by Sarah Noffke
“They are the natives to this planet, the Pochlians,” Penrae answered. “I learned from ghosting through the different databases that they were the first to be uploaded. Monstre Corp made mistakes, though, and not all of them made it, unlike with Ghost Squadron.”
It was good news, that everyone from Ghost Squadron was among the databases, but Bailey was unnerved by the loss of the natives of Pochli.
“How many are in the database here?” she asked.
Pip answered first. “Less than a hundred.”
Bailey swallowed, her eyes off. “And how many were there originally?”
Pip didn’t answer.
Finally, Penrae said, “They’ve lost many. More than any civilization should ever have to endure.”
“All for a damn experiment!” Bailey screamed, heat burning in her head. She was about to continue, but the large screen above the workstations flickered to life, interrupting her.
She stared back at an unkind face. The last time she’d seen that man, she’d had the upper hand. In this instance, she wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Thirty-One
Sutra 6, Planet Pochli, Cacama System
Lewis squatted down, staring at the scientist on the other side of the transparent wall. His knees were folded to his chest, and his eyes were searching the closet. The first thing the dipshit did upon waking up was try and throw objects at Lewis. All his projectiles just hit the wall, and bounced back at the guy’s feet.
“So, here are your options,” Lewis began casually. “You can live in there for the foreseeable future. We can let you out, and you can join your friend here.” Lewis pointed at the dead man on the ground. “Or you can cooperate with us, and we’ll let you go.”
“What do you want?” The man’s eyes focused on the blood puddled around the other scientist.
“Ever hear of kantarium?” Lewis asked.
The man’s cheek twitched ever so slightly, and he shook his head. “No, what’s that?”
“You’re lying, which means that my friend here,” Lewis pointed at Vitos, “is going to sever a major artery of yours. How does that sound?”
Vitos took a step forward, his eyes buzzing with heat.
The scientist shuffled backward. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
“If I wanted to take a sample of kantarium without killing myself, how would I do that?” Lewis asked.
The man’s eyes dropped to the yellow liquid on the ground a few feet away. It was still eating through the floor, sending up mustard-colored smoke.
“Surely, you’re not so stupid as to suggest that I take the liquid form of it,” Lewis stated. “Please remember, asshole, that your life depends on this. Give me the wrong answer, and my friend eats you. Hurt us, and you could stay locked in there forever.”
“Th-th-the mineral,” the man stuttered. “You need the mineral form of it. That’s the most stable.”
Lewis spun around, searching the lab. “And if I was in the market for this rock, where would I look?”
He didn’t need the dumb man to answer him. He spotted a tray of gray rocks that were sitting in yellow dust. He looked at the scientist, who had noticed where his gaze had landed.
“That’s not it!” the man exclaimed.
“Are you sure?” Lewis asked. “Or were you told to protect this mineral with your life?”
“We only have a small store, and my future depends on creating more of it,” the man said, his tone begging.
Lewis shook his head, clicking his tongue. “You don’t get it. Your future does depend on you delivering this mineral, but not to Solomon Vance.”
“He’ll kill me! You don’t understand,” the man howled. “If I help you! He’ll kill me!”
Lewis tilted his head to the side, his curiosity getting the better of him. “Why would you work for someone like that?”
“H-h-he promised to pay us,” the man said. “Better than any job we could get in the Federation.”
Lewis pressed his hands together, putting them to his mouth. So that answered his burning question. Most working for Vance were motivated by greed and their own selfish gains.
He looked at Vitos. “Search for this mineral.” He pointed to the gray and yellow rocks. “We are taking all of it.”
Vitos went straight to work, searching the drawers that lined the wall, finding a few stores of K-factor. “Looks like we’re in luck, boss.”
“No! You can’t do that!” the man yelled.
Lewis turned, facing the scientist. “You don’t get it! You got off easy. You could have shared the same fate as your colleagues.”
The man shivered, shaking his head. “No, they got off easy. You don’t get it.”
Lewis was about to ask him what he meant, when he was interrupted by a transmission over his comm.
“Holmes. There’s a problem,” Bailey said in a rush.
The face of Dr. Lukas—or ‘Dr. Ass’, as DJ called the administrator—appeared on the screen.
Bailey froze, suddenly finding her gun useless.
“And so we meet once more,” Dr. Ass said.
“Yeah, sorry we had to leave so abruptly the last time, and skip the proper introductions,” she quipped.
“I know exactly who you are, Bailey Tennant,” Dr. Ass said, leaning in so close, she could see up the guy’s giant nostrils.
“And you’re the soulless jerkwad who experiments on children.”
“How is Dejoure?” The towering figure of the man’s head took up most of the screen, dwarfing Bailey’s in size. “Has she started to get sick yet?”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Don’t try your manipulation on me.”
“Manipulation?” Dr. Ass asked, feigning innocence. “The subjects in Dejoure’s ward were on a new drug that would help enhance their skills; once it wears off, she’ll go through withdrawals. It won’t be pleasant for the child.”
“He’s lying,” Pip said, but he didn’t sound convinced. “We’ll find out whatever it is. Don’t allow him to get to you.”
That was easier said than done. The way the doctor regarded Bailey made her feel vulnerable, though he was merely on a computer screen.
“And what do we have here?” Dr. Ass asked, his eyes darting to Penrae.
She disappeared at once.
“Oh, well, that’s no matter. Whatever you think you’re accomplishing stops now.”
Bailey laughed. “We’ve already killed everyone in Sutra Six. We’re the ones in control.”
Dr. Ass matched her laugh, but his was full of bravado. “You didn’t really think we’d allow you to stroll into our facility and take what belongs to us, did you?”
“You can’t own people!” she yelled at him.
Dr. Ass shook his head, looking amused. “Of course you can. Everything can be possessed.” He tapped the side of his head. “It’s all about utilizing the right resources.”
“We’re going to rescue the people here at Sutra Six, there’s no stopping us.”
A smile formed on Dr. Ass’s face, but it lacked any joy. “You really don’t get it. A small facility with minimal security on an abandoned planet…Dr. Vance knew that any rescue efforts would start here.”
Bailey’s pulse quickened. She wished Pip would say something to reassure her, but he was deathly silent.
“Sutra Six was a throwaway location,” Dr. Ass continued. “It was our first effort. An experiment. We lost quite a few, trying to figure out how the upload worked, but that’s no matter now. All the kinks have been worked out.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
Dr. Ass shrugged. “Because it doesn’t matter. We’ve already deployed the self-destruction protocol for the facility. Dr. Vance knew you’d try the codes there. It’s really no loss for us; we’ll lose a little, but we get rid of a pesky nuisance.” Dr. Ass leaned forward. “You have three minutes before detonation. Do say goodbye to Detective Lewis Harlowe for us.” He pulled up his watch and smiled. “I’d do it myself, but it appears you’re out of time.
Rushed goodbyes are the worst.”
The screen flickered and then went black.
There was a desperate urgency in Bailey’s tone. Lewis took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He knew that was for the best. So far, they’d completed one of their two agendas. The rest will go smoothly, he assured himself.
“What are you doing? Where are you?” Bailey asked him over the comm.
“I’m in a lab, torturing a scientist, and loading up on K-factor. You?” he replied.
“I’ve located the database, but we have to get out of here, now!”
“What’s going on?” he asked, taking a tray of K-factor from Vitos, as the Tuetian grabbed another.
“Dr. Lukas from Starboards Corp just came on the video comm,” she said, breathing hard. “They’ve initiated the self-destruct for Sutra Six. We have less than three minutes to get out of here.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sutra 6, Planet Pochli, Cacama System
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Bailey asked Pip over the comm.
“I’ve run a few simulations, and it has a seventy-two percent chance of success,” Pip stated.
Bailey let out a hot breath. She’d never been a C-student. “Okay, do it!”
“Get back,” Pip warned.
Bailey took cover at the back behind a server. Lewis and Vitos ran into the server room carrying large bins.
“You brought the K-factor with you?” she asked them incredulously.
Lewis had appeared looking proud, but the expression quickly faded as he took in her face. “Either we die, or we get out of here successfully,” he reasoned.
She shook her head, pulling him down and motioning for Vitos to join them. A moment later, an explosion rocked the side of the building.
All three covered their heads and ducked away from the heat.
“It’s already started?” Lewis asked when the explosion died away. “I thought you said we had three minutes!”
“That’s what Dr. Ass said.” Bailey pointed. “We have to wait a few more seconds for the debris to settle.”
“Why did the doctor man tell you that you have three minutes?” Vitos asked. “What’s his incentive?”
“It’s a fear thing,” Lewis said. “It’s better if he makes our last minutes alive tense as hell. Psychological trauma on top of fatal peril.”
“But in this case, it works in our favor,” Bailey said, fanning the smoke away from her face. “We know that we have a little more than two minutes to load that server with the database into the Q-Ship.”
Lewis looked in the direction she was pointing. The Q-Ship lowered down, hovering in view of the gigantic hole in the side of the building. “You want to take our last two minutes to load a giant server into the ship, and you got on me for lugging around the K-factor?”
Bailey sprang forward. “If we don’t, everyone on them will be gone forever. We are their last hope.”
The hatch to the Q-Ship lowered. “You’re going to have to get rid of some stuff in order to make it fit,” Pip yelled from the ship.
Bailey was already on it, unbolting the third row of seats. “Get rid of all of those crates.” She indicated to the hull.
“What’s in them?” Lewis asked, pushing the crates out of the back of the ship.
“Life support crap,” Bailey answered.
“Oh, right,” he said, a laugh in his voice.
“You have a minute and a half,” Pip informed them.
Bailey struggled with the seats, but finally got them unattached. She shoved them in Lewis’s and Vitos’s direction, nearly knocking them over. “That should give us enough room.”
“Which server is it?” Lewis asked.
Bailey gazed in bewilderment for a moment. Everything looked so different after Pip blasted a hole in the side of the building. She blinked, realizing that precious seconds were slipping by. Lights flashed on the front of the closest server not damaged by the explosion.
“That one!” she called.
Vitos and Lewis sped over, grabbing the sides of the giant server. It budged, but just barely.
Bailey sped out of the ship and traversed to the back side. “We’ve got to tip it over.”
She rocked her body weight into the tower, and it tipped forward. Lewis and Vitos caught it before it crashed to the ground, and Bailey picked up the backend and lifted it, her legs automatically moving forward.
Everyone grunted, dragged down by the enormous weight of the server. Bailey knew that nearly a hundred people would weigh a lot more than this, but she never imagined she’d carry this many to safety. She hoped this was a rescue mission and not a death sentence. Her boot hit the ramp of the ship, and she let out a breath of relief.
Only a little farther.
“I’m not sure it’s going to fit,” Vitos stated.
“It will fit,” she encouraged. “Come around here and help me.”
Both Lewis and Vitos joined her in the back. She gave Lewis a worried stare, sweat dripping into her eyes.
“It will fit,” he said, repeating her words.
She nodded. Then she took a deep breath and pushed with everything she had. The server sped forward before quickly getting caught on something.
It was hanging half out of the ship.
“You have less than forty-five seconds,” Pip called.
“Come on!” Bailey yelled. She angled her head down, pressing with all her might.
“We have to go!” Vitos yelled.
“No, if we go now, the server is toast.”
Lewis had said exactly what Bailey was thinking. He grunted, angled his shoulder into the back of the server and pushed. The tower rocked over something on the deck, and then shot forward, clearing the rest of the space.
“Hell yeah!” Pip exclaimed. “Now get your asses in this ship!”
Bailey clambered over the side of the ship, dropping down into the cockpit with Lewis on her heels. She pulled on her belts as the hatch closed, and Vitos slid into his seat. With a single look back, Bailey ignited the boosters, raising the ship into the air. She activated both thrusters.
“This is going to be a bit faster of a takeoff than you’re used to,” she warned them.
“Do what you have to,” Lewis stated, buckling himself in.
Bailey’s head shot back when the ship sped forward, barreling away from Sutra 6. They were at the edge of the dome when an explosion rocked the ship forward.
They continued speeding ahead unharmed, precious cargo safe in the back.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jack Renfro’s Office, Ricky Bobby, Cacama System
Every time Jack had tried to speak, he’d resorted to shaking his head again. He seemed both elated and distraught.
He finally blew out a breath and looked up at Lewis, his eyes red. “You made it back. That’s what counts most. And you did a damn fine job.” An abrupt laugh spilled from his uncle’s mouth. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I put you on this case for a reason. I knew it was going to be dangerous, but dammit, you were nearly blown up.” The laughter stopped abruptly. “You almost got yourself killed, trying to get that server in the ship.”
“Jack, you know how I work,” Lewis stated, crossing his ankle over his knee, his argyle socks winking out from under his trousers.
“Hell yeah, I do. You’re your father’s son, through and through. He wouldn’t have left those innocent people behind.” Jack stood, again shaking his head.
Lewis wasn’t sure what the problem was. He’d done his job. Actually, the team had delivered a bit more than they’d bargained for. Hatch was astonished to get such a large supply of K-factor. Not only did he have enough to start the manufacturing process, but there was a sufficient supply to power up the GAD-C.
“Lew, I realize that I send soldiers on jobs all the time, knowing they are risking their lives, but…” Jack gazed at him, an urgency in his bloodshot eyes. “I care about every single person I’ve sent out there to defend the Federation. How co
uld I not? And some, I knew wouldn’t come back, but it was for a greater purpose. Something bigger than me. Bigger than them. It’s never easy to make those decisions. However, today, this all hit closer to home.”
“You’ve never had to send your own flesh and blood out there,” Lewis said, realizing what was going on with this uncle.
“You’re the last surviving piece of your father. My twin.” Jack swallowed, his hands clamping onto the back of his chair. “And one day soon, I’ll have a child. What if they go on to work for the Federation? I hope with every fiber of my being that they will, but what if I have to order them to go out there, knowing they’ll get blown up?”
“Sometimes great soldiers don’t come home; there’s no avoiding it,” Lewis stated, feeling the tenderness of the moment in his throat. “However, today, I came back safely—and not by luck. You taught me. Dad taught me. I returned because I had damn good training. Your child will have that benefit, too.”
Jack let out a breath, hanging his head. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s too early to think about, but still, that’s all that cycles through my head lately.”
“It’s never too early to think about how to best to protect those we love,” Lewis stated.
Whether his uncle could admit it or not, he wanted this child. He just didn’t know how to allow himself to want it. He was probably afraid that the moment he did, some adversary would swing in and snatch away his happiness.
Lewis knew how that felt. Happiness is a trap, and the second you fully embrace it, the dark clouds steal it away.
A knock stole both of their attention.
“Hey, Hatch says he’ll have an update soon,” Bailey said from the doorway.
Jack straightened, faking a smile. “That’s good news.”
“I was hoping to get a report about DJ,” Bailey said, looking between Jack and Lewis, a scrutinizing expression on her face. She knew she’d interrupted something heavy.
“I’m currently analyzing the scans I completed,” Ricky Bobby stated. “I’ve classified the drug she was given, and can confirm that she will suffer withdrawals when it has passed from her system.”
