A Brother's Shadow: Murder, Friendship and Deception, page 10
Approaching a gentle hissing noise, Blue quickly located it with his torch. A gas pipe snaking along the ceiling was leaking. Suddenly there was a zap followed by a wail from Himinez. Blue swivelled instinctively, raising his gun to eye level.
‘You okay?’ Blue said in an authoritative tone.
Himinez did not appear to have any visible ailments. He shivered before replying, ‘Just got a small shock from a loose wire. No biggie.’
‘Good. Not gonna lie, I’m not so sure about this,’ Blue said.
‘Ah, come on, you wimp,’ Himinez said, pushing past him.
Blue remained still, staring at his comrade’s back as it moved away in the flickering light. Then, taking a deep breath, he continued.
‘Any sign of life down there?’ Sharpe asked.
‘Nothing yet. We’ve just got to a door which I assume is the bridge,’ Blue replied.
Marco came in over comms; his voice had become muffled by static. ‘Yep… strange that you haven’t seen… there’s only so much liveable area in…’
The lights flickered but this time for almost a second.
Blue cursed. ‘You see that?’ he asked anxiously.
Himinez looked back down the empty corridor. ‘No.’
‘I swear I saw something move.’
Himinez waved an arm in the air and called out in a high-pitched voice, ‘Hello, you ordered a massage.’ The noise echoed down the corridor. In reply, was silence.
Green came over comms. ‘Well, if no one replies yes to that, there’s nobody there.’
Blue choked out a laugh and his lips turned up at the edges as he shook his head. ‘Alluring,’ he said. ‘Let’s get through this door,’ he continued, placing his gun on his back and reaching for a lever which rose from the base of the door. Himinez stood clear with his gun raised, ready to move in.
Blue quietly counted down from three before heaving the lever. The door groaned as it creeped open. Himinez unhesitatingly went through the gap. Blue rushed to unholster his gun and shifted round the door. Finally, Himinez spoke.
‘Clear.’
Blue looked around. Himinez was rummaging through boxes by a wall. The flight controls in the centre of the bridge stood beyond a chair that had clearly comforted its fair share of backsides. There were a number of screens dotted around, but they were either blank or read: No Input. The single active piece of equipment displayed the oxygen level as low. Without warning, the door grinded shut. Himinez leaped across to it and tried to force it back open. It would not budge. ‘Why’d you let it close, you clown,’ Himinez said, bashing his palm on the door.
‘How can you blame me for that? They’ll be down here in a minute to open it anyway.’
Himinez strode to another cupboard and started throwing out its contents, which drifted haphazardly.
‘What are you even doing?’ Blue queried.
‘Looking for a souvenir,’ Himinez replied.
Blue stooped forward and grabbed an object that was floating before him after bouncing off his leg. ‘Ooh, I’ve got something for you here, Green.’
‘What?’ Green replied.
‘It’s a pack of tampons,’ Blue said as seriously as possible.
Green spoke in a monotone voice. ‘Very clever.’
Blue flicked the pack, sending it elegantly pirouetting through the air.
‘Ooh, Tajoes. I’ve not had a pack of these since I was a boy,’ Himinez said, proudly holding a pack of nuts coated in an orange powder.
‘They stopped making them for a reason,’ Blue said, mimicking someone gagging.
‘Himinez.’ Sharpe’s voice was heavy, the volume was low, but it commanded the ear of the stars. ‘This is your final warning.’ Sharpe paused. ‘Put those nuts down and start looking for clues as to what’s going on. I swear if you still have those when you get out, I will personally get you removed from active duty.’
For a period, it was as if the flight had stopped breathing.
Blue approached the pilot’s seat. As he closed in, he noticed a stain across the fabric. As he dabbed at the fibres, they loosely attached to his glove. Blue raised his fingers up to inspect them in the limited light. The tips of his glove were coated in a red substance. Looking towards the door, the earlier panic starting to creep back into his mind. He decided to try the door again. A few steps away, he noticed the shape of a hand marked in red on the wall and cursed that they had not noticed it before. He desperately started yanking at the door.
‘Help me!’ he shouted to Himinez.
Himinez raced to the door and joined in with the heaving. He had just started to ask what the sudden cause of concern was when a volley of gunfire went off.
The gunfire sounded distant, but the vibrations could be felt going through their bodies. After several volleys, the frequency reduced to an occasional shot.
Blue was quivering. ‘What’s happening out there?’ Like most of the men, he had never been in contact with enemies before. The adrenaline was surging through him like a train. There was a pause and then heavy breathing came over the comms. Sharpe spoke. ‘We had contact. Two people just attempted to hijack a Cyclone. No one’s hurt. Stay vigilant, we don’t know if there’s more of them.’
‘Received loud and clear, sir,’ Blue replied, breathing heavily himself.
‘Uh, why this guy got a timer on him?’ Ferreira asked.
Sharpe responded immediately. ‘How long is left on it?’
‘One minute, fifty seconds.’
Moments passed as Sharpe assessed his options. ‘How long until we can get in?’
‘Four minutes, sir,’ Marco and Jenkins said in unison. ‘Everybody, get to your Cyclones and clear the area. Blue and Himinez, is there any way you can see of getting out? We have to assume it’s rigged.’
The two men desperately heaved the door again, but it was hopeless. Letting out a long roar, Himinez wildly shot at the glass at the far side of the room. It was in vain. The bullets clattered off it, causing sparks as they pierced objects around the room. The only evidence of their contact with the glass were small marks. The gun gave off a soft whir as the water-cooling system came into action.
‘No,’ they finally replied.
Marco’s choppy voice returned. ‘One of you stand by… the other by the glass so I can see the whole room. Hopefully, I’ll remember if… way out.’
Himinez moved to the glass and Blue decided the best spot was probably by the door. It was agonising as they stood, helpless.
‘One minute twenty,’ Ferreira updated.
‘Shit, shit, shit,’ Blue said, tapping his hand against the metal of the door.
‘I see something!’ Marco yelled excitedly. ‘Himinez, to your left there’s a monitor. It shouldn’t be there as there’s vents behind it. Quickly… it.’
Himinez tore the monitor down revealing an object crawling with coloured wires, crammed into a small hollow. The object was too long for its makeshift home and stuck out unnaturally.
‘It’s a mining charge,’ Marco said in a calm voice.
‘So now what?’ Himinez said.
‘I’m just working out some details,’ Marco replied, although it sounded like he was clueless as to what to do next.
In the pause, Jenkins took over. ‘It’s a mining charge, so its explosive force is concentrated in one direction. If you stay back, it won’t kill—’
‘No,’ Marco cut back in. ‘It needs to be disarmed. With the amount of hydrogen in that ship, if it goes off, the whole ship will be gone.’
‘Thirty seconds.’
‘Carefully, can you move it?’ Marco asked. ‘You could then potentially direct it away from the hydrogen storage.’
Before Marco had finished, Himinez had already tried, but it would not move.
‘Nope, we’re joining the angels today,’ Himinez laughed, soon to be joined by Blue, and they broke into hysterics. ‘Hope they pretty,’ Himinez spluttered.
In the control room, with his comms muted, Marco let out a howl and ferociously cursed.
Jenkins turned to him, puzzled. ‘What?’
Marco did not look back at him.
Before long, Marco’s voice returned to Blue and Himinez but this time there was a slight element of dread that there was no attempt to hide.
‘If you yank the red wires from the top, it should initiate the abort system sealing the device’s bottom. They appear to have removed the rest of the abort system so the explosion will still take place, it’ll just go into your room rather than the hydrogen supplies. If one of you takes cover, you could potentially survive.’ Marco paused. ‘But the other will have to pull it.’
Blue did not even stop to think. He threw Himinez away from the charge and gripped the red wires. ‘Get behind those consoles,’ he said sternly, while pointing with his free hand to a set of computers.
‘No!’ Green cried. ‘You can’t do it.’
Himinez looked as if he was also going to argue but Blue stared him down, making it clear he would not change his mind.
‘You shall never be forgotten,’ Himinez said over Green’s continuous calls before he scarpered behind the computers and tucked into a ball, holding his breath.
‘Fifteen seconds.’
‘Nobody reply, I need to do this,’ Blue said. ‘It’s been a joy to serve with you all. Stay strong, and brother, I love you.’
The whole room became a bright orange and the noise was abominable. Himinez was smashed against the wall by the console which had been ripped free and flung by the force.
…
The flight had watched from their Cyclones as a bright flash appeared out of the front of the freighter. The whole ship had shaken, sending particles which had been resting on its surface, drifting off in all directions. A dark cloud was travelling out of the front of the cockpit through a large hole where glass had previously been. As the freighter gently spun there was no noise, not even from Green.
The long silence was broken by a crackle over the comms. ‘Help.’
‘Himinez?’ Sharpe said, shocked that anything could have survived.
‘Help.’
Sharpe hurriedly flew to the gradually thinning smoke which was leaving the bridge. His white fighter was almost instantly covered with a dark film. Sharpe’s canopy buzzed as it lifted, allowing him to exit. He pushed himself out of the seat to drift away from the fighter before initiating the small thrusters on his suit. By tensing the appropriate muscles and moving his legs, he directed himself through the hole.
Looking around, nothing looked intact, and Sharpe halted as the obvious was confirmed – Blue had not stood a chance. Sharpe cruised through debris of all shapes and sizes, knocking them out the way. The atmosphere was as if it harboured evil spirits. Then he saw it. A twitching boot sticking out from under a hefty metal panel.
Sharpe attempted to toss the panel away but, to his surprise, it barely moved. Looking underneath, he saw a metal spike from the panel had pierced Himinez and was lodged into the floor. Sharpe again tried to shift the panel but this time, he first got a good handhold. He used his thrusters to pull him back but soon his grip gave. The only significant consequence was a groan from the body underneath it. Sharpe looked around and spotted two straps used for attaching objects to the walls.
Before long, he had tied himself to the panel. Tensing, he slowly increased the power. Initially, nothing happened but soon there was a horrific grinding. The panel abruptly came free and Sharpe was fired backwards, crashing into the ceiling.
Dizziness filled his head and his ears rang but he did not pause. He dodged the panel which drifted towards him with speed and was then able to see his objective floating, spherical droplets of blood moving away from his belly. Fortunately, Himinez’s suit worked as designed and a gooey substance flowed out the fabric. This sealed the gap, capping the flow. However, his face was already pale, indicating he did not have long.
Back in the control room, Klara was searching everywhere for Marco. When the explosion was heard, he had taken off his headset and disappeared. Eventually, she found him sitting on a bench that overlooked a forum. Compared to most of the station it was an expansive area with plant life reaching up and providing a wonderful spectacle. Marco was not looking at it though; instead, his head rested in his hands as he gazed down at the featureless floor.
Klara sat down beside him. ‘You should be proud. Himinez survived. He never would have if not for you,’ she said, putting her arm around him.
After a long silence, Marco finally spoke. ‘I could’ve saved them both. There was a way, but I’d used too much time before I thought of it.’
‘No one else had any idea.’
‘Yeah, but no one else has spent hundreds of hours on those flippin’ ships.’ Still gazing at the floor, Marco took a deep breath. ‘And I didn’t know Blue long, but he would have had my back.’
13.
Marco occasionally dreamed about the day he lost his mother. However, over the last few nights, the nightmares were persistent. His father’s screams had been replaced by Green’s, as he kept finding himself on the bridge as the explosion went off.
In his current respite from his bed, Marco was standing with Emily and Archer. Due to ongoing events, Marco had not seen Archer since a debrief after the freighter incident.
The smell of fresh doughnuts acted like the mythical sirens, gripping Marco’s attention and making him salivate. His only obstacle was a sizable queue. The window selling the donuts was tucked into a smooth, unblemished grey surface. Above the opening was draped a flag which was visible well before they reached the orbital station’s arena. The flag itself consisted of a white background with two thick red Js. It was the crest of JJ Pyper. Undefeated, he was the most famous ring fighter in the Coalition. A bit of a maverick and never shy to entertain, he was also a favourite of the sport’s followers. This side of the arena had a flat face, so from the queue, Marco was able to see the entrance gates, and to the right of that, the flag of JJ’s opponent. It was forest green with the head of a white wolf with a menacing gaze. The fighter was known as Silver Wolf.
‘So crazy this is still your first week in the 13th,’ Archer said as they shuffled forward.
‘Phh, you can say that again. It’s not quite turned out how I pictured.’
‘If it was, I’d be very concerned. It's still not sunk in that I lost Blue.’
‘Makes me feel ill thinking about it,’ Marco replied. ‘And I barely knew the guy. But he was clearly someone who nobody would have spoken badly of. Kind of reminds me of...’
‘Of who?’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Marco said while looking to the floor.
They took another step forward. ‘One of our best, no doubting that,’ Archer said. Before silence was allowed to take hold, Archer changed the subject. ‘Who do you reckon is going to win today then?’
‘I'm not gonna be that fool not to go for JJ,’ Marco replied.
‘You never know. I hear Silver Wolf is quite an unpredictable savage. Could catch JJ out.’
Marco gave an unconvinced smile and then Archer spoke again. ‘I bet you Wolf doesn’t lose in the first five rounds.’
Marco pursed his lips. ‘Ooh, sir. I don’t believe you should be encouraging betting. But deal. What’s the winnings?’
‘Someone’s confident,’ Archer said, shaking his head. ‘I wouldn’t want to bankrupt you, so…’
‘As if I was spending money on that moon,’ Marco huffed. ‘But how about a slap to the face? I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you strutting your new uniform.’
Archer stared at Marco for several seconds, puzzled. Then he let out a stuttered laugh and a single word. ‘Sure.’
The two men then went into the tactics and why they believed their outcomes were inevitable. So involved were they that they hardly noticed when they reached the front of the queue, and when Emily asked what they wanted, she could not grab their attention. Throwing her arms in the air in resignation, she ordered a share box of doughnuts.
As they left the line and headed for the entrance, Archer asked them to wait while he went to the toilet. Marco watched Archer disappear through the crowd. ‘I'm really worried about him,’ Emily said.
‘Huh?’ Marco replied.
‘Archer. He's not been this stressed for a long time.’
Marco chuckled. He had been thinking how Archer was so lucky to be in his role at such a young age. ‘Him going to the toilet doesn't make him stressed. At school once, we were coming back from the shooting range when we got jumped by this pack of beasts. Everyone went into panic, but even then, Archer remained as calm as space itself and despatched them without breaking a sweat.’
‘But he's got his review with the Admiral and his advisors on the incident tomorrow and he’s not too optimistic.’
‘Has he said he’s stressed?’
‘No, but he is.’
‘Well, these will help,’ Marco said, shoving a whole doughnut into his mouth. As he went to grab another two, his JJ cap fell from his crammed hands and was whipped away by hordes of feet. Marco stood, helpless, a ring of dough in each hand.
An authoritative foot pressed down on the cap, instantly subduing its resolve to gain freedom. As its owner stooped, Marco’s gaze followed the arm up to the shoulders, on top of which was the head of Jenkins.
Jenkins approached Emily and Marco and passed back the cap. Marco’s voice was muffled by a mouthful of doughnuts. ‘Cheers.’
Jenkins smiled. ‘Always willing to give a hand to someone in need.’
‘I wouldn't stick around, he'll be in need of a toilet very soon,’ Emily said, staring at Marco's bulging cheeks.
Jenkins looked to Marco and laughed.
‘This is nothing,’ Marco replied, pausing to swallow half the mouthful. ‘Back on my moon, we used to race to get through a share bucket on our own.’
‘That's disgusting,’ Emily said, shaking her head.
Jenkins leaned forward. ‘Anyhow, I don't want to be left the seat next to Himinez so I must get going.’ He dipped his head. ‘See you both.’
