A special short story: Zone Out
A hesitant hand reached for the emergency shut down button on the light panel of the last reactor on the lower levels of the outpost -Zone 47-. The fail safe feature activated and requested for a level 6 clearance code. He paused for too long and it deactivated, he let out a sigh in frustration and a familiar voice chuckled “Let me do it” [ Hedda ] said leaning on the door way, along with Lilo his cat rubbing against his leg.
“No, I'll do it” [ Thomas ] replied “I have to”.
Keeping the out post had become cost restrictive, moving the once thriving community and merging it with another was a decision he had to take a few months before, now it was ending.
[ Hedda ] ran a finger on one of the light panels and frowned at the dust he collected, “If it makes you feel better, they are happy with the new location”.
“I shouldn't have to do this” [ Thomas ] walked up to his bald friend, “How long have we been at this?” [ Hedda ] shrugged “Seven, maybe eight years”.
“Eight years my friend, eight fruitful years”
“But its all for the best” [ Hedda ] consoled him picking Lilo up preventing him from reducing the wall panel into a work of art. “Naughty girl, we need the best scrap value we can get for the station, and you are not helping” Lilo ignored the statement and tried to get free but didn't succeeded.
They walked silently through the deserted corridors; the stillness in the air was heavy. Back in the day, these corridors would have been bustling with life, now they were empty. Every level had two reactors that supplied power and aided the life support system. There would be a barely audible hum coming from the combined strength of the reactors, safe for the human ear. Now it was eerily quiet ‘That's not a safe sound' [ Thomas ] thought to himself.
They boarded the elevator and headed for the level above them when the heard a voice over the comm.-link. “Captain, we have an M-class war ship requesting permission to board”. [ Thomas ] thought it was odd that a war ship would head into a civilian outpost with so many military installations not too far away. He looked quizzically at [ Hedda ] who shrugged and said, “It's your call”. “Let me talk the captain of this ship”. There was a momentary silence and a voice came over the comm.link. “This is the Captain of the Alliance ship – Pheonicis, I request an audience with you on a civilian matter”.
‘Civilian' [ Thomas ] mouthed frowning. ‘Let them' [ Hedda ] mouthed back at him.
“You may dock for an hour we are working on a schedule here…”
“Thank you for obliging the Alliance”
“Any ideas?” quizzed [ Thomas ]
“We have to wait and see what they want first” replied [ Hedda ] trying to access the main computers from a communications panel. They had been rigged to disallow such an attempt, but [ Hedda ] knew his way round anything that required codes to run. Asked about his uncanny ability to subvert any system, he had frowned as if to say don't you know, and responded saying “Its binary isn't it?”
By the time they entered the bridge; [ Hedda ] had cross referenced their logs against the Alliance's own secured database. They were a snoop ship.
[ Thomas ] and is first officer met them at the docking station and welcomed them as warmly as he could considering the circumstances. He was a Caucasian middle age man sporting battle scars on his face and neck. They were going to hold up everything for another hour and no one was here anymore. The ground staff numbered twelve, excluding [ Hedda ] and him.
“State your business” [ Thomas ] began abruptly his irritation unbridled.
“I am Captain Toranaga of the Alliance ship – Pheonicis, and I would like to ask you questions concerning allegations levelled against the both of you” now looking at [ Hedda ].
[ Hedda ] caught himself before his brows had a chance to shoot up in surprise. Recovering quickly he enquired “What is the nature of these ‘allegations'”
“You have been accused of neo-slavery and trafficking in unregulated stem cell production”
[ Thomas ] and [ Hedda ] stared at Captain Toranaga blankly. [ Hedda ] broke the silence first.
“Those…are very…serious ‘allegations'”
“That they are, and we intend to investigate them”
“Your papers”
The captain of the Alliance ship – Pheonicis handed him the clearance code which [ Anonymous ] promptly checked and verified it as valid.
[ Thomas ] invited them to tour the station, his way of overruling their need to search it. [ Hedda ] drew back from the group and wondered off alone.
He went to a secure station and went right to work hailing Nemo and [ Nita ] who were on a reconnaissance mission not too far away on their version of the Pheonicis. There's was the Eridani, a stealth ship that was the bane of the alliance.
“We have as small problem” he began in his usual casual manner. [ Nita ] was immediate alert having worked closely with him during the construction of the most recent outpost. He voice came over as a little strained but would be apparent only to someone that knew him.
He transmitted the clearance code that [ Thomas ] had discreetly handed to him. “Find the source and give me names, I want to clear this up as soon as I can”. [ Hedda ] had a thing about false accusations.
Shutting down the link he hurried to the bridge where the party had gathered to examine the stations logs. “How long is this going to take?” asked pointing the question in the general direction of the unwelcome visitors.
A nerdy looking fellow that seemed to be the brains in group replied “It shouldn't take more than a few hours, sir”
“Then you won't mind if I take a much needed R & R” [ Hedda ] didn't wait for a response as he headed for his quarters Lilo in tow, where he remained until the Eridani requested for permission to dock.
Nemo shepherded the Eridani into the dock a few hours later slipping in a message for a top level officer to greet them. ‘The crow has flown north to sunset'. [ Hedda ] met them as they disembarked, and only had to hear one word from [ Nita ] before his mind went into over drive. “Stowaway”
“Captain Toranaga” he began all business like taking control of the bridge which they seem to have desecrated. “You seemed to have overstepped your boundaries”.
Before the fair captain could respond he continued. “How many individuals came off your ship as you docked, and I must warn you – think carefully before you answer, because I promise you this, give me the wrong answer and I will throw you off this station.
The captain of the Alliance ship – Pheonicis looked flustered as he said, “what is the meaning of this?”
“Answer the question” [ Thomas ] said in a tired voice.
“Five” he responded gritting his teeth
“Wrong answer”
“[ Calico Tiger ] confine them to the bridge” [ Thomas ] said over his shoulder as he [ Hedda ] and the Eridani crew hurried through the corridors.
“How many?” asked [ Thomas ]
[ Hedda ] replied “One too much - Nita?”
“A name turned up that matched the profile of the subject on the scanners”.
“What name?” [ Thomas ] quizzed trying to get a lock on the life form that happened to be close by.
“[ Pistol Whip. ] ”
The strange voice brought the small group to a halt. They spun around to see an even stranger looking fellow with a gun to [ Nita ]'s head.
“No one would listen to me at first and then when they didn't believe” said the stranger in a pitiful voice.
[ Thomas ] murmured “I believe you are in the wrong place”
“Don't mess with me” he pointed at [ Thomas ] with the gun.
[ Thomas ] lowered his hands as [ Pistol Whip. ] took the barrel back to [ Nita ]'s ear.
“Who ever told you that we are involved in trafficking stem cells and the likes was lying” [ Nita ] tried seeing that she was more in danger than the others and they seem to be staring.
He loosened his grip on her to look her in the eye as he said “You're jealous because the voices are talking to me”
“No I am not” [ Nita ] retorted punctuating her reply with the gaping hole in his head, her gun smoking.
At the docking station the rest of the crew from the Pheonicis had boarded except the captain.
“Please accept my apologies, we had no idea he had a psychiatric history. Schizophrenia and delusions of grandeur you say?”
[ Nita ] just stared back saying nothing.
“Well, thank you for you for your patience”.
As the Pheonicis pulled off the station [ Hedda ] turned to [ Thomas ] began “All in a days work, what now my dear friend?”
“Four more levels to shut down, and I am not looking forward to it”
“It's going to be a long night” [ Hedda ] said to Lilo “and I ought to get you something less expensive to scratch”