Ozzy’s com channel blared.
“What now?”
He groaned and massaged his temples trying to get the growing stress to go away.
He pressed the com channel. “Yes, Jonas?”
“Ozzy, we have a problem.”
40
Nearing Olympus Mons, Mars
Ozzy slumped his shoulders. Problems arising in his life were, well, becoming an everyday occurrence. “I’m not surprised. What is it?”
Jonas wiped his nose with his fingers, his face reddening. He grabbed an orange and began peeling it. “You killed the High Judge. Do you know how much that sets me back? Where is this information that was supposed to be splattered all over the vid screens?”
Ozzy rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, Jonas, it was an accident—”
“An accident? Did you slip and oops, your weapon went off and shot the High Judge in the head?”
“It was Quad. He went against our wishes.” Well, not really against Ozzy’s wishes, but what Jonas didn’t know. . .
“That’s why it’s now imperative you retrieve that crystal sphere because we have a second problem.”
“Shit, what now?”
“Wildly didn’t take the murder of the Ministry’s High Judge too well. He took it a bit. . .personally.”
“That’s not my problem.”
Jonas continued to peel the orange. “Yeah, it kind of is. You see, he had a long-standing plan of being the hero to the people and taking Robert Baldwin down. He was setting him up and was going to expose Robert. Then Wildly could be a hero the people could trust. He figured he would run for High Judge and easily win.”
Ozzy knew all of this, but, again, it wasn’t his problem. “Okay, Jonas. I said I was going on the mission, and I haven’t changed my mind, so, trust me, I’ll get the sphere.”
Jonas threw a piece of orange peel on the floor. “I have intel that suggests he still wants to be the people’s champion. To accomplish this, he’s on his way to take out Robert’s killer. He has vowed via the public news coms that he will kill Ozzy Mack and Jozi Ryan.”
Ozzy lowered Relic. “And the other heads of the Ministry pinned it on me, didn’t they?”
“Everyone in the world knows you had history and a bad relationship with Robert. You were filmed going into the Ministry building and leaving Robert’s office through the back window. He was found dead a minute later. You and Jozi are the prime suspects and the labeled murderers.“
Shit. Ozzy checked his radar. He didn’t see any of Wildly’s birds in the air to intercept him.
“Where is Wildly?”
“We don’t know. He turned off all communications with the other crime syndicates.” Jonas took a bite of an orange section. The juice ran down his lips to his chin. “I have my security flying to the coordinates where Lyra No Tail left her Eagle.”
Ozzy’s mouth dropped open. “Then Wildly’s also heading for the Eagle? How did he get the coordinates?”
“He has eyes and ears everywhere, as all us crime lords do. So, get there as fast as you can, and fly the Eagle into whatever hiding spot you have there. Don’t let Wildly find you. My guys will be there soon enough.”
The com channel went black.
Ozzy sucked in a gush of air. He rushed to the railing overlooking the storage bay. How did Wildly know where Ozzy was going in the first place?
“Gragas?”
Gragas stepped down from the forklift. “Yes, Ozzy?”
“Get as many weapons off the rack as you can. We’re going to have a fight when we get to Olympus Mons.”
From down the hall, Jozi stepped out of Ozzy’s room and shot him a look. “What mess are we getting into now?”
Ozzy scowled. “Wildly is on his way, and he’s bound and determined to kill us.”
Jozi rubbed her eyes. “Is Indigo activated?”
“Yes.”
Jozi looked Gragas up and down, clearly noting the weapons he had attached to his battle suit, belt, and legs. “Do you have any detonation charges on you?”
“Yes, but not many.”
“Good. I have a plan.”
41
Olympus Mons, Mars
Ozzy swung Relic around a mountain peak. Olympus Mons’s enormous head rose to the edge of the thin atmosphere on Mars, whose red, rocky skin gleamed against the sun’s rays.
At the base of the mountain was a small dot. It was the Class-14 Quadruple Engine Electrohydrodynamic Ionic Thruster 113 SX Vessel—that damned Eagle he coveted so much.
“Bring us down right there,” said Jozi, motioning toward a rock formation.
Ozzy lowered Relic. Olympus Mons disappeared behind the mountain peak, and all that was in front of them was the butterscotch sky and a red and gray mountain range.
Ten minutes ago, they had set half a dozen of Gragas’s detonation charges in specific locations at the base of Olympus Mons, near the Eagle’s position, but far enough away not to harm the bird.
“Gragas,” said Jozi. “Did you call Quad?”
“Yes. He got away from the MMP agents and the guards back at the Ministry building.”
“Did he say he’d help us?”
“I gave him the location, but he said nothing. He shut off the com line before I could do any convincing.” Gragas placed his hands in prayer position and gave a slight bow. “I’m sorry, Ozzy.”
Ozzy patted his stomach. What they were trying to do was to stay alive by ambushing Wildly and his crew, but it didn’t take away the dreadful sensation that death could be knocking on his door at any minute.
He thought he’d be numb to it by now.
Ozzy lowered the skids, and Relic shuddered when she touched the ground. They were entrenched by the mountains towering over them and their gloomy shadows.
Indigo was well and active and connected to the auxiliary engine room.
“When we detect the first blast, we’ll emerge and start doing some damage,” said Jozi. She tapped the rifles strung over her shoulders. “Gragas and I will be on the roof, our boots on full magnetization, and shooting those wannabe criminals.”
“Yeah, got it. Sounds like a plan.” Ozzy threw a thumbs-up. Thanks to Jonas, they knew Wildly was on his way, but they didn’t know when he’d be around or in what direction he was coming from.
Relic beeped.
Jozi stood straighter, jabbing a finger at the radar holoscreen. “There are half a dozen ships. That’s got to be Wildly.” She slapped her rifle and eyed Gragas. “Let’s go up top.” She clipped her helmet in place.
Gragas turned and marched out of the cockpit with Jozi.
Ozzy clipped on his EVA helmet in case anything drastic happened and leaned back. “Let me know when you’re on the roof and in a good spot. I’ll get us up, and we’ll start blasting them from above.”
The mountain began to vibrate, and smoke rose above its peak. One of Wildly’s craft landed on a charge, setting off the first detonation.
“We’re ready up here.”
Ozzy pulled back on the control stick and lifted the parallel lever, raising his craft quickly above the mountain range.
The ship that landed on a charge was on its side and near the Eagle. A hole had ripped through its bottom, and the ship was a mess of wires and metal. Internal explosions exposed more holes on the starboard. No one could have survived that carnage.
“Those poor dead creeps,” mumbled Ozzy. He pressed the control stick forward. “Shoot when ready.”
Another of Wildly’s ships touched down. It shot into the air a moment later and twirled, fire bursting out of its belly. Another explosion in the middle of the craft blew the side walls clear off. It bounced off Olympus Mons’s rocky base and slid away from the Eagle.
Two ships down. Four to go.
But Wildly and his crew weren’t that dumb. They aborted their landing approaches and pulled farther away from the ground.
Ozzy zoomed forward. Wildly’s ships were close enough for some pot shots.
A blue bea
m zipped from Ozzy’s roof, slamming into one of Wildly’s craft. Then more shots followed.
One of the enemy ships bucked and dipped. Glass shattered outward and fire spewed from the cockpit. Thick smoke billowed out and swirled upward.
Another enemy craft dropped like a lead weight, crashing into a detonation charge. The ship erupted into the air, spun, and crashed on its roof.
More of Wildly’s craft spotted Ozzy. Their thrusters lit up, and they flew at Relic.
Ozzy sucked in a deep breath. “Oh boy. Here we go.” He pulled the control stick to the right, turning around, and activated stern boosters, pushing as much zip as he could into Relic.
“They’re out of range, Ozzy,” cried Jozi. “Veer back around.”
“How about you be my stern shooter,” he replied.
“Easier said than done.”
Going this fast and trying to crawl toward the boosters wasn’t for kids.
Ozzy steered to the left, placing Relic in a wide turn.
A photon blast whizzed by his cockpit then another.
“Clasp a roof hold,” shouted Ozzy. “I’m going into a quick turn.”
“We got them. We’re secure,” said Jozi.
Ozzy shifted, putting his ship into a wide descending arc.
“Blast them out of the sky if you can.” He checked his radar. “They’re on my ass.”
“We can see that.”
Waboom!
Relic shook violently, and its engines sounded like they were taking their last breath. Ozzy pulled her into another turn, heading toward the Eagle.
The cockpit vibrated and beeped.
He checked his monitor and his heart dropped. “All engines offline. We’re going in for a crash-landing. Hold on tight.”
42
Olympus Mons, Mars
“We only have the handholds, so a more gentle crash would be nice,” Gragas said.
“Easy for you to say.” Ozzy leaned back against his seat, the restraints pulling. The craft’s holocomputers knew an impact was coming and were keeping him secured to his chair.
The ground rushed up, and the red sand on Olympus Mons’s eastern base stirred, exposing the gray rock underneath.
Ozzy lifted Relic’s nose, and just in time.
Relic shuddered, bouncing up and down on impact and sending a metal against rock sound screeching into the cockpit. Ozzy jerked back and forth, the restraints doing a good job not allowing his body to rocket through the cockpit window.
He cringed and flexed his muscles. Relic slid by the Eagle and crashed into a rock wall, breaking the starboard wing in half.
The craft spun and tipped to the side where it jostled back and forth then vibrated to a stop.
There was no sound, and his eyes darted around, inspecting the damage. The flight console was intact, and the cockpit was operational, minus the ionic booster controls.
He unstrapped and stood, his legs feeling a bit unsure of themselves. After a moment, he dashed out of the cockpit. “Are you two still with me?”
“Still here,” responded Jozi. “Wildly and his crew are coming in hot.”
Ozzy rushed down the ladder and landed square on his feet. He raced to the weapons rack, snagging a rifle.
He slapped the ramp button, which clanked and opened and smacked against the ground.
“Here they come,” hollered Jozi.
Ozzy slid down the ramp and to one knee. He aimed at the oncoming craft and pulled the trigger, watching a beam blast out of his rifle’s muzzle.
It went wide.
Shit. Gragas and Jozi always made this shooting thing look easy.
Shots soared from Relic’s roof, slamming like hot molten lava into one of the craft. The ship tilted then leveled out, going back into a straight dive.
“Run,” yelled Jozi.
The clank of metallic boots racing across the roof echoed in the air.
Ozzy was crouched next to the ramp, his eyes toward the sky. Jozi leaped over him, somersaulted, and popped to her feet.
The incoming craft let loose. Their cannons rotated, spitting balls of fire toward them.
Ozzy rolled away, catching a glimpse of Gragas beginning his leap to safety.
The enemy blasts hit Relic, and a roar enveloped the area. Relic split in two and one part was pushed back against the rock wall. Fire blasted outward, sending debris everywhere.
The concussion flipped Ozzy several times, his arms flailing as he tried to grab something, anything, to stop his momentum. His back slammed into a rock, and he let out a loud grunt. His helmet smacked onto the ground, and a warm rush from an internal explosion inside Relic pressed against his back, throwing him farther across the sand.
The pops and cracks coming from his bones filled his ears.
He tumbled to a stop. He was out of breath and weak. He turned to stare at Relic. It was a heap of fire and metal, and what was left of the outside armored exterior was dripping toward the ground.
He pushed himself into a seated position, resting his back against a jutting boulder.
He looked left.
Jozi was lying face down, unmoving.
He looked to his right.
Gragas was on his back, his chest lifting up and down. He was clearly dazed.
The ground rumbled and Ozzy looked forward. Wildly’s two remaining craft had landed.
Ozzy touched his shoulder. There was still a strap there. He followed the strap to the connected rifle.
The ramps on the ships opened and clanged loudly against the rock. Several men stepped out, including the tallest—Mort Wildly.
Ozzy lifted his rifle, slipped his finger through the trigger guard, and rested his finger there.
He took an uneasy breath, trying to calm his shaking arms. He closed one eye, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
There was no smoke rising from the muzzle as it usually did after an expelled photon blast.
He looked at the rifle barrel. Half of it was broken off.
“Shit.”
He threw the rifle on the ground and stood tall and strong. “Come and get me, fellas.”
43
Olympus Mons, Mars
Mort Wildly strode toward Ozzy with several men by his side, all wearing EVA’s and rifles and ready to send Ozzy to the afterlife—if there were such a place.
Wildly kicked a rock into Ozzy’s boot and tapped his EVA helmet. “Can you hear me?”
Ozzy could hear him loud as day, but he shook his head to be a dick. “Can’t hear you at all.”
“Good. Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor. You’re my ticket into the Ministry. I turn you in, dead or alive, and I’m the hero, Ozzy-boy. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like you’re still a piece of shit. Nothing has changed since you came out of your mother’s ass.”
Wildly snapped his gloved fingers, motioning for his guard.
The guard took a giant step forward and kneed Ozzy in the stomach. Ozzy let out a loud grunt and went crashing to the ground.
Several men grabbed Ozzy by the collar and dragged him to one of the ships.
As he slid across the slate rock and red dust, he craned his neck to eye Jozi and gasped. He reached outward, his hands grasping for her. “No. Leave her alone.”
A man stood over her with his rifle muzzle against her chest. The sound of the shot echoed. Jozi’s chest bounced off the ground, and her legs twitched.
Ozzy closed his eyes and screamed, “No!” His stomach felt as if it were in his toes, and his eyes welled up. He did this to her. All she wanted to do was be a help to the population, and he drove her to her final resting place. She didn’t even get a chance to clear her name.
He squeezed his hands like they were around Wildly’s neck. He went to get up but struggled. His mind and body were weak and listless. He no longer cared. “Wildly, you piece of Mars dung. Just end me.”
“Put him in my rig. Right now, he’s more valuable alive than dead. First, I have to show him to
the public that I have him before I slit his throat.” Wildly walked to the other craft and up its ramp.
The guards pulled Ozzy into the craft. He let his arms fall by his sides as Jozi’s face filled his mind.
They dropped Ozzy on the ship’s floor and hurried to their designated stations.
The ramp whooshed closed, and the craft lifted. It started to shake and dip a few feet but then ascended.
“What was that?” yelled a crewman.
Commotion littered the craft, and beeps and whistles reverberated off the walls. The holoscreens blipped on and off, and the lights did the same.
The sound of metal tearing and a saw buzzing rattled the ceiling.
Ozzy blinked, slowly moving his head in the direction of the sounds. A burning circular shape appeared above him, and a large saw was digging through the exterior and into the craft. Sparks shot and rained down everywhere.
A loud crash sounded when the circular metal piece dropped from the ceiling. A boot kicked through the newly created hole.
44
Olympus Mons, Mars
Several guns went off. Quad jumped through the hole, landing in a crouch with swords in hand.
He ducked and swiped a sword across a man’s stomach. The guard yelped, dropped his weapon, and pressed his hands against his wound.
Blood drenched his palms and he fell, rolling in pain on the floor.
Ozzy went to get up but fell back down. The room spun and he felt lightheaded. Plus, this erratic flying rig wasn’t helping any.
Quad lunged forward, slicing a rifle in half, and kicked another guard in the chest.
Martian Insurrection (Mars Colony Chronicles Book 3) Page 16
