As the dust settled he waited in his seat, the dim amber glow from the control panel the only source of illumination, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. He waited a few minutes to see if the dull rumble of his arrival had awoken anyone.
He had pre-arranged to come by and pick them up tomorrow morning some time. But the things he had needed to do in Harvest City had been accomplished with far less hassle than he had anticipated. And rather than accumulate another day’s worth of docking fees, Aaron had decided to set off early, and a little presumptuously, park up overnight outside the Quin farm. He had even hoped he might be invited in for a little home cooking and in return, the following morning, he would happily offer to show Ellie’s family around the shuttle in return. He knew she had a little brother who would no doubt go ape-wild over the experience.
But, no one seemed to have woken. He saw no lights coming on inside. And as he carefully studied the farm he noticed that the round hatch to the nearest agri-dome had been left wide open.
Hang on, that’s not right.
Ellie’s father was an oxygen farmer, leaving a door open like that would be a cardinal sin for him; a criminal waste of their yield. Aaron rose steadily from his seat and made his way towards the rear of the cabin, a growing sense of unease gnawing away at him as he grabbed a mask and prepared to exit.
*
It was unbearably hot and stuffy inside the storage locker. The three of them were squeezed together, an untidy tangle of limbs, most of them Harvey’s. They breathed alternately with masks off and on, doing their best to extend the dwindling supply of oxygen in their masks’ cylinders. There couldn’t be much left, and soon they were going to have to do something, or they were going to suffocate.
Ellie took a guess that they had been in the locker now for over an hour. For the first twenty minutes or so, they had listened with a growing sense of panic as
they
moved tirelessly around from module to module, noisily, angrily hunting them down. Sometimes, judging from the noises, they seemed to be drawing closer, then for some reason heading away. Despite their best efforts, it didn’t seem to be an organized or systematic search. They had checked some of the cubicles in the sleep quarters, but not all. At one point, they gave the cubicle next door to theirs the once over, pulling the sleeping cots loudly to one side and opening, and slamming shut, every cupboard and storage unit within.
Then, after a while, the noises had died down. The last sound of movement Ellie had heard had been - she guessed - about twenty minutes ago.
‘We need to get some more oxygen,’ she whispered to Jez.
‘I know. I think mine’s nearly out.’
Ellie pulled her mask down and took a few breaths. The air was poor, the O2 content low. She endured it as long as she could before starting to feel dizzy, then she pulled the mask up and sucked in another lungful of precious oxygen that restored her fogging mind.
‘We need to get to the cat or the oxygen tent in the green house,’ she whispered again.
‘I know.’
‘Soon.’
‘Who are they?’ asked Jez.
‘I don’t know…I just…’
‘Is there anything you’re not telling me?’
‘Like what?’ Ellie whispered. ‘I…I’ve not done anything to anyone. I don’t know why anyone would want me!’ she added, a tone of desperation in her reply. ‘Maybe they’re criminals or terrorists or something…and this is their secret hide out.’
Jez had heard them use Ellie’s name. They were after
her
. They sat in silence for a moment before Jez asked the question they were both thinking. ‘Do you think they’re gone?’
‘I haven’t heard them for a while now.’
Neither had Jez, but that meant nothing; they could be lying in wait. They certainly seemed ruthless and determined enough to sit tight until the job was done. She recalled the brief exchange she had heard when they had first entered
He had pre-arranged to come by and pick them up tomorrow morning some time. But the things he had needed to do in Harvest City had been accomplished with far less hassle than he had anticipated. And rather than accumulate another day’s worth of docking fees, Aaron had decided to set off early, and a little presumptuously, park up overnight outside the Quin farm. He had even hoped he might be invited in for a little home cooking and in return, the following morning, he would happily offer to show Ellie’s family around the shuttle in return. He knew she had a little brother who would no doubt go ape-wild over the experience.
But, no one seemed to have woken. He saw no lights coming on inside. And as he carefully studied the farm he noticed that the round hatch to the nearest agri-dome had been left wide open.
Hang on, that’s not right.
Ellie’s father was an oxygen farmer, leaving a door open like that would be a cardinal sin for him; a criminal waste of their yield. Aaron rose steadily from his seat and made his way towards the rear of the cabin, a growing sense of unease gnawing away at him as he grabbed a mask and prepared to exit.
*
It was unbearably hot and stuffy inside the storage locker. The three of them were squeezed together, an untidy tangle of limbs, most of them Harvey’s. They breathed alternately with masks off and on, doing their best to extend the dwindling supply of oxygen in their masks’ cylinders. There couldn’t be much left, and soon they were going to have to do something, or they were going to suffocate.
Ellie took a guess that they had been in the locker now for over an hour. For the first twenty minutes or so, they had listened with a growing sense of panic as
they
moved tirelessly around from module to module, noisily, angrily hunting them down. Sometimes, judging from the noises, they seemed to be drawing closer, then for some reason heading away. Despite their best efforts, it didn’t seem to be an organized or systematic search. They had checked some of the cubicles in the sleep quarters, but not all. At one point, they gave the cubicle next door to theirs the once over, pulling the sleeping cots loudly to one side and opening, and slamming shut, every cupboard and storage unit within.
Then, after a while, the noises had died down. The last sound of movement Ellie had heard had been - she guessed - about twenty minutes ago.
‘We need to get some more oxygen,’ she whispered to Jez.
‘I know. I think mine’s nearly out.’
Ellie pulled her mask down and took a few breaths. The air was poor, the O2 content low. She endured it as long as she could before starting to feel dizzy, then she pulled the mask up and sucked in another lungful of precious oxygen that restored her fogging mind.
‘We need to get to the cat or the oxygen tent in the green house,’ she whispered again.
‘I know.’
‘Soon.’
‘Who are they?’ asked Jez.
‘I don’t know…I just…’
‘Is there anything you’re not telling me?’
‘Like what?’ Ellie whispered. ‘I…I’ve not done anything to anyone. I don’t know why anyone would want me!’ she added, a tone of desperation in her reply. ‘Maybe they’re criminals or terrorists or something…and this is their secret hide out.’
Jez had heard them use Ellie’s name. They were after
her
. They sat in silence for a moment before Jez asked the question they were both thinking. ‘Do you think they’re gone?’
‘I haven’t heard them for a while now.’
Neither had Jez, but that meant nothing; they could be lying in wait. They certainly seemed ruthless and determined enough to sit tight until the job was done. She recalled the brief exchange she had heard when they had first entered
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