Chapter 35 (Vanguard, Alice Jones)
Alice was informed she would see the facility's commander within the hour. This had been three hours ago. The commander was working on a huge project to build two massive cities for the human race and his time was limited, delay was to be expected. When she looked through the panoramic windows in the observation deck, she could understand his delay. Anyone with this much responsibility would need all the time they could get. She wasn't worried because this task would be the easiest and shortest of them all.
It would require a few days for the others to return to the finish line but she felt confident her mission would only take one day at the most. She continued to stare at the cities as she dreamed about the prize money she would win. Both cities were magnificent; she had always lived on one city and never seen a bird's-eyes view of two cities being constructed side by side, especially in space.
One of the cities had managed to activate its shield, and teams of botanists and planters had already begun to construct parks and open land. Most of the natural soil was hauled in by huge starships that scooped up vast lands of processed dirt from planets in the nearby sector. Once the starships returned to the city, the soil was dumped over the metallic base that surrounded the city. She watched for hours as rapid work soon turned the dull and barren land into agricultural plantations and parks. The city was growing and she saw hordes of people moving in from the main access gates that connected the two cities together by a huge passageway arm.
She then moved her gaze towards the shieldless city and watched the final bits of construction on the skyscrapers and roads. Alice suspected the city would have its shield online soon. She knew the workers wanted to use the unshielded time to dump supplies and materials in the center of the city before they had to dock with docking ports and haul the goods through the passageways. It was a good strategy and she marveled at the efficient work everyone was doing.
She was interrupted by a call. "Alice, are you there?"
She recognized that dreary voice and answered, after exhaling her disapproval. "Yes. What do you want, Samuel?"
"We might have an extra job later before we leave. Can you come down to the Privilege bar in the main asteroid complex? It should be fairly safe to talk there."
Another job? Alice thought to herself. She scanned the observation deck to catch any eavesdroppers that might have been in the area. She was supposed to see Elvis, but she had discovered the interview was not going to take place today. Still, the opportunity for another job would see extra credit go into their account and Alice jumped at any chance to earn that much more. It could also boost her profile when she reported doing a job while performing the graduation race. However, she grunted her disapproval as she remembered the location of where she needed to be. The Privilege bar!
Alice knew all too well what that young man would be doing in an establishment like that. But a job was a job and she slowly made her way there, asking the computer for directions.
It did not take too long for Alice to find the bar. Loud noises and the excited hordes of people who left and entered the place made it pretty obvious—apart from the sign on the entrance saying Privilege bar—and she walked in and tried to remain unobtrusive. However, the moment she sat down at the bar and ordered a drink, she was pounced upon by a group of greasy female workers who appeared to prey on the weak.
"Look what we have here," a woman sneered. She tilted her head and gave cheesy looks to her friends. They grinned, laughing in the background.
The woman, who'd started the conversation, seemed well built and was obviously the leader of the pack. They looked like construction workers who had worked a long day in one of the cities. Alice had no idea why they decided to pick on her but her silence only made matters worse. The female moved closer.
"I asked you a question, bitch. What's your name, and why are you here?" She looked straight into her eyes and Alice twitched as the oily aroma rose up from her breasts.
"My name's Al…"
"Shut up!" the woman demanded. She pressed her face deeper into Alice's personal space, like she deliberately wanted to invoke some kind of response. "Did I ask you to speak to me?"
Alice backed away from her stool; she did not know what to do. Then to make matters worse, the greasy woman's friends joined the crowd of people that were building up around the area.
"Little girls like you should not be here. Methinks we need to teach some newbies a lesson," the greasy leader announced. She pulled a small device from her deep pockets and waved it around.
Alice was sure that it was some kind of high voltage stun weapon and she began to realize the depth of her own predicament. She knew that she was going to be harmed. She was surprised to hear a familiar voice, strong and loud. "Leave her alone!"
Samuel barged through the angry crowd and grabbed Alice by her hand. "I'm sorry, Alice, I didn't know this was going to happen." He looked at the greasy woman and Alice knew that he was slowly making the situation worse, like he always did.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, we're all human. You should save that attitude for the Minbari. What's wrong with you?" Samuel snapped.
"There is nothing wrong with these women." Alice heard more voices boom over the already chaotic atmosphere. Three burly men stepped out from the shadows and slithered past the crowd of workers. She knew they wanted to join the fun. "You're in the wrong place doll. Little virgins like you shouldn't be here, and little cherry boys shouldn't get involved. We've tolerated your kind for far too long. I think its time we send a small example to the rest of the facility…"
"Yeah, men!" others sneered, cheering in the background.
The crowd yelled in an uproar and the largest man grabbed Samuel by the arm and tossed him around like a rag doll. Samuel was no match for the huge heavyweight. Before Alice could do anything, she was stunned to the floor by the woman who had the taser and felt a sharp pain rip through her body. She felt completely defenseless and open for abuse. She felt her mousy blond hair entangled with the stool and the beefy men stood around her like hungry predators. Then to her horror, the men began to beat Samuel to the ground. Alice could do nothing but watch as Samuel received devastating blows to his abdomen and chest. His cries for help only went unnoticed and before long, Alice felt someone grab her feet. She cried out, but it was no use. Oily hands crept up her legs and someone ripped open her blouse, exposing her white patterned bra…
Then the attack stopped!
The crowd had stopped moving and the music, which had been bellowing out in the background, suddenly ceased.
Alice heard the sound of glasses hit the floor. Then an insulating blanket of silence crashed down upon them. Alice had never heard such silence before. It was so quiet; she could even hear her own heartbeat. She looked around and saw the oily workers frozen in complete fear. No human had ever looked so terrified, or guilty.
Suddenly she heard murmurs fly around the room from one end to the other. She pulled herself from floor and covered her exposed bra, puzzled at what just happened.