Astray Among The Stars

Chapter 1: The Escape

Solar Date: Friday, November 17, 2197
Mission: Day 1503

Roger thundered through the metal corridors, a chrome pistol in his right hand. The ship's sirens wailed, the alert lights pulsing turquoise. His boots thudded, echoing through the vast and endless ship. His heart raced with every step, his veins coursing with adrenaline, hushing the burn in his exhausted legs. Sweat drenched his sepia hair, coloring it to a deep coffee.

He heard his pursuers closing on him, not far behind. He had to lose them. He had to escape.

Roger swung himself around a corner. He quickly jerked to the left, dodging a scarlet plasma bolt fired from the intersection ahead. He leapt, taking cover behind an entryway and returned fire, killing the perpetrator with a smoking blast to the head.
Another bolt struck the wall behind him, sending a shower of flaming debris in all directions, a majority hitting his brown synthetic leather coat. He was trapped, his enemies enclosing from both sides. Roger frantically scanned for any hope of evading the barrage of plasma bolts. Turning, he tried the door behind him, but it was locked.

His chocolate eyes jumped to an exit across the hall. He shot the controls, the sliding doors opened. The teen took a chance and flung himself across the hallway, causing a flurry of plasma bolts to follow his wake, yet all missed. Roger gained his bearings, pointing the gun ahead of him as he squeezed through the crack. His eyes swept across the room, scanning for any of the aliens. He found himself alone.

The teen turned around, and punched the inner controls, closing the only entrance. He welded the doors with his weapon, a temporary solution that would buy him time. Roger leaned against the wall to catch his breath, wiping the fear drenched sweat off his forehead. He fixed a few strands of hair, his quiff a mess, but still kept its recognizable form.

The boy pulled up his sleeve and examined the injection point on his slim arm. It didn't seem serious. The skin around it appeared perfectly healthy, with only slight inflammation. His alien adversaries wanted him alive, but he did not know why. Perhaps the shot contained pathogens, vaccines, or maybe a sedative. Regardless, Roger didn't want to remain here. He needed to find the others before the aliens experiment on them too. They were his only way of escape, his only hope.

The teen surveyed the room, taking note of several hatches, entrances to a labyrinth of maintenance shafts. They would hopefully provide a safe and secure path. He headed for the nearest one and crawled inside.

* * *

Roger peered through the vent openings into the room below, noting several guards posted against the wall. His heart leapt with joy. He was above a brig, where he had hope of finding others. The boy pried the vent open, but his shaking fingers slipped. The heavy steel plate fell, shortly colliding with the floor below, producing a thunderous clank.

Roger winced. "Aw shit!"

He quickly retreated from the opening, hiding in the darkness of the duct. The guards in the room surrounded the plate, staring up at the opening. Roger seized the opportunity and jumped out, his heart racing.

He landed on one guard, crushing his innards. Roger rolled, firing at will. Four dropped dead, leaving one remaining.

The teen pounced on him like a jaguar, knocking the soldier over, jostling for his enemy's weapon. The alien fired, the shot striking him in the shoulder, charring his jacket. Roger yelled loudly, gritting his teeth. The burn did not deter him, the intense pain muffled by adrenaline.