Inside, he could see the explosive packages. The Majestic people had delivered a demonstration a day ago and everyone in his group agreed.
The destruction was very impressive and superior to anything they could have brought along. Further, the men explained, the bombs would not activate until the ejection modules were over six kilometers away from the ship. They wanted no chance a blast wave would affect them.
Which meant they would be ejected eight kilometers away from their target and immediately upon ejection, the modules would fire jets to slow down.
“What happens should the jets fail to fire?” John Abdullah had asked the man helping them get into the modules.
“You explode when the modules hit the space station,” Tyler had replied. “It will be a very big boom, we assure you.”
John Abdullah just nodded. So long as he wasn’t floating out in the middle of nowhere until he died from starvation, stuck in a small, dark, claustrophobic space he would be fine.
Dying wasn’t something he was scared to do. Dying slowly in the dark was a different matter. John Abdullah wouldn’t have signed up to do that type of operation.
Still, if one was going to die for one’s beliefs, being one of the first to die striking infidels in outer space was something he would be able to say he had done with his life. Or actually, others would.
Tyler made sure John Abdullah was tucked in correctly, with nothing to stop a proper seal. He closed the top of the module and locked it down, knocking twice on the top to let the man inside know it was done.
They were on a one-way ticket to meet their god. Perhaps they wouldn’t see light again, perhaps they would. Tyler didn’t expect any one of them to live past the next four hours. If they failed to kill themselves, then the poison they were breathing along with their oxygen would finish the job.
No one was going to stick around for any inconvenient conversations with TQB if Majestic 12 had anything to say about it.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
An alarm went off in the docks, and Meredith’s voice reverberated throughout the space. “This is not a drill! This is not a drill! Reynolds is tracking enemy incoming. Repeat, Reynolds is tracking enemy incoming. Please move to designated safety areas. Mag-tram is shut down and In-World is no longer accessible.”
Bobcat looked out the viewing glass from his place at the high top table. He, William and Marcus were by themselves having a little celebratory dinner and drinks together when Meredith’s ‘all-areas’ warning reverberated throughout the docks.
Marcus turned around in his seat to look out the large viewing window. “I will bet you each a quarter ounce of gold they try to come in through here.”
William got up from his chair and walked over to the window and then turned to Marcus who was still seated. “Here?” he asked, pointing at the glass.
Marcus nodded yes.
William shrugged and turned back to looking at outer space. “Okay. I’m in for a quarter-ounce.”
Bobcat slid off his barstool chair and knocked on their table, “I’m in.” He walked over and joined William at the glass.
Marcus’s shoulders slumped. He lifted the napkin from his lap and cleaned his mouth before folding it and putting it beside his plate on the table. He slid out of his chair and turned to walk over and stand next to Bobcat.
Bobcat turned to look at him. “Why are you thinking they’ll hit here?”
William snorted from the other side. “Has to be most likely location. All the other entrances are closed with metal.”
“If it was so obvious,” Bobcat turned toward William, “why did you bet?”
“I’m supporting Marcus’s slide into the terrible vice of gambling. He doesn’t do it enough.”
“So, what? You’re thinking if he wins he might do it more often?” Bobcat asked. William nodded. Bobcat thought about his answer and turned to look out the window. “I completely support the financial sacrifice on your part, William. Do you mind me taking his side?”
“Sorry, bets are already closed.” William told him.
“Damn, just my luck,” Bobcat then looked at Marcus. “Was that your reason for betting?”
Marcus chuckled, “No. My reason was, I’m here, so obviously, with my luck they are going to try and attack where I am.” He paused, then added, “If I’m right and die, I don’t have to pay off anyway. Kind of a ‘win but can’t really lose situation’ was my thought process.”
“You, Marcus,” William said, “are sneaky. I’m impressed.”
Marcus leaned back to look around Bobcat at William. “Enough to go for a full ounce?”
William barked a laugh. “Hell no! You’ve already explained your logic. That wasn’t smart, young Padawan gambler.”
“Oh,” Marcus turned back to the window. “Yeah, that wasn’t smart of me. I’ll do better next time, Master William.”
“It is not whether you bet or not bet,” William said, his voice old and high pitched, “but how often win you, that matters.”
Bobcat called out, “Meredith?”
“Yes, Bobcat?”
“Reynolds has the All Guns Blazing defensive measures on, right?”
“Yes, Bobcat.”
“Good,” Bobcat said and returned to looking out of the window. “This is going to be a good view, guys.” He looked around. “I want a fresh beer, wonder if we have time?”
“You have a minimum of fifty-two seconds, Bobcat,” Meredith informed him.
Bobcat’s face lit up, “Shit! I’m going for it!” He took off to the closest stairs and the two guys heard his stomping as he raced down and his voice called out, “Hold my spot!”
The two men turned to each other after watching Bobcat’s headlong race out of the viewing deck.
“I’ll go double or nothing that he doesn’t make it back up here in time,” William said.
“No bet,” Marcus said.
“Damn.”
—
Lance checked the information about Bethany Anne coming in from ArchAngel. The ambush on her was well planned, it seemed they had done a good job and prepared for her calling in backups.
“They had no idea who they were really hitting,” Dan commented. Lance turned to look at him. Dan nodded to the screen that Lance was viewing. “These people don’t know about the UnknownWorld. If they did, they wouldn’t have hit her with lots of people and regular weapons. They would have tried a small tactical nuke or something similar.”
Lance turned back to the report screens. “If you’re trying to help me feel better, I’m telling you that you suck at it.” he pointed out.
Dan smiled. “She’s going to be fine.” Then he sighed. “The world? I’m not so sure.”
“Why?” Lance asked.
“Because I see here,” Dan stepped up and pointed at some notes, “that Anna was hurt. Knowing Bethany Anne, she went full Queen Bitch on them.”
There was a moment of silence before Lance nodded. “Right in front of everybody.”
“Yup,” Dan said. “Probably not putting that genie back in the bottle.”
Lance shrugged. “She was cracking under the pressure of staying nice all of the time anyway, Dan.”
“You think so?” Lance nodded. “Why? I haven’t noticed anything,” Dan asked.
“She was withdrawing a little more each week. Every time she had to turn the other cheek, to stay nice or tell her people to stay nice,” Lance informed him.
Dan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I’m kinda done with that bullshit myself.” He stepped to another console and looked. “How are we doing with the New Mexico thing?”
“One second, I have an update on our inbound,” Lance said as he and Dan watched the hologram. “What are they sending our way?”
“Looks like metal caskets,” Dan said.
“That’s what they will be,” Lance said. The men got a good look at the ship. “Looks like it’s our beloved UFO friends again,” Lance said, disgusted. “Reynolds!”
&n
bsp; “Sir?”
“Hole those sonsabitches with a one-pound puck. If they run, then hit them with J-Interceptors at fifteen k distance. If they don’t leave, then scramble two Black Eagles and take them out.”
“You don’t want to capture them?” Dan asked.
Lance grunted. “They just tried to kill my little girl, Dan.”
Dan turned back to the hologram. “Fuck them up, Dad.”
“J-Intercepts aren’t going to leave two pieces big enough to scratch together to get a spark,” the General said, staring at the hologram.
Dan asked, “What are we going to do about the incoming?”
“Reynolds?” Lance spoke out.
“Yes?”
“Destroy the first fifteen and then let the rest through as close as one hundred meters to where they were going before you stop them.”
MJ-12 Ship XJ 03
“That’s correct, base,” Antony said, “All packages leaving the ship and we are about to head back. This part of the operation seems to have gone well.”
Antony listened for a second. “Understood, XJ 03 out.”
Antony felt the one of the last ejection modules leave the ship. Seconds later, he felt the last leave. Tyler called him on the comm.
“All gone, boss. We going to stay or are we going to skedaddle?”
“We are already,” Antony responded, typing in the final coordinates and stabbing the execute button, “leaving.”
The large asteroid was getting smaller when the ship’s alarm started blaring. It was the alarm indicating the ship had suffered a puncture. Antony swore viciously and sealed his suit. “Tyler! What the hell happened?”
Antony shoved the speed into the red, ignoring additional alarms as the craft shot away from the asteroid.
“Tyler!” Antony called but got nothing. He felt the alarms getting muffled as loss of atmosphere meant the sound couldn’t carry. Antony unbelted from his chair and raced to the stairs that led below.
Jumping down the stairs three at a time, he dropped to the lower deck and ran half way around the circular hallway to come to the part of the ship where Tyler was working. Antony peered through the glass into the room, then he slammed the wall next to the door.
“Dammit!” Antony turned around and slid down the wall, his heart breaking at the sight of his friend’s mangled flesh, his blood splattered all over the walls inside the room.
Antony never even heard the microsecond of warning before two objects slammed through his craft.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
William and Marcus could hear Bobcat’s footsteps as he came back up the stairs, bottles clinking in his hands.
“Did I miss anything?” he asked his friends as he passed William a cold beer and Marcus a Coke. It was a condition of Bethany Anne’s they weren’t allowed to serve Pepsi in All Guns Blazing.
Pepsi had become a black-market product.
“You have five seconds before contact by objects which…”
“OOOOoohhhhh!” The three men all gaped when massive explosions lit up space, some distance away.
“Pretty fireworks, but too far away to know where they were going.” William said to the other two.
“Five objects have been permitted to come closer,” Meredith said.
Within seconds, the men saw reflections from five metal objects heading towards the glass viewing deck.
Bobcat took a swig of his beer then used the bottle to point out the window. “Motherfuckers, didn’t you think we considered this?” he asked no one in particular.
“Fuck me,” William said, disgust coloring his voice. “I’m out a quarter ounce of gold.”
Dulce Lake, New Mexico, USA
Patrick slammed his office phone down and spat, “Son of A BITCH!” He jumped up, grabbed a chair and threw it ten feet to slam against a rock wall. “FUCK!” he screamed.
He had just received word they lost communications with XJ-03.
Patrick looked around and could only see red. He wanted to grab something and start beating the shit out of anything and everything.
“FUCK!” he screamed once more. He walked back and put his hands on his desk, his head hung down as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about his last talk with Antony and Tyler before they left.
“How did they find them?” he whispered into his empty office.
“How?”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
“All I’m saying,” Marcus said. “Is this is the stupidest idea we’ve come up with yet.”
“Oh shut up and turn around, it’s going to get us drinks for decades,” Bobcat laughed as he turned away from the window and reached for his belt.
Outside QBBS Meredith Reynolds
John Abdullah’s module started beeping and red lights lit up inside. Apparently, something had stopped them from making it all the way to the asteroid, but the small air jets would be able to get them close enough. The lid opened on his module.
He used his feet to help him pull up and look around. He was amazed at the clarity of view space offered. He had a very tiny rotation. He reached over and hit the two buttons that would stop it.
He moved slowly, as they had been taught. Fast movement was not your friend in outer space.
When he was able to bring his visor around to see the asteroid more fully, his eyes opened wide at the sight in front of him.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
“What are those three up to now?” Dan asked.
“What three?” Lance asked as he issued commands to those who had been secreted down in New Mexico and read reports on Bethany Anne’s situation.
“Team BMW, who else?” Dan answered. “Oh, HELL no…” He burst out laughing. “Oh holy shit Lance, you have GOT to see this!”
Outside QBBS Meredith Reynolds
John Abdullah’s face was puzzled at what exactly he was seeing, but he finally had to admit it was exactly what he thought it was originally.
He had one black and two white asses pressed against glass aimed at him.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
“Hahahahahaha,” Bobcat, William and Marcus were all trying to catch their breath.
“Lord, I would LOVE to know what those sumbitches are thinking right now,” William said and wiggled his butt across the glass. “Need a moon to figure out where you are, you fucking duck spunk?” he called over his shoulder towards those outside the huge window.
Marcus gasped, “Oh Einstein, forgive me now, but this is fucking funny!”
“That’s it!” Bobcat called out, taking a swig of his beer. “Pull on that chain motherfuckers, and win a one way trip to hell… It’s the one with two orbs on top!”
The men, laughing their asses off, hadn’t heard the footsteps coming up the stairs.
“What the hell are you three doing?” a woman’s voice cut through their laughter.
All three men, still bent over with their naked asses pushed up against the window looked over to their left. Gabrielle stood there, her mouth agape, staring at them.
They were grinning like three little boys.
“Mooning those assholes!” Bobcat answered, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.
Gabrielle took a few steps into the room and peeked around to see the last handful of men trying to get out of their ejection modules.
“Are those terrorists?” she asked, confused. She looked at each of the three men, pants around their feet on the floor and the obviously lousy space walking terrorists outside.
‘Yeah, we think so,” William agreed. “Meredith said the first fifteen explosions were high-level, sophisticated devices that didn’t need oxygen.”
“So, you three are mooning terrorists?” she asked, seeking confirmation.
“Ah, yeah. Pretty much,” Bobcat was still grinning like a kid while he took a swig of his beer.
“Oh,” she replied.
Outside QBBS Meredith Reynolds
John Abdullah’s face wrinkled in further annoyance when another white butt was
pressed against the window aimed at him and his brothers.
Those playing with them at the moment wouldn’t laugh when they got close enough to explode their bombs!
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
The defensive operations room had filled up with people. There were screens all over the room, but the large main screen in the middle wasn’t focused on the enemy.
The Kurtherian Gambit Omnibus 05 - The Fans Version: My Ride is a Bitch - Don't Cross This Line - Never Submit Page 46