by Project Kyle
“Tell me, Mr. Henry Smith,” he said. “If you were given the chance to be a space explorer rather than a space thug, would you take that chance?”
Henry gave an arrogant smirk in response to Nerd’s question.
“Are you making me an offer?” he asked.
“Maybe,” Nerd continued.
“How much would you pay me to be an explorer?”
“Standard salary. I get a paycheck from Deep Cosmos every Earth month. It pays well, as they know I may need crew members to help me in my little quests. I could definitely use someone like you…however, you’d have to give up on your criminal pursuits if you want to stay on my ship.”
“Blah! What fun is there in that? Besides, I make much more through robbing and plundering. So, I think I’ll stick to the thug business. It’s what I do, and it’s what I do best.”
“Pity you cannot be made to see reason.”
“Hey, hey, I’m Henry Smith! Whaddaya expect?”
Nerd smiled. He knew what he had to do now to reel Henry in. It was risky, but he had seen his type before. He knew what he was doing.
Nerd was nearly finished with his Rubik’s cube and knew it was time to act.
“Sophia!” He yelled out. “Please flip your bed over onto its side and hide behind it.” Sophia acknowledged Nerd and did so. “You too, Henry,” he added.
“Since when did I start taking orders from you?” Henry asked in a sarcastic voice.
“It wasn’t an order,” Nerd responded. “In about 15 seconds, these iron bars are about to be thrown across the room! I would rather you not die, I’m just saying.”
Henry did not believe Nerd. He put his hands behind his head and relaxed. Nerd knew he had to pull out his ace card if he was going to get Henry’s respect. He smiled again and said the one thing that he knew would get Henry’s attention.
“You wanted to know my real name,” he said. “I guess I have no choice but to tell you. Obviously, Nerd is just a code name that I use as a front to hide behind. My real name…is David Bell.”
Henry’s face dropped. He instantly stood up and did as Nerd had asked. Nerd laughed and knew that everything was set.
Nerd was one move away from solving the Rubik’s cube. He pushed the part of the cube that needed to be moved slowly into its place. As soon as the cube was completed, a click was heard. The cube lit up, and Nerd wasted no time. He chucked the cube over to the edge of the iron bars, stood up, and ran behind the bed shelter that Henry had made.
Suddenly, the cube exploded and completely shattered the iron bars that were keeping them locked in. Thankfully, the beds were made of steel, as Drake didn’t really care about his prisoners’ comfort. So, both men were protected from the hot iron as it shot across the room.
The intruder alarms instantly went off, and Nerd wasted no time in standing up.
“Game on!” He said as he darted outside.
Henry was in shock; he could not believe that this pale, skinny man was truly the most wanted criminal in the galaxy. So, he followed Nerd, hoping to get answers to the questions that were now plaguing his mind.
Nerd examined the keyhole that opened the doorway to Sophia’s cell. He was clearly frustrated, as he did not have the tools that he needed to get the job done.
“Curse you, Drake!” Nerd yelled. “He took my universal key, and I only brought one Rubik’s cube, considering that I expected this to be a peaceful mission.”
“Dude!” Henry responded. “They keep everyone’s items in a locker at the edge of the jail room. Let’s get our stuff, save your friend, and go!”
“What? That’s a stupid design…but good for us, I guess. Let’s go!”
The two men ran to the lockers and got all their possessions before they ran back to Sophia’s cell. Nerd put the key in the lock and smiled as it swung open. He opened the cell, and Sophia kissed Nerd on the cheek. Nerd did not know how to respond, so he didn’t.
The three were about to leave when Nerd saw a security camera in the room. It was looking right at him. Nerd walked over to it and spoke to it.
“Drake!” he said. “I’m going to come find you, and when I do, I’m going to break you in a way you’ve never been broken before!”
Nerd then grabbed the security camera and ripped it out of the wall. He threw it across the room as hard as he could.
Sophia had never seen Nerd this intense before, and she was worried that he was going to do something on this mission that he would forever regret. But there was no time to reason with him, as they all knew they’d be having company soon.
The three left the prison room and desperately searched the halls, hoping to find the cargo bay where the Iron Heart was kept. They ran until they came across a room that appeared to be useful. “Armory” was written next to the doorway.
“Now we’re talking!” Henry said as the doorway opened automatically. He walked inside, followed closely by Nerd and Sophia. The room was filled with weapons of all kinds: alien, human, and medieval from multiple societies. The discovery thrilled Henry and even made him a little giddy.
“You gonna take anything, my bro?” he asked Nerd.
“Nope!” Nerd said. “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
Henry pretended he didn’t hear Nerd’s response and turned his attention to Sophia, who was eyeing a bow and a quiver full of arrows. There was a note tied to it that read:
The bow of Dugan of Shadows
Sophia excitedly grabbed it. She pressed a button on the side and was amazed to see the bow compact itself. Though its weight stayed the same, it was just small enough to fit in Sophia’s skirt pocket, which she had cleverly included when she crafted the skirt.
After placing it in her pocket, Sophia looked for another weapon to get her hands on. She noticed another medieval-looking weapon. It was a lightweight sword, held within a black sheath. There was a note that read:
The sword of Karla Nelson
Sophia gasped. She had heard stories of her ancestor before but did not expect to ever find anything that belonged to her. She quickly ripped off the tag before the other two could see it. She then took the sword. Henry was not at all impressed by Sophia’s choice of weaponry and had no problem expressing it.
“Low-tech girl!” he chided as he picked up a large laser cannon.
Although Henry was fit and toned, Nerd and Sophia were both impressed at how he was able to carry the large cannon with ease. He was clearly strong, and hopefully this would help them out in combat.
After observing Henry’s strength, Nerd’s focus shifted to what looked like the handle of a shield. Its only feature was a single button located in the middle. He picked it up and stuffed it in one of his lab coat pockets.
“We got everything we need!” he said. “Let’s go!”
The three ran out of the armory…only to come face-to-face with the dreaded heavyweight, Star-Creeper! He grabbed his communication device and contacted Drake.
“Star-Creeper to Drake,” he said. “I found them! They’re in the…”
Star-Creeper’s conversation was cut short as an arrow went straight through his communicator. Both men were in shock and looked back to see that Sophia had activated her bow and taken the shot herself. She desperately reached for a second arrow, but she was not able to get it in time. Star-Creeper had pulled out his laser cannon and was firing it up. The three of them spread out, Sophia going left, Henry and Nerd going right.
Nerd turned around and was relieved to see that Star-Creeper was following the two of them. He quickly pulled out the metal handle he had found in the armory. He pressed the button on it, and an energy shield that was as big as him appeared in front of them. It absorbed all the blasts that Star-Creeper’s gun was delivering.
Henry was about to step in front of David in an attempt to use his cannon against Star-Creeper, but David stopped him.
“No!” he said. “You will be dead before you can even get a shot in.”
“Well, what do we do then!” Henry demanded
. “Your shield isn’t gonna last forever. Especially considering it’s being hit by a GIANT LASER CANNON!”
“Just be patient. He is so focused on killing us right now that he forgot about someone who is kind of important—and kind of behind him at the moment.”
As soon as the words fell from Nerd’s mouth, Star-Creeper lit up with red electricity. He hollered in pain as the energy roasted his flesh, bones, and vital organs. He fell forward and collapsed on the floor. An arrow was sticking out of his back, and Sophia was standing behind the fallen corpse.
Nerd was very grateful, as the energy from his shield had just depleted and could no longer be used in action. He dropped it and ran to Star-Creeper to scan for life signs. He was only moments away from dying, so Nerd took a stimulant shot from his lab coat and injected it into Star Creeper’s bloodstream.
“What are you doing?” Henry asked.
“Saving a patient,” Nerd responded.
“What!? Why? He was trying to kill us!”
“I am a doctor. I don’t care who the patient is or what they tried to do. Besides, he will be out for a long time, even with the stimulant in his bloodstream.” Nerd turned to Sophia and gave her a thumbs-up. “Well done! You just brought down the great Star-Creeper with a bow and arrow.”
Sophia was still frozen from shock. She did not know that the arrow was electric, as the first one she used was just a normal arrow. Nerd could see her confusion, so he looked through her quiver and noticed that several of the arrows were labeled.
“You, my friend, picked a shadow archer’s weapon,” he said to Sophia. “Make sure you know what you’re firing. If the legend is true, some of these can do astronomical damage!”
“Yeah…” Sophia said dryly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
After laughing at Sophia’s sarcasm, Nerd urged the two to follow him to where he thought the cargo bay was. They headed to the left of the armory, traveling deeper and deeper into the hallways of the massive freighter, not paying any attention to a hostile force following close behind them.
Chapter 9 Menace part 2
Nerd felt an overwhelming sense of discouragement when he realized that he had led his troops in the exact opposite direction he had intended. The three were now in the engine room, which was quite an intimidating sight.
It was five stories high and had a perimeter of at least half a mile. There were five platforms on each story, which encircled the perimeter of the room. The engine was a massive yellow star-like ball of fire, which was contained within a spherical cage.
It was the last thing that any of them wanted to see given the fact that the cargo bay was on the opposite side of the ship. Sophia and Henry each gave Nerd a dirty look.
“That is the last time we ever turn to you for directions,” Sophia said.
The three of them began to turn around to exit the room, when suddenly, Unit 1587 charged toward the engine room from the hallway they had entered through. Nerd ran over to the automatic doorway and pulled out a USB card from his lab coat. He inserted it into the panel next to the doorway, and instantly the door locked shut. He removed the USB card and turned around to face Henry and Sophia.
“Don’t worry, guys,” he said cheerfully. “I have a bunch of these pre-programmed for a multitude of different tasks. It won’t be getting to us any time soon.”
Henry and Sophia stared at Nerd with very concerned and identical expressions, which was soon followed by them urging Nerd to get out of the way! Nerd looked behind him and noticed that the door was burning orange. He leaped out of the way just as the door exploded and a wave of orange acid fell from it.
Unit 1587 walked in with its acid gun in hand, aiming it at Nerd. Sophia instantly ran in front of him, which concerned Nerd greatly.
“What are you doing!” He shouted in a panicked voice.
“Both of you guys stay close to me!” She ordered. “Obviously they’re getting paid a lot to deliver me to Dr. Crimson alive. This guy’s weapon has a wide spread, and I doubt he’d risk harming me to get to one of you.”
Henry wasted no time and stood near Sophia. Her theory appeared to be correct, as Unit 1587 seemed to be frustrated and refused to fire its only weapon.
Henry gave an arrogant smirk and fired up his cannon. He was eager to see the energy vaporize his nemesis…but nothing happened. The front of the cannon spun around, but no ammunition came out. Nerd glared at Henry upon realizing what had happened.
“You did remember to check if there was ammunition in that thing,” he asked sarcastically. “Right?”
Henry did not respond. He simply hurled the giant cannon at Unit 1587’s head. Unit 1587 fell to the ground, and Henry urged the other two to run to the upper levels, since the exit on the first level was still burning with acid.
The three made their way up to the second level and were greeted by Jungle Boy, who darted at Nerd upon seeing him. He activated the claws on his armored suit and went in for the kill. Nerd smiled and jogged backward the same way he did with Dr. Crimson, dodging every swift attack that Jungle Boy could make.
“Go to the third level,” he said. “I got this!”
Henry and Sophia rushed up to the third level. There was no exit, meaning they would have to travel up to the fourth. Upon reaching the fourth level, they noticed they were in the repair section of the engine room. There was a bridge that led to the top of the cage, which was a breathtaking sight for the two. However, even more exciting to see was the exit doorway on the opposite side—escape was possible.
The two began to make their way to the exit, when suddenly, a clown-like figure appeared out of the dark hallway. A huge blast of fire was hurled between the two of them. Sophia was able to dodge most of it, but Henry was picked up off his feet, sent flying past the platform that they were standing on, and fell down the four-story drop. Henry reached out just in the nick of time to grab the ledge of the platform on the second story, a sharp burst of pain overwhelmed him as his shoulder violently dislocated from his arm.
The room was filled with the sound of Henry howling in pain. He grabbed the ledge with his left hand as well and attempted to prop himself up, but his strength with one arm was sorely lacking and he was unable to gather the leverage he needed to hoist himself up to safety. He considered letting go, as it was only a one-floor drop, but rejected the idea upon realizing that Unit 1587 was stalking him from below, his gun pointed right at him, waiting for him to fall.
Nerd could hear the scream of his new friend, which nearly caused him to lose focus. After almost getting sliced up, he realized he needed to make his finishing move. He took a step forward while dodging a few swipes, and grabbed the switch which unlocked Jungle Boy’s helmet. His helmet came flying off, leaving Jungle Boy’s head vulnerable.
Jungle Boy took another swing at Nerd. Nerd dodged it again, but this time he clenched his fist and punched Jungle Boy square in the face. Jungle Boy was sent careening backwards and was knocked out cold from Nerd’s punch.
Nerd ran to the second level and noticed Henry, who was hanging from the ledge. He ran up to him and helped him up to the platform. Henry was stunned to see Nerd outwit a Zentar warrior, given their inhuman speed.
“How did you—” he started to ask.
“Zentar warriors are very fast and have a strong offense,” Nerd interrupted. “But their physical defense against attacks is relatively weak. They are easily a one-hit KO if they don’t have their armor.”
Nerd very much wanted to continue geeking out about the physiology of the Zentar, but was cut short upon the sight of Unit 1587 making its way up the ramp leading to the second level.
The two men darted up to the third level and were stunned to see Smiley slowly walking towards Sophia on the fourth level. Psychotic laughter was echoing through the room, revealing that Smiley was very much enjoying himself.
“You realize what will happen if you kill me,” Sophia stated. “You won’t get a dime from Dr. Crimson, and your boss is going to want to kill you for
that!”
Smiley was unfazed by Sophia’s warning. He drew two short swords from his large arsenal of weapons and continued to laugh, with a murderous look radiating from his eyes.
“You think I care about money?” he said to her. “Or, for that matter, my own wellbeing? Think again!”
Smiley lumbered towards Sophia; she knew she had only moments to respond. She reached for her sword and drew it just in the nick of time. She was able to deflect Smiley’s first attack with ease, but she realized how skilled of a fighter her opponent was as Smiley continued to swing both his blades at an intimidating speed. This was a challenge, and Sophia felt a burst of adrenalin that she had not received in a long time.
Nerd noticed Sophia engaging in combat, so he ran towards the ramp leading to the fourth level to aid his crewman. But Smiley caught sight of Nerd, activated his rocket launcher, and blew the ramp to smithereens. Sophia took advantage of the switch in Smiley’s focus and attempted to strike him from behind. But Smiley’s bloodshot eye caught sight of Sophia’s move, and deflected her attack with the blade in his right hand. He quickly swung around and sliced Sophia’s midsection with the blade in his left hand. Sophia screamed in pain, but thankfully the blow was not deep enough to be fatal.
Nerd now had no way to get to the fourth level, and Sophia realized that she would have to attack Smiley at full force if she wanted to defeat her opponent alone.
She blocked out the pain, pushed herself forward, and started focusing on the offensive. Sophia attacked with her sword with passion and strength, moving Smiley backwards, towards the rooms exit. But Smiley was not intimidated by Sophia’s sudden adrenaline burst. If anything, he seemed excited to have a stronger challenge. He deflected the blows and continued to fight.
Meanwhile, Nerd and Henry were busy with Unit 1587. It was making its way up to the third level, and both men realized they would have to neutralize their enemy if they were going to continue living, as it would not hesitate to kill them with Sophia out of the picture.
Henry turned to Nerd and asked him to relocate his shoulder back into its socket. Nerd did so, and a loud, disturbing cracking sound filled the room.
