Artifact Chapter Three

Artifact
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Piper said, “Computer, pause scene.”
Everyone froze in place.
“Wen.”
“Yes, Wayne?”
“I don’t remember any of this. How accurate is this recreation?”
“Rounded down, it is 92% accurate.”
Piper shook his head for several seconds and then ran a hand through his hair. He covered his face with the other hand. “I. Am. Absolutely. Embarrassed.”
“Yes, Wayne.”
“I’m also mad as hell.”
Wen answered, “Because everyone knew what happened and didn’t tell you a single thing?”
“That, too.” Then after a moment, “Computer, resume scene.”

***

• • Holoscene **
    

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. 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 sneered 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 throat. “All hands, all hands. This is Lieutenant Commander Kingslayer. 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 to the Med Escape Pod.
Those in Personnel pods should begin emergency rations and stasis rotation 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.

***

Piper yelled, “Computer, pause scene!” He got up and paced a small area for several minutes. He firmly rapped himself on the forehead a half dozen times. “Why can’t I remember any of this?!?”
Wen said, “The Rescue Examiner reported you had several very powerful drugs in your system. Your alcohol blood count was at 2.2. Add all that to the Stasis flied and you suffered brain tissue damage.”
“But I remember my childhood, the academy.”
“But not your time on the McCain. A little more than three years of your life wiped out. The Examiner said you were lucky. There were some individuals under a normal Stasis field lost more than you did. Some permanently impaired.”
Piper walked over to a frozen image of Bliff. He yelled, “Fucking bastard! You were my friend! I trusted you . . . you . . . you fuck! How could you?!?” He exhaled.
Wen said, “Feel better?”
“No, I don’t. I’m thinking I’m either being played or going through some forced therapy.”
“The latter. And it makes sense . . .”
“. . . how so?”
“If you knew all this twenty years how do you think it would have affected you?”
Piper frowned.
“Wayne, there is more. And it is not good. “
“Computer,” Piper started, “resume scene.”

***

“Get me some Grog.” Bliff told Gordon.
She remained seated and gave him a hard stare.
Bliff got up, walked to her chair, and stopped within striking distance. “Get me some Grog!”
Gordon’s body started to tremble. “It’s over in the Kitchen section marked ‘Grog’, you can’t miss it.” She tried to make the words come out strong.
Bliff gave her a fast strike to the face.
Piper said, “Bliff, I’ll get it for you.”
“No, I want Ms. Admiral’s daughter to get it.”
“But Bliff . . .” Piper started.
“Is going to get me Grog!”
Visibly shaken Gordon said, “No. Shoot me then.”
Bliff roared in anger, grabbed her by the back of her head and violently shoved her to her knees. He bent down getting very close to her face. “I was hoping you would say no. Piper knows what’s in store for him. You, miss bitch . . . you are expendable. No one to help you. No one to save you. No one awake who would give a fuck about what’s gonna happen to you.”
Dread and terror seemed to press against her heart. Gordon hoped she’d piss him off hard enough that he’d shot her from impulse. Imagining years in space with this bully was terrifying.
“I’d be happy enough to fuck your dead body until it started to stiffen. With you, makes me no difference. You are trillions of kilometers from anyone thinking about your doomed ass.” He let go of her hair.
She saw that Bliff was getting hard, which meant one end for her. Nodding, she got up and walked into the Kitchen area. Her father told her that every Pod had a secret compartment with hard alcohol. Only Command Deck officers knew how to access it. She slide her hand along the underside of the main counter and found the button. She pushed it and a small panel slide open just over the sink. She reached in and felt several padded cylinders. She pulled out one and read the markings. “Spiced Rum, Oakheart, Bacardi, 2165.” The cylinder was about 30 centimeters tall and 12 in diameter. She popped the safety seal and unscrewed the cap. A sweet aroma filled the air. She took out four plastic cups from a nearby cabinet and filled each one up. She recapped the Rum and took the cups to the Living Area Section. Bliff seemed disappointed that she hadn't fought further and harder, but he smiled when the first wisps of Spiced Rum reached his nostrils.
Murphy slipped out of his sit and hurried over to Bliff and Gordon. “Is that what I think it is?”
Gordon nodded.
“The real shit?”
She nodded again.
Piper started to get out of his seat when Murphy pointed the pistol at his head. “The seat for you, Piper. She’ll bring it to you.”
Piper swallowed hard, nodded, and sat back down.
Bliff asked, “How many?”
“Two more left, maybe a third. Hard to tell. Don’t know what they are.”
“Your Daddy tell you this?”
Gordon frown. She wasn’t sure if Bliff was working his way to insulting her or teasing.
He smiled, “Any other secrets?”
She shook her head knowing full well there were other secrets. Like several unlocked guns fully loaded. Or that several carbine knives were also hidden.
Bliff took a cup and handed it to Murphy. He took a second cup for himself and nodded to Gordon.
She walked over to Piper.
He reached out, “Thank you,” and took a cup with trembling hands. Some of the liquor spilled onto the floor. He steadied his hand with the other one and took a long sip. The Rum burned and he nearly coughed.
Bliff took a swig. He relaxed and took off his boots. “Get comfortable. We’re gonna be here a while.”
Gordon held her cup up to her lips and sipped. She didn’t think she’d make it to one of the secret spots fast enough. Two were on the Command deck, with the third in the Living area. She took a second sip when she realized Bliff had been undressing her with his eyes.
“Got comfortable, Gordon. I insist.”
She took off her boots.
“More. And, slowly please.”
“Fuck you!” She spat.
“I was hoping you’d give me some attitude.” He answered.
“Shoot me, you Bastard!”
Bliff smiled. “I have a better idea.” He rushed over and grabbed her by the arm. He took her to the ladder and shoved her at the ladder. “Got down there!”
She hesitated for a moment and the butt of the pistol connected to the side of her head. She nearly blacked out, but the back of his hand to her face was enough to wake her up.
“Get down there now!” He shouted. “I can do worse than shot you in the head.”
She started down the ladder only to be kicked in the head. When she stepped away Bliff was close.
He pushed her to one of the Stasis beds. “I’m guessing you aren’t the selfish bitch you act like and you like some of these people.”
She said nothing.
“I’m also guessing that you don’t want to feel guilty for me shooting one of them in the head. I’m I right?”
She stared at the container. Molly was still. Her red hair was loose and flowed across either side of the pillow.
Bliff punched in the latch release.
The Stasis container cycled through the unlock sequence and started the process on reviving Molly.
Bliff lifted up the lid. “After I had finished with you I was gonna let you sleep and wake up Molly here. But I changed my mind.”
Gordon jumped as Bliff’s pistol barked. She was back splattered with Molly’s brain and blood.
Bliff leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Eight more to go here. After that I’ll bring in some of the smaller personnel pods and start this all over again. We are alone. Daddy ain’t gonna be flying in to rescue his little girl anytime soon. This is day one.” He lowered his voice further. She could barely hear him. “I have nothing to lose. I’ve crossed the line and no one can stop me.” He backed away.
Gordon’s eyes teared up. Grief and doom clenched at her heart hard. “You bastard,” she whispered.
Bliff smiled. “Wash up and meet me upstairs. Take too long I’ll come down and shoot someone else.” He turned and walked off leaving Gordon shaking.
She tightly hugged herself and thought of the hidden gun. Then she thought of Murphy. At some point one or both would have to sleep. Could she pull the trigger? She walked over to one of the personal shower units and set the water to hot. She scrubbed herself hard for ten minutes trying to rid the feel of Molly’s remains on her face. After drying off she decided to stay naked. Bliff would just have to accept that. As she climbed up the ladder she could hear Piper’s muffled screams. Bliff was working him from behind while Murphy made him suck. Piper struggle but had his arms held behind him by Bliff.
Gordon could see that Murphy’s member was small with an enlarged mushroom like tip. The rumors had been true and Murphy usually had to pay crew for sex. Bliff, on the other hand, was large. Several of the females called it “The Meat” and only said ‘Once was enough’. Some of the males voiced the same opinion, thus Bliff had a short list of willing participates. Typically, he bullied for sex and only a blowjob at that. Scuttle had it that his last intercourse encounter was over a year ago and that person had been hospitalized for a torn sphincter. Bliff growled as he pumped harder and longer. “Almost there.”
Murphy started shaking and his hips worked frantically against Piper’s face. A few seconds later Murphy fell back. “Fuck that was great.”
Piper continued to scream and Bliff yelled, “Shut up. I’m almost there.”
Gordon was fixated on this rape scene. She was horrified, afraid, and guiltily aroused.
Bliff punched Piper several times in the back of the head to make him stop screaming. He liked the screams but he needed to concentrate now and Piper just wouldn’t shut up. With a dozen more powerful long strokes he felt the familiar tingling sensation and gave one last hard stroke just before he came. A dozen pulsating spasms left him weak and gasping for breath. He collapsed on top of an unconscious Piper and nuzzled the back of his head. He pulled out and walked over to the sink. He took a cloth and soaked it with warm water. Then he wiped off Piper’s blood, smiling as felt the warmth on the cloth. He knew Gordon was going to feel just as good. “I’m good for a while.” He said smiling at her.
She walked to Piper and felt for a pulse. It was faint but there. She went over to one of the side cabinets and pulled out a Med-Kit. She opened it and found the items she needed.
Piper regained consciousness as Gordon knelt down beside him. She gave him a fast acting painkiller and a small carton of STIM juice.
She rolled him over and applied ointment.
He winced. Not quite embarrassed that she was fingering his ass with medication, but that he liked her fingering his ass.
She placed a cold pack to his anus after she finished. After closing the case she walked over to the sink. She left the case on the counter and washed her hands in hot water. She figured it was only a matter of time before she needed medication.
Murphy watched with going arousal. He went both ways and thought a mouth was good for eating, sucking, and swallowing – regardless of the gender.
Gordon walked over to Piper and started wiping him clean of blood and semen with anti-bacterium wipes from the Med-kit.
He lifted himself up to her and whispered. “I can’t imagine three or more years of this.”
She nodded, got up and disposed of the wipes in the recycler. She went back and collected the remaining plastic cups and refilled them with Spiced Rum. She checked in the cooler and found cherry flavored water. She topped four cups with it and passed them out.

***

“Computer, pause scene.”
“Wayne, are you okay?”
Tears streamed down his cheeks. “They raped me. I can’t believe it. I was . . . rape . . . by. That. Bastard!” He jabbed a finger hard at Bliff’s image.” He wiped the tears from his cheeks. “I don’t know what I would have done twenty years ago if they told me.” Taking a deep breath he said, “Computer, resume scene.”

***

Bliff said, “Now this is more like it. What are you going to cook?”
Gordon grimaced for a moment and then smiled. “Checking.” She found the stash of freeze-dried goods and pulled several out. Her favorite was beef stew. She figured Bliff like meat and potatoes and cheese. She found two packs within arm’s reach and placed them on the counter. Murphy she would give Puerto Rican rice and pork strips. Piper needed liquids, at least for a week or more. She found the freeze-dried ice cream and decided he needed chocolate and vanilla swirl. After several minutes she had everything reconstituted with hot water. For herself she opted for chicken noodle soup. She pulled out several flat trays and placed the package on the trays. She had filled each package with the appropriate amount of water. Then she thought of the guns. One was hidden nearby. She scanned the counter and found the tall-tale sign of the secret spot. It was easy to make out the release button once she knew what to look for. All too easy. ‘Yes,’ she thought. ‘I would pull the trigger. Several times and then some.’ She turned, nearly bumping into Bliff.
He smirked and nuzzled the side of her head. “You smell nice.”
The reflex to gag was almost tripped, but she swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She choked out, “Thanks.”
“Seriously, you smell nice. I like that.”
Gordon could tell Bliff was about ready for another round, but with her this time. She uttered, “Food.”
He looked down and nodded. “Yeah, food first, then feast.” He laughed to himself as he took a seat at the table.
Murphy took a spot opposite Bliff. His small member stiff and jutting out.
Gordon looked at it. The sight would have been comical if not for their present predicament. She placed the trays in front of Bliff and Murphy. She was mindful to pour more Rum into their cups.
Bliff and Murphy ate ravenously. Together, they consumed another four packages of food and half the Rum. Gordon thought either they were really that hungry, or they wanted to get the distraction of nourishment out of the way to take care of something more important. Murphy leaned back and belched. He upended the cup and held it out. “Not bad for processed food.”
Gordon walked over, poured him another cup and collected the empty cartons and containers.
Murphy slapped her ass hard. He laughed as he watched a red hand shaped spot on one of her cheek darken.
Bliff got up and stretched. He decided he finally had to use the bathroom. “Murph, I’m going to the head. Watch them for me?”
He nodded and took another swig from the cup. He eyes had a glassy sheen to them and the eyelids were about half way closed. He stood up and nearly fell.
Both men laughed.
Gordon noted the neither guarded their weapons closely.
Bliff picked up on that. He smiled, grabbed the gun and tossed it toward Gordon.
She nearly dropped it, but caught it looking puzzled.
“Darlin’, that gun is coded for Murph and myself.”
She wrapped her fingers around the handle.
He nodded, “That’s it, sweet cheeks. Feel that grip. I want you to hold my cock like that when it is in your mouth.”
Gordon’s expression turned dark. She aimed the pistol at Bliff’s head.
“You know, I gotta take a dump, so I’m in a hurry. Pull the trigger or put it down.”
She remembered what they did to Piper and squeezed the trigger.
Both she and Bliff jumped when the hammer clicked loudly.
He smiled and said, “Now you know.”
Gordon’s shoulders slumped. Panic was setting in and she was next. They’ve been fed, are now drunk, and soon it would be her turn. She reached over to the space of hidden alcohol after pressing the button and pulled out another container. This one was marked ‘Champagne’.
“What are you doing over there?!?” Murphy shouted.
“Getting us something special . . .” She pressed the release button for a hidden carbine.
Murphy started walking toward her.
Gordon turned around to show him the container. “See. I think I need something different than rum.”
“What is it?” Murphy slurred.
“Champagne.”
His expression lightened. “Champagne. Been a long time.” He moved back to the table and toyed with his gun. He was thinking that maybe Bliff wouldn’t mind if he started on Gordon first, like he had with Piper. But then he was a little too drunk to really start anything. He finished the cup of Rum and liked his lips. Should he have Champagne or sleep? He chuckled to himself. He could sleep when he was dead he thought. He and Bliff had nothing to worry about. They talked about this for some time and things were going well. ‘Man,’ he thought. Gordon was probably sweet tasting. He put the cup down to see Gordon slice a carbine sideways in front him. She looked lovely angry he thought then he felt the sharp pain. He couldn’t get a good breath and felt something wet go down his throat. He noted Gordon was suddenly covered in blood. She cut his throat. He was going to die. The bitch cut his throat and he was going to die. Drunk, naked, and mutilated. He was going to die. Fuck he thought. Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest. ‘The bitch pierced my heart’ he thought.

Bliff stepped off the ladder. He smelled blood before he realized what it was. Murphy was slumped over a pool of blood. He saw Piper and Gordon off to one side. She had a Carbine held out in front of her.
“Stupid, Cunt!” He yelled out. He looked around and spotted his gun still on the counter. He ran over and picked it up. It felt lighter than he remembered but he aimed it at her.
Gordon moved her other hand from around her body to show she had a gun, too.
Bliff laughed. “That’s Murphy’s gun. It won’t work for you.” He squeezed the trigger.
The click was deafening.
Bliff squeezed the trigger several more times, then he looked up.
Gordon tossed the rounds from the magazine onto the floor. “Stupid, fuck!” And she pulled the trigger.
Bliff felt the round strike his abdomen as he heard the gun bark. He thought, ‘damn, but it was good a run’ and looked over to Gordon as he collapsed to the floor. He could smell her now musky scent. His one regret would be to not have raped her. He should have shot her instead of Molly.
Gordon stood over Bliff now. She spat at his face and said, “Fucker. I hate you.” Three more rounds to the head prevented Bliff from answering.

***

The holoscene ended.
“I knew it! Wendy saved us.”
Wen said, “Yes, Wayne. She did. Sub-consciously you’ve been carrying that feeling all this time.”
Piper nodded. “Wen?”
“Yes, Wayne?”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Lieutenant Commander Gordon committing murder?”
Piper rubbed his chin and frowned. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. I was a victim, which is still sickening to think about. She stepped up and saved both of us.”
“How do you feel not being the rescuer?”
“Embarrassed. I didn’t fight hard enough, I . . .”
“Would have been killed if you had . . .”
“Maybe . . .”
Wen interrupted, “No maybe. It would have happened.”
“Okay, okay, but you haven’t answered my question yet.”
“Wayne, I am a Synthetic Intelligence. I don’t really ‘feel’. I cannot ‘feel’.”
“Wen, bullshit. You ‘feel’ no less than I do.”
“We’ve had this discussion before and . . .”
“. . . I end up not buying a single word. We have been down this road before. Agree to disagree. For now.”
Wen answered, “Agreed to disagree. But the Holoscenes?”
“Computer, resume scene.”
The computer said, “That is the end, Commander.”
Piper said, “Seriously? That’s it? Wen?”
Wen said, “Checking.”
After a few moments Wen said, “Wayne, the encrypted file is the next scene.”
Piper swallowed hard. A lump seemed to have formed in the center of his throat. “I’m not going to like this. I think I know the passcode.”
Wen said, “That was it. Are you ready?”
“You’ve seen it?”
Wen remained silent.
“Wen? You’ve seen it?”
“I have.”
“And?”
“Maybe I do ‘feel’.”
“Wen?”
“Yes.”
“What did I do?”
The silence lasted thirty seconds.
Piper repeated. “What did I do?”
The scene started.

***

Piper walked up to Gordon and slowly pulled the gun from her hands. She looked over to Piper and, “I’m tired.”
He nodded and led her to the table.
Murphy’s corpse was in the way and the two had to step over it. The Pod’s cleaner bots started working. There were half way done absorbing the blood on the floor when Piper walked back to the kitchen area and retrieved the container of Champagne. He placed the gun on the counter and walked back to the table. He handed Gordon the container.
She took it and drank deeply. “Fuck! That tasted good.” She said breathless. She passed the container to Piper.
He took it and drank just as deeply. He wiped his lips and burped loudly.
Both smiled and laughed.
Piper got up and said, “I really don’t want to clean this mess up now.”
Gordon nodded. “The bots are doing a good job. We’ll have to put the fuckers somewhere.”
“The same pod that the Commander and Steward are in.”
She started to tear up and nodded. “We’ll have to get the Security Pods docked and . . .”
Piper interrupted, “I can do that. Get some rest. If Bliff locked out the computer we can wait for you to unlock it.”
Gordon hesitated.
“It’s not like we’re in any danger now. Besides, I can check all CommPacks. Remember, it’s what I do.”
She nodded and smiled slightly. “I’ll shower and sleep in one of the Sleep units. Goddess knows I want to sleep in a bed and not a chair.”
Piper nodded. “Wake you up in a few hours?”
“Please.”
A moment later she was gone. Piper found his pair of pants and shirt and put them on. He climbed up to the Command deck and sat in the Command chair. After tapping through a few options he was relieved that Bliff had not locked the computer. He felt a sense of guilt when he discovered Bliff had sent the Security Pods to the surface of the planet. With luck they all survived intact. A few more taps at the screen revealed that three of the four pods made it safely, but there was no way they would be getting back to space. It would be another eight hours before he could communicate with the surviving pods due to the planet’s rotation.
Another check revealed that there were about a couple of dozen empty single personnel pods. That was good news. He instructed the computer to dock two of them with the Medical Pod. His mind raced. Bliff had been the mastermind to the would-be hoax, but would ComProp buy it? He got up and walked down into the Living area. The first thing he saw was blood in one of the Units. He walked passed it and found Gordon soundly sleeping. She looked absolutely beautiful he thought. With a heavy heart he closed the Unit’s lid and locked it. He then started the Stasis cycle and set it to six months. Now he was alone. The weight of grief washed over him - he was about to cross the line. After verifying that Gordon entered Stasis he made his way back up to the Living Area and entered the Medical Pod through the connecting airlocks.
It was easy to navigate through the Pod. Essentially, it was Medical, and only during an emergency would the entire section turn into an Escape Pod. After a moment he found the pharmacy and rifled through the cabinets. The drugs he was looking for were clearly marked as “dangerous” – Propranolol, Ethandiazepoxide, and Hydrocodone. He took two tablets from each bottle, found some latex gloves, returned to the Command Escape Pod. He slipped on the gloves and dragged Bliff and Murphy to the Storage area. Piper had to drop them down the ladder shaft, which made his stomach queasy. Both landed hard with a wet smack and Bliff’s corpse broke its back with a loud sickening crack. He then climbed down the ladder and dragged both bodies to one of the airlocks. Bliff’s body was impossibly twisted and made Piper’s stomach protest. He swallowed hard and made the climb to the Command Deck quick. He checked on the progress of the two pods. The readings said another three hours. So, Piper went down to the Living area and made himself a meal – Beef Stroganoff with red wine sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, gouda cheese and water crest crackers. The drink was Tang and desert was Key lime crème bulee. He took his time and slowly chewed. The box was next to him, untouched. The box. The one with the artifacts. The one that could possibly get him jailed or in a best scenario kicked out of Fleet if ComProp didn’t buy any of his story. He took another drink from the container of champagne. And then in the midst of wondering thoughts he felt a bump. He climbed down the ladder to the Storage area and peeked out the airlock. A Pod was docked. Several seconds later the other Pod docked. Piper took a deep breath and tapped out the open sequel on one of the airlocks.
Thirty seconds later the door hissed opened. He grabbed Bliff by the leg and dragged him into the Pod. Murphy was lighter so it was easy to toss him on top of Bliff. He closed the door and tapped out the close sequence. Piper pondered for a moment, sighed, then made his way to the Command Deck. He sat in the Command chair and tapped out the detach sequence for the two Pods. The course he set in was a high orbit that would eventually aim the Pod to drop orbit and smash into the planet. He did the same thing for the Pod with Densel and Steward. Next he went back down into the Kitchen area and sealed the box up. He walked over to the Kitchen area and grabbed the carbine Gordon used earlier. Tears started running down his cheeks as he climbed down the ladder to the Stasis Units. One by one he punctured the kevlar covered oxygen mix line. It took him about twenty minutes of nicking, punching, digging, scratching, piercing each line. The soft hiss of gas told him death for each person was just a matter of time. He entered the lock code for each unit to prevent the system from initiating its rescue mode. Maybe a day, maybe two, each person would die quietly in their dreamless sleep. What was most heartbreaking of all for him was sabotaging Gordon’s Unit, but they all had to go. After he finished the last Unit he gathered the rest of his clothes and pushed them down the recycling bin. He found a set of flight jumpers and put one on. Grabbing the container of champagne he filled his mouth and sucked in all six pills. He had twenty minutes before they would take effect. He hurried down the ladder to the Storage area and got into the last Pod. He belted himself in the chair and punched in the codes to detach from the Command Escape Pod. He tapped out an orbit plan that would eventually align his Pod up with the ones out along the fringe parameter.
His eyesight started to blur and concentrating was becoming difficult. He pressed the start button and the Pod detached. Once it started its ascent he tapped out the Start Stasis process. The drugs were starting to take effect now. He was gripped with euphoria and had a hard time remembering what he was doing in the Pod. It was something about an emergency, maybe. Piper looked out one of the Pod windows. He could see a large cluster of Pods surrounding three larger Pods. One Pod had a large tear across the top. Something bad must have happened. ‘Sucks to be us’, he thought just before he blacked out.

The Computer ended the holoscene.

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