by Michael Todd
JB leaned back with a sigh. “I know, but I’m tired of sitting here, that’s all. So tell me about your world. What’s going on? I know stressed out when I see it.”
Holly rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat. “I just got off a call with my company. It was a bombardment. Somehow, they knew I went into the Zoo and now want me to go in for them.”
He nodded. “Ah. I see. And what do you think?”
“I don’t know. We could use the money—me and my team. I thought maybe I could at least give them a cost per trip into the Zoo with my team as protection. Then they all get paid. If they try to haggle, I’ll simply turn them down. I know them, and they will be relentless. I have to be prepared to face their wrath and know that if I turn this down, they probably won’t ever offer me a contract again.”
JB thought about it for a second. “Is that your only option? I mean, what do they want from the Zoo?”
She scowled. “They say they want new flavors for drinks, but I don’t really believe them. I guess I could simply buy a bunch of the existing data through Dan. Those have the chemical makeup of plants and animals in the Zoo already done. The company wouldn’t know that we didn’t go in and I didn’t collect it myself.”
“Are you willing to take that chance?” Her companion narrowed his eyes. “What if the information is wrong or old? You know how the Zoo constantly changes. Things could be one way today, but by tomorrow, they’ve evolved. It’s an ongoing struggle for the best scientists we have on the job.”
Holly chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Maybe you’re right. There are too many inconsistencies with that kind of thing. Too many ways it could be wrong—or go wrong, for that matter. On top of that, the agreement is that if you use the data, you have to share your data, and to be honest, I’m not really sure about all of that. The company is basically capitalizing off your brain and locking down something that isn’t theirs to lock down.”
“It sounds like a lot of work. But I have to admit that it’s easier than facing the Zoo in most situations. You might not get any information from the place because something eats you.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I understand that a little better every time I go in there. It’s a mini-war with the creatures simply to get some research material out of there. I don’t know. Even though I have nothing to measure it against other than stories, I feel like it’s getting worse. Like the animals are protecting it even more.”
JB nodded. “It wouldn’t surprise me. The Zoo knows that we are now even more restless. It’s taking over faster than we can prepare for it.”
Holly leaned her head back, frustrated. “I don’t know. Taking the already researched work with that kind of addendum to the contract can be dangerous. I know more than most people about this stuff. I can find solutions others have missed. It’s a talent of mine, for some reason. I can spot mistakes a mile away. And if I do that, I am required to tell them. That’s the part I’m not so sure about. I used to be fine with handing over whatever I found, but now I know how valuable this information can be. On top of that, I don’t know the real reason they want this. If they really wanted flavors for their drinks, they would have me test it accordingly, not the chemical makeup compared to other compounds within the Zoo.”
He smiled. “You overthink everything, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I kind of do. But with this eidetic memory, I don’t have a choice in the matter. It simply spins and spins with all the knowledge up there.”
JB leaned forward and placed his hands together. “I think what you really need to do is figure out what is best for you. If it’s best to go in and get this money, then that’s what it is. If not, then that’s the answer. You have to think about yourself every once in a while. Trust me, if you don’t, you will get burned out—and burned out, in the Zoo, is a recipe for death.”
Holly made a fake crying sound. “But Daaaaad, can’t you simply tell me what’s best for me? Because, just like with men, I suddenly have no idea.”
He laughed. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had someone who could calculate it all for us and tell us the answer? Unfortunately, that is not the way things work, even if we want them to. I do have to admit, though, that if you do start your own secret company, this whole thing might be a good cover. At least until you get your feet on the ground and are able to sustain yourselves. People will never suspect it if you freely hand over random information—and you can even mix it up to keep the company from figuring these things out. You did say you don’t think they are really in there for a drink.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you get so wise?”
JB smirked. “It was probably the poison. When your serum works all the way, I’ll go back to being dull.”
Holly shook her head and stood. “I don’t think you could be dull if you fucking tried. You probably have more stored up there about life than most people have on their deathbeds at ninety years old.”
“And that is why I need to keep myself busy. There’s way too much freaky shit floating around up there.”
She put her hands on her hips. “And you tried to transfer that shit over to me, you asshole. So I could be the one with all that knowledge floating around up there.”
He shook his finger at her. “I wondered when you would catch on. I’m actually not a human, I’m one of the aliens sent to destroy you from the inside out.”
Despite her mental struggle, Holly giggled. “Don’t joke about that because there’s probably one out there attempting that very thing.”
She walked over to JB and leaned forward to kiss him on the top of his head. “Rest, no matter how much you don’t want to. I promise, you’ll be allowed to reenter the world very soon. And if anything changes, call me right away. I think I’ll negotiate with the company and see what they have to offer. The worst that can happen is that I turn them down.”
JB nodded. “Very true. If you need any more handy advice, I’ll be here. Chained to my room like a prisoner.”
Holly laughed as she walked out and down the steps. She rounded the corner to where Paula stood behind the bar and shook her finger in the air. “Don’t you even think you can roll up here with your little dick and boss me around, sir. I have a fucking vagina and my dick is still bigger than yours.”
That brought another smile to Holly’s face and she rolled her eyes as she scooted past them toward the door. It never failed that a trip to FUBAR would get her mind straight and her brain ready to go. Now, all she had to do was face the corporate lions.
The board sat quietly and listened to Holly’s demands as she talked about the trips into the Zoo. “The place is a death trap. People know going in every day that there is a very good possibility they won’t come out again. Even the most seasoned mercenaries die there.”
Ralph kept his tone even. “We will provide you the best security possible. We can work with the government on this.”
She shook her head. “No. If I do this, I do it with my team. My choice. And you guys will need to pay them too. They won’t go in for much less than what you have offered me.”
Ralph took a deep breath. “How many on your team?”
“Five plus myself,” she replied.
Holly stayed firm on everything she expected from them in order that she could feel comfortable enough to take her team back into the Zoo. The payment wouldn’t change, and she only offered three trips to obtain the material they wanted. After that, they could move on or they could offer a new contract. There was no way she would allow them to string her on for an unknown number of trips into the jungle.
Ralph put her on hold for a moment as the board discussed it. When they returned, his voice had become more business-like. “All right. We agree to the fee for everyone and the limited number of trips. However, we want to know that you will be open to contract renegotiations after those three trips are over.”
She nodded. “I’m always open to that. I think you know that from the dozens of contracts I’ve taken over the years. But have th
at drawn up and send it over to me. I’ll sign with my team and fax it back.”
When the board members left the conversation, only she and Rod remained on the line. He chuckled. “You seem very different than before. Are you all right?”
Holly laughed and brushed him off. “I’m fine. But I’m not willing to roll into the Zoo for less money than is deserved.”
While she might have played it off to Rod, on the inside, she knew that everything had changed. He drew in a deep, noisy breath. “Well, you got what was important to you. Hopefully, you can get this over and done with and head back home to New York.”
“Yeah,” she replied and decided not to tell him that she might not actually come back anytime soon.
They ended the call and Holly smiled. She felt good about her negotiations but, at the same time, still slightly unsure about going in for something so trivial and unimportant. Still, she could use it to her advantage. She shrugged and walked toward the bathroom to take a shower. “At least we’ll make some cash off this. The team is all about the money.”
Holly finished in the shower and dressed hastily. She needed to let the team know about the job in case any of them wanted to back out. They would all need to sign the contract with the company. If her team backed out, she would back out too. The Zoo was far too dangerous for her to roll up there with anyone other than her team having her back. She didn’t care what kind of professionals they came up with. It took more than a gun and courage to survive in the jungle.
Chapter Five
The Staging Area was quiet that day as many of the teams had taken a day off. Every group was different and on a rotation of their own, but every once in a while, their downtimes all fell on the same day. That was when the desert was silent and the bar was as rowdy as fuck. Even on the way from the town, they could hear the guys shout and cheer inside FUBAR. Holly felt bad for Paula. She would definitely have her hands full.
The team stood in the Staging Area to load their weapons and activate their suits. Holly had uploaded a map to each HUD in order that the team would know exactly where they were supposed to go. There was no need to bring everyone on the first trip as it would literally be an in and out kind of foray. Trigger left to get work done, and the rest drew straws, which gave Aki the opportunity to have a day off. When he drew the short straw, Holly couldn’t figure out if he was happy or upset about it, but that was Aki, the master at hiding his emotions.
She had made sure from the beginning to make the first trip short and sweet. One reason was because she didn’t want to give the company too much time between hiring them and getting results. Besides, she wasn’t really into the contract in the first place. Unlike her jobs in the past, she wanted to get shit done as easily and quickly as possible and get out of there. She would do the minimum for them that was possible. Of course, the Zoo would decide whether it would be easy or not. It was always the one that made that call.
Holly approached Adisa, Alvin, and Misha. “All right, team. This will be an easy extraction. In and out, short and sweet, on our way. The map in your HUD will direct you to our location. If we come across a Pita patch, we’ll stop, but we will be paid either way, so the samples are the most important.”
Misha put her hands on her hips. “No samples of the Pita?”
She shrugged with a smirk. “Oh, I’m sure they would love to have one—if I had told them about it.”
Alvin slapped Adisa on the back. “Look at us. Working for a big corporation. We’ve finally got those respectable jobs our parents always wanted us to have.”
Misha gave him a side glance. “Respectable in your case might be pushing it a bit.”
He faked a loud laugh. “Oh, look at the Russian slut bot calling me anything but respectable.”
She giggled. “Did you just call me a slut bot? I have killed men for saying less than that.”
“Fine. Whore Sandwich. Is that better?”
Misha cleared her throat and dragged her pack onto her shoulders. “Much. Thank you. And it’s okay. Maybe one day, a girl will like your dick.”
Holly chuckled and waved her arm. “Come on. And save your insults for the bar. We have to keep our eyes and ears open. We’re the only ones in this jungle today so all creepy alien eyes will be on us.”
The team followed her in and Alvin tripped Misha as they went. She gave him the finger and hurried to catch up with Adisa. They walked quietly with their motion sensors on and it didn’t take them long to reach the destination, which was only about a half a mile into the Zoo.
Holly stopped at the spot and looked around to identify the plants she needed to collect. She turned to the group. “All right, guys. Here’s where I will collect samples. Adisa, take the right, Misha the middle, and Alvin the left. You guys keep your heads on and your motion detectors activated. If anything comes after us, make sure you blast it away before it has a chance to even sniff Alvin’s body odor.”
Misha snorted. “That would be a miracle.”
Alvin sniffed. “Hey, I smell winter fucking green fresh. Get off my ass.”
The Russian walked forward, her knives out. “Trust me, if your pits smell like that, I’m going nowhere near your ass.”
Adisa cleared his throat and readied his machine gun. “How do you think Aki is feeling today? I have never seen a drunk man do a backflip like that last night.”
Misha laughed. “Oh, you missed the second one.”
“Man, I love it when he does that shit.”
Alvin smirked. “This one was his downfall. He tried it off a bar table. The whole fucking thing flipped on his wasted ass. We ended up grabbing him by the arms and dragging him out. I bet he doesn’t even remember that now.”
She snorted. “Or he feels like a champion because he’s a fucking ninja.”
Adisa laughed. “Not to mention the fact that I watched about six hundred guys line up to hit on Misha last night. Most girls would become more responsive to the scumbags as they downed vodka. Not Misha. The more she drank, the harsher the put-downs were.”
“Like how she told that guy that if he couldn’t shave his unibrow then she could only imagine what kind of hell would be unleashed with his pubes?” Alvin asked.
Misha smiled. “I have drunk vodka since childhood. Nothing gets me loose like these other whores who roll around the town. Besides, I’m sure I was right. You probably wouldn’t be able to find the weenie through the patch of tangled hell down there.”
Alvin grimaced. “And you are perfect?”
She straightened and looked over her shoulder. “Is that a question or a statement? I will assume statement because it doesn’t take much to realize that of course, this Russian woman is everything that is perfect in life.”
Before anyone could respond, something stirred on their motion sensors. Adisa tensed and shushed them. “There’s something out there. I see the signatures.”
The Russian held her knives in front of her. “From the looks of it, there are four somethings coming toward us.”
The three backed away from the edge of the jungle, ready to fight. Four praying mantises leapt from the shrubbery and stopped to face them. They slashed their mandibles back and forth.
Alvin regarded them morosely. “These motherfuckers never seem to learn. I hate fucking bugs. All kinds of bugs. Especially the alien ones.”
He squeezed the trigger and blasted slugs into the one on the end closest to him. It hissed and wailed and tried to lunge at him, but a bullet struck its leg and brought it to the ground. The creature twitched and twisted as Alvin drew his pistol and fired into its big-eyed head.
The other mantises went still for a moment and stared at their dead comrade. The jungle was deadly silent, even with Holly in the background picking her samples. “Are you guys okay?” she asked.
Alvin smiled. “No problem. We got this issue. You focus on what you need to do.”
He clicked the comms off and nodded at his teammates. The three attacked and the creatures lunged toward them in respon
se. Adisa roared, drew his fist back, and punched one in the face. It fell back and before it could find its feet again, he aimed his machine gun and squeezed the trigger to obliterate the insect. Pieces of mantis and blood exploded everywhere and he continued to fire until there was literally nothing but pieces left.
Misha laughed as she swung her dagger and severed one of the other mantis’s blades off. “Did you see that shit? Adisa straight-up punched that motherfucker in the head. Not today, mantis, not today.”
She twisted her body and swung her leg around as she slammed her foot into the insect’s side. It teetered to the left and then the right before it finally regained its footing. Misha jumped up, grabbed the mantis by the head, and scrambled onto its back. She jammed her dagger into the back of its neck and killed it instantly. With a whoop of victory, she rode it to the ground and sprang off to give Adisa a high-five.
Alvin fired at the final mantis but it leapt back and forth and zigzagged around him and managed to avoid injury. Finally, he heard the click of an empty magazine. He growled loudly in anger and flipped his gun, thrust it at the creature, and knocked it to the ground. The insect had no time to recover as he marched forward and struck it repeatedly with the butt of the weapon. When it was dead, he ripped its two top arms off and threw one to either side.
Misha frowned. “Wow, calm down, Rambo.”
“Yeah, man, that was too much.” Adisa shook his head.
Alvin put his hands out. “What? Oh, come on.”
Holly knew the team had engaged in a battle of some kind, but it sounded like they had it under control. She focused on collecting as many of the species as she could to take back to study for the company. As she reached for a third patch, her hand brushed against something sharp and she jumped back, startled. A peculiar-looking snake hissed warningly at her from the bush.