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.
