Halfkinds Volume 1: Contact

by Vu, Andrew

  “It’s a small explosive. Candy rigged it together with some of the things she found around here. It’s pretty crude, but it’ll get the job done. You trigger it by pressing the clicker on top. You’ll only have a few seconds after you start it before it blows. According to Candy, it’s pretty powerful, so be careful.”

  Most of my brothers and sisters look stunned by what I had handed to Lombardi. He looks relatively shocked as well. The one who looks the most surprised is Oscar.

  “Candy, why did you make this?” Oscar says, as if he’s been betrayed.

  “Tiago asked me to,” Candy says sheepishly. “I just want to help out.”

  “You have a problem with this?” I interrupt. “What’s the issue?”

  “This is not necessary,” Oscar says. “If he uses this thing, the alarms will sound and he’ll have more to deal with. What you’re giving Lombardi is a death sentence.”

  “He gets caught and doesn’t defend himself, it’s already a death sentence,” I say defiantly. “Have you already forgotten what happened to Leonard? It was last morning. They, the outside world, the government, whomever, killed him in cold blood. Someone is after us, and they’re out to destroy. I’m giving Lombardi something he can defend himself with.”

  “Is that so? This will help him defend himself? Or are you giving him something that will send a message to our so-called hunters.”

  “Sometimes, brother, you need to do both. It isn’t always so black and white.”

  “I don’t approve of this.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t. You’re not thinking of the big picture. You want to live in your peaceful dream land. A place where the world will leave us alone and let us be, where we are free to do whatever we want without persecution. Unlike you, I live in the real world, and in the real world, people will never accept us. We are too different, we shouldn’t even exist. They’ll make sure that is so. Just remember what happened to Leonard, never forget.”

  Oscar looks at me, eyes beaming. This is another example of his leadership weakening over the past week. He’s losing his grip on our siblings and he knows it.

  “The bomb is a precaution,” I tell Oscar. “Hopefully, Lombardi won’t have to use it.”

  “I hope so, too,” Lombardi says.

  “Once we get our supplies, we can focus on getting to the Moon,” I tell everyone.

  “Lombardi, you don’t have to bring the bomb,” Oscar says.

  “Oscar…” I say in an irritated tone. “Don’t start.”

  Lombardi senses the tension and looks at Oscar. “No it’s okay, really. I probably won’t even use it. It’s insurance, that’s all.”

  Oscar backs away. Good boy, Lombardi.

  In a few days, we will make our break for the Moon. I’ve already discussed it with the family. There are two teleportation stations in Primm that can send us to any other station out there, including San Francisco. It shouldn’t be too hard to get it running, especially for Candy. Even I understand the basic concept of how a teleporter works.

  Like any other mode of transportation, in order to get from point A to point B, you basically need to know where you’re going and how to get there. Our destination is the Bay Area, the transporters is how we’ll get there. All those things need is for the power to be on. There are delivery and receiving teleporters, one to send and one to arrive in. Once we fire it up, we locate a receiving teleporter to travel to. Receiving teleporters are duty free, so we can arrive anytime without being noticed. After we walk through the teleportation gate, and when we get to the other side, we’re in the Golden State. Then we use the more powerful San Francisco delivery teleporter station to go to the Moon.

  The great thing about teleporters is that when you choose your destination, it automatically turns on the receiving one. It’s not possible to walk through a gate if the receiver is off, because if you did, you wouldn’t exactly end up anywhere. Automatically turning on the other side is a failsafe created to prevent that from happening. And if, for some reason, the other side isn’t working because the power is out or it’s broken, the delivery teleporter will fail to open the gate to the other side. It’s incredible that these provisions have been built into the machines.

  We’ll be breaking in during off hours, so we’ll have to trust in Candy’s abilities. She’ll need to figure out how to disable any security systems, activate the power in the teleportation station, and enter the destination. I’m confident she’ll be able to do all three. She’s been researching vigorously on the technical aspects of our plan. She’s already demonstrated a knack for disabling security systems, as she was able to figure out how to aid Lombardi on his task. She still has a few days to figure out how to start the power and run the machine, and a few days is plenty of time for someone of her scientific caliber. I have complete faith in her, she hasn’t let us down yet.

  We should reach the Moon instantly after teleporting there. Then, we’ll sneak into the undeveloped areas to carve out our new home. There’s still a lot left to be discovered on the Moon. The Moon may be terraformed, but it’s a long way from being a new Earth. There’s a lot of unsettled land and politically it’s a nightmare as every species is still trying to claim a piece.

  Our family can survive as long as we have the insta-item. With the credits that Lombardi will swipe for us, we’ll be able to order food and other items that will keep us afloat online. The supplies will be teleported directly to our insta-item machine, no questions asked. That way, we can get what we want anonymously. Long ago, humans used something called mail to do this. I can’t imagine a world where I would have to wait in order to get something I ordered.

  We have the maps of the Moon, we know what’s populated and what’s not. Unlike here, there’s plenty of land up there. Living undetected and in peace should be much easier. We just have to worry about getting there. It’s still a long road away, but if things go right for us, we can make it.

  There is a big problem though, the others. Someone is after us. Mother had spent all of her life terrifying us about the outside world. I didn’t believe her. I always thought she was crazy, that the years of prostitution had taken a toll on her mental health. She would rant and scare us about the horrors that existed out there. When I was younger, I was afraid, but as I got older, I saw what she really was, a liar.

  Or so I thought. It appears I am wrong and she was right.

  When Ace came back and told us about Leonard’s demise, I was shocked, a little from the news of his death, but more so because of who was responsible for it. A government science crew was on hand so quickly after he died. They were eager to learn from his corpse. When Ace delivered the news to all of us, I realized that mother was right.

  We went into hiding right away as a safeguard. Even I didn’t know what we would face, and I needed time to figure out what our plan was and what threats would come our way. We lived off the supplies that we had gathered, but within a few days, I saw that our stash was dwindling. We would have enough food to last another week, but hiding out in an abandoned building is no place to live a life. We’d spend the rest of our existences like cockroaches.

  Yet, I didn’t know what to do, the world was still a mysterious place to me. I had no idea the kind of reception me and my siblings would receive if we stepped out into the public.

  I wanted to think that the world wasn’t that bad of a place. I, after all, was always arguing with mother, doubting the merits of her warnings. But to say that mother’s words didn’t have an effect on me while growing up is untrue. Mother may have been crazy, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have been right. I needed to test out exactly how dangerous it was for creatures like us.

  And then, in the wee hours of last morning, I saw Leonard sneak out. He didn’t see me, though, if he did, he surely wouldn’t have left. At first, I wondered where he was going, but after a few minutes of thought, I knew exactly where. It didn’t take a genius to know that he was heading home, back to where mother’s body was, back to sa
y goodbye.

  In terms of his usefulness, Leonard was right there on the bottom next to Lombardi. He was young, naïve, and too emotional to be counted on. He didn’t have anything that he could offer to our family. Even Lombardi had a certain level of enthusiasm and courage, Leonard did not. He was a coward, and I knew that in the future he would be a liability. That’s what I thought of when I saw him sneak out.

  He was my brother and I loved him, but in the fight for our survival, he would only hurt our chances. I couldn’t babysit him forever, and when he snuck out that morning, it proved to me that my judgments were correct. He wasn’t thinking about his family. His foolishness could have jeopardized the safety of all our brothers and sisters. So I did what I had to do, I called the police and let them know that there was a homicide at 1523 Chakming Drive, Primm, Nevada.

  When I sent the tip I was unsure about what waited for us outside. Was it harm? Was it help? What kind of welcome would we get? There was too much I didn’t know. Leonard would help me find out.

  And when he didn’t come back that morning, when Ace arrived with the news of his of death, I got my answer. We were on our own, and there would always be someone ready to hunt us.

  In his death, Leonard ended up as the most useful member of our family. He gave my brothers and sisters the motivation to get a move on. We had all been unsure about where to go, if we should stay in Primm, if we would be safe here. Leonard’s death made it all too clear that we were not. He gave us the sign that we needed to think of an escape plan.

  Most importantly, he let me know that mother was right and that I was wrong. The world is the dangerous place she talked about, but I would have never figured this out on my own.

  I am sorry baby brother, but I hope you can find it in your heart to understand. At least you’re with her now.

  Lombardi is about to leave and begins to say his goodbyes. The others gather around him, but while no one is looking, I tap Ace’s shoulder.

  “He’s leaving soon,” I whisper to him.

  Ace nods quietly, so none of the others can see.

  “You know what to do?” I whisper again.

  He nods silently once more, and I nod back. I know I can count on Ace, he’s hasn’t let me down yet.

  Chapter 7 – Simon Trevor - Sundown

  November 16, 3040 7:15 PM

  Our debriefing has finished, so Agent Leons shows us the way out of the conference room.

  “We need to figure out our strategy first,” I tell him as we walk through the hallways with the team behind us.

  “Hold on, son,” he tells me. “First we’ll have to stop by the armory, reception said the team’s special packages have arrived.”

  “These things are going to be on the move, especially after one of their own has been killed. The more we wait, the farther they may have gotten.”

  “It’s night time, no one is going anywhere this fast. All the ways out are closed. You need to slow down there, pal. You can’t fight a battle if you don’t have anything to back it up.”

  We’re all different species, so the headquarters here doesn’t exactly have everything each of us need. For example, for handguns, I require a standard issue Tang 534A Pistol. It fires pulsed energy shots at a target, hot enough to char through the skin of a crocodile and leave him dead.

  However, other members of my team may not have fingers to operate my firearm. Most quadrupeds have to rely on side harnesses to hold their weapons, and their mouths or tails to pull the trigger. This is the first time I have met my team, so I’m not sure what kind of arms they plan to use. All of their gear had to be ported in earlier this morning, according to Agent Leons.

  We get to the armory and I see six bags on the floor. They’re all the same color, granite black, but each is tagged and one says “Trevor.” Another says “Snow,” and another says “Bradley.” “Freely,” “Bornoa,” and “Zuma.” Looks like they packed their gear, too.

  “I see that some of you have your equipment on. Nice armor big guy,” Agent Leons says looking at Erawan. He does not appear amused. “All except Commander Trevor. I’ll provide you with some standard issue protective gear after your strategy session. I believe the rest of you brought your own weaponry, since we’re running low on animal arms around here. Don’t know why you brought your own stuff, Simon, you know we have plenty of toys for you to play with.”

  “I like to work with my own tools.”

  “Work with your own tools, eh? What movie did you get that line from?”

  I look into my bag and pick up my Tang 534A. The pistol is one of my favorite weapons. It has a long battery life and is speedy and accurate. It’s also equipped with a silence mode that suppresses noise at the cost of lower firepower. I glance at it to make sure it hadn’t been damaged during the delivery and set it aside.

  I then take out a longer, heavier gun. It’s a Tang 700 series energy rifle, also known as a Spitfire. Its nickname derives from its plasma shots, hot enough to burn through several metals, but its energy cost is higher. I probably can only get one hundred rounds or so until I need to recharge. I saw the images of the rhino and croc halfkind, Alex and Curtis. I have a feeling my Tang 534A won’t cut it, so I may have to rely on the Spitfire instead

  Those are the only two weapons I need, though I’ll be sure to pick up some pulse, mini, and sound grenades from Agent Leons before we leave.

  I observe the others' gear. I’m familiar with dog and wolf weaponry, since I worked with Apollo on a several missions, but I’m not aware of what Borton, Erawan, and Colbo might have in their arsenal.

  Colbo pulls out a large gun from his bag. It looks like my Spitfire, but twice the size. Gorilla weapons are similar to human weapons in that they are carried by arms and require opposable thumbs to operate, but they are usually bigger than what humans use. I doubt that a gorilla would want to be seen with a ridiculously small gun on them and a trigger that their fingers can barely squeeze.

  The leading gorilla weapons manufacturer is Silverback Industries, and their arms are known to have quite the punch. Gorilla’s themselves tend to favor heavy weaponry as opposed to pistols. They have a reputation for hitting hard and hitting fast. I can’t even recall the last time I’ve seen a gorilla with a pistol or light firearm.

  “I trust that you guys have grenades and pulse bombs,” Colbo says to Agent Leons.

  “Sure do, but they are Tang models. Hope you don’t mind using human weapons,” he says.

  “That’s fine, a bomb is a bomb. I should be able to use it like you humans.”

  Erawan uses his trunk to pull out a large, metal stick. At first I’m not sure what it is, but after looking at it, I know. Designed by Shivato Tech, the elephants call it a firing stick. Basically, it’s a large stick where one end fires an energy shot, while the other end is held by the elephant’s trunk. A trigger is in the form of a panel on the stick and when an elephant wraps his trunk and applies pressure, the shot is fired. It can also be used as a melee weapon.

  Borton rummages through his bag and pulls out a harness looking apparatus. It looks like it is supposed to fit on his back. From it protrudes two energy pistols. Pigs don’t have an independent weapons manufacturer. They rather negotiate and haggle for weapons instead of using their resources to make their own, so they have their weapon designs contracted out by other species. This looks to be the work of a human developer, since it’s a bunch of human weapons stitched together for a pig to use. Attached to the triggers of the energy pistols are wires that lead to a helmet looking contraption.

  My curiosity gets the better of me. “So how does it work?”

  “What, my weapon?” Borton say. “Well, basically I put this harness on my back and this helmet on top of my head. The strings that connect the harness and helmet go near my mouth, and when I’m ready to shoot, I bite down on the string which is attached to this small controller. The buttons on the controller retract the cords, which pull the triggers on the pistols you see on the harness and, boom, weapo
n is fired. I know it seems primitive by human standards, but it’s effective.”

  I then look at what Apollo and Fenrir have. Canine weapons, regardless of wolf or dog, are produced by the Beo Group. The only thing they need is a helmet, which is for both protection, storage of devices, and weapons. Their trigger is voice activated. Once the command is spoken, shots of various type, electric, plasma, ballistic, come out of their helmet. For stealth shots that don’t require a vocal command, a sensor is aimed at their tails. If they move it in a certain manner, left, right, whatever depending on how it’s programmed, directives are interpreted.

  I’ve seen Apollo use it before, and the firepower that comes out of those helmet cannons is pretty impressive.

  Fenrir has something else, though. It’s a small box that looks like it should be attached to his front leg. I’ve never seen it before.

  “Is that some kind of communication device?” I ask him.

  “No, it’s a marble shooter,” he says. “Marble shooters fire out small balls of energy in a forward direction. It rolls across the floor, like its namesake, and after a ten second window, it explodes. The blast radius is the same as a small grenade. However, they are required to roll on a flat surface. Any uneven ground makes it unpredictable and inaccurate. I have it just in case. They’re best used as an element of surprise.”

  “All right everyone, you have everything you need?” Agent Leons asks.

  “It looks like that’s the case,” I say.

  “Good, then let’s go to the war room. You’ll need to figure out your plans.”

  We put our gear back into our bags and follow Agent Leons into another large conference room. It’s called the war room, but it looks exactly like all the other rooms we’ve been in. Colbo and I take a seat, but the rest stand since there appears to be no chairs that would fit their body type.

  “Commander Trevor will take the lead from here,” he says.

  The team’s attention turns to me and I walk to the front of the room to address them.