Stay tuned tomorrow for chapter two. Or you can get the whole book right now. Station Central is coming out on November 27th, but you can pre-order it right now.

Tuesday, AC April 4

(AC stands for accepted calendar, the calendar that all Stations have chosen to use)

It’s been three months since we left our heroes, cleaning up Station 86 after the AI dog attack. The station of First Contact is shaken and its people are afraid.

Most of them expected that living on a space station, too far away from Earth for direct communication to be possible, was going to be dangerous. Perhaps they hadn’t expected the dangers, like terrorists and human error, would be so familiar.

The station had suffered a great loss of life. Many of those lost had been police officers, fighting to protect civilians. The station’s police training program had stepped up its recruiting efforts and hurried its program. Officers were promoted to detectives and replaced with new, hastily trained cadets. Commissioner Schultz said to them that, as she was green herself, they would learn together.

This learning was taking place with varying degrees of success, much to the dismay of Detective Sennett Montgomery. Still without a partner, she’s been assigned to work with the cadets who haven’t mastered all of the skills they need to be on the streets. Whether they’ll survive to reach the streets has yet to be determined.

She stood behind a row of such cadets in the shooting range. Her hair, caught in thousands of braids, was pulled well away from her face in a ponytail. She wore simple jeans and a police t-shirt, with the 86 stars over her heart. The cadets were dressed the same. They aimed at a row of human-shaped targets set roughly twenty yards away. From the looks on their faces, an observer might have thought the targets were prepared to shoot back.

“Let’s try it again,” Sennett said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fire when ready.”

The cadets fired. Some of the targets fluttered or staggered, hit off center. Others didn’t move at all.

“You guys know you have sights on the air guns for a reason, right?” Sennett asked, “It’s not cheating if you use them, I promise.”

“Why do we have to do this?” one girl whined, “My aunt said you needed people to do paperwork and stuff like that. I mean, I know we all have to go through the training, but we don’t really need it.”

Sennett had to resist grabbing the girl by the ear and shaking her. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Alexis,” the girl said.

“Alexis, your aunt’s a filthy liar. We need people for everything, especially officers to walk a beat. And even if you are going to ride a desk, you’ll still need to know how to shoot. You wear the uniform, your job is to serve and protect. So you need to know how to protect people with an air rifle.”

“But you saved the whole station with a disrupter,” a young man said. Sennett thought his name might be Bill. “Why aren’t we training with them?”

“Disrupters are illegal,” Sennett said.

“You have one,” a ma’sheed girl named A’vril said.

“I don’t,” Sennett replied, “I turned mine in after the AI dog attack.” She stamped on a button on the floor, setting the targets back in place. “Try again. Use your damn sights this time.”

She took a few steps away from the cadets as they took a few shots. Her wrist pad was blinking, indicating that she had messages.

The first one was from her brother, Mason. Going to Godfrey’s food cart, can’t get April from school. I’ll grab dinner.

Sennett sighed with relief. If she had to get April, she had an excuse to leave early.

The next message was from Liam, her new roommate. Hey, Sen. Simulator battery is wearing out. I’d go get another one but, you know, I can’t. Peace.

“Probably used it all up making junk food,” Sennett muttered. Reluctantly, she went back to her cadets.

A’vril was aiming for one of the targets. She took a deep breath and fired. The target fell, snapping onto the ground with a satisfying sound that Sennett hadn’t heard all day. “I did it!” A’vril cried, jumping into the air with her weapon still in her hand. When she landed her finger hit the trigger, this time unintentionally. The blast of air hit Alexis, throwing her back several feet.

“Oh, shit,” Sennett said, “A’vril! Put down your weapon and get running on the track. Can someone help Alexis up?”

“Montgomery?”

Sennett looked behind her as Bill hurried to help a groaning Alexis to her feet. Commissioner Schultz was walking towards her, also dressed in training clothes. Everyone in the room except for Alexis stood at attention.

“Commissioner,” Sennett said, “How can we help you?”

“I just came down to see how our new officers were doing,” Schultz said, “When do you think they’ll be ready?”

“When Hell freezes,” Sennett snapped, casting a glair in A’vril’s direction.

“Why don’t we stop here for the day,” Schultz said, “all except for A’vril. You can keep running for a while.”

To the girl’s credit, the only credit Sennett had seen fit to give her that day, she didn’t complain. She just continued to run.

“Sennett, do you have time to talk?” Schultz asked.

“Haven’t you been here since six this morning?” Sennett asked. Even so she went to the rang, and lifted one of the weapons.

“I have,” Schultz said, “I’m getting ready to go home. But I like to shoot for a while before I head out. It relaxes me.”

“I guess you could use some sort of relaxation,” Sennett said as Schultz selected another air gun. “With the state of these recruits, I fear for the lives of everyone in the station.”

She stomped on the lever to bring the targets in place.

“Don’t worry too much,” Schultz said, “Remember, you’re working with people who need extra help. Not all of them are in such bad shape. That’s why I wanted you to work with them.”

Schultz fired once, twice, three times. The targets snapped cleanly against the floor.

“I thought it was because I was bored at a desk,” Sennett said.

“You were the one who’s been complaining about being bored,” Schultz said.

“Of course I’m complaining. You’ve got me doing paperwork and making schedules.” Sennett set up the targets and started firing. The targets snapped into place, but that didn’t surprise Sennett. They were only set up for twenty-five yards.

“What do you expect of me? You don’t have a partner. We don’t assign lone detectives to cases. I could put you back in blues and have you walking a beat again. But I thought you deserved better than that. Put the targets back, please?”

Sennett grimaced, then changed the settings to forty-five feet. “Sorry I broke the one you gave me, Commissioner,” she said, “In my defense, she was a useless fat sack of fat.”

“Is that how you talked to her?” Schultz asked, taking her shots.

“You know I didn’t,” Sennett said, as all the targets snapped back, “I was polite to a fault until I caught her taking bribes from that drug ring.”

She set up the targets again. “Then she had the audacity to accuse me of colluding with gun runners because Liam’s under house arrest at my place.”

“That’s only because he didn’t have a house to arrest him under,” Schultz said, watching Sennett knock the targets down.

Sennett replaced the target. This time, she set them at sixty feet.

“You’ve been through a hell of a lot in the last year,” Schultz said, “Your foster mother died in front of you, your little brother, your daughter, and the whole station. You didn’t take a single day off after that.”

“I didn’t really have the option,” Sennett said, “We had assassins on the station.”

“And you saved us, along with your friend Godfrey,” Schultz said, “You’re a hero.”

“I’m not a hero,” Sennett said.

Schultz shot, knocking down the first two targets. The third, farthest from her, only shuddered. “Hum, I need to get in here more,” Schultz said, “Anyway, we’d all barely caught our breath before the station was attacked by AI dogs. While we were dealing with that, the whole station found out that your daughter was half Khloe. You can’t tell me that you haven’t being harassed over that.”

Sennett fired three times, knocking all three targets down. “How about we leave my daughter out of this conversation?”

“Okay,” Schultz said, “let’s talk about something else. How long have you been wearing that caffeine cuff?”

Sennett glanced down at the copper colored band on her wrist. “You know that members of The Core are still around. April’s a target,” she said.

“Then I’ll send some uniforms to keep an eye on you, “ Schultz said.

“No,” Sennett said, “We’re short staffed as it is.”

“It’s not your job to worry about that,” Schultz said. She sat the air gun down and turned to look at Sennett. “I want you to take some personal time. A couple weeks, paid.”

Sennett sat her gun down as well. “Am I being suspended?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Schultz said. “But you need rest. You need to heal, physically and emotionally. I’d say the same to any of my women, not just station heroes.”

“I am not a hero,” Sennett said again, “and I don’t need to be taken care of.”

Schultz sighed. “Alright, I guess that wasn’t the right way to do this. Sennett, I know you’ve been carrying a lead bullet weapon,” She turned to give her a hard stare. “Look, I’ve been dancing around it, but you are messed up right now. Anyone would be, in your situation. But a messed up detective who’s starting to ignore the law endangers the whole station.”

Sennett opened her mouth to protest, but Schultz held a hand up. “It could be a suspension if you want.”

“Fine,” Sennett said. “I guess I could use some time off.”

On the transit home, Sennett tried to see the positive side of the situation. At least if she wasn’t going to work, maybe she could get some sleep during the day.

That is if she was able to sleep during the day any better than she could sleep at night.

She left the transit on level three, the level that housed the elementary and grade schools. It was crowded with children and teachers, hurrying to and from classes. Many people recognized Sennett and waved greetings.

Some gave her dark or suspicious looks. She made a point of smiling widely at them. She’d been dealing with the looks, and the comments, since the station had found out that April’s father had been Khloe. She didn’t think it was worth her time to get upset about it. The stares and whispers of the casual racist couldn’t hurt April. Terrorists could.

When she reached the lower grade playground she saw a crowd of kids. April and her friend Khal’Lee were visible right away. Khal’Lee because he, like all other Ma’sheed, had glowing skin.

April stood out for the same reason she would always stand out. She was half Earthian and half Khloe. Now that everyone knew, she no longer wore her seeming bracelet to pass as Earthian. She was taller than most of the children. Her hair was still soft and wild, brown like her eyes. But her skin was bright pink.

As Sennett walked towards the children, she noticed one of the playground monitors talking to a woman she didn’t recognize.

“Mommy!” April called, running over to her.

“Hey, Baby,” Sennett replied, catching April and giving her a big hug. “Do you know who that is?”

“No, Mommy,” April said.

“She’s visited the school a lot this week,” Khal’Lee said.

“Huh,” Sennett said.

Just then the woman saw her. She waived and walked down the fence towards them. “Detective Montgomery!” she called, “I was hoping to catch you.”

Sennett sat April down and said, “Stay here a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” April said.

Sennett walked over to the fence. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

“You’re April’s mom?” the woman asked, “She’s a beautiful little girl. Really extraordinary. But, I guess you already know that. Did you have a normal pregnancy with her? I mean, normal for an Earthian?”

“That seems like a personal and rude thing to ask someone you’ve just met,” Sennett said, crossing her arms.

“Right, right. Sorry, I get excited,” the woman said. She held out her hand. “I’m Doctor Oswald. I’m from Station 6, and I came to ask you some questions about April.”

“What exactly do you do, Dr. Oswald?” Sennett asked.

“I’m a genetic researcher,” the doctor replied, “We’re interested in learning more about the connections between the humanoid races.”

“I bet you are,” Sennett said.

“You see, April’s the first half-breed we’ve ever had. And she represents a wealth of information that we thought we’d never see. What we’d like is for you and her to come to Station 6 for a few days, maybe a week, to run some tests. Not anything big!” she held her hands up, just as Sennett was opening her mouth. “Not anything that would make your little girl uncomfortable. Just some basic blood work and observations on the two of you. And her father as well, of course.”

“You can’t have done much research,” Sennett snapped, “April’s father is dead. He died before she was born.”

“That is unfortunate, very unfortunate,” the doctor said, dropping the smile from her face. “Terrible, little girl growing up without the nurturing aspect of her father. Must be hard, being a single mom.”

“Yeah, it’s terrible, I’m a fighter, all that,” Sennett snapped.

“Anyway, of course we wouldn’t ask you to come just out of charity,” the doctor said. “My company is prepared to offer you a substantial amount of money for your time.”

“I don’t really need money,” Sennett said, “I have a good job and my house is paid for.”

“Of course, of course,” the doctor said. “I didn’t mean to suggest anything otherwise. And really, this shouldn’t be about money. It should be about the benefit to all of humankind. The knowledge we might gain April is incredible. Are you the only woman who can carry a child from another race? What is it about you and her father that worked to produce a child when so many other couples have failed. I’m sure you can see how valuable she can be.”

“I understand my daughter’s value, yes,” Sennett said. “I’m sorry, I’m not interested. I value my privacy highly.”

“I don’t think I’m making myself clear,” Dr. Oswald said. “We wouldn’t be doing anything troubling or invasive to your daughter. As I said, it’s just-,”

“Just some blood work and observation, I understand,” Sennett said. “You’ve made yourself quite clear, Doctor. Please, don’t take this as a personal rejection. It’s just that I hate the thought of my child becoming a lab experiment. Sorry you made the trip for nothing, Station 6 is a long way away.”

Before the doctor could respond Sennett turned, took April by the hand, and started towards the transit.

“Mommy, what did that lady want?” April asked, adjusting her backpack. “Did she see a crime happen?”

“No, Baby,” Sennett said, “she wanted to run tests on you.”

“Why?” April asked.

“You know why,” Sennett said, giving her hand a squeeze. “In the whole universe, you’re the first person to ever have a mom and dad who were from different planets. The doctors want to find out how you happened.”

“So that other people can have kids, even if they’re from different planets?” April asked.

“That’s right,” Sennett said.

“Like Mr. Godfrey and his wife?” April asked.

The transit train arrived, and they boarded. Sennett waited until they’d found a seat before she said, “Yeah, like Godfrey and Ki.”

“But they really want to have a baby. Can’t we do the tests, and so maybe it will help them?”

“It’s not that simple,” Sennett said.

“But why not?” April asked.

Sennett sighed. “Don’t worry about it, Honey, okay? That’s grownup stuff.”

April looked confused but didn’t push the issue further.

Bailey was waiting for them when they walked through the door, sitting politely with his tail wagging. He was an artificial intelligence terrier, with a silver body and the unnerving habit of behaving like a dog of flesh.

“Go put your shoes away and get started on your homework,” Sennett said, “I’ve got to get this installed and start dinner.”

“Okay, Mommy,” April said, but it was an empty promise. She was kneeling on the floor, stroking the dog. He opened his mouth and dropped a green rubber ball on the carpet for her.

“Bailey, no,” Sennett said, “not until her homework’s done.”

The dog scooped the ball back up right away. April groaned, but headed for her room.

Liam was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through screens of text. He glanced up when Sennett entered the room.

The former gun runner was a tall, thin man with muscles that Sennett hadn’t been able to see under his oversized coat when he’d first arrived at her doorstep. His hair was nearly shaved. He closed his screens when he saw her. “What was that?” she asked.

“Letter from some friends,” Liam replied, “Did you get my message?”

“I got it,” she said, opening the side of the simulator to shove the cell in. “What did you do today?”

“Read some, ran the vacuum,” he said, giving a theatrical sigh.

“Yes, I am aware that you’re bored,” Sennett said, sitting down at the table. “And for the next few weeks, we’ll be bored here together. I have to take a vacation.”

“A vacation? That don’t sound like you,” Liam said.

“It’s not,” Sennett said, “Commissioner Schultz thinks I need some time away.”

“That ain’t a bad idea,” Liam replied, “Some time away from the station, in general, might be good for both of you.”

“I can’t leave, the school year hasn’t ended yet,” she said. “I don’t want this situation to effect April too much.”

“You don’t want the fact that a terrorist group is going to be hunting April as soon as they know she exists to affect her?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sennett was walking, arm in arm with Lo. He was smiling at her, his pink crystal-like hair catching the lights above them. She noticed that he had a little gravy on his cheek. She laughed, licking her thumb to wash it off with.

“Stop that,” he laughed, “I can get it.”

“Sorry,” Sennett laughed, “It’s what my mom used to do if there was something on my face.”

He pulled a napkin from his pocket and wiped his face. “You are going to be a great mom,” he said.

Sennett heard the click, and she realized what was happening. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t ever real.

Even so, she saw Lo’s smile fade into a look of surprise. He fell against her, bringing them both to the ground.

Hot blood covered her as she tried to see the wound. It wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real.

Sennett sat up in bed. The feel of hot blood on her skin was replaced by the sweat that had soaked through her nightclothes. Tears were streaming down her face.

She got out of bed, stripping her clothes off and throwing them in the bin in disgust. It had been over five years. Was she going to dream about the night Lo died for the rest of her life? She pulled on a fresh pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, then stumbled out into the living room.

Liam was asleep on the couch. The lights were off, but the wall screen was on. Mason, Sennett’s little brother, was sitting in one of two armchairs. With pale skin, a soft build and dark hair, it was clear to anyone that they weren’t siblings by birth.

“Thought Liam was staying up tonight,” Sennett said, taking the other armchair.

“He was, but I couldn’t sleep,” Mason replied, “Kept hearing things outside. It’s just some stray cat, but, well, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sennett said. “Someone came to April’s school today. A doctor. She offered me a lot of money to let her company run tests on April.”

“What kind of tests?” Mason asked.

“Blood work and observation on Station 6. She said it’s to help couples like Godfrey and Ki have kids.”

“But you said no?” Mason asked.

“Of course I did,” Sennett said, “Those kinds of tests get shared, which means April’s name would get shared. So far only Station 86 knows about April. It’s safer that way.”

She tapped her earpiece so that she could hear the show without waking Liam. They’d both still be there when the exterior lights came on for the day.

If you want to continue the story, you can get You Can’t Trust The AI right here. And while you’re at it, you can pre-order Station Central.

“Here,” Godfrey said, putting a plate of fries and a sandwich in front of April. “I haven’t been able to get hold of your mom yet.”

“What are you making so much food for?” April asked, surveying the counter. There was a plate of cookies sitting next to a stack of sandwiches and a humongous basket of fries

“It helps calm me,” Godfrey said.

“I don’t think cooking when your hands are shaking like that is a good idea,” she said.

Godfrey glanced down at his hands. They were shaking, even wrapped around a spatula. “Well, what you gonna do?” he asked, shrugging.

Mason came back into the stall from the greenhouse behind it. “I swept all the isles and turned on the watering system. That thing needs a serious upgrade, by the way.”

“Do you know why Sennett wouldn’t be answering a call?” Godfrey asked.

“Because she’s at work,” Mason said, reaching for a hand towel. “She’s probably doing something important.”

“What time is her shift over?” Godfrey asked.

“Why don’t I just send her a message, Grandpa?” Mason said. He shook his head, then tapped open his virtual visor. He started making typing motions with his hands. “What’s this big important thing you’ve got to tell her?”

Godfrey thought a minute. What was he supposed to say? He’d seen his father for only a few minutes, but it made him think the whole Earth was in danger? He thought someone might be on their way to endanger the station? He was scared, and he felt safer when Sennett was there? None of those seemed like the best things to tell her. “Just ask her if she saw that footage. Ask her if she has any idea what it might mean,” he said.

“Whatever,” Mason said.

April was looking toward the transit station. “Uncle Mason, I think someone’s hurt,” she said.

“Why?” Mason asked, not looking at her.

“Because they’re screaming,” she said.

That got both men’s attention. Mason’s visor turned off and Godfrey leaned over the counter to look in the direction that she was now pointing. “Can’t you hear them?” she asked.

Godfrey listened. After a few moments, he did hear screaming. But it didn’t sound like just one person as April had said. It sounded like a crowd.

“Come behind the counter,” he said, reaching for April. He lifted her off of her stool and set her down next to him. People were running past the stall. Some were calling for the police, some were just doing their best to get away, from what he couldn’t see yet.

One woman stopped long enough to say, “Get that little girl out of here, we’re under attack!” before running past.

“Under attack by what?” Mason asked.

Godfrey pushed a button under the counter. The steel shutter on the front of his stall came down, shutting out the street. “Stay here,” he said, “I’m going to find out what’s going on. Keep trying to reach Sennett. Try Ki, too.”

“But I want to see what’s going on,” April said.

“Hush,” Mason said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Godfrey slipped out of the side door.

The streets were flooded with screaming people, running from what looked like robotic dogs. One jumped on an Earth woman and started cutting her stomach open with a circular saw that extended from its middle. Godfrey ran for her, but just as he reached her a hand pulled him back. He turned to see Amy shaking her head. “Not her, she’s lost,” she cried, pointing across the aisle. “Get him!”

There was a Ma’sheed boy there, crouched behind another food stall, crying. Godfrey nodded and ran to get him. A dog lunged for him, only to be knocked back by a blast from Amy’s air gun. It was only distracted for a moment, though.

Godfrey ran to the boy. “Come with me,” he said, reaching for him. The child took his hand, and Godfrey turned back to where Amy was standing. She had an air gun in one hand and an electric pistol in the other. Godfrey scooped the child up into his arms and ran.

One of the dogs jumped, knocking into him. Godfrey fell, just barely managing not to land on the boy. The dog extended its saw, only to be knocked away by a Toth man who sold shaved ice a few stalls away from Godfrey’s. “Get up, Man!” he cried, holding a crowbar aloft in case another dog attacked.

Godfrey and the Ma’sheed boy scrambled to their feet. Together, the three of them ran for Godfrey’s stall. They reached the door and flung themselves inside just before a pack of dogs reached them.

Godfrey sat down on the ground hard. “Thank you,” he said to the Toth man.

“Of course,” the man said, “You are Councilman Anders, yes?”

“Just Godfrey,” he replied.

“Very well. My name is Othollo. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” the man said.

“Khal’Lee!” April cried, running to the boy. “Why weren’t you in school today?”

“What the hell is going on out there?” Mason cried before the boy could respond.

“Before I tell you, I’m going to have to ask that you suspend your disbelief,” Godfrey replied, “We seem to be under attack by robot dogs.”

“You’re shitting me,” Mason said.

“Did you get a hold of Sennett or Ki?” Godfrey asked.

“Not yet,” Mason said.

“Well, given the current circumstances, I’m sure she’s busy,” Godfrey said, “Okay, situation. We’re trapped in here by robot monsters, unarmed. Amy’s out there by herself trying to save everyone with two guns. Thoughts?”

“There are some tools we can use in the greenhouse,” Mason said.

“Good,” Godfrey said. He started towards the door to the greenhouse in the back of the stall. “ “Are you going out there again?” April asked.

“Honey, Amy’s all alone,” Godfrey said.

“I’ll come too,” Othollo said.

“I guess I’ll keep track of the kids, then,” Mason said.

Godfrey considered the tools for a moment, then chose a hand ax. After a moment of thought, he grabbed a metal trash can lid as well. A shield never hurt anybody, he reasoned.

He and Othollo headed out of the door. The dogs were everywhere. Godfrey saw people perched on top of stalls, huddled together. Some were still on the streets, running or trying to make stands with makeshift weapons.

Amy was easy to spot. She stood in front of a handful of people, firing with both of her weapons at the dogs that were circling them.

Godfrey had no combat training whatsoever. What he did have was the upper arm strength of someone who was raised on a farm. He swung his ax into the head of the nearest dog. It dented but didn’t split. “Well, that’s not great,” he said.

Othollo was swinging at the dogs with similar results. “They are horribly strong, aren’t they?” he said.

“I’m not great with all this technology,” Godfrey said, bringing his ax down into the hinge at the neck of the dented dog. This, at least, had the desired effect as the head of the dog broke away and slid along the floor.

“Get back in your stall,” Amy said, “You’re a civilian.”

“Because you’ve got this all under control, Officer?” Godfrey asked.

Amy sighed. “I liked it better when men stayed at home and kept house. Have you got the room in your place?”

“Yeah, plenty of room,” he said, swinging at a dog.

“Good,” Amy said. She waved to the handful of people behind her. “Let’s get going.”

Godfrey and Othollo led the way back toward his stall, doing their best to keep the dogs at bay. “Get back from the door,” Godfrey yelled, running the last few feet. He pulled the door open. A Khloe boy ran through, followed by a group of school age girls.

Then he heard Amy screaming. He turned to see her on the ground, a dog above her with its saw extended, cutting into her belly.

Godfrey ran for her, swinging at the dog with all of his strength. The ax head stuck in the dog’s body, he had to brace himself to pull it out. A teenage boy with a head full of curly blond hair lifted Amy off of the ground. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“This way,” Godfrey said, looking around for dogs.

They managed to get her through the door and into the greenhouse, where the others had collected. A dog banged into the door just as Godfrey got it closed.

Mason saw Amy and grabbed a couple of the blankets that Godfrey used to protect the plants when it was cold. “Set her down here,” he said.

Godfrey and the boy brought her to the spot and laid her down. “I’m an intern at the hospital,” the boy said, pulling a white box from his belt. Godfrey recognized it as an emergency care kit. “Hey, I’m Eric,” the boy said, kneeling next to her, “Don’t worry, I’m going to get you cleaned up, okay? Can you tell me your name?”

“Amy Wilson,” she said, wincing. “I think I’m going to need a little more than cleaned up.”

“Nah, you’ll be fine,” Eric said, “This is nothing.” The smile he gave her said otherwise. He pulled open her shirt and pressed a cloth from his kit against the wound.

Godfrey’s wrist pad, a gift forced upon him by Sennett, lit up. “Godfrey?” Ki said. Her quartz like pink hair was shining with a line of sweat along her brow. Her red skin was flushed, her eyeliner smudged. He’d never seen her look so out of her element.

“Your timing couldn’t be better,” Godfrey said, “You wouldn’t believe what’s going on here.”

“Please tell me it’s a bunch of homicidal robotic dogs,” Ki said, “Because that’s what’s happening here and I don’t think we can handle anything else right now.”

“Well, good new then,” Godfrey said, “Officer Wilson is hurt, can you look at her through this thing?”

“Yeah, take me over there,” Ki said.

Godfrey held up his wrist so that she could see Amy and Eric. “I’m going to need you to lift that cloth up, Intern,” she said.

“Yes, Doctor,” Eric said, carefully lifting it.

“She’s probably got internal bleeding,” Ki said, “Have you done your training on INR’s?”

“Yes, but I haven’t really used them before,” Eric said.

“What are INR’s?” April whispered.

“Internal nanite repairs,” Mason said.

A banging sound on the wall caught Godfrey’s attention. “I’m giving you to Eric,” he said to Ki, then took his wrist pad off and set it next to the boy.

“What are we going to do if they come through the walls?” Mason asked.

“Boy I wish I had an answer to that question,” Godfrey said.

The kids were huddled together, looking around them as the robot dogs crashed into the greenhouse from every side. “What’s going on?” one of the girls asked.

“That’s another good question,” Godfrey said.

“Oh, shit,” Eric whispered. Amy was choking, blood was coming from her mouth.

“Uncle Mason, help her!” April cried.

“I can’t,” Mason said, “I’m not a doctor.”

Amy was reaching for Eric. “I, I need-,” she said. Then she laid back onto the blanket. She wasn’t choking anymore. She wasn’t breathing anymore either.

“My God, she’s dead,” one of the girls whispered.

Godfrey set a hand on her neck, just to prove to himself that there was no pulse. April and Khal’lee started crying, as the banging continued from outside.

“Godfrey,” Ki said sharply from his wrist pad. He picked up his wrist pad. “We just lost her,” he said.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” she said, “I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but we don’t have the time to mourn her right now. We need to focus on getting the rest of you out of there. We’ve got the hospital on lock down.”

“Why don’t we stay here,” Godfrey said, “The dogs can’t get us here.”

“What if someone else gets injured?” Ki asked, “What if the dogs break through your greenhouse? Godfrey, are you really comfortable betting all of those people’s lives on a greenhouse you put together yourself?”

“Okay, come get us, then,” Godfrey said.

“Yeah, I can’t actually do that,” Ki said, “All of our personal transporters have been disabled.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because we’re on lock down and the hospital officials don’t want all of us leaving to get our families.”

“That complicates things,” Godfrey said, “How am I supposed to get these people up there?”

“They’ll listen to you,” Ki said, giving him a smile. “You’re convincing like that. Just get to me safe.”

“I will,” he said, though he didn’t feel nearly as confident as he was trying to sound. He strapped his wrist pad back on and turned to face the others.

“The hospital has been established as a safe house. I intend to head that way,” he said.

“How?” Mason asked, “I can’t imagine the transit’s still running.”

“We’ll have to try,” Godfrey said. As he spoke, he heard the sound of dogs hammering on the outside of the greenhouse. “Look, I don’t know how long this place will hold. If we’re at the hospital, the authorities know where we are and they can help us.”

“But what if Mommy comes here looking for us?” April asked.

“Have we heard from her?” Godfrey asked.

“No, nothing,” Mason said.

“Most likely she’s dealing with this situation. Mason, it’s up to you, though. I’m not April’s guardian. Look, I’m not going to insist that any of you come with me. If you want to stay in the greenhouse, you’re more than welcome. Help yourself to as much food as you want. If any of you want to come with me, I only promise that I’ll do anything I can to get you there safely.”

Another dog hit the wall, denting it.

“I think I’ll trust you on this one,” Mason said, giving the dent a wary look.

“I am happy to come with you as well,” Othollo said.

Godfrey knelt in front of Khal’Lee. “Honey, where’s your mom and dad?” he asked.

“My dad’s at work,” Khal’Lee said.

“Who were you at the market with?” Othollo asked.

“And why weren’t you at school?” April asked.

“Um,” Khal’Lee said, “I kind of skipped.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Godfrey said, “The only thing that matters right now is keeping you kids safe until we get you back with your parents. Can you trust me to do that?”

The boy looked up at him, his brilliant glowing eyes wide. “Yes, sir,” he said.

“Good boy,” Godfrey said, “Who else is coming?”

Eric and the other teenagers looked at each other. “I’ll come,” he said, and the others nodded in agreement.

“Okay,” Godfrey said, “If we’re going to be risking our lives together, girls, we should at least know everyone’s names. I’m Godfrey, this is Mason and April.” He pointed toward each person as he said their name. “You seem to already know Eric, but that’s Khal’Lee and Othollo.”

The three Earthian girl’s looked at each other. “I’m Calli,” one pale girl, with blond hair and a large pair of ornamental glasses said.

“Becca,” said the second, who had a head full of braids and a Foundation Party pin on the front of her shirt.

“Connie,” said the last one. She was easily the tallest, in fact, taller than anyone in the room.

Finally, the Khloe boy spoke. “My name’s Tu,” he said.

“Godfrey,” Mason said, “You should take Officer Wilson’s weapons.”

“Why me?” Godfrey asked.

“Because you have the most experience with guns,” Mason replied.

Godfrey sighed. He picked up Amy’s weapon and tucked it into his belt. “Stay close everyone.”

Othollo cracked the door open. There were only two dogs in sight. Godfrey shot one, but it shook off the blast and ran for them. Mason brought a crowbar down on its head, but it kept coming. Othollo swung his pipe.

The dog lunged at Mason. He hit it hard with his crowbar, launching it a few feet. “Damn they’re heavy,” he cried, holding his arm.

“I have him!” Othollo cried, jumping between Mason and the dog.

Again, the dog ran around Othollo to get to Mason.

Godfrey, fighting his own dog, couldn’t stop it. Mason jammed his crowbar into the dog’s open mouth, then wrenched it upward.

The dog broke open, spilling organs out onto the ground.

“It wouldn’t come near me,” Othollo said. He walked over to the dog that Godfrey was fighting and gave it a solid kick in its side. It whimpered, shying away from him before launching itself at Godfrey again.

He shot again, finally disabling it. Mason crouched down, inspecting the organ’s that had fallen from the first dog. “These are all Earthling,” he said, “And they’re all in good condition. I think they’re harvesting them.”

“How do you know they’re Earthling?” Eric asked.

“I’m a biologist,” Mason said, “I’d be a piss poor student if I couldn’t tell Earth organs from others.”

“What’s a tech freak like you studying biology for?” Godfrey asked.

“Because I want to make biotech,” Mason said, “Hey, can you judge my life later if I still have it?”

“Does that mean the dogs won’t attack me?” Othollo asked.

“Maybe,” Mason said, “Or maybe it’s just this one dog that’s programmed to collect human organs and other dogs are programmed to collect Toth organs.”

“I hadn’t thought of it in that way,” Othollo said.

“How about we get to the transit station without attracting too many more of these things?” Godfrey asked. Even as he spoke, they could hear more dogs coming around the corner of the greenhouse. He knelt to grab Khal’Lee and pull him onto his back. Mason did the same with April, and they ran.

When the transit was in site, Godfrey risked a look back. There were a handful of dogs just behind them, but he could see more in the distance, gaining fast.

Suddenly April screamed. Godfrey turned to see Mason sprawled on the ground, he must have tripped. A dog jumped towards her and caught hold of her jacket.

Then it stopped. It let go of her and started sniffing her all over. Then it sat down and yipped at her.

Mason scrambled to his feet. He scooped her up and kept running.

A transit train was waiting at the station, having just arrived. Godfrey jumped for it, the others just a moment behind him. When they were all in he turned and started firing, keeping the dogs at bay until the doors closed and the transit left the station.

Stay tuned for chapter three tomorrow. Or, you can get the whole book right now. And don’t forget to pre-order Station Central, available now on Smashwords.

Sennett Montgomery sat in the Commissioner’s office, drinking klav and carefully stretching the kinks out of her neck. The transmission beads on the ends of her hair, set in thousands of braids, clicked together gently as she moved. They were the only sound in the room.

Commissioner Bernice Schultz was late for their appointment, and Sennett was grateful for it. Between her increased responsibilities at work and the ordeal of moving into her mother’s house, it was the first peace and quiet she’d gotten in two weeks. Besides, Schultz had inherited a hell of a mess. Sennett wouldn’t have touched the commissioner job for anything.

Of course, her break couldn’t last forever. The office door opened, and Commissioner Schultz came in.

Schultz had been a detective for years, but Sennett didn’t think that she’d ever heard her say more than two words. When she’d first been promoted, Sennett had worried that this quiet, small woman with pale skin and short cropped hair wouldn’t be up to the current clusterfuck that was the station. What she hadn’t reckoned with was Schultz’s sheer energy level. She came into the room looking as though this was the first thing she’d done all day.

“Montgomery,” she said, as Sennett got to her feet, “Good to see you. Sorry, it took me so long to get you in here.”

“It’s fine,” Sennett said, “I guess you haven’t assigned me a partner yet?”

“No,” Schultz said. She sat at her desk and gestured for Sennett to sit as well. “It’s getting done, don’t worry. But there isn’t a senior detective without a partner. We’ll figure something out. In the meantime, I’m sure we can find something for you to do.”

“I’m fine with that,” Sennett said, “I’m still trying to convince myself that this is real. I’ve wanted to be a detective since I was a kid.”

“Well,” Schultz said, “I think we all know that it should have happened sooner than it did. Stone was-,”

Almost without thinking about it, Sennett touched the black band across her detective badge.

“Stone was a murderer and a traitor,” she said, “It’s hard to be angry that she didn’t promote me because of my Khloe husband.”

“Donovan was a good officer,” Schultz said, “We’ll be hard-pressed to replace him. And we owe it to him to make sure that not a single Core member remains on this station.”

“Voit and Stone lived here for years before we found out they were Core,” Sennett said.

“Ah, but we weren’t looking for them,” Schultz said, “We’re smarter now.”

“I hope so,” Sennett said.

“How’s your little girl?” Schultz asked.

“She’s doing okay. She’s with my brother Mason on campus right now. Mason owes some work to Godfrey Anders, so he’s been finding excuses to stay on campus to avoid him.”

Schultz laughed. Just then, her desk screen went blank. Sennett’s wrist pad, which had been on the screen saver, did the same. “What’s this?” she muttered.

Both screens came back on, showing the IHP logo for a moment. Then it was replaced by an image of an Earthian man. Sennett was sure that she’d never seen him before, but there was something familiar about him.

“This is a message, for every member of-,”

“What the hell is this?” Schultz said, trying to regain control of her screen. “It’s got to be coming from a secure IHP facility, but where?”

“We don’t hear from them in months, then they hijack our whole comm system?” Sennett asked. They both turned to their screens as the rest of the message played.

“Don’t let any unknown-”.

“Unknown what?” Schultz whispered.

“An undeclared ship arrived just a little while ago,” Sennett said.

“My son, Godfrey,” the man said.

“That’s why he looks so familiar,” Sennett whispered, “Godfrey looks just like him.”

“What was that you said about an undeclared ship?” Schultz asked.

“It’s the same kind of thing we get every day,” Sennett said, “Still, seems weird.”

“Can you go down to Level One and check it out?” Schultz asked.

“Sure, no problem,” Sennett said with a nod.

“Take the bullet shuttle to save time,” Schultz said. Sennett nodded. She still thought this was an overreaction, but she wasn’t going to argue about a trip on the bullet shuttle.

Level One was always a fantastic mess, no matter the time of day. Shuttles came in from everywhere in every time zone. They carried tourists, visiting dignitaries from other stations and planets as well as relatives coming for visits. Sennett found no exception to this rule when she arrived at Level One. It was a sea of people from every humanoid planet. She saw Khloe people, like Godfrey’s wife and her former husband, with pink or red skin and crystal like hair. She saw Toth people, almost indistinguishable from Earthians until one saw their black eyes and nail beds. The most visible people were the Ma’sheed, who came from a planet with a dark sun that gave off warmth but no light. The Ma’sheed and every other living thing on their planet were bioluminescent.

Officers were calling people away from the docking station, probably on orders from Schultz. Sennett made her way towards them to help and was surprised to see Joy Wheatly and Howard Stoat standing near the barrier that the police were trying in vain to enforce.

“Marshals,” Sennett said, “Maybe you should head back up to Level Two.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell them,” said a haggard looking man standing beside them. He was a heavy man, who seemed to have been strained by the day’s events already. His face was red, his tie was off center.

“Sennett,” Howard said with a grin. “Have you met Leon? He’s our new head of security.”

“And as such, I suggested strongly that Level One might not be a safe environment if an unknown ship is docking,” Leon said.

“Son, you saw that message the same as the rest of us,” Joy said, her eyebrows arched. “If whatever comes off of that ship is dangerous, I don’t want to hear about it second hand.”

“I just hope we’re not explaining it second hand to your successor,” Leon said.

“There’s a ship from Toth trying to come in, let’s have them circle the block,” Howard said into his wrist cuff.

“Which one is the unannounced ship?” Sennett asked. Leon pointed to one a few docking stations away.

The ship was a standard civilian transporter, common for station to station travel. As Sennett watched, the passenger door opened.

A small robotic dog walked out of the ship. It looked like an Earth terrier, with floppy ears, a long snout, and a short tail. Its body was silver and chrome. Sennett expected it to walk in a jerky fashion, but its movements were smooth, as though it was a living animal.

“Hell,” Howard laughed, “we were all worried about a little dog.”

Sennett tapped the two metal dots on her temple to pull up her virtual visor. Information about the dog appeared in front of her eyes. “It’s got artificial intelligence,” she said, “Looks like it’s a model built on Station 88.”

“We’ll need to quarantine it, then,” Joy said, “You know that AI isn’t allowed on this station.”

“Oh, that’s such an outdated law,” Howard said.

“Sir, don’t you remember Station 90?” Leon asked.

“That was a simple overreaction to a flu outbreak,” Howard said.

“A simple overreaction that caused twenty-seven deaths,” Joy replied, “Then there was that incident in Russia on Earth.”

“What happened in Russia?” Sennett asked.

“A hospital was using AI nurses to look after newborns. They were killing babies that they didn’t feel were healthy enough,” Joy said.

“There was an investigation into that one,” Howard said, “I still think their government was behind it.”

A row of dogs was coming from the ship. These ones looked more like Dobermans, with larger bodies and sharper looking faces.

“What the hell is going on?” Sennett asked.

The dogs walked to the barrier. They looked around at the guards and citizens. Then, as one, they started doing something that resembled sniffing.

“Let’s clear the civilians out of here,” Joy said. “Everyone, get back, please!”

She snapped her fingers, trying to gain the attention of the people around her. But even those who could hear her didn’t seem inclined to listen. Sennett saw some people lean down to touch the dogs, who didn’t seem to respond to the caresses.

Sennett took Howard by the arm when he reached for one of them. “I think this is about to be a bad situation, sir,” she said.

“Oh, Sennett, you’ve been spending too much time around Foundation members,” Howard said, “This is strange, but I don’t think there’s any reason to panic. They’re just little dogs.”

Then a man started screaming.

One of the dogs jumped, pulling a man to the ground. It was holding him down with its paws, a surgical saw extending from its belly. There were screams from all around the Level as other dogs attacked.

“Get these people out of here!” Sennett cried, pulling Howard back. She drew her weapon, a simple air gun, and started firing. It did nothing.

“Well, that’s not good,” Sennett muttered.

Leon pulled a steel battalion from his belt, extending it with a flick of his wrist. He pulled Joy behind him and swung at the dog that jumped at him. The dog bounced back, shook itself, and lunged again.

Deciding that she didn’t have another option, Sennett pulled a second weapon, a disrupter, from her back pocket. She started firing at the closest dogs, shutting down their power one by one.

“Do all of the officers have those?” Howard asked.

“No, they’re actually illegal,” Sennett said, “Too dangerous for street use.”

Joy had pulled an electric pistol from her belt. “Seal the transit! Don’t let these things off of this level,” she called, firing at the dogs.

Sennett and Joy fired again and again. But the AI dogs just kept coming, in a steady line from the ship. And the transit was still running.