The Mission

by M. J. McGriff

  The truck started moving again. Shortly after the heavy doors closed behind me.

  I was inside.

  The vehicle stopped and the driver’s side door opened. The driver yelled and pleaded before there was a loud thump.

  “Get up!” one of the hostage takers said.

  Their voices faded and I tiptoed toward the opening of the flatbed. I stopped when I heard shuffled footsteps coming toward the truck. The flaps of the canopy started to open. I was ready to shoot whoever was about to show themselves.

  I took a breath.

  A hand pulled the flap back. My heart stopped.

  It was an old woman, as shocked and scared as me. I lowered my gun. I put my finger to my lips so she wouldn’t give me away.

  “It’s empty,” the woman called out, her voice shaking. Then she looked at me, nodded, and closed the canvas flap back.

  I needed to make a move, fast. I waited two minutes and then peered out the back of the truck.

  It was clear.

  Holding my breath, I jumped down.

  So far so good.

  With my gun up I crept out from behind the truck. At the front of the building were the two gunmen. The thin one I saw earlier and a heavier set man both had energy rifles standing in front of ten hostages. The innocent people were sitting on the ground, their hands tied in front of them. The two gunmen were talking, but I was too far to hear anything. I had to get closer.

  Crouching low against the vehicle, I made my way to the front of it. A walkway leading to a sectioned off room was a few feet away from me. They were still distracted, one waving his hands in the air like a crazy person, so I made a break for the room. When I made it to the divider I let out a quick sigh of relief.

  Now I could plan.

  Shooting them from where I was wasn’t a problem. The problem was the hostages in front of them. I couldn’t risk hurting one of them. I had to draw them away. But how? The only things around me were several metal units with shelves. They were full of large, round cans marked with pictures of different food stuffs. I picked up the one with freeze-dried beans.

  I got an idea.

  I walked toward the entryway, holding the can up, and let it drop. It hit the ground with a nerve-shattering thud.

  “What the fuck was that?” one of the men asked.

  “Looks like it’s coming from over there,” said the other.

  “So go check it out, you idiot!”

  I took a few steps away from the door, my back to the divider. The shadow it created was my cover. The sound of his boots was getting closer. I kept my breaths smooth and steady.

  Like you’ve practiced, India.

  I saw his feet first. Then his chubby, sweaty face. His bulging eyes scanned the room before settling on the can at his feet. He bent down to pick it up. That was when I hit him square in the back of the neck with the butt of my gun, sending him to the floor. He started to groan, and I hit him in the head again until he didn’t make a sound. I grabbed his rifle and slung it over my shoulder.

  And Dad says I can’t handle myself!

  “Hey, Bo, what’s back there?” his accomplice called out. He was next. If he was foolish enough to follow his friend there, he would probably start shooting as soon as he saw his body. I didn’t want to kill him, but I couldn’t be afraid to shoot him.

  An imminent threat had to be met with lethal force.

  “Bo! Stop messin’ around back there. We have to load up this truck!”

  I needed to find another way out. I looked behind me and there was nothing but shelves of goods. The divider was right up against the wall and would need two people to move. I focused back on the shelves again from the top and down to the bottom.

  They had wheels.

  I could create a barricade between the door and myself. That gave me just enough room to take my shot as soon as he stepped into the entryway. As he shouted and cursed at his accomplice I went to the closest metal shelf and started to move it. It was way heavier than I thought, the wheels sticking to the ground. The cans on the shelves weren’t helping either, especially the ones that toppled off the top shelf. They hit the ground hard, one after the other.

  My cover’s blown.

  I spent those few precious moments panicking instead of moving. Before I knew it, the second man was in the entryway. When he saw my face he immediately started letting off shots from his rifle.

  The first energy round bounced off the metal shelf. The second exploded the can right in front of me. Beans sprayed my skin as I ducked behind the shelf.

  Old rifles only carry two rounds. He has to reload.

  I stood up and shot twice. One energy blast hit his arm, while the other slashed the divider next to him. He ran away, and I went after him.

  I had a clear shot in that open warehouse space. So did he, but he wasn’t turning to aim at me. He was loading his rifle, taking aim at the hostages running off the screen doors. Behind me, officers shouted.

  That man was going to shoot those innocent people.

  I swallowed my apprehension.

  I took aim.

  I fired.

  One energy round hit his left leg. The other shattered his right knee. He couldn’t harm anyone else anymore.

  ***

  I didn’t get to see the aftermath of my rescue. I was immediately escorted to my quarters and ordered to stay there. Night began to fall when my father finally came to see me. His face was contorted in anger. It should’ve been enough to bring me to tears. But not that day. I saved those people. I proved I was capable.

  For a few moments, he watched me pack the last of my belongings into my black travel bag.

  “Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” he finally asked me.

  I stuffed two more shirts into the bag before zipping it up. “I leave at six hundred hours.”

  He came up behind me and snatched the bag out of my hand. I spun around and watched him toss it on the floor.

  “You’re not stepping foot out of these quarters except to go to the Mess Hall. You’re suspended for three weeks.”

  Suspended? Blood rushed to my face. “Was that the president’s decision or yours?”

  “As chief security officer I am well within my right to dole out punishment as I see fit.”

  “So you’re grounding me like I’m a child? Is that your answer to everything?”

  He threw his hands up. “What has gotten into you? I don’t understand. What possessed you to go into that building?”

  “I was doing my job.”

  “You could’ve gotten those people hurt or worse, gotten yourself—”

  He sank into my small swivel chair by the door, looking about my messy room. He didn’t look so menacing anymore. It was more like helpless and sad like he used to look in those months after Mom died. When she came down with the star flu, she spent a week in the infirmary. All we could do was watch her waste away behind a plastic quarantine screen. We couldn’t touch her. We couldn’t tell her how much we loved her. We were helpless sitting there. One night she closed her eyes and never woke up.

  I wanted to hug him like I usually did. Tell him all the right words to smooth things over. But I was so close to my dream mission. In a few hours, I would be gone. I could do the one thing I wanted to do since my feet had touched New Earth soil.

  “I’m not ten years old anymore,” I said finally. “You can’t shelter me for the rest of my life. I have to live. I have to learn. I have to find my own way.”

  He looked up at me. “Do you know why I’m so furious with you?”

  “Because I defied orders?”

  He shook his head. “It’s because I could’ve lost you today. You’re all I have here.”

  Every time he told me that the pang of sadness squeezed my throat. It was no secret I reminded him of Mom. We had the same caramel brown skin, wide nose, and bright brown eyes. I even wore my hair in long braids like she did.

  I kneeled down in front him and took his rough hands into mi
ne. “I need to do this, Dad.”

  “You went completely against protocol. You endangered the lives of everyone.”

  In hindsight going into that ration station alone wasn’t the best idea. Yet, I was a lot like my father. Like him, I couldn’t sit by and not do something.

  “When I get back I’ll do whatever you want. Trade in my uniform, give up my teaching job—whatever I need to.”

  “I should throw you into the brig for what you’ve done.”

  I stood up. This was not going the way I wanted it to. Instead of traveling beyond the walls of Sector A, I would be under his watchful guard until whenever he felt like it.

  “I’m not going to do that, though.” He got up from the chair. “You will turn in your uniform, give up your post as night shift leader, and take a leave of absence as an academy teacher.”

  I held my breath, wiping away the tears in my eyes. “Fine.”

  “You’ll be on Mess Hall duty for three months until I find another suitable placement for you.”

  Great. I’ll be slopping food for the rest of my life.

  “That will go into effect after you get back from the mission.”

  It took a moment to realize what he’d said, even when he gave me a slight smile.

  I jumped into his arms, hugging the life out of him. “Thank you, Daddy.” My voice cracked with joy. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”

  Chapter 4

  The sun hadn’t risen yet and I was the one waking Flo up. I rushed her out the door, her curls still dripping wet from her shower. We were to report to the main gate where two more explorers were waiting. They wore the same casual clothes Flo was wearing—loose long pants, fitted short-sleeve shirts, and ankle utility boots. I wished I could be that comfortable. My black and navy blue security uniform was already sticking to my sweating skin. My sidearms were a little heavy, each one clipped to my hip belt, along with extra rounds. We joined the group and set our traveling backpacks down next to theirs.

  “You must be India,” the older gentleman said. His light blue eyes twinkled as he smiled, white tufts of hair poking out of his brown sun cap.

  I shook his hand, not expecting such a firm grip from a man his age.

  “Name’s Thomas. Thomas Bradley.”

  “He’s a walking learning tablet,” Flo added. “If he can’t figure out what it is, it doesn’t exist.”

  “Please don’t flatter him,” the woman with the short black hair said. She was average height and fit, her features as severe as her muscles. She held out her hand and I shook it. “You can call me Phoenix.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said. “I thought only Fourth Gens were named after Old Earth places.”

  “Well, us old people can have those jazzy names too,” she said. She didn’t look old. Mid-thirties at least.

  “Is that everyone?” I asked, looking past the gate. I wanted to get out of there before my father changed his mind.

  “That should be everyone,” Flo said. “We don’t travel in big crowds.”

  Thomas pulled out his tablet and brought up a map. “All right, ladies, we’ll be heading to this location.” He pointed to an open path with forest on one side, mountains on the other, and rolling plains in the middle.

  “But I thought the last team checked out Old Man’s Pass?” Phoenix said.

  “Old Man’s Pass?” I asked. “Is that the official name for it?”

  “It should be,” Flo said. “We named it after Thomas after all!”

  We all chuckled, including Thomas. “No, they want went to Fisherman’s Rock, on the other side of the range. Even though we’ve been to the pass, we haven’t checked it for Oranium yet.

  “You will love it there,” Flo said. “That place is beautiful!”

  “Can’t wait!” I grinned. “Looking forward to finding some of those crystals.”

  Thomas smiled. “We found the last batch at the base of the mountains. I’m sure there will be more.” His eyes went from me to something else behind me. We all turned around to see two officers walking toward us. My breath started to quicken.

  Please don’t let this have anything to do with my dad.

  They were both the same height, wide shouldered and walking with a purpose. They had buzz cuts, too. One had almond skin and the other had rosy white skin just like Flo’s. The darker skinned one spoke first. “I’m Officer Stevens. This is Officer Davidson.”

  “Pleasure to meet you both,” Thomas said, tipping his hat.

  They just nodded, their faces stern and cold. “We’ll be your security detail,” Stevens said.

  Flo approached them. “Officer Wilson is our security detail. I requested her myself.”

  “Officer Wilson is the security detail for this mission,” Stevens said. “We’re her security detail.”

  I threw my hands up. “Did my father send you two?”

  Stevens nodded, and Davidson couldn’t look me in the face. “We’re here on Chief Wilson’s orders,” Stevens replied.

  I wasn’t sure whether to be angry or embarrassed. I was feeling a lot of both emotions. Part of me just wanted to run back to my quarters.

  Flo took me by the arm and escorted me away from the others. “Don’t get all in a tizzy. You’re getting out of here and we’re not going to let those boneheads ruin it for you.” She looked back at them, who were still standing there at attention. “They’ll be crying like babies after day two.” She chuckled, and I had to smile too. She squeezed my shoulders. “You good?”

  I nodded.

  “Great.” She turned to the others. “All right, ladies and gents. Let’s blow this joint!”

  ***

  I swore the grass looked greener on the other side of Sector A’s security perimeter. We ventured into the forest, staying to the well-traveled path made by the ground trucks. The trees on either side of us were skinny, textured columns, their pointy leaves creating the perfect canopy for the sunlight to stream through. Farther in the palm-sized birds that I only heard in our camp were flying from branch to branch. They were just as blue as the sky, with beaks as brown as the dirt under our feet. The ground started to slope upward then gently slanted downward, only to do it again a few yards up. I would stop every so often to run my fingers over the moss covered rocks we walked by once we got off the main path. It was cool and slimier than I thought. Every twig that broke under our feet, every shuffle of leaves by the wind, every flowery patch of grass, it all lit a fire inside of me. I hadn’t felt anything like that since I was fifteen years old. It was intoxicating.

  By dusk, we reached the river and it was just as impressive as I’d imagined. It stretched at least a mile wide, the water powering past the tree-lined riverbanks. The water whipped, dipped, and splashed, creating white caps in the otherwise crystal blue water. Downstream was a wooden bridge just wide enough for a ground vehicle to cross.

  “We’ll be heading north toward those mountains in the morning,” Thomas announced.

  The others put down their travel sacks.

  “Why can’t we keep going?” I asked Flo.

  She was setting up her spot by a tree just a few feet away from the rocky river bank. “It gets pretty dark out here and these banks weren’t made for nighttime traveling,” she said.

  Thomas and Phoenix were settling down at a nearby tree a little farther into the forest. My security detail, who hadn’t said much of anything, started a routine perimeter sweep. I pulled out the sleeping bag Flo lent me, spreading it out on the uneven ground. Night was coming in fast.

  Minutes later I saw a flicker and light. Phoenix had a fire going, sitting around it with Thomas.

  “Did she just make a fire?” I asked Flo, and she laughed.

  “Yeah. It was a little weird the first time I saw it.” She took out two protein bars, offering me one.

  I took a bite, setting into my sleeping bag, watching the flames dance around in the pit of rocks and dirt they created. They had vegetables on sticks, roasting them over an open flame.
<
br />   “Why does that seem so cool?” I took a bite of the chewy bar.

  “Because it’s different and refreshingly simple.” She lay down in her bag. “Everything out here is so simple and uncomplicated.” She pointed up, and I saw the three moons in all their glory. It wasn’t like we couldn’t see them in our sector. But out there, with the river rushing in the background and in a sky unencumbered by artificial lights, it was like seeing them for the first time, like they were sitting right on top of each other, so big and bright I wanted to reach out and touch them. Even the colorful planets of Alpha 1, Jupiter 2, Saturnus looked bigger and brighter on the night’s velvet black canvas and crystal-like stars.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so alive, India,” Flo said. “I love this version of you.”

  “Me too, Flo. Me too.”

  Soon everyone settled in for the night, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing over the many more things I would discover on this mission. What did the mountains look like up close? What made Old Man’s Pass so beautiful? Just how big and blue were those energy crystals?

  When I finally dozed off the sunlight made my eyes flutter back open. There was nothing left but smoke from Phoenix’s fire pit, she and Thomas sleeping around it. I rolled over, and Flo was still asleep. Who I didn’t see were the people from my security detail.

  I got up from my sleeping bag, putting my boots on. They’re probably doing another perimeter sweep. Still, I needed an excuse to take in the breathtaking scenery before we moved on. I tiptoed toward the last place I’d seen them, in the trees right behind us. After walking by a few trees I heard male voices. Soon I found them both standing in front of a tree, with their backs to me. When I saw the small flow of fluid coming from between their legs it was clear what they were doing.

  My face flushed. I turned around to walk back until I caught wind of their conversation.