Riptide, Nick/Cody, Challenge #12: Fantasy, oddmonster

[oddmonster.livejournal.com]

Title: Neuros Are For Never (1/2)
Authors: oddmonster and the frankly astounding tinx_r
Rating: R (there's a little Nick/Cody man-on-man action in the middle), and there's h/c
Words: 5232
Prompt: #12, Fantasy. Crossposted to pier56
Notes: Riptide....in space. Oh yes, you read that right. For valis2 and seraphina_snape, who wanted space pirates.
Summary: The Riptide takes on a freighter carrying highly sought-after cargo and find they have taken on more than they bargained for.





"Freighter dead ahead!" Murray indicated the green blip on the locater screen. "I'd say it's the Stargoblin--remember that transmission we picked up yesterday?"

"Out of Port of Jupiter?" Nick bounded out of his seat and came to look over Murray's shoulder. "We figured she was carrying neuropods, right?"

"That's right, Nick, exactly right. According to our intelligence, there was a shipment of neuros coming through Iltna Minor on--let me see--" Murray turned to the small orange robot. "Roboz?"

Roboz's screen lit up, displaying: 06/10/2521.

"Tenth of June," Murray muttered. "Monday," he said more loudly. "So it looks like the Stargoblin's our ship, guys. She's registered as having come through Iltna Minor at 0100 hours, leaving again at 1800..." he looked at the screen in front of him. "With a remarkably different signature than when she went in. A neuro signature. Guys, I think this is our target."

"We sure could use that shipment," Cody mused. "Not to mention getting those neuropods out of the hands of the Inter-Galactic Unity."

Murray turned. "Hey guys, what's a neuropod?"

Nick and Cody shared a glance, then Cody cleared his throat. "It's a bundle of synthetic nerve tissue that lots of bored sentient beings use to supplement their own normal nervous responses. A loudspeaker for nerves."

"Doesn't sound too bad to me."

Cody looked at his friend kindly. "Murray, the synthetic part is powered by organic nerve matter. Collected from living donors."

"Who don't have a choice in the matter," Nick growled. "That's another dirty little Unity secret: They pay orphanages, zoos, hospitals, port bars, whoever, to hand over warm bodies, no questions asked. And no one's ever the wiser. Except us."

The three of them fell silent, watching the green blip drift slowly across Murray's screen.

"Seems to me, pal, we need to find out where those pods are headed, see if we can take out a link in this chain." Cody laid a hand on Nick's shoulder.

Nick didn't answer.

Cody frowned. "Murray, you think you could get us into the Stargoblin's navigation system? Find out where they're headed?"

"Sure thing, Cody." Murray typed some commands into the console, and a second screen lit up. Lines of bright blue text scrolled by faster than any human could possibly read. Murray's bionic eye shone with a dull orange glow. "I've managed to sneak us under their shields--boy, you'd think smugglers would invest in a little better security for their main means of transport, because really, I got us in--"

"Murray," Cody interrupted. His eyes were on Nick, who stood brooding and silent, still staring at the Stargoblin.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, it's the eye, it makes me forget--anyway, current destination...K36-60007A, in--in the Amhara-5 galaxy."

Nick stormed off the deck with an oath, his boots clattering on the stairs as he went below.

"Amhara-5, huh?" Cody shook his head. "Great." He sighed and made for the stairs. "Murray, you have the helm," he called.

Murray fine-tuned the locator screen to project the Stargoblin's path, then leaned back in his chair, feet up on the console. He didn't feel it was necessary to mention Roboz had been controlling the ship for the past two days while he ran diagnostics on their own navigation systems. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back, staring out of the top viewport. In the dark reaches of space, it was easy to lose all sense of perspective. Gray, blue, purple nebulae all swirled together against the cold black immensity of the universe, it reminded Murray of certain types of flowers he'd read about, scrolling through the ForceFeed late one night. Flowers that only bloomed in the dark, and lured unsuspecting fauna with their bruiselike coloring. According to the articles he'd read, the flowers were highly prized for their aphrodesiacal properties.

He was trying to remember whether the males or the females were the ones with poison pistils when he leaned too far back and toppled to the floor.

---

Cody found Nick sitting on the bed in their stateroom, brooding. He sat lightly next to him, pressing his knee gently against Nick's hip, but otherwise giving him space. "You wanna talk about this?"

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Not really."

"You know, as your captain I could order you to talk about it."

Nick turned. "Is that how you want to play this, Cody?"

"Of course not, buddy, but you've got to tell me what's going on here if we're gonna take this shipment. It was Amhara-5, wasn't it?"

"It's always Amhara-5, Cody. Always will be. You know, no matter how far we fly, how much distance we put between us and that shithole, I can't get past it."

Cody moved closer on the bed, pulling Nick into his arms.

Nick pushed him away, not ready to be comforted. "No, Cody." He sat up straight and looked at his partner. "Before you and I met, before we were stationed together, I was given an assignment, right out of the Academy. I was part of an armed guard, moving Garran war prisoners. We were told..." He brushed at his eyes angrily. "We were told they were terrorist spies, and for the good of the Unity, they would be going to a work camp. So a bunch of us, a whole damn green bunch of us are on this ship, laughing it up, cards, drinking, the whole nine yards--easiest assignment ever, right? Stay on the ship, don't go in the hold, transfer the prisoners when we get there. Only..." Tears shone bright in his eyes and Cody hazarded a hand on his friend's knee.

"Only when we got there, it wasn't a work camp, Cody. It was a neuro facility. That sobered us up pretty damn fast. And the spies? Women and children, just regular people caught on the wrong side of a war they didn't start and certainly couldn't give a shit about. But there we were, supposed to...deliver them..." The tears ran down Nick's face and Cody pulled him close, despite his earlier protestation. He experienced his friend's pain in the tightness of his muscles, the tremors that shook him against Cody's chest.

"Cody, women and children. And they...."

Cody tightened his grip. He held Nick, rocking them both gently until he felt the sobs subside. "You think we should give this one a miss, buddy? We can find something else."

Nick sat back violently, holding Cody at arm's length. "No way, man. No way. We've gotta get these guys. We've gotta stop these sick fucks no matter what."

Cody smirked. "Somehow I thought that's what you'd say."

"Let me - let me go check the Mimi, okay?" Nick took a deep breath. "That shootout with the gang from Lupo-X9 last week - I didn't check the firing ports over yet. We'll need her for this shipment, no question about that."

"Sure, pal." Cody stood up, accepting his partner's wish to collect himself alone. "Don't be too long, huh?"

"I won't." Nick stood too, and smiled, a little grimly. "I'll meet you on the bridge in half an hour. Hopefully Murray'll have the intercept all plotted out by then, and we can get underway."

---

Returning to the bridge, Cody found Murray poring over a deep-space chart. He had his black-framed glasses on again, a sign that he'd deactivated his bionic eye. "That implant still giving you trouble, Boz?" Cody asked.

"What? Oh - no, not really, Cody. I just haven't quite got the hang of switching it off - I mean, unless I turn it off with the switch, you know?" Murray gave his high pitched giggle. "So when I'm really concentrating on something it's still easier to turn it off when I don't want to use it. Anyway, have a look at this. By my calculations, the Stargoblin's going to be within a thousand codecs of asteroid DK84R on Thursday at 0400. And according to the transmissions I've been decoding, the Barefoot Contessa will be docked at Xanadu at the same time. If anything went wrong, she's right there if we need backup."

"Good thinking, Murray." Cody nodded. "Have you got details of the Stargoblin's weaponry?"

"Sure do, Cody." Murray gestured at the orange robot standing nearby. "Roboz! Get me the printouts." The little robot floated over to the bank of machinery on the opposite wall. "As soon as Nick comes in, we'll - "

"I'm in." Cody and Murray turned as the sliding doors opened with a pneumatic hiss, and Nick stepped into the room. Clad in black leather, and already wearing his combat weapons, he looked more than a little menacing.

Cody sighed. "Nick, I wish you'd wear the combat suit I got you. It's got a protection rating of--"

"I don't care about the protection rating, Cody. It's silver. I'm not wearing a fucking silver suit. Not even for you, man. These leathers haven't let me down yet, and they're not gonna." Nick scowled. "Anyway, I didn't come up here to discuss menswear, alright? Mimi's primed and ready. When do we move?"

The Roboz's screen lit up: +1200 HOURS

Nick and Cody looked at each other.

"We can get a few games of scrabble in, huh, pal?" Cody asked, stepping closer.

"Not if you're planning on wearing that damned silver suit, we can't."

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement about clothing." Cody grinned. "I'll make you a bargain: you lose the leathers and I'll lose the suit."

"Hello?" Murray threw his hands up. "I'm sitting right here! I can hear everything you're saying! Could you take the pillow talk off the deck at least?"

"Hey Murray, lighten up," Nick said, walking over to stand behind the navigator's chair. "You've been spending too much time in the simulator. Maybe after this mission's over we can stop by the Orleans nebula and get you some company of your own. How 'bout it?"

"Myrna!" Murray's face lit up. "That would be boss. I wonder if she can still do that thing with her tentacles--oh you guys should see it, she sort of puts one of her--"

"Murray!" The two of them protested in unison.

A series of beeps sounded, then the Roboz's screen changed: INCOMING MSG: MAMA JO.

Cody nodded. "Patch her through, Roboz." He put on a welcoming grin just as the main viewscreen filled with the face of an older, blonde woman.

She was not grinning. At all. "You three scoundrels wouldn't be thinking of trying to take those neuropods, would you?"

Cody widened his grin as much as he was able. "What neuropods, Mama Jo?"

"You know exactly which neuropods I'm talking about. Don't play games with me, Cody. I've been running the Resistance since before you were a pulse in your daddy's laser, and I'll be running it long after you two are piles of spacedust." She narrowed her eyes. "Nice outfit."

Nick snickered.

Cody shot Nick a look then returned his attention to the screen. "Mama Jo, have I mentioned how lovely you're looking? Is that a new nose?"

"Save it, Allen. I'm just here to give you boys some friendly advice and tell you to stay the hell off the Stargoblin, okay?"

There was a brief battle of wills before Cody dropped his gaze to the deck.

"Oh and boys? Your forward transponder's tarnished. You might want to look into that. Transmission out."

The screen went dark.

"Man. How does she do that?"

"What, know what we're planning before we do?" Cody's grin had disappeared.

"Yeah, that and locate the exact same cargo ship we're looking at in roughly a quadrillion miles of space."

"Cody raised an eyebrow. "A quadrillion?"

Nick gave him a look.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"What's a transponder?"

---

Nick hit the bed with a bounce as Cody pushed him down, peppering his neck and chest with hungry kisses. Nick relaxed under the barrage. Cody always got this way before missions, and Nick always enjoyed reaping the benefits. He'd barely managed to keep his leathers on until they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Now Nick slid a hand round the back of Cody's neck, pulling him back up for a kiss. Cody grinned approval and kissed Nick energetically, aligning their bodies atop the thin blanket. Nick stiffened at the scratchy wool against his skin and it took Cody only a moment to figure out the problem. He leaped up, rolled Nick to one side and clawed the blanket off the bed, throwing it in a heap on the floor before returning to the attack, lips and hands roaming ceaselessly. Nick held his partner at arms' length for a moment, smiling gently. Cody paused, panting.

"I love you, Cody," Nick told him. "I love you so much."

"Love you too, buddy. Want you. Now."

Nick gave in, savoring the feel of Cody on top of him, kissing and nipping frantically at every inch of exposed skin. He closed his eyes as Cody worked his way down his stomach, pushing Nick's thighs apart with a knee, mouth hot and wet, fingers digging into the soft skin along Nick's hipbones. He groaned as Cody slid his cock into his mouth, tongue restless and urgent. Nick looked down to where his partner lay between his legs, soft moans emerging at intervals. Nick reached for him, tangling his hands in Cody's soft blond hair.

Cody sucked eagerly, and as he increased friction and pressure, one hand on Nick's shaft, the other moving lower, Nick arched with delight, his head hitting the pillow, hands kneading the remaining sheet. "Cody," Nick gasped. "Fuck yeah, Cody...please..." He surrendered to the overwhelming tide of pleasure, rocking his hips frantically as Cody held on tight.

"Turns out there's something those leathers can't protect you from after all," Cody said later.

"They weren't meant to withstand you, Cody." Nick kissed him softly. His partner looked smug and pulled Nick closer.

The two of them were curled up together on top of the sheet. The blanket continued to lie in disgrace on the floor by the bed.

Cody's earlier enthusiasm had been mellowed by Nick's soft touches. In contrast to his partner, Nick liked to take his time before each mission, holding Cody close, whispering to him, each touch gentler than the last, until Cody finally shook and quivered in Nick's arms, opening his eyes to bask in love and acceptance.

---

The Stargoblin was an x-class Unity cargo ship--bulky and slow, but heavily armed. The x-class ships were being phased out due to a potentially deadly structural weakness: one of the auxiliary thruster ports on the starboard side could be used for intake, were someone so unscrupulous as to want to gain unauthorized entrance to the ship. Anything could come through there: poison gases, explosives, pirates... Pirates such as those on the Riptide, for example, currently sitting six clicks off the Stargoblin's stern.

"Our cloak still good, Boz?" Nick linked in from the cockpit of the Mimi. She'd been giving him some trouble lately, but with the size of this shipment, there was no way around using her, first as a distraction while Cody pulled the Ebbtide up to the unprotected thruster port, then as their mule, carrying all those pods away after Cody blew the rear hatch seal. Murray would jam the Stargoblin's weapons and response systems, they'd be in and out like a flash--well, a Mimi-speed flash, anyway--and the Ebbtide was set to see her own way back to the Riptide. With the neuropods safely on board the Mimi, Nick and Cody would meet up with the Riptide once they'd safely cleared Amhara-5's outer ring.

"Why'd it have to be Amhara, huh Mimi?" Nick ran one last systems check. The lights all came back green. Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Dear Lady, please bless this ship. May she fly straight and true...straight up the Unity's ass. Amen."

"That rustbucket ready, Nick?" Cody's voice came over his earpiece and Nick could almost believe he was standing right next to him, instead of at the Ebbtide's helm.

"She's at least as ready as that speck of meteor dust you call a spaceship, man."

"Meteor dust?" Cody chuckled. "I'll take this speck over that big pink tin can anytime, buddy. How's the main ignition looking, anyway?"

"It'll give as much power as we need," Nick answered. "The old girl may be slow, but she'll get there eventually."

"Yeah that's what worries me, Nick. Slow might be a problem on this one. Just make sure when I get that hatch open, Mimi's up to speed."

"Count on it, Cody. We'll be there." Nick gripped the guide rig firmly. "Don't let me down, Mimi," he murmured.

"Okay Murray, we're ready when you are. Let's get this done."

"Aye-aye Captain!"

Nick rolled his eyes. He knew Cody was doing the same, over in the Ebbtide. Neither of them had been able to break their partner of that particular habit.

"Override command to execute in five...four...three..."

A few seconds later, as the three of them watched, the Stargoblin's lights winked out, and the fires of their thrusters sputtered, then they too went dark.

Murray whooped in their ears. "Readings indicate 0% capability for weapons, power and navigation. Transferring control to the Riptide....ha! That's so boss! We're driving a Unity ship!"

"For Pete's sake, Murray, it's piloting. We're piloting a Unity ship." Cody's sigh came across the comm link loud and clear. "Are we good to go, Boz?"

"All clear, Captain. Although it looks like there might be--" Murray's transmission was cut off in a burst of static.

Nick put a hand to his earpiece. "Say again, Murray, what was that last part?" He strained to hear the response through another burst of static.

The line suddenly cleared. "I'm not sure, Nick, it looked for a minute like the defensive subsystems were firing back up--ha! firing back--d'you get it? Firing?"

Nick shook his head. Outside the Mimi's viewport he could see the Ebb Tide already tethered to the side of the Stargoblin like some intergalactic species of tick. The mouth of the thruster port yawned dark and empty. Time to go. Nick hit the Mimi's ignition switch.

Nothing happened.

"No no no no! Not now, Mimi," Nick muttered.

"Don't tell me," Cody answered in his ear. "Nick, don't tell me Mimi's feeling temperamental right now."

"Okay, I won't tell you," Nick shot back.

"Hey buddy? I'm just outside the hold now, and, it's weird but, I haven't seen anybody on board so far."

Nick pounded a fist into the overhead console. "Let's hope your luck holds, Cody."

"Come on, Nick, where the hell are you? I've got the hatch airlock ready to--"

Cody's voice was drowned out in a burst of gunfire just as Mimi's main thruster caught and ignited with a soft whump. Nick jammed the controls forward and aimed Mimi in a slow graceful arc towards the Stargoblin's rear-hatch. The gunfire over his comm link continued. "Cody! Blow the hatch, man! Get out of there! I'm right outside!"

The Mimi hovered outside the rear hatch.

Which remained closed.

"Cody! What's happening! Fuck the pods! Let's go!" The gunfire continued.

"Nick! I'm pinned down just beyond the airlock! I'm gonna try--"

The comm link dissolved with a sharp spike of feedback. Wincing, Nick ripped his earpiece out and threw it on the console. "Murray, go to an external frequency and use the transmitters to keep track of us. I've gotta go in and get Cody!"

"Aye--okay, Nick, I've got you and Cody on the scanner. He's still in the hold." Murray voice filled the cockpit. Nick unbuckled his harness and slid out of the pilot seat, leaving Mimi to fly herself.

There was a soft thump and the smell of ozone. Mimi rocked violently, throwing Nick to the deck. "What the fuck, Murray? That was a photon cannon!" Another blast rocked the ship as Nick struggled to his feet. "I thought the weapons systems were disabled!"

"They were! They should be! I don't know what's wrong!"

Mimi took another hit and the wall above Nick's head burst into flames.

"Murray! We're taking heavy fire over here! What the fuck is going on?" Nick struggled back up to the pilot's seat as the viewport next to it splintered, cobwebbing cracks out to the edges of the seal. Nick dove back down belowdecks and slammed the door to the cockpit shut, sealing it off. "I've lost access to the main console, Boz! I'm going to have to fly her from the stern!" Nick ran along the deck to the rear of the ship as the panels alongside erupted with sparks. He activated a second guidance rig on the back wall and punched in a command.

"Uh Nick, I hate to tell you this, but the Riptide's not doing so well either. I don't know how long she'll hold out under this type of action. That ship? She's got some serious guns."

"Well put up some serious shields then!"

There was another muffled thump, and all the lights on the Mimi went out; with a sharp crackle, the left rear thruster guttered and died. Nick swore, fruitlessly flipping switches and trying buttons on the console before him.

"Nick! What's going on over there?"

"Come on Mimi," Nick muttered. "Snap out of it!"

The ship remained dark.

Nick took a deep breath. "Don't be like this. Just do me this one favor and I promise you, we'll take a nice vacation somewhere without cannons."

Another shot rocked the ship, eliciting a fresh burst of sparks from the bank of electronics next to the sealed cockpit.

A metallic grinding noise accompanied the return of the lights, then the consoles sprung to life in banks of flashing red and yellow. "Atta girl, Mimi!" Nick checked the autopilot. "Murray! We're back! I'm going to get Cody!"

"Uh, Nick? That's going to be a problem."

"Not getting him's a bigger problem." Nick jabbed sharply at one of the consoles and Mimi's shields came back online.

"Nick? It's Cody's transmitter. It's just...gone."

Nick looked up sharply. "What? Can you fix it? Where is he?"

"That's just it, Nick. He could be anywhere on the Stargoblin."

"Then anywhere's where I'm gonna look!"

"Nick..." Murray sounded hesitant, his voice echoing through the hold of the big gunship. "There's worse news. The Riptide's sensors are picking up antimatter guns."

Nick froze. "On an x-class? No way. Boz, something's very wrong here. Let's get Cody and split."

Silence greeted his statement. "Murray? Come in, Murray? Tell me something else didn't just go wrong...."

The hair on the back of Nick's neck stood up, and he smelled sulfur. "No no no no...." Just as he dove for the guide rig, the deck slid out from under his feet, and the whole world went sideways. Nick slammed head-first into the metal floorplate and everything went very quiet.

The Mimi tumbled end over end through the cold, dark emptiness of space.

---

"Nick!" Cody grabbed his earpiece and shook it, but it stayed dead and silent. "Fuck." He risked a quick look out from his position hunkered down behind a girder. The news hadn't improved. He could see six troopers in Unity red and white, their proton-pistols drawn and ready. The gravity charge he could have used to blow the hatch lay 50 feet away, of no more use than if it had been back on the Riptide. They were laying in wait for us, Cody realized. Just then, he heard the ring of marching feet.

"Let's have a look at what we've caught, fellas." Cody's heart sank at the rough, sarcastic tones. He'd heard that voice before: Lieutenant Ted Quinlan, Unity Special Forces Operative, Piracy Division. A guy with a chip on his shoulder, and a guy who'd been hunting the Riptide a very long time.

Cody peeked over the girder again and saw Quinlan, short, stocky and wearing a wide smirk, waving three troopers forward. Swallowing hard, Cody looked behind him. He couldn't see troopers that way, but there was no cover either. It was a risk he had to take. Bending low, he started to run, sticking close to the side of the ship, heading for the other side of the hold where the cargo offered shelter.

"Halt or be shot!"

Cody dodged and rolled, then came up running. As he did so, he saw the green glow of a stunner flash nearby. Fuck, that was close. He realized suddenly that the silver suit was working against him, catching and reflecting what light there was in the dark hold. And although it would provide protection from the proton-pistols, it couldn't block a stunner. Nick was right. Dammit, Nick, where the fuck are you? Cody dodged again, and suddenly felt a searing pain in his leg. Another stunner had found its mark. Biting back a scream, Cody hit the deck and rolled again. He tried to push himself up to carry on, but the stunner had done its work - his leg was heavy and useless and wouldn't obey him. The Unity gunners weren't kidding around - that was the work of a full-power stunray, intended to temporarily maim. Cody managed one limping step before the next hit took him full in the chest and he collapsed in a heap, breathing taking all his effort.

Cody struggled to focus his eyes, and dimly recognized Quinlan looking down at him. "So. Mr Allen. It's nice to meet you in person, at last. So much more... personal... than a vidscreen." Cody choked as he felt Quinlan's heavy space-boot connect hard with his ribcage. The blood roared in his ears as he struggled to breathe, gasping, lungs on fire. "Wouldn't you agree, Allen?"

Another kick connected and Cody's world went dark.

Cody opened his eyes slowly. There was a dull, burning pain in his chest. His body felt heavy and when he tried to raise his hand his fingers were slow to obey. Awareness returned and he realized he was in an unfamiliar room, secured to a chair by straps around his legs and torso. The Stargoblin, he remembered hazily. Stunners... Quinlan... Blearily, he looked around the room.

"Cody Allen. Done with your beauty sleep?" Quinlan got up from a seat in the corner and crossed to stand in front of Cody. "It's time for you and I to have a little chat, my friend."

Cody glared. "Not - your friend," he growled. Speaking was an effort. He tried to take a deep breath, and the sudden stabbing pain in his chest brought tears to his eyes.

"No? Well," Quinlan smirked, "you're gonna be my friend, Allen. We're gonna be bosom buddies, in fact, before we're done. You're going to tell me all your special secrets, like the name of the leader of the Resistance, and the location of your safe-ports. And the longer you take to tell me, why, the friendlier I'm gonna be. You get my drift?" He grabbed Cody's chin and forced his head back against the chair. "Do you, pretty boy?"

Struggling to breathe, Cody glared as well as he was able.

"Ah, well." Quinlan released Cody's chin. "Let's get started shall we? These neuropods you came here to steal. Tell me where you were planning to take them."

"Back to - hell - where they belong," Cody choked out.

"No," Quinlan said, shaking his head at Cody in mock sorrow. "You'll have to do better than that."

Cody couldn't prevent the scream that escaped him as Quinlan punched him in the thigh, at the same spot the stunner had hit. He sucked in air and spoke as quickly as he was able. "Those pods are born in hell, Quinlan, and we 're taking 'em back there. D'you know how they make them? D'you know the donors are women and children? Innocents?"

"Allen, I'm real glad to make your acquaintance, you know? You're a laugh a minute. A riot." Quinlan leaned over Cody, his eyes hard. "Trouble is, I didn't sign on for comedy. Understand?" Another punch connected with Cody's chest.

Quinlan watched with interest as Cody fought to breathe, head thrown back, eyes staring. "Tell me some more about these pods," he said, conversationally.

'Here goes nothing.' Cody seized on the tiny flicker of doubt he saw in Quinlan's face. "It's true, Quinlan. I didn't join the Resistance for my health. It's because the Unity's rotten to the fucking core. These pods - they round up kids, Quinlan. Kids on the streets in places like Sirius-492 where no-one gives a damn about one less mouth to feed, and they ship them off to neuro-facilities. They keep them there, Quinlan, string 'em up in little cells and harvest nerve tissue. Those poor little bastards are living in hell, and you're supporting it. You're perpetuating it." Cody stopped, unable to speak any more, gasping air with hitched breaths.

For a few seconds, Quinlan stared at him, expressionless. Finally, he spoke slowly. "Allen, why don't you take a nice nap while I round up your partners." His fist connected with Cody's chin, and Cody's head slammed back against the chair. His world went dark.

---

Back aboard the Riptide, Murray stared at four screens simultaneously. The tip of his tongue stuck out of one corner of his mouth and his bionic eye glowed faintly as he manipulated a small console in his lap. From time to time he typed in a command on the main screen, but the view never changed. Murray was flying the Mimi, and from the look of intense concentration on his face, she wasn't happy about it.

He gasped as she dove nose-first towards a nearby asteroid. A few hasty commands later she was back on course, and he wiped a hand across his brow.

Just a few more adjustments...sweat poured off the Riptide's navigation officer and second in command as he docked Mimi against the main ship.

Roboz's screen lit up: RECOVERY: MIMI = SUCCESS

Murray sat back and gulped air. He stared at the screens and shook his head. The light from his bionic eye winked out and he put his thick glasses back on.

Roboz's screen changed: GOOD JOB, MURRAY.

"Thanks, Roboz, but now we've gotta get Nick off the Mimi. He's probably not in the best of shape, given the hit she took from the antimatter guns.

Roboz answered automatically: SCANNING MIMI...OFFICER RYDER = MOSTLY UNHURT.

Murray sighed and threw his hands up in the air. "I have got to finish writing a proper scanning module for you, Roboz! 'Mostly unhurt'? That's terrible! It doesn't tell us anything! Alright, let's go get him." Murray stood up and stretched. He jogged in place for a couple seconds, then did a few deep knee bends. "Let's hope he can at least walk, because I don't know about you, Roboz, but I can't carry Nick very far at all."

Murray headed belowdecks to the starboard docking station, Roboz hovering along behind him.

The airlock opened with a quiet hiss, and Murray stalked cautiously towards the Mimi. As the other door drew back he could see where her pink niobium shell was scarred with new burns from the photon cannon. According to his instruments, she'd barely managed to get a shot off in return.

Murray punched in the combination to open the Mimi's hatch and stood back expectantly.

Nothing happened.

He tried the combination again, but again the hatch stayed firmly in place.

There was a soft ping from Roboz: HATCH REQUIRES CODE PLUS SWIFT KICK.

"Oh, that's right. Okay, I hope I don't hurt my foot, and, Roboz, what if Nick sees me kicking the Mimi? He's gonna just go--"

HE HAS OTHER THINGS ON HIS MIND.

"Oh. Well, here goes." Murray reared back, dropped into his best approximation of a kunjaku fighting stance and launched a fierce kick at the center of the Mimi's hatch. "Ow! My foot! Oh that really hurt, Roboz! I think I broke something! Oh! Ow!"

With a groaning noise, an invisible seam appeared in the middle of the hatch and the two halves swung open.

Nick staggered through, blood staining one side of his face from his cheekbone to the top of his leather flight suit. "Cody..." he whispered, then collapsed onto Murray, who wavered slightly, but stayed upright. They careened into one wall of the airlock before Murray managed to hoist Nick's arms around him and begin the long slow journey back to the Riptide's flight deck.