by T.B. Anderson
copyright Tyler Anderson
The
city of Taurden was now more alive than Wats had ever seen it in his short time
here. He watched the transport vehicles flood the streets and flow seamlessly
in every direction. Many of the transports had escaped the heavy flow of ground
traffic and had taken to the sky lanes above. Wats stood next to Ozer at the
edge of the sidewalk. He wasn’t sure what to say. They had left the five gang members
behind, unconscious, and neither had spoken a word since. Even though they both
thought it best not to tell his parents about the incident, he wasn’t sure how
he was going to hide the cut and bruises on his cheek.
Ozer broke the silence first, “Your
shield worked.” Wats looked over to regard Ozer and was surprised. While Ozer
was small in stature, he was 5’ 10” compared to Wats 6’ frame, Ozer stood tall
with confidence and could intimidate almost anyone. He was often skeptical of
Wats’ inventions, but there was no hint of that in his voice now. He seemed
like he was actually impressed. A slight smile curved in the right corner of
his mouth, but quickly faded from the sharp pain of the cut. Wats looked down
at his arm and could see the metal sleeve that protruded out of from under his
right coat sleeve and partially covered the back of his hand. The shield was
his own design, something he had been working on for quite some time. Instead
of pressing a button to activate the shield he had modified his translator ear
piece to allow him to control the shield with his thoughts. It had worked. “It
was good to finally test it in the field. But Ozer, if you hadn’t showed--” Ozer
cut him off with the raise of his hand and a slight shake of the head. There
was no need for Wats to thank him because it was his job to watch over and
train him.
Ozer turned his attention back to the
passing vehicles. “I was actually standing in the dark watching you for a few
moments. I wanted to see how you handled yourself in your true combat and you were
able to hold your own today. You saw opportunities and used them to your
advantage. My training seems to be taking hold.” Two compliments in the span a
minute, who was this man standing in front of him? It couldn’t be the real
Ozer. “But your shield does have a flaw. It vanished when you hit your head on
the ground. Make sure to fix that.” There it was, that was the Ozer he knew.
But he was still surprised by the compliments, which was definitely something new.
Ozer continued, “Let’s catch a transport
back to the ship. If we walked I doubt we’d make it back before your parents.
You’ll need time to clean up those cuts and try and hide them as best as you
can. It would probably be best if we didn’t tell them about tonight,” there was
a slight hesitation in his voice, “at least not yet.” Wats nodded in agreement.
He knew Ozer was right. His parents tended to overreact to dangerous situations
involving him and he would receive increased unwanted attention due to the
injuries. He was 16 now and didn’t want to be treated like a little boy
anymore. He had just taken on a gang of five, with Ozer’s help of course, but
he walked away with only a few minor scratches and bruises.
Ozer held out his hand and hailed down a
taxi transport. A taxi buzzed to a stop alongside the sidewalk in front of Ozer
and Wats. Wats noticed the sleek design of this model. The lights of the passing transports bounced off
the shiny metallic blue exterior and danced along the ground. The top was down
and Wats could clearly see the effect the wind had on the woman’s hair, but she
didn’t seem to mind. The woman taxi driver looked at Ozer and inquired, “Where
you headed?” Ozer replied, “To the ship hangers on the west end of town. If you
could get us there as quickly as possible that would be very much appreciated.”
The woman responded confidently, “Well then today is your lucky day.” Wats
waited for her to finish her statement, but no explanation came as to why they
were so lucky.
Wats watched Ozer hop into the transport
and he followed after. When they were seated, she looked back and smiled a
devilish grin at the pair, “Strap yourself in and hold on to your butts.”
Without another word the taxi lifted off the ground and zoomed towards the sky
lanes above. The wind blew ferociously against Wats face as he gazed at the
bustling streets below. This was an entirely new view of Taured to him and he
was enjoying it.
Without warning the driver made a sharp
turn and swooped around a building. The vehicle tilted so far to the right that
they were almost vertical. To his horror Wats hadn’t strapped himself in so he
flew from his seat and tumbled towards the busy streets below. Frantically he
screamed and reached for anything he could get a hold of to stop his fall. Ozer
was quick to react when he saw Wats slide from his seat. His hand shot out and
snatched Wats around the wrist, dangling him high above the city. The taxi made
it around the corner the driver leveled out the vehicle, which allowed Ozer
pull Wats back to safety. Wats immediately grabbed the restraint and buckled
himself in. Wats looked at the driver in disgust, “You could have given us a
warning before pulling a stunt like that,” he cussed. “I did,” she retorted, “I
told you to strap in.” A wry smile crept into the corner of her mouth.
She made another quick turn and swerved
in front of another transport, narrowly escaping a collision between the two
vehicles. Wats eyes were full of panic and fear. He looked over to see Ozer for
support, but found him smiling instead. Wats wondered how he could possibly
find this situation so amusing. It must be a pilot thing he thought to himself.
The taxi jerked again as it swerved and speeded around another taxi.
Wats regained his composure and since
Ozer didn’t seem to be worried he thought it best to try and make the best of
the situation. He attempted to talk to the driver over the howl of the wind,
“What’s your name?” The driver didn’t respond vocally, but pressed a button
next the steering console and an I.D. badge flashed on the screen in front of
Wats that was mounted into the back of the driver’s seat. Wats hadn’t noticed
the driver’s features before, but he studied her I.D. picture closely now. Her
piercing blue eyes against her black hair gave an air of confidence. If she
didn’t just almost kill Wats earlier, he might have even found her to be
someone he’d like to be friends with. To the right of her picture was her name,
Nolan B. Hash. Nolan, that’s a strange name for a woman Wats thought to
himself. He also wondered if her family was originally from Archon or if her
lineage hailed from Earth.
“Is your family originally from Taured,”
he asked inquisitively. No response. Maybe she hadn’t heard him or maybe she
didn’t want to answer, so he thought he’d try a different question. “How long
have you been driving a taxi?” This was the wrong thing to ask. Without warning
Nolan thrust the steering console forward and sent the transport into a nosedive
toward the flood of transports below. Wats grabbed onto Nolan’s seat and hung
on for dear life. The taxi arced out of its decent and came to a sudden stop,
the motion throwing Wats forward and burying the strap into his gut. Wats
clutched his stomach and groaned in pain. He wondered what it was about his
question that seemed to irritate her. It seemed innocent enough.
Nolan turned around nonchalantly and held
out her credit transmitter, “That will be 20 credits.” There seemed to be no
remorse for her actions, in fact she smiled at Ozer and he returned her gesture
with a laugh. “I’ll give you 25. I haven’t enjoyed a ride like that in a long
time.” Nolan accepted Ozer’s compliment with a smile. Wats frowned at the
exchange. He had almost fallen to his death and both of these people were
acting like if nothing dangerous had occurred. Ozer transferred the credits and
hopped out, followed quickly by Wats. He was glad to be out of that death trap.
“If you’re going to be in Taured for a while
I’m happy to take you around. Here’s my contact info.” Nolan tapped her credit
transmitter and shared her info with Ozer. “Thank you. I don’t think we will be
here long, but if we are I could use another ride like that,” Ozer smirked. Wats
did not share the same sentiment as Ozer. He was as adventurous as Ozer, but
there was no denying Nolan towed the line between sane and crazy a little too
closely for comfort.
Without another word Nolan shot up into
the sky and Ozer watched the taxi disappear into the traffic overhead. “Now
that is a pilot,” Ozer observed. “She’s just a taxi driver,” Wats commented
back with a snark. Ozer turned and looked at him sternly. Wats was taken back
by the sudden change in Ozer’s demeanor. “Remember I was just a transport
driver hauling farming goods from planet to planet, but your father saw promise
in me. The same promise I see in her,” Ozer pointed to the spot where Nolan’s
taxi had disappeared into the traffic. Ozer was done with the topic and Wats
knew it, so he didn’t press him any farther with his comments. Wats watched
Ozer turn away from him and disappear into the hanger. Wats didn’t want to
follow immediately so he lingered for a moment, burning from the reprieve, but
finally gave in and disappeared into the hanger as well.
The ships door to the bridge opened and
Wats stepped in. He looked around for any sign of his parents. There was no
sign of them. He breathed a sigh of relief, but that relief quickly disappeared
when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see his parents walking
through the open door and on to the bridge. “Mother. Father. I--.” Dallimore
interrupted his son, “Wats, please connect us with the council. They have an
urgent message for us that can’t wait.” His parents hadn’t noticed the cuts or
bruises and he seized the opportunity to vanish into the background. and knew
the urgent message must be the only thing consuming their thoughts right now. He
obeyed his father’s order and flipped the ships communications switch on. Dallimore
hadn’t asked Wats to leave so he felt that was permission for him to stay.
The holographic projection at the front
of the bridge sparked to life and three supreme members of the council appeared
within. Wats recognized Councilors Bonniksen and Beck, but wasn’t sure who the
third member was. Normally it was only one member passing down assignments so
this must be important Wats thought. The council members only seemed to register
Dallimore and Ashe, so Wats slunk into the shadows a little more to stay out of
sight. He wanted to hear what they were going to say. Wats and his parents had received
reports and assignments from the council before, but there was an urgency and rush
to their speaking. Something was up.
Councilor Bonniksen spoke first, “Senior
Archivists Dallimore and Ashe, we come to you with an emergency assignment.
Archivist Beckran was retrieving materials on Solarian when conflict broke out.
He’s trapped and needs assistance getting off planet.” Bonniksen was interrupted
by Beck, “It will not be safe to take your son and we recommend leaving him on
Archon. We’ve already hired another crew to provide you assistance in
extracting him from the planet.” The third member, who Wats still didn’t recognize,
finally spoke, “The items he has acquired are of the utmost importance to our
cause and every effort must be taken to preserve them. Your ship will depart
for Solaria in one hour. Once you are in route we will contact you with further
details.”
The transmission cut off abruptly and the
hologram evaporated into thin air. Dallimore and Ashe hadn’t even uttered a word.
This was definitely strange Wats observed so he watched his parents carefully. The
excitement and thrill Dallimore and Ashe had experienced earlier that day from
had vanished and was now replaced anxiousness.
Ashe spoke to Dallimore, “I’ll gather the
supplies as quickly as I can.” She turned to leave but her eyes locked with
Wats, and it was just then she realized he had been present for the entire
message with the council. “Wats, I forgot you were here.” Wats could see the
worry in her eyes and hear the tremble in her voice. “You won’t be accompanying
us on this mission and will be staying here with Ozer. He’ll keep you safe.”
She said the last part more as a reassurance for her sake than Wats. “We’ll
only be on Solarian for a short time. It’s a routine extraction.” That was a
lie. Wats knew it and so did his parents. Any extraction was dangerous, but especially
in that sector of the galaxy. Solarian tended to be a lawless planet frequented
by opportunists with an agenda.
Wats could see his mother’s hand shaking
and watched Dallimore walk over to her and take her hand to steady it. It was
his way of calming her nerves. He gave Wats a forced smile in an attempt to cover
their worry, but he knew they were worried about their chances of returning. “We
need someone to continue cataloging and searching for any other artifacts here
on Archon. Take advantage of this opportunity and show the council how
brilliant we already know you are,” Dallimore let go of his wife’s hand and
walked over to Wats, clasping him on the shoulder. Wats and Dallimore locked
eyes and he knew his father meant what he said about showing the council his
worth. That meant the world to him and he could feel a swelling of pride in his
chest. It had been the only reassuring thing either of his parents could have
said to ease their worry about returning to him.
“The hired crew should have a healthy
supply of weapons, but I would feel much better if we took some of our own. Especially
of the ones you modified. Could you grab those for me Watson?” Dallimore asked.
Wats didn’t know what to say so he just shook his head in agreement. “Good boy.
Meet us at our quarters in 30 minutes.” And with that Dallimore exited the
bridge without another word. Wats watched his mother follow and noticed she wouldn’t
look at him. That’s when he saw the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes
and he knew if she had looked at him she would have been unable to stop the
flood of emotions. His mother was trying to hold herself together, for her sake
and his, so he let her go without saying a word.
Later Wats watched the ramp close behind
his parents. He couldn’t help but run through all the possible scenarios and
shuttered at the thought of his parents not returning to him. But he couldn’t
think like that, he had to stay positive and focus on the task at hand, which
was to make his parents proud. Ozer stepped up behind Wats, unsure of what to
say. So he suggested the only thing he could think of to take Wats mind off his
parent’s mission, “Let’s get back to your training.”
In the training room Wats and Ozer locked
staves. Ozer’s long black hair stuck to his sweat stained face. Wats was
actually giving him a good fight. Ozer wasn’t sure if it was the evening’s
earlier scuffle with the gang or Wats just trying to take his mind of the
current situation, but regardless, he was impressed. It was time to see just
how good Wats was and push him a little harder than he ever had before. He pulled
his staff back and broke away from Wats, quickly wiping his hair and sweat from
his brow. “It’s time to see how skilled you really are,” Ozer said with a
smile. He could see it in Wats’ eyes; he was ready to prove himself. Crack!
Ozer blocked Wats next strike, but only just barely. He was going to have to
get creative. Wats gritted his teeth and readied himself for his next attack,
but before he had even made his move Ozer knew where the next blow would be
coming from. Wats head let his frustration allow him to telegraph his next
strike. This would be a perfect opportunity to reinforce an earlier lesson Ozer
thought. He relaxed his body momentarily and prepared for the blow.
Wats charged Ozer and swiped across his
body in an attempt to knock the staff from his hand, but the blow narrowly
missed its target. Ozer side stepped the move, but was caught off guard by
quick blow to his hand. The staff fell from his hand and hit the mat with a
thud. Wats pointed the tip of his staff at Ozer’s chest. “Yield,” Wats growled
through his teeth. But Ozer didn’t yield; in fact he looked like a tiger ready
to pounce on his pray. This confused Wats and gave Ozer the split second
distraction he needed. With one swift move Ozer snatched the end of staff, pulled
Wats into him, and swiped out his leg from under him. Ozer could see the
surprise on Wats face due to the sudden change of events. Wats fell to the
ground with a looked and looked completely stunned.
The boy was getting better, but he was
still the master. And it was at that moment he realized he might be enjoying
this just a little too much. Ozer held out a hand and helped Wats to his feet. “You
did good. But what can you learn from your defeat?” Ozer asked. Wats looked
frustrated and Ozer wasn’t sure he would get an answer. Then he saw the boy’s
attitude shift from one of frustration to contemplation. In a begrudging tone
Wats finally answered, “I assumed I had won because I had knocked the weapon
from your hand. That is where I lost my advantage.” “And?” Ozer asked. In
unison they both responded, “Our body is the only weapon we can count on.” Ozer
clasped Wats by the arm, “Even in failure you can find success.” Wats shook his
head in acknowledgment, but Ozer could tell the defeat still stung. “Why don’t
we call it a night? It’s been an eventful day and I think we could both use
some rest.”
Wats room was dark except for a single
light on his bunk the illuminated his face. He couldn’t sleep. There had been
too much that had happened that day. His parents being called away, getting
beat by Ozer, almost dying at the hands of the taxi driver, the fight in the
alley, the man with the cane, and the book. He shot up like a bullet out of
bed. The book, he had completely forgotten about it. He fished around in his
pocket and retrieved the small leather bound volume. This might help him clear
his mind and allow sleep to finally find him.
Three hours later he was still no closer
to sleep than he had been earlier. Although at least now he had learned of some
new legends and myths of earth and would stow them away for later research when
time allowed. Maybe a movie would help him clear his thoughts. Old Earth movies
were a specialty of his. He had collected thousands over the years while
traveling with his parents. Most were data files he collected from the hard
drives of crashed ships. No one else found any value in them, but to Wats they
were like finding a buried treasure. Many of the films had sparked ideas for
his inventions, like the six-shooter he was working on and the whip. Something
in his mind clicked when he thought about the whip and the lesson Ozer had
reminded him about earlier. Suddenly a thought popped into his head and he knew
sleep would have to wait. Wats ripped the covers off and leapt out of bed. He
had work to do.
Later that night Nolan finally arrived at
her apartment on the 33rd floor. She was exhausted and couldn’t wait
to rest from the day’s labors. She pulled out her key card and placed it on the
scanner. A red light flashed and quickly changed to green. Click. Her door
unlocked and she pushed the door open. She walked in and closed the door
behind. A sigh of exhaustion escaped her lips and her body relaxed. There was
no way she could make it to her bed so her couch would have to do. She took the
few short steps over to the couch and slumped down into it.
Her body was beginning to feel the
stiffness in her back from sitting down all day. Even though she wasn’t performing
physical labor, driving people around Taured wore her out. She wanted to just
forget about the world for a few minutes and let sleep take over. Unfortunately
sleep would have to wait just a few minutes longer. Bzzzz. Her transmitter
buzzed to life in her pocket. Annoyed she retrieved from her pocket and swiped
open the message. Who could be sending her a message at this time of night? Her
brow furrowed when she read the message from Dunc, a sort-of middle man who
helped her find work. He had arranged a pickup for her first thing in the
morning. It was nice being her own boss, but it was difficult relying on other
people to provide her with work. If sleep did find her tonight, there wouldn’t
be much of it.
She swiped the message from the screen
and removed the looming dread of an early morning for at least a little bit.
She stared at the screen, lost in a thoughtless moment. A folder icon on the
screen brought her mind back into focus. The folder contained information that
had changed her life for the better. A smile crept onto her face as she thought
about the pictures within the folder. Another peek woudn’t hurt. In fact, it
would help reassure her that she had made the right choice just a few months ago.
She clicked on the folder and several pictures popped up on the screen. They
were ultrasound images that showed two small babies. They were her babies, twins.
Instinctively she placed her hand on her stomach and caressed it gently. She
spoke in a soft, gentle, but confident tone, “This is hard, but I know you’re
worth it.”
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