by Scott Moon
Andronik ran in a short circle, arms spread in the airplane pose. “Andronik will watch the street very much…” He froze in place and jerked his wide eyes toward Thaddeus.
Thaddeus laughed. The sound was a bit hysterical, but it was a laugh. “Better, Andronik. Just…watch the street and stop running around.”
“How will the grownups know I'm a child if I stomp like this?” Andronik perfectly imitated the plodding step of an adult Unglok.
Ungloks and humans turned onto the street to go about their normal business. Thad felt like he had wasted too much time on the excitable kid and lost Ike.
“Oh, no. He's in the third warehouse where he always goes,” Andronik said.
Thad froze, staring at the child. “Did you just…?”
Andronik shook his head emphatically without blinking or cracking a smile.
“Okay. Stay here. Or go home or whatever. Just don't follow me.”
Andronik started running around acting like an Unglok child. Several others joined him.
All the warehouses looked the same. The only difference Thad could see was the amount of wear and tear leading to the large cargo doors of each building. The third warehouse looked dark. Broken windows decorated the top level. Birds—he hoped—burst from the openings and whirred away in an expanding cloud of small wings.
He approached from the side of the building, wishing he had better cover and concealment. A full tactical team and an evacuation plan would be nice. It is what it is, he thought.
Pain ached in his arm. He wanted a drink. Thoughts of Shaunte, Dixie, and his ex-wives circled his brain.
The warehouse, like all the others, was fronted with a loading dock capable of receiving large pallets of exotic minerals or heavy equipment. The closer he came to it, the more it seemed to loom above him. He hurried to the stairs at one end and sprinted onto the platform.
Ike's footprints and a drop of blood pointed the way like a sign.
He's already tried to kill me. His sister says he's clever and mean, Thaddeus thought. He approached a window and looked inside without sticking his entire face into view. With his off-hand, he shaded the window, but was still unable to see far inside.
Next to the bank of industrial-sized double-doors was a personnel access point, like a regular door except in better condition. The big doors were normally open. Workers usually went that way.
He didn't see footprints here, but weather had cleared this section of the landing of dust, more or less. The handle turned easily. He pushed the door open and stepped back, gripping his gun with both hands and raising it into a low ready position.
Two seconds later, he rushed through and moved to the left of the door, sweeping the barrel of his blaster across the massive room but didn’t see Ike.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Ladies and Dog
Dixie slid off the barstool and placed her hands on her hips, one leg delightfully exposed if she did say so herself—and she did, often—and her hair perfectly mangled. “Where have you been, little miss-behavin’?” Dixie asked the new girl as she straggled into the Mother Lode. To her immense satisfaction, more than half the patrons paused with their small, carefully measured shot glasses half way to their mouths to watch the confrontation.
“Why, Miss Dixie, Darklanding is so big I got lost,” Ruby said.
“Have you seen the sheriff?”
Ruby nodded.
Dixie crossed the room and looked down on her, standing so close she was breathing the upstart girl's air. “Now's not the time to hold out on me. Spill it, child.”
Ruby looked up with innocent eyes. “He's helping Miss Shaunte with the workers going on strike.”
Dixie grabbed Ruby's shoulder without thinking. She looked around for someone to relieve the sudden feeling of dread. The wannabe drunks turned away. Even Maximus had his head down where he slept at the door to the kitchen.
“Why aren't you with the sheriff!” she accused the animal.
Maximus rolled his eyes and huffed, then moved lazily toward the front door.
“Stupid animal,” Dixie said.
“I thought you liked Maximus?” Ruby said.
“I love dogs, and cats. But I'm not sure that thing is either. Don't change the subject. Where is the sheriff?”
“Oh, would you like me to take you to him? I heard from Mast's kids where he is looking for Ike, who is going to try to kill him,” Ruby said.
Dixie grabbed her upper arm. “No more games, child. Take me there. And we better not be too late.”
Ruby pried her arm free, then carefully pushed back from Dixie so that her breasts were no longer looming in her face. “I think Sheriff Fry will get the drop on my brother. Not much we can do but watch.”
Dixie's mouth opened and closed but no words came out. A familiar and not very welcome voice came from the stairs.
“We can all go,” Shaunte said.
Dixie looked up. The Company Man was carrying two hunting rifles.
“Ruby Miranda, can you use one of these things?” Shaunte asked.
“Can you?” Ruby asked.
“My family owns three hunting reserves. It's been a while, but I learned to hunt with my father,” Shaunte said. Her official jumpsuit was like Ruby's safari gear in some ways, functional and tough. She had her hair tied back and wore a sturdy—and fashionable—pair of yellow-tinted shooting glasses. “Let's go.”
“Well, that would be grand, wouldn't it?” Dixie said. “Three little women going to save the Lone Ranger and his trusty sidekick.”
“What are you talking about?” Ruby asked. Shaunte also looked perplexed.
Defensive and unable to hide it, Dixie thrust her chin up. “I like to read. And watch old movies.”
Shaunte shook her head and led the way out of the Mother Lode. Maximus waited on the oversized front porch. He followed the three of them with his head bobbing side to side as he walked, tongue lolling like a dog and nostrils snorting like a wild pig.
Other pedestrians moved out of their way as the setting sun pierced the smog behind them, and a shuttle launched into space.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The Final Conflict
Calm down, Fry man, Thaddeus thought. This was the part he had to do alone. Mast was a good deputy, but he had no tactical training and his firearms skill didn't deserve the name.
Dust motes striped the center of the room, shifting lazily without a breeze to blow them away. The broken windows high above looked smaller from the inside. He moved as quietly as possible and hunkered down next to a piece of heavy equipment to give his eyes time to adjust.
Silence ruled. If Ike was in here, the man was smart enough to do the same thing Thad was doing. Charging in the door was necessary because he didn't want to be a target in that small space. Now that he was inside, he needed to slow down and use all his senses.
What was a sheriff supposed to do? He knew what the ground forces officer would do—hold what he had and relay information until a proper strike team could be assembled. In the minds of his past leaders, this would not be seen as a heroic effort to catch a criminal but rather a useless waste of resources. They would label him a rogue operator at best and insubordinate at worst. The low risk move would have been to surround the building and wait. At some point, Ike would have to come out.
But Thad didn’t have those kinds of resources.
He crouched low and moved to a new position, worried that he had not heard his quarry move. There wasn't much time for detailed analysis of his situation. His past was in the past, and now he was the Sheriff of Darklanding. Ike had tried to kill him and incite a labor riot.
Thaddeus had to bring him down.
A generator rumbled to life and shook the ceiling and walls of the enormous warehouse. Stacks of crates almost reached the ceiling. The aisles between them were wide enough for a large forklift or robot to move items. From his vantage point, there was no way to see them all.
He looked again to the windows, and wished he could see down on the maze of supplies and
equipment. Mast or some of his spy children could provide an excellent over-watch. Thoughts of blaster ricochets taking out one of the little street rats caused him to rethink the idea. He took his hand away from the data pad radio and proceeded alone.
Every step was a struggle for him not to call orders to his squad leaders. Some habits were so ingrained that they would never leave him. With the familiar adrenaline rush of combat came memories of Centauri Prime and all the things he was trying to forget.
He moved faster.
Row after row proved empty. He darted through the open areas and crossed behind cover when he could find it.
“I see you, lawman.”
Thad froze, then turned slowly to look for his enemy. The voice felt like it was coming from ahead of him and maybe up on top of one of the stacks. He crossed to the other side of the aisle and waited.
“Do you know what's nice, lawman? Night vision optics. I bet you know all about those from your training. I'm kind of disappointed a hard-charging veteran like you didn't come better prepared.”
Moving heel to toe, Thaddeus stepped forward. Ike talked as though he knew where Thad was. That had to change.
“Keep talking, Ike. You have a face for radio.”
Ike laughed. “That's good. I'm not trying to hide from you. Not anymore. Come to the sound of my voice and see what happens.”
Thaddeus slipped into the next aisle, and kept his gun pointed forward. Despite his training and experience, it was tempting to aim as though his enemy would appear at any second. He could raise the weapon from the low ready and fire off accurate rounds all day long, but not if he exhausted his shoulders and arms needlessly.
The sheriff didn’t know how long this would keep up.
Ike kept talking and Thaddeus kept moving closer. One of the large cargo doors slid to the ceiling, surprising them both.
Thaddeus cursed.
Ike laughed from his hiding place. “You almost got me, lawman. Didn't realize you were that close. Who the hell do you think is crashing our party?”
Thaddeus climbed onto a front loader and looked toward the open door. Sunlight streamed in. The industrial smell of Darklanding filled his senses. The gloomy sun shimmered behind the distinctive silhouettes of three women.
He climbed down and put his back to one of the stacks. “Not helpful.”
Something wet rubbed against his hand and he looked down to see Maximus staring at him. “Did you bring them?”
The sturdy animal continued staring, momentarily out of its complex and confusing expressions. Thad scratched behind its ears and stepped past it. He saw where Ike was now. The man sat in one of the mech suits, a frame that walked on two legs and had hands like giant rubberized pinchers.
“Why don't you tell your girlfriends to get out of here before someone gets hurt,” Ike said. “I know how to use this thing.”
Shaunte, Dixie, and Ruby walked into the aisle and stood across it like three action heroes. Thad didn't know if he wanted to applaud their audacity or curse them for exposing themselves to Ike's weapons.
Shaunte took a short step forward. “That's a forklift, Ike. Just climb out of it and turn yourself into the sheriff.”
Ike punched several buttons on the metal giant and it roared to life. Powerful floodlights shined in their faces, the effect only slightly diminished by the struggling daylight of pre-dusk.
Thaddeus moved forward and placed himself at a slight angle to the freight mover, estimating that it wouldn't be nimble in that direction. “He still has a blaster.”
Shaunte answered without looking away from Ike and his machine. “I see it. It's in a holster by his leg.”
Ruby stepped forward, touching Shaunte on the arm as she passed by. She looked up at the machine and the driver. Thaddeus's heart beat faster as the cold burn of adrenaline surged through him.
“We had our differences, Ike, but I want you to come down and talk to me just this once,” Ruby said.
Ike grunted an unintelligible curse and stomped down with the foot of the mechanized forklift. Ruby held her ground, barely flinching at the impact five meters in front of her. The machine was more than twice her height and weighed several tons.
Thaddeus moved closer to Ruby, not wanting to give up the angle he had chosen but also not wanting to leave her exposed and alone if Ike decided to rush forward. He didn't think they were very fast, but a mistake would be fatal.
“You don't have to do this. Let me handle him,” Thaddeus said.
Ruby looked at him. “My family disowned me, and they disowned him too. He's ten years older than me and we never got along back before he left. But I still have to try. Do you have any idea what it's like to be completely on your own?”
Ike thrust the controls forward on the mech and marched forward.
Thad shoved Ruby toward Shaunte and Dixie, whirling to aim his blaster at the advancing machine. The shot was at an odd angle. The mech was made for lifting boxes not fighting against modern weapons. There was no armor to speak of, but there was enough bulky metal framework to disrupt anything but a well-placed shot.
“Stop right there, Ike!”
“I told you to get rid of them!”
“I've got to take you in, Ike.”
Ike made the machine stomp its foot. “You don't understand, lawman. This has gone too far. The miners and dockworkers and all the people that make this place work have lost faith in that woman. And not all of it was even my fault. This place was broken before I got here.”
He backed the machine up and revved the engine.
“Maybe you're right, but I doubt it. I've been down there during a mining collapse. Have you? These people came out here to work. None of them are angels. Half of them probably have warrants or some other fugitive status. You bought them some drinks. That's all.”
“I'm their friend!”
“I doubt it.”
Maximus barked.
Ike charged forward. Ruby grabbed Dixie and pushed her out of the way. Thaddeus dived at Shaunte and tackled her as she was starting to say something. They rolled to one side as the huge machine thundered forward.
Thad ran after the machine. It plowed through the open bay door and put on the brakes to stop before going off the edge of the loading platform. The bulky metal feet and legs went up on tiptoes as Ike made the arms wheel backwards to keep from over-balancing. One fist smashing an awning during the wild gyrations.
Thad jumped and landed on the machine’s back. He climbed into the cockpit carrier and grabbed Ike by the back of his head, slamming his face into the control panel. Blood spattered the controls and he thought he saw a tooth fly out.
With his left hand, he yanked the emergency cutoff switch and the machine went quiet. He returned his attention to Ike and wrestled him backward, putting him in a chokehold. “Don't fight me, Ike. I could've killed you. That's what I planned to do. Consider this just a happy accident on your part.”
“Don't think I'll return the favor! I'll kill you first chance I get. Where do you think I learned to drive one of these things? I've done some hard labor in some hard places. I'm not going back.”
Thad applied pressure until Ike started to mumble and eventually quit talking altogether. “Are you better now?”
Ike made a sound that could've been agreement or compliance. Thad released some of the pressure. He waited until his prisoner spoke.
“It doesn't matter, lawman.” Ike's voice sounded tired. “The damage has been done. SagCon will need to hire a team of negotiators and probably three companies of Marines to get this place back in order. The Company Man will need a miracle to put things right.”
“I think she's up to it,” Thad said. He brought Ike down from the machine and patted him down for hidden weapons. With quick, practiced movements, he handcuffed him.
Ike glared at his little sister. “Keep her away from me. I don't want to talk to her.”
Thaddeus nodded to Dixie, who took Ruby's arm and led her away. The girl, for all her tou
gh exterior, had tears in her eyes. Thad leaned close to Ike. “She came a long way to find you. Don't ask me why.”
“She probably needs money. Aren't you going to read me my rights or something?”
Thaddeus thought about it. “My memory is a little fuzzy on the details, but I think those rights only apply for custodial interviews. You're in custody, but I don’t really have anything to ask you. Maybe we'll get around to all that later. Meanwhile, I gotta get you locked down someplace.”
“What's the chow like in your jail?”
Thaddeus rubbed his chin. “My deputy is an Unglok. Not really sure what he will make.”
The sheriff had no energy left to celebrate Ike’s capture. Thad’s shoulder started to throb, and blood dripped past the bandage Ruby had put in place.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Manager of the Year
Shaunte Plastes had never appreciated her corner window. Located on the third floor of the Mother Lode, the only thing it showed her was a series of warehouses, workshops, and one empty field. There had been no reason to pay it any attention until Sheriff Thaddeus Fry arrived in Darklanding. Yesterday, she had been ready to have him run off the planet. Now the thought of him and her current situation, and they added to the warmth of the vodka as it went down.
She realized she was proud of her actions during the mining collapse. Thinking of the financial ramifications of paying the overtime out of her own income was painful, but she had gone down into the mine and taken charge. Would her father have done that? Could he have done that? She doubted anybody at SagCon would have even considered the possibility.
Three stories below, across the street, and in the center of the vacant lot, a heavy tractor tire slammed to the ground. She smiled over the top of her glass as she watched dust rise around Thaddeus Fry. He had his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. He flexed his shoulder against the wound. Then pressed a hand against it as if the bleeding had started anew.
Maximus, the thing that was not quite a dog or a pig, sat near the other tires where they were stacked haphazardly at the corner. Mast Jotham drew his blaster over and over and pointed it into the corner. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing but assumed it was something to do with learning to shoot. Except he never did any shooting.