Hunted

Chapter 9: Haley's World

Haley knew only that his little ship was carrying him toward the outer edge of the galaxy, nothing more. In the direction of the galactic core were the domains of the other races that humanity had come in contact with, and likely many more that they had yet to encounter. But the outward frontier had yet to yield even the simplest form of life, which sat well with people looking to expand the base of human population over many planets and solar systems. Dead worlds were theirs for the taking.

Hyperspace offered very little of interest, even to a space novice like Haley. Much more so than on the Eva Marie, the dull gray that surrounded him seemed to press close, crawling over the canopy like a blind mass trying to find entrance. The uniformity of color left nothing to tell his senses that he was moving. It was almost as if he could push the canopy up and discover a new world beyond, hidden by some prankster's gray paint. Haley had heard stories of long trips in hyperspace that had ended in disaster, a crew member gone mad from the endless, stifling sameness. He focused his thoughts on the inside of the ship.

He watched the instruction disk twice and cautiously worked with the computer to get a better feel for it. After a brief struggle he managed to pull a bit of food and drink from the first containment bay. The flavor wasn't bad—he had randomly grabbed roast chicken—but the food's paste form detracted from the enjoyment of the eating experience. At least there was nothing strange about the water.

Haley wiggled back into his chair and closed his eyes, not to sleep but to shut out the rest of the universe. As his hands came to rest on his lap, they brushed the outline of the black device in his pocket. It started him thinking about the assassins, and of his mysterious escape.

There's no possible way, he thought, that they could have gotten into the room through the door without him seeing them. The window was still closed. There was always a remote possibility that they had been hidden in the room, but there was no place that they could have done so easily, and he hadn't heard a sound to indicate them scrambling out from behind the file cabinet or from under the desk. They had to have used some new way to move around, something completely innovative. Perhaps, he mused, the same strange and unknown way he went from certain death in the office to the dark salvation of the sewers.

He slid the black device out of his pocket and opened his eyes. It was so plain—a half sphere and a recessed red button. There was no other marking, no indication of it being a signal device to activate some larger and more complex piece of equipment. He traced the rim of the recessed area with his thumb, wondering what would happen if he pushed the button. Death was prominent in his thoughts. Carefully, he put the device back in his pocket.

He closed his eyes again, and this time slowly drifted off to sleep— and to troubled dreams.

                                                  *             *              *

The computer gave a short tone, and the screen indicated that the ship would drop out of hyperspace in one minute. Haley called up the flight information screen and found that the trip had taken just over eight hours. That meant that he had slept for at least five, but he hardly felt refreshed.

Dropping out of hyperspace was an interesting visual sensation, and this was the first time Haley had experienced it. While his actual speed dropped tremendously, what his eyes saw was space suddenly jumping into existence and, referencing the nearby star, it seemed as if his ship rapidly leapt to a high speed and then slowed again.

Haley was somewhat disappointed that his star—as he already found himself thinking of it—was yellow. He was hoping he might get to see something more exotic, or at least different. The ship went into orbit around the sun and started collecting data in response to Haley's push-button command.