The Chronicles of Aallandranon - Episode One - Ant-Lion Read Online Free PDF Page B

something important about our
mission. ” Jonathan sighed, staring at the whiskey in his
glass.
    “ Thank you. ” Elizabeth said to the bartender as she placed a
tequila shot before her. “ In my experience,
people who think they can change the future aren ’ t really seeing the
whole picture. You don ’ t have that kind of control in life. The idea
that you do is a malfunction in the brain. ”
    Jonathan nodded. Elizabeth ’ s brother sat next to
her and they began chatting about their day.
    Officer Adams sat on the stool next to Jonathan. “ Whiskey-sour, please, ” he said to the bartender and turned
to Jonathan. “ Fine vessel
you ’ ve
designed; got us through the Oort Cloud with no
problem. ”
    “ Thank you. ” Jonathan said.
    “ Let
me cut right to it, Jonathan, ” said Adams, lowering his
voice. “ Considering the magnitude of
Mason ’ s actions, a jury of ten has agreed that Mason should be
executed. ”
    Jonathan wrinkled his brow. “ Is there no other
alternative? ”
    “ We
can ’ t
afford another event like this to take place. Given a second
opportunity to destroy this vessel, Mason may be smart enough to
keep us from stopping him. Our makeshift brig
isn ’ t
something that can hold him for the duration of the
trip. ”
    “ So
arrest him to his quarters. ”
    “ You
know that ’ s not going to work. He has advanced level clearance within
the computer that you gave him during the construction of this
ship, ” said Adams. “ This has to be done,
Jonathan. We ’ ll do it quietly, poison his food or drink. It will be
humane. He ’ ll go to sleep and won ’ t wake up. Problem
solved for everyone. ”
    “ Give me a few days to get some answers out of
him. ”
    “ You
have until tomorrow afternoon. ” Adams smiled when his whiskey-sour
arrived. He took a sip. Jonathan wondered how he could condemn a
man to death and smile so easily. Granted, William had nearly
killed them all, but he was still a man of intelligence and
respect. Jonathan left the bar without saying anything else to
Adams or Elizabeth.
    He found himself on the Observation Deck, the
magnificent tunnel of windows that allowed them to witness the
galaxy around them as they traveled. As they started entering the
Interstellar Medium, nebulas of plasma clouds drifted by the
windows. The starlight of the universe gleamed from their lampposts
across the sky beyond the amoebas of radiated clouds that looked
eerily like strings of fungi.
    Jonathan returned to his room and laid down
for awhile. He took off his Manica-Band and placed it in the drawer
of his bed-side table that was bolted to the floor and wall.
Massaging his bare wrist felt good. He drifted in and out of rest,
waking occasionally to drink water or go to the restroom. Elizabeth
arrived in the early morning and fell asleep beside him.
     
     

 
    8
     
     
    He
dreamed of space, the emptiness of it all, how it went on and on
and on and existed for no apparent reason. But within that space,
he saw the glimmer of hope that was the Enigma. His
dream ’ s eye zoomed in on the Enigma, passing through the wall
into the Cargo Hold. William Mason sat cross-legged in the middle
of the Lock-up. The vision zoomed in on Mason ’ s face, centering on his
gray eyes. “ It ’ s
time. ” He whispered as the rushing water filled his mind until it
became unbearably loud.
    Jonathan woke up drenched in sweat. He went to the bathroom
and took off his shirt. Turning on the faucet, he splashed his face
with water. As the water ran over his hand, Jonathan trickled the
cool down his back, mixing water with his icy sweat. He stared in
the mirror, gazing at the curvatures of his face, listening to the
dead silence around him. Something was wrong. He
didn ’ t
know what it was but something inside him was clawing with
primordial terror.
    He turned around, the simple motion taking
significantly longer than it should have. His head felt six times
bigger than normal. He felt drunk as the