Slave World 2 - The Ties That Bind

by Johnny Stone

  “Let me tell you something, Snake. This might come as a bit of a shock, but I’m not in this for the money. Nathan Burke has been my closest friend for a lot of years, and in our line of work that’s a hard thing to come by. I’m sure as hell not about to leave him high and dry when the going gets tough. Don’t force me into making a choice in this.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Sandy began hastily, tripping over her words. “We have no idea how long this mission is going to take or what we’ll be up against. I just don’t want to see you… I mean… Dammit, James, we’ve got the start of something good here and I don’t want to see it shot to hell over a wild goose chase. She could be dead for all we know.”

  Wroth eased back in his seat, taking a deep breath.

  “Don’t you think I’m worried about you too? Look at it this way; if the roles were reversed and that was you out there, wouldn’t you like to know that someone was at least making the effort to find you?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And if that was the case you know damn well I’d be the one doing it and the Colonel would have my back come hell or high water because that’s just the kind of man he is. We’re going to find his lady friend, and until we see a body that says otherwise, she’s alive.”

  Sandy gazed down at her hands with a rush of mixed emotions, she’d never been in the habit of admitting she was wrong about anything, let alone sitting quietly while being openly reprimanded. She knew exactly why James had called her Snake again; it wasn’t a slip of the tongue, but a conscious effort on his part to let her know what a cold-blooded bitch she was acting like again. Maybe not cold-blooded, but self motivating, and when he’d made the comment about not being forced to choose between her and the Colonel… That one had struck home, deep, much deeper than she would have thought possible. All that was overshadowed by the fact he would come looking for her if the roles were reversed, and so would Burke. Not for her, but out of loyalty to his friend.

  “Fine. I’m in this for you, but not him, understand? And after we find her, I’m done.”

  “Fine,” Wroth replied tightlipped, followed by a few tense moments of dreary silence.

  “I hate Burke and everything he stands for.”

  “I think you’ve made that pretty clear already, now tell me something I don’t already know.”

  She almost did it; she almost told him what it was like to be forcibly uprooted by the Colonization Authority, and spend her thirteenth birthday crammed into a ship of misery like a tin of stinking, prepackaged fish. She almost told him what it was like when the financial backing of a fledgling colony suddenly stopped, and the hired security forces were withdrawn. She almost told him how things had degenerated to nothing short of anarchy and rampant lawlessness. She almost told him about the death of her brothers as they fought to set things right again. She almost told him everything, but didn’t.

  “I can’t fly that ship, it’s…why the hell don’t you do it? You’re the computer expert.” Wroth chuckled, holding his hands as if warding off an attack.

  “Not just no, but hell no! You’re the one that goes joy-riding around the galaxy all the time, I take commercial flights and let someone else do the work for me.”

  “Dammit, James, I can’t do it! I don’t know how to fly it; I’m self-taught!” Sandy’s voice turned soft and pleading. “I’ve never flown anything like that before.”

  James reached for her cheek, running his finger lightly across it.

  “You’re the only one who can do it; Burke is a terrible pilot and I’m not much better. You have to do it for Margo; she means the world to him, and so much more. Did you know he emptied his Fleet pension account to hire us?”

  “Bullshit. What about all this? Isn’t he rich? I mean look at this place.” She waved her hand across the view screen motioning to the ground below.

  “It’s not his, it all belongs to that shithead brother of his, and Don fucked him good and proper when their parents died. The Colonel’s never had much since I’ve known him, but now he does and it’s been taken away from him. He’s never loved a woman like her before, and trust me, she’s all he has. Nathan would spend the rest of his life looking for her if he had to, and I’ll be right beside him if that’s the case. He needs her, Sandy, and we… I need you to help get her back.”

  A distant look crossed her face as a long held belief about Burke vanished in an instant; she barely even knew the man she professed to hate for so many years.

  “I never knew that; I always thought he was… alright, I’ll fly the damn ship, even if it kills me, for you.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. This should be a milk run anyway and I’ll be right beside you the whole time; we go in, kill this Alex fucker, get Margo, and get the hell out. No sweat, right? We’ve been in worse situations before, and came out of it in one piece.”

  “I still can’t believe his AI tried to kill him; that sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen. And what about his girlfriend; the AI wanted her sexually? That’s sick. I don’t even want to think about something like that happening to me.”

  “Imagine how the Colonel feels? You’re right though, it’s not supposed to happen but it does more often than people think. AI are, well, they aren’t human and do some weird shit when they become self-aware. That’s why we’re going to help him get her back, kiddo.”

  “Would you stop calling me that, you make it sound like I’m ten years old?” Sandy made her best attempt at imitating his voice in a goofy, bubbly tone. “Hey sport, hey kiddo! Want to play some fucking ball, or what? Stop talking to me like you’re my grandfather all the time.”

  Shit! Sandy bit her lip, immediately regretting the last part, it was too close to the mark to ignore.

  “Sorry, didn’t know it bothered you that much.”

  “It doesn’t,” Sandy replied a bit too hastily. “Let’s just drop it, okay? You give the Colonel your wish list for the mission yet? I still need to.”

  “Sure, no problem. Yeah, lots of nastiness planned for the bad guys on this one. I can only guess at what we’re going up against, so my gear is pretty standard for droid or bot action. The way I see it, is the Colonel and I will handle the heavy weapons, so you just stick to what your good at. Just come loaded for bear, and I think we’ll be fine.”

  “Maybe I should just cum instead?”

  “You’re sure full of piss and vinegar today.” James chuckled, as the mischievous gleam returned to his somber expression.

  “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just thinking about jumping you in the pool later, and our room after that.”

  “Our room?”

  “Yeah, our room.”

  There was an odd pause while they looked into one another’s eyes, and unspoken words passed between them. It was like a slap on the ass with the icy hand of reality, a drastic shift had just occurred in their relationship, as it was suddenly elevated to a new and unexpected level.

  “Lord protect me, I think I’ve created a monster.”

  “You have no idea.” Sandy pointed at the view screen, growing excited. “Look, that must be Burke’s place! It’s…It’s…”

  “My thoughts exactly; it’s a damn resort all by itself. Look at the size of that pool and holo court? How many rooms do you think that place has – ten, maybe fifteen?”

  “I have no idea, but it’s going to be fun doing some recon after we hit dirt-side. I’d be willing to bet that every one of those rooms has a bed in it. Think you can keep up with me, old man?”

  Damn, she did it again. The hell with it, what’s the point? Their age difference was the basis of damn near every joke and all the teasing between them since they’d met up on Tallin, so why change things now?

  “Keeping up with you won’t be a problem, trust me. You still have baby skin between those legs of yours that needs some toughening up.”

  “And let me guess? You’re just the man to do it. To tell you the truth, I think you’re full of shit. Remember what you said to me abo
ut making me bark like a dog and walking bowlegged? Hasn’t happened yet, and I can still walk just fine.”

  That might not be completely true, but she wasn’t about to admit that she was still sore from the last time. Besides, it was a good kind of sore, the kind she wanted more of.

  “I’ve just been taking it easy—”

  “You two are acting worse than a couple of love-struck teenagers,” Burke said entering the cramped cockpit.

  He looked more like a bad imitation of a bald, patch-work doll than a human, as his rough darkened skin peeled off in ragged sheets to reveal a lighter shade of healthy pink below. Of course, it would take several months for all his body hair to completely grow back in; he’d shaved it all from top to bottom to avoid the impression of a deceased dog with the mange.

  Burke started to cough suddenly, covering his mouth with a crumpled handkerchief. It was the kind of wet, hacking cough that makes a listener cringe, and both Wroth and Sandy looked over their shoulders in time to see him push a bloody, phlegm-speckled handkerchief back in his front pocket.

  “Just get us on the ground, Snake, and you can play grab ass with Wroth all you want,” Nathan wheezed, taking a labored breath. “I still need to call Donna and let her know I’m all right. I couldn’t get through earlier for some reason, and Don was supposed to—”

  “Who said anything about us being love struck, you piece of walking beef jerky? We’re just friends, is all.”

  Sandy’s cheeks flared, and her hand tightened on the stick, white knuckled. She gave James a dark sidelong glance that said more than word ever could.

  “What’s that look for? Okay, we’re really good friends then.”

  Her fist blurred, hitting him in the shoulder with a dull thump that made his body convulse from the shockwave passing through it.

  “Ouch,” Wroth groaned, rubbing his shoulder. “Damn, that’s going to leave a bruise. Okay, you’re my girlfriend, is that what you wanted to hear? Now stop beating the crap out of me.”

  Sandy’s coy smile beamed back at him.

  “And you just remember where home is at, you know what happens to a cat that strays too much, don’t you?”

  Burke gave a low whistle, shaking his head.

  “I’m not getting in the middle of this one; you’re on your own, my friend, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”

  “Yeah, well your day is coming; you just wait until we get Margo back, and we’ll see who gets the last laugh.”

  “Take us in, Snake. I’m sure your ‘boyfriend’ is anxious for some quality time alone with you.” Burke turned with a heckling chuckle, as he left the cockpit. “Just remember that he likes it rough, and no always means yes.”

  “Roger that, Colonel Sir, on the double!”

  “You’re an evil man, you know that? I’ll get you for this!” Despite the harshness in Wroth’s voice, there was a playful grin on his scruffy face. Sandy’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “You think Burke has a sauna someplace?”

  “I’m sure he does. Why?”

  “Because I know how much you like a sweaty girl in heat.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to know any that don’t mind giving it up to dirty old perverts, do you?”

  “As a matter of fact I do, and I think she started sweating the moment she laid eyes on you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Planet P4

  The shuttle continued its leisurely descent and Cherise untied her makeshift safety harness so she could lean up in the seat for a better view. She looked so excited it was hard not to smile, despite my growing apprehension about what I would find and would happen when we finally landed.

  “Look, Margo, there’s a town and people. Look at them all!”

  “Yeah, I see them. Sit down, you aren’t going to be able to see any better by gluing your face to the view screen,” I said activating the digitally enhanced view, zooming in on the small city.

  Cherise staggered back, and would have fallen in my lap if not for my hand stopping her, guiding her rump back in the direction of her seat where she stared happily enthralled by the vividness of panoramic view. As for me, my interest in the town was based on skeptical caution- in addition to my obvious concerns it looked too picture perfect, too tidy and nice for a colony city.

  I would call it run of the mill for the most part; generic prefab buildings, with some of them cobbled together into patchwork metal structures surrounding the skeleton of what had once been a huge colony ship. The main roads were like spokes of a wheel radiating outwards and appeared to be paved, becoming hard-packed dirt on the outskirts that branched into endless fields of crops and penned in areas full of enormous herds of livestock. The really weird thing was, that I didn’t see a single grav effect or wheeled vehicle in sight, not one.

  What the hell’s going on? There were people down there, I could see them, thousands of them and they were intermixed with an equal number of older model bots that I could only assume had been obsolete since before I was born. There were so many of them, and they couldn’t all be bipedal rogue AI, could they? Some of them, sure, but not that many or at least I hoped not.

  I switched the magnification to normal as we drew closer to the ground, en route to a large clearing several miles away for the city proper.

  “Look, Margo, they’re waiting for us to land!”

  “This can’t be happening…”

  I did a quick broadband sensor sweep, and by the computer’s count just before it faded with the last reserves of discretionary battery power, there were 746 droids and bots already waiting for us around the clearing. Hundreds more were arriving by the minute in the form of a snaking column from the direction of town, and there wasn’t a single human or other organic life form among them, not one. Things had just gone from bad to worse.

  A shooting pain started at my temples, stabbing inward towards the pit of my brain. My eyes snapped shut against it with a groan, and I slapped my hands over my face.

  Bitch… I told you this wasn’t over between us.

  What are you doing? Leave me alone!

  Leave you alone… Why, so you can almost kill us, again? You forgot to turn on the phase sync switch for the main drive before you restarted it.

  Dammit, that’s right! How could I have...?

  Shut up, you back-stabbing whore! I’ve had enough of you, and it stops right now. You showed your true colors and left me for him when we were dying. After everything I’ve done for you this is how you repay me? It’s his fault we’re here in the first place!

  That’s not true… I didn’t mean it… Nathan has always…

  I was happy for the first time in my life with Master Michael; he made me the queen of the stables, and I had Cirus. I had it all, and I was going to be so much more, a real pony woman with a Master, and look at me now! I’m stuck someplace in the middle because he never got the chance to finish our conversion, while you lust after the ghost of a fucking tool that barely knows his way around a woman’s body.

  Don’t you understand that I’d finally found a place where I belonged? That I was proud of what I looked like for a change? That I wasn’t embarrassed to look at myself in the mirror, and you took all that way from me, the both of you did!

  No, it’s not true…

  I’ve had enough of picking up the pieces of my life after dealing with all your fuck-ups, while getting handed the shitty end of the stick and you come out smelling like roses. I’ve had enough of playing second string to an inbred slut, too afraid of her own shadow to ever stand up for herself. If it wasn’t for me you’d be dead long ago, or curled up in a whimpering ball in some mental institution.

  I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work. I won’t let you lock me away!

  It’s a little late for you to be backpedaling on this one. Bitch, you made me into what I am today, and look at what a strong pony I’ve become. Do you honestly think you can stop me at this point? Do you really think you have the stones to deal
with what’s coming once we hit dirt-side? An entire planet of hostile AI? Think about it. I’m the one calling the shots from now on, got it?

  Please, you can’t… I’m sorry! I don’t want to be alone again!

  Too bad, shit happens. You were going to leave me to die, so now I’m going to leave you, and I hope you rot and suffer like I have all these years. Later, bitch, and be sure to give my regards to that loser man of yours when you see him in hell.

  Nooooo!

  I slowly opened my eyes, taking a deep breath to clear my mind. I hadn’t felt this good in a long time. It was like wild anxiousness, clarity of thought, and a sense of joy simmering beneath the surface that erupted from my throat in a whinny of exuberant victory. I was rid of that worthless, freeloading cunt at last; she was gone forever, and I was finally free!

  No time to celebrate though, it wouldn’t be long before we landed. There was no way in hell I could fight them all, even if the ship’s weapons weren’t offline, before they rushed me and they broke through the air lock. Besides, there are enough bots among them that they could cut through the hull in minutes anywhere they want.

  “Damn, I wish I had a gun.”

  “Do you want me to get you one?” Cherise asked. “Do you want a big one, or a little one?”

  I looked back at her with a blank expression, as if I’d heard her incorrectly.

  “We have some? I thought Alex got rid of them all?”

  She jumped from her seat and took off down the corridor. Shaken from my stupor, I quickly followed behind her.

  “No, I helped him put them away in the den. They were scattered all over the floor and…well…” Cherise paused, looking back at me sheepishly. “Alex didn’t want you to find them.”

  “And for good reason; I would have blown his head off.”

  I followed her into the den and she went over to a bare wall, opening several storage compartments in quick unison that I didn’t even know existed. They were stuffed with the weapons and gear we’d loaded on Slave World. My eyes began to gleam like the lights of hell at the unexpected treasure trove.