ABANDON

Chapter 6 -- The PATTA

    "How long have you been working as a Sleeper?"  Jane asked as they walked away from the cockpit.

    "I'm relatively new.  This is my third time out.  I'm not like Josh and Scott.  Or Captain."

    "Well, I'm glad your not like Josh."  Jane said this loud enough for Josh to hear.

    "Yeah, he's quite the troublemaker.  In my previous job I had to tag him.  Someone wanted to know where he was and what he was doing at all times.  I followed him for two weeks and look where that got me."  A sudden anxiety came over Mikhail and he looked back over his shoulder.

    "You made a file on him!  I didn't know he had a history.  What did you find out?"

    Mikhail looked extremely nervous.  "I thought you knew, I mean—I thought we all had to sign a confidentiality agreement.  Sorry, I'm not thinking right."

    Jane had signed too many contracts herself.  "That's understandable.  You just came from an emergency wake up." 

    "Captain's just over there."  Mikhail was walking very fast.

    "Oh." was all Jane could think to say as she was left behind.   

    Mikhail moved into the group of people effortlessly.  Jane slowed and felt a barrier come up between her and them.  She scanned the group looking for people she knew.  Captain was there and she recognized Scott, but the other four she didn't know.  When Mikhail joined the group Captain spoke to him and Mikhail pointed at Jane.  Captain beckoned her over. The barrier was gone.

    Captain introduced the three soldiers: Callivar, Hausen, and Faringoth.  Jane recognized Faringoth's name, Michael must have mentioned him.  The last person introduced was the man in light blue, Mr. Bellast. 

    "These are two of my crew: Mikhail Vilkoff and Jane Hallowell."  Captain said.

    "Jane Hallowell." Mr. Bellast said and it was difficult for Jane to tell what kind of feeling was attached to the defined way he spoke her name.

    "The very one." Captain replied smiling.  His smile faded as he looked past Jane. "Did you get the SEM out?" Captain asked.

    It was Josh's voice that answered causing Jane to turn abruptly.  "No.  The message bounced right back at us.  I tried more than once."  Josh said. "Something's up there.  Jane mentioned she passed through it on her way down.  Apparently things were going pretty well until then. Killed the Holiday on the spot.  Some kind of build-up of electrically charged particles.  It's very specific."

    "Sounds like a shield."  Faringoth said.

    "A shield?" Mr. Bellast asked,  "To protect the planet from space?  Has anyone scanned the sector?  There could be something out there.  It could be dangerous."  Everyone listened, but then ignored, and Jane could tell by the look on Mr. Bellast's face this his annoyed him.

    "Were you able to get a reading on the particles?"  Faringoth asked.

    "A reading? Yeah, you could say that.  Lots of nitrogen, touch of oxygen, some boron filaments, nickel oxide and tungsten oxide, and the list goes on and on.  It was quite the chemical cocktail: aqueous and idiopathic."

    "Boron and catalyst metals?  That sounds like a PATTA shield."  Callivar said.

    "A PATTA?  We quit using those years ago."  Faringoth said.  "Too costly to setup and maintain, too difficult to control, and too many accidents. What was the death toll?"

    "Eighty six individual cases."  Callivar replied.  "It targets the heart."

    "What!"  That wasn't the only word that fell from Mr. Bellast's mouth, a string of concern followed, but no one heard except Jane.