Stepping Through Memories

Temple let out a deep breath as he stepped onto Jupiter Station for the first time in 30 years. His last visit here had left him blind in one eye and unable to walk for six months. The memory still gave him a chill.

He looked around the main gateway, not exactly nervous, but certainly cautious. He had no intention of staying here long, but he had to see Gillen before he rendezvoused with his team and made the journey to Mars.

Gillen obviously knew something. Whether that something was going to prove useful or not, well, that was a wait and see proposition.

The main deck of Jupiter Station, what they called The Bazaar, while mostly made of iron and steel gave the feeling of a large, outdoor market. People of all sorts walked about, trading with each other, conversing, arguing, kissing. Their mode of dress was as varied as they were, some dressed in elaborate uniforms, some wearing nothing at all.

Tables and booths littered the floor, some offering items for sales, some games of chance. Prostitutes, both male and female, walked about in search of business. None of them approached John Temple. The sellers ignored him, the con man actually stepped from his path.

He wondered if any of them and actually been there during the riots, if they remembered what he had gone through. Most had probably just heard the stories, maybe some had seen the vids. It hardly mattered now.

He made his way across the crowd and pushed through the steel doors at the far end. they led to a familiar, narrow corridor that took him past maintenance and monitoring and into the Marshal’s office.

“Welcome back, Temple.” The voice that greeted him was hard and unyielding.

“It’s a short stay, Glenn. I won’t be causing any trouble.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Where is he?”

“Holding room 5.”

Temple walked past the Marshal and down to the holding area. He stopped outside room 5 and his stomach tightened. He recognized the smell.

“Marshal!” he yelled.

Glenn strolled down the corridor. “What is it, Temple?”

“I wanted you here when I opened the door, Glenn. Take a nice, deep breath. We both know what’s on the other side.”

He nodded and Temple slid the door open. The smell of death and decay was even stronger from inside.

But the cell itself was empty.