Blood And Profit: Chapter 8

Toll and Rusty were escorted onto the shuttle by two armed guards. Once they were seated, instead of removing their wrist cuffs, the guards secured their feet to their seats. Once they were completely belted in and locked down the guards exited the shuttle. Toll wanted to say something to Rusty but he had no clue what he could say. His decision to hijack the slip tunnel had landed them in the biggest mess either of them had ever been in, and Toll had no clue how he would get either of them back home.


The guards came back onto the ship, escorting a third prisoner. This prisoner was escorted by two guards in front and two in back. Once he was secured the same as Rusty and Toll the guards left the ship again.


“So, you two came back from your colony to see what Earth was like.” The man started out of nowhere. When neither Toll nor Rusty answered the man craned his neck as much as he could to look at them with a smile on his face. “Was it everything you hoped?” He asked. The pair remained silent. “Either you're both the strong silent type or you're intimidated by my roguish good looks. I prefer the latter to the former. Either way your trip here must have sucked. Probably not as much as what's happened since you got here.” He relaxed his neck and faced forward. “Might want to relax a little bit, we're about to detach from the station.” The ship rocked slightly and there was a brief moment of zero gravity which was sickeningly destroyed by the shuttles own artificial gravity system. “You would think after three hundred years we would have worked all the kinks out of artificial gravity.” He craned his neck back to look at Rusty and Toll again. “The name's Carter, Carter Goody. I'd shake your hand -” He wiggled his shackled wrists. “but I'm a germaphobe.” Rusty smiled in spite of himself but remained quiet. “No worries boys, everything is going to be fine. We've got a long trip ahead of us, which would go a lot faster if at least one of you talks.”


“Why are they sending you to Mars?” Rusty asked.


“They're not. I'm being transferred to a station in Orbit where they will attempt to scan my brain and look for some information.” Carter explained. Now that Rusty was talking, Carter faced forward again to take the strain off his neck. Toll's curiosity got the best of him.


“Can't remember or don't want to share?” He asked. Carter smiled to himself.


“Don't want to share. I also know the scanners inside and out so it'll be a good long while before they get what their looking for.” He assured them.


“How is something like that even legal?” Rusty asked. Carter laughed.


“You really are back water hicks. Let me guess. Your colony has a bill of rights?” Carter asked and Rusty nodded. “Yeah, I figured. Earth gave up on democracy a long, long time ago. You yourselves are a product of the corporate monopoly that was established over seven hundred years ago.” Toll seemed less than entertained.


“We don't need a history lesson.” He said.


“I'm just saying, we have the guild now, but they mostly arbitrate between the corporations. On this side of the ring, a person is nothing more than a corporate asset. At least until you buy out your contract.” Carter was on a roll now.


“So we're basically slaves?” Rusty asked. Carter shook his head.


“Noooooo. Far from it. Slavery was abolished over a thousand years ago. Everyone has the freedom to buy themselves out of their contract at any time.” It was almost as if he was quoting from a text book.


“How much is the average buy out?” Rusty asked. Carter turned to look at Rusty with a predatory smile on his face.


“How much you got?” He laughed.