Chapter 1: Keys

The world of Keys was a tropical paradise, ninety percent water with hundreds of thousands of islands. One of the better things to happen here was the accidental release of Tuna. Unlike on old Earth they thrived and grew. They grew much larger than anywhere else in fact. A full grown Tuna could weight over three thousand pounds.

Keys was not a commercial world though, it was one of recreation. Tourist would flock here to swim in the temperate ocean or sport fish for the huge Tuna. We did export most of the tuna caught and even had specialists that prepared and mounted the fish caught.

Most people lived on a group of islands known as Kila. There were a few underwater cities that lived off underwater farms or special fisheries and there was even one floating city that grew altered sharks.

I smiled back at Jennifer as we closed with the dock and then turned to throw the line I held across to the dock worker. The ‘King’s Tear’ was a one hundred and ten foot trihull sport fisher. I tied off the mooring line and moved to the back to secure the second one as Jen shut the engines off. I turned as our ten guests came out of the lounge carrying bags. The dock worker pushed the boarding ramp across and I secured it.

I smiled and shook hands as they filed off the ship headed for their resorts. Now the work could begin, I headed for the port hatch to help Jen as she lifted it and threw it back. She grinned, “It was a good week. Ten customers, five tuna each and only two wanted the flesh.”

I grinned as I reached her and bent to shut the stasis off and drop into the hold, “Enough to relax for a couple of months on that fancy boat of yours?”

She laughed as she lowered the dock boom, “If we can get another run like this week, yeah.”

I pulled a net off the hold wall and worked it around one of the tuna before nodding up to her. Three hours later we moved the King’s Tear out and moored her. We tossed our small bags in the inflated skiff and Jen grinned as she accelerated away.

She had lived with me for three years now and I was actually thinking of making it permanent. She was a college graduate with a degree in marine biology and a zest for life. We moved quickly across the water headed towards a distance island.

I relaxed and turned to watch as it approached. My eyes picked out the two men trying to seem like natives. A single glance told me they were something else. We were almost to the beach behind my house when I spotted two more men. The fifth man stood as we approached the dock.

I did not even think, I spun and dove, my arm sweeping out to grab Jen as I went over the side. There was a searing flash and explosion as we hit the water. I dove, pulling Jen after me. I swam under the dock and then up for a quick breath of air. The water had a tint of red and Jen was gasping. One look told me she had been hit in the chest and had broken some ribs and a punctured lung.

I nodded and dove pulling her after me as I swam straight down. I knew those men would be closing in to finish us. I swam to a large screen and yanked it back before reaching in and grabbing a breather mask. I pulled Jen close and pushed the mask over her mouth and nose. She grabbed it hesitantly and I reached down to grab the pull rope while keeping a tight hold on her.

One yank and we were suddenly being pulled down and into the three foot tunnel. It seemed like forever before we were suddenly in a small lighted enclosure with a plastic composite door. I spun the wheel and opened the door before pulling Jen in. I closed the door as my air began running out. I hit the red fist sized button and the water around us quickly began to disappear.

I surfaced and took a huge breath of air before turning to Jen. She was in bad shape from the blood she kept spitting out. I waited until the water was down to our knees before hitting the release on the inner door. The water flooded out and spilled down through a grate on the other side of the door. I helped Jen out and pulled her down the narrow hall.

I had not been down here for over a year but everything was working as it should. The room we came to was ten feet long and twelve wide. I laid Jen down on her side. I had to see to her first. I pulled a large bag from a wall cabinet and set it down beside her. The med scanner was a little older but it was one of the best models available.

I looked at the scanner and pulled the tissue tractor out. I used both to pull the rib fragments out of her lungs and set them. I sat back thinking and shook my head, I did not have a choice. I stood and opened another cabinet and pulled the large bag out of the med stasis unit. I slipped an IV into Jen’s arm and plugged the bag into the IV set.

I opened it wide and caressed her face, “Stay here and stay still.”

She was still gasping but nodded. I stood and moved to another wall, one push and it split and slid aside. I stripped and reached for the black clothing folded on the shelf. Next was the harness and the belt with my pistol. I slung the stubby barreled assault rifle over my right shoulder and under my left arm. I checked Jen once more and turned to push on the opposite wall from the way we came in.

A narrow tunnel appeared as the wall dropped into the floor. I crawled onto the flat tray and reached up to press the green button. The tray I was lying on was suddenly moving. I counted to myself until the tray stopped and then reached up blindly to find the switch. The end of the tunnel disappeared and I pulled myself out. I crossed the three feet and touched a grey looking box in a solid wall.

It cleared and I was looking down at the area around my house. The five men were spread out searching and I knew it was only a matter of time before they found my safe room and Jen. I turned and pushed up on the metal grill and climbed up slowly. I was in a thick bush that completely covered the grate.

I crawled out and saw one of the men turn towards me and lifted my rifle and squeezed the trigger as he tried to dive away. It was only a body that hit the ground, I rolled and crawled to the fountain I had put in while my hunters fanned out. I waited and when one slipped through a set of bushes I shot him in the head. I turned to move around behind the fountain.

From anywhere in the yard you could not see the back of the fountain and my silenced rifle did not give me away. I was not all the way around when one of the men appeared. I fired into his chest and then his head as he staggered and fell. I held still as the two remaining men searched for me. I knew they were using high tech gear and smiled because the clothes I wore were designed to prevent that.

I waited patiently until one cautiously moved around the corner of my house. Even as he fell back dead I was moving forward. I saw the last man kneeling with a sonic listening device and turning towards me. He never got the chance to lift his rifle as the bullet from my rifle hit between his eyes.

I moved out and made sure each man was dead before dragging their bodies to the huge potted tree beside my house. I dug into the pot and pulled what looked like a drip line. The whole tree and pot lifted and moved away from my house. There was an exposed shaft going down with a ladder on one side.

I swiftly climbed down the ladder the few feet to the bottom and flipped a small switch and the bottom of the shaft opened and the ladder extended a few more feet down. I dropped down into the safe room and moved to Jen’s side. She smiled up at me weakly as I checked the IV. The large three liter bag was empty and I caressed her face, “How do you feel?”

She looked around, “Frightened, in pain and curious as one of your cats.”

I smiled and pulled the med scanner closer. I checked her and nodded at what I saw. I sat back, “We have a few hours. I am sorry Jen, this was my fault. They were after me.”

I looked around and sighed, “Many years ago and far away I was the commander for the emperor’s elite commandos. My name is Samuel Edward Winston Grey. When the politics began changing and prohibiting ... nannies we, my team retired.”

Her eyes widened and I smiled, “Nanites are not the evil the government says they are. My team saw what was coming and spread out to distant less populated worlds. Shortly after that the purges began.”

Jen licked her lips, “What did you give me?”

I glanced at the empty bag, “Over the years I have removed and filtered some of the nanites in my blood. I did not have the necessary medical equipment to stop you from drowning in your own blood so I gave you the three liters of nanites I kept in stasis.”

She closed her eyes, “What will they do?”

I smiled and touched her cheek, “Scrub nasty stuff out of our blood. Repair any damage short of a fatal wound and regenerate severed limbs.”

Jen opened her eyes to look at me, “How old are you?”

I grinned, “My age never bothered you before.”

She actually grinned, “I did not know you were a superman.”

I laughed, “Hardly super, I am just like most men. I do have a few enhancements but that was done long ago. I do not really have super strength or speed. What I have is years of training.”

Jen nodded, “So you could hold your breath for hours.”

I caressed her face, “You have dived with me. You know how long I can hold my breath.”

She looked around again, “And all this?”

I sighed as I looked around, “Jen, the emperor commanded me. All this was and is a precaution.”

I stood to open another cabinet and pulled out a bag. I slung it over my shoulder and knelt, “I can take you as far as Reef city.”

She looked at me hard, “You damn well better take me further than that.”

I grinned and carefully lifted and then stood her up, “You need to slowly climb the ladder, use your legs.”

I knelt and held her legs before lifting her straight up and put her feet on the bottom rung. She did as I told her and started up the ladder. I waited and then jumped and climbed out after her. I helped her into the house where I quickly packed a bag for her. I led her out and we crossed the island using a small trail she and I had used many times to visit friends.