The Darkness Within Us

Chapter 3

As the pilot waited for landing clearance on the pad attached to my father's building, I gathered my things and watched the city below. The station was just outside the lunar orbit of Vespa, so it didn't take long to make it to the planet. It was still daytime in Kinto, though the perpetual fog made it feel closer to dusk. Transports glided back and forth through the narrow passageways between buildings, their smooth bodies narrowly missing the pedestrian crosswalks that wove mazes in the spaces between.

Bright lights and advertisements reflected between the ships and the panes of glass, competing with one another for the attention of an increasingly desensitized population. The wealthy cloistered in the city, and the others scattered across the tiny planet, were hard to market to, so companies had resorted to a guerrilla-style approach despite its debatable effectiveness. Still, they painted a pretty picture in an otherwise desperately boring landscape of oily gray dust and pollution. The beauty was only skin-deep though, and served as a mere distraction from the ugliness found behind the glass walls. The obsidian tower we were now waiting to dock with was different only in its color. I leaned my head against the plush headrest and closed my eyes.

Jackson had been resting when I went to say goodbye, but he was understandably nervous about going back to sleep. It was a testament to his mental fortitude that he was able to fight the effects of the treatments the doctors were forcing on him. Even with my influence, I wasn't able to persuade his doctors to find another treatment protocol. Had my father tried, no amount of medical knowledge or experience would have afforded them the nerve to deny his demands, but he would never extend himself for someone of Jackson's provenance.

I kissed him on the forehead while the straps of my bags dug furrows into my shoulder. "Be good."

"I can't make any promises." His expression was stoic, but he couldn't hide his pain from me.

"Well, at least try."

"Always." The hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lip. "You too."

"Of course. I'll call you from the surface."

"Better not. If your dad is as mad as he sounds, you know he'll be listening in. Don't want to tempt the Beast."

"Good point. He'd eat us alive," I said. He chuckled and winced. I bit my lip, hating to see him in pain.

"You need to get going. If you miss that transport, there'll be no chance of you coming back and who would be here to nag me about taking my medicine then?"

I sighed and kissed him again. "Yes, sir. Anything you say." He smiled and I turned to leave the room before he could see me cry. Again.

"Miss Bishom? We'll be docking in a few minutes. Do you have all of your belongings?" The pilot's voice called through the small aircraft, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes, sir. Thank you. I'm ready to disembark."

"Very good. Be sure to secure your straps. There's a heavy crosswind at docking level, so it might get a little rough."

"Thank you for the warning." He gave a curt nod and I pulled tight on the straps just before a gust had the vessel rolling to the side. A few drinks that hadn't been secured fell to the floor and rolled under the seats to my right. The pilot corrected with an ease perfected through experience and within a few minutes I could hear the soft click of the docking clamps on the landing pad and the whistle of the wind as the vessel depressurized. Getting from the aircraft to the building wasn't going to be fun and I really wished there had been a pad available closer to the ground floor, even if that meant a longer lift ride. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, which explained the current conditions. Hopefully, I can make it to the door before the rain starts, I thought to myself. Falling 300 levels to my death would be bad enough, but getting wet on the way down would just totally ruin my day.