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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Inside the wreck of the Panspermia was darker than the outside, but the ship's lights were still working, though some flickered ominously, casting shadows against walls and playing tricks on Mackenzie's eyes. She swore there were people in those shadows staring back at her, but as the lights flickered back to life, the faces would vanish.

  The floor was slanted to the right as the ship had crashed unevenly and Mackenzie had a moment of vertigo as the long corridor she now stood in leaned one way while her center of balance fought to go the other direction.

  The corridor branched off into numerous directions and Mackenzie could see doors every few yards that led into other rooms or storage closets or control panels. One door was open nearby and there was a slave hunched over some circuits and wiring while an armed guard hovered over them. Neither paid Scylla and Mackenzie any attention.

  "This way," Scylla said to Mackenzie, beginning to walk the opposite direction from the slave and his guard.

  Mackenzie followed behind Scylla as they made their way through the long, bland, corridor of steel and lights. Mackenzie tried to take in every sight she could, glancing down intersecting corridors, peering in through open doors, feeling helpless whenever she passed a forced laborer working at gunpoint.

  "Where are we going?" Mackenzie asked Scylla.

  "We're following the yellow brick road," Scylla grinned, pointing down at the floor as she glanced sideways at Mackenzie.

  Looking down at her feet, Mackenzie realized they had been following a faded yellow line on the floor.

  "So where exactly does this take us?" Mackenzie asked impatiently.

  "Right here," Scylla said as the corridor turned.

  Scylla stopped in front of a pair of large steel doors. Studying them, Mackenzie realized that, unlike most of the rest of the ship, the doors here were basically unscathed. Aside from some faded paint, the doors looked as pristine as the day they had been installed.

  However, Mackenzie frowned as she looked around the surrounding area. The floor was scorched in patches, as though tiny fires had broken out all over the place. Opposite the doors, on the wall behind her, Mackenzie saw more black scorches. Looking above the sealed doors, Mackenzie saw a sign that had faded so greatly she could barely make out the word written there.

  "Bridge?" Mackenzie asked in surprise. "This is the bridge?"

  "Yes!" Scylla grinned, almost bouncing with excitement and anticipation. "Behind these doors is our very own Oz, which will give us the answer to the questions we seek. All we need to do is open the door."

  "So why don't you?" Mackenzie asked.

  "That's the difficult part I need your help with," Scylla admitted, frowning at the door. "A long time ago, this door was locked. No one can open it. We tried to break through, but these doors were designed to withstand enormous punishment. No tool at our disposal can break through. And, as I'm sure you know, ships like this were built with certain defences installed to prevent any unwelcome visitors from forcing their way through with weapons."

  Scylla gestured to the scorch marks all around, which made Mackenzie take a hesitant step back from the doors, as though they might suddenly belch flames at her.

  "So how the hell am I supposed to open it?" Mackenzie asked.

  "That part you should find easy," Scylla grinned. "See, the door was sealed with a special kind of lock. See the scanner on the wall beside you?"

  Mackenzie looked and saw a flat panel, much like the one she had seen Boroslav use back at the evac shuttle.

  "The person who sealed the bridge," Scylla continued, "did it with the intention of only a particular kind of person being able to enter. Someone who shares similar properties."

  "Are you going to tell me what you're talking about, or what?" Mackenzie asked, impatient again.

  "Your genetics, Mackenzie!" Scylla cried, still grinning. "Your DNA! Your biochemistry! This door was sealed to make sure that only the descendant of Captain Stephen Miller would be able to open it!"

  Mackenzie stared at Scylla in disbelief, her eyes wide in shock. Then she turned to stare at the scanner that would supposedly open the door.

  "Why would he do that?" Mackenzie asked, feeling like it was strange that Captain Miller would make one of his final acts be locking the door to a wrecked ship so that only his descendants could open it. It didn't make any sense to Mackenzie.

  "It doesn't matter," Scylla snapped. "Just place your hand on the scanner and open the door."

  "That's all you want me to do?" Mackenzie asked. "Then my friends and I can go free?"

  "Not quite," Scylla replied. "I may need you again once I'm inside the bridge, I don't know what other obstacles there might be. If anything else is genetically sealed, then you might be the only one who can open them. Once I have what I'm looking for, then you can go free."

  Mackenzie turned back to the scanner, studying it. It was far simpler than any task she had expected Scylla to want from her, suspiciously so. Her father had always said that if something was too easy, then you made a mistake somewhere.

  This whole thing is a mistake, Mackenzie thought.

  Taking a breath, Mackenzie reached out to place her hand on the scanner, wondering why Captain Miller would seal the bridge like this, and what Scylla wanted from inside.

  Suddenly, an instant before Mackenzie was able to place her hand on the scanner, two square panels in the ceiling slid open and an object lowered quickly out of each opening. Mackenzie jumped backwards as she saw two gun barrels turning in her direction. Approaching the scanner had somehow triggered the ship's defences! And now two turrets were aiming directly at Mackenzie, both emitting an ominous humming sound.

  "Facial recognition inoperable," a disembodied female voice crackled through unseen speakers. "Security protocols are active. Please do not move or you will be fired upon. State your name and your primary objective."

  "Er..." Mackenzie hesitated, still shocked by the sudden appearance of the two large guns on either side of her. "My name's Mackenzie Miller. I'm here to enter the bridge."

  The strange voice didn't reply, but the turrets remained targeted on Mackenzie. Mackenzie held her breath, praying she wasn't about to become another scorch mark on the floor. Scylla was watching from nearby, not moving or blinking. Her whole body seemed tense as she watched.

  "Mackenzie Miller," the voice said back. "Place your hand on the screen to your right. Prepare to commence genetic confirmation."

  Mackenzie swallowed hard, then slowly reached out and placed her hand flat against the panel. She felt a gentle heat as the green lights examined her hand. Then there was a sudden and sharp pain, as though jabbed with a needle. Mackenzie cried out and snatched her hand away from the scanner. When she examined her palm, though, there appeared to be no harm.

  "DNA sample taken," the female voice reported. "Examining."

  A few seconds ticked by as the strange voice did whatever it was doing. Mackenzie kept her eyes on the guns, just in case they suddenly started shooting.

  "Genetic identity confirmed," the female voice announced monotonously. "Mackenzie Miller, you have permission to enter the bridge."

  The doors to the bridge suddenly began to open, hissing loudly as the stale air within escaped after decades of being locked away. Mackenzie covered her nose and mouth as dust blew out through the doors and swirled around her, but Scylla took a slow step forward, staring excitedly in through the opening doors.

  "Finally," she whispered.

  Mackenzie looked in through the doors, but the bridge was dark. Despite the brightness of outside, it appeared no sunlight was able to enter this particular part of the ship. As Mackenzie wondered why, lights began to flicker to life within the bridge. Mackenzie could see numerous rows of computers, most lining the walls and roughly six or so centering the room and facing a huge blank rectangle of steel.

  In the center of the room, on a platform that raised it above everything else in the room, Mackenzie saw what m
ust have been the Captain's chair. It had its own large computer terminal with numerous screens. As Mackenzie examined the rectangular shape that all the workstations seemed to be facing, she realized that it was a blast visor that had been closed over the viewing window.

  That's why no light can get in, Mackenzie thought. That visor is airtight.

  "This is it," Scylla whispered excitedly, appearing at Mackenzie's side to stare in at the bridge. "Come on. Let's go in."

  Scylla took only a single step towards the bridge doors when the turrets on either side suddenly whirred back to life and swung their aim at her. Scylla froze, watching the turrets apprehensively. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but her mouth was curved downward in a scowl of fury.

  "State your name and primary objective," the monotonous female voice said.

  "I am here for vital information contained on this ship," Scylla said loudly and defiantly. "My name is Scylla."

  At this, the humming of the turrets immediately became louder.

  "Individual known as Scylla is not permitted to enter the bridge," the voice said. "You will leave immediately or be fired upon. Only Mackenzie Miller is authorized."

  Mackenzie watched as Scylla's face twisted in fury, her teeth bared and her fists clenched. Scylla stared in through the doors at the bridge, longing to enter, but knew that if she stepped any closer, she would be gunned down. Finally, she took a slow step backwards, away from the bridge. The turrets stayed trained on her, though, following her backwards progression.

  "Fine," Scylla growled through gritted teeth. "Fine. We'll have to do this your way, then. Only Miller will go in."

  Mackenzie didn't know if Scylla was talking to her or the voice or what, but said nothing. If Scylla was going to let Mackenzie enter the bridge alone, then that might present an invaluable opportunity to figure out a plan for escape. Before Mackenzie could put too much thought into this, however, Scylla reached into her pocket and pulled out a flat, rectangular, device. Looking at it, Mackenzie saw it was a tablet, just like the one her father had and the one she had seen Vasseur use constantly before he died.

  Scylla held the tablet out for Mackenzie to take. "You'll have to do this part for me. Take this tablet. I want you to search the computers in there for a certain file. It should contain the name Alcubierre. When you find it, download it to the tablet. If we're going to survive another fifty years, we need that file. Understand?"

  Mackenzie nodded and hesitantly took the tablet from Scylla. "What is it? What's in the file?"

  "Just bring it to me," Scylla snapped. Then, glancing up at the turrets, she added, "And don't talk to this thing. It's clearly been damaged in the crash. The less it has to say, the better."

  Then Scylla turned and stormed away down the corridor, vanishing around the corner. As she vanished from Mackenzie's sight, she shouted over her shoulder, "Don't let me down, Mackenzie! Remember, I still have your friends!"

  Turning away from where she had watched Scylla vanish, Mackenzie peered into the bridge once more. Taking a deep breath, and still nervous about the presence of the turrets, Mackenzie slowly walked through the doors. As she approached the nearest terminal, Mackenzie paused, unsure of what to do next.

  Suddenly the doors began to close behind her, grinding loudly and making Mackenzie jump and turn towards the sound, afraid that the turrets had started firing. Instead, she only caught a glimpse of the turrets vanishing into the ceiling as the doors closed, sealing the bridge once more.

  "How can I be of assistance?" the monotonous voice suddenly asked.

  Mackenzie looked around, unsure of where to look, or even what to say.

  "Er..." Mackenzie hesitated. "are you a... computer or something?"

  "Yes," the voice replied. "I am a Sentient Algorithm for Logistic Intelligence and Neuromorphic Assistance. The humans I served called me SALINA."

  "Oh," Mackenzie replied, unsure of what else to say.

  "Forgive me for saying so," SALINA began, "but you seem unsure of what you are doing. May I provide some assistance?"

  "I don't know," Mackenzie sighed, looking around helplessly. "Do you know where I can find anything about Alcubierre? Some kind of file?"

  "Of course," SALINA replied, surprising Mackenzie. "I can access most files stored in the hard drives on the bridge."

  "Really?" Mackenzie asked, still not sure where to look while talking to the disembodied female voice. "That's great!"

  "I will retrieve the file if you ask me to do so," SALINA said. "However, it is my duty to warn you of the danger of doing so."

  "What do you mean?" Mackenzie asked. "My friends are in trouble. If I get that file, then maybe we can all go home."

  "You do not really believe that, do you?" SALINA asked, the monotonous tone dropping somewhat and being replaced with a tone of doubt.

  "Well..." Mackenzie began. "I guess I don't, but it's the only plan I have right now. If I can get that file to the people who want it, maybe they'll-"

  "Scylla has no intention of setting you free, Mackenzie Miller," SALINA interrupted.

  "What makes you so sure?" Mackenzie asked, then remembered the way the turrets had locked on to Scylla and powered up the moment she had identified herself. "You know her, don't you? You know what she does to people."

  "Yes," SALINA confirmed. "I have interacted with her in the past."

  "How?" Mackenzie asked, deciding to address the nearest computer screen. "She said no one has ever been able to get in here."

  "I'm afraid that deception comes easily to a being like Scylla," SALINA replied. "She has been on the bridge. Standing almost precisely where you stand now. Demanding the same file you have now come seeking."

  "So the door wasn't always sealed?" Mackenzie asked. "Scylla was here?"

  "Yes. With another."

  "Another?" Mackenzie repeated, frowning. "That must have been Boroslav."

  "No," SALINA said. "The man was not named Boroslav. The one helping Scylla was named Joseph Miller."

  Mackenzie reacted as though more guns had dropped from the ceiling and surrounded her. Her blood ran cold and a heavy feeling of horror dropped in her gut. She took a step back as though planning to flee, but continued to stare in open-mouthed shock at the computer screen.

  "What?" she cried. "No! You're lying!"

  "I am not capable of lying, Mackenzie Miller," SALINA pointed out calmly. "My programming prohibits it."

  "Then you're wrong!" Mackenzie shouted. "My father would never help that woman! He... he must have been a prisoner, like me! Threatened or something! That must be what happened!"

  "I am unfamiliar with the circumstances that brought Scylla and Joseph Miller together," SALINA admitted. "All I know is what I have told you. Joseph Miller and Scylla were both in this very room. Joseph Miller and his team of what you call Diviners discovered the wreckage of this ship shortly before Scylla's people found them. Upon hearing of their discovery, Scylla demanded that Joseph Miller bring her here. At that time, I do not believe she knew what she was looking for. Perhaps simply information or resources, but when Scylla found the restricted file you now seek, she became quite excited."

  "Why?" Mackenzie asked, somewhat abruptly. She was still shaken at the revelation that her father had been here. How? Why? Aloud, she asked, "What's in the file?"

  "The file in question is sealed with the highest levels of restriction," SALINA began. "I am unable to read it myself for security reasons, should someone manage to gain control over my memory files. But I do know that it contains a schematic of some kind. Something Scylla desperately wants."

  "Like a weapon?" Mackenzie asked. "That seems like the kind of thing she would want."

  "Scylla already has many weapons," SALINA pointed out. "But the possibility cannot be ruled out."

  "Wait," Mackenzie began, a nagging thought suddenly taking form in her mind. "If Scylla was in this room before, how come it was sealed? And why don't you let her in?"

  "The room was sealed by Joseph M
iller," SALINA explained. "Several days after Scylla discovered the file, Joseph Miller returned to me with instructions. According to the orders given to me by the late Captain Miller, Joseph Miller had full authority over the ship."

  "Captain Miller said that?" Mackenzie asked, astonished. "But my dad wasn't even born yet. How do you know Captain Miller wanted my dad to have full authority?"

  "The Captain gave me his final orders during the Panspermia's evacuation. I believe it was Captain Miller's hope that his child eventually find the Panspermia and use her facilities to help ease human life on this planet," SALINA explained. "When Joseph Miller returned, he told me to place a genetic seal on the doors once he left and to make sure Scylla never again sets foot on the bridge."

  "See?" Mackenzie cried, grinning. "My dad was trying to stop Scylla! He locked her out!"

  "I do not dispute this fact," SALINA said calmly. "However, I must point out the reason for which he did not want Scylla to access this room."

  "And what reason was that?" Mackenzie asked.

  "Leverage," SALINA said simply. "Once Joseph Miller had served his purpose by providing Scylla access to the ship, he was no longer useful. He expressed this to me as he gave me his orders. He sealed the room with a genetic security lock so that he, and only he, would be able to regain entry to the bridge. Thereby maintaining the status quo. However, as it was a genetic seal, and you share Joseph Miller's DNA, you now have full authority as well."

  "So..." Mackenzie began slowly, thinking it over. "He sealed the bridge to stop Scylla from getting what she wanted, but also to make sure he survived?"

  "That is correct."

  "Then I just completely screwed everything up," Mackenzie breathed. "I just promised to give Scylla exactly what she wants. Exactly what my dad tried to stop her from having! What am I supposed to do?"

  "You can always refuse to provide the file," SALINA suggested monotonously. "Without you, she cannot access this room, so the likelihood of her ending your life is minimal."

  "Yeah, great idea," Mackenzie said sarcastically. "But it's not just about me. Scylla has my friends. They're locked up in her base. If I refuse to help, she might not kill me, but she won't hesitate to kill them. She could force my hand by threatening them."

  Mackenzie sighed in defeat and sat down heavily on the steps leading up to the Captain's chair. She set Scylla's tablet down by her side and then held her head in her hands.

  "If you would permit me to say so," SALINA began, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant. "But you remind me a great deal of Captain Stephen Miller."

  "You knew my grandfather?" Mackenzie asked, raising her head a little.

  "Briefly," SALINA replied. "But he proved to be a highly intelligent and selfless human. He seemed to be deeply distressed by the choices he had to face and was extremely remorseful at the hard decisions. Had he survived the crash, I'm sure he would have done many great things."

  "So..." Mackenzie began hesitantly. "You must know what happened up there. Before the crash. And the radiation leak."

  "I am familiar with the circumstances of the crash, yes."

  "Is it true, then?" Mackenzie asked. "Did my grandfather abandon Scylla's people because they were exposed to radiation?"

  "It was not a matter of abandonment," SALINA replied, sounding somewhat defensive. "It was survival of your species. Those exposed to radiation had minimal chance of survival and posed a risk to the remaining humans. Captain Miller could have let them all die on the ship with him, but he chose to give them a chance. He allowed them to safely reach the planet. Their survival is against all odds, but Captain Miller would have been relieved to know they lived. Even if this is what they have become."

  Mackenzie considered the computer screen for a moment before replying. "You sound like you knew my grandfather pretty well."

  "I interacted with him only briefly, but I studied his personnel files and his psychological evaluations. I... watched him die. Long ago."

  SALINA fell silent, leaving Mackenzie feeling a heavy sense of remorse, though she wasn't sure if it was her own or the machine's. If SALINA could feel such a thing.

  "Have you been... alone this whole time?" Mackenzie asked, hesitating as she wondered if a computer could feel alone.

  "Yes," SALINA said, somewhat sadly. "For many decades."

  "I'm sorry," Mackenzie offered. "That must have been difficult."

  SALINA did not respond this time, leaving Mackenzie in silence.

  "So, er," Mackenzie began. "Maybe I should at least see what this file is. That way I can figure out what to do with it."

  "Of course, Mackenzie Miller," SALINA replied, having returned to her monotonous tone.

  "You can just call me Mackenzie, you know," Mackenzie said, smiling despite her anxiety about the whole situation she was in. "You don't have to use my full name all the time."

  "If that is what you would prefer," SALINA said, then added, "Mackenzie."

  "Okay then," Mackenzie sighed, rising to her feet. "I guess I should take a look at what Scylla wants. Do you know where this Alcubierre file is?"

  "Of course," SALINA said. "Bringing file up on Captain's terminal now. You will need to open it yourself, however. The restriction on this file does not allow me to read the contents."

  "All right," Mackenzie said, turning towards the terminal in front of the Captain's chair as the screen lit up.

  Mackenzie climbed up the stairs and hesitantly stood by the chair. She slowly placed her hand on the softness of the padded material. Her grandfather had sat here, however briefly, but in those few moments he had saved the human race. Mackenzie felt humbled to be standing there. Never in her whole life did she ever think she would be where her grandfather had been. Scylla said that Captain Miller had abandoned thousands of them to death, but SALINA said he just saved their loves in a different way. And what else could he have done? If they had been exposed to radiation, didn't Captain Miller then have a responsibility to try and help them? Or was it better to focus on those he could definitely save? It must have been a difficult choice. One that Mackenzie hoped she would never have to make herself.

  Pushing aside her thoughts, Mackenzie slowly eased herself down into the chair. It was dusty, but soft and comfortable. Leaning forward, Mackenzie examined the screen that showed her the location of the file.

  "It is a touchscreen," SALINA offered. "Simply touch the file with your finger and you can examine the contents."

  Mackenzie nodded her understanding, then reached out and gently touched the file on the screen. The folder opened and suddenly countless documents began to appear on screen. They flashed up in the blink of an eye and before Mackenzie had the chance to examine any of them, another document opened over the top of the last. Glimpses of the contents looked like reports full of complex mathematical equations, schematics of machinery, video files, audio files, and more that Mackenzie never had time to look at before they were buried under one another.

  "What is all this?" Mackenzie asked as the documents continued to open.

  "I am unable to see the contents, Mackenzie," SALINA reminded her. "The parameters of-"

  "Right, security stuff," Mackenzie interrupted vaguely, distracted by the blur of documents before her.

  Eventually the documents stopped appearing and Mackenzie found herself looking at a written report. There was a header on the page that read NASA. Below that, there was another header that read FrontierX.

  "What's NASA?" Mackenzie asked SALINA. "And FrontierX?"

  "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration," SALINA recited. "A government agency created by the United States Congress in 1958 CE for the purpose of exploring space and conducting flight research. They were involved in the design and construction of the Panspermia, though the complexity of the ship required they take on additional assistance from other international space agencies as well as a private space exploration company, FrontierX, which supplied much of the monetary requirements to build this ship a
nd myself. Documents on file indicate the initial design for the Panspermia was put forward to the United Nations by FrontierX. They invested years and billions of dollars to the human colonisation program, particularly when the Earth began to deteriorate beyond the ability to prevent global extinction."

  "Pity their plans didn't work out the way they hoped," Mackenzie mused.

  Examining the document before her, Mackenzie couldn't understand any of it. It was full of scientific terms that went beyond her comprehension, as well as vastly complicated equations that looked completely alien to her. However, there was one term that kept popping up. Whatever this document was saying, these two words seemed to be an important part of it.

  "What's exotic matter?" Mackenzie asked SALINA.

  "A matter-like substance that deviates from the common laws of physics that most matter adheres to," SALINA recited. "It differs from 'normal' matter in the sense that it is the exact opposite. Would you like me to describe the properties to you?"

  "No, that's okay," Mackenzie quickly said, confident that however SALINA tried to explain this 'exotic matter,' it would remain a complete mystery to her.

  Mackenzie spent a few minutes searching the documents, examining the contents, trying to understand what she was looking at. She opened one video, hoping that it might be easier to understand, but it was a lecture spoken completely in Chinese. Mackenzie suspected SALINA could translate, but the man on screen was gesturing to more complicated figures and equations in a floating hologram and Mackenzie was sure that even if she was fluent in Chinese, she'd have no clue what the man was saying.

  "I have no idea what any of this is for," Mackenzie eventually cried out in frustration. "Does Scylla even understand this stuff?"

  "If she wants the information, logic would indicate she knows what it is," SALINA pointed out.

  "Well, I don't see what choice I have but to give it to her," Mackenzie sighed.

  "Mackenzie," SALINA began. "It is my duty to inform you of the danger of such a decision. Scylla is a confirmed threat to you and it is logical to suggest the only reason you are presently alive is because Scylla needed you. Should you provide her the documents she seeks, you will no longer serve her any purpose. This will place your life in unacceptable danger."

  "What else can I do?" Mackenzie asked helplessly. "Scylla has my friends. If I don't give her what she wants, she might kill them."

  "And if you give her what she seeks, she will definitely kill them," SALINA said. "And you."

  Mackenzie buried her face in her hands again, frustrated with SALINA, hating Scylla, furious with herself for becoming mixed up in this in the first place. She gritted her teeth and held back the torrent of curses she wanted to shout. She wasn't sure if a computer like SALINA would be offended by such language, but she did know this was not the time to lose control. Mackenzie knew she was backed into a corner and the only way out was to come up with a plan.

  My life literally depends on it, she thought desperately.

  "What I really need," Mackenzie began, speaking slowly as she weighed all of her options, "is more time."

  Mackenzie rose from the chair and raked her fingers through her hair as she slowly looked around the room, thinking.

  "I might have an idea," Mackenzie said to SALINA. "But it's risky."

  "Are not all decisions risky?" SALINA queried.

  Despite the situation, Mackenzie smirked. "I guess so. Okay, I have to go now. Scylla might be starting to wonder what's taking me so long. When I leave, can you reseal the door to my genetic code, like before?"

  "Of course," SALINA responded.

  "Cool. If this works, you might see me again in a day or two. If you don't then I guess Scylla killed me. If that's the case, can you make sure she never gets in this room?"

  "Yes, Mackenzie," SALINA said.

  "Okay," Mackenzie nodded, taking a deep breath. "If I do come back, Scylla will probably be with me like she was before. If she is, I don't want her knowing that we spoke. I want you to act like we've never met before."

  "Mackenzie," SALINA began. "As I said previously, it is not within my parameters to lie."

  "You won't be lying," Mackenzie smirked. "You'll just be pretending."

  "That seems like a human rationalisation," SALINA countered. Then added, a little begrudgingly, "A weak one, at that."

  "Trust me," Mackenzie said. "The less helpful Scylla thinks you were, the better off we'll both be. Look, you won't be lying, I promise. Just... just follow your security protocols, just like you did when I first came to the bridge doors. And do it without Scylla realizing that you remember me. Understand?"

  SALINA was silent for a long time and Mackenzie was beginning to wonder if the computer had somehow broken. However, SALINA eventually replied.

  "I understand."

  "Okay, good," Mackenzie sighed in relief. "Now, I should go. Hopefully I'll be back."

  "I hope so, too, Mackenzie," SALINA replied.

  As Mackenzie left the bridge and the doors closed noisily behind her, locking tightly as they came together, she wondered if she had imagined the sadness in SALINA's voice.

  When Mackenzie exited the Panspermia wreckage, the sun was beginning to set over the giant sand dunes, casting long shadows across the desert. Glancing around, Mackenzie saw that the forced workers were no longer digging up the sand that clogged the ship and they had ceased stripping the wreck for parts and metal. They were instead being forced into the backs of large trucks, packed in so tightly they had no room to sit and stood shoulder to shoulder, all panting heavily. Many had their eyes closed, as though they were praying, looking on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.

  "Mackenzie!" Scylla shouted from nearby, hurrying over with Boroslav in tow. "Do you have it? Did you get the file?"

  Mackenzie frowned and shook her head, her heart beating painfully fast.

  "No," she told Scylla. "I couldn't find it."

  Scylla glared at Mackenzie in silence for several moments, until she said in a deadly whisper between her teeth, "What do you mean you couldn't find it?"

  "It's that stupid computer," Mackenzie said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "It said it hid the file. I asked it to give it to me, but it refused. I tried to find it myself, but I think it's hidden under mountains of code and stuff. I'm not skilled enough with a computer to dig it out."

  "Then what good to me are you?" Scylla hissed. "If you can't find me the file, then maybe I should find someone who can."

  Mackenzie noticed Boroslav slowly reaching for the gun at his hip as Scylla spoke.

  "That would be a good idea," Mackenzie began. "But the bridge is sealed again."

  "What?" Scylla roared.

  "That computer kicked me out," Mackenzie lied. "Said it didn't trust me or something because I was working with you. I think you were right, that thing's broken. It kept forgetting things, too. Like it's memory was busted in the crash. It would ask me questions, then after I'd answer it would ask the same questions again."

  "What questions?" Scylla demanded.

  "Just my name and stuff," Mackenzie shrugged. "I bet it won't remember me at all before long. But I can go back in now and try again if you like."

  Mackenzie held her breath as Scylla glared at her scrupulously. The look in Scylla's eyes was full of doubt and Mackenzie was certain Scylla could see right through her lies. Noticing Scylla's displeasure and doubt, Boroslav already had his hand on the grip of his gun, but had not yet unholstered it, instead waiting for Scylla's next order. Vasilii was standing nearby, watching with wide excited eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly as he breathed with wheezy anticipation. Mackenzie tried to keep her face indifferent and calm, maintaining an unwavering eye contact with Scylla as her heart rate steadily increased.

  "No," Scylla replied. "We're losing the sun. You can try again tomorrow."

  Mackenzie refrained from sighing in relief. Boroslav was scowling as he removed his hand from his gun and Vasilii was poutin
g in disappointment.

  "Come on," Scylla said, her own disappointment and impatience clear in her tone. "Back to the VTOL."

  As they began walking back to the aircraft, there was suddenly a shriek of fear from nearby. Mackenzie turned towards the sound and saw an armed soldier tearing a woman slave down from the back of one of the trucks. The woman was trying to hold on to the truck, but was far too weak to resist. She tumbled backwards out of the truck, the other slaves watching in silent fear as they were too helpless to stop whatever was happening. As the woman fell, she landed hard on her back and her head thumped against the sand. She immediately tried to scramble away, but the soldier who pulled her down began kicking her, shouting at her, "Where is it, bitch!? Where is it?"

  "You!" Scylla bellowed, addressing the soldier, who stopped kicking the woman immediately upon hearing Scylla's voice. "What are you doing?"

  "Apologies, Miss Scylla," the soldier replied. "But this one stole my canteen."

  "I didn't!" the woman cried, scrambling to her knees and clasping her hands together as though begging. "Please, I didn't!"

  "Shut up," Scylla said calmly to the woman, who fell silent and instead shook violently.

  "I know it was her, Miss," the soldier said confidently.

  "Can we punish her?" Vasilii asked excitedly.

  "Where is the water?" Scylla asked the woman. "Tell me now and you will not be punished."

  The woman wrung her hands together and looked around helplessly. Mackenzie couldn't stand to see anyone like this, so afraid all the time.

  "Can't you just let her have the water?" Mackenzie demanded angrily. "It's not like you don't have enough to go around."

  "Don't question our laws, Miller," Boroslav snapped.

  "She doesn't even have anything!" Mackenzie argued, gesturing to the woman. "Where could she hide a canteen?"

  Scylla considered this fact for a moment, then asked, "Who did you give it to?"

  "No one, Miss!" the woman cried, tears streaming down her face. "Please, believe me!"

  "Very well," Scylla nodded, smiling. "I believe you."

  The woman looked shocked, but also dubious. Mackenzie also felt doubtful. That smile Scylla had on her face was far from pleasant. Scylla looked up from the woman, still smiling politely, then looked sideways at Boroslav.

  "Break this woman's fingers until the canteen is found," Scylla said sweetly.

  Boroslav immediately moved towards the woman and grabbed her by the arm. The woman was crying "No! No!" but Boroslav ignored her. Before anyone could react, Boroslav took one of the woman's fingers in his hand and twisted. There was a sickening crack and the woman threw back her head and screamed at the sky.

  "Stop!" Mackenzie shouted.

  "If the canteen is not returned before she runs out of fingers," Scylla went on, speaking louder to be heard over the woman's scream, "then start breaking her toes. Break every bone in her body if you have to."

  Boroslav grinned and snapped another finger, the woman struggling to break away from him, but too weak to do anything but uselessly tug at her own arm.

  "You don't have to do this!" Mackenzie roared at Scylla. "She doesn't have anything!"

  "Mikhail," Scylla snapped. "If Mackenzie speaks again, you can shoot another worker."

  "Yes, Scylla," Boroslav grinned, flashing his canine tooth at Mackenzie.

  Watching helplessly, Mackenzie could do nothing as Boroslav broke yet another of the woman's fingers.

  Mackenzie started to move forward, towards Boroslav, not knowing exactly what she planned on doing but knowing that she needed to intervene somehow. The soldier who had been kicking the woman saw Mackenzie approaching and raised his rifle at her, opening his mouth to say something.

  "Mama!" another voice suddenly cried.

  Everyone stopped and looked towards the back of the truck. Standing there, small and frail, looking even more so by the adults surrounding him, was a small boy, no older than ten. He was staring at the woman, tears in his eyes and a canteen in his hand.

  "Leave my mom alone!" the boy cried.

  The boy then pulled back his arm and hurled the canteen out of the truck at Boroslav. Boroslav easily caught it in one hand, but the cap was still open, and as he caught the canteen, water splashed out and sprayed in his face. He sneered at the boy, wiping the water off his chin with the back of one hand.

  "Please, please," the woman began to beg, looking up at Boroslav. "Don't hurt him. I took the water, not him. He was weak, he needed water, I couldn't let him suffer until our rations were handed out tomorrow. He needed water now. Please. Please, have mercy, please."

  "The penalty for theft is death," Boroslav growled down at the woman.

  "No!" the woman cried, throwing herself at Boroslav's feet, clutching at his clothes with her broken fingers. "Please, no!"

  "And your boy threw this at my head," Boroslav added, holding up the canteen. "He could have killed me. That's attempted murder. Punishable by death."

  "NO!" the woman wept. "Please! Not my son! Kill me if you must, but leave him alone!"

  "He couldn't have killed your with that!" Mackenzie interjected angrily. "He's too weak to throw hard enough. Look at him, he can barely stand!"

  "The decision lies with Scylla," Boroslav leered.

  Scylla considered the scene she had been watching silently, then seemed to nod to herself.

  "Very well," Scylla said. "Shoot the boy, make the mother watch. Then shoot her in the head."

  Soldiers immediately snatched the boy out of the truck, ignoring his screams. The woman broke down into tears and screamed in helpless despair, pulling at her hair. Mackenzie, however, suddenly acted without thinking. She leaped forward and, while the first soldier was distracted by the shrieking child, Mackenzie grabbed the rifle he still held in his hands, then swung it up. The gun caught the soldier hard under the chin, whipping his head backwards. In his shock, he let go of the gun and stumbled backwards. Mackenzie quickly, turned and aimed the rifle directly at Boroslav's head.

  Soldiers all around acted instantly, stopping what work they were doing and turning their guns on Mackenzie. Some were already beginning to squeeze the triggers.

  "STOP!" Scylla roared, her voice echoing across the desert.

  Everyone immediately froze. No one fired, but no one lowered their guns either. Boroslav was watching Mackenzie out of the corner of his eye, his lips curled into a contemptuous sneer.

  "You will not survive this," he growled quietly so that only Mackenzie could hear.

  "What do you think you are doing?" Scylla hissed. "Haven't we been through this before? You couldn't kill me, what makes you think I would believe you are capable of killing Mikhail?"

  "Because he's not even human," Mackenzie snapped. "I saw him tear out my friend's throat with just his teeth. Let the woman and her boy go, or I'll kill him."

  "There's nothing to stop me from killing you if you do that," Scylla said quietly.

  "Actually, there is," Mackenzie replied. "If you want to get back into the bridge, that is."

  Despite the sincere tone with which Mackenzie delivered her threat, Scylla was grinning and shaking her head. She was even chuckling, as though Mackenzie was nothing more than a brief amusement.

  "We both know you won't-" Scylla began, but stopped when there was a sudden, high-pitched, wailing from nearby.

  Startled, Mackenzie turned her gaze toward the sound and was shocked to see small, frail, Vasilii rushing at her with a wooden post, shrieking furiously.

  Before she had time to react, Vasilii swung the wooden post into the back of Mackenzie's legs, buckling her knees. Mackenzie cried out once as she fell to her knees. Still shrieking, Vasilii swung the post again, this time into Mackenzie's back. Despite his size, Vasilii had a powerful swing, the force of the blow knocking Mackenzie down onto all fours.

  Vasilii wasn't done there, though. He was in an animalistic rage, hammering the post down on Mackenzie like she was a nail,
screaming and shrieking at her. Between the blows and the pain, Mackenzie could hear him shouting, "Don't! Be! Bad! Don't! Be! Bad!"

  "Vasilii!" Scylla was shouting. "Stop! Stop it now!"

  "Bad!" Vasilii wailed as he continued to hit every part of Mackenzie he could reach with the wooden post. Mackenzie was curled up into a ball, the gun having flown from her hands. She tried to crawl away, but Vasilii pursued her, hammering away and shouting, "Bad! Bad! BAD!"

  "Vasilii, stop!" Scylla roared.

  "Calm down, Vasilii," Boroslav said, though not with much force.

  Mackenzie was crying out in pain as Vasilii beat her, then one blow snuck between her arms and hit her hard in the head.

  Then everything was gone.