Onekka - The Tragedy of Jaqui Fennet by Michael E Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

in.
There was no time, and no inclination, to start portioning it off. The
incinerator took sacks of bunk waste and turned it into a power source for the
station. As she rested for a moment, prepared for the next part, Jaq wondered how
many minutes of light a dead boss would provide.

Moving past the opening, she let his head and shoulders fall into the space,
then quickly circled behind him. With a giant heave, she lifted him from behind
and got his torso into the incinerator. After that, gravity was on her side.
The legs were a tight squeeze, and she had to fold them in a way that no living
person would have endured, but she got the opening shut, and sighed in relief
as it started working.

While the waste facility cleared its chute, she placed her bag of grim trophies
to one side and stripped off. A quick run along the corridor she'd traversed,
using her removed cat-suit to wipe the floor and wall, was the last thing she
could think to do. Then clothes and portable lamp went into the incinerator,
and she peeled off her gloves and plimsolls to join them.

Grabbing her bag, Jaq made for her bunk at a jog. This wasn't the first time
she'd run through these corridors in just her panties, but it was the first
time she'd done it with blood in her hair instead of vomit.

As she reached her door, an electronic bell sounded and the lights came up
full. She whipped through the opening portal, aware that many residents would
be waiting to leave for work immediately the bell was heard. The swish of
several doors opening mixed with the sound of hers closing.

A sensation like crawling ants spread under her skin, the result of whatever
strange cocktail of emotions she was feeling, but she wasn't quite finished.
The key and password went into her personal locker - the one place on Onekka
coded only to her DNA. The squishy bits she wrapped in two more bags and
dropped into her small stasis chamber. The devices had replaced deep freeze
units in most homes. Jaq didn't completely understand the tech, but it had to
do with stopping light in a controlled space, resulting in the contents being,
effectively suspended in time. Her ice cream store came out to make space; a
necessary sacrifice.

Then she spent an age under scalding hot water in the shower, trying and
failing to scrub the filth from her skin and hair. At least the visible stuff
came off. The cut on her side appeared as only a scratch when she examined
herself in the mirror. Perhaps Garret had not penetrated as far as she thought
with his blade. Her dream friends had told her this would be so, that nobody
could hurt her, and now Jaq knew she could trust them.

She bounced onto her bed, naked and dazed, aware through blurring vision that
she had cut things extremely fine. Sleep beckoned and she wished for one of her
dreams, for someone to tell her it was okay and she had done the right thing,
for that sense of reassurance that only Number Thirty Seven and his companions
could provide. A question accompanied her to sleep; had this night even been real?
If so, she didn't think life on Onekka would ever be the same again.

"Three shall watch, one shall fall."
     
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    The insistent
bing-bing, bing-bing of her comm device brought Jaq swimming through layers of
sleep to consciousness. Through the dim memory of half-awareness, she knew it
had been beeping at her for quite some time. The comm unit went quiet and she
stretched, then pulled the duvet across her body when she realised how cold her
skin felt. This seemed like a good morning. No sweaty body was pressing against
her from behind, no questing fingers were grasping at her breasts, and not a
waft of stale breath washed over her.

It wasn't until the comm unit bing-binged at her again and she dragged herself
upright that memories began to invade Jaq's head.

Oh shit!

She took the comm call on voice-only and mumbled a hello, only to be bombarded
by Helen's voice.

"Jaq! I'm so glad I got hold of you. I was getting