You know what's fun? Tearing through old city junctions on a packrat. Going over two hundred kilometers per hour, everything just flying by. You know what isn't fun? Going that fast and your brakes not working. "Turn left!" Andre said. I twisted the handle and with the grace of a fat walrus, the packrat turned down to the left. "We've been looking around for days, we going to find anything this time?" Andre asked. "Maybe. What's the rush? Hot date?" I asked half-jokingly. You never know with Andre. "Nooo." He said, stretching the word out. I laughed and banked the 'rat to avoid some rubble. "We're grounded until they decide to unground us. And for that to happen, we need money. Has to be something down here we can scavenge. "Who comes down here anyways?" I asked.
"Homeless people, drug addicts, gangs, serial killers" Andre said. "Yea yea okay shut up." I did growl under my breath though. The underground or Nethers as people called them wasn't safe. All sorts of people lived down here in the ruins of the old LA. Yet here we driving like jokers through it trying to find anything. I grumbled. Stupid port authority being all…stupid. Grounding us for being behind on payments. How are we supposed to pay when they won't let us go anywhere to make some money?! At least they didn't take Nostromo away, Don't know what I would do then. What any of us would do… "I think I got something!" Andre yelled. I immediately slammed on the brakes and then waited a second or two for them to actually start working. We jerked to a stop and I told Andre to remind me to have Cat fix the brakes. Again. Just glad we didn't need to do an emergency stop. Don't think we would have been able to do that. "Whatcha got?" I asked. "This path leads to the Undercity." I stared at Andre as if he had sprouted a second head. We weren't so hard up on money that we needed to risk the Undercity! I opened my mouth and Andre cut me off. "No no we're not going there! Just before the start of the Undercity is some of the ruins from the twenty first century, might have something there."
I thought for a second and then turned the 'rat down the path he had pointed out. If we started
getting to the drop off to the Undercity, I was turning around. I don't care if we found the lost treasures of Serendipity. You think the Nethers are bad with all of the things that Andre listed? Undercity is worse. Coppers don't even go down there. Only the army does and they only do it in force. Mutants, the worst kind of people; you name it, it's probably down there. Every once in a while, some group of geniuses try to go down there and fine something. The lucky ones come back shattered, babbling wrecks. The rest? No one ever sees them again. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my cargo jeans and hoped I didn't look nervous. We drove for some time before we reached the spot. We stopped just short before the fake road path started to slope down. "Here it is." Andre said. "You got a ping from that?" I asked, pointing at a partially collapsed building. "Yuep. Scanner says there's a little bit of energy in there. Some piece of something in there is still running." I sighed. Better than nothing. I turned the 'rat off and took the security key with me. We entered the building pistols drawn. This close to the Undercity, who knows what we would find in here? "What's this place?" I asked. Andre looked at the pad for a minute before he said "It was part of Browning-Orvis corporation, they used it to test new tech like their cryo units. This entire area was destroyed in the 2018 earthquake. They tried to save what they could, but when they couldn't save it, they paved it over." I looked back at him and he shrugged and said "Cheaper than rebuilding." I rolled my eyes. "If you say so." I muttered. We kept walking until something crunched beneath my boots. I looked down and nearly shrieked at the human bones I had stepped on. I swung my flashlight to see half of a skeleton buried underneath the rubble. The bones I had stepped on came from it. I shuddered and kept walking. After an hour or so, we finally found what was pinging the 'pad. A generator connected to a couple lamps. We stared at it for a minute before we both groaned and turned around. "Let's go home. Not gonna find anything down here." I nodded and we walked out, carefully following the markers we had left on the walls. We got outside without any trouble and I tossed Andre the key while walking around the side of the building. Maybe I'll find something around there, maybe not. Looking at the building, I couldn't help but feel kind of sad. Here was something that might have held some kind of meaning to people, or at least been a part of their lives. Now? Now it was nothing but a wreck buried underneath kilometers of cemstone and other crap. I bent down to pick up a piece of rock and tossed it into the dark. It clanged off of something and I stared. That something was metal. Something worth salvaging? "Andre bring the 'rat around to me. Might have found something." I couldn't help the bit of excitement in my voice. A minute later, Andre was there and turned on the floodlight. We waved around until we found what my rock had hit. It was some kind of pod thing. Cat might be able to tell more about it, but who cares? It's salvage! More coins in our pockets! Okay maybe a couple coins. Better than nothing though. Andre activated the arm. The arm sparked as it stretched out and hovered over the pod thing. The mag grips snapped out and latched onto the pod. It took a minute, but Andre managed to get the pod out from the rubble and onto the 'rat. Though he didn't do it quietly. The noise echoed up and down the abandoned tunnel and we both froze like deer in high beams. Please please please let no one have heard that. You know, for a second I actually thought that we were golden. And then the screeching started. I jumped onto the 'rat and punched it. Andre nearly fell off with a startled yell. Which might have been funny if it weren't for the horrible things that might happen to us. I swerved and put us back on the path out of here.
It took a couple hours, but we were back on the surface and in the wonderful city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles, the shining megacity. Home of Hollywood and countless other things. Such a wonderful city. Constantly vibrant and full of life. The sun was beginning to set as we turned to go home. I smiled at the sight of the Nostromo. Sure she was old, but the bulky ship was our home in every way. The 'rat actually made a smooth stop into the cargo bay. Glad that they choose to work now instead of later. "Cat!" I called out, and the red headed mechanic detached from the roof and landed next to the 'rat. (Scaring about a year's growth from me) "Brakes are shot. Again. Gotta fix em." Cat frowned. "You have any money for new parts? I can do much with what we got left." I groaned. It always came back to money. Which we never have enough of. "We picked up this old pod thing, take it apart and let's see if there is anything to sell." Cat beamed and tried to climb up the back of the 'rat and look over the pod. She started rambling off facts and I tuned her out. Cat's an engineering genius, but man she can run her mouth. Usually it doesn't make any sense but sometimes it does. Like now for instance. She was rattling off some facts about the pod when she said something interesting. "What was that?" I asked.
Cat huffed and said "It looks like it was on a few centuries ago. Give it a few more years and it would have melted all by itself."
"Anyone or anything in there?" I asked a little nervously. What? Have you seen the flicks people are putting out these days? Who knows what you might find. Cat laughed. "They didn't even start human trials for this for like…fifty years after this thing was made. I mean just look at it! It's got no safety measures or anything. It's crap." I smiled and nodded. Just gonna take your word for it. Cat had one of the lifters take the pod off of the 'rat and place it on the floor. Cat climbed over it for a solid minute before she finds the release lever and the door screeches as it opens up. I uncovered my ears and looked inside as the fog wafted out. Cat shrieked and jumped back and I rushed forward and drew my pistol and stood in front of her. Andre came thundering down the stairs from wherever he was. Cat didn't say anything, she just pointed over my shoulder into the pod. Inside the pod, curled up in a corner was this girl. "I thought you said that no one would be in there!" I snapped. "I said they're shouldn't be!" Cat snapped back. "Maybe we should help her?" Andre said diplomatically.
Nobody moved.
"Think she's dead?" Andre asked. Her fingers twitched and the girl seemed to slowly unfold herself as she came to life. Past her mane of black hair, a single eye opened and glared at us. "Careful." Cat said. "She probably thinks it's only been a few minutes." I nodded and slowly walked forward. Hopefully she speaks English… "Hey hey. My name is Tori. What's yours?" The girl didn't say anything, she just uncurled herself and slowly climbed out of the pod. She stumbled and grabbed a table and knocked over one of the toolboxes on her way to the floor. Andre rushed forward to help her with a big disarming smile on his face. I guess it wasn't disarming enough because the girl took one look at him and her arm blurred. Andre dropped with a shout when a wrench clanged off of his face. He rolled on the ground, holding his face and moaning. Cat launched from behind me and started hitting the girl. We've all in our fair share of tavern brawls and it showed. This ganky girl couldn't get a hit in as Cat wailed on her. I holstered my pistol and smirked. I don't like watching people getting hurt, but she deserved it. I was smirking right up until Girl grabbed a plasma wrench and smacked Cat in the ankle. While Cat jumped back in pain, the girl grabbed the leg that was in the air and yanked her forward.
Cat squealed and dropped like a stone when she slammed into the pod wall, crotch first. She rolled on the ground holding herself and as I tried to process how things had changed so quickly, Girl slammed into my chest shoulder first. Breath left my body in an explosive rush and I crashed into the ground and banged my head on the metal grating. Stars exploded from my eyes as the girl rolled off of me and stumbled out of the open shuttle bay. I got up and followed her, holding my aching head. What a gank! Who wakes up and just starts attacking people?! Ganky girl hit the bottom and slammed into a stop. She stared at LA skyline, the skyscrapers lit up and the lights and ads as skycars flew in their lanes. She turned and looked around the port, as an extremely fat barge ignited its thrusters and started to take off.
"What…what the fuck? How? This doesn't..I can't…" She stared and I wondered what she was surprised about. Every city on this planet looks like this. It's been that way for centuries. "What year is it?" She demanded.
"2568." I answered. She stared at me and I stared back. Her body shook and I braced myself for another round when she suddenly went as limp as a wet sponge and fainted. I stared at her stupidly with my fists raised. "You gonna keep standing there like a rock or help her?" I blinked and looked at Andre. I laughed and dropped my arms. "You two good?" Andre shrugged as Cat came out with the gurney. I helped her put the girl on the gurney and wheel her into the medbay. I had the synthetic intelligence go over all three of us before checking in on podgirl. The SI declared us all healthy if bruised, and I sent them away to finish our daily chores. I didn't have to wait long for the girl to wake up. This time I wasn't taking any chances. As soon as her eyes opened, she was staring down the barrel of my laspistol. She shook her head and when her eyes were opened fully, she pressed herself back as far as she could on the bed and raised her hands. "Your name?" I asked. "Jade. Jade West." She said, keeping her eyes locked on the gun. "I'm Tori Vega. Why did you attack my friends?" She tore her eyes from my gun and looked at me. "Are you stup…" She paused and looked back at the gun still pointing at her face and then back to me. "I wake up and see a bunch of random assed people standing there. I don't know who you are or what you want. So I made sure you couldn't do anything to me."
"Why were you in that pod anyways?" I asked. Jade huffed and rolled her eyes. "I was hiding from security when the earthquake started. Guess the stupid thing started because of the quake. I was on the phone with my..Dad! Where is my dad?" She shot up and stared at me with pleading eyes. "Earthquake? You talking about the great 2018 quake?" I asked softly.
"Yea sure?" She asked. I hesitated. "Jade." I took a deep breath and continued. "That quake was five hundred fifty years ago. You're in the twenty-sixth century." Jade stared at me as if I had gone insane. "That's…That's impossible. That doesn't just happen! You're lying!" She started screaming and I dropped my gun and grabbed her and held her head to my chest as she cried. The SI came to life at the sounds of Jade's crying and asked if there was anything that it could do. I told it to go away and continued to hold Jade as she cried and cried. I caught parts of what she was crying, about her father and something or someone called Beck. A few minutes later she pulled herself off of me and stood in the mirror. She stood there for a minute and then turned around. "You'll be staying here. Come on, I'll show you around Nostromo. We have spare rooms. If you want to leave after everything, that's fine too." I said.
Jade gave a dead smile. "Where would I go? I'm ..I'm" She trailed off and looked away. I smiled. "You'll always have a home here. Right guys?" I asked Andre and Cat, who were both hiding by the door. They stepped out and both agreed. A ghost of a smile flicked across Jade's face before it disappeared behind what I assumed is her normal angry look. Cat grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the med bay. Andre and I broke out laughing at the shocked Jade wore as Cat chattered away as she took her around Nostromo. "Thought Cat would try to get back at her." "Cat's just excited to have a new friend. I think we all could use a new friend." Andre smiled. "Yea we could. Oh, the dock administration wants to talk to you. He said be at his office tomorrow at 1000."
I groaned. Just what I needed. Probably gonna complain about us not paying them sooner. How much easier it would if we had enough money to just bribe them like everyone else does. I rolled my eyes. "Fine fine. I'll take Jade with. She might like that. See how things have changed." Andre laughed. "She might. I think I'll talk to her myself." I laughed. "Go ahead and talk to her, and get another wrench thrown at you." Andre frowned and grumbled. I laughed and walked out of the medbay. I think this was going to be the start of some good times.
I wasn't going to name their ship Nostromo, but then I remembered that I'm not being paid for this so fuck it why not? Nostromo it is. Watching Alien and Aliens back to back might have something to do with it. Hope you all enjoyed. Also, Andre can't dodge a wrench, so I'm pretty sure he can't dodge a ball.
P.S. the bones Tori stepped on? Jade's father.
-C.H.
