The Pinnacle

by Gary Moreau

  “Don’t toy with me, Princess. Did you kill her too?” He tried to reach her, straining against the straps, wide-eyed and fierce in his attempts to break free. His finger’s reached toward her. Although there was no possibility he could grab her, she took another step back.

  “Casey, my name is Li Quon. Don’t you remember me?”

  “I remember you, Princess. I remember all of you. I just want to know if the Virgin is well before I die. Is that too much to ask? Does that ruin the game?”

  “Honestly, Casey, I don’t know who the Virgin”

  “Her name is Britty, damn it! You know who I mean! Everyone knows the Virgin.”

  She knew no one by that name. “I do want to help”

  “Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?” He spoke with a growl. His dry tongue licked his cracked lips.

  Li walked to the wall console and took out a squeeze bottle of water. When her back was turned, she heard a hissing and quickly looked over her shoulder. Casey’s mouth was wide open in a hoarse, nearly soundless laugh. She shivered, but took a deep breath and suppressed it before she turned to face him.

  “All right, Casey, you win. You always were too clever for us.”

  He nodded his agreement.

  Li continued. “I’m here because the Virgin needs you, desperately.”

  He stopped moving and his stare seemed to bore right through her.

  “She needs your help. She’s been injured. She needs you, Casey, or she’ll die. You’re the only one who can help.”

  His eyes narrowed as he watched her take a sip from the water bottle. He licked his lips again. “That’s a lie. You’re trying to trick me.” It sounded more like a question than an accusation.

  Li pushed her extemporaneous fabrication, trying to sell it. She mixed in a little truth. “You know I was trained as a paramedic. You trained me. But Britty’s injuries are too severe for me to deal with. She had a terrible fall and has suffered a serious head injury. I was afraid to move her and I can’t decide what instruments to use. You know it’s beyond my capabilities.”

  Li paused. Casey stared at her, probing for visual signs of truth or deceit. She kept her face blank. He seemed less savage. There was something about the way he held his head that made him look more human, more rational.

  Fatigue blunted her alertness, but she knew she would never get a chance like this again. Slater would never give his permission, that was certain. The whole ship was asleep, except for the two of them. The thought of sleep made her feel like curling up on the deck and giving in. It was a powerful need and became stronger with each passing minute.

  “Casey, we don’t have much time. Britty needs your help. She’s depending on you.” Li sounded desperate, and was feeling desperate, fighting off sleep desire with pure will.

  “Release me, Child Princess, and I will go with you.”

  Now that he had agreed, she was hesitant. He had already killed once. She was not at all certain she could handle him, even in his weakened condition. What she really wanted to do was lie down, even if just for a moment. When her thoughts returned to Casey, so did her eyes; his sparse hair was matted with a patch of dried blood where Schmid had struck him, his bright eyes were rimmed with scarlet, and he was smiling. Li’s legs began shaking. Fear or just exhaustion? Or both? She could no longer tell. She approached him, watching for signs of attack, but he remained still and appeared to be in control of himself.

  “Here, Casey, have a sip.”

  His eyes never left her face as she brought the water bottle up. He parted his cracked lips and Li dribbled in a few cool drops, and then a few more. When he next spoke, it was easier to understand him.

  “What did you say happened to Britty?”

  “She fell. I can’t go into the details now. We don’t have much time. I’m going to cut your straps, and then we need to get a diagnostic kit and molecular synthesizer from the lab.”

  While she talked, she used a laser-scalpel to slash the band holding his left wrist. He lay perfectly still. She walked around the exam table and cut the bands on his legs; he continued to remain motionless, except for his eyes, which followed her every move.

  She cut the strap across his chest and then hesitated. Was she really ready to cut the last restraint of a psychotic killer? It was now or never. She severed it and jumped back, but he didn’t move.

  “Casey?”

  “Yes, Princess?”

  “We must be very careful. There are people on this ship who would stop us if they knew you were free. Do you understand? We must be quiet.”

  A wide smile spread across his face, causing his cracked lips to ooze blood. He snickered. “Of course, Princess. I know the game, better than you.” A cacophonous laugh erupted from his widely opened mouth.

  Li pressed hard against the bulkhead; an adrenaline surge awakened her fully and caused her heart to race.

  “Casey, be quiet! Stop laughing. You’ll get us both in serious trouble.”

  “Laughing?” he asked, his eyes searching her as if reassessing. “I’m not laughing. You know very well it’s Mendoza.”

  “Now listen,” she said sternly. “Britty’s life depends on us. You must control the laughter from wherever it comes. Do you understand?”

  “I understand everything.”

  “Well?” she asked.

  “Well what?”

  “Well, you’re free to sit up. We need to move fast. Don’t you remember?”

  “Are you sure this is part of the game?” he asked.

  “This is no game. Britty needs our help.”

  “Princess, you are so sweet. Why don’t you come closer so I can give you a kiss?”

  The thought of this filthy, sick old man kissing her made her nauseated.

  He persisted. “Don’t you want a kiss?” He pouted, his lower lip glistening with blood.

  This was getting her nowhere. Her patience was gone. While she held the scalpel with one hand, she grabbed his arm with the other to pull him upright, but as soon as he felt her touch, he lunged toward her. He caught her arm and twisted it until the scalpel clattered to the deck. Then he grasped her other arm. He pulled her close and swung his legs over the edge of the table so he sat facing her.

  His breath was a fetid odor and his whisper sounded sinister. “You don’t play the game very well, Princess, but I do.”

  He slid onto the floor and pulled her down with him while he felt for the scalpel. He brought it up and reactivated it with a flick of his thumb. Li was breathing fast and deep.

  “I’m skilled with this blade,” he said. “Should I show you?” The wild laughter bubbled forth, until it was interrupted by a fit of coughing. When he recovered he spoke again. “Now, Princess, we’re going to the lab, just like you suggested, and then you’ll take me to Britty. Any questions?”

  Li had no voice. She slowly shook her head.

  “Very well.”

  He held her firmly as he opened a preservation cabinet and brought out a roll of strapping. He tied her right wrist to his left and jerked her toward the portal. When they entered the passage, he stopped to look up and down the curve of the corridor. There were over twenty colonists visible in this short section of the passage, but none of them moved; they were all deep into their First Sleep. He tugged Li around so he could face her and bent his face close to hers, bathing it with his foul breath.

  “It’s my turn now,” he said. “Even though you are a princess, if you try to warn the others, I’ll punish you severely. You do believe me, don’t you?”

  He raised the scalpel for emphasis and touched it to her throat, drawing forth a drop of bright red blood. She began to swoon, the passageway appeared to darken, but her terror and the touch of the blade brought a measure of control back to her body.

  “I understand,” she managed to whisper.

  “That’s good, because it’s fair if I cut off your head. It’s not against the rules, you know.”

  “C-Casey, B-Britty needs us,”
she stammered. “I only want to help her.”

  He chuckled and withdrew the scalpel. He started down the passage without warning, causing Li to stagger as she caught her balance. Each time they approached a sleeping figure he would ready the scalpel to slash and kill, but each time the figure remained motionless in sleep and was passed over.

  He paused for a moment outside the portal to the instrument lab, and once again looked up and down the passage, but seemed satisfied that there was no movement. He pulled Li with him, through the portal and into the lab. He dragged her about the room as if she were only an afterthought. It took him only a few seconds to locate a diagnostic kit and a molecular synthesizer and then he searched until he found a surgical kit. He turned to face her.

  “Where is she?” he asked.

  Li was desperately trying to think of a way to escape this psychotic maniac. She searched the room with her eyes, looking for anything she could use for a weapon.

  “Don’t stall,” he commanded and activated the scalpel. “It’s fair for me to slice little pieces off you. Perhaps I should start with your cute little nose.”

  Li’s mind froze with the thought of being dissected alive. Casey grasped her left hand and held it firmly against the bulkhead. He brought the blade toward it, smiling all the while.

  Li screamed and then sobbed as she spoke. “She’s been taken to Deck One. You need me. I can show you where.”

  Casey’s voice was soft. “Really? You don’t think I know this ship? I’ve spent my life wandering around in it.” He placed the blade against her little finger, drawing blood. “Now, where is she?”

  “She’s in the commander’s suite! Slater’s got her!”

  Casey continued to apply pressure with the blade until the bone snapped and her severed finger fell to the deck. Li swayed for a few seconds and then crumpled, no longer able to cope with the terror, which was far worse than her pain. She dangled from the bond that bound her to Casey’s wrist. Casey laughed and flicked the blade across the strap so that Li collapsed to the deck. Her dark skin was pale and her lips were tinged with purple; her breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible.

  “Just kidding, Princess. No offense intended, none taken. Right?”

  He turned from her and, without another glance in her direction, picked up the diagnostic and surgical kits with one hand and the synthesizer with the other. He lost all caution as he focused on Britty, a captive of Butt-Face Slater. He entered the passage and failed to notice the hulking figure waiting outside the portal. The blow was struck with such precision that there was no pain, only immediate blackness.

  Chapter 6

  Casey awakened. He opened his eyes and saw the thin light-lines in the overhead. Bizarre and chaotic memories filled his mind, bits and pieces, with a strong undertow of violence. A sense of place drifted upward from his fragmented memories but then evaporated. He started to sit up, but the movement was only begun when he was jerked back by his restraints.

  He turned his head and vertigo made the room appear to tilt and twirl. Nausea arose and flooded his mouth with saliva. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the sickness to pass. Questions swirled in his mind, mixed with visions of blood and death.

  He opened his eyes when he heard the “swish” of the portal. A petite figure entered and, when their eyes met, stopped cold, as if striking an unseen wall. They peered wordlessly at one another until Casey spoke.

  “Who are you?” Casey asked.

  “You don’t know?”

  “I’m so tired. I don’t understand. Where am I?”

  “You’re onboard the starship Pinnacle.”

  “Starship? I don’t feel well. I don’t understand. Who are you? Why am I tied up?”

  She didn’t move and didn’t speak. Her left hand was covered by the shimmering pink of a gel dressing. She slid it behind her back. Even that small movement brought a grimace to her face.

  He stared at her. A memory reached upward and then skittered away before he could grasp it. He began to tremble.

  “Do you know me?” he asked.

  Her voice was reserved when she finally answered. “I know you.”

  “My name…what is my name?”

  “Your name is Casey Conklin.”

  “Casey?” He looked to her for confirmation.

  Li backed toward the portal.

  “Don’t leave. Don’t leave me here all alone,” he begged.

  She rushed toward the portal. It opened and she ran into the passage.

  His head ached. He tried to free his hands from the restraints but the effort only made his headache spike. The light-lines seemed too bright, the room too white. It was all too much. The medicated disk continued to secrete drugs into his system. He was afraid to close his eyes but the drugs were potent and he fell into a restless state of partial sedation.

  When he awakened he saw light and then the light came into focus as lines in the ceiling. A sense of place coalesced. He was aboard the starship Pinnacle. He turned his head to the left and saw the regeneration tank. He knew exactly where he was, in the primary treatment room of the medical suite. He turned his head to the right and saw a small woman with silky black hair standing motionless just inside the portal. Their eyes met.

  “Hello, Li,” he said.

  “You know my name?”

  “Of course I know your name.”

  “I’m sorry I ran away and left you alone,” Li said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She said nothing.

  “Li, why am I strapped to this table? I remember attending to my duties, and then...suddenly, I wake up and find myself tied to an examination table. Am I your prisoner for some reason?”

  Li focused on the cobalt-blue, transdermal patch stuck to his chest.

  Casey followed her gaze and saw the disk; blue meant a psychotropic drug. Odd. “Did you?” He bobbed his chin toward the blue disk.

  She nodded.

  “Why did you medicate me? I have one hell of a headache, but we both know this isn’t an analgesic patch.”

  She remained silent.

  “There is absolutely no reason for me to be tied up like some kind of wild animal. I am filthy and need to get cleaned up. Remove these restraints.”

  “No.”

  “No? Did you say ‘no’? What the hell is going on? I want to consult with one of the other doctors. Contact one for me, perhaps Grace.”

  She shook her head.

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t.”

  “You can’t, or you won’t?”

  She lowered her gaze to the deck.

  “At least tell me this. Have we arrived?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank God. Did we choose well? Is it habitable?”

  She looked to him and actually smiled. “It’s all we could hope for…more.”

  “Truly amazing. I have to tell you I had my doubts. Tell me all about it.”

  Li retreated into silence.

  When it was obvious she wasn’t going to say any more. He focused his attention on her gel-dressed hand.

  “What happened to your hand?” he asked.

  The mere mention of it made the pain flare and she cradled it with her good hand. “Don’t you remember?” she asked, the tone of her voice indicating that she did not believe his claim of continued memory loss.

  “Remember what? Release me and I’ll take a look at it.”

  Li touched her com-collar and spoke briefly into it. Casey couldn’t make out her words, but within moments the portal whisked open and admitted a giant. Li looked tiny in comparison; her head came to just above the man’s waist, the largest and the smallest. The comparison was almost comical, but Casey felt fear, not amusement. His gaze fixed on the barrel-chested giant. The man’s pate was completely bald and shined with lines of reflected light. His eyes were small. His ears were nubs on the sides of his head and the skin of his face was as smooth as a baby’s. His neck was so short and stout that his head s
eemed to rest directly on his torso.

  Casey recognized him. He was one of the colonists that had been housed on Deck One, but he was a mystery. He was one of a few that Casey had found scattered among what he considered the legitimate colonists who had no personal file, no history to review. He was a blank. He had a name, but only one, Yamaguchi. While Casey studied the man, the man studied Casey with equal thoughtfulness, and then another name came to Casey’s mind, the Unsmiling Buddha. It seemed to fit, but he couldn’t recall why it seemed so right.

  With unexpected suddenness, the nausea flared up. Casey turned his head to the side and retched repeatedly, until he felt like his stomach was being pulled inside out. He was unaware of Li’s cautious approach and didn’t feel the soft touch of sedative and anti-emetic disks being applied to his shoulder. Warm relaxation spread through his body. Without noticing it, he floated off into a thoughtless state of sedation.

  Chapter 7

  Li massaged the painful tension in the muscles of her neck and shoulders with her good hand as she cautiously approached the sleeping man. She was more surprised than pleased that she had managed to coax a disk from the molecular synthesizer that actually seemed to be returning a balance to Casey’s rampant insanity, but she’d had enough of playing doctor. His attack had pushed past her resilient exterior and had penetrated her core. She felt no comradeship with the still pitiful-appearing man. Her most fervent desire was to be rid of him. He was no longer the key to a solution; he was just another problem.

  She touched her com-collar and spoke, “Connect me with Jon Brent.”

  “Hello?”

  “Jon, this is Li. Casey has awakened and…although it’s still early, it appears he may be sane.”

  There was no response.

  “Jon, are you hearing me?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No, of course I’m not sure, but I need your help, now.”

  There was no answer.

  “Jon, you are the Chief Medical Officer. Get your ass down here!”

  “All right, Li,” he said, reluctantly, “I’ll be there as soon as I can. But you don’t have to talk to me like that.”