Chapter 20 – The Pilot

“Yes” she replied. He let out a breath and helped her up with his free hand and then he made a direct line to the control panel. He tapped his stud a couple of times. “Ryder, do you have a copy”

“Yes Jay” replied Ryder

“I’m on the other ship. Can you configure its system so we have control?  There’s still a Pilot on here somewhere.”

“Yes” Ryder said. “Open a line to me.” 

Jay tapped his stud again to turn it off and opened a line between both the ships. His voice came through the ships speakers. “If you can find the override key, I can do it remotely, that would be quickest.”

“Where do we look for the override key,” Jay asked

“It’s a long shot but it comes in the manual, but most people change it.”

“Manual,” Mia said stepping up beside him with a think book in her hand. On the first page there was the spot where the card should have been but wasn’t now.

“No good, its missing,” said Jay

“Ok,” said Ryder “Long way, it is, find the system control screen”  

“Got it,” said Mia

“Now follow my instructions exactly,” warned Ryder “any mistake and it could set off the self-destruct sequence.

“Right” said Mia

Mia had stepped up to the task, so while she followed Ryders exact instructions, Jay found the security feeds to try and track down the pilot. If he was any good at his job there would be plenty of ways he could sabotage this ship. He found him. He was in corridor 3B. He found the ship manual Mia brought over. He found the ships blueprints. He spent a moment to just take in its layout. 3B was on the way to the engine room. He found the ships door system and shut the door, hitting the lock button. If the pilot had the override key he could just type it in and open the door. That would be interesting to know. He watched the Pilot carefully as he approached the door. He pulled a card out of his pocket and started typing it into the keypad. “Dam” Jay said out loud, “Ryder the pilot has the access code on him” Jay quickly hit the lock button as quickly as in went green. It went red again. Well at least he would have to type that code in again. The Pilot realising what had happened and typed the code in with his hand on the door.

“Argh,” Jay said to himself frustrated.

Mia hit the last button that Ryder had told her too. “Done she said”

“It will now take 10mins to reset the ship” Ryder said

“Hey Ryder, is there anything he can sabotage in the engine room, besides the engine”

“Yes, Jay your going to have to get him out of there. If he has the reset code he can manually start the ship and do basic manoeuvres.”

“Can we flush him out somehow?” Jay asked “Fill the room with smoke or gas?”

Ryder paused for a bit. “Actually, it you start the engine filter cleans you could knock him out cold with the fumes that causes.”

“Can we do that while the system is re-setting.” Asked Jay hopeful

“I’m not sure, you could try,” Ryder said “Mia go to a new screen select engine maintenance and select filter clean.”

Mia moved to the next screen and carried out Ryders instructions. “Yes its working but its going to take 5 minutes.”

“That’s plenty of time for me to get into position,” said Jay. He found another remote key for the ship and put it in his pocket.  “Mia” he said as he walked up to her “I’m going to leave you here. Ryder can talk you through everything.” He cradled her cheek with his right hand, her eyes locked on his. She really was beautiful. He switched her earpiece back on in her left ear “and I’m here too. Are you ok with that?”

She breathed in erratically. “Yes, I’ll Be fine”

“Jay stood for 2 seconds longer making sure what she said showed in her eyes, she would be ok, she was strong and smart. He nodded satisfied. “Can you be my eyes too”

She nodded, no words coming out. He took a decided step back to break their connection or he would never leave. He picked up his gun and went to the door. He held the red button down for three seconds and the doors opened, “he stepped through and turned around to look at Mia “Lock the door now and don’t open it until I return.

Mia walked to the door and he stayed there until he had seen her push the red button, locking her safely inside.

He ran down the corridor taking the route the Pilot had taken to get to the engine room. He couldn’t see anything out of place. Four doors down and a left and he was standing at the engine door.

“Everything going well?” He asked Mia

Mia was, standing in front of the Security feeds watching his every move, he was so quick and agile and his shoulders so muscular. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of the time they had spent in the cupboard, those big think arms wrapped around her, his heat. The way he whispered in her ear and she felt shivers all over her body. The butterflies raging in her belly and nerves, she had never felt anything like it. The way their finger had intertwined round his gun. The anticipation of where he would touch her next and what he would do . . . she was glad she wasn’t standing on her own two feet, her legs would have betrayed her.  

Jays voice came through her ear piece”

She took notice of where he was again, right he had made it to the engine room.”

She looked and the reset screen “7 minutes until reset and 4 minutes until filter clean complete.

She watched him frozen in position in the frame of a corridor cam.  The door for the engine room flicked green. “The door is green” she said quickly, He moved his position so he wasn’t in the way of anything that came bursting out of the door. Then he was hit head on by the pilot. They started wrestling on the ground trading punched. Oh she couldn’t watch. Should she go to him. He did tell her to stay here. She noticed the engine door was still open. It hadn’t shut. “Ryder” she said “If the engine door stays open will the fumes knock out two people wrestling in the corridor outside.?”

There was a pause, “yes probably.” Ryer said

“Will that cause any lasting effects, Jays there?”

“Yeah, he will feel like he has the biggest hangover”

“should I go get him?” There was a note of worry in her voice, She could already see it was starting to slow them both down. The pilot got a knee into Jays gut and then they both went down.