s dead?” Ace stepped back. She realized she was shouting. He can’t be dead.
Glitter spoke softly: “About a week before he was getting out, there was a riot on the station. A small group of prisoners took over the facility. The powers that be vented the atmosphere, killing everyone on board. Sol Rights and Privileges is investigating, but there were no survivors.”
A week before he got out. I had just crashed on the Pirate Moon. All those times I saw Mick… Was it really him? Come to say goodbye? Ace realized her body was shaking.
Glitter reached out, but Ace pulled away and asked, “Was he buried?”
“Shonda made sure of it. He’s buried in Rose Cemetery.” Glitter tried again to touch Ace, but she spun away and stormed toward the door. “Ace, wait a second. Ace!”
Exiting the club, Ace kicked off her heels, scooped them up, and started running.
She did not feel the hard concrete underfoot. She did not see the angry gestures of the cyclists she dashed in front of. She did not hear the shouts of the people she slammed into. She could only taste the salt from her tears and the smell of death as she realized her hopes and dreams were over.
The cemetery was far out on the west edge of the city, in what used to be a famous rose garden. Most people were cremated or re-purposed after death—being buried fell out of favor as the price of land increased and all the nearby cemeteries were bought up and built on. The few cemeteries that remained were for politicians and world influencers. And few of those still took dead, especially not dead convicts.
Ace wandered through the tombstones, trying to locate the one she did not want to see. Then she found it: Joe McCade: “A good man in a complicated Verse.”
She fell to the green grass, soft against her skin, and she sobbed. “Why didn’t we run! We might have run forever, but it would have been together!” Her sadness started to evaporate from the heat of her anger. “I went back to those… people! I fought, I stole, I hurt people, I killed for them, Mick! So we could be together! And you go and die? It’s not fair Mick! It’s not fair…”
“The only thing fair in this Verse is that it treats everyone equally unfair.”
The expensive perfume carried on the breeze. Ace felt herself stiffen. “It always seemed to treat you well, Shonda.” Her voice was nervous.
The older woman had silver and white streaks through her black hair. She wore big round sunglasses, a large sunhat, a sleek, form-hugging dress, and stiletto heels. All black—a mourning starlet. In her hands, she held a metal box. “The Verse and I have had our moments.”
Standing up, Ace wiped the tears from her face. “I was on a moon where I got to name these monsters that crawl down the walls to eat people. I named them Shonda’s.”
Shonda cackled harshly, “What the— I haven’t seen you in eight years and that’s the first thing you’re gonna say to me?”.
Ace shrugged. “I thought you’d be flattered.”
Shonda gave her a sour look and shook her head, then turned to focus on the tombstone. “He loved you more than any of us.”
“That always pissed you off, didn’t it” Ace sniffled.
“If I’m being honest, yes. Yes, it did,” Shonda answered as she handed Ace the box. “He wanted you to have this.”
“And you’re giving it to me?” Ace took the box; it was heavier than she expected.
“I never hated you, Ace. I just wanted him to love me the most.” Shonda kissed her own fingers and touched the tombstone then turned and walked away. “Put on some clothes. You’re dressed like a hussy.”
Ace grinned and a chuckle escaped her lips. Never thought I’d miss that.
&
Standing in the window of her motel room in a tee shirt and panties, Ace looked out over the lit up cityscape. The bright lights reflected off the low cloud of smog in the dark purple night sky. Ace finished the pint of whiskey in three big gulps and wobbled. None of it was for anything. None of the killing. None of their deaths. None of it! She spun and threw the bottle; it crashed and broke through the drywall, stuck in place next to the first empty bottle.
She tried to walk and fell to the floor. Ouch! She looked at her black and blue bruised arm. Fine. She crawled across the floor to the bed and pulled herself up far enough to push her new clothes out of the way and grab another unopened pint. She slid back down and leaned against the bed.
The metal box lay opened on the floor, far across the room. In it, on top of some folded papers, was a powerful six-shot hand cannon that propelled metal shivs at incredible speed. Mick’s rail revolver. The name McCade was engraved on the barrel of the gun.
When Ace opened the box and found the gun, the first thing on top, she had walked to the closest store, bought an ‘I was Spaced at Portland Spaceport’ teeshirt, a pre-paid debit card, a hotdog, and a case of pints. She only took a few bites of the dog before tossing it in the trash.
Over the last two hours, she had wrestled with herself. Now, taking a drink from the bottle, tears streamed down. I can’t think of one. Not one shankin’ reason. Setting the bottle on the floor, she crawled to the box and picked up the gun. It was loaded—she knew it would be. Mick was always ready. She stared at the gun. Her lips quivered. I should just do it. There’s no reason not to. She lifted the gun to her temple and cried. Shifting the gun, she pointed it under her chin, so the shiv would exit through the top of her head. Can you think of one reason not to? Just one?
Through her tears, she saw the debit card on the floor next to the box. Right. Need to do that first. She set the gun down.
Taking a moment to let her breathing normalize, she wiped her face, straightened her shirt, and gathered her composure. Carefully, she pushed herself up and walked to the desk. She slid the calling card into the vidcom and with great effort typed in “Camron Shaw, New Detroit.”
Dozens of listings rolled onto the screen. Guess I need to start somewhere. She randomly clicked a name. The call tried to connect but there was no answer. She picked another and leaned back, looking for her bottle. It sat next to the bed. That’s sooo far away.
“Hello.” The groggy voice drew her attention back to the screen. It was an old man, much too old the be Cam.
“Sorry, wrong number,” Ace said, ending the call. She wobbled over to the bed, picked up her bottle, and went back to the desk. She tried two more numbers with no answers.
This might not work. It was a long shot. Taking another pull from the bottle, she saw she had accidentally started another call. Shaw, Camron J. Residence.
A warm yellow-orange glow filled the screen. A young boy blinked at her. “Hello?”
Ace reached up to end the call. “Sorry. Wrong…”
“Who is it, Calvin?” Another boy, this one older, leaned into the frame.
“I don’t know. Who are you?”
“Your name is Calvin?” Ace asked. Cam’s boys? “That makes you Tomas, right?”
Tomas cocked his head. “Do we know you, ma’am?”
“Is Shaw there?” Ace leaned in close to the screen, her excitement clear.
“We are the Shaw’s, yes ma’am,” Calvin answered.
Tomas looked at his brother with elder s
ibling disgust. “She wants to talk to dad.”
“Oh.” Calvin turned and ran off-screen. She heard him yell, “Dad, a woman is calling for you.”
Tomas stayed at the vidcom. “I’m sorry, what was your name? I’ll let my dad know you’re calling.” He had the same soft-spoken tone Cam used.
“Tell him… Tell him Red is calling.” Ace smiled. Cam’s got good boys.
“Just a moment.” Tomas left the screen.
Ace suddenly was not sure what she was going to say. How she was going to explain. It doesn’t matter. She heard a commotion from another part of the house. As Cam stumbled into the frame, his joy was obvious. Ace felt a wave of relief.
“Red! It is you! How’d you get my number?”
“Randomly calling the listings,” Ace confessed.
Cam’s eyes searched her face and the joy faded to concern. “You alright, Red?”
“Oh yeah, I’m good.” Ace felt her eyes tighten with the lie, but she refused to break. “Look, I just called…”
“What is it, Red?”
“Nothing. It’s fine.”
“Red?”
Ace could not hold it back; the crying came in waves as she explained that Mick was the closest thing to family. That they had made plans together and that Mick was dead.
“Oh Ace, I’m so sorry.”
“I found out today. Then Shonda gave me a box Mick wanted me to have,” Ace spat as she wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“Shonda? As in the spider-things Shonda?” Cam asked.
“Yeah. And she’s still a hussy.” Ace managed a small grin and absently took a swig from her bottle.
Cam asked in a soothing voice, “Been hitting the bottle like that all night?”
Ace nodded. “Got through two so far.”
“What’s the goal?” Cam asked.
“The case… or a new liver.” Ace saw the concern on Cam’s face. “Look Cowboy, I called because I know you’re trying to get your family off the planet. I want to help. I have credits. I never spent much, so it should be enough to get you off-world, or at least help.”
Cam’s eyes went wide with shock. “I can’t take your money.”
“Sure, you can. I’m not going to need it.” Ace took another swig.
A long heavy silence hung between them.
“What was in the box?” Cam asked.
“Mick’s rail revolver.” Ace looked over at the box.
“That’s it?”
Ace cocked her head. “No, there was some paper.”
“Paper? Who can afford paper?” Cam asked, surprised.
Ace reached over and grabbed the box. Setting the gun aside, she pulled out the first folded document and opened it. “It’s a letter.”
“What’s it say?” Cam asked
She started reading: “Ace, I’ve been floating in this can for almost eight years. It’s given me time to think about all kinds of stuff. I wasn’t very good in my life. I know I could have been a better person. I know you were the best thing that ever happened to me in this Verse. After your visit, I called in some favors and sold my part of the club. I bought us a ship…” Ace looked up at Cam. Oh shit, a ship?
“Keep reading.” Cam shifted forward, on the edge of his seat.
Ace had only known him for a few weeks, but even talking to him these few minutes, she felt better than she had all day. At his encouragement, she continued,“’…I bought us a ship. Well, I bought out my old partners and got my ship back. It’s ours now. I’m counting the days until you’ll be flying us around the Verse. I’ll be getting out in a few weeks, but I’ll mail this before then, or at least try to. I guess maybe this letter is really just for me, but in a way, it makes me feel closer to you. You are my family Ace. I love you. Stay Free, Mick.
Ace put the letter down. There in the box sat the paper title to a frigate-class vessel. She reached out and picked it up. Even in death, you give me hope, Mick.
“Well, congratulations, Captain!”
“Commander,” Ace corrected without thinking.
“Aye, aye, Commander. And where is this ship? Your ship,” Cam asked.
Ace picked up the letter again. “P.S. It's docked at Rosetta Station.” Ace looked up at Cam. “What am I gonna do with a ship.”
Cam smiled. “That’s easy. We’re gonna get off this planet and make new lives for ourselves.”
Ace felt her smile grow. “We? Sounds like you’re coming with me.”
“If you’ll have me. The mining company is stiff-arming me. I have to wait for the investigation to be finished and for the insurance claim to go through before I get paid. Whole thing is just infuriating.
“But Ace, I know people all over the Verse who need help with an odd job once in a while, and you got us a ship that can get us there.”
“What are you saying, Cowboy?” Ace asked, her new hope continuing to grow.
“I’m saying,” Cam looked her in the eye, “we make a good team. I think we can make a go of it out there. This could be how you get a new career and how I get my family off this planet. This could be our ticket to be true to ourselves.”
Ace laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Cam asked.
“The ship’s name is Trueheart.” Ace laughed again.
“What do you say, Red? Want to become business partners? Want to become Truehearts?”
A warm wave of comfort settled over her as she looked at Cam. I’m not alone. “Yeah, Cowboy. Let’s fly!”