Silicon Dreaming

There was something in that last item that Johnny Lightsmith said that just sent a chill right down my spine – kind of a strange feeling, almost like it was some kind of threat that Princess Lillie’s life might be put in danger if I didn’t hand over the storage chip – and at that moment I knew something wasn’t right. I refused once more and that’s when it happened. At almost blinding speed he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small plasma pistol and while there pointing it directly at my head said, “Alright Stargazer, I’ve had just about enough of this. Now hand it over right now.”

The events after that seem to be slightly jumbled up in my head, a bit of a blur, partly to due to the quantity of Tyrellian beer I’d consumed and also due to the sheer gravity of the situation, but I remember thinking that I would rather do anything than give up that data chip to the undercover corporate, anything but to betray the faith and trust of the Princess, anything but to deliver the Free Radicals directly into the hands of the Greater Conglomerate.

I remember there was a struggle, a few shots fired and ricocheting off the shuttle’s walls, then a bit more of a struggle, very hazy until it seemed I’d somehow managed to overpower Lightsmith just as he was about to fire again point blank at my head, which this time would have most definitely resulted in a most gruesome end for me. Instead, when I knew this was it, the moment of truth, I saw that the emergency airlock release handle was just in reach and the protective glass must have been broken during the violent encounter. I made a quick grasp for it, grabbed the nearest guard rail and hung on tight. He fired his shot, which I swear I could feel the heat from the plasma whizzing past my ear. The airlock opened right behind Johnny and before he could grab a hold of anything, his body was pulled out into the blackness of space. I let the handle go and the pressure soon returned to normal, but I was a wreck.

posted by Joshua @ 10:26