Jake's Fortune Ch. 10

"I hope he has enough wisdom to survive his strength."

- Rachel S. Miller,
Talk Show Host,
"The Daily Buzz",
Mars 2201

***

The trip took them two weeks.

When they arrived at the research station, two armed guards greeted them. They were searched for weapons and allowed passage into what lay beyond.

When they searched their belongings, they took out Jake's armour. It left quite an impression on Dr. Pellham and the guards when they inspected it.

Vice President Eva disappeared somewhere, and Dr. Pellham showed them around as he escorted them to their quarters. The place was quiet and eerie. Sleek walls and white corridors greeted them as they moved along. They saw a couple of people moving about, but that was it. Dr. Pellham said that it was midnight, station-time, and that was the reason why the place seemed to be so empty. He thought he glimpsed a military general as he moved past them into a restricted area.

The station had a full assortment of labs, from particle physics to virology, all working on tandem for the advancement of Tansa and humankind. It also had a mess hall and a recreational facility. They had no clue how Tansa could afford all of this. The system was rich, for sure; but such an accomplishment required more than just mere credits. It required minds willing to join and work together. When they asked Dr. Pellham he reminded them that he himself was not a local, and told them that scientists from the UEF were flocking to Tansa to escape the strict restrictions on research there.

When they arrived at their personal quarters, Dr. Pellham walked them to two adjacent compartments and told them to go in. Inside they found comfortable furnishing and even personal food dispensers. He left them there and told them he'd check on them next morning. They decided to have a light dinner and chat for a bit before they bid each other good night and drifted to sleep.

Early morning came and Dr. Pellham didn't show up, so they decided to head for the mess hall. The place was buzzing with activity in the morning, and they found him engaged in a heated discussion with a colleague.

"... suggests that the source of his energy must be a mutation in his DNA!"

"That's not possible. I've checked his genetic sequence, and other than a slight deviation in mitochondrial DNA, there is no evidence of this!"

Jake wondered where they got his genetic sequence but remained silent.

"Perhaps you missed something."

"Perhaps, but..." they cut their conversation short as they noticed Jake and Hannah walking closer.

"Good morning! I'm sorry about being late. I was just discussing your case with my colleague and it must have taken longer than expected." Dr. Pellham said apologetically.

"That's no problem, doctor." Jake said.

"This is Dr. Keith Adams." said Dr. Pellham.

"Dr. Adams, I assume you recognise Jake Evans. This is his companion, Hannah...?"

"Hannah Carter." she finished.

"It's good to finally meet you." Dr. Adams said.

"Thank you." Jake said.

"Please, have a seat."

They strapped themselves in.

"So, Jake. We start in one hour, would you like to go over the schedule?"

"Sure."

"We'll start out the day with a physical examination, followed by a psych evaluation, then two hours of free time."

"What happens next will vary from day to day, but you'll visit each lab in turn and you'll be acquainted with our various research teams."

"Today we'll be starting with the biology lab, where they'll scan you and perform some tests. All harmless, of course."

"Next, you'll visit the training ring, where you'll have your physical training. You'll also find various tools to train your... powers."

"What's the training for?" Jake asked.

"We need you at your best, and we want you to realise your full potential."

They spent some time talking, and then the doctors escorted them to the medical wing for his physical examination.

They sampled his blood and performed various tests on him, they were bewildered by his brain scans, but said nothing to alert him. Hannah watched in trepidation as they went excitedly about their tests.

They were later escorted to the psych evaluation, where he lay in a couch that monitored his vitals, and a psychiatrist asked him all kinds of questions.

Next, they were escorted to the biology lab, where they took more samples of his blood and DNA, and they scanned him using various machines.

They were escorted to the gym later, where he and Hannah practised using the machines there. He was escorted to another chamber where he found what looked like large capacitors. They asked him to charge them using his energy. He poured ample energy into them until he was too fatigued to practice any longer.

When they went to his quarters, he was spent. Hannah joined him and they cuddled until they fell asleep.

***

Almost three months had passed with this regime. Tests, exercises, and more tests. The only variance was what lab he'd visit that day. He and Hannah spent more time together. She was happy he was doing so well and excited by what future that lay ahead of them. His training was paying off. His body was more fit than ever, and he could channel unprecedented amounts of energy.

His abilities fascinated the scientists, and as they taught him the physics behind them he discovered new tricks and ways to channel energy.

He never told them about Siren, and they were baffled about the origin of his abilities. No matter how much they studied him, they could never unlock that secret.

Everything was going fine, until he met the general.

That day he was walking on his way to the mess hall when he ran into him, and he introduced himself.

"General Jeff Reynolds. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Evans. I've heard a lot about you." he said as he extended a hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." he said as he shook it.

He almost panicked as the images and conversations flooded his mind in a flurry.

"He's hiding something. His psych evaluations suggest so."

"We have to find out."

"Sergeant, I want them monitored twenty-four seven."

"Yes, sir!"

"Maybe we can use the girl, we think she's pregnant. The urine samples we collected are positive."

"If we can't figure it out, we'll have to dispose of him. His continued existence can not be allowed."

"He's too valuable to dispose of."

"Perhaps the child can be studied."

"We don't have the time. The Progenitors are pushing our lines."

"We'll crack him open no matter what."

He kept his smile as he bid the general goodbye.

***

He went to his quarters in silence, as his mind reeled.

He met Hannah there, she smiled.

"Are you pregnant?"

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"Are you late?"

"I'm not sure. I think I might be."

"Give me your hand."

Siren confirmed it as she melded their minds.

"We can't talk here, they're monitoring us." he thought to her.

"They know you're pregnant and they want to use you for research. We have to get you out of here."

"How do you know all of this?" she thought with worry.

"I just do." he thought back.

"We move at night, activity will be light and we can slip by unnoticed."

"What are we going to do with the monitoring equipment?"

"I'll figure something out."

When it was night, station-time. They decided to move.

Siren highlighted a specific spot on the wall and he touched it. Siren immediately infiltrated the security systems and put the cameras on a loop, and his mind was immediately flooded with a map of the facility and security footage.

He donned his armour and floated out of the room. Hannah followed. They left their belongings behind. He snatched the transponder Michael had given him and gave it to Hannah.

They crept their way through the corridor, and found two guards standing vigil. He asked Hannah to wait behind.

"STOP!" he heard a guard shout as they levelled their weapons on him.

"Do you really want to do that?" He asked them.

They looked perplexed but kept their weapons level.

"Don't come any closer! Get back to your quarters or we will shoot!" shouted the braver of the two.

"I'm sorry." he said as he sent a blast of electricity their way, they shook violently and collapsed unconscious.

He waved to Hannah and she followed him towards the shuttle terminal.

The sound of an alarm wailed as they bound another corner. He told her to wait and scouted the corridor ahead of them, two more guards came rushing down the corridor and sent two shots his way, he dropped them both, and heard Hannah scream.

He turned quickly and found her clutching a bloody leg "Hannah!" he shouted as he rushed past her and dropped two guards that were flanking them. The superconductors on his chest gleamed as they channelled the excess energy to his armour's power supply.

He held her close as the thrusters on his armour fired and shot them on a direct path towards the shuttle terminal, where six guards awaited them. They took cover quickly as bolts of electricity crackled past them. He put Hannah behind cover and turned to take care of them.

"Surrender now! You can't get past us!" one shouted as he poked from behind cover.

Jake sent a bolt that caught him in the arm, he flailed around as he fell. The rest of the guards were enraged and started firing faster. He made sure Hannah was floating in the air and put his hands to the ground. The capacitors on his armour almost melted as he channelled enormous energy into the metal plates.

He heard the guards' screams of agony reverberate as their magnetic greaves caught the charge. Their bodies shook violently as they went down.

He grabbed Hannah and made a run for it. They got into a shuttle quickly and he found a first aid kit. He handed it to her and started the reactor. He heard more shouts as more guards approached. He told Hannah to watch the reactor and sent more lightning their way. Pulse weapons wheezed as shots struck all around him. Some shots struck his armour and damaged it in vulnerable spots, but he didn't care.

They swarmed him with desperation. The smell of ozone rose around him as the air was ionised. A lethal discharge of electricity was constantly streaming out of his fists now. He mowed them down with purpose, and suddenly, they started falling back.

Hannah shouted at him to get in. He sent bolts of electricity towards the other ships and fried their systems, then he closed the hatch and took the pilot seat as the shuttle launched.

The station's fixed defences targeted them as they launched, he dodged the missiles as best as he could but they managed to overwhelm them. A near-miss grazed aft of the shuttle and it lurched to the side as a thruster malfunctioned. It spiralled out of control and the shuttle went dark.

He took the transponder from Hannah and pressed the button.

***

It had been two weeks. The shuttle was coasting on emergency power and they had no idea where they were.

"How did they not find us already?" he asked Hannah.

"Maybe they haven't because we're not emitting any power or heat signatures. It would take months to find us using optical sensors at this range."

"It's good that this shuttle was prepared for a trip. We wouldn't have lasted this long without food."

"The emergency heater will run out of power soon." she reminded him.

"Michael will find us."

"Who's Michael?"

"Er... I meant Mike."

"Jake, I know you. Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked expectedly.

He sighed and explained.

"Mike is Michael Cromwell?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, he's the one who came to visit me aboard the Metanoia."

"Will this device of his work? How are they going to locate us?"

"I have no idea. We'll see if they ever do."

Two hours later they heard the noises. Hannah winced as something latched to the shuttle's exterior.

"I think we're being boarded." Jake observed nervously as he took a position by the shuttle's hatch.

He could hear the sounds as the hatch opened, and two figures in pressure suits greeted them. They couldn't talk but pointed towards the umbilical and nodded. Jake and Hannah followed them through.

Minutes later they were aboard the Metanoia.

***

After explaining the situation to his uncle, they stood on the bridge.

"We need to leave this system." his uncle said with a sigh.

"Where should we go?" Michael asked.

"How about 240 Arietis?" his uncle asked.

"I have contacts on Arietis IV." Michael said.

"Your contacts will most likely be dead when we reach it." his uncle observed.

"I'll gather new ones." Michael said nonchalantly.

"It's settled then, 240 Arietis it is."

"I'll notify the crew."

"We can't leave." Jake said.

"What? Why?" his uncle asked.

"We can't go into relativistic travel." he paused, "Hannah is pregnant."

If it was possible to jump in space, his uncle would have.

***

It was three days later when they reached the asteroid Michael told them about, and it was huge. It dwarfed the Metanoia, which was a hulking mass to begin with.

Michael took over the communications console and started hailing it. They thought he was mad, until they got a response. A large section of the asteroid opened up revealing a wide tunnel.

Michael told them to manoeuvre the ship into the tunnel and they entered it. Guiding lights flashed as they traversed three kilometres deep into the bowels of the asteroid.

What they found was awe inspiring. A whole colony greeted them. It was sprawled about the innards of the asteroid, and buildings stood out from the rocky walls in all directions. A glass dome surrounded them. They docked at an empty terminal.

"Welcome to Ita." Michael said with a smile.

***

A rugged crew greeted them as they disembarked. Their faces lit up as they spotted Michael. They surrounded him as they engaged in a hushed conversation.

Seconds later, they stood in an orderly line, and they saluted him. He returned the salute and turned to face them.

"I'll explain later." he said.