Space Zombies Part one

Six months in hibernation and I have had every type of nightmare that a person could. From having No teeth, no clothes, evil clowns, alien abduction, dead relatives to math problems. When I wasn't dreaming I would be on the verge of consciousness and see bright flashes of solar light come across my eyes until the machines realized I was waking up to soon and would dose me again back to the sandman's place.

I started to wake up again and waited to hear the click of the machine dosing me again to put me back under. The click never came. The hatch to the pod slid itself open and the lights slowly came to full brightness. Everything hurt with a dull ache like I had been sitting in a strange position. This was an older ship bought third hand and it had lost a few steps over the years, including the hibernation machines. Maybe I was just getting old.

"welcome back to reality Calvin, you ready to get to work?" A voice said from somewhere to the left of me.

"Yes Linus, Just let me brush my teeth"

Grabbing my bathroom kit I made my way to a small sink a few feet on the other side of the ship.

"So I take it we didn't have any trouble during my nap" I said between brush strokes

"Nothing I couldn't handle Calvin"

I looked Linus up and down as he came into focus. He was an older model robot, made more for function than fashion. To me he just looked like a paint can welded to a muffler with the exhaust pipes for arms. He did have feeling and a personality or more accurately a personality chip that was supposed to make him feel more like a friend than a box of wires. Hanging on the wall plugged into the on board computer, His feet or 'Sea legs' as I called them retracted into his body to save space on the ship. Linus Was flashing away probably scanning the asteroid looking for a good place to drill.

Spitting out the tooth paste and putting away my brush I turned my attention to the console beside Linus and went over the readings.

"Jesus how far out did you take us?"

"Past any known law enforcement or governing bodies, the wild west of space. " Linus said with a hint of joy.

We were out further than I had ever been, I wasn't even sure if we could make it back in this old ship. This was like taking a small sail boat and crossing the Atlantic ocean. I was used to risk though, in My line of work risk pays big. I used to work a 9-5, did it for years. I'd rather do this, be my own boss. I would rather die than sit in a cubicle.

"scanning shows possible deposits of Claxium 9 Calvin"

"Do you have to keep using my name, there are only two of us. I know your talking to me"

"yes I'll stop using your name..."

I heard a click from Linus's chest where his hard drive was and his eyes dimmed for a second. This was probably his last adventure, I had spilled a beer on him one night and even after I put him in rice he was never quite the same.

" Get your sea legs on, we are leaving in three minutes"

Linus extended his feet to the floor and pushed himself off of the wall. He took a few steps and was pulled back as he realized he was still plugged in. I shook my head and tried not to laugh.

" no bugs on this rock right?"

"nothing alive at all that I could detect"

I itched the back of my head just thinking about the last time we were on a rock with bugs.

"Good the thought of those legs all over me just makes me itch."

My suit was in a stow away closet hidden and it took a minute to get into it. It was a pressurized suit, not like the newer spider suits based on fitting tightly and being more mobile, but hell it was cheap and I wasn't rich. I reached for the helmet and took a rag to clean the visor.

"Doors open depressurizing"

"What! Wait"

throwing the helmet on I felt it click just as the outer door opened and the oxygen got sucked out of the ship.

"You crazy asshole! you understand I need to be in the suit before you do that right?"

" you said three minutes..."

my heart rate was up, I was definitely awake now. Some times He does tend to take things a little to literally. There was no point in arguing he doesn't understand speech the same way a person does, Sarcasm and turns of phrase were taken word for word as fact.

The one thing I did spend real coin on was a fancy pair of boots. They weren't lead lined heavy like normal boots. They worked with special magnets and were adjustable strength and even had little booster rockets in the heels that I could use if I wanted to. No worries about flying off the asteroids in to the great black and twinkly with these on.

Linus went to a compartment on the outside of the ship and pulled out a small ramp, then rolled a set of what looked like Tank treads from the compartment to the ground. He slid his legs in two slots in the top and I heard a snap like Lego pieces coming together. These were his work'in legs. They made it so he could roll over anything we came across, and there was a small seat in the back so I didn't have to try and keep up.

"Giddy yup" I shouted slapping the side of his treads.

Linus sat there.

"I mean Lets get going"

And we were off.