The Last Horizon

Chapter 8

I shut the thrusters down when we reached the area by the control tower where a crawler latched on to us, and we were towed into a brightly lit hanger. I removed my helmet, set it on top of the instrument panel, and sighed with relief.

When we came to a full stop, I shut down all the systems and subsystems and depressurized the bridge and cargo bay. I stood up and put on my jacket and fedora and stretched my arms.

“What do you think, Scotty?”

Scott grabbed his gear and looked at me sternly as he put away his SCaT Pad. “Thanks for the ride Nikki,” he smiled shyly as he shouldered his pack, “I’ll see you back here in five days, okay?”

“Five days,” I replied, “and don’t be late.” I opened the rear cargo doors and dropped the loading ramp.

When we stepped out of the Zephyr, we were met by the passengers of the FAV’s. Rough looking bunch. One of them was clean-cut, bald, and well-dressed. He wore a dark suit and stood confidently among his cronies at the bottom of the ramp.

Scotty and I walked down the ramp and watched in silence as the suit lit a cigarette and inspected the Zephyr, he shook his head as he ran his hand over the tears and holes in the panels. “Jesus.” He shot me a hard look. “You’re the pilot?”

“Yes I am.” I sighed as I gazed up at the thrashed vertical rudder.

“I see your ship has incurred some damage.”

“We ran into some trouble on the way here. Pirates tried to hijack us, it’s the reason we didn’t get here sooner.”

“What system did this happen in?” He frowned.

“Doesn’t matter. We took care of them.” I said coldly. “Can you recommend any aerospace mechanics?”

A moment later, two forklifts pulled up followed by a small crew of workers that gathered around us. They stood in a loose group and peered into the ship’s hold.

The man in the suit clapped his hands and barked, “Okay boys, you know the drill. Let’s get the merchandise off-loaded.” He turned to one of the drivers, “Flynn, get the containers to the staging area and start an inventory. I’ll contact Charon and let him know that they’ve arrived on time.”

The driver nodded silently and looked at me. “Is the overhead crane in your ship operable?”

“Yes sir.”

“May I?”

“Certainly. Careful with the handle for the trolley--it sticks sometimes.”

“One moment please.” The suit crushed his cigarette and pulled out his phone. “Mr. Charon, Jase. Yes sir, the product is here. It’s being brought to the staging area as we speak. I’ll call you back with a full inventory when Flynn’s done. By the way, the pilot’s ship took some damage from hijackers during the voyage. Yes sir, I’ll let them know.” Jase put his phone away. “When did you plan to depart?”

“Five days from now…the 29.”

“Your ship will be ready by then. Please make yourself available to answer any questions the mechanics and technicians may have concerning the Zephyr.”

“I’m prepared to pay for the repairs.”

“My employer will take care of the repairs for your ship.”

The suit walked up to us and extended his hand. “I think a formal introduction is overdue. I’m Jase.”

“Nikki Wells.” I said with a nod as I shook his hand.

“Fenmore Scott.” Scotty volunteered.

“We’ve made accommodations for both of you here at Cybelle. I think you’ll find your apartments quite agreeable and your stay pleasant.”

“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Jase,” Scotty said, “but I’ve already made provisions in Fluture.”

“As you wish.” Jase bowed. “I’ll arrange for your transportation to the city. “I have to admit, Ms. Wells,” Jase smiled, “I was skeptical about your ability to hit the schedule when I was told you left Earth six days ago.”

“It’s been a hell of a journey.”

“Looks like it. Let’s get you settled in.”

Scotty and I exchanged SP numbers as I threw my gear in one of the FAV’s.

A black Avarno SS-2 sedan pulled up to us and the driver got out and handed Scotty the keys.

“Nice ride, Scotty.”

“You’ll be okay Nikki?”

“Yeah, I can handle things on my end.” I glanced at the FAV driver that was waiting for me. “What about you?”

Scott smiled wordlessly as he put his bags in the passenger seat of the car, slid into the driver’s side, and fired up the vehicle. He nodded at me then drove into the night.

Charon moved through the crowded floor of the casino accompanied by two bodyguards. He enjoyed mingling with the clientele and checking in with the dealers on busy nights like this, it gave him a chance to press the flesh and see everything in action. This was his business now, and he liked to be as hands-on as possible.

It’s been three hours since he talked to Jase and he wondered what the status was with his purchase. He spent a lot of money on this product and he was concerned about Montrell’s ability to deliver. If he got burned on this deal, he would see to it that Montrell suffered.

He sighed with relief when his phone rang, and saw that it was Jase. “It’s about time. What’s going on Jase?” Charon said impatiently.

“Sorry for the delay, Mr. Charon, we had to make sure everything was copasetic, so we counted and weighed everything twice.”

“And?”

“All three thousand gallons of isomerized Beta-ephedrine are accounted for, they came in five-gallon containers beneath the cosmetics. Sorben tested random samples of the product and it’s a hundred percent pure.”

“Excellent, get the Beta-ephedrine palletized and to the lab as soon as possible. Looks like Montrell came through and is a man of his word.”

“What do you want to do with the ship’s crew? Shall we go ahead with the repairs?”

He was feeling unusually generous in light of the good news. “Nothing. They’re Montrell’s employees. They’ll be useful to us again for the next delivery. Do whatever it takes to get their ship space worthy.”

“What about the cosmetics?”

“Get them distributed to the call-out sites for the girls.”

“Yes sir.”

Charon hung up and smiled. Three thousand gallons. His production rate was going to escalate twenty-fold over the next few months, and his drug ring profit would grow exponentially once this new batch of Crunch hits the streets and mining colonies.

He walked up to a young woman wearing a silver gown with a plunging neckline. A choker made of blue Serenian pearls accented the curve of her neck and gave her an air of nobility. She was about eighteen years old and stood at a Black Jack table with a well-dressed man that was at least twice her age.

She was just fourteen years old when Charon found her. A runaway from Southern Icarus wandering the streets of Fluture; lost, confused, and desperate, she stood outside his casino spanging the customers when he saw her and took her under his protection from the nickel and dime urchins.

She was a petite 5’-4”, with long brown hair and a dark complexion that brought out the color of her light blue eyes. Exotic. Her birth name was irrelevant now, to Charon and his clients, she was known only as Summer, and her time was worth a fortune.

“I want you at my table.” Charon whispered in her ear as he put his hand on her shoulder.

“Now?” Summer asked demurely.

“Be ready in thirty minutes.”

“Yes Mr. Charon.” Summer smiled as she dismissed herself and headed up to her room.

Charon’s bodyguards watched her disappear into the crowd then looked at each other deviously.

Summer was well cared for and her apartment was luxurious. She bought everything with her own money, and it was her sanctuary from her job--it was the one place they couldn’t touch her, the only place she knew as home.

Her only wish was that one day she could leave this place and go far away from Fluture. Far away enough to forget this life and find herself peace and happiness. She could barely remember her old life before Charon; all there was were broken memories of an abusive step-father that used to beat her mother.

She remembered the blood-stained aprons and the blackened eyes on her mother when she got home from school…the falling down the stairs excuse was never a convincing story. Especially when he would be passed-out on the living room couch from another alcohol-induced coma. She hated him for what he did, and she often tried to persuade her mom to leave before she ended up dead.

But it was Summer that ran, under the cover of night, she packed a small bag, stole the cash out of his billfold, and hitched out of the house without looking back. She would never look back.

She turned heads as she glided through the hotel lobby and stepped into the glass elevator that would take her to the fourteenth floor apartment. Summer turned around and clutched her small purse as she watched the glimmering city lights below as the elevator rose.

She surveyed her studio as she walked in and turn on some music. Summer sat in front of her vanity and reapplied her lipstick as she checked her hair and eye shadow. She sat quietly and opened a drawer where she pulled out a small mirror and razorblade and set them on the counter.

She reached into her purse, took out a small glass vile, and emptied some of its contents on the mirror where she started chopping-up the white powder with the razor. It was a regrettable ritual. Summer pushed the Crunch into a line, took a short glass tube, leaned down, and inhaled it quickly. When she looked at her reflection again, she was crying.

“Jesus Christ this bird’s been through some shit!” The mechanic cussed as a half-chewed cigar dangled from his lips. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked over the fuselage of the Zephyr. “Look at the farking hole in this panel!” He pointed. “What the hell did that?”

“Nevermind what did that, can you fix this within four days or not? I’m looking to head back to Earth by then.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s doable, girlie.” The mechanic exhaled. “I’m going to have to purge the cryogen system in order to cut out and replace the punctured section of that twenty inch main.”

“But it’s got a bypass.”

“Oh yeah. I can see it now,” he gestured as he pulled the stogie out of his mouth, “I strike an arc, it ignites residual cryogen gas, and blows my ass up to the back of my neck.”

“But you’ve got hair on the back of your neck.”

“Then I guess I’m gonna have a hairy ass after the explosion.”

I looked away trying not to laugh. “What do you think?”

“Don’t worry young lady, the guys and I will have your ship tooled and fueled in three days.”

“Hey, where can a girl go to have some fun around here?”

“You plan on going to the city?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ya got a way to get there?”

“Not at the moment.”

He squinted at me and shook his head. “Space jockey.” He smirked. “Follow me.” He led me down a corridor to another part of the hanger. “What’s your name anyway, girlie?”

“Nikki.”

“Pleased to meet’cha. I’m Doolie. I’m the master mechanic in this facility. The boss said to take care of you, so here we are.” He turned on the bay lights in a workshop and there were six cars parked tightly in a garage. “Take your pick. They’re all loaners reserved for special guests.”

“How about that one?” I pointed at a black racing bike sitting in the corner.

“That’s a Neko A3 Cyclone.”

“Yeah, it sure is.” I smiled. “Otherwise known as The Cat.”

Doolie rolled his eyes as he pulled the keys off a pegboard mounted on the wall and tossed them to me. “Space jockey.” He grinned. “Have fun in Fluture.”

“Meow!” I winked as I slipped on the helmet.