“Damn it, you idiot,” Tripp yelped and pointed at Jaycee’s thigh compartment, “Get it out of there. Please tell me it’s a smart bomb.”
“Uh, not as such, no,” Jaycee pulled the red dumb bomb out and observed the lights appear on the side. “Can’t be reversed.”
“Great,” Tripp yelped, “So if Jelly doesn’t kick our asses, the grenade will.”
Jaycee looked around the airlock for an answer. In fifteen seconds’ time, the grenade would reduce the entire first level to smithereens.
SCHLAMMM.
Jaycee thumped his glove against the airlock panel, “Leave it with me,” he said, pushing the kitten into his right hand.
SWISH.
The first hatch slid up and allowed Jaycee inside, “Give me a moment.”
“Hurry up, for God’s sake,” Tripp barked. “Be quick, we don’t know what’s out there.”
SLAMMM.
The first hatch slid down as the outer hatch pushed up.
“Bon voyage,” Jaycee tossed the grenade out of the ship, taking the opportunity to glean where they were.
Nothing but darkness and rocks. A few trees loomed in the distance. Before the outer hatch shut, a cool breeze drifted into the airlock proper.
Tripp waved at Jaycee, “Quick, get back in.”
Jaycee stepped into the ship and let both hatches shut.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” Jaycee took a look at the kitten in his hand, “Taken care of.”
“What was out there?”
“Dunno. A few rocks. We’ve landed somewhere.”
“The atmosphere didn’t suck you out of the ship, so I guess we’re safe,” Tripp lifted the dead kitten over to Jaycee. “What are we going to do—”
BOOOOOOOOM.
An explosion occurred several feet away outside the ship, making it rock from side to side.
“Better out than in, eh?” Jaycee offered to swap his kitten for Tripp’s. “Let’s swap, I have an idea. One that’ll keep the peace and get us back home without being killed.”
“Miew,” the dirty, white kitten struggled to free herself from Jaycee’s hands as he passed her to his Captain.
A familiar female voice rumbled from the far end of the walkway, “Tripp? Jaycee? Where are you? Ugh, why are there no signs here for Christ’s sake?”
“Damn. She’s coming,” Jaycee took the dead kitten into his hands with extreme haste, “Quick, give me it.”
“What are you going to do?” Tripp nodded as he passed the dead kitten to Jaycee.
“Trust me.”
Three Minutes Earlier…
Alex typed away on the keyboard at the comms deck, “Manny? This is First Officer Alex J. Hughes of S&D Space Opera Charlie. Do you read me?”
“I read you,” the holographic book remained static in mid-air above the flight deck.
“Awaiting sit-rep on Opera Charlie. Geo-location, geo-data. Can you confirm?”
“Completing final report, now, Alex. Standby.”
Jelly paced around the deck with great impatience. She swished her tail around and scowled at the stupid holographic book.
“Are we home?”
Alex punched more commands into the computer and looked up at the giant screen, “I don’t think so, Jelly.”
A flood of green-transparent text rolled up the middle, representing the code, “We’re definitely not on Earth, that’s for sure.”
“What are you doing?”
“Two things. Booting up Charlie’s drones. See if we can get an idea of where we are. I want Manny to report back on our specific location if she can.”
Jelly sat into the flight deck chair and released her firstborn to the ground, “Okay, honey. Have a bit of a play around. Get it out of your system.”
Alex cast a wry eye at Jelly’s boots as he typed on the keyboard. He was very curious, as was Jelly, as to where the kitten would want to go.
Instead of scrambling around she sat back on her hind legs and meowed at Alex.
“She’s quite the cutie, huh?” he chuckled.
Satisfied that her daughter was safe, Jelly sat back in the chair and stretched out all four limbs, “She’s perfect.”
“You thought of a name for her, yet?” Alex asked.
Jelly watched her daughter race around the floor after her tail.
“Not yet,” Jelly slapped her knees with her paws and beckoned the brown bundle of fluff over to her boots, “She’s full of energy—”
The kitten fell to her side and attacked her own hind legs in a fit of rage, “Miew.”
“She’s certainly feisty, I’ll give her that,” Alex said.
Jelly looked at the white ‘F’ on her daughter’s forehead, “Feisty?”
“Yeah. As you say, full of energy. A bit mischievous.”
“Hmm,” Jelly clapped her paws together and caught her daughter’s attention.
The kitten lifted her ears, confused as to what had created the startling clapping sound.
Jelly turned her paw up and offered her daughter a helping paw, “Come here. Feisty.”
“Miew,” the kitten squealed and tried to attack her mother’s paw.
“Ah, nah-nah,” Jelly pulled her paw back. “Stop being so angry.”
Schwip-swipe.
The kitten threw her arms forward and took a few swipes at Jelly’s paw, “Control your anger, honey.”
“Miew.”
“Come here, silly,” Jelly leaned over and scooped the kitten in her arms, “Let me look at you.”
The kitten wouldn’t relax in her mother’s arms. A permanent expression of anger ran across her face as she exercised her forearms against her mother’s bosom.
“You’re furious aren’t you? What’s gotten you so upset?”
The kitten’s claw scraped against Jelly’s exo-suit breastplate. Then, she calmed down and purred.
Jelly stared into her daughter’s eyes, “Furie.”
“Huh?” Alex asked.
“Furie. I’ll call her Furie.”
“Not furry?” Alex suggested.
“No,” Jelly moved her arms back and forth, trying to get Furie to fall asleep. The hour-old kitten had run herself ragged.
Exhausted, the girl closed her eyelids and nestled into her mother’s arms. And then—
BOOOOOOOM.
The entire flight deck shunted back and forth. The lights dipped and flashed back on.
Jelly and Alex looked up at the ceiling. The kitten opened her eyes and clung to her mother for security.
“What was that?” Jelly asked.
“That didn’t sound good at all,” Alex snapped his fingers, “Manny?”
The holographic book appeared above the flight deck and threw a beam of light into the middle of the control deck, “Standby. Nothing to be overly concerned with.”
Alex turned to the projected image. The exterior of the ship buzzed to life against the darkened, rocky background.
“Is that us?”
“Yes, we’re grounded,” Manny advised. “Location unknown at this time.”
“You mean to say we have no idea where we are—”
An orange and white blossom of light flared at the corner of the image, shaking a few silhouetted trees behind it.
“An explosion. Approximately fifty yards from Opera Charlie,” Manny advised. “Clearly unsafe to go outside, despite the atmosphere readings.”
“What are they?” Alex asked.
“Twenty-one percent oxygen. The closest match to Earth I’ve encountered.”
Jelly released her daughter to the flight deck and stood up to her feet, “Where outside Opera Charlie?”
“Primary Airlock, Level One.”
Jelly stormed towards the control deck door, “I’ll take a look on my way.”
“Where are you going?” Alex asked.
“I want to find my other children.”
“Come straight back, Jelly,” Alex returned to the live holographic feed in the middle of the room, “
We don’t know what’s out there.”
“Yeah, I know that,” Jelly palmed the panel on the wall expecting the door to slide open, “Huh?”
Bop-bop-bop.
She pressed her digipad against the glass again and again, but the door refused to open.
BZZZZ.
“What the hell?” Jelly spun around and shot Manny an evil look, “Why won’t the door open?”
“You don’t have authorization, Miss Anderson. You’re a guest on the ship, and have no control—”
“—No control, huh?” Jelly snarled and clenched her claws, “You sure about that?”
“Quite sure, yes,” Manny explained. “Only First Officer Alex Hughes and assumed Captain Tripp Healy have authorization for navigation between levels.”
Jelly threatened to punch the glass panel, “You do know who’s in charge here, right? Or do you want me to remind you?”
“Jelly, no. Don’t do that,” Alex gulped, knowing that Jelly would smash the wall down if she had to, “Uh, Manny. Issue navigation clearance to Jelly, please.”
“You want me to issue clearance to a cat?”
Jelly snarled at the floating book and pulled her elbow back, ready to cause some destruction.
“Yeah. I’d just do it, really.”
“Very well,” Manny beeped three times and tilted her covers. “Authorization granted to Miss J. Anderson. I don’t have a record for anyone, or anything, named Jelly.”
Jelly slammed her paw against the panel.
Success. The door slid across and offered her a way out.
“You won’t have a record at all if I rip your head off and puke down the neck hole, dickhead.”
Jelly stormed off in a huff, somewhat relieved that she had been afforded the opportunity to assert her authority - what little she had of it, anyway.
Manny sprang to life and flew over to Alex, “Hughes?”
“Yes, Manny?”
“Is she always like that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only just met her.”
Manny wrapped her front and back covers together and turned to see Furie licking her private parts on to the flight deck.
“Like mother like daughter, huh?” Manny posited.
Furie looked up at the book with a ‘what are you looking at, bitch?’ expression on her face.
Manny spun around and flew into a huff, “Huh. Charming.”
Chapter 6
The Anderson Household
Chrome Valley - United Kingdom
Jamie’s mother, Emily, paced around the kitchen in a state of extreme concern. Her five-year-old daughter, Jolene, sat at the table eating her breakfast. She knew something was wrong but chose to ignore it.
“What do you mean he’s not there?” Emily spat into the Individmedia ink in her forearm, “Where is he?”
A stern voice came from the pinpricks in her wrist, “He didn’t show for tutorial, Mrs. Anderson. We were hoping you could shed some light as to why.”
“No, no,” Emily began to panic, “He left home like he always does, just before eight. Are you sure he’s not at the school?”
“He’s missed first period. He didn’t show up to registration, either.”
Emily turned to Jolene, who smiled back as best she could, “Mommy? Where’s Jamie?”
“Mrs. Anderson?” the voice asked. “Are you there?”
Before Emily lost her mind entirely, her attention was drawn to a cacophony of small buzzing sounds coming from outside the kitchen window.
“Mrs. Anderson?” the voice asked once again, “I’ll have security check once again, but I think we may have to call in the police and report him missing.”
Emily ignored the call and approached the window to find hundreds of drones whizzing around the garden, all trying to get a glimpse through the window.
“What in the name of—” she muttered in confusion.
“Mrs. Anderson?”
Emily lowered her arm and turned to the hallway.
BANG-BANG-BANG.
Someone knocked on the front door, startling Emily and Jolene.
“Mrs. Anderson, are you there?”
She ran back to the window and saw dozens of vans enter the road and make their way to the front garden. Jolene burst into tears and dropped her spoon to the table.
“Mommy, I’m scared. What’s going on?”
The incessant buzzing sounds grew louder amid the roar of engines and shuffling of feet coming from outside.
Emily pulled the curtains shut and thought about her next action. She stared at her daughter’s frightened face, “Jojo?”
“What’s happening, mommy?”
Emily pinched the girl’s shoulder and ran into the landing, “Don’t move. Stay right there.”
“Where are you going?”
“Mrs. Anderson?” her forearm spoke once again, “I think our connection has—”
Emily swiped the ink with her forefinger, cutting the call off. She approached the front door and saw three silhouettes fold across the frosted window, “Oh, God.”
BANG-BANG-BANG.
Angry, the shadow knocked on the door, “Mrs. Anderson?”
She clutched her chest and tried to stop her heart from exploding.
“Mommy?” Jojo called from the kitchen.
Emily looked over her shoulder and whispered, “Stay there, poppet.”
She turned to the door once again and moved toward it, very slowly. She extended her arm and grabbed the handle.
CLUNK.
The door opened.
Dozens of suited reporters lined the front garden amongst hundreds of flashing white lights from their cameras.
The buzzing whirled around her head as the drones lowered for a good look at her face.
A man with silver hair shoved his wrist into her face and wasted no time in speaking to her, “Santiago Sibald, Mrs. Anderson. Can we speak to Jamie?”
Emily gasped.
A woman moved forward and waved her drone down in front of Emily’s face, “Mrs. Anderson, what do you know about the Star Cat Project and Jelly Anderson’s involvement with Opera Beta?”
“No, no,” a flood of sweat fell down Emily’s face. She stepped back into the hallway in a daze of terror.
“Is it true Jelly Anderson murdered the winner, Bisoubisou, and went in her place to decode Saturn Cry?” asked another journalist.
WHIZZZZ-SMASSSH!
Two drones collided in the air and exploded. The bits of metal twisted around and hurled toward the floor, hitting the patio on the doorstep.
A dozen reporters ran into the front garden, trying to pull the sensational scoop from under their rivals, “Mrs. Anderson, can you confirm Jelly Anderson was the first cat in space?”
“What really happened at USARIC?” asked another.
“Uh, uh,” Emily began to hyperventilate and continued to step back along the hallway. In her petrified state, she’d forgotten to close the door, “L-Leave us—”
“Can we speak to Jamie, Mrs. Anderson?”
“N-No, no—” Emily stepped back and ran into the kitchen. Jojo had moved out of her seat and hid behind the refrigerator.
“Jojo, poppet,” Emily barked. “We have to go. Now.”
“Mrs. Anderson?” Santiago’s voice echoed down the hallway landing, “Will you come out and speak to us? Citizens demand answers.”
Emily’s maternal instinct kicked in. She lifted Jojo out of her chair and marched her to the front door, determined to stand her ground.
“Ah, Mrs. Anderson, you’re back,” Santiago said. “Citizens demand answers.”
Emily cleared her throat and gripped the edge of the door. She looked at the commotion and refused to speak until they died down.
“I have nothing to say. Get off my property, please.”
“Not good enough, Mrs. Anderson,” Santiago said on behalf of the silent reporters. “You do realize that this revelation has had massive consequences—”
“—No, it’s not my fault.
None of this is my fault,” Emily went to close the door, “You’re disturbing me and my family, and you’re trespassing on private property—”
Santiago placed his foot by the door to prevent Emily from closing it, “Mrs. Anderson, we want to speak to Jamie.”
That particular question tore Emily’s heart in two. How did Santiago know Jamie had gone missing? There was a chance that he didn’t know, though, and Emily knew it. She had to test him.
“He’s, uh, at school.”
Jojo buried her face in her mother’s arm and continued to cry, “Mommy, I’m scared—”
“—Shh, poppet,” Emily shot Santiago a look of evil. “Why do you ask?”
“The two owners of the runner-up competitors have been reported missing.”
The floor in the hallway began to rock from side to side for Emily. A feeling of burning lava traveled up her arms and legs, “No, no—”
“—We tried the school already,” Santiago’s voice slowed and turned into a miasma of noise and muted sounds, “But he wasn’t there, and think he might—”
Emily’s muscles tightened around her bones like a snake smothering its prey. She lost the power to keep her head up. The hallway floor lifted into the air and slammed against her knees, “Noooo.”
“Mommy?” Jojo pushed her mother’s shoulders, “I’m scared.”
The buzzing from the drones buzzed into a long flat line. The hubbub from the reporters wound down and became one, incessant garbled engine sound.
Emily slumped on the floor and felt her whole world crumble around her.
Santiago stepped back and waved his drone down to knee-level, capturing the image of Emily’s suffering at the news that her son was definitely missing.
“I think actions speak louder than words, here,” Santiago pulled the drone to his face and spoke into the lens. “One in Russia, the other in the United States, and now Jamie Anderson. It seems someone - or something - wants answers…”
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean…
The jet plane flew across the ocean at thirty-thousand feet.
Sierra’s thumbnail projected a holographic feed of Santiago’s report in the middle of the aircraft.
“… wants answers, and will stop at nothing to get them,” Santiago smiled and pointed at the weeping Emily.
Jamie moved forward in his seat with shock, “Mom?”
Star Cat The Complete Series Page 75
