Dreamspinner Page 16

  The thing that worried him most was the time necessary to do such a rebuild. It would take a substantial amount of time to rebuild two decks to create additional rooms, whether those additional rooms be indicated on the maps or not, and that smacked of an agenda. A response to an emergency would result in the job being done quickly and quality of workmanship would not be the first priority. If the ship were decompressing, the crew would need to make the environment safe as quickly as possible and would not be too worried about the aesthetics of the job. Tovis decided he needed to go and assess the whole thing for himself. If Tearan’s theory was right and the size discrepancy was not a mistake by the map’s creator, the workmanship of the job would tell him a lot. A hasty and obvious rebuild would indicate it was done quickly, which could hint at some emergency having befallen the ship. A quality rebuild that was not obvious, even on close inspection, would take time to achieve. That would hint at the job having been planned beforehand. That indicated the one thing Tovis hated more than anything else, a committee.

  He closed his eyes and registered a shudder of annoyance ripple through him. Few things had the power to cause him more irrational rage than groups of bureaucrats and their agendas. Images of ageing men in robes, their beards brushing their knees as they argued back and forth the merits of this or that change being forced onto the poor unwitting masses flashed through his mind. To Tovis, they spend so long arguing back and forth that nothing positive ever gets done and what changes they do decide upon are always for the worse. If the changes to the ship really did exist, and the quality of the workmanship was good, Tovis knew this meant a committee was behind it. This obviously meant its purpose was negative for someone, and experience had taught him that usually meant those with the least power and zero choice. Yes, Tovis was a cynic but life had taught him to be. He groaned aloud and listened to the next message.

  “Hello, Tovis and welcome to this crazy ass nightmare. It’s Mykus here. I have the inhibitor array you found and will check it out in more detail this afternoon while waiting for some stanchion integrity tests to finish. Tearan, I’ve only just found the inhibitor, so I’ve no idea why you couldn’t see them when you recorded your message. Are we time travelling here now as well as everything else? That’s a joke by the way; please don’t let that be actually happening, I don’t think I could cope with that on top of all this other weird shit. Anyway, I can now confirm that the engine housing itself is intact and working perfectly, as is the collector and modulator. There are six more stanchions to check, but I have a hunch they will prove to be undamaged too. It looks as if I’m going to have to start checking the supply tubes that lead out from the modulator. That’s not a job I’m looking forward to, but it’s the obvious next step on the journey. Also, it’ll be the first thing I will actually be able to fix if there is a problem. If it had been a problem with the engine, we would have no hope of getting the ship going again. I’ll check the emergency shuttle bay control for an inhibitor this afternoon too. Now we know one was aboard, there may be more. I’ll keep you updated. I’m worried about the situation regarding Doctor Arma and I have to admit it makes me nervous not knowing if he is okay or if we need to be careful. I’m an engineer not a soldier and I don’t like violence. Oh, before I go. I’ve got my memories back too, but like you guys, the very recent stuff is still missing. The nightmares too, I’m having them now so I guess it’s part of the process. It’s better than not knowing anything though; that would definitely have driven me round the bend if it had continued for too long. Can we finally make a concerted effort to meet up now? You both know where to find me. Anyway, keep in touch guys.”

  Tovis liked Mykus despite not having met him yet. There was something about his manner that put him at ease right away. Tearan seemed likeable and trustworthy but he lacked something that Mykus had and it was a few minutes before he realised what it was. Mykus displayed a subservience that told him he would never be a threat to his authority, whereas Tearan did not. This did not surprise Tovis, a good soldier will automatically try to take control when separated from his unit and while forced to work alone. Mykus was a civilian and as such would be used to taking orders from all sorts of other people. Besides, Tovis surmised, his focus was the engine and as he admitted in his message, he hates violence. Tovis knew he could control Mykus but not Tearan. He was not unduly worried about it yet but he registered it in his mind. If things should change aboard the ship and turn into a situation where team unity is needed, Tearan was a threat to his authority, Tovis thought and he had to acknowledge the possibility of a pissing contest up ahead. He was glad Mykus was working on the inhibitor and hoped he would be able to give them all more information about it. If they found and removed more of them, the ship might be usable again. He was also glad to find out both of the others had their memories back and were having a similar experience as he was. It calmed his worries about how his mind might be coping with the whole crazy situation and gave him hope that everything might turn out okay in the end. Relieved, he turned his attention to the last of the messages.

  “Hey, guys, it’s Mykus again. It’s now just over two hours since my last message and I’ve taken a close look at that inhibitor array you found, Tovis. I took it apart and checked it thoroughly and it makes this already crazy situation even more crazy than any of us could have thought. That specific type of inhibitor is high end stuff. Extremely high end actually. In fact, it’s a military component, I recognised the serial numbers on the inside and those prefixes are used for military components only. I’m not quite sure what this means for us and our part in this, whatever this situation is, but it just got a whole lot weirder. I have to get back to engineering, but I thought you should both know.”

  Tovis frowned and replayed Mykus’s last message several times. “What the fuck?” was all that came to mind by way of a verbal reaction and his mind’s inability to make immediate sense of this new information frightened him. He was not a product of a military upbringing, despite being Arlenikan. Having been raised by the orphanage system, he missed the seven-year military training that Arlenikan boys experience, but it had never been an issue before. Tovis knew Tearan would have had his seven years and would have reaped all the rewards such an experience would bring. Jealousy flushed through him before he decided that having spent many subsequent years in the military to get into whatever secret operation the Inter-Galactic Elite Command was, might make Tearan a little fixed in his reactions, predictable even. The one downside of military life was the predictability it engendered within the minds and reactions of its subjects, he decided. Although part of the reason for its popularity and appeal, it did not help a person react to sudden change with spontaneity. Tovis comforted himself with this judgement and realised that this new information would be as much of a worry to the soldier among them as it would to him. A hired gun he may be. Untrained in military discipline and team tactics he definitely was, but he learned over the years to react to change quickly, to take in new developments and adapt his plans to suit as situations evolved. He felt confident his skills were of as much benefit to them all as Tearan’s and Mykus’s would be. People always regard hired guns as nothing more than the lowest of the low, uneducated killers with no sophistication or standards. Well he would prove them wrong.

  Picking up the recorder, his mind working overtime as he thought about this new development, he left a reply to Tearan and Mykus.

  “Hi, guys, Tovis here. Thanks, Mykus for taking a look at that inhibitor. That news does put a different face on things here doesn’t it? We need to think about this carefully now we know there’s a military connection, but this ship doesn’t look like a military vessel to me. I admit my experience of the military is somewhat limited though. Tearan, what do you think? Is this ship a military vessel? If not, then we have to wonder why a civilian ship would contain high end and possibly secret military components, how it obtained them, and for what purpose. We need to discuss whether that purpose has been fulfilled or not and what
part we might be playing in it. What side are we on, guys? We need to think about that too. Mykus, my feeling is that you should concentrate more on looking for more inhibitors or other obviously military involvement in the engineering side of things, rather than strictly on getting the ship going again. I suppose the two can go along in tandem for part of the way. If the military has been doing secret stuff, they might be planning to erase any evidence of their involvement. There could be bombs or devices attached to the engine that blow up when we try to fly the ship out of here or something. Maybe you should check that out first huh? Tearan, I’m going to go and take a look at decks seven and eight and check out your findings. I’ll help you gain access to that wall if I can. My only question about it is what if it was done because of damage to the outer hull or something? If those two decks suffered damage and decompressed, removing that wall could be dangerous and I can’t hold my breath for long enough to get up to deck six and close the emergency airlocks, even if you can. I don’t even know if there are any. Maybe I’ll take a look for some before doing anything else. Anyway, those are my thoughts, what do you think?”

  Tovis raced down to deck six and found the emergency airlocks situated at strategic intervals throughout the corridors and was relieved to see them. Situated within grooves set into the walls, when in place they would seal off the corridor, effectively forming a brand new end wall. He had walked passed them for days without having noticed them, the grooves in the walls and slots in the floor passing him by as he struggled to understand his new environment. The relief was short lived however, when he found no obvious way of operating them. Deep furrows crept along his brow as he wondered whether they were automatic, being triggered by decompression and accompanied by a countdown alarm. Images of people screaming in fear and running along the corridors as the countdown boomed through the ship filled his mind and he shuddered. Whatever it must be like to be trapped on the wrong side of those metallic slabs, he did not wish to discover. Shaking his head to dispel the imagery, he hoped Mykus would be able to tell them how they operated, should Tearan’s plan to get through the cargo hangar wall prove dangerous.

  Tovis knew that if decompression were to occur, they would not survive long enough to make it back up the stairs to deck six in time to operate the emergency airlocks, but it gave him hope to know such safety systems were at least in place. With renewed hope, he went back to the stairs but remembered both Mykus and Tearan talking about the Doctor and some crazy stuff that was going on down on deck six. Now that he had found himself down there, he might as well take a walk around, he decided. Laser pistol in hand, he crept along the corridor and into the medical bay.

  Half an hour later, Tovis walked back into the engineering briefing room and picked up the recorder.

  “Hi, it’s Tovis again, just over an hour later than my last message. I’ve been down to deck six to check out the emergency airlocks and found them. They’re set into grooves in the walls, ceilings, and floors. I’ve been walking passed them without noticing them all this time. Maybe you guys already know this, but have you any idea how they operate? There is no obvious mechanism on the walls down there, so I’m guessing they’re either automatically triggered or manually engaged. Mykus, can you figure this out and let us know? If they’re triggered automatically, how long do we have to get back up the stairs? If they’re manual, where is the control and does it work? Also, if one of us should get stuck on the wrong side, can they be opened? The other thing is that I’ve seen the Doctor’s crazy rantings on the walls down there, and wow, that’s some creepy shit. I don’t feel comfortable knowing someone is around who has that kind of shit on their mind, do you? He could be anywhere aboard so I vote we take care wherever we go. Maybe we should meet up and only move around together until we can find him and restrain him if necessary. I would guess the security room offers us the most secure accommodations, so if we all hole up there and work as a team, we can ensure each other’s safety. How do you feel about that, guys? Until I hear back I will be on full alert, so remember that if you should come across me in a corridor. I’m armed and won’t hesitate to fire on anyone until I know you’re not a crazy hatchet murdering doctor who thinks the ship is haunted. I suggest you two do the same until we can team up.”

  Tovis tried to put thoughts of a mad hatchet murderer to the back of his mind and went back down to deck seven to check out the size of the cargo hangar. A frown creased his brow when he quickly discovered that Tearan had been correct in his observation. The map showed the room to be much larger than it really was, indicating a substantial space hidden beyond the long wall at the back of the room. His interest piqued, he wandered over to examine the wall more closely. This was not a rush job, that much was obvious right away. Haste was not evident in either the manufacture or construction and Tovis realised that if Tearan had not found the discrepancy in the map’s account of the room sizes, he would never guess it was a false wall. There was a substantial area that had been cleared by Tearan and Tovis found something that proved the construction had been done with extreme care.

  There were no obvious joins between panels, and Tovis knew this meant that they had been mould-welded panel by panel. In such a wall, the joints between wall panels are melted together in such a way as to make a single continuous wall without joints that might fail. This not only makes a stronger wall but ensures no gaps that might let dangerous gases in or life giving air out. Drawing his fingertips gently over the surface, he registered the slightly textured surface and frowned. There was something odd about this wall, apart from the fact that it was apparently in the wrong position, but he could not decide what it was that captivated him about it. As he was about to lift his fingertips from the surface, he felt the slight vibration and his eyes widened in shock as he snapped his hand away.

  Tovis stumbled backwards a few steps, his mind reeling as he took in what his fingers told him. The ever so slightly rough texture of the wall, almost smooth but not quite, was a clue but on its own not significant. If he had lifted his fingertips a moment earlier, he would have been none the wiser and in a way, he wished he had done so. The knowledge that now raced around inside his mind was not only weird but its ramifications scared him. The slight vibration told him what he really did not want to know and coupled with the texture of the wall, made only one explanation possible.

  “It’s a Q-Wall,” he gasped in a half whisper. “What the fuck is one of those doing aboard a civilian space ship?” The question went unanswered as Tovis bumped into the rack of shelving behind him and stood there staring at the wall and what it meant. A Q-Wall, or Quantum Interference Particle Wall to give them their correct name, are constructed of two types of particles. One of the particles, Xanthomelium type A, forms a strong and hard wearing, flat, metallic surface that is ideal for walls, floors, and doors. The second particle, Xanthomelium type B, works in tandem with type A and when excited by an interference wave of a specific frequency, form themselves into a grid pattern. This grid pattern renders the whole wall insubstantial enough for a person to traverse through it without harm to either themselves or the wall. Switch off the wave generator and the type B particles lose their grid pattern, returning the wall to a solid structure once again. This, coupled with Mykus’s discovery about the inhibitor array being high end military hardware told Tovis that whatever was going on here was more than just a bunch of unfortunates being left on a becalmed space ship after a pirate attack.

  Q-Walls are only ever seen in military or corporate situations where the utmost secrecy is required. When they were first invented for general use, several accidents occurred which resulted in people being caught halfway through the wall when the interference wave generator either failed, or was switched off. The deaths almost spelled the end of the Q-Wall business and laws against their use were quickly brought in wherever they were produced and sold. After several more years of rigorous testing, they were deemed safe for general use so long as strict guidelines were followed. They are often found in b
ank vaults, scientific establishments, military and security environments, and wherever the existence of a room needs to be kept secret. Failsafe measures are required by law wherever they are used and yearly maintenance checks are a legal requirement for the licence that allows their use. Their presence on board meant that something secret was going on. The ship did not look like a military vessel, so Tovis assumed the Q-Walls use was a corporate or scientific one. The presence of the military inhibitor components placed within the communications system indicated that the military were involved somehow. His experience told him that the military would only ever be interested in one thing – something that gave them more soldiers or made the existing ones last longer or cheaper to maintain. He had heard many tales of soldiers being used in horrific experiments and had once met someone who claimed their brother had been a victim of such experimentation. He clenched his fists, digging the nails into his palms so the pain would allow him to focus on something other than fear while he waited for his mind and body to relax. When he felt calm, he ran a hand through his hair and berated himself for almost losing it.

  “Get a grip for fuck’s sake. So the military is funding something scientific they didn’t want the crew and passengers to find out about, so what? It might’ve been experiments on making water last longer, or to enable soldiers to go without food or water or sleep for longer. They might’ve wanted to find a way to make cryo sleep safer or they might’ve invented a new kind of gun. There are many possible reasons. Stop thinking the worst and calm the fuck down.”