Outcasts of Gideon

Dawn Imara : Part 4

Something struck her hand. Dawn was instantly transported back to the Aion, the sounds and visions ending. Dewey stood over her, his hand pulled back. She found herself kneeling before Bobby's still body. As she recovered her bearings, she reached for Bobby's face to feel his warm breath on her hand.

"Why were you shouting?" asked Grant. He walked to the far wall, peering at something on the floor.

"Don't touch it, Mister L!" Dewey shouted.

"What is it?"

"It's what Bobby found." Dewey backed away from Dawn. "I ain't touchin' it. Look what it does to you." He pointed at Bobby.

"I don't think it did that to him," said Dawn.

Grant kicked the device toward her. "What did you hear?"

"I don't know."

"You must have heard something. You asked if we were talking to you."

To Dawn, she'd only shouted in the other place. "I don't know what it was. Like I was taken somewhere. An alien world? I don't know. A nightmare."

"Like Bobby's bad dream?"

"At first they were just sounds. Like the hum of a machine. Several machines. But they might have been voices. Like different people talking."

"What did they look like?"

"All kinds of colors and shapes, but moving and changing."

Dewey got up and reached for the cloth still clenched in Bobby's hand. He walked over with it and wrapped the object. Careful not to touch it, he slid the artifact back into the messenger pouch. He laid the bag beside Bobby's motionless body.

"Well shit," said Grant, looking around, "What do we do now?"

"We try to wake him. We should find out what this thing is." Dawn brushed Bobby's thinning hair from his forehead. He seemed at peace.

"Dewey, get the med kit. Maybe there's something in there to wake him."

When Dewey returned with the med kit, he held it open to show it was empty.

"Perfect," said Grant.

Rousing Bobby proved more of a challenge than she expected. He was barely breathing. His skin had become cold and damp. Nothing seemed to stir him. They agreed that the floor of the shuttle was not ideal. Grant grabbed his hands and tried to drag him toward the entryway. As he did, Bobby's eyes popped open. He scurried to his feet, pushing Grant away, his arms swinging wildly. "Where is it?"

"Bobby, calm down," said Dawn.

"Where?!"

Dewey reached into a seat, grabbed a satchel and tossed it to Bobby. As it passed him, Grant ripped it from the air. "That's mine, dammit!"

Bobby was wild-eyed. Breathing heavy, he scanned the room. Dawn grabbed the messenger pouch from the floor and tossed it to him. He ripped it open. The cloth wrapped artifact nearly popped out. He closed the pouch and collapsed to a seated position on the floor. "What happened?"

"You had some sort of episode," said Dawn.

"Is that what you call it?" asked Dewey.

Bobby stared at Dawn, his face contorted as though he'd tasted something bitter. "You heard them, didn't you?"

"Who the hell is that? What the hell is it?"

"We have to go to Earth."

"Whoa! Not on my shuttle, you're not," Grant shouted.

"Who are those people?" asked Dawn.

"Dewey, can this shuttle get to the interstellar?"

"You are not taking my shuttle anywhere," Grant moved toward Bobby. He loomed over the frail man.

Dawn was surprised when Bobby didn't cower. Instead, he moved quickly, much faster than she expected. He swept around the back of the advancing Grant. As he did, he plucked Grant's satchel and darted toward the far corner of the room. "We have to go to Earth." He held up Grant's bag. "Will this thing get us there?"

Grant lowered his head and rushed Bobby, plowing into his narrow frame. The two men slammed against a bulkhead, landing in a heap on the floor. Grant was much larger, his fists flailing toward the smaller man. Despite his depleted state, Bobby worked his way from beneath Grant. In an instant he was on top. He'd grabbed a meaty arm and pinned it tight against the older man's back. "Will it get us to Earth?" asked Bobby.

"I have no idea."

"Will it get us to Earth?"

"I don't know what's in the bag."

Bobby let Grant's arm loose and rose, backing away. "You don't know what's in the bag?"

"No, and I'm trying to keep it that way." Grant lifted himself to his feet. He rubbed his left arm with his right hand.

"Bobby, why do you need to go to Earth?" asked Dawn.

Bobby's eyes darted between the three of them, "I don't know why, but I have to." He presented Grant's satchel. "The thing in this bag will help me get there."

Dawn turned to Grant. "Any idea what he's talking about?"

Grant looked Dewey's way. "We've been losing money."

"It wasn't me, Mister L!" shouted Dewey.

"No, I wish it were. I could fix that. I can't fix a dying system."

"So we're losing money," said Dawn. "You're losing money. What does that have to do with anything?"

"He's running contraband," said Bobby. "Remember that the Damasos doesn't care if you know what you're carrying. You'll still fry for it if they catch you."

Grant shook his head. "I know that. But I'm still not looking in the bag."

"Okay, okay," said Dawn. "I'll look in the bag."

"What for? Even if it's a magic wand, you're not taking my shuttle to Earth."

"We might need to do somethin' soon." Dewey pointed to one of the monitors.

The screen displayed activity from the terminal. They could see several uniformed officers flashing identification to the dock crew. The LSS staff did as they were trained to do, pointing and moving aside.

Grant shoved the satchel under one of the seats. "What the hell are they doing here?"

Bobby turned toward the ladder leading to the pilot compartment. Before any of the others could respond, he climbed up, closing the hatch behind him. Dawn nearly fell over when the shuttle lurched upward. Bobby had engaged the anti-grav. They were lifting off.