Pandora's Chase

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chase's breathing slowed as he began to slip into sleep. His mind was darkening, and he found himself floating along a dim tunnel. Floating was the way he traveled in these dreams, and he seemed to gravitate towards that same man. He seemed to be the focal point of the dreams.

They were strange dreams. Normal ones lacked perceptible senses, except on rare occasions. But in these dreams, Chase could feel the cool moisture in the air as he breathed. Goose bumps rose on his skin. And when he exhaled, he could see his breath condense into a small puffy cloud.

His dreams were like normal dreams in one way however: he was unable to decide where to go. He always seemed already on his way somewhere.

As he turned a corner, he saw an opening up ahead in the side wall of the tunnel. Light from a room shone through the opening, illuminating the opposite wall. He knew that's where he was headed. In fact, he felt he was already there, in that room. He could hear men talking. There was an echo to the voices, so he couldn't make out anything they were saying.

When Chase came to the doorway, he passed through it and found two uniformed men unconscious on the floor. Another, pinned underneath a fourth man, had a gun drawn to his head. Chase shuddered at the scene. He smelled the scent of unclean men. The smoke. The whiskey in the air.

It was like he was actually in this place.

Chase watched a playing card fall from the table. It fluttered to the ground. Then he looked up at the traveler holding a gun to the guard's head. He was now glaring at Chase.

His voice rumbled from behind his massive black beard, "I'm gonna find you. I--"

Chase was jolted awake by a loud clanking sound. He sat straight up, almost in a defensive position, and looked around. Only to see the culprit was Snitch, who had struck the door with an iron wrench before he and Packet entered the room. The men laughed at Chase's panicked actions.

"Boy, what'd we catch you doin?" Packet said, while Snitch continued to laugh. Packet was heavier set than Snitch but seemed to manage himself better. He wasn't as greasy, and his hair was far more under control, and the aroma he carried wasn't nearly as offensive.

"Nothing. I was just...sleeping," Chase said, stuttering and grasping to no avail at his quickly fading dreams.

"Sure, sure. Get up. Time for your chores," Packet announced.

"Mess du'ies f'you." Snitch smiled. He enjoyed giving his chore away.

"And you're our sanitation crew as well." Packet grinned. His voice wasn't nearly as high pitched as Snitch's, but there was a modicum of excitement to it. This was his chore that he was elatedly handing off to Chase.

"Finally, someone else to do the dur'y work, eh Snitch?"

"Yup, yup."

"Which would you like to learn first, boy?" asked Packet with a chuckle.

"I guess it doesn't really matter," replied Chase.

Snitch and Packet looked at each other. "Sanitation!" they said together with heads bobbing in unison.

"C'mon!" ordered Packet.

Chase slipped away from his bed and fell in step behind them as they led him through several corridors and open bulkhead hatches. They traveled through the ship, making their way farther down into her belly.

"Follow the yellow lines," Packet said, pointing to a series of pipes, one of which was as big as a fist and had yellow tape wrapped around it every dozen steps or so. "That will lead you to the waste sector."