Space Junk by Andrew Bixler

Author:Andrew Bixler [Bixler, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780578609713
Publisher: Pants Team Press
Published: 2019-11-23T07:00:00+00:00

Pi indifferently scrutinizes her appearance in the mirror, pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail. She raises the corners of her mouth and then lowers them, searching for a suitable smile as the argument in the next room seeps through the walls in muffled bursts.

“These chidiots can’t go five space minutes,” she whispers to herself, pausing for one last prolonged look in the mirror before stepping out of the restroom.

“As a representative of the UE, I am expressly bestowed far greater authority than any that you may think you possess!” Zok’s faux authoritative howl dominates the conversation as he furiously paces the room.

“Yeah well, I called dibs,” Steve says from the couch, splashing a small fortune’s worth of thousand-year-old whisky onto an ancient Earth rug that will be much harder to replace than he is.

“Dibs?” Zok grabs the sides of his head. “What does that mean? Will you talk to them?” he pleads.

“I thought we were all in agreement,” Pi says.

“They’re bickering over which of them gets to question Silas Jones first,” Dave explains.

“We can’t risk leaving him alone with Zok,” Steve says. “He might kill the guy before we ever get a crack at him.”

“There is nothing to fight about,” Pi tells them. “We will interrogate Silas Jones together. Everyone will know what everyone else knows.”

“It’s my right—” Zok begins to argue, but Pi glares at him, and he wisely chuts up.

“Now that that’s settled…” Pi folds her arms and pivots toward the door. “Bring him in.”

The wide double doors swing open and Zilch, her head of security, rolls Silas Jones into the room. The old man is strapped to a wobbly office chair, clothed in the same thin flannel pants and knit sweater he was picked up in. A souvenir t-shirt from the gift shop covers his eyes, and in his lap rests a peculiar metal box.

When Zilch removes the blindfold, Silas nervously whips his head around and grins. “Uh, hi.”

“Ahoy!” Pi says, stepping in front of him. “Do you know who I am?”

“No,” he says, looking her up and down. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know you.”

“Most people call me The Foreman.”

“That doesn’t seem right,” Silas remarks, his eyes glued to her legs. “But I like it.”

“Do you know why you’re here?”

“I got a pretty good idea,” he says. “Listen, don’t hurt my grandson. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Neither did I, otherwise I never would have told him anything about the black gold, or this place.”

Pi glances back at the three men impatiently hovering over her shoulder. “That saves us some time.” Turning to Silas, she says, “As long as you cooperate, no one will get hurt. Now, where is Adam Jones?”

The old man squirms, spinning in his chair. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew. I’d never give him up.”

“I was hoping you would be smart enough to work with us. But I wasn’t counting on it.” She kneels down and breathes into his ear, “No matter. Your mere presence should be enough to serve our needs.

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