Precipice: The Beginning (28 page)

60

A
nnie had waited beside the open comms link, spinning slowly in the office chair for over an hour before her husband finally came back to her.

“Annie?”

Annie nearly fell from her seat, startled by the sound of his voice. She turned toward the screen and leaned in close, so thankful to see a warm smile. “What’s happening?”

“Hold tight and save the champagne, we’re coming to get you.”

Annie’s mouth dropped, pulled open by the severe shock. Had he been joking with her? “What are you talking about?”

“We’re coming to get you. It’s all worked out.” Travis took a minute to set out the plan, not wanting to stumble over his words amidst his excitement. “We’re going to take the supply ship and fly it down to the TransWorld facility. All you need to do is wait. Simple as that.”

“I doubt it’s that simple. Especially since I’m sure they’re not just letting you take their expensive ship for a joy ride. Are we talking a prison break?”

“No, not really. I’ve never heard of a prison break that involved the prisoner to break back in. But that’s what we have in mind. Only it’s going to take some time.”

“How much time?”

Travis bit his lip, not wanting to tell her. She’d looked so hopeful. “Twenty-five, maybe thirty days.”

“A month?” Annie’s eyes went wide. “Wow, not really a trip to the corner store.”

“I’m going to need you and Logan to stay hunkered down. Can you do it?”

Annie nodded, holding out her hands. “Do we really have anywhere else to go?”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too, honey.” Annie kissed her hand and touched the screen. “I knew you’d be the one to save me.”

“Just keep this link open and stay close.”

“I promise.”

“Okay, I have to go. See you soon.” Travis was so overjoyed to hear those words coming from his mouth.

“Looking forward to it.”

Annie watched him disappear from view, sitting there a moment longer as if he may have more to say, maybe to see if he’d been joking around or overshot their chances, but he was gone. Now all she could do was sit and wait, but for thirty days? Annie grabbed her assault rifle off the table and headed out of the office. She had to take a moment out in the hall to remember which way she’d come. Her sense of direction currently smothered with the information Travis had given her. But she quickly remembered. Annie hurried through the cubicles to the kitchen, thinking an hour had been long enough to keep Logan waiting. She tried the knob, but it was locked.

“Open up, it’s me,” Annie yelled through the door. “I have amazing news.”

Erica opened the door, standing aside with a breath of relief. “You’d been gone so long I thought something had happened to you.”

“Something did, but for the best.” Annie sat at the closest table and waited till Erica and the three children took a seat. “How would you kids feel about going to Mars?”

“What are you talking about?” Erica was thinking this might be some kind of diversion tactic for the children.

“I just got through speaking with Travis, and he said to hold tight, because they’re coming down to get us. In a big spaceship!” Annie turned to the children with an over-exaggerated show of joy. She reached out and tickled Logan and Heather, moving to Abby’s stomach to let her join in the good times.

“Where’s Mars?” Logan asked, looking down at his feet as if it might be one of his body parts.

“Mars is another planet, sweetie. Way out there in space. Do you remember the red one?”

Logan nodded, turning back toward a pile of plastic cups he’d been playing with, obviously unimpressed with the news. Abby and Heather turned to each other and began naming all the things they were looking forward to.

“How long ‘til they get here?” Erica’s smile stretched across her entire face.

“A month.”

The smile across her face faltered, quivered a bit, and then fell to a frown. Erica took a seat and rested her head in her hands. “How do they expect us to survive here for a month?”

“It’s our only plan. But at least we’re safely indoors with weapons.” Annie rubbed her neighbor’s back, comforting her. “All we need to do is search this facility for food and stockpile it in here.” Annie looked about the kitchen and its amenities, nodding with her plan. “I think we can easily last a month.”

Erica looked up from her hands with a weak smile, but at least it was there. Annie rubbed her back extra hard to change her mood from depression to good humor. But Annie wasn’t as confident as she seemed. Behind her joyful smile was a growing storm of doubt and fear. Truth be told, she had no idea whether they were safe or not. A lot can happen in thirty days. And all she could was sit and wait.

61

C
hristina heard his voice long before she opened her eyes. That smug, darkness of Andrews’ voice, only he wasn’t speaking to her. Christina worked hard to force her eyelids open, thankful the overheads were on emergency power. After a few seconds of blurry vision, she saw Andrews speaking to three of his officers. She didn’t know their names. Her first instinct was to scream out, ask them why she was still strapped to this damn gurney, but she pretended to be asleep so she could listen.

“Now that we’ve safely secured our Eve and the miners are all dead, we can tie up this last loose end.”

“Dr. D’Ambrosio has taken his own life. Slit his wrists in his cell.” Adams looked down to his feet.

“That’s too bad.”

“Also, Needleman has been killed.”

“Who the hell is that?” Andrews drew a blank.

“The train technician. He’s dead now sir,” Adams said with a satisfied nod.

“Excellent. Now we just wait to finish off Travis and his little military asses.”

“How do you propose we kill them, sir?” Gomez asked timidly, knowing full well of their training.

“The comms room has a remote operating system for the train. It shows the train has left the station and is well on its way.” Andrews rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation. “I think we should wait until the train hits the station, and then shoot them at close range with the repulse cannons. A shot set at full power should smoke their asses,” Andrews laughed. “It’s all so damn perfect.”

“Why not just disconnect the train and let them starve?”

“Gomez, you moron. We can’t risk anything happening to that train. Now get everyone into position. Except you Adams. I want you here, with her.”

“Yes sir.” Adams looked over to Christina, feeling a tingle in his groin. She wasn’t his type, overly athletic with a bit less up top than he liked, but pussy was pussy. And there was definitely a shortage of that around.

“I said watch her, and that’s it, understand?”

“Yes,” Adams nodded, standing erect like a good boy.

Adams let his tension ease as Andrews stepped out of view. He gave Christina a hard, long look before taking a seat. Why should the others get to have all the fun why he played babysitter? Adams looked up and eyed Christina’s chest, watching it rise and fall. He felt heat radiating off his chest, rising up like floodwaters. The room became hot. He hoped she’d be a willing partner. Not all tooth and nails as he did his business. Maybe if they informed her that she was humanity’s last hope she’d be more willing. Better to hear a moan or two rather than simply rape the bitch.

“Oh yes,” Christina moaned, slowly twisting about on the gurney. “Feels so nice.”

“Are you okay?” Adams stood and approached the gurney, keeping a foot between them. “Something wrong?”

Christina opened her eyes and followed his voice, smiling as she saw him. She licked her lips and moaned, closing her eyes. Her shoulders swayed from side to side, rhythmic movements like the swagger of a snake. Christina opened her eyes and let out a playful laugh.

“I don’t know what you guys gave me, but it makes me feel so very naughty.” Christina moaned, lifting her head back to play the part. “Oh I want a man.” She looked to him. “Come closer, I want to touch you.”

Adams stepped forward until his crotch was against her hand. He lifted his head and closed his eyes as she rubbed the back of her hand against his pants. Adams lost himself in the most erotic moment of his pathetic life. An actual fantasy come true. A woman in bondage beckoning him near as she groped her captive; something he’d imagined many times while jacking off in the bathroom.

“Please, I need to feel you. Untie my hand.” Christina looked up at him with a seductive moan. “Come on, how much trouble can I get into with one, little hand?”

“Oh shit.” Adams looked toward the hallway and then down to Christina. “Fuck it. Let’s find out.”

Adams undid the strap on her right hand and let his hands hang loosely by his side, grinning down at her as she unzipped his pants. Adams lifted his head up to the ceiling and giggled, tingling all over as she reached into his pants, but then withdrew. There were a few seconds of silence.

“What the hell?”

Adam looked down as Christina jammed the scalpel into his abdomen. She pushed her hand up his body, running the scalpel up to his sternum. She released her hand and rolled over, untying the strap over her left hand, wincing against the aching in her chest. Once the strap over her wrist was clear, she moved onto her head. Adams stood frozen, his hands held over the scalpel that protruded from his body. He wanted to grab it, to scream for help, but he could only stand there. Shivering in stunned horror as the pain began to set in. It replaced all thoughts and emotions, consuming him until nothing else existed. Adams’ eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed to the floor, shivering briefly before laying still.

“Serves you right, asshole.” Christina sat up and undid the straps over her legs and finally her ankles. “Next time try flowers and romance.”

Christina swung her legs over the side of the gurney and hopped off, collapsing to the floor in a hard spill as her legs gave out. She rolled onto her back and coughed, crying from the impact of the floor and her chest. As the burning subsided, she placed a hand to the cold floor and moved to a seated position. She rubbed her legs, pushing the pins and needles from her limbs until she could move them. Rubbing, bending, and stretching them for over an hour. Sitting beside a dead body while she brought her legs back to life. Christina took a brief break, digging through Adams’ pockets to remove his badge.

Finally, hoping to get a little more magic this time, she gripped the gurney and pulled, slowly moving into a standing position. She stayed put for a moment, holding her breath as she pushed off the gurney and headed for the wall, slamming into it and nearly losing her footing. She pressed her back to the wall and let out a quivering sigh, weeping gently from the pain in her chest. Cautiously, she stuck her head into the hall. If what they’d said about the miners was true, she’d be sure to have no problem moving down the hall without being seen. All the security personnel would be waiting in the station, waiting to murder her friends. Christina pressed her hand to the wall and hurried as fast as she could, her knees shaking. Her legs burned, shivering and threatened to give out. It was only a short distance down the hall, no more than twenty or so yards, but it felt like five miles. Her heart raced. At any moment someone could step out into the hall and catch her. How hard could it be to wrangle her up? Her top speed was no more than a mile an hour.

Christina paused, holding still as if that may somehow conceal her location. It was Andrews’ voice and he was close, but no one came out. She increased her pace to a mile and a half, booking down the hall for someone in her condition. Each step brought a sharp pinch to her side. Every breath burned, as if it were filtered through sandpaper. But she finally reached the door. She pressed the keycard to the metal panel beside the door, relieved to hear the little click within the lock. She quickly stepped inside, jumping as the door shut behind her. Confident she’d remained unseen, she turned toward the machines and hovered a bit. Numerous computer monitors, flashing lights and dials. But she recognized the green digital map of the Martian surface and the dotted line representing the train’s progress. The panel of switches to her left controlled the train’s mechanics. The black button on her right was the communications link.

62

A
lvin sat alone by the front of the train. He just wanted to clear his mind and prepare for the task at hand. It was all a bit too exciting to comprehend, sneaking around in the night like a bunch of thieves, taking the mammoth supply ship on a long trek to Earth. So many variables to consider, yet they’d made up their minds so damn fast. No one had thought to wonder what might happen upon their return. Andrews wasn’t the type of man to let humility roll off him like a bit of rainwater. He may keep the hangar doors sealed and deny them reentry, thus killing them when their fuel runs out. As crazy as that sounds, Andrews may be that far gone. Or what if he caught them trying to run out? That would be a death sentence for sure. Alvin remembers the little demonstration they’d been forced to watch. How the miner’s eyes had burst from his face, his veins exploding. Would a punishment for their crime call for something more painful? Maybe slowly opening the door up until their eyes explode, and then closing it—only to do it again? Alvin rubbed his throat, gulping uncomfortably at the thought of such a death. Especially since it was a very real possibility.

Alvin looked to his right, wondering if the men in the next compartment were considering the same thing. Maybe military men never considered the “what ifs,” or maybe they just don’t care. Either way, Alvin had the consequences tattooed on the front of his mind. It’s all so comical, in a cosmic sort of way. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. If this had happened six months down the road he would have been back on Earth, hiding out in a bomb shelter or something. Alvin laughed, thinking it funny that a bomb shelter might be a step up from this place.

“Hello? Can you guys hear me?”

Alvin jumped, startled by the female voice coming from the train’s control panel. He hopped up from his seat and ran to the front, looking over the small board of switches and lights until he saw a blinking red one with the symbol of a microphone under it. He flipped it up.

“Hello? Yes, I hear you.”

“Who is this?”

“Alvin Kirsch. Please identify.”

“Alvin, it’s Christina.”

“Christina? What’s going on?”

“Are the others with you?”

“Hold on.”

Alvin ran from the control, bursting into the next compartment with a skid. Travis reached out to catch him before he tumbled forward.

“Christina…on the comms.” Alvin pointed toward the front of the train.

“What?” Travis stood from his seat and headed down the train. “Christina?”

“Oh, Travis, thank God.”

“What’s going on?”

“Look, Andrews and his officers have killed everyone. All the miners. Now he and his men are waiting in the station to kill you.”

Travis gripped the controls to steady himself, the words still rolling about his mind. It just didn’t make sense. Anger began to build, growing hot like a fire in the pit of his stomach, fueled by each and every victim of Andrews’ insanity. Men whose names he didn’t know, but their faces were plain as day. He took each face and tossed them into the fire, building the flames until he felt ready to explode.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the communications room.”

“The system room, right?” Morgan asked, leaning over Travis’ shoulder.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“You can operate this thing by remote then. Just stop the train and send us back to the scientific facility. Let him come to us.”

“Won’t do any good, Morgan. Andrews would be watching the map in the station and get suspicious. He’d just have his men kill Christina and then turn us right back around. No, that won’t work. Besides, I want to face that prick.”

“They have weapons,” Christina said, remembering something Andrews had said through the fog of her awakening. “Something about repulse cannons, or non-lethal riot pistols. Besides, he doesn’t want me dead. I’m to be their surrogate for the future. They want to rape me.” Christina choked on the word. “Maybe you should just hide out in the scientific facility.”

“No.” Travis shook his head, running a thought through his mind, molding it. A sly smile spread across his face as the idea took shape. “Christina, you have access to all of the train’s electrical systems?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What do you have in mind?” Morgan folded his arms across his chest, recognizing the same crazy look on Travis’ face from some of their most dangerous missions. The look that said “This is insane, but it might work.”

“What do you say we go for a walk?”