Walking in Darkness: a Miscellany of Sc-fi Shorts

Walking in Darkness

by C J Dacre

Published as an ebook by Amolibros at Smashwords 2016

Contents

About this Book

About the Author

Notices

Acknowledgements

Walking In Darkness

A Spanner In The Works

It Won’t Hurt A Bit

A Very Sheltered Upbringing

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

Lest We Forget

Cypher

Up On The Roof

I Want To Be The Angel

A Wimmerah For Mary

Apologia

Contraband

Life Expectancy

About this Book

From the recent past, to sometime in the distant future – from the possible, to the highly improbable, Walking in Darkness is a collection of thirteen short stories with characters trying their best to overcome life’s little problems.

Meet bounty-hunter Donald MacKenzie getting more than he bargained for; resourceful young Nigel living by the book; the lithophiliac Fischer, determined at all costs to find an alien life-form; and the unfortunate Howard, whose personal memory bank has gone missing. Join these and the others as they wrestle with the cards that Fate has dealt them – for better or for worse.

About the Author

C J Dacre began writing both fiction and non-fiction under a variety of names in the mid-1980s after many years working for several different local authorities.

Originally from Carlisle, Dacre’s formal education and career progression were both frequently punctuated by family moves around the UK which ultimately provided a rich source of background material on which to draw as an author.

Brought up on a diet of second-hand Argosy magazines, Dan Dare and repeats of Journey into Space, Dacre has taken a break from writing the full-length family sagas A Necessary Fiction and A Plain and Simple Truth under the name of Jane Emerssen to put together what might be described as Dacre’s Dozen – this miscellany of previously published and unpublished short stories with their roots firmly embedded in the fertile soil of the imagination.

Notices

Published by Amolibros at Smashwords 2016

Copyright © C J Dacre 2015

First published in 2015 by JayStone Publications | www.jane-emerssen.co.uk

Published electronically by Amolibros 2015 | [email protected] | http://www.amolibros.co.uk

The right of C J Dacre to be identified as the author of the work has been asserted herein in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All the characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, is purely imaginary.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This book production has been managed by Amolibros | www.amolibros.com

Acknowledgements

‘A Spanner in the Works’ was first published in Paperclips, edited by Suzi Blair, published by New Fiction 1993.

‘Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On’ was originally published as ‘Sixteen Tons’ in Northern Shorts, edited by Suzi Blair, published by New Fiction 1993.

Walking In Darkness

Hi Donald. Saw your skeeter come in. Sorry you couldn’t make it sooner this time. The overly-affable hulk of the Photismian Station Security Chief, Lester Devine, swivelled round from the bank of surveillance monitors he’d been studying and shoved a spare chair across the office towards his visitor.

Ignoring the obvious gibe, MacKenzie dumped his travel sack and slouched bone-weary into the chair’s functional, and far from luxurious, contour-support system. The mechanism groaned, he noticed, even under his own less bulky frame. Finally turning his mind to Devine’s comment, he snapped open the pocket flap of his acclimatization suit and took out a hi-life. Not much choice, he said, lighting up and inhaling deeply. There’s been a breakout over on Xanthus. Thought you’d have heard about it. All the connectors were ordered back to Arcadia II. I’ve been cooling my heels for the last ninety-six hours.

The Security Chief made a face feigning sympathy and pushed a disposal unit across to collect the ash threatening to collapse from the tip of MacKenzie’s hi-life. Those guys on Xanthus get all the action, he complained, casting a sideways glance in MacKenzie’s direction. "What do I get? I get told to stay put while they call in a Specialist. His lips curled into a scowl. And why? Cos I’ve got bloody boffins to keep an eye on – not slaggers." He evidently felt hard done by.

You’d prefer a penal colony? MacKenzie asked, squinting through a veil of smoke.

"Sure. Who the hell wants to baby-mind a load of crackpots? Give me the action where I can pull the trigger myself. I could put you lot out of a job in a fortnight," he added, jabbing a finger in MacKenzie’s direction to emphasise his point.

MacKenzie refused to be drawn: he was used to Devine’s ignorance – it was just par for the course. Being a Specialist was dangerous work. There was a ‘high risk’ rating on his insurance premium that cost him two months’ salary every year – with no tax breaks either – something that got up his nose, but he couldn’t do much about it. All part of the job. You couldn’t get on Corporation listings as a Specialist without insurance.

Devine was talking again. Well, down to business, eh? This is the latest one to go walkabout. He input a string of data into the console on the desk in front of him and handed over the official hologram image of a bearded, craggy-faced, dark-haired man that was spewed out a few seconds later. Tannadyce, Devine said. Just took off from the lab ten days ago.

No warning?

Zilch – just like the rest of ’em. Devine brought up the security footage for MacKenzie to watch. That’s him leaving the station on his last specimen expedition.

Did he go out often?

Every couple of days or so. Nothing unusual – all the top lab rats do it – it’s part of their job – looking for something new.

So you wouldn’t suspect anything was wrong?

Devine shook his head. Same routine – every time. Never varied.

Except this time, he didn’t come back.

Devine pulled a face. Bloody typical, he said venomously. They’ve all jiggered off when we’re not expecting it.

MacKenzie drew hard on the hi-life, feeling more relaxed by the minute and less irritated by Devine’s overfed condescension. He exhaled, the smoke spiralling upwards towards the ventilation unit which purred contentedly above him. Haven’t you found out yet why they do it?

Devine laughed: an unpleasant, harsh sound with sadistic undertones. Not my job, he said, leaning back heavily in his chair and clasping his thick ugly hands across his gross belly. Leave that to the Devex head-shrinks. I just have to keep them ‘safe’ ’til they arrive.

MacKenzie couldn’t help thinking Devine did an awful lot more than just keep them ‘safe’. And not ask any questions? he probed, giving Devine the benefit of a raised eyebrow.

The laughter vanished from Devine’s face as fast as it had appeared. He leaned forward across the desk again and jabbed a finger menacingly in MacKenzie’s direction. "Like I said – it’s not my job. Not yours either, he was at pains to point out, his eyes narrowing. Don’t you forget that. You just have to find him, give him a shot and bring him back alive. Nothing else."

MacKenzie smiled indulgently. I think I might be able to manage that. I’ve brought them all back alive so far. And he had. All seven of them: Harker, Bujinski – and five others before them in the last three years. He wasn’t even sure they’d needed the shot of lotus juice he’d pumped into them when he’d caught up with them. They’d have probably come quietly enough without it.

MacKenzie could never understand why Devex Corp was so hot on getting these crackpots back in the first place: none of them was any use afterwards. Talked gibberish. Not to mention what had happened to their eyes – a milky white film covering everything: irises; pupils – the lot. Rumour had it that the medics could find nothing clinically wrong. Hard to believe, if you’d seen it. Not that it mattered: they’d all suffered from premature ageing and died within a year. Pity about Bujinski though. She’d been top-shelf eye-candy by all accounts.

Any other clues this time? MacKenzie asked, tearing his attention away from the memories of Bujinski’s soft, pliant body to the craggy features of the image in his hand, its intense, hawk-like eyes glaring back at him.

The big man shrugged, half-laughed and jerked a fat thumb towards the filtered windows. Beyond, a jungle of lush green vegetation constantly threatened the station perimeter fence. If there are any, MacKenzie, they’re out there.

I mean…any clues from the top secret research Tannadyce was working on?

Devine dropped his affability like a lump of lead. How many times do I have to say this, MacKenzie? – there’s no bloody top secret research going on up here! He was very emphatic on this point. Routine stuff – that’s all – nothing else. All these goddam boffins do is work out how to generate enough energy to keep the UDC’s necklace satellites in their orbit round Aramanthus. He stood up, towering over MacKenzie, his eyes bulging. He jerked his thumb again, this time at the monitors behind him. Look at that lot, he said, glowering at the screens. Four-thousand-five-hundred megametres of fenced-off plantation, churning out energy like there’s no tomorrow. Top secret research programme? Like hell! Goddam gardeners – that’s all I’m bloody minding! He spat accurately into the disposal unit next to MacKenzie’s elbow. The spittle fizzed and vanished in a wisp of steam.

MacKenzie eyed the accuracy of the hit with mild distaste. He wasn’t sure the Alpha Grade Biotechs based on Photismos would agree with Devine’s interpretation of their job descriptions. Giving Tannadyce’s likeness a last glance, he stuffed the hologram into his travel sack along with the rest of his tack and got up. Okay, I’ll get started. Usual terms? He looked the big man straight in the eye.

Usual terms. Twenty-thousand now. Twenty-thousand when you bring him in.

MacKenzie input his access code on the terminal and brought up the deposit format on his account file. He punched in the first twenty-thousand and Devine verified. MacKenzie kept this eyes fixed firmly on the screen. Was Tannadyce just another goddam gardener? he asked casually, watching the message come up indicating that his account had been credited. The image in the hologram had been striking: there was something about the way the eyes looked right through you.

Devine shrugged, adopting an air of indifference. How would I know? I’m just the bloody gate-keeper. He shrugged again. He wasn’t one for talking anyway. If I checked him out in the lab he’d be staring at the wall most of the time.

MacKenzie cleared the screen and flicked the last of his hi-life into the disposal unit. Half-crazy already then? he suggested casually.

Yeah – probably.

MacKenzie noted Devine’s smile restricted itself to his mouth.

* * *

In the sanitized deserted corridor outside Devine’s office, MacKenzie smiled grimly at the surveillance camera and gave Devine a cheery wave to mask his innate dislike of the man. An irrational dislike, he told himself. After all, they both took the Corporation’s money for doing a dirty job.

The reception zone, windowless and ablaze with harsh white light from an obscured source, was silent save for the distant throb of the power plant. Surveillance equipment covered its every corner. Paranoia, thought MacKenzie.

Huge, brightly lit signs in garish red on either side of the grey, sealed doors laid down the rules to be followed if you wanted to get out of the place.

NO DEPARTURE ALLOWED WITHOUT ACCLIMATIZER HELMET

IN PLACE

IN DARK-ROOM LOWER FILTER VISOR

NO EGRESS ALLOWED UNTIL VISOR IN PLACE

FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS!

EXTERNAL DANGER!

Only half-a-dozen or so acclimatizer helmets occupied the individually labelled lockers across one wall. He collected his helmet from the visitors’ locker and lowered it into place. The air-conditioning whispered softly around him.

A surveillance camera above the door scanning personnel at point of departure gave him the once-over, noted his identity, and the huge grey panels slid open.

He stepped through into the dark-room, lit by a solitary red