Requiem (52 page)

'YC dash
451SM,' Seline mumbled to herself. 'YC dash 451SM.'

'What? What are
you saying?'

The harder she
tried to stay awake the harder it became. 'YC dash 451SM. That's
the frequency... the frequency thing. Athene gave it to me-'

The ship jerked
upward. Seline fell. The walls pressed down on her. Closer and
closer their weight pushed her into the floor until she could feel
the steel grates marking her skin. She decided not to try to stand
again. She decided that the cold hard floor would be comfortable
enough. She decided that now she would sleep.

She woke on the
floor. She was on her side curled into a ball. The chair was in
front of her. She didn't bother wiping the drool from her chin. She
rolled onto her stomach and started crawling towards it. Her
fingers poked through the holes in the grating of the floor. She
clenched them into a brittle fist as she pulled herself along. The
cabin light was gone. All she could see was a speck, blinking from
the console in the darkness of the ship. She could make out
Seline's shallow breathing beneath the hum of the engines. The
floor smelled of dust and metal.

There was still
gravity. The ship was still accelerating. She grabbed onto the
seat. The blood was still wet on her hands. She used the empty
pilot's chair to pull herself to her feet. The cockpit window
looked out upon empty space. She wondered if they'd passed the
Atlas Gate.

She leaned over
the controls, holding her face up to each button in order to see
the symbols in the dark. The blood from her hands dripped onto the
buttons. She wiped it away with her hand but pressed too hard. The
screen lit up. She groaned and covered her eyes. When her eyes had
adjusted she stared down at the screen. There were no letters, only
blurred, black patches where the words should be. She rested
against the console so she could hold her face close enough to the
words.

Fuel was low.
That's why the light was blinking. Acceleration would stop soon.
According to the ship diagnostics, only two life forms were aboard
the vessel. Abigail turned to see Seline lying on the floor.

'Seline?
Seline? Can you hear me, honey?'

There was no
response.

She looked back
at the ship diagnostics. The Comm hadn't been damaged. She flicked
a switch. More lights blinked upon the console. She hesitated then
cleared some of the blood from her eyes. She tried to speak but her
mouth felt like it had been glued shut. She spat a mouthful of
blood onto the floor, coughed, and spat again. She held herself
close to the comm interface.

'YC dash 4...
5... 1... S... M.'

A small light
blinked next to the console. A display window opened before Therin
and Sear, detailing the ID of the ship transmitting the
message.

'It's coming
from a NeoCorp ship,' said Sear.

He let the call
come through. No greeting or word of acknowledgement, only the
sound of shallow breathing.

'This is a
private channel. How did you get access?' said Sear into the
mic.

Therin began a
trace on the source of the message.

'How did you
get access to this channel?' Sear demanded.

'… Is this
Sear?' came a small voice through static.

Sear looked at
Therin again then back at the console. 'Who is this? How did you
get the access code to this channel?'

'Seline.'

'Seline? How do
you know Seline?'

'My name is
Abigail. I got the code from Seline. I'm with her. We're on… a
ship... NeoCorp.' Her voice faltered and trailed off.

'Give me one
reason to believe you.'

'She's lying on
the floor behind me. She's... she's not moving. If you don't come
soon, she will die.'

'How the hell
are you getting a message out from a NeoCorp ship?' asked
Therin.

'Who's that?'
asked the voice.

'Answer the
question,' said Sear.

'We took
it.'

Sear turned the
microphone off and asked Therin if the trace was complete.

'Not yet,' she
said.

Sear turned the
mic back on. 'Can you tell me what's happening? How did you get
away?'

'The
Warlord.'

'The Warlord
helped you?'

'I used
him.'

'What is
Seline's condition?'

The voice was
silent for a moment. 'She has been unconscious for... I don't know
how long. There's a lot- a lot of blood. They were torturing
her.'

'What is your
condition? Are you alright?'

'No. I've been
shot. I don't know how long I have. It doesn't matter... the fuel
is low. Acceleration will stop soon. I need to get her strapped
in.'

'We're coming,
Abigail.'

Therin switched
the mic off.

'For all your
talk of being cautious, you're very quick to trust a voice in the
dark.'

'The audio
analysis tells us the voice is real, the stress is genuine. And she
knew the access code.'

'It's coming
from a NeoCorp ship.'

'They're both
hurt.'

'No shit.
Seline was kidnapped by NeoCorp, of course she's hurt.'

'Is the trace
complete?'

'This is the
exact same trap that she fell into. You're not thinking
clearly.'

'That signal is
coming from a NeoCorp ship and Seline is on that ship. We know
NeoCorp well enough to counter any traps they may have
planned.'

'They managed
to hide her from us for this long.'

'Anyone can
hide a grain of sand on a beach. It was only a matter of time until
we found her. Is the trace complete?'

'Don't
underestimate them.'

'I lived with
them for ten years. I know what they're capable of and we're
capable of much more. Now, tell me is the trace complete?'

Therin
hesitated. 'It's coming from the Talon System. She just passed
through the Atlas Gate. It'll take eleven hours to get there.'

'Then change
course, that's where we're going.'

Sear turned the
mic back on.

'Abigail?'

There was a
shuffling sound, a quiet moaning and then silence.

'Abigail, we're
on our way. Try to stop the bleeding. Keep yourselves warm. Don't
let yourself fall asleep... we're on our way.'

There was no
response. He paced nervously in the cockpit. Therin's eyes shifted
with him as he walked.

'I hope you
know what you're doing,' she said.

He glanced at
her but said nothing.

'However they
managed to escape, NeoCorp probably have an active trace on that
ship. And that's assuming this isn't some hoax,' said Therin.

'Keep the comm
open. Try and maintain regular contact with Abigail if you
can.'

'Sear? Are you
even listening to me?'

'Yes, Therin. I
am.'

'Then tell me,
what makes her so special?'

'I need to
speak to the Doctor. We need to know if there's anything Abigail
should be doing to help her.'

'If you want me
to direct this vessel,' said Therin, 'not to mention the lives on
board, towards a NeoCorp ship with the words 'free candy' written
on the side then tell me why I should.'

'She is the
only one who can unlock the bl-'

'Bullshit. I
know it's not just the information you're after.'

'What do you
want me to say?'

'You always had
reasons for your actions and you always made those reasons clear to
anyone who would ask... but when it comes to this one human girl
you seem to think she is her own vindication. I want you to tell me
why.'

Sear placed his
hands on the edge of the console. He stared at the comm. The source
of the strange, dying voice. The instant he heard it, he knew it
justified every failed attempt at redemption that he'd ever sought,
those petty and those significant, those of Yurrick and those of
human, of Ordonian or any other. If he could just catch her before
she fell. If he didn't have to crawl back to the ghosts and plead
for forgiveness then it would finally allow him rest, respite, just
a taste of serenity.

'They changed
me. I... I can't hide from that,' he said, quietly.

'They?
Humans?'

'Yes. On Earth
I... I became too involved. I remained distant at first. My
training made it tolerable for months, for almost a year at least
but it was only a matter of time...'

'What did they
do to you?'

'They did
nothing. At least nothing that was intended. I simply began to
change. I resisted it... vehemently at first but my resistance was
broken down piece by piece.'

'By what?'

'By what it
meant to be human. By the individuals I had become surrounded by. I
saw in them our own species. I saw it magnified a thousand fold in
their expressions, their emotions, their behaviour. Their struggles
became mine for better
and
for worse but mostly for worse. I
watched them die on a daily basis and I was powerless to stop it.
It overwhelmed me, to see what they had become and what could
become of us. I struggled to separate myself from that and, it may
sound dramatic, unfounded even, but I believe I began to feel the
way they do, to express fear and love and hate on their
terms...'

'And Seline?'
Therin asked tentatively.

'Seline
reignited that flame. She reminded me of how I failed them. She
shone light upon the lies I had told myself; namely that I hadn't
been changed, that I hadn't become something between Yurrick and
human. I need her... I need her to fill the space that was left
when I lost Cooper, when I lost the children.'

He shook his
head.

Therin looked
at the display, at nothing in particular. 'Nothing justifies being
reckless, Sear. You know that. Especially when others' lives are at
stake.'

'I know,' he
said. 'And I would leave it up to you if I felt I wasn't in
control.'

She stayed
quiet for a moment. 'I'll stay on the comm. I suggest you prep the
others.'

'I think I
should tell Belameir first.'

'Maybe tie him
down first to keep him bouncing off the walls.'

Sear walked
from the cockpit towards the lift. 'Try to find out exactly what
their condition is. I'll message the Doctor and have him advise
Abigail over the comm. Contact me if anything changes.'

The door closed
and the lift descended to the crew's quarters.

Therin spoke
into the comm. 'Abigail? Are you there?' There was no answer. For
the next minute, Therin continued fishing for some kind of
response. 'Abig-'

The lift door
opened and Belameir came sprinting through towards the cockpit. His
left foot collided with one of the supports for a technician's
chair. He swore, quickly brushed it off and limped towards Therin.
He forced his way between Therin and the comm but she remained in
her seat. He kept pushing in until he was sitting on her lap with
his head next to the mic.

'Seline!' he
screamed, his voice still dry and heavy from sleep. 'Seline? Are
you there? It's Belameir.' He turned, face to face with Therin,
oblivious to the signs of her embarrassment. 'Why isn't she
responding?'

Therin didn't
know if she should push him off her or answer the question.

'Why isn't she
answering?!' he demanded.

'Calm down
would you?' she said.

'Calm down?
Calm down?! How about you stop being so goddamn calm. It's fucking
creepy. And it's just fucking
wrong
that you people have the
emotional range of a goddamn toaster.'

'Control
yourself, Belameir.'

'Is she
safe?'

'In some ways
yes. In others, no.'

'What the hell
is that supposed to mean?'

'She's hurt.
Badly.'

'From
NeoCorp?'

'According to
Abigail, yes.'

'Are we going
to help her?'

'We are going
to investigate, as I'm sure Sear would have told you if you had the
patience to listen to him.'

Belameir turned
back to the comm and continued to ask for Seline. Therin gave up
trying to push him from her lap.

'Why isn't she
speaking?' Belameir asked.

'Because she's
unconscious.'

'I meant
Abigail.'

'Probably the
same reason.'

Therin looked
down at Belameir's foot to see what damage he'd done to it. 'Your
toe is bleeding,' she said.

He looked down.
The pain was beginning to register but he kept it to himself and
continued shouting Seline's name into the comm.

A small vessel
hung absently, silhouetted by the light of a distant nebula. A
Yurrick cruiser pulled up next to the much smaller NeoCorp carrier.
After reversing thrust and slowing to the speed of the carrier, the
engines were cut. The cruiser moved in closer. On board, the
Yurrick scanned and mapped the exterior and interior of the enemy
ship. Two lifeforms on board. Both seated in the ship's cockpit.
Other than basic life support systems the ship was inert. Satisfied
that nothing sinister lurked aboard the ship, Therin extended the
docking line to the other vessel as Sear, Mercer, and the Doctor
waited in the docking chamber. Streams of air hissed into the tiny
room. Sear released the lock on the door and, with the others,
passed through the rigid umbilicus of the docking line to the
carrier. They knew there was no one else aboard but still moved
with caution. They passed through the repressurised chamber and
into the ship and steadily made their way towards the cockpit.

They stood at
the entrance to the cockpit. Small flashes of light came from the
buttons and screens on the main console. There were two seats. A
body in each, sihouetted against the ambient green light of the
switchboard.

'Seline?' Sear
heard himself say.

He took a step
forward. From where he stood the two bodies looked like mannequins.
One with a clean shaven head, the other with a poorly fitted wig.
They looked like they'd been positioned in place, awaiting their
gullible saviours.