A Billion to One

Someone wants it all. Unfortunately, they will do whatever it takes to get it.

A Billion to One

A Short Story

Written By

SpaceFaction

     The feminine hand of Wiggime, Second in Control of The Cargo Express, aka Problem Solver, gently turned the male body from his side to lie on his back. Wiggime tries to take the pulse of this male. Then she looks into his solid black eyes. “Any idea what happened to Viccium?”

     Addica, Third in Control of this spaceship, aka Health Problem Solver, squats down next to Wiggime. “I have never seen a death like this. Hopefully, I will after I look at it in Healthcare.”

     “Who found Viccium?” Wiggime asks the group of other crewmembers of The Cargo Express surrounding this body.

     Havvon, First in Control of The Cargo Express, aka the Leader of this spaceship, stands in front of this large group. “I’m the one who found Viccium. I was on the way to check out this Cargo Bay when I heard a loud, frightening scream. When I checked out this scream, I found Viccium.”

     “Did you see or hear anyone else when you also entered this Cargo Bay again?” Wiggime asks.

     “I didn’t see or hear anyone else in here,” answered Havvon. “I’m sure we were the only two here when this happened to Viccium.”

#

     Havvon stands between two seated humans sitting in front of a large monitor slightly above them. He is looking at the almost admittedly changing images on this large monitor while the two seated humans continue tapping the control panels under this large monitor.

     These images show different parts of The Cargo Express. The images continue showing as Havvon speaks. When he does, any crewmember within that image reacts to his voice. “It has been almost sixteen hours since the death of Viccium. By now, everyone on our spaceship has heard about this death.”

     “I know what most, if not all of you, are thinking. You are thinking this has something to do with the one billion credits we are carrying on our spaceship. That isn’t true. We aren’t carrying a billion credits to the Collection Colony on Argustim.”

     “We’re only taking about a million credits, some Health survival supplies, and some Collection equipment to this colony,” continues Havvon after taking a few deep breathes. “Just like we have been doing for the last six months. That is all we have been doing. I have also heard about us having a billion credits on our spaceship, and that isn’t true.

#

     Wiggime is walking down the Corridor when she hears a frightening scream coming from a closed entrance. A few seconds later, red and blue alternating light circles and squares start flashing in this Corridor. The red pulsating lights are the circles, and the blue ones are the squares.

     Just as Wiggime gets to this entrance to check it out, the entrance slides open, and Havvon leaves this living area. “Did what happened before just happen again?” Wiggime asks.

     “Unfortunately, it has,” answers Havvon. “It happened almost admittedly after I got here to talk to Pakkim about something. He grabbed his head and started screaming as his eyes turned to a solid black.”

     “Have you checked him to make sure he’s dead?” Wiggime asks Havvon.

     Havvon looks at Pakkim. “Look at him. He looks just like Viccium. Isn’t it obvious he’s dead?”

     “Did you see or hear anyone leave this Living Area?” Wiggime asks. “Why are you leaving? I thought it would be faster to stay here and contact me and Addica.”

     “Of course, I should have stayed here after contacting you and Addica, but I didn’t think about that.” Havvon looks at Wiggime just before saying that.

#

     After entering Healthcare on their spaceship, Wiggime stops to look around Healthcare. It doesn’t take her long to find Addica. After all, they are the only ones in there except for Pakkim.

     Wiggime walks up to Addica, who is checking out Pakkim. “Have you found out how Viccium and Pakkim have died? I think knowing how they died will help us find out who has been causing these deaths and why.”

     “Unfortunately, I haven’t found out how they died yet. All I know so far is they both died the same way. They both died by having all their internal organs explode from within. How this has happened, I don’t know. After all, there are no entrance or exit wounds.”

     “The only holes they have are the holes that we all have, and there isn’t anything wrong with those holes,” says Addica. “I’m still looking at both bodies, and I agree with you. Finding out how they have died will tell us who has been causing these deaths and why.”

     Wiggime walks up to Pakkim and looks at what remains of his dead body. “Any idea how long it will take before we find out what we need to know?”

#

     A crewmember on their spaceship, Lahhana, backs up against the wall in a Cargo Bay. Lahhana looks in both directions, where a large group of containers mainly blocks. That’s no way out of there. The only way out is straight ahead, and she can’t go in this direction.

     Two outstretched hands and two legs are walking toward Lahhana. No one knows whose hands and legs these belong to, except for Lahhana. The look on her face says she is afraid of what is about to happen to her as these hands and legs get closer and closer to her.

     When these legs get within a few inches of Lahhana, they stop. The outstretched hands are placed on both sides of her head, with these palms directly in front of her earholes. A thin thread of blue comes out of these palms and enters her earholes. Almost admittedly, Lahhana starts screaming.

     A few seconds later, the blue strings return to the palms of whoever is causing these deaths. The screaming stops a few minutes later, and Lahhana falls to the level of this Cargo Bay, dead. Whoever caused her death leaves this Cargo Bay.

###

     Wiggime opens one of the Containers in this Cargo Bay. All she can see are Collection Equipment and Healthcare supplies. She also sees about ten thousand credits in this container. “Did you find what you have been looking for?” Havvon asks.

     “This container is the same as all the other containers I have looks at in these Cargo Bays,” answers Wiggime. “It looks like you are right about the billion credits being the reason for these deaths.”

     “Have you finished looking at these containers?” Havvon asks as Wiggime closes the current container he has opened.

     Havvon starts to leave this Cargo Bay, but Wiggime doesn’t. She goes to another container and opens it. “I still have a few containers left to look at.”

     “Why do you persist?” Havvon asks. “Haven’t you seen enough of these containers?”

     “Not until I have checked them all,” answers Wiggime. “I still think these credits are the reason why all these deaths are happening.”

     After looking into the last two containers in this Cargo Bay, Wiggime starts to leave when she finds another dead crewmember. This one looks just like Viccium and Pakkim. Only this death is another female, and her name is Majjeva.

#

     “I want to know how all these deaths are connected,” says Wiggime. “I’m sure these deaths are connected.”

     “So far, all I know about them is that they all helped out in one of the Cargo Bays on our spaceship. Do you think that’s what the connection is?” Addica asks.

     Addica returns to checking out Majjeva. “I think it does if all of them are looking for the billion credits that are somewhere on our spaceship. They probably think it’s in one of the Cargo Bays.”

     “If you’re right, someone doesn’t want them to find it,” says Addica as she continues checking out Majjeva. “Not only that, but this someone is willing to kill to keep anyone from finding it.”

     “Is there anything else you can tell me about these deaths?” Wiggime asks.

     Addica looks at Wiggime. “Only that I know how they are dying. I’m not sure how it’s happening, but whatever it is, it’s entering their earholes. There is a slight scarring in all of their ears.”

     “Have you ever heard of anyone who has this ability?” Wiggime asks.

     “I thought I had heard of every way to cause a death,” answers Addica. “This one I have never heard of before.”

#

     After entering this Cargo Bay, Wiggime stops. Wiggime slowly looks around. She also cocks her head slightly to her left to hear if anyone else is in there, but she doesn’t hear anyone else. If the billion credits are in this Cargo Bay, I will find it, thinks Wiggime.

     I have checked all the other Cargo Bays, and they haven’t been in them, thinks Wiggime. This is the only one I haven’t checked yet.

     Wiggime isn’t checking the containers this time. She’s looking for somewhere else the billion credits may be hiding. So far, whoever has been causing these deaths hasn’t tried to kill me. Maybe I’m wrong about why these deaths have been happening, thinks Wiggime.

     It wouldn’t be the first time I have been wrong about something, Wiggime continues thinking. I doubt it will be the last time I have been wrong about something.

     After looking around this Cargo Bay three more times, Wiggime sighs. It looks like I was wrong about the billion credits. At least I have been regarding the Cargo Bays. That doesn’t mean it’s not somewhere else on The Cargo Express, our spaceship. All I need to do is find it.

#

     “I think I know who has been causing these deaths, and why they have been doing it,” says Wiggime. Wiggime is standing next to Havvon. They are watching the images of their spaceship on their large monitor.

     Everyone in these images is looking at Wiggime while she talks to them. “I’m not quite ready to tell everyone who it is yet. I still need to do a few things before I will tell everyone.”

     Havvon cuts her throat with her finger to turn off these images. “What was that all about? Do you really know who has been causing these deaths and why they have been doing it?”

     “What do you think?” Wiggime asks. “Of course, I don’t know who it is or why they have been doing it. I just want them to think that so that they will try to cause my death.”

     “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” says Havvon. “It could cause your death.”

     Wiggime smiles. “No, it won’t because I know why they have been doing it. It’s about a billion credits on our spaceship, and I know where it is.”

#

     Havvon looks surprised to see Wiggime when she walks into his living area unannounced. “I have been lying to you. It’s just the opposite of what I told you after my announcement to the rest of our crew. What I lied about was who has been causing these deaths.”

     “I figured that out a long time ago. It wasn’t that hard to do, considering you showed up at almost all the deaths soon after they happened. What I also lied about was my knowing where the billion credits are on our spaceship.”

     Wiggime points a hand weapon at Havvon. “I knew that the billion credits were on our spaceship somewhere, but I didn’t know where it was until now.”

     “Before you also try to cause my death, I’m not the only one here,” continues Wiggime. “Everyone on our spaceship is hearing this conversation. You may be able to cause my death, but you can’t cause everyone’s death.”

     “I am curious about one thing, though,” says Wiggime. “How have you been causing these deaths?”

     Havvon smiles. “Let me show you.” Outstretching his hands, Havvon starts walking toward Wiggime. Wiggime has no choice but to shoot Havvon. Only he doesn’t shoot him to kill. Instead, he shoots the palms of his hands.

Word Count = 1,983