Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

14

 "Go! Now! I'll hold 'em off! Go!"

Addie and Jubee reluctantly leave as I decide to do two things. One, jack in and two, tap in on our group chat on my Eye. But group chat first.

*** If y'all haven't already, get to containment now no questions. *** I order, meaning business.
*** mood unanimous agreement ***
*** Good to hear, see and feel you back in the land of the living. *** Raven.
*** Well, I ain't feelin' too hot right now. I just evac'ed Addie and Jubee off the bridge, the loonies are breaching the bridge right now. *** I warn.
*** Jay, get outta there! *** Ra-Ra, mood alarmed.
*** Your Eye still reportin' you incapacitated. *** Lito.
*** Oh, its correct. Eds rerouted comm. Can ya'll tell what else he's done? ***
*** Yeah, he just overrode comp-sys. *** Raven
*** If you can, jack into comp-sys and hard Align, you might be able to initiate an override and reinstate the lock-out. I already got the algorithm in there. *** Caddy.
*** Alright, will do. Get Addie and Jubee to safety, get in suits and containment and stay there. *** I order.

I go on and jack into the navboard only to be hit by a wave of nausea and dizziness. Uhoh.

I jerk awake with a heart-stopping start as something icy cold hits me in the face. Water. I'm flat on my back on the deck, next to mainhelm. Eds is standing over me, looking down at me while flanked by a bunch of folks in a semi-circle looking crazed in the eyes down at me.

Fine time to pass out.

I notice I'm no longer jacked into the boards, I have a huge dull headache in the back of my head. I didn't get the chance to reinstate Caddy's algorithm. Double uhoh.

SPLASH!

I cough, sputter, spit, and cough water out of sheer surprise and semi sit upright, wipe my face off, mad.

"Where is she?!" Eds demands.
"Where is who?" I ask. The crowd roars with anger.
"Don't act stupid top-flight! Where is she?!" Eds demands.
"Do it even look like I know where she at?! I was passed out on the deck, no thanks to you!"

Eds reaches down and slaps me in the face, hard. Good thing for him that I'm somewhat incapacitated and can't get up right at this moment.

"We don't need her! We got him!"
"Yeah!"
"Get off the deck star6!"
"Yes," Eds stretches a hand down to me, with a startling evil gleam in his eyes. It warns me off snatching him down here with me to tussle on the deck. "Get up, get on helm and nav' us to the back of New Gaia, now, Commander."
I take the proffered hand and he pulls me up to my feet. "No."
"What?!"
"You heard me." I say, as the crowd starts pressing in on me, menacingly.
"You have no choice, Alejandro." Eds says as someone punches me square in my back, knocking me forwards into Eds who shoves me back while the crowd erupts in laughter. There's a ruckus with a wave motion of bodies moving throughout the crowd with shoving to and fro, elbows and fists which spits out Styx of Unit One onto the deck on his knees. Someone clobbers him and he's bleeding now from his head and eye as Eds casually takes out a pulser handgun and shoots Styx in the shoulder, near his armpit and the mob proceeds to beat him into the deck.
"Nav us to the back of New Gaia, now." Eds insists as the mob spits out Amy of Unit 6 onto the deck. She already has a black eye. "Being as that she's already dead, nobody gonna miss her, top-flight." As he aims the pulser at her head.
"Five...four..." someone starts counting down.

Amy's eyes widened in a desperate plea to me, terrified, mouth slightly open.

"Ok, ok! I'll do it! Let her go!" I hold my hands up, yelling and horrified in disbelief.