BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 9

Chapter 9

“Damn it all! I wish Brandon hadn't run off with my helmet.” Johnny cursed; the Voyager’s cracked control tablet strangled in his hands as he bit back the frustration. A whining buzz sung past his ear and his hand shot to his face, teeth grit as he pulled back to see the squished mosquito or some such insect in his palm. The victory and its satisfaction were short lived as another buzzed by with two others behind singing in an orchestra of pestilence.

“Ignore them. The longer the Black Ocelate nanites are fried the longer you spend with them…and the longer I’m stuck at the office.”

The red sun of the world tentatively named ‘Magmasphere’ had set two hours ago, and the darkness of the night came swift in its absence. Without the Voyager’s creation core to regenerate and perform directed fixes and transformations, Johnny was stuck in the same spot the Dimensional Drive spat him out.

Two hours ago, when the adrenaline, confusion and visceral fears were still palpable, the pain and agony of squaring off against a gang of hostile natives right off the bat was numb and tolerable. Now, two hours after, it merely compounded with the back pain he’d been treating years since the injury, an incident that now paled in comparison to what he was being set up to suffer in the Magmasphere.

“Ignore them? Try sitting out on some wild planet without any shelter, yellow bugs with hundreds of legs crawling over you every ten seconds and flies as large as your fingernails siphoning your blood with some snub scientist teaching you advanced programming languages because if you don’t you’re going to spend this and every night after…urghh!” Johnny scoffed, sick of everything about his day, “I wish we could switch places so you could just ignore them, I’d love to but no, your company sent me here instead and to test your technology! I’m done; I need a break.”

Johnny tossed the VoyTab aside, sending it clattering against the cooled and cracked Dimensional Drive and the Creation Core’s base as he stormed off to nowhere, smacking and slapping himself all the way. He swished his back around to crack it, the sound and released pressure letting him groan with sweet, short-lived relief.

In an attempt to calm himself Johnny looked up at the sky, it was unlike anything he’d seen on earth. He’d seen pictures depicting the cosmos and he’d studied enough of it as a student and more during his time fighting against the Convar— before the many sacrifices were deemed naught— but in all those years he’d almost thought of the cosmos, the universe of stars, solar systems, galaxies, asteroids and comets that visited every hundred years to be far off, nigh-fictional and abstract ideas.

But the starry sight before him was anything but abstract. It was as real as he was, and it was beautiful, breathtaking to behold— not that he got to comfortably behold it. His mind was racing a mile per minute, and he wasn’t even in the Voyager. What if I never leave this place?

Johnny smacked his cheeks, snapping some sense back into his stressed, aching head, “Don’t be dramatic.”

He was pacing back to the Voyager after less than a minute, teeth still gritted, and face scrunched up with absolute annoyance. Cole’s voice sounded from the VoyTab as he picked it up again, “Johnny are you there?”

Johnny didn’t answer just yet, waving away pestering flies as he stared at the code screen, they’d spent the majority of his time suffering trying to fix. He sighed and answered, “Yeah, I’m here.”

Cole let out a sigh of relief on the other end, “Look, I’m sorry. I know it feels like everyone is insensitive right now and I swear what I said earlier was just a joke, I was just trying to lighten your mood a bit.”

There was nothing but audio data coming through, visuals were extremely spotty even when they got a connection running so they settled quickly for the sound of each other's voice like Johnny and in part, Albert reported the numerous damage the Voyager’s tech components suffered. Johnny rolled his eyes; he was friendly enough with Cole to know he meant what he whispered earlier but also that he felt genuinely sorry for not being considerate enough.

“It’s fine, I’m just cranky because I left my pain reliefs on earth, along with everything else important…” Cole didn’t seem to have anything to say in response judging by the silence that followed and Johnny couldn’t blame him, there was only one person to blame for this. Brandon. He struck the thought of the Shadow Wolf from his mind and said, “Let’s just keep going, we’re almost done yeah? The sooner the better.”

“Yes, the sooner the better.” Cole said. A file popped up on the screen of the VoyTab, “Try running that, it should put together the class functions and-”

“Yeah, whatever, already on it.” Johnny said, peeling the file open, xeroxing the code and running it through the Creation Core’s program interface.

There was the whir of a machine loading up and then silence for a good long minute as it followed each step Johnny and Cole had reprogrammed since the crash. Johnny watched the Creation Core, his screen flashing as line after line of code was read in seconds and the grinds of power and chittering of the Core’s gears began to click.

“I think we’ve got it.” Johnny sighed, not even bothered when he slapped himself a second after. Three of the four colored lights were on now, red, green, blue, all that was left was yellow to come alive and then— Then I can get some sleep or water or food.

A soft click, the infamous ‘soft click’ Cole had been talking about since they started, finally clicked as the yellow light came on with the Core’s soft purr as it took in power from the half-fixed Dimensional Drive. “Yes! Hell yes!” Johnny cheered, immediately headed over to the front seat, “Albert! Hurry up, the creation core is fixed now, the Voyager is next!”

“I’d be delicate and sparing if I were you.” Cole yelled out from the VoyTab, “This is a roundabout fix, I just made up a reason for the Creation Core to work this way, but it actually shouldn’t. You’ll only be able to transform a handful of times and the items you can print out with them aren’t as versatile anymore. Albert should be able to look at the code and let you know what you can print, just take it easy will you? All isn’t well yet and-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, moderation, not excess. I got it. Now can I have this race car turn into a terrain appropriate vehicle?”

“What did you have in mind, Johnny?” Albert began, “The terrain seems to be a mix of desert and grasslands, would you mind my-”

Johnny blurted out his answer in an instant, eager to be out of the elements and its creatures, “Jeep Wrangler.”

There was a slight pause and then the rattle and clang of metal as the Voyager in its current nascar form began to bend to Johnny’s whim. Within seconds, the Creation Core’s nanites stirred. A ripple of them spread across the surface of the Voyager, broken side mirrors smoothed out, cracks sealed with liquid precision, and a new reinforced windshield gleamed under the alien night sky. The transformation finished with a quiet hum, and before Johnny now stood a rugged four door Wrangler, its tires thick and ready for the rough terrain ahead.

“Perfect.” Johnny muttered, walking around and admiring the vehicle. Its boxy frame wasn’t the most attractive thing but the reinforced, slick black panels and the roll cage within were something he’d always lusted after.

He ran a hand across its body and popped open the door, the one feature he’d otherwise prefer to be without if he were anywhere but Magmasphere. He climbed in and shut the door, letting out a sigh as the buzzing, whining and cricketing of the wild fell silent against its windows.

The peace and quiet was short lived as Cole’s voice broke through, “Are you good now, Johnny?”

Johnny took a deep breath, “I’m still in constant pain, I need my medication and these injuries aren’t going to heal themselves…but, I’m glad to have the Voyager working again, to be out of the wild even if the only thing differentiating that is this door.” He took a couple more breaths, sniffing around the Voyager for a stank smell that’d snuck up his nose until he realized, “Can the creation core make me new clothes? These have seen better days, I feel like I’m sitting in muck.” He groaned.

“It should be. Ordinarily the core is limited by specific organic and inorganic formulas, but a pair of jeans and a shirt won’t be difficult. I’d just keep in mind that the Black Ocelate powering those nanites isn’t in its best form right now, it's one thing to-”

“Alright, I get it Cole, I do. I’ll be careful and I am safe now, you should go home.” Johnny said. Cole Mcdaris had been the one out of all in DRIFTERS to linger and ensure he was good, even if most of that meant keeping him company and weathering the terrible attitude he’s had so far.

“Already on my way out, Albert or the VoyTab are your friends now. Talk to you soon, Johnny, if you need anything Leo and Terresa are on the night shift.” The connection was severed, and its silence was a new one amongst the many. It meant Johnny was finally, truly and completely alone in the Magmasphere. Leo and Terresa were names he could attach to vague faces, but he didn’t know them enough to seek their company and right now, he didn’t need to. He was alone.

Assuming Brandon keeps his word and never comes back. Johnny rolled his eyes at the farfetched thought, at some point he and the Shadow Wolf would have to find each other, Banzai Bangers was already working DRIFTERS hard for the mess he caused, things wouldn’t end so cleanly until he’s found and brought back to earth.

Johnny snatched the VoyTab and scrolled through the code, “Albert, could you make me some clothes, something loose fitting, that red sun is wicked.”

“Of course, Johnny, it will only take a few minutes. Any color preferences?” Albert chimed, his hollo form generated over the dashboard, a ball of waving light.

“Not really but no whites, I have a feeling I’m going to be filthy a lot here, I’d rather not know where each stain is.” As Albert got to work Johnny scrolled through the VoyTab, he’d ignored all the special features, controls and accompanying devices because he’d jump straight into learning and fixing code with Cole.

However, he was quickly learning new things about the Voyager and more importantly, the VoyTab that originally controlled it. “Hey, Albert?”

“Yes Johnny?”

“It says here Cole made an accompanying device for the VoyTab, a watch? Something portable at least. Do you know if that’s still back on earth?”

“My creator made several accompanying devices as you say, a line of VR glasses, a pair of wireless steering gloves, a prototype control helmet and more, including the VoyTab and VoyWatch which are slated to go into production as soon as the Voyager’s tests are complete.”

Johnny snorted. Yeah, as soon as the tests are complete. There was a not so insignificant chance everything about the Voyager gets scraped the moment he’s returned to earth but he wouldn’t burst Albert’s bubble.

“If you wish, there is a single VoyWatch in your glove box.” As though making his point, Albert opened the glove box, its content of papers and tools clattering against each other.

Johnny reached in and fetched a small retail box complete with fancy and attractive designs of the watch. “How did I miss this? I went in there to fetch the VoyTab.”

“You were quite upset then; I assume you simply overlooked it.” Albert offered.

Shaking his head at himself Johnny set the watch in the center console, deciding to have a proper look at it later. If it was anything like the VoyTab it would help him control the Voyager without having to constantly lug around the tablet. In the meantime, though— “How much longer till my clothes are done?”

“The damages to the Creation Core-”

“Just tell me how much time is left.” He groaned.

“At least five more minutes, Johnny.”

He sighed, shaking his head incredulously as he stepped out the Wrangler. “Takes no time to morph from a race car to an off-road beauty but can’t get me good clothes in less than a minute?” He scoffed at the technology pinnacle, still a tad sour about the whole day not to mention his back and the gnawing hunger in his stomach. “I’m assuming asking for drinking water is out of the question too.”

“Not at all, Johnny, the Creation Core, as per your suggestions months ago, is capable of printing out ‘full burger meals and a coke’ as well as anything else you wish it to.” Albert chimed.

For many reasons Johnny doubted Albert the AI knew what it was talking about, but he didn’t object as he shut the door. One print at a time then. He’d try having the core get him a solid meal but just in case it couldn’t Johnny headed over to the oasis he’d been parked in front of for hours.

“Headlights Albert!” He yelled and a second later the pitch dark of the savannah was lit up in an intense flood of white light.

Critters hidden in crevasses scattered at the sudden brightness and at his approach, he ignored them all and crouched by the water, eyeing it suspiciously. “Is it even water?”

He couldn’t be entirely sure unless he tasted it, it didn’t smell, and the brownish color was only from the waterbed. He scooped a handful, the feel on his palms was soothing and in the light the water seemed clean enough.

Johnny took a cautious sip, swallowed and didn’t die. “Hmm, not bad I guess…but a settlement with a defined source of water would be better.” He thought back to the natives that attacked him and Brandon the minute they arrived and murmured to himself, “There should be a settlement nearby then, better get moving.”

He took another sip for quality assurance and headed back to the Voyager to retrieve a water bottle when a trail of footprints caught his eye. Johnny’s heart leapt in his throat for fear of the return of those angry natives but on closer look he realized they were Brandon’s.

An angry sneer found Johnny’s lips. He’s as much a threat as they are. Most of the wounds and aches he suffered now— the strangled sore throat, scratched neck and battered forearms— were Brandon’s doing.

Johnny chased away the flies and leaned in to grab the water bottle, “Hey, Albert, you think you can make me a hunting rifle?”