Once in space, the gravity scramblers converted into gravity enablers, mimicking Earth’s gravity. The scramblers worked well, but they were not exact. Trying to walk around felt a little strange at first, but at least it performed a necessary function for any prolonged voyage into space. If the body is weightless for too long, the lack of resistance eventually causes muscles and bones to deteriorate. In addition, they had purified oxygen circulating through the vents. Even after being on the ship for a few short hours, everyone felt better than they had in weeks.
“Is it okay if I go see the animals?” Alex asked.
“Sure, make yourself at home,” Maxim said, trying to make up for all the years he had not been there for her.
As she was about to leave, Agent Archimedes offered to accompany her. Alex immediately dismissed the idea.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Maxim said. “Why don’t we all take a tour together? I’ll show you around and introduce you to everyone.”
Maxim led the way, taking her on a tour of the ship. Alex was genuinely interested to see what new and exciting things would be revealed behind each door. It reminded her of the tour Mara had provided a week prior, although vastly different.
“This here is my living quarters,” Maxim said.
The luxury room was equipped with everything a five-star presidential suite would offer. It had an office area that had a window overlooking the cosmos, a fully stocked bar and entertainment area, and a large bathroom fit for a king. Above the large bed was a flag, representing planet Earth. Alex wasn’t sure where she would be staying, but assumed it wouldn’t be as nice as this.
The tour was like any other – a detailed description was given for every room along with introductions to each of the crew members. Everyone was very pleased to meet Alex in person as most of them had heard of her before. They were even more in awe to learn that she was the long-lost daughter of the great Leader. With the two together side by side, the resemblance was unmistakable.
With her charm, good looks, and endearing story, she found a place in the hearts of the crew immediately. She had everyone convinced she was just there to be with her father. They knew nothing of her alternative plans. Agent Archimedes was the only exception to this. In fact, he was the only one who knew the truth about her — that she had sent a video blowing the whistle on their entire operation — but he opted not to mention it for the time being since he was not sure how the Leader would react to such news. Instead, he chose to wait and keep an eye on Alex to see what she was up to. After all, she seemed harmless and it was not obvious how a teenager could thwart such a comprehensive mission with nothing but her mind, no matter how brilliant that mind was. It occurred to him briefly that maybe she really was just there to be with her dad.
The tour continued, taking up over two hours. They covered every inch of the ship, meanwhile Alex took mental notes of every detail. The whole time Alex was nervous about what would be revealed once they arrived at the matter transporter room. Laying on the floor right in plain view was a strange looking device that would surely pique the interest of anyone who happened to stumble upon it. She went over and over in her mind what she would do if it was discovered – deny, run, hide… When the moment finally came, she opted for a preventative measure rather than a cure.
“Over here is our matter transporter,” Maxim said proudly, “but I’m sure you’re already familiar with this room.”
Before anybody looked in the room, Alex flopped on the ground, releasing an obviously manufactured moan.
“Oh my goodness, Alex are you okay?” Maxim said as he rushed to her.
Agent Archimedes was not buying the performance. He looked down at Alex and the Leader, then asked himself, why would she fake a collapse right before the transporter room?
When no one was looking, he took a couple steps forward and peeked inside.
Chapter Forty-Six
Alex was carried to a nearby medical lab. When she was placed on the table, she pretended to suddenly become conscious again.
“What happened? Where am I?” she mumbled.
“You’re on board the Pegasus. You must have blacked out from the Doomsday Virus, but you’re safe. I’ve alerted our medical staff to your situation. They will be here shortly to give you a complete examination and treat you as best they can. Just stay here and rest,” Maxim said.
“Sir, if I could have a moment of your time please.”
Maxim kissed Alex on the head then exited the room with Agent Archimedes. They walked down the corridor and entered a room to keep Alex out of earshot.
“What is it Archimedes?”
“Sir, I’m not sure you want to hear this news, but I feel that I am duty bound to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“If you follow the facts, it will lead to the obvious conclusion that your daughter has ulterior motives for being on board this vessel.”
“What are you talking about?”
“First, she breaches a restricted government database. I catch her and send her to prison. Once in prison, she meets her estranged mother after not seeing her for 18 years and together they orchestrate a hostile escape. They go underground and the next time she pops up, she releases a video exposing the truth about the Doomsday illness. She then breaks into the Facility and steals some kind of device, then breaks into your secured compound, and winds up on the Pegasus.”
“Archimedes, I’m the Leader of the New World, give me a little more credit than that. I know she did all those things.”
“Did you also know that she brought that strange device on board the Pegasus?”
“No, but she’s just a teenager, what could she possibly do?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her, sir. She has exceptional abilities that far exceed the average human.”
“So do I. Look, I’m not too worried about her. I was the one who gave her those gifts, remember? I’m also the one who has been keeping an eye on her for her entire life so I’m well aware of what she’s capable of. You don’t have to worry, I have everything under control.”
“Well then, we should keep an eye on her at all times just to be careful.”
“Tell me more about this device that she has.”
“She doesn’t have it with her, she left it in the transporter room. I thought it was a little peculiar how she was fine up until we came upon the transporter room, then just as we were about to enter, she happens to collapse on the floor. I was programmed to recognize these acts of deception. When I looked inside the room, that’s when I discovered the device. I’m unfamiliar with its function and when I scanned it, there were no records of it in the global knowledge database.”
“So what do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. I think you should see for yourself.”
The two men walked back to the transporter room, but when they arrived, the device was no longer there.
“It was here a minute ago, sir. She must have moved it.”
“Agent Archimedes, are you sure you are feeling okay? Maybe you should lie down.”
“I’m fine. I’m telling you it was here.”
Agent Archimedes stormed out of the room with a hurried pace and headed toward the medical lab where Alex was last seen. Maxim Morrison followed closely behind. When they arrived at the lab, Alex was no longer there.
“Still think you have everything under control?” Archimedes asked. Maxim did not answer.
Instinctually, Agent Archimedes looked at his arm in order to access the security feed on his access pod, but forgot it had been stolen earlier. He then ran back to the main control room to watch the security monitors and notify everyone on board of Alex’s agenda.
When he arrived at the main control room, he noticed something strange on the security monitors. He saw himself running down one of the corridors.
“Computer, disclose the date and time of the feed,” he instructed.
The computer announced
the date and time and he knew right away what was going on.
“Sir, she hacked into the feed.”
“We don’t know that,” Maxim responded.
“Sure, it was someone else on the ship who has knowledge of computer hacking, has a personal vendetta against you, brought a strange device on board, and created an act of subterfuge to disappear with it.”
“You’ve made your point, Archimedes. Let’s notify the others of her apparent disloyalty.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
The Pegasus was equipped with just about everything needed for survival. Among the amenities were several small exploration pods – small crafts intended for crews of four to leave the mothership for various missions.
Alex raced through the large corridors of the ship, carrying the modified particle accelerator. It was heavy, but she had enough physical strength to handle the task. Along the way, she passed several onboard personnel, but none of them suspected her of doing anything nefarious. At the end of a long corridor was a sign displaying what she had been looking for. Based on the schematics she had committed to memory, it was right where it was supposed to be. She approached the heavy door marked EXPLORATION-POD DOCKING BAY.
The door slid open to reveal a massive hangar, housing several mini pods. There were a dozen to choose from, but Alex moved toward the first one on the right. The gullwing door was already open, allowing her to place the device inside the craft.
Behind her was a hissing sound created by the entrance door as it slid open. Her heart pounded with fear as she quickly turned around.
Archimedes and Maxim Morrison were standing in the doorway.
“Hold it right there,” Alex threatened. The two men did not want to underestimate what Alex was capable of, so they obliged.
“You don’t want to do this, Alex,” Maxim said, as he inched forward. “We know what you’re up to. Please don’t do it, you do not realize the full scope of your actions.”
“You’re going to lecture me about actions?” Alex scoffed. “Your actions throughout your life have been dismal at best. You experimented on your unborn child, abandoned your family, left the mother of your child to suffer in prison, and lied to the people about one of the greatest catastrophes in modern history. Instead of performing the necessary actions, you ran away like a selfish coward, leaving your people to die.”
“Alex, trust me, you are very confused right now and not thinking clearly. I know the crowd you’ve been associating with and I assure you they’ve contaminated your thoughts with misinformation.”
“Enlighten me then.”
“Listen, I know all about your plan, that little device you have.”
“You don’t have the mental capacity to even remotely understand this device.”
“I know it’s very dangerous. All I’m asking is that you give it to me before you hurt yourself and others.”
Agent Archimedes took another step closer. This time he subtly reached for his immobilizer baton that was attached to his hip, but it was not there.
“Looking for this?” Alex asked, as she held up the baton.
“I removed it from your belt when you were carrying me to the lab. I thought it might come in handy.”
“Alex, my dear…” Maxim spoke again. His only weapon was his words, his cunning and compelling words that had propelled him to the upper echelon of world leadership. “You know not what you do.”
“Oh great, a bible quote this time, do you have anything original to say or do you just like ripping people off?”
Maxim looked somewhat embarrassed. He was not used to hearing people speak to him like that, but he also never had a teenaged daughter in his life before.
“Whatever you’re attempting to do is noble, and I admire that, but you are young and lack the wisdom of life experience.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that speech before,” she said as she recalled what Agent Archimedes had said to her. “Yet here I am. I outsmarted both of you and I’m only eighteen. Either life experience is overrated, or I have an adequate amount.”
“Why didn’t you just come to me? I am a very powerful man with lots of resources,” he said as he inched forward.
“Correction, you were a powerful man. Now the only resources you have are on board this ship.”
“No, you are mistaken. Everything I’ve said is true. I am going on an important mission to rid the planet of its plague.”
“The only plague you’ve rid the planet from is your tyranny.”
“Look, Alex, you have trust issues, I get that, but you are with me now. Please let me in,” he said as he took another step.
“I would like so much to believe you right now, I really would, but I can’t take that chance. Too many lives are depending on me,” Alex said.
By now Maxim Morrison and Agent Archimedes were both near enough to make their move. As soon as Agent Archimedes lunged forward, Alex blasted him with the immobilizer baton, causing his body to stiffen up and collapse onto the floor. Maxim stood frozen, even though Alex had yet to blast him.
“Don’t make me use this on you too,” she threatened. “Now, get back.”
Maxim followed her instructions and slowly backed up toward the door. When he reached the door, it slid open and two ten-foot tall RT 2100s stepped into the room with their guns drawn. As they manoeuvered into position, their mechanical limbs made hydraulic sounds and their heavy steps clinked on the metal floor.
“Alex, we can talk about this, or—”
“Or what? You’re going to kill me? Something tells me you don’t have the courage to do that. The time for talking is done, now it’s time for action. I’m going to do what you could not. I’m going to save the planet.”
As Alex boarded the exploration pod, Agent Archimedes struggled to lift his arm. His weak grip wrapped around Alex’s ankle, but she yanked it free with ease and stepped into the pod. With a simple voice command, the gullwing door clamped shut, sealing her in. From the window, she gave one last look to her dad, and then waved goodbye.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The escape hatch opened, revealing the vast abyss of the universe. Alex did her best to get acquainted with the controls, but had no idea how to operate the pod. As was the case with many modern devices, Alex suspected it relied heavily on voice-activated commands.
“Go,” she instructed, but nothing happened. “Move – power up – start.” She tried all sorts of commands, but nothing seemed to work. Most voice commands were programmed to be very logical. Maybe there’s a release mechanism somewhere here, she thought. As soon as the thought entered her mind she looked up confidently and said, “Release.”
The small craft dislodged from the mothership and drifted aimlessly into space. Like a little honey bee leaving the hive, Alex was sent adrift into the darkness. Her nerves almost incapacitated her, but she summoned the courage to keep it together. She took several deep breaths before giving her next command.
“Activate thrusters,” she said. The pod’s twin thrusters engaged, causing the pod to jolt forward.
“Destination – Earth,” she said, gripping tightly onto her seat. The thrusters kicked into hyper-drive and accelerated away from the mothership.
Despite its size, the mini exploration pod had a lot of power. It rocketed toward Earth at a blinding speed. When she became closer to Earth, Alex unfastened herself from her seat and climbed to the rear of the craft. She attempted to activate the access pod, but was having difficulty. It appeared as though Milo’s access pod had run out of power or hadn’t survived the transportation.
“Come on you stupid thing,” she said as she unhinged it from the particle accelerator. She looked around for some other timer mechanism, but could not find one. With frustration mounting, she looked down at her wrist and discovered the access pod Aris had given her. A smile came across her face as she immediately took off the pod and attached it to the device.
After triple-checking all the connections to ensure the device would work prop
erly, she placed the device in the release hatch of the craft and returned to her seat. The first timer activated the device, but before it was fully enabled, Alex needed to get very far away from it.
“Open release hatch,” she commanded.
The small hatch sealed off from the rest of the ship to preserve the pressure and prevent contamination from the outside. Then, the device ejected safely behind her as the timer counted down. If Alex’s calculations were correct, she would be far enough away from it before the timer reached zero and activated the device.
Alex continued to accelerate toward Earth. Her feelings about Earth’s beauty were replaced by more important thoughts such as how she would safely land the craft. She considered it a reckless mission and was prepared to sacrifice herself for the greater good. An alarm sounded as she breached the ionosphere. She looked around the cockpit and saw a series of lights and switches, but did not know what any of them meant.
“Analysis,” she said in a frantic voice.
“Entering Earth’s atmosphere,” a voice said. ”Preparing for auto-deceleration.”
The craft rocketed toward Earth at over 1,000 kilometres per hour. Just then, something hit the pod, causing a loud crash. Alex rattled violently in her seat as one of the thrusters had clipped a nearby satellite, smashing it to bits. Lights and buzzers sounded, elevating the chaotic tone in the cockpit. A long streak of smoke trailed behind her as she whizzed across the sky at mind-warping speeds.
With only one thruster, there was not enough power to adequately reduce the speed of the runaway pod. The remaining thruster reversed its position and did what it could to counteract the tremendous speed the craft had generated upon re-entry. The auxiliary thrusters attempted to keep the craft stable. Even with the auxiliary thrusters in effect, the craft still tilted heavily to one side and slowly began to spiral toward Earth.
It was at this time that the timer on the particle accelerator counted down to zero. The dielectric oscillator began its process of taking in bismuth particles and feeding them through the rigid cylindrical septum and into the main accelerator. With the microfarad capacitor enabled in conjunction with the sync pins, the particles accelerated near the speed of light in a complete loop. When the second timer went off, it triggered the alpha particles to accelerate in an equal and opposite direction. The two sets of particles were fed into the same tube and collided with each other at the cathos uranium hub. The sophisticated science and human ingenuity came together in a cataclysmic explosion as the accelerated particles released a hotspot of energy that tore a hole in the fabric of space. In its wake, it created a small black hole. Drawing energy from the sun, the device continued to feed a steady stream of power into the components, causing the black hole to grow exponentially.