Chapter 15: Realization

"Payton do you copy?" It was Bower calling on the radio. "Do you copy? Can you hear me?"

Payton had been dozing in the chair and nearly fell out of it when he heard the inbound message. He scrambled to answer. "I'm here. I copy. Where are you?"

"I'm in a storage tank somewhere below B level near the cryopod personnel chamber. Mid ship sector 12, I think."

It was amazing that Bower hadn't gotten himself eaten yet. Payton was impressed, "How the hell did you get all the way on the other side of the ship?"

"There's no time for that, Lieutenant. The reactor is shutting down faster than I thought. I need you to access the memory banks from the last power surge and run a Kolzer complex test."

"Accessing memory banks now." Payton was amazed at how fluid and effortlessly he ran through the programs and accessed the memory banks that he needed. It was probably from countless training exercises. "Running Kolzer complex. You're not going to like this, Corporal. The test says you have less than 47 minutes before complete system failure."

"That's less time than I had hoped." Bower sounded worried.

"What can I do to help?"

"I need the most direct path there."

"Roger that." Payton worked on it, found him the most direct route and relayed it to him because the radio that Bower was using wasn't a mobile unit. "Call me as soon as you can. I'll be on standby here. Good luck."

Payton leaned back in the chair thinking to himself when he was hit with a sudden current of memories streaming into his mind. It was all coming back to him now. Seeing the tapes of inhuman behavior, watching himself play God, all of the dark memories hidden away in his brain were returning in a flood. The images of recollection came back in a rush that dropped him to his knees. All of the sights, the smells, the textures, the places, the people... everything and everywhere and everyone that he had interacted with after he took over the bridge, came back in a crushing tidal wave within his mind.

He felt the wave pass over his body into every fiber of his being and when it had washed away, Payton was gone and Gallo was back. Gallo. Lieutenant Commander Damien Gallo was his name. His real name. He wasn't part of the Flight Crew. He was part of the Flight Command.

Gallo had been on deck along with the Captain and the Commander when the transmission had come through: "This is Earth's final transmission to the Elysium. It has come to our attention that we on Earth will be destroyed within the hour. The details of our destruction are not important only that your mission must succeed at all costs. You hold and carry the hope of all mankind. Our future has come to an end but your future will endure. Humanity will begin again on Pandorum. You're all that's left of us. Good luck. God bless and God speed."

When Gallo heard Earth was gone, he had been devastated. At least, he had thought to himself, Samantha and the kids are okay. He just had to wait one year and he'd be able to see them again. Just one year.

But no. The Captain and the Commander had lied. There was no transport Utopia bringing up their rear a year behind them. It had been destroyed along with Earth. They lied. They FUCKING LIED! Gallo screamed a horrible howl that rivaled the hunter's. Motherfuckers! They lied! The goddamn miserable bastards lied!

His boy and girl, Kyle and Eva they had named them. They were going to be the first children to colonize Pandorum. He had to receive special permission to allow them on board because they were still toddlers. Just innocent babies. He could see their angelic faces gurgling and grinning at him.

Samantha. His beautiful wife. They had met at a class during their officer training. She had dropped out when they got married and decided to have kids. It took three years and two miscarriages for her to finally get pregnant. They had been so happy. He had already been selected for the Elysium mission so he knew that sacrifices were necessary for them to settle down and enjoy parenthood. He was willing to accept what needed to be done as long as his family stayed together.

But no. They had lied! The fucking bastards! They lied!

The anger gave way to the great sorrow that burrowed out deep from within his heart and he sobbed. He cried for his wife, for his boy and his baby girl. He wept for quite a while until his tears turned hot. A burner was lit under his sorrow and was heating it to a boiling point. He felt the hatred and vile anger returning to him.

Gallo had made them pay. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

Gallo quietly entered Captain's Head and waited while the Captain finished with the urinal. After he flushed, the Captain stood there a few moments, deep in thought and was surprised to see him standing at the door.

The Captain was a lot older and smaller in stature than Gallo and he had always suspected that deep down the smaller man was intimidated by him. His suspicions were correct, judging by the way the Captain gave a start. "Gallo!" he said with fear in his voice, "You surprised me." Nervousness played in his eyes and overshadowed his face even as he forced a smile.

Gallo had stood there fighting the urge to kill. He wanted the Captain to suffer first. A quick death was too easy. He struggled to contain the ugly rage inside. All he managed was, "Sir."

"You know I have an open door policy but if you wanted to see me, I'd rather it be at my desk where we could be more comfortable." He was still smiling but Gallo could see tiny beads of sweat on his upper lip.

"Why did you lie to me?"

The Captain looked deflated. He raised his hands and assumed a mollifying tone, "Now Gallo, we've been through this. We want the residing crew and subsequent crews to be focused and battle ready. We cannot distract them with this dire news. It could have devastating consequences on the mission."

"Who gave you permission to make decisions like that? What makes you think that what you're doing is best for all of us?"

"I've been given the authority by the President of the United States. I've been more than patient with you and you're insubordinate behavior. You need to stand down and stop questioning my judgment and my orders."

"My family was on board the Utopia."

The Captain's face was clouded with grief. "So was mine."

"I had twins. Beautiful innocent children."

"This was a tragedy for all of us on board, Lieutenant Commander."

"My wife." Gallo felt tears streaming down his face.

"I lost my daughter and grandchild. We've all suffered, Gallo. Don't you understand? We have to unite in the shadow of this tragedy not let it divide us. We have to carry on for the sake of all humanity."

"All you had to do was be honest." Gallo could feel the fury building again. "I was comforted by the thought of being able to see them again even if I had to wait a whole year. You took that away from me. It wasn't some cosmic cataclysm or act of God that took that hope away from me. It was you and the Commander."

The Captain sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. "I'm sorry, Gallo. I don't know what else I can say to you."

Gallo bore down on him swiftly. The knife found its mark. He held the Captain down as he gasped and kicked for air. Bellows of breath erupted from his ruined throat spraying Gallo in a fine mist of blood. He watched the surprised and horrified look in the Captain's eyes as he struggled to breathe but couldn't. Minutes passed and the expression changed to the realization and acceptance of death. Gallo stared into the dead eyes of the Captain, "It was good watching you die, you son of a bitch."

Covered in blood, Gallo went to the Captain's desk and called the Commander into the office then he waited behind the door. He heard the knock a few seconds later and said enter. As the Commander stepped into the room, Gallo slammed it behind her, knocking her off balance. She cried out, fell to the floor and turned towards him, eyes wide with fear. "Oh my God! Gallo! What are you doing?"

She was a shapely brunette a few years older than Gallo with flawless skin and soft blue eyes. He could smell her perfume. Having her supine before him, filled him with a sense of power that he had never felt before.

The Commander saw that he was covered in blood and screamed. Gallo came towards her but her hysteria was a ploy. As he was drooling, thinking of obscene things that he was going to do her, she kicked him in the balls when he stepped within range. Agony. He fell back against the door grabbing his privates, legs buckling and useless, feeling nauseated.

She got to her feet and ran to the Captain's desk. She opened the top drawer and rifled through the contents, little pants and soft cries escaping her as her desperation mounted.

"Looking for this?" He held up the handgun that he had removed from the desk minutes beforehand.

After she saw the gun in his hand, she began to cry.

"Now we're going to have some fun." He winced as his stood up straight, still in a lot of pain. "All you've done by fighting back," he told her, while supporting his genitals tenderly, "Was given me yet another reason to make you suffer, bitch!"

"Gallo, please. Please don't do this. Whatever it is you're thinking, please don't hurt me."

"Why not? You didn't seem to care about hurting me. You lied right to my face without even blinking an eye!" He took a step towards her brandishing the gun and the knife.

"I was only following orders." She crossed her arms over her chest, still weeping.

"Well now you're following my orders. Strip down. Everything off, now."

She bawled harder, "Please don't."

"Your stalling is only going to piss me off more, so strip! Now!"

She stripped, crying the entire time, trembling with fear. The Commander was a beauty in her smart uniform, perfectly brushed hair and carefully applied makeup. Fully nude, she was a thrilling spectacle, built for desire. She was exciting, busty, petite, perfectly tanned. He forced himself upon her, using his body as a weapon to hurt her, to punish her. He was excited by her suffering, feeling a power that he had never felt before. She had brought him to three mind blowing orgasms, each more powerful than the one before it. Afterward, she curled into a bleeding, unresponsive fetal position. Gallo straddled her and strangled the life from her, looking directly into her eyes as she died.

He immediately regretted killing her. The Commander was a superior beauty, one not easily found among the rest of the females of the crew. He should have kept her alive, made her serve him, enslaved her as a personal attendant like the kings of old.

Gallo stared down at her lifeless body for a few minutes. He studied her sightless eyes, her blue lips and bloodless skin. Even in death she was beautiful. He caught his reflection in the mirror behind the Captain's desk and barely recognized himself. He was blood spattered, eyes empty and cold like those of a serpent. His face was set with a calculated and heartless determination yet flushed with a colorful maniacal glee.

At that point, he realized he had lost his humanity.

Gallo was still on his knees, shaking and burning with hatred. The memories of his retribution over the Captain and the Commander had fed the flames of rage momentarily but he knew soon he would need to induce more suffering to sate his fury.

He had only begun to make them suffer. All would pay dearly for the anguish and loss that he had endured. All of them would worship him or die by his hand.

Gallo stood before the computer console which showed a schematic of the entire massive ship. Bower had explored less than ten percent of it and the hunters patrolled less than twenty. There were no doubt more survivors, no doubt more heroes awake and struggling to survive in the other, so far, unexplored areas.

Gallo had yet to unleash the band of hunters upon these poor unsuspecting souls.

There were so many more games to play.

With his commanding officers dead, Gallo was in charge of the entire mission. The fate of the ship rested in his hands along with the fate of the rest of the crew. He stared at his hands in marvel, knowing that he had already accomplished so much. There was still more to do, yes much more. He chuckled to himself. He wasn't done with his work yet. Not by a long shot.

Now for the first time, he actually had a lead character to star in his game. Bower. The hero. Gallo looked at the schematic hologram, saw that Bower was busy traveling toward the aft of the ship, to the reactor.

Gallo realized that he couldn't play with Bower yet. He couldn't begin to search the other unknown depths of the ship for other survivors yet. Not until after the reactor was reset. He had to focus on Bower, had to make sure Bower was successful. All Gallo had to do was wait.