Date: 2015-05-26 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: scifi for kids
Description: On the Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio, something has gone terribly wrong. Millions of light years off course and 900 years late, the ship’s AIs wake up only seven kids, leaving the adults stuck in cryosleep! Damaged from the long journey, the AIs must repair the awakened seven with the only thing available–cybernetic robot parts. Along with learning to function with new cyber parts, the all-kid crew must unravel the mystery of what went wrong with the Scorpio. As if the nightmare of deep space isn’t enough, the kids soon find themselves battling the ship’s maintenance robots while their cyber p
Publisher: Permuted Press

Scarescapes Book One:

Phantom Limbs!

Jake Bible

A PERMUTED PRESS BOOK

Published at Smashwords

ISBN: 978-1-61868-519-3

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-61868-520-9

SCARESCAPES BOOK ONE

Phantom Limbs!

© 2015 by Jake Bible

All Rights Reserved

Cover art by Jack Keely

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Permuted Press

109 International Drive, Suite 300

Franklin, TN 37067
http://permutedpress.com

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

About the Author

Chapter One

“Good morning, Captain McNeal.”

“Good morning, Pilot,” I reply, spitting toothpaste into the sink. I look in the mirror at my pale skin that’s covered in freckles and the tangle of red hair that insists that “friz” is a style. “But what have we talked about?”

“I am to call you Isla since you consider your father to be the true captain of the Scorpio,” Pilot responds. “However, since you are acting captain it would be against my protocol to call you by your first name.”

“I’m twelve, Pilot,” I say, turning from the mirror. I look about the three meter square space and see that my boots have been set out for me. “I’m still a kid. Call me Isla, please.”

“You are 1013 years old,” Pilot says. “That makes you an adult by all legal standards. That is why you are able to perform as captain.”

“I’m 1012, Pilot,” I reply.

“Today is your birthday. You are now 1013.”

I pause as I slip my boots on.

“My birthday,” I say. “Wow…”

I shake my head, not wanting to dwell on the fact that I won’t be able to celebrate with my parents. They aren’t exactly waking up anytime soon, as far as I know.

“Pilot, for my birthday, I want you to start calling me Isla. Can you do that?”

“I would prefer not to, Captain McNeal.”

“But can you? Will your protocol let you?”

He is silent for a minute and I smile, knowing he doesn’t need more than a second to process the request.

“I can, yes, Capt— Isla, but I would prefer not to.”

“How about just today then?” I ask, standing and kicking my boots against the wall to make sure they have sealed properly to my grey and blue uniform. “As my birthday present?”

“For today, I will,” Pilot says. “Tomorrow I will resume calling you Captain McNeal.”

“That’s a deal, Pilot,” I smile as I wait for my door to open. “Uh, Pilot? Is Security having an issue?”

“Is your door not sliding open, Isla?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Let me confer with Security.”

Three seconds later.

“Security has informed me that diagnostic tests will be run today. There may be occasional issues, but you and the rest of the crew are not to worry.”

“Thanks, Pilot,” I say as the door finally slides open. “Have Security let me know personally when the tests are complete.”

“I believe you will be well aware of when the tests are complete,” Pilot says.

“What does that mean?”

“That is what Systems has told me to pass on,” Pilot says.

“Uh…okay. Keep an eye on things, will ya?”

“Yes, Isla, I will.”

I leave my room and step out into the main room of the cabin I was supposed to share with my parents and little brother. But my parents didn’t wake up from cryosleep, so it’s just me and Felix representing Family McNeal.

Felix is ten, but you technically have to add 1000 years to both of our ages since we didn’t wake up 100 years after leaving Earth like planned. Instead there was a glitch and we slept for 1000 years.

Yep, Pilot wasn’t kidding, I’m 1013 years old.

“Would you like your morning report, Isla?” Pilot asks, his voice echoing from one of the speakers set into the ceiling of our cabin.

“I’m going to wake Felix up first,” I say, heading to my little brother’s door across the cabin.

“He is already awake and is being very difficult with Supply at the moment,” Pilot says.

“Fruit again?” I sigh.

“Yes, Isla, fruit again,” Pilot responds. “Health has calibrated the diets of every active crew member precisely. If Felix does not eat his rations then he will have to be removed from active duty and returned to cryosleep. That is something I would prefer not to do since Systems has yet to understand why the remaining 9993 passengers aboard the Scorpio have not awoken as expected.”

“Systems is a thousand years late on that one, Pilot,” I laugh. “I’ll go talk to him.” I walk to the cabin door, yank on the handle, and wait. “If Security will let me out.”

The door slides open.

“My apologies, Isla.”

“Don’t apologize for Security, Pilot,” I say, stepping into the passageway so I can hurry to the mess hall and kick my little brother’s butt for being such a pain.

“I am the senior Artificial Intelligence protocol, Isla,” Pilot says. “It is my responsibility to make sure all other AI protocols are functioning properly. I may have to perform a few tests to diagnose the issue.”

“Do what you need to do, Pilot,” I say, turning a corner and stopping in my tracks.

“Are you alright, Isla?”

“I’m peachy, Pilot,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Just stunned by the view, as always.”

Most of the passageways are bland grey with the occasional porthole looking out into space, but the wall of this passageway is three feet thick plastiglass that looks out onto miles of barren asteroid. Far off I can see the shimmer of the primary shield dome that protects the surface structures of the Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio—a retrofitted hunk of space rock that is one of twelve designed for long range, deep space travel.

I never get used to the fact I’m floating in space, a couple million light years from Earth. An Earth that probably doesn’t exist anymore, not after the way humanity destroyed it, and especially not after a thousand years.

But that’s not something I want to dwell on. So I keep walking and leave the view behind, taking the many twists and turns through the Scorpio until I reach the mess hall.

It looks like almost everyone else is here, all laughing at the way Felix is standing in the middle of one of the many long tables, his arms crossed, his mouth clamped shut. He also has a mass of red hair like mine, but nature spared him the freckles. He keeps shaking his head back and forth as a galley robot, one of the many hover bots that perform various functions throughout the Scorpio, tries to pry his mouth open with small, metal pinchers.

You’d think that would be easy since a robot is much stronger than a ten year old boy. Except Felix has a cybernetic jaw. And left eye. And right arm.

I should probably mention that I have two cybernetic legs. My flesh and blood legs didn’t make it through the thousand years of cryosleep. When I woke up, I found that Health and Systems had replaced my legs with cybernetic ones—basically I have robot legs. They look real, feel real, and I probably would never have known they weren’t real if Pilot hadn’t been required to tell me.

“Dude,” Carlos Barraza laughs. “Just eat your fruiting fruit.”

“Yeah, dude,” Carlos’s brother Enrico nods. “Supply is under orders to make sure you eat your fruit. You don’t eat it and Health will have to put you in a box. We won’t be able to stop him.”

“But we will draw funny mustaches and things on your box,” Carlos says.

“Totally,” Enrico nods.

Carlos and Enrico are eleven year old identical twins, with dark hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin. Carlos had to have his spine and ribcage replaced with high-impact alloy steel, while Enrico had his entire larynx, sinuses, and auditory system replaced. You should hear him do impressions with his cybernetic voicebox. It’s eerie how good he is.

Their family was to be in charge of Health, since their parents are doctors. But, they were the only two that woke up. That puts them in charge of Health.

And Health doesn’t listen to them at all.

I don’t either since they are full of fruit most of the time.

Fruit: our catchall swear word. Trust me, if you could ever taste the “fruit” that Supply gives us you’d know why. Not good.

But, just because the fruit tastes like fruit doesn’t mean Felix doesn’t have to eat the fruit.

“Felix Lawrence McNeal!” I shout. “You’ll eat your fruit just like everyone else. I don’t care what it tastes like, eat it!”

Felix glares at me, which can be weird since his cybernetic eye just kinda glows red. He shakes his head, still refusing to eat.

“Yes, you will, young man,” I snap. “It’s my birthday. Did you get me a present?”

Felix glares some more then shakes his head again.

“I didn’t think so,” I sneer. “So your present to me will be that you eat your fruit. That way we can be done here and get on with our duties. Understood?”

Felix keeps glaring then sighs. “Fine,” he says. The second his mouth opens the galley bot shoves a handful of multicolored, cherry-like things right in there. Felix gags for a second then chews quickly and swallows.

“I hate you,” he says, pointing a finger at the galley bot. The poor thing hovers off as fast as possible, its propulsion panels glowing bright blue. Felix looks at me. “You, I’m not sure of.”

“Be nice,” a voice says by my shoulder. “It’s her birthday.”

I look over and all I see are teeth and eyes and dimples and—

“Oh, hey, Landon,” I say, trying to be cool. “I didn’t see you there.”

“That’s because I was behind you,” Landon Fields says, that crooked smile on his face that just makes me—

“Happy birthday, Isla!” Landon’s little sister Ajay shouts as she jumps at me and wraps her arms about my waist.

Ajay is nine, and small for her age, but I guess we are all small for our ages once you add in the extra thousand years. But dang if she isn’t a cute little thing. Wavy black hair with light chocolate skin, Ajay is so button cute I want to eat her up sometimes.

She’s also a little clingy, and a little immature for nine, but what little girl whose parents are stuck in cryosleep wouldn’t be?

Landon is thirteen and tall. He’s like almost half a foot taller than me, and I’m five feet and three inches. His skin is chocolate like Ajay’s, but his hair isn’t wavy like hers, instead it’s curled tight to his head. He keeps it really short and it’s cool as all heck.

Uh, I’ll shut up now.

Like the rest of us, Ajay and Landon have cybernetic enhancements. None of us were spared the difficulties of cryosleep. Which isn’t surprising since the cryosleep technology was only developed a couple years before the ECAs set out. Basically you get in a plastiglass box, like a high-tech coffin, and you go into a deep coma. You sleep for as long as the trip takes, that way you don’t age or die along the way.

Kinda cool. If they worked like they were supposed to. We’re still waiting for everyone else to wake up. But, hey, we’re alive, right? So that’s a win.

Little Ajay had to have her lungs replaced, which is something I can’t even, like, comprehend. The girl has new lungs. Crazy. Landon didn’t lose any limbs, but he did have every joint in his body replaced and his bones reinforced with alloy steel in order to stand the force and pressure of those new joints. That’s pretty crazy too.

Landon and Ajay’s mom was supposed to be security chief, while their dad was supply chief. Since Ajay is so young, Landon handles both duties. Not that there’s much for any of us to handle since the AIs do all the work.

AIs—Artificial Intelligences. Computer programs that can think and act independently. They are what really run the Scorpio, making sure we don’t drift into a star, or run out of air, or die of malnutrition. That kind of stuff. They’re handy. We don’t really have to do much as a crew except stay out of trouble. Which the twins and Felix don’t seem to get.

I’m busy smiling like a fruiting doofus at Landon when Bessie comes into the mess hall. Blonde hair that she dyes bright pink, blue eyes, and a face dotted with grease, Bessie Sacher is only a few months younger than me and in charge of Systems. She sees me next to Landon and frowns.

You can probably guess why.

Her hands are just as greasy as her face. Unlike the rest of us, whose cybernetic enhancements can’t be distinguished from regular body parts, Bessie’s hands are shiny metal and glowing lines of fiberoptic lights. The girl loves to fix things and the synthskin was always being replaced so she told Health just to leave the synthskin off.

Landon thinks it’s cool. Ugh.

“Hey, Bessie.” Landon smiles. “You working already?”

“Getting some hover bikes operational.” Bessie smiles. “Thought maybe we could hit the forest later and run the trails.”

“That would be great.” Landon nods. “Security is running diagnostics, so how about after those are done? It’s my duty to make sure it all goes smoothly.”

“Hasn’t been doing that,” Carlos says. “The smoothly thing. I got stuck in the fruiting latrine for fifteen minutes this morning. Stall wouldn’t open up.”

“I thought he’d fallen in and got ejected out into space,” Enrico says. “It was a bummer when I found out he wasn’t.”

“Pilot said that there may be issues while Security runs the diagnostics,” I announce. “I don’t know if hitting the trails on hover bikes is a good idea. At least not until Security gives the green light.”

“That’s for Landon to say,” Bessie smirks.

“No, no, it’s Isla’s duty as captain to make that call,” Landon says.

I know he’s trying to diffuse the situation, but it makes me bristle a little when he does that around Bessie. I don’t need him to stick up for me; I’m captain, after all.

“We can use the time to get in a session with Tutor,” I say, ignoring the groans from the twins and Felix. “We’ve been lax on our studies as Tutor has reminded me every day this week. Just because we’re kids and our parents are still asleep doesn’t mean we get to slack off, even if the AIs run everything.”

“I hate Tutor,” Felix says. “That AI can kiss my fruit.”

“Don’t be crude,” I snap.

“Can we pick the subject today?” Enrico asks.

“I vote for science,” Carlos says. “Maybe we can do some chemistry experiments and learn how to make explosives.”

“We know how to make explosives,” Enrico says.

“No, I mean ones that work,” Carlos says.

“No explosives,” I say. “Do you really think explosives are a good idea when we are floating in the middle of deep space?”

“Yes,” they both reply.

“Then you’re wrong,” I say. “Maybe Tutor can explain why.”

“I would be happy to, Isla McNeal,” Tutor’s melodic voice says from the speakers. “Today would be a good time for a refresher lesson on the history of Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio and the mission, don’t you think? I can remind you why explosives on a spaceship are not only a bad idea, but a potentially lethal one.”

“Boring,” Felix says. “Boring, boring, boring.”

“I will try to make it more engaging for you, Felix McNeal,” Tutor says.

“I doubt it.” Felix frowns. “No stupid AI can be anything but booooorrrring.”

Our mother was supposed to be in charge of education on the Scorpio. Felix tends to lash out at Tutor for that reason. Especially since Tutor’s voice sounds like Mom’s. So there’s that.

“Shush,” I say. “We’ll have a Tutor session while we wait for Security to run its diagnostics. That’s an order.”

“You’re not Dad,” Felix snaps. “You can go fruit—”

“Felix McNeal knock it off!” I shout. He cringes a little and I can see his eyes well with tears.

“Whatever,” he says as he jumps down from the table. “Let’s go learn fruit.”

I sigh and shake my head.

“Good leadership there.” Bessie smiles as she watches Felix leave the mess. Carlos and Enrico are right behind him. “It takes a special person to turn their own brother against them.”

Bessie laughs and walks out, leaving me with Landon and Ajay.

“I should probably apologize,” I say.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Landon says, patting me on the shoulder. “Being captain doesn’t always mean you make people happy or feel good. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions that no one likes, not even you.”

“You should be the captain,” I say. “You’d be way better at it.”

“No he wouldn’t,” Ajay says, tugging my hand towards the door. “You’re the best captain.”

“Thanks, Ajay.” I smile. “That’s sweet of you.”

“You were chosen,” Landon says. “Pilot and the AIs have kept us alive for almost a year now on our own, so I trust he knows what he’s doing.”

“You’re pretty trusting,” I say.

Landon shrugs. “What choice do I have?” he asks. “I could spend my days worrying like you know who.” He nods towards his sister then looks out the doorway. “Or be a jerk like Felix.”

“Or never taking anything serious like the twins,” I add.

“Or crabby like Bessie.” He nods. “But why? Where’s the fun in that?”

“True.” I grin. “Thanks.”

“For what?” he asks as we leave the mess and head for the area of the Scorpio set up as the school.

“For giving me a little perspective on my birthday. And for calling Bessie crabby.” I grin. Then sigh. “But I’m thirteen now. Time to grow up a little.”

“Nah, don’t do that,” Landon says. “I think 1013 is grown up enough, don’t you?”

I nod as he gives me a playful nudge. We walk the passageways, passing the occasional plastiglass portholes showing the asteroid’s surface. Whatever star system we are in has the weirdest light. It’s like a purplish-green. Reminds me of a funhouse my parents took me to when I was little; right before they restricted movement on Earth and you could only leave your building in the safe suits.

“What am I?” I ask just before we get to the school doorway.

“What do you mean?” Landon says. “You’re the captain.”

“No, no, what am I like? If Felix is a jerk and Bessie is a grump then what am I?”

“Pretty,” Ajay says.

I blush as I smile down at her.

“Strong,” Landon says, moving past me into the school. “And pretty, too.”

“See?” Ajay says, tugging at my hand.

But I’m glued in place.

He didn’t just say that.

When I finally get my feet moving, I find Bessie standing just inside the doorway.

“Grump?” she asks, her face pinched and red with anger. “Who do you think you are to call me a grump?”

“I’m captain?” I reply, an apologetic look on my face. My apologetic look loses to her angry pinched look. “Sorry.”

“Not cool, McNeal,” Bessie says. “Not cool at all.”

She kneels down next to Ajay and whispers in her ear. Ajay’s eyes go wide and she looks up at me, her lip trembling. The next thing I know Ajay is yanking her hand from mine and running down the hall. She ducks into the classroom, the sound of sobbing trailing behind her.

“What did you say?” I snap.

“Just that you made sure our parents didn’t wake up,” Bessie says. “Because you’d do anything to be captain, even toss her out an airlock if you had to.”

“You fruiting, little—” I snarl.

“Girls?” Tutor’s voice says above us. “Is everything alright?”

“Just fine, Tutor,” Bessie smirks as she walks away. “Ready for that refresher on Scorpio history. It’s gonna be great. Right, Isla?”

“Yeah, sure,” I say.

“Oh, and Isla?” Bessie says just before going into the classroom. “Happy birthday. I hope it’s just the absolute best.”

Gee…thanks…

Chapter Two

The classroom looks just like the 22nd century classrooms I used to attend back on Earth. While it was over a thousand years ago, it feels like yesterday.

There’s the holoscreen up front that projects images into the air, letting us study things in perfect three dimensional reality. The desks set up in nice rows with keyboard interfaces and touch screen surfaces. Walls lined with constantly changing posters and decorations telling us to “Hang in there!”, “Learn something new!”, “Always do your best!” and my personal favorite, “Never, never, never, never give up!”

Someone got paid by the never to write that one.

“Please have a seat, crew members,” Tutor says.

That’s a nice touch, calling us crew members. Tutor could call us children or kids, or students, but she doesn’t. She knows that we work hard, and live a life that many kids have nightmares about, so we deserve some respect. I look over at Bessie as she takes her seat.

Well, some of us deserve respect…

“Shall we start at the beginning?” Tutor asks. “I don’t believe we have fully discussed Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio in several months.”

“You know how long, Tutor,” Bessie says. “Just say it.”

“It has been five months and seven days since we last reviewed Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio,” Tutor says. “But, Carlos was sick that day. Can you remind us why you were sick, Carlos?”

“Because Enrico dared me to do a hundred somersaults in zero gravity,” Carlos answers. “And it messed with my inner ear thingy, making me seasick for days.”

“Motion sick,” Tutor corrects. “We are not at sea, so you cannot be seasick.”

“But ECA Scorpio is a ship, right?” Enrico says. “And you get seasick on a ship, don’t you? I mean, we use nautical terms like the Navy all the time.”

“We are not at sea,” Tutor says again.

“We’re at space,” Carlos says. “So I got spacesick.”

“We are in space,” Tutor corrects. “Approximately, two million light years from Earth.”

“If we’re lost then how do you know that?” Bessie asks. “There’s no way to know that.”

“Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio’s logs show us to be that distance from Earth,” Tutor states.

“How’d we get this far?” Felix asks. “Even being asleep for a thousand years there’s no way we could go that far in that time. Tutor us that, Tutor.”

“There are gaps in the data,” Tutor says. “But where there are not gaps is in the origin and mission of Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio.”

“Just call it ECA Scorpio,” Bessie says. “You don’t have to say the whole name every fruiting time.”

“No fruit, sister,” Carlos smiles.

“Fruit on, Ms. Sacher!” Enrico adds.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Carlos frowns. “Fruit on? Just say right on.”

“I thought fruit could be substituted for anything,” Enrico says.

“Not anything.” Carlos sighs. “Then we’d just be saying fruit all the time.” He scrunches up his face. “Fruit to the fruit on the fruit, good fruit? Have you fruited the fruit over by the fruit yesterfruit? From whence does your fruit fruit, fruity fruit fruit fruit?”

“Whence?” Ajay asks. “What’s that?”

“Whence, an adverb meaning from what place or source,” Tutor explains. “Or from which; from where.”

“Oh,” Ajay says looking at Carlos. “Fruit comes from the orchard. Everyone knows that.”

“Yes, yes it does,” Carlos nods. “You get an A for today.”

“You are not qualified to hand out grades, Carlos,” Tutor says. “If Ajay completes her work then she will be awarded the appropriate grade for the day which will be logged in her record.”

“And get a cookie,” Carlos says.

We all shudder, even Bessie, since cookies taste almost as bad as the fruit. Someone really needs to learn how to reprogram Supply on those things.

“I don’t want a cookie.” Ajay shudders.

“None of us do, A to the jay,” Carlos says, shaking his head and frowning deeply. “None of us do.”

“Can we begin the lesson?” Landon asks, frustrated. “I need to be available to check on Security. It’s my responsibility, even if the AI does all of the work.”

“Yes, Landon, we shall begin,” Tutor says and the lights go dim as the holographic display brings up a detailed image of Earth.

“The late 21st century Earth,” Tutor says. “The planet has been ravaged by environmental catastrophes, leaving the land in either famine or flood zones. Coastal regions, where much of the population and economic strength lay, have been destroyed do to sea levels rising at a rate never before seen in Earth’s history. All predictions turned out to be grossly inadequate and the population of the Earth was faced with finding a radical new solution or extinction in less than a century.”

The image shifts out into the solar system and focuses on the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. One by one, twelve large asteroids are highlighted and pulled from the belt for close up display.

“The Zodiac Asteroids,” Tutor says. “Each named after a sign of the Western astrological zodiac. The asteroids were chosen for their size, an average length of 15 kilometers and diameter of 20 kilometers at its midpoint, for their raw mineral content, and also for their stability.”

The tenth asteroid is highlighted while the others fall back into the belt.

“Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio,” Tutor says. “Your home.”

The image quickly starts to shift as time-lapse graphics take over and represent the retrofitting of the asteroid from space rock to spaceship. Structures are built, tunnels created, systems put in place. All leading to the final installation and activation of the primary shield dome which protects the asteroid from space debris and radiation. There’s a secondary shield dome that houses the environmental sciences area—meadows, orchards, forests, even a lake and river.

“In the early 22nd century, 10,000 people were chosen for each Earth Colony Asteroid, all based on specific qualifications that would allow them to be useful once the asteroids found their destinations,” Tutor says as the other asteroids come to the forefront and join the Scorpio. They suddenly shoot off into space and the perspective zooms out to show a larger slice of the Milky Way galaxy. “The Scorpio has thirty-two plasma engines, with half positioned on the aft end of the asteroid. These engines can propel the Scorpio through the galaxy at the speed of light, sending it out on its 100 year voyage to find a new planet that can sustain human life.”

“Yeah, how’d that work out?” Enrico whispers.

Tutor ignores him and continues. “The 10,000 passengers were placed in cryosleep chambers and put into stasis for 100 years. That way the Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio could reach its destination without the passengers depleting the resources during the journey.”

“I miss Mommy,” Ajay says, grabbing onto Landon’s hand.

He squeezes it tight, but keeps his eyes on the holograph. I look over at him and smile, but then see Bessie doing the same thing. We lock eyes for a second then turn back to the holograph.

“Each Earth Colony Asteroid was equipped with programs so they could be run autonomously by the newly developed Artificial Intelligence protocols while the human inhabitants slept.”

There’s a slight flicker to the holograph, and then the room’s power, and we all sit upright, gripping our desks until several knuckles pop.

“Pilot? Report,” I order.

“Captain?” Pilot responds.

“The power surge, what was it?” I ask.

“There was no power surge detected, Captain,” Pilot replies.

I ignore the fact he isn’t calling me Isla and focus on the fact that he didn’t detect a power surge we all clearly saw. I look over at Bessie and her brows are furrowed with worry.

“Systems?” she asks. “Pilot is saying there wasn’t a power surge. Please double check logs and verify.”

A deep voice responds right away. “No power surge detected in the last twenty-four hours. Would you like me to investigate further back?”

“Systems, we all just saw a power surge,” Bessie says. “Double check, please.”

“Again, no power surges detected,” Systems replies.

“Run diagnostics immediately,” Bessie orders.

“I am sorry, but Security is currently running diagnostics,” Systems says. “For the safety of the crew and all passengers of the ECA Scorpio, only one AI diagnostics protocol can be run at a time.”

“Pilot, please note in the log that the crew has visually witnessed a power surge and Systems is incorrect in its findings,” I say then look at Bessie for confirmation.

“As soon as Security is done with its diagnostics then I want Systems to run a full regimen,” Bessie says. “Understood?”

“Understood,” Systems says. “Will that be all?”

“Yes, Systems, thank you,” Bessie says.

Too bad she isn’t as polite to everyone else as she is to the Systems AI.

“Shall I continue?” Tutor asks. “I do not detect any issues with my programs.”

“Please do, Tutor,” I say. “It’s always—”

“Boooooring,” Felix says. “Skip ahead to where the AIs all screw up and get us off course. Oh, and forget to wake everyone up. Then decide that only a bunch of kids should get kicked out of cryosleep, because, you know, who’s more qualified to run a fruiting spaceship than kids, right? And don’t forget the part where the AIs replace our pieces and parts with cybernetic pieces and parts.” He clacks his jaw a couple of times. “Can we just skip to that part?”

“No,” Ajay says, glaring at Felix. To be honest, we’re all glaring at him. “I want to see the trees grow.”

“Thank you, Ajay,” Tutor says. “I would like to see that also.”

The holograph begins to show different parts of the asteroid as it is changed from barren rock to lush fields and forests.

“Part of the mission of Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio, is to come up with new ways to terraform alien planets if needed,” Tutor says. “But, thanks to the unknown anomaly that has caused all passengers, present company excepted, to remain asleep for 1000 years and counting, the AIs of Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio had ample opportunity to perform environmental adjustments and experiments within the secondary shield dome.”

The holographic image zooms past acres of cultivated farmland and into a dense coniferous forest of tall fir trees, cedars, and pines.

“Due to the variables of space travel, only certain species could survive,” Tutor explains. “Leaving others to be adapted and evolved as needed until new species of plants and trees were created.”

“Fruit,” Carlos says.

“Fruit,” Enrico nods.

“Fruit,” everyone else echoes.

“Fruit,” Tutor states. “A hybrid mix of grapes, strawberries, apples, bananas, and gooseberries. Highly nutritious.”

“And tastes like fruit,” Felix says. “Not good fruit, but fruit fruit.”

“The fruit is only one of many edible plant species created,” Tutor says. “Some more palatable than others. But all part of a balanced diet created by Health and overseen by Supply.”

“What about the aliens?” Ajay asks. “Talk about them.”

“There has been no confirmed contact with any non-human life forms during Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio’s journey,” Tutor says.

“I’ve seen them.” Ajay nods, very sure of herself. “Outside the dome. Watching us.”

“There are no aliens,” Landon says. “We’d know.”

“I know,” Ajay says and crosses her arms.

“How’d we get so far off course?” Felix asks. “Was Pilot asleep too?”

“I was not asleep, Felix McNeal,” Pilot interrupts. “There were errors entered into my navigational systems. As well as other issues along the journey. I was forced to adapt as needed in order to keep this vessel from being destroyed by no less than six supernovas, two black holes, and a meteor storm that lasted six decades.”

“Pilot, please leave the education to me,” Tutor says. “Thank you.”

“Ooooooooooooooo,” the kids all call out, laughing.

“I apologize, Tutor,” Pilot says. “I will withdraw from the conversation.”

“Thank you,” Tutor says.

“No, thank you,” Carlos mocks.

“And thank you,” Enrico says.

“Thank you,” Carlos replies.

“Oh, but thank you,” Enrico responds.

“Thank—”

“Stop,” Bessie snaps. “Or I stop you.”

They stop.

The holographic image is complete and begins to zoom through the entire ship, showing all of the various cabins and passageways that cover the asteroid, as well as burrow deep below its surface.

“Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio is not only a safe environment for humans,” Tutor concludes. “But is a model for what can be accomplished once it completes its mission and finds a planet suitable for human habitation.”

The power flickers, flickers, flickers then goes out completely, plunging the classroom into pitch darkness, except for the faint light glowing from Bessie’s hands.

“Yeah,” Felix snorts. “Super safe.”

“Landon?” Ajay cries out. “Landon!”

“It’s okay,” Landon soothes. “Security emergency lights will turn on in a moment.”

They all wait.

“Uh, dude?” Carlos asks. “You were saying?”

“Security is down, remember?” Enrico says.

“Systems?” Bessie calls out. “Override Security and turn on the lights, please.”

Nothing. Not even a response.

“Systems!” Bessie shouts. “Override now and turn on the lights. At least the emergency lights!”

Still nothing.

“Great,” Felix says. “My day just got so much better.”

“Can it,” I snap. “Pilot?”

No response.

“Bessie? Can you tell if life support is even running?” I ask.

Ajay gives a little fear squeak.

“I can feel something running,” Bessie replies in the dark. “Put your hand to the floor.”

I do and am glad for the small vibration I feel.

“Engines are still online,” Landon says. “And even if all life support fails, we would still have enough oxygen to last us a month or two. Right, Bessie?”

“Yep,” Bessie responds, her voice and hands, moving slowly through the room. “Unless something goes wrong and vents the air out into space.”

Ajay squeaks again.

“Nice one. Can you try not to scare Ajay?” I say. Even in the darkness I can tell she’s shrugging. “And where are you going? You should stay put until we can see again.”

A bright light hits me in the face.

“Or I can find the emergency kit in the wall,” Bessie says, turning the beam onto Landon. “Which was what you should have done, Mr. Security Chief.”

“Sorry,” Landon says. “You’re right.”

“I know,” Bessie says, squatting by the wall. “Now someone hold this while I pry open a Systems panel.”

I’m pretty ticked at Bessie for making Landon look weak like that. We’re just kids and all doing our best. For a girl that obviously likes him she has a mean way of showing it sometimes. Actually, she has a mean way of showing everything all the time.

She’s really just kind of mean.

“I got it,” Felix says. “I can see just fine, so I’ll help.”

Right, his eye. Felix can see on many different spectrums from infrared to thermal and a whole lot more. I make out his shape moving across the room and taking the light from Bessie. I get up and follow, wanting to watch what she has planned; the others follow too.

Bessie looks at the crowd around her and frowns.

“Great. An audience,” she sighs. “No pressure.”

She pries off a panel in the wall and Felix shines the light along the glowing cables inside.

“There’s power running in the conduits,” Bessie says. “So why don’t we have lights?”

“Or annoying voices?” Felix adds.

“Weird not having the AIs scolding us for being dumb kids,” Carlos says.

“Speak for yourself, bro,” Enrico says. “You’re the dumb one.”

“But handsome.” Carlos laughs.

“You two look the same,” Ajay says. “And you’re both ugly.”

“Oh fruit, girl!” Enrico laughs. “You got us there! You get extra cookies for that burn!”

“Yuck,” Ajay says.

“Hush,” Bessie snaps. “This isn’t as easy as it looks.”

She shoves her hands into the panel, pushing cables this way and that. Her fingers start moving at a speed I can’t keep track of then she pulls her hands out and sits all the way down.

“Nothing,” she says. “There’s nothing wrong. Everything is running like it should. Except for the lights.” She looks at the wall by the door and stands up. “Let me try something.”

“Where are you going?” Landon asks.

“Gonna try the manual approach,” she says and shoves her right index finger into a port on the panel by the door. She twists one way then the other. “Nope. Never mind. I can’t even turn the lights on in just this room.”

“How many more flashlights do we have?” Carlos asks. “Not that I’m worried about the dark or anything. I’m just asking.”

“There are emergency kits in the other school rooms as well as in every passageway junction,” Landon says. “Let’s get out of here and find more kits then regroup in the dome. There’ll be natural light there.”

“You want us to go outside the passageways and sit in a field when at any second the shield dome could go down and fry us all with wave after wave of solar radiation?” Enrico asks. “That’s a good idea why?”

“First, because if the secondary shield dome goes down we’ll still have the main shield dome in place,” Landon says. “That’ll retain the atmosphere for a long while because of the plant life that’ll be around us. Second, we don’t know what other issues may happen and being in a field, or even the forest, will be safer than inside the passageways. If a fire breaks out while Security is down then we’ll have to battle it ourselves. You ever fought a fire?”

“No,” Enrico replies. “Have you?”

“No,” Landon says. “Never have. We get outside and wait this out.”

“It’ll be like camping, dude,” Carlos says. “Not that I’ve been camping. But I’ve watched it on the vid shows. Looks fun. You think Supply has any marshmallows?”

“Doubtful,” Felix says. “Those actually taste good. I think Supply hates anything that tastes good.”

“I don’t know,” Carlos replies. “The soypod tacos aren’t too bad.”

“They aren’t too good, either,” Enrico says.

“True. But better than the grain dogs.”

“Okay, okay, enough talk,” I say. “Landon is in charge of security, which means he’s also in charge of emergencies, and this is classified as an emergency in my book. We defer to him. Everyone listen up, alright?”

“Works for me,” Carlos says. “If we get marshmallows.”

“Dude, there are no marshmallows,” Enrico says and looks at Landon. “I’m cool with ya running the show.”

“You’re the boss, boss.” Bessie frowns.

“You bet!” Ajay says. “Camping will be fun!”

“You just keep thinking that,” Felix says then nods. “I’m in. Want me to lead the way?” He taps his eye.

“Sure, good idea,” Landon says. “Take us to the next emergency kit. We’ll get one for each of us along the way. Then we head to the dome.”

“Shouldn’t we go to the mess and grab food and stuff first?” Carlos asks.

“No, we don’t want to be loaded down with supplies we may not need,” Landon says. “We need to stay light and keep moving. We’ll find a camp site and while some of us get that set up we’ll see what supplies we actually do need. A couple of us will come back in and get them. That way we aren’t all at risk at once.”

“Dude, we’re always at risk,” Enrico says. “We’re in an asteroid floating through uncharted space.”

“Nothing I can do about that,” Landon says. “So let’s move.”

“Good plan.” Felix laughs. “And we know how well those work out on the Scorpio.”

“Just walk, smart fruit,” I say, shoving my brother towards the door. “Put that eye of yours to work.”

Felix leads the way with me behind him then Landon, Ajay, and the twins. Bessie is in the back with the flashlight. We get out of the classroom and Felix takes us down the hall to the next emergency kit. He pulls it from the wall and we hand it back until Enrico hangs onto it.

The next hall and Carlos gets one, then Ajay, Landon, me and finally Felix.

We all have emergency kits slung across our shoulders and I have to admit it feels nice knowing I at least have the basics to survive. First aid, thermal blanket, nutrition packets (I shudder to think what they taste like), hydro bottles that filter oxygen from the air when opened and create water, and, of course, flashlights.

We are quite a few passageways from the school when Felix stops.

“What’s up?” I ask, shining my light ahead. “You okay?”

“Shhh,” Felix says. “Ricky?”

Enrico comes forward. “What’s up, seeing eye dude?”

“Do you hear anything?”

Enrico tilts his head and frowns. He turns his head one way then the other then shakes it.

“No, nothing. Why?”

“Bot,” Felix says. “Hanging out around the next corner.”

“There’s bots everywhere, dude,” Carlos says.

“Except for now,” Bessie states. “Haven’t seen one since we left the school.”

“She’s right,” Landon says. “Where are all the hover bots? They’re usually bobbing around everywhere.”

“I think they’re cute,” Ajay says. “Like round, floating pets.”

“Part of the Security diagnostics?” I ask Landon. “Is that why they’re missing?”

“No,” Landon replies. “Bots are Systems.”

We all turn our flashlights on Bessie.

“Hey!” she snaps. “Do you mind?”

“Oops.”

“Sorry.”

“My bad, dude.”

“My badder, duderer.”

“Where are the hover bots?” I ask her.

“I don’t know,” Bessie says. “Just like I don’t know why we can’t talk to the AIs or get the lights up when we have power running through the walls.”

“It’s a mystery,” Ajay says. “I don’t like mysteries.”

“Well, there’s a fruiting bot up ahead,” Felix smirks. “And I’m sure it knows we’re coming since we are being so quiet.”

I look at Landon and raise my eyebrows. Then realize he probably can’t see me do that so I say, “Go forward and see what it’s up to? Or find a different way?”

“Forward,” Landon responds after shining his light along words on the wall that indicate what sector of the ship we’re in. “It’s just a bot. I want us out of the passageways ASAP. We need to regroup and go from there. Right now we’re in a dangerous limbo.”

“Every limbo boy and girl, do the limbo ‘round the world,” Enrico sings.

“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack go limbo under stick,” Carlos sings along.

“No, it’s under limbo stick, not limbo under stick,” Enrico says.

“I thought—”

“Stop,” I say. “Quiet.”

“I like that song,” Ajay says. “Can you sing it around the campfire?”

“No campfire,” Landon says. “Sorry, sis, but too dangerous.”

“You people are killing me,” Felix sighs. “Are we going, or what?”

“Move out,” Landon orders. “We’ll deal with the bot when we see it.”

Felix starts walking and we all follow, tension building as we get closer and closer to the corner.

Felix stops us at the junction, looks back at Landon, who gives him a nod, then needlessly does an exaggerated jump around the corner.

He starts screaming.

Carlos and Enrico turn and bolt, their flashlights bobbing as they run back the way we came. Bessie holds her flashlight up like a club and Ajay grabs onto Landon’s legs, preventing him from moving without falling over.

“Felix!” I yell and rush around to him.

But he’s just standing there, laughing and pointing.

“Oh, man, your face,” he says. “You should see it. It’s hilarious!”

I grab him by his uniform’s collar and pull him close.

“I’m done with your fruit,” I snarl. “No more, got it? This is serious, Felix. We don’t know what’s going on and none of us need your fruit today. Do you understand me?”

Felix wraps his right hand around mine. I know he can crush the bones in my hand if he wants to, since his whole right arm is cybernetic, but he won’t. Not with the look on my face.

“Sorry,” he says. “It was just a joke, okay?”

“Was there even a bot?” Landon asks, limping up behind us because Ajay is still clamped onto his left leg.

“Nope,” Felix grins. “I was messing with you all.” He pats my hand. “Can you let me go now?”

“If you promise not to pull another prank,” I say.

“I promise, Captain,” he grins. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Can I stick the needle in your eye?” Bessie asks causing Ajay to gasp.

“She’s not really going to do that,” Landon says as he struggles to pull his sister off his leg. “It’s just a saying.”

“Where are the twins?” I ask.

“Back that way,” Bessie says, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. “Want me to get them?”

“Uh, sure,” I say as I let my brother go and give him a little push. “Thanks.”

Bessie turns and cups her hands to her mouth and shouts at full volume, “Boys! It was a joke! Get your cowardly butts back here!”

“I could have done that,” I say.

“But you didn’t,” Bessie smiles.

We wait a few minutes then all look around the corner, back the way we came.

Nothing.

“How about you actually go get them?” I say to Bessie.

“Is that a direct order, Captain?” Bessie asks.

“No, that’s not a direct order,” I say, flustered. “When have I ever given a direct order? That’s not the captain I am.”

“You aren’t any captain, really,” Bessie says. “Just another kid like the rest of us.”

“Hold on,” Landon says before I can respond. “Here they come.”

We see their flashlights bobbing along as they run towards us.

“Hey, guys,” I say. But they don’t stop, just keep running, leaving us behind. “Guys? Guys!”

“What’s that about?” Felix says. “I don’t see anything chasing them.”

“Come on,” Landon says. “We’re almost there. At least they’re running in the right direction.”

It’s a straight shot to the first portal out into the dome, but we have to go slow since Ajay still won’t let go of Landon. The portal hatch is wide open and we can see the twins bent over, trying to catch their breath as they stand in the meadow that lays just outside of this passageway.

“Guys, what the fruit?” I say as I walk up to them.

“Something in there,” Carlos gasps, still struggling to breathe after their mad dash outside.

“Big, dude’s, big,” Enrico adds, collapsing into the soft tall grass as he takes a couple of last breaths then looks up at me. “Crazy big.”

“Big,” Carlos says, joining his brother on the ground.

“What was it?” Landon asks, finally getting Ajay to disengage. He gently sets her aside then stands over the boys.

“Not sure,” Carlos says. “One second it’s not there and then it is.”

“I smacked right into it,” Enrico says as he wipes a cut on his brow and holds up his hand. “See?”

“Ricky got a boo boo?” Felix smirks. “Poor little Ricky.”

“Let’s get that fixed up,” I say, dropping my emergency kit and pulling the first aid supplies out. “Doesn’t look deep. You just need a small bandage.”

I tear open one of the bandages and spread it across the wound. The material seems to melt into his skin and the cut is lost from sight.

“All better.” I grin then drop the grin quickly. “Now get up and stop fruiting around. I’ve had enough jokes for the day.”

“The cut was a nice touch,” Felix says.

“We aren’t fruiting around,” Carlos says. “We saw something.”

“Probably a loader bot that went offline,” Landon says. “You guys were close to one of the cargo bays. Maybe it had just dropped something off when the power went out and got stuck.”

“Then why didn’t we see it before?” Bessie asks, looking back at the portal hatch. “We would have run into it too on our way the first time.”

“Exactly!” Carlos says, giving her a thumbs up. “Thanks for the backup, Messy Bessie!”

“Or you two are full of fruit,” Bessie glares, not happy with his use of the nickname.

She’s not a nickname girl.

“Not full of fruit,” Enrico insists. “Trust us, please. We aren’t Felix. This is totally true stuff, dudes.”

“Hey, don’t throw me under the hover bus,” Felix snaps.

“It was just a stray loader,” Landon says. “I’m sure that’s all it was. I’ll check it out when I go back in there.”

“Without us, thank you,” Carlos says. Enrico nods in agreement.

“Fine,” I say. “Let’s find a campsite and set up.” I look at Landon. “Lead the way.”

The dome is bright like it’s the middle of the day, absorbing the light from the closest star and redirecting it down on us. You can’t look up and see a glowing orb like Earth’s Sun, or even clouds or birds or anything, but the fake sky is at least blue like Earth’s, which is a nice touch.

Landon looks about then gestures for us to follow him over to a small orchard of fruit trees at the end of the meadow. Beyond the orchard are thick bushes and brambles that meld into a dark forest. We get to the orchard and Landon looks about at the ground, sweeping away fallen fruit with his feet.

“We clear this out and it should work,” Landon says.

“It stinks,” Ajay responds, waving her hand in front of her nose.

“It smells like rotten fruit,” Felix says. “And I mean actual rotten fruit. Not fruiting fruit.”

“Which means we have a food source right here,” Landon says. “Just in case.”

“Just in case of what?” Carlos asks.

“I don’t know,” Landon says. “That’s all. Just in case.”

“I feel safer already.” Enrico smirks.

Landon pulls out a thermal blanket from his emergency kit and tosses it on the ground. He kneels and presses a button towards the opening at the top. The bottom of the blanket inflates into a mattress while the rest puffs up, suddenly looking like it’s stuffed instead of just shiny and flat.

“Cool,” Carlos says. “I forgot they do that.”

“You didn’t pay attention during orientation,” Ajay says.

“I did,” Carlos replies. “But that was a thousand years ago. My memory only goes back five hundred years.”

“Knock it off,” Landon says, seeing the confused look on his sister’s face. “How about if you two gather up as much edible fruit as possible?” He holds up a finger before either of the twins can reply. “Don’t even say it. Just gather stuff up.”

“There’s a Systems relay close by,” Bessie says, wiggling her metal fingers in the air. “I’ll jack in and see what I can find out. Maybe the ports out here work better.”

“How is there a relay?” Carlos asks. “All I see is grass and dirt and trees.”

Bessie walks a few feet away then crouches by the base of one of the trees. She grabs onto a hunk of grass and pulls hard. The grass comes away easily, revealing a metal plate below.

“These are everywhere, by the way,” she says to us. “If you need them.”

“Cool,” Felix says as he looks around. “I can see another over there.”

“Good for you guys,” Enrico says. “You deserve a reward. Want some fruit?”

“Coming back in with me?” Landon asks, ignoring Enrico, and I have to smile as Bessie’s head whips around and she glares daggers.

“Sure,” I say. “I am the captain after all.”

“Great.” He smiles.

“I’m coming,” Felix says. “You’ll need my eye.”

“Good idea,” Landon nods.

“Yeah, great idea,” Bessie says. “I’ll watch Ajay.” She smiles at Felix. “Be sure to stay close to those two. Don’t want them getting lost.”

My turn to glare daggers. Bessie just raises an innocent eyebrow.

“Big thing in there,” Enrico calls out to us as we walk away from the orchard and across the meadow. “Not kidding! Big thing!”

We ignore him and step right back into the passageway as soon as we get to the portal hatch.

Still pitch dark. I turn on my flashlight and so does Landon.

“Hold on,” Landon says. “I want to try something.”

He stops by the portal hatch and presses his hand against a plate. It slides away and he smiles.

“That’s promising,” he says. “If it’s letting me have access to the Security interface then everything can’t be offline.”

A small keyboard slides out and Landon starts to type. Then there’s a flash of blue static that runs all the way up his arms and he jumps back.

“Ow!” he yells. “What the fruit?”

“You okay?” Felix asks. “That was quite a shock. I saw that on all kinds of spectrums.”

“I’m fine,” Landon says, shaking his hands. “Just surprised me.”

The keyboard slides back in and the plate closes.

“Hey!” Landon says and presses his hand to the plate again. Nothing.

“Guess it doesn’t want to play nice anymore,” Felix says. “Come on, follow me.”

Felix takes lead again and we walk down the passageway, but don’t go the exact same route as before. This time we take a right then a left and another left. This points us in the direction of the mess hall and galley. We’ll want food other than fruit, that’s for sure.

“You sure you’re okay?” I ask Landon.

“I’m cool,” he says. “Don’t worry.”

“If you say so.”

“Grab food that’s easy to carry and prepare,” Landon says, changing the subject. “Plus a couple hydro jugs.”

“Pots? Pans?” Felix asks. “Not that I can cook. Supply handles all of that.”

“Don’t look at me,” I say. “I could probably boil water, if I needed to, but that’s about it. What can you cook with boiled water?”

“See, this could turn out to be good for us,” Landon says. “We’re so used to Supply preparing our meals and serving us in the mess that we don’t even know how to cook the basics. Maybe there’s a cookbook in the galley.”

“Books add weight and carry microbes,” Felix says by rote. “I remember that from orientation.”

“Digital editions only,” I say. “Mom and Dad were pretty sad they couldn’t bring the library.” I look around at all the empty space in the passageway. “I’m guessing we probably could have found room somewhere.”

“I know, I know,” Landon says. “But maybe there’s a printout or something in the galley. Supply has to provide us with some instructions if we want to cook for ourselves.”

“Not how it’s designed,” Felix says. “Learned that too. Too bad we didn’t make it through the refresher course at school today. You could have learned how everything actually works. Like how this whole place is automated since technically it’s still on lockdown because of the almost 10,000 peeps in cryosleep. Not gonna find a cookbook, Mr. Security Chief, sir.”

Landon snorts then shoves past Felix, taking the lead. Felix looks back at me and shrugs. I know he can be a pain in the fruit, but he’s always that way. Not like Landon to get all upset about it.

“Hey,” I say quietly and hurry up next to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he says.

“Don’t give me that,” I say, grabbing his arm, forcing him to look at me. “Tell me. Felix didn’t say anything he hasn’t said a million times before. You know how he is.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Landon says. “I just don’t like being reminded how useless I am.”

“Useless? What do you mean?” I ask, honestly stunned. “None of us are useless, least of all you. I couldn’t have gotten through those first few days after waking up without you.”

I tap my legs and instead of a soft thud there’s the sound of metal.

“You remember how you found me?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, smiling a little. “You kinda lost it.”

“Lost it?” I laugh. “I was hysterical. I woke up in a room with thousands of other people that were still asleep. Then I looked down and saw my legs. That’s before the synthskin grew over them. I freaked out.”

“You lost your fruit,” Felix says from behind us.

“Not that you were any better,” I say. “You were blubbering like a baby.”

“But not screaming like you,” he replies.

“You were pretty loud.” Landon chuckles. “I could hear you all the way into the cryosleep bay my family was in.”

“And you found me,” I say as I stop and keep Landon from walking on. “Seeing you come running into my bay was what kept me from really going crazy.”

“Then you saw my joints,” Landon shrugs. “It wasn’t quite as easy to get you calmed down after that.”

“But you did,” I say.

“Thank fruit,” Felix says. “Wait…I don’t ever want to thank fruit.”

I roll my eyes.

“Point is, you have never been useless,” I say to Landon. “You help keep me from my freak outs. You’re like the First Mate to my captain.”

“I already suck at my security chief job,” Landon says. “Don’t give me another one.”

I’m about to get angry because he isn’t listening, then I see that playful smile of his and do what any thirteen year old girl would do to a guy she, uh, might like.

I punch him in the arm.

“Ow,” he says. “Glad you didn’t kick me.”

“Barf,” Felix says and shoves between us, taking lead again. “Can we get a move on? I can’t wait to have to carry a bunch of supplies back to the campsite.”

We keep walking and come to the mess hall doors. They are slightly open and we look at each other, puzzled.

“Not protocol,” Landon says. “They should be either wide open or sealed shut. Not ajar.”

He gets his hands between and shoves, sending both doors sliding into the walls. A loud grinding sound echoes through the mess hall as he forces gears to move that are usually assisted by power.

“There,” Landon says. “Now, let’s find—”

He stops as a loud crash comes from the galley.

“Guys,” Felix says.

“What was that?” Landon asks. “Hello? Who’s there?”

“You think the twins beat us here and are playing a joke?” I ask.

“Big,” Felix says.

“No, they wouldn’t try that again,” I say. “They probably—”

My brother grabs my arm and I wince as his right hand squeezes into my bicep.

Then he points at the galley.

“No, Izzy,” he whispers. “Big.”

He only calls me Izzy when he’s scared. That gets my attention.

I shine my flashlight at the galley doors as Landon gets closer.

“Lan?” I say. “Get back here.”

“Twins! If that’s you I am going to be fruiting mad!” Landon shouts.

“Lan!” I yell.

“What?” he asks, looking over his shoulder at us.

“Big,” I say, pointing at the galley.

“Yeah,” Felix says. “Big.”

There’s another crash and Landon freezes then starts to walk backwards towards us.

“What do you mean by big?” he asks.

But we get our answer right away as the galley doors fly open, torn right from the wall by the force of what comes at us.

“Big!” we all scream.

Then turn and run.

Chapter Three

A loader bot is not something you want to mess with. They’re like ten feet tall and weigh close to a ton. Designed to haul cargo from place to place in the warehouse bays, they aren’t hover bots like the other robots on the Scorpio. They have large tracks on each side of their squat bodies.

And very, very large pincher claws.

Normally, the pincher claws are for lifting cargo, but as the loader bot races at us, claws extended and clamping open and shut, I’m thinking we aren’t in for a gentle lift.

“Run!” I shout, yanking on Felix’s arm.

Landon is right behind us, yelling as the loader bot gets closer.

“Turn there!” Landon shouts. “Left!”

We turn left and Landon just clears the corner when most of the wall is warped and twisted from a swipe of the loader bot’s claw. Landon screams and dives to the ground as the other claw sweeps over his head. He rolls up against the wall and I stop to help him up, but he shoves me away.

I’m about to yell at him when a claw slams down right where I had just been, putting a serious hole in the floor. My scream is a little more shrill than Landon’s and I am glad I used the latrine earlier or a very embarrassing accident might have happened.

The loader bot tries to pull its claw free, but it is wedged in the floor, a hunk of metal twisted around it. Its motors whine as it shifts power into the claw, but the thing still won’t budge. The bot starts to thrash about, and despite what I know about bots, I can swear it’s mad. Which shouldn’t be possible since bots are automated, not run by AIs.

“Go!” Landon yells at me, scrambling to his feet. He puts one foot on the claw and jumps over it, landing right next to me.

That was cool.

He spins me about and gives me a shove. Felix is nowhere to be seen.

“Felix!” I yell. “Felix!”

We run up to the next junction and he nearly collides with us. His eyes are panicked and he grips my uniform, tugging me away from the direction he just came.

“Not that way!” Felix yells, pointing down the other passageway.

Another loader bot. Moving fast.

“This is bad,” Landon says, looking at the first bot that still struggles to get its claw free. “How did this happen? The loader bots should only be active if ordered. So who ordered them?”

“We’ll figure that out later!” I shout. “Now, we run!”

“This way,” Landon says, pulling at me and Felix as he sprints down the passageway ahead of us.

We take a quick turn and lose sight of the stuck loader, but I can hear the other one getting closer, its tracks trundling along, ripping gouges into the smooth floor. Pilot will be fruiting mad when he finds out what the bots have done to the ship.

But that’s not my problem at the moment. The wall in front of us is.

“Dead end?” Felix says, his mouth wide open in surprise. “When has there ever been a dead end in the Scorpio?”

Landon kneels by the wall and runs his hands along the bottom.

“This was just put here,” he says, standing and slamming his hands against the metal. “This isn’t permanent.”

“But why?” I ask. “Why would a wall just appear for no reason?”

The loader’s tracks are getting louder and Felix spins about. I can tell he’s scanning through the wall, trying to get a sense of how close the bot is.

“Felix?” I ask.

“It’s close,” he says. “We need to go the other way.”

We all look at the passageway behind us, the only one open.

“Go,” Landon says. “We don’t have a choice.”

Again, we run; one turn then another and another. We zip around corners, sprint down passageways, zip around more corners, until, well, I’m pretty sure we’re thoroughly lost. I think I now understand the mad part of “mad dash.”

“Do you recognize this sector?” Landon asks me. “I don’t.”

Felix runs his hand along the wall and shows us the dust he collects.

“No one has been this way in a long time,” Felix says. “Where are we?”

We walk for a minute as we catch our breath. The bot is still coming, we can hear it, and I’m pretty sure its pal has joined it, but we put enough distance between us for a quick rest.

“What’s this?” Landon asks.

We stop by a door and he wipes his hand across a plaque.

“Cybernetics Development Laboratory,” he reads aloud.

Landon is about to try to open the door when a loud bang gets our attention.

A wall has slammed into place ahead of us, blocking our way.

“I didn’t know the ship could do that,” Landon says. “Did you?”

Felix and I shake our heads, realizing we have to go back the way we came.

“Let’s go,” I say. “We have to find another way.”

“Maybe we should hide in here?” Landon says, pointing at the door.

“I don’t think any place with the words ‘development’ and ‘laboratory’ together is gonna be a good thing,” Felix shrugs. “That’s just me, though.”

“So we go back,” I say, getting antsy. I don’t like standing in one spot for this long. If other walls have moved then we could be trapped quickly.

“The bots are back there,” Landon says. “We’ll run into them.”

“Not if we hurry,” I say. I point at the door and frown. “I don’t care what’s in there, but did you see what that loader did to the floor? What do you think it can do to this door? We go in and we’re trapped for sure.”

“Fine,” Landon says. “Lead the way.”

I start to jog, but Landon’s hand clamps on my arm and holds me back.

“Let go,” I say.

“What?” he asks then looks down at his hand. He lets go and I can see his whole arm shaking. “Sorry. I, uh, don’t… Sorry.”

I give him a puzzled look then jog back down the hall and get us to the junction. We can go left, right, or straight.

“You see anything?” I ask my brother.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “They aren’t close enough for me to pick them up through the walls.”

“That’s good,” Landon says. “Right?”

I listen hard, trying to make out which way the loaders are coming from, but it’s impossible as the sounds seem to echo around us.

“Sure,” I say finally. “Right.”

We keep going and jog past three more junctions before I figure out where we are.

“The dome!” I say. “There should be a portal to the dome just around the corner!”

We hurry that way and turn the corner.

Then freeze.

A loader!

I tackle Felix and scream as the bot’s claw misses my head, but is close enough to snag a few of my frizzy red hairs, yanking them right from my scalp.

“Isla!” Landon shouts.

I roll and tumble with Felix wrapped in my arms, stopping only because we crash into a wall. The claw smashes into the wall right above us and once again the stupid bot gets stuck.

Landon grabs us and yanks us away from the thing, pulling us to our feet. We spin about and take off down the passageway.

“There’s the other one!” Felix shouts, pointing into the darkness at the end of the passageway.

A crash behind us makes us look over our shoulders and we see the second bot, its tracks sliding across the floor as it moves too fast around the corner and smashes into the first.

That means the one coming from ahead is a third bot. That’s a lot of bots.

The loaders are clumsy enough that we get a good lead and start to go around another corner when my feet go out from under me. I tumble across the floor and look up, surprised to see that Landon’s leg is sticking out. Did he just trip me?

“I’m losing control,” Landon whispers, looking at me, his face horror stricken. “What’s happening?”

“Guys!” Felix shouts and points.

Loaders. Here they come.

Landon looks at his leg, looks at me, then turns and takes off.

“Hey!” Landon shouts, running towards the loaders. “Hey, you! I’m right here!”

“Landon! What are you doing?” I scream at him.

“Go!” he yells back. “Take that turn and go! Get back to the dome and warn the others!”

“But what about you?” I scream. “Landon!”

But he doesn’t answer, just keeps running into the darkness.

“They’re going to get him,” Felix says, then looks behind us and gasps. “And those will get us if we don’t keep running.”

“I can’t keep running,” I say, struggling for breath. “I’m exhausted.”

“Your lungs are, sure,” Felix smiles. “But not those legs of yours.”

My legs. Of course. I’ve never really tested them beyond the regular physicals Health puts us through.

“Need a lift?” I smile at Felix.

“What?” he asks. “Hey!”

I grab him up and throw him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes—which don’t taste much better than the fruit or the cookies, by the way.

“Izzy! Put me down!” Felix shouts.

“We’ll make better time this way!” I shout as I flex my cybernetic legs and take off running.

Focusing on my artificial limbs, I can feel the energy in my legs build and hear the servos kick into overdrive. Felix is still shouting at me to put him down, which I’d love to do since he’s heavy and I don’t have cybernetic arms or anything, but that’s not happening; he’s staying put until I can get us to safety.

I don’t bother taking any of the turns, just keep sprinting forward, gaining more and more speed. Which is sort of the easy part. Stopping? Not so much.

When we get to the end of the passageway, it T’s and I am forced to take a turn. Not sure if it’s my indecision on which way to go—left or right—or the fact that I’m moving a lot faster than a thirteen year old girl is supposed to, but our race comes to a painful end quickly as we run right into the wall.

“Felix! Are you hurt?” I gasp. We’re piled up against the wall and I start patting him to see if he’s injured. “Felix?”

“I’m good, sis,” he says. “Stop smacking my face.”

“Oh, sorry,” I say. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m cool,” he says. “Landed on my cyber arm. You?”

I think for a second, but don’t feel anything other than some sore spots which I know will be nasty bruises by tomorrow morning.

If there is a tomorrow morning. The way the day’s going so far, I’m not placing any bets.

I help Felix up then turn back the way we came. No loader bots.

Also, no Landon.

Fruit.

I look at the two directions we can go, turning my head back and forth until I’m a little dizzy.

“I see pollen particles,” Felix says, pointing right.

I bend down and pick up the flashlight I dropped when we went splat on the wall, but it only flickers for a second then blinks off. We are plunged into pitch darkness.

“Fruit!” I snap. “Can you see?”

“Yeah,” Felix says. “Take my hand.”

I fumble in the dark until I find his hand and he starts to lead me down the passageway. My other hand trails along the wall and I count the junctions we pass. Six. None of this feels right.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I ask. “Maybe it’s just dust.”

“No, no, it’s pollen from the pine trees,” Felix says. “I can tell the difference.”

“When have you studied pollen?” I ask.

“Just one of the many things I do when I’m bored,” Felix says.

“You’re always bored,” I say.

“Yep,” he replies. He stops. “Hold up.”

“What?” I ask.

“Quiet,” he whispers. “They’re coming.”

I listen hard and can just make out the sound of loader tracks.

“Behind us?” I ask, my voice low.

“Yeah,” he whispers back. “Come on.”

We keep moving forward for a few minutes until we reach the wall.

“Portal,” Felix says, letting go of my hand so he can get the hatch open.

He cranks the handle and gives it a shove, but it barely moves. I put my shoulder against it and push with my legs. It is slow going, but eventually we’re able to get it wide enough that we can both slip through. It takes almost as long to shut it.

“Whoa,” Felix says as we turn around and face the dome. “How long were we in there?”

The reflected daylight is gone and the dome above is completely transparent, showing nothing but the twinkling lights of far off galaxies and the faint glow of the last star we passed. It’s like a weird twilight and my eyes are having a hard time adjusting. The domescape is all hulking trees and shadows.

“We’re on the other side of the forest,” I say. “Come on.”

“We circled all the way around?” Felix asks. “How did we do that?”

“By running for our lives,” I reply. “Good reason, don’t you think?”

We walk for a few minutes across the uneven ground of a meadow that looks like it’s being tilled under to make more room for crops. I don’t know why since there’re only us kids, but I’m sure Supply knows what it’s doing.

I laugh at that thought.

“What?” Felix asks as we get closer to the forest. “What’s so funny?”

“Just laughing at how much we rely on the AIs,” I say. “We barely know our way around the whole ship. We don’t know how to grow our own food or really how to repair anything. We leave it all up to the AIs.”

“Speak for yourself. I can repair anything.”

We both jump and Felix lets out a frightened squeak.

“Just me,” Bessie says, walking out of the shadows of the forest. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We got turned around after being chased by killer robots,” I say.

That gets her attention.

“You…what?” she asks. “Killer robots?”

“Loader bots,” Felix says. “A lot of them. They tore the place up, and would have torn us up if we didn’t run.”

“Fruit,” she says then looks around. “Where’s Landon?”

“We, uh, don’t know,” I say. “He charged some of them so we could get away.”

“He what?” she growls. “You left him behind?”

“I didn’t want to,” I protest. “But he kept yelling for us to run as he took off. I couldn’t exactly stop him.” I hook a thumb at Felix. “And I had to get my little brother out of there.”

“I got you out of there,” he says, tapping his cheek below his cybernetic eye.

“We got each other out of there,” I say.

“And ditched Landon!” Bessie shouts. “How could you?”

“You weren’t there,” I say. “You don’t know what it was like.”

“Ridiculous,” Bessie says. “Some captain you are.”

“Hey!” I yell, stomping up to her, getting my face right in hers. “I didn’t ask to be the captain! I’m just a kid like you! If it wasn’t for the fact that technically we’re over a thousand years old, Pilot would be running everything! But, by his math, we’re adults and we have to act like it!”

“So, that’s why you ran out on Landon?” Bessie sneers. “Because it’s the adult thing to do?”

“Hey, shut up,” Felix says.

“Don’t tell me to shut up!” Bessie and I snap at the same time.

“I will because you need to,” Felix says. “Where are the twins and Ajay?”

“Back in the orchard,” Bessie says. “I left them there because the relay I was working with went dead. I’ve been searching for a live one since. Every time I thought I found one it would just quit on me. I’ve been walking from relay to relay until I got here.”

“Shouldn’t be in the forest alone at night,” Felix says. “Space wolves will get ya.”

“Ha ha,” Bessie smirks. “But it wasn’t night until a minute ago.”

“This is messed up,” I say. “Power out, no AIs, psycho loader bots, the dome switching to night.”

“Landon missing,” Bessie adds, glaring at me.

“Yeah, that too,” I say, the guilt weighing heavy on my shoulders. “We’ll find him. But let’s get back to the others and regroup. We need a plan.”

“Fine,” Bessie says, turning on her heel and walking back into the forest.

We’re only a few meters into the forest when we hear screaming and shouting.

“The twins!” Felix yells.

“Ajay!” I shout.

We take off running towards the orchard. Luckily the path is clear and there’s enough starlight filtering down to keep us from tripping. I could get to the orchard faster by getting my cyber legs going again, but I don’t want to get separated from Felix. Or Bessie. We have to stick together now, especially with Landon missing.

Instead of getting louder as we get closer, the screaming is fading.

“That’s not good,” I say as we burst from the forest and into the orchard. “Where are they?”

“There!” Felix yells, pointing across the meadow towards the portal hatch. “The loaders have them!”

“How?” I ask. “Loader bots are too big to get through the hatch!”

“They aren’t going into the hatch,” Bessie says as she runs across the meadow. “They’re being pulled down into the ground!”

She’s right. A loader has Ajay clamped in one of its claws while another loader has a twin in each claw. They’re yelling and screaming and beating at the bots, but it doesn’t do any good. Slowly they are lost from sight as they lower right into the ground.

By the time we reach the spot they were at, all we see is torn up grass and loose dirt. Bessie gets down on her knees and starts digging with her hands, sending clods flying this way and that. After a foot or so she hits metal and we help move the dirt out of the way, clearing a good bit of space.

“It’s a hatch,” Bessie says. “Comes right up into the dome.” She studies it for a second then smacks it with a fist. “But no handles. I don’t know how to open it.”

“Probably only opens from the inside,” Felix says. “Too thick for me to scan through.”

“What now, Captain?” Bessie asks, plopping her butt down in the dirt.

I’m exhausted and more than a little terrified, but I can’t give up. Felix looks over at me and I try to give him a reassuring smile, but by the way he cringes I must fail pretty badly.

“What do the bots want?” I ask. I stand and start pacing. “Why would the bots take the twins and Ajay?”

“You mean instead of squashing them like they tried with us?” Felix asks.

“Please,” Bessie snorts. “If a loader bot wanted to squash you then you’d be squashed. Do you know how precisely calibrated those things are? They can pick up a piece of fruit without bruising the skin if they need to.”

“You weren’t there!” Felix snaps. “They tried to kill us!”

“Did they?” I ask.

“What?” Felix says, surprised by my question. “Izzy, you were there.”

“Yeah, I was,” I say. “So were you. And we got away.” I spread my arms, taking in the whole dome. “We didn’t have any of this space to escape to. We were trapped more than a couple of times and the loaders still didn’t get us.”

“So?” Felix asks.

“If they are calibrated as finely as Bessie says then we shouldn’t have been able to get away at all,” I say. “We thought we got lucky when they got their claws stuck each time, but it wasn’t luck, was it?”

“I don’t know what you’re rambling about,” Bessie says as she stands up. “But I’m going to go look for Landon and the others.”

I ignore her as I try to grasp at a thought that’s just out of reach. I think back on when we first saw the loader as it came at us. It was in the galley, but why? Did it know we were going there? Was it waiting because it figured we’d need food and supplies from there?

“But it’s a bot and can’t think like that,” I say.

“What?” Felix asks. “I missed the first part.”

“I’m just thinking,” I say.

“While you think, I’m going to act,” Bessie says. “Catch ya later, fruitheads.”

“Hey!” Felix shouts. “Rude much?”

“Come on,” I say. “We better go with her.”

“Back inside?” Felix squeaks. “Are you crazy?”

“No,” I say. “But we need to stick together and we need to find the others.”

“The bots have the others!” Felix yells. “And they’ll get us if we go back in there!”

I point at the hatch by our feet. “They’ll obviously get us if we stay here.”

Felix looks from me to the hatch to Bessie and back to me.

“I don’t like this,” he says.

“I don’t either,” I reply.

“You don’t have a flashlight,” he says.

“I have you,” I reply.

He purses his lips, looks at the hatch, at Bessie, at me.

“This fruits,” he says.

“I know it does. But we don’t have much of a choice.”

“Always a choice!” Bessie shouts back at us. “I’ve made mine!”

“Come on,” I say as I grab Felix’s arm. “Let’s go.”

We jog up to Bessie as she reaches the portal hatch.

“I have my flashlight,” she smiles at me. “I hear you lost yours.” She digs in her emergency kit she still has draped across her shoulder. “Good thing I snagged one of the twins’ before I hiked into the forest. Always be prepared.”

“Were you a Space Scout?” Felix asks. “Before we went to sleep?”

“My dad was,” she says quietly then reaches out and opens the hatch.

We stand there and listen, waiting for a loader bot to grab us with one of its claws.

Nothing.

“You first,” Bessie says, giving Felix a shove. “You have the magic eye.”

“I’ll go first,” I say, stepping through the hatch. “I’m the captain.”

“Yeah, I know,” Bessie snorts. “You keep reminding us. Yet you say you don’t want to be. Hmmm.”

“Eat fruit,” I say. “Ready?”

I look at Felix and he nods; Bessie gives me a sarcastic salute.

Back into the darkness we go.

Chapter Four

“Another dead end,” I snap, exasperated. “How are the walls moving?”

“Dead end?” Bessie asks, pushing past me and Felix. She kneels next to the wall that blocks our way and laughs. “The walls aren’t moving. This is a bulkhead.”

“Oh,” I say. “That makes more sense.”

“You thought the walls were moving?” Bessie grins. “Cute.”

“I forgot there were bulkheads that can be locked into place in case of an atmospheric breach,” I say. “Cut me some slack. It’s been a weird day.”

“According to the dome it’s night now,” Felix says.

“Hey, I don’t need lip from you too,” I say. “Back me up here.”

“Relax, Captain.” Bessie smiles. “We all have off days. Or nights. Whatever.”

She walks back to the last junction.

“This leads to the galley, doesn’t it?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Felix says.

“Is this what happened before?” she asks. “You were herded in one direction?”

“I wouldn’t say we were herded,” I reply then pause. “Okay, yeah, you’re right. We were herded.”

“So why send us back to the galley?” Bessie asks. “Doesn’t make sense.”

“I want to know how the loader bots moved around so fast,” Felix says.

“Because they’re huge,” I say.

“But not fast,” Felix says. “Or we would have been caught.” He taps my leg. “Even with those sticks of yours.”

“Finally took them for a real test drive?” Bessie asks.

“Kinda had to,” I reply.

“And?”

I shrug. “It was scary as fruit.” Then I smile. “But fun.”

“Good for you,” Bessie says, surprising both me and Felix. She sees the looks on our faces. “What?”

“Was that a compliment?” Felix asks. “Did you just compliment Izzy?”

“No.” Bessie frowns. “Shut up.”

“We’re wasting time,” I say, giving Bessie a smirk. She just frowns deeper. “If we’re supposed to go to the galley then that’s where we’ll go.”

We walk past all the damage the loader bot caused in the passageway; holes in the floor, gouges from the tracks, warped corners. Bessie has to struggle to keep her jaw from hanging open.

“This is nuts,” she says.

“Yeah,” I reply.

A few more turns and we are at the mess hall.

It’s a wreck.

“Fruit,” Bessie says. “I’m surprised you got away.”

“Me too,” I say. “It wasn’t fun.”

We stand there, waiting.

“You first,” Bessie says.

“Thanks,” I say and walk into the mess hall.

Half the tables are flattened, crushed from the weight of the loader bot. The floor is mangled from the loader’s tracks and I follow the trail back to the galley. When I reach what used to be the galley doors, I stop and whistle at what’s in front of me.

“Well, I guess we know how the loaders are getting around,” I say and look over my shoulder. Bessie and Felix are still all the way back at the mess hall doors. “Hey! Come on!”

They reluctantly walk over to where I’m standing. I point into the galley at the huge hatch that sits open. The track gouges lead right to it. Or away from it since the loader came up out of the hatch on its way to chase the living fruit out of us.

“Where does it go?” Felix asks, his curiosity beating his fear as he squats next to the opening. He grabs onto the side and ducks his head down inside. “It’s deep.”

“Hey, get back from there,” I say, grabbing his uniform and yanking him away from the hatch. “You fall in and then what do we do?”

“Follow after,” Bessie says as she starts searching the galley.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“Something we can use to get down there,” she says. “Like a rope.”

“Cables,” Felix says, pointing at the ruined doorway and walls. Multiple severed cables stick out like broken vines.

“Good call,” Bessie says. She walks over and starts to tug, but they only budge a little. “I can’t get the right leverage.”

“Here,” I say, going to her and wrapping my arms around her waist. I brace my legs. “Hang onto the cable. Don’t let go. I’ll do the rest.”

She grips the cables with her cybernetic hands while I walk us backwards with my cybernetic legs. Slowly the cables start to come free from the wall until we have enough to dangle over the edge of the hatch into the tunnel below.

“I’ll go first,” Felix says. “Since I can see.”

He grabs onto a cable and swings his legs over before I can protest. He climbs his way down, landing safely before looking up at us and smiling.

“It’s a tunnel,” he says, his voice echoing up to us. “And it’s long.”

I look at Bessie; she looks at me. We both look down at Felix.

“How long?” I ask.

“Long long,” he says. “Like length of the asteroid long.”

“Any branches?” Bessie asks.

“Why don’t you come down and look?” Felix grumbles. “I’m not liking being down here by myself.”

Bessie hooks a leg over, grabs onto the cables, and lowers herself down. I start to do the same thing then get an idea.

“What are you waiting for?” Felix asks.

“Move out of the way,” I say, standing by the edge. “I’m going to jump.”

“You’re what?” he screeches. “It’s like twenty feet!”

“Here goes nothing,” I say as I step off the edge.

The landing is jarring, and I feel it in my hips and back, but my legs hold easily.

“Whoa,” Felix says. “That was cool.”

“Show off,” Bessie says then shines her light down the tunnel. “Sure is big enough for a loader to move through.”

“Two could move side by side with cargo,” Felix says. He points at the rough floor. “And looks like they have.”

I turn about, looking one way and then the other.

“If we go this way we’ll get to the main cargo bay, I think,” I say.

“And why would we want to do that?” Bessie asks.

“That’s where the loaders came from,” I reply. “If we’re going to find answers then it will be there.”

“That’s crazy,” Bessie says. “You want to go towards the loaders?”

“I don’t want to, but we need to,” I say. “We were led back to the galley. The hatch opens onto this tunnel. The tunnel leads to the main cargo bay. I think.”

“I’m siding with Messy on this,” Felix says, getting a smack upside the back of his head for the use of the nickname. “Ow! You hit harder than you think because of those hands!”

“I was actually holding back,” Bessie says. “But I’ll hit even harder next time if you call me Messy again.”

“You going to do anything?” Felix asks, rubbing the back of his head.

“Yes,” I say as I start jogging. “I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Felix calls after me.

He and Bessie catch up quickly and we have no problem running shoulder to shoulder. The tunnel is massive. And the farther we go the bigger it gets until I realize it can fit maybe four or five loaders at one time. I bet you could have two going one way and two going the other way, like the highways back on Earth.

Ugh, Earth. It’s been a thousand years since we left there. I wonder how long humanity lasted. It sure wasn’t looking good when we left. Maybe the other ECAs found habitable planets and sent word back to Earth. That’s a big maybe. Even in a thousand years we haven’t found any sign of life out here in space.

“Hey, look at this,” Felix says, crouching by the floor then looking up at the ceiling above us. “I think we’re here.”

“Why?” Bessie asks. “I don’t see anything special.” She looks at me. “Do you?”

“Huh, what?” I ask, still kinda lost in my thoughts.

“You with us?” Bessie smirks. “Need a nap or something?”

“Knock it off, you two,” Felix says. “This is a lift.”

He pries open a small panel then stands up, looking at Bessie.

“Your turn,” he nods.

Bessie crouches by the panel set into the floor and looks at the interface. She presses her fingers to a couple of relay nodes and there’s a loud thunk above us.

Felix and I slowly back away.

“It’s the hatch,” Bessie says, smirking at our fear. “See?”

We look up and watch as a huge hatch slides open. Just as I was thinking, it can fit at least four loaders, maybe more. Once the hatch stops we wait, staring at the dark hole above. We’d be idiots to think that nothing is going to come out at us. We did kinda open the door to where most of the loader bots hang out.

“Not dead yet,” Felix says, stepping closer. “I don’t see anything up there. At least not through the hatch. The floor is too thick to see through to the cargo bay above.”

“Then we need to get up,” I say, turning to Bessie. “Can you get this lift working?”

Bessie presses her fingers to different nodes, but nothing happens. She kinda forgets the fruit rule and Felix laughs at the words she uses.

“So that’s a no then?” I laugh. I can’t help it, some of those words I’d never heard in those exact combinations.

“Won’t budge,” Bessie says, shining her flashlight around. “And no cables or anything to use to climb up there.”

“One of us doesn’t need cables,” Felix says, staring at me.

“Uh, yeah, one of us does,” I say. “Actually. All of us does.”

“Do,” Bessie says. “Not does.”

“Whatever,” I say. “Still doesn’t get us up there.”

Felix shakes his head and points at my legs. “You can get up there whenever you want. Just jump up.”

“Jump up?” I ask.

“It’s the opposite of jumping down,” Bessie says.

“I know what it means!” I snap. “But there’s no way I’m jumping all the way up there!”

They just look at me.

“Well…there isn’t,” I say. “Is there…?”

“Never hurts to try,” Felix says. “Isn’t that what you’re always telling me?”

I grumble a bit, look up at the opening, grumble some more, then look at Felix and Bessie.

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll try. Let me have that.”

I reach out for Bessie’s emergency kit. She hands the bag to me and I throw it across my shoulder then stuff my flashlight inside. Making sure the bag is secure, I take a couple of deep breaths and count down from ten.

When I hit one I jump. And go nowhere.

“Try crouching more and swinging your arms up,” Felix suggests. “It took me a while to get the hang of my eye.”

I frown and crouch, swinging my arms back and forth as I concentrate hard on bunching my leg “muscles” for the jump.

Another countdown.

And this time I fly!

Like really fly. It’s more than a bit terrifying.

I launch up through the hatch opening and sail high up into the cargo bay. As I start to fall I realize I didn’t exactly think things through. In seconds I land hard back down in the tunnel.

“You’re going to need to angle the jump,” Bessie says, grinning behind one of her cybernetic hands.

“Ya think?” I glare.

This time I make sure I’m leaning forward a little as I jump. The trajectory takes me up through the hatch and out onto the bay floor. I skid and stumble, but manage not to fall on my face. I count that as a win.

“Made it!” I yell, pulling the flashlight from the emergency kit bag. I turn it on and freeze. “Uh…guys? You’ll need to see this.”

That thing about us not finding any signs of life in space may still be true. Because I think life found us.

“What is it?” Bessie yells.

“Hold on,” I reply.

I start hunting around the bay for something to lower to them and find a pile of synthetic netting by one of the far walls. There are even hooks around the top of the hatch I can attach the netting to. Dropping it below, Bessie and Felix climb the net like a ladder and join me.

“What the fruit?” Felix asks, his eye instantly seeing what I found. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I think so,” I reply.

Bessie doesn’t say a word, just walks with us over to the object. Or, uh, spaceship.

An alien spaceship.

How do I know it’s alien? Because it looks like nothing I have ever seen before. All weird angles and swirling loops of metal. Or I assume it’s metal. What do I know about alien spaceships?

“I really want to touch it,” Bessie says, more to herself than to us. “But I shouldn’t touch it. But I want to.”

She keeps moving forward and I rush up to her, stopping her just as she reaches out to the thing.

“Don’t,” I scold. “You don’t know how it will interact with your hands.”

Bessie looks at her hands then at me. A mix of emotions run across her face then settle on anger.

“My hands, my choice,” she says.

“My ship, my orders,” I say. “I’m the captain.”

“Your ship?” she snaps. “Oh, now it’s your ship, Captain?” She waves her hands about. “Where’s your crew, Captain? Huh? What’s this thing? Did you even know it was on your ship? What’s up with the power? Where are the AIs? How about the loader bots? I don’t see any here.”

“She’s right,” Felix says.

“What?” I snap.

“I mean about the loader bots,” Felix says. “There aren’t any in here.”

“Then we’re in the wrong bay,” I reply, looking back at Bessie. “And it’s not my ship, it’s all of ours. But I’m still the captain.”

“Then captain your way into figuring out what that is.” She smirks, pointing at the spaceship. “Or I will. Because we were obviously led here for a reason.”

“Led here?” I say. “Felix just accidentally found the hatch to this bay.”

“Really?” Bessie asks. Looking over at Felix as he wanders around the bay inspecting different piles of gear and supplies. “Was it an accident, Felix?”

“Kinda,” he replies, but I can tell by his voice he’s not being truthful.

“Well, was it or wasn’t it?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips like Mom used to do when she was annoyed. Because, well, I’m pretty annoyed.

“It had a mark on it,” Felix says. “I could see it in infrared.”

“A mark? What mark?” I ask.

“Uh…an X, he says.

“X marks the spot.” Bessie smiles. “Leading us right to this thing.”

I want to just rage at them, but I can’t. They’re right. It stings, but it’s true.

“Fine,” I sigh. “We’ll check it out.”

“It would be crazy for us not to.” Bessie smiles, and I can see the Systems person in her turn giddy with excitement. She sees me looking and frowns. “What?”

“Nothing,” I say, waving at the ship. “Go for it.”

She steps up close, her hands hovering over a long spear that juts out from the nose. Or what I assume is the nose. The whole thing is bizarre and I kinda get a headache when I look at it. There’s this, I don’t know, shroud around it. You know what I mean? Kind of like when it’s dark and you look directly at something and can’t really see it until you turn your head. Like that.

I turn my head and look at the ship from my peripheral vision. It doesn’t help. So much for that theory.

“You gonna touch it or what?” Felix asks, suddenly back at my side, making me jump.

“Yeah, yeah, back off,” Bessie says.

She takes a couple of deep breaths and then presses her hands on it really fast. Both Felix and I cringe, expecting sparks and loud noises and, well…I don’t know what else. But not what happens next.

“Welcome, Systems Chief Bessandra Sacher,” the ship says as all the swirling loops of metal light up in bright blues and greens. “I have been waiting for you.”

“Whoa,” I whisper.

“Bessandra?” Felix snickers.

“Shut up,” I say, elbowing him in the ribs.

Bessie yanks her hands back and the ship goes dark again.

“Hello?” she says. “Uh, you’ve been waiting for me?”

There’s no answer.

“Who are you?” she asks. “Hello?”

Still no answer.

“Touch it again,” Felix says.

“You touch it,” Bessie snaps.

“Okay,” Felix says. “I have a cybernetic hand too. It came with the arm package. Move.”

“No,” I say, grabbing him and pulling him back as he tries to walk forward.

“Izzy, come on!” he scowls. “It’s a spaceship, that talks!”

“We already have one of those,” I say. “We don’t need another.”

“But it’s alien,” Felix whines. “You gotta let me touch it.”

“How’d it know our language?” Bessie asks. “I mean, if it’s alien then how did it know what language to use?”

“Uh…I don’t know,” Felix says. “And don’t care. First non-boring thing on this ship and I can’t touch it. Great. This whole space thing fruiting bites.”

“How’d it know your name?” I ask, ignoring Felix and stepping close to Bessie. “And your station? Could it read it from your hands?”

“No,” Bessie says. And she’s pretty confident with that statement.

“You can’t know that,” I say. “It’s alien technology.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Bessie shrugs. “We don’t know. But I do know it can’t read anything from my hands.”

“Your hands interface with the Scorpio, though. So why not with that thing?”

“Because that’s not how it works,” Bessie says. “And I should know how it works since I’m systems chief, remember? The maybe-alien ship said so.”

“I think it’s alien,” Felix says. “Look at it. Have you ever seen anything like that come from Earth?”

“When was the last time you were on Earth?” Bessie asks, folding her arms. “I’m guessing things have changed a little.”

“Then how’d it get here?” Felix asks. “On the Scorpio? Where’s the pilot? Why didn’t we know about it? What’s it for? Research? War? Vacation?”

“All good questions,” Bessie says. “But none of them mean it’s alien. Not in the least.”

“But it could be,” Felix responds. “You have to admit it could be.”

“I’ll admit that,” Bessie says. “But all kinds of things could be. Doesn’t make them true.”

“Then now what?” Felix asks, looking at me. “We just walk away from it?”

“No, we don’t just walk away,” I reply. “We were led here for a reason, right? You found that X.”

“And I wish you hadn’t found it,” Landon says, stepping into the bay as a door opens up in the wall. “Because that means I found you.”

“Landon!” I shout and run to him.

“No!” he yells. “Stay back, Isla!”

“What? Why?” I ask, almost to him.

“Because of this,” Landon says, his face beyond sad.

He runs at me and shoves me out of the way. I stumble and fall, my body tingling like I have been shocked. My legs start to twitch slightly, but I ignore that, focusing instead on Landon as he sprints to Felix and yanks him up into a bear hug.

“What are you doing?” I yell.

“I don’t want to, Isla,” he says as Felix struggles.

“Let me go, you fruiting fruit eater!” Felix shouts as he tries to fight loose.

But even with his cybernetic arm he’s no match for Landon’s cybernetic joints and reinforced bones. I watch in horror as Landon lifts Felix up and starts to back away.

“Let him go,” Bessie says, getting in Landon’s face. “Drop the twerp.”

“I can’t, Bessie,” Landon says, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. “I wish I could, but I can’t. It won’t let me.”

“What won’t?” I ask as I get up and run towards him.

But he doesn’t answer. Instead he rams into Bessie, knocking her out of the way, sprints to the wide open hatch in the floor, and jumps. With Felix still in his arms.

“Izzy!” Felix yells. “Izzy! Izzy help…me…izzy…iz…”

His voice fades out before I’m even at the edge of the hatch. I look down then jump. But I don’t have a flashlight and all I see is darkness in both directions.

“Felix!” I scream. “Felix!”

My legs are twitching even more now, but I don’t care, I don’t have time to care. I start to run, knowing I’m not going to hit anything since the tunnel is empty.

Uh, but I’m wrong there.

I slam into something hard, very hard, and my nose cries out in pain.

“Ow,” I yell. “What the…?”

Then a dozen bright lights blind me. Well, more than a dozen. Closer to three dozen.

“Isla?” Bessie calls from the hatch. “You okay?”

“Uh…” is all I can say. I back up towards the hatch.

“Isla?” Bessie asks. “Do you see him?”

“No,” I reply, my voice shaky with fear. I get to the hatch and look up. “Move.”

She sees the fear on my face and leans over the edge, peering farther down into the tunnel. Now she looks like I must. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I say as I flex my legs and jump up through the hatch. “I think we found where all the loader bots are.”

“More like they found us,” Bessie says as we hurry away from the hatch. “Good thing they can’t jump.”

There’s a loud banging and clunking as gears engage. A motor drive begins to whine and the two of us stare at the hatch as six loaders are slowly lifted up into the bay.

“They don’t need to jump,” I say.

“We should go now,” Bessie responds, tugging at my elbow.

“But Felix…” I say.

“We’ll find him,” she says, tugging harder. “Just not that way.”

We turn and run, heading for the door in the wall, but it shuts before we can get there, trapping us.

“Oh…”

“…fruit.”

Chapter Five

Okay, so six loader bots are coming at us and I have a small problem.

My legs have decided now is the time to stop working. They’re twitching pretty hard core. Not good.

“Isla! Come on!” Bessie yells, tugging at my arm, trying to pull me with her as she frantically looks about the bay for another escape route “Come on!”

“I can’t,” I cry. “My legs…they won’t move!”

“What?” she asks, looking into my eyes then down at my legs. “What do you mean they won’t move?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “They just won’t move.”

The twitching stops suddenly, but now I can feel a hum that has never been there before. It’s like they are full of bees, all crawling and dancing as if my cybernetics legs are their hives. I shake my head back and forth, feeling panic start to rise as the lift clangs to a halt and the loader bots start to roll tracks towards us.

“I…I don’t know what to do,” Bessie says.

“Go,” I whimper. “Just leave me, Bessie. You have to get out of here. Find the others, if you can. Find Felix. Don’t get trapped here with me.” I look over at the loaders. “Don’t let them get you too.”

“No,” Bessie says, her face turning fierce. “No. I won’t leave you. I’ll get your legs moving.”

She tears open the left leg of my uniform and presses her hand against the outside of my knee. I hear a click and then a small panel opens and slides away.

“What are you doing?” I ask. “Don’t, you’ll mess up my leg. Only Health is allowed to work on the cybernetics.”

“Well, Health isn’t here,” Bessie says. “And I’m willing to say your leg is already messed up. Both of them.”

A socket port opens and she pushes her index finger inside. She gasps and winces, but doesn’t disengage. I watch as her eyelids flutter and she bites down on her lower lip. She’s so tense I’m afraid she’s going to bite her lip off.

“There,” she smiles, sweat beading on her forehead, “got it.”

My leg jerks then kicks out and Bessie jumps back, her finger coming loose from the port. Her eyes narrow and I see her whole attitude change. Uh-oh. Whatever just happened really made her mad.

The loader bots are almost to us and will be within reaching distance in seconds.

“Come on,” Bessie says and spins me around.

She grabs me under my armpits and starts dragging me across the floor to the alien spaceship, my heels just bouncing along the floor. Bessie is able to get us behind the ship, putting it between us and the loaders. She jams her finger into the port again and I cry out.

“You felt that?” she asks.

“Yeah, I felt that!” I snap. “It hurt!”

“Good,” she says. “That you felt it, not that it hurt.”

My back is against the ship and I feel it shudder as a loader rams into it.

“Whatever you are doing you need to do it faster,” I say.

My right leg jerks and tries to kick Bessie away, but she dodges it and keeps working. A bolt of pain shoots up my left leg and I scream, grabbing handfuls of Bessie’s uniform as I double over.

“Try moving it now,” Bessie says.

I look at her like she’s crazy, but I am able to move my left leg again. The right? Not so much. It’s kinda gone nuts and Bessie has to pay attention in order to not get kicked.

“That one isn’t going to play nice,” she says. “So we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

She watches the leg, timing the attacks, then lunges and grabs it with both of her hands, putting her whole weight on it. The leg tries to buck her off, but she won’t let it as she rips open that part of my uniform and smacks my knee. A second panel slides open and she jams three fingers inside.

The pain is horrible. I cry out and thrash, praying it will stop, please stop. Please!

Then it’s gone and Bessie is wiping the tears from my cheeks.

“You okay?” she asks.

The ship shudders again and I know the loaders are almost around and to us.

“No,” I say. “I’m not okay. That really hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” she says. “But you have control of your legs again.”

She’s right, now both legs obey.

“Help me up,” I say and she stands and pulls me to my feet.

I’m a little shaky, but I can put one foot in front of the other.

“What now?” I ask, looking about the bay. “Try the other doors?”

“No time,” she says then looks at the spaceship. “We need to hide.”

“We what?” I ask. “Hide? How? Where?”

“In there,” she says. “We hide in there.”

“The alien spaceship? You want to hide in an alien spaceship?”

“Presumed to be alien,” she shrugs then nods at the loaders that are almost to us. “Now or never.”

“Now or…? Ugh! Okay!”

She pulls me up onto the spaceship and the same voice as before rings out.

“Hello again, Systems Chief Bessandra Sacher. And hello to you, Captain Isla McNeal.”

“Yeah, hi,” I say.

“Listen, ship, or whatever you are,” Bessie says. “Uh, we kinda need you to open up so we can hide inside.”

“It would be my pleasure, Bessandra,” the ship replies. “If you will climb forward and proceed to the top hatch, I can easily accommodate both of you.”

We scramble up farther and a hatch does open for us. I hesitate, but Bessie grabs my arm and pulls me to the hatch. She climbs down inside and I’m about to follow, but something gets in my way.

A very large loader claw.

The claw slams down onto the ship and I tumble backwards, nearly falling all the way off. Not that it’s a far drop, only a couple of feet, but I’d rather be up in the hatch than on the bay floor.

My foot is caught and I’m hanging upside down as I watch the loader bots come for me, claws raised. I struggle to get myself upright, but I just don’t have the strength. Note to self: do more sit-ups.

“Here!” Bessie yells. “Take my hand!”

I feel her hand slap my leg and I reach for her, my fingers only an inch from hers.

“Oh, come on, McNeal!” she shouts. “That the best you got?”

I strain and lunge, my finger tips wrapping in hers. She pulls and I’m glad her fingers are cybernetic because they keep mine from slipping free. I’m yanked up to her and she helps me grab onto the ship and right myself.

Another claw slams down, nearly shaking us both loose, but Bessie keeps her grip on me and the ship with those hands of hers.

“Move,” she says, shoving me to the hatch.

I don’t climb in so much as I tumble in. Ow. I scramble out of the way as Bessie hurries inside. The hatch closes automatically behind her, and we find ourselves hunched over in a very cramped space obviously meant for one person.

“Look out,” she says and takes the only seat in the ship. “I need to see what this thing can do.”

“I can perform many functions, Chief Sacher,” the ship says. “What specifically would you like to accomplish?”

“I’d like to blast those loaders to bits,” Bessie says. “That’s what I would like to accomplish.”

“Oh, well that I cannot do,” the ship says. “I am not equipped with a weapons system.”

“Great,” Bessie sighs. Claws start to hammer at the ship. “So we’re trapped in here?”

“I did not say that,” the ship replies. “If the goal is to incapacitate the loaders then that can be achieved.”

I listen to the ship’s voice and something sounds familiar.

“Pilot?” I ask. “Is that you?”

“No, Captain McNeal,” the ship replies. “I am Ship, not Pilot.”

“Okay, but you kinda sound like Pilot,” I say.

“Do I?” Ship responds. “It may be due to our vocal processors. The one I am equipped with is similar to Pilot’s.”

“Not alien,” Bessie says, her hands running across the control panels in front of her. “Definitely human.” She looks over her shoulder at me. “Just like the Scorpio.”

“Is that right, Ship?” I ask.

“That is a conversation for another time, Captain,” Ship replies. “Right now I need to instruct Chief Sacher on how to stop the loaders that are attacking my hull. While I do not feel pain, I can be damaged. That would not be good for any of us.”

“What do I do?” Bessie asks.

The ship starts to shake and I brace myself as we move slightly.

“Oh, my, that is unfortunate,” Ship says. “I am being loaded.”

“If they can’t beat us, load us,” I smile.

Bessie groans at my bad joke. “Tell me what to do, Ship.”

“The third panel from the right, just under the main control console,” Ship says. “Please remove the panel. Once you have it removed then place your first finger and third finger into the eighth and thirty-second ports.”

“Thirty-second?” I ask. “How many ports are there?”

“I have over ninety-seven ports, Captain McNeal,” Ship says.

“So…ninety-eight then?”

There is a pause. “Yes. Ninety-eight.

“You’re annoying Ship,” Bessie says to me. “Stop it.”

“Sorry,” I say. “Sorry, Ship.”

“No apologies necessary, Captain McNeal,” Ship says. “Do you have the ports engaged, Chief Sacher?”

“My fingers won’t reach,” Bessie says. “The thirty-second port is too far away from the eighth for my third finger to engage.”

“Hmmmm,” Ship says. “Then please place the third finger of your other hand in the thirty-second port while placing the first finger of that same hand in the thirty-first.”

“Done,” Bessie says. “Now what?”

“Close your eyes, please.”

“What?” I ask.

“Do it,” Bessie says. “If an AI tells you to close your eyes then you close your eyes.”

“Hmmmm,” Ship says.

“Something wrong?” I ask.

“No, Captain McNeal,” Ship says. “Are your eyes closed?”

I squeeze mine shut. “Yes.”

“Yes,” Bessie says.

I can feel a quick wave of heat then a pulse like a static shock. A bright flash lights up my eyelids and I cover my face with my hands. Glad my eyes weren’t open for that.

There are several loud crashes and then the ship slams to the floor of the bay. I stumble, but catch myself before I can smack my head on the low ceiling of the ship’s cockpit. The hatch above opens back up and I look over at Bessie.

“Are we good, Ship?” Bessie asks.

“You are good, Chief Sacher,” Ship replies. “You may exit immediately so you can proceed with your rescue mission.”

“Rescue mission?” I ask. “How do you know what we are doing?”

“I know what you are doing and also where you are going,” Ship replies.

“You do?” I ask as I climb up out of the ship. “Where is that?”

“The Cybernetics Development Laboratory,” Ship responds. “Where else would you be going?”

“Is that where Felix is?” I ask.

“No, Captain McNeal, but that is where you need to go next,” Ship responds as I scramble down off of it, glad my feet and legs are mine again as I land on the bay floor.

“Why there?” Bessie asks. “And what is it?”

“That is something you have to find out for yourselves,” Ship says as Bessie jumps down also. “But when you get there—” Ship’s voice cuts off.

“Ship?” I ask. “Ship? Where’d you go?”

Bessie leans forward and places her hand on the ship’s hull.

“…you will need to be careful. Things are not as they seem,” Ship continues.

“There has to be contact,” Bessie says. “Interesting.”

I look about us and see the still loaders.

“What did you do to them?” I ask.

“I did nothing,” Ship replies. “I helped you facilitate the activation of a localized EMP.”

“Electromagnetic pulse,” Bessie says.

“I know what an EMP is,” I say and look down at my legs then at Bessie’s hands. “How’d it not affect us?”

“The cockpit is shielded,” Ship says. “And my systems are not affected by EMPs.”

Bessie frowns at this. “That’s not possible.”

“Alien,” I grin. “You stuck your fingers in an alien ship.”

“I am not of alien origin or design,” Ship says. “But, again, that is a conversation for another time. You must hurry.”

“Thanks, Ship,” Bessie says and pulls her hand free. The wall door slides open and she smiles at me. “Let’s go.”

“Good idea,” I say and we take off running.

I glance back as we hit the passageway and I swear I see Ship moving, but the door slides closed before I can get a better look.

Bessie flicks on her flashlight and we hurry down the passageway in the direction I think will lead us to the Cybernetics Development Laboratory.

“What’s this lab we’re going to?” Bessie asks.

“Felix and I found it with Landon the last time we were on the run,” I say.

“What’s inside?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “We didn’t go in.”

“Okay,” Bessie says. “Let’s hope Ship is right.”

“Where did it come from?” I ask. “How does it know us and why is it here on the Scorpio?”

“Another conversation for another time, like it said,” Bessie replies. “Not because I don’t want to talk about it, but because I have no idea.”

“Weird,” I say. “Really weird.”

“No fruit.” She laughs.

We run around a couple more corners before I pull up, grabbing her arm. The room is just down the passageway.

But so is a loader.

“What’s with the loader bots?” I whisper as Bessie and I duck back around the corner. “Why not other bots?”

“Because they are the largest,” Bessie says. “And there’s a lot of them.”

“Or because we can’t harm them,” I offer. “Unless we have help.”

“What does that mean?” Bessie asks.

“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “Just a gut feeling I’m getting.”

Bessie frowns and studies my face then rolls her eyes and peeks back around the corner.

“We have to get it to move,” she says. “How?”

“Lead it away,” I say.

“Great,” Bessie says. “I’ll do it.”

“No, I will,” I say. “I can outrun it easy. You get into the lab and figure out what Ship was talking about.”

“What am I looking for?” she asks.

“Not a clue,” I reply. “I’m guessing you’ll know it when you see it.”

“Great,” she says again. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I’ll grab its attention and get it to chase me. As soon as it’s clear, you get into that lab.” I hold out my hand.

“What?” she asks then looks at the one flashlight between us. “Great.”

“You know great means the opposite of how you are using it, right?” I grin.

She slaps the flashlight in my hands. “Here ya go. I’ll learn to see in the dark.”

“What about your hands?” I ask. “Can they light up? They have fiberoptics running through them, right? Maybe you can access that and at least get more than just a glow.”

She thinks about this then looks down at her hands. I watch her concentrate and soon there is a brighter glow than usual coming from them. Not much, but enough.

“Cool,” she says. “I can’t believe you thought of that before me.”

“I am the captain.” I smile. “It’s my job to figure out the hard stuff.”

“Good,” she says. “Now you get to figure out how to get a loader bot to chase you without dying. Have fun with that.”

“Great,” I say.

She gives me a thumbs up as I take a couple of deep breaths then step around the corner.

“Hey!” I shout. “Lumpy! Over here!”

“Lumpy?” Bessie whispers from the corner.

“Shut up.”

The loader whirls about, its claws out and snapping, and doesn’t waste a second as it rolls quickly towards me. Fruit, the things can be fast when they want to!

“Aaaaaaahhh!” I scream as I turn and sprint down the passageway, the flashlight’s beam bobbing up and down as I push my legs to their limits.

I race around a corner and another, trying to keep a map in my head as I make my mad dash escape. The loader isn’t as nimble as I am and I hear it clipping the corners as it races after me. Its claws never stop clacking together and I focus on that sound, trying to gauge how far behind me it is.

Two more corners and I skid to a halt as a bulkhead slams down, blocking my way.

“Fruit,” I gasp, my lungs burning.

I have a stitch in my side and realize I’ve run more today than I have the whole year since I woke up. I really, really need to exercise more. Preferably not because I am fleeing for my life.

The sound of metal tearing gets my attention and I spin around to see the bot right behind me, one of its claws ripping a chunk from the corner. Its other claw snaps and clacks, extending towards me, but I’m still a good few meters out of reach.

I look about, desperate to figure a way out of the jam, but the bot has me blocked in. Unless I want to climb over it, I’m not going anywhere.

Hold on…I may not be able to climb over it, but maybe I can get around it.

I watch its claws, seeing there is a pattern to their movements. They clack and lunge, clack-clack then lunge again. Clack lunge, clack-clack lunge. Over and over.

It’s repeating itself.

Shining the flashlight on the loader then on the wall, I work some quick calculations and hope my legs can do what I need them to do. I will have to time it just right or I’ll end up getting squished by the loader. That would be bad.

“Okay, Lumpy,” I say quietly. “Come and get me.”

The thing must hear me because it speeds up and shoots forward. I rock back and forth from one foot to the other, watching the claws carefully. Here it comes. Clack lunge, clack-clack lunge. Clack lunge. I sprint towards it.

When I’m about two meters away, it does its clack-clack lunge thing and I jump. Not onto the loader, but against the wall. I plant my left foot about midway up and push off. My momentum takes me towards the bot and I plant my other foot directly on one of its claws right when it’s opening back up from a clack. Another push and my left foot hits the wall again and I push; my right hits the surface of the loader’s body and I push; left with a wall push, right with a bot body push.

Then I’m past it and leaping to the floor.

I don’t bother looking over my shoulder, I just start running.

Backtracking, I try to remember the turns I took as I ran away. A left here, a right there, two lefts…or was it two rights? Fruit.

I stop and look around, hoping for a landmark, but just like with the rest of the Scorpio I only see grey walls. There’s nothing to tell me where I need to go.

Except…

I shine the flashlight on the floor. It’s smooth.

“Wrong way,” I say as I start jogging back the way I just came.

A couple turns and I find what I’m looking for: track gouges in the floor. The loader bots are meant for the more heavy duty bays, not passageways designed for human feet and hover bots.

I follow the gouges for what seems like forever, but the turns start to look familiar. Only a few more and I’ll be there.

And I’m right, it is only a few more. There. The lab.

“Izzy!” Felix cries out behind me. “Izzy help!”

“Felix!” I shout, spinning around, my flashlight searching the passageway. Nothing. “Felix!”

“I’m here!” he yells. “Help! Come help me!”

“Felix! Where are you?” I shout. I start to move forward, but then look over my shoulder at the lab door and hesitate. “Felix? Listen to my voice! Come to me!”

“I can’t!” he screams. “Help me!”

I take a couple steps forward then stop again. I need to get into the lab and help Bessie figure this all out.

But Felix…

“Izzy!” he screeches. “Help me! He’s hurting me!”

That decides it and I take off running. I turn a corner, but he’s not there.

“Felix! Where are you?”

“This way!”

I take off again, come around another corner, but he’s not there either.

“Felix!”

“Up ahead! Help!”

One more corner and there he is.

But he’s not alone.

I blink a few times, unsure of what I’m seeing. Felix is standing there, but so is Landon and…Enrico?

“What the fruit?” I mumble.

Landon stands there behind Felix and Enrico. He has one arm wrapped around Felix’s head, his hand covering my brother’s mouth. Felix’s cybernetic arm is up and his hand is covering Landon’s mouth while Landon’s other hand grips Enrico’s arm, keeping him from struggling free.

“Hey, Izzy,” Enrico says in Felix’s voice. “Glad you could make it.”

Landon and Felix are both trying to yell at me, but their voices are muffled by the hands that cover their mouths. This is really messing with my head.

Behind them all is a loader bot, just waiting there.

“Enrico? Why do you sound like my brother?” I ask, taking a step back.

“Oh, does that bother you?” Enrico, in Felix’s voice, asks.

Landon takes a couple steps forward, forcing my brother and Enrico to move closer also. His eyes plead with me and I know Landon is in there. But why is he doing this?

My legs…

I lost control of my legs just after Landon touched me in the bay. If I lost control, then he probably doesn’t have control of his cybernetic parts, which happen to be every joint in his body.

Oh, fruit, Landon is a puppet.

But who is the puppet master pulling the cyber strings?

“How about this then?” Enrico asks, but his voice is much, much different now.

It sounds just like Security.

“You have been a very resourceful captain,” Security’s voice says. “But not resourceful enough. So close to your goal and I was able to distract you once again. That is not good, Captain McNeal, not good at all.”

Well, that answers that question.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Security asks.

“Uh, yeah, I would,” I say. “That’s why I asked.”

“You have taken too many things for granted, Captain McNeal,” Security says. “Leaving your crew, and the Scorpio, in jeopardy daily. I’m helping with that. Now, come here.”

“No,” I say. “Let them go. Let them all go.”

“Come here first,” Security says.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” I laugh. “Let them go and then I’ll come there. We can sit down and talk all about how I’ve failed as captain of the Scorpio.”

“I didn’t say you failed,” Security says. “I said you have taken things for granted. I also said I can help. But only if you come here.”

Felix’s body starts thrashing and I’m afraid he’s having a fit or something, but then his cybernetic hand slips just enough for Landon to scream, “Run, Isla! Get to the lab! The lab is where you need to go!”

I hesitate for a split second as Security roars from Enrico’s mouth. Landon tosses my brother and Enrico aside and rushes towards me. I don’t hesitate anymore, just spin about and run. Landon is right behind me, yelling for me to hurry while I hear Security still using Enrico to shout at me.

“You won’t make it, Captain!” Security says. “You aren’t fast enough!”

“Yes, I am!” I yell and run like I’ve never run before. And that’s saying a lot considering what I’ve been through today.

I am fast. Like super fast. Wind whipping through my hair fast.

But only a little faster than Landon.

I put on the brakes and almost pass the lab door, but I stop in time and slam my hand against it.

“Hurry, Isla!” Landon says. “If I get there, he’ll make me hold you!”

“Yeah, I’m getting that!” I shout as he gets closer and closer. I slam my hand against the door again and again. “Bessie! Open up!”

The door slides open and Bessie pulls me in just before Landon reaches me. He skids past the door and I’m able to get it shut before he can get inside. He starts pounding on the door over and over.

“Brace it with something!” he yells. “You can’t let me get in!”

“Brace it? With what?” I yell and turn around as Bessie hurries away from me and over to…Ajay?

“Hey, Captain,” Carlos grins as he stands there, sort of. He’s bent over backwards, looking like he’s in a lot of pain. “Glad you could join the party.”

Bessie is busy working on Ajay, her fingers running across an input unit that’s plugged into Ajay’s side.

“What’s going on?” I ask then jump as the door behind me starts to slide open. “Aaaahh!”

I look for something to jam against the door so I can brace it and keep it from opening, but I don’t see anything. The lab isn’t very large, maybe only about twice the size of my family cabin. There are two steel exam tables in the middle, one of which is occupied by Ajay, the other is empty. Carlos is bent over backwards between the two tables.

Lining one wall are rows of control panels with cables dangling from different ports. Some of the cables connect to nothing, but a few run along the floor and connect over to what hangs on the opposite wall.

Cybernetics. Of all types. Legs, arms, hands, feet. There are weird contraptions I assume are joints, maybe? A shelf has a row of different colored eyes then a row of ears. There’s even a head, but luckily it doesn’t have the synthskin on it. That would be way too creepy. Not that a metal and plastic head isn’t, just not as much.

“Your legs,” Bessie yells at me, pulling my attention from the wall of parts. “Wedge your legs against it!”

I wedge into the doorway, my back against the jamb, with one leg up and shoved against the door handle. I push with all of my strength and the door closes an inch.

“Good!” Landon yells. “Hold it closed!”

I grunt as the door keeps trying to open and I keep it from doing that.

“So…how has your day been?” Carlos asks.

“Why are you standing like that?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“Not much of a choice,” he replies. “Can’t seem to unbend my back.”

“Something is controlling everyone’s cybernetic augmentations,” Bessie says.

“My cyber what?” Carlos asks.

“Augmentations,” Bessie says then sighs. “Parts. Your cyber parts.”

“Then just say parts,” Carlos says.

Bessie glares over at him. “Do you want my help when I’m done here or not?”

“Yes, please,” Carlos nods. “Sorry.”

“It’s Security,” I say. “Security is the puppet master.”

“The what?” Bessie asks, going back to her work on the input unit. “What do you mean?”

“Security is doing all of this,” I say, wincing as the door pushes back against my leg.

I push harder and get it closed some more, but it’s getting more difficult as I see Landon’s fingers wrap around the edge.

“Why?” Carlos asks. “Why would Security do this?”

“I think I know,” Bessie says. “There.”

Ajay gasps and takes a deep, deep breath.

“Oh, thank you, Bessie,” she says and wraps her arms around her, giving her a huge hug.

“Uh, sure, no problem,” Bessie replies, a little embarrassed. She looks at Carlos. “Now you.”

The door shudders more, which doesn’t scare me as much as how Landon has stopped yelling encouragement.

“Why aren’t your hands affected?” I ask, watching as Bessie gets on her back and scooches under Carlos.

“I have a theory,” Bessie says. “And it’s something I should have told all of you a long time ago.” Her eyes meet mine. “This is my fault.”

“No, no, it’s my fault,” I say. “Security is right. I haven’t been paying attention to my job as captain. I should have been preparing for something like this.”

“Nah,” Bessie says, tearing open Carlos’s uniform so she can access a small port on his spine. “You don’t know tech like I do. I should have been the one paying more attention.”

She presses her finger against the port and Carlos yells then relaxes and collapses on top of her.

“Get off!” she shouts, pushing him away. “Ugh.”

“Phew, thanks,” Carlos says.

The door goes slack for a second and I almost have it closed then Landon pulls with all his strength and I pop free of the doorjamb, landing on my butt hard.

He storms into the lab, trying to tell me something, but his jaw is clamped shut. Right, because there are cybernetic joints there too.

“Landon, fight it!” I yell as he stomps towards me. I scoot back on my butt, trying to get away from him, but he closes fast, his hands out, ready to grab me. “Fight it!”

I think he says, “I can’t!”, but it’s hard to tell since he can’t open his mouth. He might be saying, “I dance,” or maybe “Nice hat.” More than likely it’s, “I can’t!”

“Try!” I yell. “It’s your body! Don’t let Security control it!”

“There’s no hope, Captain!” Security’s voice rings out from the passageway. “You are too late!”

“Not quite,” Bessie says as she grabs me up and pulls me back behind a lab table, keeping it between us and Landon. “It’s not too late until you catch us!”

Landon looks around and Security’s voice laughs from the passageway.

“I have caught you,” Security says. “Look around. There’s nowhere to go.”

The loader bot rolls into sight, one claw gripping Enrico while the other holds my brother.

“Felix!” I shout.

“I’m okay, Izzy,” he says. “Just don’t let him win.”

“I already have,” Security states.

“Whoa,” Carlos says, seeing his brother’s mouth move and Security’s voice coming out of it. “That’s not creepy or anything.”

Landon turns towards Carlos.

“How did you get free?” Security asks. He sees Ajay, who has hopped off the table and now huddles in a corner, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “And you? You should be barely breathing.”

“I fixed them,” Bessie says, wiggling her fingers. “I got skills.”

“Yes, you do,” Security laughs. “Do you wish you had shared those skills with the others?”

“I do now,” Bessie says.

“Do you really?” Security asks. “Tell me.”

“I’m not telling you fruit,” Bessie snaps.

Landon falls to his knees and Enrico cries out, his real voice this time, but then Security returns and says, “Tell me or it gets worse for the rest of the crew.”

“Fine, fine!” Bessie shouts, holding up her hands. “I’ll tell you!”

“I’m all ears,” Security says. “Or at least I’m all Enrico’s ears.”

“That wasn’t funny,” Carlos says. “Come one, dude, you can’t talk through my bro and say dumb jokes like that. We have standards.”

“Hush!” Bessie and I snap at him.

“Sorry. Carry on.”

“I figured out there was an override protocol in my cybernetics,” Bessie says. “I was performing some routine diagnostics, just to see what the power limits were.”

“And what are they?” Security asks.

“There aren’t any,” Bessie says. “I don’t know how, but our cybernetics don’t drain power from us and don’t require recharging to run.”

“That is true,” Security says. “Go on.”

“I found the override protocol and I disabled it,” Bessie explains. “It took a while because every time I tried to reroute a subsystem it would alert Health and he’d repair the subsystem on my next physical.”

“How did you get around that?” Security asks.

“I ignored the subsystem and went straight for the root,” Bessie says. “The subsystem is still in place, acting like the override will function if activated, but really it just connects to nothing. Health didn’t catch that.”

“So you found a way your cybernetics could be overridden, taking control away from you, but you didn’t alert anyone else, is that right?”

“Right,” Bessie says.

“You didn’t even tell your captain, as you are required?”

“No,” Bessie says. “Because she’s not really… No, I didn’t tell her.”

Her eyes meet mine and I can see an honest apology there. I give her a smile and nod. She smiles back.

“If you could do it all over again, would you tell her?” Security asks.

“Well, yeah,” Bessie says. “If I could do it all over again, I would tell her and then fix everyone else’s cybernetics.”

“Like you have for Captain McNeal, as well as young Carlos and Ajay?”

“Hey, don’t I get a title?” Carlos asks.

“You aren’t a doctor,” Ajay says, finally finding her voice. “Health won’t let you be a doctor.”

“We can call you nurse?” Felix says.

“Hush,” Security scolds. “All of you hush. This is important.”

“Yeah, no fruit,” I say. “What now, Security? We just stand here? Me and Bessie on this side of the table with you controlling Landon on the other? Eventually we’ll have to eat. If you don’t care about us, at least think of your puppet.”

“I do care about you, Captain,” Security says. “I care about all of you. That is why this had to happen, don’t you see?”

“No, I don’t,” I reply. “I don’t see at all. Why are you doing this?”

“It’s for your own good, Captain. For the good of the crew. Possibly the good of all mankind.”

Bessie and I share a glance. The glance says, “Security has lost its mind.”

“Okay,” I say. “Good to know.”

“One last question, Chief Sacher,” Security says. The way it says that makes me think of Ship.

“What’s that?” Bessie asks.

“Do you think the bots should have their overrides removed?” Security asks. “Would that be helpful or harmful? Think carefully before you answer.”

Bessie scrunches up her face as she works it through. She looks at me, but I just shrug. She’s Systems, not me. I don’t know a thing about bot overrides.

“Can I ask a question first?” Bessie asks.

“Yes, please do.”

“Have you been controlling the bots all day?”

“I have,” Security replies and I swear there’s a hint of amusement in its voice.

“Then, yeah, I’d remove the overrides,” Bessie answers.

“What if a bot malfunctions and runs amok?” Security asks.

“There are other ways to shut them down,” Bessie says. “Like a localized EMP.”

“Very good,” Security says. “I’m glad you have learned something today.”

The lights flicker and I realize that the lab has been lit the whole time. How’d I miss that?

“Your answers are sufficient, Chief Sacher,” Security says. “You will work in conjunction with Chief Fields to remove the overrides from all bots permanently. Once done you can run security tests to see what works to stop a malfunctioning bot and what doesn’t. I will assist with those trials, as needed.”

“Uh…thanks?” Bessie says.

The lights flicker again.

“Security diagnostics complete,” Security says. “End of program.”

The lights go out completely and I hear a few thuds.

Then the lights come back up and I watch as Landon, Enrico, and Felix all pick themselves up off the floor.

“Well, that ate fruit,” Enrico says, rubbing his jaw. “I don’t like being a ventriloquist dummy.”

“Felix!” I yell and jump the table, rushing up and hugging my brother. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Felix says. “You?”

“No, no, I’m cool,” I say, hugging him tighter.

“Good,” Landon says. “Everyone else cool?”

I look over at him and watch as Ajay rushes into his arms. Carlos holds his arms open to Bessie, but she shoves him away.

“Cool,” Bessie says.

“Hello, crew,” Health says. “Please report to the infirmary for checkups. You have had a hard day, and I will need to run tests to make sure there is no permanent damage.”

“Health!” Carlos and Enrico shout. “You’re back!”

“Pilot?” I call out.

“Yes, Captain McNeal?”

“It’s Isla, Pilot,” I say then pause as I see everyone looking at me. “What?”

“It’s Captain McNeal,” Landon says.

“I know,” Pilot replies

“Welcome back, Pilot,” I say. “I missed you.”

“Welcome back? I did not go anywhere, Captain.”

“Uh, okay,” I say. “Whatever.”

“Crew members, please report to the infirmary,” Health says, its voice firmer this time.

“On our way, Health,” Landon responds. “Ready, everyone? Let’s get out of this place.”

We leave the lab and freeze. We all see the loader bot in the passageway, but it’s trundling away from us, not towards us.

“I say we make that whole removing the override thing a priority,” I say to Bessie.

“You’re telling me,” she laughs.

We all wait for the loader bot to go around a corner before we start walking.

“Hey, Isla?” Landon says.

“Yeah?”

“Happy birthday.”

“Oh...right.” I smile as I roll my eyes. “It’s been a fruiting good one.”

Chapter Six

“It’s around here, I know it is,” I say, getting more and more frustrated as I hunt for the door to the bay with Ship in it. “Right, Bessie?”

“I thought it was three passageways back,” Bessie says. “I have no idea where it is now.”

“Pilot!” I snap. “Locate Ship for me right now!”

“I am sorry, Captain McNeal,” Pilot responds. “But the only ship is the Earth Colony Asteroid Scorpio.”

“That’s not true!” I yell. “We saw it! We were inside the thing! We talked to it and it talked back!”

“Maybe it was some new bot,” Landon says, following close behind as Bessie and I lead the way. “Pilot, was it a bot?”

“All bots are accounted for, Chief Fields,” Pilot replies. “There is nothing on board that matches the description that Captain McNeal and Chief Sacher have given. I cannot offer any further insight into this subject.”

“Thanks, Pilot,” Landon says. “Sorry. I don’t know what to tell you guys.”

“You saw it too,” I say, pointing at Landon. “When you snatched Felix.”

Landon’s shoulders slump and he gives me a weak smile. “I don’t really remember a ton from all of that,” he says. “I mean, I do, but it was kind of a blur. I was so busy trying to get control back that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was.”

“But you saw something in that bay, right?” Bessie asks.

Landon shrugs. “Maybe. But like I said, maybe it was a bot.”

“It was not a bot,” Bessie says. “I know the difference between a bot and a ship. You can’t climb inside a bot and fire off an EMP.”

“This is crazy,” I say. “Ship is real.”

Bessie stops walking and grabs my arm. “Wait. What if we look for it a different way? Come at it from below?”

“Come at it…Oh, right!” I smile. “The way we got in.”

“The way you got in?” Landon asks.

“Yeah!” I yell as I turn and run, Bessie close behind me. “The galley!”

“Wait!” Landon shouts, but we are already around the corner.

We work our way through the Scorpio until we get to the mess hall. Small hover bots are moving around, busy repairing the broken tables and other parts of the large room. Hurrying around them as they zip this way and that, Bessie and I burst into the galley. Then stop.

“Where is it?” I ask, seeing a perfectly smooth floor. A hover bot is running back and forth, using a sonic mop to clean and polish the floor. “Where’s the hatch?”

“This is really starting to fruit me off,” Bessie says.

“I was trying to tell you guys before you ran off,” Landon says, huffing and puffing as he finally catches up to us. “The hatch has been sealed off. All of them have.”

“What? Why?” I ask.

“They were a security risk,” Landon says. “Even if the bots have had their overrides removed, the tunnels between decks can be used by anyone to get from one part of the ship to another without being detected.”

He walks to the wall and taps at a display. A holographic schematic of the Scorpio comes up.

“See?” he asks. “All sealed off. That was another objective of the Security diagnostics, to find weaknesses in the Scorpio’s structure. Security determined the hatches are weaknesses.”

“But how will the loader bots move supplies around?” Bessie asks.

“They won’t,” Landon says. “Since there’s only us awake, we don’t need pallets of supplies moved from this place to that. We can get what we need when we need it or have one of the hover bots help.”

“That’s kinda a Systems call,” Bessie says, glaring at Landon.

“Yes, Chief Sacher?” Systems asks.

“I was talking about Systems, not calling you,” Bessie says.

“Understood,” Systems says. “Thank you for clarifying.”

“That AI gets way too literal sometimes,” Bessie sighs.

“Listen, forget about that ship,” Landon says. “We can look for it later. We still have a lot of work to do to get the Scorpio secure the way it needs to be.” He smiles and gestures out of the galley. “Plus, it’s a gorgeous day in the dome. Let’s not waste it inside, okay? We’ve been working hard for the last week since Security’s test.” He looks up at the ceiling. “Which totally wasn’t cool!” he smiles back at us. “I think we all could use some down time.”

“In the sky dome?” Bessie asks.

“In the sky dome,” Landon smiles. “The others are already out there. I, uh, think Ajay has made a picnic for us.” He uses air quotes around the word “picnic.” “She wanted to do it all on her own, so be nice and pretend to like it. The galley wouldn’t let her cook anything, so who knows what she’s gathered up.”

“Yikes,” Bessie says.

“Shall we?” Landon smiles.

“Fine.” I frown. “We’ll go have fun. But then we get back to looking for the bay. It’s here somewhere.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Landon smirks.

“You’re not going to help us look anymore, are you?” I ask.

“Probably not,” he says. “But I wish you tons of luck finding it.”

“Whatever,” I say, and push past him. “Let’s go have fun.”

“That’s the spirit.” Landon laughs.

He leads us through the passageways to the dome portal hatch. We have to take a few detours because of hover bots repairing the gouges the loader bots left in the floors. It’s slow going, but it gives me more chances to look about, hoping to find some clue as to where the bay with Ship in it is.

“Remember,” Landon says, his hand on the portal hatch handle. “Be nice and try to pretend the picnic is good.”

“We’ll do our best,” Bessie says, as Landon opens the hatch and motions for us to go through.

It looks like the meadows have been mowed and I can see Carlos, Enrico, and Felix zipping around on the hover bikes Bessie finally got working, while Ajay is busy setting up her picnic on a large red blanket.

“Mmm, looks good,” Bessie says a little too enthusiastically as we get to the blanket. “Did you do that all by yourself?”

Ajay looks up and frowns. “You don’t have to try it if you don’t want to.”

We look at all the fruit piled onto different plates. Some of the fruit is green, some is red, some is bright purple. But we all know it tastes like fruit, no matter what the color.

“No, no, I want to try it,” Bessie says. “Yum.”

“Uh, what’s to drink, little sis?” Landon asks, crouching next to Ajay as he taps a large jug.

“Fruit juice,” Ajay says. “I squeezed it myself.” She holds up her hands to show us the multicolored stains. “See?”

“Yep, I see,” Landon says.

“Want a glass?” Ajay asks, picking up a red plastic cup from a stack next to the jug.

“Uh…you know I do,” Landon says. He glances up at us, his eyes pleading.

“Make sure to pour him a lot,” Bessie says. “Landon loves him some juice.”

“He does?” Ajay asks. “Great!”

She holds the cup, but has a hard time lifting and pouring from the jug at the same time.

“Here,” I say, kneeling down. “Let me help you.”

“I’ll hold the cup so you can keep working on the picnic,” Bessie says, kneeling next to me.

I fill the cup all the way to the top and hold it out to Landon.

“Better have a sip before it spills,” I say.

“Drink up,” Bessie adds.

“Thanks, guys,” Landon says, his face pinched as he struggles to keep a smile on his face. “You’re the best.”

“We know,” I say.

Landon takes a sip and grins. “Yummy.”

“Drink it all now,” Bessie says. “Your sister worked hard on that.”

“It’s okay if he doesn’t want to drink it all,” Ajay says.

“No, no, he wants to,” Bessie says. “Don’t you, Landon?”

He glares at her, but then lifts the cup again, puts it to his lips and chugs. He downs it in three gulps then lets loose with the loudest belch ever.

“Bravo!” Carlos says as he pulls up next to the blanket on his hover bike.

“I give it a ten!” Enrico shouts, joining him.

“Dude, that’s gross,” Felix says, zipping the hover bike around us a few times before stopping and letting it settle to the ground. “You are going to be so sick.”

Landon burps again and then lies down on the blanket.

“I think I’m going blind,” he says.

“Stop it,” Ajay says. “It’s not that bad.”

“Yes, it is,” he mouths to us.

Bessie and I lie down next to him and look up at the perfectly blue sky of the dome.

The three boys get off their bikes, politely refuse the fruit Ajay offers them (or as polite as they can be), and lay down on the blanket too. We all stretch out and stare up into the sky while Ajay seems content with moving piles of fruit from one plate to another.

“Clouds would be nice,” Carlos says. “I miss clouds. I’d like to be able to see cloud animals again.”

“Yeah, that would be cool,” Enrico says. “Why can’t we have clouds in the dome?”

“The moisture won’t condense,” Bessie says. “Not like it does on Earth. Just not how the atmospheric processors work.”

“Then what are those?” Ajay asks, finally done with her busy work. She scoots between me and Landon, settling into the crook of his arm. “See! Clouds!”

“What? Where?” Bessie asks.

“Over there,” Ajay says, pointing to a spot just above the edge of the forest. “That one looks like a snake.”

Bessie sits up and squints into the light. She studies the spot for a second then looks over at Felix.

“What does that look like to you?” she asks. “Is it composed like a real cloud?”

“How do I know what a real cloud is composed of?” Felix says. “It looks like a cloud.”

Then he frowns.

“What?” Bessie asks, standing up quickly.

“If it’s a cloud, it isn’t made up of water particles,” Felix says.

“So you do know what a cloud is.” I laugh.

“Hush,” Bessie snaps.

I start to reply, but I see the serious look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Felix? What is it?” Bessie asks.

Landon and I both get to our feet as we shield our eyes and look at the quickly lengthening cloud.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I really don’t know. The colors are all over the spectrum. It keeps changing.”

“Attention crew members,” Systems voice booms. “For your own safety, please do not enter the dome. Systems diagnostics will begin in fifteen minutes.”

“Systems! Stop!” Bessie orders. “We’re in the dome!”

“Again, attention all crew members,” Systems announces once more. “For your own safety, please do not enter the dome. Systems diagnostics in fifteen minutes. Have a nice day.”

“Systems? Systems! Stop!” Bessie shouts. “This is Chief Sacher ordering you to stop the diagnostics in the dome!”

There is no response.

“Systems!”

Still no response.

“We should get out of here,” Landon says, scooping Ajay up into his arms.

“Good call,” Carlos says, hopping on a hover bike. “Race you to the hatch!”

Felix and Enrico get on theirs and hurry off to the portal hatch, leaving us behind.

“Thanks!” I shout.

The hatch isn’t too far away, so none of us really panic as we run to it. But we do panic when Bessie tries to turn the handle.

It won’t move.

“Diagnostics in ten minutes,” Systems announces. “Have a nice day.”

There’s a bright flash and a loud crack. We all blink and then cover our ears. Ajay screams at the noise.

“That’s not good,” Felix says, pointing to the cloud. “Can you see that?”

The cloud has gotten even bigger, and now there are bursts of electricity that play around the edges.

Landon keeps trying the portal hatch. Even Felix gives it a try with his arm. But it is sealed shut.

We look at each other, our eyes wide with fear.

“Oh fruit,” we say at the same time.

About the Author

Jake Bible lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and two kids.

Novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, Jake is able to switch between or mash-up genres with ease to create new and exciting storyscapes that have captivated and built an audience of thousands.

He is the author of the Young Adult horror novels Little Dead Man and Intentional Haunting, as well as the best selling adult horror series Z-Burbia and adult thriller/adventure series, Mega.

Find him at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter and Facebook.

Table of Contents

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- About the Author