Nicholas Smith - Ghosts

“Jordan’s going to leave us down here, isn’t he?” Rodger said, shaking his head. The normally cheerful engineer-turned-diver looked on the verge of tears. “I’m never going to see my parents again.”

“Yeah, you are, Rodge,” Magnolia said. “You just gotta figure out how to fly that ship.”

“What ship?” Michael, Layla, and Weaver all said at the same time.

“An airship,” Rodger said. “Not as big as the Hive , but a ship nonetheless.” He stood up a little straighter. “We found it on the way here.”

“There’s an underground hangar not far from here,” Magnolia said.

“Can you fly it?” Weaver asked.

Rodger shook his head. “I… I’m not sure.”

“You, Michael?” Weaver asked. “Layla?”

“I haven’t had that sort of training,” Layla said.

Michael shook his head. “Me neither.”

“I can operate the aircraft,” answered another voice. “I can also provide, from memory, schematic diagrams for its every bolt, rivet, and wire; run diagnostics; and direct all repairs for any conceivable malfunction or damage, down to a likelihood of ten to the negative ninth power.”

Every helmet turned to the hologram. The AI known as Timothy smiled. “There is nothing else for me here. It is time for me to leave ITC Communal Thirteen.”

“Everyone but DaVita and Hunt, out!” Jordan shouted from the top of the bridge. Sergeant Jenkins stepped up beside him, glowering at the crew.

The dozen officers and support staff quickly cleared the room, leaving Katrina at the wheel and Hunt at his station. They both watched Jordan walk down the stairway to the lower level.

He passed navigation, communication, and all the other stations where officers had served proudly for hundreds of years. They had all had the same mission: to keep the Hive in the sky. That was the mission he had taken an oath to uphold. Not to set down on the surface, not to hide underground. To stay here where they had survived for 260 years, far above the decaying wasteland of the Old World.

Jordan had thought of all the ways he might convince Katrina that he had no choice but to leave the divers down there, but he hadn’t yet found a scenario where she wouldn’t end up hating him even more than she did right now. In the end, he opted for the truth—or a portion of it, at least.

“The Hell Divers have decided to betray the Hive ,” he said. “I uncovered the plot while interrogating Janga. Commanders Weaver and Everhart and Raptor Diver Brower were all seen conspiring with her belowdecks. Magnolia Katib is also suspected of having classified information. At this point, I have to assume that the Hell Divers have all been compromised.”

Katrina’s eyes were full of fire. “Conspiring about what exactly?”

“They were planning a coup,” Jordan said. His gaze shifted from Katrina to Hunt, and his eyes widened ever so slightly.

“That is correct,” Hunt said. He swallowed and then added, “Commander Everhart and Diver Brower launched themselves to the surface after talking with Janga—”

“So they abandoned ship?” Katrina said, cutting Hunt off. “Why would they do that if they were planning a coup?” She folded her arms, revealing the tattoos on her forearms. “Why dive to the surface first?”

“To get reinforcements,” Jordan said.

“No way,” Katrina said. “This is insane. I’ve known Tin and Layla since they were kids. They’re good people. They would never betray the Hive. ”

“Really?” Jordan interjected. He pushed his mike to his lips. “Sergeant Jenkins, bring in Ty.”

The doors to the bridge whispered open, and two of Jenkins’ men pushed the technician inside. He staggered to the top of the bridge, holding up a hand to protect his bruised and swollen eyes from the bright LEDs. The militia guards had done a number on the traitor.

“Ty!” Katrina cried out. “Oh, no. What happened to you?”

She ran for the stairs, but Jordan held out a hand to stop her. He needed her by his side now more than ever. Convincing her the other divers were trying to overthrow him was the only way to make that happen.

“I was told Michael held a gun to Ty’s head,” Jordan said, “but it appears that was just smoke and mirrors. This traitor was part of the coup all along.” He held up a crumpled slip of paper. “These coordinates were found in Ty’s pocket after Michael and Layla dove to the surface. It didn’t take much persuasion to get him to reveal the truth.”

Ty looked at the ground.

“Tell Lieutenant DaVita what Michael said to you,” Jordan urged.

Split lips trembling, Ty choked out a reply. “He told me to tell Samson to override the navigation systems. He wanted us to pick them up so he and the other divers could board and take over.”

Jordan spread his arms. “You see? Now do you believe me, Katrina?”

She shook her head again and let out a sigh. “I knew something would happen eventually, but not like this.”

Jordan motioned for the guards to take Ty away. Nodding all the while, he let her do the talking. He could tell he was making headway with her. Patience was the key to winning back her respect and trust—and, eventually, her heart.

“You’re not the first captain to face challengers, you know. I’m sure we all remember the failed mutiny on the farm. But the question is, what will you do now? You can’t just leave them down there. We have to find a solution to this. A peaceful solution, Leon.”

Jordan blinked in surprise. “You would have me welcome the divers who want to kill me back onto my ship?”

“The Hive needs them,” Katrina said. “And it’s not your ship.”

“Hell Divers come and go, but the Hive remains in the sky.”

“We can’t leave them,” Katrina said. “I won’t leave them. I was a Hell Diver, too, or have you forgotten?”

Jordan held back a sharp remark. He had one more card up his sleeve.

“I didn’t want to do this, but there’s something you need to hear, Katrina.” Jordan nodded at Hunt. “Play Weaver’s transmission.”

“The one about Commander Rodriguez?” Hunt asked.

“ What! ” Katrina said, turning to Hunt. “What about X, Ensign?”

Jordan glared at Hunt from behind Katrina’s back. A glare that promised punishment. The ensign’s slip had just cost him the upper hand. God, why couldn’t he trust anyone to be competent? Why couldn’t anyone just do as they were told?

“What Ensign Hunt meant to say was the message about ITC Communal Thirteen,” Jordan said. “And what they found down there.”

Realizing his mistake, Hunt turned to go back to his station, but Katrina grabbed his arm.

“I asked you a question. What was the message about X?”

Hunt looked over at Jordan. Neither said a word. Monitors beeped and the ventilation system hummed. It was a moment of calm before the tempest that Jordan knew was about to break.

Katrina shattered the silence with an angry shout. “Leon, you are going to tell me what the hell is going on. And you’re going to do it right now!”

Jordan could see the hatred in her eyes. He knew then that he had lost her. There was no lie he could tell now that she would believe. His skull pounded from the pain of the realization.

“Go ahead, Ensign, play it all,” Jordan said. He slowly massaged his temples to relieve the tension headache. “Start with the earliest transmission.”

“Sir?”

“That’s an order!”

Hunt sat at his station and tapped his touch screen. The voice of a dead man filled the bridge. Jordan watched Katrina’s reaction as X reported his position and status over the past ten years. There were dozens of messages as X trekked across the wastelands nearly four miles below.