Chapter 08

Since it had gotten late, the lights in the colony mimicked the setting of the sun on Earth, maintaining a normal circadian rhythm. The walls glowed a soft orange and the ceiling a rainbow of setting colors in the Hub. Few people were going around their daily business. The night shift was approaching.

"I sent Sara a message to meet us at the observatory in about an hour," James said. "That should give us plenty of time to have a drink or two."

"I still can't believe you're talking me into this," Mark said. "Alcohol isn't good for you."

"If it was really bad for you, then it would be outlawed under colonial law. You guessed why it's not? Because it's a relaxant. It's not like we'll get carried away and drink until our livers explode."

"Explode?"

He didn't respond. Mark found it hard to swallow all of a sudden. Blaez looked around, constantly prowling.

Timmy's Tavern was an old brewery that was set up a long time ago. People were getting restless and stressed in the early days of development. The tavern was one of many breweries in the colony. Timmy's just happened to be on the way. Lots of people went out to drink, including James's dad. Mark never knew his father to drink anything alcoholic, but he barely knew him, so it didn't account for anything. James got a chime on his communicator.

[I'll be there.]

Timmy's Tavern was located more on the outside edge of the Hub. It made it easier to store and access the fermentation canisters. There was a small café near the school that Marks' dad took him to once when he was five. That was a long time ago, though. He hasn't taken him since.

Deeper into the alcove of restaurants, Timmy's Tavern was tucked away en-route to the old observatory. They could hear laughing from a group of drunk men at one of the bar tables with casual jazz music nowhere near enough volume to drown them out. There was an ambiance of glass on glass mixed in with the other sounds.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mark asked James as a couple of men stared at them.

"Come on, what's the worry? If anyone tried to mess with you, I'll handle it."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

"Is that you, Mark?" The bartender said. "Mark O'Connor?"

He had a big beard and a mustache with a bald head. He had a bit of a beer belly, but he wore a sleeveless shirt, making his muscles bulge like they wanted to rip out of his skin.

"Yes, sir," Mark said as they approached the bar. More people were beginning to stare.

"I'm Timothy, in case you didn't know. Call me Tim."

They shook hands.

"What can I do for you boys tonight?"

"Mark here was feeling a little stressed today," James put his hand on Mark's back. "I was hoping you would give us a drink to calm the nerves."

"Now, even I know you're both minors," he said. "Are you sure your father would be alright with this, Mark?"

"How old was he when he first started drinking?" He asked him.

He actually had no idea, but the question seemed to stump Tim.

"Alright, but one glass. I don't like the idea of Mr. O'Connor arresting me because I let his son take a swig of ale. What would you like?"

He thought for a moment. He didn't know his ales.

"I'll let the expert decide for me," he said. "I want something sweet, not too strong, and it needs to help me relax."

He smiled and went into a room behind the bar. There was a window that let you see the metal barrels lined up on the wall. It was divided with glass, but it was cold in there. Condensation littered the glass, giving it a blurred view. He came back out a minute later with two glasses full of a red liquid. It looked like a health potion from Dungeons & Dragons. He placed the chilled glasses in front of the boys.

"Taste it and see if you like it," he said.

Mark picked up his glass. He could feel eyes boring into the back of his skull as he tipped the glass over into his mouth. The sugary sweetness of strawberries filled his taste buds. He swallowed, not expecting the burning feeling he felt in his throat. It felt like pins and needles for a moment, which made him cough. James and Timothy laughed.

"That wasn't bad," Mark said. He took another smaller sip.

"Wow. That's good. You've got good taste, Mark," James said.

"I'm kind of new to this," Mark said.

He took another sip. The burning feeling in his throat was going away, but it still made him cough again.

"It is starting to make me feel relaxed, though."

"Yeah, no kidding," James said. "If I drink all of this, I think I'm going to have one serious hangover."

"Hangover?"

"Oh, you didn't know about that? You're not an alcoholic, are you?"

"No?"

"Never mind. It's just something that happens when you drink alcohol and get high. When you sober up, it makes everything sharper and more in focus like light and sound. It makes you nauseous. It's like a bad migraine."

"Maybe I won't drink the whole thing, then," he inquired.

He took tiny sips as James rambled on about how he wanted to develop a small robot to make bigger robots to do his bidding. Mark made a joke about how it was the tides turning on slavery, and James went "oh" and busted out laughing. He wasn't thinking of saying it out loud, but it just did. His filter was failing from the alcohol.

"Well, I'm finished," he said, pushing his glass away.

Tim came over and took their glasses. He washed them at a sink and dried them with a towel.

"They were good ales, Tim," James said.

"Thank you. Made that one myself," he acknowledged.

"You're very good," Mark said.

"Thank you, sons. Just don't be coming by every night to get another one until you're of age, alright? I don't mind the conversation, but I can't afford—"

"Please don't touch me!" Mark heard a woman say loudly.

The conversation took a pause as they found the source. A woman with flowing, blonde hair who was serving drinks took a step away from a man sitting with three others. The man with the scrappy face looked at her lustfully.

"Who is that?" James asked.

"My daughter," Tim said.

"She's hot," he whispered. Mark slapped his arm.

"Why not, sweetheart?"

The man's speech was slurred. He looked at her up and down.

"Pretty woman like you shouldn't be working in a dump like this. Places like this can get dangerous."

"I'm not your sweetheart. It's against bar rules. Besides, I can handle myself."

He reached out for her, which made her jerk away. Mark noticed she didn't have a wolf in her defense.

"Not by yourself. You're too dumb and strange to be by yourself. You need a strong man to take care of you. How about you and I get together later and... do some homework. Alone."

"I don't go to school. I'm an adult. Please leave me alone."

Mark caught something in her voice. She sounded concerned, but... lackluster?

"Come on, baby. Work with me here."

"No, thank you. I don't sleep with fatuous pigs that want to get in my pants."

The man's expression went from zero to a hundred in an instant. With anger, he stood up and stumbled to her. She backed away more.

"Maria," Tim whispered.

Even though Mark felt like he was hovering, his body immediately went into motion. He had grabbed the man's wrist before the condensation on his fingers could even touch her skin. He looked down at him in surprise. Everyone stopped talking and looked at them frozen in time.

"Don't touch her," he spat at him and threw his arm away.

He stumbled back from his surprising strength. The other three men jumped up from their table and stared at him. The man's wolf growled. Blaez growled a warning back. The music awkwardly played in the background.

"Maria, get behind me," Mark said as she flinched away. She put her hands on her head and started breathing heavily.

"What's the matter, boy? We were just having fun."

"That's not fun. That's uncalled for. You need to leave and sober up before you make the mistake of doing that again. No more drinks for you tonight."

"What are you gonna do, boy? Go cry to your daddy?"

The other men laughed at that. They had obviously had more than they could handle. The rest of the crowd didn't even breathe.

"I don't need him. I can take care of this."

"You have no authority, so move out of the way, or I'll take that katana of yours and shove it—"

He summoned Wolfbane and held the tip of the sword at his throat. Everyone gasped and murmured when they saw it appear out of thin air.

"False," Mark corrected. "Under the Common Colonial Law, if the leader isn't present during a situation or crisis, the descendant or descendants of said leader are to handle the situation in place of the leader's absence, regardless of age. Now, I suggest you and your buddies get out of here before real damage is done."

He snickered. "You wouldn't—"

He forced the blade across the man's hand in one fluent motion, making him yelp. Blood dribbled to the floor. His wolf took it as a threat and dashed for Mark. Blaez got in front of him and barked at the other wolf. It stopped and growled in competition.

"Nadir, hold!" The man commanded.

The wolf moved back to its owner.

"It looks like we're not wanted here."

"I don't hesitate," Mark said. "Leave. Now."

Obligingly, the four, along with their ravenous wolves, left the scene. Mark let Wolfbane disappear back into nonexistence.

"Alright, everybody," Tim said. He kept a hand on Maria's back. "It's over. Go back to your drinks."

When the talking resumed, he rubbed her back and whispered to her.

"Focus on the music, dear. The music."

"The music," she said repeatedly. "The music."

She finally put her hands down and looked around like nothing happened. Tim put his hand on Mark's shoulder.

"Thank you so much," he said. "If I tried to handle that, it would have surely gone differently. It was a good thing you were here."

"T-thank... you," Maria stuttered.

"No problem," he said. "Sorry about the blood, though."

"I can clean it up!" She said.

She took the towel from her father's hand and started wiping it up. Mark looked at Tim with a silent question.

"Maria has autism," Tim said. "She freaks out when there's too much happening at one time. Focusing on the music keeps her calm, which is why I keep it playing. Because you were a big help tonight, you and your friend can come here any time for a drink."

James chimed in. "More than one?"

"No."

"Damn."

"Thanks for the offer, Tim. I'll see you later for sure. If there's anyone you need me to take care of, let me know. In fact..."

He showed Tim his ID number, which he input into his comm.

"Now, if you need my assistance during afterschool hours, give me a call."

"I sure will. Thanks again."

They left the bar. James was all riled up. Probably from the alcohol.

"Man, didn't I tell you it was a good idea to come here tonight?"

"You did."

"And you got to look good in front of Maria! You even made it look heroic."

"It wasn't heroic. I stopped them from making her freak out."

"Still, she's hot. You've got to admit that."

Mark looked back. She looked up from a table and gave a small wave. He looked back at James.

"Okay, maybe a little."

~~~

"There you guys are!" Sara said. "I was wondering when you were going to show! Where have you been?"

She was standing right outside the doorway into the old observatory. By now, the lights had dimmed to match Earth's moonlight. Sasha looked eager to go inside. She pawed at the doorway and lied down in it to prevent the door from closing. Their genus was engraved above the door with a "CONDEMNED" sign over the label.

"Oh, you know. Places," James said.

She sniffed once and twisted her face in disgust. She put her head down and rubbed her eyes like she was having a headache.

"Don't tell me you guys went drinking."

"Okay, we won't," James said with a hiccup. Mark laughed.

"He got me to relax, which is what I needed," Mark said.

"Relax? Why?"

"Family issues," James said.

"Oh. Why don't we go inside and talk? If we don't get Sasha to move, they might get maintenance down here to check it out."

As soon as they stepped inside, she shot up and ran inside ahead of them. Blaez and Juno ran after her, and they all tussled in the abandoned room.

The observatory was an old security lab they used to scan the stars and other planets to find somewhere habitable. It used to be part of the Ark that was used to get there, but it was forgotten with time after a new observatory was built. The old sector still had power. James and Mark found it when they were out exploring when they were younger. It was a complete accident that they found it. They went down a passageway that no one took and found all of the computers still operational.

As they walked in, they walked by old flat-screen monitors that were used by past astronomers. In the center of the large room was a giant, revolving cylindrical screen used for viewing across the room. It was used, at one point, to monitor Drax activities. When they couldn't find anything, they built another one with more in-depth scanners and space drones. It was like being inside an ancient Earth relic. It was still operational, so they could use it whenever they wanted it.

"Setting the satellite to scan," James said as he typed in a command on the old console.

The screen lit up the dark observatory.

[SCANNING...]

[ERROR. SIGNAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED.]

"Interference?" Sara repeated.

"They blocked radio signals," Mark said. "It's not just drones out there. Their command ship is out there, too."

"Do they know?"

"We don't think so," James said. "If they did, they would have attacked us by now."

"Why haven't they told anyone about this?"

"Dad didn't even tell me about it," Mark said. "I found out from James's dad rambling about the command ship on accident. I got into a fight with my dad right after."

"Is that why you're stressed out?"

He nodded.

"It's not the only reason. Look."

He held his hand up for her to see.

"Mark got a fancy, new ring today," James said.

"Wolfbane? He gave it to you?"

"Yeah. It was completely random. Last week, he told me he was going to pass down Wolfbane very soon. I checked the records to make sure. He's not supposed to do that until the ceremony when I turn eighteen."

"I was wondering about that," James said. "Why would he give it to you now?"

"That's what has me worried. I feel like something big is about to happen. First the ring, now the DCS. It must have been some kind of early judgment call. He's never been wrong. Not once."

"That's why he's keeping it a secret," Sara said. "Could you imagine the panic? If anyone found out, there would be so much going on, the Drax might notice."

"He also gave me Wolfbane, which concerns me," he said. "Does he want me to be protected from rioting... or the Drax?"

"I hope we don't find out," James said. "I would like to live until I'm eighteen."

Mark looked at the [ERROR] message on the screen. The screen glitched every few seconds. He didn't understand what any of it meant.

"I have a bad feeling we will," he said.