Read Online Captain Future xx - The Death of Captain Future (October 1995) by Allen Steele - Free Book Online
Book: Captain Future xx - The Death of Captain Future (October 1995) by Allen Steele
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Authors: Allen Steele
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off the alarms, finally broken by McKinnon's voice.
“Mr. Furland, you just murdered that man.”
I turned back around. McKinnon had managed to struggle to his feet; he clutched the back of a chair for support, and he glared at me with outraged eyes.
Before I could respond, Jeri's voice came to me over the comlink: "Rohr, he shut the airlock on the way out. The Comet hasn't been infected."
I let out my breath. For once, Bo had managed to do something right on his own. “Good deal, kiddo. Keep it shut until I come back aboard.”
I stepped away from the airlock, heading for the helm station on the other side of the bridge. McKinnon planted himself in my path. “Did you hear me, Mr. Furland?” he demanded, his adam's apple bobbing beneath his beard. “You just killed a man ... I saw you do it! You...”
“Don't remind me. Now get out of my way.” I pushed him aside and marched toward the helm.
One of its flatscreens depicted a schematic chart of the asteroid's position and estimated course. As I suspected, someone aboard the mass-driver had deliberately laid in the new course during a fit of insanity. Probably the captain himself, considering the fact that he had locked himself in here.
“I'm placing you under arrest!” McKinnon yelled. “Under my jurisdiction as an agent of the Planet Police, I...”
“There's no such thing.” I bent over the keypad and went to work accessing the main computer, my fingers thick and clumsy within the suit gloves. “No Planet Police, no asteroid pirates. Just a ship whose air ducts are crawling with the Plague. You're...”
“I'm Captain Future!”
The virus must have already affected him. I could have checked to see if he was displaying any of the flu-like symptoms that were supposed to be the Plague's first signs, but he was the least of my worries just now.
No matter what I did, I couldn't access the program for the central navigation system. Lack of a password that had probably died along with one of the damned souls aboard this ship, and none of the standard overrides or interfaces worked either. I was completely locked out, unable to alter the vessel's velocity or trajectory that had it propelling 2046-Barr straight toward Mars.
“And what are you talking about, not letting anyone aboard the Comet until you give the word?” McKinnon was no longer hovering over me; he had found the late captain's chair and had taken it as his own, as if assuming command of a vessel far larger than his measly freighter. “I'm the boss of this ship, not you, and I'm staying in charge until...”
Okay. The helm wouldn't obey any new instructions. Maybe it was still possible to scuttle the Fool's Gold . I accessed the engineering subsystem and began searching for a way to shut down the primary coolant loop of the gas-core reactor and its redundant safety systems. If I timed it right, perhaps the Comet would make a clean getaway before the reactor overloaded ... and if we were goddamned lucky, the explosion might knock the asteroid sufficiently off-course.
"Rohr?" Jeri again. "What's going on up there?"
I didn't want to tell her, not with McKinnon eavesdropping on our comlink.
At the sound of her voice, he surged to his feet. “Joan! He's working for Ul Quorn, the Magician of Mars! He's going to...!”
“Fuck him!” I yelled. “I'm working on it! Just get the Comet ready to...!”
I heard him coming long before he reached me. I stood up and, pulling back my arm, landed a right hook square against his hairy jaw.
It stopped him, but it wouldn't keep him stopped. McKinnon was a big guy. He staggered back, his eyes unfocused as he groped at the chair for support. “Traitor,” he mumbled, feeling at his mouth with his left hand. “You traitor, you...”
I didn't have time for this shit, so I punched him again, this time square in the nose. Second shot did the trick; he reeled backward, sagged against the chair, and flopped flat on his back.
"What are you doing?" she
“Mr. Furland, you just murdered that man.”
I turned back around. McKinnon had managed to struggle to his feet; he clutched the back of a chair for support, and he glared at me with outraged eyes.
Before I could respond, Jeri's voice came to me over the comlink: "Rohr, he shut the airlock on the way out. The Comet hasn't been infected."
I let out my breath. For once, Bo had managed to do something right on his own. “Good deal, kiddo. Keep it shut until I come back aboard.”
I stepped away from the airlock, heading for the helm station on the other side of the bridge. McKinnon planted himself in my path. “Did you hear me, Mr. Furland?” he demanded, his adam's apple bobbing beneath his beard. “You just killed a man ... I saw you do it! You...”
“Don't remind me. Now get out of my way.” I pushed him aside and marched toward the helm.
One of its flatscreens depicted a schematic chart of the asteroid's position and estimated course. As I suspected, someone aboard the mass-driver had deliberately laid in the new course during a fit of insanity. Probably the captain himself, considering the fact that he had locked himself in here.
“I'm placing you under arrest!” McKinnon yelled. “Under my jurisdiction as an agent of the Planet Police, I...”
“There's no such thing.” I bent over the keypad and went to work accessing the main computer, my fingers thick and clumsy within the suit gloves. “No Planet Police, no asteroid pirates. Just a ship whose air ducts are crawling with the Plague. You're...”
“I'm Captain Future!”
The virus must have already affected him. I could have checked to see if he was displaying any of the flu-like symptoms that were supposed to be the Plague's first signs, but he was the least of my worries just now.
No matter what I did, I couldn't access the program for the central navigation system. Lack of a password that had probably died along with one of the damned souls aboard this ship, and none of the standard overrides or interfaces worked either. I was completely locked out, unable to alter the vessel's velocity or trajectory that had it propelling 2046-Barr straight toward Mars.
“And what are you talking about, not letting anyone aboard the Comet until you give the word?” McKinnon was no longer hovering over me; he had found the late captain's chair and had taken it as his own, as if assuming command of a vessel far larger than his measly freighter. “I'm the boss of this ship, not you, and I'm staying in charge until...”
Okay. The helm wouldn't obey any new instructions. Maybe it was still possible to scuttle the Fool's Gold . I accessed the engineering subsystem and began searching for a way to shut down the primary coolant loop of the gas-core reactor and its redundant safety systems. If I timed it right, perhaps the Comet would make a clean getaway before the reactor overloaded ... and if we were goddamned lucky, the explosion might knock the asteroid sufficiently off-course.
"Rohr?" Jeri again. "What's going on up there?"
I didn't want to tell her, not with McKinnon eavesdropping on our comlink.
At the sound of her voice, he surged to his feet. “Joan! He's working for Ul Quorn, the Magician of Mars! He's going to...!”
“Fuck him!” I yelled. “I'm working on it! Just get the Comet ready to...!”
I heard him coming long before he reached me. I stood up and, pulling back my arm, landed a right hook square against his hairy jaw.
It stopped him, but it wouldn't keep him stopped. McKinnon was a big guy. He staggered back, his eyes unfocused as he groped at the chair for support. “Traitor,” he mumbled, feeling at his mouth with his left hand. “You traitor, you...”
I didn't have time for this shit, so I punched him again, this time square in the nose. Second shot did the trick; he reeled backward, sagged against the chair, and flopped flat on his back.
"What are you doing?" she
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