Alpha Squad - Vecto: Voyage

Part 2.3

(Previously: A spacecraft slams into the Central Dome of the Corona, breaching the hull.)

"Watch out!" Feit yelled. He grabbed Erich, using his momentum to slide them to the center railing of the plaza. Their bodies slammed against the rail as the pirate ship smashed into the top floor. It crashed through the upper floor, sending metal shrapnel soaring as the roof above Erich and Feit subsequently collapsed. The 70-foot long shuttle plunged in front of the two, grinding across the dented floor to a halt as broken pieces of the ceiling scattered. Smoke fumed from the ship, being sucked in with the air through the massive hole above.

Erich and Feit held tight to the rail as their bodies lifted from the suction. They could hear screams from far below echo closer as the tornado-like funnel snatched civilians. Erich couldn't bear to let them die. He clutched the railing and attached a wire from his wrist to it, then let go, flipped upside down, and activated his thrusters to go against the current. A panel popped up from the top of his wrist, and he fired pulse-wires, sans deadly energy. Four shot out; the tips from these tetralirium cords fanned out in midair and struck their bodies, molecularly binding to them. It didn't matter to Erich whether they latched to arms, legs, or backs--at least they hit their targets.

Many of the civilians were safe in the force-field-protected Central Dome Park at the center of the plaza, where they were to depart to their quarters. But others were not, and more were caught in the vacuum. Erich fired four more pulse-wires from his other wrist, each successful in grabbing people. But the momentum of their bodies was more than he could take. The wire connecting him to the railing snapped straight, yanking his arm.

Erich screamed in pain. He couldn't save them all. Several women, men, and children were helplessly sucked into space. Erich closed his eyes, unwilling to watch.

At last, the ship's safety shield activated. A force field blocked the passage, followed by the loud hum of a massive barrier curving across the entire dome. It slid to the other side and snapped in place, sealing the gap and creating a blue emergency-light tint to the room.

The ship's gravity instantly took its toll and Erich and the others fell. The pulse-wires snapped as he hung from the wire, followed by the weight of the citizens yanking his arms. Erich felt pain surge through both arms and his chest--like his arms were being ripped from both ends. They violently spun while they yelled. But that was the least of Erich's worries.

Erich bit his lip at the thought of the citizens he couldn't save, helpless as they were sucked into space without a thing he could do to stop it.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" an older woman yelled from below after her cries silenced. The others followed suit, thanking Erich for saving them-glad to be alive.

"Seems you saved the day, sir," a voice said.

Erich looked down to see Feit standing on the floor below, looking up at him with his hand reached out. "Need a hand?" He asked in a serious, yet teasingly tone. "Come on and hurry down. Some of the pirate crew may still be alive."

Hearing of the pirates wasn't particularly exciting news, though.

"Just get us down from here!" an overweight person yelled.

(Are the pirates still alive, and can Erich and Feit stop them? Find out more in the next installment of Vecto: Voyage!)