Wildly tapped his wallet against Ozzy’s. A flash of light filled the space between them and both auric accounts holographically shot into the air.
Ozzy twitched in seeing how much money was already in Wildly’s account. “Like you need any more money. I’m thinking over a billion auric credits is enough to buy a city.”
“But not enough to buy Mars.” Wildly winked. “I’ll have to do that the old-fashioned way. Which reminds me, your best compadre, Jonas Moon, is pining for the High Judge position when Robert gets smashed to the ground with the allegations coming his way, thanks to me. When the people see what I’ve recorded the High Judge saying and exposing him for saying these terrible, no good things…” he smirked, as if he was the most honorable human being. “…I’ll end up being the next High Judge, Ozzy. And I’ll keep it for as long as the position fancies my needs.”
Ozzy adjusted the auric credits on the hologram, sending eight million auric and some change to Wildly’s account.
“That’s it,” said Wildly. “Get back to our respective craft.” He turned and headed for his ship then glanced back. “Ozzy, put the holopad between our craft like you said and cover it, or I’m coming back for your ass. And, by the way, have fun with Quad.” Wildly glanced at Quad and said, “You may commence your killing now.”
31
Heading Toward Olympus Mons, Mars
Ozzy held his breath and backed away from Quad. Gragas stood between them and drew a weapon. Quad touched one of his sidearms, his thick muscles bulging through his battle suit.
“I thought we were good,” Ozzy said.
Quad glanced at Gragas, eyeing the photon pistol Gragas was pointing at him. He shifted on his feet. “We are good.” He pulled his hand away from his holster.
Ozzy put his palms out. “That’s it? It’s that simple?”
“It’s that simple.”
Ozzy watched him for a moment. There was a part of him that thought Quad was lying. And he probably was. He’d have to keep his eyes on Quad until he could trust him—if he ever truly could.
He took a deep breath. “You try any funny stuff and I won’t spare your life again,” said Ozzy. “Do you understand, Quad?”
“I’m not a child. I understand perfectly. Now get going.”
“Alright.” Ozzy hurried over to his tool bench and placed the holopad inside a metal container.
He made his way to the ramp and stared as Wildly and his men stalked to their ships. The tank eased into one of Wildly’s cargo bays.
“Hey, Gragas,” said Ozzy. “Got my back?”
“You know I do.”
“Thank you.” He jogged out into the open desert, his boots crunching against the red particles.
“Jozi?” Ozzy spoke into his helmet mic. “Did you do what I hope you did?”
“I have the holopad wiping itself clean in four hours, so Wildly will be long gone before he realizes what happens. Plus, I sent a copy of what was on the holopad to Anonymity.”
Ozzy smiled. Wiping it clean was what he would have done because no way would he want Wildly anywhere near the High Judge position, or rather, buying the position, after Wildly exposed Robert with all the dirt that was on the holopad.
But sending it to Anonymity? Ozzy wouldn’t have thought of that. No wonder it took her so long to get it down to him.
He set the container on the ground and rushed back to Relic. “I have boosters to repair. Right now, Relic’s fuel cells aren’t charging properly.”
He smiled as he strutted over to this workbench. Tomorrow Anonymity would reveal it all, and Ozzy couldn’t wait.
The High Judge would be on trial and exposed as a crook and a fraud to everyone on Mars.
“We should call someone to repair the boosters,” said Jozi.
Gragas and Quad agreed.
Ozzy frowned. “You don’t think I can fix something as simple as an ionic booster?”
They all shook their heads no.
His smile widened. Today was a good day, and he was going to make it even better. “Watch me.”
Ozzy leaned back against a crate. It was well past twilight, and he had repaired the boosters. He also had the time to find a broken exterior piece from one of the downed MMP ships and welded it on top of Relic.
He wiped his hands together, staring at his newly fixed ceiling. He smiled at his handiwork.
Gragas and Quad were on separate sides of the room. Gragas was asleep, and Quad was cleaning his double-barreled photon rifle.
“I think it’s clean enough,” said Ozzy.
“It fills the time,” replied Quad, not taking his eyes off his weapon.
“Okay. Well, good night.” Ozzy climbed his ladder to the upper deck, peeking over his shoulder at Quad. Maybe the guy was telling the truth and he’d leave Ozzy alone.
When he arrived in the cockpit, he saw Jozi was asleep in the copilot chair.
She was beautiful, but he figured not someone who’d ever want to be called gorgeous or even pretty. She was a warrior deep down, and one better than most people he’d ever met. Hell, to top it off, she was loyal and took crap from others and dished it out just the same. She didn’t complain—too much. And she was a big help. He knew he’d be dead a dozen times by now if she hadn’t shown up in his life.
Maybe he should tell her and compliment her some time.
He shook his head. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.
He sat down, closed his eyes, and threw his feet up on the flight console.
He had his mission to go to Earth, and he wasn’t looking forward to it, but he wouldn’t go until he saw Robert exposed and thrown out of his High Judge position.
Only then would he go to get the crystal sphere. It would be difficult as hell, but Jonas had him stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was not spoken out loud in so many words, but Ozzy knew he wasn’t getting Lily back until he presented Jonas with the sphere.
It was a dickhead move, but it was the way the crime lords did things around here.
He unclipped his helmet and set it on his lap. The oxygen tanks were functioning on Relic, and since the hole on the roof was fixed, he could breathe without his damn helmet on.
It was a welcome relief from the sweaty, humid oxygen in his EVA tanks.
The sound of a footstep pierced the silence behind him.
He opened his eyes just as an arm wrapped around his chest, grabbing a tight hold and pinning him against his seat. A cold, sharp object pressed against his throat.
32
Heading Toward Olympus Mons, Mars
“I would suggest you slowly remove that knife and step back,” said Jozi.
She was quick and apparently far from asleep as Ozzy had thought.
Her gun was against Quad’s neck and pushing against the only part of his body that wasn’t fully protected by his battle suit—the soft area underneath his chin.
Ozzy blinked several times, trying not to move or swallow. Any movement he made, and if Quad flinched, would be the death of Ozzy.
“I have a job to complete, and I’m always good on my word,” Quad said. His gruff, robotic voice was emotionless.
“You cut his throat, I put a photon blast through yours. How will all that auric benefit you after you’re dead?”
“It wouldn’t benefit me at all,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Then put down your weapon.” Jozi’s voice was stern and unwavering.
“I’d do as she says,” Gragas said, joining them in the cockpit. “If Jozi somehow misses, which I doubt, then I’ll kill you myself.”
Quad squeezed Ozzy’s chest tighter. “That’s not in your code, Gragas. You’ve already overstepped your Galactic Knight codes, and you’ll be stepping over them more if you attempt to kill me.”
“For a friend, overstepping is more important than understepping for the sake of a code, Quad.” Gragas’s footsteps clanked against the metal flooring. “Now, slowly release your hold and step back.”
Quad squeezed tighter.<
br />
Ozzy tried to swallow, and perspiration dotted his temples.
Jozi pushed the muzzle of her gun harder into Quad’s chin. “I’m giving you three seconds then lights out.”
Quad didn’t move.
“One.”
Ozzy closed his eyes.
“Two.”
Gragas cleared his throat. “It was nice knowing you, my friend.”
My friend? Who is he talking about? Me or Quad?
“Thr—”
Quad unwrapped his arm and took the knife away from Ozzy’s throat. He stepped back, his arms up. Jozi walked with him, her pistol still lodged under his chin.
Ozzy rubbed his neck and stretched his mouth. He didn’t want to experience that twice in one lifetime. He unholstered his pistol, shot a glance around the room, and pointed his gun in Quad’s direction. “We’ll leave you outside.”
His suit’s oxygen tanks turned on when he clipped his helmet in place, and he took a deep breath, still pointing his weapon.
Quad backed toward the ladder. “I’ll cut my way back inside your craft.”
“Quad, you forget. . .the device you used to get inside Relic is right here in the storage bay.” Gragas had descended the ladder and was holding the cutting tool. He hit the button to open the ramp. “And we’re not giving it back.”
Jozi led Quad to the edge of the ladder. With his back against the railing, he teetered but kept his balance. She holstered her weapon with caution then appeared to act nonchalantly for a moment but then slapped his knife out of his hand, simultaneously kicking Quad in the chest.
The knife landed near her feet, and Quad fell a story down, his arms windmilling in the air.
He smacked onto the floor, and a boom echoed through the bay. Ozzy hoped a nice, loud bell rang in Quad’s helmet as well.
Gragas grabbed Quad by the collar and dragged him toward the ramp.
Ozzy slid down the ladder and rushed to Quad with his gun outstretched.
Quad’s arms hung at his sides. Was he letting this happen? He could have killed Ozzy in the cockpit at any moment with his knife and, as quick as Quad was, may have been able to defeat Jozi and Gragas, too.
Gragas stopped at the edge of the ramp, his hand still wrapped around Quad’s metallic collar. “Quad, you’re not putting up a fight? Why?”
“If it is meant to be then I will die out here, but. . .” said Quad, still on his back with half of his body on the red sand and the other half on the ramp.
“But, if we spare your life, you will spare Ozzy’s again?”
Quad nodded. “That is my code.”
Why would Quad go through the theatrics of it all? Why not just ask? Yes, Ozzy saved Quad by not killing him when he was stuck between the forklift’s prongs, and then he saved Ozzy in return by downing the MMP ships, so perhaps Quad thought he had paid his debt to Ozzy. Plus, the guy wouldn’t die out there. Everyone, including Quad, knew that. He was a beast and could use his boot thrusters to fly back to his ship. What was he trying to do?
Gragas let him go. “By the book. That’s what you are, Quad. You will claim that Ozzy saved you once again and that you owe him your life. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is true. This will postpone my contract to kill him, according to my bounty hunter code. I will keep doing this because I’m beginning to see a pattern. The man who hired me, Robert Baldwin, performs evil deeds, and I have not seen any evil from Ozzy. The High Judge is corrupt. Ozzy, on the other hand, is a decent human.” Quad pushed off the ground, standing straight and tall, towering over Gragas. “Now, let’s put your High Judge away for a long time, and it will benefit me just as it will benefit you.”
Ozzy folded his arms. “How will it benefit you?”
“If the High Judge is put away and placed in a holding cell for the remainder of his life, he will not be able to pay me the rest of what he owes. That means I cannot finish the job since it will not be paid in full.”
Ozzy let out an exasperated breath. “You want to stay with us?”
Quad pounded his fists together and went to one knee, bowing his head. “I would be honored.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. “How do I know you won’t kill me and not tricking me again?”
“I won’t and I’m not tricking you.”
Ozzy began pacing, his eyes gazing at the grated floor. He stopped. “I got it.” He put his index finger into the air. “Gragas, wedge Quad between the forklift’s prongs again. He can’t get out of those. Pin him against the wall as well.”
Gragas stepped forward. “That’s not necessary, Ozzy, I doubt—”
“Do it!” interrupted Ozzy, his nostrils flaring. “You’re not the one who has to worry about Quad ripping your head off.” If Quad were telling the truth, he’d be a good ally. If he wasn’t, then Ozzy had no idea what to do with the bounty hunter. He was nearly unkillable. And, hell, perhaps Quad was telling the truth and didn’t really want to kill Ozzy because Ozzy should have been dead by now. Quad had all the opportunity in the world to slit his throat less than ten minutes ago but chose to back away.
“As you wish, Ozzy.” Gragas shook his head and pointed to a wall. “Over there, Quad.”
Quad’s boots clanked loudly against the floor as he made his way to the wall.
Ozzy began to pace. He couldn’t leave since Relic’s fuel cells weren’t charged to flying capacity. Hell, he had to wait for the sun to rise for the fuel cells to continue charging, which meant he wasn’t leaving for Olympus Mons until tomorrow morning or perhaps later. There, he could rest up and grab some items he left in the castle-like structure inside the mountain. Most importantly, he’d rest up while waiting for Lyra No Tail to get back to him with the coordinates to her Eagle so he could be on his way to Earth. There was nothing else to do but wait.
“Well,” Ozzy announced, “I’m going to watch Quad from the upper deck by the railing.” He climbed the ladder as Gragas moved the forklift and pinned Quad against the wall. If Quad somehow escaped or even tried, Ozzy would notice.
He reached the upper deck and sat in front of the railing, slipping his feet and legs through a gap in the slats and dangled them over the edge. Jozi and Gragas followed suit and went up the ladder, each one sitting on either side of him, also dangling their legs.
They all watched Quad. He wasn’t making any sudden, violent movements to tear himself away from the wall and the forks. Maybe he’d be true to his word.
“Ozzy,” said Gragas. “Don’t allow any crime syndicate to take over the government. It doesn’t sit well with me. I think even more negativity would come from a crime lord taking the High Judge seat than even Robert Baldwin.”
Ozzy closed his eyes. “A little late, Gragas. I don’t want to deal with this right now.” He wasn’t going to do anything to compromise a plan to take down Baldwin even if that meant Jonas Moon might take over the High Judge position. It would prove the lies that Robert had concocted about Ozzy and Jozi. “I’ll allow things to go as planned, Gragas.”
Plus, he remembered Shar’s words:
“You have a corrupt government. Your High Judge is a criminal, and his greed will be the death of your race. Do whatever you can to take him down…”
“I see things taking a bad turn when Jonas takes power,” warned Gragas. “And even worse if Wildly takes the reigns.”
Ozzy threw a dismissive hand in the air. Underneath Jonas’s hard exterior, there was a lot of good in the man.
“I’ll think about it, Gragas.” Ozzy yawned. “Now, you want to keep an eye on him. I’m gonna take a ten-minute nap.” He leaned back, laying his head on the floor, thinking tomorrow was going to be a great day because Robert Baldwin was going to be shown on all the news outlets as the piece of crap that he was.
33
Heading Toward Olympus Mons, Mars
Ozzy shook. Then he shook more violently.
He opened his eyes. “What is it?” he shouted as he leaped to a standing position.
Jozi was next to him,
her hair disheveled and bags under her eyes.
“I can’t get a hold of him!” Her eyes were wild.
“Who?”
“Anonymity.”
Ozzy rubbed his eyes. “Why do you need to get in touch with Anonymity? Everything is planned, and he will be exposing Robert tomorrow.”
“Today is tomorrow.”
Ozzy felt like someone had dumped ice down his back, and his heart skittered and skipped a beat.
Today was the big day. He remembered a story about Christmas day back on Earth and how excited children were to see presents under their trees, and now he knew what they must have been feeling.
He eyed Quad, who was still pinned against the wall. He and Gragas were having a chat he couldn’t hear. He stood and hurried into the cockpit.
“Look.” Jozi pointed at the holodisplay above the console.
The screen was playing the regular news about how the economic market was doing and which company was buying out another company.
“Turn the channel,” he demanded, his heart plummeting to his stomach.
Jozi switched from channel to channel. Everything was the same. There was no news about Robert or him being exposed.
“Maybe Anonymity is taking his time. Maybe he hasn’t patched into all the networks yet.”
“The deal was first thing in the morning, and it’s three hours past that time.”
Ozzy sat in his pilot’s chair and slumped. “This is not happening.”
He pulled up the com channel and dialed Anonymity. It rang, but no one answered. He punched it in again. Nothing.
He punched his armrest. “This isn’t happening.”
His com channel beeped and he sat straighter, thinking Anonymity was on the line.
Jonas appeared, scowling, and he was shaking his fist. “I warned you that Anonymity would betray you and go to the highest bidder. You had my Mars’ damn hopes up, Ozzy.”
Martian Insurrection (Mars Colony Chronicles Book 3) Page 13
