Jim agreed. “I’ve known her for a long time. She’s a quality person. She’s got a lot on her mind, though. Before you came to the bar after the show, she was talking to me about the Foon and asking me if I wanted to go back and try to talk to them...before Cardigan’s people get to them.”
“Wow…you lived there on Ceres is what I heard?” asked Pel.
“Ceres2, yeah, four years. I was basically hiding out, had a few warrants I couldn’t deal with, but they gave me a place to hang my hat. Never even got close to how they speak. I mean, it’s a crazy-ass sound, but we had all the langware so it wasn’t a problem. Strange folks, the Foon, but basically good people. They don’t talk much, and that can be a problem for an old talker like me.”
Pel realized at that moment that Jim was indeed a talker, always had something to say when he saw him at the Rochaus. Jim reminded him of what a cowboy must have been like in old America in the 1700s, or whenever that era was. He moved slowly and deliberately, and he had a “man’s man” kind of presence about him, like he could save you from a fire and fix your car in the same day, before walking off into the sunset. Pel liked his new friend and was glad he was there right then.
“Seems like you boys are pretty close to your parents.”
“Moons yeah, even when we don’t see them for a while, it’s like we never left when we get back together. I hated not being there for Christmas this time.”
“Christmas was always my favorite holiday,” said Jim, “but out here it’s not too popular. I miss that.”
“We don’t always do the gift thing,” Pel said with a grin. “But when we’re home with mom and dad we eat very well!”
Jim chuckled and gave a sigh, then stood up. He put a hand on Pel’s shoulder and looked him in the eye.
“Family is good. Listen, I don’t know what Ms. Coolie is going to end up doing, but I do know that Ceres2 is in perimeter one right now, which means it’s not that far from Earth, so if we go there, we could drop you boys off, no worries. She travels hi-speed, so it would just be a few days, worst case. But that just came to me. I’m not speaking for her.”
“I’ll talk to Corey in the morning.”
“Son, it is the morning, and you’d better hit the sack.”
“Hit the sack? And you say the Foon speak weird?” from Pel with a smile. Jim Matthews smiled back.
“Goodnight.”
“Night.”
12
DECISION
Corey woke up in love. He stared at the ceiling and reviewed every single moment of last night in his mind. Should he call her? He didn’t want to be too obvious or look clingy, but he really wanted to talk to her.
He decided to give it a few hours and turned on the Apple to catch some local news. A skycar had struck a parking structure outside of the Crossers Arena with only minor injuries. Two teens were arrested for booming a neighborhood outside of Goodluck. Booming is flying your skycar low to the ground at Mach speed to create a sonic boom. It can actually knock people over, and for that reason it’s illegal for anyone under 25 years of age to even operate a skycar in the city.
“Corey Jagger-Seven, have you been to the Rochaus lately? You have GOT to get down there tonight to check out The Cosmotix! There hasn’t been a band on Titan like this since…”
“Hey, that’s smack! Whoa, I look like crap,” Corey said out loud, to no one. He waited for the end of the ad and clicked off the Apple.
I should call her. I’ve got this. He lifted his wrist, and...decided to give it a few hours. Just then his younger brother buzzed in. Corey lifted his wrist.
“Joe’s Bar and Grill,” said Corey.
“Morning, you loser in love.”
‘Well your momma’s so old she was the waitress at the Last Supper.”
“Hey, yeah...Corey, uh, mom had a relapse. I talked to dad last night. You eat?”
“No, is she ok?” Corey forgot everything he was just thinking about, even Reena.
“Let’s go down to the cafe, I’ll fill you in,” said Pel.
“Ok, I’ll be there straight.”
They sat at the same table in the cafe every time. Corey ordered ham and eggs, and Pel had Russian waffles with creamed goosefish and Vegemite.
“So brother, what happened?” Corey asked.
“It was another one of those attacks, but I guess this one was pretty bad. Tude, she’s got radiation poisoning. Her pacer had a trinitium leak. They’re heading to BK Earth, Copenhagen.”
“Copenhagen? Moons…well, at least she’ll be at the best place.”
“I know. Dad looked like toast. I think he had just been crying.”
“You don’t look so good either, brother,” said Corey. “You look tired.”
“I was versing with dad and Jim at like, three in the morning.”
“What? Jim?”
“He was in the Telcom room when I called dad back. He’s a cool guy, you know? He said the same thing she told you, that they could give us a high-speed home. Sounds like he’s fullon going with her.”
“Brother, you’re thinking we should go home?”
“Yeah, I do. It bites, but I mean, mom, ya know?”
“I know. Did you check out the news about the Foon?”
“Yeah. Kinda boogle. I mean, nobody seems to be sure it’s an invasion. Could be a lot of things.”
“Reena seemed pretty sure when we talked, but she had just seen the breaking news. Maybe she’ll change her mind.”
“Well if they do go, it could be very convenient for us.”
“Yeah, good timing, huh?”
There was a pause, as Corey finished his last bite of ham.
“Sooo…?”
Corey could tell what that meant by the evil smile on Pel’s face.
“You have a thingy in your teeth, brother.”
“Whatever…” Pel hovered his face in front of him and checked his teeth, removing the offender with tongue and finger. He looked back at Corey.
“Sooo…?”
“So, we walked around this park behind the Rochaus. You gotta see this place, brother. There’s a pond in the middle, with this-”
“Aaaaand?” Pel covered his ears.
“Yeah, we locked lips.”
“I KNEW it!” Pel slapped the table. “You are king of the universe, tude!”
“Well, I was last night, that’s for sure.”
“Can’t believe you’re playing suckface with the hottest celebrity this side of Mars,” said Pel.
“This side of Venus, brother,” Corey shot back, and he sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head, looking to the ceiling. Maker Me…unreal.”
“Mom’s gonna get through this, Reena’s going to come back from Ceres2 and you’re going to be dating a rocstar. Note to self: find way to exploit for my own personal gain.”
“Maybe my hooking up will get us hooked up!” Corey grinned.
“Don’t even pretend to tell me you haven’t been thinking about that already, Romeoid. We should be hanging with her just to be hanging with her. She could be the ticket!”
“What did I do right to deserve her?”
“Um, nothing, and you don’t. But don’t worry, when she dumps you I’ll take over; ya know, to keep the career thing going.” Pel winked, then blocked an attempted punch to the chest from across the table. He faked a return punch and got Corey to pull back quickly.
“Of course, then we’ll all get whacked by the Foon,” said Corey, sitting up straight.
“You know Ari’s gonna puke a turd that we’re going home,” said Pel, pushing his empty plate away.
“Maybe, but at least he’s home. Might ease the sting a little. I hope he’s not gonna be effed about-” Corey paused.
Pel looked up, “About what?”
“Nothing. He told me something last night, I’ll tell you some other time.”
“What the hell some other time, lay it out, tude!”
“Ah, moons…well…He told me he had a bit of a jones for Reena
back when, but it was more than the size of Kentucky.”
Pel chuckled, “You liked that one, huh?”
“Apparently it was more like Montana.”
Pel bellowed out a laugh but quickly contained himself out of respect for his friend.
“And what, it didn’t work out for him?” Corey nodded.
“Well, now a couple of things make sense.”
“I know, huh?”
“We have to tell him sooner or later, Cor.”
They decided to call Ari and see if he could join them right now. He was playing half-grav golf in Zubrin Hills, but was finishing up and said he could meet them in about an hour. They would meet at the Green Lake Club House, the restaurant at the 18th hole of the country club. Ari had a table reserved already in case his golf buddies wanted a meal after.
The boys pulled up in a Skymuver and dropped down to the air deck at the exact time that Ari was walking off the 18th green.
“Airman!” said Corey. Ari held up his hand for a slap.
“Golfing at the country club, Aristotle, you’re upclass, baby!” said Pel.
“Ha, I can’t afford this place; my home skillet Jamaar set this up. He works here.”
“Your what?” said Pel, laughing.
“What’d you shoot?” asked Corey.
“Some trees, a couple of lakes, almost the lady flying the drink cart.” All three shared a laugh. “This place is kak, man. You can set the grav differently for each hole. I had a 400-meter drive! Can’t do that on Earth!”
“And it landed in the fairway! Of course, not our fairway,” said one of Ari’s golf trio.
Turning to his buddies, Ari said, “Hey guys, this is my band. Did you all meet last night?”
“No, not really,” Corey said, “did you guys have fun? I’m Corey, this is my brother Pel,” and he formally extended his hand.
“Happy Porter-Seven, it’s a pleasure,” from a tall black gentleman with a firm grip. “This is my son Darius.”
“Corey Jagger-Seven, Darius,” said Corey, extending his hand. Pel extended his hand toward Happy at the same time, and he and Corey collided.
“Oh sorry, Happy I’m Pel Jagger-Seven.” Darius was reaching his hand toward Corey as Happy reached his toward Pel, and Darius collided with his dad.
“Pleasure to meet you, Pel,” said Darius.
“No, I’m Corey, this is Pel,” Corey said.
“Pleasure is mine, Happy,” said Pel.
“Pel, that’s Darius,” said Corey.
“Excuse me,” Ari interrupted, “have you guys never done this before?”
Corey was embarrassed, but Pel started laughing out loud.
“This is why we’re playrocs,” said Pel.
“So, did you guys have fun?” asked Corey.
“We had a great time partying at the club!” Happy said with a South Martian accent. “You guys are spiffing! Golfing with this guy, though, I’m not so sure…” He grabbed Ari around the shoulder and they had a laugh.
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” said Corey. “Porter-Seven, you from our part of Moon?”
“Family yes, but I’ve never been there. Born and raised in Alton, Southeast Mars.” There was an awkward pause, and then Happy said, “Hey, well, you guys get to it; we were going to sway, but we’re pretty buzzy.” They said their goodbyes and the three sat down to a table. Corey swiped his wrist over the service center in the middle of the table.
“I’ve got this.” Ari ordered Jupi lemonwater and chips, Pel ordered Hopmaster and Corey, a Saturn Seltzer.
“South Mars, they have a whole other language, huh?” Ari said.
“I like the accent, makes me hungry. There’s no food from there that I don’t crave,” said Pel.
“Airman, we have a lot to talk about,” from Corey.
He started with their mother’s situation, and he and Pel took turns sharing what had happened, her health, her health history and how close their family ties were. Ari knew this about the family, but the boys were gushing out words almost as if they were in therapy and Ari was their counselor. Corey even became teary when he got to the part where her blood was going to need a full rad cleansing while her heart and lungs were replaced.
Ari didn’t have a mother, and he wasn’t actually born. Ari was germinated in Riverside, California when the Lopez family were planning the move to Titan. It was decided they could use more family members, so Roland Lopez and his husband Tommy gave their samples and had Ari and two sisters produced. The three were all about the same age, and their two sets of cousins were a little younger. They were a good family, and Ari knew that if he were facing the same circumstance with one of his dads, he would not hesitate to do what the boys were thinking about doing.
“Brothers, I feel your pain, man,” said Ari. “I’d be freaking out, so of course I understand. Be with your mom, and I’ll hold down the fort out here. But you have to take a high-speed back if we are going to make the Orbiter gig. And how are you going to get home?”
“Reena’s talking about her and Jim going to visit with the Foon,” said Pel, “so we can catch a ride with them since the Foon asteroid is near Earth.”
“We, um, we were also worried about the Foon coming,” said Corey, “aren’t you thinking about that?” Maybe Pel shouldn’t have mentioned Reena just yet.
“Reena is taking you home?” Ari’s voice pitched higher, louder. “And she wants to what? Talk to the Foon? With respect, Hell called and is wondering what you are now talking about.”
“Ari, if this is really an invasion, don’t you want to be with your family?” asked Corey.
Pel jumped in, “She wants Jim and her to talk to the Foon and see if they can find something out the government can’t. And we’re thinking maybe we can even help out somehow. Jim says the Foon won’t survive an interro-”
“I know all about the Foon,” Ari interrupted. “I’m sick of hearing about the Foon. Oh, and you’re going to help? Help with what?”
Ari had not given a lot of thought to the Foon. There were so many strange rumors that came out of Washington, Moscow, and Beijing. He saw the daily news, but just when he was browsing Telcom or researching something he needed. If that alien race is approaching us, and if we know for sure they are hostile, then why is everyone so calm? Is this really happening, and what are we all supposed to do? And what the hell are these guys-
“Ari, are you listening?” asked Corey.
“Yes. I’m listening.” This is complete bullshit.
“We haven’t said anything to them about helping out, Ari. That’s just us thinking. We’re going there to be with our mother. But if they need us, we should be there. If the Earth really is facing a problem, we should be part of the solution, if at all possible.”
“The solution,” said Ari, mockingly.
“Yes,” said Corey, with Pel nodding in agreement. “Haven’t you ever wanted to do something completely amazing for the entire solsys?”
“Let me guess, Corey is in love with Reena,” said Ari.
“Airman-”
“Why in the name of bin laden do you call me that?” Ari yelled.
“Oh,” said Corey. “I don’t know...”
“Well I don’t like it.” He did until then.
“Ok.”
“Corey, Pel, come on dammit, we’re playrocs, man. What are you...ok, tell me exactly what you’re thinking. What SHE’S thinking.”
Pel started, “Jim Matthews used to live on Ceres2, and he knows the Foon very well.” He needed to give his brother a break.
“I know that,” fumed Ari.
“Someone needs to talk to them because United Earth is going to drill them a new one to get intel on their capabilities, and Jim and Reena think that after UE is done they’ll be tits up, and we’ll be kruk outta luck.”
Corey added, “And it’s not just information we need, we might need them to intercede for us, to do the talking. We need them on our side.”
“We need,” Ari barked, “now you’re
part of United Earth? Have you lost it? And nobody really knows why the Foon are heading toward the solsys. For all we know, they’re going to pick up the prisoner families and take them back home. Or maybe Earth isn’t their destination at all, just a point along their trajectory.”
“Yeah,” said Corey, “a lot of people are saying that same thing. But…”
“But what? I just can’t get my head around how the bloody hell a couple of no-name playrocs are going to make a difference in a matter that every head of state on Earth, Moon, and Mars is giving their full attention to. This is like a bad movie directed by Ed Woods or whatever that guy’s name was. It’s ‘Plan 9 from Titan.’ At best you’re going to get in the way and embarrass yourselves in front of the entire solsys, and if you’re lucky then nothing will happen and you will have wasted your time and put off your careers. Shit! I gave up a lot of opportunities to be a part of this band. I thought we were going places. This is what I get? Let’s quit and save the galaxy?”
“We’re not quitting, Ari,” said Corey. “When Reena-”
“REENA!” Ari yelled as he stood up from his chair. “Reena Reena Reena…If you guys want to be her dogs, then launch. She’s a dreamer, always thinks she can do what others can’t. I showed you my bones, Corey, I told you everything. I thought we were friends. Fuck this.”
“Ari-”
Ari turned and walked away violently, and his chair went flying. He turned his head as he walked to yell one more thing and clunked his foot against a step, sending him sprawling headfirst into a set of bushes.
“Oh shit,” said Pel, holding his face to keep back the evil laugh that was begging to come out.
“Fuuuuuuuck!” Ari got up and kept going, not looking back.
Pel looked around to assess the embarrassment factor, still holding his mouth shut. Not funny, not funny…
A long pause ensued, with Pel reading the label on his Hopmaster bottle and Corey checking his wrist for updates. Nothing from Reena, but a message from Mark Jondess was waiting. Corey decided to take that message later.
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