The Beyond

by Thomas R. Willits

Table of Contents
Part 4 appears
in this issue.

part 5 of 6

Ethan ran down the steps and moved through the crowd of people. The train doors were closed, and it began picking up speed quickly. But perhaps he didn’t have to get through the door. He saw the back of the train going by; clearly enough room on the platform if he could board it.

The enforcers were now in the building making their way to the steps as Ethan approached the tracks. He somehow found the strength to increase his speed. The last car of the train had now gone by and was being pulled ahead faster and faster. Ethan ran down the walk next to the track trying to catch it. To his surprise he was gaining on it. Behind him the enforcers were at the track and heading in his direction. If he didn’t make it aboard it was all over. Ethan was almost completely exhausted and couldn’t run much further. The transport train was about to disappear into a long tunnel just ahead and his path in front was almost at its end.

Now or never.

He leaped for the back of the car his arms grasping for the rail. They clinched hold and his legs dragged against the track below. They bounced upward each time they crossed the tracks supports, stunning them. With all the strength he had left he pulled himself over the rail, swinging his legs over and crashing onto the platform. His pursuers slowed to a stop, as he disappeared into the tunnel.

It took Ethan a few minutes before he was able to get up. The train would be making its next stop in a few minutes and would possibly have enforcers waiting for him there. The transport train was traveling uphill now and slowing. He targeted two large bushes to the side of the car and leaped from the train. The impact scraped his right arm and forehead, but nothing serious. He was able to continue. He rolled out from the bush and stood up watching the train roll on to its next stop ahead. He headed back for the streets to blend in.

* * *

“You’re a fool, Ethan.” Droverson smiled as if enjoying the situation. He was aboard the Aeon preparing for launch. He thumbed the disc into the computer. “You can’t run forever.“

Droverson began scanning the disc attempting to uncover what secrets there might be on it. Surely important mission data. Something useful. As his crew prepared for launch he scanned the disc. Norian looked over at him from his station wondering if he had accessed anything yet. Until now Norian hadn’t thought about the disc, but it struck him odd that someone capable of breaking into Pegason would bring a disc along that would give himself away.

Ethan examined the front of Lennport Shuttles across the street. He had always gone in the front entrance, but that was guarded by two men in blue now. Enforcers. Droverson had sent them already. There must be another way in. Really he didn’t need to get into the building but into the back where the hangers were located. In back was a perimeter fence. Ethan knew the security grid well. Besides the fence’s being razor sharp and electrified it also rendered nearby cars or cars useless in flight mode. So he couldn’t fly over it or even get close enough to ram through the fence. But there was one weakness in the security of the premises.

Ethan thought about it for a couple of minutes thinking his plan through. This was his last attempt. If this failed, then there would be no more running. Ethan readied himself and went to work.

The two enforcers guarding the front entrance responded to Droverson’s call. Droverson contacted them from the Aeon as he continued working on the disc. “Has he shown himself there yet?”

“No,” a young and inexperienced enforcer said. “No units have seen him yet. All entrances are secure.”

“He will show,” Droverson remarked. “I know he will. Be ready. I’ve spoken with your superior and he assures me that I will have your complete cooporation. This is a government mission Ethan is interfering with. If you screw this up I’ll have you working guard duty permanently in front of a waste treatment facillity.”

“All units are standing ready, Sir.”

The two guards at the front were convinced Ethan would not show up. The guard on the communicator ended the call. He was facing the entrance doors when the reflection of a transport car grew bigger and bigger through the glass. The transport car with its flight system activated, swooped down from the sky, heading straight for the front entrance. He turned around and screamed.

“Look out!” He yelled as he pushed his partner out of the way and had just enough time himself to jump for the steps.

The car came from above and crashed straight into the front entrance. Glass shattered everywhere. The car passed through the glass and metal frame and bounced as it hit the tile floor. Sparks flew up as it scraped, leaving a marred trail of silver lines. The car began to rise again and move down the hall towards the rear. People in the hall gasped and hurried into the nearest doors as the car rushed by. Some only had time to cringe against the wall. It turned the corner at the end of the hall the proceeded on. Ethan was in.

The guards at the front were brushing the glass and debris from themselves. Part of the door landed on one of them and he was trying to remove it. The other guard was only injured by flying glass. He struggled to pull the door and frame off his partner. Ethan moved the car through the halls, unable to avoid slamming into the walls occasionally. People couldn’t believe what they were seeing: a maniac flying a car though the halls.

Ethan turned the next corner and saw the longer hall with the exit at the end. He throttled down a bit more, seeing this hallway give way to the hangers in back. One guard was just outside, also totally unaware of the mayhem inside. As Ethan was about to break through the door the guard picked up his communicator responding to a call, evidently being alerted to the situation. The guard pulled his weapon and turned to look in the door. But it was too late. The car smashed into the glass door, the frame buckling in two, glass and metal flying outward.

The guard stepped to the side just in time to miss the car come rocketing out from the building. Glass was everywhere. The car smashed onto the ground, continuing on to the hangar. The guard at the door, discovering he was okay and not seriously hurt other than a few scrapes from the flying glass, started running after the car. Two others ran out of the building towards the hangar in pursuit. Soon, all ten guards that had arrived that morning to catch Ethan if he showed himself were running to the hangar.

Ethan stopped the car just before running into the entrance to the hangar. He climbed out of the car and looked at its poor remains. The front end had two large dents where it hit the door frames and the glass had left a million scratches down the sides. He felt bad for whoever it belonged to. He saw the main hangar door was closed, as he had thought it would be. He opened the smaller entrance door in front of his car and saw the approaching men. They would be here in about thirty seconds. He slammed the door shut and locked it.

The Hermes was right where he had left her, in the center of the hangar. Liftoff would mean forgoing most of the preflight checks and skipping right to launch. He entered through the side entrance and the door closed firmly behind him. He sealed the airlock and proceeded to the cockpit.

The ship was perhaps fifty feet in length. It was rolled in on a tracked car and was to be rolled out for takeoff in the same manner. Ethan had no time for the ship to be escorted out in a parade to the launch pad. The launch would be in here, inside the hangar.

Ethan flipped switches and buttons, bringing the ship online. Computers were starting up. Lights came on and screens lit up. Ethan brought the main core up next. It was a slow whirring at first and then was gradually smoothed out to its normal operating harmonic hum. Ethan looked out the front to the small entrance door. The guards were there pushing on the door. He could see them stop and fumble for the right key.

After a few more switches were pushed, all systems were up and he was ready. He grabbed the manual control stick and pulled slightly back on it. This was nothing like a transport car, certainly not handling like one either. A wave of energy left the ship, lifting it from the transport track with ease. The noise level in the hangar was now deafening. The waves hit the transport track, floor and walls. Everything the waves hit rumbled and vibrated. The walls of the hangar held their structure but were seriously distressed. Ethan switched on the forward cannons and pointed the ship to the main hangar door. He grabbed the cannon control stick to his right and aimed the cross hairs for the center of the door.

“Here, I’ve got it,” the guard with the keys said pushing the key into the door lock. The door was now vibrating heavily. He looked through the small square window in the door to see what was happening and saw the ship’s cannons move to the right. “Everybody look out!” he shouted as he took off running, not wanting to be taken out in the blast. The others soon followed suit.

Ethan squeezed the trigger and the large hangar door disappeared into flame and rubble. He grabbed the flight stick and moved it forward very carefully. It lurched forward quickly for such a small adjustment to the stick. The ship really wasn’t meant to be taken out of the hangar manually, and it showed. It moved through the missing door and then, once out, started climbing. The guards turned and watched as it was moving towards the main building, almost hitting the top of it. The Hermes rose just before smashing into the roof and started climbing for the sky. The guards stood up and brushed the dirt from their arms and backs.

“Better notify Droverson,” an enforcer said as he stood there completely amazed with the escape. “He’s not going to be happy.” They looked at each other and tried to decide who would make the call.

Droverson’s hands hit the computer console just in front of him where he was analyzing the disc.

“Damn!” Droverson yelled. “This file. This is the key. I know it. But it’s not shutting down right. Merrill, take a look at this.”

Merrill was busy working through her list of things assigned to her. She saw he was still messing with the disc and shook her head. “What is it?” she asked.

“Just come here and look at this, would you?” he asked. “This damn disc has a mind of its own. I can’t turn this program off.”

She looked at him a little worried and walked over to the computer. She pushed several buttons but nothing responded.

“I don't know. It’s running something.”

“Can you stop it?” Droverson asked demandingly. “Just shut it down.”

“I can’t,” She said looking at the screen. “It’s running some file on the disc. It’s running something. I can’t get the disc out!”

“What?” he asked hysterically.

Merrill looked at the screen and saw the main flight program was there just at the top. It then clicked open and a list of ships movements were there. Flight plan 136. Then lines started disappearing. Whole sections were gone.

“What the...” Merril’s mouth opened in shock. “What is happening.”

“Get the disc out!” Droverson yelled in a panic.

“I can’t. It’s not letting me remove it. The disc is deleting everything.”

Droverson pushed her aside and pushed the eject button, the disc still spun inside, running its program. He tried to shut the computer down, and it did not respond. In an act of desperation he grabbed his small ink pen and shoved it inside the disc drive. The disc stopped spinning at once and the program halted. But the damage was already done. The flight plan was in pieces and would take hours to reinstall. His face began to cringe, angrily as he examined the damage. Preflight would begin in the next twenty minutes. Just then a call came through.

Droverson pushed the receive button. Norian glanced over to see that Droverson was not happy with whoever was talking to him.

“You idiots!” He shouted, his face tightening and turning red with rage. He terminated the call before the young man could apologize. He looked at the computer again. A small text in the bottom right corner scrolled to the left reading: Have a nice day, we’ll see you on the other side. It repeated.

“Ethan!”

Droverson smashed his hands on the computer once again, this time harder. He began to think of alternatives and made his decision.

“We’re leaving, “ Droverson said calmly. “Forgo stages one and two. Prepare for launch.”

Norian studied him bewildered.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “The plan’s ruined. It will have to be reloaded.”

Droverson looked at the disc still in the drive stuck in place by his pen. “We’re not using the plan. Ethan’s seen to that. Prepare for launch.”

Norian gave the others a look deciding whether he was still sane.

“Now look here, Director.” Norian stood up. “You just can’t take us out there. The ship’s in pieces. We need time to repair her.”

“We are leaving,” Droverson said again. “If you don’t want to come then get off my ship. That goes for anyone else too.”

Proceed to the conclusion..