by Sarah Noffke
Jules and Edward, it’s right behind you, Pip stated in both of their heads.
They turned in unison to see a shiny, red 1969 Corvette Stingray being pushed down the ramp of the transport ship.
“No fucking way!” Eddie yelled. “Hatch is going to let us drive this?”
Correction, Captain, Pip said. Hatch is going to let me drive this. It’s part of our bargain.
Chester retrieved his ringing phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. “Hey, doc! We made it.”
“About time,” Hatch’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Turn me around so I can see Teach.”
Chester complied, facing the screen in Eddie’s direction. Hatch stared back from the small screen.
“Okay, Pip,” Hatch said. “Ready to pony up on your end of the deal?”
What’s he talking about? Eddie asked.
Remember how he said that you had to relinquish control for me to move your body? Pip asked.
Yeeeeeees, Eddie said, drawing out the word.
He lied.
Both Eddie’s hands rose, the right slapping him on one cheek and then the other, repeatedly.
A booming laugh echoed from the phone as Hatch doubled over. “Oh, damn, Captain,” Hatch said through a fit of laughter. “Why are you hitting yourself?”
Julianna and Chester joined in, and thankfully the torture stopped after a few seconds.
When Hatch had regained his composure, he said, “Good job, Pip. You have my blessing.”
“Wait, Pip makes a mockery of me, and he gets to drive the Stingray?” Eddie asked, slightly amused.
“That’s right,” Hatch stated. “But after the drive, Pip, remember the rule.”
Eddie tensed. “What rule?” he asked.
“No more pranks,” Hatch said, his tone suddenly serious. “I appreciate you being a good sport about this, Captain. But going forward, Pip isn’t to take control of your body without your consent unless it is to save your life.”
Eddie laughed. “I can’t believe you two made this deal.” He realized he should have been offended, but it was pretty cleverly executed.
It was worth it, Pip said, making Eddie hold up the keys and shake them in the air. I’m ready to enjoy my first cruise on the open road.
Eddie couldn’t help but smile. If anyone deserved this, it was the AI.
“Be careful with her, Pip,” Hatch warned. “I’d tell you not to allow Teach to touch the car, but that would be impossible.”
The Stingray left Chester in its dust after dropping him off at the semi. There was no way the big truck could keep up with the sports car, the way Pip was driving.
Pip, using Eddie’s body, shifted gears, peeling around the dusty roads that snaked through the mountains.
Are you enjoying yourself? Eddie asked the AI.
Hell yeah, I am.
On the straightaway, Pip cranked the speedometer up to ninety miles per hour.
I think you’re going a bit fast there, buddy.
I think you’re jealous.
It was strange for Eddie to have his hands on the wheel yet not be in control. It surprised him, the way Pip used his hands—not always gripping the shifter, like he would—and sat differently than he was accustomed. Although he could feel his body, he was a mere observer of the whole experience.
You know who is probably jealous ? Jules.
Pip turned Eddie’s head and looked at the bucket seat where Chester had ridden on the way to the eighteen-wheeler.
Yeah, I definitely wish she were here. She’d rag me about burning out the clutch when I first took off, Pip said a longing in his voice.
She never lets me get away with anything. She always keeps me on my toes, Eddie related.
A good woman teases you over your faults, while cataloging your strengths and filing them away, remembered for all of time.
Damn, that’s some poetry, Pip.
In other news, hold onto your ass. Pip accelerated, making the needle teeter close to one hundred.
I would, but you kind of own it right now.
Damn straight I do. Don’t you forget it.
They were quickly approaching the area where the ships and crew were located, ready to load the missile silo onto the semi when Chester arrived. The warhead lay on its side in the center of the clearing.
Hey what you got planned? Eddie asked, feeling tense but unable to show it.
Relax. I got this, Pip responded, slowing, but not enough. They were quickly approaching the fake, giant nuke.
Pip pushed in the clutch while slamming on the brakes. He jerked up the parking brake and whipped the wheel around, leaving rubber on the road as the tires squealed. The car’s rear end spun in a one-eighty. It would have been a perfect move, except for the bumper grazing against the missiles outer skin at the last moment, making an awful screeching noise. Even though Eddie’s foot was pressed firmly on the brake, the car continued to drift, raking against the silo until it finally came to an abrupt halt.
Eddie’s hand gripped the Corvette’s steering wheel, and his face was pink with embarrassment. Julianna stepped out of the crowd of soldiers and strolled over, a calm expression on her face. She eyed the bumper crunched up against the missile silo as she sauntered up to the car, and bent down, setting her arms on the open window of the convertible.
“I hope you enjoyed your ride, Pip, because Hatch is going to murder you,” she said casually, her voice almost sweet.
Pip released his control over Eddie’s body, and retreated into his mind. His time in the spotlight had been absolutely diminished by the scratching of the car.
Eddie hopped out of the Corvette, gauging the damage. “Let’s be glad that’s not an active missile.”
“And hope that the Nihilists don’t mind a bit of red paint on their warhead,” Julianna added.
Chapter Nine
Planet Kezza, Tangki System
“Are you ready for this?” Nona asked Fletcher, pulling her eyes away from the missile as it was loaded onto the bed of the eighteen-wheeler.
“Stopping a terrorist group?” Fletcher asked, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Of course I’m ready.”
“I was referring to confronting Conway and finding out where Rosco is located,” Nona stated.
Fletcher’s throat tightened. He couldn’t believe that this was playing out so perfectly. He’d been tracking Conway for years, knowing he was one of the few who still worked with Rosco, the pirate who had killed his father. Things had lined up perfectly, and now his team would be bringing down the terrorist. Fletcher was one step closer to avenging his father’s death.
“It doesn’t feel real,” he said finally.
“You’re only trying not to get your hopes up,” Nona reasoned.
Fletcher watched as the team secured the missile. It was almost show time. “I’ve been on this mission to find Rosco for a long time and have always hit an obstacle.”
Nona looked directly at him, a sincerity in her eyes. “Yeah, but you’ve always been on your own. Lars and I are going to help you. We’re taking down Rosco together.”
The inside of the missile smelled of new paint and fuel. The latter was the decoy technology Hatch had built into it to fool initial tests. On the surface, the nuclear warhead would deceive most, but that wouldn’t last for long. They would have to be fast once they entered the compound.
Julianna watched the screen in her hands, which was streaming footage from cameras hidden on and around the missile. Currently, the most important shot showed Chester standing beside the eighteen-wheeler, trying to appear casual as he pushed his glasses up on his nose.
“He’ll do fine,” Eddie stated, looking over her shoulder at the screen. He was pressed in closed to her at the front of the warhead. There wasn’t a lot of room for personal space, with Fletcher’s team all loaded into the silo, but they all fit and that’s what counted.
“I’m not worried about Chester,” Julianna explained. “He’s better at acting than any of us.”
>
“I’m not worried, either, but Marilla is,” Eddie stated. “That’s what you do when you care about someone.”
“Sounds exhausting,” Julianna joked.
“Yeah, I agree.” Eddie pointed to the screen, an eagerness springing to his eyes. “Looks like we’re almost ready to roll. Figuratively and literally.”
A black SUV appeared beneath his finger, kicking up dust as it sped in their direction.
Chester wiped his palms on his jeans for what felt like the hundredth time. He always told himself that getting out on these missions was good for him, but as soon as he was in the field, he longed to be in the comfort of the Intelligence Center.
He’d been restless lately. Well, always, but especially lately. Maybe he had Marilla to blame for that. She often told him of her adventures exploring Kai or some other exotic planet.
A cloud of dust marked the arrival of the SUV full of Nihilists. Chester rolled his eyes at the name the terrorist organization had chosen.
They couldn’t have come up with something a bit more clever, like the cyborgs who call themselves Otterbots?
For instance, Chester himself had chosen his hacker name, ‘Monte Niles,’ as a nod to Monty Python, and to the longest river on Earth. He often related his job as a hacker to finding a clever way through the electronic river that connected everyone.
A man with an eyepatch and a sour expression climbed out of the SUV, not even glancing at the giant missile at Chester’s back. Really? So stereotypical, Chester thought with a laugh.
“Hey, Conway!” he called cheerfully. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
The guy sneered, drawing up the corner of his mouth like a rabid dog. “It’s a day.”
He must not have had his Fruit Loops yet, Chester reasoned. He reached backward and slapped the side of the nuke. “It’s a beauty, don’t you think?”
Conway apparently didn’t see the elegance in Hatch’s handiwork. He shook his head and waved his arm toward the SUV, where a few other rough-looking losers piled out. They hurried over, holding various equipment in their hands. Two men went to work sweeping the vehicle for bugs and trackers, while the others set to authenticating the missile.
“The warhead has been secured using Defense Nuclear Material Transport Operations guidelines,” Chester informed Conway, whose one good eye was watching his men.
“You talk too much,” Conway growled.
“Well, I only wanted you to know that the reactors have been buffered to minimize friction, and other precautions have been taken to avoid spillage,” Chester said, his tone easy.
This guy didn’t intimidate him. What did was the hand cannon strapped to Conway’s waist. It made the pistol in Chester’s waistband look like a slingshot.
“Everything checks out, boss,” one of the men called over, lowering the diagnostic device he’d used to test the silo.
Conway nodded. “Half the funds have been transferred to your account. You’ll get the rest when my team completes their thorough tests.”
Good thing I overcharged the Nihilists, because we are not getting the other half, Chester thought.
“Sounds good,” he said, holding up the keys for the semi. “I hope you enjoy your nuke.”
“ ‘I hope you enjoy your nuke’?” Eddie whispered, shaking his head as they watched Chester deliver the keys.
“Yeah, he’s got some balls,” Fletcher stated, which earned him a seething stare from Julianna.
“I think you mean ‘he’s a courageous motherfucker’—balls have nothing to do with bravery,” Eddie corrected.
Fletcher nodded. “That’s exactly what I meant.”
A loud bang echoed from inside the silo. One of the special forces soldiers at the other end had dropped something, and the noise reverberated like a drum.
They watched the screen as Conway spun to face the weapon, and Eddie could see that all Conway’s men were suddenly on alert, staring intently at the missile.
“Fuck,” Julianna whispered.
Everyone in the silo tensed, no one daring to move.
The men circled around, inspecting the weapon.
Chester, to Eddie’s amazement, didn’t look at all nervous about the sudden change in the situation. He clapped his hands onto his hips and laughed loudly. “What’s got your men in such a tickle?” he asked Conway.
“What was that noise?” Conway asked with a growl.
Another laugh. “Haven’t you ever transported a nuke before?”
Conway only gave him a repugnant look, which translated to ‘No, you asshole.’
“Oh, well then you don’t know,” Chester said, sounding a bit too condescending. “My MDP inspector removed the fuel and separated the modular units that are located on the back end of the missile where that noise came from. During transport, some of the units tend to move around, which is why the fuel is removed. What you heard was the settling from one of those modular units, but if you’re concerned, open her up and check it out for yourself.”
Conway gave him a long, measured glare, indecision written on his face. Finally he nodded and waved to his men. “Come on, let’s get it back. Billy, you’re in the truck with me.”
Julianna let out a heavy breath.
“He made all that shit up,” Eddie whispered incredulously.
“He’s fucking brilliant,” Julianna noted.
“If he wasn’t on our team already, I’d hire that guy,” Eddie stated. “We need to take him on more missions.”
The loud engine of the eighteen-wheeler started up, slightly jostling the teams in the silo.
“Alright, go time,” Julianna stated.
Eddie watched on the screen as the semi halted at a fence covered in barbed wire. A guy about Knox’s age holding an automatic rifle opened a gate, granting them access to the compound. It reminded Eddie that Knox had once worked for a similar organization, the Defiance Trading Company. The difference was that they dealt weapons, they didn’t use them to blow up innocent people on space stations.
“Fletcher, your team set?” Julianna asked. Eddie thought she appeared a little nervous.
This compound was relatively small, with numbers to match theirs, but the inhabitants all had weapons to best Ghost Squadron’s.
“Yes, they have their orders,” Fletcher confirmed, the roar of the engine allowing him to talk above a whisper. “And Nona and I will go after Conway while you two secure the main area.”
“Very good,” Julianna said, pressing in tight to the front of the silo where she’d release the top and ready their exit.
The semi pulled into a large warehouse lined with huge crates, which probably held weapons and explosives.
When the engine turned off, Conway strode past the camera, moving at a quick pace. “Authenticate the missile so I can finish the transfer. Something tells me I don’t want to keep this Monte guy waiting on his money.”
Eddie lifted an eyebrow, impressed that the scrawny hacker had inspired fear in an evil terrorist.
“Yes, sir,” said a man wearing a jean jacket and a pair of glasses. He didn’t look at all like the other hoodlums; he was probably the scientist they’d “acquired” for such projects.
One of the men who had ridden in the pickup looked directly into a hidden camera, not realizing what he was doing. “Whoa, I still can’t believe we got a real nuke. What are we gonna do with it, boss?”
“Destroy some shit,” Conway called from off camera. “Now get over here, Dwight. We’ve gotta plan tomorrow’s drop.”
The bombing on Onyx Station. Those plans are about to get hosed. Tension mounted in Eddie’s eyes as the group waited soundlessly. Julianna kept her gaze trained on the pad, watching the feeds from the various cameras, but she looked up several times, the whites of her eyes standing out in the darkened silo.
When the only person left in the warehouse was the scientist, Julianna put the pad away and mouthed, “You ready?”
Eddie nodded, enjoying the familiar rush that pulsed in his veins right
before a fight.
With a swift motion, Julianna popped the hidden door from the missile.
Dim light streamed in, making her eyes tighten for a moment. The warehouse was empty, but she picked up on a bristling noise—the sound that denim made when it rubbed against itself.
Someone began to whistle.
Julianna jumped down from the silo, waving for the others to follow.
The whistling halted.
Catching Eddie’s gaze, Jules held up two fingers and pointed to the side of the truck where the noise had been coming from. He nodded, taking off in the opposite direction around the semi.
Julianna soundlessly snuck around the truck, catching sight of the scientist in the jean jacket. His back was to her, but he’d tensed, as if listening. The sounds of their footsteps hadn’t gone unnoticed.
He lifted something to his face, but she couldn’t make out what it was. A button clicked.
“Conway, this is—”
The commander slipped across the ten feet dividing them and pressed her pistol to the side of the man’s head. He halted, lifting his finger from the button.
“What do you want, Casey?” Conway’s voice came over the radio.
“Tell him that the nuke checks out,” Julianna ordered.
She heard him gulp, something seemingly stuck in his throat. Shaking, the scientist clicked the button again. “The weapon checks out.”
Static filled the radio for a moment. “Good,” Conway said.
A new cache of weapons and a huge payday, Julianna thought proudly. I’m gonna buy myself a new pair of boots.
Julianna lifted the pistol and brought it down hard on the back of Casey’s head, his knees buckling as he fell to the concrete ground. Eddie sped around the opposite end of the semi, his face red, with two of Fletcher’s men at his back.
“All clear in here,” he informed her.
“Then let’s go find the rest of these assholes,” Julianna said before looking at the soldiers. “Restrain this guy and put him in the missile.”