by J. M. Hagan
To which she chirpily replied: “It’s blowing my mind.”
Cane came over and shooed Jack away so he could take his seat and not have him hovering over him. Jack got out of the way. “We’re going to engage in a versus match to see who can complete the hack the fastest.”
Jack laughed. “Gawd! You people need to discover first person shooters,” he mumbled.
A timer flashed up on the screen. Cane and Siena, their eyes bright and enthusiastic, waited for the countdown to reach 0.
“Let the duel begin,” said Cane.
They frantically got to typing code. Cane’s hand went for his screen a second before hers and he pressed it to access another page with different code. Siena seemed anxious as she stared across to him every few seconds to compare his progress with her own. He was genetically enhanced, after all. Cane’s hands were like lightning while they worked the keyboard. He never seemed to need to remove his eyes from the screen either. In seconds, they were both completely absorbed in the competition.
“I’m…ugh…gonna get some food,” said Jack uncomfortably.
“I’ll see you in an hour for CQC,” Cane hurried to say.
He turned and found Anderson lying down on the sofa with heavy eyes. “You wanna grab a bite?” he asked.
“No…I think I’m gonna have a nap.”
“You should probably head to your own room, if you want peace and quiet. They seem giddy today.”
Anderson sat forward. “Yeah…not a bad idea actually,” he said, getting up.
On his way out the door, Jack remembered something that he’d been meaning to address for a while. “Yo! Siena, I gotta talk to you about something later.”
“What is it?” she asked, her concentration fierce.
But Jack was already on his way to the kitchen, led by a fiercely grumbling tummy.
He went in and ate some lunch. A high protein meal with little in the way of carbs. He had to drink two glasses of water just to make his stomach feel like it was some way full.
In preparation for their coming mission, Jack had them cutting down. They were all strong and fit. But they had been bulking up, especially Jack and Anderson. Jeriko was already that size when he met him, and didn’t have a shred of body fat. He didn’t stick to the diet, and he was still quicker than them at most things. Except for the draw. Jack beat him every time in that. A fact he maintained a lot of pride for. It was just an added bonus that it pissed Jeriko off so much.
He had some time to kill before his CQC training with Cane. He couldn’t even be bothered getting out of his chair, though, after the unsatisfactory meal. He sat back, put his feet up, and rubbed fingers on his forehead as little pains came and went. The lack of carbs, he knew, as he wasn’t one for suffering headaches normally.
I can’t wait until the night before the mission. When we can eat whatever the hell we want. Gonna need our energy. Cane had found a great hotel in Virtra City for them to stay the night before their mission.
Virtra City was said to be a shining paradise. What he imagined the view from the balcony to be was second on his mind, though. Jack had read they had an excellent human menu. Most of the locals in that area were Rovian – it was high-end. Some beautiful women, too. The rich girls are bound to be classy.
Europa had become like a military barracks. He was glad it was almost over. He felt strong. He felt ready. More importantly, he felt like his entire crew was ready.
When it came to down time, they spent time together when they weren’t too exhausted to do so. Malora beat him at cards often, as they smoked cigars and drank. He wanted more.
Jack sat up, shaking it off. There he was, thinking of women again.
On this ship of limited options, he found himself becoming desperate if he dwelled on his unsatisfied urges. He needed a distraction. I should be completely focused on the mission. We’re almost at Delta-2!
“E,” he called her, stepping out into the corridor.
“Yes, Commander?”
“Where can I find, Cane?”
“He is at the gym, warming up for your CQC session. It’s nine minutes until you’re supposed to meet.”
“E, just out of curiosity, who won the battle of the geeks?”
“Siena.”
“Really?” he asked with welcome surprise. “That’s good. I’m proud of her. Now, it’s time to give her the prize.”
It was something he’d been meaning to assign to someone these last months. Chief Fischer of the Maji-Onda sector had entrusted him with it, but he didn’t feel like he was qualified to be the one in charge of it. Only a tech specialist should be given something like this. Cane wasn’t a Starman, so he couldn’t give it to him. That left Anderson and Siena to pick from. The rest of his crew were gifted in different ways and had no real interest in tech beyond its daily uses.
Jack knocked on her door.
She came out with a smile. “Hey?”
He handed over the chip Fischer had given him. Siena eyed it curiously in the palm of her hand. “What’s this?”
“Starmen access codes. Seeing as it’s a priority op, Fischer, thought they might come in handy sometime. It gives us special permissions.”
“But, I don’t understand…why are you giving it to me?” she asked, her body shape bending uncomfortably. When they first met, she’d been using her skills to sabotage Europa. That seemed like a very long time ago now.
Jack stood akimbo. “You are now designated as our resident tech specialist.”
Siena’s eyes brightened. “You’re promoting me…?”
“Yep. It’s long hours. And there’s a pay increase of zero. So, what do ya say?”
She smiled wide. “I’d be delighted,” she gasped before laughing nervously.
Jack rolled his eyes. And here I was trying to pan it off like it wasn’t a big deal. He held up his hand and she high-fived him. “Don’t let it get to your head,” he joked, waving his finger.
He went on to the dojo. He took off his sweater when he was inside and was wearing a black vest underneath. His body filled it a lot more than it used to. Jack kicked off the sneakers he’d bought back on Maji-Onda. They were fashionable to his eye, and they made running feel like floating on a cloud compared to the shoes he’d busted and worn out even before coming on-board.
Fresh footed on the matts which had been worn from use recently, he dropped forward and landed into a push-up. He brought his fists close together and put the focus onto his triceps – one of his strongest, most well-defined areas – and didn’t stop until he counted fifty.
He rolled over and lay on his back. Put hands behind his head, elbows to the roof, and continued with leg raises. He needed his abs prepared for a beating. Cane didn’t mess with him in the dojo anymore. He needed it to be a real struggle with some danger.
At first, Cane, had held back. If he held back now, Jack got mad and demanded that he kick his ass. They didn’t beat each other badly. But Jack had left with cuts and bruises in the past.
Cane arrived a couple of minutes late. It’d given him the time he needed to get his blood flowing. “Sorry,” said Cane. “Got caught up in the gym.”
Jack put his fists together, as Cane wiped sweat off his shinning brow with a dark green towel. “You must be feeling pumped?”
The big guy smirked. Tossed away his towel and kicked off his shoes. He went onto the mat and lowered into a wide stance.
“Come on,” said Cane, waving him on.
Jack, with a cocky grin, stepped up. The instant he was in reach, Cane swiped for his chin. He shot his head back. They circled one another, throwing teasing jabs.
Jack saw an opening, chopped at him, but an uppercut took him in the belly and he doubled over as he retreated. A moment later, he tried a similar attack, again discovering a painful result.
“This shit isn’t fair,” said Jack, breathless.
He tried whacking Cane’s hand aside when he advanced before chopping his cheek with the other hand – Cane trapped his wri
sts and overwhelmed him with raw strength. Even Jeriko couldn’t beat Cane when it came to that.
“Not fair?” asked Cane, holding him helpless as Jack trembled with effort fighting against it. “Why? Is it because I’m bigger than you?”
“Well, there’s that,” he moaned, his face burning red. “But, no. I was referring to the fact that you can see things before they happen…you literally know what I’m gonna do next every time.”
Cane let go of his hands and circled Jack with a keen glare as he got his breath back and took turns rubbing each wrist.
“Resorting to excuses already, Commander?”
“Excuses?! You’re a 6”4 genetically engineered super soldier! With supernatural mind powers, to boot!”
“I assure you, it’s got nothing to do with my abilities. It’s my training,” he told him, cocking his head with pursed lips, “and my eyes. I have perfect vision. My trained reflexes have become second to none, as a result.”
Jack chuckled. “Hold on. Aren’t you the guy who once got beat up by a girl who was a foot smaller than him? Hundred pounds lighter?”
“Yes, well, Siena, is very skilled,” he admitted sourly, and Jack loved how much it bugged him.
“I hear she kicked your ass in that duel earlier, too.”
Cane attacked with a side-kick, and he swept under it. Jack grabbed hold of his clothing on the way by, swept Cane with a kick behind his leg.
“Ha! I make you angry – you make mistakes!”
But the big guy reacted. Grabbed his clothes, too, on the way down, and slammed Jack down along with him.
“Damn!” Jack moaned, trying to get up off him before Cane could lock in some kind of hold. But it was too late. Cane had him in an arm bar within seconds. Jack tapped out. “Thought I had you that time.”
Cane helped him to his feet. Jack stood up and tried to get back his breath while holding his throbbing shoulder. The difference in skill between them had always been vast. Sometimes, when he felt like he may be closing the gap, Cane reminded him of it.
“Almost,” said Cane. “Just never give up.”
“I won’t,” said Jack. “Been getting the shit kicked out of me for months. Why stop now?”
*
“We know he’ll be in Mortron City. We know the time, the day, the exact location,” recounted Jack.
They went to command after CQC and shared some drinks. Jack and Cane were discussing the plan they’d conceived together with the intel provided by the future crew. The importance of the mission made him feel like it required constant review.
Tomorrow, they would be preparing for their arrival to Delta-2, the great cityscape that was one of the many marvels, he had heard, in the galaxies, and his head was a muddle of concerns. He was in charge of the mission, in charge of the ship that was now blazing through space on its way to their destination.
Cane sat in the pilot’s chair and gave a tight smile. “Thanks to a very closed mind, we are going to save the galaxies from a terrible war,” he said, referring to the Mayor of Virtra City. “It’s ironic.”
The new walls which had been erected had basically turned an entire city into a prison. It held all the criminals in one spot. Well, the ones who didn’t wear expensive suits, at least. A cage for the working class, Cane had called it. Thing was, Mortron City was the only working class area remaining on Delta-2.
The walls had been proposed because of Ogazi – a terrorist cell who labelled themselves as freedom fighters. They were from other worlds – Omni-4 and places like it – and they went to Delta-2 posing as ordinary citizens.
It wasn’t like back home where racial profiling was in play. Members of Ogazi weren’t just human. They could be any species, colour, dress any way, and religion didn’t come into it. The kinds of people who couldn’t afford living anywhere but working class areas.
They were fighting for their worlds by going after those they perceived to be the real enemy of their people. The Rovian Federation. The Corporations that had an interest in their resource rich worlds. The military that supplied the weapons they were using to kill one another.
The media had been sure to point out the ishar were dealing with similar crisis’ on their worlds. They portrayed Ogazi as heartless monsters and it helped the segregation of Mortron City happen.
The city was on an island surrounded by a motte that was a mile wide in every direction. Virtra City surrounded it whole and was connected by four bridges constructed back in the days when people still used land vehicles.
New-Wave Security were given the contract by the city. They’d closed off the bridges now guarded with automatic anti-aircraft weapons. The only way into the city was through the underground. They’d turned the old subway system into a fortress. People went in, got scanned and processed by New-Wave employees and were shipped in trains that brought them to the island.
Drugs, guns, explosives – nothing got through anymore.
It was extreme, to say the least. But Jack had read about what had been going on as recent as three months ago. The terrorists operating out of Mortron City had packed hovercars with explosives and rode them into buildings owned by corporations that funded the military. Seven such attacks had occurred simultaneously, resulting in the deaths of thousands. The segregation of Mortron City had been planned for a long time and Ogazi offered this last defiant act of bloodshed before the walls closed in around them.
Ever since, acts of terrorism were reported to be down by 98%.
The checkpoint in Mortron City was going to be their intercept point. Vorjool would pass through that gate in the morning, two days from now. At that exact time, they would be waiting for him, and there was no way he could know.
“I’m not sure if it’s ironic, or just sadly bizarre, that we’re going to kill a man for something he hasn’t done yet,” he commented, in a tone that surprised Jack. “Sorry, I just,” Cane ran hands through his long, braided hair, “wish that I could stop thinking about it.”
Jack dipped his head, put a hand to his vexed brow.
“The closer we get, the more I think about what it is that we’re actually doing. We’re going to murder someone. In a way, it’s justifiable. But there’s no escaping…it’s cold blooded, Jack.”
He pawed his tired eyes. “What do you want from me? It’s what we’re out here to do in the first place.” He dropped his hand. “Six months out here, man, and they’ve been damn tough. I know it’s grim, but we’ve got our reasons.”
Cane had grown withdrawn as Jack spoke, shovelling his opinion under a matt in his head along the way.
“Cane, I can’t have anyone on this mission who isn’t willing to put that son of a bitch down,” he said sternly.
They were too close to hold it off any longer. In truth, this was a conversation he’d been needing to have with him in the months since he was given the rank of Commander, and Cane often discussed his regret for having killed the Overseers at Maji-Onda, and sacrificing their time-drive.
They were soulless creatures made in tubes, using genetic material they stole from other beings. Programmed by evil minds to do their bidding. Nobody mourned them, except the man who was responsible for destroying their dreadnought, effectively committing genocide. Jack understood why it bugged him since taking command. When you had big decisions to make, no matter your choice, they stuck with you after. They kept you awake, stole your appetite, made you wanna drink like a fish.
When he evaluated his crew, he always regretted having not pushed Cane more when it came to his decision concerning his candidacy with the Starmen. In a way, Cane was the most valuable member of his crew. Despite not being a Starman, his telepathic abilities proved to be invaluable when fighting the Overseers. Not to mention his size, strength, intelligence, and other genetically enhanced capabilities.
“I’m willing,” Cane said, after giving it some thought with a stern expression. “I just feel like certain things need to be said.”
“Look, man, we’ve said it. But this is
the end of this discussion.” Jack put down a finger on the arm of his chair. Cane’s eyes lowered. Then he swirled his glass of wine a little before taking a drink. “You’ve just gotta get right with it.”
They came out from a TDS jump and Jack got up and walked to the window with hands resting on the top of his head. He viewed the brown planet they were passing. It was Bandora – a large world with a medium sized colony of humans, dikini, fernode and arlens. Its northernmost continent was glowing with the lights of the city. Filling Europa’s fuel on a world like Bandora cost a lot less than it would at a central hub like Delta-2. They weren’t going to stop here until the way back, though; their schedule was tight enough already and they had enough to make it to Delta-2 and beyond.
Since leaving Maji-Onda station, they passed by the worlds Alloya and Turnham. Both of them had been advanced worlds with populations greater than Earth. Jack had watched them from this same window and gazed in fascination as he imagined what those planets and their inhabitants could be like.
The elevator to command opened up and Malora stepped onto the bridge. She wore a green tank top that showed her V-shaped body, and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, amplifying her attractive cheekbones.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Bandora,” she said, smiling as she came beside him and looked out the window. “It was home for a while.”
Jack squinted. “Didn’t you say you were a spacer?”
“Born in space. Lived in space most my life…except for the year I spent down there. I think I’m still considered a spacer, Jack,” she said, sardonic.
He stuffed hands in his pockets. “You want us to go down?” he asked.
She groaned, her eyes still compelled to gaze. “No…we don’t have the time.” Malora turned with a little smile. “You think we can stop on the way back, though?”
The way back? So…she’s planning to hang around after the mission? They’d been living together for months now. Malora and Jeriko had been accepted as members of their crew but nobody had said much regarding their intentions after their mission was completed. Jack and his friends were supposed to be returning to Earth when it was all said and done.