Trinity: Atom & Go

by Zach Winderl

  “I want you and Shi to watch the ship.” Atom pulled his pistol out, checked the load, and reholstered it. “I’m sending Byron and Hither out to pick up a few parts and some fresh supplies from the local hothouses. You two will be back-up in case anyone needs it.

  “If not, sit tight, because I’m fair certain we aren’t long for this rock.” He tugged his brown coat snug about his shoulders and strode from the bridge. As he trotted down the hallway, he relayed his instructions to the others.

  “Got a funny twitch in my gut.” Shi sat in the shadows of the stairwell, a motionless shadow herself.

  “Me too.” Atom stopped a few steps below and gave her a sidelong glance.

  “I should come with.”

  “That’s why I need you here. If things go sideways, I need to know the Ticket is primed and ready to get us out of here. They’ve gotten onto our ship before and I need to know you and Daisy can handle it.”

  Shi stared through Atom. “I should still be going with.”

  “Margo and I can handle whatever floats our way, and if we don’t, you make the call to cut the umbilical. No sense in wasting atmo on a lost cause.” Atom’s shadowy grin flashed in the dim light of the stairs. “But the way I see it, my gut’s kept us alive long enough to give it mass. Plus, I’m taking Go and the pram with me. Things always seem better when she’s around.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “If I need you, I’ll call in the marines for a drop.”

  “Count me for that one.” She extended her hand, palm up.

  Atom laid his atop hers. “When the time is right, we’ll all drop together. Just don’t count on that being tonight.

  “Are the others of your simmerings?” Atom waved for the gunslinger to follow as he turned and trotted down into the hold. “I know the situation has been steering for tension, but I need to figure where we’re headed without burning this whole colony to the ground. They’re just caught in the crossfire, and if I can slip in and out without stirring the embers, I plan on doing so.”

  “They’re firm. Not a body moves without Hither’s say-so.” Shi grimaced. “Doesn’t stop us from wantin’ it, but your word first, then hers.”

  “Good.” He dismissed her with a nod and crossed the hold to find Margo still slumbering in the pram, tucked behind the crates. For a moment he wondered how she had managed to wedge the pram into the cranny, and then the answer came to him.

  “Give me a moment,” Kozue purred.

  Of its own accord, the pram rose on humming suspensors and drifted out to settle beside Atom with a contented sigh of machinery. Atom thrust his hands deep in his pockets and jerked his head for the pram to accompany him as he headed for the side hatch.

  “Why do you and Shi have trouble with your stomachs?” Kozue asked as they cycled open the hatch and stepped out into the blustery evening. “Was some of the foodstuff spoiled?”

  Atom laughed. “No,” he said, hunching his neck down into his coat to ward off the chill of the frigid biosphere. “It’s just an old soldier’s nerves creeping out. The body senses surroundings and picks up on things our eyes don’t see.”

  “Nerves?” Atom heard the thought in her voice. “You mean instincts?”

  “Firm.” Atom cycled through the hangar lock and scanned the near empty street running from the tiny space-port. A few bundled figures trudged along the ice crusted road, their attention locked on their destination. “Call it instinct or intuition, or even superstition. Most soldiers have it to some degree. They know when something is looming over the curve of the horizon. Can’t exactly say why, but they know it’s there.

  “Sometimes it’s pure spec.” He crunched through the rime as he pushed the pram in the direction of Svitać’s tavern. “Other times there are little tells that we pick up on. Sometimes they’re big. They call it a soldier’s intuition because we don’t always register that we’ve picked up on the tells.”

  “What do you mean by ‘tells’?”

  “Well, it can be little things, like a quiet forest when there should be noise, or a dust cloud that doesn’t sit right, or a floor creaking wrong.”

  “I see: indicators that the natural order is being disrupted by the presence of something outside the normal parameters of the situation.”

  “Call it what you will.”

  “Tells, then,” Kozue sounded amused. “Are you gleaning something here?”

  “Something big. That’s Lilly’s ship back there, which means she’s here somewhere.” Atom approached the tavern. “That would lead me to believe Toks is also in the vicinity. She is searching for the same information we are and has to know that we made it out of her trap. Logic dictates circling back to the last point of contact and searching for the new trail.

  “She’s like a pit-hound.” Atom stopped outside the hatch and scowled “When she’s on the scent she won’t back down. And if the Tribe’s after Lilly, they’re here too.”

  “With those numbers, I estimate a resolution in the near future.”

  “I hope not,” Atom muttered and pushed his way into the ice-melting warmth of the tavern. “Koze, has Hither left the ship yet?”

  “Neg. Why?”

  “Another hunch.” Atom scanned the scattered patrons of the tavern. “Patch me through.”

  A moment later Hither’s hurried response chirped in Atom’s ear.

  “I need you to pull the Ticket back to a low orbit of Klavir. I want you to stay low enough to avoid all but the closest scans. I’ll have Koze let you know when I’m ready.”

  “Trouble?”

  “I’m not sure, but I want to handle Lilly with care and if anything else pops, I don’t want to cause any more commotion than necessary. There shouldn’t be trouble yet, but I’ll let the crew in when the time comes.”

  He listened for a moment and then the distant hum of the ship’s engines vibrated through the soles of his boots.

  Only then did he wander over to the bar. “Chi, blue and a milk.” He tapped the bartop and gave a pleasant nod to Svitać. “What’s the daily?

  “Capy stew,” the barkeep replied.

  “I’ll take a bowl. Count it as a tip for a job seen through to completion.”

  Svitać’s eyes lit. “Up in a mome.”

  Atom made his way to the same table tucked against the far wall and sat just in time to catch the hiss of the door and the atmo-trap slipping around Shi’s lean, ponchoed frame. He frowned, but settled into his chair without comment and lifted Margo into the seat beside him. Shi scanned the room with professional ease and wound her way through the tables to join him.

  “I thought I told you to wait on the ship,” he said, motioning for Svitać to add a meal.

  “Trustin’ my gut, Cap.” She kicked out a chair and slouched down into the seat. “One more company will make you stand out less and give you a couple more guns when this drops in our lap. Plus, with the Ticket in orbit, I don’t need to kitsit ‘er.

  “Only thing.” She locked her eyes on the front door and stared it down. “I ain’t goin’ to jail as you did. Been there once and I ain’t goin’ back. I’ll end every sumbitch who tries.”

  “Fortunate for you.” Atom leaned back and smiled up at the waitress approaching with a tray full of food. “They won’t take us.

  “Thank you.” He bobbed his head and dug in his pocket for a tip.

  “Drink for you, miss?” the waitress asked as she deposited a steaming bowl of vegetable heavy stew in front of Atom.

  “Perk. Black. Strong enough to chew.” Shi flashed a lopsided grin.

  “Just a mome.”

  “So, what’s the scam?” Shi propped her hands behind her head and surveyed the room over Atom’s shoulders.

  “Eat,” said Margo with a serious nod.

  “Like the way you think, lil’ miss.” Shi scooped half a spoon and blew on it with care. Flipping the spoon around her held it out for Margo. “Won’t do you no good burnin’ yerself on your kip.”

  Margo took the spoon and s
hoved it into her mouth. As contemplative as a food judge, she held the food in her mouth. Then she swallowed and her face split into a wide grin. Disregarding the heat, she grabbed Atom’s spoon and shoved another mouthful in. Her eyes flew open and teared up. Then using her tongue as a plow, she discarded the stew back into Atom’s bowl.

  “Hot,” she said in amazement.

  Atom laughed and pushed the small glass of milk towards Margo. She hopped up from her knees and leaning with her full weight on the table, sipped the milk through a straw.

  “As to the plan.” Atom took a bite of his stew and savored the flavors. “We wait and see what floats our way.”

  “Any idea how long?”

  “A day and a night.” Atom shrugged. “More or less.”

  ***

  And they waited.

  At the end of the night, Atom yawned and climbed to his feet. “I’ll get us a room,” he muttered as he wandered through the maze of empty chairs to the bar.

  Svitać eyed him with concern.

  “No trouble.” Atom held up his hands as he perched on a stool. “I just want to book a room for the night. It might turn into a couple nights. I’m waiting on a contact.”

  “Last time you waited, my tav got tossed by the imps.”

  “Unforeseeable circumstances.”

  “It’s strange.” Svitać snapped a towel from his shoulder and began polishing an imaginary spot from the glossy wood. “You and yours don’t strike me as aiming to misbehave, except for that pilot of yours. But outside of his scrap with the players, I don’t think he was looking for more than a quiet drink.”

  “Sometimes trouble has a way of happening by,” Atom apologized.

  “Is it following you now?”

  “I’m hoping not. At the moment, I’m just looking for that contact. I noticed a new ship out there in your hangar, but I haven’t seen anyone looking like a traveler.”

  “Da.” Svitać gestured up to the balcony that circled the second story of the tavern. “A woman. She looked ill, but swore up and down that she just needed a few days of rest. She took a room and hasn’t come down since.”

  “Shame, I’m looking for a boke. He runs on the chubby side of life.”

  “Then this is not your contact,” Svitać said in his heavy accent.

  Atom’s shoulders drooped in clear disappointment. “I guess I’ll just have to take that room then.” He slipped from his stool and stretched his back. “Do you have private baths?”

  “Da, each room has a small wash cubby, but there is a larger communal in the corner if you want a more relaxed soak,” said the barkeep as he pointed out the corner. “Payment must be up front for each night stayed.”

  Atom pulled a blank chit from his pocket and clicked it down on the bar. “Just keep my tab open. I’m hoping we will only be here a day or two, but you know how the lanes run.”

  Svitać nodded, slid a key chip across to Atom and said, “Keep the chip on you and it will open your room. The tab covers room and board.” He connected Atom’s chit to his register and nodded in approval. “Your credit is good here. Stay as long as you like.”

  “Do you have any broth soups in stock?” Atom asked.

  The barkeep nodded.

  Atom flashed a tired smile. “As a favor, send a bowl up to that sick traveler. Put it on my tab. And make sure you toss some of your fresh bread, too.” Atom rapped his knuckles on the bar and snagged the key chip.

  He turned back to Shi and strolled over to join the gunslinger as she rose and maneuvered the pram out from behind their table.

  “We got a room.” Atom squinted up into the dusky rafters as Margo wandered after Shi. The girl rubbed her eyes with sleepy fists and reached up to Atom. He grinned at Shi and scooped his daughter into his arms.

  “Don’t be expectin’ nothin’ from me,” Shi skewered Atom with a frosty glare. “I’m as cuddly as a porky-pine and I only sleep with my ladies, so the bed might get a touch crowded. You ain’t makin’ a play fer me, Atom?” Shi placed a hand on her chest and feigned astonishment.

  Atom barked out a laugh.

  “No insult meant,” Atom said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “You just caught me off guard.”

  Margo looked from Atom to Shi and then nuzzled into Atom’s neck.

  “Not easy to do.” Shi grinned.

  Pecking a light kiss on Margo’s head, Atom said, “I’m more worried you would take advantage of a poor old soul, such as myself. Luckily for me, we have Margo to chaperone our engagement. I would just rather you and I stay close,” he dropped his voice as he leaned in, but left the smile on his face. “In case anything were to happen.”

  “I know.” Shi matched Atom’s smile. “It’s what we do in the field.”

  Atom turned and carried Margo to the stairs. Shi followed behind with the pram. The smirk remained.

  As they approached the stairs the serving girl bustled from the kitchen with a small tray. She bobbed her head at Atom as she mounted the stairs and led the way. Atom trailed behind, watching as she brought the bowl of soup around to the far side and knocked on a door.

  Atom made note of the room before heading for their own room.

  “What was that about?” Shi asked as their door clicked shut behind them.

  “I’m fair certain Lilly is the other guest. Unless she is holed up on her ship.” Atom looked over the simple but comfortable arrangements of the room.

  Before he could say anything further, Shi flopped on the double bed and kicked off her boots. She closed her eyes and with a contented sigh laced her fingers behind her head. With a yawn she stretched out and cracked her toes before melting into the bed.

  “How do you sleep in a poncho?” Atom settled Margo on the far side of the bed.

  “I don’t, unless I’m in the scrub.”

  ***

  Once Margo had drifted off to sleep beside Shi, Atom slipped from the room. The gunslinger cracked an eye and cocked the gun resting on her stomach as she dozed. Seeing Atom, she relaxed and he closed the door with a muffled click.

  He felt naked without his coat, but Margo had insisted on snuggling into it instead of the blankets on the bed.

  Standing on the balcony, he surveyed the quiet tavern below.

  A pair of late-night drunks still perched at the bar. They murmured to each other. Svitać leaned against the liquor shelf like a piece of the tavern’s furniture. He looked up and noted Atom’s emergence and then drifted back to half listening to the familiar drunken tales of his clients. The rest of the tavern tables sat empty and forlorn.

  Taking the steps with casual grace, Atom descended.

  “Any chance you have a coat I could borrow?” he asked Svitać. “Margo stole mine.”

  Without a word, the barkeep pulled a heavy, fur-lined jacket from a hook behind the bar and tossed it over. “Just don’t tear it. There’s no supply ship scheduled for a few weeks.”

  “I’ll be careful.” Atom slipped the warm coat over his lean frame.

  He left the warmth of the tavern behind and plunged into the dim light trickling through the dome. Cool blue light reflected from Klavir’s turgid surface and did little to ease the meat-locker chill that pervaded the little town. Atom stood for a moment and searched out the sheriff’s office. The frigid, recycled air tugged at his legs, but did little to penetrate the fur lining of the jacket. The cold, however, pained through his sinuses, freezing shards of snot through his face and brain.

  Just as he feared he would lose feeling in his face and legs, he noticed an illuminated sign hanging in the window of a squat building half a block down the road. He hustled for the building, keeping his head tucked low.

  “How do you live here?” he demanded as he slipped through the porous membrane of the door. “Every step out there is just an exponential ball of pain . . . and that’s not even outside.”

  Coffey, who sat behind a battered metal desk, looked up from a data-scroll with amusement. She spun in her seat to pour a steaming cup of black perk a
nd set the mug on the far edge of her desk. With a weary yawn she waved for Atom to take an empty seat.

  “What brings you back so soon?” She crossed her arms and drooped back in her chair.

  Atom shed his furry second skin and lifted the mug. He cradled it in his hands like a miraculous, life-giving elixir.

  “I heard a little story through some of the back channels about a prison riot and eventual break-out. Sources won’t disclose, but I’ve even heard rumor that a firebat took a swan-dive off the second tier after lighting himself on fire during the riot. Reports are hushed on the cause of the riot, but word is the scuffle and flaming dive set things in motion.”

  “That the word?” Atom stared into his mug.

  “So, how’d you get out?”

  “Warden signed my early release papers.”

  “Funny, official statement claims he was assassinated by his second-in-command. Then she must have got herself in a scrap and offed by the prisoners trying to escape herself. Funny thing is, they’ve tracked the vids and can’t figure out how she got from the killing to the getting killed.

  “And to top it, several prisoners disappeared during the evac.” Coffey leaned forward and steepled her fingers as she snared Atom with a studied glare. “So, we have a dead warden. Can’t say I liked the man, but he was appointed.

  “Can’t say I approve of your methods,” she harrumphed.

  “I had several stimulating conversations with him,” Atom said with wide-eyed innocence. “And Daisy took a shine to his thug, excuse me, second. I wouldn’t have wished him to end. It certainly appeared he kept that prison running smoothly.”

  “And he signed your papers?”

  “Well,” Atom drawled with a sheepish grin. “Not officially.”

  “Died first?”

  Atom’s silence told Coffey everything she needed to know. “But our deal is taken care of?”

  “If I take a job, I always finish it,” he replied.

  Coffey nodded and fished in the breast pocket of the heavy jacket hanging from her chair. She pulled a small, folded piece of paper out and held it gingerly between two fingers. Through the whole process she kept her eyes skewering Atom.