Captives, Slaves, Killers Pt. 01

Wincing, Van tried to rise, but he stumbled. His right arm hung from his shoulder, a dead weight. His left leg was weak and his knee unsteady. Gritting his teeth he limped to the open hatch. The alarm was louder in the little room, near deafening. He shook his head, trying to focus. There was the panel. Just as the android had said there was a red lever and a green one. He pulled them down in order and waited. A thrum resounded through the deck as machines powered up. No yellow light. A metallic clang sounded as if something huge had just engaged. No yellow light. The deck in the hangar bay began to retract. Pressure dropped.

"Fuck this!"

Stumbling, dead arm flopping, Van ran as fast as he could for the ladder. Air was sucked out, leaving vacuum in the bay. Instinct said he should hold his breath. Training said he had to vent his lungs. Training saved him, though seconds were all he had and the ladder was meters away. Lights flashed. The deck lurched. The bodies and the heave loader tumbled into nothing. A rumble came through his boots. Dizzy, black dots dancing before him, Van clutched the ladder with his good hand and began to pull himself up. The deck fell away. He hung over a chasm of red tinged black. Small hands grasped his wrist and dragged him up. The hatch closed. A hiss and he could breathe! His lungs filled with air and he flopped on the deck.

"Hold on down there!" shouted Marilyn from somewhere above.

Aste`Rey Mherr pulled his mask off, her eyes concerned above an ill-fitting rebreather.

"Thanks," he gasped, sparks still spinning before his eyes.

She yanked the rebreather off and kissed him. The ship lurched, a giant kicked Van in the head and the world went black.

*****

"Well, at least my work didn't go to waste," Marilyn said. "How's your head?"

Van blinked and squinted into painful white light. He batted at it, pushing the android's hand away. She flicked the light back into his eyes.

"Fuck off," he said, swatting at it.

"That sounds about right," she said, switching the light off. "Humans were always so grateful."

"Grateful?" he asked, rolling onto his side and squinting at his surroundings. He was in a medical bay. Lying across from him was Aste`Rey Mherr, stripped of her slaver uniform, a light shirt or short dress of seafoam green in its place. "Is she okay?"

"You both met the ceiling when I dropped from the ship," Marilyn said. "I told you to hang on."

"Damned near suffocated because of you," he said. "I was trying to get my arm and leg working."

"Should have come when the yellow light came on."

"There was no yellow light," he grumbled, glowering at her. "How bad is she?"

"Not bad. Concussion. She'll be fine in a couple of hours. Already fixed the crack in her skull. Good thing she didn't break her neck. Flexible little cat."

"Why does my face hurt?" he asked, touching his cheek gingerly.

"Because I just fused it all back together. Your face, right collar bone and both feet. All broken."

"My feet?"

"Toes slammed into the ceiling. You also bruised your ass when you landed. Could have been a lot worse."

"Thanks," he said sardonically, looking at her sideways. "Want to tell me about the slavers now? They were androids. What gives?"

"Not androids," she said. "Cyborgs. Really, really old ones."

Van faced her, his expression demanding.

"Later," she said. "After we drop back into normal space. Rest. Wait with your girlfriend. I have to get back to the cockpit."

"Why?"

"Someone has to watch out for bad guys."

Van scowled at her back as she exited. He lay down on the examination table, enjoying the soft feel of the pad. Maybe he wasn't out of danger yet, but he wasn't wearing fucking shackles anymore.

"Van?" Aste`Rey Mherr said, her voice weak and groggy. "Van?"

"I'm right here," he said, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'm right here."

End of Part One