Outcasts of Gideon

Dewey Buck : Part 3

The ship had been under thrust for over quarter of an hour when Dewey saw movement in the passenger cabin. Bobby was straining against his harness, apparently shouting. Dewey triggered the audio and found it was more like screaming. He immediately reached for his own harness, unlocking it. As he tried to stand, he realized that they were still under thrust. Killing the main engine caused him to float free from his seat.

He launched himself toward the hatch. Shooting down the ladder head first, he pushed off toward the back of the cabin. The other passengers watched as he passed over them. The cabin was alive with the sound of Bobby shrieking.

Grabbing a seat, Dewey overshot the back row. He had to yank himself into the seat. With his free hand, he grabbed Bobby's arm. From there he climbed up to Bobby's shoulders. Animated by panic, he shook his friend violently. Bobby's eyes were tightly closed, his voice full-throated.

"Dude, I can't have you disturbin' the passengers," Dewey said through clenched teeth. He held firm to his friend's shoulders as the screaming subsided. Bobby cracked one eye, peering around. As the other eye opened, his mouth closed. Sweat poured from his ashen face.

Dewey turned his head around, acknowledging the others. "Everythin's under control, folks. Sorry for the noise." He turned his glare back to Bobby who raised his hands in surrender. Dewey eased away.

Bobby looked around at the other passengers. "Just a bad dream." He shrugged, then attempted to raise up from the seat. His harness held him back.

Dewey felt the blood hot in his cheeks again. "He's right. A bad dream. We all have them sometimes." He glared at Bobby, then turned and launched himself back toward the pilot's cabin.

He'd nearly cleared the hatch when someone grabbed his foot. Bobby had propelled himself over. He clung to Dewey's shoe. "Let go of me!" shouted the pilot.

Bobby released him and followed him up, pushing the messenger pouch into the pilot's cabin. "Don't let me fall asleep."

Dewey lowered himself into his seat. "You can't stay in here. I have to pilot the shuttle if you want to make it back to Pyro. We're already behind schedule."

"Do you have anything that will keep me awake?"

"Like what, caffeine pills?"

"At this point, I don't think they'd work." Bobby's eyes darted about the cabin.

"I don't have anythin' like that anyway."

"If I fall asleep again, the dream will come back."

"You'll start screamin' again?"

Bobby held the messenger pouch out. He fumbled with it, then removed the cloth containing his mysterious artifact. The messenger pouch floated as he uncovered the object, being certain not to touch it.

"What the hell is it?"

Bobby held it up, turning it around the way a child might hold up a trophy. "I have no idea."

Dewey turned toward the control panel. "I need to get this bucket movin' again."

"Would you keep it up here, with you?"

"Why?"

Bobby snatched the floating messenger pouch. He stuffed the artifact back inside. "If you have it up here, maybe it won't make me dream."

"Make you dream?"

"When I fall asleep, it makes me have this dream. Maybe it won't if it's with you." Bobby set the messenger pouch free. "But don't touch it!"

"Why would I touch it?"

"Don't! It talks to you if you touch it." Bobby kept his eyes trained on the messenger pouch. He lowered his eyes to meet Dewey's. As he held Dewey's stare, he shook his head from side to side. "Don't touch it. Whatever you do, don't."

Bobby backed down the ladder. When he was finally clear of the hatch, Dewey closed it behind him.

Alone, Dewey considered the messenger pouch. He felt the urge to reach for it. The comm from the passenger cabin was still open. He heard the surveyor shout. "Can we get going now?"

He switched the passenger cabin feed to telemetry. He would have to calculate a new burn to make up the time he'd just lost. Having programmed it in, he switched back to the passenger cabin feed. As he triggered the main engine, he watched Bobby settle in.

Six minutes into the burn, the shuttle's engines shut down. At the current rate, he would have to push them a little harder on the other side of the bubble. He switched on the intercom. "We've completed our thrust burn. Please relax and enjoy the zero gravity." He switched the intercom off and settled into his chair, closing his eyes to the silence.

Bobby's warning popped into his head. He opened his eyes to find the messenger pouch floating. He reached for it, feeling the leathery fabric with his fingers for the first time. He felt something else, or did he? He wasn't sure. Bobby's warning echoed in his mind, helping him suppress the urge. He grabbed the pouch's strap and directed it to a place behind his seat.