“Alright, so here’s the plan, everyone listening?” Gizzy asked as they sat huddled in the captain’s quarters. “Are you drinking a redbull?” She asked Dee.
“I need the caffeine to stay sharp.” Dee shrugged.
“I saved 8 redbulls when the ship exploded. You’re a damn robot, you don’t even taste it!”
“Okay, I just…stole a can and filled it with water. You guys got me on full realism and Dee drinks redbull, It makes me feel like a real person, mkay?”
“5 day old empty can from the middle of the mess hall trash can.” Gizzy said grabbing it and smelling it.
“…I’m a nasty bitch.” She shrugged.
“Oh, we really botched your programming. Anyway, we got a distress signal from a freighter. We’re low on supplies and that’s our excuse. Vinn, you stay behind with Deebot and say you’re fixing her broken shoulder.”
“They won’t be suspicious when I don’t have a bro-HEY FUCK!” she objected as Gizzy yanked Dee's shoulder joint and broke it.
“Relax, you don’t feel anything.”
“Offended. I feel offended.” Dee barked.
“No you don’t, that’s just a programmed response. While we’re gone looting and looking for survivors, you clone Vicki from THIS memory file. I’ve added a video intro of me explaining everything in a detailed 2 hour memory so she should wake up fully up to date on the situation. Once we get basic supplies, Nicole can lead Jack to the weapon's locker to 'help you navigate it.' Then, lead him as close as you can to the docking port before he gets suspicious and ask him some questions. Once he answers them... or doesn't, you jab him with the knockout pen. By then, Vinn should have the new Vicki armed and ready to retrieve Jack. The second you get him in, disconnect from the ship, fire on the engines and the weapons grid here and here." Gizzy points to a couple of buttons.
"That should cripple the ship with me and Evil Vicki onboard and I’ll find an escape pod. Once the docking clamps release. Give me 6 minutes, not a second longer. If I find an escape pod, I’ll send a signal saying ‘Nobody is home’ and that’s the pod you pick up. Anything else, any other pod that ejects, shoot it. Full power. If I don’t get out in 6 minutes, I’ll self destruct and take the ship down. Either way we leave her on that ship.”
“What if there actually are survivors?” Nicole asked with a cringe.
“There won’t be. That’s a 3 week old signal, I doctored the display to show it reading 27 hours. IF by some chance there are survivors, get them to the Medusa, at gunpoint if necessary, just get them off the ship.”
“Look I know me and Vinn called ourselves pirates and stuff but we never raided a ship before. We only investigated distress calls and if the ship was abandoned with no survivors on it, we raided for supplies. I’ve never taken a hostage before.” Nicole said nervously.
“It’s easy, you just point the gun and say move or die, I don’t WANT to kill you but there’s no time to argue, move your ass. And if they argue, you buttstock smash to the face and jam the gun against their head. They’ll move. You can apologize later.”
“I’m slightly terrified. What if I can’t get Jack to go? What if Vicki catches on that we’re lying and just kills us?”
“Well, Plan B if everything goes wrong and she kills us is already taken care of. If our vitals go down, the ship is set to go to FTL and start cloning us all back. If Vicki returns to the ship and Vinn’s vitals go down…it ejects the cloning pod and then self destructs. Anyone left alive on the other ship has to get it and start cloning us back. If she kills us all and goes back to the ship, Vinn… you get in the pod, eject, blow the ship."
“And I just die.” Shrugged Dee with the one shoulder.
“We’ll buy another you somewhere. You’re a non sentient toaster.”
“Eugh, well, ligma. You do have a point but still. I’mma be real mad.” She huffed.
“So we’re really doing this? We’re double crossing Vicki and killing her.” Vinn said, looking concerned.
“Honey, Vicki is either dead or trapped in there wishing she was dead. It’s a mercy if she’s still conscious down in there.
...
The Ship hovered in the darkness as the crew stared at the problem. On the viewscreen was an elongated T-shaped cargo type ship with 3 distinct decks separated by fins. Behind it was an ominous ring of light with a dark circle in the middle, no stars showing behind it.
“It’s a black hole.” Gizzy said, crossing her arms. “The freighter is stuck in the gravity well. By these calculations it’s technically escaping the gravity, but at such a slow speed that it would take months at full thrust and they would be out of power and fuel. So essentially they’re swimming uphill and getting tired and when the ships engines fail, it goes in.”
“You said there were no signs of life. They just left the ship running full blast and disappeared?” Nicole asked.
“Maybe they hit escape pods before they got close and some of them made it and some got sucked in. These scans show plant life, oxygen, and aside from these readings, no living crew.”
“So what’s the one thing?” Vinn asked.
“Beats the shit out of me.” Gizzy said. “It’s moving, but the scans don’t mark it as organic. Probably a remote robot they left behind to try and free the ship. Luckily, that means it’s abandoned and legally salvageable.”
“Wait…” Nicole said. “You wanna dock with a ship getting sucked into a black hole?”
“No, it’s nowhere near the event horizon, that black hole is barely bigger then the damn ship, it’s 1.9 solar masses. That ship should be able to pull right out unless the FTL drives are dead. It’s running on orbital thrusters and maneuvering thrusters. That’s the problem. They got too close and their FTL failed. Hell, if we had a week to spare we might be able to tow it out. But with no crew and no reason, and the fact that we don’t have months of supplies to burn, why bother? Docking should be no issue.”
“Well, I gotta fix the damn robot.” Vinn sighed.
“You stay behind honey, We got this.” Nicole winked.
“We’re taking weapons anyway.” Jack insisted.
“Oh obviously.” Gizzy scoffed. She grabbed one and stepped up to Vicki, holding it out and keeping her grip on it.
“You wanna let go of that gun so I can move?” Vicki asked.
“I’m debating on weather or not I want you to have one.” She said pulling her closer. “Now you listen carefully. If that’s Vicki in there, then this goes without saying but if whatever is listening decides to harm anyone on my crew, I WILL kill you. Make no mistake.”
“You worry so much for someone your age. I’m more Vicki than I’ve been in months.”
“I hope so. I guess we’ll find out with time if you’re still on this team.”
“Ladies, stop fighting and gear up.” Jack said grabbing his pack and heading to the shuttle.
...
The interior was oddly human, a familiar black and dark grey and the same dim lighting as the Medusa, but with plastic instead of stone and more futuristic supports and angles. The light had a slight cyan tint to it, like a badly worn out TV screen. The party entered the bridge, mounted high atop the rear post of the ship. A horrifying view was visible out back, and more screens than you could count, alien writing and readings scribbled all over them added to the ambiance. A ring of white lights flickered on around the octagonal room as the clustered in the center. A strange voice uttered nonsense in a robotic manner and the ring of light panned down as if scanning them for something.
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“We’re here to help, is anyone alive?” asked Nicole.
“Weapons detected.” The deep mechanical voice said as the gibberish translated.
“These are for protection only. We don’t mean any harm. You’re stuck, and you need help.” She said clearly.
“We got movement down the hall.” Gizzy said, approaching it, slowly. "Nicole you got better eyes in this lighting, Stay on the bridge and talk to it. Jack see if you can tell what’s wrong with the FTL drives. Me and the new heavy hitter here can handle it.” She said while motioning towards Vicki, who strolled ahead of her as instructed.
“You know…you never seemed to have a problem leading until now.” Vicki said. “It’s almost like you don’t trust your back to me, or you want my back visible.”
“Cut the shit, Am I talking to the Pitch or is Vicki being scripted.”
“Who do you have such a hard time understanding this? I’m not being controlled or manipulated, I’m being empowered. It’s not a living creature instructing and whispering in my ear, it’s a sense of power and confidence knowing I’m not the liability anymore. I’ve never liked you, Gizzy. I tolerated you. I know Jack respects and in a strange sense almost loves you like a parent of some kind, and I love Jack more than anything, so I tolerated you to keep the peace. I was timid, silent and repressing my feelings.”
“Yeah, I did also cure your fucking cancer. I feel like that’s something to consider.”
“No, you didn’t. You treated it, but you left it in there. You kept yourself in control, like you always do. If I play nice, then you keep creating miracles but if not, then oopse, the cancer came back. Sorry, Vicki. Looks like Jack has to go on without you. Isn’t that right?”
“You think I intentionally left your cancer in case I wanted Jack to myself? And they call ME the paranoid one. Ha, they’re usually right but honey? You just surpassed me. Jack works for me, he needs the work. You know the feeling now, the killer itch, he can’t retire from it. You act like I’m trying to steal your husband while you feed on Nicole's husband for your enjoyment. You know medically speaking Vinn’s blood in a pouch would take care of your thirst. That killer instinct is psychological. You haven’t even tried to control it because you like what you have. You love the bonding of feeding on something as big and powerful as Vinn while feeling safe and in control. It’s why the robot doesn’t do it for you. It can’t submit because it’s powerless and runs on orders. You love having a big strong beast of a man submitting to your needs and you can’t have Jack do it because you’re stronger than he is and you’d kill him. That’s all it is. And Nicole let you because she doesn’t want to question her friend’s motives and Vinn is too damn stupid to get it. You’re manipulating everyone too, I’m just doing it to keep the team together and running to save this mission, and you’re doing it for pleasure. So if I’m a bitch of a boss for being this way to get the work done, what’s your excuse? Just a shitty wife?” Gizzy asked.
“You could have cured me, let me stay on Earth, my home, but no. Come with us where we can fix you on YOUR homeworld. Because you didn’t want Jack staying with me. You wanted me going with Jack, back to your employment. He fell in love with me, an Earth girl, and you didn’t want him quitting, losing your best man.”
“Vicki, or whatever you are. I’m not the enemy you think I am. Sure, I’m rude and bossy, but you act like I have the power to control the laws of nature to do my will and if I did, I wouldn’t need you or Jack. That's the whole damn point of the mission you stupid shithead. If I fix everything, I can fix the other you. The real you, the original, the one back on Delmar with the other Jack. If I wanted Jack to myself, I’d just clone one. Hell, I did, I cloned me too. That’s why we exist. I brought you alone for him, I brought him because he is the best and the only one I can trust. You’re just pissed off that you’re a side character and now you got enough raw power to bulldoze over everyone and be player one. You’re drunk on power, and I know the feeling. What you don’t realize is this.” She said bringing up her phone and expanding a hologram screen of a horrific looking broken image, an angel with white hair and teeth like hell itself. One blue eye, one red.
“Interesting artwork. And here I thought Nicole was the artistic one. She would love this, she adores horrific nightmare fuel for some reason.”
“That’s a decoded image of the potential future timeline. Look at the details. That’s my mask, my glowing eyes, my cornsilk hair. That was supposed to be me about now, because in another timeline I got greedy and started using the items we found. The pitch, the wings, the imposter blood. I made myself a god and it was apparently enough to turn me into something so bad that someone changed the timeline. But now you’re doing the same thing. The teeth, the red eye, the Pitch, anyone could put that mask on and those wings. That could be you in the picture. It could be either of us. If you’re in control, prove it. Hack up that black tar venom ripoff and bottle it where it can’t get out.”
“Does Nicole believe your delusions too? I understand now, it’s not manipulation for evil, you really believe your insanity. You’ve convinced her of it. You want me to give up this power so you can have it, because you really believe you are player one. You can’t stand anyone else being the strongest, the one in control, the one calling the shots. You override the Captain on her own ship, order her husband, and my husband, all for a mission so you can get absolute power and control, because you are afraid of not being the biggest dick in the locker room.”
“You are one stupid bitch.” Gizzy chuckled. “I haven’t been player 1 since Nicole showed up. I saved your damn life, and I didn’t have to. Idid it for Jack. He broke rules to save you and I let him because I give Jack special privilege. Ya got me, favoritism. Big shock, Gizzy has favorites, whoopsie fucking shit. Neither of us are player one, I’m just trying to prevent us from becoming the end boss of this stupid game. Nicole is the center of it all. I don’t know why but she is. I’m a side player just like you, and maybe the fact that we’re both weak and tempted with power is why neither of us are the main characters. You’re the villain arc I was supposed to be, so take it from the bitch who in some reality killed us all and destroyed everything. Don’t fuck it up like I did, and if you insist on it, We. Have. Problems. What team are you on, Vicki? I don’t give a shit if you like me or if you ever did, or if this is just something new you developed. Nicole is going to save the universe, and my job is to let her. I stopped the first monster… me, from standing in her way, and I’ll be damned if I let you take my place as the villain. So who’s side are you on? Team Nicole, team save the universe… or team Vicki, lost in her delusional god complex and scared to let go of that power... Just like I was?”She asked as something darted past them in the tunnel. They both turned and looked into the darkness as the pitter patter of strange feet faded away.
It was a hard sound, like a dog’s nails on ceramic tile, or an insects spindly legs on metal flooring.
...
Nicole nervously palmed the injector in her pocket.
“Jack, you need to see something. Follow me.” She said.
“I can't get the FTL systems online. I’m not a mechanic. Heck, I barely know OUR technology.”
“Jack… please. I need to talk to you. There’s something you need to see.” She begged. He followed her with a sigh, already knowing what this was about.
“If you’re trying to convince me to turn on Vicki, it won’t work.” He said.
“I’m not. I’d never ask you to betray your wife. You know me, you’re like a brother to me. We trust each other, right?” She asked.
“I hope so. Where are we going?”
“Back to the..shi-” She said, before suddenly noticing the main hall doors closed and sealed shut.
“Could have sworn those were open when we got here.” He noted, as the putter patter of soft soles scurried across the floors in the dark.
“What the hell… Scanners show 3 of those robots now… and one is almost registering as organic. It can’t seem to decide what kind.” She said.
“Of course, it’s a damn ghost ship. Why would anything out here not be some kind of haunted trap?” He said while hefting his weapon.
“Jack, don’t get carried away. It’s not attacking us, it's just moving. Maybe it was scared and hiding.” She said sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?”
"No.” Jack said. “What does it smell like?”
“…me.” She said, squinting as her eyes turned back and the lights went off afterwards.
...
Gizzy and Vicki readied weapons as the hard footsteps went softer, like rubber boots.
“Vicki, I know you have a thing for murdering random people now, but please refrain from firing unless something actually attacks us.”
“Don’t you dare.” She growled.
From the shadows stepped a slow walking human figure, female, thin build, and brown hair. The gun lights cast a shadow through her leg bones, as the metal frame slowly grew flesh over it. The nude figure’s skin turned dark grey from ankle to hip bone, and from just above the navel to just below the arm, raising and texturizing like leather clothing…very similar to Vicki’s clothing. Her eyes and lips reddened, blood running from her eye sockets and a fang-heavy mouth opened with a hiss.
“Okay, I’m officially sick of vampires in space.” Gizzy sighed. Vicki’s eyes went red and her fangs lengthen as well, matching her energy. “Vicki, I swear to Odin, if you bite her and get liquid metal shapeshifting powers, I’m just calling it cheating.”
...
Jack stepped back to get a range advantage and as Nicole turned, the door shut between them.
“Oh, bullshit on rice!” She barked, turning to face the creature as her eyes tracked it in the dark. “I can see you without lights, asshole, don’t try anything stupid. Either come out friendly or stay down.” She warned. A mass dropped from the ceiling directly in front of her with a metal clank. A vaguely frog-like shape gleamed like polished chrome as the backlighting obscured Nicole’s vision. The shiny bald head went dark and fluffed out into shoulder length hair as Nicole's eyes adjusted. Squatting in a very reptilian pose as if ready to timidly leap away, was… Nicole. Kinda. Her eyes were large and almond, her body language very animalistic, but the general dark hair, facial shape and body size was oddly similar to what you would describe as Nicole.
Something was more Menacodian, the twitchy movements, the curious childlike wonder in her stare.
“You’re like me, aren’t you?” She asked, is scuttered backwards, like a gecko, timid and yet curious. “Oh, of course you have bigger tits though. You’re more alien and reptile, but your tits are bigger. Everyone’s tits are bigger, the damn computer chair’s tits are bigger. I feel called out. I call shenanigans.” Nicole said while lowering her gun. The creature rapidly scuttered closer, still naked and on all fours, reaching out with skinny fingers and an additional thumb on each hand, just to timidly poke Nicole’s hand. It retracted its arm with a goofy smile, and scurried back into the dark of the room.
“Okay… nice to meet you.”
...
Another figure in the dark approached, making its way to surround Gizzy, who smirked and activated her armor. Metal plates folded out and her battle mask snapped into place.
“Let’s see you bite through this, sucker.” She said, turning as the figure finished unfolding its own head to toe body armor. In fact, it appeared to be entirely made of armor, joints and muscles just hinges and gears. “They’re copying us.” She whispered.