Teardrops In The Night Sky (Steven Gordon series) (2 page)

Chapter 2

A
green suited surgeon made his way towards the family room.  After fourteen desperate hours of surgery, he was exhausted.  He paused for a moment at the door to draw breath and gather his thoughts.

There were three of them in the room, the parents and the young man whose bike had been involved in the accident.  The nursing staff had assured him that the parents hadn’t blamed the young man for the accident as so often happened in these cases and he drew heart from it.

They looked as exhausted as he felt.  Brian Gordon stood as he entered, but he waved him down.  ‘Please sit Mr. Gordon.’  He spotted the coffee machine and indicated to it, ‘may I?’

Mary stood, ‘I'll get it for you.’

‘Please don’t bother, I’ll manage.’

He got a coffee with extra sugar and sat down opposite.  He could see they were hanging on a knife edge, ‘I’m afraid Steven’s prognosis isn’t good.’

Buzz was unable to contain himself any longer, ‘is he going to live?’

The surgeon took a deep breath, ‘I’m afraid young man it may be better if he doesn’t.’

As Buzz’s face seemed to melt, Mary pushed her hand into his and squeezed.

The doctor went on, ‘almost every bone in his body was crushed and most of his major organs pierced.  It was a minor miracle he even lived long enough to be taken to hospital.

However we have repaired everything repairable and set all his bones as best we can at this moment.  If he lives he will need farther surgery, but that is a thing for future debate.

The major problem now facing us is the brain damage he has suffered.  He is in a deep coma with very little brain activity.  If he ever comes out
of the coma then chances are he may remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.’

He saw his words slam home and paused to take a drink of his coffee to let them sink in.

‘That is our worst-case scenario of course but the most likely.  However the human body is very resilient and Steven is still young.  If he makes it through the next forty-eight hours his chances will improve daily.’

It was Mary who asked the last question, ‘could he ever make a full recovery?’

‘No, I’m sorry.  Even if he regains some mental function, he will never walk again.  I would be surprised if he manages some rudimentary form of speech.’

Brian Gordon had heard enough, ‘thank you for your time sir.’

The surgeon left thinking he had done his best.  But what he hadn’t taken into consideration was Steven’s remarkable mind.  Within five years of the accident, not only did Steven begin to talk again but he also had begun to try and walk, and ever at his side were his loving parents and devoted friend Buzz. 

Chapter 3

2025

S
teven checked himself in the mirrored door before proceeding into the building.  His uniform matched that of the guard at the reception desk.

He smiled, ‘hi yah Stevie, how are you tonight man?’

Steven returned his smile, ‘fine man, you?’

‘Looking forward to getting home.’

‘Is the Boss in?’

‘Isn’t he always?’

Still smiling, Steven made his way to the security office.  There were two men standing at the reception desk in identical uniforms.  They turned as he entered but he didn’t recognise either of them.

Liz the receptionist
’s face lit up with one of her special smiles, reserved only for him, ‘hi Stevie.’

‘Hi Liz, these the new Guys?’

‘That’s right.’

The tall sharp face one looked down in disbelief and barked a laugh, ‘what the hell are you supposed to be?’

Stevens eyes turned cold, ‘I’m a security guard, you?’

The man’s face turned cruel, ‘don’t get sassy with me shaky.’

Steven shook his head in dismay and turned back to Liz, ‘there’s always one.  Is he free?’

‘Just go in Stevie.’

The thin man barked at his retreating back, ‘how the hell did he get to be a security guard, friend of the boss?’

If he had been trying to impress the pretty blond Liz, then he had failed miserably.  Anger blazed i
n her eyes, ‘actually he’s the boss’s best friend and has been since they were teenagers.  Oh and one more thing Sandiman, that little guy has more guts in his little finger than you ever will.  Haven’t you got a job to go to?’

Chastised and angry, Sandiman strode off.  The other man lingered.  He was almost as tall as Sandiman, but broader and had a kinder more intelligent face.

He waited until Sandiman had gone and was curious, ‘who is that little guy?  I noticed he had ribbon over his jacket pocket, isn’t that the company meddle for bravery?’

Liz calmed a little, ‘it is.  That’s Steven Gordon.  His fathers the top scientist here and runs the whole shooting match.’

‘What's his story, how come he shakes so much?’

Liz bristled again but realised it was honest curiosity, ‘Steven was in a bad accident when he was fifteen.  I don’t know all the details; what I do know is he was never supposed to walk or talk again.  Somehow though he’s fought his way back to near normal.’

‘Near normal?’

She smiled, ‘Stevens actually registered as disabled; he isn’t even supposed to be working here.  As well as he is now he’s still on a lot of medication.’

‘Is that what makes him shake?’

‘No that was the damage done to his nervous system.  He takes pills to calm it.  If he didn’t have them he wouldn’t be able to walk.  We have to keep him away from computer screens too.’

‘Epilepsy?’

‘Something like that.’

He nodded his understanding, ‘how did he get the medal?’

‘About six months ago, we had armed intruders, two of them.  Stevie caught them.  They opened up on him and he brought them both down.’

His eyebrows shot up in amazement, ‘that was the guy!’

Liz’s face broke into a grin, ‘that’s him.’

‘Yeah I read about that.  Killed them both didn’t he.’

‘Stone cold, one round apiece.’

‘Wow, you wouldn’t believe it looking at him would you?’

‘Well believe it.’

‘So what's he like?’

That smile slid back onto her face, ‘he’s a really sweet guy.  You know, very respectful, rarely swears.  He’s just a nice guy.  Simple, but nice, you’ll see for yourself once you get to know him.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.  I had better get going.  I’ll see you later.’

‘Yeah, see you.’  Liz decided she rather liked Martin Ford.’

Buzz was sitting with his feet up on his desk when Steven walked in.  A broad smile lit up his face, ‘hi buddy.’

Stevens grin was as big, ‘hey boss man.’

Buzz laughed.  His pride in Steven’s achievements shone from his face, ‘you been to see your folks today?’

‘Yeah, had dinner with them.  They were asking for you.’

‘Makes a change, they still pissed at me for giving you this job?’

Steven grinned and held up two fingers, ‘wee bit, but I think they’re beginning to see how much good it’s doing me.’

‘Yeah right up until something else happens, then I’ll have both of them screaming down my neck again.’

Steven laughed at the memory.  Only Buzz could have resisted the pressure they had put on him back then.  Steven himself still wasn’t sure what had happened.  He had seen the skulking figures and challenged them.  Lights had twinkled in the night, and then he had heard and felt the bullets snap past his head.  The next thing he remembered was kneeling on the ground with a smoking revolver in his hands and staring down the barrel at the two crumpled figures.  They still didn’t know what they had been after, but industrial espionage was the rumour.

Steven grinned easily at his Buzz’s discomfort, ‘comes with the territory kemosabe.’ 

Buzz’s smile returned.  He stood and grabbed his jacket and hat, ‘let's go do the rounds partner.’

It was a luxury he had afforded himself since Steven’s arrival, and looked forward to it every day.

It took them an hour to travel around the enormous complex.  Buzz felt himself wind down at the end of a long day.  He would have had Steven on the day shift with him, they had even tried, but it soon became apparent he couldn’t cope with the pressure, and his parents continual checking up on him.

However he had quickly settled into the night-time routine and Buzz had drawn a deep breath.  Steven also looked forward to these night-time strolls.  He remembered little of his life before the accident, but Buzz would talk constantly of those days, and every now and then he would trigger a distant memory.

It had almost become a game.  Steven would partially remember something, and over the weeks he would pluck away at it on their nightly walks.  Buzz never seemed to mind going over the memory again and again.  Sometimes it would return completely, others partially.  Normally Steven would remember nothing about the incident and would just listen to episodes from his earlier life as though it were part of a strange dream.

Chapter 4

W
ith Buzz gone Steven quickly feel into the night-time routine.  He ran into Sandiman again, who had tried to bait him, but Steven had simply shrugged it off.  He had met too many of his kind in his lifetime to be bothered by one more.

Martin Ford had sat at his table during a break period and introduced himself.  He had heard Sandiman’s earlier sallies and decided to intervene.

‘There’s no need for you to take his shit you know?’

Steven’s hand shook as he took out a large plastic pillbox and proceeded to take them with mouthfuls of water.  ‘Don’t lose any sweat over it man.’

‘Hey if you ever need any help.’

Steven waved a hand at him, ‘there's no need, he won’t be here long enough to get wound up over.’

Martin was surprised, ‘are you going to report him?’

‘No need to, everyone else will.  I have a lot of friends here and they all insist in looking out for me, no matter how many times I tell them to butt out.’

Martin laughed, ‘I can see why.  I suppose you’re a bit of a hero after that shoot out.’

Stevens eyes glazed over for a second, ‘I get treated different that’s for sure, but it isn’t that.  I think a lot of them just feel sorry for me, or did anyway.’

‘Not now?’

‘No, now I’m just one of the boys.  I suppose it’s because they now know they can depend on me if we ever get into a tight spot.  That’s what Buzz thinks it is.  Saying that, they still fuss around me like a bunch of mother hens.’  

‘So what are you doing after the break?’

‘Same as I always do, back on foot patrol.’

Martin frowned, ‘is that all you do?’

‘To be honest it’s all I really can do.  I’ve tried some of the administrative stuff.  I can’t really concentrate long enough to be good at it, and the computers can give me a fit, so I’m not allowed near them.’

‘Don’t you get bored doing foot patrol all the time?’

‘No I like it.  I’ve pretty much got the freedom of the base, which is great because I get to meet lots of interesting people, I even get to shoot them sometimes.’

Ford laughed at the gallows humour, ‘great social life huh.’

Stevie smiled, ‘I have a better social life now than I did before.’

‘Honest?’

Stevie squinted across the table, ‘you’ve got to remember I’ve got a few wee problems.  Before I started here normal folks wouldn’t stop long enough to give me the time of day.  Now they haven’t really any choice.  They got to talk to me.  Over the months they’ve come to realise I’m not too bad a lad and now most stop for a wee chat.’

Martin nodded, realising the simple truth of the small man’s statement, ‘I got to go, it’s been nice meeting you.’

‘The same, you need to know anything give me a shout, I’m always on the prowl somewhere.’

‘I’ll do that, see you later.’

‘Later.’

Steven finished his meal and resumed his patrol, calling in at security stations on the way.  Half way across the huge car park he ran into Gregor, with the ever-faithful Rex.

‘Hi Stevie, could you do me a favour and look after Rex for a few minutes?’

‘Hi Greg, bladder still playing up?’

‘Yeah afraid so.’

‘Thought you were going to see a doctor about it?’

‘Tried, got to wait a week for an appointment, you believe that shit?’

‘I believe, I believe.  I’ll look after Rex for a few minutes.’

‘Great thanks.’

Greg handed over the lead and rushed off.  Rex never tried to follow.  Instead he was giving all his attention to Steven.  He squatted down and rubbed the great Alsatian between the ears.

‘Hello fellow, how are you tonight?’  Rex yipped in reply and Steven laughed.  ‘Now what do you think I have for you tonight?’

Rex began sniffing at Steven’s pockets and tried to stick his nose in one.  Steven laughed harder and took out a small doggie chocolate treat bar.  ‘You’re just too smart for me boy.’ 

He fed the dog the treat in small pieces chatting away to it all the time.  ‘You know you probably are smarter than me.’  He rubbed the dog behind the ears absentmindedly.  ‘They say I was a genius once, can you believe that?’  He pointed towards the heavens, ‘my dad says I could have reached for the stars.  That would have been nice eh!  You could have come too.  The first doggy on the Moon.  Would you have liked that?’

Rex yipped his understanding and Steven laughed again.  ‘Mind you I think there's a shortage of trees up there, but I’m sure somebody could put up a pole for you.’

Greg wasn’t long
in coming back and took the lead from him.  ‘So what have you pair been cooking up tonight?’

‘We’re planning a holiday on the Moon, aren’t we Rex?’

Rex barked in response and both men laughed, ‘you're going to have that dog as daft as you are one day.  You realise of course he’s supposed to be a killer?’

Stevie stuck his face close to Rex’s, ‘hey boy kill.’

Rex half barked then licked Stevens face.  Both men laughed again.  Each knew at the proper words of command Rex would turn into a raging ball of fury.

They said their goodb
yes and moved on.  After another hour of patrolling Stevie stopped for a coffee and a quick chat before heading back out to the big car park.  He knew most of the lights would now be out.  It was his favourite time of the night.  He would stand in the middle of it and observe the stars for a while, counting the shooting stars as they passed overhead.

He didn’t have to wait long for the nights display.  As he watched a large meteorite hit the atmosphere.  It moved from left to right across his field of vision.

‘Oh that’s a beauty,’ he told himself, ‘I wonder if it will reach the atmosphere?’

A blinding flash of light answered his question as the super heated missile hit layers
of oxygen.  Steven laughed out loud.  Then the burning meteorite did an extraordinary thing and turned towards him. 

The object raced downwards at a terrific speed; then as he watched it seemed to split in two.  The flames that trailed the two objects were suddenly extinguished to reveal two distinct bright lights on an intercept course with the institute.

It took Stevens befuddled mind a few seconds to realise he was directly in their path.  He began to run for his life, but some instinct deep inside told him he was never going to make it. 

A loud humming filled the air and he cried out in fear as the starlight was blotted out by a large shadow.  Worse still he was still only three-quarters of the way across the car park.

The hum became almost deafening when a large silver object slipped into his peripheral vision.  It landed filling the right hand side of the car park.  He could feel his hair begin to stand on end as the other began to land on top of him.  Its shadow completely obscured any markings on the ground and he gave out one more desperate cry as it filled the world around him.

Then it stopped its decent.  His run stumbled to a walk.  Gasping for air he looked up to find it hovering a few inches above his head.  Before him the lights from the institute beckoned at the end of a long tunnel. 

He made his way towards them, looking around now.  The intense humming had reduced to a gentle croon.  He could see a little of the first ship.  The one above was to close for him to make out any detail greater than it was smooth.

His startled nerves quickly settled and he began to feel strangely relaxed.  With a leap of faith he reached up to touch it and it shot up just out of reach.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you,’ he apologised.  Then to his amazement the ship lowered just far enough to brush his fingertips.  A strange tingling sensation rushed up his arm and filled him with a strange sense of euphoria and a look of innocent wonder filled his face.

As he appeared out from under the great ship into a world full of apocalyptic alarms and screaming men the ship finally settled onto the cold tarmac.  Stevie turned and placed his hand fully against the upward curve of the hull, ‘thank you.’

A strange sensation warmed him.  Only then did he begin to become aware of the pandemonium that had broken out around him.