Digital Ghosts: Book 2 of the Space Station At The Edge Of The Black Hole Series

by L. A. Johnson

  Lyra, Callista, and Grayson easily made the weirdest looking trio there. They found a table that was far enough toward the back to be less noticeable, and near enough to the crowd noise to not be overheard. Then they grabbed a bunch of extra chairs to set around the table and sat down with their drinks.

  Lyra couldn’t help but think that under different circumstances it would have been kind of fun.

  “Did you text Gorb?” Grayson asked Lyra once they had sat down.

  “Of course I texted Gorb. Gorb knows more gossip than anybody else on Celestica.”

  Grayson looked like he was still mulling it over. “Oh, Macro. I’d feel better with that little robot around. He’s handy in a pinch.”

  “Me too,” Lyra said, “and I already texted him.” She took a long sip of her coconut Bacardi.

  “Okay,” he said. “I guess you’ve got it covered.”

  Lyra looked to Callista and she was smiling. Smiling. “What are you so happy about?”

  “I’m awake,” she said. “Participating. I wonder how many mini-apocalypses I slept through over the years. It’s no way to live.”

  Lyra smiled back at her. “Well, you saved our bacon with the last and weirdest apocalypse that I can remember. Thank you again for that.”

  “I’ll do everything I can, Lyra. For Ian,” she said.

  “Thanks, Callista.”

  “Just to be sure, though, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” As Callista said it, she pulled out a charge cord and plugged herself in.

  The three of them laughed. It felt good to let the tension ease, even if it was only for a second.

  Afterward, though, Lyra shook her head. “I can’t believe their plan is to let Ian and the rest of us die. And they think somehow that they’re going to walk out of here unscathed.”

  “That’s annoying,” Grayson said, “but the big questions is, what are we going to do about it? About Ian. About the soldiers. What do you think, Lyra? Do we even have a play here?”

  Lyra leaned back in her chair and considered it. “All I know is that we’re a pretty good team here on Celestica when we work together, and we’re not going to just sit around and die because it’s convenient for some politicians with secrets.”

  A voice behind her said, “Amen to that.” She turned to see a grinning Arthur. “And I don’t even know what’s going on. We’re all going to die again, huh?”

  “Something like that.” Lyra grinned. Arthur sat down. Soon they were joined by Gorb, Macro, Astrid, Nancy, and Vax. Ben came last, carrying his laptop.

  “Hey,” Lyra said, looking around, “where on earth is Crash, anyway? Shouldn’t he be helping us?”

  “He was shot. When the Intergalactics came. He stood up for me and they shot him. He’s going to be okay, though. I dropped him off at the hospital.”

  “Okay,” Lyra said. “It looks like it’s just us, then.”

  Vax held a glass with at least a liter of a green liquid alcohol when he sat down. “Grayson, we left a hospital full of sick patients. On your orders. I mean, I’m down to hit the Frenzy any time, but now I want to know just how serious this is.”

  “It’s serious,” Grayson said after a mighty sip. “Since you’re all here now, I’ll give you the crib notes version. There’s a weird ghost girl creature that the government created and lost control of. She ended up here on Celestica, accidentally or more likely on purpose. She’s the queen of all the ghosts that have been bothering us. She’s kidnapped Ian and is going to kill him live on his own web show.”

  Vax’s face, if possible, went white. Everyone else who had just joined them was silent.

  Except for Gorb. “I’m waiting on the good news, Grayson.”

  “I’m sorry, Gorb, it only gets worse from there. We have heavily armed fake Intergalactic Troops crawling all over the place now and the kicker is, they’re not here to help us. They’re here to keep us out of the way until they can figure out how to contain her here, permanently, and keep her from getting back to where she came from. And also to make sure that none of us live to tell the tale.”

  “You’re talking about the end of Celestica,” Nancy whispered.

  “The end of all of us,” Lyra chimed in. “And here’s the worst part, they won’t even let anybody evacuate. They’ve just written us all off.”

  “Beep boop,” Macro chimed in.

  “You said it,” Lyra answered.

  “What’s the crazy plan?” Arthur asked. “You guys always end up with some crazy plan in the end.”

  “I’m thinking,” Lyra said, finishing her drink. “Hey, no matter what happens, I love you guys. You’re family and this is a good moment for us. You too, Ben. Thanks for coming. I only wish Ian were here.”

  “We’re going to get him back, Lyra,” Grayson said.

  “How?” Lyra asked. She looked at her watch and then got up to go refill her drink.

  When she came back, the mood was serious. “Okay,” she said, “we have to think. We don’t have much time.”

  “Well,” Ben said, “that’s true, but you have a little bit more time than you thought you had.”

  “What?”

  “I hacked into Aquila’s countdown clock and slowed it down. That’ll buy us another five to ten minutes depending on how closely the ghosts are paying attention.”

  “That’s great, Ben, thanks!”

  “That’s the good news, though,” Ben said. “The bad news is that if you want to get back in there and save your boyfriend, it just got a lot harder. They have moved thirty heavily armed troops in front of the door.”

  “Great.” Lyra slumped in her chair. She couldn’t help but think she was going about this whole thing all wrong. “What we have to do is stop her. Ourselves. Before she can carry out her plan. I know that’s not the Intergalactics’ plan, but it’s ours. Ben, have the fake troops considered cutting off the internet? That way she’d be trapped here.”

  Ben tapped on his keyboard. “Um, we don’t really want her to be trapped here either, do we?”

  “Well, if she can’t escape, maybe we can kill her. Maybe she would be vulnerable if we cut the power. She was, at one time, a regular digital ghost, right?”

  Ben typed even faster. “Okay, I’m checking. Their bosses said that cutting internet and power was too risky. Sounds like they don’t want to kill her, they just want to avoid pissing her off. Oh, boy.”

  “What?” they all asked in unison.

  Ben looked up at them, wide eyed. “They’re giving her this whole system of planets. To rule.”

  “That’s not possible. They can’t do that, right?” Lyra asked.

  “Technically, they’re not going to give it to her. They just told her they weren’t going to stop her. Privately. Publicly they’re going to say they had no knowledge and that they’re doing their best to keep her contained here, in the outer reaches of the universe.”

  “Then why send the army guys?”

  “They don’t know it yet, but they’re her bodyguards, and she doesn’t even want them. In fact, she’s already snatched one and is going to digitize him on the air, as an experiment, before she gets to Ian. Truth be told, I think those fake army guys are nothing more than extra cannon fodder. They don’t seem to factor in anywhere in the big picture.”

  “I wonder how Jarvis likes the plan now?” Lyra asked.

  Ben shook his head. “He doesn’t know. None of them do. And that’s by purposeful design. Their orders will keep them busy, right up until it’s their turn.”

  “Whatever happens here,” Vax said, “I’m fairly certain that we’re going to need some new politicians. Ben, can you make a list of these guys for us?”

  “Great idea,” Ben said. “And whatever happens here, at the end I’ll send everything- the communications, the list, and the video to every news outlet in the universe.”

  The table clapped and hooted and generally attracted too much attention with their boozy excitement.

  “Okay, how do we save Ian and kill h
er?” Lyra asked when everyone simmered down.

  “According to their own records,” Ben said, “your plan of killing the internet and power might work. In theory. It would make her vulnerable. The internet cutoff would keep her from escaping, and then the power outage would cause her to enter a human-ish form for a certain length of time.”

  “Does that mean we could kill her?”

  “Theoretically, according to their own data, yes it would be possible.”

  “And the loss of power would kill the rest of the digital ghosts.”

  “As always, yes.”

  “Okay, so we cut the internet first, then the electricity, and then we rush her. In that order. Am I missing something? Ian. How do we help Ian?”

  Astrid put her glass down to chime in. “I would imagine that if you cut off the internet, then Jarvis, as you call him, and his troops will run to the electrical grid to guard it. And Aquila will know that there’s trouble in paradise and that her plan has veered off script. There might be an opportunity to grab him in the confusion.”

  “Oh, I like that,” Lyra said. “What if Ben coordinates our efforts from here and we split up to cause lots of trouble and turn off essential services elsewhere on the ship?”

  That made everybody happy.

  “Just one tiny thing,” Ben said. “Once we cut the electrical power, the space station itself will become uninhabitable within half an hour. We’re going to have to evacuate.”

  “We’ll never get everybody off Celestica in half an hour.” Nancy said, shaking her head.

  “Unless we start now,” Callista said. “If somebody will personally go to transportation and give them the correct emergency evacuation code, they will begin evacuating immediately, no matter what the armed carpetbaggers say. Then we’ll be able to get the residents off of the station.”

  “Won’t Jarvis and his crew know you re-ordered the evacuation?” Lyra asked.

  Callista pointed at her own head. “I’m going to jam the communications between the ships and the outside universe from the military channels. Cyborg.”

  “Okay, that’ll work. Who’s going to go with her?”

  “I will,” said Arthur. “Text me the codes.”

  “Okay,” said Lyra. “Now for the Internet. How are we going to get past the guards?”

  “I could sting them,” Gorb offered.

  Grayson shook his head. “Ben said there were too many. We’re going to need some kind of distraction.”

  “I know the perfect guy to create a distraction,” Lyra said. She picked up her drink, got up from the table, and walked off.

  Lyra made her way to the other end of The Frenzy and began searching until she found a familiar orc face. “Merck!”

  His face lit up when he saw her, and they hugged.

  He winked at her. “Hey gorgeous, is it the end of the world again already?”

  “You know it,” Lyra answered.

  “And you have some fool suicide mission to send good old Merck on to help save everybody?”

  “Yup.”

  “About time,” he said, finishing his drink. “When do we start?”

  After Merck joined the boisterous group of inebriated doctors, jellyfish, nerd, sea-witch, and vampire cyborg, they hammered out a plan that sounded great.

  Three minutes later, the large group had split up again, all to their assigned tasks. Lyra found herself with Macro.

  “Beeb boop.”

  “Because I need you, that’s why.”

  “Boop, boop. Beep.”

  “We already went over this,” Lyra said. “I’ll get you in, and I know the general area, but you’re the only one with the knowledge and schematics available to cut off the internet.”

  “Boop. Boop. Boop.”

  “Yes, in general, I do love the internet. And sure, I feel like it’s better for the universe to be connected and of course I am for the free flow of ideas. Hey! Were you listening at all to us while we were drinking large amounts of alcohol and filling you in on the plan? We’re trying to save Ian. And everybody here on Celestica. Trust me, this ghost chick is ev-il.”

  “Beep.”

  “Now you’re talking. Merck is going to create the distraction, Astrid’s going to cover his retreat, and we go in and turn off the web. Ok,” she said, slowing down, “we’re almost there.”

  Lyra and Macro knelt at the corner just out of sight of the troops guarding the utility room that controlled the internet and waited for something to happen. Lyra grasped the blaster Merck had given her just in case.

  They didn’t have to wait long before a still inebriated and very naked Merck came strolling along from the opposite direction.

  Lyra had to suppress a gasp. Actually, it was inaccurate to call him completely naked because he was sporting a two-blaster holster, complete with weapons. He strolled right up to the guards.

  Lyra frowned and texted Ben, keeping an eye on the situation. “Hey, Ben? Just how drunk were we when we hatched this whole plan?”

  “Very.”

  “Thought so,” Lyra responded. “How’s the evacuation going?”

  “So far so good. Gotta go.”

  Lyra returned her full attention to the naked Merck and the guards. When it came to causing a scene, Merck was a natural. Au natural. Lyra giggled at her own joke.

  “Beep.”

  “Fine, I am paying attention.”

  Merck was attempting to talk to the guards, but they were too serious about guarding the door.

  That seemed to tick him off. “Hey, just how stupid are you wankers? Got you guarding a storage room, eh? You fellas aren’t very important, are you? Better not move, somebody might break in there.”

  Taunts weren’t getting him anywhere, so he pulled one of his guns out of the holster. “What if I wave this around? Am I getting your attention now? Are you going to arrest me or just stand there?”

  Apparently, it was the latter. “Okay, boys,” he said. “I tried to play nice, but when I want attention, I get it. You understand?”

  They didn’t answer. “Fine,” he said. Lightning fast, he stepped forward and cold cocked one of the guards across the face with the blaster in his hand. Then he shot another guard in the foot.

  They still stood there. One of the guards took out his radio. “You think I should call it in?” he asked the others.

  “Wow, you are the brainiest of the brain-dead minions, aren’t you?” Merck asked.

  He glanced around, sizing up the remaining troops. Then he snatched the radio out of the soldier’s hand. “I’ve got your radio. And I know that it’s the only one you people have because I counted.”

  He held it up so they could see it, then he falsettoed, pretending to push the button. “We’re all here holding up the stupid door. This naked man is bothering us? What do we do? Oh, somebody help us.”

  Then he took off running in the direction that he had come from. The soldiers did run after him this time. Clever guy. They needed that radio.

  In fact, all of the guards left except one. The original owner of the radio stayed behind to guard the door.

  Lyra and Macro sprang forward. The guard saw them coming and he pointed his weapon at her, and she at him.

  “This area is restricted,” he said. “Back away or I have to shoot you.”

  “Look, we don’t have to do this. You’re going to die the same as us if you follow orders.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Am I? Show him, Macro. Show him Fear Zone Universe live.”

  Macro switched it on and projected it into the space between them, R2-D2 style.

  The projection showed one of the soldiers, still in his uniform, on his knees in front of Aquila’s throne.

  The countdown clock was continuing to run, and a breakaway camera shot showed Ian literally biting his nails.

  “Look,” Lyra said, “she’s going to kill him. And the rest of you. Along with us. You’re being used.”

  He turned his head from the live feed. “You�
��re lying. Now back away.”

  “Fine,” Lyra said, “have it your way.” They both just stood there pointing their weapons at each other.

  “Boop Beep.”

  “Well why didn’t you suggest that a couple of minutes ago?” Lyra asked the little robot. “Go ahead, do it.”

  Macro activated a high-powered magnet that yanked the unsuspecting soldier’s gun right out of his hand. He stood there blinking for a moment, and then he put his hands up.

  “Just get lost,” Lyra said, pointing down the hall. “The rest of them went that way.”

  With the soldier gone, it didn’t take them long to get into the room. And once inside, Macro knew exactly what to do. Just before he cut it, though, Lyra sent out a mass text. “Internet going away. Everybody switch to walkie mode. Go.”

  “Boop, boop, boink.”

  “Good question. Now let’s go get Ian.”

  14

  Ian watched the giant countdown clock of his doom while chewing his nails. He checked his watch. He had been doing this for the last ten minutes or so and he just now figured something out. The numbers, they weren’t adding up anymore. The clock was slowing down. Lyra.

  For the first time since she left, he dared to hope. In the back corner of the room, there was a very large projection screen with the live feed of the show going out to the internet. It had the Fear Zone Universe official logos and everything.

  He didn’t know how Aquila had pulled that off, considering it was approximately a dozen copyright violations, but he hoped that somehow, somewhere, a studio executive was very ticked off.

  Then he thought about the ratings and that, pirated or no, the executives were probably out popping champagne by now. Alcohol. There was a thought. Do ghosts drink beer?

  “Hey, Aquila? You don’t happen to have any booze around do you? Any at all? Because I would absolutely love to get smashed right about now.”

  Aquila had been busy taunting the poor soldier that she had snatched. He was bound with a strange rope that glowed an eerie green color.

  Aquila looked up at Ian and snapped her fingers. “Anything you want, honey.” A completely stocked bar appeared out of nowhere in front of him.