Ozzy took a quick step forward. “I need your help.”
Lou turned around. “The last time I helped you, it backfired and killed mom and dad. I ain’t going to make the same mistake twice.” He slapped his chest. “And who’s been the father figure in your daughter’s life? I have. My wife and I moved into Tunnel Downs after you disappeared for money and adventure. So, get out of my face, you worthless piece of shit.”
Lou’s words—his truth—hit Ozzy like a ton of bricks. He lived next to Lily and Venessa, Lily’s mom? Ozzy had been picking up and dropping off Lily for months and didn’t know.
Ozzy cleared his throat. “Look, Lou, I’m in a real pickle.”
Jozi walked around Ozzy. “My name is Jozi Ryan. I’m an agent for the Mars Ministry Police. I am assisting your brother with an archaeological find. It’s an official dig.”
Lou stood straighter as if he was proud to see his brother turning things around in his life. He grunted, much like Ozzy always did, and motioned for Ozzy and Jozi to walk forward. “You’re a real agent?”
“My badge number is 114112. You can check it when we get inside.”
He gave Ozzy a look but turned back to Jozi. “Alright. But you can’t stay long.” Lou circled a finger in the air and walked toward the open doors.
The lights stopped strobing, and the siren turned off. Ozzy and Jozi walked inside.
A clank and the door sucked into the ground, bringing the room to airtight status. The lights in the sterilization room flipped on, highlighting red cement floors, walls, and a ceiling.
“Arms up,” ordered Lou.
Everyone, including Jozi and Ozzy, lifted their arms. Water dropped like heavy rain from the ceiling, and a fountain shot up from underneath, blanketing their EVA’s and washing the perchlorates off—the organic chlorine poisons mixed in the Martian dust. Small amounts weren’t harmful, but the cities and businesses, like Pollack Mine, never wanted to take any chances.
The water turned off and washed down several drains that dotted the large room. The drying system buzzed on, blowing the water off of them.
When the dryer stopped, the inside door leading directly into the mine opened, and the sounds of metal scraping against rock echoed in Ozzy’s helmet’s auditory sensors. Large machines much like his once new mole digger—which was probably now a pile of rubble—lined a giant hole in the ground. Outbuildings circled the hole, forming what looked like a small business village.
The hole’s outside lining was cemented, keeping the perchlorates out. The ground where the buildings dwelled was covered in cement, extending to the giant graviton shield doming the entire mining site.
Miners walked to and fro, up and down stairs and elevators, and in and out of buildings.
It was a full-on operational mine, and gold was the prize somewhere down in the dark hole.
“Welcome to the Pollack party, Brother,” said Lou. He pulled off his helmet, his face serious, and his blond hair falling in front of his eyes.
Lou was younger than Ozzy and twice as handsome. Jozi shifted on her feet, most likely not used to seeing a male model working as a miner.
Ozzy took off his helmet and extended his hand. “Thank you, Bro—”
Alarms blared.
Lou winced, and his lips turned downward. The rest of his face creased in dismay. “Another alarm? What the hell?”
A small, skinny man with grease smeared across his cheek and holding a holopad walked up to Lou. “We have a problem, Sir.”
“Yes, Jim?” Lou stared at the holoimage for several seconds. He shot Ozzy a look. “That’s more than a problem. The MMP want in to arrest my brother and his accomplice.” He took a long stride toward Ozzy, reared back, and threw a punch.
Lou’s fist cracked against Ozzy’s temple, and Ozzy fell on his back, sliding across the wet pavement.
“You little…” Ozzy rubbed his temple and put his other hand up, guarding against another punch. “I dare you to do that again, Louey.”
“The MMP are outside. MMP have always left us alone. I assume you’re the reason they’re here?” He sniffed and spat on the cement. “Damn it, Ozzy, you brought us your troubles.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “Get out.”
11
Pollack Mine, Mars
The speakers screamed on. “This is the Mars Ministry Police, and we are using the emergency com channel system. You are harboring a known criminal. Let us inside or you will face magisterial consequences. You have one minute to comply.”
Lou glared at Ozzy as if he had killed his wife. He bared his teeth, his eyes wide, and spit flew out of his mouth when he spoke. “Get your helmets back on and get out.”
Ozzy stood, facing his brother, squeezing Indigo tighter in his arms. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Jozi chimed in. “Lou, someone set Ozzy up.”
Lou turned his gaze on Jozi like she was the reason his brother turned to the dark side. “You get out, as well.”
Jozi unzipped her EVA and reached into her jumpsuit pocket, pulling out her MMP Agent ID. She held it up. “I’m an official MMP agent.”
The MMP continued their announcement. “…Mars Ministry Police, using the emergency com channel system. You are harboring…”
Lou waved his arm in the air. “Someone turn that off.”
Jozi put her hand on Lou’s chest, trying to calm him down. “The High Judge wants to kill your brother. It’s as simple as that, and I’m an MMP agent trying to stop my boss, Robert Baldwin, from—”
Lou pushed her arms away. “Let my brother die.”
It was apparent Lou blamed Ozzy for their parent’s death, and if he could, he’d probably blame Ozzy for their cat’s death when they were in elementary school.
Ozzy was the bane of Lou’s existence, and he was tired of being blamed for everything that went wrong.
Ozzy slapped his thigh and rushed forward, knocking Jozi out of the way and pushing his brother against a wall. He threw a forearm across Lou’s neck, leaning his weight into him.
“Listen, Lou. One, I didn’t kill our parents. Two, I have a real mess here that for once you can be a good brother and help me.”
Lou pushed Ozzy away, putting up a hand to stop the growing audience from helping him beat the crap out of his brother. “You’re my brother by blood, and that’s all.” He threw a punch.
Ozzy ducked and dropped Indigo. He came up with an uppercut, connecting to Lou’s jaw.
Lou stumbled and tripped, landing on his rear.
A worker jumped in front of Ozzy, followed by several others, and they tackled him to the ground. An elbow went across Ozzy’s mouth, slicing his lip open and sending blood down his chin and neck.
As quick as a flash, one worker was thrown off of him, then a second one. A knee came across a third worker’s cheek, sending him to the floor.
“Enough,” Jozi yelled. She was standing over Ozzy, her hands balled into fists, and her breath coming fast. “Anyone else want to try?” She eyed the crowd.
Ozzy pushed himself up and wiped the blood from his mouth. “The High Judge killed our parents.” He pointed to his chest. “I didn’t. I was only trying to show mom and dad the truth of what Robert Baldwin did to me and my family, especially my daughter.”
He’d told Lou this countless times through the years, but Lou never conceded.
Several miners helped Lou to his feet. Lou massaged his chin where Ozzy had hit him. “I call bullshit.”
“I have proof.”
“You always say that and never show me.”
“Because you hang up the com channel before you give me a chance.”
“Then where is it, Ozzy?”
Ozzy hesitated for a moment, realizing the proof was spread out and hidden throughout Mars.
“I don’t have it on me.”
Lou laughed. “Of course, you don’t.”
“I do,” said Jozi.
Ozzy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. “How?”
Jozi wal
ked over to Lou and stood eye to eye with him. “Do you have a holocomputer connected to the MarsNet?”
Lou nodded. “I do.”
Jim, who must be Lou’s assistant, strode next to him. He held out the holopad. “The MMP want inside and now.”
“Tell them we don’t know what they’re talking about, but we’re doing a full investigation with our internal security. That should hold them off for another ten minutes.”
Lou turned and headed toward a building. “Show me something that will compel me to be that good brother you want me to be.”
Ozzy picked up Indigo and his helmet. He walked next to Jozi as they passed a large, unmanned S-99 Flying Miner, an enormous hexagonal craft used to fly, locate, and dig new mines.
“What do you have that provides proof?” Ozzy asked her under his breath.
“Shortly after we found the cure to the Martian Plague, you told me to retrieve the holodocuments, holoimages, and holovids you had of Robert that showed him working with the crime syndicates plus the vids you had of him threatening you and your daughter.” Her eyes grew hard as if she didn’t want to admit she knew too much about her boss—her family—that would show Robert in a negative light. “I uploaded them onto the MarsNet.”
Ozzy skirted around a mechanic fixing a small, robotic mining drill. He gave Ozzy and unpleasant stare and then continued working.
“The little you watched, Jozi, did you by chance see any of those holodocs, vids, and images showing Robert threatening my parents?” Ozzy had them in his secret stash on Ketler Asteroid, plus a copy bundle in one of his lockers on Relic, which were probably burned to ash by now.
Jozi puffed out her cheeks, thinking. “No. I didn’t see them.”
“Come in.” Lou opened a door to a small outbuilding that overlooked the giant hole.
After they walked inside, Lou shut the door behind them and gestured toward his computer. “The lady can sit and pull up what she wants to show me.” There was a hint of cynicism in his voice.
The door opened, and Jim entered the room, holding the holopad. The thing must be glued to his hand. “Boss, the authorities want to come in right this minute.”
“Tell them to get a warrant.”
Jim cleared his throat uncomfortably. “A Ministry bill passed during the Martian Plague. They don’t need warrants anymore.”
Lou jerked back in surprise. “What?”
Jozi nodded her head. “Unfortunately, Jim is right. No more warrants.”
Lou rubbed his hand over his mouth, clearly disturbed. “The Ministry is slowly eroding our civil liberties.” He cracked his knuckles. “You tell them we disagree with whatever bill was passed, and we’re protesting that law until they get a legitimate warrant.”
The man looked away, clearly not wanting to do what Lou was asking. “I’m on it.”
Jozi swiped her hand over Lou’s holopad. The holocomputer blipped on and a hologram with a password protection screen popped up.
Lou nudged her to the side and typed in his passcode. “There you go.”
Wahping! Wahping!
A couple of bangs clanked against the door leading into the dome. It was loud and reverberated against the walls. Lou grabbed his hair. “Are the MMP crazy? They break that door open, and we all die.”
Jozi took over the holocomputer and swiped across several applications and pressed on MarsNet, sending her into the Mars Wide Web. “I’m getting into my MMP agent file, and I’ll pull up some vids for you. The file is encrypted. They won’t know what I’m showing you.”
Lou ignored her. He opened his office door and stepped outside, keeping his hand on the doorknob. “Jim,” he yelled. “Close the mine’s inner doors. We can’t let the gravity and oxygen rush out when the MMP break through those outer doors. Got it?”
Jim nodded and rushed away.
Wahping!
Another bang rattled the mine.
The inner doors began to close.
“They don’t care about you or anyone else, Lou,” said Ozzy. “They are willing to kill thousands of miners in order to kill me. Why do you think that is?”
Lou didn’t budge. “Because you are hiding something.” He gave Ozzy a long stare. “And you brought them to me. What a good brother you are.”
“They downed my craft outside your mine. You were my only option. Trust me, I would have chosen otherwise if I could.”
Lou threw his hand dismissively as if he’d heard a million empty excuses from his brother before. “Okay, so what do you have on Robert Baldwin?” His voice stern and his eyes on fire.
Wahping!
The entire dome shook, and Ozzy flinched. “Right now, I’d suggest you get your teams together, find some metal and welders, and reinforce the inner doors.”
Jim came running into the office. His face was full of panic, and sweat was beading off his forehead. “They blasted open the outer doors. All they have are the inner doors to break through, and we’re done for.”
Lou’s eyes were like saucers. “Those pieces of Mars dung.” He took a deep breath and turned on his mic. “Attention all miners. This is not a drill. This is an emergency. Do not ask questions. Grab as much metal material as you can. Bring it to the front inside doors. I need all the welders I can get. I’ll give you orders as soon as you get there. Go, go, go.”
Lou stepped forward and pulled Jozi out of the chair. “They’re going to kill all of my workers because of you two.” He gestured to the door. “Get your asses out of here.” He pushed Ozzy and Jozi out of his office. “Once you two leave, we’ll be safe.”
Ozzy glanced around. “How do you think we can leave, Lou? Just walk out?”
“Yes. Turn yourself in, and get out of my life.”
Ozzy pointed at the hole and slipped on his helmet. “Let us hide down there until everything settles down, Lou. Do it, because I’d do it for you.”
Lou pursed his lips. “All I want you to do is leave.” His eyes darted around the dome and stopped on the Flying Miner. He nodded emphatically. “I got it. Get into the Flying Miner. I’ll open the graviton shields in the domes’ upper right quadrant for a few seconds. Fly your asses out of here, and make it a big deal. I’ll point the MMP in your direction to keep my men and women safe.”
“You’re leading me to the slaughter.” Ozzy stood his ground. He wasn’t moving an inch.
“Better you than my crew,” replied Lou. He stepped out of his office and leaned to the side, eyeing the Flying Miner. “That ship is practically impenetrable. You fly that out of here and no matter how many photon beams hit the exterior, it will hold true. You find a place to land, and the diamond-tipped drills will do the rest and dig you underground. You’ll be safe.”
He might eventually get underground, but what Ozzy was quickly realizing was that no matter where he went, being safe wasn’t much of an option these days.
Wahping!
Jozi rushed forward, pulling Ozzy’s arms. “Let’s go.”
Ozzy gave his brother a nod. “Thank you.”
“Get out of here.” Lou turned. A handful of men were running toward him with long sheets of metal. Welders were quickly putting their gear on, running as they did so.
“C’mon,” yelled Jozi, pulling Ozzy along and grabbing her helmet.
The Flying Miner was the size of an old-style shipping container that the large boats of Old Earth used to carry product.
They reached its door and slapped the panel. The door opened, sucking into the craft’s side wall.
They raced inside as another bang resounded across the inner doors.
They strapped themselves in, and Jozi slid her helmet over her head.
She flipped on every lever she could find. The holographic display screen unfolded and filled the wall in front of them. Flying Miners didn’t have windows and for good reason. They were built to fly into hard to reach locations and start digging. A compromised window would mean a compromised pilot.
Holodisplays were good window replacements for this t
ype of flying vehicle anyway.
Ozzy pressed on a holographic button. Boomerang wings positioned on the top of the roof unfolded, extending out far and wide. He grabbed the control stick, flipped the engines on, and powered the underbelly boosters.
The craft rose into the air.
“Okay, where is the graviton opening?” Ozzy said.
“He said upper right quadrant.”
Ozzy flew high above the mining city and headed northeast, hoping that was the quadrant Lou was talking about.
Nothing was changing. No gravitons were dematerializing, and nothing on the shields were flashing, which would indicate a portion of the shields were about to turn off.
Ozzy turned on his com line, patching into the mine’s main com channel. “Lou, open the shield.”
Static.
“Lou.”
More static.
Shit.
“Hover at the top of the dome,” Jozi instructed.
Ozzy shrugged. That was about all he could do.
He moved his holocam view to watch the situation happening below. A throng of miners were shoving sheets of metal against the inside doors, and sparks from the welders were shooting everywhere.
These guys were good, and the reinforcement of the doors was happening quickly.
Ozzy switched the cam view to the front, sweeping it across the graviton shields, looking for a place to exit.
Nothing.
What was his brother waiting for?
The Flying Miner’s com channel blared. “Ozzy, I just notified the MMP that you’ve commandeered one of my vehicles. I told them I’m setting you up and making you think I’m helping you escape. They want me to hold off until they’re in position. I won’t. I’m opening the graviton shield’s now. I want you out of here and out of my life as quickly as possible.”
Lou’s voice was dull and uncaring. He obviously didn’t mind if Ozzy was caught, tried, and imprisoned.
He wanted Ozzy out and far away from him and everything he loved in his life.
“And, Jozi, it appears they want to apprehend you just as much as they want my brother.”
Martian Ark Page 7