by Michael Todd
“Out of how many?” Billie raised an eyebrow.
Marcus cleared his throat. “That doesn’t matter. You ready?”
She groaned as the plane began to taxi and then gathered speed down the runway. She gripped the sides of her seat as it lifted into the air and wobbled slightly from side to side. The comm buzzed and a voice came over. “Aircraft four niner eleven, come in.”
She glanced around furtively and pressed the response button slowly. “Yes?”
The person replied, “Who is this? Are you authorized to fly this?”
Billie stabbed her dagger into the comm button and shorted it out. “Fuck, I forgot the cloaking.”
Marcus sighed as he cloaked the plane for her. “Fucking don’t do that in the Zoo. Get your head out of your ass, Billie.”
Dan wandered the warehouse and browsed all the equipment set up on tables. Holly looked around wide-eyed, fascinated by the technology that barely anyone in the world had seen. Roman, the shop owner, stood at the staircase and leaned against the wall with a toothpick in his mouth. His round belly had been somehow squeezed under a tight sweatshirt. If he raised his arms, she could see his skin. His head was mostly bald, the sides cut low enough to keep manageable but still long enough to see.
Holly grabbed several pieces of equipment for her next trip into the Zoo. It wasn’t everything she would have liked to have, but it was definitely enough to get the job done. Roman already knew it was on JB’s tab and waved them off when she showed him an armload of equipment.
They finally moved outside and Dan pulled his coat on. “Do you need help getting that back?”
She shook her head. “Nah, it’s only about four blocks. If you gotta go, it’s fine. I’ll see you next time around. And thanks.”
He patted her on the shoulder and took off at a jog, obviously late for something. Holly shrugged and began walking when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She struggled but managed to retrieve it and looked at the message from an unknown number. On my way back. -H.
“Damn.” She groaned as she shoved her phone in her pocket and virtually ran back toward her apartment to prepare for her next trip.
Marcus leveled the plane at five thousand feet and held it steady. “Good luck out there. Hit the button on the door to open it. You’ll have fifteen seconds to jump before it closes, so don’t hesitate.”
Billie shrugged the rest of her equipment onto her shoulders and made her way to the door. “I swear, if this thing takes me down like a falling piano, I’ll come back and haunt your fucking robots.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. If I sense you haven’t opened your chute or glider, I’ll do it for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Great, always in charge of my fate.”
He ignored the jibe, so she walked to the door and slammed her fist on the button. She shook her head as she dove out of the plane and it continued its flight without her. With her arms out, she watched the altitude in her HUD carefully as she dropped rapidly toward the Zoo. In the distance, she could see gunfire. “I guess that’s the best place I could be right now.”
She headed in that direction and found the comms for that team. “Team lead, come in.”
A static crackle was quickly followed by a voice. “Uh, this is the team lead. Where are you coming from? We don’t see anyone close by.”
Billie looked around. “That doesn’t matter. Look, be careful where you shoot and don’t fire at the big fucker. I’ll ride him like a whore on a pole.”
The forest was dark and the team lead couldn’t get his heat sensors to work. His HUD had been damaged in the battle, he was a man short, and his scientist was badly hurt. They had pulled him to the side and tried to see to him as best they could while engaged in an ongoing battle with the animals that seemed to attack in relentless droves. Their campsite had been attacked, which was the worst place for it to happen. You let your guard down for five seconds and out of nowhere, you were screwed.
“Team lead, come in.” He tapped the side of his HUD when the voice came through.
He furrowed his brow and looked around for any sign of anyone. “Uh, this is the team lead. Where are you coming from? We don’t see anyone close by.”
He waited for a moment and the woman’s voice responded. “That doesn’t matter. Look, be careful where you shoot and don’t fire at the big fucker. I’ll ride him like a whore on a pole.”
The lead looked at the large thirty-foot-tall monster that wavered on the outskirts of the campsite. “Roger that.”
Bewildered, he deactivated the comm and raised his arms. “Don’t shoot the big guy. We got some woman coming in heavy. Hold your fire.”
His team stopped their barrage and watched the beast warily. “What will she do?”
Another team member reloaded his gun. “Maybe it’s a fucking trick. Someone here to steal our load-in.”
The leader narrowed his eyes and peered about thirty feet above the creature’s head. It was dark, but he could see someone’s head gear light up. “There!” He pointed to the faint glimmer.
The team watched as she dropped and cut her parachute loose. She aimed her guns toward the animal’s head and began to fire at the creature before she and her suit slammed hard on top of it. The creature roared, lost its balance, and thudded to the ground. It destroyed trees and vines as it crashed into the jungle floor. The woman jumped off and rolled. Dust blew up all around the soldiers and they stood immobile as they waited for it to settle.
When it did, there was nothing left but the beast which lay dead in front of them. The woman had gone, having apparently run into the woods and disappeared. One of the guys stepped forward and flicked on his head lamp. “The Ghost of the Zoo.”
The leader chuckled but sobered almost immediately. “What? You think? No, really?”
The guy nodded and pointed at the sky. “She rolled in out of nowhere and saved our asses.”
Chapter Eight
Holly put her feet up on her desk and stretched her arms over her head. She knew she should continue her preparations but she had to sit, if only for a few minutes. There was no way to know when Hickok would show up or even what they would do once she arrived. All she could assume was that they would go into the Zoo, but after that point, she really had no idea. Billie was a little difficult to figure out sometimes, especially when she made it a habit to disappear and reappear out of nowhere.
She swept her gaze to the new equipment set up on the kitchen counter. It would have to be packed next and she had to make sure it was stowed safely in her pack. Suddenly, a loud pounding on her door startled her and she put her feet down hastily as she wondered who it could possibly be. She thought Amanda had gone home for the night, but maybe she had come to tell her she would work late. It happened from time to time.
Cautiously, she opened the door and did a double-take when she saw Billie standing there. She looked curiously at the door and back at the other woman. “Since when did you start knocking on front doors?”
Billie shrugged. “Since you had a complete and total meltdown when I scared you in the street. I’ve been gone a while, so I figured I should knock this time.”
Holly stepped out of the way and noticed the dirt all over the other woman’s arms and face. She frowned in confusion. “Why are you so dirty, and where is your suit and helmet?”
Her visitor waved her hands. “I left it in the shop overnight. It was pretty dirty, so I figured I wouldn’t drag it up the stairs.”
It didn’t seem logical that the dirty armor could hurt anything, but she wasn’t in the mood to ask any questions about it. Billie had her reasons and they were usually good ones. “Well, when do you want to head into the Zoo with me?”
Billie glanced at her as she sat in the office chair. “So you’re ready?”
Holly nodded. “Actually, yeah. I found a small team to train with—four guys and a girl—and they took me into the Zoo for a mini session. I fought a weird rat thing with spikes and a jag. Two jags, actually. It was
terrifying, and I may or may not have shit my pants while out there, but I feel better about it now that I know what it’s like.”
Her companion clapped her approval. “Good. Then we can go first thing in the morning. I want to get cleaned up and get some rest if that’s okay with you.”
She nodded and raised her hands in a gesture of compliance. “Whatever you need. I picked up some equipment for testing in the Zoo, so I will be able to do better work out there too.”
Billie gave her a thumbs-up. “That sounds awesome. I knew you would get there. If you don’t mind, though, I’d really like to hose off.”
“No, of course.”
Hickok grinned, stood, and headed to the bathroom. “I’ll meet your team out in the Zoo.”
The alarm went off early in the morning before the sun was even up yet. Holly groaned, leaned over, and slapped the clock. She clicked the bedside lamp on and collapsed back in the bed. After a few seconds, she rubbed her face and turned, expecting to see Billie, but no one was there. She threw the covers off and gripped the sheets as she sat up.
A hasty and somewhat bleary-eyed glance around the apartment confirmed that she was obviously alone. She sighed, stood, and shuffled to the bathroom where she splashed cold water on her face. “It’s just like her to disappear.”
She stepped into the shower as the automatic timer on the coffee maker went off. Knowing there was a hot cup of life waiting for her was the only thing that got her through, although she felt a little better for the hot water. Still, when she’d finished, even the normal spritz of peppermint body wash hadn’t woken her fully. She headed out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and grabbed a cup of coffee. As she leaned against the counter and sipped it slowly, the realization that she was going back into the Zoo hit her like a ton of bricks.
Adrenaline surged through her body and she looked at the coffee. “Well, it looks like you have some competition.”
The reality spurred her into action. She yanked the base of her suit on and stuffed the rest into her duffel to put on when they reached the Staging Area. Definitely more awake now, she headed out of the apartment and down to the training area where Alvin, Adisa, and Misha waited. They raised their arms in excitement when they saw her and she grinned as she lugged her shit over to the JLTV. She tossed the duffel in the back and put her pack carefully to the side.
Misha slapped her on the back. “Girl power today.”
“Looks pretty even to me, actually. Two dicks, two—” Alvin chuckled.
Misha put her finger in his face. “Watch it, Dik Khoul.”
He shivered dramatically. “I love it when you speak Russian.”
Adisa chuckled and stretched over them to place his machine gun in the back. “Are you two going to fuck or are you gonna get in this thing and go kick some Zoo ass?”
Misha looked at Holly. “I thought there would be a fifth?”
Holly sighed and jumped into the vehicle. “They will join us.”
The team shrugged and they scrambled in, Adisa behind the wheel. Both Aki and Trigger had a contract to work out with the corporation they collected Pita for so would stay behind for that trip. Holly didn’t mind at all. She knew they only did this as a favor to her anyway. There would be barely anything in it for them unless they found a serious haul while they were out there.
They reached the Staging Area and immediately geared up and snapped their helmets in place. Adisa took the lead and pulled up the map of where they were headed first. “With any luck, we’ll fill our sacks with petals and make this trip lucrative in multiple ways.”
The team all seemed eager to make that happen. Adisa headed in with Holly behind him, followed by Misha and Alvin, who brought up the rear as usual. The rear two teammates couldn’t help their banter back and forth. He chuckled as he stared at her ass. “Did they make that suit specially for you? Your ass looks amazing. Is that padding?”
She sneered. “Funny. I was just thinking it looked like you shoved a sock in the front of your pants. We’ve all seen your dick, and we know it’s not that big.”
Holly stuck her hand up. “I haven’t—and before you ask, no, I would not like to.”
They headed farther and farther into the jungle and the banter ceased as they listened and watched for any sign of danger along the way. As Adisa pushed through a veil of vines, he jumped and then froze. “Holy fucking hell.”
The others raced up beside him and all stopped abruptly and gawked at an armored figure. The suit resembled a human-sized—or perhaps a touch bigger—Mech. Holly looked at the armor and narrowed her eyes. “You could have told me you would come out all super metaled up.”
Billie laughed. “What fun would it be if the ghost didn’t play a little game once in a while?”
Alvin’s eyes went huge. “Holy fuck, JB didn’t lie!”
Hickok didn’t lift her helmet or darkened visor, but they didn’t need her to in order to know who she was. She pulled her weapon into position in front of her. “I’ll take point if you don’t mind.”
Adisa shook his head. “It would be my pleasure, Ghost.”
The team followed her through the jungle for what was a long and fairly uneventful day. They battled small batches of rats and mantis along the way but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Besides, with Billie there in her metal gear from hell, they rarely even had to fire any of their bullets.
She stopped in a small clearing and looked around. “The sun has dropped low. I say we make camp and start fresh in the morning. There are some seriously good Pita patches around here, so we should be able to score a good haul.”
The team members nodded and without direction, went to work to set up the camp. Holly walked over to Hickok and knocked on her armor. “A bit over the top, don’t you think?”
Billie laughed. “Fuck no. I can fucking beat the hell out of almost anything in this shit. I feel Goddamn invincible.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Wonderful, because you weren’t too cocky at all before you got this armor.”
Chapter Nine
When the sun climbed above the canopy, the team roused quickly. They knew being there in tents was dangerous during the daylight. Like humans, when the day began, the animals would hunt for their breakfast. None of them wanted to be on the menu. Holly packed her tent and checked her equipment before she looked at Billie, who had slept in her armor the night before. She looked far more rested than anyone else.
Hickok waved her arm. “All right, everyone. I have a good idea where there is a nice-sized Pita patch. I assume you guys want to make some money while you’re out here.”
Alvin chuckled. “Fuck yeah.”
Misha gave a thumbs-up and then flipped it to the bird as she turned toward Alvin.
Adisa chuckled as he shrugged his pack on. “I am all about some extra dough.”
They followed Billie through the forest for a short distance from where they had camped. A large, untouched Pita patch nestled in the middle of a sunny clearing. The team immediately went to work picking petals while Holly moved through the brush on the side to find samples of what she had on her list. Billie stood watch and prowled the perimeter with her eyes focused and ears pricked for any sign of trouble.
A small alarm sounded in her HUD and she opened the message. Movement had been detected in the distance and apparently, a pack of jags now moved toward them. She activated the comms with the others. “Heads up, gang. We have a pack of jags headed our way. We need to move as swiftly as we can to get rid of them. If you find yourself bogged down, call for me. I’ll clear what I can so you guys don’t get injured.”
Alvin stood and shrugged. “I said I wanted a Mech by my side. It looks like I got a mini one at that.”
A few minutes later, the jags raced through into the center of the Pita patch and growled and snarled at the group. Adisa raised his machine gun and laughed. “Stand back, my friends. I got this one in the front. He looks like he is about to have a very fucking bad day.”
He step
ped forward, aimed the gun at the jag, and fired, then held the trigger down. Bullets sprayed and annihilated the beast where it stood. The other creatures scattered but only to identify their target and attack. Misha held a dagger in each hand, bent over, and waved her ass back and forth. As the jag raced toward her, she leapt upward to come down on its back. Without hesitation, she jammed one of her daggers into its spine to destroy the function of its legs. The jag yowled and fell heavily with Misha on top.
She grabbed its head and pulled it back. “Sorry, love. You don’t belong on this planet.”
With that, she ran the blade across its throat to take its life with a violent spray of blood.
Alvin whistled as he brought his M-16 around in front of him. “Ain’t you a pretty little kitty? Too bad you gonna be a dead pretty kitty.”
The jag snarled and the spikes on its tail slammed into the ground. Alvin chuckled as he aimed his weapon and pulled the trigger to release a bullet with a loud retort. The slug spiraled through the air but at the last second, the jag dodged and darted toward him. “Fuck.”
He winced and waited for contact but opened his eyes at the sound of a yelp. The jag sprawled on the ground with a big, long sword straight through its body. Alvin looked at Billie and nodded his head. “Thanks.”
She yanked the blade out. “No problem.”
Holly backed toward the edge of the clearing as she stared a jag in the eyes. She had a short sword in one hand and a pistol in the other but was unsure of exactly which one she planned to use. The furry animal surged toward her and saliva dripped from its fangs. She instantly remembered what it was like to wrestle one and decided to play it safe. Raising her pistol, she fired two shots into its head in rapid succession. The creature dropped in mid stride and slid to a stop at the tips of her boots.
She stepped over it and walked forward to stand beside her teammates. They watched Billie eliminate the other beasts that had followed the pack. She was brutal and ruthless as she grabbed them and crushed them with her suited hands. As the last of them launched into an attack, she drew her leg back and kicked viciously at the oncoming jag. Her foot made impact with its face and the force of it all but tore its head off its shoulders.