Into the Dark Part 2

Carries on from Part 1

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Some days she questioned why she had got into Archaeology in the first place. It had been something she had been interested in and with nothing else going to do on her home world of Rowlatt apart from farming it seemed like a logical step to escape. Get paid to do what she enjoyed and rarely have to leave a library or choose her assignments, or so she thought. At least at Dremerdius she had her own quarters, a subaltern to assist her with moving some of her papers from one desk to the other and a senior officer who didn’t care what she did as long as their was a report every month about surveys or on her work on Dremerdius IV and even then she had doctored a few of the results. She still remembered remonstrating with him when the order from above came down but he just shrugged and told her it was out of his hands. Small minded office busy body just wasn’t interested as long as it didn’t affect him.

She climbed out of the lift and froze at the sight of the Forward observation post’s access door. Her stomach rolled as she worried what was about to be unfolded. Last time she had been summoned to a meeting she found herself out here. Then again what was the worst that could happen? She took a deep breath and opened the door to a large glazed room that overlooked the main prow, in the middle of the room Commander Devonshire was hopping excitedly from one foot to the other in front of a beaming Captain Kinnock. She recognised the head of xeno-biology, some of the geologists and Captain Wilson the head of the security detail. This couldn’t be good.

“Ah! Jane.” Commander Devonshire turned around with a huge beaming smile. “How was the equipment? Never mind, we’re going to be working with it soon!”

It caught her somewhat by surprise. All this time she had got used to the idea of cruising around the black void of utter nothingness and resigned to finding nothing. Then again, it was only a matter of time before they bumped into something out here in the void. Her scientific inquisitiveness quickly peaked and almost against her will she started thinking about what could be found, would there be alien life? Would there be some lost civilisation buried or abandoned on the plains? Despite the nagging feeling that this would be a pointless empty world that may not even have a breathable atmosphere.

“Really sir?” She tried to sound enthusiastic “What’s or ETA?”

“Next week.” Devonshire grinned broadly. “Probably by Tuesday.”

“We’ve labelled it G-490.” Captain Kinnock beamed. “Long range scans show it to have a tolerable atmosphere and weather.”

“You’re going to be one the first onto this world. I’m really envious of your opportunity Jane.” Devonshire was still chattering on oblivious.

First on the world. It sounded like it should be a really exciting prospect, to trail blaze onto a new world, to see what no one else had seen before and in a way it did but at the same time she couldn’t help but think this was incredibly dangerous being on the first barge on the planet. Surely she could still trail blaze from the second shuttle? Let Security go forward and secure the landing zone or whatever they did and then send in the archaeologists and geologists. How useful would an archaeologist be in an emergency or battle situation that didn’t involve digging? She couldn’t remember the last time she fired her sidearm, possibly time to dig it out from the box under her bed and practice. She didn’t want to be caught out armed with nothing but a trowel by an alien ambush.

“Nothing to worry about Lieutenant we’ll keep you safe. My troops will be right by you all the way.” Captain Wilson approached, his face completely deadpan. He was one of those professional looking soldiers, one who fought his way through three wars single handed armed with nothing but a fruit knife and if anyone would keep the survey teams safe it would definitely be him, even if he was on his own. Many archaeologists or non-combatant specialists often became annoyed by soldiers getting involved and clogging up their dig sites but for this mission she felt somewhat relieved that an armed presence would be securing the area and keeping watch and Wilson was the sort of level headed veteran who would keep them out of trouble.

Devonshire was beaming at her again, it was a facial expression that seemed alien to his usual serious demeanour, she had never thought he could be giddy about anything, not even as a teenager. She had always presumed that he had been in his mid forties since he was a child.

“Isn’t this exciting?” he enthused.

“Indeed sir.” She smiled. His excitement was infectious and there was a flame within her that was starting to burn brighter as she thought about the prospect and raised herself out of the rut she feared she lived in and the dark dank boredom this voyage had brought. She could spend the four month journey home reconsidering her next move in life and what she wanted, now she should just make the most of this opportunity to break up any monotony.

“I think the best thing we can do now is prepare for the dig. Jane, you should go and make sure the equipment is ready for deployment and working properly.”

The flame snuffed out but she managed a resigned nod and half smile. “Of course sir.”

Prisoner

I opened the other phial and poured it into the glass beaker and began to mix the two viscous golden liquids together with the glass rod viciously with a repetitive clink clink of glass on glass. 

"How long will this take?" the filtered voice of my captor echoed breathlessly in my ear. I could see their helmeted visage reflected on a dozen different bottles on my work bench.

"I am going as fast as I can, you cannot rush this delicate reaction" I said slowly not ceasing my work for a heartbeat.

"I took you because you were supposedly the best and most efficient." Again, the slow metallic voice bereft of emotion.

I remembered that night, being awoken from my bunk by an armoured glove gripping my night shirt and throwing me to the flagstone floor. The pale green armoured figure casually aiming a shock rifle steadily at me whilst I bundled some clothes into a bag.

Being shoved at rifle point out into the corridor, past the dead security guard hunched over a blackened blaster wound and out into the cold night towards the customised insectile vessel hidden out in the woods. The memory of seeing my roommate's lifeless grey eyes staring across at me, her mouth open in a silent sigh as the blood ran from deep slash in those dainty wrists into a dark pool. Sigardson was her name, she'd only been at the facility a few days but was enthusiastic about her work in Quantum theory and the crystalline drives that powered our great warships. She had been innocent, I was innocent!

"You took me because I was easy to catch." I said testily, ceasing stirring and looking up into those lifeless black eye plates. "Now do you want this to work or not?"

I felt the steel blade gently pushing against my chest almost immediately, I'm not sure when or from where it was drawn but the promise was definite.
"Pretty ballsy Professor, now finish the job or you'll end up like your pal Sigardson."

My mouth worked quicker than my brain and I heard myself saying "Why? Can you mix this accurately?"

The blade shifted from a gentle threat to clear and present danger as it now broke the skin of my abdomen enough to make me recoil and for blood to begin staining my pale grey jumpsuit.

"Back to work." Metallically filtered or not, you could hear the menace in the voice. I obeyed immediately.

As I stirred and added the sodium chlorite as well as the hydrogen monoxide.

"How did you know Sigardson?" I muttered.

"I didn't know her. We spoke before she died. She was not who I wanted and a possible lose end."

"So you killed her?" I tried not to let my attention falter from the reaction in front of me.

"I was merciful." the voice was blunt.

"Merciful? You slit her wrist and left her to bleed to death." I choked a little.

"Professor, what do you think is going on here? My employer needs this compound and as quickly as possible, they're up against something far more evil than me. I did her a favour, if the others had got their hands on her, and they would have, then... She'd have died but not well."

My stomach churned. What was I a part of? Maybe the mercenary was right and Sigardson did go the right way, but what will happen to me when I am no longer useful. I took the first step in that direction.

"I've finished," I muttered. "hand me that bottle would you?"

The blade vanished from my side and I heard the click of the shock rifle as it was laid against the laboritory wall, I glanced sideways at it and at the slim armoured figure at the next work station looking for the stoppered conicle glass I'd indicated. I quickly began running the math on my chances.

"Don't even think about it." There was a firmness in the mercanry's voice that like a boot on a spider, crushed any thoughts I had. "Unless you have my DNA you can't pull the trigger."

I sighed and took the flask when it was held out for me by the same gloved fist that had pulled me out of bed that night.

"Are we done here?"

I gently poured the compound into the flask and placed the orange stopper into it. "Yes all done." I held it out for the merc to take, if I was to die here they could carry their own damn formula.

"You carry it, I may need to blast us out of here professor." My captor moved deftly but surely towards the door and peered out into the metallic corridor beyond. "Looks clear. Keep behind me and if rounds start flying stay low. You're no good to me dead. Although if the Syndicate's goodn get their hands on you you'll wish I had cut your wrists too."

I looked over the table briefly to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything - an old habbit of mine that held no relevance to this new life I found myself living. Then my eyes fell on something on the floor next to the table and my heart lept! There was an universal key card, it looked rather battered but looked to be in working order. I examined it from a distance and my heart stopped when I saw the familiar chipped corner of my cell key. It must have fallen out of the mercanry's utility pouches. I quickly scooped it up and followed the armoured figure to the doorway clinging to the phial because my life genuinely depended on it surviving the journey back to the ship. After that... Well that depended on the Merc.

Reunion

It was one of those awful London winter's days where the sun's light never permeates through the clouds and the rain never stops falling. It was the kind of rain that cuts through your clothes driven by the chilly wind that came off the Thames freezing you to your very bones.


I was stood on the quarter deck of HMS Belfast on duty as security, my regulation Navy cap sopping wet and clinging and a period woollen cloak pulled around myself in a futile attempt to keep warm and dry but I could no longer feel anything.


My mind wandered to keep itself occupied and I compiled my shopping list, a to do list of household jobs - I even began composing a letter to my Great aunt in France to whom I hadn't spoken to in four years. I lazily scanned the shoreline looking for something, anything to peak my interest but there was nothing only a few people hurrying along the South bank for cover from the rain. No one wanted to be out on a day like this and those who were hurried so they tried to get back inside all save one. A woman stood opposite me on the shore under a broad black umbrella. She wore a thigh length rain coat buttoned and belted against the elements. Dark leggings tucked into calf high boots clung to her as the wind and rain plastered her. Slowly she raised her free hand and waved gently.


My eyes widened as I raised from my stupor. Had she waved at me?


I looked closer at her face, the short brown hair, the elfin shape face and a smile that seemed to sparkle as much as her eyes did. My heart began to swell at the realisation that she was back. 


I began moving before I had realised what was going on, breaking into a sprint I powered down the gang way skidding slightly in a puddle as I turned the corner but I didn't care what any on lookers would think. All that matters was her.


It had been eight months since I had seen her last. We had stood on the street corner outside the gastro pub after an over priced lunch and said our goodbyes. We'd hugged and stared into each other's eyes leaving so much unsaid.


The next morning she had left for South east Asia and Australia.


Every day I kicked myself for not telling her how I really felt and every day I missed her. Now, after eight months of torture she was back.


I tried to come to as a dignified stop as I could but the slippery surface meant I skidded with a fair amount of flailing but I did not fall. Caroline waited statue like and elegant the embodiment of order to my chaos.


"G'day" she smiled cheekily and my heart began to melt. 


I had a thousand things I wanted to say and ask but all I could muster was a feeble "Hi" before lapsing into an awkward silence as I wracked my brains for anything to resuscitate the dying conversation. "When did you get back?"


"Yesterday morning. I was going to call you but I was so tired after the flight I had to sleep" she paused "I really missed you Chris"


Hearing her say my name lit a fire within me that burned and sparked with excitement reigniting long lost and buried feelings. I'd been preparing myself for her never to come back or to have met someone out there.


"Every night as I lay in bed I'd find myself thinking about you or wondering what you were up too. Even when I was stood in areas of great natural beauty or swimming on the Great Barrier reef and all I could think was you would love it here." She furrowed her brow and looked down at her feet. "I kept thinking how much I hated you for it. You invaded my head and have taken up so much of my waking thought. I realised that the reason was because..." she faltered leaving a pregnant pause that left me on the edge of my seat, it felt like an eternity passed before she spoke. She sighed as if it cleared her mind before looking into my eyes and starting again. "Chris, I..." another sigh and she looked out across the water and in a distant voice "As crazy as it sounds I need you in my life." her voice dropped to a whisper that was almost lost on the wind. "I love you."


It hit me like a thunder clap winding me. After those years of uncertainty, pain and sleepless nights she was telling me what I had dreamed of hearing but I couldn't give her an answer. 


Caroline stared at me reading a million different things in my silence and getting the wrong answer. Her eyes began to narrow and the corners of her mouth started to turn down. I knew that look and what was to follow and I had to act quickly.


I stepped forward and embraced her wrapping my arms around her and pressing my wet body against her. She tried to struggle for a second in surprise but then melted into me her eyes lost the glower of the building anger and returned to quizzically studying me.


"I've always loved you. From the first days on gallery, at Winter wonderland and every day you were away from me has been an agony."


A smile broke across her face and her eyes seem to sparkle in the darkness of that wet autumnal morning. 


I kissed her soft pink lips and she put both hands on the sides of my face leaving the umbrella to blow away along the South bank. I couldn't help thinking about how long I had waited for this day, to feel her touch, to hear her say the words I'd been longing to hear, for us to finally be together. I wanted this moment to never end, this was how I had always envisioned it.


She pulled away and our eyes met again, my heart racing.


"We should get out of here, have a coffee and talk." she said.


I glanced over my shoulder at the Ship at anchor, the gathering crowd of Yeoman, the look on the Chief's face. I was in trouble but I really didn't care.


"Sure, where shall we go?" I asked unhooking my radio and pass.


"I know a good place opposite Sydney Opera house, if you'll come with me?"


I smiled at her broadly, setting my work stuff on the ground and taking her by the hand. "Sure, lead the way."