This story is set some 19 years before the events in my novel Judgement, and features a seminal event in Martal Strand’s (the main character in Judgement) life. Hope you enjoy.
June 1st, 2286 AD: Earth Like Living Environment 4
Martal pulled himself up through the trapdoor, blinking as his optical filters adapted to the harsh lighting. He rolled clear of the opening, mindful of the roof deck’s edge a metre or so away. He rested on his back, looking up across the majestic Interior of the ELLE4 cylinder that was his home habitat. On the opposite side to him, two kilometres away, lay the Agristrip parklands and the oblivious, antlike figures of citizens enjoying the late evening. He grinned as he thought of the surprise coming to them.
Martal looked to the trapdoor, where were Sheval and Dev? They knew that time was short and he willed his friends to hurry up so they could begin.
A grunt of effort came from below. “Finally.” He sighed.
Sheval shrugged and climbed onto the roof. “Chill vinr. We were right behind you.” Reaching down, he grasped Dev Ahn’s hand and hauled him up.
Martal stood and swung his backpack onto his shoulder, its bulky contents clinking together. “Right, we’re almost there.” He said.
“Eh,” Dev turned to look at him. “I thought this was it?”
“Nah. We need to be up there.” Martal pointed to the final tier of the Chief Administrators building – The Palace. Forty metres above them and covered with communication masts.
“Why?” Dev sighed. “I thought we’d talked this through and agreed everything. All of us… together, Martal.”
“Because I’ve got an extra surprise.” Martal pulled out a HackPad. “You fire and manoeuvre the flares as planned and anyone outside gets a nice big, glowing middle finger to look at. I’ll hack this baby into that big mast and everyone on OpenNet gets beamed a batendo set of Skunk trax.”
“Ah, Vinr,” Sheval clapped his hands, laughing. “This is going to piss off so many people.”
“Aye,” Martal grinned. “That’s the point.”
“So how do we get up there?” Dev carefully put his bag down.
“Up this.” Sheval reached into his pack and pulled out a powered grapple attached to a long climbing line. With a wink, he drew back his arm and launched the grapple upwards. Whether by luck or practice, the line disappeared over the upper-tier edge first try. The trio listened to the grinding whine as the grapple fastened itself to the topmost deck.
“And we just shimmy up that super thin rope?” Dev said, shaking his head.
“Nope. We get carried up the easy way,” Martal upended his backpack, and passed a chest harness and motorised climbing spider to Sheval. “You’re up first, Shev.”
The three friends huddled together on the topmost tier. The cluster of masts and antennae around them made the space tight, movement tricky from the dizzying effect of the habitat’s spin.
“Here goes.” Martal stuck the HackPad to the tallest of the masts on the deck. A quick neural connection and he had synched with the device, feeling the pad insinuating itself into the OpenNet communications network. “OK. Once Dev’s ready with the flares, I’ll fire up the music. I’ve ghosted it so it can’t be traced back to us individually.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dev opened his bag, counting out fifty or so signal flares onto the floor. Used by external maintenance crews, they were finger-sized, self-propelled but with programmable flight routines. “What do you care, Red? You’re safe.”
Martal’s stomach tightened, and he gritted his teeth. So, there it was. The old accusation, again. Trust Dev to start provoking him right now. “Just set the flares will you, we haven’t got long.”
“So?” Dev said. “It’s us taking the risk here. You’ll get grounded but we’ll get racked by Admin Security.”
“Dev, not now.” Sheval groaned.
Martal bit down on his anger. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nepobaby,” Dev mouthed the word and smirked.
“Watch your mouth, ticket baby.” Martal blurted out the words before he could stop himself.
Dev’s Colours, his subdermal implants around the edge of his scalp, flared red and he jumped to his feet, swinging a fist at Martal. Martal dodged and threw out a hand to steady himself against the mast before lashing out, feeling his fist connect with Dev’s jaw. His satisfaction was brief as the older boy lowered his head and charged forward. Martal braced himself but felt the air driven from him as he was rammed backwards onto the mast. Both boys staggered, their feet scattering the line of flares.
Triggered by the impact, the flares ignited like a line of dominoes falling. The air quickly filled with a swarm of flaming rockets.
Martal ducked as flares flew past him. The Coriolis spin engulfed him in dizziness. Crap, his thoughts raced, I need some cover.
He made a few staggering steps and then gasped as the ground disappeared from under his feet. He tried to throw himself onto his belly, but too late, his lower body slid over the deck edge. Desperate to find purchase, his hands scrabbled at the deck, legs kicking uselessly at the empty air as his own weight dragged him further over the edge.
He whimpered as his fingers found the climbing line. White knuckled, he gripped it and reflexively looped one wrist through the line. Gasping, he hung with just his shoulders above the deck edge, the rest of his body dangling over space.
A flare skittered along the deck towards him. Martal threw his free arm in front of his face as the flare careened into him. He gagged as he smelt his arm’s flesh charring under the propellent flame. Martal jerked himself violently around on the line, dislodging the flare. His Medicare implants activated, dulling the pain, but the limb now hung uselessly at his side.
“Shit.” A scream above him.
The line tightened viciously around Martal’s wrist as a sudden weight landed on his back. He gripped even tighter, straining against being pulled from the line. The weight shifted downwards. A terrified glance down and Martal saw it was Dev. His friend now hanging desperately onto him, eyes wide with terror.
Nausea rose in Martal’s throat as Dev slid down onto his injured arm. Clutching fingers raking into the burnt flesh. Martal hung helplessly as Devs’ grip failed, his Colours pulsing in a kaleidoscope of terror as he dropped away and hit the ground with a sickening crunch.
Strong hands gripped Martal’s shoulders and he groaned as Sheval lifted him upwards. The climbing line released its pressure on his arm, pain returning along with feeling, as he was hauled back to safety. Martal lay for a moment, his body wracked by shuddering breaths as his mind replaying the horrific last few moments. He shook himself free of Sheval and dragged himself to the deck edge.
Dev’s broken body lay below in a slowly spreading pool of blood, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
“Shev,” Martal sobbed. “What have I done?”