Trinity: Atom & Go

by Zach Winderl

  “Atom, she’s covered in blood,” Daisy pointed out.

  Patting Lilly’s cheeks, Atom drew the baug back to consciousness. Lilly’s eyes fluttered and continued to roll as she tried to curl herself into a ball on the couch.

  “If we open those doors and the guards see us with her, we’re dead where we stand.” Atom rose and paced the room again. “Any chance we take those two suits with some kitchen knives?”

  Daisy just chuckled. “You’re the Left Fist, you tell me,” he said with doubt.

  “A power surge could cause a suit to reboot.” Atom weighed the idea for a moment and then shook his head in disgust.

  “No chance?”

  “We’d have to pull all the power from the hub into one wire, and that would only reboot one of the suits. That might buy us 30 seconds with only one suit to worry about. Maybe if we could—”

  “Atom,” Kozue interrupted in a puzzled tone. “I’m detecting a disturbance down in the loading dock. For some reason, whatever is happening seems to be knocking out all the sensors in that region as well.”

  Atom perked.

  “We moving on this?”

  “Firm.” Atom leaped to action.

  Without instructions, Daisy scooped up Lilly. As she rolled her head into his chest, he found her familiar face staring up at him with a distant bleariness. Her body followed her face, slipping into the slender frame they had first met. Cradling the baug with gentle care, Daisy padded to stand beside the main door to James’ suite.

  “Koze.” Atom snugged up the bandages before he took his place at the far side of the doorway. “Are the guards outside responding to the disturbance?”

  “That’s a neg.”

  “I think I might be able to help,” Lilly murmured into Daisy’s shoulder.

  “What’s your thought?” Atom asked.

  Lilly cleared her throat and knit her brow without opening her eyes. For a moment nothing happened, and then she opened her eyes and gazed at Atom with lucid clarity. “Anything you can think to do with this?” Lilly’s mouth moved, but a fair imitation of Warden James’ voice sounded in the room. “I think we better find a way to talk to those guards without them looking me in the face.”

  Atom shot for the office like a seeker torpedo.

  As he entered, he found Toks climbing to her feet with a woozy wobble. Swerving from his path, he took a moment to drive his knee into the side of her head. With a crunch, the imperial spun back into the wall and crumpled into a twitching heap.

  Ignoring his fallen foe, Atom surveyed James’ desk and managed to find his way into the station coms.

  “Daisy,” he called out. “Bring her in here, I’ve got things lined up.”

  The pilot hustled in, cradling Lilly in his arms like a sleeping child. With hesitant care, he settled her into the warden’s seat.

  Atom tripped the call.

  “All guards,” Lilly said in James’ voice. “We are experiencing a glitch in our sensors. As a precaution all prisoners will be locked down for the time being. We will begin prepping for evacuation. Do not, I repeat, do not proceed with evac until you receive direct orders from your superiors.

  “In the meantime.” Sweat stood out on Lilly’s forehead from the effort. “All excess manpower should report to your assigned staging areas.”

  She severed the connection and collapsed back into the seat.

  “The guards outside the suite are moving,” Kozue reported.

  “That’s our cue.” Atom waved at Lilly and scowled over at Toks’ immobile form. “Kozue, do you have any info on that disturbance yet?”

  “Other than it is moving in this general direction, no,” Kozue replied. “It seems to be killing the prison sensors as it progresses, almost as if it’s kicking out an electro-magnetic field in a perfect sphere.”

  “What disturbance?” Lilly had assumed her normal voice. She held a protective hand tight to her wounded side.

  Atom cocked his head, for a moment forgetting that she did not have access to Kozue’s voice. “There’s a blackout moving towards us,” Atom said as he motioned for Daisy to pick her up again. “Kozue hasn’t been able to determine what’s causing it, but she said the disturbance originated in the landing bay. That fact leads me to believe it’s a legitimate disturbance.”

  “It’s Ash,” Lilly closed her eyes and nuzzled back against Daisy as he cradled her against his chest.

  Atom flashed her a puzzled look, then asked, “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he always comes for me.”

  “Always?”

  “He’s tied to me,” Lilly murmured in dreamy shock.

  “Should we try to find him?” Atom exchanged a concerned glance with Daisy as they stepped out into the sitting room.

  “Mmhmmm,” Lilly mumbled as her head drooped.

  “What about Toks?” Daisy asked.

  “I’ll finish it, you get moving with her and I’ll catch up.” As Atom turned back to the office Toks staggered to the hatch and slapped it closed. “Or not.

  “No time to waste, we move.” Atom took a centering breath. “Kozue, show us the way.”

  ***

  They found Ash, or more accurately, Ash found them, ten minutes later as they hurtled through the byways of the prison. Under Kozue’s careful guidance, they avoided rally points and guard posts. She alerted them to being in the vicinity of Ash, but the golem still caught them off guard as he smashed through a nearby wall with the ease of a farmer walking through a wheat field.

  Atom and Daisy skidded to a halt and almost bolted like startled rabbits.

  Only when they realized the metal monstrosity stood motionless did they register that they had stumbled across their savior.

  “Lilly,” the golem whispered in its mechanized hiss.

  A barrage of blaster fire followed the golem through its newly-crafted doorway. The metal beast shrugged the attack off and without looking, pointed a fist back into the aperture. A pulsing energy beam erupted from the fist and hostile fire ceased.

  Ash took a step towards them, bobbing its head in a subservient manner.

  “Lilly,” it whispered again. This time the golem opened its arms wide and as it did so, the center of the chest rippled outward to reveal an opening big enough to accommodate Lilly. Casting a nervous glance to Atom, Daisy edged forward and slipped Lilly into the golem’s chest cavity.

  If Ash had a face, Atom imagined a smile of relief plastered across it.

  The golem’s chest rippled again, like metal fingers closing over a precious gem. “Friend,” Ash whispered and turned away to leave the pair staring wide-eyed at its retreating form.

  “I suggest you follow the golem.” Kozue broke the spell.

  Without a second prompting, Atom and Daisy bolted after the receding figure. They struggled to keep pace with the long strides of the looming golem, but at a dead run, they managed. Due to the Ash-enforced communications embargo and Lilly’s orders, they met light resistance as the golem forged the straightest path to the prison’s docking bay.

  As they followed Ash through the last wall into the bay, Warden James’ voice echoed over the prison coms. “There has been a catastrophic breach.” A tinge of panic laced James’ voice. “Execute evacuation protocol. Repeat: execute evacuation protocol.”

  “Koze, is there really an emergency?” Atom asked as he watched the golem clambered up into the Hellkite.

  “Other than the security breach, no,” Kozue replied. “That com came from Ash.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Atom stopped on the flight deck outside the Hellkite and watched the hatch shut. A moment later the ship powered up and launched from the hangar. “How did the golem manage to pilot the ship in here past all the prison defenses?”

  Atom felt Kozue’s shrug. “I didn’t detect anything until the golem was aboard the station and kicking out the null readings on the system.”

  “That’s impressive,” said Daisy. “Now I suppose it’s time for us to find our rid
e off this station. I don’t suppose you have any suggestions for us, Kozue? Most of what I’m seeing here are prison transports that will get us flagged as soon as we enter any proper system.”

  “It appears Ash left the warden’s personal ship unlocked for you,” Kozue replied. “It has been fully prepped.”

  “Works for me.” Atom sprinted across the quiet bay towards the gangway of the single ship tucked behind the boxy prison transports. The sleek ship hovered in a suspensor cradle on the far side of the bay. As they ran, the engines hummed to life and a soft golden-blue glow emanated from the main thrusters as the ship warmed.

  “Tell me you can fly this thing,” Atom panted as he pounded up the gangway into the small, but plush living suite.

  Daisy, a step behind, did not bother with a reply. Instead, he slapped the hatch shut and hopped over the pilot’s console, into the seat. A few buttons later, the ship detached from the docking locks and floated free into the Black.

  “We good?” Daisy called over his shoulder.

  “Stow and go,” Atom replied.

  Daisy punched the throttle and the ship burned hard for the Black.

  ***

  A few hours later, Daisy coupled the warden’s ship with the Ticket, and after plotting a course for a nearby asteroid field, they said farewell to their small escape vessel. Back aboard his home, Atom blew out a ball of tension he had failed to notice aboard the prison station.

  He swept Margo into his arms and inhaled her innocent fragrance.

  “I say we make it a point not to split up anymore, unless we can’t help it,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Love you, dada.” She grinned and squeezed his neck with all her tiny might.

  “Good to have you back, Cap.” Shi handed Atom his rail pistol as she flashed a sly wink. “I reckin green’s a good color on you. It really makes yer biscuits pop. You might consider holdin’ onto that there jumper.”

  “What’s the course, boss?” Hither asked, failing to keep a smile from her lips as she focused on the far wall of the hold.

  “We still have a rendezvous with the other client?” Atom asked as he tucked his pistol in the pocket of his jumpsuit. “I’m not sure it puts us any closer to that treasure, but it never hurts to have jobs lined up. After that meet, we’ll head back to Lassiter to have our sit down with Coffey. Our end is complete and it’s time we get paid.”

  “The contact understood your predicament and extended their stay at the coordinates. I’ll punch the course now.” Hither nodded for Daisy to follow, leaving Atom alone with Shi and Byron.

  “You looked after my daughter and the Ticket,” Atom said as he shifted Margo to his hip. “I think that might count for something special when all this settles out.”

  “Weren’t nothin’.” Shi bobbed her head, embarrassed by the acknowledgement.

  “I made somefin fer the bobbin,” Byron chirped.

  “And what would that be?” Atom asked.

  Byron whistled and a soft whirring buzzed about Atom’s head. Margo laughed. Instinct hunched Atom’s head and shoulders as the soft buzz passed again. Shi and Byron joined in with Margo’s laughter as Atom tried to locate the sound in the dusky shadows of the ship’s hold.

  “What is it?” Atom squinted up, shielding Margo from the unknown.

  “Ease up, Cody,” Byron called into the air.

  “Cody,” Margo squealed.

  The child held out her hand with timid joy and after a humming whir of mechanical wings, a tiny dragon landed in her palm. Wingtip to wingtip, the dragon just managed to drape over the edges of Margo’s hand, but its long, sinuous tail snaked around her wrist for stability, even as golden eyes turned up to peer into her face.

  “See, dada.” Margo held the mechanized beast up for Atom’s inspection.

  “That’s amazing,” Atom murmured as he squinted at the intricate detail.

  The dragon preened. Lifting a head no bigger than Atom’s thumbnail, the creature twined with a serpentine grace that caught the hold’s light along its black and gold flanks. Each scale looked to represent hours of synthesizing, weaving, and coloring.

  The little dragon lifted its head and yawned as it studied Atom.

  “Where did you come up with the name Cody?” he asked.

  Margo shrugged. “Is Cody.” She spoke as if common sense dictated it truth.

  “Tell me about Cody,” Atom said as he headed for the stairs and the commons above.

  “Nuffin’ special, ‘e’s just a toy I fabbed down in my shop.” Byron trailed along behind Atom, his head dropped with sheepish pride. “I’d some time on me ‘ands and I figured Go could use a touch a distraction.

  “Got the idea back on Shelley on the ghosty-ship. I know it were a while back, but it got me finkin’ we could use a scout bot ‘stead a pu’in’ us in ‘arms way. So, I gots to finkin’ ‘bout what we could use to ‘elp us out in that sort a sitch. It’d ‘ave to be soemfin’ lil an’ fast. So’s I’m si’in at the table and ‘iver’s tellin’ Go a beddy-time tale ‘bout dragons ‘n such an’ a lass who ‘as to use ‘er pan to riddle a dragon outta his heap a treasure.

  “Got me finkin’ ‘bout dragons.” Byron followed Atom into the commons and slipped into the booth without missing a beat. “An’ Margo’s all dreamin’ ‘bout dragons an’ I says to meself, ‘bet I could print a dragon’ so’s I did. I dreamt ‘er and tinker’d ‘er.

  “An’ poof.” He mimed an explosion with his hands held wide. “Me pan pops an’ out flies Cody.”

  “I’ll bet Margo’s excited about it.” Atom laughed as he set his daughter on the counter and filled a mug with black perk. “It’s only been a couple days and I feel like I missed an entire chapter of all the happenings.”

  “Yes and no.” Shi wandered in from the bridge. “We’ve pretty much bin sittin’ tight.”

  “I wish I could have been in better touch with you.”

  “We got your burst and knew your relative location.” She hopped up to sit on the counter beside Margo, her brace of pistols chunking against the metal topper. “It came through a touch garbled, so we couldn’t lock down a rescue mission, but we knew where to drift.”

  Margo held Cody out for Shi to stroke.

  Atom nodded and turned his attention back to Byron. “What are the specs on Cody?”

  “Well.” Byron pulled his long, dark curls down over his eyes. “Problem is, I’m a right good crafter, but I en’t so solid at the programin’.”

  “Meaning?” Atom sipped and grimaced at the heat.

  “Meanin’ he can’t control the blasted thing worth a darn,” Shi laughed. “He built the dragon and tried to program it, but it imprinted on Margo and won’t listen to anyone else.”

  “So, we have a rogue dragon aboard the ship?”

  “Sor’ of.” Byron searched his brain for the best way to present the problem. “It’ll do wha’ever Go asks it to, but if anyone else commands, ‘ere’s an even chance it kacks in yer ‘and.”

  “Koze, could you interface with the dragon?” Atom lifted Margo by the back of her canvas jumper and with one hand, hoisted her to the floor.

  “Not presently,” Kozue answered.

  “I guess it’s a cute toy.” Atom shrugged in Byron’s direction. “The craftsmanship is superb. I tip my cap to your attention to detail, but the question in my mind is how to make this more than a toy.”

  “Guess it en’t nuffin’ but a purdy bauble fer the kit.”

  “Work with it,” Atom encouraged. “Work with Kozue on this. What if Cody could be a physical body for Kozue to join us on missions. I think if you two work together, something could come of it.”

  Byron’s eyes lit.

  “In the meantime.” Atom turned his attention to Shi. “I do believe we need to get ourselves prepped for the meet with the new client.”

  “Any idea on who the client is?” Shi hopped down from the counter and fell in beside Atom as he turned for the bridge. “I picked up they was tied to the actor’s guild.
”

  “My estimation is the ties run deeper than that. From what I know about our situation and what we’ve faced off against up to now, I’d say we’re meeting someone with links to the Tribes. The very fact that they are being so secretive as to give us expiring coords, points to darker contacts than anything we’ve faced to date.”

  “Danger to us?”

  “There’s always danger in our line of work.”

  “Truth.” Shi ducked into the bridge ahead of Atom and nodded to Daisy. “Good to have you back, you lunkhead.”

  Daisy sat in his pilot’s chair with Mae preening in his lap. He scratched under her chin as he broke off the discussion with Hither and turned to face Atom and Shi. A relieved smile creased his dark face.

  “We on course?” Atom interrupted.

  “Aye, Cap.” Daisy mocked a salute in Atom’s direction. “Lucky for us, our little jaunt didn’t take us too far out of our target system. Hop, skip, and a jump and we’ll be right back where we left off.”

  “I hate all these side gigs. They just distract us from our final goals.” Atom leaned on the overhead conduits and sipped at his steaming perk. “I sure did miss this view.” He stared into the nothing beyond Daisy’s display. “What’s our new arrival time?”

  “Quarter cycle, give or take.”

  “Will we hit our window?”

  “Just inside,” Hither replied from her navigator’s seat.

  “Good, Margo needs a nap.” Atom grinned at the crew and turned to leave.

  “You mean, you need a nap?” Shi jibed.

  “That’s what I said.”

  ***

  The One Way Ticket dropped into the system just as Hither had predicted. Under Daisy’s hand, they skirted the inhabited planets and made for the deep space rendezvous. Each member of the crew prepared in different ways as they tried to anticipate the unknown client and myriad possibilities of their docking.

  Atom sat in silence on the bridge, watching as they approached the coordinates, trying to anticipate what sort of ship awaited them. He made idle note of Daisy and Hither’s actions as they flew.

  In Daisy’s lap, Mae purred with unabashed contentment. Behind him, Hither’s hands flew through the projected displays of the navigator’s console.