Outcasts of Gideon

A Joining : Part 2

The world outside was surreal to Dewey. With the exception of Dione, he'd never had to navigate this sort of dock. The high ceiling and walls were intimidating. He felt like an insect dwarfed by the massive cave. Of course, a docking bridge would still be used here, but he couldn't see it from where they were. That meant they were on the side facing away from the dock. A stroke of luck.

Dawn was the first to move. She grabbed hold of Bobby's hand and pulled him toward the edge. She held onto a handle and pulled herself out. Letting go of Bobby's hand, she pointed down. With that, she lowered herself to a ledge Dewey couldn't see. Bobby leaned out to watch.

Dewey pushed himself to the other side of the hatch and looked out. He could see Dawn maneuvering her way downward. It was only a few flights. If they could manage a shorter drop, they could take advantage of the low gravity.

Bobby followed Dawn. By the time she had landed on the pad, he was half-way down as well. Dewey followed, lowering himself along the same path. When he'd reached the pad, they worked their way around the ship.

From their vantage point, they could see that the normal docking bridge was not extended. Instead, a quarantine tunnel was being deployed. Several workers in hazmat gear were constructing it.

Bobby motioned for them to follow him. He walked toward some crates and grabbed one. Dewey and Dawn did the same. Bobby then led them to where the tunnel was being constructed. He walked toward some of the people in hazmat suits, motioning with his arm.

One of the quarantine crew started pointing at them. Bobby motioned again, this time lifting the crate higher. The other person slapped the side of their own helmet. Bobby set the crate down and waved his arms. The crew person slapped their helmet again. Dawn came up behind Bobby, set her crate down, and tapped her finger on Bobby's helmet.

Dewey remained at a distance from this. When he realized the crewman was telling them to activate their comms, he did.

"...don't know who trained you on quarantine protocol, but you can't be out here in regular vac suits. Go back inside and get hazmat."

Dawn's voice came across Dewey's comm. "Sorry, we were told to get out here right away."

"Right away in hazmat. This is a quarantine zone. You do know what quarantine means, don't you?"

Dawn held her hands up to the crewman. She turned and motioned for Dewey to follow. He set his crate down, following her and Bobby into the facility.

They found the locker area just within the dock's airlock. There were dozens of people in various stages of preparation. The three of them headed toward one corner and began removing their vac suits.

"Who the hell told you how to handle a quarantine?" asked a very gruff looking person in uniform. He rushed up on them, fire in his eyes. Dewey couldn't make out the insignia, but he assumed this meant trouble.

"We were working on another dock when we got the call," said Bobby as he unzipped his suit. "We just thought..."

"No, you didn't think. That's the problem."

"Sorry, sir, we can suit up in hazmat."

"I want the three of you in the dock master's office pronto."

"Yes sir."

The gruff looking man stormed off. Dewey felt the eyes of several people on them as they removed their vac suits. Standing in his usual t-shirt and faded jeans, he was an anomaly that drew more interest than he wanted.

Lifting the vac suit, he peered into one of the pockets. There he found the alien artifact. He pulled it out and slid it into the front of his jeans. It bulged on his leg. Pulling the cloth out, he used it to cover the leikela that was still in the vac suit. When he was satisfied its light wouldn't escape, he removed it. He held the cloth covered leikela toward Bobby. The man refused it. "You have to take it. I've got nowhere to put it. This already looks funny." Dewey pointed to his jean pocket.

"I'm not taking it."

Dawn reached out and grabbed the leikela, sliding it into a pocket of her jumpsuit. Zipping it up, she headed off. The two of them followed.

The dock master's office was just as busy as the locker area. This was to their advantage. Dawn didn't slow down. She led them directly into the station, walking as though she knew exactly where she was going. They continued on for several minutes, with Dawn's pace a little much for Bobby. He began to lag behind. When they came across an open area, she slowed down to wait.

The space held a few shops along one wall. There were offices on the opposite wall. It all looked familiar and completely foreign at the same time. That's when Dewey realized he was hungry. "Does anyone have any mono?"

"Dewey, we can't stop here," said Dawn. "We have to find a place to hide."

"Well, we have to eat. Besides, we're goin' in the wrong direction."

"What do you mean? What direction are we supposed to go in?"

"We're supposed to find the other alien thing."

"And you know where it is?"

"No, I don't know where it is. But I know we're goin' in the wrong direction."

Dawn stopped. "Still feeling like you're in the wrong place? Okay, then you lead."

"I need somethin' to eat."

Dawn's head dropped. She blew out a heavy sigh. "Bobby, do you have any mono?"

"Nothing they use here. And we can't exchange Odyssey mono without setting off an alarm."

"Dewey, how about if we go toward the other alien device. You find that, then we'll talk about getting some mono."

Dewey didn't love the idea, but he liked talking about it even less. He started them back in the direction they had come. Before he'd taken a few steps, he stopped again, lifting his comm device. "Map of Luna. Sinus Iridium."

They all gathered around his comm. Their location was indicated on the holographic map. They learned that the facility was named Aynur Station. Security offices were highlighted, as were public services like food and health care. At a distance were the docks. They could see the nearest transit tubes. Residence caves were nearby, as was a large facility. Dewey pointed toward it. "My guess is there." He zoomed in to find it was known as Temple Daichi.

"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.

"I'm not really sure of anythin' right now."

"Okay, let's go there."