Broken Flyght – Chapter 9

Do I call Ken, or do I just access the Flyght portal and get on with the whole running for our lives bit?

It seems petty to hide my troubles from Ken when it was clear the last time we were together that he wants to help. Shunning his help now may be a bad idea.

Marcelo is right, of course. He’s been right about a lot of things so far on this trip, and if there’s anyone outside of the usual people I trust, it’s him.

I access my wristlet and the comms. Checking the time, I’m pretty sure Ken is out of work for the day. It’s the evening in Concord City. He could still be busy working late or out to dinner though. It’s not like we talk every day. I haven’t spoken to him since he was last on the ship.

The comm sits on standby while I wait for him to pick up, but I’m routed to the message center instead.

“Ken Mata is currently busy and cannot answer your call. Please leave a message. Text, voice, or video accepted.”

I select video and clear my throat.

“Hi Ken, I hope this message finds you well. We’ve… uh… Hmmm…” My tongue ties and I sigh, dropping my eyes to the bottom of the screen. I suck at messages and speeches and all that stuff. I’m great when it comes to business. Asking for help or talking about my feelings is an entirely different story.

I’m about to run down the list of our problems when I notice the red flashing alert in the bottom right corner.

“Message Center: Encryption Disabled.”

I pull my hand in a swipe motion before I’m able to say anything more and the video message ends. Shit. Now there’s going to be an awkward, stammering half-call from me sitting in Ken’s message center.

I lie back on the bed. I don’t think it’s prudent of me to call back. If someone has hacked Ken’s message center, they’ll suspect something if I try to amend the message. Right now, it just looks like a silly message from an old lover.

He’ll call me back once he sees I tried to contact him and then I can make sure Carlos has everything encrypted. This will just have to wait.

I roll over and grab the casino redeem card again. If I were Tomu, which, by the way, I’m glad I’m not, I would choose the places I spend money very carefully. My parents had no idea he was a gambler and a liar. I suspected as much, but I didn’t know anything for sure. So, if we had no idea, the places he spent money kept the secret for him.

A quick search of the duonet shows me the Casino Carnaval Atlantico is a top-notch facility. Not only does it have a full casino offering the usual card and automated games, but also several five-star restaurants, a dance club, and a spa. I switch over to the gossip sites, and the casino and its club have been mentioned several times in the last month connected to celebrities and exclusive events.

Okay, the elite love it.

That can only mean Tomu loves it. Expensive is his thing.

Hmmm, this sounds like another good cover for being on Rio. I can bring both Sean and Jinzo for a few days at the casino, get to know them, and watch them without them realizing I’m spying on them. I can wear my fancy clothing and my new shoes, and I can ask around and see if anyone has spotted my brother recently. It’s a long shot because there’s no telling how many places he’s been on Rio. He could’ve gone to another city, or maybe he knows locals he’s hiding out with, or he may have hopped off-planet on another ship. It’s moments like these when I realize I don’t know Tomu at all.

But a fancy meal and a spa visit both sound like good ideas, and I owe Skylar too. I’ll have to dig into my credit accounts, but I can do this. It’s for research, right?

I sit back up in bed and smooth out my hair before accessing my wristlet and dialing up the address on the redeem card.

A man in a black suit appears before me.

“Thank you for calling the Carnaval Atlantico VIP members portal. I’m Luis. How can I help you today… Mr. Kawabata?”

“Actually it’s Ms. Kawabata, Vivian Kawabata. My brother, Tomu, recommended your casino when I mentioned I’d like a little downtime on my next trip to Rio.”

Luis’s smile brightens. “I can certainly help you with that, Ms. Kawabata. What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I try to sound wealthy and flippant, like spending money is the same as breathing. I was wealthy once, but I never spent anything. “I was thinking two nights at the hotel for me and two guests, and some spa packages for me and one other person.”

“That’s definitely something I can help you with. Let me pull up the reservation system and give you some options.”

If only the options were free and involved my brother’s head on a platter.

But I’m sure that’s too much to ask for.

—-

My brain bounces all over the place as I contemplate the long-term goals I have to accomplish to repurchase the farm. How will I ever earn the three point three million credits I need? Time is moving too slow, and things are not happening fast enough for me. But events are rushing for everyone else. It’s only been a week or so since I found out what happened, and there are already people following me and splashing my business all over the news. Yet I can’t even get a decent date with an honest man.

I leave my room to pace up and down the auxiliary cargo bay and look at my aquaponics setup. Over on my desk, two different bean seeds I’ve chosen to grow are sprouting from their pods. Several dozen tendrils have broken out and are stretching towards the dim lights of the bay. Other seeds are showing promise too, suspended in their sprouting material.

Staying busy is my best bet right now. I need food and sleep, but that can wait. I’d like to sprout several plants before I’m preoccupied on Rio for a few days. Time’s a wastin’.

“Hey, Ai?” I ask the air, hoping she’s paying attention.

“Yes, Captain? What can I do for you today?”

“How long until we reach Rio?”

“We have nine hours and thirty-eight minutes until we reach Belem. Four hours three minutes until the Ossun-Rio jump ring, a thirty-five minute travel time in and out of the ring, and another five hours to Belem. Give or take a few minutes. And then I’m unsure about timing after that. Skylar has inputted no further variables into the navigation system. But I know we plan to drop Yan off on Belem so he can check the station logs there. It’s highly probable we’ll leave for Rio Orbital Station Two not long after that before descending to the surface.”

Right. Tomu was last seen leaving for Belem. Belem is one of the few inhabited moons of the Duo Systems. Its ecosystem is nothing exciting, not like Rio. It’s quite tame with rocky soil, some stunted trees, and only a smattering of water. But the atmosphere is clean, and the weather is always clear. Belem City is the only outpost, but the city is so sprawling, it takes up almost half the available land mass.

Another good place to hide.

“Okay.” Again, more variables spin in my head. The odds of catching my brother are so low, I should give up. “What are Carlos and Yan doing?”

“Besides watching Mud Racing Extreme? Yan has made two calls to someone on Belem about tracing Tomu. We are awaiting their return calls.”

“Skylar?”

“Sleeping, I believe. She wanted to be awake for our arrival at Belem and Rio.” Ai pauses. “May I suggest you get some rest, Captain? I calculate you’ve slept a total of six hours over the last forty-eight.”

I stand up and rearrange the plant pods, so they all get the same amount of weak light and increase the heat in the sprouting fluid by a half degree.

“Are you watching me sleep now, Ai? That’s just a bit creepy, you know.”

“That’s my job. My core responsibilities are to take care of the ship and its crew. But you’re not just the crew, you’re the captain. We cannot function without you.”

I think that’s the longest Ai has ever talked to me without flirting. Must be a record.

“I’ve noticed you’re having trouble sleeping. When was the last time you had sex?”

Annnnnnd record broken.

“As if it’s any of your business, but a long fucking time ago.”

Sex? She’s got to be kidding me. I’ve done nothing but work my ass off the last three years. Speaking of work, has any work been done in this cargo bay in the last day? I did tell Sean to take care of the electric system, that it was ‘top priority,’ but it looks the same as it did the last time I was in here.

“I could arrange for sexual companionship from a sexbot if you’re unable to copulate with either Sean or Jinzo.”

I plop my butt on the floor with a harrumph and lean back against the wall. Unable to copulate?

“Ai…” I sigh so deep, it hurts. “It’s not that… It’s not like…”

My head hits the metal wall with a hollow thump.

“I don’t know who to trust. How can I… bare myself like that to someone who might be trying to hurt me?”

Ai replies right away. Her processors work much faster than a human brain.

“Do you fear Sean or Jinzo are trying to hurt you?”

“Maybe?”

“This is unacceptable, Captain.”

I eye the ceiling, suddenly afraid of what this ethereal creature will do if she fears I’m in trouble.

“What would you like me to do?” she asks, and I let out a held breath. I totally expected the lights to flicker and screams to emanate from deep in the ship.

“I already asked Marcelo to look into this. I’m not sure you need to do anything.”

A braid of wires from the uninstalled lights snakes around my spot on the floor. I pick up the end, take one look at the raw cables that should be spliced into the ship by now, and drop it.

“Oh sugar, I already told you that if you needed me to pry, all you had to do was ask.”

Dare I ask her to pry? How discreet will she be?

“I will take your silence as a possible yes. Which one should I investigate?”

“Jinzo.” I cringe as his name leaves my lips. “Marcelo said he would handle Sean first.”

“What about Jinzo has given you reason to suspect him of ill will?”

I shrug and yawn. “He’s given me no real reason to doubt him, but his proximity when other people were following me makes me suspicious.”

The silent room lulls me into a sleepy state. I guess I’m more tired than I initially let on.

The ship creaks, and I jump forward, my heart racing.

I’m awake now.

“Where is he, by the way?”

I peer past the door, but no one is there.

“In the engine room with Sean. Are you all right, Captain? Your heart rate and body temperature have risen.”

“I’m fine.” I rise to my feet and look around. I feel like I’m being watched and not just by Ai.

“You’re not fine. You’re jumpy. You’re exhausted. And you’re definitely not relieving stress. With you on Rio and possibly at Casino Carnaval Atlantico, I think we can get you back in the swing of things.”

I roll my eyes at her. Snoop.

“I can send someone to your room to take care of you.”

“No. Just no.” I lift my finger and point at the ceiling. “Don’t you dare. I’m going to bring Sean and Jinzo, and I don’t want to have to worry about anything else. Can you imagine a sexbot showing up with those two around?”

“They may like it. Some men go for that kind of thing.”

“Something tells me that’s not the case here,” I mumble, moving the wires to the side. I need to have them taken care of now. No time for sleep.

“As you wish, Captain.”

Good. Hopefully, that will keep her satisfied for a while.

“And, Captain? The majority of my sensors are actually located in the walls and flooring.”

Cheeky.