Justice by S.J. Bryant Page A

helmet created a dome of reflective silver
glass. She could see out of it but outside observers wouldn’t be
able to see her face.
    “ Remember, it’s tough material but any tears will mean the air
recycler has to work harder. Too many tears and it won’t be able to
keep up. You’ll suffocate somewhere out there in the forest,” Cal
said.
    “ Thank you for that bright reminder,” she said.
    “ You’re welcome.”
    “ Nova, you look almost as good as I do,” Jack’s voice came
over the radio in Nova’s helmet. She looked up to see another
figure in a bulky white suit approaching.
    “ I wouldn’t go that far,” Nova said with a chuckle. “We look
like old-Earth astronauts.”
    “ Let’s hope these are a bit more functional than that,” Jack
said. “The last thing we want is a disaster like the Mars Colony in
twenty-forty.”
    “ Too right,” said Nova. The prospect of going out into the
wilderness did not appeal to her, but they’d found no sign of the
President anywhere inside the dome, so that only left the
outside.
    “ I’ve been going over the specs,” said Cal. “The suits have a
combined hydration-nutrition store; it feeds you through a tube to
the right of your face. Just lock your mouth over the
end.”
    “ Delicious,” Nova said.
    “ Better than eating anything you find out there,” Cal said.
“Pretty much everything you find on the surface of Drigoon is
deadly. It will either actively try to kill you or it will poison
you if you touch or eat it. So please, don’t touch anything and
stay inside your suits.”
    “ Got it,” she said.
    “ Your other needs will be… taken care of,” he said, rushing
on. “You both have your guns holstered. Remember that with the
suits on they’re not where you’re used to. Perhaps you should
practice grabbing them,” said Cal.
    Nova and Jack
took it in turns to whip their hands down to their belts and pull
out their guns. On the first attempt Nova misjudged the distance
and knocked her gun out of the holster. It clattered to the ground
and skidded across the floor. Jack did the same thing only he
managed to catch it with his other hand before it reached the
floor.
    It took many
attempts before they could consistently grab their guns, drawing
them and aiming without sending them flying. Nova was entirely sick
of the game by the time she shoved her gun back into its holster
and folded her arms across her chest.
    “ Damn suits,” she said. “Surely in all these years we would
have found a better design.”
    “ Why would you?” said Cal. “When you could just send robots
into the dangerous areas.”
    “ Hmm. You’re right,” said Nova. “Remind me again why you or
some other bots aren’t doing the search?”
    “ Because there aren’t any robots of the appropriate make to
navigate deep into Drigoon’s terrain that also have effective
search and retrieve programming. Also, I’m too precious to lose to
a carnivorous plant,” Cal responded.
    “ If it’s carnivorous it wouldn’t be eating robot,” Nova said
in a flat voice. “That would have to be technovorous or
something.”
    “ I’ll be sure to add technovorous to the Cloud Dictionary,”
Cal said. “In the meantime I think you should get
going.”
    “ You packed all the usual items in my bag?”
    “ Rope, tent, glowball, etcetera,” said Cal.
    “ Good.”
    “ Alright, let’s go find us a body,” said Jack, clapping his
gloved hands together.
    “ And, Cal, make sure the Hunters stay in control here. I’ve
informed Geron’s security guy, Bruce, but he didn’t seem very happy
about the arrangement. Let me know if shit hits the
fan.”
    “ Confirmed.”
    They walked to
the inner airlock door and pressed the exit button. The door opened
with a hiss and they stepped into the small chamber beyond. The
door closed shut behind them. A small window looked through into
the landing bay where Cal was hovering, watching them. A few
moments later the door behind them opened to