Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

27) Anthony

 "Do we have to go over it again?" Beta asked.

Allen groaned as he leaned on the wall near the dumbbell rack. "We really don't."

"I could give two shits what you want to do." She pointed in the direction of Mila and Anthony. "I know they'll be fine. But I want to make sure you don't fuck up."

"What really is there to fuck up?" Allen asked. "We board the ship, make our way to the command deck, and grab Elias. In and out."

Beta folded her arms together. "When you put it that way it seems too simple."

"Well it isn't like they'll suspect us. You got it covered right?"

"Yea, I do."

"So what's the worry?" Anthony asked.

Beta shook her head. "No worries here."

"The only uncertainty I have is whether Elias is on the ship or not," Mila confessed. "You sure he's there?"

"Positive. He'll be on The Manticore because he's preparing the Bridge."

Matt rose from the seat of the bench press. "You sure they'll buy the encryption you did? Because if they don't..."

"We'll die before we can dock. Yes Valentine, the encryption is air tight. If it wasn't they would have hailed us already. Also, I'm a transhuman, I'm too smart to make mistakes."

Matt rubbed his neck. "Yea, believe me I know about your transhuman capabilities from first hand experience."

Beta smiled which put one on Matt's face as well.

Mila cringed. "We should get ready."

Anthony nodded in agreement. "Mila's right. Everybody go ready up. Meet in the airlock as soon as we dock."

Anthony awaited the rest of the crew in the airlock. It was the standard dimensions used by most ships System wide. Having a large or small airlock could lead to decompression problems when it came to docking at stations or with other ships, so most airlocks were the same. The only difference at times would be where they were positioned.

Anthony tugged on the arms of his BlackDiamond suit as he leaned forward on his lap. Beta was not exaggerating when she told them the BlackDiamond suits were tighter than the UNSF's. He did not feel the least bit restricted, but did not appreciate the fabric grinding against his skin.

Mila entered the airlock. She looked surprised to see that Anthony was the first one to be there. He smiled as he got his first look at her in the BlackDiamond gear. "Something funny?" she asked as she leaned her back against the wall.

Anthony shook as he continued to smile. "Tight fit, huh?"

Mila smiled then nodded in agreement. "That's an understatement."

Allen entered the room and commented on how intimidating both Anthony and Mila looked. He then complimented the craftsmanship of the uniform. Anthony was inclined to agree with him. The uniform was skin tight but extremely light for all the padding that was on it. But that was far from Anthony's focus.

"Where the hell are Matt and Beta?" Anthony asked impatiently.

Allen shrugged. "If I had to guess their probably fu-"

"Probably what?" Beta asked as she entered the airlock alongside Matt.

Anthony and Mila chuckled as Allen struggled to formulate an answer. Beta raised her hand which stopped him from babbling any further. "Everyone ready?" she asked.