(August 29, 2009)
Huddled in the corner of his cell Brody flinched as a grating sound emanated from deep within the ship. It was too early (late? it wasn't like the ship was running on PDT) to be awake, but every time he started to doze off... screech. His adrenaline surged again. This time it was the door hinges at the end of the hall. He'd heard that enough the last few days to know the sound by heart.
Sure enough the clunk-clunk of robot steps came closer. Brody scrunched harder against the wall in a vain attempt to make himself invisible. The kudabot didn't even glance in his direction as it walked past. After a few moments it reached the staircase at the other end and left the prison hold.
Consciously forcing his muscles to relax, Brody let out a long sigh. Everything ached and his eyelids begged to close, but Brody couldn't let himself sleep. The robots or Ripcon could come back for him at any time. Not that he could do much about it but he'd get an advanced warning rather than a rude awakening. He gently massaged his ribs, still tender from this morning's wake up session. Another bruise to add to Brody's ever-growing collection.
Brody let his chin drop to his chest, his eye catching the thick black watch resting on his wrist. Absentmindedly he tugged at the band. Its weight was less than that of the metal shackle, but its presence was no less binding. Ripcon had been more than happy to inform Brody that if he were to take it off he'd receive an electrical shock that would rival the one from the throne room. Mick's grim face confirmed the words.
After Ripcon left Mick explained that the watch didn't just function as a taser. A tracking device was built into it, as well as a comms link. The comms were set up so that Galvanax or his other generals could contact them, but Brody would only be able to talk to them when they initiated the call, not that he would ever want to contact them. It did however, allow (very minimal) access to the ship's computer if Brody had a legitimate need or question for whatever task he was assigned. It was not, Mick stressed, intended to be used for personal needs, or Galvanax would have Ripcon "instruct" them on what it was for. Anything he said would be relayed to the necessary channel who would determine the outcome.
It also wasn't set up for Brody to call Mick. To be fair he was currently only down the hall, but the kudabots shut down their loud talking almost as soon as Brody tried. In any case Mick's snores could just be heard over the engines' rumbling. Grating as the sound was, it brought a small measure of comfort that Brody wasn't alone. Continuing to fiddle with the watch, Brody let his thoughts drift off.
The cell door had barely moved when Brody's eyes snapped open. A kudabot lumbered in with the usual morning goo. His taste buds were slowly becoming accustomed to the flavor, but that didn't mean he could say he enjoyed meals like he did on Earth. Sighing Brody accepted the bowl. He finished the contents quickly before following the robot out the door. Yesterday he found if he got up immediately after eating the robot didn't manhandle him to get moving.
Mick was already at his desk when Brody walked inside. He looked up as the door slammed shut, giving Brody a warm smile.
"Mornin'. Another power converter blew this morning and I could use your help." Brody nodded mutely, making his way to Mick. "It's the third one this week. Looking at it I don't think it's an issue with the power amplitude. It almost looks like... hmmmm." Mick trailed off.
Brody looked over Mick's shoulder to the device. It didn't mean much to him, lots of wires connected to a rectangular box. Catching his puzzled look, Mick lifted the box.
"Galvanax uses a lot of tech from a variety of galaxies. I've created these to integrate the different pieces into our mainframe. And speaking of things I've made-" Mick was cut off as heavy footsteps thumped outside the room.
Brody barely had time to look up at Mick before Ripcon burst through the door. Brody couldn't stop the whimper that rose in his throat, or the trembling in his knees. Mick moved so that he was partially obscuring Brody from Ripcon's view.
"What can I help you with?" Mick's voice was steady but darker than Brody had heard before.
"Humph."
With a scoff Ripcon shoved Mick out of the way and stalked toward Brody. He backed up but quickly bumped into the wall. Ripcon lifted a length of gray cord that Brody hadn't noticed until then and threw it at the boy. Shocked, the cord whacked him in the chest before falling limply to the ground.
"Pick it up!" It took several seconds for Brody to comprehend the order. Those were a few too many for Ripcon. He stepped forward towering over the cowering boy. "Get it!"
Hurriedly Brody bent and grabbed the line. His arms shook beneath the weight of the metal lined cable.
"Good." Ripcon's voice still carried a threat in it. "Galvanax has a job for you. The communications relays went down when the converter was damaged. It's gerfunkles getting at the wires. You're going to get them operational."
"Wait what?!" The panicked words were out before Brody could stop them.
Ripcon grabbed Brody's collar and jerked him up. The wire fell from Brody's arms, pooling around Ripcon's feet. "You're getting in those vents and relaying the communications wires that gerfunkles have chewed through. If I have to explain it again any gerfunkles I come across are being put in your room, got it." Pale faced Brody nodded.
"Good. Your watch will show the routes we need. Take one step outside the lines and you might not wake up." He shoved Brody back causing him to almost fall over. "Get your wire. This needs to be done within the next three brokas."
'Three what?' With a final contemptuous glare Ripcon headed out of the room.
Brody turned helplessly to Mick. "I-I still don't know what he wants!"
"Hey it's okay." Mick knelt in front of Brody. "You're the smallest one on board. That means you can fit more easily in the ducts. I guess Galvanax wants to use that to help the ship." Rolling his eyes Mick stood up and led Brody to his table.
"What are gerfunkles?" Brody asked hesitantly. It was not an animal(?) that sounded like one would want to meet up with in a dark corner.
"Like any ship this one picked up some stowaways. They are probably most similar to your Earth's rats. They burrow into the walls and love shiny things. Hence them taking the current wire."
"But if they're in the walls I could meet up with one!" Brody stepped back a pace.
"They won't hurt you, but they might try to take your wire. If they do, using light will distract them."
"What light?"
Mick walked to his shelves and pulled two flashlights off. "You'll need one anyway to see what you're doing. The other one can be used if you come across a gerfunkle."
Clips were on both of them, so Brody attached one to his waist band. "I still don't know what I'm doing though." Brody's voice trembled.
"I'll show you." Mick grabbed a few more items from his shelves and waved Brody to the table. "It's pretty simple. These wires have clasps on them that connect directly into the boxes." Looking down Brody realized the vast amount of cable were many smaller strands woven tightly into one long cord. "So all you'll have to do is detach the old one and put in the new one. The opposite end will need to be threaded through holes in the vent floor, where the current ones are. As Ripcon said the computer will help direct where you go."
Brody nodded hesitantly. "Okay..."
Picking up the cable, and more items from his shelves, Mick knocked on the door. A robot opened it allowing Mick to exit. "They don't give me vent access in my workroom so... field trip."
Smiling weakly Brody followed Mick down the hall. Four doors later they entered another control room of sorts. It was a lot smaller and more crowded than the one Brody appeared in. Wires and boxes blinked along all wall space, except for a prominent bronze grate near the ceiling directly across from the door.
Mick pulled a step ladder over to the wall and pulled a screwdriver out of his belt. Unscrewing the plating, Mick strained against the vent cover. For a few seconds it didn't seem like his efforts were doing anything until with a grunt on Mick's part and a high-pitched shriek from the metal the vent popped free of the wall. Dust and dead bugs fluttered to the ground. Brody took an involuntary step back as he gazed into the blackness of the ducts. A gentle hand on his shoulder caused him to look up.
"It's okay Brody. You can do this." Mick withdrew his hand and reached into one of his pockets, producing a thin circular disk. "I was starting to say before Ripcon came in that I made these so I can talk to you remotely. With them I can walk you through the whole thing. It fits under your watch so you don't have to worry about losing it."
Brody looked at it then back to Mick. "But if you put it under the watch won't that cause the shock?"
Mick shook his head, holding up his own wristwatch. "I put it on my own this morning without issues. The circuitry is wired so that it reads both the touch of your skin and if the band keeps its circle orientation." Brody stared blankly at Mick. "If you don't mess with the band portion it won't think you're trying to take it off."
That made some sense, and Mick's watch sported the addition, so Brody extended his arm to Mick. Quickly Mick lifted the face and slid the disk underneath. It clicked and attached like it had always been a part of the watch.
"There's a button on this side here," Mick pointed to the side on Brody's thumb, "and one quick tap will tell the other person you need them. Two quick taps means go ahead then hold it to talk." Mick paused and an odd expression ran across his face that Brody couldn't name. "It, well, this wasn't exactly sanctioned by Galvanax. Hence the radio code. So we need to try to avoid using it when others might be around."
Brody nodded, "Okay." With a deep breath he approached the wall.
Mick cupped his hands at waist height, "The computer and I will be with you through every step." Bracing his hands on the wall best he could while gripping the flashlight, Brody put his foot on Mick's makeshift step. "Alright, 1...2...3!" Brody launched into the air and scrambled inside the vent.
"You okay?" Mick's voice filtered in from below him.
"Y-yeah." It was as dark as Brody had been expecting, but he had more room than he had been fearing. His flashlight lit the dim interior showing several different colored wires under an inch of dust.
His watch beeped and a digital map appeared. 'That's new.' Brody blinked in surprise even though he'd been told it would happen. Lifting his wrist, Brody sneezed as dust puffed up around him.
"Take a right turn." The mechanical voice of the ship's computer echoed loudly in the enclosed space.
"Ow!" Brody pulled his head back away from the watch.
"Take a right turn." It didn't seem to care about its volume.
"Okay, okay." Brody grumbled. Turning the flashlight in the indicated direction he made his way deeper into the bowels of the ship.
The shafts were quiet, beyond the soft padding of his hands and knees and occasional input from the computer. 'That's good right? It shows there's nothing else in here with me. Hopefully.' Brody shivered at the thought but continued following the directions for several minutes until he came to the first box.
It was a dull black that absorbed light rather than reflecting it. From what he remembered of Mick's explanation it explained why the gerfunkles hadn't chewed into it. Brody pulled the first length of cord from his belt. The computer spit off instructions on how to replace it. Brody didn't understand most of the words. Hesitantly he tapped the addition Mick gave him. After only a couple seconds a small electric buzz sounded twice.
Brody held the button. "Mick?"
"I read you loud and clear."
Giving a small sigh of relief Brody looked at the box. "I'm at the first one. I-I didn't really understand what the computer told me to do."
"It's just like I showed you." Mick's calm tone soothed Brody's frayed nerves. "Follow the gray cord to the box and unclip it. Then thread it through the hole to the room below."
"Right, okay."
'Okay.' Hands shaking Brody sifted through the knot of wires attached to the box. 'There!' The same colored line as the one in his belt, albeit duller, plugged into the bottom section of wires. Pulling a new one from his belt Brody unplugged it and attached the new one.
His watch beeped. "Relay 402 is back up and running." Brody could hear the pride in Mick's voice. An unbidden smile rose to his lips. "One down, nine to go."
"Take a left."
The next eight were checked off over the course of two hours. His back and knees aching Brody pushed himself forward. 'Only one more.' Brody's hand met something squishy and he tried not to think about what it was.
The flashlight had just landed on the last box when a rustling sound came from behind him. Stiffening he carefully turned around to find himself eye to eye with a red furred...thing. Yelping Brody scrambled backwards bumping into the vent. The creature screeched in response but kept its eyes locked on the flashlight. It bent in a half crouch, inching its way closer.
'What do I do? What do I DO?' Mick's advice flew out of his brain. Brody started shaking so much the beam of light traveled back and forth across the floor. The creature pounced at it, a high-pitched growling noise coming from its throat. The action snapped Brody out of his stupor. 'Light!'
Brody set the flashlight on the ground sending the beam down along the vent. Taking the second flashlight out Brody aimed the light right at the creature. His fear calmed enough to take a good look at the gerfunkle. It was about the size of a household cat, thick fur glowing cherry red in the low light. Small sharp teeth poked out of a long dog-like snout. What surprised Brody the most was the fact it only had three legs, two hindlegs with a central foreleg. The whole image served as another jarring reminder that Brody was not on Earth.
'Mick said it wouldn't hurt me. Probably.' Keeping his body turned mostly toward the gerfunkle Brody yanked the old wire out. His watch beeped startling them both. The rodent(?) snarled at Brody, crouching as if to spring.
Brody dropped the wire and jammed his hand on the button. "Not now!"
"Brody, what's going on?"
"Gerfunkles don't like noise."
Brody scrambled backward, getting as far away from the barred teeth as he could. Closing his eyes he braced himself against the wall, waiting for the animal to attack. Other than some more growls nothing happened.
Hesitantly Brody opened his eyes. The animal had turned its attention to the flashlight on the floor and began batting it around. Caught off guard, Brody watched the gerfunkle play. It apparently had lost interest in the terrified boy in favor of the shiny stick. 'Just finish. Just finish. Stay away.'
Moving slowly Brody removed the last wire from his belt and snapped it in. Then carefully backing away Brody retreated, not bothering to try and grab the light. 'Don't look at me. Stay away!' Thirty seconds later he rounded a corner and dashed, as best he could on all fours, down the vent. His watch made a noise but the roaring in his ears kept him from hearing the computer's words.
The watch beeped several times before Brody had the presence of mind to stop and answer it. "Y-yeah?"
"Brody! What happened? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
The rapid-fire questions were hard to follow, but Brody understood the gist. "I-I'm okay. There was a gerfunkle up here with me. I thought- I thought it was gonna attack me, but it went for the flashlight. I got the last wire in and ran but I don't know where I am now."
Mick sighed with relief. "Okay, good. You had me worried there. Dial into the computer and it should direct you back to me."
Ten long minutes later Brody's head poked out of the open grate. Mick jumped up on the stool to help Brody finagle safely to the ground. Copious amounts of dirt covered Mick and the floor by the time Brody found his feet.
"You did it." Mick clapped a hand on Brody's shoulder, sending up a puff of dust.
"Thanks." Brody gave a shaky smile, a warm feeling spreading through him.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. We've got more work to do."