Nicholas Smith - Hell Divers

X watched with interest as the boy worked on the machine. Memories coalesced into images in his mind, and he remembered a time just like this when Aaron had sat by his side, watching Tin work on one of his projects. Rhonda was there, too, knitting X a new pair of socks.

There was something absolute about it all—something final. A lump of anxiety formed in X’s stomach at the thought. Normally, he suppressed such feelings by numbing his senses. It hurt to be sober.

But no matter how badly he wanted a drink, X decided to enjoy the moment with Tin, even if his gut ended up being right and it proved to be one of the last they ever shared.

A few minutes later, and the vacuum cleaner whirred to life. Tin glanced up with a broad grin on his face.

“See? Told you I could fix it.”

Maria Ash’s alarm clock went off at five a.m. Somewhere ten thousand feet above the Hive, the rising sun was setting ablaze the tops of the clouds that covered Earth.

She kissed Mark on the cheek, put her feet on the floor, and got up. Their schedules had conflicted since their last conversation on the bridge, and in the chaos of the past several days, she hadn’t had much chance to talk to her husband. She hadn’t even told him about the dive yet.

“What time is it?” he mumbled.

“Early. Go back to sleep for a bit.”

“I never even heard you come in last night.” Mark sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Did you think about our conversation again?”

Maria threw on her uniform and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “My mind hasn’t changed, love. Besides, we have more important things to think about right now. In a few hours, I’m sending Team Raptor to the surface.”

“What!” He stared at her with wide eyes. “The ship was damaged that bad ?”

She nodded.

Mark rested his head back on a pillow decorated with cats. “Just promise me one thing.”

Maria straightened her cuffs, waiting patiently.

“If Raptor returns and Samson fixes the ship, and , by some miracle, you do find a place to put the ship down…” He paused to search her eyes. “Promise me you’ll resign and accept treatment.”

“Raptor will return and Samson will fix the ship,” Maria replied. She leaned over the bed and kissed Mark on the lips. “And I will find a place. Then I promise to accept treatment. I’ll see you tonight,” she said with a smile.

“See ya,” he whispered.

Maria drew in a breath and opened the door to the corridor, where two soldiers stood guard. Tucking the promise she had just made into the back of her mind, she walked with them to the bridge. Though she had slept only a few hours, she was filled with energy.

Jordan was already waiting for her in the command center.

“What’s our status?” Ash asked. She strode to the communication station and stared at the comm link button. With a push of her finger, her voice would feed to every intercom in the Hive. Every one of the 513 citizens would hear her voice. The new number had been confirmed after the storm. When the final tally had reached her desk, the ship had suffered thirty-three deaths.

Now she was about to share with the survivors the most difficult message she had ever relayed in her command. Her throat burned at the thought.

“Captain, we have another problem,” Jordan said.

“Enlighten me.”

“Ty said there’s a problem with the launch tubes. The reentry bay is working, but the launch tubes aren’t. Something about an open circuit or something. We’re going to have to delay Team Raptor’s drop.”

“No, we won’t,” came a voice at the top of the bridge.

Ash knew that cold tone. It was X. She turned to see him leaning on the railing.

“Captain, give me access to the roof,” he said. “We’ll jump from the top of the ship. I’ve done it before.”

Jordan joined Ash at her side. “I’ve already got a team of engineers working on the launch tubes,” he said. “We can delay the drop for—”

“We don’t have time to delay the launch for a single minute!” X said, his raised voice drawing the stares of several officers. “The clock is ticking. We have to jump now.”

“He’s right, Jordan; we don’t have time,” Ash said. She prayed X knew what he was doing.

X moved away from the railing and hurried down the stairs. “I want to see the storm for myself.”

Ash joined him at the nav station. She nodded at Ensigns Hunt and Ryan.

“You heard the commander,” she said.

Ryan put on a pair of glasses and took a seat. “Tapping into the cameras on our stern.”

While they waited together, it dawned on Ash that X didn’t reek of booze from last night’s celebrating. Unusual for him, but she wasn’t going to ask questions.

The main display at the front of the bridge flickered to life, and a striking image of the electrical storm over Hades came into view.

“We’re six miles east of the storm, Captain,” Ryan said. “And all sensors show the skies are clear below.”

“Looks clear,” Hunt added.

X nodded, satisfied. “Ah’ight, I’ll have my team back in a couple hours.” He turned to walk back up the stairs. “Hopefully, with everything Samson needs to keep us in the sky.”

“X,” Ash said.

He paused and turned halfway.

“Be careful.”

“Roger that, Cap,” X said, throwing a haphazard salute. His lips formed what could almost be considered a grin, his pearly white teeth showing for a fleeting instant. Then he was gone, bolting up the stairs and racing out into the hallway. She wasn’t sure how to take his change in mood. She hadn’t seen him like this for years.

“Jordan, give Ty access to the roof,” she finally said.

Ash imagined what the new members of Raptor were feeling. She could picture the black clouds swirling around the Hive, and the deep fear that the vast emptiness evoked. The thought made her bow her head in shame—only minutes ago, she had indulged in self-pity at having to deliver a difficult message.

A message, nothing more.

She shook her head. She had bigger worries, and X and his team were about to risk their lives.

Ash cleared her throat and punched the comm button. The ancient speakers chirped. She repositioned the microphone and said, “Citizens of the Hive, this is Captain Maria Ash. This morning I am tasked with sharing dire news. Yesterday, we reached the edge of Hades after receiving a distress call from Ares. I don’t know how to say this easily, so I’m just going to tell you. Ares has been destroyed.” She paused, herself still shocked that it was true. “Our ship,” she continued, “our home, was severely damaged in the electrical storms.”

Ash scanned the bridge. Officers she had worked with for years stared back at her, their eyes pleading for some reassurance.

“We still have hope,” Ash said. “I’m deploying Team Raptor to the surface, to search for the parts that we need to keep our home in the sky.”

The comm crackled, and Ash waited for the interference to clear. “In the meantime, engineering will divert all power from noncritical areas of the ship, including the living quarters in both upper and lower decks.”

Ash looked down at her watch and added, “In two hours, those circuits will go offline. I ask everyone to remain calm during this time, and for all nonessential personnel to stay in their quarters. In addition to your cooperation, I also ask that you think of our divers. To those of you who pray, these brave men and women could use some. The future of the Hive now rests in their hands. Thank you.”

A strong hand gently squeezed Ash’s shoulder. It was the first time in her career that Jordan had tried to comfort her—or touched her at all, for that matter.