Star Cat: Exodus: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure (The Star Cat Series - Book 5)

by Andrew Mackay

  “I’m here at Corpus Christi Infirmary where Maar Sheck, CEO of the United States and Russian Intergalactic Confederation is understood to have died in emergency transit after suffering a fatal heart attack.”

  Maar blinked a few times and gripped the handlebar, “I’m dead?”

  “Yes, sir,” Brayn said. “We were instructed to follow the defector who murdered you, as per Kaoz’s advisement. We thought you were—”

  “—Resume the footage,” Maar said. “I’m not dead, you dummy.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Santiago continued, “This, after months of speculation that the IRI and USARIC were due to form an historic conglomerate to excise all Russian nationals from the fifty-two United States.”

  Santiago moved to the camera and launched into ‘serious mode’, “First, Dmitri Vasilov. Now, an alleged attack on Maar Sheck. With the fate of the winners of the Star Cat project hanging in the balance, what can we expect to happen now?”

  “Pause,” Maar said. “Brayn?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Tell the pilot to change course. Take me back to USARIC headquarters. I’m not hiding anymore.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “If RAGE or any of those bastards want me dead, they can just walk right in and kill me. I’ll be ready for them. We’ll be ready for them. Won’t we, Brayn?”

  “Yes, sir,” Brayn pinched his headset and turned over his shoulder, “Metal Bird One, this is One, One Eight. Are you receiving?”

  “Loud and clear, one-one-eight.”

  “Be advised. Changing route. USARIC Headquarters, Cape Claudius.”

  “Understood.”

  Maar pulled himself to the opened side door and watched as the horizon lifted up and spun to the left, “Are we going?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How long till we arrive?”

  “About ten minutes, sir.”

  “Good,” Maar said as he watched the interstate zoom one hundred feet below. The MagStrips glinted in the sunlight as the copter banked to the right and leveled out.

  “Listen, Brayn?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I’ve lost the one person I thought I could trust. I want you with me at all times. Do you understand?”

  “But, sir, I’m on flight duty—”

  “—I don’t give a rat’s ass what duty you’re on, tell your commanding officer that you’ve been relieved of duty and reassigned as per my order,” Maar said as he stared at Brayn’s firearm.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And keep that gun on you at all times.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I want Sibald contacted,” Maar added. “We’re about to make history.”

  “What kind of history, sir?”

  WHARK — WHARK — WHARK.

  Maar jumped in his seat before he could answer. An alarm whirled around the interior of the copter.

  It sounded serious and unnerved everyone inside.

  “Jesus, what’s that noise?” Maar asked.

  Brayn turned over his shoulder and spoke to the pilot, “What’s that noise?”

  “Something’s playing with the sensors,” the pilot said. “I c-can’t control—”

  WHVOOOOOOOOOOM.

  The horizon burst to life, filling everything in its path with an angelic white light.

  “Look, look—” Maar pushed himself back into his seat and pointed at the horizon, “It’s coming from the sky.”

  A snap of blinding white light, followed by a hollow contour of orange settled into the horizon.

  “My G-God,” Brayn gasped and covered his face, “What is that?”

  Maar looked east and clocked the thick, black extended tree out in the ocean, “Look, over there.”

  WHARK — WHARK — WHARK.

  Before Brayn could lift his hand away, the copter began to spin around.

  “Metal Bird One,” a voice crept in through the headset, “Advise on position.”

  “We are auto-rotate. Engine failure one, and two.”

  “Jeez,” Maar slung his other hand through the gap in the handle and clung to it for dear life.

  “Auto rotate,” Bryan grabbed the handle on his side of the copter as it spun around and around.

  “Hang on, everyone.”

  WHUDDA — WHUDDA — WHUDDA.

  The front end of the copter twisted around to the right and headed for the interstate.

  “Prepare for contact—”

  WHOOOOSH.

  The helicopter leaned back, angling its tail at the ground. Dust and mud kicked up around the base of the vehicle as it thumped against the ground.

  “Disabling engine,” the Pilot said, “Get out, now.”

  Maar released his grip on the handle and staggered out of the copter. A blustery gale blew his hair back over his head as he stepped forward to observe the light show in the horizon.

  “My God,” he screamed over the noise, “What is that?”

  Brayn approached him from behind, fighting the terrific rush of wind blowing in their direction.

  “I’m not sure, but you’re not safe here, sir—”

  “—Wait, look.”

  Maar and Brayn lifted their heads at the clouds in time for a streak of pink, heavy energy to blast through them and slam towards the Gulf of Mexico.

  SCHA-SCHA-SCHA-SLAAAAM.

  A whisper of Beethoven’s 5th symphony cracked through the sky, caused by the lightning.

  “Is that—Beethoven?” Maar asked.

  Brayn grabbed Maar by the shoulders and moved him towards the Interstate road.

  A sprawling USARIC vehicle roared up the interstate and skidded to a halt.

  “We’re headed back to base, sir. Come with me.”

  Maar tried to look away from the strange artery in the sky as Brayn pulled him to the road.

  “But, but—”

  Maar lifted his finger at the celestial event, instantly at a loss for words.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The Motary

  Space Opera Charlie - Level Three

  One hundred wolves each clamped their teeth on the end of their carbon fiber rope and moved backwards through the mud, ready for action. The thick, black material shot over the top of the grounded Space Opera Charlie.

  Each wolf yanked on their rope, ready to assist as Jelly walked around and inspected them.

  Jaycee stepped through the Motary entrance and looked up at the hanging door, “Alex,” he said into his headgear, “We’re ready.”

  “Okay, good,” Alex said. “On my command, I’ll throttle one of the boosters to assist the lift, but we have to sync this process with the pulling system.”

  Jelly made her way to the front of the first row of wolves and waved her hand at them, “Alex, they’re ready.”

  “I hope to God this works.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing. What’s your command?” he asked.

  “They seem to be responding to basic commands,” Jelly turned to the first wolf and roared at it, “Heel.”

  The furry, vicious beast whined through the rope clenched between its teeth and settled on its haunches.

  “Maybe demonstrate it to them. We can’t take any chances,” Alex said. “I can see the feed from the control deck. Take that carbon from him and show them all what you want done.”

  Jelly snapped her fingers at the first wolf and beckoned him over, “Here, boy.”

  GRUNT.

  The wolf moved forward and dropped the end of the fiber to the ground. Jelly scooped it up in her right hand and coiled it around her left. She turned to the ship and yelled at the rest of the wolves.

  “One, two, three, and PULL.”

  Jelly took a step back and threw her entire weight to the ground. The ship budged ever-so-slightly, but not enough for any meaningful action.

  CREEAAAAKKK-KK.

  Jaycee observed the floor drop a couple of inches and grabbed the edge of the Motary wall, “It’s working.”

  FWUM
P.

  Jelly released her grip on the rope and flung it over to the first wolf, “On pull.”

  “Yes, pull. I figured as much,” Alex said. “Okay. Initiating booster one and two, now. Standby.”

  Jelly turned to the wolves and rubbed her hands together, “Everyone got that?”

  Rows and rows of teeth and silver eyeballs glinted in the new sunlight from the sky..

  Jaycee hollered at Jelly from the Motary door, “Unless you want to stay with them, I suggest you get in here with me.”

  “Okay.”

  Jelly scrambled across the uneven terrain and ran towards the Motary door.

  Jaycee stepped aside and ushered her in, “Hold onto something.”

  Jelly jumped through the door and sprinted to the K-BOLT mini spacecraft, “Alex, what is this? K-BOLT?”

  “Never mind that now,” Alex said. “It’s a sub-probe which we’ll never use. Think of it as Charlie-light.”

  “Am I safe in there?”

  “Perfectly safe. Actually, that’s a good idea. Jaycee?”

  “Yes?”

  “Get in the K-BOLT with Jelly,” Alex said. “Two minutes till thrusters. You’ll be safe in there. The centrifugal system isn’t active. I’m not sure if all the units in the Motary will be secure when we get pulled upright.”

  Jaycee released the wall from his grip and huffed as he made his way over to the smaller vessel, “Do I have to?”

  “No,” Alex chirped. “You can stay at the door and fall on your ass and do yourself more damage than you already have, big man.”

  Jaycee watched Jelly thump the side door open with her fist. The circular side of the K-BOLT lifted down and provided a steps into the spacecraft. She hopped up the steps and waved Jaycee over.

  “You coming?”

  “Yeah,” he snarled. “I’m coming.”

  The Control Deck

  Space Opera Charlie

  Alex watched the holographic display of the Motary.

  WHUMP.

  The door to the K-BOLT closed, effectively sealing Jaycee and Jelly in the pilot area.

  Jelly had to crouch down to move toward the windshield. Such was her size, the ship was barely able to allow her to stand upright.

  Jaycee scanned the switches that adorned the pilot area and sat in the main seat.

  “Okay, we’re in,” he said. “But Jelly is far too big for the ship.”

  Alex hit a button on the keyboard, “It’s just temporary. Find something to hold onto. Jelly, you might want to move to the back of the ship by the hyper-sleep pods and lie down.”

  “Ugh,” she said, careful not to scrape the top of her head on the ceiling, “Hyper-sleep pods?”

  “Yes, lay down in there. Don’t touch anything, just make yourself comfortable.”

  Jelly pulled her shoulders together and squeezed herself through the tightest door-shaped hole in the wall, “I hate you, Alex. I hope you know that.”

  “No time to celebrate, Jelly. We’re not off this damned planet just yet,” Alex hit the second button.

  VROOOOOOM.

  “Okay, that’s the thrusters loaded.”

  The blasters fired up, causing a violent shudder to rumble through the entire ship.

  Alex turned to Furie on the flight deck to find her waking up. Her little eyelids fluttered in the sunlight billowing through the windshield.

  The five hyper-sleep pods branched out like a flower in the middle of the room. At the very least, they’d prevent her from rocking around and hurting herself. She lowered her behind onto the floor and kicked out her legs.

  “Uh, Jelly?” Alex said.

  “What?”

  “Furie’s waking up,” he said. “But it’s okay, I’ve got her. I just wanted you to know that.”

  “Don’t touch my girl,” Jelly said, making herself as comfortable as possible. “Just make sure she’s safe and secure.”

  Alex moved to the flight deck and peered through the windshield, “Understood. Okay, everyone, here we go. Moment of truth,”

  The wolves readied themselves to pull on their ropes.

  Furie looked up at Alex and kicked her tiny feet out through the ends of his jacket, “What’s going on?”

  “Those bad boys out there are going to help us lift off and go home, Furie.”

  Alex paused for a moment and half-chuckled to himself. He was talking to a kitten; something he couldn’t process as quickly and easily as he’d thought.

  “Ugh,” he reached down to the controls on the flight deck and pushed the first lever forward.

  A drone moved away from Opera Charlie and hovered over the wolves.

  It caught their attention almost immediately, buzzing and spinning several feet above them.

  “Okay. Listen up, my furry little friends,” Alex’s voice came from the drone. “On my command, you will pull—”

  Upon hearing his last word, the wolves yanked their ropes back.

  “No,” Alex barked as he throttled the thruster, “Don’t do it yet, you idiots.”

  The wolves let the ropes slack between their teeth.

  “Wait.”

  BLAAASSSSTTT — BLAASSTT.

  The back-end of Opera Charlie spat a huge jet of fire, shunting the vessel along the rough terrain.

  “Three, two, one, and… PULL.”

  SCHWUNK.

  The wolves moved back in unison and yanked the ropes with all their might.

  Alex grabbed the back of the flight deck chair and held Furie against the console. The sun moved down the windshield, indicating that the ship was lifting up.

  “It’s working,” Alex beamed and pinched his mouthpiece, “It’s working. Can you hear it?”

  “We can feel it,” Jelly said as she felt her ass slide along the ground. The tiny strands of fur on her face lifted away from her cheek as the gravity rolled up the side of the hyper-sleep chamber.

  Jaycee fastened his seatbelt and pressed himself back into the pilot’s chair, “Yeah, it’s working.”

  WHUMP.

  The gravity pull slid back to the ground, producing an almighty crunch.

  “Damn it,” Alex’s voice came through Jaycee’s headgear, “Not enough.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Alex turned to the holographic live feed from the drone, “They can only pull so much for so long until they have to let go.”

  He watched the wolves release the ends of their ropes and drop them to the floor.

  “We need to try again, but this time with a bit more throttle.”

  Alex grabbed the second lever and placed the butt of his palm against the plastic, “Initiating thrusters one through three.”

  “Take your time, why don’t you?” Jelly’s voice whirled out of Alex’s earpiece.

  “Don’t get impatient with me, Anderson,” he snapped as he angled the drone over the head of the ship. “It doesn’t suit you.”

  “I hate it in here,” Jelly said. “It’s too small. I feel like I’m going to freak out.”

  Alex slammed the lever forward, “That’s the third booster.”

  The drone bolted forward and lowered in front of the wolves as they took their ropes in teeth once again.

  “Okay,” Alex’s voice beamed through the drone, “This time you’re all going twice as hard.”

  WHINE.

  The wolves buried their claws into the ground and prepared to lift back.

  “On three, two—”

  GRRRUUUSSSSHHHH.

  The three blasters ejected a hurricane of fire across the ground, barbecuing a nearby tree.

  “—One, and pull.”

  WREEEENNNCCCHHH.

  The hounds yanked back, this time lifting the top end of the ship up at a forty-five degree angle.

  Jaycee placed his hands on the pilot’s controls for balance as the room spun around.

  “What’s going on, Hughes?”

  “Nearly there, Nayall. Hold on,” Alex responded.

  Jelly, meanwhile, suffered the trauma of her
body shunting against one of the hyper-sleep pods, “Ugh.”

  “Hang tight, Jelly,” Alex said. “We’re nearly vertical.”

  “I’ll hang you when we’re finished,” she screamed in pain and hugged the hyper-sleep pod for balance.

  Her feet lifted away from the ground as the room rotated onto its side, “Gaaah.”

  “Hold on.”

  “What do you think I’m doing, dickhead?” she wailed as her feet punched their way up the wall, propelling her against the pod, “Damn it.”

  “Nearly there,” Alex said. “Jaycee, how are you holding up?”

  Jaycee reached behind his head as K-BOLT spacecraft leaned back. He pressed the end of his K-SPARK II barrel/leg against the flight deck, securing his behind in the chair.

  “Bad idea to have us in here, you know.”

  SCOOOOCH.

  The armed pod in the Motary rocked off its housing and barreled along the ground towards the K-BOLT.

  “Ah, jeez,” Jaycee yelped as the pod’s glass frontage smashed across the ground and tumbled towards the craft, “That thing is gonna hit us—”

  THWACK.

  The pod bounced off the K-BOLT and careened toward the door to the Motary.

  CRUNCH.

  “Damn it, Hughes,” Jaycee roared for his life and get his grip on the head rest, “Your great idea is gonna destroy the ship.”

  Alex observed the wolves yanking their ropes between their teeth.

  The tip of Opera Charlie lifted perilously close to the ninety-degree angle he had hoped for.

  “Got it,” he screamed, “We’re nearly there.”

  His voice beamed out from the moving drone. One by one, the wolves averted their gaze to the moving object in the air and snarled at it.

  “More, more. Keep pulling,” Alex’s voice flew out from the drone.

  HOWL.

  The first wolf dropped the fiber from its mouth, jumped in the air and tried to swipe the white ball.

  SWIPE — SCOWL.

  The rest of the wolves dropped the end of their tethered fiber ends and clambered over the first row of wolves with the intention of killing the drone.

  GROAA-NN.

  The lack of pull rendered the ship to tilt away from its vertical point.

  “Oh, no,” Alex stepped back from the live feed and gripped his headgear, “No, no, no—”