Repo Earth

by Jeff Walsh

  Ten seconds.

  A loud snap came from the side of the ship. Every Attillian soldier jumped as the ship's gull-wing door seemed to raise on its own.

  Five seconds.

  Marcus made a dash for the ship. His form shimmered as he ran. Three Ravagers spun to fire at him.

  Four seconds.

  The door had only opened half way before it started to close again. Marcus leapt for the opening.

  Three seconds.

  He landed.

  Two seconds.

  He spun and kicked at the access pad in the ship.

  One second.

  The door sealed shut behind him. Pulse fire began striking the Zorg vessel everywhere. He looked at his display; it was flashing zero. Marcus tapped his wrist unit and decloaked.

  “Computer,” Marcus blurted out. “Access command Ait-Ellidron-7337, password is eald thiw ti.”

  “Command codes and password accepted,” a female voice said. “All controls have been transferred. Hello, Marcus Linas.”

  “Are the engines online?” Marcus asked.

  “Affirmative,” the computer said.

  “Can you bring up thermals of the entire storage room on the main display?” Marcus asked.

  “Affirmative,” the computer said. “But I will be forced to use a combination of cameras currently running on the closed feed of the Starfaller.”

  Marcus was running through the Zorg vessel, making his way to the bridge.

  “Put the storage room on the main display,” Marcus said. “Charge the engines to full. Bring frontal pulse rifles online.”

  Only a second passed.

  “Tasks completed,” the computer said.

  Marcus turned the corner and plopped down in command chair. He scanned the storage room for Omnis.

  “There,” he said and pointed at the upper left portion of the screen. “Can you get a trans-warp lock onto that person?”

  “Affirmative,” the computer said.

  “Do it,” Marcus belted out. He dropped his hands to the console and worked the trans-warp controls. He slid his fingers into place balancing the four different levels. Steadily, he allowed his fingers to glide upward as he activated the trans-warp and watched the readout monitoring Omnis' vitals.

  A flash of light came from behind him. Marcus turned and Omnis was standing somewhat dumbfounded on the Zorg ship.

  “Computer,” Marcus said. “Fire weapons and and don't stop until you blow a hole in the side of this ship.”

  Omnis stepped forward and dropped into the other chair. They watched screen as the Zorg vessel fired shot after shot.

  “Computer, switch to external cameras and put them on the main display,” Marcus said.

  The two heard the pulse rifles continue their fire. After a moment or two they stopped. Smoke and debris littered their path but only for a moment. The vacuum of space sucked it, plus most of the Attillian soldiers and Ravager units, all away. There, directly in front of Marcus and Omnis was a path leading out of the Starfaller.

  “Computer,” Marcus said. “Punch it.”

  The engines roared to life.

  “How?” Omnis asked.

  “Custom ship,” Marcus answered. “Ellidron developed the space destablizer, which means he also developed engines that would operate within the field.”

  The Zorg vessel squealed as it drug along the metal floor. Sparks lit up for only a second as the cold of space overcame the heat. A moment later Omnis and Marcus breached the Starfaller.

  Marcus pulled back on the ship's drive column. The ship arced upward. He then twisted his hands forward and they picked up speed.

  “How do you know how to fly this thing?” Omnis said.

  “I told you, Taam got up close and personal with this ship's former owner. He had me practicing on a simulation for the last half day. I was getting the hang of it, although the real thing is a bit more terrifying.”

  Omnis sat quietly and chuckled.

  Marcus piloted the Zorg ship up and around the Starfaller and pulled away from it.

  A small view screen showed the Attillian ship in its entirety.

  “Never realized just how big that ship is,” Marcus said.

  “Yeah,” Omnis replied. “The Attillians are no joke.”

  Marcus positioned the Zorg vessel at the exact coordinates Taam had showed him and slowed it to a halt.

  “Why aren't they firing at us?” Omnis asked.

  “Because if they destroy this ship, I go with it,” Marcus answered. “Only humans can access Volja, and as its worked out, I'm now the only human out here.” He paused for a moment. “Listen, I have to ask, how'd you end up on that ship?”

  “While you were aboard that scav ship,” Omnis said. “I was running those Urumarru gunners wild. I was doing a darn good job of it too. But there were just too many of them. I ended up taking a few serious hits. The Sunspot's power started to fail, but then the firing stopped. Next thing I know I'm hearing Taam's hail come over my comm. I tried to answer, but apparently you couldn't hear me. I knew about the Veritus leak on my ship so I initiated evac and my pod launched just before the Sunspot blew up. The explosion knocked out the pod's tracer unit and engines. I was floating dead in space. Every second that passed I just drifted further and further away from you.”

  “I watched as the Enyalius made a light slip and knew at that moment all of you thought I was dead,” Omnis continued. “The Starfaller dropped light a few moments later. They were scanning the area and found me pretty easily. They took me aboard and I've been on that ship ever since. They questioned me about everything. Captain Vex wanted to know your plans. He broke most of my ribs trying to get that info, as if I had it. After that he had them cutting on me and cutting me up and pumping me full of stuff that enhanced my bodies natural healing time. Normally that would be a good thing. This time it just allowed them to inflict more pain.”

  “I'm sorry,” Marcus said. “We would've never left you if we'd known. Bartl lost it when he thought you and Alvin were gone. He shot up the entire Urumaruu crew. It was kind of horrific actually.”

  “I've known Taam and Bartl for a while,” Omnis said. “I've been through some bad stuff with both of them. They don't leave people behind, especially friends. You all thought I was dead.”

  “But you're not,” Marcus said. “And now that I know you're alive, I'll make sure you don't end up stranded somewhere if this goes badly. If you get zapped away by Volja, I won't stop until we find you. You got that?”

  Omnis started to answer, but Marcus' wrist unit began beeping.

  A planet, no bigger than the Earth's moon, suddenly appeared directly in front of them.

  Chapter 22

  Marcus pushed forward on the drive column and rotated his wrists forward. The ship's engines roared to life and the vessel sped toward Volja. The planet looked like a shimmering pearl, floating gently in space. There were no signs of land masses or bodies of water, just an extremely smooth surface that seemed to catch every color of light and reflect it back.

  “Are you ready for this? Omnis asked Marcus.

  “Nope, not even a little bit,” Marcus replied. “But at this point it doesn't matter.”

  The two watched as the planet drew closer.

  “Computer,” Marcus said. “Initiate atmospheric entry.”

  “I'm sorry sir,” the computer replied. “I am unable to comply.”

  “Why?” Omnis asked.

  The computer didn't respond.

  “Computer?” Marcus asked.

  The ship remained silent.

  Marcus looked to Omnis who looked equally confused. He then felt the drive column pull away. Instinctively, he tightened his grip, but after a moment Marcus released it and he and Omnis watched as the ship continued to pilot itself.

  Omnis began to work one of the consoles. Marcus looked over at him.

  “What are you doing?” Marcus asked.

  “Running a diagnostic,” Omnis replied.

  “And
how exactly do you know how to do that on this ship?” Marcus asked.

  “It's pretty standard stuff,” Omnis replied.

  “It's not actually,” Marcus said. “Taam said this ship is pretty unique. Everything about it has been custom built by Ellidron. So how is it you know how to run this stuff?””

  “Most of this ship is unique,” Omnis replied. “More elaborate than almost anything I've seen. But I'm just running a diagnostic; there's not much you can customize.”

  “Sorry,” Marcus said. He paused a moment. “Losing control of the ship wasn't part of the plan. It's freaking me out a little.”

  “I figured,” Omnis said. “I'm not exactly relaxed myself. Anyway, I ran the diagnostic because I wanted to confirm something.”

  Marcus gave him a questioning look.

  “Take a look at these readings,” Omnis said. “Volja has taken over the ship,”

  Omnis slid his hand across a small touchscreen and sent his console's display to the ship's main display.

  “We've lost ship wide power,” Omins said. “Engines, life-support, shields, weapons, everything has been taken offline, but nothing has changed. We're breathing fine. Our engines are clearly working. Even artificial grav is functioning. Someone, or something, on that planet is feeding us power and keeping us alive. The question is, why?”

  Marcus looked around at different screens. It appeared Omnis was correct.

  “Apparently, this planet wants us as bad as we want it,” Marcus said.

  “So whether by choice or by force, there's no turning back,” Omnis responded.

  Marcus tried to hide the panic now flooding his mind.

  “And truthfully,” Omnis said. “I don't think it's us Volja wants.”

  Marcus just looked at him.

  “I think it wants you,” Omnis finished.

  The two remained silent as the ship crept its way closer and closer to Volja. With a flash of light the main display went completely white as they entered Volja's atmosphere.

  The ship shuddered slightly, but only for a short period of time. Slowly, the main display began to take on different colors once again. At first it was just small amounts of blue and green mixed in with the white. Then shades of brown and red began to appear and spread out. Marcus watched as the display shifted from a brilliant white to a kaleidoscope of spinning colors. Then, as if all the colors were suddenly called into order, random shapes began to take form. After only a moment, the two were now staring at a beautiful horizon.

  Tall sweeping mountains covered in snow, spiked and jutted far off in the distance. Fields of green and gold splayed out to the east. A large body of water, almost ruby in color, was directly in front of them. Then as if on its own, the Zorg vessel adjusted itself and leveled off.

  “I don't understand,” Marcus sad. “The surface of this planet was pearl-like. How is all of this here?”

  “It's some form of cloak or camouflage, maybe shielding,” Omnis said. “Volja's atmosphere is obscuring the surface for some reason.”

  The two looked on as the ship traveled across the surface of Volja. Marcus was awe struck. Tall, silvery, rock formations climbed into the sky and curled at the tips. Far-reaching forests and copses of trees whisked by below, each jutting and twisting in every direction. Leaves of orange, blue, and pink intermixed with every shade of green.

  Marcus' eyes widened as he saw trees and shrubs gleam of metal and crystal. Beyond the forests were lakes of emerald waters and fields of bronze.

  The Zorg ship made a sharp turn revealing plains and rolling hills. The light from above caught each grain of sand, which shimmered as though it were made of diamond. The brilliant colors of landscape painted the canvas of the planet's surface.

  Without warning, the Zorg vessel began to pick up speed. The scenery zipped by, everything a blur of color. They focused on the horizon, a city skyline and from its center, far off in the distance rose a pillar of light. From earth to sky it stood like a watchtower of white light nestled in a sea of blue.

  “If I had to guess,” Omnis said. “That's where we're headed.” He pointed to the pillar of light.

  “You ever seen anything like this?” Marcus asked.

  “Never,” Omnis replied. “I've been to hundreds, maybe thousands of planets, but all of this, this is some weird stuff. It's like a world created by a child.”

  As the Zorg vessel drew closer to the city it slowed and once more Marcus marveled at the structures. His mind raced. It looked to him like a amalgamation of every futuristic city he'd ever seen or read about. Tall buildings standing on three legs like massive tripods stretching into the sky. Tubes and railways running in every direction. Billboards floated, now blank with the distant memory of what used to be. Marcus felt overwhelmed as he saw roads with inset tracks, launchpads on every rooftop, and domed buildings. He thought it all looked like wonderland metropolis.

  After a few moments the ship slowed to a stop and simply hovered in the air. It was then that whatever source was giving the ship power ceased and everything went dark. A second later a green orb of light appeared within the ship. It hovered for a moment, flickering brighter then growing dull over and over again. It looped in the air and darted toward Omnis. A beam of light lit up Omnis' face then traveled down to his feet then back up.

  “It's scanning me,” Omnis said.

  Neither Marcus nor Omnis moved. It appeared as though the orb of light was finished as it then turned its attention to Marcus. He held his breath as the scanning light passed over him from top to bottom, then back up. In a snap the orb vanished. A moment later a voice spoke to them, not through the ship's comm, but as though a person unseen were standing in their midst.

  “Genetic scan for species 042 confirmed,” the woman's voice said. “Welcome home. All command codes and authorizations have been transferred. Species 378 has been detected. Please state authorization.”

  “If I had to guess,” Omnis said. “I'm not species 042.”

  Just then Omnis' body jolted and he slammed back into his chair. Marcus watched as some unknown force pressed against him. A look of panic and rage crept across Omnis' face.

  “Authorization for species 378 please,” The woman asked again.

  “What?” Marcus blurted out. “What's going on?”

  “All non 042 species must be authorized,” the woman said. “Please state authorization for species 378.”

  “Yes,” Marcus blurted out. “Authorized, or affirmitive, or whatever. Let him go. He's with me.”

  Omnis suddenly fell forward as though he'd been pushing against whatever was holding him back. Marcus heard him breathing hard.

  “You okay?” Marcus asked.

  Omnis shook his head in the affirmative.

  “What happened?” Marcus asked.

  “No clue,” Omnis said. “I lost control of my body. It was like I was suddenly fighting myself. My arms, legs, everything was fighting against itself. I couldn't move. And that lady, that voice, was in my head. It told me without authorization I was to be banished.”

  Marcus looked around; the ship was nearly pitch black. He turned back to Omnis. “Sorry that took me a second to figure out. You sure you're okay?” Marcus asked again.

  “Yeah,” Omnis said. “I'm fine, I think. Although, if you hadn't spoken up when you did, I'm pretty sure I was about to get launched across space.”

  “Well,” Marcus said. “At least we know it's safe for the others to come down to the planet now.”

  “Yeah,” Omnis said. “Safe. Just make sure you're around when they do. That wasn't the most pleasant experience.”

  The ship shuddered slightly.

  Marcus and Omnis felt the ship descending, albeit slowly. They landed softly and the two heard every door on the ship open. Omnis stood and Marcus followed.

  “You ready for this?” Omnis asked.

  “Yeah of course,” Marcus said sarcastically. “I mean sure, our ship only lost total power. After which, some strange force apparently took ov
er it over, drug us down to this planet, scanned us, and then spoke to us from some unknown source. And let's not forget that you just lost complete control of your body. I mean, I'm clearly prepared for anything to come.”

  Omnis laughed.

  The two made their way out of the ship and as they stepped onto the surface a cool, gentle, and calming breeze glided across their faces. Marcus didn't know if it was simply the idea of being on the ground, or if the breeze had some sort of calming effect, but his entire mood shifted from panic to relaxed.

  The two strode forward a couple steps and Marcus felt Omnis grab his shoulder. He stopped immediately and glanced back.

  Omnis was pointing at the sky.

  At first Marcus saw nothing, but then a small glimmer caught his eye, then another. After a few seconds he could see what was causing it. Small bits of golden metal were whisking around in the sky.

  As if guided by some force, the flakes of metal began to converge downward toward Marcus and Omnis. The two stepped back and watched as each flake snapped onto another, then another. Slowly a form came together, and after a moment there stood a female looking android.

  Marcus' eyes grew wide and he felt himself get pushed forward as Omnis stepped behind him.

  Marcus chuckled.

  “Using me as a body shield?” He asked.

  “You didn't have to deal with the body snatcher thing,” Omnis replied. “As far as I'm concerned this whole place wants me dead.”

  “Fear not,” the android woman said. “Volja is in your debt for ceasing it's travels across the universe. You have also caused species 042 to return home.”

  Marcus and Omnis immediately recognized this voice as the same one from inside the ship.

  “As an authorized companion species of 042,” the female said looking at Omnis. “No harm can, or will, come to you unless otherwise stated by species 042.”

  “See,” Marcus said. “You're safe.”

  “As long as you don't go crazy and have me whisked off to the center of some sun or something,” Omnis said.