Upload Page 3

  The plane or rocket or whatever it was shuddered. The little slice of light coming in through the window changed, going darker and then glowing with what I was guessing was heat as we pushed through the atmosphere.

  The Colonel pressed a button on his armrest. "How long until we dock, Martez?"

  "The Station's exactly where she should be. We're coming in hot, just like you wanted. Normally, I'd say ten minutes. I know you'll want me to cut that in half, though."

  "You've got three and a half. I want to make delivery, and I'll be damned if his vaunted thirteen days get cut short because of us. Make it happen."

  "Yes sir."

  The ship lurched as Martez poured it on in response. We hadn't exactly been taking our time, but now even I could feel the urgency with which he was guiding us in.

  I didn’t know what sort of look I had on my face, but it made the Colonel laugh. "Cheer up," he told me. "You don't know how good you've got it. That big ol' cancer in your head's practically powerless, now."

  I had no idea what he was talking about. "Huh?"

  "You'll soon find a myriad of much more exciting ways to die. Brain tumors are so passé, don't you think?"

  "T-minus two minutes," Martez informed us over the com. "We won't be waiting for her to roll over for us, so it'll be a bit white-knuckle. Save Point Station coming into view."

  The Colonel took pity on me and slid the window shade up out of the way, leaning back so that I had an unimpeded view of the most awe-inspiring thing I'd ever seen. I tried to get closer to the porthole by straining against the cuffs, and he surprised me by unlocking them. "Go on," he said, the casual cruelty now completely absent from his voice. "Take a good, long look at her. There are probably less than a thousand people on Earth who know the real reason this Station exists. You'll be one of them, sooner than you want."

  The Station was shaped like one shallow bowl turned over and placed atop another one. I couldn't compare it to anything other than the ships in those cheesy, black and white science fiction movies my grandpa had always had on in the background. It was, for lack of a better descriptor, a flying saucer.

  Except that it was absolutely massive. The closer we got, the more its sheer size impressed me. I didn't think my species was even capable of building something like this, let alone operating it. "Is that thing ours?"

  The Colonel gave me an appraising look, clearly rethinking at least a few of the snap judgments he'd made over the course of our brief, yet eventful time together. "For now. We did our bit, but let's say that the best parts are on loan."

  "Who's in charge?" As soon as I'd asked the question, I wanted to reach out and grab it. I was already in a risky situation and the last thing I wanted to do was offend him by essentially asking who the real power was, now that I knew that he wasn't it.

  "You'll meet her in a couple of minutes, provided Martez doesn't splatter this bird across the Station's decks on his approach."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Despite his words, docking was surprisingly smooth. Martez was obviously a badass pilot. The roar of the engines peaked and then dropped away as the lights dimmed and a Caution - Hull Magnetized sign I hadn't noticed before turned on. We hung weightless in the air for an impossibly long moment before striking the Station with enough force that I was sure we were due a decompressive death.

  Apparently this was all part of the plan though, and the next thing I knew we were attached to the mother ship like a limpet. A long hiss told me that the pressure between the two crafts was equalizing as the saucer's surface blistered and absorbed us.

  "Welcome to the rabbit hole, man," one of the soldiers said to me. "You'll get used to it."

  Outside, I watched as slippery-looking liquid metal flowed upward as we sank through the deck and entered a brightly lit hangar. There were a few other ships there. Uniformed technicians stood next to heavily armed soldiers wearing what appeared to be powered exoskeletons. The techs were shifting equipment up to our ship, but the military guys didn't help them. Even though they could have cut the work in half, they only moved their eyes, scanning our transport ship as if we might be hostiles.

  One of them locked his gaze on me through the window, and I slunk down in my seat out of sight.

  "Relax," the Colonel said, giving the guy outside a curt nod. "He's just committing you to memory. It's his job to know who you are."

  "Why? Who cares who I am?"

  "Right now, nobody. But if he or his squaddies were to catch you in an area like this one, unattended... Well, let's just say they have their orders. Not everyone is always who they say they are, up here so our protocol is 'better safe than sorry'."

  The instant the ship stopped moving, the door in the hull sprang open. The Colonel popped his restraints and stood.

  I struggled to do the same, but by the time I worked out how to make it happen he'd already exited the vehicle. I got free and leapt to my feet, rushing down the aisle in his wake. The soldiers on board seemed happy to stay where they were, leaving me to hurry after him on my own.

  As I tried to catch up to him I rubbed at my wrists, trying to force a little more circulation back into my hands. I exited the ship and saw a single door into the hangar. It was open, and beyond it lay a long, white hallway. The floor, walls and ceiling all gave off a radiant glow, making them light sources.

  The Colonel was already halfway down it and going fast but my weeks of inactivity were catching up with me. I was sweating bullets as I jogged after him, attempting to close the gap.

  "Seriously, dude?" I called. "You're attached to my hip the whole way here, and now that we've arrived you're running off on me?"

  "Adam Harris, I am happy to report that you are now officially someone else's problem. Good luck."

  I grit my teeth and went even faster. He didn't bother to pick up speed, though just as I was about to catch up he took a sharp right turn and walked straight at the wall. A recessed door built seamlessly into it snapped open.

  He had a lot of faith in that thing. If it had lagged for even a moment he'd have crashed into it face first. The instant he was through the threshold, the wall smacked back down into place, blocking me from entry.

  That left me all by my lonesome in the cold, sterile hallway. One direction led back to the ship, while the other arced upward due to the curvature of the Station's construction.

  Great. I'd been here for all of sixty seconds, and I was already pretty much out of options. "Here I am, assholes! Come and get your thirteen days, whatever that means!"

  "I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that Colonel Booker simply abandoned you here," a woman said from behind me. "I'm sorry about that."

  I spun around to face the source. She'd surprised me, but even through the shock I was aware of how pretty she was. If I'd had longer to live and not been dragged out of my apartment like an animal, I might have been a bit more interested.

  Chill out, I told myself. There's nothing wrong with taking in the sights, right?

  "I'm Evelyn," she said, and the breathiness of her voice matched the softness of her skin when I took the hand she held out to me. Her handshake was firm and professional, though far too short for my liking. "If you hear people talk about a Doctor Riscatelli though, that's me too. Before we start, tell me straight: Have you and I spoken already?"

  I blinked. What the hell was she talking about. "Of course not."

  She nodded. "I had to ask. Anyway, are you ready to begin?"

  Evelyn was probably only a couple of years older than me. Unfortunately for her, the doctor had one of those bodies that she could never make completely appropriate. She was obviously aware of that, since she'd clearly tried to tone down her looks.

  It wasn't working. The horn-rimmed glasses only served to call attention to her pale blue eyes, and the professional lab coat didn't have a hope in hell of concealing her curves.

  I was pissed off that I couldn't talk myself into looking away from her, much less responding to the question. Worse, by the w
ay a warm blush crept up her neck and the awkward way she glanced away, Evelyn was aware that I was staring.

  "Um..." I said. "Sorry..."

  She'd tied her blond hair back in a ponytail, and she nervously tucked a stray strand behind her ear in embarrassment. "Don't worry. You've been through a lot, and it's only natural to hope that the first friendly face is an ally. I am, by the way."

  "Good." Shit, this wasn't going well. I swallowed hard and tried again. "I guess I'm at your service, doctor."

  I'd been trying desperately to come off as cool, but instead it sounded like I was trying to copy the military demeanor of the guys who'd ripped me out of my apartment not so long ago.

  It was a lame thing to say, and she shook her head at me. "You aren't at my service. You're here to help us all. Everybody you've ever known, and all of the ones that might come after."

  If my lame response had been a bump in the conversation, her words were the equivalent of a seismic event. "I'd like to tell you that I know what you're talking about, but I don't. The Colonel was pretty tight-lipped."

  She shrugged, and I was unable to ignore the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the lab coat. "Everything I tell you now will get back to them. And before you interrupt," she said, holding up a hand, "I realize that you don't know who 'them' are. I need you to trust me, though. I promise that I'll tell you everything when I can, but not yet."

  "When?"

  Evelyn pursed her lips. "When you come back for the first time. Right now, just let me ask the questions while you concentrate on doing your best to answer them. Okay?"

  I sighed. "That doesn't really seem fair."

  "It isn't. But you'll find out fast that we don't have time to worry about things like fairness up here. The stakes are far too high for us to worry about treading lightly."

  "And if I decide to tell you all to get fucked? What then?

  That struck a nerve, and I saw a flash of anger in her eyes. "If our expectations are unreasonable, perhaps you'd rather we find you a quiet space on board where you can get back to the business of feeling sorry for yourself."

  "Hey now," I said, taking a step back. "There's no need for hostility. If you had any idea how my day's gone so far, you'd be a little more—"

  She cut me off. "Let me guess. Bagged extraction. Drugged exfiltration. Stuffed into a rocket that Colonel Booker let you think was just a plane and told you'd probably never leave the Station he dumped you on. I know exactly what happened to you today, Adam. It happened on my orders."

  "Really?"

  "Well, not the last bit. Booker's just an incorrigible asshole. The rest of it's a necessary evil."

  "Why?"

  "Like I said, explanations are going to have to wait. The Colonel's men sent me the sizes of the clothes you're wearing now and I've got a suit ready for you. There are always a few minor adjustments to make though, so let's get started. Thirteen days may seem like a long time, but it goes fast. I need to get you in there before the countdown starts."

  I grit my teeth. "You guys are obsessed with this thirteen days thing. What's that even mean?"

  She sighed, checking her watch and then whispering, "Shit."

  "What's wrong?"

  "We've got nine minutes. Just go with me on this, okay? Once you're suited up and in the Labyrinth, we'll all be a lot safer."

  I could have wasted more time arguing or asking questions, but despite everything, an attractive woman asking for a favor still held some power over me. I shut my mouth and nodded.

  "Good." She turned and pointed to a doorway opposite the one the colonel had used. It must have been hidden too, though now it was open. "Head in there and get your gear on. The suits are pretty self-explanatory. If you want me to help you, let me know. The process is a fairly intimate one, but we're pressed for time. If you take too long, I'll have to come in and help."

  "I can do it," I said, confident without a reason to be.

  I turned and stepped through the door, finding myself in a room no bigger than a lavish, well-lit closet. The door slid shut behind me. There was a narrow bench against one wall, with what looked like a folded space suit on it.

  "Am I an astronaut, now?" I called.

  "Not really." Her voice wasn't as muffled as I'd expected, and when I looked up I saw that the wall was perforated where tiny speakers may have been hiding.

  I shrugged. The room looked like any other changing room I'd been in, if the mall outlets had decided to start opening locations on the Moon.

  Unwilling to look like some fool that couldn't even follow basic instructions, I quickly stripped off my clothes and got to work.

  The station had a chill about it. I felt it radiating up through the soles of my bare feet, which gave me even more incentive to try my hand at climbing into the suit they'd provided without help. The doctor hadn't been kidding about how invasive this thing was. My junk had to go into a specific pouch, and once I'd lined up Tab A with Slot B, a quick burst of air ran through the inner pocket and kept things very snug.

  I tried not to squeal when it happened, but as the internal apertures whirred into place and docked with my external ports, I lurched backwards in surprise. The room was way too small for my flailing arms, and I banged into the wall hard enough to produce an echo.

  "Everything okay in there?" asked Evelyn.

  "Just peachy! I'll be out in a second..."

  I hadn't seen the upper shelf behind me at first, but now that I did I spotted a helmet perched atop it. A visor of thick, curved glass dominated the front.

  Even though my boyhood dreams had been full of stuff like that, I left it for last. Right now, I had my hands full wrestling with a variety of Velcro strips, micro-levers and magnetic locks. Try as I might, I was clearly losing the battle.

  Putting the suit on may have been confusing for a beginner like me, but at least the material was comfortable once I was wearing it. Pressurized penis pocket aside, it felt warm and didn't restrict my full range of motion. I wasn't sure if it was designed to contain its own atmosphere, but it was clearly a heavily modified version of what astronauts wore during their extravehicular activities.

  Finally, I felt like I was ready to reach up and grab the helmet with my gloved hands. As soon as I clicked it into place over my head, the reverberation of my own breathing and the change in air quality reminded me exactly how isolated I truly was.

  I was giddy, too. As uncertain as I was about what came next, I couldn't help but feel at least a little privileged that I'd gotten geared up like this.

  There wasn't a mirror in here, but I did a slow turn anyway. Looking down at myself proved to be impossible with the helmet on, which meant that I couldn't see if I'd missed an obvious strap or seal.

  Oh well. I'd done my best. My old clothes were piled in the corner. My new life as a shut-in had made me fairly subversive when it came to the topic of how often to change your underwear, and my boxers were right there on top... I hurriedly bent down to scoop them up just as the door behind me opened.

  "Time's up," Evelyn said. "There's a whole row of mag-clamps back here you forgot to attach, by the way."

  Fuck. So that was why my ass was so drafty... I reached back to check on exactly how much of myself was exposed. Too much, was the answer. "Sorry," I said sheepishly. "You have to go commando in this thing. You're probably used to seeing full moons though, right?" I flinched at the sound of my own voice. The helmet must have a mic to amplify it, since it was now booming in the small space.

  She was blushing again, but at least this time she was trying to hide her smile at the same time. I didn't know if she was laughing at me or with me, but I'd clearly given her an eyeful. "Once or twice."

  I stood up and faced her, still holding my clothes as I tried to speak more quietly. "That was more artless than it had to be, huh? I've never worn one of these things before."

  She shrugged. "Few have. Now turn back around and I'll help you with this last part."

  Reluctantly, I did as she asked.
Speakers near my ears augmented my hearing, piping in her unintendedly sexy little grunt as she tried to tug the two halves of the back of the uniform into place. Her little noises of effort and the occasional brush of her warm fingertips on my bare back had a predictable effect on me. After a couple of seconds, I heard the air down at my crotch try to compensate for my erection. It hurt, but it wasn't like I could complain about it to her.

  "Face me and I'll check on the rest," she said at last.

  "I'm good," I told her. If I turned around now, I'd poke her in the hip with it...

  "Stop wasting time and turn around. We've less than three minutes left."

  I reluctantly did as she asked, just barely managing to avoid whacking her with my tented suit. Evelyn went about the process with remarkable precision, checking on the places that had been the most difficult to get right.

  I thought I was home free until she glanced down. My heart sank.

  She was merciful, though. "That reminds me, Adam... You aren't allowed to alter or adjust the suit, okay? Did you see the control panel on the back?"

  "Nope," I croaked.

  "Well, it's there. If and when you get a good look at it, leave it alone. You aren't authorized to change anything. If the temperature is wrong or the gloves aren't as grippy as you want them to be, let a technician know and they'll sort it out on your behalf."

  "Okay."

  "And please, try not to break it. I guess it goes without saying that this is space-age stuff, but they really pushed the envelope to make everything to spec. Not that they had a choice, since the rules of the Citadel exactly spell it out."

  I was looking right at her face when she said the word 'rules', and I saw right away that she knew that she'd messed up. "Huh? What rules?"

  She shook her head fiercely, reaching up to readjust her glasses on her nose and waving me through the open door with her other hand. "I hate keeping secrets. Despise it, actually. Let's forget I said anything and just get you in there, okay?"

  "But..."

  "Please don't push for more. If I end up saying too much, I'll just end up holding it against you. That wouldn't be fair on you. Be patient, and you'll see for yourself in..." Another watch check. "Crap. One hundred and two seconds."