Later that day, they managed to strip chunks of meat from the dead beast and roasted them over the fire.
Taking his first bite, Alexander screwed up his face and spat out the mouthful.
"Tastes foul," he ejaculated before flinging the rest of his portion away. Joanna and Rosemary tentatively tasted theirs and reached the same conclusion. Robert had settled down with a food packet from the meagre rations they had managed to salvage from the wreck of the Dragon. Munching noisily on a piece of biscuit, the youth sat leaning against the tree he had been in when the beast first attacked.
"Do you think anyone cares where the ship took us?" he asked suddenly, causing everyone else to look up in astonishment.
"I doubt anyone gives a monkey's what happens to us," said Rosemary, "Why else do you think they put us on that ship in the first place."
"They'll come when they don't receive the I.D broadcast," added Joanna, "They'll know something's wrong with the ship and, if I know bureaucrats, they'll want to know why."
Alexander nodded, "That's if they know where we are. We could be light-years away from Sol, too far for the transmission to reach the fleet command."
"Or we could be somewhere close enough that they'd be here in a few months," countered Rosemary.
"Whatever happens, we have to look after each other," said Robert, somehow finding it easier to talk than usual.
Rosemary looked at him sceptically, "What's made you so talkative all of a sudden?"
The question obviously reminded Robert how vocal he had become because he clammed up again and turned away from the others.
The next few days were spent trying to survive on next to nothing.
Alexander and Rosemary discovered, purely by chance, that deeper within the copse of trees there grew a number of plants whose nuts and berries could be eaten safely. Joanna spent the time fashioning a spear for each of them using a jagged piece of metal for a knife. Robert drifted from watching Joanna's weapon-making forays to trying to help the others gather food.
After two days of eating only nuts and berries, Joanna voiced the obvious problem.
"We can't go on eating the same shit each day. We need to find something else."
The others agreed and, during the next day, commenced hunting for better fodder. Robert and Rosemary were quick to join forces and soon they were rewarded for their efforts. On the plains that surrounded their camp grazed a number of deer-like creatures. Their bodies, however, were covered in a layer of fine scales. In addition to this was an extra pair of antlers protruding from the shoulders. Using her spear like a javelin, Rosemary brought down two before the rest of the herd galloped away in terror, some emitting a deafening shriek.
As they hauled the carcasses back to the camp, Robert stopped and turned to face Rosemary.
"When you said about you ruling the universe," he said quietly, "How do you know that's going to happen?"
Rosemary was taken aback by his words, "I've always known. I started getting visions back when I was in my teens. I saw myself sitting on a throne, or leading great armies of conquest. I just saw this and knew it was all going to come true one day."
"How can you be ruler of the universe when we're stuck on this planet?"
"I suppose we'll be rescued. I've a question for you; why did you kill Edward?"
Robert stared at his feet, "He was going to kill you. I didn't want that. You said you wanted me to take over when you died. If Edward killed you before you took over, then that couldn't happen."
Rosemary nodded in understanding, "Don't worry Robert, someday we'll leave this planet."
As if on cue, a shuttle appeared above them in the sky. Its engines faint against the brilliant sunlight. It may have seemed a cliché when they looked back on the event, but when you're stranded on an inhospitable planet, you don't care that much if something's a cliché.
Hours later, the four survivors were on board the shuttle and on their way home. Except that ‘home' was revealed to be Pluto; and the house was a maximum security prison built for only the worst criminal cases.
It'll be alright, it has to be alright.
Robert kept the same thought running over and over again in his mind, truly believing that if he could convince himself of something, then it would be so.
The interior of the shuttle was lit painfully bright. Three guards with weapons stood keeping an eye on the prisoners. The low thrum of the engines sounded almost peaceful compared to the throaty roar they had emitted upon landing on the planet.
Alexander sat staring at the guards, daring one of them to come close. Joanna spent her time deep in thought, whilst Rosemary glanced around excitedly, apparently not realising just where they were being taken.
The prison on Pluto was enormous. Stockades within stockades; guard towers as far as the eye could see. The main complex was an incredible feat of engineering. It was almost ten stories tall, but needle thin. It seemed impossible that the building could support its own weight, let alone the weight of the hundreds of inmates.
"This is your stop," called the pilot, a manic grin on his face, "Point of no return."
Alexander shot him a venomous look whilst the others meekly allowed themselves to be herded down the boarding ramp and out into the open. That they could walk around at all was a miracle. Years of terra-forming had turned most of the known planets into living worlds that could support life. Pluto, being the furthest from the sun, and thus furthest from the centre of society, was doomed to be home to the worst dregs of the solar system.
Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, there were guards. Some stood in impressive towers, manning searchlights and automatic weapons. Others patrolled around in pairs, eyes constantly roving for signs of trouble.
This is it, thought Robert, This is the end of everything.
The guards marched them into the main complex, through a veritable maze of corridors and lifts, until they arrived on their assigned level. Robert and Alexander were placed in one cell, the two women in another. The doors were thick steel plate with a small hatch that slid open smoothly whenever a guard wanted to gawk at those they were charged with looking after. The term ‘look after', of course, was a misnomer. The guards couldn't care less what happened to those under their supervision.
Joanna was pacing up and down the cell she shared with Rosemary, stopping every now and then to hurl fresh torrents of abuse at their jailors.
"Will you just sit down!" snapped Rosemary, "You'll wear the floor out."
Joanna sat down on her bunk. Shifting until she found a comfortable place, she commenced glancing around like a wild animal.
"They can't do this to us!" she almost screamed at last, "Once we crashed on that planet, we should have been out of their jurisdiction. It's not fair!"
"Nothing in this universe is fair," said Rosemary, calmly, "You just have to live with it."
Joanna looked up, her face an ambivalent mix of anger and confusion, "Is that meant to make me feel better, or are you just waxing philosophical?"
"Neither. I'm just saying what comes to mind."
"Well it's a bloody stupid thing to say."
At that moment, the door opened and two guards entered the cell. One held a rifle; the other had a strange crossbow-like weapon. He pointed it at Rosemary and fired. A thin dart flew from the weapon and imbedded itself in Rosemary's arm. Within moments, she was unconscious. The same happened to Joanna.
When she came to, Rosemary found herself strapped in a hard, steel chair. Her arm throbbed where the dart had punctured the skin. She looked around.
The chair was fixed in the centre of a round, grey room. Apart from the chair, the only other feature was an oblong box with three lights set in the top standing in front of the chair. Rosemary called out, but no-one answered.
Suddenly, a speaker crackled and a voice began addressing Rosemary.
"Prisoner 44-6," it said in measured tones, "You have been brought here for interrogation. Any unsatisfactory answer you give will be met with punishment. We shall begin."
The centre light on the box flicked on blue.
"State your name and place of birth."
Rosemary was hesitant to answer, "Rosemary. Guernsey Colony, Mars."
"Prior to your conviction, what was your occupation?"
"I was a private children's tutor."
"When you were initially sentenced, were you given the chance to appeal?"
Rosemary was caught off balance by this next question.
"How could I?" she asked, "I was bundled on that ship with no way of communicating with Earth." The centre light on the box winked out and the left light came on red. Rosemary almost cried out as a swift shock of electricity was sent into her left leg.
"That was the lowest setting," the mysterious voice announced, "We are only interested in the truth."
"I told you the truth!" yelled Rosemary. This time the shock was enough to numb her leg for the rest of the session.
"Tell the truth and the pain will stop."
Rosemary took a deep breath. "I was never able to appeal, therefore the answer to your question is no."
This time the right light came on green.
"Do you feel remorse for the crimes you committed?"
Rosemary was prepared for this question, "If I felt remorse, I wouldn't have acted in that way in the first place."
"You do not feel remorse now?"
"No."
The voice took some time before asking the next question, as though the speaker had been surprised by Rosemary's answer.
"A hypothetical question; what would you do if you had the chance to live the previous years of your life again, would you do anything different?"
"I'd try not to get caught."
For the third time, the red light came on and Rosemary felt electricity arc through her body. This time, however, the shock was directed into her lower back. Both legs were now completely immobile. Rosemary screamed with the pain.
"That answer is not satisfactory. You must must avoid humorous remarks."
It's a computer! Thought Rosemary suddenly, the speech loop betraying the nature of the speaker.
"I don't know."
Her left arm was the next to be rendered a useless appendage. Rosemary's screams echoed around the room until they were multiplied five-fold.
"That answer is unsatisfactory."
"I can't answer the question; you said it was hypothetical, how can I answer a hypothetical question satisfactorily?"
Her right arm positively burned with pain.
"That answer is unsatisfactory."
"I don't fucking know!" sobbed Rosemary.
Then came the blissful void of unconsciousness.
Joanna came to and found herself strapped in a hard, steel chair. Her arm throbbed where the dart had punctured the skin. She looked around.
The chair was fixed in the centre of a round, grey room. Apart from the chair, the only other feature was an oblong box with three lights set in the top standing in front of the chair. Joanna called out, but no-one answered.
"Prisoner 15-9," announced a voice, "You have been brought here for interrogation. Any unsatisfactory answer you give will be met with punishment. We shall begin."
The centre light on the box flicked on blue.
"State your name and place of birth."
"Joanna Atkins. England, Earth."
"Before you were convicted, what was your occupation?"
"I was," she paused, "An entertainer."
The centre light went out and the left light flicked on red. An electric shock was passed through her abdomen, accompanied by Joanna's cries of agony and surprise.
"That answer is unsatisfactory. To commit a falsehood so early in the proceedings carries a higher punishment than usual."
"Alright, I worked for an escort agency."
"In what position?"
"I was one of the ‘escorts'."
The voice paused for a moment.
"State the nature of your crimes."
Joanna did a mental double-take.
"Why?"
"It is essential that we have your own interpretation of the subject."
"If it'll make you happy, I killed people for their money."
"Why?"
Again Joanna was caught off-guard.
"I had no money, no home; nothing to lose, but everything to gain."
"Did you have any other plans?"
"I don't know. I just couldn't stop. The first was an accident, but after that I found it was so easy."
"What were your feelings regarding your sentence?"
Joanna thought for a moment before answering.
"I was pissed off at first, but then I stopped thinking about it and got on with living with it."
The voice changed somewhat until Joanna realised someone else had taken over the questioning.
"You were responsible for the deaths of fifteen men and the theft of almost three million English pounds. Do you have any remorse for your actions?"
"If you mean would I do it again, then no, I don't."
The shock arced down her spine, rendering her arms and legs immobile.
"Do you feel remorse?"
"No."
Again the shock. Now she found it impossible to mover her head.
"These shocks are specifically targeted at areas of your body. I warn you that people have died during these sessions."
"I feel no remorse!" yelled Joanna.
The next shock rendered her unable to speak.
"You are now almost completely incapable of answering our questions," the voice announced, "We will continue with simple ‘yes or no' questions. We can see your eyes. Look up for ‘yes', and down for ‘no'."
How do I say ‘fuck off'? Thought Joanna.
"You have continually stated that you feel no remorse for your actions," the voice continued, "Would you, therefore, ever commit such crimes again."
Joanna stared straight ahead, desperate not to answer.
"If you fail to answer within the next minute, we will administer another electric shock, and I promise that it will be fatal."
Joanna counted down the time in her head, desperately debating whether or not it was worth giving her life or allowing them to continue questioning.
Finally, with three seconds to spare, she looked up.
Robert and Alexander were sat together on Robert's bunk. The youth was staring straight ahead at the wall, his mind a hive of activity as thoughts flurried around like angry hornets.
Alexander spent the time picking at the threads in the thin mattress they were seated upon.
"Will they keep us here forever?" Robert asked suddenly.
"I don't know," said Alexander, "I don't know anything anymore."
"I think they don't care about us," said Robert, "I don't think they want to keep us alive."
Alexander felt anger at the boy's words, "Just shut up, O.K? Just shut up."
Then the door opened.
"State your name and place of birth."
"Alexander Wilson. United States of America, Earth."
"Prior to your conviction, what was your occupation?"
"Freight pilot for Trans-Sol Spaceways Ltd."
The voice paused for what appeared to be a measured amount of time.
"You realise that your list of crimes is the longest and most serious ever committed to record?"
"I do."
"And what motivated you?"
This has to be a trick question, though Alexander.
He remembered nothing after the guards entered the cell and shot both of them. He remembered seeing Robert slowly succumbing to the drugs before he, too, passed out.
"I had my reasons, though I doubt you'd agree with them."
"That answer is unsatisfactory."
The electric shock numbed Alexander's left leg temporarily.
"Most of the time it was political."
"Be specific."
Alexander repressed the urge to smile.
"You want me to go into every little detail?"
"We have enough time."
Alexander shrugged.
"Well, you will remember a few years ago when the United Nations was dissolved?"
"Of course."
"Then you'll know that some of the members objected, namely those who constituted the Security Council. Of course, America and the U.K were perfectly happy to go along with the motion, their respective alliances made the act rather advantageous for them."
"We are aware of this, please get to the point."
"I thought you said you had the time."
"Get on with it," the mysterious speaker was beginning to sound impatient.
"Well, to cut a long story short. I had been on the team assigned the duty of reviewing the strategic capabilities of each of the former U.N members. Unfortunately, when that nuclear scare came about, I was implicated in having orchestrated it. I was exonerated in the end, but I'd had my fill of working for the bureaucrats."
"So you were after revenge?"
"To put it mildly, yes."
"You wanted revenge, so you arranged the theft of a number of nuclear and biological weapons, placed them aboard a stolen shuttle, and threatened to employ them against a number of world capitals unless your demands were met."
"If you know all this, why did you ask me?"
The voice sounded smug, "We needed to hear your view of the events."
"Nothing more complicated than perspective?"
"Quite so."
"So where, exactly, are you going with this?"
The voice resumed its business-like tone.
"We wish to know if you feel remorse for what you have done. Besides the acts of terrorism that you committed, you were also responsible for the rape and murder of a business associates wife and daughter, and also the destruction of Observatory Alpha seven."
As the voice listed his numerous crimes, Alexander pictured each one in his mind. He could see the faces of those he had knowingly killed. He saw the space observatory disintegrate when its reactor went critical. He remembered how he had felt joy at seeing the installation, with all its research and development technology, become awash with flame.
"Do you feel remorse for your actions?"
Alexander looked deep inside himself. So long had he hidden his feelings. So long had he avoided asking this question of himself.
"Yes," he finally answered, "I know it was unforgivable of me. I understand why and I know that I can never undo what I did."
"Thank you, Mr Wilson, we will review your answers and inform you of our decision. In the meantime, I'm afraid we must ask you to return to your cell."