A Day Out

Old but functional. The beacon had been there a long time, so long that nature had retaken the site.

Shrubs grew up and through the rusting wire chain link fence, although it was hard to recognise it through the green blanket of bindweed and brambles that covered it from end to end. One corner of the fence around the beacon had collapsed, the concrete pillar that had held it in place broken by a large tree, chunks of rubble clinging stubbornly to the rusting rebar inside it.

Beyond the fence, a wide plain of weeds and other shrubs grew amongst a carpet of white flowering bindweed that surrounded and almost engulfed the square concrete bunker in the centre, its surface pitted and flaked, exposing more rusting metal. Near it, the skeletal form of the beacon was slowly being consumed by the bindweed that grew up the support legs and draped down from the main structure.

The area was full of an electrical buzzing sound from the beacon and it almost drowned the sound of insects. Bees bustled to and fro between the wild flowers nestling amongst the weeds as they gathered their nectar. Birds flew over the site catching food for their young, some nestling on the beacon in between flights back to their nests in the forest that surrounded the beacon site.

Near the fence, the air was suddenly full of energy and a shimmering metallic sound as a two men materialised from nowhere inside a glowing white energy field.

"Down and safe, " the leader of the pair lifted his hand to his mouth and activated a button on the teleport bracelet around his left wrist.

"There's no one here, Blake." The other man sneered as he put his gun away in its holster. "No need for your melodramatics."

Blake bit back his tongue at the remark, but gave Avon a glare before looking around to see the overgrown site around the beacon.

He had to admit that Avon was right. The area was deserted and clearly had been for some time. Was the planet as deserted as ORAC had claimed? And why had the Federation abandoned it?

The wind from the west blew several clouds across the sky, masking the sunlight for a time and the air cooled a little until it reappeared.

Blake glanced at the clouds above as the breeze ruffled his hair and both men looked towards the bunker.

"Shall we go?" Blake snapped as he moved through the brambles and tried go through the gap in the fence before he felt Avon's hand on his shoulder.

"It looks deserted and probably it is, but shouldn't we check for other security?"

Avon's question rang in Blake's ears. He knew he should have brought Vila but the man's wheedling tone of late had been irritating him. Vila missed Gan, and since his death had been spending more time on the flight deck, whereas before they'd been elsewhere on the ship with Gan trying, and usually failing, to keep Vila out of trouble. He sighed and activated the comms button on his bracelet.

"Liberator?"

"We hear you." Cally's voice replied.

"Tell Vila to come down and bring his kit." Blake ordered.

Several moments later, Vila materialised nearby, looking nervous but carrying a small satchel.

"Nice day, isn't it?" He joked, feeling the warm sunlight on his face as he glanced around. "Reminds me of Earth."

Blake visibly winced at the barb whilst Avon merely raised an eyebrow in mild amusement at Blake's discomfort.

"The site around the bunker. Any security?"

"Give me a moment." Vila replied as he rummaged in the satchel to find a hand scanner.

Avon watched with a curious yet knowing look as Vila's demeanour changed from nervous to cool and businesslike within seconds. His keen eyes scanned the overgrown site searching for any signs of security cameras and he swept the grounds around the bunker with the scanner.

"Nothing hiding amongst the weeds. No mines or tripwires. There are two cameras, but they appear to be locked in place by the overgrowth." He pointed to a pair of weathered black boxes wrapped by brambles and bindweed. "Even if they were working, I don't think they could warn anyone, if anyone was here, if you see what I mean."

Avon remained impassive whilst Blake rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

The three picked their way across the grounds through the brambles and thistles, careful not to let the ever present bindweed catch their feet. It took a while to find the entrance, largely hidden by the overgrowth.

Blake pointed out the access panel for the door as Vila was giving it careful examination.

"Can you open it?"

"I haven't seen one of these for a while." Vila grinned as he reached inside his tunic for a small walet full of small metal probes. "Old, easy to crack. They haven't used this model for a good twenty years."

As he was talking, he deftly worked the probes in and around the access panel and after several seconds he stood back. "Done."

The door suddenly slid back and a rush of stale air exited the bunker. The air was suddenly full of a foetid smell. Whatever was causing it, the bunker was looking increasingly unappealing to Vila. Beyond the door, a flight of stairs led down to a corridor. It looked to be lit, although the occasional flicker indicated a dying striplight.

"Er, I'll stay out here on guard?" Vila looked from the open doorway to Blake and Avon with a hopeful smile. Blake simply looked irritated whilst Avon gave him a wry grin.

"My hero!" Avon said sarcastically. "These places rarely have any further security. He may as well stay out here."

And with that, Avon stepped through the doorway and carefully climbed down the stairs. Blake was about to follow him before he turned to Vila.

"Stay under cover and call in if need be."

Vila left the bunker entrance after a wary look round and quickly ran through the weeds, scrambled over the broken fence and towards the trees. His heart beating, he quickly settled down into a hollow behind a tree a short distance from the fence around the beacon site. It gave him enough cover from prying eyes but he also had an excellent view of the bunker. Hopefully, it wouldn't take Avon long to find the equipment he needed. Blake could do the fetching and carrying for a change.

The hollow was cool, the shade giving respite from the heat of the sun and it was likely summer here on this planet. Vila's earlier comment about Earth was accurate - it did feel like Earth from what he remembered of the few times he'd left the domed city and when they'd returned for the abortive attack on Control.

He breathed in and noticed the pungent smell of wild garlic amidst all the other aromas of the undergrowth. Suddenly he heard a fluttering sound from above. Startled, his head snapped upwards searching for what has caused the sound. His eyes quickly settled on a small bird sitting on a branch a few metres above him. For a few seconds, it eyed Vila with a suspicious gaze before it decided he was no threat and began preening itself, the yellow beak contrasting with the jet black feathers..

Vila watched the bird for some time, enthralled by its movements. When it was finished preening, it gave him another glance and then started to sing. It wasn't particularly musical, but it was a wonderful sound as it sang it's heart out to anyone who would listen. There were other birds singing elsewhere amongst the trees, whilst smaller birds played and squawked between themselves. Vila found it moving, humbling even. A painful reminder of something humanity had lost, closeted away as it was in the domed cities or glorified tin cans in deep space.

He enjoyed the peace and quiet, the almost serene tranquility making him pine for a quieter life and for a moment he considered staying here. Vila sighed, knowing it was a pipedream. Whilst there was no Federation threat and he would be away from the dangers inherent in Blake's crusade, there was nothing to steal and the challenge of a locked door wouldn't be here either. Nice for a short rest, but a long stay didn't appeal.

He caught a patch of colour in the corner of his eye and looked more closely. He smiled at the thought that had just crossed his mind.

"Vila!"

Startled by the shout, the bird took off and flew away from the tree and deeper into the forrest

Having taken the opportunity for a quick nap, Vila opened his eyes as he heard Blake's voice shouting his name in the distance. He looked around the tree to see Blake and Avon running quickly through the vegetation around the bunker and towards the gap in the fence.

The ground shook slightly as a dull crump could be heard from within the bunker and several seconds later a plume of black smoke emanated from the entrance. The electrical buzzing noise ceased and the air was still for a few moments before the sounds of the wildlife filled the air again.

Leaving the cover of the trees, Vila ran towards the pair.

"Three for Teleport, Cally." Blake watched as almost breathless, Vila reached the pair.

"Confirmed."

And with a white flash of energy, the three dematerialised. Other than the slowly dissipating pall of smoke over the bunker, it was as though they had never been there.

"So what was in there?"

Avon looked up from the small datapad he was working on at the sound of Jenna's voice

"Nothing. It was an empty underground storage depot, abandoned as it's too out of the way to be economic." His tone was clipped, obviously irritated at the distraction.

"So why the beacon?"

"It's not a beacon as such, it links the base into the Federation's communications network. They may decide they need it at a future date so why remove the equipment? Fortunately for us."

"So they know we've been here?" Jenna asked cautiously.

"Perhaps, but given the condition of the beacon, I doubt that." Avon gave a slight shake of the head and went back to work.

"Jenna?"

The blonde woman looked up from the flight imstruments, seeing Cally enter the flight deck.

"Have you seen Vila?" Cally asked with an amused tone as she crossed to the pilot's station.

"No," Jenna shook her head. "He's not been up here since we left Yanis 3."

"Tell him I want to speak to him. I think he's been in my cabin again."

"I'd better check mine." Jenna sighed and left her flight seat. "Can you keep an eye on it?"

"Yes." Cally smiled as she took the pilot's seat.

Jenna left the flightdeck and traced her way through the brightly lit labyrinthine corridors of the Liberator to her cabin on what she always assumed was the ship's port side. It may have been vanity, but she'd always enjoyed her status in the past on free trader ships as posh, or Port out, Starboard home as the old saying went. As such, she'd taken the chance when she'd found herself on the ship to get a good cabin. Whilst not large, by the standards she was used to it was positively palatial.

The door slid back as she approached and she stepped through into the cabin with a suspicious air. She could smell a whiff of Vila's aftershave over her own perfume and there was another smell, something fresh, barely noticeable.

She swore silently. Cally had been right and the thief was up to his old tricks of burgling their cabins, or "keeping my hand in" as he would claim later with an innocent smirk on his face.

Jenna had to confess that it was fairly harmless and nothing was ever taken, but still, it was annoying and it was an invasion of privacy. He hadn't done it for a while so why now?

She glanced around the brightly lit cabin, with little personalisation to break the silvers and greys of the walls. Any pilot worth their salt tidied anything loose away lest it get broken during turbulence. The red tartan woollen blanket she'd picked up at a market a year ago still lay over the bunk set into the wall and a hairbrush, with several long strands of her golden hair trailing from it, lay on the small shelf beside a mirror fastened to the wall. Her beloved burgundy and grey leather trouser suit hung neatly over the back of a single chair.

A flash of bright colours caught her eye and Jenna looked more closely at it. There, sitting in a small clear glass vase, was a bunch of freshly picked wild flowers in various colours – reds, blues, yellows and white.

Jenna gave a warm smile and reached for the flower she liked the most. It was a wonderful shade of deep blue that matched the colour of the flowing dress she wore. Taking it from the vase, she breathed in its scent.

"Home." She murmured quietly with a smile in her voice as she replaced it in the vase. She noticed a small envelope next to it and opened it. She could barely read Vila's spidery handwriting.

"You didn't get a chance to get out, so I brought it to you."