The many banks of computer terminals all had one picture
on them. A short-haired woman with a plasma pistol stuck in Thedeus’ mother’s
ear. The rows of operators at their consoles were busily keying their pads and
talking in urgent hushed tones into their throat mikes, but still the hubbub
level was almost deafening; orderlies were rushing here and there clutching
important memos as Dutch’s amplified voice boomed across the room and struck
the rock that was General Towersy. The words ran off him like foam spray
dissipating in the wind. He wasn’t interested in words. He was a picture man.
And what he saw was a picture of a terrorist. And he knew what to do with
terrorists. This was what he was trained for, and although he felt mightily for
Mrs Darck and the other hostages, and although he could imagine the agony
Commander Darck would face if his mother died in there, there was no doubt in
his mind as to what to do, no agonizing over a difficult decision. He was a
soldier. He was decisive. He was at the top of the food chain and it was from
him that orders issued, and once they were issued, everyone had to follow
them….even him. The protocol for this type of situation was clearly laid out,
no matter the mitigating circumstances. Orders were orders. Nothing else
mattered. What did matter was that they were dealing with an armed hijacker…and
hijackers were given no quarter.
“Strike-troop One and boarding teams are moving into
position,” said an Adjutant at the General’s side.
“How soon can they breach?” asked the General.
“90 seconds after the charges are laid.”
“Someone better answer me real soon,” said Dutch over the
various monitors. “I’m getting a bit antsy here. And you know what happens when
a girl gets ants in her pants…..”
“Will someone
switch those bloody sirens off! I think everybody knows there’s a bloody crisis
by now,” shouted the General irritably.
“Yessir,” said a controller scrabbling around for the
right switch.
“What are the hostage’s chances of survival?” asked the
General, though he knew the answer full well.
“None. The ship is too small for such a large explosion.
The pressure impact will kill them all.”
Thedeus had come in the door in time to hear this last
remark and catch a larger than life-size image of his mother with a gun to her temple and the world to him became unreal. Gone was his fairy tale life with
his new fairy tale wife. The nightmare had begun. In a dreamlike trance he
seemed to watch himself as if he was some character in a movie.
“You can’t do this,” he said, floating up to the General
and forgetting to salute. “That’s my mother.”
“I had noticed.” The Generals eyes never wavered from the
screen. “I’m sorry, but you know the rules. I can’t make an exception for you,
Commander Darck,” he said. “I know it sounds callous but that’s the way it is.
You knew the risks when you joined. If we give in to one of these bastards then
all of them will be doing it. We have to make an example. I’m sorry.”
“Sixty seconds to breach.”
“Can’t we starve them out or something?”
“There’s enough food, water and oxygen in there for five
years. You know that. And the ship is fully fuelled. If any of them’s a pilot
then our troubles have only begun. We have to nip this in the bud.”
“Charges are laid General. They’re waiting on your go
ahead.”
“Secure all bulkheads and evacuate non-essential
personnel. Just hope to hell they know what they’re doing and don’t damage my
ship too much.”
“But that’s my mother,”
said Thedeus again, still not believing what was going on. “You can’t do this.”
“This is the navy, Commander, not a fucking kindergarten,”
barked the General as his conscience bit him in the ass. “Everybody knows the
risks. Your mother knows too, and she’d be the first one to agree with me that
this is the right thing to do. We sacrifice one life to save millions,
otherwise the bastards will be hijacking liners full of passengers next. I’m
sorry about your mother but you are a soldier first and a son second. Now I
think it would be best if you left the room and let us get on with it.” He
softened his tone on the last sentence as much as he could. This was a hell of
a thing to happen to anyone. But he had no choice. This was the navy. And they
were running out of time.
“Here comes the
countdown,” said the many images of the woman with the gun. “If you don’t
undock us I splash the old bitch’s brains all over your Vid Cam and then I’ll
launch anyway without uncoupling, and you know what a mess that’s going to make
of your station. It’ll tear half your docking facilities to shit.
“She means it General. Please do what she says,” said
Commander Thedeus Darck frantically, almost pawing at the General. “That’s my
Mother.” He was nearly in tears.
The General had no option but to ignore him. “Commence
breach in thirty seconds. Go.”
“FIVE…” said Dutch.
“You can’t do this. Have you all gone mad?” All Commander
Thedeus’ years of training went straight out the window. Gone was his
dispassionate objectivity. Gone was his cool, calm, calculating brain in an
emergency. Gone was his nerve under enemy fire. All his experience and bravery
in the field went for nothing, because nothing can prepare a boy for this kind
of eventuality, and nothing is worth this kind of sacrifice. In that moment
Commander Thedeus Darck knew he would never be a true marine. He didn’t have
what it took, and he didn’t care. He just didn’t want his mother to die.
“….FOUR…”
They watched Dutch grind the gun into Mrs Darck’s temple.
“There’s no way out,” said the General, keying in his
microphone and talking directly to Dutch for the first time. “If you lay down
your weapon and give up now I’ll see you get a fair trial. You can’t win this
one. If you kill a hostage – you die. If you let them go…..we’ll see.”
“Kiss me…THREE..” answered Dutch.
“Let them go. For God’s sake LET THEM GO!” Thedeus shouted
at the General, beyond himself now, turning this way and that, looking for a
way out…a way to save his mother.
Then they all clearly heard the amplified click as the
short-haired woman cocked the gun.
“…TWO…” said Dutch. “We got nothing to lose here. We were
headed for death row anyway. Believe me…I don’t give a shit.”
“No…” Thedeus clawed at the air in front of him, somehow
trying to extract his mother through sheer willpower.
“…ONE..”
Then his eyes, by a chance in a thousand, lit on the
gantry uncoupling button amongst the myriad of lights and switches on the board
in front of him. Before his brain even had time to engage his fist had slammed
down on the button and his world went black.
WAS THEDEUS IN TIME TO SAVE HIS MOTHER? TUNE IN NEXT WEEK AT THE SAME TIME.
