“Alex,” Jelly shouted, “Now.”
He thumped the lever down.
SLAMM-SCHWUNT!
The inner hatch slammed shut, sealing Neg and Oxade inside the airlock chamber.
Jelly grunted and slapped her tail against the ground. Alex let go of the lever and turned to her, “What d-do we do, now?”
She trained her eyes on the window as she stood to her feet and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Jelly?” Alex asked in fright.
She pushed him aside and made her way to the yellow pressure inlet dial. She punched through the glass and turned the dial counter-clockwise, raising the pressure.
Screeeeeeeeee… the spindle on the dial daggered to the right, flying up the atmosphere pressure numbers.
“Oh no,” Oxade’s muffled voice splashed against the window of the inner airlock door. He scrambled to his bleeding stump, realizing what was about to happen, “Please, Anderson. Don’t…”
Jelly ran her tongue along her bottom lip and scowled at Neg, then at Oxade, imprisoned in her little playground.
“Anderson, p-please,” Oxade begged. He pressed his gloved palms to his ears in an attempt to block the pressure increase.
“Let us out of here,” Neg threw bolts of electricity out from her body. Each multi-pronged whip of lightning crawled along the four chamber walls, “Don’t do it.”
“Jelly,” Alex placed his hand on top of Jelly’s as she held onto the dial, “Don’t do this.”
Jelly purred and threw his hand off her paw, “They killed my mommy.”
“I know, but don’t do it. They’re trapped. They can’t get out. Let USARIC deal with them when we get back.”
“They are nothing but vermin to me. Useless, stinking rodents. Look at them,” Jelly rolled her shoulders wanting death. Her long, dark orange hair flowed down her back as she turned to watch the execution, “You might want to look away.”
“Oh God, don’t—” Alex couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
Jelly took one last look at Oxade’s face. Fissures and blisters cracked across his forehead and exposed facial skin. He shook his head ‘no’ and pressed his palms together, “You’re a monster.”
“I’m not a monster, Alex,” Jelly screwed her face and allowed the anger in her heart to flow up her torso and rocket into her arm. “I’m a mother.”
SCHWUNT!
“For God’s sake, Jelly,” Alex grabbed her hand and tried to remove it from the compression lever, “What do you think you’re doing—”
“—Don’t touch me,” Jelly shoved Alex onto his ass. She kept the dial forced to the right and watched the spindle reached its maximum pressure point.
Oxade slumped to his knees and held his neck for dear life. His mask bloated out and crushed into his face. His suit tore into strips. Neg’s ball-like surface indented and crushed in on itself, killing her instantly.
THWUMP!
Jelly smashed the dial with her fist, “Can you hear this?”
Neg’s body rolled up the inside of the outer door hatch along with Poz. The charge caused the door to crush outward and create an opening into outer space.
“Got it,” Poz squealed, hanging from the opening at the bottom of the airlock hatch, “Now, let me in—”
“—No, Poz,” Neg screamed, “We’ll die—”
SCHLAAAM!
Jelly screamed into the window, “Meow.”
The chamber rocked against the intense pressure drop.
A rope of blood daggered from Oxade’s mouth as he screamed, “Noooo—”
SCHPLATTTTT!
His body exploded, throwing his insides through the hatch opening. A concoction of destroyed Oxade limbs and organs rocketed towards Saturn.
“Holy h-hell,” Alex backed away from Jelly as she watched every second of Oxade and Neg’s death, “J-Jelly, y-you’re a—”
“—Killer?” She turned to face him matter-of-factly and with little emotion.
“Y-Yes”
“That’s right. Don’t ever forget it.”
Alex pressed his hands against the hatch window. He saw Poz and Neg fly with Oxade’s remains towards Saturn.
“What have y-you d-done?”
“I took out the trash,” She pushed herself away from the door and stormed down the walkway, “Now let’s get out of this hellhole.”
Alex clambered to his feet and raced after her, “Where are you going?”
“To the control deck,” she shouted over her shoulder, “Keep your mask on. I’m still toxic.”
“Toxic?”
“I’m carrying Symphonium. Keep your mask on,” Jelly turned her walk into a sprint, clanging her claws along the walkway, “Who’s got my child?”
“Uh, I gave her to Jaycee.”
“I want my baby. Give me my baby.”
Jaycee carried Jelly’s kitten into the control deck to find Tripp negotiating with Manny. She hung in the air, refusing to budge.
“What’s the score?” Jaycee asked.
“She won’t listen to me,” Tripp turned to Manny, “Look, this is serious.”
“Manny?” Jaycee muttered.
“I’m sorry, Tripp. I can only take instructions from a commanding officer or my captain. And they are dead.”
“We’re all dead if you don’t enable the thrusters and get us out of here,” Tripp tried to little avail.
“Want me to threaten her?” Jaycee passed the kitten to Tripp, “Give it some of the old ‘user friendly’ approach?”
“I’m afraid that will not work.”
Tripp held the messy kitten in his arms and stared at its face. She nestling into his arms and opened her gunky eyelids.
“Look at you, you have no idea what’s going on, do you?” He said, looking at his forearm. The blisters on his synthetic skin bubbled and popped, “Are you okay, Jaycee?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Ruptured a few vessels. Kind of annoyed about discovering I’m not human, but that’s nothing that a good sleep won’t fix,” Jaycee clenched his fist and threatened to punch the console, “Manny. If we die, you’re coming with us.”
Jelly stormed into the room with Alex, “Where’s my baby?”
Tripp looked up at her and smiled, “She’s right here, with me.”
“Give her to me,” Jelly held out her paws. Tripp dropped the tiny ball of fluff into her palms.
Jelly ran the side of her face along its body. The whiskers on her face lit up, along with her daughter’s. They fizzed and connected together, calming the kitten down.
She took a deep breath and looked at Tripp.
“Why aren’t we moving?”
“The autopilot won’t engage the thrusters.”
“Take her,” Jelly passed her newborn to Tripp and walked up to Manny, “Hey, you. Stupid book. Why won’t you engage the thrusters?”
“Because it is not in my remit to take orders from strangers.”
“Really?” Jelly marched over to the communications console. She knocked Jaycee out of her way and expanded her infinity claws at the screen, “You have five seconds to get us out of here or I’ll rip your guts out.”
Manny shuffled in the air in an attempt to seem calm, “You can do that if you wish. It won’t help.”
Alex stepped forward. He knew what had to be done, “Manny?”
“Yes, Alex?”
“Captain Weller was killed on his mission. That makes me the captain, now.”
Tripp, Jaycee, and Jelly turned to Alex with relief.