Broken Hero: Part 2 (Broken Hero Series)

  BROKEN HERO

  Part 2

  Chris Hennessy

  SerialScienceFiction.blogspot.com.au

  Copyright © 2013 by Chris Hennessy

  Table of Contents

  TITLE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  NOTES

  Chapter 1Adam gasped for air as he woke, attracting strange looks from the other passengers. As he fought to catch his breath, he realised that the other passengers were getting out of their seats and retrieving any small luggage that they had brought on-board with them. At this point, he realised that he had slept almost the entire length of the journey from Altir to Capital. He could remember an hour maybe two after launch, but then it seemed like he blinked and arrived one and a half million kilometres away.

  Adam was one of the last passengers of the ship, most of the several hundred people before him had long since dispersed into the massive station, even before he reached the security checkpoint. Then after two hours of waiting in line he finally left the docks.

  It was early in the morning Capital time, so there weren’t the usual crowds clogging up the station transport system. After waiting for less than a minute, Adam boarded the small capsule-shaped pod. The double sliding doors sounded a soft chime then closed behind him.

  Using the touch screen at the front of the pod, he entered his destination then took a seat on the first of eight rows of chairs in the empty pod. A slightly different chime sounded and the pod began moving, slowly at first, as it pulled away from the boarding platform. Without the slightest bump or vibration, it switched between overhead rails, gradually building up speed until it reached one of the main rails leading into the depths of the station.

  In near silence, the pod sped through the tunnels deep below the ground level of the station. The only way Adam could tell that he was moving was from small, uniformly placed lights that lined the walls of the tunnel. Every few seconds one would flash past the side window of the pod, leaving a long tail like a comet.

  After about ten minutes of travelling at speed, the pod quickly switched tracks causing Adam to slightly lean to the right in his seat. The pod began climbing steeply through the new tunnel for a few seconds and then the tunnel ended. The darkness gave way to the sea of lights that was Capital Station at night. Clear of any tall buildings, Adam had a clear view of the entire station.

  It was only when the main lights, which ran through the centre of the cylindrical station, were turned off at night that you could see the opposite side. It looked like a massive tube of stars, as if someone had rolled up space itself.

  The view quickly disappeared as the pod switched rails again and headed in between some tall buildings. The pod whipped past office and apartment windows too fast to see in, they all blended to form constant streams of light on both sides of the pod.

  After one final rail switch, the pod began to slow. It crawled to a halt alongside a large platform, level with the second story of the nearby buildings. The doors of the pod opened with a chime and Adam stepped out onto the platform as a middle-aged man in a suit stepped in. He looked half asleep and didn’t even seem to notice Adam passing him.

  Adam headed straight for the closest set of stairs at the back of the platform, which took him down to the ground level. The occasional delivery truck slowly whined passed, its electric motors struggling under a heavy load. Adam walked along the nearly deserted footpath for a short distance before reaching a bank of six elevators. They were set in from the footpath but not part of any of the surrounding buildings. The double sliding doors of the first elevator opened as Adam approached. He hesitated for a second then stepped in.

  By the time the doors opened again, fourteen levels below the street, he was desperate to get out of the small metal box. His breathing was getting faster; each breath felt shallow and empty, his palms were sweaty, and his legs felt weak beneath him.

  He burst out of the elevator before the door had fully opened into a long slightly curved corridor. He wiped his sweaty palms on the side of his pants and focused on taking one deep breath after another.

  This part of the station was nothing like the ground level with its sparkling clean streets and high-rise buildings. There were no polished aluminium handrails, or glass and steel walls down here. Every ceiling, wall, and floor was the same pale blue, that’s when it wasn’t covered in graffiti, advertisements, or just worn down to bare steel.

  After passing several doors on both sides of the corridor, he finally reached apartment number 48123. He typed in the four-digit code 4-2-7-9 into the number pad alongside the door and the door slid open.

  The door slammed shut behind him with enough force to dislodge a stack of unopened bills on the nearby kitchen counter. They landed on the floor next to an empty packet of coffee capsules that already lay there. At the same time, a row of small lights set into the ceiling flicked on.

  The small two-room apartment lit up under the harsh white light revealing a cluttered mess. The side walls of the living area were lined with boxes and stacks of files from years of cases. In the bedroom, through a door to the right, there was a bed and a small side table. The only other furniture in the apartment was an old, padded armchair that sat in the middle of the living area facing the back wall, and a small round table with two chairs to the right of the front door.

  The sight of the familiar surroundings was enough to let his breathing returned to normal. This was the one place in the entire solar system that he felt relaxed, almost normal. He peeled off his long coat and swung it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs and placed his handgun on the roundtable along with his phone and cash card.

  After making a cup of coffee and relaxing in the armchair, he flicked through half a dozen TV channels on the screen that took up most of the end wall, before turning it off again. It was more out of habit than anything. He didn't even take the time to see what was on the channels before he flicked to the next one. He did take note of the time on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen though; it was going to be another two hours before anyone would be at the office at Armanty Security.

  He had no idea what to expect when he got to the office. It was over a month since he last spoke to Dabir, and their last conversation hadn’t ended that well. Dabir began by trying to persuade him not to go off on some ridiculous quest to track down the crew that had nearly killed him. When that failed, he resorted to threatening Adam that if he left and managed to somehow survive, then there wouldn’t be a place for him at the company when he came back.

  The more Adam thought about it, the more it sounded like a terrible idea to go back there, especially with the mess he left on Altir Station. For all he knew, they would arrest him on site, although, on the other hand, this could be the best way to find out what was happening with that investigation. He had enough to worry about without constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering if he was going to be arrested every time someone in a uniform walked passed.

  The next two hours passed slowly and painfully. Every time he managed to set his mind at ease about one problem another one would pop into his head and start the whole cycle of doubt and uncertainty again.

  * * *

  After waiting as long as he could stand, he decided it was time to face whatever Dabir had to say. The streets weren't as empty this time, the station was beginning to wake up, and people were starting to head to work. Adam slowly weaved his way through the ever-growing crowds. On a normal day it would take him a little under fifteen minutes to walk to the office, but today he managed to stretch it out to about twenty-five. He arrived at the front door to Armanty Security at two minutes past s
even.

  The front office was empty when he entered. Jennifer was supposed to be at the front counter, so she either hadn’t come in yet, or was busy out back. Adam walked around the counter and punched his eight-digit code into the control panel beside the large security door. A burst of cool air hit him as the heavy door silently slid open, revealing the maze of empty desks and computer terminals that filled the large room.

  Adam headed straight for Dabir’s office at the back of the large room. In one of the smaller offices to the side, he could hear a man and a woman talking. He recognised the female voice; it was Jennifer’s. The male he wasn’t sure about; it wasn’t Dabir though.

  Dabir’s office door was closed all but the final click. It was the uncommon style of door that swung inwards instead of sliding into the wall, simply because there were large windows on both sides of it.

  Adam softly pushed the door open and took a half a step into the room. Dabir didn’t notice at first; he was too occupied with the handful of documents that he was juggling around his desk. Finally, when he did notice Adam standing there, he paused for a second then leaned back in his padded imitation-leather office chair.

  “Your timing couldn’t be better,” Dabir gestured towards the two small padded chairs on the opposite side of his desk. “I just picked up one helluva job, and for a moment I wasn’t sure who I was going to give it to. Even thought about running it myself for a while.”

  Slightly confused Adam took a seat across from the old man. He must have heard about what happened on Altir a couple of days ago, Adam thought, why is he just ignoring it.

  “What about Altir Station? Plus I don’t have time for a new assignment; I got a lead on Till Hindermann.”

  “I thought that you had come to your senses and given up on that foolish search. It has been over a month, and we haven’t heard a thing from you. Honestly, once or twice I thought you were dead,” he paused for a second like he just realised what Adam had said. “What about Altir?”

  Now Adam was really confused. Who was it that was also after Hindermann that could make all that disappear. He wasn’t concerned that they tried to kill him, in fact that never entered his mind. He was only worried that they might find Hindermann first.

  He explained to Dabir what had happened, not in great detail, just the key bits that he needed to know.

  Dabir looked back at him with a surprised look on his face. The expression wasn’t actually much different from the old man’s normal stern look, but Adam knew him well enough to be able to spot the subtle changes.

  “I’ve heard nothing of this. We monitor the daily reports from Altir Station just like every other station. Whoever you have crossed has some serious power to make that disappear.” He took a second to think before continuing.

  “It’s all the more reason to drop this and come back to work. As curious as I am to know what’s going on with your new friends, there is something big going on with one of the largest companies in the system, and I really need you on this one.”

  Adam replied without hesitation. “Politics and corruption aren’t my concern at the moment. I’ve finally got a lead on that bastard, and I’m not letting it go. I only stopped here to find out if shit was going to hit the fan over Altir, and now I know that’s not a problem.”

  Adam stood up and turned towards the door, he managed to take two steps before Dabir stopped him.

  “How long has it been since your last pay check? It’s been a month since you took off from here, two months in hospital before that. You were terrible with money at the best of times. How are you going to track someone halfway across the system with no money?”

  The image of Adam’s kitchen counter flashed into his mind and the stack of bills that, a month ago, he didn’t have the money to pay for.

  “I’ll get by,” he replied, rejecting the reality of his situation.

  “Damn it, Adam, just think about what you’re doing for a moment. Are you going to throw everything you have away just to get that guy?”

  Adam stood facing the open door. He had no intention of turning around to face his former boss and possibly former friend.

  “That is all I have left,” he replied as walked out the door.

  * * *

  Jo fidgeted with the collar of her light grey and blue cadet’s uniform as she waited outside the academy’s commanding officer’s door. She had forgotten how uncomfortable the high collar could be. It had already left a red mark on the side of her neck where it had been rubbing.

  She sat in the first of three hard seats in a long corridor that opened up into a large office area. She was the only one wearing a cadet’s uniform in this part of the building. Most of the people rushing about in the large, open office or passing her in the corridor were mid- to low-level officers. Some of them she even recognised. They weren’t in her classes at the academy, but they were there at the same time.

  She pretended that she didn’t notice that none of them could look her in the eyes when they went past, or that they would whisper to each other when they thought she wasn’t watching then quickly look away. She wondered what they actually knew about what had happened to her. Maybe they were just surprised to see her back, though that wouldn’t explain why they were all ignoring her, even the ones that she didn’t know.

  She jumped slightly as the door beside her opened without any warning; a slightly overweight middle-aged man in a lieutenant’s uniform stepped out. Jo sprang to her feet and saluted. It was frustrating still saluting a lieutenant. That should have been her rank by now.

  “The Commander will see you now,” he announced, then turned and led the way into the office.

  Jo followed him in then snapped to attention at the same time he did. She had seen the commander of the academy from a distance and during presentations dozens of times during her training, but the person sitting behind the desk studying a data pad was someone completely different. She was in her late forties with shoulder-length black hair. The skin on the back of her hand that she held the data pad with was scarred and wrinkled and was a light pink colour, like it had been burnt.

  The commander continued to read the data pad for a moment while the two waited at attention at the end of her desk. When finished, she signed it with her thumbprint then handed it to the lieutenant. She gave him a slight nod, which seemed to convey several orders at once.

  The lieutenant took the data pad, saluted in a quick, casual way that would get any cadet punished, then left the office.

  “Cadet Josephine Bex, reporting as ordered, Ma’am,” Jo said while giving a rigid textbook salute.

  “Take a seat,” the commander replied, leaning back in her chair.

  “You must have friends or family in high places,” she finally said.

  “Ma’am?” Jo replied, out of confusion.

  “Admiral Artil contacted me directly, and told me to offer you a choice. It seems like someone at the top is looking out for you.”

  It’s more likely they’re looking out for themselves, Jo thought to herself, but didn’t dare say out loud.

  “No Ma’am, I have no family or friends in the military,” Jo replied.

  The commander took another long look at Jo, like there was something there that she couldn’t see.

  “That may be so, but you’ve been given two options nonetheless. You can leave the military on a medical discharge, where you will receive a small supplement to your income for the next eight years, then after that you will be on your own. Your second choice is to be put on active duty as a private, as your officer training was not completed.”

  “I was trained to be a pilot, an officer, not an infantry grunt,” Jo blurted out, forgetting her place.

  “All pilots are infantry, Cadet.”

  “No infantry are pilots, though, Ma’am.”

  “Three of the seven flag admirals began their careers as infantry, Cadet,” the commander said with a slightly raised voice.

  She used her left hand to rub the scarred tissue o
n the back of her right hand. It wasn’t really itching; it was more of a subconscious reminder.

  “Ma’am I apologise, I was out of line,” the words sounded forced and insincere.

  The commander continued as if she hadn’t heard the apology.

  “The choice will not be on the table for long. If you cannot make a decision, it will be made for you.”

  “I will continue serving in the military and join the infantry, Ma’am,” Jo replied in a firm voice.

  “Good choice,” the commander replied. ”Titan Station has been screaming for additional troops. Some billionaire’s daughter went missing, so the place is swarming with bounty hunters and private security firms hoping for a reward.”

  The commander held down a button on the phone that sat on the edge of her desk, then leaned back in her chair again. Seconds later the lieutenant rushed back into the room and stood at attention.

  “Private Bex is now under Commander Nelton’s command. Please see that the arrangements are made for her transport to Titan Station with the others.”

  “Yes Ma’am, the lieutenant responded with another casual salute. He then turned to Jo and added, “Follow me, Private.”

  Jo jumped to her feet and saluted the commander until she was dismissed then followed the lieutenant out to the large, open office area where he sat at his small, cluttered desk.

  “You and thirty-five others will be shipping out tonight.” He began scribbling something down on a scrap of paper as he spoke.

  “Dock 337, be there no later than zero-three-hundred, you’ll be catching a ride on a civilian cargo ship.”

  He handed the scrap of paper to Jo. She glanced down at the dock number and time.

  “A civilian ship?” she asked not bothering to add the sir at the end.

  “There are no military ships heading that way for at least a month and for some reason the higher ups don’t think it’s worth making a special trip halfway across the system for a handful of troopers.”