He smiles at me despite the pain. "Thanks for taking care of me, Bren." He takes his good hand and interlocks his fingers with mine.
My heart races at his touch. "You're welcome. And besides that's what friends are for, right?" I can feel my knees getting weak and I have to force myself to concentrate on standing.
Derek's smile fades slightly, his eyes roving over my face. His attention stops on my lips and a shiver goes down my spine. "I think I might like you more than just a friend, Bren." He leans in and kisses me gently, his lips warm and inviting.
He pulls back just far enough so I can see his eyes are uncertain, questioning.
I'm speechless, unsure what to do.
I hear a cough behind me and feel my face burn with heat. I turn slightly toward the two guards behind us. "Sorry." I turn back to Derek, and try to pull my hand back. He squeezes my hand as a line forms between his eyebrows.
I answer the unspoken question by leaning in and kissing him, despite the impatient guards behind us. He responds and my whole body tingles. I'm amazed by how much can be conveyed by a single kiss.
I pull back and put a hand on his head. "You have a fever."
He laughs and brings our clasped hands up to his mouth and kisses my hand. "Our first kiss and all you can say afterward is that I have a fever?"
Several times I open my mouth to reply but I really have no come back. I roll my eyes. "Yes, I'm sorry. I really did enjoy kissing you."
"But?" He grins mischievously.
"But I can tell from how warm your lips are that you have a fever. And that could be dangerous with your wound being untreated for so long." I frown.
He closes his eyes, looking like he's struggling hard not to laugh. When he opens them, the warmth in them makes me weak all over again. "We should get out of here then." His voice is soft and deeper than usual, and he squeezes my hand.
I smile. "Yes. I have antibiotics in the morgue."
His eyebrows shoot up. "You do? Why? Your patients don't need them."
I smack him on his good shoulder. "Not for the dead, they're for times like this," I wave my hand at the room, "when we're responding to traumas."
"You don't have any in your med bag now?"
"No, I administered all I had already. But I've got more right on the other side of that door. So let's go."
I hear a muttered "finally" behind me. I grin at Derek as I help him out of the room. I lean him up against a wall near the morgue door, not wanting to tear his wound open again by having him sit.
I take out the laser and study the door in front of me. I try to picture how the bolts work inside. There's a metal arm that if I can cut through it all the way, the bolt should release.
I first press the open mechanism and the door shifts open a crack, only being held closed by the bolt. The bolt that will only open with my dad’s code.
"Can you hold the light right here please?" I ask one of the guards and hand him my penlight.
With the light, I can see into the crack between the doors to the thick metal bar that runs from one side to the other. There are all sorts of levers and wires that run to the electronic sensors.
And suddenly I'm hit with a revelation as I stare at the inside of the door. I'm thinking back to the pod door from the Tempest, the one with the wire we couldn't explain.
I know now how the captain was able to lock the door from the inside. He locked everyone in the first pod, then he ran the wires through the door of the next pod. The wires were probably originally hooked into the lock mechanism.
“That way he could activate the lock from inside, and then yank the wires so no one else could open the door," I finish out loud. My heart is racing as I picture the captain trying desperately to hide his crew in the pods.
I turn to find the guards and Derek looking at me strangely.
"What are you talking about?" asks Derek.
I look nervously at the guards. I'll have to explain my theory to Derek later. "Never mind. This door just helped me figure out something that was bothering me." I grin and look at Derek. "Right now I need to get us out of here."
I squeeze the end of the laser into the crack of the door and turn it on. I aim it toward the metal rod, keeping it steady. I bite my lip and hope it won't run out of energy. The bolt is about the size of a femur bone, so I tell myself this should work.
The laser does a good job. I make a mental note to have Dad order one for us. These lasers are specially designed for use on spacecraft. The laser light only goes out about six inches, so there's not much chance cutting through a space wall.
Metal drips from the bolt. It's almost all the way through when the laser starts changing color. "No!" I hold it steady, trying to get all the juice out of it. When it sputters out, I lower my arm and groan.
I lean my forehead against the cold metal of the door. So close.
"What's wrong, Bren?"
I turn to Derek. "It didn't cut all the way through."
"How much is left?"
I take the penlight from the guard beside me, and peer into the crack again. "Maybe another half a centimeter is all."
"Once that bar is released, the door will be able to open?"
“Yes, it should.”
Derek turns to the guard. "If you guys can get enough force at the door, it should be enough to break off that last piece." They smile at him, liking his plan.
"You're going to do what, kick it apart?" I wave dramatically at the large door.
Derek smiles and shakes his head. "No, they just have to use enough force to snap the rest of the bolt."
I step out of the way frowning. I place the laser back in the med bag, and help Derek move to the other wall away from the door.
The guards back up and kick the door at the same time, shaking it with a loud crack. One of the guards takes the pen light and looks. He shakes his head and backs up. They kick the door several more times before we hear a metal crash inside, and the doors swing toward us.
"You did it!" I feel like jumping up and down, but I restrain myself. I gather up my med bag and Derek and walk toward the door. The guards are still standing in place. I look over at the fog rolling out of the door and realize what's wrong.
"I'm so sorry." I step in front of the door with Derek. "Derek helped me out with all the bodies from the Tempest, so I didn't even think about it. This is the only way into the morgue and then to the hospital." I readjust Derek, who is leaning on me even more now. I look over at him, and his face has gone pale.
"Listen, I need to get Derek some meds first anyway. Why don't you guys just rest here," I point to the floor opposite of the door, "and when I've got him set up, I'll bring out the stretchers for you, so you don't have to go through here just yet."
One of the guards, his face pale as Derek's, sits down as far from the door as possible. The other guard thanks me and sits down.
Derek and I cross the threshold and I pull the door closed. The metal bolt clanks uselessly against the door as we are sealed into the morgue refrigerator.
26
Different Pasts
I help Derek through the refrigerator. Now that I think about it, I can see why the guards would be freaked out. Although each body is encased in a body bag, there are so many bodies in here that it's overwhelming.
We push through the next door into the autopsy room, where Dad and I hastily cleaned up before the disaster struck. I lay Derek down on a clean autopsy table and go to the locked med cabinet.
Derek is quiet and pale, and I'm not sure if it's because of the fever or the morgue. After checking his vitals, I shoot the antibiotics into his system. He cringes slightly.
"Let's get you somewhere warm." I help him off the table and exit the autopsy room. I head down the corridor to my quarters. I hesitate before opening the door, going through the Delta schematics in my head. I don't want to get turned around and end up in the breach.
"Scared to show me your room?" Derek teases softly.
I put a hand flat on my
door. "No, it just struck me that these quarters may be in line with the breach."
Derek's eyes widen.
"But it doesn't feel extra cold, so we should be all right. Right?" I paste a smile on and press the door sensor.
Derek and I involuntarily lean backward as my door slides open. We both let out the breaths we were holding and then giggle at ourselves. I help him into the room and lay him down on my small bed. I feel awkward in here with him as he looks around at the small bit of life I've created for myself.
"Is that your mom?" He points to a picture of a woman and a small girl, dirty and standing in front of a massive metal machine.
My chest constricts. "She was showing me how the digging machines could just about walk through a wall. We spent a lot of time in the mines helping trapped miners, educating them on health and safety issues they faced, and partaking in some of their more odd customs." I smile.
"You enjoyed living there? Working with the Mars miners?"
I look at Derek and study his face. Every other time he's brought up my past on Mars it has been to tease me about living in the dirt with miners. This time he seems seriously interested.
I sit down on the bed next to him. "I loved how close all the miners were. Everyone helped and supported one another. If one family lost a loved one due to a mining accident or disease, the others living around them would help with their chores, taking care of kids, bringing food, or just crying with them." I can feel tears threatening so I look away to blink them dry. I feel Derek's hand slip into mine and squeeze. I smile and look back at him. "They would've taken me in and kept me if Dad hadn't want me to come live with him."
"Then you come here and me and my friends are total jerks to you. After all you went through." He shakes his head, an angry look crossing his face. "I didn't have what you had with your mom. The foster homes I was sent to after my parents died were cold and angry places. They just wanted me as cheap labor on their ships."
"I'm sorry, Derek." I lean over him, my curls falling around my face. "I wish you could've had what I had growing up."
His eyes shine and he reaches up with his good hand to pull me toward him to kiss me. I melt into his warm body, being careful of his wounds.
After a few minutes, the reality of our situation separates us as a small tremor goes through the station.
I smile. "I could sit here with you all day, but I need to get the others."
He nods, a smile still on his face.
I check his wound again and give him another pain tab. "That should be good until I get back."
He struggles to sit up. "I can come with you now that I'm fixed up."
I push him back down on the bed. "No, you need to rest. Your wounds are still bleeding, so I need you to stay still. I don't have a way of giving you a transfusion here. And you have a concussion, so I don't want you up and walking around until we can get you checked out at the hospital."
I reach over him and grab my data cube. "Besides I need you to see if you can reach anyone else on the ship. Maybe from here communications will work." I hand him the cube.
He frowns but eases back onto my pillow.
I stand up and look around my room. I've never had a visitor in my room except my dad so it feels a little strange to have Derek here. Especially Derek.
I mentally shrug and step toward the door to leave. I turn back to Derek. "Do you know of anyone else Scott might have confided in his plans? A possible business partner? Close friends?"
Derek shakes his head. "He was kind of a loner. I thought it was because he was new to Delta, or his position as Sergeant. He didn't seem to hang out with anyone during or after work."
I frown. "That will make locating him and any others he's working with more difficult."
"You don't think he went to the ship?" He points out my window where all I can see are a few ships waiting off to the side.
I shrug. "I doubt he could get there with all the ships that had surrounded it. But he was trying to get somewhere from the public dock. I lost him in the crowd."
Derek turns the cube on and starts going through the public channels.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." I turn to leave again.
"What's your friends name in comm?"
"Annie. You don't remember her from class?" I put my hands on my hips and attempt to look offended.
A slight look of panic crosses his face.
I shake my head. "You'd think on a station this small you'd know everyone. Especially as a security apprentice." I smirk. "But I don't think she's in any of your classes."
He looks relieved.
"Her name is Annie Clarke, and you do work with her father and brother."
It's Derek's turn to shake his head. "Wow. Yes, I definitely should've known her then."
"Probably." I open the door.
"I'll see what I can do here. You just be careful." He looks around the 3D transmission to smile at me.
"I’ll try. You just rest."
27
Mining Secrets
I head back through the morgue and find the guards have gone back to help the others make it to the room right outside the refrigerator.
"How's everyone, Markov?" I hand him some supplies I snagged out of the autopsy room on my way.
"The ones on the stretchers will need surgery right away. Did you have any luck reaching the others?"
I shake my head. "Derek is working on it. Come on, let's get these guys into the autopsy room to fix them up properly."
I hesitate with my hand on the cold door. I turn to face the rag tag group of injured. "The crew of the Tempest is right inside these doors. We have to walk through the refrigeration room in order to get to the autopsy room. If you have any issues just keep your eyes focused ahead and walk straight."
Fog rolls out when I open the door, uncovering the shapes of bodies on either side of the pathway. I walk briskly between the dead crew and open the opposite door into the autopsy room.
"Come on in here." I help Markov with the stretchers.
As soon as everyone is clear of the morgue, I close and seal both doors. Markov and I place the most severely injured up on the autopsy tables so we can treat their wounds. A few of them have fevers, so I give them antibiotics as well.
Once we have them stable I pull Markov off to the side. "I need to go check the doors out front to see if there is a breach or if we can get these guys out of here. I'll be right back."
"Just be careful, Bren." He digs in one of his pockets and pulls out a small round object. "Here take this. It'll tell you the temperature on the other side of the doors."
I take it from him. "We could've used this sooner."
He shrugs and smiles crookedly down at me.
"This will make it a bit less scary opening the doors."
He smiles. "I bet."
I narrow my eyes at him before I leave the room.
The familiar corridors of the morgue help ease my anxiety as I head toward the front door. As I get closer to the door I can already feel a chill and my stomach sinks. I place the round disc on the door anyway and my fears are confirmed with the negative temperature readings.
I need to see the schematics, so I head back to my room. I open the door and find Derek right where I left him, but now he's sitting up talking to someone through the cube.
"You were able to make contact!" I step closer to see the image, but it's blurry.
"Audio only." Derek smiles. "It's Annie. They know we're here but not able to send any help yet. The public dock area is jammed with people trying to either get off Delta, or with emergency crews trying to get onto Delta."
"Hey, Annie! Do they know anything about the attacking ship yet?"
"It's a pirate vessel called the Triptych. Bu they haven't had a chance to interrogate them."
"Have you heard from your dad yet?" The last time I saw him he was pretty badly injured.
"Yes, briefly. He's in surgery on one of the hospital ships."
"Who's in charge o
f security in the meantime?"
"Frank Nix is. Why?"
I look at Derek and raise an eyebrow, hoping he knows what I'm asking.
Derek stares at me for a second and then shrugs.
"Annie, I really don't know who to trust, but I do know we need to stop Sergeant Scott. He's the only one I know for sure who has been working with the Triptych."
"Sergeant Scott? He's one of Dad's best men. I can't believe that."
"I have vid to prove it, Annie. The problem is that I don't know who else is involved. The last I saw of Scott he was at the public docks."
"It's pretty crazy down there, but I'm sure we can pull vids. I'll let Derek know if I find anything."
Derek clicks the cube off. "Now what? How are the others?"
"They're in the autopsy rooms with Markov. I'm trying to find another way out of here. The front door is spaced." I make a face and pull up the Delta's schematics. I zoom in on the morgue section. "We need another way out of here. Especially if they can't get to us."
"Do you think any of the other guards are in on this with Scott?" Derek asks quietly.
I stop my searching and sit down beside him. "It's possible. The plans I found could make a lot of people very rich." I shake my head. "And I don't know how Scott could've done all this without help."
"Enough money to kill for?" Derek's face pales.
"Yes. The plans the captain had were for a new kind of machine to mine asteroids without establishing a mining base. They can just attach this machine and it will do the work of several thousand miners in a quarter of the time. No gravity, no infrastructure needed."
"Mining?"
I shrug. "I've never heard of this type of machine, but my dad has. It's a machine that defies gravity, is self-healing, and cost efficient to reproduce."
Derek winces as he turns toward me. "Scott used to talk about mining. To one of the guys back there." He points back toward the morgue.
My heart skips a beat. "One of the guys we're trapped here with?"
Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 13