Phantom 500 - Episodes 1 - 5

by Alex C. McDonald

  “Bring me back more of the water from Europa and you will get your money,” said Takamatsu.

  “I want triple this time for me and my crew,” said Captain Riker.

  “No, but I will give you triple. For your crew it will be the same amount,” said Takamatsu. Captain Riker looked at his investor and contemplated the deal.

  “Fine then. Write up the contract and e-mail it to me,” said Riker who turned and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned to Takamatsu’s bodyguards. “Are you two coming? We’ve got a spaceship to catch.”

  ***

  “See that guy over there,” said Aurora pointing to a handsome looking man across the packed bar.

  “The one with glasses?” said Kakura.

  “No the Italian guy,” said Aurora.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the countries of your planet very well. Is Italy in Asia?” said Kakura.

  “What? Look nevermind. Anyway, there’s a handsome guy over there that I’ve just reserved for 3 days. He’s promised to pamper me and take me to some nice places. As soon as the Captain gets here and gives me my money I’ll pay him and I’m out of here,” said Aurora.

  “Good, because I can’t stand the music in this bar,” said Kakura.

  “What? Oh no, Kakura, you’re not coming with me. I don’t want to see you or the Captain for a while and besides this is classic 1980’s rock being played in here,” said Aurora.

  “I prefer the calm operas of the 18th century, it soothes my soul,” said Kakura.

  “What about you Kakura? What do you plan to do with the money, are you going to get yourself a nice Earth girl?” joked Aurora.

  “No, I gave my soul to my wife and she is the only one who will ever know me,” said Kakura.

  “Oh, pretty rough. So, she’s waiting for you somewhere out there?” said Aurora.

  “No, the Lycans killed her and my daughter before taking me prisoner,” said Kakura.

  “Woah! So, you must really hate the Lycans,” said Aurora, Kakura just grimaced. “Come on, let’s have a shot of tequila.” Aurora gestured for the bartender to come over. “2 shots of tequila and put it on my tab.”

  “Your tab? Your tab is getting pretty high. That bottle of champagne that you ordered for that dude over there was pretty expensive,” said the bartender.

  “Hey, I just flew a spaceship from Europa to Earth with a cargo full of Europa Water. I can afford the best,” said Aurora.

  “That was you?” said the bartender. “You wrecked Santa Monica Beach.”

  “Ah, so what. Pour me some tequilla,” said Aurora. The bartender rolled his eyes and poured a couple of shots of tequila. Aurora raised her glass to Kakura and they shot back their tequila.

  “Here’s my crew,” said Captain Riker as he squeezed his way through the crowd.

  “Captain!” said Aurora and she gave Captain Riker a big hug. “Finally, hey, not to be rude, but can you transfer my money now, because I’ve got a hot thing over there waiting for me and I kinda want to pay him now.”

  “Who are these two?” said Kakura referring to the two bodyguards flanking Captain Riker.

  “This is Ryu and Rex, Mr. Takamatsu’s bodyguards. They’re here to take us to Houston, we launch in two days,” said Captain Riker.

  “Woah-woah! Captain, we just got back, there’s no rush. Let’s enjoy our money a little,” said Aurora.

  “There is no money, Aurora. The Governor of California is making Takamatsu pay for all the damages we caused and the launch of the Phantom 500 out of Earth’s atmosphere is going to cost a bunch too. Get your bags, we’re going back into space,” said Captain Riker. Aurora swung a punch at Captain Riker, which Riker quickly ducked. The two body guards quickly grabbed Aurora and restrained her.

  “There can be no delays, Captain. We need to go to Houston so you are prepared to launch,” said Rex.

  “Get your hands off me,” said Aurora.

  “Guys, let her go,” ordered Captain Riker. The two bodyguards let her go.

  “This is not easy to walk out of this bar, Captain. I’ve been ordering drinks for everyone in here. I’ve got a huge tab, it’s a felony to leave without paying,” said Aurora.

  “Rex, you’ve got a company credit card right?” said Captain Riker, Rex raised his eyebrow dubiously. “Pay the tab.”

  Rex pulled out a card from his jacket pocket and motioned to the bartender for the bill. He coughed when he saw the price of the tab.

  “How much have you drunk?” said Rex.

  “A lot,” replied Aurora. Rex breathed out an exasperated sigh and then handed over his card.

  “Ciao, bella,” said the guy Aurora had reserved as he walked over.

  “Sorry, baby, I’ll have to cancel the order, next time,” said Aurora who turned the guy around and smacked him on his behind, before walking out the bar with her crew.

  ***

  A driverless-bullet car was waiting for them outside the bar. The car was an eco-friendly super-speed vehicle and would get them to Houston within an hour. All five of the passengers hopped in and buckled up. The car shot off, but its passengers were insulated inside from the g-force.

  “Man, is there anything to drink in this car?” said Aurora.

  “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” said Rex.

  “No, I don’t,” replied Aurora.

  “Captain, I feel that going into space right now is risky. We’ve upset Starfleet and the Phantom 500 is not capable of taking on a Lycan Destroyer,” said Kakura.

  “I’m well aware of this, Kakura. But if we want this business arrangement to keep going we have to fly this week,” said Riker.

  “Are we going to get paid more this time?” said Aurora.

  “No,” lied Captain Riker.

  “I would have negotiated for more,” replied Aurora. Captain Riker’s phone began to ring and he picked it up.

  “Hello?”

  “Dad, its Crystal. Someone just tried to kidnap me,” said Captain Riker’s daughter Crystal.

  “What? Are you okay? Where are you?” said Captain Riker

  “I’m at the Campus Security office,” replied Crystal. Suddenly, over the receiver Captain Riker could hear gunfire.

  “Crystal what’s going on?” said Captain Riker, but all he heard was his daughter scream and the phone call cut out. Captain Riker quickly jumped into the cockpit of the car and began programming a different destination.

  “What are you doing Captain?” said Rex, who moved to the cockpit.

  “We’re heading to Stanford University where my daughter is,” said Captain Riker.

  “No we are not. I am under strict orders to get you three to Houston,” said Rex who tried to push Captain Riker out of the way, however, the huge bulking frame of Kakura came over and grabbed Rex and threw him back in his passenger seat.

  “I’m sorry, Rex, but I am not going anywhere unless I know my daughters safe,” said Captain Riker. Kakura sat down and pulled out his bag, unzipped it and then began assembling a massive gun.

  “Woah, Kakura, what is that?” said Aurora.

  “It is a rocket-launching Gatling gun. I made it myself,” said Kakura who attached a six-barreled rotating machine gun on top of the rocket launcher and then began loading it.

  “Is that even legal to carry?” said Aurora.

  “No, but I like to be prepared,” said Kakura.

  “Why does this happen to you regularly?” said Aurora.

  “No, but once you have been at war with the Lycan’s you learn to always be ready,” said Kakura. The two bodyguards looked at each other and took out their handguns and loaded them.

  The car was at Stanford in moments and Captain Riker led the way by opening the hatch and jumping out. He looked around and saw a helicopter ready to take off and saw his daughter being carried towards it.

  “Crystal!” yelled Captain Riker.

  “Dad!” yelled Crystal back. Kakura came out of the car and fired a rocket launcher towards them. It
narrowly missed and exploded nearby sending the kidnappers and Crystal to ground.

  “Hey, you numbskull. That’s my daughter!” screamed Captain Riker.

  “I know, I didn’t miss, Captain. It was a warning shot,” said Kakura. The kidnappers began firing back. Rex and Ryu grabbed Captain Riker and Aurora and threw them to the ground to avoid the fire. Kakura fired back with his Gatling gun.

  “Easy, easy, big guy,” said Captain Riker.

  “Captain, I am a skilled combat warrior. I will hit my target when I’m ready,” said Kakura, who charged forward. Captain Riker jumped to his feet and followed Kakura’s lead. The kidnappers quickly grabbed Crystal and held a gun to her head.

  “Freeze, Riker! Don’t come any closer,” said one of the kidnappers.

  “Kakura, stop,” said Captain Riker.

  “Daddy, help,” said Crystal, but Captain Riker could not do anything, but watch as the kidnappers dragged his helpless daughter onto the helicopter and take off.

  “Captain, what do you want me to do?” said Kakura, but Captain Riker had no order. His phone then began to ring and he picked it up and held it to his ear.

  “Hello, James.”

  “Ronin? What the hell? You’re the one who's just kidnapped my daughter?” said Captain Riker.

  “You really embarrassed me last week, James, with that whole stunt you pulled,” said Commander Ronin Tsokonov.

  “You were going to steal my cargo! So, now you're kidnapping my daughter?” said Captain Riker.

  “Hey, it’s just business and you know how it is with Starfleet. The adventure is great, but the pay and pension plan is just not,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “What do you want Ronin,” said Captain Riker.

  “I know you're launching in that rust bucket of yours in two days. When you get back to the International Space Station in Earth’s orbit, I’ll be waiting there with a transport ship to take the cargo off your hands and then you’ll see your daughter again,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “A transport ship? How’d you get your greedy hands on one of those?” said Captain Riker.

  “I have my investors too, they just don’t have the money to buy a Phantom,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “If you even touch one hair on my daughter-,” the phone cut out before Captain Riker could finish his sentence.

  “What is it Captain?” said Aurora.

  “Let’s get to Houston and back into space,” said Captain Riker as he watched the helicopter dart away.

  Phantom 500 – Episode 3

  Phantom 500

  Episode 3

  By Alex C. McDonald

  Phantom 500 – Episode 3

  By Alex C. McDonald

  Copyright 2015 Alex C. McDonald

  Thank you for purchasing Phantom 500 Episode 3. If you leave a review at your favorite retailer, please e-mail the author at alexmcdauthor@gmail.com and you will receive the next episode in the series for FREE.

  Phantom 500 - Episode 3

  The giant frame of Kakura was striding through the halls of the International Space Station that orbited Earth. The station was littered with Starfleet personnel, but there was only one Kakura was looking for. Commander Ronin Tsokonov was laughing with some of his officers and did not see Kakura walking straight towards him. In one swift move Kakura kicked away Tsokonov’s men and grabbed the Commander by the neck, slamming him against the wall.

  “Where is Crystal?” said Kakura.

  “You’re making a mistake, alien. Let me go before they kill you,” said Commander Tsokonov through a strained voice. Kakura looked around and saw several Starfleet personnel rush to Commander Tsokonov’s aid and had pulled out handguns ready to fire.

  “Put the Commander down,” said a Starfleet officer.

  “This man is a criminal and has kidnapped a girl,” said Kakura.

  “Kakura, put the Commander down,” said Captain James Riker. Kakura turned to see his Captain standing a few feet away. He grimaced and felt annoyed to have been caught by the only person who he would take that order from. He released Commander Tsokonov, who grabbed his own throat to soothe it.

  “It’s okay gentlemen, you all know who I am. Just coming to collect a gambling debt, you all know the Commander here is a bit of gambler. What was it Commander, a thousand?” said Riker.

  “Yes, I think so,” said Commander Tsokonov, realizing that Captain Riker was giving him a chance to not be discovered for his crime.

  “Just transfer it now and we’ll all be happy to go on with our business,” said Riker. Commander Tsokonov grimaced, but was wary of the watchful eyes around him. So, he nodded and pulled out a smartphone from his jacket pocket and pressed a few buttons. Something than beeped in Captain Riker’s pocket he pulled it out and looked. “There we go, a thousand transferred. Everything is fine, gentlemen.”

  The Starfleet personnel seemed satisfied with the outcome and walked away. Captain Riker walked over to Commander Tsokonov and Kakura.

  “You need to keep your dog here on a leash,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “Like I was saying before you cut our phone call off a couple of days ago. If my daughter is harmed in anyway, Kakura will be looking for you,” said Captain Riker.

  “This is just business, James. You know it. I need the money just as much as you do in this world,” said Commander Tsokonov. Captain Riker paused and looked over his rival for a moment and considered him. His instincts told him that this was more than money, but he couldn’t think of any plausible scenarios.

  “You have no idea what you're doing, do you? Who's got you by the balls this time, Ronin? Gambled too high and can’t pay your debts is it?” said Riker.

  “Just bring the cargo here, we’ll make the transfer and then your daughter will be safe,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “When I left you in command of that Destroyer out there you promised me you’d never gamble again. I did though. I gambled by recommending you for your first Command. What a mistake that’s turned out to be. Come on Kakura, let’s go and get this water,” said Riker.

  “James, look I’m sorry,” said Commander Tsokonov.

  “Don’t,” said Riker who kept walking.

  “James, wait. Can I have my thousand back?” said Tsokonov. Riker and Kakura just laughed.

  “Did you get a DNA sample?” said Riker to Kakura.

  “Pulled a few hairs,” said Kakura.

  “Perfect,” said Riker, “let’s go and see my friend.”

  ***

  “I don’t know, James. Forensic DNA time-travel analysis is being shot down in all the courts on Earth,” said Doctor Vibodh Mahal as she took a sip of her coffee. Riker was an old friend of the Doctor and she worked out of a lab in the west-wing of the International Space Station.  

  “Yeah, but it’s not stopping every police department on the planet from using it,” said Captain Riker.

  “Look, James, I know you're concerned about your daughter, but shouldn’t you be going to the police yourself or even Starfleet Command. I mean the Commander is breaking every code of conduct rule there is,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “She’ll be killed if I do any of those things and don’t worry I’ll be getting my revenge on Ronin,” said Riker. “Just run his hair through the machine so we can get an idea of what we’re dealing with here.”

  “This is very important for the Captain, Doctor. I have read many of your papers and you’re a leading expert in this new science. Please, let us see what we’re dealing with,” said Kakura.

  “Fine,” said Doctor Mahal. “But if anyone asks, you were never here.”

  “Agreed,” said Riker. Doctor Mahal took the hairs from Kakura that he had stolen from Tsokonov and then she placed them under a small machine and then went to her computer. She then keyed in some commands and a blue laser began to ‘whir’ over the hairs. Immediately data began to be streamed back into Doctor Mahal’s computer.

  “Does it say where Crystal is?” said Captain Riker.

/>   “I can’t see anything. As I said this is not an accurate science. We can see things that happened in the immediate past much clearer than further back. Like I can see very clearly the shock of being strangled by Kakura,” said Doctor Mahal, making Kakura smile.

  “Nevermind that, can you see if he has had contact with Crystal?” said Captain Riker.

  “I’m sorry, James, but I’m not getting anything. I can see a phone call to you, but not contact with Crystal,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Damn it, he must have made sure he didn’t see her,” said Captain Riker.

  “What a minute, this is strange. I’m getting a lot of interaction with Lycans from Commander Tsokonov,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Well, that makes sense. There are still a ton of them locked up on Mars,” said Captain Riker.

  “No, no. I mean interactions on Earth,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Lycans on Earth? That is not good news,” said Kakura.

  “I can’t see anything about what their conversations were about though,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Why is Commander Tsokonov interacting with Lycans and what the hell are Lycan’s doing on Earth?” said Captain Riker.

  “Listen, James, I’ve got to report this to my commanding officers immediately. I mean, if Lycans are on Earth that could mean any number of things and a lot of them are bad,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Look, I completely agree, but my daughter’s life is on the line here. It’s not going to take us long to get to Jupiter and back. Can you hold out until we make the exchange and then you can go to Command and tell them about this,” said Captain Riker.

  “I don’t know, James, this is serious,” said Doctor Mahal.

  “Do me this one favor, for old times sake?” said Captain Riker. Kakura raised his eyebrow as he picked up that there had been some kind of intimate relationship between the two.

  “Fine,” said Doctor Mahal. “But you let me know as soon as Crystal is safe.”

  “Yes, Vibodh, I will. And thank you,” said Captain Riker. “Kakura, go and find Aurora. We’re setting off immediately.”