NOVEL FROG Chapter Twelve: Ulterior Motives
Day 18
Crash Station 6
United Space Systems Vessel California
00:04 hours
Teresa regains consciousness to a silent world. Her head throbs with pain from being thrown around during the ship’s descent--and eventual crash onto the planet’s surface. Straining to see through the glass of her crash pod, Teresa is able to make out a large shape moving in her direction. Fear chills the blood in her veins and she trembles inside the enclosed space. So this is it?
Teresa is thoroughly surprised when the figure outside the pod enters an access code into the keypad on the wall—opening the pod in which she sits. Relief fills her chest when she spies the blue work jumpsuit.
“Harold? I’m so happy to—” Teresa exclaims.
She never finishes her sentence, her eyes traveling up to the face accompanying the jumpsuit. Not Harold, but Theodore McAvoy.
“Theo? What? But how did you get...," Teresa begins.
The words are not even out of her mouth when Theodore smacks her across the face. As Teresa raises a hand to her cheek and nose, Theodore unstraps her from the chair. Grabbing the front of Teresa’s blouse, he yanks her up. They are face to face as he sneers and utters a sarcastic salutation.
“Why…Good morning, Dr. Boyd!” Theodore says between clenched teeth. “And how are we feeling today?”
The engineer uses all of his strength to slam Teresa against the wall and then hurl her several feet away. Teresa crumples onto the floor, but quickly scrambles to right herself. Not to do so could mean certain death by Judas bug or even Theo McAvoy. She crawls a short distance before preparing to stand.
Theodore takes slow measured strides in her direction. The sinewy muscles in his arms tense as he inches closer and closer. He lowers the strap of his commandeered Orville rifle and points it at Teresa’s back.
“Stop where you are, Dr. Boyd,” Theo threatens in a deep growl. “Or I’ll blow your back out! And not in the way you’re probably thinking!”
Teresa stops and turns in Theodore’s direction. As her eyes fall on the rifle, Teresa remembers her own weapon—still in the crash pod several feet behind the furious chief engineer. Teresa climbs to her feet and raises both hands in the air. She remains like this as Theodore approaches her at a painfully slow gait.
“Wow. A woman who knows how to follow instructions,” Theodore drawls. He presses the barrel of the rifle into the flesh above Teresa’s clavicle. “I like that!”
Teresa tries to plead with the engineer. She knows that their time may be limited. Especially, if the Judas specimens choose to make an appearance.
“Mr. McAvoy…Theodore…I know we got off to a rough start. And I’m sorry. But you can’t just…” Teresa says.
Theodore presses the rifle harder into Teresa’s flesh and she grows silent. Theodore regards her angrily. His fury is so great that it could almost be a whole other entity standing right there in the corridor with them.
“I can’t just do what?” Theodore says in a hoarse whisper. “Hmmm, Dr. Boyd? What can’t I do?”
Teresa remains silent, not wishing to provoke the engineer to further violence. The man appears as if he is already teetering on the edge of madness.
“You see this ship? You see what’s become of your…Expensive project? That was all me,” Theodore admits brazenly. “There’s nothing I can’t do!”
Dr. Boyd is unable to stifle a bitter laugh. She peers directly into Theo's face.
“Ha…,” Teresa laughs. “You did all of this because I spurned you? You couldn’t have possibly thought that your forward antics were going to get you anywhere? My god! How arrogant can one person be?”
Theodore’s face reddens and Teresa realizes that she has slipped up. Theodore swiftly reaches up a hand and grabs Teresa’s ponytail. He wrenches her head back and growls into her face.
“Arrogance?! Ha. You want to talk about arrogance?” Theodore roars. “Okay. Let’s talk about it. Arrogance is what you’ve done! What you and scientists all over the world…And the whole goddamn human sphere…Have always done. You walk around playing god. Tampering with things you have no business. Like these damn Judas bugs. Did you ever stop to think about what the ramifications of what you’re doing could be? No. Of course, you didn’t. Because people like you are only after glory. And to hell with anyone who gets in the way!”
Tears stream down Dr. Boyd’s face and she raises a hand in surrender. To reassure Theodore that she is in no way trying to offend or provoke him.
“That’s not true. Bess and I talked about it all the time,” Teresa pleads. “We just wanted to change the world. To reduce human casualties. Maybe even put a stop to war altogether. We thought…Maybe if humans no longer have to lose their lives…Maybe the stakes will change. It wasn’t about playing god. It wasn’t about glory.”
“Shut up!” Theodore yells.
He no longer cares about explanations. Who did this scientist think she was? Change the world? Really? After so many centuries of endless war and countless deaths? Did she really think it all came down to her?
“No matter what your motivations. Your project has presented me with a singular opportunity," Theo proudly boasts. "Dayshadow isn’t the only organization that wants to get their hands on your little pets. I have ten buyers just waiting in the wings. You’re gonna help me find a couple more of those egg cases. You’ve never seen a war like the one I’m going to unleash. Humanity is a stain on this universe. And that stain is about to be removed. Save the chosen few.”
Teresa’s eyes grow wide and she tries to pull away. However, Theodore maintains his grip on her ponytail.
“You’re crazy,” Teresa says. “You’re crazy!”
“No, Dr. Boyd. I’m an idealist,” Theodore replies. “My ideals are just a little different than yours.”
Theodore presses his rifle against Teresa’s chest and pulls her back toward the crash pod by her ponytail. He only releases her hair to grab the abandoned Orville rifle beside the chair. He keeps his rifle trained on her chest. Shouldering Teresa’s rifle, he nods for her to move down the corridor.
“Let’s get moving, Dr. Boyd. I saw what looked like a nest down that hallway,” Theodore says in a low voice.
Teresa reluctantly heads in the direction Theodore pointed out.
-
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“You know, Dr. Boyd,” Theodore utters in the darkness. “I know you think I’m a monster. But I’d never take advantage of a woman. What happened in the cafeteria…Later on in the lab…It was all business. Nothing personal. I was planning to put a few bugs in your system. No pun intended. The plan was to steal your data as you compiled it. But then, you came down to the lab. Dressed only in your robe. And I decided to play along. Can’t say I wasn’t tempted. Especially after our little…Tiff…In the cafeteria. It would have been so easy. But no…I wouldn’t have done it. That day in the cafeteria—If you had taken the bait—I would have just used our…Close relationship to steal your data that much faster. I never meant you any real harm, Dr. Boyd.”
Teresa chuckles softly. She is unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice.
“Wow, that’s a relief!” Teresa says drolly. “Good thing you don’t have a rifle pointed at my back while you march me toward our certain death. I might have mistaken you for a saint.”
Theodore remains quiet, staring angrily at Teresa’s back. He even considers pulling the trigger and blowing a hole through her chest. However, he needs her to gather the specimens he requires.
“Stop!” Theodore commands.
Teresa does as she is told. She looks over one shoulder at Theodore. The chief engineer wears a perplexed expression; eyes wide, mouth partially twisted to the side.
“Did you hear that?” Theo asks softly.
Teresa fearfully admits that she did. A faint rustling is coming from the darkened corridor ahead.
“Yes,” Teresa says. She takes a step backward. “I think we should go back.”
“Nobody’s going back,” Theodore whispers. “Keep going. Move!”
Teresa whirls in his direction. Her temper is white-hot and aimed directly at the chief engineer. His rifle shimmies a little before he plants it firmly in the middle of Teresa's chest.
“No. If you’re going to kill me…Do it!” Teresa whispers back. “I’d rather be shot dead, than be torn apart by one of those…Those…”
Teresa is unable to speak the words. Suddenly, Theodore’s speech is really hitting home.
“You mean…Your creations?” Theodore says, smoothly getting in Teresa’s face. “You don’t want to be torn apart by one of your own creations? Why not? I thought this was the more humane way to wage war? You suddenly want no part of it now?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Teresa pleads. “They weren’t supposed to be used like this. They were just supposed to be more of a threat against war. There wasn’t supposed to be any real bug wars! Just an idea. Something to scare the diplomats and the bureaucrats. Something to prevent war. Now please…Let us just get out of here!”
Theodore grips Teresa’s forearm and spins her back around. He presses the rifle into the small of her back.
“Go! Now! Or, I will shoot you! And I may just leave you here for them,” Theo says.
Theodore is paying full attention to Teresa when he is hit from behind by a large pry bar. Theodore stumbles to the side and is hit a second time. He crumples to the floor in an unconscious heap. Surprise and pleasure dance across Teresa’s face as her gaze meets that of Harold Bashir.
“Harold. Oh thank goodness!” Teresa says. She steps over Theodore’s limp form and hurries to hug her friend. Harold is more business minded. He first disarms Theodore, placing one Orville rifle on his left shoulder and handing Teresa the other. Only then, does he allow Teresa to hug him. After a brief hug, he motions toward the unconscious chief engineer.
“Quick, I know where we’ll be relatively safe,” Harold says. “Grab his feet. Hurry. Before he comes to.”
Teresa does as Harold asks and grabs Theodore’s feet. Together they struggle-carry the engineer down the dark hallway.