Episode 28 - Man Was She Hot

"You see doc, I told you she was up to something crazy."

"Derrick, I don't think it's like that. You don't know Katie like I do."

"Well doc, it wouldn't appear that you know her all too well either. Who is that guy she is talking with, and what the hell are they talking about? And did you see what happened to your best buddy Fogweet? I thought you two were attached at the hip? I'm surprised you didn't get the bump on your head from him being hit."

The doctor and I crouched behind one of the loaders at the entrance of the terminal. Across the floor, at the other end of the terminal we could see Fogweet unconscious on the ground by the lift and Katie sitting at a table with some guy who looked vaguely familiar. I couldn't quite place his face, but I felt like I knew him from somewhere. Regardless of who he was, I had work to do and this guy would not stand in my way.

"I admit, the man knocking out poor little Fogweet pisses me off a bit."

"'Pisses you off' huh? Wow, that's the most emotion I've heard out of you yet. Maybe you wanna' waltz on over there and do something about it? Maybe take that guy out back and show him a thing or two?" 

"Uh... Well, I mean... There's no need to resort to" I was running out of patience and quickly cut the Jerry off, "Yeah, doc, I get it. No need to resort to violence, but we are at a time and place where violence is probably the first, second and third option for dealing with these traders and getting the fusion device back. We've been standing pat for way too long hoping that these Rogarians would simply stumble their way out of the tunnels and into our hands, and time is not on our side."

I looked over at the Jerry and he looked as if he might pass out at any moment, "Listen Jerry, if you need to sit this one out maybe you can go hang out with your girlfriend over there and you guys can work out whatever idiotic plan she has cooked up. But I need to get going and pretty soon at that. I don't know what nonsense she has planned with that guy over there but the device and this mission are far too important to risk on wild cards like these."

"No, no. I'm okay. I promise. While I definitely trust Katie, I too am not sure what this guy has to do with our mission and I think you could use my assistance as well. Your arm has only just healed from the last meeting we had with those traders, and should you get injured again I could be of great service."

I smirked a bit at the idea that I could or would ever need the doc's help especially in an encounter with the traders, but I wasn't going in the mood to argue anymore. I didn't know what the hell Katie was up to and I needed to get down in those tunnels before she could do anything stupid to jeopardize this mission. If she was working against us, well that would be a damn shame. Man was she hot. I really hoped I didn't have to kill her when this was all done.

I grabbed Jerry by his arm and we made our way to the emergency access portal just to our right. I hacked the electronic lock and we entered the doorway. As the door closed behind us I could smell the stench of what must be several of those Rogarians upwind of us. The doc let out a slight whimper and I pushed him forward down the corridor, this was going to get ugly I imagined but we continued on.

(Read the rest of the Episodic Saga here at TTiS)

Episode 26 - Enough Waiting Already!

Katie

"Alright, you guys, I'm tired of waiting."  I looked at my Spaceforce chronograph display.  "Sheesh, we've been sitting here for more than a month!"  Jerry pushed his glasses up his nose and coughed awkwardly while Derrick smiled with a patronizing expression.

"I'm good here," he said.  "Good coffee, good raisin rolls.  If you had been down in the conduits like we had, you'd be happy to be sitting around for a few minutes too."

"Fair enough.  Are you rested now?"

"No," Derrick smiled, "I think I need some time in bed.  Interested, Ensign?"

"Hey!"  Jerry jumped up and poked his finger in Derrick's chest.  "Ensign Golden is on duty and so are you.  What happened to saving the Earth, hot shot?"

"I can do that too," Derrick replied swiping Jerry's hand away.  "Hot shot.  I can multi-task.  Can you, Doc?"

"Yeah, I can multi-task."  Jerry's voice grew louder.  "I can save your worthless ass and chew gum at the same time."

"What?" Derrick said.

"What?  This is ridiculous," I sighed, now rising to my feet.  "I'm out of here.  You boys can stand here for another month and fight about whose got more testosterone but I'm going to find a way to lure that trader up into the daylight and get the chip back."  I put my cup and napkin in the recycling bin and then headed out into the terminal knowing those guys, like puppies, would soon follow.  It was just before midnight and the terminal lights had dimmed somewhat.  Only a few tired looking people wandered about as no commercial ships arrived or departed until the next morning.  Overhead, the glass ceiling displayed the vast expanse of stars, Planet Earth, the largest light among them.  I stood watching Earth for a moment, trying to block out the ramifications of her destruction and instead, concentrated on the fragments of a plan that I had been putting together in my mind.  I needed a woman who would attract the trader.  It would be a nasty job, but Spaceforce had made certain I had plenty of money to pay her well. 

"Marla, I love Marla," an off-key voice sang from the doorway of the bar down the terminal.  "Marla, oh Marla, I love you truly!"

Marla.  The triple-breasted Andorian stripper was displayed prominently on the signage right outside.  Her last show had been at 2300.  Maybe, I could catch her before she went home for the night.

"Excuse me," I said to the drunken Martian that was serenading the absent Marla.  He turned his enormous eyes on me for a moment, a giant tear leaking from one of them.

"I love Marla," he told me.  "But she doesn't even know I exist.  I'm just another big headed Martian in the audience, another Bill at the bar."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bill.

 

"I'm not Bill.  I'm like a Bill."

"You're like a drunk."

"Yeah, I'm that too," he laughed sloppily, his big head swaying back and forth.  "But what else have I got in this life?  Without Marla, I'm nothing.  I might as well just go home and crawl back down my hole."

"Listen, Bill," I started again.

"I'm not Bill.  I'm Fogweet."

"Listen, Fogweet," I tried a third time.  "I need to talk to Marla.  Do you know when Marla comes out?  I've got a job for her.  Do you think she might be interested in making some money?"  Suddenly, his big head lit up the dark terminal like a beacon. 

"Yes," he cried.  "I can give her money.  Every Andorian loves that stuff.  Can I do the job instead?  I'll keep the money and then give it to her.  She'll be so happy, she'll marry me right away."

I wasn't sure I could trust this Fogweet.  On the other hand, we had wasted too much time already.  I really had to get that Rogarian trader up here now.  "Can you go down to the conduits?" I asked.  "I need you to coax that trader up here."  I waved a bunch of bills in front of his head.

"Oh sure," Fogweet scoffed.  "I can do that."  He stood up and swayed on his feet.  He started wobbling to the lift bay.  "I can bring him up here, no problem at all."

"What are you going to tell him?  How are you going to get him to agree to it?"  I followed him to the lift.

"Easy," Fogweet replied pushing the button.  "I'll just tell him, I've got his dinner all ready."

"Okay."  Food was an incentive I hadn't considered as I wasn't sure what Rogarians ate.  "What have you got for him?"

"I have the Rogarian's favorite meal."  Fogweet smiled as he entered the lift and shut the door.  "There's no way he will resist a fresh human girl."

Episode 25 - Katie's Trade Offs

I didn't know why I got stuck on this bloody task force in the first place.  All I wanted was to join my ship and start my career.

"It'll help your career, Kate," Admiral Leung had said signing off the papers that temporarily transferred my assignment.  "Heck, you save the Earth, you can write your own ticket.  You'll be a Starship Captain before you're 35.  You may even make Admiral before 45."  He laughed though I didn't think anything was funny. 

"Seriously, sir?  Save the Earth?"

"Well."  He leaned back in his chair.  It creaked under his weight.  "It could come to that.  We think ARCA will be able to recover possession of the chip but the fusion device will be a little trickier to negotiate.  ARCA, as you know, concentrates its efforts on Earth and Sol.  When it comes to the rest of the galaxy, they basically pretend we don't exist.  You were chosen because of your diplomatic skills in dealing with alien cultures not to mention your firearm rating and pilot cert.  You'll need to befriend the traders and somehow convince them to return the device to you.  Once you secure it, the ARCA agent will arrange a spaceplane for your escape.  Bring the device back here and you're home free."

"You trust him?"

Admiral Leung looked out his window.  A starship floated past tethered by a long cord to the spacebase.  On her tail, the numbers 2732 were visible which meant she was the Excalibur.  A twinge of jealousy washed over me.  The Excalibur wasn't going to be my ship.  I was assigned to the Discovery but the Ex was my second choice.  Now I didn't know if I'd ever make it to either one.

"You'll get there."  The Admiral nodded at the window apparently reading my thoughts.  "Do this and I'll make sure your next assignment will be a vacation for you.  I'll have you inventorying the sickbay or testing software protocols in a lab.  You can sleep late and cut out early, spend your time on the Rec Deck."

"I don't want that," I insisted tearing my eyes away from the ship. 

"What do you want?"

"The bridge.  Navigation and Controls."

He nodded again.  "You got it.  Do your job now."  He shoved my orders across the desk and turned his back, dismissing me.

So here I was in a Starbucks on Mars sitting with the ARCA agent who couldn't manage to lift his eyes higher than my chin and Jerry Waldman, who stared at me as if his life depended on my every word.  I was tempted to take the Glock out of my purse, the one my dad had just given me for graduating the Academy and shoot the both of them.  I supposed that would have been a really bad career move though so I didn't.  Instead, I just tried to smile and find out what they knew.

"I think they're still down in the conduits," Derrick was saying. 

"I don't want to go back there."  Jerry shook his head.  "I don't think Katie should either.  It's not safe."

"You're not assigned to this anyway," Derrick snapped.  "Let the lady decide what she wants to do.  If we go back down, I'll make sure she's well protected."  He smiled broadly.  "You can stay right by me, Sweetheart."

"I'm just saying that we should try to lure the head trader up here instead."  Raising his voice, Jerry half stood up and pointed at Derrick's arm which was hanging at an odd angle.  "Look how well you managed to take care of yourself down there." 

"I don't need to be protected," I hissed, "by either of you.  But, I do agree with Jerry.  Rogarians live in tunnels.  By going down there, we are giving him the advantage.  We need to bring him up here where the simulated daylight will affect their eyesight and make him more vulnerable."

"Rogarians?"  Derrick leaned across the table.  "I thought we were dealing with Martians."

"They're similar.  Genetically they're cousins as we think the Rogarians populated Mars sometime in the last thousand Millenia.  However, Martians are very gentle people whereas the Rogarians can be downright nasty."

"I noticed," Derrick grumbled.

"See," Jerry added.  "Here you've been verbally brutalizing Fogweet for the last few hours for absolutely no reason."

"What's a Fogweet?" I asked.

"Don’t go there."  Derrick rolled his eyes.  "So any idea how we can get him up here with the fusion device?"

"We have to offer him something he wants instead," I replied and pulled a pic out of my handbag.  "He's a 

trader, remember?"

"And what would that be, smart lady?" Derrick smiled patronizingly as I laid down the pic so they could see it.

"Ew," Jerry frowned.

"It or rather she is a female Rogarian.  We need to find someone willing to dress up like this and uh…do that with the head trader.  You guys know any volunteers?"  Derrick and Jerry exchanged glances.

"Marla," they both said.

Episode 24 - Blame Game

I was mildly annoyed with the doctor completely ignoring me and the situation at hand, but when he introduced me this Katie chick, I found my own mind wandering. She was as pretty as any Spaceforce member I had ever seen, her face was like porcelain and her body was like... well let's put it this way, no three breasted martian Marla could compare with who was standing right in front of me. I looked up into her eyes and immediately knew I was gonna' make some time to spend with Katie over here, once this whole interplanetary crisis was over with. I quickly pushed my lust aside and stood to introduce myself.

"Sergeant Derrick Thomas. I work for AR... I work for an agency back on Earth" I began, but she quickly interrupted me; "Yes Sgt., I know who you are. Your reputation is well known at the Spaceforce academy. You seem to have a nose for trouble I hear, and judging from your wounds and the situation you are in the midst of, I can certainly attest to that rumor. Now what I want to know Sgt. Thomas is, what is the Advanced Research and Command Authority doing sending a hotshot like you on a mission where delicate diplomacy is certainly needed?"

"I know right, he is all fists and plasma blades, and I'm all like..." Jerry began to interject.

"Uh, Dr. Waldman?" she barely looked his way when addressing him.

"Yes Katie?"

"With all due respect doctor, please shut the hell up and let me finish speaking with Sgt. Thomas."

"Uh, uh... well, I mean, I was just trying to say..." Jerry's voice quickly trailed off as she gave him a quick glare. I have no idea who this woman is, but if she could get the doctor to shut up simply by looking at him, I was in-love already!

"Now, back to my question sergeant, what is ARCA doing sending someone like you on a mission like this? They are technically not even recognized as a military nor paramilitary agency, and have no jurisdiction in matters such as these."

"Well Ms. Golden... Is it 'Ms.' or 'Mrs.' by the way?"

"It's Ensign to you or if you prefer, you can call me Ma'am.  Now, can we move past your obvious fixation with my breasts and on to the matter of your assignment?"

"Well Ensign Golden, the fact that you have any knowledge of who I am and who ARCA is, is both impressive and troubling at the same time. Why would an ensign, a recent graduate at that, from the Spaceforce Academy be privy to the kind of information you have, and coincidentally, why would you be here on Mars in the middle of what may turn out to be the Earth's most terrifying historical event?"  

She paused for a moment, a sign that she was carefully weighing what to tell me versus what to keep all to herself; "Sgt. Thomas..." 

"Derrick" I corrected her, "just call me Derrick please?"

"Fine, Derrick. I may be just an 'ensign' or 'recent graduate' as you like to put it, but what neither of you know is, immediately after graduation I was recruited into a joint operational task force, whose mission it was to track the alien traders as they attempted to buy or more reasonably, steal the fusion device and use it in a terrorist attack against our planet."

I looked her up and down for a moment, something just didn't seem to right about this woman. I didn't know anything about her, but she knew plenty about me and my mission here. More than made me comfortable.

"Well, it would appear to me Katie, that you and your 'task force' didn't do much if anything to stop these traders from acquiring the fusion device, and were it not for ARCA quietly sending me up here, they would have both the device and the chip that controls it, and would be halfway to the Earth right now, cocked, locked and ready to blow up our little rock. So the answer to your question is simple: I was sent here to do what someone higher up than both you and I knew you obviously could not handle. Is that clarity enough for you on the situation at hand Ms. Golden?" 

I admit the rolling of my eyes was an unnecessary accent to my berating response, but I couldn't help myself. Apparently neither could she, because as I began to sit back down she swept her leg knocking the chair from under me and I came crashing to the ground. She pounced on me like a wild animal and the ire in her eyes was as much frightening as it was stimulating.

"Now listen close, Derrick. You may be top agent back on Earth, but right now there is a situation of catastrophic capacity, and whether or not my team dropped the ball is the least of our concerns. The couple traders you took out back there in the conduit... they were just a teaser of what you have waiting for you if you try and go this alone. Besides the head trader, whom you let escape, and the fifty or so other minions he has looking for you, there are a multitude of other agents from star systems you haven't even heard of all looking for you and that chip in your vest, because us humans are not the only ones who value ultimate power. The amount of devastation that fusion device can create is coveted by just about every life-force in the universe. So if you're done playing the 'blame game', you should get your ass back in your chair and debrief me on what your mission is, whether you have accomplished any of its objectives, and let me help get you and the chip off this red rock in one piece."

"Hey, what about me?" Jerry chimed in, always having the flair for the annoying.

"You  can come too doc, but you better learn to man up if you expect to make it through this alive!"

She climbed off me, grabbed my good arm and helped me to my feet. As I plopped myself back down in my chair all I could think about was what she looked like naked.

Tag Team in Space is an interactive collaboration between authors: J. Naomi Ay & Ahmad Taylor

Now seeking authors to join in on the fun. New collaborators wanted to contribute to the exciting TTiS saga! Contact with your interest Naomi / Ahmad

Episode 22 - "Noodlier Dive"

"Marshall! Get your ass over here and help me with this Big Head! You know we need that chip!" Officer Marshall looked like hammered hell but his addictions were the least of my concerns.

Marshall leaned in and grabbed Fogweet by the neck. He was a a man a some size, and lifted the Big Head with ease. I climbed off of the doctor and got to my feet. "Hey, hold him up in front of me" I told Marshall and slugged Fogweet hard in the gut.

"Hey Derrick, what the hell man! You can't just go punching...", the doctor stopped short as I picked up the shiny gold chip off of the ground. 

"Doc, I'm pretty patient with you and your freak Martian buddy over here 'cause I know you're not really a military man, but you have no clue how important this chip is. It is no toy, nor candy, nor anything else to be played with. I've been through hell and high-water to acquire this from that agent, to keep it hidden from those wild Big Heads, and to keep its location secret from those monstrous traders. I've been beaten quite severely, chained like an animal with no hope of escape, and bitten by what you tell me is probably some rabid alien trader, all with the intent of reacquiring this chip and completing my mission, so if you think that your sensitivities or the sweet tooth of this little Martian is going to stand in my way, you are sorely and sadly mistaken. Are we clear?" 

I hadn't even noticed but I had my good arm across Jerry's chest and had him pinned against the far wall of the conduit. My anger subsided a bit and I took my arm off of the doctor. His eyes were glassy behind his glasses. A tear streamed down his face, but I could tell this was not a tear from fear, but more from adrenaline and his own anger. He collected himself and put his finger in my face; "You listen here you obnoxious brute. I may not be a cold-hearted, violent, murderous soldier like you, but I am a military man and I have made plenty of my own sacrifices just to find and help you on this bullshit quest of yours. So remember that next time you lay hands on me or my freak friend over there. Now, if you don't mind... Tell your massive minion over there to release Fogweet before he chokes him to death and explain what the hell is so important about this chip of yours, because your secrets are getting boring and old."

Officer Marshall put Fogweet down and the two surrounded Jerry and I. They were as interested in an explanation of the chip as the doc was.

There was complete silence in the conduit as the two men's faces wore the gravity of the information I had presented to them. "What is Noodlier dive?" the little Big Head asked. "It's Nuclear Drive genius!" I corrected him. Jerry rubbed his eyes under his glasses trying to process everything he had just heard; "So you're telling me that there is some sort of fusion device in this spaceport that has the capability of creating a nuclear explosion that could globally decimate the Earth?"

"That is exactly what I am telling you doc! The device was scheduled to be shipped to some technologically backwards colony somewhere in star system-Alpha but we got word that is was going to be hijacked by those traders we ran into. I was sent here to try and stop them, but by the time I arrived on this freakin' rock it was already too late. The device had been stolen and stashed somewhere secret. The one saving grace was that we had other agents working on our behalf. That old lady in the lift from earlier is a Martian agent working to ensure that the device does not get off this planet in the traders' possession and so she removed the chip from the device before it was stolen. She knew that the device would not work without it and that the alien traders would not be able to leave without it, so it was her best effort at stalling until I could get here to help. And now that I'm here, and finally have a hold of the chip it is imperative that I keep it out of their hands."

"But you're saying that these traders want to take the device to Earth? And then what, set it off? Why?" Officer Marshall asked, his voice trembling.

"That information is classified Officer, sorry I can't share that with you."

"Damnit Derrick, what is wrong with you people? You government spooks don't ever think in the world of reality. That device is on the loose somewhere you have not located yet, those traders are apparently all over the place with one intent: killing us all for that chip, and once they get it they will transport a nuclear device to our home planet with the intent of detonating it and probably wiping out life as we know it, and you're still concerned about your damn secrets? Classified? Seriously? Don't you think it's about time to give us all of the information we need to help you?"

"Help me? So you're sticking around a little longer then doc?"

"I don't see that I even have a choice now Derrick, do I?"

Episode 21 - One man's top secret microchip, another man's candy.

"Ah, Derrick," I sighed.  "You sure made a mess of yourself.  Sit down and let me try to patch you up.  Fogweet, go stand over there, little dude.  Maybe you'll find another one of those pretty lights."

"Okay Uncle Jerry."  Fogweet backed away while glancing cautiously at Derrick.  "Man have big owie."

"Yes, he does, buddy."  I extracted some anti-septic and sealant from my kit.  "But we'll fix him up.  Is that an ice cream cone I see down that way?"

"Where?" Fogweet squealed and bolted across the conduit as I swabbed at the tooth marks in Derrick's arm. 

 "Well Derrick, I guess you weren't very tasty.  I'll put on some sealant and then, I'm going to wrap you up in this bandage.  When you get home, go check in with your family doctor.  You may need some reconstructive work." 

"Thanks Doc."  Derrick leaned heavily against the wall and let out a long breath.  "I think it's going to be a while until I get home though."

"Not too long, I hope," I replied finishing up and repacking my bag.  "There's a possibility this guy was caring Martian Rabies.  I'm thinking you should probably start the series of twenty-seven shots just in case."

"Rabies?"  Derrick choked and his eyes grew wide.  "I can handle knives and guns, Doc, but shots make me faint.  Twenty-seven of them will probably kill me dead."

"Me too," Officer Marshall agreed and swiped at his sweaty neck.  "I'm glad that guy didn't make my arm his lunch.  Hey Doc, any chance you've got some more of that rubbing alcohol in your bag?"

"Sorry.  Listen Derrick, I've really got to catch the next flight out.  If I don't make it to the ship by tomorrow, I'll be AWOL and I don't even want to think about what that will mean for my career.  I'm going to head back upstairs and I suggest you do too.  If you start to have hallucinations or feel dizzy get yourself to a medic quickly and start those shots.  Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure Doc."  Derrick kneaded his own sweaty forehead.  "You sure you don't want to hang around here a little longer and keep an eye on me yourself?  I mean, you know better than me and Marshall what Martian Rabies look like."

"Sorry," I said again and handed Derrick a prescription for antibiotics and pain killers.  "I'll be at the gate for a little while.  I think the next flight isn't for another hour or so.  Ring or text me if you get worried but chances are he wasn't rabid.  He didn't drool or have really bad breath, did he?"

"Bad breath?" Derrick squeaked.

"Probably nothing," I reiterated.  "My cell number is on that script.  Call me if you need me."

"Is this in English?  I can't read anything here.  Do they purposely teach you how to write unintelligibly in med school?" Derrick mumbled when suddenly, Fogweet came running up the conduit.

"Uncle Jerry!  No ice cream cones down there but Fogweet find something else!"

"What is it, little buddy?" I asked as he jumped around, his luminescent head excitedly pulsing yellow light and reflecting off the dark walls of the shaft.

"Fogweet find candy!"  He held out his hand to display a tiny gold square and was just about to pop it in his mouth when Derrick launched himself at it.  "Mine!" Fogweet roared and flashed his dozens of tiny sharp teeth. 

"Give it to me!" Derrick screamed.  "That's a chip, you idiot, not candy!"

"Mine," Fogweet declared again and swallowed the chip.  "Yummy."

"Uh oh," Officer Marshall mumbled.  "I'm not going to hang around to watch it come out the other end."

"Give it back!"  Derrick wrapped his arms around Fogweet's tiny neck causing the Martian's big head to lob from side to side.  "Either spit it out or Uncle Jerry is going to cut it out.  Get your scalpel ready, Doc."

"Nuh uh," Fogweet growled and his head started to glow red hot.  "My candy, right Uncle Jerry?"

"Hey, keep me out of this.  One man's top secret microchip is another man's candy."  I swung my kit over my shoulder and headed toward the stairs.  "Don't be a stranger, Derrick.  Email me some time."

"Fogweet live with Uncle Jerry!" the Martian let out a plaintive cry and wrestled away from Derrick.  He 

barreled down the conduit and leaped on my back, once again threading his sticky fingers through my hair.

"Get back here you little Big Head!" Derrick raged racing after us.  "Stop!"  A moment later, I found myself once again on the floor, flattened beneath Fogweet and Derrick.  While they wrestled above me, Marshall nervously paced the tiny corridor, his hands trembling from lack of nicotine. 

"I'm going to miss the last flight out tonight, aren't I?" I asked no one in particular, my head jammed against the cement. 

"Looks that way, Doc," Marshall replied.  "You sure you don't have anything else in your bag I can drink?  Maybe one of those tiny little hotel bottles of gin?  Whiskey?  Vodka?  Light beer?"

Episode 20 - Derrick's Escape

The trader and his minion continued shoving me forward down the conduit. I was getting fed up with being pushed around but I knew that this was not the time to try and protest. The head trader was at least eight feet tall and probably at least four hundred pounds. Combine his stature with the weapons around his belt and the sharpness of his fangs and I was certainly at a slight disadvantage. I knew in order to escape I'd have to find or create a moment but this was not it, not yet.

"Stalling is making me angered. Show me chip now or die to death."

As if their foul breathe and pushing wasn't bad enough, their blatant butchering of the English language was grating on my nerves. 

I scanned the area ahead of me, continuing to count the steps we took in my head. It was four hundred feet between emergency beacons and I was nearly at the next one. Through the darkness, dragging my feet, I came up on the next beacon. I pretending to trip again, and as I fell to the ground I initiated the next one. 

"What you do? What that light?" I heard over my shoulder as a mammoth foot came crashing down on my back. The weight of the blow knocked the air out of my lungs. I regained my senses and turned over; "It's a marker I placed to show me the way to the chip I hid." It was a blatant bluff, but it was all I could come up with at the minute. The head trader leaned down over me, his vile breathe making me nauseous. He seethed over me for several moments before he acquiesced. 

"You get up now and find chip, or you find your head under foot next time."

I got to my feet and continued to stumble forward. All I could do was pray that somewhere, someone was monitoring the feed from the emergency beacons and was alerted to the distress signal, because I was certainly in plenty of distress.

Another four hundred feet forward and I was able to convince the traders to allow me to initiate another beacon. A flimsy plan at best, but it was working, and it was all I had to go on, until...

"Fogweet find another one, see; there are many, many lights for Fogweet to play with" I heard approaching from behind us. There was a small glimmer of light approaching from where we had come from. The two traders turned towards the voice and my moment had arrived.

The light from my plasma blade illuminated the entire conduit in a blink of an eye. There was a loud howl as the thick muscular arm of the trader in front of me came off with almost no effort. He spun around and clubbed me with his armored hand in my chest. I was lifted off my feet and fell backward onto my back. I tried to recover from the fall and find the blade which had slipped from my hand, but suddenly I had several hundred pounds of beast on top of me. I threw my forearm up over my face and could feel the sharp fangs of the trader pressing into my flesh. I wailed in pain, feeling his teeth against my bone. 

I was briefly blinded by the sudden light of Fogweet's large head as he jumped on the trader's back and sank his own sharp teeth into his neck. Again the beast wailed out in pain, but in the process he released my arm from his jaws and lifted his weight off of my body. Adrenaline drove me backward toward my blade and with all the energy in my body I ran forward plunging the blade into the abdomen of the trader. The smell of searing flesh wafted throughout the air; "Mmmm, smell like dinner" Fogweet said as he unclamped  his teeth from the neck of the dead villain.

"Fogweet! Fogweet! Where the hell did you go Big Head?" I heard approaching from the far end of the conduit. 

"Sgt. Thomas? Oh my God, it is you!" 

I could make out the voice of officer Marshall, and as he came over and placed an arm around my waist to help me up I could see his face. 

"If I may say so, you look like shit sir..." he said, lifting me off the ground. 

"You don't look too hot yourself Marshall, you must be jonesing right about now, huh?" The look in his eyes and the smell of rubbing alcohol on his breathe confirmed my suspicions.


"What happened to the head trader? Did you guys take him out?"


"Head who? We didn't see anyone else besides this dismembered thing you killed over here, phew, what a stench by the way..."


The reality that the main trader had somehow escaped the conduit and was still out there searching for the chip was troubling, but I was bleeding and did not have the energy to go in pursuit right this minute. He would have to wait, for now...

Another familiar voice addressed me; "Well, I never thought I'd say this but it's good to see you again Derrick."

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual doc. What the fuck took you so long anyway?"

(TTiS is an interactive Episodic Saga, from the minds of: J. Naomi Ay & Ahmad Taylor. Follow the whole tale here and the individual stories at: J. Naomi Ay & Ahmad Darkside Musings)

Episode 19 - Jerry

"What is it?" Fogweet asked burying his big eyes in my hair, getting my head all sticky as if it wasn't dirty enough.

"Not sure," the cop replied, now shaking from lack of nicotine.  "Whatever it was, it sure ain't that anymore."

"Hey Fogweet," I said trying to unlatch the little dude.  "Go look over in that pipe and see if you can find anything else."

"Like what, Uncle Jerry?"

"I don't know.  Maybe there's some candy or ice cream bars.  If you look really hard, you might even see our buddy Derrick."

"Okay."  He scampered off while I reached into my bag for my stethoscope, otoscope and knee hammer.  I also opened the app on my iPhone that did an instant PET scan and MRI to see if there was any life left in this thing.

"What do you think it is, Doc?" the cop asked while trying not to look but somehow couldn't seem to turn his eyes away.

"It is a Luminerian man roughly twenty-seven years of age, lacerated spleen, four broken ribs and a puncture to his left ventricle chamber.  He's got a cerebral contusion as well as a broken nose and eechymosis in both eyes.  If that isn't bad enough, it looks like he split his lip."

"It's not Derrick then?"

"No."  I started an IV, loading the guy up with all sorts of meds.  "Last time I checked Derrick was biologically Human."

"They look kind of the same," the cop continued, squinting as he watched me work.

"Not really."  I rolled the Luminerian over a tiny bit.  "He's got an extra leg right here in back.  In front, beneath his shirt there's a third arm.  I suspect he was trying to appear as Human to fool someone else.  Can you use your phone and ring someone to come get this guy?  I've got a beacon in my bag.  We can leave it flashing next to him to alert the rescue crew."

"Pretty!" Fogweet said as he returned with an ice cream bar.  He touched the red light and then laughed as his finger pulsed red too.  "Fogweet like flashy lights.  Can I keep it for myself?  Fogweet won't let brother and sisters play with my toy."

"No Fogweet," I said as I packed my bag after giving the Luminerian one last dose of morphine.  "The light belongs to the sick man.  Here, you can play with my knee hammer.  Just don't hit the nice policeman in the head."

"Fogweet don't want knee hammer!"  He threw it down and launched into a tantrum, stomping his feet.  "Fogweet want pretty light.  Fogweet get one for my own."  Then he scampered down the conduit toward the lift tubes.

"Where's he going?" the cop asked in a sweat.  "Are you sure you don’t have any nicotine gum in that bag?  I mean it, Doc.  I'm suffering.  I needed my fix two hours ago."

"Sorry, the only gum I've got is Juicy Fruit."

"Uncle Jerry?"  Fogweets voice echoed off the walls.  "Fogweet found another pretty light just for me."

"What?" I yelled back and started to run in his direction.  "Where are you, Fogweet?  What do you see?"

"That," Fogweet replied from the lift shaft.  An emergency beacon was flashing red like a nun buoy light.  It illuminated footsteps in the dust, a couple which looked like a size thirteen. 

"What do you think?" I asked the cop.  "Those could be Derrick's."

"I think a drink would work instead.  By chance do you have any alcohol in your bag?"

"Yeah," I admitted, tossing him a vial of the rubbing kind.  "I'm going to follow this trail and see if it's him.  Will you call your guys and have them back me up?"

"Sure," the cop sighed while rubbing his face.  "This is the best drink I've had since I've lived on Mars."  Then he took out his android phone and called his fellow cops.  "Can you bring me a pack of cigs and a loaded gun?  We're on the trail of the missing agent from that secret force.  The Doc here is as determined as a blood hound.  Maybe pick up a few sandwiches on your way.  Let's find this guy and get everybody home before dinner."

Episode 18 - Derrick

The trader released my shackles from the wall and I came crashing to the ground. Immediately there were hands under my arms dragging me across the floor. My head was still throbbing and I was in no shape to attempt to fight back against these creatures so I allowed myself to thrown around like a rag doll for the moment.

We exited the room we were in and found ourselves back in the conduit, “Now, you tell me where you hid the chip and this can all be over very soon Human.” The distaste for me and all humans was evident in the trader’s voice. I knew this was not going to end well, but I also knew the value of the chip and that I had to protect by any means possible, including losing my life.

I had no idea of whether Jerry was out there looking for me, or if anyone else was searching for my location, but I did have one idea of how I might bring some help my way. I directed the group down the conduit away from the link to the lift shaft, and thus away from where I had hidden the chip. The creatures crawled along the path I set forth and dragged me along behind them. Ahead of us was a faint light. As we approached the source of the light I could see the floor of the conduit was broken through providing another link to the lift shaft. I wanted desperately to keep them out of the shaft, but they were already descending and I was still shackled and being dragged along so I could not provide much resistance. There was a sudden tug and I slid through the opening and fell several feet to the bottom of the shaft floor.

I landed hard, but my fall was somewhat softened by the large mass of one of the traders beneath me. He let out a loud grunt and the life seemed to go from his body. I leaned over and examined the body with my hands. His neck was certainly broken. I felt around more for anything I could find. I quietly tucked a few finds in my pockets and then I heard the voice of the head trader calling back to his minion in whatever language they spoke. When there was no response, I could hear him coming toward us. I scurried to my feet and held my hands up to show I was not a threat. The trader and another of his men grabbed me by the back of my neck; “You show us chip now or next dead body is you!”

I nodded my agreement and pointed up the shaft.

As we walked I frantically searched the dark crevices of the shaft with my feet for what I needed. After several meters I finally stumbled over it. I tumbled to the ground and used that moment to pull the emergency safety beacon on the floor. My guess had been proven right, hoping the beacon would exist and hoping the backup power to the shaft had been restored; I had been able to activate a signal to the terminal’s safety and security department. Whether anyone was monitoring it at that moment was the least of my concerns. At least there was some request for assistance sent out.

The trader pulled me to my feet and ushered me forward. Now I had to just hold out til someone could find me. I prayed I’d still be alive when they did.

Tag Team in Space is an interactive collaborative science fiction story by J. Naomi Ay & Ahmad Taylor. Keep up on the adventures of Dr. Jerry Waldman and Sgt. Derrick Thomas as they experience the wild happenings on Mars and in outer-space.

Episode 15 - Derrick

My eyes opened to a dim light across the room. My head was cloudy and throbbing, and I could feel the knot on my head swelling by the moment. As my vision cleared more I could make out four large, hulking figures in the far corner of the room. They were aggressively involved in some sort of discussion, pushing and shoving each other as they spoke.

I tried to rub the bump on my head but realized that my hands were restrained against the wall. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into now Derrick?” I said under my breathe. Apparently not silent enough because the four figures suddenly turned around and looked in my direction.

One of the figures pushed his way through the group and made his way over to me. The smell coming from his body was overwhelmingly offensive and his face; scarred and grotesque, matched his odor. He grabbed my face in his partially gnarled hand and leaned forward.

“Chip! You give me chip now Human!” he demanded, drool oozing through his sharp fangs and down his jaw.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any chip pal.”

He was less than impressed with my answer as he threw a massive blow to my abdomen. I gasped in agony, and spit up everywhere.

He grabbed my face again in his hand and lifted my head; “You not as tough as you think. You will give me chip or you will die… Maybe both” he said, laughing as he looked into my dejected eyes. He turned back to his cohorts and began barking orders in whatever language they spoke.

By his demeanor and how the others deferred to him, I could only surmise that this was the infamous trader the Big Heads were worried about.

I tried to think hard about what my next course of action was going to be. I didn’t have my blade on me, and even if I did, my hands were chained to the wall so I couldn’t fight back regardless. What I wouldn’t give to see the doc right now or even that stupid little Big Head Fogwat.

I had to try and buy myself sometime to think of a way out of this.

I coughed up the bile that was welling up in my throat and called out to the trader; “Okay buddy, Okay. I can get you that chip. Just give me a minute to remember where it is” I said, hoping my answer would help me avoid another punch and allow me the time I needed to figure a way out of this mess.

The trader turned back to me and came closer; “Now, now. Don’t hold my actions against me. I sometimes lose my… how do you Humans say it, ‘cool’? You tell me what I need to know and I let you go. I promise” he said, with what I could only imagine was his version of a smile.

I looked at the others, weapons in hand, and I knew his promises were meaningless. I also knew that if I didn’t give them any information I was dead anyway. My choices were more than limited. I could really use your help now Jerry, where the hell are you?