In the Shadow of the Starships

Chapter 12 The Door Fails

Minutes ticked by with painful slowness as I fretted in the darkness over my fate. Four small holes had been drilled through but missed the locking mechanism. They had figured out where the main lock anchors were now. It was only a matter of time...

The drilling had gone silent a minute ago when a guard had called the other away, and the suspense was killing me. Approaching footsteps and bits of light filtered through the drill holes.

The roar and subsequent grinding of a hull shredder made my throat go dry. Sparks flew as the heavy-duty blade slid through the metal with minor resistance. I pressed myself into a corner to the side, trying my best to get out of the line of sight in case they tried shooting a phaser through the opening.

One cut, two, three, four... The shredder's roar faded to a hum. The rectangular section was kicked inward, hitting the floor with an ominous, resounding clang.

I held up my hands even as the outlines of stun guns entered the opening, illuminated by bright lights that cut into the darkness and blinded me as they turned in my direction. I tensed up and squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting the crippling blast of pain that would fry my pacemaker.

My death didn't particularly bother me—I'd been fighting a race against time for a decade—but if I died, Toby likely would too, and that thought filled me with a peculiar sadness. It seemed so wrong that the enthusiastic voice that had kept me company would disappear from the universe.

The lights lowered, and the pain never came as a set of heavy boots clomped closer. I opened my eyes, blinking against the glare, and finally making out the uniform of Enforcement Officers.

"Keep your hands in the air."

I sighed in relief, keeping my hands up and offering no resistance as I was patted down in a weapons check. The Officer found my wallet and checked the contents, pulling out my ID.

"We've been looking high and low for you," he informed me. "Are you okay?"

"Shaken and stirred," I admitted, making no move to stand up unless they gave permission. "Alavaster took my tech bracelet though, and it has medical software I need."

He murmured something into his radio, then told me, "They'll check for it, but you'll have to prove it's yours. Stand up. There's an Enforcement spacejet connected to the loading bay. You can rest in there."

I got to my feet. "I have the receipt with the serial number, but I'll need something to access the spaceweb to show it."

He waved me to the impromptu door, where four other officers in assault gear were waiting. I clambered through the opening, the remaining dredges of adrenaline making me a bit shaky. He guided me down the hallway.

As we passed by a particular room, I glanced in and paused. "There was a database in here, do you know where it went?"

"No, our primary concern was locating and securing everyone on board." He kept walking, watching me over his shoulder, and I forced myself to follow.

The difference between the aging passenger spaceship and the Enforcement spacejet was quite clear. The floor was a dull grey and lightly textured for optimal traction. The military-grey walls were drab but clean, and everything was functional without anything being there just for comfort or convenience.

I was waved into a small room with a desk and a couple of chairs. "Please wait in here."

As I stepped inside, the door was closed and locked behind me, which didn't surprise me since they wouldn't want civilians wandering around an Enforcement jet and getting into mischief.

I sat in a chair and stared blankly at the undecorated light grey walls. Where had the database gone? And more importantly, had Toby had enough time to clear out some old files from my pacemaker and wedge himself inside? Or would he have remained in the database instead of risking my health?