Artifact Chapter Three

Artifact
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Bliff was waiting behind the airlock door to the Command Escape Pod. Behind him was Murphy, the only person he pretty much trusted. Each had a gun. Everyone else was placed in the Stasis pods. He peered through the airlock portal smiling.
Densel tapped out the open code and stepped back. It took about 30 seconds for the system to complete the cycle. The door hissed opened and he felt the bullet hit him in the shoulder before he heard the bang. He stumbled back a bit and collapsed onto the floor. Blood splatter had spotted the wall behind him.
Bliff saw that the First office was down. He aimed the pistol between Densel’s eyes and squeezed the trigger.
The gun barked loudly. The bullet struck target.
Densel felt pressure between his eyes . . . then . . .
Bliff and Murphy pointed their guns at a now growing gathering.
Gordon stepped up, “What the Fuck! What is wrong with you?!?”
“Shut up!” He yelled. “I’m taking over!”
Steward stepped up, “The hell you . . .”
Murphy’s gun barked.
Steward dropped where he stood. Bullet in his abdomen. Carolina rushed to his side and put pressure on the wound.
Bliff said, “Any questions?” He looked around. “Well!” He yelled. “Good. I still got enough ammo to answer as many questions asked.”
Gordon gave him a hard stare.
Bliff walked over to her. “Glad you made it, love.” He unconsciously licked his lips and smiled.
Gordon snared and took a step back.
“Oh, don’t do that doll.” His gaze moved from her feet to the top of her head. “We’re going to have quality time alright.”
She spat at his feet, but said nothing.
Bliff look at his feet for a moment. “I just polished these.” He walked over to Gordon. She was visibly scared but stood her ground. “That wasn’t nice.” He rubbed his foot on the back of her pants leg. “Do that again and I’m do more than wipe my foot on your leg.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.
Gordon flinched to Bliff’s satisfaction.
Bliff stepped back a few feet. “Where’s the medic?”
Silence.
“Well?”
Carolina said, “All dead. Hull breach.”
“Seriously?”
Carolina nodded.
Bliff took deep breath. “Step away from him.”
“What?”
“Step away, now.”
Carolina hesitated.
Bliff aimed the pistol at Steward’s heart and squeezed off a round. He then squeezed another round at Carolina’s heart. Blood back splattered the distance to his arm. He turned to Gordon. “Any thoughts?”
She locked eyes with him for a few seconds and looked away.
Bliff scanned the room. Nine were left and he needed to get most of them in stasis or dumped into space. He spotted McDonald off to the right, behind Piper. “Piper! You made it! You bring the box?”
Piper nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“Didja open it?”
Piper held his breath and slowly nodded.
“Pity. Where is it?”
“In the Living section.”
Bliff said, “McDonald, you out rank me by a month?”
McDonald stepped away from behind Piper.
Bliff’s pistol barked and McDonald crumpled to the deck.
Gordon snapped, “What the fuck! Why are you doing this?”
“Maintaining my dominance of the Command Escape Pod. It’s a good thing I promoted before you, right?” One eyebrow lifted up. “Murph, it’s time.”
Murphy nodded and said, “Everyone to the Stasis Pods.”
A few hesitated.
“Stasis pods or a bullet. Easy choice to me.”
Within minutes everyone had been placed in stasis except for Gordon and Piper.
Bliff sat in the command chair with Gordon a few chairs over to the left, Murphy a few chairs over on the other right, and Piper standing by the airlock door looking apprehensive. He tapped the command pad and cleared his voice. “All hands, all hands. This is Lieutenant Commander Pines. Commander Densel had an accident and all Medical Staff has been lost due to hull breach in the Medical Escape Pod. As such, I am in charge. We don’t know how long ComProp will take, but it will be at least three years before a rescue team reaches us. Those in individual and squad pods should rig for stasis immediately. The main computer will guide your pod to close proximity whereupon your pod will link chain with the Med Escape Pod.
Those in Personnel pods should begin emergency rations and staydown until rescue. Start fireguard shifts with the highest ranking person in charge of scheduling. That is all. May the Most High have mercy on our souls.” He tapped out the ‘off’ communicate command and instructed the computer to send the Security Pods toward the planet’s surface. He then sent out a system wide command to the other Pods to cluster around the command and medical pods. A few more taps and he shifted the command pod, with the Medical Pod in tow, to a higher orbit. He accessed the computers root function and instructed it to stop recording and delete all video and audio. He tapped out the command for the computer to randomly instruct some of the other Pods to delete video and audio, as well. He looked up and over to Gordon. He decided he loved looking at her mouth and full lips. He imagined she was sucking on a very large straw. A most satisfying imagine, indeed. Then he turned to look at Piper. He, too, had a very pretty mouth he decided. Three years was going to be hell on both of them and that brought a smile to his face.

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