Burden of Sisyphus (11 page)

           
Vance reached the side of the chair, his jacket pulled tightly around his body, his breath escaping in clouds.
 
Though the room was frigid to ensure no damage was done to the computer system, Halo seemed unaffected.
 
She didn’t move, though he noticed a series of video cameras around the room tracking his movements.

           
“I didn’t want to interrupt in case you were busy,” he said.

           
“You could’ve come at any time.”
 
Her voice came eerily from eight separate speakers around the room, an effect that strengthened her integration with the ship.
 
“No matter what I was doing, you wouldn’t have been a bother.
 
My lower brain functions can run the ship for years while I talk with you.”

           
“I’ll keep that in mind next time.”
 
He placed his hand on her arm, feeling her skin icy to the touch, and quickly changed the subject.
 
“You look healthy.”

           
“Healthy?”
 
She laughed sweetly.
 
“We’ve been together for five years, and all you can say is I look healthy?”

           
He smiled and ran his hand over her clean-shaven scalp.
 
“Well, you looked a lot better with hair.”
 
Personal grooming was the only thing the computer couldn’t maintain for her.
 
To ensure her body remained as sterile as possible, all Halo’s body hair was removed every day by an assigned crewman.

           
“I’m surprised you didn’t join the rest of the team for some much-deserved vacation time.”
 
She changed the subject almost as artfully as he did.
 
“You would’ve enjoyed Fatutu IV.”

           
“This is relaxation for me.” He gently squeezed her hand.
 
“We don’t get to spend a lot of time together anymore unless it’s between missions.
 
I miss that time.”

           
“What would you like to do?”

           
“Oh there are so many choices.
 
I can sit and watch you not move, or I could guess which speaker you’re talking through.
 
I don’t know where to begin.”
       

           
“You really are a jerk.”
 
She laughed.

           
“I wish I could take you out of here,” he said seriously.
 
“From everything I can see, you would’ve enjoyed this planet.”

           
“I know I would have.
 
Michael, I know you still aren’t comfortable with what I’ve become.”

           
“Is it that obvious?”

           
“You forget I have six video cameras watching and analyzing every facial expression you make.”

           
“It’s not that I don’t like what you’ve become.”
 
He ran his fingers over her arm, gingerly avoiding the black tube attached to the veins at the crook of her elbow.
 
“I know this was the opportunity of a lifetime, being one of the first volunteers for the Halo program.
 
I just miss the time we used to spend together.
 
I love Halo, but I miss Aleiz.
 
Does that make sense?”

           
“After five years, I still wouldn’t have pegged you for a softie.
 
Shall I have a crewman bring you a tissue?”

           
“Oh, you’re full of jokes today.
 
Fine.
 
No more sweet talk.
 
What would you like to do today?”

           
“Well, there’s sit and watch me not move….”

           
After a few days’ vacation time, Vance was again in deep conversation with Halo when his transponder chirped.

           
“Magistrate Vance, this is Captain Young.”

           
Vance raised an eyebrow.
 
He didn’t expect to hear from the captain for at least another week.
 
“This is Vance.”

           
“Sorry to do this to you, Michael, but we’ve had a change of plans.
 
I have a new mission coming down the pipe for you and your team.”

           
Vance turned off the radio before turning to Halo.
 
“Do you know anything about this?”

           
“No, but judging from the amount of radio chatter, it’ll be a fairly large operation.
 
Aside from recalling your team, the captain has activated four platoons of infantry.”

           
“When have we ever needed that many soldiers for a mission?” he asked arrogantly.
 
Pressing the transmit button, he said, “Sir, I hear my team is already in transit from the planet?”

           
“Yes.
 
They’re on their way.”
 
The captain chuckled.

           
“When and where do you need us?”

           
“They’ll be onboard within two hours.
 
I’ll give everyone another hour to get back into uniform before you and your team report to the briefing room.
 
You’ll be joined by the four sets of platoon leaders for your support units.”

           
“Sir,” he said slowly, not wishing to insult his mentor, “my team has never needed such a large support staff.”

           
“I’ll fill you in when you arrive.
 
Get your things in order and meet me in the briefing room.
 
Captain Young, out.”

           
Vance lowered his radio and shrugged to Halo, knowing she was still watching, though she was processing thousands of radio communications and ship requests.
 
She could answer him if he asked her a question, but she was beginning to lose herself in the intricacies of the ship.

           
“Well, Lover,” he said, leaning over her still form, “it seems like we’re both about to get a lot busier.
 
Take care.
 
I’ll stop by before we leave for the mission.”

           
“Be safe,” she replied, though her electronic voice sounded distant and distracted.
 
“If I hear anything before you do, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

           
Vance leaned over to kiss her cold forehead.
 
Wordlessly, he turned and left the sealed room, shedding his jacket after he left the arctic chill.
 
He turned away from his team’s cabins, knowing he had one more responsibility before the team returned from leave.

           
Like he did on every mission before, Vance went through a maze of halls to stop before a sealed door with a code panel on one side.
 
Entering his commander’s code, he opened the door.
 
Lights above came on automatically, as he entered the expansive armory his team used.
 

           
Ignoring the multitude of pistols, rifles, explosives, and Ainj’s series of sniper rifles, he stopped before a two-foot-by-two-foot safe.
 
After receiving his commander’s code and processing his thumbprint, tumblers clicked into place with a resounding thump.
 
Opening the safe door, Vance removed a six-inch-diameter black sphere.
 
The seamless, glossy surface glistened in the halogen lighting, as he turned the nondescript orb in his hand.

           
Satisfied, he carefully slid the black sphere into the assault pack on his belt before leaving the armory, letting the door slide closed and seal behind him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

           
Keryn’s body screamed in protest, as she awoke and threw back the blankets, exposing herself to the cold morning air.
 
Though it was warm outside, a perpetual chill permeated the barracks in which the cadets slept, leaving her shivering, as she sat up.
 
Her back arched, as she leaned down to put on her slippers, and the broad bruise on her shoulder glowed angry purple.
 
Pouting, she stood and stretched, feeling new pain spread through her body.
   

           
For the past week, the instructors put the cadets through a rigorous physical-training program designed to identify each student’s physical strengths and weaknesses.
 
Finding something at which she excelled, she pushed her body to its limits.
 
Having undergone years of warrior training during her definitive school years, Keryn was more adaptive and possessed far more endurance than most, especially the frail Avalons.
 
She was quickly identified as a front-runner in the class, a position that held both praise from her instructors and scorn from her fellow students.
 
If Keryn learned anything from her previous training, it was that the person in front became an easy target to be stabbed in the back.

           
To her surprise, Iana also performed impressively.
  
Though shorter than Keryn, her bright personality betrayed an impressive inner strength and belied her thin, muscular frame.
 
To Keryn’s chagrin, however, the Pilgrim seemed more adaptable and rebounded quicker from injuries.
 
While Keryn still nursed an injured shoulder, Iana showed no wounds from the painful training.

           
“Good morning,” Iana called from the bathroom, when Keryn reached the door.
 
Her nauseating morning enthusiasm proved her resilience.
 
“I was starting to worry you’d oversleep.”

           
Keryn, yawning, leaned heavily against the doorframe.
 
Iana, already showered and dressed, stood before the mirror to pull her long, blonde hair into a tight bun.
 
By contrast, Keryn caught her own reflection and saw that the bruise on her shoulder extended slightly to her neck.
 
It was a wound, she realized, that would be visible even when wearing the high-collared gray uniforms.
 
Her eyes were still red from lack of sleep, and her fine silver hair was disheveled and flattened against the right side of her head.

           
“I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to,” she mumbled, pulling her loose shirt over her head.
 
“You were singing in the shower again.
 
No one can sleep through that.”

           
Her hands still caught in the folds of her shirt, Keryn was still able to deflect the playfully thrown brush.
 
Laughing, Iana moved out of the way, so Keryn could examine herself closer in the mirror.
 
Standing topless, she lifted her arm to look at a second bruise spreading across her ribs.

           
“That Oterian got you pretty good,” Iana remarked, admiring the colors of the bruise, as it faded from purple to green to yellow near the center.

           
Grumbling, Keryn slid free of her loose shorts and tossed them toward the hamper in the corner.
 
Naked, she stepped into the shower and turned on the water jets.
 
Steam poured from the enclosed shower, as hot water from the faucets drove off the morning chill.
 

           
Moving inside the shower, she gasped in surprise, as hot water washed over her cold skin.
 
Gooseflesh spread across her, as the warmth soaked into tense muscles and aching joints.
 
Tilting back her head, she let the hot water cascade through her long hair and run down her face, tracing the line of her neck before spilling over the curves of her body.
 
She sighed, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.