6. Sex, Drugs, and Second Earth

Dice forgot more than just his matches. He forgot how much he hated space travel. After the onslaught of g's gave way to the gravity-less feeling of orbit, he remembered.

Despite his best efforts, he found it impossible to vomit quietly. Fortunately, the sounds of his gut wrenching apparently did not echo into the command module of the shuttle.

So he sat there, his body held in place by the straps even as his butt floated off the seat, and watched a blob of green mass fly slowly across the space of the cargo bay.

Dice considered his predicament.

He couldn't just get himself into something simple, could he? He tried to just walk away, wasn't that right? But they didn't let him. Vladimir's men thought he had been sent to save Elena when, in fact, he had been planning to ride off into the sunset and leave the girl to her fate. Come to think of it, Dice realized, the bad guys had thought Dice had more character than he had even thought of himself. They had thought he was doing the right thing when, in fact, he had planned just to leave it all alone.

Kind of like how he had tried to convince Yuji to stay with him and forget about Marlene, the sleeper program, Second Earth, the war with the Blue, and whatever other responsibilities the kid had felt.

Dice closed his eyes and saw a solitary grave marker on a hill outside of the old supply depot he had called home for so long.

What would she have thought?

Dice opened his eyes.

So then had come the quest for shrike power cells followed by a quest for genetically engineered corn. That particular Holy Grail sat somewhere in the front of the shuttle. That's why old Dicey was on his way to Second Earth, where he would be shot for desertion if detected.

Splat.

The blob of vomit fell fast to the metal floor of the bay and splattered unseen behind a pile of crates. Dice's butt thunked against the side rail on which he sat.

Gravity?

Clang.

The shuttle vibrated.

Dice realized they had arrived at Second Earth. No doubt they were already inside a docking bay that had now been re-pressurized and artificial gravity turned on to allow the unloading of supplies. Dice suspected, however, that this particular cache would not be attended to by the regular crews. Certainly this Captain Koal would wait until the area was clear to unload his haul of contraband.

However, the vials containing the designer drug and the designer corn seed had been placed in a separate container. No doubt, Koal was already on his way to secure those valuable prizes somewhere safe.

Dice un-strapped himself from the cargo tethers and moved toward the front of the ship. He could hear voices from up there: the voices of Koal's buddies disembarking.

Dice only had to wait for an opening to get off the shuttle.

---

Dice Quaid peered around the corner. All seemed clear. He crossed the intersection.

Fortunately for Dice, he still wore the military tunic issued to him so many years ago. It was dirty, worn, and had shrunk a size since those early days. Should on officer pass him, he'd most certainly be berated for poor dress before being shot for having deserted the Second Earth military after a particularly unsuccessful drop operation.

That was so many years ago, but he knew folks up here carried grudges.

He ran a hand over his forehead and found sweat there.

So much for a cool demeanor.

Dice could not blame himself for being nervous. He had not merely been transported to the convoy of satellites that comprised Second Earth. Oh no, it could not be that simple.

No, the shuttle he had stowed away aboard had not transported him to either the Training Station or the Medical Station. Instead, Captain Koal's ship had deposited the wanted deserter aboard the Military Station. Home of the Council. Home of the Commanders who would sit on his court martial, no doubt.

Still, he had done well so far. Dice had managed to sneak away from the shuttle and out of the hanger bay, finding his way to the less-traveled maintenance corridors.

But where are you going, Dice? What's the plan?

"Stop asking so many questions!"

Dice clamped a hand over his mouth. Had he really just yelled at himself?

Uh-oh, now I'm losing it.

He found, however, that he did have a plan.

First, find an open computer terminal. Second, look up Captain Koal's private quarters. Third, search those quarters for the genetic corn seed. Fourth, get off the station, either by stealing a shuttle or, for that matter, finding an air lock and just jumping 'cause burning up in the atmosphere would be a lot better than facing a court martial.

He continued along the empty corridor and came to a major junction. On the far side of the junction beckoned another maintenance hall. That's where Dice wanted to go.

However, a major thoroughfare ran between him and there. Technicians, workers and lots of medical personnel moved through that intersection, all certainly under the watchful eye of security cameras.

However, he had no choice. He had to get across.

Like a swimmer diving into shark-infested waters, Dice took a deep breath and stepped from the muted lighting of the side passage into the bright lights of the main corridor.

He kept his eyes pointed down and walked brisk, but not too fast. He wanted to hurry but not look as if he were hurrying.

Dice made it half way across—into the very center of the hall—when the alarm klaxons blared to life and an announcement told: "ATTENTION. STATION IS ON MAXIMUM ALERT."

Quaid had always considered himself a man of action: Quick reflexes, always a witty one-liner, and the ability to think on his feet.

The man of action froze in the wide-open middle of the hallway. Just froze.

He did not even move when he heard the stampede of military boots echo along the hall.

Dice raised his eyes, sighed, and saw two columns of battle-dressed soldiers racing toward him.

Okay, now, where's that air lock?

Still, he did not move. What would be the point?

The soldiers bore down on him. The sound of their fast-marching boots filled the hall…as they raced right past him.

Dice watched them go with a sense of complete puzzlement. At first, he thought the boys were just near-sighted. He had to stop himself from calling, 'I'm right here, assholes!'

Then it hit him. They weren't after him. The station was on alert but not on alert for him.

For some reason, he found that realization to be a blow to his ego.

After a moment, he realized he had not moved. The nurses and technicians of the Military Station's Hospital and Research Level began to take notice of the poorly dressed, rough-looking soldier standing stalk-still in the middle of the corridor.

Dice smiled, chuckled, waved to the onlookers, and then proceeded toward the side corridor again.

He felt some small relief in leaving behind the brightness for the darkness but, after walking along the secondary hallway for a spell, he began to feel as if he were being followed.

Dice considered his options as he walked along a dimly lit, thin passage.

He could run. He could turn around and pop his pursuer. He could—

"Dicey? That you Dicey-wicey?"

Dicey-wicey?

Oh no.

Dice snapped about in response to the female voice. The woman, dressed in a nurse's uniform with a security badge pinned to her chest, stepped into the glow of a utility light.

"Ohmygod it is you! Dicey!"

Dice squinted and examined the red-haired, green-eyed woman.

"Um..?"

The smile the woman wore quickly changed to a frown.

"You don't remember me."

She stepped forward and placed a solitary finger against his lips.

"You don't remember…Dianna…hmmm?"

Dice's eyes widened and a devilish smirk slapped onto his face.

"Oh, hey, yeah, Dianna. Of course. The hanger deck in zero g…that was a long time ago."

Dianna smiled again.

"Like, oh my God I haven't seen you in forever. We used to hang out a lot back in the day. I mean, gee, really hang out."

Dice scratched his chin.

"Yeah, um, well, I've been busy, see and--"

Her eyes widened as a memory blasted into her mind.

"Wait a second. I remember why I haven't seen you around in a while. You went on that drop operation in Russia and never came back. They said you…ohmygod…they said you deserted."

Dice fidgeted.

"Oh, now, geez, not really, no, see, um, I kinda got lost and all and I—"

"Like, I should go and report you right this second, shouldn't I?"

"A…now you wouldn't wanna do that to old Dicey, would you?"
She smiled.

"Well, I could be convinced. But wait a second, why would you come all the way back here if you knew they'd shoot you?"

Dice put both hands on her shoulders, gazed at her with the eyes she had always found so sexy, and told Dianna the truth.

"Listen, Dianna, this is really important. There's a bunch of people down there on Earth that need food to survive, see? And this guy by the name of Captain Koal brought up from the surface a type of, well, special genetic corn seed thing. I dunno. You know I've never been too swift about these things, right? Anyway, I'm figuring this Koal guy took the sample to his quarters and I wanna get it back and get it down to those people on Earth who are starving."

Her eyes drooped like a puppy dog's.

"Oh, Dicey, that's so sweet. You're only doing this to feed a bunch of hungry groundlings. I always knew you had a heart of gold. But I know this Captain Koal guy; he does some work for the biological sciences division. Any samples like that he brought back from the surface will be stored in a special lab down on level 38. And Dicey, you're not going to just walk in."

He took his hands from her shoulders and grunted.

Of course, it would not be simple.

Dianna brightened his mood.

"Ta-da!"

She pointed to the security badge on her chest.

"Things have changed since you left, Dicey. I've got top security clearance. I mean, it took a lot of long nights of hard work…"

Yeah, Dianna, hard work in some hot bunks no doubt.

"…but I've got a top-notch security clearance. My card will get you inside."

Dice reached for it, but not fast enough. She avoided his fingers.

"Ah-ah-ah," she wagged a finger. "Before I do for you, I want you to do for me."

Dice's expression corkscrewed.

"Huh? Well, sure, I suppose. What is it you want?"

"I want you to…I want you to do for me. You know, Dicey-wicey," she ran a hand on his chest. "Just like the old days."

Dice swallowed.

"Um, Dianna, I mean, time is short and I can't just go, you know, walking around this station. Being a wanted man and all."

"Oh, you are such a wanted man, Dicey. But we don't have to go far. Why look, there's a dark corner over there."

She pointed to shadowed dead end around the corner of the maintenance passage. Then she placed a hand on his chest and pushed. Dice retreated a step, then two, then more.

Dianna began to disrobe, first pulling off her medical tunic and dropping it on the metal grating of the floor.

"Dianna. I mean, really…"

Her hands slipped under his shirt.

"Oh, now, c'mon Dicey-wicey. I'm sure this isn't the worst thing you've had to do."

Dice considered.

Fighting Blue, blasting past automatons, getting held at gunpoint by Pa's rednecks, stun-gunned by Vladimir's boys, and sneaking into a shuttle.

No, this was definitely not the worst thing he's had to do recently.

Dice let Dianna push him into the dark corner. He let her disrobe him to match her own nakedness. Then he went to work, paying his due in exchange for her access card to get him in the bio lab where, hopefully, the genetic corn and the designer drug would be stored.

Neither Dice nor Dianna noticed the blond woman with the twin ponytails, nearly out of breath, as she peeked around the dark corner and quietly stole away with Dianna's discarded tunic, security card and all.

Dianna was not satisfied with just one round of payment. It took a good half an hour before she was ready to hand over her share of the bargain.

"Ohmygod. My clothes are gone!"

"Huh?"

Dice pulled his own top over his muscular frame. Dianna, on the other hand, had nothing to wear at all.

"My clothes! Urrgg. Someone stole them!"

Dice smacked a hand on his forehead.

"I have to repot this right away. Ohmygod, I'm going to loose credits over this!"

She narrowed her eyes.

"This is all your fault!"

"Wait, no, honey, Dianna, baby, please now. I kept my part of the bargain…didn't I?"

He flashed his eyes and offered a subtle grin. Dianna could not resist.

"Oh, Dicey-wicey."

"Now tell me, Dianna, where is this lab?

"Oh, Dicey. On level thirty-eight. You'll see it marked 'Bio Sample Storage.' But Dicey, without my card how are you going to get in?"

Dice scratched his chin.

"I dunno. Guess I'll just wing it. Thanks anyway, Dianna. Really, you're a peach."

She placed a finger on his lips.

"Remember that, Dicey. I'm a peach. Anytime you want a bite…"

"Sure, hey, you betchya."

Dice gave her a peck on the forehead and walked off along the dark corridor, offering one last wave as he left.

"Ohmygod," Dianna said to herself and patted her chest. "He's sooo awesome."

---

Dice happened upon a forgotten toolbox among the dark passages of the maintenance area. From it, he took a screwdriver and a set of wire cutters, both necessary parts of his plan to get into the bio lab once he found it. His plan assumed, of course, that the folks on Second Earth had not done any major re-wiring in the years since he had left.

He spent several minutes sneaking down emergency stairwells until arriving on level thirty-eight.

Based on the number of activity there, he feared he might have been spotted. He could hear guards shouting, alarms blaring, and all sorts of commotion.

Nonetheless, he ventured out from the back corridors and into the light of the main halls, whistling as he walked.

Hello. What is this?

Dice came upon a junction near an elevator. Lying on the floor in front of the elevator were several Second Earth soldiers, each groaning, grunting, and grabbing their heads. Dice noticed taser-patches on their clothing. Someone had zapped the boys with a stunner.

He gingerly stepped around the crowd as the men, still groggy, tried to make their way back to consciousness. Dice remembered that he, too, had once been hit by a stun-patch back in the days when he called the space stations home. It had left him with a hell of a headache.

He found—much to his surprise and his delight—that the corridors were mainly clear. Apparently some sort of emergency was in progress—probably a drill—and most of the techs and workers had cleared out.

It wasn't until he arrived at the Bio Sample Storage door that he saw a large group of people. That group hovered at the end of a long corridor around the corner from Dice's destination. He could not see who hovered there, only a crowd of soldiers in front of a lab door. From what he could guess, they had some poor bastard cornered down there: probably the person responsible for drawing security's attention away from Dice.

Hey pal, thanks for all your help. Wish I could return the favor.

Dice, however, had more things to worry about than whoever had gotten into trouble with station security. He had to find a way past the locked storage room door without a key card.

He scanned the hall up and down and found what he wanted, just a few feet from the target door.

First bit of good luck all day.

He approached a panel set low on the wall about five feet from the Bio Sample Storage room. A few turns of the screwdriver removed the panel, revealing a tangled set of wires running through the wall.

Dice knew those wires to be part of the security override system. They allowed the bigwigs sitting in the command center to take control of doors, bulkheads, lights and more.

Quaid had learned his fair of tricks back in the days when he used to cause trouble on Second Earth. Indeed, there were very few areas he could not access back then, not because of security clearance but because of ingenuity.

Still, which wire?

Dice squatted but kept ready—he knew that if this worked the door would open but only for a split second, giving him a short window to get inside before the redundant systems sealed the bulkhead again.

Hmmm…

Dice took a close look at a red wire, a blue wire, and a yellow wire.

He cringed, closed his eyes, opened them again, and cut the blue wire.

Dice heard the snap of a circuit breaking then the electronic whir of a door sliding open. The distant whir.

He glanced toward the Bio Sample Storage room door. It remained shut.

Hehe, I opened the wrong door.

Dice heard commotion from that group down the hall. He paid it no mind.

Let's try the red wire…

When the red wire cut, the target door opened.

Dice leapt to his feet, raced three paces, and dove just as the portal slid shut.

He landed on the cold floor inside the Bio Sample Storage room.

Yes!

Dice rose to his feet and stumbled about inside the dark room until finding the light switch. Two banks of flourescents flickered to life and cast the small but orderly room in a sterile glow.

The chamber—little more than a glorified closet—was home to several large cabinets with hermetically sealed drawers, each with different labels.

TANK BEETLE CORE SAMPLES

LAND WHALE EXOSKELETON SHARDS

SLEEPER TISSUE SAMPLES

UNIDENTIFIED BIOLOGICAL MASS

SAMPLES PENDING ANALYSIS

The last label caught Dice's attention. It was affixed to a large door. He swung it open and revealed a series of shelves with various vials, beakers, and boxes. He recognized one container as the small chest Agatha Dwiddle's daughter had handed to Captain Koal.

He opened it and found both the drug and the corn vials inside.

Dice theorized that Koal had a confidant in the Biological Analysis Department, someone Koal trusted to examine both the genetic heroine and the genetic corn seed.

Dice planned not to give them the chance. He didn't like the fascists who ran Second Earth, but he did not like the idea of a new, easy-to-produce designer drug hitting the market up here, either. The poor bastards of Second Earth had enough to worry about; they didn't need another drug.

Good intentions aside, Dice also knew the genetic heroine might be a bargaining chip for him to use with Vladimir or Dwiddle, should it come to that.

Now…let's get out of here.

Dice turned off the lights and opened the door.

She stood in front of the door, blocking his path. A tall woman with glasses and short, dark hair dressed in the uniform of a high-ranking office.

Her eyes widened.

"Dice? Dice Quaid?"

Since it had already worked for Dice once that day, he tried to be charming again.

"Amick? Amick, baby!"

Amick Hendar smiled…then slapped Dice across the face hard enough to make his head wobble.