The Last Spartan 2: DJ's Mission

by A. E. McCullough

  “How do you know this?”

  “Before Pridgen worked for Kassinger, he was a terrorist for hire. His specialty is bombs but not just any bombs. He designed the devious devices to take out the first responders. One of his bombs killed a good friend of mine on Kepler Twenty-two Bravo a few years back. Since then, I’ve studied everything about the man. I know his handiwork anywhere.”

  Megan screamed. “Will you two talk to me? Stop ignoring me!”

  Stephanie looked down at the trapped woman. “What? What would you have us say to you? That you have been a stupid bitch? That instead of standing up to your husband, you let him beat you senseless? Or hit your daughter? Where’s your bottle? I’m sure you will find your answers there.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Fair? Was it fair to let your eleven year old daughter fight off the sexual advances of her own step-father?”

  “What?” roared DJ.

  Stephanie looked up. “Yes. As far as I can tell he hasn’t done anything…yet. But it is obvious that he wants her. Even Kaitlyn noticed it.” Stephanie pointed at several cameras visible from where they were standing. “He watches her every move, here and in the gym…even in the more private areas.”

  DJ clenched his fists. “You don’t mean the showers...do you?”

  Stephanie nodded.

  Without warning DJ lashed out with a punch at the closest wall. The plas-steel was never intended to take such abuse and buckled under the thunderous strike. He pointed at his ex-wife. “I should leave you here to die in the makings of your own doom. But I can’t. Katy would never forgive me if I just left you behind.”

  Through her tears and sobs, they could make out, “I didn’t know. I promise.”

  DJ shook his head and faced the thief. “Any suggestions?”

  “We only saved one person from one of these traps. The only way we discovered to get them out was to stabilize the device somehow and have the trapped individual free themselves. Of course there are two major problems with this idea.”

  “Which are?”

  “One, the person trapped usually has a hard time getting out solo. And two, once freed the timer restarts if they leave the proximity radius of the bomb.”

  DJ turned back to his ex-wife. “If we figure out a way to stabilize the grenade, do you think you can wiggle your way free?”

  Megan nodded. “Probably…I mean, yes.”

  DJ looked around the living room. “Now how do we stabilize the bomb without setting it off?”

  “Perhaps this unit can be of assistance.”

  Both DJ and Stephanie turned to face the babysitting ‘bot. UR-L8 was in bad shape. It was listing to one side and moved with an unsteady gait. Occasionally a shower of sparks would fly out of some part of the android. However, it carried the Red Falcon’s helmet in its one arm.

  DJ took the offered helmet. “But you realize you will be destroyed.”

  “Damage to this unit is extensive. Failures are cascading. Estimate total and complete shutdown of all systems in three point two-five minutes.”

  DJ looked over at El Gato. Stephanie shrugged. “It might work. I’m not sure.”

  “Okay, let’s give it a try.”

  UR-L8 limped its way over to Megan and ever so slowly extended its one arm. The pincer on its arm was padded, so the bomb shouldn’t slip. At a pace that made a turtle seem fast, UR-L8 closed its claw onto the bomb. “This unit has the device securely in its grip, however system shutdown in one minute, twelve seconds.”

  Megan let loose of the bomb and struggled and cursed until she was free. Without a single word of thanks to the android, she slid out from under the table and stepped up to her ex-husband. “Bastard!” she yelled and slapped him hard across the face. Turning, she ran out the front door before anyone could stop her.

  Stephanie screamed, “No!”

  But it was too late. Megan hadn’t even gotten ten steps outside the front door when the first of the battle bots attacked. Its initial attack came in low and severed her leg off at the knee. Even as Megan fell with a scream, a dozen more battle bots joined in the killing frenzy.

  DJ just shook his head and turned back to the pet android of his daughter. “I’m sorry about this.”

  UR-L8 swiveled its head to focus its optical lens on the bounty hunter. “It has been this unit’s pleasure to serve. System failure in twenty seconds. Goodbye sir.”

  Stephanie tugged on his arm. “Come. We have got to go, now.” Without waiting to see if he followed, the spy sprinted up the stairs.

  Slipping on his helmet, DJ gave pursuit and took the stairs three at a time. He had just made the third floor landing when he felt and heard the grenade’s detonation. However, a split second later there were a series of explosions that rocked the house to its foundation. With each explosion, the cascade of destruction came closer and closer. “Holy shit,” was all DJ managed to mutter before sprinting with everything he had.

  He ignored doors, walls, furniture and window frames. He just ran right through anything and everything. He made the roof mere seconds in front of the ever expanding fireball, pausing at the eaves just long enough to locate El Gato. She was desperately trying to reach a nearby cable but it was still several yards off. They both knew she wouldn’t make it. Without hesitation, he grabbed the thief around the waist and jumped off the roof with every ounce of strength at his command.

  Two things registered to DJ’s mind at that exact moment, the entire mansion behind them being consumed in a massive fireball and that his leap to safety was taking them directly over the garden. A quick glance downward proved that there were dozens of battle bots just waiting for them to land in the kill zone. They kind of looked like a gleaming pack of hyenas.

  Knowing it wouldn’t really stop their descent; he fired his boot jump jets and set them on max burn. At this rate, he would be out of fuel in less than twenty seconds but he figured it was enough to keep them from reaching terminal velocity. A quick glance to measure the distance to the safety of the neighbor’s yard and he knew he didn’t have enough forward thrust to carry them over the deadly garden, even with the lesser gravity of Titan.

  He only saw one option. When they landed, he would throw the thief to safety and hopefully survive the opening attack of the killer robots. He knew that his suit had enough energy in its legs to catapult him over the nearby wall; the question remained if he would have enough time to do so. Even as DJ tensed in preparation of his landing, a large black skimmer with the back door open pulled into their path.

  DJ didn’t question their good fortune. He just reached out and snagged the skimmer’s doorframe with his right hand. Only the increased strength and the resilient nature of the CSA armor saved him from ripping his arm out of socket. He easily hung there while the thief scrambled to safety. Once again he was impressed with the CSA armor. The mobility, enhanced strength, jump jets and a half dozen other aspects made it in many ways superior to his old reliable HAVOC-V armor. Yes, the HAVOC could take and dish out more damage. But the versatility of the CSA armor was overwhelming and according to Iaido, the ARC armor was even better. He’d always wondered why Spartan had favored the former Spec-Force armor over the heavier assault armor. Now, he knew. The HAVOC armor had its time and place but bounty hunting wasn’t it. It would be like bringing a tank to a drag race.

  Once he climbed inside, Jax closed the door and sped away from the burning house even as emergency crews began to arrive. DJ took one final look at the wreckage and said, “I didn’t think that grenade would be so powerful.”

  Stephanie blushed. “It wasn’t. The explosion set off several bombs that I had planted throughout the house as part of my escape plan. Sorry about that.”

  “No problems. It all worked out in the end, kind of.” DJ pulled out a cred-stix and handed to her. “Even though we didn’t rescue Kaitlyn, you did your part.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “Keep it. I’m sorry she wasn’t there. What will you do now?”

  “The
plan hasn’t changed, just the location.”

  Stephanie cocked her head to one side. “You do realize that if Pridgen did take her, than he was acting on orders from Kassinger and ultimately from Roger Thomas.”

  DJ nodded. “Doesn’t matter, either I will rescue my daughter or I will die trying.”

  “Your daughter?” Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “Well, that explains a lot.” Seeing him about to deny or explain she raised a hand to forestall him. “Don’t worry about it. Your cover is safe with me. However it does clarify your determination.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out the bundle of cred-stix she had pocketed earlier. “Here, take these. Consider it a donation to Kaitlyn’s future when you rescue her.”

  DJ looked at the bundle of cred-stix; if they were full, she had just handed him somewhere in the neighborhood of five million credits. Before he could respond, she handed him a data crystal.

  “This is all the intel I’ve collected on the factory, including blueprints and primary egress routes. Primary entry routes are color coded in blue, security check-points in red and any weak points I’ve noticed over the last few weeks are in yellow. I hope it helps.”

  DJ was overwhelmed. “I really don’t know what to say. Thanks just seems so inadequate.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “It’s not. Just save Kaitlyn. I’ve grown rather fond of her over the last few months.”

  Jagger Jax pulled up next to El Gato’s skimmer and opened the back door. “Be careful out there Kitty.”

  As the thief hopped out, she flashed him a smile. “Watch your six pirate and look after the Falcon for me.”

  “Will do.”

  Stephanie turned to DJ. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  She waved to them once as they pulled out and disappeared into the night.

  Chapter 18

  DJ quietly studied the factory plans as Jax casually drove the stolen limo-skimmer around Titan City. After several minutes he broke the silence.

  “You know you don’t have to do this with me? This may very well be a suicide run.”

  Jax just cracked his knuckles and grinned. “I’m with you till the end. I’m not gonna walk away just because it’s gotten harder. Besides, think of all the fun I would miss.”

  DJ laughed to release the tension that had been building. “There is that. Okay, I have an idea how to find Pridgen and my daughter once we get to the factory. It’ll be tricky but it should work.”

  “So? What’s the problem?”

  “I have no idea how to get to the factory without being seen and intercepted. It’s located on the dark side of Titan and completely isolated. Even taxis aren’t allowed to dock there.”

  Jax grinned and altered his course slightly. “I’ve got this.”

  “How?”

  As Jax guided the limo into a parking lot near the shuttle depot, he pointed at one particular shuttle. “It’s simple, we stowaway on the shift work shuttle. These old ships have plenty of hiding places. We merge into the ongoing worker traffic and once onboard, we slip into an unused hatch.”

  “You sound as if you’ve done it before.”

  Jax nodded. “How do you think I got from New Atlanta to Ceres? It surely wasn’t on my good looks and charm.”

  DJ shrugged. “I don’t have a better idea and time isn’t a luxury we have anyway.”

  Jax pointed at him. “You’re going to have to ditch that armor, at least long enough for us to sneak onboard.”

  DJ began pulling off the Red Falcon armor. “No worries. I have a plan.”

  * * * * *

  Stephanie felt guilty about leaving the men behind.

  Yes, she’d fulfilled her end of the contract but she had hoped to see Kaitlyn one last time before leaving Titan. And it was time to leave. She had completed her mission and even liberated several million credits from the Admiral. Typically, those incidentals were her bonus but she really didn’t need the credits anyway. She hadn’t checked her portfolio in weeks but her last statement had been in the excess of seven point three billon credits. Besides, she was certain that Kaitlyn’s dad had tapped into every bit of savings to fund her rescue. It was the least she could do.

  Even as she pulled into the starport and grabbed her gear, the pangs of loneliness crept into her soul once again. It had been a good feeling to work alongside of the Falcon and Jagger Jax. She’d been working solo ever since losing Marcus to that bomb back on Kepler. Now that she was alone again, the memories of her nights with Marcus began to intrude into her thoughts. Stephanie shook her head to try and clear her mind. It wouldn’t do for her to collapse into a sobbing heap, at least not in the middle of the starport.

  The high pitched whine of an incoming ship caught her attention. She wasn’t sure why but something about it sounded out of place. Rounding a corner, she spied a red and black Kestrel with its twin oscillating jet engines coming in for a vertical landing. One of the reports she had read from her handler suddenly came to mind.

  There was conflicting reports concerning the Red Falcon, one such report mentioned that the latest sightings of the bounty hunter had been in a red and black Kestrel Mark3. When the rear hatch opened and a large man in a similar red CSA armor stepped off, she realized the truth of the report. There were two Red Falcons.

  Somehow DJ had assumed the guise of the Red Falcon and managed to gain access to his original ship. Judging from the walk of the upstart Falcon, Stephanie guessed that he was here to find DJ. Then a crazy thought crossed her mind. Dropping her luggage, she rushed forward before the local Custom Agents could get to him. Planting a look of relief on her face, she ran up and hugged the armored man.

  “Oh thank God, I caught you before you left.”

  The upstart Falcon gently but firmly pushed her away. “I’m sorry ma’am but I don’t know you.”

  “Of course not, I’m just one of the little people you saved when you killed that purple bug thingy.” Before he could say anything she added, “But I thought I heard you say that you were on your way to the factory on the dark side of the moon?”

  That stopped him. “Wait. You know who I am?”

  “Yes. You’re the Red Falcon, our savior.”

  “And where did you say I was heading?”

  “The ship factory.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  Stephanie shrugged and acted like she was trying hard to remember. “I dunno, three…maybe, four hours ago.”

  Without another word, the upstart Red Falcon turned around and headed back to his ship. He even ignored the Customs Agent as he tried to talk to him. Within minutes, the red and black Kestrel was lifting off and heading out.

  Stephanie allowed herself a small smile.

  DJ and Jax would have the distraction they were desperately going to need. Now she just needed to get a message to them. When her eyes came across a brown coated deputy, a plan came to mind and one that involved some back up.

  Returning to her dropped luggage, she reached into a hidden compartment in her carry-on bag and pulled out her official CIA - Coalition Intelligence Agency - documents and badge. Stepping up to the deputy, she flashed her credentials and said, “Put me in contact with Deputy Jenny Cunningham….now!”

  * * * * *

  DJ was shocked at how easy it had been to slip onto the shuttle and hop a ride to the factory. Of course, they had acted like they belonged and had quickly disappeared into the bowels of the ship. Once they were safe, Jax donned the Red Falcon armor after much urging from DJ. The former pirate was too well recognized to pass himself off as a guard but DJ wasn’t.

  The plan was simple. He would act as the Red Falcon’s prisoner until they could liberate a guard’s uniform. Then, DJ would be escorting the bounty hunter to a bogus meeting with Kassinger. Most guards have no idea what is going on above their pay grade and really don’t care much. If they were confident in their actions and didn’t do anything blatantly wrong, they should be able to get past all the lower level guards.

 
; DJ personally preferred the second option where he was dressed as a guard since that would mean he was armed but they had to plan for both occasions, just in case. Even as he explained his plan, Iaido’s parting words came back to him: if you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail.

  DJ continued to instruct Jax in the use of the CSA armor until the shuttle docked. Taking a deep breathe the two men stepped out and expected to be greeted by questions and stares. They got neither.

  Everyone’s attention, guards and workers, was focused on the small fleet of Raptors as they taxied to land nearby. They were older models but still very tough ships and each bore the symbol of the Jolly Rogers. A human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. DJ counted ten raptors and a solid black Condor. The last ship was less of a starfighter and more of an armored personnel carrier, not to say that it wasn’t armed or couldn’t dogfight; DJ had seen some fancy flying of Condors in his time in the Marines. It was just larger than the starfighters and just slightly bigger than the Aetós.

  Even as they watched the pirates disembarked from their ships. The whole bunch looked tough but the leader looked brutal. Dressed all in black, the towering figure of a leader took the whole skull motif to an extreme. He had chrome skulls on each shoulder and the toes of his boots. Even from this distance, DJ could count four guns and a huge blade of some sort over his left shoulder. DJ would’ve studied the pirate a bit more but his eyes, and everyone else’s, were drawn to the redhead who climbed out of the Condor. She was extremely busty and worn skintight black and red leather which greatly accented her figure. She also sported a two gun rig and she had the look that she knew how to use them. When she walked up to the pirate leader, DJ could tell that she was so short that even the two inch heels on her boots barely brought her up to his shoulder.

  Jax tapped his arm. “We need to get out of sight before they notice us.”

  DJ nodded and the two moved across the flight deck. “Friends of yours?”