Dying World by Chris Fox

Author:Chris Fox [Fox, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chris Fox Writes LLC
Published: 2020-01-19T22:00:00+00:00

19

I waited until Briff had disappeared down the ramp into the brig before I headed to the mess and paged everyone through the intercom. That meant that both Vee and her as yet unnamed brother would hear, which is exactly what I wanted.

“All crew, report to the mess, please. We’re taking off now, and should be in orbit soon.” I released the button, then pressed it again. “We need to get our bearings, people. If there are people you care about, start figuring out where they are.”

There was a lot to sort out, and it still wasn’t clear what order that should be done in. Vee had added a new wrinkle. If the lurkers were being controlled by someone, and had been for years, then was that somehow connected to the comet? My mom, and through her the prime minister, needed to know that.

I sat down and massaged my shoulder with my free hand. It ached something awful, and I did not deal at all well with pain. Having your world come apart did tend to put minor aches in perspective, though.

“Hey, kid.” Rava offered a nonchalant nod as she entered the mess and dropped down at the table opposite me. “You look like the depths just spit you back out, and that’s an improvement, sadly. I’ve been waiting to hear the story. How did you take out that cybernut? He had more chrome than my father and me put together. Not sure I would have come out on top.”

I shuddered as my mind drifted back. The aroma of cooked flesh overpowered the present, and I suppressed a gag. I couldn’t unsee the exact moment his cybernetic eyes had powered down as the brain that gave them purpose ceased to exist.

“It could have gone either way,” I admitted. I looked up to meet her gaze, and found her smiling at me. She seemed like she was waiting for me to continue, so I did. “My armor can use the limbs as thrusters. He thought I was disarmed, because I’d lost my pistol. He was going to finish me slowly, I think. I caught him off guard and…ended it.”

It didn’t sound terribly heroic, but she gave an approving nod. She kicked both booted feet up on top of the table, and leaned back until the chair creaked. “Not bad. Better than I expected, to be honest. My dad does not have a very high opinion of you.”

“For good reason,” Arcan snarled from the doorway. The dour old man stomped into the room, shoved Rava’s feet off the table, then dropped into the discolored plastic seat next to her. “You got lucky, kid, and we all know it.” His cyber-eyes whirred as he focused on me, trying to get me to break first.

I knew a power struggle was coming. It would start with logic, and I planned to keep it there rather than escalating.

“Are you sitting inside the ship I promised?” I asked, quietly, not because I thought it sounded badass, but rather because I was exhausted and couldn’t manage much else.

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