Space Runners #4

by Jeramey Kraatz

  He cleared his throat. They were back at the Taj now. It was possible that they might be able to call home again very soon, meaning he could tell them everything that had happened. Or if not that, he could at least let them know that he was okay. Relatively speaking.

  “Pinky?” he said.

  The AI’s image appeared on the wall screen across from his bed. “What can I do for you, Benny?”

  “Contact with Earth . . .”

  The AI nodded, her brow furrowed. “I figured you might want to get in touch with your family. . . .”

  When she didn’t offer to start a call, sirens went off in Benny’s head.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are they—”

  “Fine, I’m sure,” she said, raising her hands in front of her. “The problem is that we’re having a hard time reaching anyone on Earth. There’s some sort of interference, like a global firewall that we can’t get through.”

  “The Alpha Maraudi are cutting us off,” Benny said.

  Pinky bounced her head back and forth. “That’s what we thought at first, too. But on further investigation, we think the block is actually coming from Earth.”

  Benny shook his head, trying to make sense of this. Why would someone on Earth be blocking communications from space? Unless . . .

  “They don’t want everyone on Earth to know what’s happening,” he said.

  “Imagine what it would be like if everyone knew what we do,” Pinky said. “That Tull was bringing another asteroid storm. That the government knew, at least partially, that the Alpha Maraudi might come for Earth. Believed it enough to build a superweapon, even if it ended up failing. There’d be chaos in the streets. Widespread panic like history has never seen. Many cities around the world are one incident away from exploding already. This would certainly push them over the edge.”

  “But we still need to talk to people,” he said. “The government. Scientists. Anyone who might be able to help us figure out what to do next. Can’t Trevone and Ramona figure out a way to get past whatever’s causing this?”

  “Perhaps,” Pinky said. “It’s on their list of things to do. In the meantime, Elijah is on his way to pay Senator Lincoln a visit to see if he knows anything about this jam in our communications. And then Major Stokes. There must be some way that New Apollo can communicate with Earth. They wouldn’t cut themselves off completely.”

  Benny nodded. “Thanks, Pinky.”

  “Of course,” she said. “I wish I had better news. Until then, I’ll be here if you need anything at all.”

  And with that, she was gone.

  Benny finally stopped resisting and threw himself on the bed. Something poked at his hip. He reached into his space suit pocket and pulled out the silver hood ornament his father had given him. Instantly, he felt a little better. Somehow, just holding it made him feel like he was closer to Earth. Especially since he’d thought it had been lost to him forever when his Space Runner had been stuck on Tull’s ship, before Elijah West had blown up part of the hangar and, miraculously, found the scuffed-up piece of metal among the wreckage.

  If he’d closed his eyes in that moment, it’s likely he would have fallen asleep almost immediately. Instead, his stomach growled long and low, and he fought through the urge to nap. The small suite kitchen was still stocked with food, and in moments he was ripping open bags of food. The snacks certainly weren’t the lavish banquets that Pinky had whipped up for them in the Taj kitchen, but they were mouthwatering to someone who’d mostly lived on sustenance squares and expired canned foods scrounged from the desert his entire life.

  After eating his fill and gulping down several glasses of water—the abundance of which was still astounding to him—he finally glanced in the bathroom mirror. Hot Dog had been right. If anything, she’d been kind when she’d said his space suit was grimy—it was downright caked in dust and debris, to say nothing of his matted dark hair, peppered with bits of dirt and rock from being tossed around the underground bunker earlier. He could practically hear his grandmother scolding him to clean up, that even if they lived in a desert, they didn’t have to look like it.

  Once he’d showered and pulled on a fresh space suit, Benny sat on the edge of his bed. On his bedside table, he found his old HoloTek from the Drylands, the screen cloudy with embedded dirt. He smelled it, trying to get a whiff of the inside of his RV, the scent of dusty blankets sewn from old clothes and scraps found in abandoned desert homes mixed together with the smell of dried herbs they used to try to make whatever meals they cobbled together tastier. He searched for hints of aloe vera, which his father had slathered on Benny and his brothers when they’d been out in the sun too long, coating their shoulders and faces until they were slick and sticky. And cinnamon, which his grandmother somehow managed to keep hidden in their little house on wheels until spirits were low and somehow, magically, she was able to bake some sort of cookie or cake to make them all feel better.

  But he couldn’t smell any of those things now. It was just metal and glass.

  He walked to the window, where he could see the shadowed Earth spinning imperceptibly in space, could even make out the haze of clouds over part of his home country and the sheen of smog that had permanently settled over the shoreline of what he’d been told was once called California. And for a moment he let his thoughts drift wholly back to the planet, letting the memories of his family wash over him. Hours by the bonfire on cold desert nights. Hand-sewn gifts from his grandmother. The way his dad smiled so widely that his eyes closed.

  Benny stood there only a few minutes before a shadow fell across his window as Vala’s mammoth mother ship floated past over the courtyard, eventually blotting out his view of Earth. So close to the Taj, it was apparent just how large the vessel was, towering above the man-made structures. It was so easy to see that with one wrong move, it could smash the resort—likely even if the Grand Dome had still existed. Maybe knock the Moon out of orbit completely.

  A shiver ran down his spine.

  Alien rock shot down from the bottom of the ship, spinning, drilling into the surface of the Moon. On the bridge, Griida would be sitting in the egg-like commander’s chair, the gold inside it glowing around him. Maybe other Maraudi were even helping him.

  After a minute or two, the drilling stopped, and then the rock began to spread across the Moon’s surface until it formed a large circle. Slowly, the ship lowered onto the newly created landing pad, fusing with the stone the same way it had on Ganymede.

  There they were—the Lunar Taj and an Alpha Maraudi mother ship, sitting next to each other, sharing the same patch of land, the same view of the Sea of Tranquility. Benny wondered if astronomers back on Earth were watching through telescopes. Would they view this as a symbol of peace or an attack?

  He wondered, too, if somewhere out there, Commander Tull was observing everything that was going on. What would he think of this? Or was he too busy creating a means to destroy humanity to care what one ship in the Maraudi fleet was doing?

  6.

  Two lines formed in the courtyard. One was a steady stream of EW-SCABers making their way back to the Taj, flying Space Runners the short distance from the mother ship’s hangar and down into the garage. They’d been taking shelter in Elijah’s underground bunker as Benny and the rest of the core members of the Moon Platoon had fought against the alien invasion; and though they knew the resort had been damaged, this was their first time seeing it in person. Benny stood near the entrance, motioning for them to enter, assuring them that it was okay inside—once they got past the trashed lobby and into the safety of their suites. He heard them talking to each other as they passed, their voices patched into his collar once they got close to him.

  “The resort looks like crap.”

  “Still better than my place back on Earth.”

  “Ugh, I can’t wait to jump on one of the Taj beds.”

  “Is Pinky making food?”

  “There’s still running water, right?”

  “Whe
n will we get the chance to call home?”

  He answered what questions he could, all while keeping an eye on the second line trudging across the gravel: the freed Alpha Maraudi who came in waves as fast as the elevators could bring them up from the depths of the Moon. Now that he wasn’t afraid they were going to throw him into oblivion, he could tell how ragged they were, many of them limping or holding arms or tentacles that seemed to cause them pain. At least a dozen of them were carried out on makeshift stretchers constructed from the squirming threads of the tunics the soldiers wore, splotches of which were stained a deep purple, the color of alien blood. Benny didn’t know if the injured had been hurt by crashes in the battle or interrogations or what, but it didn’t matter. He hoped that back on their ship, they’d find relief.

  For the most part, the two lines kept their distance from each other, the aliens eyeing the EW-SCABers warily, and the kids by now somewhat used to Vala’s crew members not being a threat to them. Only one interspecies duo seemed to be arguing off to the side of the steps—Iyabo, an excellent Space Runner pilot from Cameroon who’d saved Benny’s butt on the dark side, and Zee, who had talked her into taking an SR out and helping in the fight against New Apollo. As Benny approached, he started to pick up on their squabble.

  “I’m telling you, fool, the humans will obliterate you,” Iyabo said, smashing her left fist into her right open palm. “Utter destruction.”

  “Bring it on, two eyes,” Zee retorted. One of his tentacles whipped out behind him; and had they not been standing in the soundless vacuum of space, Benny was sure he would have heard the crack of it slicing the air. “Prepare to be murdered. The last thing you’ll hear is me laughing in your ears as you have to say good-bye to everything that’s precious to you.”

  “You really think you can stand a chance, squid boy?”

  “Stop calling me that!”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Benny said, jogging toward them as quickly as he could, afraid that somehow, after everything they’d done, this would be how their alliance would fall apart. “What the heck, guys? We’re supposed to be allies and you two are here talking about killing each other?”

  Iyabo and Zee both turned to him with confused looks on their faces.

  “Well, yeah,” Iyabo said. “On the holographic race track.” She pointed to the silver links woven into her dark braids, which crowded the back of her force field helmet. “He wants my jewelry. As if it would look half as cool in his stubby tentacles.” She scoffed. “Not like he’ll get the chance to find out. No way can he handle a Space Runner like any of us. Definitely not like me.”

  “Just get me behind the wheel,” Zee said. “I watched everything you did when you were flying earlier. I’m ready!”

  “Honestly, my biggest regret in life is that I took you with me and didn’t go out and save the day on my own.”

  Benny looked back and forth between them, before letting his head droop. “This is about racing?”

  Iyabo laughed once. “Isn’t it always?”

  “Come on, Benny,” Zee said. “The least you can do is turn the track on! I want to see it for myself.” He pointed all four of his tentacles overhead, where weeks before Hot Dog had defeated Drue on a shimmering track above the Taj.

  “That one’s cool and all,” Iyabo said, “but you should see some of the ones I designed inside, back when we were just scholarship kids and not galactic heroes.”

  Zee’s tentacles twitched, and he and Iyabo stared at each other for a second before Zee darted up the stairs.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Iyabo shouted, following him. “This is human property! You don’t even know where you’re going!”

  They almost bowled Hot Dog over as they disappeared into the Taj. She watched them from the top of the steps for a moment before she shook her head, apparently deciding she didn’t need to be concerned, and then started toward Benny. Her lips were shiny, and her hair had more curls in it than Benny remembered.

  “Should I be worried?” she asked.

  “I don’t . . . think so?” he replied.

  She stretched as she stopped in front of him.

  “Never underestimate the power of a shower and a clean space suit,” she said. “I feel like a completely new person. If I had a chance to nap, I’d be superhuman.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling,” Benny said.

  “So what do we do now?” she asked. “Some of our cars are still up in Vala’s hangar. The Star Runners. The Comet Catcher. A couple of normal SRs, I think. Should we move them back down to the garage?”

  He thought about this for a second as he watched Ash McGuyver’s oversized Space Runner tow the electric-green Chevelle he’d driven across one of Jupiter’s moons down to the garage. The best mechanic in the galaxy wasn’t letting the American classic out of her sight—not that Benny could blame her.

  “Maybe we should let the Alpha Maraudi get settled back in for a while before we start running around their ship again,” he said. “I’m more worried about how Jazz is coming along. Unless we can figure out a way to stop the Maraudi star . . .”

  Benny didn’t finish his sentence, but Hot Dog nodded. “Right,” she said. “I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up about that nap.”

  “Not to eavesdrop,” Pinky piped up through their collars, “but Pito and Jasmine are currently down in the basement workshops. I’m helping them out as best I can as I get the EW-SCABers resettled in new rooms, but I’m sure they could use an extra pair of brains.”

  “Not exactly our strong suit,” Benny said. “If they can’t solve our problems, I don’t think we can help.” He shrugged to Hot Dog. “No offense.”

  She waved a hand. “Oh, pish. Don’t act like we haven’t had some stellar ideas since we first met.” She paused. “I mean, some terrible ones too, yeah, but let’s just ignore those.”

  And so they made their way down to the basement halls, where they found Pito and Jasmine in a research lab they’d once snuck into what felt like ages ago when they wanted to run tests on the first bit of alien rock they’d ever discovered: the chunk that had been stuck in the hull of Hot Dog’s downed Space Runner. Pito’s eyes blazed as he moved from workbench to workbench, running his fingers across some of Elijah’s most sophisticated tech. His single tentacle was wrapped around the front of his neck, and the gold plates framing one side of his face had been polished since the last time Benny had seen him.

  “So fascinating,” the alien was saying as they entered. “Such different paths our sciences have taken us. We focused on nature and minerals, and you have built machines of impossible complexity. Some of which have personalities.”

  “Hey, wait, I might need that soldering iron,” Jasmine said across the room as Ramona shoved a cylindrical piece of tech into an open duffel bag.

  “Womp, womp,” Ramona chirped. Then she pointed to another table. “There’s a dupe over there, newb.” She tossed a few more things in her bag. “Hey, Benzo,” she said, not looking up at Benny as she spoke.

  “Hey, Ramona,” he said. “Raiding the lab?”

  Ramona grinned and pushed back some of her frizzy, strawberry blonde hair. “The bag is mostly full of soda. Max rations. Don’t want to run dry in the alien hive.”

  “You’re going back to Vala’s ship?” Hot Dog asked.

  “More interesting tech there. Leet radars. Comms need work, but that’s why I’m here.”

  “She thinks it’ll be easier to track down Tull’s mother ship using the Alpha Maraudi technology that’s already in place on the bridge,” Jasmine said. “Which makes sense, I guess. She’s trying to combine their systems with Dr. Bale’s radar.”

  “And my own master programs,” Ramona said. “Major upgrades.”

  “What about tracking the Orion?” Benny asked, though knowing where Tull was did make more sense from a strategic standpoint. After all, he was the most immediate danger to Earth.

  “Meh,” she said, taking a can out of her bag and popping it open. “I’ve got two hands a
nd a HoloTek.” She raised the old datapad strapped to her forearm up a little before taking a swig and heading for the door. “I’ll dual wield. Call if you need someone to save you.”

  “Try not to anger Griida,” Pito said. “He’s under enough stress as it is without you taking apart his work terminal.”

  Ramona waved him off. “Grii is heart eyes for me.”

  “He’s just too concerned with keeping the ship in order and caring for the crew until Vala wakes to worry about you.”

  Ramona turned back to the alien as she stepped out into the hallway and opened her mouth, making a series of strange grunts and growls. She paused, and then made an exploding noise.

  Pito called back to her in the alien language as the door shut.

  “Did . . . Ramona just speak Alpha Maraudi?” Hot Dog asked.

  “If you could call that complete butchery of our beautiful language speaking, in a way,” Pito said. “I think she was trying to remind me of how she’d improved our comm systems already, but it’s just as possible that she was suggesting I explode.”

  “One day I will understand her,” Benny said, but he knew in all likelihood that wasn’t true.

  “I assume you’ve come for an update,” Jasmine said. “You could have just patched in through the comms, you know.”

  “Uh, let’s just say I do better seeing things in person.” He shrugged. “Also, when you were talking about this earlier, I’d just woken up from being knocked out by growing alien rock and wasn’t exactly in my right state of mind or thinking clearly. So. Could you remind me what you’re doing? And how it’s going?”

  Jasmine glanced at Pito, and then motioned for Benny and Hot Dog to join her at a round desk in the middle of the lab. Numerous equations and drawings covered the shining surface, but they disappeared after a few taps. Holograms appeared of Calam, the Alpha Maraudi home world, and its three stars, the middle of which was larger than the others—the reason they were all in this room in the first place.

  Pito let out a wheezing sigh as he observed his planet.