“Ozzy, you’ll—”
The com line crackled with static, and a third line popped in again. “Ozzy, I’ll make you a deal.”
“No deal.”
“Exit the craft in the next five minutes, I give you and Jozi fifty years in prison, and I leave your family alone from this day forward. And you know what you’ll give me in return?”
Ozzy pressed the record button again. “What will I give you in return?”
“No need to say over the com channels, but you know what it is, and so does Jozi.”
“Robert,” Jozi said. “Can you—”
Robert’s voice roared over the line. “That’s enough from you, Jozi. You aren’t just a traitor, you’ve personally stabbed me in the back. I gave you everything, and here you are, throwing it all back in my face.”
“No, that’s not true. Listen—”
“You’re a disgrace to the badge, Agent Ryan. You’re a disgrace to me. I gave you a life, Jozi. I practically raised you inside the Ministry walls, and you take a knife and stab me in the heart. You’re lucky I’m not sentencing you to life in prison.”
A pang vibrated against the Miner. The agents were still trying to get in.
There was a pause over the line. Jozi then spoke, her voice low and soft, “You’re not going to allow me to defend myself are you, High Judge?”
“You lost that privilege.”
“Whatever I say, and no matter how much I prove to you and my fam…and the agency that I’m innocent and would do everything in my power to uphold the Ministry’s codes to the highest standards within the law and abide by you and the rest of the Ministry, I’m not going to be heard? I’m going straight to prison?”
“You’re catching on,” said Robert. “I’ll give you five minutes to talk, and if you don’t come out within those five minutes, you will be given a life sentence.”
The line blipped off.
Jozi let out an exasperated breath.
“I told you, Jozi,” said Ozzy, turning off his recorder. He didn’t get anything good or damning, but maybe there was some gem in there he could use against the prick some day.
Another pang rang across the Miner.
“It’s been fourteen minutes. We have enough power that I can open the door, Ozzy. Get out, and make a run for it.” There was sadness in her voice. She didn’t want to be a criminal, but Robert was forcing her, just as he did to Ozzy.
“Jozi, I’m turning myself in.” He moved forward toward the opening in the hole. “Be safe, Jozi. If you can, keep my daughter safe, okay?”
“Ozzy.”
“I’m thinking of my daughter, Jozi. Leave it at that.”
A loud sigh came over the com. “I’m sorry. As you heard over the com line, things have changed. Robert won’t go easy on me, and now I have to do what I have to do.”
“What?”
Another pang and the ground vibrated. He pushed the sand away from the little entrance he created. He saw several boots and EVA-suited legs moving back and forth. In a second, they’d be running at him and pulling him out of the hole, arresting him on the spot.
His helmet emerged out of the hole, and he looked up, readying for the mass of agents flooding his vision.
Instead, they were running away from his location.
“What’s going on, Jozi?”
No answer.
Something was amiss.
Ozzy picked up the capsule and shoved it in his satchel.
He looked around. The agents were nowhere in sight. He crawled out of the hole and crouched.
Wapooh!
An agent went flying across the sand, skidding to a halt. A thin stream of smoke rose from the agent’s chest. He rolled over, clutching the wound.
Another agent fell back, clutching his shoulder. He stood up and ran toward his ship in the distance.
“Jozi, is that you firing at the agents?”
Again, no answer.
He grunted and jogged around the corner. He jerked back, stopping in his tracks. The Flying Miner’s door was open, and Jozi was poking her rifle through, sending photon beams at dozens of agents that were now doing their best to take cover.
“Get in,” yelled Jozi.
A blast ricocheted against the Miner, searing it with a nice black mark.
Was she going mad? Ozzy nodded anyway, not wanting a photon slug through his throat if he gave the wrong answer to her.
He rushed toward the door, and a photon blast kicked up dust near his feet. He jumped back, avoiding another shot, and ducked back behind the Miner.
“Throw me my rifle,” Ozzy yelled. If she wasn’t letting him give himself up, then he had to defend himself from the MMP.
A rifle flew through the air and tumbled across the terrain no more than a few meters in front of him. The only problem? If he went to grab it, he’d be in the line of fire of several agents.
But there was nowhere else she could have possibly thrown it unless she had the odd skill of bending a throw around a corner.
Ozzy took a deep breath. He had to go for it. He took a step and then another, rushing toward the rifle.
He ducked low, avoiding a photon bolt, and dove for his weapon.
He rolled and tucked his fat EVA-gloved finger inside the rifle’s trigger guard. He pulled the trigger again and again, shooting wildly at anyone and anything.
A ball of dirt splashed against his radiation visor. He swiped the hot dust away.
He rolled again and twisted around. “I’m jumping in the Miner. Cover my ass.”
Jozi riddled the area with gunfire, sending blast after blast into the distance.
Ozzy pushed off of his feet and ran toward the open door. Jozi was low, aiming her rifle, sending photon charges every which way but at Ozzy.
He took a final step and leaped inside, sliding across the metallic floor. “Shut the door. Shut the door.”
Jozi slapped the “close” button. It didn’t budge. She slapped it again. Nothing happened.
“Shit and double shit,” said Ozzy, bringing his rifle into ready position and sending photon beams at the agents.
“It has to charge for another five to ten minutes before it shuts again.” Her tone was flat and matter of fact.
Ozzy nodded his head. “Keep firing.”
“I’m on it. We just—”
Jozi screamed. An explosion threw her gun over Ozzy and against the back wall.
Jozi fell back, slamming against the floor. She went into a fetal position, covering her head with her gloved hands.
15
Outlawed Zone Four, Mars
Ozzy took his finger off the trigger. His mind was spinning a million miles per hour, and his heart was thumping rapidly.
If she were shot, she would be another victim associated with him. Many have died or almost died because of him, and even though Jozi was a pain in the ass, she deserved to be at home or back at Mars Ministry Police headquarters doing her job. A job she was now fired from.
Of all things, Jozi didn’t deserve the criminal status that Robert planted on her.
He dropped his rifle and pulled her away from the door and around the corner, hiding her from view.
“Are you okay?” He searched her, moving his hands over her body.
She let out a screech. “Hey, that hurts. Let go and stop touching me.”
Ozzy lifted his hands away, his cheeks flushing red. “Sorry.”
She sat up, wiggling her fingers around and sucking air through her teeth, making a sound like paper ripping. She looked at her gloves. “Stings.”
“You’re fine,” said Ozzy, picking up his rifle. He glanced over his shoulder. Jozi’s rifle was lying next to a wall, warped from a direct hit.
“My gloves are a little burned.”
Ozzy quickly studied her gloves. There were a few scorch marks, but she’d live. “Get up. You’re fine.” Ozzy turned and got on one knee, aiming at the agents. They were running at full bore.
He took a shot.
An agent fell hard to the ground, clutching his leg.
Ozzy ducked around as photon blasts littered the inside of the craft, blackening the walls with charred streaks.
The holographic display blipped, indicating the fuel cells had charged enough to close the door.
Jozi lunged for the button.
A loud hiss escaped as the door shut, clanging loudly and locking in place. The holographic display blinked off. The power was drained yet again.
Jozi plopped in the copilot’s seat. She took heavy breaths then dropped her visor into her shaking hands. “I can’t believe what I just did.” She stood and walked in circles. “I feel like I’m going to throw up. I can’t go back to the Ministry now. Look what I did out there. I almost killed my brothers.”
Ozzy flinched and had a hard time swallowing when she said brothers. She almost killed her brothers, but Ozzy definitely killed his. He began pacing back and forth. “My brother is—”
Jozi slapped her helmet. “You left the capsule under the Miner, didn’t you?”
Ozzy halted and pulled the capsule out of his satchel and held it up. “I grabbed it.”
She stopped as well. “Now what?”
He shoved the capsule back into his satchel. “Well, since you wouldn’t let me turn myself in, I suggest we wait it out until the fuel cells fully charge.”
“Then we’ll be here all night.”
“That means they’ll send more of the suction crafts.”
“They have five total in their fleet, and from my count, they need three or more to pull this heavy tonnage back to headquarters. The three that pulled us are now out of operation for the moment since you cut their cords. I don’t know how long it will take them to spool new ones.”
Ozzy pursed his lips. That didn’t sound right. “Even in this low gravity, it takes three?” Things should be a hell of a lot lighter.
“With the speed at which they need to fly to keep their craft in the air while pulling this Miner’s weight—are you kidding me? They need at least three, and probably all five so their fuel cells don’t drain to zero. You saw what happened when you cut two of the three wires from the crafts that were towing us. We ended up towing the last remaining craft.”
Ozzy perked up. “So, you’re saying we have a bit of luck on our side right now?” Ozzy’s cheer died down when he remembered his brother. He hadn’t seen his brother in years, and when he finally did, Lou died.
He didn’t know if he should curse the high heavens or cry. He was tired of Robert and tired of Robert using Ozzy’s family to pay for his sins.
He began pacing again.
Jozi shrugged. “Luck? That’s subjective. I don’t have a life anymore, so luck isn’t on my side.”
Ozzy shrank back, pulling his elbows in, unconsciously making himself small, realizing that it wasn’t just his family that paid the price for Ozzy’s misfortune. It was everyone around him, and now it was Jozi.
That’s why he always wanted to be a loner. That’s why he did things by himself. That’s why he never hired people to work with him on digs.
Wahping!
Ozzy turned. “They’re trying to get in again.” He spotted Indigo. “When we get full power, we’re digging down and making a tunnel. These Miners are fast and can do quick work.”
“They’ll follow us.”
“The Miner will fill in as we go along.”
“They’ll still detect us.”
Ozzy picked up Indigo, tapping it with his fingers. “I’ll hook this puppy up, and they won’t detect a thing.”
Wahping!
Jozi tilted her head. “Okay, then how do we fill in the tunnel as we go along?”
“The sand will automatically cave in and fall on us as we burrow down. We’d have to come back up several times from the way we came in to get that sand out of there. At least, that’s how the professionals do it.” He slapped his gloves together. “We just won’t tunnel back out. We’ll keep going. The sand will cave in on its own.”
“Until then?”
Another pang reverberated against the walls. “Until then, we wait it out and hope that we get a full charge by nightfall.”
Jozi pressed on the indicator in front of her. “It’s charging fast as it is.”
“Good.”
A third party tapped into their com line. Ozzy put his finger up, telling Jozi to stop talking.
“Jozi,” Robert’s voice echoed in their ears.
All color drained from Jozi’s face, and she looked like she wanted to vomit. “Yes?”
“Turn your friend and yourself in, and you’ll get your job back. You’ll burn anything you have that may be condemning to me. In fact, we’ll do that together.”
Jozi glanced over to Ozzy. “What will Ozzy get?”
“Twenty-five years, max.”
Ozzy shook his head. “I’d rather die.”
“Five years,” Jozi countered.
Ozzy grimaced. “What are you doing?”
“Deal,” Robert said. “When are you coming out?”
“Anything else you require from Ozzy?” Jozi asked.
“Don’t trust him, Jozi.”
She put up her finger, telling him to be quiet. “What else, Robert?”
“Ozzy, if you don’t turn yourself in, I will find a way to kill Jozi. Everyone you know, including the crime syndicates you work for, will look at you as tainted. You’ll be a curse to them if they hire you—a curse that will get them killed. I mean, you certainly are starting to have a track record, don’t you think?”
A mixture of anger and fear rose up Ozzy’s gut to his throat. He squeezed his hands together. “You piece of shit.”
The line clicked off.
Rage filled Ozzy. He wanted to punch every wall in here. Now Robert was threatening Jozi’s life.
Robert was a devil. There wasn’t any doubt about it.
Jozi slouched, letting out a loud breath. “I thought he actually cared about me.” She shook her head, her voice cracking. She was holding in a cry.
Ozzy leaned back against the wall. “Please tell me you were recording him.”
“Yes, and every conversation we’ve had since he set me up.” She tapped her record button, turning it off. Her voice was low. “He’s smart, Ozzy. He’s not exposing himself outright.” She shrugged. “I’m not as good at setting him up as he was with me. That’s because I actually gave a shit about him.”
Wahping!
Jozi jumped.
Ozzy shifted on his feet. He sat in his pilot’s seat, placing his hands behind his helmet, resting. “Get used to it.” He closed his eyes, pushing down the rage he had for Robert in his heart. “You know, it could be quite meditative. Just relax. We might have a long day ahead of us listening to the poundings before we get this ship underground.”
“Right. I’ll just pace to keep warm while you enjoy staring at the wall there.”
“Perfect.” He put his feet up on the flight console. His snores came soon after.
16
Outlawed Zone Four, Mars
“Ozzy, wake up, wake up.”
Someone was shaking him. He bolted to his feet, looking around, completely disoriented. “What happened?”
“Check your oxygen levels.”
He tapped his wrist gauge. The oxygen dial was low. Twenty-two minutes until empty. “How long have I been out?”
Jozi was trembling from the cold. “Four hours.”
He checked his EVA’s thermostat. His suit was doing fine, keeping him warm, unlike Jozi’s.
“Why didn’t you hook your suit to the craft to keep warm?”
“We need all the fuel cell charge we can get.”
“Alright.” He leaned over the copilot’s chair and eyed the fuel cell meter. “We’re half full.”
“We have a few more hours of sun, and the MMP agents stopped trying to get inside about an hour ago.”
“Good and good, but in a few more hours you’ll freeze to death. Hook up. We’re warming you, so don�
��t worry about the fuel cells, you’ll be fine.”
Zerrr! Zerrr!
The Miner shook violently.
Ozzy pulled up the holodisplay. An MMP agent was holding a hand-held, diamond-studded drill and pressing it against the Miner’s entrance.
Shit.
Ozzy motioned to the copilot’s seat. “Sit. We’re going under.”
Jozi continued to pace. “Not a good idea, Ozzy.” Her lips quivered with every word. “We need more fuel in order to make it to Olympus Mons. We have to wait here until the sun goes down to receive more charge.” She was looking at him not knowing why he didn’t understand that simple line of thinking.
The simple line of thinking was that if they didn’t get underground, the agents outside would soon be inside. Jozi was too cold and not in her right frame of mind.
“Jozi, listen to me. We’ll fully charge soon, but right now we need to hide from the MMP and get more oxygen in our EVA’s. We have to refill our tanks through the oxygen intake tubes in the back cabin. We’ll do that while we’re underground and away from the agents, okay?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, yeah. Good idea.”
He flipped on the engines and activated the Miner’s diamond-tipped drills.
The craft shook and lifted a few meters as the drills extended from its belly.
The holovid display blipped on, and the Miner’s drills spun rapidly. The sound of gravel against metal filled the cockpit as sand and rock spit everywhere.
They descended.
Jozi strapped in. “We’re going under.” She pointed to the holographic display. The exterior holocams flush against the ship’s exterior walls showed their craft moving under Mars’s crimson soil.
In a matter of a minute, the craft was almost fully covered in sand, going deeper and deeper into the earth.
“I have to hook up Indigo. Take the helm and get us another twenty meters under, then tunnel northwest. Got it?”
Martian Quadrilogy Box Set Page 31
