“We’d better start getting ready for our arrival at Proxima,” he went on. “It won’t be long.”
Audrey froze. “How do you know about that?” She hadn’t told him about Captain White’s transmission, and knowledge of it had been classified.
“I just... do,” he said, shrugging and smiling rapturously at her. “I’m right, aren’t I?” he pressed. “They’re taking us to Proxima. That’s where the wormhole leads.”
“Think about what you’re saying,” Audrey said. “You have no basis for any of those assertions!”
With that, Markov vanished just like the admiral had. Audrey screamed and leaped out of bed. Markov had slept naked, so not even his jumpsuit remained to identify where he was.
Audrey backed against the wall, watching with wide eyes as the bedsheets flattened and Markov’s weight left the mattress. Her heart drummed in her ears, and she strained to listen for footsteps.
His bare feet made meaty slaps against the deck as he approached. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for a weapon. Not finding anything within easy reach, she brought her fists up and adopted a fighting stance. Then she remembered Markov’s hobby of beating up bots with his prosthetic fists, and icy fear trickled through her gut.
“Don’t come any closer!” she screamed.
“It’s okay,” he cooed, his voice right beside her ear.
She whirled toward the sound, and he caught her wrists in an unyielding grip. “Let me go!” she gritted out.
Chapter 12
“Are you okay?” Catalina asked for the hundredth time.
Alexander nodded and smiled. “Yes. How long was I out?”
Catalina shook her head. “I don’t know. When we got up, we couldn’t wake you. A few hours maybe?”
Alexander said nothing to that. His eyes drifted out of focus, and he said, “We’re on our way to Proxima...”
“I don’t think we’ve left yet,” Catalina replied.
“Are you sure?”
She began to nod, but then stopped herself and glanced at the door. “Well, we’re still locked in, and no one is answering the comms, so I guess I don’t know.”
“The others were also in a coma,” Alexander said.
It didn’t sound like an educated guess. It sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Catalina regarded him curiously. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Benjamin chose that moment to interject. “How do you know that?”
Alexander appeared confused by the question, but then his expression cleared. “I just do.”
Before they could continue their conversation any further, the ship’s PA system buzzed to life. “Attention all passengers and crew, this is Governor Chong speaking. Yesterday sections One, Six, Seven, and Eight were all compromised by an unknown pathogen. Preliminary reports suggest that whatever it is, it’s able to eat through the seals between sections, and signs of infection are already manifesting in Sections Two through Five. At present the only clinical symptom is that the infected appear to lapse into a brief coma. We’re working hard to understand what’s happening, and we ask that everyone please remain calm. In the meantime, I felt it best to level with you all about what is really going on.” The governor paused, allowing the gravitas of that statement to set in.
Catalina held her breath, her mind racing through a thousand different possibilities.
“We were not attacked by rogue androids from Earth,” the governor declared. “In fact we were not attacked at all in the traditional sense. Our ship was physically breached and captured by a much larger vessel, invisible to both our eyes and sensors. They spoke to us and the rest of the Sol System via an open comms transmission that went as follows—”
A new voice took over from Governor: “My name is Captain White. Some of you will remember me as the Captain of the Intrepid, a mission we sent to Wolf 1061 more than a century ago. What we discovered there was beyond our wildest dreams. We are not alone in the universe, and I have returned as an ambassador. Please do not be alarmed. The ones who travel with me are here to help us. We have been invited to join a Galactic Federation of sentient species, and as a gesture of good faith, they have agreed to help the colonists aboard the Liberty reach their destination in a matter of days rather than the years it would have otherwise taken. Again, please do not be alarmed. We come in peace.”
The Governor’s voice returned a moment later, “Soon after receiving this message, a new wormhole opened up in front of our ship and we were dragged inside. I believe very strongly that this wormhole does in fact lead to Proxima Centauri, exactly as Captain White indicated. I suggest that you join me in this hope and take Captain White at his word.
“We have no reason to believe that these aliens are hostile, and in just a few days we will have proof one way or the other. Besides that, my engineers tell me we cannot safely do anything to resist the vessel that’s carrying us through the wormhole, because it is likely shielding us from the extreme conditions inside the wormhole. That is, if we did somehow manage to break free, we’d be irradiated and crushed in a matter of seconds. I would like to stress, however, that these aliens have shown no hostility toward us. Even when fired upon, they showed great reluctance to fire back.
“Rest assured, we are working diligently to understand whatever pathogen has infected the Liberty. There do not appear to be any negative symptoms as yet, but some of them are more esoteric and frightening than others. Infected individuals seem able to completely vanish from sight. We assume this is some extension of the cloaking technology they use aboard their starships.
“For reasons that are not yet well understood, a select few of us appear to be immune, or at least more resistant to whatever is affecting us. If you were not found in a coma this morning, you are instructed to report to Med Bay for examination. Thank you. We’ll keep you updated as further details emerge, but for now please remain calm.”
Catalina listened to that speech with growing horror. It was simultaneously absurd and terrifying. People disappearing, alien contact, a wormhole taking us to Proxima...?
“We’d better get you and Benjamin to Med Bay,” Alexander said, interrupting her thoughts.
Benjamin shot her a worried glance, and then he said, “How did you know we were going to Proxima?”
“The governor just mentioned it,” Alexander said.
“No, before that,” Benjamin replied. “You said we were going to Proxima.”
Alexander shrugged. “I told you—I just know.”
Catalina’s own suspicions came whirling to life. “Why us?”
Alexander cocked his head curiously to one side. “What do you mean?”
“We’re fine and everyone else is infected. Why are we the ones going to Med Bay?”
Alexander shrugged. “Probably because we can’t stuff more than seven thousand people in there, and even if we could, what we really need to know is why you’re not presenting symptoms, and what to do about that.”
Those words slithered through Catalina’s brain, sending shivers down her spine. “What to do about that? Isn’t it obvious? We need to find a way to fight whatever alien virus is infecting us.”
Alexander hesitated, looking ready to disagree.
“You’re one of the most distrusting, skeptical people I know, Alex. Are you really going to sit here and tell me that we should take these aliens and this Captain White, at their word? How do we know they’re not dragging us all off into slavery?”
Puzzlement flickered across Alexander’s features, and for a moment the man she knew and loved was back. But only for a moment. In the next instant a rapturous smile took the place of his confusion and he said, “I can’t explain it, I just know that they’re not trying to harm us.”
“And that’s enough for you? Some mystical feeling that’s probably been planted in your brain by the very aliens you’re saying we should trust?”
“You’ll see. It won’t be long before we reach Proxima and then we’ll have all the proof we need.�
��
Catalina looked askance at him, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow gasps. Every fiber of her being told her to run from this doppelgänger—this ridiculous parody of the man she’d married—but the calmer, more calculating part of her brain whispered that she should play along until she knew where she could run to.
“You don’t trust me,” Alexander said.
She smiled as reassuringly as she could manage. “I’m just trying to process everything. You’re experiencing something that I can’t relate to yet,” she added, framing her feelings as diplomatically as she could.
“That’s why we need to get you to Med Bay.”
Another spike of dread lanced through her. He’d basically said it: they were gathering the uninfected in Med Bay so they could find a way to infect them, not because they wanted to find a cure.
“What if I don’t want to go?” Catalina asked.
“I won’t try to force you, if that’s what you’re wondering, but for your own good and for the good of everyone on board this ship, you really need to go.”
Catalina tried to pick out the hidden threat lurking between the lines of what Alexander had just said, but she couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. A small hand grabbed hold of hers and gave her arm a tug. She turned to see Benjamin heading for the door.
That gave her an idea. “We’re going to get some food before we go to Med Bay,” she said, letting Benjamin tug her toward the door. She kept half an eye on Alexander to make sure he didn’t try to stop them. “Don’t you need to eat, too?” she asked.
“You two go ahead. I’ll meet you there. I’m going to change and shower first.”
She nodded, secretly relieved that he wouldn’t be joining them. They reached the door and Benjamin opened it with a wave of his hand. They weren’t locked in anymore.
Outside, the corridor was unusually peaceful. After being locked in their rooms and skipping supper, the passengers all should have been trampling one another to get to breakfast, but instead, people flowed out of their rooms in orderly lines, as if they’d all choreographed their exits. The emergency response lane was alive with Marines in deep crimson jumpsuits riding patrollers, but rather than zipping around at high speed responding to crises as the uninfected panicked in response to the governor’s announcement, they rolled along at walking speed. Everyone she saw was either smiling or laughing.
Whatever the joke was, Catalina wasn’t getting it. “It’s like they’re all high on something,” she whispered.
Beside her Benjamin nodded. “Just smile and play along. For now, they don’t seem to see us as a threat. We need to gather the rest of the uninfected together and form a plan.”
Catalina nodded along with that. Then she caught herself, surprised by the boy’s take-charge attitude. He was just nine years old, and here he was, telling her how they should proceed. She looked at him with new eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re an unusual kid, you know that?”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“How are we going to find the others?” she asked, glancing around nervously as they began bumping shoulders with passengers on their way to the dining halls.
“I think I might know a way,” he explained.
“Okay...?”
“Trust me. I’ll explain later.”
* * *
Doctor Laskin was busy running more tests on Deedee when Governor Chong made her announcement. They were trying to figure out how she’d vanished into thin air.
After the governor finished her announcement, Remo shot Deedee a curious look.
“How did you know we were going to Proxima?”
She shrugged. “I had a feeling.”
“That’s a pretty specific feeling.” Remo glanced at Doctor Laskin for an answer.
“Whatever this infection is, it’s somehow communicating with them. That would also explain why the infected feel so strongly that these aliens are not trying to harm us.”
Deedee nodded. “That makes sense.”
Remo regarded her with incredulity. “You don’t sound very worried.”
“Why should I be?”
Remo stared at her for a long moment, waiting for her to react more appropriately, but she just smiled. He looked away with a grimace. “Doctor, can I speak with you for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Remo flashed Deedee a strained smile. “I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.”
Doctor Laskin led him out of the room and down the corridor. The reception area at the end was once again filled with attending nurses and physicians. The doctor led him down another corridor to his office and shut the door behind them.
“What the hell is going on?” Remo blurted out.
“Shhh,” the doctor said. “I don’t know what we’re dealing with, but whatever it is, if your squadmate and the Governor are anything to go by, it’s brainwashed them all into singing the same tune. I need you to act like I’m one of them so I can look into this. You’re the only witness that I wasn’t also in a coma.”
Remo considered that. “Deedee woke up to find you already running tests on her.”
“If she asks, you can tell her I woke up just a few minutes before she did.”
“I hope she buys that.”
Laskin nodded. “So do I. The other uninfected are supposed to be coming here soon. I’m going to run a few tests—see if I can find out what we all have in common. If we really are immune, maybe we can formulate a cure for the others.”
“You think they’ll want to come here?” Remo asked.
“They might not have a choice,” Doctor Laskin replied.
“I hope you’re wrong. Forcing us to all gather here for testing sounds like a convenient way to quell any possible resistance.”
Doctor Laskin nodded. “I agree, but we need to identify the uninfected somehow if we’re going to establish that resistance.”
“Damned if we do, and damned if we don’t,” Remo decided.
Doctor Laskin grimaced. “Exactly. At least for now we have the two of us to study. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take a few samples from you and get started.”
Remo rolled up the sleeve of his jumpsuit and thrust out his arm. “Let’s make it quick.”
* * *
Audrey was back in her command chair in the CIC, blinking the sleep from her eyes and chowing down on a concentrated ration bar. She’d forgone a proper meal and her usual cup of coffee. How could she trust the food when she knew it was more than likely being prepared by infected crew members? They’d probably slip something into her meal and then she’d end up just like them—high as a kite and farting rainbows.
They were all preaching peace and alien love with glazed eyes and blissful smiles—even Councilor Markov! She’d expected him to drag her kicking and screaming to the Med Bay—that would have been more in character—but instead he’d tried to calm her down, and when she’d refused to go peacefully, he’d just let her go.
Audrey took a rabid bite of her ration bar, and cast a suspicious glare around the room, studying each of her crew members in turn. No urgent reports. No anxious requests for orders. No apparent concern whatsoever about their situation. Just business as usual.
Farting rainbows, Audrey thought. All right. I can play along with that.
“This is really crimson!” she said. “We’re going to be at Proxima in what... Fields? What’s our ETA?”
“A couple of days, according to Captain White, ma’am.”
“Right, right, Captain White! He was the one who told us that, wasn’t he? Amazing he’s still alive. Over a century of silence and then suddenly he’s back and saying how-d’ya-do. How old is that crazy bastard by now?”
“Over two hundred, I’d guess,” Major Bright put in from the security station.
“Older than dirt! He must be one of the oldest geners alive. I guess it makes sense, Earth sent his mission right after they found a way
to banish old Father Time and make us all immortal. Does anyone here still remember how that went down? The Captain’s mission, I mean. What was our last contact with the Intrepid? We got a message from them before we lost contact, didn’t we?”
Audrey waited for someone to take the bait.
“Aye, that we did,” Major Bright said.
“Do we have a copy of that message in our databanks?”
“We have the entire known history of the Sol System in our databanks—you know that, ma’am...” Lieutenant Bates put in from the comms.
“Right you are! Silly me. Would you mind playing the Intrepid’s message back for us on the main display, Mr. Bates?”
“Aye, pulling up the records now...”
“Thank you, darling.” Audrey drummed her fingers on her armrests while she waited. She stuffed the last of her ration bar into her mouth, raining crumbs onto her lap.
A hologram sprang to life, and a man in an old Alliance Captain’s uniform appeared—black with gold buttons and tassels. A subtitle below the image identified him as Captain White of the W.A.S. Intrepid. He had straight brown hair and black holes for eyes with crows feet splayed around them. He’d obviously reached middle age before pressing pause on his telomeres.
“Hello wretched creatures,” the captain said, his voice toneless and robotic. His lips moved, but the rest of his face remained perfectly still. “Your species sickens us. The time of your judgment is at hand.” The hologram zoomed out to show an assembled group of Alliance Navy officers and enlisted, all with equally black eyes and rigid expressions. “Death you sow, and death you reap,” the captain said. The rest of the crew repeated that line in unison, all in exactly the same toneless voices. Then the camera panned back to show just the captain’s face once more. “We are coming.”
The transmission faded to black and Audrey waited, desperate for someone to break the silence in the CIC with an outraged exclamation; she’d even have settled for a whisper of doubt or a murmur of collective concern, but there were no signs of apprehension whatsoever.
Audrey felt goosebumps prickle her skin. “Would anyone care to venture an analysis of that transmission?”
Exodus: Book 3 of the New Frontiers Series (A Dark Space Tie-In) Page 11