Dimly, Meck wondered if he was dead. A wave of nausea convinced him otherwise.
His fogged mind fought the remnants of Warden’s sleeping agent. Distant noises beckoned but he could not identify them. A burst of light assaulted his eyes.
Meck realized he was in a coffin-like transport pod, like the one that had carried him to Lunatraz so many weeks ago.
He squinted. A crowd of people stared down at him.
Strong hands grabbed him by the collar. It was a woman with broad shoulders and a crew cut. She yanked him from the pod.
Meck couldn’t stand so somebody helped him. The woman balled her fists on her hips and looked him over.
“Warden must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel,” she announced, triggering some gruff laughter.
Her gray flight suit bore a name tag: Panther.
“Let’s go see the boss,” Panther said, and marched off.
The arm that had held Meck now gave him a shove. He stumbled after her.
As they walked his senses returned. This ship was old, with low ceilings and narrow gangways. Decades of footsteps had worn dull paths into the steel decking.
They stepped through a hatchway, and Meck spotted a grinning devil stenciled on an exposed pipe.
The next hatchway led to an office. A pale woman in a business suit sat behind a steel desk. She studied Meck briefly then returned to her tablet.
“Mr. Meckler, please have a seat.”
“No thanks.”
Panther threw him into the chair.
The woman set down her tablet. “I am Karmala, your new employer. Warden had no use for you. Fortunately, I do.”
“Employer? What do I get paid?”
Karmala regarded him with cold blue eyes. “You’ll be paid in food and air. We will also upgrade your eyepiece. What are you running right now?”
Meck cleared his throat. “Second gen.”
Panther scoffed, but Karmala showed no reaction.
“You should take the job just for the upgrade,” she said.
“And if I refuse?”
“You’ll be vented to open space,” she said simply.
He shrugged. “Then I guess I agree.”
“Panther will get you settled. Now please excuse me.”
Karmala returned to her tablet. A meaty hand grabbed Meck by the arm and lifted him from the chair.
“Wait. What kind of work will I be doing?”
She did not look up. “Whatever you are required to do, of course.”
Panther stuffed him through the hatch and led him down a series of gangways to a crowded wardroom. She pushed him inside and slammed the steel door.
The cabin smelled sweaty and stale, like an old locker room. Rows of triple-stacked bunk beds rose to the ceiling.
Meck recognized the faces peering back at him. He had never met these men, but he knew them just the same.
He had seen their pictures back on Earth, in the accident reports sent from Lunatraz. These were the prisoners Warden had reported as deceased.
“What are you doing here?” said a familiar voice.
Meck turned to see the hulking frame of Obryan, his cellmate.
The big man grinned. “Let me guess. You’re an anomaly.”
He nodded.
“It’s okay, dude,” said Obryan, slapping him on the back. “Turns out we’re all anomalies. Welcome to the Diablo. You’re a marauder now.”
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