Jozi’s voice lowered. “Why did you set me up, Robert?”
The line clicked off.
She punched the ground and grabbed a handful of dust and threw it as hard as she could. After, she stood and turned toward Ozzy. She was defeated, and her posture was bent forward like an elderly woman. “I was set up.” She kicked a rock and grunted in frustration then fell to her knees and went rigid, letting out a scream.
“He probably knows you found out about one of his secrets; he covered up the real reason your parents and all those people died on the S-45 Prancer.” Ozzy frowned. In one way it was good, an actual MMP agent was watching firsthand how corrupt Robert was. In another way, this was Jozi. He didn’t approve, but MMP life was all she had. She had nothing else.
“Isn’t the High Judge a peach?” Ozzy tried to lighten the mood for Jozi’s sake.
Jozi’s mouth slackened. “I’m now a criminal.” She picked up another handful of dust and threw it in the air. “I’m a damn criminal.”
“It was forced upon you by the High Judge.” Ozzy picked up Indigo and his rifle and walked toward the graviton-domed mine. He let out a loud breath. “Welcome to my world.”
10
NEARING Pollack Mine, Mars
Ozzy stepped on a road leading to Pollack Mine.
The road had fresh thruster burn marks, meaning a hovervehicle had been this way not too long ago. He patted his EVA pocket. The capsule was secure.
Good.
Jozi loafed forward, her head down. “I can’t believe he set me up.” She kicked at the asphalt.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Ozzy walked toward the dome’s entrance. The inside terraforming lamps and thermionic tubes glowed brightly against the dome, lighting up the rocks surrounding it.
“I’m not a criminal. I…I fight criminals. I’m not a tyrant of society.” She shook her head, wallowing in her new status, a status Ozzy had gotten over years ago.
“It’ll be your word against his. And who will win out on that one?”
Jozi stopped and pointed to her chest. “I will.”
She was smart, but not that smart.
“Yeah, good luck with that. Sorry, but my money’s on Robert.”
They stopped in front of the mine’s entrance.
Jozi huffed. “What the hell am I going to do now?”
“Hopefully, borrow a vehicle from this mine and get to Olympus Mons.”
“You mean steal a vehicle?”
“Potato, potahto.”
Jozi pursed her lips and shook her head. “Not on my watch. Listen, I’ll stay here and wait for my sentencing. You can do what you want, but I’m not coming with you.”
Ozzy grimaced. She wasn’t thinking right. “Robert won’t be kind to you. Trust me. You know things he doesn’t want to be leaked.”
“Just go back into hiding, Ozzy. Don’t be stupid. If you get that Ark, there is no telling what it can do to this world.”
Ozzy ignored her. He had to get the weapon, and he had to get the money.
Jonas Moon knew what he was doing. He was up to saving Mars more than most and eventually running the planet. Ozzy could see it in Jonas’s eyes whenever he talked to him, just like he saw it in Mort Wildly’s eyes. They both had aspirations more than only being a crime boss.
A few empty guard stations lined the mine’s entrance.
Ozzy looked through the window to make sure someone wasn’t sleeping on the job and didn’t see anyone.
If he could get in and call a guard, tell them he’d crashed his beloved S-4 Jumper, then he’d most likely be allowed inside the mine. Yet, the only way in and out of the guard station was by an elevator that was inside the guard station.
He studied the guard post. At the very top was a yellow warning light. A small indentation was at the edge of the roof. Indentations like that were usually a holocam.
He was being watched and recorded.
He hoped.
“Stand back.”
“Why?” Jozi said and crossed her arms.
“Just trust me.”
“You’re going to break the window, aren’t you?”
Ozzy nodded, backing away from the station. He put Indigo on the ground and unstrapped his rifle. He aimed, targeting the middle of the glass window.
“Ozzy, don’t do that. You’ll have guards up here any second.”
Ozzy held the rifle steady. “That’s the plan. You heard Robert. The MMP will be on us at any minute. The sooner we get into the mine, the better.”
The warning lights went off, spinning yellow and red, blaring a God-awful siren.
Perfect.
Ozzy grabbed Indigo, strapped his rifle over his shoulder, and put his free hand up.
Jozi also raised her hands in the air. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.” He didn’t, but being caught by Pollack Mine security was a hell of a lot better than being caught and arrested by the Mars Ministry Police.
A giant garage-like door for ships to exit and enter the graviton dome opened. A dozen security guards in EVA’s held out guns, cautiously walking toward Ozzy and Jozi.
The man in the front stepped onto the road first. He held up a fist. The rest of the security team halted. The man checked his watch, glanced up, and stared at them. “It better not be who I think it is.”
Ozzy waved his hand, cocking one eyebrow. “Hey, Lou.”
“Do you know what time it is?”
Ozzy shook his head. He hadn’t a clue or why it mattered.
“It’s almost time to go home and take care of your daughter since you abandoned her how many years ago?” Lou made a motion with his hand. “Alright, crew. Turn around. Nothing to see here.”
Ozzy took a quick step forward. “I need your help.”
Lou turned around. “The last time I helped you, it backfired and killed mom and dad. I ain’t going to make the same mistake twice.” He slapped his chest. “And who’s been the father figure in your daughter’s life? I have. My wife and I moved into Tunnel Downs after you disappeared for money and adventure. So, get out of my face, you worthless piece of shit.”
Lou’s words—his truth—hit Ozzy like a ton of bricks. He lived next to Lily and Venessa, Lily’s mom? Ozzy had been picking up and dropping off Lily for months and didn’t know.
Ozzy cleared his throat. “Look, Lou, I’m in a real pickle.”
Jozi walked around Ozzy. “My name is Jozi Ryan. I’m an agent for the Mars Ministry Police. I am assisting your brother with an archaeological find. It’s an official dig.”
Lou stood straighter as if he was proud to see his brother turning things around in his life. He grunted, much like Ozzy always did, and motioned for Ozzy and Jozi to walk forward. “You’re a real agent?”
“My badge number is 114112. You can check it when we get inside.”
He gave Ozzy a look but turned back to Jozi. “Alright. But you can’t stay long.” Lou circled a finger in the air and walked toward the open doors.
The lights stopped strobing, and the siren turned off. Ozzy and Jozi walked inside.
A clank and the door sucked into the ground, bringing the room to airtight status. The lights in the sterilization room flipped on, highlighting red cement floors, walls, and a ceiling.
“Arms up,” ordered Lou.
Everyone, including Jozi and Ozzy, lifted their arms. Water dropped like heavy rain from the ceiling, and a fountain shot up from underneath, blanketing their EVA’s and washing the perchlorates off—the organic chlorine poisons mixed in the Martian dust. Small amounts weren’t harmful, but the cities and businesses, like Pollack Mine, never wanted to take any chances.
The water turned off and washed down several drains that dotted the large room. The drying system buzzed on, blowing the water off of them.
When the dryer stopped, the inside door leading directly into the mine opened, and the sounds of metal scraping against rock echoed in Ozzy’s helmet’s auditory sensors. Large machines much like his once new
mole digger—which was probably now a pile of rubble—lined a giant hole in the ground. Outbuildings circled the hole, forming what looked like a small business village.
The hole’s outside lining was cemented, keeping the perchlorates out. The ground where the buildings dwelled was covered in cement, extending to the giant graviton shield doming the entire mining site.
Miners walked to and fro, up and down stairs and elevators, and in and out of buildings.
It was a full-on operational mine, and gold was the prize somewhere down in the dark hole.
“Welcome to the Pollack party, Brother,” said Lou. He pulled off his helmet, his face serious, and his blond hair falling in front of his eyes.
Lou was younger than Ozzy and twice as handsome. Jozi shifted on her feet, most likely not used to seeing a male model working as a miner.
Ozzy took off his helmet and extended his hand. “Thank you, Bro—”
Alarms blared.
Lou winced, and his lips turned downward. The rest of his face creased in dismay. “Another alarm? What the hell?”
A small, skinny man with grease smeared across his cheek and holding a holopad walked up to Lou. “We have a problem, Sir.”
“Yes, Jim?” Lou stared at the holoimage for several seconds. He shot Ozzy a look. “That’s more than a problem. The MMP want in to arrest my brother and his accomplice.” He took a long stride toward Ozzy, reared back, and threw a punch.
Lou’s fist cracked against Ozzy’s temple, and Ozzy fell on his back, sliding across the wet pavement.
“You little…” Ozzy rubbed his temple and put his other hand up, guarding against another punch. “I dare you to do that again, Louey.”
“The MMP are outside. MMP have always left us alone. I assume you’re the reason they’re here?” He sniffed and spat on the cement. “Damn it, Ozzy, you brought us your troubles.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “Get out.”
11
Pollack Mine, Mars
The speakers screamed on. “This is the Mars Ministry Police, and we are using the emergency com channel system. You are harboring a known criminal. Let us inside or you will face magisterial consequences. You have one minute to comply.”
Lou glared at Ozzy as if he had killed his wife. He bared his teeth, his eyes wide, and spit flew out of his mouth when he spoke. “Get your helmets back on and get out.”
Ozzy stood, facing his brother, squeezing Indigo tighter in his arms. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Jozi chimed in. “Lou, someone set Ozzy up.”
Lou turned his gaze on Jozi like she was the reason his brother turned to the dark side. “You get out, as well.”
Jozi unzipped her EVA and reached into her jumpsuit pocket, pulling out her MMP Agent ID. She held it up. “I’m an official MMP agent.”
The MMP continued their announcement. “…Mars Ministry Police, using the emergency com channel system. You are harboring…”
Lou waved his arm in the air. “Someone turn that off.”
Jozi put her hand on Lou’s chest, trying to calm him down. “The High Judge wants to kill your brother. It’s as simple as that, and I’m an MMP agent trying to stop my boss, Robert Baldwin, from—”
Lou pushed her arms away. “Let my brother die.”
It was apparent Lou blamed Ozzy for their parent’s death, and if he could, he’d probably blame Ozzy for their cat’s death when they were in elementary school.
Ozzy was the bane of Lou’s existence, and he was tired of being blamed for everything that went wrong.
Ozzy slapped his thigh and rushed forward, knocking Jozi out of the way and pushing his brother against a wall. He threw a forearm across Lou’s neck, leaning his weight into him.
“Listen, Lou. One, I didn’t kill our parents. Two, I have a real mess here that for once you can be a good brother and help me.”
Lou pushed Ozzy away, putting up a hand to stop the growing audience from helping him beat the crap out of his brother. “You’re my brother by blood, and that’s all.” He threw a punch.
Ozzy ducked and dropped Indigo. He came up with an uppercut, connecting to Lou’s jaw.
Lou stumbled and tripped, landing on his rear.
A worker jumped in front of Ozzy, followed by several others, and they tackled him to the ground. An elbow went across Ozzy’s mouth, slicing his lip open and sending blood down his chin and neck.
As quick as a flash, one worker was thrown off of him, then a second one. A knee came across a third worker’s cheek, sending him to the floor.
“Enough,” Jozi yelled. She was standing over Ozzy, her hands balled into fists, and her breath coming fast. “Anyone else want to try?” She eyed the crowd.
Ozzy pushed himself up and wiped the blood from his mouth. “The High Judge killed our parents.” He pointed to his chest. “I didn’t. I was only trying to show mom and dad the truth of what Robert Baldwin did to me and my family, especially my daughter.”
He’d told Lou this countless times through the years, but Lou never conceded.
Several miners helped Lou to his feet. Lou massaged his chin where Ozzy had hit him. “I call bullshit.”
“I have proof.”
“You always say that and never show me.”
“Because you hang up the com channel before you give me a chance.”
“Then where is it, Ozzy?”
Ozzy hesitated for a moment, realizing the proof was spread out and hidden throughout Mars.
“I don’t have it on me.”
Lou laughed. “Of course, you don’t.”
“I do,” said Jozi.
Ozzy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. “How?”
Jozi walked over to Lou and stood eye to eye with him. “Do you have a holocomputer connected to the MarsNet?”
Lou nodded. “I do.”
Jim, who must be Lou’s assistant, strode next to him. He held out the holopad. “The MMP want inside and now.”
“Tell them we don’t know what they’re talking about, but we’re doing a full investigation with our internal security. That should hold them off for another ten minutes.”
Lou turned and headed toward a building. “Show me something that will compel me to be that good brother you want me to be.”
Ozzy picked up Indigo and his helmet. He walked next to Jozi as they passed a large, unmanned S-99 Flying Miner, an enormous hexagonal craft used to fly, locate, and dig new mines.
“What do you have that provides proof?” Ozzy asked her under his breath.
“Shortly after we found the cure to the Martian Plague, you told me to retrieve the holodocuments, holoimages, and holovids you had of Robert that showed him working with the crime syndicates plus the vids you had of him threatening you and your daughter.” Her eyes grew hard as if she didn’t want to admit she knew too much about her boss—her family—that would show Robert in a negative light. “I uploaded them onto the MarsNet.”
Ozzy skirted around a mechanic fixing a small, robotic mining drill. He gave Ozzy and unpleasant stare and then continued working.
“The little you watched, Jozi, did you by chance see any of those holodocs, vids, and images showing Robert threatening my parents?” Ozzy had them in his secret stash on Ketler Asteroid, plus a copy bundle in one of his lockers on Relic, which were probably burned to ash by now.
Jozi puffed out her cheeks, thinking. “No. I didn’t see them.”
“Come in.” Lou opened a door to a small outbuilding that overlooked the giant hole.
After they walked inside, Lou shut the door behind them and gestured toward his computer. “The lady can sit and pull up what she wants to show me.” There was a hint of cynicism in his voice.
The door opened, and Jim entered the room, holding the holopad. The thing must be glued to his hand. “Boss, the authorities want to come in right this minute.”
“Tell them to get a warrant.”
Jim cleared his throat uncomfortably. “A Ministry bill passed during the M
artian Plague. They don’t need warrants anymore.”
Lou jerked back in surprise. “What?”
Jozi nodded her head. “Unfortunately, Jim is right. No more warrants.”
Lou rubbed his hand over his mouth, clearly disturbed. “The Ministry is slowly eroding our civil liberties.” He cracked his knuckles. “You tell them we disagree with whatever bill was passed, and we’re protesting that law until they get a legitimate warrant.”
The man looked away, clearly not wanting to do what Lou was asking. “I’m on it.”
Jozi swiped her hand over Lou’s holopad. The holocomputer blipped on and a hologram with a password protection screen popped up.
Lou nudged her to the side and typed in his passcode. “There you go.”
Wahping! Wahping!
A couple of bangs clanked against the door leading into the dome. It was loud and reverberated against the walls. Lou grabbed his hair. “Are the MMP crazy? They break that door open, and we all die.”
Jozi took over the holocomputer and swiped across several applications and pressed on MarsNet, sending her into the Mars Wide Web. “I’m getting into my MMP agent file, and I’ll pull up some vids for you. The file is encrypted. They won’t know what I’m showing you.”
Lou ignored her. He opened his office door and stepped outside, keeping his hand on the doorknob. “Jim,” he yelled. “Close the mine’s inner doors. We can’t let the gravity and oxygen rush out when the MMP break through those outer doors. Got it?”
Jim nodded and rushed away.
Wahping!
Another bang rattled the mine.
The inner doors began to close.
“They don’t care about you or anyone else, Lou,” said Ozzy. “They are willing to kill thousands of miners in order to kill me. Why do you think that is?”
Lou didn’t budge. “Because you are hiding something.” He gave Ozzy a long stare. “And you brought them to me. What a good brother you are.”
“They downed my craft outside your mine. You were my only option. Trust me, I would have chosen otherwise if I could.”
Lou threw his hand dismissively as if he’d heard a million empty excuses from his brother before. “Okay, so what do you have on Robert Baldwin?” His voice stern and his eyes on fire.
Martian Quadrilogy Box Set Page 28
