by Lauren Moore
***
Chris’s hands shook. A thousand questions spun through his mind, but he needed to concentrate on not dying first. His ear buzzed.
“Will you quit ignoring me! What’s this talk about monsters? Why is the emergency alarm going off?”
“Frank’s hauling some kind of living electrical nightmare.”
“You’re pulling my leg, right? Getting back at me for—”
“No! Keep your head down. I’m serious. We’re on its tail now.”
“I think being in space is doing a number on you. You snapped and killed Frank, didn’t you? That’s why you wanted me to fudge the sensors—no proof.”
“I haven’t snapped! It attacked me and now it’s loose on the ship!”
“Your mystery thudding? So you really were snooping around?”
“I kinda probably shouldn’t have opened that crate.”
“This isn’t a joke? You’re serious?”
“When have I ever jerked you around?”
“Well then, I gotta see this for myself.”
“Stay where you are. We don’t know where it is!”
“I’ll be there in five!”
“Carl? Carl!” His connection went silent.
Frank held a finger to his lips and pointed down the corridor. Wisps of electricity wove in and out of a wall seam.
“I’m gonna go around and we’ll corner it. Shoot to kill, greasehop. The people I ship for got some wicked tools for handling them, and we ain’t got any.”
“They never thought to leave you one?”
“I ain’t never been dumb enough to open the crates.”
Chris glumly reflected on the possibility that his curiosity had actually killed him this time.
A round of clapping and shrill whistles jolted Chris out of his thoughts. He snuck a little closer, trying to head off Carl, coming up the corridor.
“Here, little monster, come on out now so my buddy can see there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Chris tried to get Carl’s attention without alerting the being of certain death between them. Carl reared back when he reached the seam.
“What in the void are you doing here?” Carl said, moving closer to it.
Chris’s world slowed. Was that a girl’s scream he’d just heard? He had no time to think about it. A tendril snaked out, hitting Carl in the gut and sending him flying across the hall. Chris pulled the trigger. The corner of the wall exploded, accompanied by another scream. A little girl scrambled out of her hiding place, her features hazy under the wreath of electricity enveloping her.
He couldn’t move. His mind didn’t want to believe what it just witnessed.
Blood rushed through his veins so fast, his ears rang. Lying in a heap, Carl coughed and the wet wheeze caught in his throat. Chris hit the ground beside his friend and yanked on Carl’s shoulders, forcing him to sit up and lean against the wall.
“Hang in there, buddy.”
“What in the void happened?” Carl gasped.
“I don’t know. But something’s not right. It’s not adding up.”
“Why’s it so cold in here?”
Chris felt helpless. Should he apply pressure? Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. But a quick close inspection didn’t raise his spirits. The fabric of the shirt had been charred away, melted into Carl’s chest. Carl’s breathing began to slow.
The floor vibrated against Frank’s heavy steps, and it took everything in Chris not to pound his face right then and there.
“What in the great cosmos is this? You let it get away!”
“I can’t shoot a little girl, Frank!” Chris wanted to see shock on Frank’s features, confusion, anything but exasperated annoyance.
“Don’t let that abomination of humanity fool you, greasehop. They’ll drain the life from you if you let your guard down.”
“She’s running because she’s scared, and honestly, I don’t blame her.”
“And your buddy there? I suppose he did that to himself.”
Carl’s eyes darted back and forth. “I think… I’ll be okay,” he whispered. “We can, can still get that drink…” His eyes slowed, getting glassy. Chris looked away.
Frank yanked Chris to his feet and returned the gun to his hand. He said something, but Chris didn’t hear.
He focused on why Carl just died.
Why Frank kept forcing the gun into his hand.
Frank growled, “You’ll only slow me down. Make sure your bleeding heart stays out of my way!”
“Bleeding heart? You’re transporting people in crates across the galaxy!”
“I didn’t tell you to come in here and start snooping around. We need to either put the creature down or disable it and get it back in the crate.”
Chris raised the gun.
Frank worked his jaw back and forth. “Point the working end of that gun elsewhere, greasehop,” he said.
“I wouldn’t even be here if you just did maintenance checks when you’re supposed to!” Chris said, refusing to lower the firearm.
Frank inched closer. Chris hesitated and Frank lunged. The gun waved one way and the next, both trying to get control. Chris caught the wide-eyed face of the little girl peeking around the corner.
“Run!” Chris screamed.
Frank got the gun and fired two shots before Chris jumped onto his back, locking his arm around the big brute’s neck. Frank choked and dropped the gun. He clutched Chris’s arm and threw himself back, pinning Chris against the wall. The fear he had seen in the girl’s eyes kept him from releasing his hold.
Frank’s movements slowed, and they slid down the wall to the deck. Chris rolled away, gasping.
“Did you kill him?” a small voice said.
He scrambled up. The little girl’s face was wet, her fresh tears staining old ones. A glance assured him Frank was still out on the floor.
“No, no. He’s only sleeping.”
Her eyes scrunched up. “Did I kill him?”
Chris didn’t have to look to know. “I don’t think you meant to, did you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back in there. I just want to go home!”
“What are you even doing here? What are you?”
“These really scary people put me in there, and when it opened, I ran.” She looked anxiously from Frank back to him, and Chris hated whoever it was Frank worked for. “You didn’t let him hurt me. Are you like me?”
“A conjurer of electricity? Not that I’m aware of.”
She started to smile, but it twisted into fear.
“Now, everyone, just stay calm,” Frank’s now raspy voice said from behind him.
The gun pressed between his shoulders. Chris closed his eyes.
“You need to get back in there, young lady, or things are going to get real nasty for you right quick.”
“She’s just a kid. What is wrong with you?”
“That ain’t no kid; that’s a cosmic abomination. The kind the powers that be don’t want you common folk knowin’ about. Creates panic.”
“She’s not some creature from the depths of the void! Look at her, she’s terrified. Just… put the gun down.”
“She ain’t right, greasehop.” Frank almost pulled the trigger, but he hesitated. “My employers would be right cross with me if I had to put down one of their cargo.”
“She’s not trying to kill us. Isn’t that right?” Chris tried to keep his tone even, if only to not scare her any more than she already was. “You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you?”
The little girl shook her head wildly. “I…just want to go home.”
“See? She just wants to go home. We all want to go home.”
Frank pushed the barrel harder into Chris’s back. “She seems to be takin’ a shining to you. Get her in the crate since you’re so friendly, and I won’t have to use this pistol on either of you.”
Chris gave her a reassuring nod. She shrank away when he lifted his arms. Ripples of light rolled across her skin and h
e knew he needed to calm her.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Susan…”
“No one cares, greasehop!” Frank shoved him forward. “Grab her and be done with it!”
Chris turned slowly, trying not to give Frank another reason to shoot him. “I can’t do that. She hasn’t meant to hurt anyone. She’s scared and a long way off from home. Isn’t that right, Susan?”
“You’re useless, greasehop!” Frank shouldered past Chris and started shooting.
Susan let out a terrified scream and ducked. The rolling light across her skin filled the corridor in a torrent of electric waves. Chris slammed Frank into the wall and dove under the visible tide of her fear. Frank charged at him. An arc struck Frank’s feet, forcing him to overcompensate, and he stumbled. Chris kicked him in his chest, falling on top of him to keep him pinned to the ground.
The waves dissipated. Susan stumbled into the middle of the corridor.
“Run, Susan!”
“Get off me, you fool! We can’t let her loose!”
She darted around them. Frank pushed Chris partway off, shooting blindly, but she vanished. Chris found his gun and tucked it in his waistband, holding his hands up when Frank turned on him.
“You done killed us both, greasehop!”
“She’s not dangerous!”
“Not dangerous? Look what she did to my ship!”
“She was kidnapped and stuffed into a crate! Where were you taking them?”
Frank sneered at him and marched after her.
“Where were you taking them? For Divine’s sake, she’s a child. A child, Frank!”
“Drop zone on Moarnicoa. We’ll be in range within the next quarter hour. If we don’t get her back in that box, dead or alive, we’re as good as dead.”
“What could possibly have happened to you that you’d agree to be a part of something like this?”
“Dammit, I done told you we don’t ask questions about the cargo!”
“I’m not letting you harm her, Frank.”
“You ain’t got a choice, greasehop.”
Chris glared at Frank’s retreating back, contemplating shooting him. He held himself back from that cliff, and charged, tackling Frank to the ground. Chris put all his weight into pounding him. He poured every confused and heightened emotion into each and every blow.
The thought of her being carted around.
Carl’s empty stare.
That incessant stench. And Frank.
He didn’t stop until Frank stopped fighting back. Out of breath, he stayed on the floor, rubbing his bruised knuckles.
“Hey, Susan? It’s, uh, it’s okay. He won’t be going anywhere for a while. You still there?”
She peeked around a corner.
Chris smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow. “We need to find some rope, tie him up, and make sure he doesn’t escape, all right?”
“When can I go home?”
Chris’s heart broke for her. “Tell you what, we’ll be landing soon. I’ll make sure you get to wherever it is you come from, okay?”
She wrung her hands, then ran into his arms, buried her face in his shoulder, and cried. He tried to console her, but part of him remembered Frank’s warning.
“Hey, hey now, we gotta be brave, okay? We’re gonna get this all sorted out.”
“What about the others? Will you help get them home too?”
How could he say no?
***
The whole thing was surreal. Their eclectic mix of races sizing him up, unsure if they could trust him. A beady-eyed Inger, colorful neck feathers puffed in nervous fear. The rocky-textured Cynthoogra, though young, was powerful enough to crush him with one blow. A Sliif, his leathery black skin showing its age, approached Chris and held out both arms. “You may address me as V’Trahl. By what title may I address our savior?”
Chris rubbed his cheeks to keep from blushing. “Chris, and I’m not a savior, just doing what’s right.”
“Chris, can you turn this thing around?”
“It would be easier to land. The auto-pilot is locked in, but I can change course to land near the tele-station. From there can get you all on your way back home.”
“They won’t let us go that easily.”
“Just worry about getting to the tele-station.” But the ominous way V’Trahl said they wormed its way into Chris’s head.
V’Trahl drew him into an embrace, squeezing him tight. To say it was awkward was putting it mildly, but he returned the gesture. Suppose I’d be hugging me too.
“You have a good heart and a strong mind. None of us will forget what you have done for us.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. We gotta get out of orbit and planetside first.” He rubbed the burn on his arm.
“If you come with us, we have a healer who can ease your wounds.”
“Healer?” Chris shook his head, he needed to get far away from them. “Thanks, but I’m going to have to explain all this, and I really just want to go home too.”
V’Trahl smiled knowingly.
They dragged Frank onto the bridge, and someone covered Carl’s body. Chris didn’t voice it, but he was grateful he wouldn’t have to see that again. He studied the control panel. He needed to change course and land as close as possible to a tele-station.
He made the correction. All he had to do was land safely, go home, and pretend this never happened.
“Done killed us all, greasehop,” Frank drawled from his corner.
Chris flinched. “Will you just stop talking! None of this okay. Shame on you for even thinking it could be.”
The screen buzzed with an incoming call.
“You’ll want to answer that,” Frank said. “People like to know what your business is when you enter their space. ‘Specially when you change course.”
“This is Gala Line 72, we are on course for an emergency landing near the Dahl Tele-station,” Chris said. “Several passengers aboard need clearance for quick travel.”
Chris jerked back when visual enabled. Tubes haloed a sleek black helmet, the face concealed by the visor. Susan shrieked, her tiny form hiding behind one of the adults. A few of the others closed in behind Chris, including V’Trahl, their scowls almost feral. He didn’t need to look to know they wished the speaker was on their side of the screen. He shuddered at the horrific thought.
“That is not the designated drop off. You were warned not to change course.”
Frank yelled, “This punk took over my ship and released the beasts! I need your help! This ain’t my doing!”
“Frank!” Chris hissed.
“Return to your course or we will be forced to use deadly action against you.”
“It ain’t my doing! I tried to put the beasts down, but they—”
Chris disconnected the call.
“They will be waiting for us when we land,” V’Trahl said.
“If we’re not blown up first.”
“They would not risk such measures. There is still a chance for them to detain us once more.”
“I hope you’re right. When this thing lands, be ready to run.”
***
The silver desert filled the window. Chris anticipated armies, but the sands were empty. He caught a glimpse of the tele-station before a dune obscured it.
He’d never landed one of these before, but at least he knew how the controls were supposed to work. It wasn’t smooth, but they made it in one piece. He left Frank tied up on the bridge.
They hurried down the ramp, heads on a swivel, the sun hot on their backs. He was starting to think the person on the screen had been bluffing.
Then he heard the whistle.
The missile sailed through the air and they pumped their legs harder to put distance between them and the ship. The explosion was deafening and the shockwave blew him into the sand. Chris coughed up sand, muscles aching, but he forced himself to his feet. The others were already pulling each other up a sliding sand dune.
Chris grappled for a
hold to climb the dune. A hollow ring in his ears made him shudder and he looked back, anticipating another attack.
The cargo ship had been obliterated. Just smoke and flames remained, claiming the few chunks that hadn’t evaporated in the blast.
Captivated by the totality of the destruction, he didn’t notice parts of the hull had been thrown into the air. A piece of debris fell out of the sky. He didn’t have time to flinch. This was it.
Death.
A web, glossy and partially translucent, erupted around him, deflecting the charred scrap metal. The webbing pulled away, disappearing beneath V’Trahl’s sleeve. Chris wanted to thank him. V’Trahl clapped his shoulder, his face grim, silencing the unspoken words. Through the heat haze, Chris made out figures, clad in black armor with helmets ringed in tubing running towards them.
They began to fire.
V’Trahl flicked his wrists and fired a barrage of plasma from a weapon Chris didn’t recognize into the midst of the approaching attackers. Bodies were thrown about, but the ones still upright didn’t slow.
“Do not let their vile presence stay your courage!” V’Trahl screamed, and two of the fleeing captives broke away, rushing to join the fight.
Susan’s scream yanked him back to reality and he stopped wondering what else he didn’t know about V’Trahl. Chris scanned the sands, praying to the Divine not to see her lying in the silver grains.
An electrical spark behind a nearby boulder caught his eye. He sprinted for her, ignoring the pepper of incoming fire following him. He wavered, slowing in the heavy sands threatening to pull him down.
He slogged the few last feet and flung himself behind the boulder. Susan was wreathed in electric light, head buried in her knees.
“Hold on to me!” He held out his arms to her, wincing from the sting of electricity.
She hesitated. He peeked over the boulder. One of the attackers saw him and aimed. He ducked back down, feeling the blast hit the other side of the stone.
“But you need to put your death wisps away, okay? Can you do that?”
She nodded and the electricity vanished.