“What the fuck, Mason? I’m supposed to be his assistant.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
The gate slowly made the sky disappear as it fell from the top of the ship. Kat had seconds to decide. Seconds.
Sweat soaked her shirt as she realized what she had done, as she watched the hatch tick away her choice, solidifying her actions.Find a cure. Go on an adventure. Get arrested. Deal with a monster of a man.One thought stood out amongst the rest.I’ve never left Earth before.The importance of her thoughts did not come in any order. Kat could hear the robots shuffle behind her.
The man yelled out, “You’ll be tried as a stowaway, a spy, if your resume isn’t on that list, you’ll never fly again!”
“Katalina Jones, you must follow me.”
She watched as the two people yelled and argued, only for a moment in time as the slit grew smaller. Her heart raced as she glanced at the glass overlook of the port.
No tea.
“I’m on the list!” Kat yelled at the last second.Goodbye chamomile.
Her fate sealed shut.
The ship hummed to life as the android with her bag led her out of the giant facility and into the tunnels of her new home.
After several turns through dark metal corridors, lights burned low to resemble an old, gloomy warehouse. The robot stopped at a door. A door amongst doors. Kat’s hand slapped the wall as the ship quaked under her feet.
The inconspicuous door slid open to reveal a room. So small it only fit a single cot, lifted high off the ground so a desk-like slat sat beneath it. There was an uncomfortable looking metal stool anchored to the wall. The other side was a blank steel-grey wall with several hooks lined across it and a small, circular fixture was on the low ceiling that cast a bright white, penetrating light across the space.
The android placed her bag on the metal slat.
“These are your quarters, Katalina Jones.”
“Call me Kat,” she mumbled, stepping into her new home.
“Registered.” The door zipped closed behind her, the android gone. She turned back toward it but it didn’t reopen. Her fingers slipped across the lukewarm panel and plastic material.
A quick gut-wrenching shock of queasiness punched her in the stomach. She all at once, felt heavy and lightweight. Kat moved away from the door and grabbed the bars of the desk, not knowing what to expect during takeoff. She held on as if her life depended on it, with her palms slick with sweat and her eyes wrenched closed.
It was over quickly. At least she thought so, never having experienced leaving the atmosphere, nor being able to see what’s happening outside her room. She only assumed.
All she knew was that she had made it onto the Cyborg’s ship. That she now had a job and that she didn’t know how to get out of her room.
Kat lifted to her feet and opened her bag, taking out her network device once again. She sat on the ground where her hand still held onto the bar and opened her console.
Network error.
I don’t have access?It was unheard of on Earth.
Kat tried to link to the ship but was denied. The lights flickered above. She glanced back at the door, got to her feet, and kicked her bag under the desk. She stepped up onto a ladder that led to her bed. It had no coverings or no mattress. Her hand slid across the rails.
She made a mental checklist as her eyes drifted across the room.
I need bedding. I need network access. I need a way to tell time. But first…Her eyes landed on the shut panel.I need to figure out how to open the door.
***
Dommik steered his ship out of Earth’s commercial airways, overriding the planetary defense system to allow himself off the world. The EPED had nullified his shield access until their demands were met. But it really couldn’t stop him, nor could it stop others’ from entering. It just marked the disturbance. Regardless, the defense satellites would trail him.
If he was a threat they would shoot him down. He could feel the link of dozens of them coming to life.
He ignored the hails as the reps from the EPED tried to contact him. Mia and her insipid begging came to mind.
