by I. O. Adler
“Watch your fingers in this place,” Carmen said.
Barrett looked back with concern. “No kidding.”
A small hatchway in the floor didn’t automatically open when she got close. Upon investigation she discovered a recessed circular button. She tapped it with her foot. The hatch opened instantly. If anyone had been standing on it they would have plummeted into the downward chute. There was no ladder, but the chute held a score of small handholds.
“Climb down or keep going?” Jenna asked.
Carmen wasn’t sure where along the ship they had docked but guessed it was next the center section. If anyone was living aboard the ship, it was on the dual spinning rings where there would be the best gravity, she reasoned. So down was where they needed to go. She sat and swung her legs into the chute.
“I can’t climb that with one hand,” Barrett said.
Jenna leaned in next to him. “You sure about this, Car?”
“We’re going to have to search this place. I’m hoping this could take us to the ring.”
The handholds afforded her enough of a purchase. But as she began to descend she felt herself grow heavier. The simulated gravity was increasing. The strain on her fingers in the tiny handholds made the climb uncomfortable. But even as she considered stopping, Jenna began heading her way. The bottom of the chute wasn’t far. Carmen tapped a button with her foot and the bottom hatch snapped open, revealing a hallway.
She dangled and dropped the last foot and landed in a crouch. Climbing up would require a hop and a pull-up. While she wasn’t in terrible shape, her exercise routine over the past couple of years had been lacking. It would be easy with a boost, or perhaps they could find something to use as a step stool.
Why would the Cordice make the hatch access so awkward?
Jenna landed next to her.
They were in a ring. Much like the harvester, the upward curve was a gentle slope running either direction. Visible hatchways stood to either side. A panel on a wall sat open. Inside were bundles of wire. Some appeared to have melted.
Strange.
Carmen picked a direction and went to the first door. It opened by automatic sensor. The room beyond had dozens of consoles and cabinets. Metal dishes were stacked on every inch of the counters and a few were scattered on the floor. Many of the cabinets had open sliding doors and stood empty.
With Jenna on her heels they went from room to room. The fermented smell clung to the air throughout the ship. They found more storage rooms in various states of disarray, some holding much larger cube containers that had no clear mechanism for opening. One half-open portal led to a room that featured large opaque tanks of foamy liquid.
Jenna stopped her. “What if the door slides shut and we can’t open it?”
Carmen hesitated. “You’re right. The hallway doors open automatically and I don’t see any buttons. Let’s keep going.”
Next door they found banks of boxes made of gray metal. They were covered in brown fuzz that ran down to the floor and grew in conjoined circles. The musty odor was stronger. The boxes radiated heat and a slight hum emanated from them. Machines? They had no visible controls.
The fuzzy growth extended into the hallway and led to the next pair of doors, which were across the hall from each other.
They were careful not to step in any. Carmen went through the door to her right.
Beyond lay the largest chamber they had seen. It ran to the left and curved almost out of sight. Cylinders stacked five high had been placed on racks. More of the machines were inserted between each stack. The fuzz grew everywhere in thick mats that covered everything. The color of the moss varied between orange and dark mustard.
“Is that rust?” Jenna asked.
“I don’t think so.”
She found herself wanting a face mask or space suit. What were they breathing? She Who Waits had said the air was safe, but had she considered whatever mold spores were no doubt in the air?
One of the cylinders nearby had its cover off. It was overflowing with the moldy growths. But there was something solid with straight lines beneath the cover. Carmen navigated the pools of fungus. Her sister said something in a worried tone but Carmen didn’t turn in time to read her lips.
“I said be careful,” Jenna said.
“I just want to take a better look.”
She pushed the cover away and let it clatter behind the rack. What looked like a metal skeleton of a bot like the ones on board the harvester lay within the cylinder. It had an oval head and four legs and reminded her of a dog. Sections of dark metal jutted from a pool of mold.
“The smell,” Jenna said. “It’s like being inside a brewery. So what is that thing?”
“I don’t know. Maybe this is how they store their tech. It’s just so…messy. She Who Waits might have contacted the caretaker by now. We should get back.”
Something in the corner near the door shifted. A form was hunched against the wall next to one of the machine boxes. It shivered.
She edged closer for a better look. Realized she was holding her breath.
Like the bot in the cylinder it had four legs and sat on its haunches with its head bowed and pressed against the box. It began to gently thump its head.
“Hello? I’m Carmen. This is Jenna. We’re here to return—”
The bot reared its head back and slammed it against the box, leaving a dimple in the center.
Carmen cried out. But the thing had grown still. It looked bulkier than the metal frame lying in the cylinder. But then Carmen realized its torso was covered in the same brown moss that was growing everywhere, only slicked down.
The bot chirped. The single note was piercing and made her flinch. The sound wasn’t far off from what a swooping hummingbird might make if it was hooked up to an amplifier.
Her heart raced. “Can you hear me?”
It began to tremble again. It let out another chirp and grew still.
“Are you the caretaker?”
The head turned almost completely around. A line of red illuminated on its face. Carmen felt the thing staring.
Chirp!
Carmen held up her hands. Kept her head partially bowed. Thought “I’m a friend” over and over as if the thing might hear her thoughts. Meanwhile Jenna was pleading with her. Something about getting out of there. But all their efforts had culminated in this moment.
Carmen couldn’t run away just because she was scared. “I’m from Earth. I’m a human like Sylvia Vincent and Hamish Townes. We have your harvester and wish to return it.”
The next chirp was loud enough to hurt her ears. The staccato burst rang in her head. The thing quavered as it rose on its legs. A bed of moss growing against the wall detached and it was dragging one of its forward limbs, the metal appearing to be bent.
“She Who Waits is with us. You sent her—”
It lunged. As it came at her it swiped with its forelimb but the lame arm didn’t cooperate. It missed Carmen by inches as she scrambled back. She collided with Jenna, who grabbed her and pulled her into the hallway.
The thing trotted to the portal, a wobbly awkward gait on three limbs. Carmen and Jenna ran. Carmen fought to keep her feet under her as she pressed her sister ahead of her. Moving fast only exaggerated the dizziness in her head as they rushed past doorway after doorway and along the upward-curving floor.
CHIRP!
It was coming after them. It careened into a wall just behind them as it stumbled, but the legs kicked wildly and it got up, only to throw itself across the corridor with a crash. But then it leaped again and almost bowled them over before plowing into a doorway and into a room. Its feet scratched and clacked as it once again rose to follow.
The chute in the ceiling stood open just ahead of them. Carmen boosted Jenna up.
Jenna paused just above her. “Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”
The bot was out of the room and bounding forward. It barely kept itself upright as it gained momentum. The head had righted itself. The gleaming eye
slit flashed as it locked on Carmen.
CHIRP!
She jumped. She caught a pair of handholds and propellered her feet, lifting her legs in time as the thing shot past beneath her and again slammed a wall.
Slipping…
Above her Jenna had wedged herself against the sides of the chute. She grabbed Carmen’s hand and pulled her up. Fingers slick with sweat, Carmen found the tiny handholds and they began to climb.
CHIRP!
It stood beneath them. The head spun a few times back and forth and then it leaped upward, its one good forearm claw snagging a handhold. Its feet kept kicking until it got itself into the chute.
“Hurry, Jen! Hurry! Barrett, are you there?”
Agent Barrett appeared above them. His eyes went wide as he motioned for them to keep climbing. Like they needed the encouragement. The thing began ascending the chute, its three working limbs moving fast and deft like a disfigured spider at home in its web. Each arm had prongs that perfectly fit the handholds.
Her sister made it to the top of the chute, sat and turned, and grabbed Carmen by the arm. Carmen clambered over her and out into the corridor. Barrett helped pull her to her feet.
Jenna shrieked.
The thing had clamped on to her ankle. The gray metal prong had dug into her flesh and was dragging her back down into the chute.
Carmen gripped both of Jenna’s wrists and began to pull. “Barrett, help me!”
Jenna was being hauled downward. Blood coated her foot. She continued to scream. Carmen didn’t let go and continued to heave, trying to brace herself even as her sneakers were losing their purchase on the floor.
The bot’s pull intensified. It threatened to yank Jenna away from them. Barrett had straddled Jenna and had his one good hand on her belt. But inch by inch they were losing the battle.
Barrett let go and stomped on the hatch button.
Carmen cried, “No!”
The door snapped shut, cleaving Jenna’s leg off just below the knee.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jenna screamed. Blood pulsed from the stump of her leg.
Barrett moved to help pull Carmen and Jenna away from the closed hatch now smeared with red. “We need to make a tourniquet.”
Carmen had to fight Jenna to get her to let go. The belt on Carmen’s jeans was thin but made from real leather. She pulled it off and began to fasten it above Jenna’s knee. It immediately became slippery from the blood.
“Tight,” Barrett said. “Tight as you can.”
She cinched it up. “Why did you close the hatch? We had her. We were going to save her.”
“That thing down there was going to kill her and us. I saved us.”
Tears streamed from Jenna’s eyes. She was weakly flailing at Carmen. Mewling. “Wanna go home…wanna go home…” Her face had gone pale. But the blood had mostly stopped.
Barrett kneeled and managed to get one of Jenna’s arms around his shoulder. “I can’t get her on my own. Help me pick her up. We take her to the shuttle and back to the harvester.”
Carmen wiped her eyes with her wrist. “She needs a hospital.”
“And I don’t see one here. Maybe something on the ship will help her.”
“Wait. Just wait.” She fought to think straight as she ran down the corridor towards the shuttle. Tried not to think about Barrett hitting the button. There was no time to even make the harvester, and once there, she knew her sister wouldn’t make it. The spaceship didn’t even have a first aid kit, let alone a trauma center and a team of surgeons.
CHIRP!
The Cordice robot was still lurking in the chute. A thump shook the hatch.
Carmen stopped to look over her shoulder. The chute remained closed. Did the bot not know how to hit the button? There wasn’t time to wait to see if that might happen. She continued towards the shuttle. She Who Waits was standing in the doorway.
“Please come,” Carmen called. “We need your help. My sister…she’s hurt.”
But the alien just stood there.
She ran up to her. “Can you hear me?”
The cloudy pattern beneath She Who Waits’ skin was still flooded with diamonds. Was this her busy signal?
“Wake up!” Carmen laid her hands upon the smooth shell and began to smack it with her open palm.
The flashing pattern stopped. The floating red light pulsed. “There has been a disturbance.”
“It’s my sister. A crazy robot attacked us. A door shut on Jen’s leg and she needs a doctor!”
She Who Waits spoke in a maddeningly calm tone. “I have communicated with the Cordice. They are not of a consensus whether to even speak with you.”
“Do they know we’re here? We’re on their ship! It’s their robot!” When She Who Waits hesitated to reply, Carmen slammed her with both palms and caused the Dragoman to hover back a few inches. “If we don’t do something, Jenna’s going to die. Is there anything on board your shuttle that can help?”
“I have no medical facilities.”
“Then what about back on the harvester?”
“With skill, the designate pilot could formulate an operating room. But medical supplies will be troublesome to replicate. I could assist with my printer. But this will require input as to the makeup of appropriate medication.”
The option at least offered a sliver of hope. “Okay. Okay. Then we’re going. Take us back to the harvester.”
“Wait. There is another option.” She Who Waits paused as a yellow band rose through her mists. “The Cordice ship has a facility on its second ring which appears to suit our needs.”
It made sense. Hadn’t her mother and Hamish Townes both been brought on board after their rescue? If they had been hurt, then the Cordice had rendered them aid.
“Take us there.”
“I have not been invited on board and I am not permitted to interfere with negotiations.”
Carmen was trembling. “There’s nothing to negotiate. We did everything they asked us to do. It’s their fault this happened. My sister will die if you don’t lead us there.”
She Who Waits only hesitated for a moment before gliding into the hallway. A pair of drones appeared from the shuttle. The two floating bots darted ahead and moved to either side of Jenna. She wasn’t conscious. Barrett stepped back as the bots lifted her into the air as if with invisible hands. They began to move her down the hallway. Carmen hurried to follow.
CHIRP!
The Cordice bot was still there beneath the hatch. It once again began to bang on the metal.
“What does that thing want?” Barrett asked.
She Who Waits paused. “It is a security request. Friend or foe?”
“You said you’re a translator. Tell it we’re friends.”
The red light floating before She Who Waits pulsed once, emitting its own soft chirp. The banging only grew more intense.
“I have tried. I mentioned the Cordice are having issues of functionality. That unit is the designate caretaker, or what is left of him. The Cordice who are awake within their simulation have lost control. By my uninvited presence here, I’m also in breach of their trust. Their security scans will register me as an intruder. In a word, we are all trespassing.”
Carmen jogged to catch up with the bots as they made it to another chute leading down. “Let’s worry about it later. Are they taking her the right way?”
“Yes. But the concern over the caretaker shouldn’t be dismissed. There’s no reason it can’t open any of the hatchways leading to the medical facility.”
The hallway behind them remained empty. But the thought that at any moment the malfunctioning caretaker might come after them made her impatient as the drones inverted Jenna and guided her down the chute.
Carmen followed as fast as she could. “Hang in there, Jen. Just hold on. You’re going to make it. You’re going to be okay.”
She dropped onto the floor. This new space was identical to the first ring, with a low ceiling and an upward curved corridor. The dron
es had maneuvered Jenna down the chute and once again had her floating horizontally. Her sister was bleeding again. Blood leaked to the floor. The drones began racing off with their cargo between them.
The condition of the second ring didn’t seem much better than the first. Sections of floor and wall had been opened. Conduits and pipes were visible. A portion of the hallway sat in darkness and some of the hatchways stood open.
More of the moss grew in patches, some of it dangling from the ceiling like growths on an old tree.
She Who Waits had descended into the hallway and followed. Her skin was once again sparkling. Was that her interfacing with the Cordice network? If the translator could talk with the owners of the ship, then why couldn’t Carmen be allowed to speak with them?
Barrett groaned as he crashed down onto the floor behind them. He rose awkwardly and moved to catch up, but he paused to close every open door as they went.
The bots were bringing Jenna into a long room occupied with what looked like furniture covered in white plastic sheeting. The moss grew in large thin patches on the ceiling. Carmen went to the closest piece of equipment. The wrappings dissolved away when touched. She discovered a large cylinder not unlike the ones in the room where they had first encountered the caretaker. It reminded her of a coffin fixed with ports and outlets. The room had dozens of them.
“What do we do now?”
“With the caretaker not functioning, the Cordice designate chief biologist is unable to assist directly. Plus there are opposing opinions among them whether assistance should be given.”
“You mentioned that. Let me talk to them.”
“That isn’t possible. But their chief biologist is explaining how to provide designate Jenna Vincent assistance.”
“Do they have anything close to a doctor?”
Carmen didn’t receive an answer as She Who Waits’ attendant red light now pulsed in regular rhythms. If the alien translator was talking to someone, the communication remained silent.
The bots went into motion, maneuvering Jenna towards another of the covered cylinders.
Carmen hurried over and touched the sheet, which obliged by dripping away into a residue of evaporating foam. The cylinder lid popped up. The inside appeared to be little more than a metal tube. She tried to decipher a set of valves on one end but resisted the urge to touch any of them. The cylinder reminded her of a tanker trailer that might hold gasoline. The moss everywhere worried her. She ran her finger along the surface of the cylinder. At least it was clean and free from the growths.