Zero
Lord of Altera
Waking in a cold sweat Alex looked around the room she was in. Her hands reached up in front of her face but rather than continuing through empty air they hit a clear plastic like shield that encased her body in a pod as it hung with the thousands of others in the ship's aft hanger. Panting and blinking her eyes rather rapidly to try and clear her vision the pod she was in gave a lurch and started moving lower to a catwalk in the middle of the room.
Stopping over the catwalk the plastics cover of the pod split open and dropped Alex down onto the hard metal. Landing on her stomach, the cold metal almost burned her bare skin as the air from her lungs was forced out in a quick gasp that left her body empty for a few seconds after as her chest tightened and refused to move.
After her body finally returned to a more relaxed state, Alex tried pushing her body off the catwalk and into a standing position. Grabbing her head with her right hand she could still feel whatever liquid they had put in the pod with her. The smell of it didn't help either. The strong scent of iron that filled her lungs and nose. Its orange-ish color still ran down and stained parts of her blond hair. Looking down at her feet she watched the liquid fall between the holes on the catwalk as it rolled down her legs and off her feet.
Grabbing onto the railing with her other hand she looked up and down the catwalk before starting off toward a door on the far side of the hanger. Getting halfway down the catwalk Alex’s foot slipped on the bare metal and sent her fall onto the cool metal once more. Even having it happen once before she let out a small cry at the touch of the cold metal against her back.
Arching her back as best she could in her still numb state, her breathing came in rough and shallow pants as her muscles did the best they could to keep her body still working after a cryo sleep that was who knew how long. Laying there with still what most would probably call broken breathing pattern she waited. Waited for what could have been hours or more. Her body craved food and water but there was none here. Not in this hanger and probably not on the ship. She knew why she was here…. why she was aboard this ship.
Prisoner ship 4783 delta, this ship was in charge of carrying all the most wanted killers, slavers, drug lords, and criminals from earth to the moon colony where they would work till their bodies broke. From there they were just part of the biomass that made up the world of clones on earth. Bio recycling is what they had called it. The idea that nothing would be wasted again. There was no longer a need to burn a body to ash if it could just be used again.
Thats what she had been, a slaver. One of the best at that. She ran rings that crossed countries, seas, and political houses. If there was a ‘slave’ or worker in a government building, it had probably come from her. She had been called one that could break any slaves willpower and get them to do whatever she wanted them to. Still here she was lying on a cold metal catwalk in a ship that was taking her to a deathbed that she would work at for years before finally dying.
Finally reaching the door after getting back on her feet she plammed the door switch. Instead of being greeted by what would have been four gun barrels leveled with her face she found none. Looking at the ground she found the four guards dead. One of their armor chest plates was burst open in a shower of blood that now coated the wall across from where he would have been standing. The three over guards looked like they had their necks ripped open and bled to death rather rapidly.
Reaching down, Alex picked up one of their rifles and checked the magazine for ammo. 35 out of 45 rounds. Sliding the magazine back into the gun she pulled back on the charging handle and let a round enter the chamber of the gun. The weapon itself was a standard issued combat rifle. She had seen and used plenty of them when she was running her slave ring. The rifle used small bolt like rounds that were sent down a short magnetic barrel that sped them up enough to punch through most combat armors. Still the gun had a overly fast rate of fire that made sure you ran out of ammo quickly if you didn't be careful.
Stepping over one of the bodies, she continued down the hallway toward the bridge or rather whatever might be left of it. The halls were covered in dry blood that must have been at least a year over now that the corridors smelled fine again. Still it didn't help push the growing feeling in her stomach away. The pit of emptiness that was slowly filling her there. Was everyone dead? Was the ship finally dying and couldn't keep the cryo pods frozen? Was everything about to become hell once the others woke up? so many things that needed to be answered now rather than later.
Stopping over the catwalk the plastics cover of the pod split open and dropped Alex down onto the hard metal. Landing on her stomach, the cold metal almost burned her bare skin as the air from her lungs was forced out in a quick gasp that left her body empty for a few seconds after as her chest tightened and refused to move.
After her body finally returned to a more relaxed state, Alex tried pushing her body off the catwalk and into a standing position. Grabbing her head with her right hand she could still feel whatever liquid they had put in the pod with her. The smell of it didn't help either. The strong scent of iron that filled her lungs and nose. Its orange-ish color still ran down and stained parts of her blond hair. Looking down at her feet she watched the liquid fall between the holes on the catwalk as it rolled down her legs and off her feet.
Grabbing onto the railing with her other hand she looked up and down the catwalk before starting off toward a door on the far side of the hanger. Getting halfway down the catwalk Alex’s foot slipped on the bare metal and sent her fall onto the cool metal once more. Even having it happen once before she let out a small cry at the touch of the cold metal against her back.
Arching her back as best she could in her still numb state, her breathing came in rough and shallow pants as her muscles did the best they could to keep her body still working after a cryo sleep that was who knew how long. Laying there with still what most would probably call broken breathing pattern she waited. Waited for what could have been hours or more. Her body craved food and water but there was none here. Not in this hanger and probably not on the ship. She knew why she was here…. why she was aboard this ship.
Prisoner ship 4783 delta, this ship was in charge of carrying all the most wanted killers, slavers, drug lords, and criminals from earth to the moon colony where they would work till their bodies broke. From there they were just part of the biomass that made up the world of clones on earth. Bio recycling is what they had called it. The idea that nothing would be wasted again. There was no longer a need to burn a body to ash if it could just be used again.
Thats what she had been, a slaver. One of the best at that. She ran rings that crossed countries, seas, and political houses. If there was a ‘slave’ or worker in a government building, it had probably come from her. She had been called one that could break any slaves willpower and get them to do whatever she wanted them to. Still here she was lying on a cold metal catwalk in a ship that was taking her to a deathbed that she would work at for years before finally dying.
Finally reaching the door after getting back on her feet she plammed the door switch. Instead of being greeted by what would have been four gun barrels leveled with her face she found none. Looking at the ground she found the four guards dead. One of their armor chest plates was burst open in a shower of blood that now coated the wall across from where he would have been standing. The three over guards looked like they had their necks ripped open and bled to death rather rapidly.
Reaching down, Alex picked up one of their rifles and checked the magazine for ammo. 35 out of 45 rounds. Sliding the magazine back into the gun she pulled back on the charging handle and let a round enter the chamber of the gun. The weapon itself was a standard issued combat rifle. She had seen and used plenty of them when she was running her slave ring. The rifle used small bolt like rounds that were sent down a short magnetic barrel that sped them up enough to punch through most combat armors. Still the gun had a overly fast rate of fire that made sure you ran out of ammo quickly if you didn't be careful.
Stepping over one of the bodies, she continued down the hallway toward the bridge or rather whatever might be left of it. The halls were covered in dry blood that must have been at least a year over now that the corridors smelled fine again. Still it didn't help push the growing feeling in her stomach away. The pit of emptiness that was slowly filling her there. Was everyone dead? Was the ship finally dying and couldn't keep the cryo pods frozen? Was everything about to become hell once the others woke up? so many things that needed to be answered now rather than later.