Thunder's Rhyme Read online

  “It’s an android,” Griffin said. Interesting how he knew many things… but just as many other details were hazy or missing.

  “TOM at your s-s-service, sirs.” The android bowed. “Ding dong, ding dong,” he chimed.

  Parts of his mechanics showed through his artificial skin. The poor thing was in rough shape. It was amazing it could still function.

  “Where are we? What happened? Are we in danger?” Griffin asked.

  “You are on the Starship Calypso, and you are here to complete your mission. P-Please follow me.” TOM led them into a hall, which, given their nakedness, felt freezing compared to their pods.

  “We’ll eat first, right?” Luke grumbled. “How long do you think we were in those pods?”

  Griffin shrugged. “Years. Decades. A lifetime. Dunno. What do you remember?”

  “Flashes of things. But it’s more the sense that I should know the answers… that keeps sticking in my mind. It’s hard to explain.”

  Griffin nodded. “Same. Like I remember things I touched, tasted…. scraps. I know that we’re friends, right? We’ve known each other for a long time. At least it feels that way. But then there are huge gaps. And—” He broke off as he peered down a dark hall. “Whoa, what’s down there?”

  Lights flickered. He took a few steps into the hall. Discarded weapons, jagged shards of metal, and the glove from a spacesuit lay strewn on the floor. The passage led to a tangled scrap heap of metal objects that completely barricaded the way.

  “D-ding dong, ding dong! I’m sorry, but you’ve walked outside the safe zone.” TOM grabbed Griffin’s arm.

  “Easy!” Griffin shook his arm from TOM’s grasp. “I’m coming.”

  “Thank you. That’s better. F-Follow the burrbuds. I will show you where to find food and clothing.”

  Tiny green beads lit up on the floor as they continued. Soon they arrived at a large galley.

  “This joint could feed a hundred of us!” Luke sprinted to the giant fridge. Griffin followed. Where did everyone go? Luke opened the fridge and gagged as the odor of rot escaped. He slammed the door shut, face stricken.

  “There are other provisions.” TOM pointed to another door. “In the pantry.”

  A long gray room held hundreds of silver boxes on row after row of wire shelves. Each had a label that detailed the meal inside. At this point, Griffin didn’t care. He grabbed a box off the shelf and opened it. Spaghetti with vegan meatballs. Perfect. He turned to ask Luke, but he was already gone, standing at the table, wolfing food down.

  “Next time, I’d recommend heating your food.” TOM held the door to a thermal cooker open. “It’s also customary to use dishware and utensils.”

  “Yeah, next time.” Luke sat on a chair licking his fingers clean.

  “I’m freezing. We need clothes.” Griffin put his meal in the cooker. He was hungry but not as hungry as Luke, who was already having seconds.

  Griffin glanced at Luke's solid body. As messed up as their android caretaker seemed to be, he’d done a good job at keeping them alive for the last sixteen years.

  Griffin was long, slender, and lean. That’s not to say he wasn’t strong. His body felt strong. But Luke’s looked strong. His friend’s body was packed with muscle. Impressive considering they’d been hanging in those pods for ages. With his broad forehead, dark skin, and searching green eyes, Luke was handsome.

  Griffin picked up a large, shiny meat knife and examined it.

  “What are you doing, Griffin?” TOM stepped forward. “That knife is made from niobium. It’s very sharp.”

  “I’m well aware that knives are sharp, TOM. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt anyone.” Griffin examined his reflection in the steel. He appeared to be about the same age as Luke. He had dirty blond hair and light brown eyes. Freckles dotted his nose like a constellation of distant stars, and he had what he found to be a rather charming smile. “I just want to remember what I look like.”

  “I can already tell you what you look like. Garbage.” Luke pulled a comical face as he snorted.

  Griffin let the knife clatter to the counter. “Nice. Thanks.”

  “Hey, I’m just joking around.” Luke punched Griffin’s shoulder. Griffin forced a laugh despite the brief pang Luke’s comment caused him. He felt close to Luke but also vulnerable.

  “Okay, TOM, so what’s the deal? What happened to the crew?”

  “F-follow me.” TOM motioned toward the door. Green burrbuds lit the way. Soon they overtook TOM, who walked pretty dang slowly. Griffin followed the green lights at a run. It felt amazing to use his body. To move his muscles. To stretch his limbs.

  “Check it out,” Griffin said as he cartwheeled down the hallway. Luke one-upped him by doing a few naked backflips, which looked as ridiculous as it sounds. Griffin burst out laughing. Luke bowed. Soon they arrived in a room filled with uniforms and body armor.

  “Here are c-c-clothes just as you asked for.” TOM gave a slight bow.

  Griffin walked in and thumbed through rows of various outfits all in the same monochromatic black. “Nothing that matches my eyes… but it’ll have to do.”

  Luke grabbed a body armor suit. Tiny burrbuds, similar to the ones they’d seen in the walkway, were embedded in the wristbands. He wriggled into the armor, but it was much too big.

  “Here.” Griffin handed Luke a uniform. “Try one of these.”

  Luke wriggled into the uniform. Luckily, the suits were made from an intelligent fabric that fit-to-form. He connected the piezo-electric tabs that fastened with the whisper of a touch. The uniform’s circuits lit up as its climate control engaged. Luke looked sexy. As handsome as an actual soldier.

  Griffin nodded his approval. “Nice.”

  Luke laughed as he spun around modeling the outfit for Griffin.

  “Stop fooling around!” TOM commanded. “Back to the galley.”

  Luke shrugged. “Okay. We didn’t have dessert.”

  “There is p-p-plenty more food.” TOM motioned toward the door.

  “Wait.” Griffin raised his arm, enjoying the way the supple fabric molded to his bicep. “You still haven’t told us what’s going on. What about our mission? Where is everyone?”

  TOM nodded. “Your mission is the most important thing!”

  Griffin grabbed a uniform and put it on. He nodded, impatient. “Yeah, you told us… So what do we need to do?”

  For a moment, TOM went completely still. Then his eyelashes fluttered rapidly. “I have several errors in m-m-my system and am unable to access your mission details at the moment. Tonight I will power d-down to restore damaged sectors. Then we will discuss your mission. Now, w-w-would you like some tango fruit ice-cream?”

  “Hell, yeah!” Luke said.

  “Wait—” Griffin started. But it was too late. Luke and TOM were already headed toward the galley.

  * * *

  Back in the galley, Griffin found a terminal and poked around the ship’s server while he enjoyed his second bowl of ice cream. He had to admit, it was delicious. All the ship’s functions were locked and running on autopilot. TOM appeared to be synced with those functions, and Griffin didn’t want to mess with them.

  Griffin found a database that held various types of music. Some of it was pretty good, unlike the music TOM had forced them to listen to. The room filled with throbbing vibrations of sound.

  Luke covered his ears. “What the hell is that?”

  Griffin lowered the volume and skipped to the next file. It was a softer, slower piece.

  “Can I have this dance?” Griffin stood and reached out his hand.

  “Where do you get this stuff?” Luke asked. “Dance?”

  Griffin didn't know the source of his memories. For years, he’d remained suspended in liquid, attached to TOM, who fed him various pieces of information critical to their mission along with bad music. It was possible that music had nothing to do with that mission, and it was also possible that music had everything to do with their mission. And dancing? That seems essential.

  Grabbing Luke, he spun his friend around, then put his arms around his waist and drew him tight so they danced chest-to-chest. Luke rested his head against Griffin’s. Their feet moved in a rhythmical sequence of their own accord. Luke's heart thump, thump, thumped against his.

  Griffin looked deep into his friend’s gray eyes. This time, Luke didn’t look away or turn or make a joke. Griffin could have danced forever like that.

  TOM entered. “No! No! No!” he shouted and clapped his hands together. “None of that. No dancing!” The prosthetic had disintegrated from his left palm and his hands made a loud clack clack clack.

  Luke broke away from Griffin. They turned toward TOM. Griffin didn’t know much, but he knew there was nothing wrong with dancing, was there? He was about to tell TOM that when an odd sensation crept up his legs. He stumbled forward.

  “You alright?” Luke asked. “You’re looking a bit gray.”

  “I’m fine.” Griffin attempted to focus his eyes. The last thing he saw was the metal floor rushing to meet his face.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  GRIFFIN WOKE UP to find Luke gently shaking him. “What happened?” Griffin’s head throbbed but otherwise, he felt fine.

  Luke leaned back, relieved. “Man, I’m glad you’re okay. Something crazy happened. Your face went gray like ash and you fell.” Luke arced his hand forward in a pantomime of Griffin’s trajectory. “I was freaked out—thought I might lose ya.” Tears glinted in his eyes.

  Griffin shrugged. “Dunno. I feel okay now. Where’s TOM?”

  “Trying to fix one of the pods. He said he might have to put you back in one if you didn’t wake up.”

  “I think I’d rather not wake up then listen to his bad music again.”

  Luke laughed.
“Amen to that.” They high-fived.

  Neither of them could figure out what had happened. TOM had scolded them about dancing, but he’d been across the room. Griffin doubted he’d had anything to do with it. They’d both eaten the same food, and Luke felt fine. Maybe something had contaminated their uniforms? Perhaps an alien bacterium trapped in the fabric?

  Luke put on Griffin’s uniform but noticed nothing unusual. The whole thing seemed to have him spooked. “We can’t stay on this damn ship forever. We don’t know where it’s going. Or if it’s going anywhere! What if we run out of food?” His eyes darted to a nearby portal that showed nothing but the black of interstellar space.

  “This ship is definitely headed somewhere. Look.” Griffin pointed to several faint points of light. “That star system is getting closer. We’re being kept alive for a purpose. Our mission.”

  “Yeah, yeah, sure but the android kept us alive in the pod with the ship’s help,” Luke reminded Griffin. “Maybe TOM and the ship’s computer are just following their programming? That’s what computers do. Maybe it’ll just keep doing it…. until it can’t.”

  “Computers always have a reason. Because people have a reason. People programmed them. We need to find out what our mission involves. C’mon, check this out.” Griffin lowered his voice as he led Luke back to the kitchen.

  Griffin slid his hand across the touchscreen. “I stumbled across an open network and hacked a secure node,” he whispered. “It was meant for logging supplies. Catch these recipes.”

  “How did you hack it?”

  “Our mission.” Griffin tapped his head. “Part of my programming.”

  “Well, you aren’t an android… are you?”

  Griffin hadn’t considered this. Am I an android? He considered the possibility. He scrolled past a recipe for chocolate brownies. Their stomachs grumbled in unison.

  “I don’t think we’re androids.” Luke rubbed his belly. “Let’s have TOM make those for dinner.”

  Griffin laughed. “We just had lunch. Look, I found this.” Griffin pulled up a diagram that showed various parts of the ship. “The ship’s ventilation system is massive.”

  “Do you need to whisper? Do you think TOM can listen to everything we say? Do you think he cares?”

  “He doesn’t want us to explore the blocked-off parts of the ship. We need to find out why.”

  “Because it’s dangerous. He’s trying to keep us safe. That’s why.”

  Griffin waved Luke off. “I doubt it’s dangerous. Tonight, when he powers down to do his sector repairs, we’ll explore. I have a plan.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THAT NIGHT, THEY waited until TOM went offline for his repair sequence. They prowled toward the dark hallway where the ship’s cameras were broken. Griffin pried off the grate, jumped up, and hoisted himself into the duct. “You’re not loving this… yet,” Griffin said as he jumped up, and with the strength of one arm pulled himself up into the shaft, tumbling on top of Luke. Griffin lay still for a moment enjoying the sensation of their bodies pressed together.

  Luke pushed him off. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “S-Sorry,” Griffin stammered. What was I doing? All he knew was he wanted to be close to his friend. “Let’s get crawling and find some answers.”

  Foot-by-foot they shimmied through dusty metal tubes. Griffin relied on his memory of the ventilation map he’d seen on the computer. After multiple twists and turns, something furry brushed his hand. He yelped and pushed back, bumping into Luke.

  “What?” Luke asked, panic in his voice.

  “I touched something.” Griffin maneuvered his light. “Yeesh. Just a desert rat. A dead one.” More than dead, the beast was mummified, its teeth magnified by its desiccation.

  “Hey, if we get lost, we’re screwed. Just like that rat.” Luke echoed worries that niggled at the edge of Griffin’s mind. “Can you find your way back? Cause I sure can’t.”

  “Of course,” Griffin said with more certainty than he felt.

  Soon they found a half-broken vent that made for an easy exit. Griffin pushed himself to the edge and plopped to the floor.

  Luke jumped down next, ignoring Griffin’s offer to help. Lights above them flickered and buzzed. Unlike the clinical, sterile areas near the kitchen, this area looked like it had been well lived-in long ago.

  The first room they found had once been quarters for four crew members. Three out of the four bunks were made. The unmade bed looked as if someone might return at any moment.

  Several photos hung on the wall. One was smashed, nearly all of its phosphors dead. But the others were intact. A young man stood with his wife and daughter in a sprawling grassy field. Far in the distance, a city of gleaming niobium structures stretched miles into the sky.

  In the recreation area, dried, moldy sandwiches were spilled on a large, comfortable sofa. Griffin picked up a drinking glass and sniffed it. At the bottom lay a dark congealed plastic-like substance. It smelled sweet. He handed it to Luke.

  “Cola.” Luke smiled as he inhaled the scent. “I used to love these. You didn’t.”

  Griffin didn’t remember drinking cola. He didn’t even know what it was. Luke picked up a touchpad and tried to turn on the entertainment screen. Nothing happened.

  They exited and followed the corridor. The clearest idea—and it wasn’t very clear—was that they had a mission, and it was important. The mission had something to do with whatever happened in these rooms. As they walked farther, the eerie sensation that crawled up his spine became more intense. Room after room of abandoned lives.

  They arrived at a larger set of quarters, fancier than the others. It had an entry, living area, a large bathroom, and a giant bed. Artwork cluttered the room’s walls; old-fashioned paint applied on canvas. Swaths of reds, blues, greens. After the dull silvers and gray of the ship, they made Griffin’s eyes water, but in a good way. He sat on the edge of the bed, tears in his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Luke asked.

  “I'm not sure,” Griffin said. “Nothing. I feel fantastic. These colors, they’re just so vibrant.”

  Luke looked at them and shrugged.

  Griffin laughed. “I don’t think you’re seeing what I’m seeing.”

  “Maybe not, man.” Luke punched Griffin on the shoulder. “So far this has just been creepy. I mean, what does this have to do with our mission?”

  Griffin walked to a closed door. He opened it and found a closet. “This area is important. It relates, somehow.”

  Luke jumped up onto the bed and bounced up and down. “Then why doesn’t TOM want us to come here? He’s all about us completing our mission. That’s all he ever talks about.”

  “TOM is broken. He may not have all the details. Quit it. You’re making me dizzy.”

  Luke stopped. “Sorry. Do you feel okay?”

  “Not that kind of dizzy. Just regular dizzy.” Griffin’s eyes explored the rows of clothes. He grabbed a coat from a hanger. More a uniform than a regular coat, three planets emblazoned on each shoulder. Phospho-luminescent threads engaged as Griffin put the jacket on. The planets appeared to revolve, and the jacket shifted colors from deep blue to gold and back again.

  “Sweet!” Luke clapped his hands together. “That is amazing!”

  Griffin spun around, showing off for Luke. The jacket was large for him, but it was too awesome to leave behind. “I’m keeping it.”

  “It’s not yours. That must have been the captain’s.”

  “If the captain was around, we’d know by now. Let’s say I’m borrowing it. It won’t do him good hanging in a dusty closet.”

  Past the captain’s quarters, an emergency stairway led deeper into the ship. Two levels down the corridors widened and grew taller. Ducts and conduits that carried the ship’s fiber optics snaked along the ceiling. Large dents and scuffs were visible at various points on the wall. The metallic floor was dustier here and coated with a greasy film in places.

  “This must be the lower ring of the ship. I saw this area on the plan.” Griffin pointed to an enormous hatch-like door. “Loading dock.”

  In the center of the dock sat an enormous semi-transparent cube. It was about twenty feet long and as wide as it was tall. Surrounding it were hundreds of sealed, metal transportation containers. Each one had a holo-code floating above it, but without a blink scanner, there was no way to know their contents. Any one of them might have been intriguing to explore further… if not for the cube.