Absolute Zero - Chapter 22
"I have a crazy idea..."
It didn't go quite according to plan.
Ed was supposed to call the lone wolf with a made-up story about his ship taking damage and needing sign off on the repair. The wolf should then have been directed to a shadowy area of the shipyard between stacks of crates. That's where Wyatt and Abbi were lying in wait, ready with the disrupter.
But they never saw him coming.
Instead, they awoke in an unfamiliar ship, heads pounding, wrists and ankles bound with plasticuffs. Both of their hog-tied bodies were floating in zero g when they awoke. They grunted and writhed, trying to wriggle free from their restraints. But only ended up haplessly bumping into each other and the walls like drunken pinballs.
"All right, just relax," Wyatt yelled in frustration. "We do have some control here. Just lean in the direction you're going. When you hit a surface, roll into it to transfer your momentum."
Both used this technique to stop their uncontrollable floating and were able to still themselves against the curved walls. Though they now faced each other, Abbi was upright while Wyatt was upside down.
"Well, it's a start," Abbi said. "Now what?"
Without an immediate answer, they surveyed their surroundings. Craning his neck, he saw the pilot's console at the end of the corridor, above which windows provided a view of space. The view was interrupted by a stationary column.
"I think this ship is still docked," Wyatt said.
Meanwhile, Abbi looked for a tool of some kind. She found a metal ring jutting from the wall. Her hands were tied in front, and she studied her bindings to find them secured with a plastic buckle. Struggling to turn to position her wrists at the ring, her body began to tumble uncontrollably again.
"Goddamnit!" she growled.
"Hold on," Wyatt said. He twisted his body and managed to push away from his wall and press the top of his head against Abbi's upper back. This slowed her uncontrollable movements and pushed her close to the ring.
"Thanks." She got to work.
"That guy is smooth," Wyatt said. "I'll give him that. I'm still not sure what happened."
"We were tased. I feel the burn on my back. I think he came at us from above."
"Like a reverse ambush," Wyatt said.
"Like he knew we'd be there," she added. "Nice friend you got there."
"You'd think saving the guy's life would earn some loyalty."
"Never trust an addict." Wyatt sensed that was meant for him.
The clasp broke free. Abbi twisted away from Wyatt and quickly freed her ankles. She then turned her body around to free Wyatt's hands and let him take care of the rest. Her mag boots were stowed nearby, and she put them on, then patted her pockets to discover her disrupter was gone. She searched and found a long-handled flashlight. Not a very effective cudgel without gravity, but it would do.
Wyatt freed himself. Abbi tossed his boots at him, which he caught in the air then put on. Then led the way to the ship's airlock which was aligned to the station's module. All hatch doors were open except the one that opened to the interior of Mecca's vast docking area.
Wyatt inspected the chamber in which they stood.
"I've dealt with a lot of different airlocks," he said thoughtfully. "But in a lot of ways they're all the same. There's maybe two different vendors that make them all. I think I can work with this." He turned to an adjacent wall and studied pipes and cables that joined at a junction box with manual controls. He then turned to several EVA suits hanging nearby.
"Suit up," he said. "I have a crazy idea."
Wyatt lay his hands on the hatch wheel like he was captaining a schooner as he stared out the porthole. Waiting. Abbi had been pacing, keeping her flashlight spinning in the weightless air. Both EVA suits had no tanks, so they were breathing ambient air. Finally, he saw someone in a black suit coming towards them. Gauging from his frame and confident stride he guessed it was him. Even without checking his hands for a tattoo.
Wyatt quickly leaned out of view, pressing his back against the wall.
"It's him?"
"I think so."
To avoid the risk of being spotted, Abbi didn't bother to look to confirm.
Abbi watched as Wyatt turned knobs and flipped switches as he worked the manual controls of the airlock module. She was surprised to see him suddenly jump on a lever and press against the ceiling to push the handle down as far as it would go.
Together they quickly closed the module's and ship's outer hatch behind them, retreating to the ship interior. He attached both their tethers to a haft on the wall.
Wyatt looked down at Abbi earnestly, their shields touching.
"We'll need to move fast," he said. "Just hold your breath and focus on getting back inside the station. Don't worry about me."
She nodded solemnly.
Wyatt positioned his body between the hatch and Abbi. Bracing. Waiting. He suddenly felt pressure on one of his gloves and looked down to see her holding his hand.
A concussive blast threw them back like rag dolls. A microsecond of cacophony, then silence. They were in vacuum, holding their breath. Around them the airlock had ruptured, and they were outside the massive resort. The ship was attached by strands to the station's exterior. Ahead through the wreckage was a tear that led back to the shipyard. That’s where the air was.
They pulled themselves forward by tethers, unclipped, and grabbed onto any wreckage that would propel them forward. Wyatt forgot to count down from ten so he had no idea how much time they had left before the tear closed.
Pulling.
Closer.
Blackness crept in from the edges of Abbi’s vision. She was still too far away.
I’m not going to make it.
A steel cable telescoped towards her from the rupture. A three-fingered hand reached for her.
Abbi stretched out to grab it, then stopped short. She turned to get ahold of Wyatt who had just passed out behind her. Once he was secured, she looked forward again and grabbed onto the extended metal hand. They were quickly pulled into the station just before the tear healed itself.
Sound returned. Workers stumbled around in a daze, and a couple were free floating, scrambling for purchase. Robots immediately began collecting debris, but there were no casualties as far as they could see. Including the intended target.
Abbi and Wyatt removed their helmets as they carefully stepped away from the wreckage. She found the robot standing nearby, CH4 stenciled on the shoulder.
“You saved my life,” she said, catching her breath. “Our lives.”
“Turk was reassigned to the loading docks,” it said. “Right place at the right time.”
“It’s almost like you’re looking out for me.”
There was no response, but its blue lights flickered.
“Will this help with your ascension?” she asked.
“Probably.”
Wyatt approached. “Who’s your friend?”
“Something…someone I met in the hospital.”
He held out his hand. The robot reciprocated and they shook.
“Appreciate the assist,” he said.
“Anytime," it replied. "You must be Abbi’s father.”
He smiled back, then gave his daughter a quizzical look. He was not used to having a conversation with a machine.
“You did an excellent job of raising her,” it said.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he replied with a shrug. “But she did turn out pretty great.”
Ed marched up to them, boots clomping angrily. "What the hell, guys!?"
The robot took its leave. Abbi waved and said “bye, Turk,” then spun towards Ed. "What about you?" she demanded. "Nice ambush! It’s like he somehow knew we’d be there.”
“She has a point,” Wyatt said.
Ed feigned ignorance but they were unconvinced.
"OK, sure, I took his money. But I wasn't happy about it. He seemed like the type who could see a trap a mile away. So, you were probably screwed either way. But your timing was excellent."
"We got him?" Abbi said. "Then where did he go?"
All three looked around, searching for evidence. They ended up facing the wall of the central processing center which was opposite the ruined module. Against the beige surface was a crimson silhouette with clothes fragments and corporeal bits stuck to it. Barely recognizable as a human figure.
"Guess that answers your question," Ed observed dryly, putting a hand to his stomach.
Father and daughter were stunned into silence. Neither had ever been involved in someone’s death before. It had always been their goal to save and improve lives, not end them. To be responsible for someone’s death, as evil as the person was…it was a lot for them to process.
Thank you for reading! Another chapter coming soon. If you enjoyed reading this, please support the author by purchasing a copy of the book at Amazon.com.