[Zach]

"I told you to run away, Avia," I muttered to her aboard the Vega Venture. "Why didn't you?"

Avia did not answer, nor did I expect her to while sleeping under the effect of a sedative. She laid on a narrow cot within a makeshift plas-steel cage resembling an old-fashioned jail cell, about three meters square. A metal mesh net draped over the cage created a Faraday enclosure to prevent her from making wireless connections to any network, which seemed redundant at the moment. The only other furnishing beside the cot was a plastic bucket, presumably for toilet functions. I occupied a similar cage, but without the mesh net. The two cages took up most of the drab-gray cargo bay space.

They won't be getting a good customer rating from me.

A faint low-frequency hum meant the Vega Venture's star-drive propelled us across interstellar space to our fate. Omni-Corp wants the data in Avia's head, and once they get it, the best outcome for her would be confinement in Aberrant jail, as she called it, and deactivation of her cybernetics — a fate Avia considered worse than death.

Watching her chest subtly rise and fall, I yearned to reach out and touch her, to brush the stray dark hair from a beautiful face, to provide some comfort. But the separation between us was too far.

Why didn't she escape earlier when she could? Gideon surely wouldn't have killed me, since I was Darius' nephew. We could have joined up again, sometime, somewhere. But I knew why, revealed with her final mouthed words as the sedative took effect, that she loved me.

Never had silent words created simultaneous bliss and terror within me. But as I sat here, gazing at Avia, I realized I had fallen in love with her, too. And that changed everything.

The grinding of hinges pulled me from my thoughts, and I stood. Gideon Leif and a young white-uniformed woman with a med-kit entered through a rounded hatch. The woman slid a ration meal-bar and water bottle into my cage without looking at me. Then, she opened Avia's cage with an old-fashioned key inserted into a mechanical lock, which made sense, since Avia could hack a standard bio-metric electronic lock. She kneeled and checked Avia with a portable medical scanner. Nodding to Gideon, she wordlessly relocked the cage and disappeared out of the hatch.

"I trust you are well, Zachery?" Gideon muttered, standing stiffly and clasping hands behind his back.

"I've been better," I deadpanned. "When will Avia wake up?"

"The initial sedative dose will wear off in approximately twelve hours, but we intend to keep her partially sedated for the entire journey. For everyone's safety, of course. She will be well taken care of."

"Where are you taking us?" I asked, gripping the gray bars.

"To your uncle."

"Then what?"

"That is up to your uncle."

I rolled my eyes. "You are a wealth of information, Gideon."

"It is all you need to know, Zachery. Comply, and you will be treated well. Resist, and there will be consequences for both you and Avia."

Dipping my head, I asked, "Why, Gideon? Why did you sell your soul to the corporation?"

Gideon huffed. "I doubt a spoiled rich Elite like you would understand duty and loyalty."

"And I doubt a soulless suck-up like you would understand compassion and honor."

Gideon's mouth turned up slightly, and a single chuckle came out. "Have a pleasant journey, Zachery." Turning, he marched out of the cargo bay, closing the hatch behind with a clunk."

Leaning my head against the bars, chilled despair swept through me. "I'm sorry, Avia," I whispered.

But it made little sense that Avia would just surrender like that without a plan. She knew the stakes and was the most resourceful person I had ever met. And she had an hour to prepare. The words she whispered to me, 'Keyword, Goober Gummies,' had to mean something. But what?

Keyword. That implied it would open something, or trigger something. If Avia wasn't sedated and caged, she would have overridden the ship AI herself. But what if...

*****

Timing might be important, so I waited until ship night, at least when I thought it would be. Fortunately, the lights dimmed, confirming my suspicion. Surely, the ship AI watched and listened over us, since there were no posted guards.

Okay, here we go. Standing, I cleared my throat and said in a loud voice. "Keyword, Goober Gummies."

Holding my breath, I waited, but not for long.

A monotone voice replied. "Override achieved."

"Yes!" I cheered, pumping the air with a fist. "Oh, Avia, you clever girl."

I needed to play this smart, though. "Ship AI," I called out, "maintain current ship operation, but lock out all access to the long-range coms except for me."

"Complied," replied the voice.

"List number and locations of all people presently aboard this ship."

"Total twelve souls on-board. Two located on the bridge; two located in the galley; four located in alpha cabin, mid-deck; two located in beta cabin, mid-deck; and two located in the forward cargo bay."

"Am I located in the forward cargo bay?" I asked for clarification.

"Affirmative."

Okay, there were ten of them. "Identify the other person in the cargo bay as Avia. Identify all others, excluding myself and Avia, as potentially hostile."

"Previously complied."

Previously? Avia...

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the bay hatch creaked open with the whir of servo motors. In marched two maintenance-bots, looking like giant six-legged mechanical bugs, standing almost a meter tall. Two additional arms laid folded mid-body, able to extract various tools from a rear-mounted tray. Swiveling and rotating heads with twin fly-like eyes completed the look.

"Ship AI, did you send these bots here?" I asked, looking upward from my cell.

"Affirmative. Coded directives specify protective measures."

A grin rose on my face as I muttered in a low voice, "Avia, are you good, or what?"

"Request not understood," replied the voice.

"Ignore. Ship AI, cut away the mechanical locks on the holding cells."

"Complying."

In synchronized motion, the maintenance-bots reached back with a tool arm to extract plasma cutters from tool trays, then energized them. Orange sparks danced on the tip with a low hiss. Advancing, one stepped towards my cell, and the other to Avia's cell. I moved to the opposite side. Acting in tandem, they extended the cutters to the lock deadbolt. Showers of orange sparks sizzled, spattering to the deck. Within a moment, the bolts severed, then the bots stepped back. I almost expected them to take a bow.

Cell doors creaked as I rushed into Avia's cage and kneeled at her side, taking up a hand. A gentle oval face and smooth light-tan skin invited me to caress a cheek. She seemed so peaceful sleeping here, but it was a false peace. Leaning over, I moved a lock of dark hair aside and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Hang in there, sweetheart," I whispered. "We're getting out of this."

Standing with resolve, I called out, "Okay, ship AI, it's time to dance."

"Command not understood."

I ignored the response. "Let's implement an isolation strategy. Lock out all internal com and ship control functions from everyone except myself and Avia." Best to avoid direct conflict, keeping Avia and me out of harm's way, although I wouldn't mind causing harm to that bastard, Gideon.

"Complied."

"Next, close and lock the pressure isolation hatches to all areas occupied by identified hostiles. Can they then be manually opened again?"

"Affirmative. Manual mechanical mechanisms are installed on all hatches."

"Hmm... Okay," I said with a hand to my chin. "First, station a maintenance-bot at each hatch before closing them, then once closed, tack-weld them shut. Let me know when they are at ready."

"There are an insufficient number of maintenance-bots available."

"Then first prioritize the bridge and galley." Hopefully, those in the cabins were asleep.

"Complying. Maintenance bots activated."

"Very good. Is there an auxiliary bridge or alternate control center?" I asked.

"Control panels on the engineering deck provide that function."

Good. I should be able to watch the action from there and also protect key ship functions from interference. Returning to Avia's cage, I lifted her from the cot, bringing her gently against my chest. After peeking out of the cargo bay hatch, looking both ways to see the way clear, pulse pounding, I paced along a dimly lit passageway. The two maintenance-bots tottered along behind like obedient pets. A short, straight walk, less than ten-meters, brought me to a wide, rounded hatch.

"Close and lock this hatch behind us," I ordered.

"Complying," the AI voice responded.

As the hatch swung closed with a whir and clunk, I came to the elevated deck railing. Below, in crowded array, were twin fusion reactors shaped like large tubes within an orderly maze of wires and tubes, the cube-like star-drive, and environmental systems with numerous connected piping. Narrow aisles separated the equipment. An open-sided power lift lowered us down to the lower deck. The reactors and drive thrummed with the power to propel a starship across the cosmos.

Beneath the elevated platform we initially entered, I found the engineering control panels and wall-mounted view-screens. Colorful numbers and bars displayed key ship operating parameters. I gently laid Avia down on the deck, leaning her against a bulkhead in a sitting position. But then she slid sideways across the wall, and her head struck the deck with a faint thud.

I grimace as I repositioned her on her back, lying on the deck. "Sorry, Avia." Standing back up, I ordered, "Transfer all ship operation controls here, and lock out the bridge."

The angled transparent control panel flickered on, displaying grouped icons of key ship controls.

"The maintenance-bots are in position at designated hatches," the AI reported.

"Very good. Initiate. Close hatches and weld them shut." I grinned — this should stir things up.

"Complying."

"Are there internal visual cameras so I can watch the action?" I asked.

"Common area security monitors are available."

A five-by-five grid of tiny windows appeared on a control panel, each one presumably representing a camera. The window to the lower right showed me on the engineering deck.

I touched the window that showed the bridge, bringing it up a larger display on a view-panel. As the hatch closed, two white-uniformed men reclining in chairs jumped up and rushed the hatch, pounding on it. I smiled as one white-uniformed man let out a string of exasperated expletives.

Then, with a touch on the control panel, changed the view to the galley, which included a small kitchen, a round plas-steel table surrounded by six chairs, and a lounge area with a short bar and cushy seating — things expected on a corporate executive transport ship. A woman with chopped blonde hair leaned back on a short couch, her eyes closed and mouth hanging open, obviously snoozing.

The hatch began its swing toward closing, but moved much slower than the bridge hatch had.

"What the hell?" a male voice exclaimed, coming into camera view.

Gideon Lief.

Hot anger flushed through my mind as I involuntarily clenched fists. Hell had a special place for the bastard who so callously killed my friend Spade and threatened Avia, and I was willing to make delivery.

Leaping forward, Gideon just squeezed past the closing hatch into the central passageway. He glared at the maintenance-bot stationed beside the hatch, and then to the other bot applying short weld lines to the nearby bridge hatch in pulses of white flashes.

Looking upward, Gideon yelled, "Vega Venture, what the fuck are you doing?" When the ship AI did not answer, he called out again, "Vega Venture, respond!" Then, drawing down eyebrows and gritting teeth, he growled, "Avia..."

"That's right, arsehole," I said to the grainy image, shaking a fist. "You don't mess with the Cyber Witch."

Gideon swung open a panel beside the hatch and took out an assault-style projectile rifle, flipping a switch on the stock to activate it.

My eyes widened and heart raced at a startling realization: Gideon will come after us, and a closed engineering hatch would not stop him for long.

"Ship AI," I asked, "are there any weapons nearby?"

"Negative," the even voice responded. "The only weapons storage cabinet is located in the main passageway between the bridge and galley hatches."

Well, crap...

Running down the main passageway, Gideon disappeared from camera view, then reappeared within the cargo bay, seething as he took in the empty cages. "Fuck..." he hissed. It took little brain power for me to realize he would come to the engineering deck next.

Maybe I could make it hard for him to breathe. "Ship AI," I said, "open a docking port and airlock hatches to vent the main passageway. Bypass all safety protocols."

"Unable to comply. Docking port hatches have mechanical linkages that prevent opening."

Changing the atmosphere's oxygen/nitrogen ratio to make Gideon pass out would take too long. That left me with one strategy. "Okay AI, let's barricade. Weld shut the engineering section hatch."

The AI responded, "Specify hatch."

My eyes went full open. "There's more than one? Well, shit..."

It was already too late.

"Hands up, Zachery!" A stern voice ordered behind me.

Jerking, I turned around to find Gideon emerging from the shadows between rows of piping and power cables, his face scrunched in anger. The shouldered assault rifle pointed at my head. Gulping, I slowly lifted my hands. Gideon's menacing gaze went through me like an icy blast.

Casting a gaze at Avia's sleeping form as she laid on the deck, Gideon wrinkled his forehead. I knew what his question would be, so I preemptively answered it. "I am in control of the Vega Venture."

"Then release it back to me," Gideon huffed, taking a step closer. I looked directly down the rifle's barrel.

Folding my arms, I stood tall. "No. You won't shoot your boss's nephew."

"You are expendable, Zachery. Darius Welde has already washed his hands of you." A cruel, icy grin rose on his lips. "Besides, I wouldn't have to kill you, just hurt you real bad."

I gasped as Gideon lowered his rifle, pointing it at my legs. A quick glance at Avia firmed my resolve. No way would I relinquish control of the ship. Latching on to the rage boiling up from my core, I glared at Gideon and braced for the pain. "Go to hell."

The pain didn't come.

When Gideon lurched, so did I. Behind him, a maintenance-bot shoved a plasma cutter into his back. Gideon's eyes rolled up as he stiffened and the rifle slipped from his grip, clattering to the deck. A silent scream formed on his lips as the sparking tip burst through his chest, blood and viscera boiling. For a moment, Gideon's body hung on the cutter, then slumped lifelessly to the floor when the bot withdrew.

Staring at the corpse, I blew out a breath. "Karma really is a bitch, Gideon."