Totaled

Totaled: Part 7

Ten minutes later they were leaning against a hatch to the cargo bay, ears pressed to the door.

"Not a sound," Dolridge murmured. He was still set on edge by the silence that had fallen over the ship. Caspar leaned into the wheel and turned, pushing the hatch open.

Yes, there it was. Across the dock there sat a little comet-hopper, a small maintenance vessel equipped to carry up to ten men. Short-distance only, so they would have to hope they could evade the drones and get scooped up by someone else. But if they could only put themselves on course to float up through the orbital plane, that might be enough. And he knew it had fuel and would at least start, because they'd tested it out after picking it up to see if it might be worth anything.

The only problem? The veritable army of drones scattered across the floor of the dock between them and the hopper.

A finger to his lips, Dolridge reached for the hatch to pull it shut. The wound in his arm seized him, and he muffled a gasp, pulling back. Caspar closed the hatch without a sound.

"I really hate that AI," Dolridge said.

"You think they knew we were coming?"

He shook his head in bewilderment. "It must have known beforehand what all was on board, and narrowed down our options. Process of elimination and all that."

"Let me look at that." Caspar took his shoulder in her hands and turned him to inspect the wound. Her eyes popped open, then refocused.

"That bad, huh?"

"Let's just say I think you need a medic more than a shower—for once, Sir."

He snorted softly.

She pulled up her device and fiddled with it for a moment. "Listen. In about five minutes there's going to be a distraction, which I hope will lure these things out of the loading dock. It's an AI, right? Must be curious. As soon as they go, get to the hopper and get it fired up. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"This distraction wouldn't happen to involve you blowing up another part of my ship, would it?"

She shrugged. "Well, Sir, I am your munitions officer."

"I'll go. You stay and wait for them to leave."

She suppressed a laugh. "With respect, Sir, no. You look like hell. Just between us, I think I'm giving you quite enough responsibility by asking you to get yourself to the hopper in five."

"You're giving me responsibility...?"

He wasn't going to let her go, but she dodged away before he had finished his thought. Oh, well. She was right, anyway.

For once, things went well. A few minutes after Caspar's disappearance there was an alarmingly loud sound, followed by a shudder, and, as one, the drones rose and vacated the bay, all heading in the direction of the noise. Dolridge shook his head. That was quick thinking, however she had done it. She would have made a fine agent of the Blade.

His arm burned and he winced as he ambled out onto the deck. He tried calling up his old training. There was a time he'd been able to shut pain down like a comp, but his brain just didn't work that way anymore. He would just have to rely on grit to get through.

The hopper was old, but functional. He started the comp and engine, saw the tank was only half full, and brought her up to coast over to the opposite side of the bay, where there was a fueling dock. He had just finished topping her off when he heard a clang from back where the hopper had been sitting. A panel had fallen from the wall. Caspar leapt out, saw that he had moved the hopper, and broke into a run, her face hard and determined.

He climbed down to cross toward her, but she waved him back. "Go, go!" she shouted. "Get moving!"

An instant later he saw why. Just as she reached him, the drones flew out behind her in a perfect line and gathered above the deck like a swarm of bees.

Angry bees.

They were closing in on the hopper by the time he had lifted off. Caspar's hands flew on her device, and the bay doors yawned open.

"It's no good," he growled. "They'll just follow us and tear us apart out there."

"Not if they can't get out!" Caspar hit one more keystroke, and the doors reversed direction, moving toward each other again. Dolridge slammed the accelerator and the little hopper flew out into space, the doors clamping shut just behind them.

"Brace!" Caspar yelled, ducking down and holding her head in her hands.

But Dolridge couldn't have prepared for the force of the explosion if he'd tried. The entire starry sky behind them seemed to be enveloped in flame. A shock wave sent the hopper bucking, her nose tipping down. He had just enough presence of mind to counter with front thrusters so they wouldn't be locked in a spin. Then another explosion, another wave, and Dolridge flew from his seat toward the ceiling and knew no more.

To be continued...