Trinity: Atom & Go

by Zach Winderl

  “Atom.” Daisy shifted from his seat, mountainlike, and stepped around Shi to stand beside Atom. “I know there are seven of them, but don’t you see any similarities?”

  “It’s a play, Daisy. Even if there are similarities, what are you worried about?”

  Daisy frowned. He looked down to Shi and Hither. Atom glanced at them as well, waiting to see which side of the discussion they would fall on.

  They shrugged and rose to push past the two men, making their way to join a growing line at the bar where the staff scrambled to fill drink orders and serve up snacks to the entire township.

  Seeing the open bar, Daisy forgot his worries and grinned his way from Atom.

  “Daisy,” Atom caught the pilot’s attention as he began to burrow his bulk into the crowd. “Moderation.” Atom mimed a drink and although Daisy scowled for a moment, he nodded back in understanding.

  Atom dropped back into his seat and turned his attention to the table.

  “Thoughts?” he asked Byron without taking his eyes from the interlocking rings of condensation.

  “What’s to worry, darl? They pulled a few taskets leanin’ towards you. Don’t mean they know you is you.”

  “What if they’re trying to get my attention?”

  “You or us?” Byron sat curled in his chair with his knees tucked under his chin. He picked absently at a loose strap on his boot.

  “Well, it’s not often that you’re the one lining up the jobs.”

  “I’d like to say overwise, but en’t so.”

  Atom leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table as he watched Margo play with the other children. He marveled at children and their ability to find universal games to share in every port of call.

  The children scampered about the hall, but kept their distance from the stage where a pair of players perched and watched the refreshment line.

  As the line shortened, one of the thespians leapt to his feet. “Gentlekin,” he called out over the hubbub. “It appears we are drawing close to the start of the second act.” His gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary on Atom. “At the conclusion of tonight’s rendition, we would welcome a chance to meet our audience.”

  Atom narrowed his eyes as the man moved on with his theatrics.

  Led by Daisy, who carved a path as a human ice-breaker, Shi and Hither returned to their seats, slipping around Atom with their hands full of food and drink. With her eyes focused on the darkening stage, Hither handed Atom a chilled blue-chi and Byron a steaming bowl of fried onions smothered in a spicy sauce.

  In the same moment, the tavern lights winked out, leaving the prattling thespian illuminated in the computerized spotlight.

  “We left our valiant samurai in their distant village,” the narrator spoke as shadowed players took positions in the dim background. “With a savage horde of foemen bearing down on them, our heroes stood as a stone bulwark before their peasant friends.

  “Though they only numbered seven, history and skill strengthened their resolve.”

  “Bleh, bleh, bleh,” Byron muttered. “Less talky, more flippy.”

  Atom chuckled.

  Daisy cast Atom another look as the lights on the stage lifted to reveal the brown-coated hero squared off with a squatty villain with golden curls.

  “Did you stab my horse, sir?” the brown-coat demanded.

  “No, sir.” The villain rested his hand on his sword. “But I did stab a horse, sir.”

  “I shall ask again.” The brown-coat advanced. “Did you stab my horse, sir?”

  “Nay, I but removed a leg, sir.”

  Swords flashed and, in the fray, one of the heroes lost their leg, leaving the brown-coat to drag that hero to safety as the others beat a defensive retreat across the stage.

  Shi coughed.

  The play rocked with action from the first confrontation between the seven warriors and the merciless marauders. Fight after fight rolled across the stage, each instance of acrobatic swordplay outdoing the previous. As the play reached its climax, the seven samurai of Verona faced down the frumpy dandy, and even though several heroes fell in valiant acts of self-sacrifice, the protagonists emerged victorious.

  Then with final flair, the brown-coated hero wandered into a faux sunset with the daughter of the village chief riding the horse at his side.

  As the final, virtual curtain fell, the audience erupted into cheers and applause.

  “Still think that’s us?” Atom asked before placing his fingers in his mouth and blasting an ear-rending whistle.

  Daisy glanced to Shi and shrugged.

  “None of ours died.” Atom grinned as the players emerged from behind their backdrop to take their final bows.

  ***

  Atom eyed Daisy with concern. Even as the captain sat at their table, the pilot threw down another glass of clear liquid and thumped his fist on the bar. Surrounding Daisy, a trio of burly farmers matched his drink and let out a group howl.

  “Should we be worried?” Hither asked. She sat across the table from Atom, legs crossed, with her foot bouncing in time to the soft music that fluttered from the speakers hovering over their heads. Somehow, she projected an air of class despite her plain maroon dress and black furred boots.

  “Reckin we’re past that point,” Shi chuckled and shook her head.

  “Unfortunately,” said Atom.

  “Atom, why are we hanging around this place?” Hither asked. “Don’t we have a head to collect if we’re going to make progress on the Mother?”

  “I’m waiting.”

  “For…?”

  Atom shrugged.

  “Trouble?” Shi pulled one of her pistols and checked the load and mechanisms with habitual efficiency.

  “I’m not reading that at the moment. I’m waiting for the someone who wanted the word with us.” He inclined his head to the bar where one of the players sat at the far end from Daisy and his crowd. “I’m just not sure if Daisy is going to complicate the evening.”

  As he spoke, a trio of thespians hopped down from the stage and wound their way through the near empty tavern. The families had long since departed and only a few of the single farmhands had remained behind. Making their way to the bar, the two men and lone woman laughed with each other, their words muffled by the artificial dampers hanging from the ceiling.

  They leaned against the bar between Daisy’s group and the solitary player.

  Atom watched as Daisy’s attention drifted to the female player. A small smile played over his face as he leaned over and slurred an offhanded compliment to the woman.

  “Atom.” Shi rolled the cylinder of her pistol as she cocked her head.

  “Daisy may have bitten more than he can chew,” Atom replied.

  Across the dining area, Daisy slipped closer to the woman and laughed as he reached a hand towards the small of her back. Faster than Atom could register, Daisy found his face flat on the floor. Neither of the men had moved to interpose. The female player, all five feet of her, held Daisy’s hand twisted and cocked at an angle that verged on dislocating his shoulder as she applied her foot behind his back.

  Surprise and pain laced the roar erupting from Daisy’s incoherent lips.

  He pushed to rise with his other arm.

  Atom winced at the pop that snapped across the room over the ambient music. As he watched, Svitać drifted to the far end of the bar.

  Cursing as he rose to his feet, Atom paused and watched in amazement as Daisy reached over his back with his own viper strike and wrenched the woman’s ankle, throwing her off balance and forcing her to release the hold on his damaged arm.

  Daisy rose, a dark force of nature, and turned to face the woman. Behind him, the group of farmers had melted into the night as quick as rats before a fire.

  For a brief moment, Atom hesitated. He looked into Daisy’s eyes and found cold calculation. The drunken smile had vanished, replaced by something that sent a shiver down Atom’s spine.

  “Move,” he hissed to his remaining cr
ew.

  Even as they sprang to action, a blade and a pistol appeared in the hands of the two men at the bar. The blade hovered at Daisy’s throat while the gun trained with steady discipline at the center of Daisy’s mass.

  The female player, sensing the motion of the crew behind her, spun in a smooth pirouette, a blaster in each hand, trained outward.

  “Nice toothpick.” Daisy grinned as the tip of the blade tickled his Adam’s apple.

  Shi split left and Hither right with their pistols readied. They moved in silence, like gliding wraiths waiting for a moment to pounce on an unwary soul.

  The player’s blasters tracked their movements.

  Atom stepped between the flankers. He stopped five paces from the player and flipped his jacket back from his own rail-pistol. Cocking his head with a slight, predatory scowl, he made eye contact with the woman.

  She froze.

  Daisy leaned into the point of the knife. He continued grinning down at the man who held him. The knife-wielding player stood several inches shorter than Daisy, and at least three of him could have hidden behind Daisy’s broad shoulders. The man held firm as the tip of the blade parted Daisy’s flesh and a trickle of blood slipped down the knife.

  The player with the gun cast a glance over his shoulder to where the elder player still sat, sipping at his drink.

  “Daisy.” Margo stepped from behind her father. “Where’s Mae?”

  Daisy hesitated.

  The spell of violence broke. The clarity of Daisy’s vision drifted as a cloud scudding low over the sea. He rocked back on his heels, away from the knife and turned back to the bar.

  Ignoring the others, he poured a hefty drink from the bottle and drained it. He closed his eyes and relaxed his back, cradling the wounded arm at an awkward angle. Then he flopped the arm across the bar, gripped the far side, and leaned back with agonizing slowness. With his off hand, he massaged at his shoulder.

  Atom watched in amazement as the joint shifted, ground, and popped back into socket.

  Daisy sighed and poured another drink.

  Margo crossed the potential battleground and tried to climb the stool beside Daisy. After two unsuccessful attempts to mount the seat, she frowned and tugged at Daisy’s pant leg. Without looking, he reached down and hoisted her by the back of her pint-sized coveralls. Depositing her on the stool, he poured himself another drink, but his time, he sipped at the contents.

  “Mae should be back aboard the Ticket,” he slurred.

  “Mae come wiff us?” Margo leaned forward, kneeling on the stool with her arms and belly resting on the bar-top as she craned her neck to stare up at Daisy.

  The others stood like an uncertain tableau. The three players flanked by Atom and his two Valkyrie watched the interaction with bated breath. Sensing the passing of the moment, Atom flipped his coat down over his pistol and stalked to the far end of the bar. He passed the three thespians with guarded steps as he slipped onto the stool beside the elder.

  At a grunt from the woman, the weapons disappeared and the three actors drifted to the bar, giving Daisy a wide berth. Behind them, Hither and Shi eased up and backed to their table, never taking their eyes from the players.

  “That’s one way to make introductions.” Atom waved to Svitać and a steaming mug of chi appeared with magical swiftness.

  “Can’t say I enjoyed any of it.” The elder thespian sat with hands folded on the bar, his eyes unfocused on the long mirror at the barkeep’s back.

  “Name’s Atom.”

  “I know,” the old man murmured as Svitać placed a bowl of thick stew on the counter.

  “Then why the test?”

  “I’ve heard of you and your crew. I wanted to see how you reacted to threat. Evidence points to the stories being true. The crew of the One Way Ticket functions as a whole. That’s not something to be taken lightly. You are a foe I would not care to face, ever.

  “I know you had a mark on Lilly. I also know that the Genkos took it back and replaced you with Toks Marshall. They believe Marshall has a greater reach.” The old man slurped at his stew without looking at Atom. “Do you know where Lilly is right now?”

  Atom perched on his stool. He lifted the steaming mug without answering and held the drink to his face, savoring the dark, spiced scent of the chi as it swirled up to him. For a moment of silence, he studied the eddies of the caffeine-infused liquid. Then he cast a sidelong glance to the actor.

  “Not at the present. We’ve crossed courses a few times.” Atom shrugged and sipped at his chi. “She seems fair good at not being found if she doesn’t want to be.

  “First time I met her, I had no idea it was her. The second time, she put me down harder than anyone I’ve met in years. Third time we ran into each other, she hitched a ride out of a hot-zone only to ghost as soon as we were clear. Or Toks may have plucked her. I honestly haven’t a clue as to where she is.

  “I can’t say I’m disappointed the Genko’s pulled my bounty,” Atom said as he set the mug down with a weary thump. “So, what is she to you?”

  The man scooped a spoonful of his stew and looked over to Atom with an impassive expression. He took time chewing. “She’s nothing to me personally,” he said, studying Atom’s profile for a moment before turning back to his bowl. “I’m just a lowly messenger, sent to find you.”

  Atom turned a suspicious glare on the old man.

  “Easy, son.” The thespian held his hands over his bowl, somewhere between warming them and showing their peaceful nature. “I just have a message for you. My master sent me to track you down and invite you to a sit down. Nothing firm, and it’s not a setup. He just wants to see if you’d be interested in a job.

  “Trouble is, he’s not the sort that fancies showing his face unnecessarily. He’s private, if you catch my vapors.” The man eased another bite of stew from the bowl without taking his eyes from Atom. “He doesn’t appreciate eyes on him.

  “If you have interest, here are the coords.” The actor slipped a small chip from a pocket and set it on the board beside Atom. “He will be at this point for seventy-two standard revs.”

  The man pushed his bowl away and nodded thanks to Svitać before rising from the stool.

  For a time, Atom sat and stared at the chip.

  Then he moved his attention back to his cooling mug. He brooded. Ignoring the tiny, blinking chip, he instead savored the last warmth of his bittersweet chi. Atom weighed the tumult of the past weeks and the path the crew seemed to blindly follow.

  “What’s that?” Hither’s question reined his wandering mind.

  “Custom wants a meet,” he said, turning to her as his eyes quirked with question. “Not sure who they are or what they want, but the messenger mentioned Lilly.”

  “Genkos?”

  He shook his head.

  “New players then. They want to meet here?”

  Atom shrugged and gestured to the coord chip on the counter.

  “Nope.” She squinted at the data popping up on the chip. “It’s this sector, but looks to be on the far side of Klavir, in the planet’s shadow.”

  “That place is death.”

  “You’ve been?”

  “A lifetime ago.” Atom slipped the coord chip from Hither’s fingers and scowled at it in his palm. “I took a trip there on imperial orders. It’s a water world. Grav is too high. It makes the surface like quicksand. Surface pressure is too high, but for some reason people keep on living there.”

  “Money?”

  “Crab. Something about the high pressure infuses the meat with more flavor than any other planet in this Finger.”

  “But it’s dangerous?” Hither asked.

  “They die young down there.” He pocketed the chip and dropped a coin on the counter beside his empty mug as he untangled his lanky legs from the stool. Spinning, he leaned back on his elbows and looked at Hither. “At least we don’t have to go down to that planet. It’s so wet and heavy, it’s hard to tell the difference between above water and und
er.

  “How far out from the planet do the coords take us?” he asked.

  “Well beyond the grav-well.” Hither’s refined posture cast an interesting dynamic beside Atom’s slouched form.

  “Good,” Atom grunted.

  “Will this carry us closer to either of our goals?”

  “Well, we’ll be off this rock, which puts us a burn closer to both, but we’re still in-system, so we won’t be making much headway.”

  “I see.” Dejection tinged her voice. “I was hoping we were planning on staying here a day or two. It almost feels like a vacation when I can do anything that doesn’t involve me sitting on a ship.” She slipped from her stool and cast a smile towards Daisy as the pilot sat listening to Margo’s toddler dialogue with drunken intensity.

  “Or involve getting shot at.” Atom nodded to the three thespians nursing their drinks with open wariness.

  “That’s the dream, Cap.” She patted his shoulder. “A sweet and very distant dream.”

  “We’ll always have Vali.”

  “Too far away, and yet….” A distant smile creased her face. “If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can almost feel the sun on my skin and my toes in the sand.”

  “La, that en’t happenin’ a’time soon.” Byron wandered past on his way to join Daisy and Margo. “This ‘ere rock’s too murcked wiff snow ‘n ice ta even dream ‘bout beaches. Closest you’ll get’s windburn out on the pack.”

  Atom chuckled as Byron leaned a chummy shoulder into Hither’s side.

  “Who invited you to my dream?” Hither snapped, turning on the mech. She glowered at him with evil intent.

  “I’ve the same dream most darks since we left Vali,” Byron sighed and Hither relaxed. “I still can’t get the picture a you glowin’ in the sun out a me pan, laid out in next to nuffin.”

  Hither lunged for Byron, but the boy anticipated and slipped just beyond her fingertips with a sharp laugh. As he darted across the near empty dining-hall with Hither a step behind, the atmo-seal on the door parted.

  Byron skidded to a halt at the feet of a severe woman.