Cosmic Jabberwocky

Chapter 2: In the Tulgey Wood

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

As brigs go, this one wasn't too bad. But I think they all use the same decorating theme: drab gray minimalist. The thin mattress on the slab bed was comfortable enough. The only other fixtures were a shiny metal commode and a sink.

Across the hall in her own cell, Alice slumped down on the bed in a really foul mood. She glared at me and grumbled, "Really, Vyse? You had to open your big mouth and make a bad situation even worse? Why do you always do that?"

"It's a gift." I shrugged. "They were looking for scapegoats, anyway."

"Ya' think?" she huffed. "We gotta get out of here and stop that AI before it takes over the galaxy like some comic book villain."

"Right. Got any ideas how we do that?"

As if in answer to my question, the lights went out, and a moment later the emergency lighting came on, providing dim illumination. When I leaned against the bars of my cell door, it swung open. The same thing happened for Alice.

"Oookay..." she said, pursing her lips.

As we stood staring at each other in confusion, a familiar voice came across my com implant. "Well, are you going to stand there like a couple of idiots, or are you going to get out of there?" Based on Alice's wide eyes, she heard it too.

I said, "Jack, is that you? They said you were dead?"

A stream of static came across before the voice replied. "Well, technically, I am. It is an inconvenience."

Alice dropped her jaw. Only one sound came out. "Uhh..."

"Later," the voice dismissed. "Get your asses moving. Go to my ship at dock alpha-seven. The way is clear, but not for long."

The normally locked door to the detention area swung open with a push. As we paced down a dim empty hallway, I halted, extending an arm to stop Alice. I said to the voice, "Wait, how do we know you are Jack? This could be some trick, so they can shoot us trying to escape, or something."

A surge of static preceded the reply. "Listen, shit for brains, I'm doing you a favor. I should let you rot in that cell, but I actually need your help. Are you coming or not?"

Alice nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, it's Jack."

We made our way toward the docks, coming to the space port outer ring. Windows along the walkway looked out upon the Earth below. The vista, contours of greens, browns, and deep blue overlaid with swirls of white, was made even more stunning by the faint lighting inside. It always stole my breath away. Alice grabbed my hand and urged me on.

"There it is," she said, pointing ahead to the inner dock door.

I glanced out the window. A long cylindrical tube led out to a small star ship. I admired its construction while Alice pushed the controls to open the airlock door. The smooth rounded shape and gentle arcs were as much art as engineering. The curved delta wings meant the ship would also perform well in atmospheric flight. By comparison, most starships were boxy and uninspiring.