Extensis Vitae

Chapter 11



The vault door to Colony 12 was already open when they arrived, the colonists evidently having monitored their progress on camera. When Myrna had said she’d let everybody else know, she hadn’t been kidding. A large group of what looked to be about a hundred people awaited them, jammed inside the portal room.

June stopped the cart just inside the scant remaining open space of the portal room. Dr. Kane was barely out of the cart when Myrna rushed up and embraced him. Some scattered applause broke out at first, and then the crowd surged forward. Everyone began talking and asking questions at once.

A security detail forced its way through the crowd and attempted to clear some space around Reznik and the others. Swanson stepped out from behind them and surveyed the former hostages. Reznik recognized June’s parents as they came forward and embraced their daughter, tears in their eyes.

This hero thing could grow on me, he thought. It was a stark change from his past life of covert missions where the government wouldn’t even acknowledge the existence of his unit, let alone what they did. In that case, more often than not, it was better that the public didn’t know any of the details. Reznik thought it would probably be best for the people here if they didn’t know too many specifics, either. He suspected Swanson would see to it that they would be kept in the dark as much as possible.

Swanson was beaming as he shook hands and chatted with Dr. Kane. Sara and Carmen were looking overwhelmed by all of the attention, until Dr. Kane introduced them to Swanson. Reznik noted Rin observing everything with interest where she remained seated on the back of the cart.

“Well, looks like you’re the big hero,” Myrna said with a big smile, interrupting his thoughts. She came up and gave him a warm embrace, her green eyes still wet with tears. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she whispered into his chest.

“Me, too,” he replied. He hugged her back. “I just wish I could have saved more of them. The rest had already been taken to the surface when I got there.”

She stepped back, frowning as she noticed his shredded and bloodstained uniform. “My goodness, are you okay?”

He smiled. “It’s all right—most of it isn’t mine.”

Just then, Swanson came over, looking more pleased than Reznik had ever seen him. “Mr. Reznik, well done, my friend!” he boomed. “I knew we put our faith in the right hands.”

Reznik shook his hand. “I’m glad that I was able to bring them back. I wouldn’t say ‘unharmed,’ but alive, at least.”

Swanson nodded. “Yes, that’s unfortunate. We will have a meeting tomorrow and you can fill me in on the details then.” His eyes shifted to Rin. “And what have we here? She sure doesn’t look like much in those shackles, does she?” His look of disgust was met with a silent stare.

Reznik spoke up. “Mr. Swanson, I made a deal with this woman to get her to surrender peacefully. I told her that she wouldn’t be harmed or mistreated until she could be judged accordingly. I’ll take responsibility for her if you’ll let me.”

Swanson waved a dismissive hand. “Sure, but I’m the one who will make the ultimate decision about what to do with her. Once I hear everyone’s statements and think it over, I will pass judgment. But we can worry about that later. Right now, I think we should celebrate!” He waved Officer Cole over. “Put the prisoner in the holding cell. Nobody sees her except myself and Mr. Reznik here.” He gestured in dismissal and Cole and another guard grabbed Rin’s arms and marched her away. “I don’t want any harm coming to her, either,” Swanson called after them.

“There’s one other thing,” Reznik added with a stern look at Swanson. “I know you have a ‘no weapons’ policy here, but everything I recovered, I keep. Spoils of war, I guess you can call it. Think of it as an insurance policy in case I get thrown into another situation like this one again.”

Swanson looked as if he would argue the point for a second, but then he seemed to do a double take, as if noticing the blood covering Reznik’s tattered outfit for the first time. “Er, I suppose that’s fair enough, since you did all the dirty work. Just make sure that nobody else gets their hands on any of it.” He looked around, conscious of all the expectant faces watching him. “Where were we? Oh yes, time to celebrate!”



***



Reznik took the opportunity during the hour prior to the start of the celebration to grab a hot shower and a change of clothes. The colonists proved to be extremely efficient in getting everything set up in such a short time.

The celebration consisted of a feast and the tapping of a beer keg. A ham-like meat substance was served with potatoes and gravy and rolls and carrots and corn. It tasted delicious to Reznik, famished as he was. Under different circumstances, he might have been a lot more discriminating, but it had been a long day. The beer wasn’t bad, either—a little watery, but it had been forever since Reznik’s last cold one.

A dais had been erected in the dining hall, and Reznik sat at the high table. He was joined by Myrna and her father, along with June and her parents farther down. Swanson sat at the head of the table. Across from Reznik were Carmen, Sara, and some of the Colony 12 elders that he hadn’t met.

“On behalf of the good people of Colony 12,” Swanson began by way of introduction, his loud voice easily cutting through the chatter, “I would like to thank Mr. Reznik for his valiant service! He rescued two of our own as well as two ladies from our sister colony. Let us have a toast in his honor!” The crowd cheered and Reznik raised his mug in acknowledgment. Interesting what he left unsaid…I wonder how much the people really know about what happened over there, and how much of it is distorted according to what Swanson wants them to know.

The celebration continued, and other than the good food and drink, it ended up being a rather boring affair. Swanson and the elders gave some fairly long-winded speeches, and there was a lot of applause and cheering.

Although the colonists were a lot friendlier than they had been before his mission, he also noticed that it was not a happy event for everyone. There were some bleak looks and tears from the loved ones of those who hadn’t returned. He wondered which was worse: knowing your loved one had been murdered, or the uncertainty of their fate other than knowing they had been taken to the dreaded unknown of the surface by a gang of brutal killers.

After everyone had eaten and was making small talk, June and her family came over. Reznik was surprised to see her back in her duty uniform already.

“Aren’t you entitled to some time off?” he asked her.

She smiled, cheeks flushed from the beer. “I thought it best to get back to work right away to keep my mind off of things.”

“I suppose that isn’t a bad idea,” he said.

“I just wanted to thank you—I didn’t get a chance before since there was so much going on. So, thank you for everything.” She extended her hand and Reznik shook it warmly.

“Glad to be able to help,” he told her sincerely. Her parents thanked him heartily, as well, and he assured them that he was happy to have been of service. He also told them that they should be proud of how strong their daughter had been throughout the ordeal. June blushed at the praise.

After they had left, Reznik finished his beer and was wondering what the best way would be to bow out. Myrna must have read his mind, as she bumped his knee with hers. “Want to get out of here?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

“Yes, please,” he replied with relief.

He made an excuse about being exhausted to Swanson. “Of course, my friend. Whatever you need—make yourself at home! Enjoy the evening—just remember our meeting tomorrow.”

Reznik refilled his mug of beer before following Myrna across the crowded dining hall. He had to shake some more hands and endure more expressions of gratitude before he made it to the door. Myrna grabbed his hand and led him back to her room for a little post-meal exercise. Weary as he was, Reznik was still happy to oblige.