genius to work out what it was for. He carefully took a cigarette from a packet and lit one up. The nicotine rush went straight to his head and he had to sit down.
‘Oh wow that is good.’
‘Did you say something Sarge?’
‘No Lewis I’m fine.’
‘Wot u found?’
‘A mountain of clothing Lewis and by the looks of it I would say there were more than two thousand people here at one time.’
‘Yeah u sure Sarge?’
‘Very sure Lewis,’ then he added quietly to himself, ’very sure.’
Once he was able to stand again he began to rummage through the piles. He noticed there were distinct layers by the type of clothing in the mountain. He picked up a floral shirt and held it up in disgust. ‘Jezz, hope they still ain't wearing these.’
Lewis pondered Kelly's words for a few moments. He knew Steven was up now and sent a message to him. It wasn’t long before he and Buzz appeared. ‘What have you found Lewis?’
‘Taint me suh, it was the Sarge. He has found all those folks clothing and says there's much more than we think there is.’ Steven and Buzz took a sniff and both reeled back.
‘Please don’t tell me you want to go down there Stevie.’
‘I'm going.’
‘Do I have to?’
‘Nope.’
Buzz sighed, ‘do you have a descender for me Lewis?’
‘Yeah sure Buzz got half a dozen.’
The two men let themselves down. They found Kelly sitting smoking with a strange look on his face; he contemplated the pair of them as they looked round in astonishment. He also had a recognisable weapon in his hands and was wearing full combat gear.
Steven suddenly grinned, ‘I see you found those smokes you were after Sarge; you enjoying that?’
‘You have no idea sir.’
‘Watch you don’t set this lot up.’
‘I'm being careful. May I ask you a question sir?’
Steven shrugged, ‘fire away.’
‘Heard say you were thinking of leaving some of those bodies here, burying them somewhere and returning them home later.’
‘To hold all these bodies we are going to have to considerably increase the size of the ship. So it’s certainly an option.’
‘You can’t do it sir, you can’t leave anyone here.’
‘I understand you may have friends here Sarge but really that’s a choice I may well have to make.’
‘Ain't because of my friend’s sir it’s because of the enemy.’
Steven frowned and crossed his arms, ‘OK Sarge, run me through your reasoning.’
‘Why do you think the enemy have left so many cadavers and body pieces sir?’
‘A couple of reasons come to mind Sarge, the first is to provide serum, but from what I can find out I think they need a full body.’
‘Maybe they haven’t a way of disposing of the bodies,’ Buzz suggested.
Kelly shook his head, ‘ain't that sir, they certainly have a way of disposing of the bodies.’
‘How the hell do you know that?’ Buzz snapped. Kelly's eyes went cold and he simply took a long drag of his cigarette. Even Steven was surprised. Buzz immediately regretted his outburst; he ran a hand through his hair, ‘I'm sorry Sarge. It has been a long day.’
Kelly nodded and reached behind him. He tossed a small bundle at Buzz. Buzz unwrapped a garment from the bundle. ‘This is a kid’s jacket.’
‘And the rest of it, I heard tell you ain't found no kids at all.’
‘Oh shit!’ Buzz tossed the bundle away from himself. The Sarge laughed.
‘What was it?’ Steven asked.
‘Shit!’
‘Uh!’
‘Shit, a kid’s diaper.’
‘Oh right,’ Steven laughed.
‘Here’s something else.’ Kelly tossed another larger bundle.
Steven caught it and unwrapped it and frowned, ‘don’t get it this time Sarge.’
‘Look in the jacket pocket sir, there is an Id.’
Steven fished it out and frowned. ‘It’s an Id right enough; still don’t get what you are at Sarge.’
‘Doc told me every body they have found deceased or alive is in the prime of their life. That Id belongs
‘Oh wow that is good.’
‘Did you say something Sarge?’
‘No Lewis I’m fine.’
‘Wot u found?’
‘A mountain of clothing Lewis and by the looks of it I would say there were more than two thousand people here at one time.’
‘Yeah u sure Sarge?’
‘Very sure Lewis,’ then he added quietly to himself, ’very sure.’
Once he was able to stand again he began to rummage through the piles. He noticed there were distinct layers by the type of clothing in the mountain. He picked up a floral shirt and held it up in disgust. ‘Jezz, hope they still ain't wearing these.’
Lewis pondered Kelly's words for a few moments. He knew Steven was up now and sent a message to him. It wasn’t long before he and Buzz appeared. ‘What have you found Lewis?’
‘Taint me suh, it was the Sarge. He has found all those folks clothing and says there's much more than we think there is.’ Steven and Buzz took a sniff and both reeled back.
‘Please don’t tell me you want to go down there Stevie.’
‘I'm going.’
‘Do I have to?’
‘Nope.’
Buzz sighed, ‘do you have a descender for me Lewis?’
‘Yeah sure Buzz got half a dozen.’
The two men let themselves down. They found Kelly sitting smoking with a strange look on his face; he contemplated the pair of them as they looked round in astonishment. He also had a recognisable weapon in his hands and was wearing full combat gear.
Steven suddenly grinned, ‘I see you found those smokes you were after Sarge; you enjoying that?’
‘You have no idea sir.’
‘Watch you don’t set this lot up.’
‘I'm being careful. May I ask you a question sir?’
Steven shrugged, ‘fire away.’
‘Heard say you were thinking of leaving some of those bodies here, burying them somewhere and returning them home later.’
‘To hold all these bodies we are going to have to considerably increase the size of the ship. So it’s certainly an option.’
‘You can’t do it sir, you can’t leave anyone here.’
‘I understand you may have friends here Sarge but really that’s a choice I may well have to make.’
‘Ain't because of my friend’s sir it’s because of the enemy.’
Steven frowned and crossed his arms, ‘OK Sarge, run me through your reasoning.’
‘Why do you think the enemy have left so many cadavers and body pieces sir?’
‘A couple of reasons come to mind Sarge, the first is to provide serum, but from what I can find out I think they need a full body.’
‘Maybe they haven’t a way of disposing of the bodies,’ Buzz suggested.
Kelly shook his head, ‘ain't that sir, they certainly have a way of disposing of the bodies.’
‘How the hell do you know that?’ Buzz snapped. Kelly's eyes went cold and he simply took a long drag of his cigarette. Even Steven was surprised. Buzz immediately regretted his outburst; he ran a hand through his hair, ‘I'm sorry Sarge. It has been a long day.’
Kelly nodded and reached behind him. He tossed a small bundle at Buzz. Buzz unwrapped a garment from the bundle. ‘This is a kid’s jacket.’
‘And the rest of it, I heard tell you ain't found no kids at all.’
‘Oh shit!’ Buzz tossed the bundle away from himself. The Sarge laughed.
‘What was it?’ Steven asked.
‘Shit!’
‘Uh!’
‘Shit, a kid’s diaper.’
‘Oh right,’ Steven laughed.
‘Here’s something else.’ Kelly tossed another larger bundle.
Steven caught it and unwrapped it and frowned, ‘don’t get it this time Sarge.’
‘Look in the jacket pocket sir, there is an Id.’
Steven fished it out and frowned. ‘It’s an Id right enough; still don’t get what you are at Sarge.’
‘Doc told me every body they have found deceased or alive is in the prime of their life. That Id belongs
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