Indentured (9 page)

He felt around the sink searching for a lever or a pump that he was somehow missing. Eventually, he pushed on an almost invisible disc on the sink, causing a cylinder to rise up from the sink. He found two more of these camouflaged discs, bringing forth two other cylinders. He pressed the black button on the first bottle, releasing foam of some sort. The second released another color of foam and the third released a minty smelling paste.

He took his chances with the paste on his toothbrush and became fairly certain by the time he was done brushing that it indeed was toothpaste. He’d figure the foams out later.

“
Don’t try the shower,” Delta peeked in at him, “Apparently space-faring people of the future are limited to showering every other day. And today’s not one of those days.”

“
You tried?” he asked.

“
Yeah, they shut off the water,” he said, “The ensign said that they conserve water on ships, so we have to adapt to their ways. Say, where’d you get the necklace?”

Declan reached up his hand and took hold of the little amulet. Somehow feeling it this morning made everything from last night all the more real. He’d forgot all about the necklace until just now.

“
It was on my bed, so I figured maybe it was a good luck charm or something. We’ll see if it works,” he replied with a tight smile, “Though starting my day without a shower doesn’t make it seem like we’re headed in the right direction.

. . .

They weren’t allowed to eat until everyone arrived in the cafeteria and as of the moment, they were only waiting on two more Indentures. Declan rested his chin in his palm as he watched the people across the table from him. He was glad to see that Juliet had come to the cafeteria today and actually seemed to be in slightly better spirits as she carried on a conversation with Sierra. Watching Sierra, he tried to imagine Tami Guzman or Ensign Rowe for that matter as the spirit inside the woman.

At that moment, Oscar and Golf entered the cafeteria, causing Ensign Rowe to finally close the cafeteria door. Golf still wore the pained expression of a man struggling just to make it through another day. Declan recalled that he and Quebec were having trouble accepting the loss of their families and though Quebec seemed to be doing a little better, Golf didn’t.

“
Now that everyone is finally here, you may go ahead and grab your breakfast. As we have a limited supply of meat aboard this ship, breakfast is the meal everyday where no meats are offered. It’s basically breads, cereals, or nutrient bars,” the ensign said, “We are living in a closed environment, so there are limits to certain things since we have limited quantities. You probably noticed you couldn’t shower today and even tomorrow when you can, you will be limited to five minutes. The water will shut off after five minutes and if you decide to step back in the shower and take another five minutes, your roommate will be forfeiting his or her shower. I don’t think you want to imagine what type of heartache that would bring you,

“
After breakfast, we will be returning to the shuttle bay where we will be learning to load and use a crossbow. We will also learn how to make explosives
including
making explosive bolts for the crossbow.”

“
Why aren’t there shuttles in the shuttle bay?” Oscar blurted out, “And why are we preparing for some kind of medieval war?”

Ensign Rowe turned to him, making no attempt to hide her displeasure with his interruption.

“
We use the bay for incoming shuttles for loading this ship with people or supplies. And as far as the ‘war,’ these are basic skills of self-defense for any colony. If we were worried about a true war, you’d be getting trained on plasma rifles and ion pistols,” she replied, turning back to the class.

“
But we’re a ship meant for colonizing planets which would mean that we’d need to have a shuttle of our own,” he insisted, “Did something-”

“
Oscar!” she thundered, “You will not continue to disrespect the leadership by interrupting. I overlooked it the first time and will not be offering you anymore oversights for the remainder of your time here.”

“
Thank you, ma’am. You answered my question.”

His smirk barely had time to appear before he jolted from his seat, screeching as he clutched his shoulders. Declan closed his eyes, tired of seeing these horrible demonstrations of power. It was times like this that it was hard to imagine her being the Taz he met in the hospital.

“
Oscar chose to show you all that there are consequences for insubordination. While I may wish to have a good relationship with each and every one of you, I may not be permitted to if things like this keep happening,” she said, staring disgustedly at the prostrate form of Oscar who was just now trying to catch his breath, “I’ve decided that I won’t be eating with you after all. Please join me in the
shuttle
bay in an hour.”

She made for a quick exit while many of the Indentures started for the food machines. Declan knelt next to Oscar, assisting him back into his seat.

“
I may be calling on you for some help from you in the near future since it seems like you and I are on the same page here,” Declan whispered, handing him a paper package, “Put this on. It emits a signal at all times that’s supposed to block their ability to do that electrocution garbage to you.”

“
What?” Oscar replied through clenched teeth, “Who are you? Why would you have something like this and why haven’t you given us these before?”

“
I’m Foxtrot – we talked in the recreation room. I’ve only got four of them and I’m wearing one of them. Apparently we all existed once before on this ship – many years ago,” he whispered, peering past Oscar to make sure no one was around to hear him, “And at that time, I managed to get one of us – an Indenture – on the other side. Don’t ask me the details of how because I don’t know. It wasn’t me who did it, but a past version of me.”

Oscar stared wide-eyed at him, but it didn’t take him long to process it all. He ripped open the paper and carefully slipped the amulet into his hand.

“
How did you find out about all this?” he asked.

“
The person who infiltrated their ranks sent me a note, then met with me late last night. For obvious reasons, I can’t say who it is, but everything I heard sounds legit,” Declan replied, “I need to find people who will help me though – people who won’t be afraid to go on the other side of the wall.”

“
I’m in, but I’m afraid our army may turn out to be a little skimpy. I’m not finding many people willing to stand up for themselves,” he said.

“
I’d be willing to fight all this alone if I had to, so even if it’s just us, I’m ready for war,” he said.

. . .

The crossbow Declan held was made of a sturdy material that felt like a mix between plastic and carbon fiber. He loaded his second bolt into the bow, wondering for a moment how the women were faring with this powerful weapon. Even someone with the strength of his past self would have struggled to load the bow.

“
For your second shot, you will be aiming at the red box near the far wall. This is a distance of 65 meters, so the bolt will probably drop about 2 to 3 inches in flight,” the holographic trainer, now an image of Robin Hood, stated, “Change your aim based on the drop.”

Declan and three others were crouched behind a metal crate aiming for their next shot while Robin Hood watched.

“
Really, Tango?” Robin Hood questioned, causing Declan a moment of pause before his finger squeezed the trigger.

Declan peered over at the man beside him just in time to see Tango release his bolt, sending it whistling through Robin Hood’s chest then ricocheting with a clang off the steel wall of the shuttle bay.

“
Target acquired and destroyed, sir!” Tango bellowed, getting a few roars of laughter from the others.

Robin Hood shook his head sadly, then motioned for the others to take their shot at the true target. The other three, Declan included, fired at the proper target. Three bolts stabbed firmly into the box.

Robin Hood gave a thumbs-up, then turned to the rest of the group.

“
This is more than just a test of your skills. This is more than training for a battle or an alien war as some have proposed. This is also a test to see who will remain,” he said, gesturing then toward Tango, “I may just be a hologram, but at the moment, I am the definition of leadership here. I’m the image of an authority figure and that image was just ‘killed’ for all intents and purposes by one of your own. We simply cannot afford to have a risk like this in our group.”

The door opened in that moment and the same two uniformed figures that took Alpha away rushed into the room. Tango stood quickly, grabbing two of the crossbow bolts, brandishing them like knives.

“
Stay away,” Tango shouted, backing toward the group of Indentures, “It was just a freakin’ joke, you idiots.”

“
Seriously, Robin Hood,” Oscar added, “He knew you were a hologram. Leave him alone.”

One of the other Indentures, leapt forward, grabbing an unloaded crossbow from the ground and wielding it as though it were armed. Suddenly, both Tango and the man with the crossbow dropped to the deck screaming in pain. The two uniformed figures subdued both men, somehow rendering them unconscious. As the two men were dragged from the room, Declan noticed a “G” on the coveralls of the unknown Indenture.

“
What are you doing with them?” Romeo asked.

“
It’s none of your concern,” Robin Hood replied, turning to the group, “Now for the next round, I need-”

“
No, this isn’t right. So you’re telling us that you have the right to revive us without our permission, then force us into accepting this new life, and then you kill us if we don’t meet your particular demands?” Declan asked, hoping his amulet would hold up to its specifications.

“
This was made clear to you in the beginning. You are now the property of the USSC,” he replied, “Why is it so hard to understand? If you are unsatisfied with a purchase you made, would you not return it?”

The complaints and exclamations of anger then erupted from all around. Declan simply shook his head in frustration, then after pondering his options for a moment, he sprinted for the door. He could hear the rapid footsteps of someone chasing him, but he wasn’t looking for a fight.

He burst through the door, searching the passageway for the ones who took Golf and Tango, but there was no evidence of them anywhere. Oscar stumbled to a stop beside Declan, patting him on the back.

“
Where’d they go?” Oscar asked.

“
I can’t tell, but I have an idea where to find them. Follow me,” he replied, running down the corridor.

8

Declan slithered through the hole into Storage B and waited for Oscar.

“
And you’re the one who supposedly tunneled into this room in a past life?” Oscar asked, pushing a canister further out of his way than truly necessary.

“
If I’m to believe what I’ve been told, though I’m starting to wonder about all that anymore,” he replied.

Declan was now moving a little more cautiously since they arrived on other side of the wall. He paused at every shadow in the storeroom, leery of potential assailants at every corner.

“
Well, I think we can be sure these amulets work by now, which gives me a little more confidence in my contacts,” Declan said, opening the door and peering out into the passageway.

“
Don’t you think there should be alarms blaring or something like that?” Oscar asked, “I mean, we just escaped from the clutches of Robin Hood and his merry men and now we’re nowhere to be found.”

Declan led the way into the vacant passageway. The absolute silence in all directions improved their confidence and in turn, they picked up their pace.

“
They have some mystical implant in their heads that allows them to see some kind of visual computer display. They use this invisible computer to communicate across distances or to activate our electric zapper things,” Declan said, “But still, the silence over here is a bit unsettling. It’s still mid-morning and I’ve seen the size of this section. There’s room enough for hundreds of crew members.”

They started down another corridor that branched off to the left. Oscar started drumming his fist on the wall of the passageway, apparently trying to draw some attention. The hollow thuds however remained the only other break in the silence outside of the sound of their own echoing footsteps. Oscar tapped a blue control panel next to one of the many doors in the corridor, causing it to open. He stopped abruptly and glanced into the dark room. Declan, realizing what Oscar had done, also halted his progress, turned to him and peered over his shoulder.