Finding Joy the Hard Way - part 3
a four part sci-fi adventure
If you just tuned in, hop back here for part 1
It turned out Storage Room 6 was only a few doors down from the tool room. The light automatically came on as we entered, exposing piles of equipment that reminded me of the piles of laundry in my quarters. There didn’t appear to be any organizational system at play; it was like a tornado had passed through and no one had bothered to clean up.
I followed Noora to the back wall. Someone had welded a yellow-hued metal plate onto the grey metal of the back wall—a repair that was far from subtle.
Noora pointed at the yellow rectangle. “This is where access to the back areas was covered over.”
I rapped my knuckles against it, and a hollow sound resonated through the storeroom.
“Back away,” she said.
I took two paces back as she set down her bag of tools and rummaged until she found a welder’s mask and a cutting tool.
“And look away.”
“Okay.” I turned around and studied the piles of maybe-useful equipment. I recognized a carbon dioxide scrubber that might work in a pinch.
A snapping sound came from behind me as the cutting tool passed through the metal, and an acrid scent filled the air. It took a while—long enough I debated asking Noora how much longer until it dawned on me that was exactly what one of the kids might ask.
Finally, she spoke. “Okay, I’m through.”
I turned just in time to see a small rectangle cut into the yellow panel fall away into the darkness. A crash soon followed.
“Well, I guess now they know we’re coming,” I said.
We exchanged a look, but I’d never been good at deciphering looks, so I wasn’t sure if we were on the same page. At least Noora seemed willing to help me—and was nonoffensive, considering she was now part of my crew.
I pulled a flashlight from one of my pockets and turned it on. (I chose clothing with big pockets so I always had random stuff with me, because who knew what I might need.) Beyond the wall, a rough corridor cut into the rock extended until the darkness swallowed it.
“Into the darkness we go.” I did my best to keep my tone light.
Noora grabbed my arm. “Watch out. The edges are still hot.”
I froze. A red glow highlighted the outline of the rectangle. “Right,” I said and tossed the duffel full of spacesuits ahead of me before I contorted myself through the hole.
My shoulders barely fit through the narrow tunnel. I continued on, shining the light at the ceiling to make sure I wouldn’t bump my head. (I should have worn a helmet.)
The corridor turned twice before opening on a cave-like space. Depending how extensive the cave system was, it probably consumed a lot of the port’s resources to maintain the atmosphere. No wonder Basil wanted to block this place off.
“The kids live over here,” Noora said as she passed me. She’d managed to find a flashlight too. She glanced back. “There’s an old accommodation block.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in the kids.” Before, she hadn’t even had an accurate idea of how many there were.
Her back to me, she shrugged. “I check on their utilities now and then.”
“So you do care.”
She made a noncommittal sound, so I didn’t push it. I changed the topic. “What if Basil’s crew finds where we entered?”
She shrugged again. “I brought my cutting tools.”
“Is this place mapped?”
She stopped and faced me. “Maybe? I’ve never looked into it.”
Although not sophisticated, the AI in my goggles could access the port’s network. Using a brute-force algorithm my friend Theo65 had given me, I set it to hack through the command firewall, assuming that was where Basil hid all the good stuff.
Noora resumed walking, and I followed.
We heard the kids well before we reached them. They whispered in the darkness, relaying info on our passage. We turned a corner to find a little boy blocking our path. I had no idea how old he was; guessing kids’ ages wasn’t a skill I possessed.
He stood with his leg splayed too wide to be practical and his head held high. His dark skin glistened under the light of our flashlights. He held a metal bar in front of his body with two hands as if it were a sword. He might have been imposing if his head wasn’t at my elbow height.
“Who goes there!” His tiny voice echoed off the walls.
“Tis I, the princess of candy,” Noora said. She set down her tool bag and pulled several packs of Space Chew candy from her pockets. Smart move.
The boy dropped his sword and snatched up the treats. Then he pointed one of the shiny packages at me. “And who are you?”
“I’m the captain of the ship that will take you to your parents.” I would never have claimed to be a princess of anything.
The boy frowned and looked at Noora.
“It’s true,” she said.
“We need to get you and your siblings on board right away.” There wasn’t much point in dragging this out, and the duffel bag’s strap was digging into my shoulder. “The cost of the trip will be one Joy the Stork statue.”
The boy crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
A girl appeared from the darkness and cuffed the back of the boy’s head. I recognized her as the girl Chen had given the food to. She whispered, “Moron,” to the boy, then turned to face me. “We will pay your price.”
“I think she’s a pirate,” said the boy.
The girl put her hands on her hips. “A pirate is exactly who we need. Go get the stork.”
As the boy ran off, two tiny children came into the light, holding each other’s hands. A third appeared behind them. As the sibling group stood together, I noticed how dirty they all were. How could anyone have let them live back here? Let alone trap them and let them suffocate? Basil was going to pay for this.
I smiled with the hope I’d seem friendly. “Right, gather your things, and we’ll head to the ship. Pirates don’t like to wait around.”
The older girl and the other bigger kid vanished into the darkness, leaving what I assumed was a set of twins. Both stared at me with wide eyes.
“Does your ship have a pool?” the one on the left asked.
“Nope, but I have a garden.”
“Are there flowers?” the twin on the right asked.
“Yes, and you can plant more.”
They scrunched up their little faces like they were thinking really hard.
“And you’ll take us to Mom and Dad?” the one on the right asked.
“Yep.”
“Are you really a pirate?” the one on the left asked.
“I’ll never tell.” I winked, and the kids giggled.
It took the kids fifteen minutes to organize themselves before we headed to the exit. Halfway there, a loud rumble sounded, followed by the thud of falling rocks.
“No!” Noora broke into a run.
“What happened?” asked three kids at once. They all rushed off into the darkness. Shifting the duffel on my shoulder, I followed.
After a short jog, I found Noora standing with her hands on her hips in front of the tunnel we’d come through. Now there was only dust and rubble. I gulped, trying not to sneeze.
Another crash echoed somewhere in the distance, and one twin wrapped her arms around my leg.
“They’re using explosives.” Noora spoke in a flat tone. The children went silent.
The little girl holding on to me sniffed, and I couldn’t help but shift my flashlight to the other hand so I could pat her head. That was when a little green light came on in my goggles. I now possessed a map of the caves. (The initial explorers had been meticulous.)
“Looks like the military folks mapped the whole place,” I said. Everyone turned to stare at me.
Noora took a step toward me. “Is there another way out?”
“Hold on.”
I scanned the map after asking my goggles to highlight all areas outside the current port. Three other links existed between the cut-off area and the main port.
“I think it’s safe to assume the storeroom near Chen’s Noodle Shop has been permanently cut off,” I said.
“Ooh, I love noodles,” one kid replied, and the rest agreed.
I wanted to tell the kids to take our peril seriously but restrained myself. “That leaves two ways out.”
“Where are they?” Noora stepped close enough I could smell her floral scent.
“Where?” one kid asked. The others huddled close.
I set my goggles to project a map of the asteroid into the air in front of us. One of the young twins clapped as the green lines appeared. (Already I was questioning my decision to invite these kids onto my serene ship. Yeah, I was a monster.)
Noora started tracing lines with her finger just as another boom sounded in the distance. The floor vibrated as the shock wave passed beneath us and dust fell from the ceiling.
“That’s not good,” a kid said.
I swallowed. “Okay, this exit is the opposite direction.” I traced a line toward the outside wall of the asteroid. At the end I noticed a connecting passage that exited near where my ship was docked.
“That might work.” Noora looked at the kids. “But we need to hustle.”
Our gaggle headed toward what might be the last accessible exit. We weren’t stealthy, but hopefully that wouldn’t matter.
To be continued…