“You have to pay a licensing fee for celebrity faces. Quite exorbitant. But if you use a relative’s, it’s free.” Rick turned to Moon.
“Yes. My Smartcube AI is my mother.” Moon got the answer out before Rick could formulate the question.
Brock put a stop to the conversation and gestured at the group to get moving. He was leading them towards the terminal when Moondog started whimpering. The dog felt the danger before his advanced sensors. Brock stopped. Amy and Mr T ascended to get an overview. The Solus Express terminal was one section over but the giant gateway that separated the parts made for a perfect ambush point, both walls were lined with mercs, Brock knew it. It was hard not to notice the fewer people around them. The flow was being ebbed somewhere. Rick called Gary over, he could tell something was up.
“I want you to start a live feed. I want the fans to see us board the Solus Express live.” Gary didn’t question it. He gave Rick a thumbs up when they were live. “OK, Brock. We are live. The fans are watching us. What’s going on?” Rick paused and looked at Steve’s lens face, they both turned to Brock. I’ll play your game you lunatic.
“We suspect the mercenary terrorists from earlier are going to try to stop us from boarding the Solus Express.” Rick was nodding like he could hear music. “But we are boarding that ship or my name isn’t Brock Dynamite.”
“Fuck yeah!” Steve turned back to Rick. “You heard the man. Shit is about to get real! Hold on to your seats.” Brock handed the dog to Moon and grabbed Rick by the shoulders.
“Rick this is real! You understand that, right?” Rick nodded. “OK, I’m going to take care of those punks. Amy and Mr T will back me up. Moon, Rick you run for the Solus Express. Gary and the camera bots too. You don’t fucking stop. You don’t fucking fight. You get aboard the fucking ship. Clear?” Everyone nodded yes. Rick was slower to nod and that worried Brock.
There were very few people left now. The mercs had learnt from their last experience. Amy and Mr T had received the instructions from Brock. The cameras were rolling, and the fans were watching. Millions were tuning in.
The Smartcubes dashed through the massive gates and were instantly fired upon. The cubes didn't have much offensive capabilities, they weren’t weapons, but they made for great distractions. Their fast recharging shields made them perfect for protecting people from incoming fire, or drawing it away. Brock was conscious a direct hit from shield-busting ammo would destroy the AIs, but he trusted them to dodge. Which so far they were doing admirably.
Brock sped towards the gateway, and two large pistols jumped out of his thigh compartments and into his hands. Without slowing, Brock screw-jumped into the next section unleashing death. He counted six enemies on each side. Now two on the right and four on the left. He landed with a forward roll and spun around shooting. Rick and the others were coming through. The mercs were still shooting at Amy, and Mr T.
Brock had finished the last two on the right and was charging the guys on the left. They had just shifted their attention to him. Too late. He quickly had the situation under control and started jogging after the others. Rick had hung back to watch him fight and gave him a thumbs up before turning to join the others. In the next section, people seemed to be going about their regular business. Almost clear.
A second team was waiting in ambush. Moon and Gary’s AIs were able to block some of the incoming fire. Rick wasn’t close enough. He went down like a sack of potatoes.
Brock opened fire as he ran towards Rick. He shouted at everyone to get down. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Rick, don’t you fucking die on me, not after you started all this shit.” Don’t you fucking dare.
To be continued in:
The Last Human: Space Shenanigans
Afterword
Why are you still reading? The book is over. Is it because you liked it? Do you want more? You can probably get your hands on Book 2 right now, if you’re in the right time and space head on over to Amazon and pick up a copy.
If not, you could always head over to my blog and read some more of my nonsense there. The first post is about writing and the second editing, maybe you’ll find them interesting, educational or even funny, maybe not. If you want to find out about why I write and my process head over to www.thelasthuman.co/blog
If you liked the book leaving a good review would do wonders for my ego. Telling people about how it changed your life and that they should order it right now would also be great.
If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read The Last Human. Rick and friends will be back in Space Shenanigans!
The Last Human Page 18
