Zombie Road by Simpson, A. (best ereader manga .TXT) 📗

smaller, too. The feelings and emotions were cascading through her and she ordered them to still. To be silent. To stop interfering with her mission. Faces, places and names tumbled through her in a disorganized way and threatened to overwhelm her again. A female of the species, someone he called Scarlett, was confusing and overriding her commands of the memories to stop. To cease existing. To leave her. She was huge in his thoughts, she dominated over every other memory. Every aspect of her was at the forefront. It was all he’d thought about for however many slow years he’d been traveling at light speed and all the longing and love he had for her manifested inside each of her cells. She forced the female out of her thoughts, if she shut down again, the human would die.

Her hand melded into the panel, found the right circuits and brought up the monitors where he was sitting in the hall. The ship felt strange when she was inside it. An uncomfortable feeling. She pulled her hand out, reformed it and did things the human way. She brought up the holo-screen and used her eyes to see.

11

The Madroleeka

Jessie learned fast how to maneuver in zero G, it wasn’t difficult if you kept a hand hold then pushed off something solid hard enough to make it to the next bent piece of the structure. Once he got past the gaping hole punched through the ship and into an undamaged corridor, a door slid closed behind him. He was pitched into darkness and had a moment of panic as he tried to turn and bumped along the ceiling. Or maybe it was a wall.

“Hey, are you still there?” he asked. “Hello? Does this thing have a light switch?”

The voice didn’t answer.

Using the dim light of the map superimposed on the visor he made his way forward. The corridor stretched for a long way, his eyes adjusted to the faint green light and he got good at pulling himself from door frame to door frame. He arrowed through the hallway and couldn’t help the grin on his face. Despite everything, he was exhilarated at the feeling of weightlessness. It felt like he was flying, like he was a super hero. He spun, pulled himself along with ease and started going faster, one side then the other. Grab a frame, pull hard and fly another twenty feet. He stuck his arm straight out, superman style and double checked the display. It showed a straight line for a long way. He glanced back into the darkness then smashed into a door. He grunted, bounced off and tumbled back down the hallway as it opened with a rush of air. He squinted at the sudden light, grabbed a recessed light fixture in the ceiling and stopped his tumble. The corridor looked normal and undamaged, almost like an office building with rows of door along both sides. He pushed off and floated through the opening then crashed to the floor as soon as he passed the threshold. He had gravity. He picked himself up then started the long walk, holding the suit and taking exaggerated steps in the oversized boots. Flying was way easier.

Jessie followed the lines, passed through doors that were too tall and felt like a little kid again. Everything was a little too big and it was all brand new. He wondered what was behind the closed doors but they didn’t open, only the hallway sections slid open and closed behind him. He trudged for what seemed like miles, started sweating and breathing hard in the suit. The closer he got to the end point, the harder it was to lift his feet. He thought the gravity was getting more intense as he neared it and when he leaned against a wall to rest, his feet slid out from under him and he plopped down on the floor. He could hardly lift his hands, he felt pinned in place and wondered if he had been cut and hadn’t noticed. Why was he so weak, was he bleeding out?

“Are you injured?” the voice asked and he was glad to hear it again.

“Oh, hi. Glad you’re back.” He said. “I was getting a little worried.”

“Are you injured?” the voice said again. “What is your status?”

“My status is I’m tired.” Jessie said. “This stupid suit is hard to walk in.”

There was a long pause before it answered and he could feel himself getting lighter.

“Adjustments have been made in the gravity.” The voice said. “Please continue to the designated point on your display so you can be assessed.”

He stood easily but the awe of being in outer space, of being on a destroyed starship or even being alive was wearing off. He didn't know who he was talking to, didn't know if they were friend of foe. He wasn't a hundred percent sure he was still among the living. He remembered Horowitz sending him off into oblivion, he sort of remembered streaking through space but that had to be a dream. He woke up here, stumbling like he always did when he came out of the machine. He tried to push open one of the side doors but it didn't budge. He could only see straight ahead out of the helmet, it didn't do any good to turn his head. He had to turn his whole body.

"Continue to the marked destination, you are not authorized to enter private quarters." the voice said.

Jessie ignored it and tried the next door.

The voice repeated the command.

He ignored it again.

"Follow the designated path, report for further assessment. You are not authorized to disregard direct orders."

"Shut up." Jessie said with a laugh. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard anybody say."

He had to be talking to a computer, normal people didn't speak like that. Even Siri didn't talk like that and he had to be hundreds of years in the future. Maybe even a thousand. The machine stopped talking as he