by Jeff Taylor
Images of these wonders on her screen assaulted Eve’s eyes, filling her with anticipation. The thought of restructuring her vision for their future to allow for her and Nelsonn to take up residency here rather than on Mars had its appeal. Their reservation at the Oasis resort wasn’t for another month, but they were far more impatient than expected and decided to take the next week getting there.
The Distant Horizon had locked onto the hull of a passenger/supply freighter heading to the asteroid then powered down so that only life support and reserve lighting were actively functioning. The adjustment in their approach strategy allowed them not only to take advantage of the freighter’s larger fuel and thrust capacity; it also helped them to avoid having the expense of modifying their docking reservation.
“Wake up, T,” she said into the intercom, in a sing-song voice. “We’re here.”
Despite her best efforts at attending to him, Nelsonn was still feeling the effects of being in zero-gravity for an extended period of time. Sleep taunted him each night and the food available in the gourmet galley did not agree with his system. He had joked that his prison-conditioned stomach could handle anything but in truth he was suffering a great deal. None of these facts escaped Eve’s notice, but only spurred her urgency to reach the asteroid. Hopefully, the recuperative spa treatments and artificial gravity would help her husband regain his strength.
“T?” she called once more, wondering what could be keeping him.
She waved her hands before the surveillance station above her console and ordered, “Stateroom.” Immediately the image of their private quarters appeared. The sleeping harness Nelsonn had been using was vacant and he was nowhere to be seen. Eve turned her seat around to face the schematic of the ship. She snapped her fingers and two red blips radiated in the front and back of the ship. The blip on the bridge was obviously her, and the second appeared to be coming from the exercise room. A wry smile formed on Eve’s lightly-dyed red lips. “Figures,” she said. “Weight room,” she vocalized loud enough for the computer to hear. A soft tone sounded and her voice was amplified over the speakers.
“We’re here, T.” The image of her man flashed on the surveillance screen, beads of sweat running down his face as he furiously attacked the wire-suspended speed-bag.
He looked up and smiled. “I’ll be right there.”
The pilot’s seat creaked slightly as she leaned back and brought her hands up behind her head. Things could not have gone better. According to the news reports, their flight away from the exploding prison went undetected. No one was looking for them, and now, thanks to their unsuspecting new friend in the shipping business, no one knew they were about to dock at the most exclusive resort in the solar system. Euphoria was not a strong enough word to describe her mood.
The exterior of the asteroid grew larger in the display until it vanished entirely as their ship passed through the gargantuan, twenty meters thick steel doors. And these are just the doors, she marveled. The freighter they were attached to was suddenly much smaller in her eyes, especially once it crossed the threshold and the interior of the asteroid came into view.
Suspended by posts boring into the sides of the asteroid, the city hung like a crystal chandelier sparkling with the force of a million candles. Glass spires reached out in opposite directions above and below the equator, sparkling brilliantly from the intense lights embedded into the rock’s inner shell. Bright, colorful, crystalline spiral towers sparkled on the elegant surface. Eve felt drawn to the geode-like city’s tantalizing glow like an insect to a flame.
Cruise ships, freighters, personal yachts, vessels of all shapes and sizes clung to the docking tubes jutting out from the stations littered around the circumference of the resort. Each station, much larger than any she had seen in orbit around Earth, was suspended by long support beams originating from the orb and ending in the outer rock of the asteroid wall. In the large windows of one station, Eve could see hundreds of people cheering the arrival of one blue and white cruise ship as the tentacle-like tubes and supports snaked out from the docking station, firmly taking hold of the passenger vessel.
Behind her she heard Nelsonn’s heavy breathing. “It’s beautiful,” she said without turning back to him. “Like a dream.”
Nelsonn only nodded, wrapping his sweaty arms around her shoulders. They watched in silence as the city expanded to fill the window. Eventually, the yacht rocked slightly as the directional rockets on the freighter below them fired and the ship came to a halt. The docking apparatuses latched on and the freighter’s engines extinguished.
Nelsonn chuckled. “So, um, how do we get in?” he asked.
Eve shot him a quizzical look. “Why would you want to go in? All the fun you’ll ever need is in here.”
He laughed heartily and squeezed her tighter. “You’re right,” he said. “Who wants lavish accommodations, luxurious massages, and all-you-can eat buffets? Our food packets and vacuum toilets are all anyone could ask for.”
“Darn right,” she teased. Reaching for the surveillance section of her control panel, she brought up an image of the bottom exterior of the yacht. They were perched atop the freighter’s outer hull by powerful magnetic disks that could toggle on and off. She pointed out the disks to Nelsonn and then brought her finger to bear on the large cylinder connecting the two ships. “That,” she said, “is our ticket in. I’ve attached our ship over one of the freighter’s access hatches. It’s pressurized and sealed so all we have to do is slip through and exit like any other tourist/crew member.”
Nelsonn nodded again. “And what about passports, documentation, things like that? They aren’t just going to let us walk in anonymously.”
Eve shook her head in feigned frustration. She reached into a hidden compartment just below her seat and removed two transparent, thumbnail-sized disks. “Oh, ye of little faith,” she replied. “Place this in the center of your left palm. In five seconds it will pass through your skin and dissolve into your blood stream. It’s designed to override any bio-metric scanner and reprogram it to identify you as someone else. So you’re not surprised, today we will be registered as Señor Esteban and Señora Anita Garcia.”
“Muy bien,” Nelsonn said, taking the small disk and putting it in his hand.
“The only drawback to this device,” she continued, “is that the range is very limited. It only works when you’re up close, so if you come across a retinal scanner you’ll need to place your hand near the sensor for the computer to decipher the false identity.”
“Good to know.”
Once each of them had adequately placed and tested their new identities, Eve began the process of shutting down the power to the yacht and setting the batteries to recharge while they abandoned it for the month. She was just about to say everything was ready for them to leave when, suddenly, the radio sprang to life.
“Distant Horizon, this is the port authority,” a very stern male voice called over the loudspeaker. “You have made an illegal entry into this facility. Prepare to be boarded immediately for identification and processing.”
“How?” Eve mumbled in disbelief. “How could they’ve know? I masked our transponder signal, I piggy-backed the transports power so the engines wouldn’t give off a heat signature. I even programmed the exterior to mirror the same paint as the transport! I don’t get it!” she fumed. Her disbelief was interrupted by the thudding of one of the snake-like tubes attaching to the hull followed by the hiss of an airlock on the portside hatch.
“However they did it, I guess we had better face the music,” Nelsonn said, not seeming the least bit concerned. He descended the ladder to the deck below and nonchalantly walked toward the door with cool, even steps.
Eve was not so at ease. Reaching for a locker just behind the entrance to the command deck, she removed two massive automatic weapons and released their safeties. She wasn’t going to go quietly. Nelsonn heard the clicking of chambered rounds and turned back, raising his hands to calm her.
“
I’ll take care of this,” he said. “Everything’s going to be all right. Maybe they just want to talk.”
Eve was not convinced. She brought the guns to bear on the door and powered up the laser cutters beneath the barrel. “Just in case,” she said dryly.
Nelsonn released the airlock seal and pulled the door inward, obscuring Eve’s view. Immediately, he raised his hands to show he was unarmed and willing to cooperate. A stern male commanded from outside. “Identify yourself.”
“I am the escaped convict Tyrus Nelsonn, most recently of the Apollo Prison. I’m here only to vacation, enjoy a belated honeymoon with my wife, and maybe rekindle some old acquaintances with a group of wanted terrorists.”
Eve was taken aback. Was he even going to try and talk his way out of this or was he just giving up? She soon got her answer as the man opposite her husband stepped into the ship and extended his hand to Nelsonn. Her finger pressed firm on the triggers but did not fire.
“Is that all? Well then, welcome to the Stra!” he laughed, taking Nelsonn by the wrist and pulling him in for a good-natured hug. The two men laughed hysterically, slapping each other on the back and pointing up at Eve, who had lowered her weapons and stared in bewilderment at the two of them.
“Darling, this is …” Nelsonn started to say.
“Kim Pen-hu. The explosives expert you used to work with,” she finished for him. A forced smile replaced the determined, homicidal glare she’d worn only moments before. “I thought you were dead?” she said, making no effort to hide the disappointment in her voice.
“Nah, just singed,” the tall Asian man replied. He leaned out the door and signaled to someone else that all was clear. More hearty greetings then followed as three more individuals boarded the yacht and embraced their former accomplice.
The enormous African, Kenzayo Mbenago, seemed to fill the whole lower deck once he finally wedged his broad shoulders through the doorway. Eve had only seen pictures of him before and his size surprised her. But she also knew that there was a brain to go with all that brawn, very aware of the man’s intelligence and computer skills. Rumor had it that the security system able to keep him out hadn’t yet been invented.
A small, red-headed Welshman entered next. He had a shrill voice and a mischievous grin. Nicknamed “The Leprechaun,” (which was a very sore point for him since he was Welsh and not Irish) Aeron Bledri had the reputation of being a bomb-builder. He fanatically followed Nelsonn’s teachings that governments were the curse of humanity. Anything Nelsonn ordered became Bledri’s life mission to complete. The three men together under Nelsonn’s command made a lethal team. Their exploits were largely responsible for the reputation Nelsonn had earned in his days outside of prison. However, the associate to enter last was the one Eve most feared. Her mere presence made even Eve’s blood run cold.
Regina Dumaré was an icy, elegant seductress with dark hair and mesmerizing blue eyes that made her look more feline than human. In the old days, she had been Nelsonn’s infiltrator. Her charm and good looks had given her access to all manner of information; travel plans of dignitaries and foreign diplomats, bank codes, wire transactions. Anything and everything Nelsonn required to implement his plans, she provided.
As soon as she entered the ship Regina took her leader’s face in her slender, manicured hands and warmly kissed him on the cheek. Eve, unconsciously, pulled back the hammer on her two rifles and raised them to level on the Frenchwoman.
Nelsonn laughed warmly and released himself from Dumaré’s hold. “It’s so good to see you all again!” he beamed, looking at each of them.
The little Welshman, who had not ceased scouring the interior of the yacht with his eyes since he arrived, paid little attention to his superior’s sentiment. “You got any food on this crate?” he asked.
“Sure, the galley’s up that ladder to the left,” Nelsonn replied. “There’s not much left though. We have been in space for a week.”
From her perch near the cockpit, Eve stood silently, unsure how she should be taking in this reunion. Part of her said she could relax while the other tempted her to pull the trigger. A million questions began forming in her mind, but the most recurring one was how had they known he would be here at this exact moment? The rest of humanity thought she and Nelsonn were dead. Why not them? The ship hadn’t been docked for more than a few seconds before they’d hailed the yacht. So deep was she in thought that the thin Asian went unnoticed as he ascended the ladder and stood at her side until he spoke.
“You’re Eve, right? I mean, The Eve,” he asked star-struck.
The glimmer of admiration in his eyes startled her and she didn’t immediately acknowledge his question. Finally, she hesitantly replied, “Yeah.”
The question surprised her, but the adulation that followed, startled her. The man erupted in a display of wild enthusiasm.
“Oh man! You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this! I am a huge fan! The way you took out the Armenian defense minister without alarming a single guard was amazing! Oh, and that Wall Street Ponzi guy! One shot from three buildings away? Amazing!! This is such a rush for me, you have no idea! I’ve gotta have your autograph.” Reaching behind him, he unsheathed a large hunting knife and pressed it toward her.
Instinctively, Eve grabbed his wrist and spun the knife from his grip. Kim dropped to his knees as she held his wrist at a debilitating angle. His wide eyes, however, signaled her that he was as impressed with her maneuver as he was suffering from it. Nelsonn laughed and Eve suddenly felt sheepish and embarrassed. Slowly, she released her hold on Kim, retrieved the knife from the ground as he stood, and then handed it back to him, handle first.
“Maybe later. I don’t have a pen right now.” She then turned her attention back to Nelsonn. “Dear, shouldn’t we check in?”
Nelsonn abruptly disengaged from a brief, yet serious conversation with Mbenago and Regina. He looked up and cast her the same charming, affectionate smile that had snared her with so many years ago. “Absolutely, my sweet,” he answered. “Will you all be willing to join us for dinner tonight?” he asked looking around at his associates.
Each of them agreed, assuming Bledri’s barely inaudible grunt from the galley was a reply in the affirmative. Eve’s heart sank. This was supposed to be their trip together. She had no intention of sharing it with a group of sociopaths and terrorists. She was ready to leave all the ideology and bloodshed behind, start fresh with Nelsonn on a world that had not yet tasted the corruption of a developed society. This little trip to the asteroid was to be the prelude to the frontier-like lifestyle they would enjoy on the desolate plains of Mars. Besides, the way Regina looked at Nelsonn unnerved her. The expression Dumaré wore on her lovely face was more than admiration and respect. Eve plainly saw desire and infatuation in her porcelain features. She desperately wanted to avoid taking another human life again, but as she watched Dumaré sidle up to her husband, Eve strongly felt inclined to delay that resolution until tomorrow.
“Tyrus,” Eve interjected, unsuccessfully trying to compose her tone, “I was hoping that it would just be us at dinner tonight.”
Nelsonn flashed his beautiful white teeth once more and said, “I know my dear, but they are only here for one more night and there won’t be another occasion when we can catch up. We will have a whole month, if not the rest of our lives, for romantic dinners for two. Can you spare me just one night visiting with my friends?”
The anger in Eve’s chest vigorously fought to escape. He had never taken such a patronizing tone with her before and the fact that he had done so within earshot of these low-lives infuriated her. So evident was her displeasure that Kim Pen-hu stepped away, still wide-eyed, but this time in eager anticipation to see what she was going to do. No such attack came, though. She would not let them see her and her husband divided.
“Okay, then,” she acquiesced. “Eight o’clock?”
“Wonderful!” Regina replied, transmitting a cheery, yet utterly false sense of excitement toward Eve
. “Our reservation is already set at seven-thirty. So don’t be late.” The last sentence was directed to Nelsonn, whom she gently tapped on the nose as she spoke.
Mimicking Regina’s false enthusiasm, Eve nodded and smiled. “I can’t wait.” She then excused herself and made her way to the stateroom for her belongings. The fight was on. She would put on her best gown, make herself up to be a knockout for dinner so Nelsonn wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her. But deep down, she knew that shortly after they were seated in the restaurant she would excuse herself because of an unexpected headache and spend her evening watching bad pay-per-view movies and eating ice cream from room service.
The corridors of the resort were immaculately clean and brilliantly lit. Although the lighting was not harsh or blinding, it was still strong enough to make the patrons feel like they weren’t in the belly of a giant rock. Eve had read that the bulbs used in the lights worked not only as a source of light but of heat, giving off just enough to warm the patrons without the need for any additional sources.
Everywhere she looked Eve saw the most wonderful displays. Multi-colored swimming pools, magnificent laser and fountain shows, beautifully attired hospitality staff, and elegant concert halls. Large spectacles of animals and acrobats drew crowds by the thousands and the retail outlets were a shop-a-holic’s dream come true. The excitement all around her was electric and for a brief, wonderful time, she forgot the stress of the coming evening, or that of the last five years, and gave into the euphoria of pure, unadulterated fun. Her improved state of mind was not lost on her companion and Nelsonn laughed when he pointed out the broad smile on her thin lips.