3. Mathaias' Choice

3. Mathaias’ Choice

 

“What does it mean?” Mathaias whispered as he gazed out the porthole at the dark ship floating in the distance.

In his hand he held an encyclopedia of ships; it was the newest edition in print. He held the book open, glancing back and forth from the picture on the page to the vessel outside of his window.

“Recognizable it’s pointed front hull.” He read. The ship outside indeed had a pointed nose, like a spearhead.

“ This vessel is produced in three general color schemes. Blue, gray, and dark red…”

The ship he gazed at was a deep, maroon.

 

“This model is outfitted with an observation tower, stretching above the ship from the top deck.” Outside, the tower on the ship came up, like a knife.

“Three major-mass engines, capable of boosting the vessel out of Earth’s atmosphere faster than any model before.” He read, his voice quaking at the sight of the thirteen engines waiting like silent dragons.

Finally, Mathaias read the main descriptive paragraph of the vessel out loud, his voice cracking several times,

“The type A Commander is a warship like none other. It has the capability to rapid fire on smaller fighting space planes, while still containing enough reserved energy to fire its primary weapon and vanquish other command ships. This duality is unprecedented in spaceship history, a grand achievement. This is a true ship of war.”

 

Mathaias left the window, and paced around and around. “We’re all in danger. We’re about to go to war,” He said aloud. He set the book on the table in the center of his bedroom and looked around

And a rather bland bedroom it was, with only this small table in the middle and a bed with no blanket.

Mathaias walked to the window, staring out again. His hands shook.
            “I can’t take it anymore.” He said out loud, and walked to his closet. He retrieved a light jacket, and something else. A blue blanket that had been folded up inside the closet he spread out and put on his bed.

Then he grabbed the book from the table went to the door of his room.

“I have to keep trying to tell someone about this. Even if they don’t believe me.” He gripped the handle of the door with his right hand, the fingers of his left in the pages of the book to keep the right one.

He opened the door and stepped out into the cold, metal hallway. He shivered.

“For the residential sector, it’s cold.” He said out loud. Then he shook his head. “No. I have to find Matilda.”

Thus he turned left and began to walk down the corridor…

“Hey! Mat! What’s up dude?”

Mathaias jumped at the sudden noise. Behind him, a man emerged from a room some ways down the hall.

“oh. William. Hi…”

“Gee. You sound excited to see me, man.” William said. He walked to Mathaias, his long blonde hair bobbing. He walked springingly, and walked with a big grin on his face.

“What’s going down, man? Anything exciting, besides your usual reading and over thinking?”

“No. I’m even more thoughtful than usual, today.”

William smiled, sarcastically.

“What now?”

“Look.” Mathaias held the book up, opening it to the page he had been reading moments before.

“So? It’s a war ship, looks like? Nothing special.”

“Just that. There’s one of these outside in orbit.”

“You can’t be serious, dude.”

“Look out a window. Anyway, I have to go.” He continued down the hall.

“Tell me again, Mat, what you’ve been suspecting. What did you say? You hear things or something?”

“You’ve got a horrible memory, William. Didn’t I just tell you yesterday what I’ve been suspecting?”
            A silence.
            “Tell me again.”

Mathaias rolled his eyes.

“Okay fine I’ll tell you again. I’ve heard droning at night.”

“Droning.”

“Yes. Like a swarm of bees or something.”

“And why is that bad?”

“William? We’re in orbit. There are no bees in orbit. The sound is unmistakable. It’s the sound of space planes being tested.”

“Mathaias, I sleep near the hangar. I would hear them.”

“If you didn’t notice, the hangar is soundproofed.”

“Okay so If I can’t hear them, then how can you? You’re overthinking these things, Mat.”

“No. I’m not. The sounds are coming through the vents. It’s the reason that I can hear them. I’ve checked.”

“Oh…” Will grew silent.

“Secondly, now that I’ve gotten that point across, there’s guns being set up on the outside perimeter of the station. Have you seen those?”

“Um…no?”

“When was the last time you went outside onto the observation deck?”

William was silent.
            “Thought so.” Mathaias said, shortly.

“Anything else?” William asked.

“Yes. If you read the ship’s supply lists, we’ve been receiving war materials for the past month.”

William scoffed, “Only you would read the ship’s materials log.”

“What should I be doing? Let something happen that shouldn’t?”

“It ain’t happening, Mat. I think you’re letting your imagination skiddle away with you.”
            “No.” Mathaias declared. “I’m not nuts here. I’ve heard it, seen it, and I’m going to stop it.”

He turned away from William as they continued to stride. The hallway was quiet.  William smiled sarcastically.
            “Where are you going, dude?” he finally said.

“To the bridge.”

“Ha. I’ve got to see this. You’ve been bugging Captain Doreau for weeks. I wanna see his reaction when you bring up the same stupid things again.”
            Mathaias remained silent as the two of them walked together, their feet softly pinging the metal floor.

After a while and some distance, Mathaias replied reservedly,

“That man,” here he paused, quickened his walking, “is the reason I know that we’re in considerable trouble.”

“How can you tell?”

“Every time I bring up the facts, I see a considerable anger in him. It’s in the way he looks at me and the way he tells me to “Scurry along.”

“Oh…”

“Yes. He knows that I’ve caught him, and it shows.”
            William didn’t respond as they continued to make rights and lefts, moving towards the bridge of the ship.

            After a long silence,

            “Okay, let’s say, in theory, I believe you. What are you going to do if Doreau is “evil” or a controlling an army or something.” William scoffed.

            The pair reached the last hallway at the top of a flight of stairs. At the far end was the door to the bridge.

            “Really? I don’t know.”

            “Great plan!” William chided.

            “I thought you only, in theory, believed me.”

            “Theories sometimes turn out to become right, ya know.”

            “Have I convinced you?”

            “Maybe.” William said as they reached the door. He pushed it open.
            “Ladies first.”

            “Shut up.” Mathaias said nervously as he stepped onto the bridge.