Red to Fade

by Red to Fade (epub)

  Gragon says, “Affirmative.”

  Gragon carries the sports bag and exits the R1LEV. Connor and Gabrielle also exit the R1LEV. Gragon walks to the back of the R1LEV and opens the boot. There is a BGL-34 in a case. A BGL-34 is a morphian-manufactured machine gun/grenade launcher. There are also machine gun magazine clips, hand grenades and grenade shells in a grenade shell belt in the case. Gragon takes the machine gun/grenade launcher, magazine clips, hand grenades, shells and belt and places them in the sports bag.

  Gragon closes the boot of the R1LEV. All three of them walk out of the alleyway and into the Space Surf internet café. It’s quite busy inside; some earthlings and morphians are surfing the web and playing video games. Connor sees a desk counter with a guy standing there. Individuals have to pay the guy to use any of the computers in Space Surf. Connor walks up to the desk.

  Connor tells the guy that he needs a computer to surf the web. The guy says that computer number fifteen is free. Connor pays the guy to use the computer for a couple of hours. After the guy at the counter has been paid, he logs computer fifteen onto the internet from his own computer. Connor, Gragon and Gabrielle walk over to computer fifteen and sit down. Connor puts the disk inside the computer.

  On the computer screen a digital window for the disk loads on the computer operating system. In the window for the disk is the R-1 file. Connor clicks on the R-1 file and it begins loading. Gabrielle is very nervous; she keeps on looking at the entrance door of the Space Surf café, waiting for Joel and his crew to come bursting in and open fire.

  After a few minutes, the R-1 file loads. The file shows sentences above one another. There are hyperlinks in the file as well. There is a hyperlink that says Map of CSB-R1. Connor clicks on the hyperlink and a software map of CSB-R1 opens up. The map pans around the CSB-R1 base. The base has a glacitone wall surrounding the entire compound.

  There are many watchtowers and buildings in the CSB-R1 base. There is also a spacecraft hangar and a runway beside it. There are two buildings with labels on them that say file hive. There is a glacitone wall attached to and surrounding the two file hive buildings. One file hive building is made from concrete and the other from glacitone.

  There is a space between the two file hive buildings and a glacitone tunnel connected to the glacitone building. Connor minimises the map and starts to read the sentences. One of the sentences says, When DC file has downloaded, launch DD-12 on Red 1. There is a hyperlink for DD-12. Connor clicks on it. A software diagram of a DD-12 rocket opens up.

  The software diagram pans around the DD-12 rocket. The rocket looks like a nuclear missile.

  Connor says, “I think what they want to do is download the DC file, get out of this town and then launch the DD-12 rocket at this dome.”

  Gabrielle says, “I thought that there was no type of rocket that can destroy glacitone.”

  Connor says, “Maybe this DD-12 rocket can destroy glacitone.”

  Gabrielle says, “We have evidence of their plans, but we don’t have any evidence of who is going to use these plans or when these plans are going to be used.”

  There is a sentence in the R-1 file that says, When glacitone and RB-7 robots have been created, execute Space Drill launch to attack Balaxian ships. There is a hyperlink for Space Drill. Connor clicks on it. A software diagram opens up and pans around the most advanced and state-of-the-art rocket launchers. There is an SDRL label underneath each rocket launcher.

  SDRL means Space Drill Rocket Launcher. There is a line pointing at the rocket of an SDRL. At the opposite end of the line is a label; the label says SDR. SDR means Space Drill Rocket.

  Connor explains, “I think what these guys want to do is get their hands on glacitone and the RB-7 robots and then completely wipe out the morphian race with the DD-12 and Space Drill rockets.”

  Gragon says, “Is DD-12 in the Space Drill station?”

  Connor says, “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of DD-12 or Space Drill until today.”

  Gragon says, “What are we going to do now?”

  Connor says, “I tell you what we’re going to do, we’re going to show these plans to everyone on every social network site and to every media corporation.”

  All of a sudden a black window with red writing appears on the computer screen. The black window says, This file will delete in ten, nine, eight, seven, six…

  Connor says, shocked, “Jesus, they’re erasing the disk!”

  Connor pulls out the disk from the computer before the countdown is finished. After the countdown finishes, the R-1 file is deleted from the computer. Connor puts the disk back into the computer. On the screen a window for the disk has loaded on the computer operating system. There is no R-1 file on the disk.

  Connor says, “Man, I don’t believe it, they erased the goddamn disk! We need to get the fuck out of here; whoever erased that file remotely might know our location.”

  Connor thinks that the file was erased remotely, when actually the file was erased automatically by a timer.

  Gabrielle says, “I thought you said that Dylan said that nobody could track us.”

  Connor looks at Gragon and Gabrielle and says, “Well, I don’t want to take any chances. They might have found another way of tracking that file. Come on, man, let’s get out of here!”

  Gragon, Gabrielle and Connor exit the Space Surf internet café. Connor sees a bus at a bus stop near the internet café.

  He looks at Gragon and Gabrielle and says, “We’ll get on this bus.”

  All three of them walk fast to catch the bus and get on board. Connor pays the bus driver for three city travel fares. A city travel fare ticket allows you to travel on a bus for a full day. There aren’t many beings on the bus. Gragon, Gabrielle and Connor sit down on some empty seats. Many minutes later, Connor says to Gabrielle and Gragon, “We have to find a place to hide, and also a place where we can meet Dylan. We can’t sit on this bus all day.”

  Gragon sees a giant, newly built shopping mall through the window of the bus. There are morphians working inside the Fragma Plaza Mall, and on the wall of the mall there is a huge poster that says, Fragma Plaza Mall will open in two days. Gragon presses a button to make the bus driver stop the bus at the next stop. He points at the mall and says, “We can hide and meet Dylan in there.”

  The bus driver stops near the Fragma Plaza Mall. Gragon, Gabrielle and Connor get off the bus. The mall is huge; it’s about the size of a village. The Fragma Plaza Mall is a multi-storey building. There is a huge car park in front.

  Gragon says to Connor, “Here, Connor, take this bag for a second.”

  Connor grabs the bag and carries it. Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon walk to the entrance doors of the Fragma Plaza Mall. Gragon opens one of the doors. All three of them walk inside. This place is massive; there are loads of shops on every floor. Fluorescent lights attached to the roof light up the mall, and the lights inside the shops also add light to the mall. There are huge steel pillars attached to the roof; the huge steel pillars are not attached from the roof to the ground. The steel pillars look like massive icicles attached to the roof of a large cave.

  There are four giant HD TVs the size of cinema projection screens on either side of the steel pillars, showing TV advertisements with no sound. There are a group of steel pillars and HD TVs in different parts of the mall. There are stairs and elevators to take beings up to different floors, and concrete pillars attached from the ground surface to the roof on each floor.

  A morphian worker runs over to Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon and says, “You beings can’t be in here.”

  Gragon pulls out his badge and ID and says, “R1 law enforcement, we need to speak with your supervisor.”

  The worker says, “Very well.”

  The worker walks over to a morphian dressed in a business suit. He tells the supervisor, “Drakkis, there are some law enforcement officers who would like to speak with you.”

  Drakkis walks over to Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon and says, “My name is Dr
akkis, I’m the owner of this mall. How can I help you?”

  Gragon says, “I’m an R1 law enforcement officer and we have received information that there is going to be an armed robbery taking place at this mall.”

  Drakkis replies, “Can I see some ID?”

  Gragon says, “Absolutely.”

  Gragon gives Drakkis his ID and badge. Drakkis looks at them and believes what Gragon is saying. Drakkis believes Gragon because he knows that in the past there have been robberies that have taken place in malls in the Glass Tomb just before the malls opened for the very first time.

  Drakkis asks, “When is this robbery going to happen?”

  Gragon answers, “It’s going to happen soon; you and you’re crew should get out of here.”

  Drakkis says, “I’ll do that right away, Officer, thanks for your help.”

  Gragon says, “You’re welcome.”

  Drakkis gets his workers out of the mall and tells them they can have the day off. Before he exits the mall he hands Gragon the keys. Drakkis also gives Gragon his cell phone number and tells him to give him a call after the situation has been dealt with.

  Drakkis and his workers have exited the mall. Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon have the mall to themselves.

  Connor says with a smile, “Heh, nice one.”

  Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon sit up against a wall away from the entrance doors of the mall so that nobody will see them.

  Gragon says, “I don’t think the agents will look for us in a mall.”

  Connor says, “We need to tell everyone in the CSB-R1 base what’s going to happen.”

  Gabrielle says, “We don’t know where the base is, and we don’t have Clandarian government clearance to enter it. We don’t have any hard evidence to show them; we don’t even have a phone number for the CSB-R1 base. Gragon, do you know where the base is?”

  Gragon responds, “No.”

  Connor says, “We need to find the location and phone number of the CSB-R1 base.”

  Gabrielle says, “Gragon, use your phone to find it.”

  Gragon is searching the internet on his Balaxian cell phone for the location and contact number for the CSB-R1 base. Minutes later, he says, “I can’t find a number or the location. I’m going to contact someone I know in our precinct and I’ll tell him to find the number and location of the CSB-R1 base.”

  Gabrielle says, “Who are you going to call?”

  Gragon says, “Sytron.”

  Gabrielle says, “Are you sure you can trust him?”

  Gragon says, “It’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”

  Gragon uses his phone and calls Sytron. Sytron is an IT expert who works in Gragon’s precinct. Sytron hears his phone ring in his office. When Sytron answers the phone, Gragon says, “Sytron, it’s Gragon. Did any FBI agents come into the station today looking for me and Gabrielle?”

  Sytron says, “No.”

  Gragon tells Sytron that he needs a number for and the location of the CSB-R1 base.

  Sytron tells Gragon, “As soon as I get what you need, I’ll give you a call.”

  Gragon says, “Don’t tell anyone that you’re doing this for me. Also, if anybody asks where Gabrielle and I are, you know nothing; you don’t know where we are and this phone call didn’t happen.”

  Sytron says, “Affirmative.”

  Gragon and Sytron say goodbye to each other and hang up the call. Gragon tells Connor what he told Sytron to do.

  Connor says, “OK, we’re going to wait for Dylan, but if we get a contact number and a location for the CSB-R1 base we’ll go to the base and tell Dylan to meet us there.”

  Connor pulls out his planet communicator and uses a GPS application to find out the location of where he is. Connor finds the address and texts it to Dylan. Dylan receives the text from Connor and now knows where Connor is. Connor, Gabrielle and Gragon take their weapons out of the sports bag and carry them. Gragon takes the grenade shell belt with grenade shells out of the sports bag and wears it around his torso.

  Chapter Five

  DYLAN’S ARRIVAL

  Several hours later, Dylan’s space flight has landed. Agents are inside the planet transport station near the Red 1 arrival gate, and there are also agents in a car parked in the busy car park outside. All agents are wearing Balaxian earpiece mics. The planet transport station of the Big Rock is busy as usual with beings arriving in vehicles, citizens and immigrants in a hurry to catch a flight and individuals from Earth and Balaxia getting a lift in vehicles to the glacitone domes. Agents see Dylan at the arrival gate.

  One of the agents inside the planet transport station says, “We’ve spotted Dylan; he’s exiting the transport station now.” The agents in the car park see Dylan getting into a taxi. A morphian man is driving.

  The morphian taxi driver says, “Where to, Dark Human?”

  Dylan responds angrily, “Dark Human? Who the fuck are you calling dark human, you Mac and Me-looking motherfucker?!”

  The morphian taxi driver asks, “Where do you wish to go?”

  Dylan tells the taxi driver where he has to go. The taxi drives off. One of the agents starts the car and follows Dylan from a distance.

  Dylan phones Connor and tells him that he is on his way to meet up with him. The agent who is following Dylan tells all of the other agents that he is following Dylan, and gives them the names of the roads and streets he is driving on by looking at the GPS on the dashboard of his vehicle. Joel and his men have been driving around in the first built glacitone dome for hours looking for Connor.

  Joel and the other agents can hear the agent who is following Dylan on their Clandarian earpiece mics. Joel tells all agents driving the R1LEVs to follow the roads and streets that are given by the agent who is following Dylan. Minutes later Dylan arrives at the shopping mall, pays the driver and exits the taxi. Dylan phones Connor to let him know that he’s outside the mall.

  Dylan walks up to the shopping mall entrance. Connor exits the mall to meet him. Dylan is coming close to the entrance of the shopping mall. All of a sudden Connor sees a lot of R1LEVs in the car park.

  Connor shouts, with adrenaline pumping in his veins, “Dylan, look out behind you!”

  Dylan turns around and looks behind him. He sees the agents in the R1LEVs. He also sees Joel. Dylan pulls out his handgun and fires. None of the agents get out of any of the R1LEVs while Dylan opens fire. Connor opens fire with a ZX-53 machine gun. Both Dylan and Connor are walking backwards and firing at the R1LEVs. Dylan and Connor realise they’re right at the entrance doors of the shopping mall now. They stop firing, run inside the mall and hide behind a wall that’s beside the entrance doors.

  Connor gives Dylan a ZX-53 machine gun out of the sports bag. Some agents get out of the R1LEVs and open fire with their GD-7 machine guns on the shopping mall doors. The small metallic missiles fired from the agents’ guns smash the windows of the entrance doors and create small bursts of ruins as they hit the wall surrounding them. Joel sends some of his men to the back of the shopping mall.

  The agents have stopped firing because they need to reload their guns. Connor sees that the agents are reloading. Gabrielle, Dylan, Connor and Gragon open fire at the agents with their machine guns. The weapon rounds blow the tyre covers off the R1LEVs and create small sparks as they hit the law enforcement vehicles. Most of the agents hide behind the R1LEVs. A couple are hit and killed.

  Gabrielle, Dylan, Connor and Gragon hide behind the walls to reload their weapons with magazine clips from the sports bag. The agents have reloaded their machine guns and return fire.

  Connor says, “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  The agents need to reload their guns again.

  Connor says, “They’re reloading, right, now let’s move!”

  Connor runs up a flight of steps that leads to the first floor of the shopping mall. Gabrielle, Dylan and Gragon follow. The agents can’t see that their targets have run up a flight of stairs; they still think that they are hiding behind the wal
l beside the entrance doors. The agents crouch and walk at a crawling speed, firing short-burst rounds with their machine guns at the entrance doors and the walls surrounding them.

  Connor and Dylan are at the top of the flight of stairs. Gabrielle and Gragon are still running up the stairs. Agents are at the entrance doors, trying to get into the mall. Connor and Dylan open fire on the agents with their machine guns. They take out a couple of agents with their guns. Some of the agents who are being fired at by Connor and Dylan hide behind the wall.

  Gragon and Gabrielle are at the top of the stairs now. Dylan keeps on firing and Connor stops. Connor takes out a hand grenade from the sports bag; he pulls the pin from the grenade and sets it down on the flight of stairs.

  Connor shouts, “EVERYBODY MOVE!”

  He runs down the hallway of the first floor. Gabrielle, Gragon and Dylan run after him. From the first floor you can look down at the ground floor. An estimated distance in height between the first and ground floors is about the height of a two-storey house. To the left of Connor there are concrete pillars attached from the ground to the roof. In front of the pillars are railings with glass. They are there to prevent shoppers from falling onto the ground floor.

  To the right of Connor are shops. An agent called Leo peeps his head around the wall that is beside the entrance doors. Leo sees that his targets aren’t at the top of the stairs, and that they are on the move on the first floor.

  Leo shouts, “THEY’RE ON THE MOVE, LET’S GO!”

  Leo and the rest of the agents run inside the mall and up the flight of stairs to the first floor. None of them saw Connor planting the hand grenade on the stairs. All of a sudden, KABOOM! The hand grenade explodes, turning the stairs and some of the agents into little fragments. The blast makes other agents fly into the air and land on the ground floor of the mall.

  Some lucky agents are still alive. Connor, Gabrielle, Gragon and Dylan are running down the hallway of the first floor in between concrete pillars and shops. The agents who were ordered to go around the back of the shopping mall by Joel are now on the ground floor inside the mall. They see Connor, Gabrielle, Gragon and Dylan running. The width of a road with six vehicle lanes is an estimated distance between the agents and the ground floor surface underneath the balcony railing and base level of the first floor. The agents on the ground floor open fire at their targets with their GD-7 machine guns and run in the same direction as their targets. As the agents fire on Connor, Gabrielle, Gragon and Dylan, the shots fired from their machine guns smash the glass of the railings, blow holes and create small sparks on the railings, smash lights, create small blasts of rubble on the concrete pillars and smash the glass windows of shops. An agent fires a grenade from his machine gun/grenade launcher.