"Not a chance in hell," I deadpanned at my uncle the moment his request left his lips. I had no intention, at any point, to provide aid when it came to the virus he obtained by stealing my documents. No act came without consequence, even if you were a man who could rip through yards of red tape to get your way. "I'm sure you have some MIB somewhere that would be willing to help you out."

Without his knowledge, the glint that flashed in Issac's eye gave me tremendous satisfaction. I knew I'd hit that nerve, the one that he sought to bury beneath an unrelenting facade yet failed at that moment to do so. I sometimes wished he could, at the very least, recognize how his behaviors affected others particularly me, but I was quick to intervene in those whims. Yearning meant I cared, a reaction I refused to undergo.

"Ten seconds until gate exit," Nix announced from her seat, the first words she had articulated since we all communed on the bay earlier that morning. I had the impression there may have been a few choice words spoken between the two but it wasn't my business and I didn't bother asking.

Just sixty minutes to go.

My chat with Useless in the early hours of the morning had ended rather abruptly though not entirely surprising considering the state I'd found him in. The previous two years had shown him no mercy, something I couldn't claim for myself. At least I had a roof over my head- most of the time. My stomach stirred with the guilt that occupied its pit every time I thought of the countless times I should have reached out but didn't. Maybe if I had things would be different for him, for both of us.

The Lawless gave an abrupt shudder as if we hit the uneven waters of the open sea before it stopped in the same fashion. Just beyond the front glass, the trading hub Proxima orbited the sun's closest neighboring star Proxima Centauri. These were the little things that sent spiderweb cracks through the pristine glasshouse I and everyone back on Terra lived in without realizing it. If a multi-alien-race galactic trading post was located within our solar system what else was out there? For me, the possibilities were endless and exciting but for non-believers, this revelation would shatter their reality.

"Who were you talking to early this morning?" Isaac asked.

My brow knit together in irritation. I should have guessed he'd been keeping an eye on me, it was his ship after all and it wasn't as though he had qualms about invading my personal space. His infiltration into my server was proof enough. "Seems like the term privacy isn't in your vocabulary."

"This is my ship, privacy is irrelevant." I could feel my brow begin to tick in that distinctive way it did when someone pressed on my last nerve. If he continued down this route I couldn't be held responsible for whatever happened to come out of my mouth. "Useless," I grumbled through my now clenched jaw. "I was talking to Useless."

"I didn't realize you kept in touch. How's he doing?"

I grunted in an attempt to cover my snort. Isaac had never appreciated Useless presence, always giving him a hard time for his blatant disruptive behavior. Out of everyone in our small rag-tag group, Useless was by far the biggest pain in the ass. Nevertheless, we were friends and Isaac's thoughtless inquiry caused my blood pressure to spike.

"In terrible need of a shower. For being a pacifist Dumpling sure pissed in his bowl of Cheerios."

Nix laughed quietly in her seat next to Isaac but the master of marble sat unfazed. Instead of speaking, he remained silent as his fingers drifted over the controls of the Lawless. It came as no surprise he had nothing to interject when it came to Dumpling. The Grogg was a powerful ally in Isaac's eyes and that meant it was inconceivable to speak ill or behind his back.

Our conversation came to an abrupt finish just in time. I had docked at Proxima numerous times in the past but my inner space-crusader geek invariably surfaced whenever I found myself back. My mind scrambled with the simple awareness that below were at least a dozen alien races going about their daily lives as if this all were routine. It baffled me that all those back on Terra had no notion that this was the reality we all lived in and it infuriated me that those who wanted to believe it was were ostracized for it.

The docking process would take ages as far as I was concerned, it always did. Or maybe that was the opinion of an eager space traveler. With a sigh, I turned to exit the control bay only for Isaac's rugged voice to root me in my place.

"Don't wander too far, we have people we need to see."

"I'm not going," I throw over my shoulder in an attempt to feign a small amount of interest in whatever meeting he'd scheduled without my knowledge. Typical Issac- make plans and then notify everyone at the last possible moment.

"You stole information from powerful individuals and gave it to an unknown. You're considered a threat and a protectee."

My eyes wanted to roll backward in my skull. It was obvious the reason I could still walk around freely sat behind me, looking at me with great disappointment. There was little doubt in my mind Isaac vouched on my behalf and vowed to keep a close eye on me. Given our lack of speaking terms, he had to have been sneaky about it though to make it believable. My skills were dangerous as far as the bureaucracy saw and now they wanted to use my discretion as a means to strong-arm me into their service.

"Right, " I muttered under my breath before leaving both my uncle and Nix alone in the room.

The docking process at Proxima took approximately twenty minutes with all the inspections and paperwork involved. In that time I needed to hack into the surveillance cameras of the Lawless in order to keep an eye on Isaac's movements but the dock crew as well. I had no intention of attending any meeting or becoming a M.I.B. lackie. My escape had a narrow window but I was confident in my abilities. I was perfectly prepared and one-hundred percent ready to get off this damn ship.

words - 1070
total words - 6003
written - 03/13/2020
last edited - 05/05/2020