Sam and I were sitting at the opening to the cul-de-sac of houses. Sphinx's body cam showed them walking up to the front door. A younger kid maybe nineteen answered the door. He had tan pants and a white shirt on. "Yes?" He asked.
"We have a search warrant for this house," Sphinx said.
"Can I see it?"
Sphinx drew her stunner and shot him. He went down. JenSix got zip ties on him. Sphinx pulled her 9mm and shot a camera that was in a corner of the entranceway. Sphinx and JenSix went through room after room in the house. They found computers and MindBender, but no Centurian.
At the other end of the line of houses, machines revved to life. But not one engine, three engines. Three black cars with dark as night tinted windows drove out of garages.
I shouted, "Sam, missiles!"
Sam being the beautiful creature she was, already had a rocket out and poked her head through the open moon roof on our vehicle. The other cars barreled for us. Sam squeezed the trigger on the rocket, and a jet of smoke and flame launched at the first black car. The explosion flipped it over onto its roof.
I hit the radio, "Jack and MelGreen, check that wreck out!"
The two remaining black sedans sped past, and I floored the gas to chase after them.
Chapter Sixty-Three
I shifted the car into second gear while Sam readied another rocket. The cars turned a corner up ahead. I lost sight of them for a moment. Then I slammed on the brakes at the last instant to make the same curve they made. The tires squealed like they wanted to give in. A rash of bullets slammed into our windshield. The car closest to us had a 50 caliber machine gun mounted in the backseat.
Sam poked her head up through the moon roof, and woosh! The impact landed on the rear right side of the other car. Blood splattered inside our car on the window. Shit, Sam was hit!
I sped to catch up to the last car. I radioed, "We need somebody to check out that second car. Sam is hit!"
She lifted her shirt up and applied a magic bandage on the front of her torso, then another on the rear, which is not so easy. Based on how much blood was in our car, she'd lost a lot. "Keep going, catch that last car," she said between breaths as if she wasn't getting enough air.
I focused on driving the car as fast as possible. The vehicle we were chasing was easily five hundred meters in front. Sam reached in the backseat to get another rocket. Hell, yes. She stood up through the hole in the roof and took aim. The rocket launched. The other vehicle tried to dodge, but the missile caught it in the middle and t-boned it. Two people crawled out of the wreckage. I pulled the car to a stop.
I stepped out and stunned both men. Zip ties went on their wrists. Sam made it out of the other side by then. "I'll watch these two. Go back to the second car."
I kissed her right on the lips then jumped back into our automobile. I spun it around and made it go very, very fast. Possibly faster than the designers intended, but I wasn't worried about violating any laws of physics.
I pulled up to the wreckage of the second black sedan. A drip of blood led away from the vehicle. I was pretty sure the bleeding would stop, but at least it gave me a direction. My feet pushed me into a run in the direction of the drops of blood. They led me to a wooded area: a kind of undeveloped stretch of desert with sand and rocks and hiding places. I continued to run, while I called Nancy. "I need satellite photos."
I was met with a buzz that meant I had no signal.
A web of electric discharge flew at me from behind a rock. It was faster, and my brain wasn't processing. The web hit my right hand. Shock danced up my arm. I threw the web and my pistol away at the same time. I fell to my knees. A tall fellow wearing the same kind of mask Centurian wore stepped forward. He pushed the button on his stunner a second time. I drew my stunner and fired. Both webs impacted together partway between us.
My opponent pulled a knife with his left hand. Which made me happy, I mean, if he just came along quietly, what fun would that be?
I rushed at him and swapped my stunner into my left at the same time. He launched another web of electricity. I shot it out of the air with my stunner. I was within arm's reach. My right fist aimed for his skull. His left hand with the knife aimed for my gut. My left caught his left at the wrist, but he ducked under my right.
I shouted, "Hold still!"
He tried to wrench his left arm free. His right with the stunner shot. It blasted me backward, but it affected him, too. He turned to run. I propelled myself forward at my best speed. The Chor'Tan raged in my heart and filled me with a glow of energy to beat all.
I shot my target on the back with the stunner. He fell. I was on top of him in an instant. I fired the stunner a second time. My zip ties were on his wrists a moment later, and I looked for a secret knife or weapon.
I lifted his mask off. He looked like a damn horse.
"What are you?" I asked.
He didn't move. I searched him. He had a smart phone, encrypted. One of those nice gadgets with a real physical keyboard. I looked in his mouth for a fake tooth. A molar in the back was clearly some kind of balloon. I cut it out very carefully, with Centurian's own knife. I hefted him onto my shoulder and walked.
"Your species is doomed," he said.
"You're the evidence we need to prove Razdorans are overstepping their bounds. You'll be our survival."
"You're going to show me to the council? Razdorans own that council."
"Perhaps, but there are rules, and they're being broken. Maybe your existence will get us into the interstellar community as equals."
Centurian laughed.
I walked back to my car. Locals were there, but I put Centurian in the trunk and drove back to base. Called to check on Sam. She was still in surgery.
Chapter Sixty-Four
I escorted Centurian to prisoner intake. They stripped him naked and put him through numerous scanners. And my, not only did he look like a horse in the face...
He ended up in a cell. I called around to check up on Sam. She was in recovery. I went through the food line. Nobody was watching me, and I snuck a little chunk of the Chor'Tan food. I ate it before I reached the end of the line. The flesh was perfect.
I didn't see anybody from the gang, so I sat by myself. Nancy came through the food line and joined me. "You did well," she said.
"Thanks."
She took a bite of what looked like tofu pizza. "They may try and hit our base at any moment."
I kind of knew that. Our facility was the strongest on Earth among Agency bases.
"We need to move him," she said.
"Move him where?"
She kept eating.
"By 'we' you mean 'me,' don't you?" I asked.
She smiled, and I knew I was right.
JenSix and Sphinx came through the food line and approached our table. They sat down.
"You'll travel to the Mojave Air and Space Port in California," Nancy said. "From there, the four of you will board a rocket--"
"A damn rocket?" I asked.
All three women glared at me. Nancy continued, "The rocket will take you to a Chor'Tan vessel, which will then take you to the jump gate in system."
"Where are we going?" Sphinx asked.
"You must take Centurian before the Council of Worlds and plead mankind's case."
JenSix took a bite out of an unpeeled orange. "How many people know about our mission?"
Nancy shrugged. "More than I'd like. A few people at Mojave are getting the rocket ready. Chor'Tan officials know. Chor'Tan are moving a spaceship into orbit from their lunar base."
She had to be teasing us. I clapped my hands together. "It's a big joke, right, Nancy? You're pulling our legs!"
Sphinx smacked me across the mouth. JenSix kicked me on the shin. I shouted, "Quit hitting me!"
I got a text on my phone. Sam: "I'm ok. Awake. Bring food."
"How long before our damn rocket leaves?" I asked.
"Dawn flight in two days," Nancy replied.
"Sam needs me."
&
nbsp; I got up and headed through the food line again. Grabbed another piece of the Chor'Tan food and made a roast beef sandwich with chips for Sam, plus an apple and banana.
My feet found their way to medical. Enigma, even though recently shot, was at the nurse's station. "Sam's in room three."
"Thanks."
I pushed my way into room three.
Sam was sitting up in bed. "What did you bring?"
I presented the tray to her.
"You're a good boy," Sam said.
And she just treated me like a pet canine.
She ate all the food. I climbed into bed with her, and we snuggled with a movie going on.
She whispered in my ear, "Doctors said no sex."
"That's fine," I said. I was content to hold her and be close to her. I was!
"Did you get Centurian?"
I kissed her on the forehead. "He's in a cell."
"They'll assault the base tonight, before we can move him."
"Maybe. You're injured. You got to worry about healing."
She squeezed me. "I bet I can fire a rifle or a grenade launcher."
"I bet you can, but you're not going to."
"You know I was lying about the no sex thing?" She asked.
I figured, but I wasn't going to push things. "I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Moving Centurian? Don't even give me details. I don't want to know."
"I don't know how long it's going to take. Will you wait for me?"
"Only if you don't sleep with JenSix. If you have sex with her and she will tell me, I'll be gone so fast."
"I love you. I would never cheat."
She frowned. "I love you, too, but you're a male, and males get horny."
"I've gone long periods without before. It's not that hard."
She giggled. "You said hard, now you best get naked."
I could tell she was on painkillers. We slept in medical, but the next day, Sam was up and moving. Nancy assigned us four Apache helicopters for the drive to Mojave. A security detail met us there. Centurian went into a cell. Twenty armed guards stood watch through the night.
The rocket only sat four, and we chained Centurian into one of the seats. Of course, I had never ridden in an actual rocket before. The g forces pushed me down so hard it was challenging to breathe. Seeing the horizon blend into space was neat. The Earth was pretty. Photos from space really didn't do it justice compared to actually seeing it.
We seemed to be adrift in zero-gravity, but we were moving. The Chor'Tan vessel was lit up with exterior lights. Automated jets slowed our approach to the Chor'Tan vessel. Finally, there was a slight jar and a clunk noise, and we were docked. We were in zero-gravity, and we had to navigate to the airlock and get Centurian there. Piece of cake.
Chapter Sixty-Five
The one piece of advice they gave us at Mojave was to push hard. Slow movement leads to stopped movement. I unbuckled my restraints, while JenSix and Sphinx did the same. We unbuckled our cargo.
I had a hold of Centurian's arm and pushed. We floated towards the airlock. The door opened easily enough. There were handles on most places. Push from one handle to the next. Other than a queasy feeling in my gut, it was simple.
Once we were inside the airlock, Sphinx closed us in. The rocket we rode in on drifted away. A steady hissing sound raged in my ears. Hissing? In space? "Do you hear that?" I asked.
"Barely," JenSix said.
"That is a bad sound!" Sphinx said.
I examined the airlock more closely. One door led into space. The other door led into the ship. The control panel was in Chor'Tan. The markings on the door were more Chor'Tan symbols.
Sphinx hit me on the arm. "You're the Chor'Tan expert."
I snarled a deep guttural growl. Ugg. Chor'Tan mode. Top symbol: push. Next symbol: left. Bottom symbol: right. Below the left-right symbols were handles. I can do this. I pushed Centurian towards the women.
My arms pointed at those handles, and my legs pushed as hard as I could. I flew through the airlock at the door, but my aim was totally off. I hit the wall beside the door. Pushing again, I drifted back to my starting point. The hissing was getting louder.
"Dumbass!" Sphinx said.
"You're not helping!" I shouted.
I launched full force at the door this time. My left hand connected with the top handle. My right attached itself to the bottom handle. I twisted everything in the wrong direction. When I realized my mistake, I had no leverage to push. Needed momentum. I threw my body to the other side again.
"If you get it right, we can have sex," JenSix said.
My eyes squinted. "Not without Sam."
"Get it right!"
I propelled myself at the door yet again. My left hand landed on the top handle. My other hand was smart enough to grab the bottom one. In a quick motion, I twisted the handles and let my momentum push the door out of the way. I flew into the ship we were docked to, with the door in my hands. Two doors closed off the corridor I was drifting into.
Centurian floated in after me. JenSix and Sphinx followed. The hissing continued.
"Put the door back, you idiot," JenSix said.
"Sure," I said, "we go from potential sex to I'm an idiot."
Sphinx pointed at me. "You are an idiot. And you're not good at sex, but you need to put that door back."
I flipped the door around in my hands. The instructions were in Chor-Tan again. Place door. Left. Right. I pushed towards the opening. Lined the door up. As soon as I met resistance, I turned the handles. The door clicked. The hissing sound was gone.
There was one control panel in the passage, and everything was dark. Sphinx took out her stunner and tapped it over and over on the bulkhead. Time passed.
"I'm hungry," Centurian said.
JenSix undid a backpack she was carrying and produced dried rose flowers. She also pulled out food bars for the rest of us. We had no water. Or beer.
Seemed like ages passed. Gravity kicked in, and we fell to the floor. The control panel lit up. I hit the button for talk. A voice spoke in Chor'Tan. I said, "English," in Chor'Tan.
A frantic voice said, "You're on board? You docked?"
"We're trapped in a passage next to the airlock," I said.
"Our systems must have been hacked. We never saw you arrive."
The doors at the end of the passageway slid open. Within a few moments, three Chor'Tan came running. Two of them took Centurian from us. The third one said, "Do you need anything? You've been assigned quarters on deck two. We have rations for you."
I burped. "I could go for some Chor'Tan food."
"Yes, you're part Chor'Tan. I can smell it on you."
JenSix raised her hand. "You're smelling me. I have been through regeneration more than Bear."
"My name is Kiloc," the Chor'Tan said. "If you need anything, page me."
"I need a glass, ice cubes, and bourbon," Sphinx said.
Kiloc bowed. "It will be a three-week journey to the stargate. We have some Earth alcohol, but our supplies are limited."
"But you do have Chor'Tan Ale?"
"Yes, of course."
Three weeks. Likely ten days at standard Chor'Tan gravity, then ten days' deceleration. Chor'Tan gravity was about 1.25 times Earth's.
Kiloc showed us how to find the eatery and our quarters. A buzzer sounded. And I was smart enough to know it was a dinner bell.
I didn't want a lot of Chor'Tan food. Maybe a bite. They had these green tubes that were maybe 30cm long, with orange spikes growing on the inside. I grabbed two of those. They had what seemed to be yeast rolls too, although they were a shade of pink. I had one bite of meat and the rest oddities. But all the strange things tasted delicious, like home.
Kiloc sat with me. "We have a hydroponics bay. You're eating real Chor'Tan food."
JenSix and Sphinx joined us. They had some of the unique, fresh vegetables and grains.
I felt full and content for the first time in ages. The food was tasty and filling. I slept alone as we hu
rtled through the darkness.
Chapter Sixty-Six
On board the ship, three lone exercise bikes represented the gym. I accessed the computer network. No games, no Internet, but there were encrypted files which I had not seen before. The first was Interstellar Law, and it was a large file for an ebook. Three hundred megabytes.
The next file was a detailed report on every inhabited world that we knew about. I started reading. A high-resolution chart of imports and exports stared back at me. Earth was listed. It showed imports: Chor'Tan technology. Exports: None*. I searched high and low for what that asterisk meant. Finally, I found out, *Music and Books. We were exporting music and books?
I did a search on all the files. Our music and books were an import on every world in the Council of Worlds. Our books were being translated into seventeen different non-Earth languages. I looked for profit and loss statements. If we were exporting something but importing gifts, we should have a trade surplus. We should be able to buy something on interstellar markets.
I couldn't find any records of payments being made for the books or music.
My fingers started searching the Interstellar Law book. Was it legal to take something and not pay for it? According to my research, it was not.
I pedaled the exercise bike. Ate delicious Chor'Tan fresh fruits and veggies. I asked Kiloc if I was missing something in the records. Was it true that the interstellar community was basically stealing our books and music?
"That's a long story," Kiloc replied.
Kiloc was sitting at the dining room table with me, Sphinx, and JenSix.
"Please tell it," I said.
"Since you are an under-developed world, and it's all copied digitally, special rules apply," Kiloc said.
"What special rules?"
"You're pirating it," Sphinx said.
Kiloc let out a little hiss. "Pirating isn't a very nice word, but it's close to the truth."
I thought on it. I did pushups and sit-ups. We went through a short bit of zero-gravity while the ship turned around. Then we decelerated.
The ship drifted towards the jump gate. It went across the intercom in Chor'Tan. "Jump in one minute." Well, the Chor'Tan equivalent of one minute.
Codename: Bear II: Secret Agent (Codename Universe Book 2) Page 20