by Sarah Noffke
“Can we keep her comfortable through it?” Jack asked.
There was a long silence. “It’s unclear whether she’ll survive the withdrawals.”
“Then we have to find it,” Bailey said with urgency.
“I’m already working on the formula to synthesize the drug,” Ricky Bobby stated. “However, you’ll need someone who is experienced with pharmaceuticals to create it.”
“I know just the person,” Lewis blurted out.
Bailey gave him a careful expression. “Oh? You have experience dealing in drugs?”
“I know some people,” he clarified. “They are used to discretion.”
“How long does DJ have?” Jack asked.
“She’s fine for a few weeks,” Ricky Bobby stated. “It’s important to note that, if we go this route, we have two options. She can continue on the dosage, or take enough to be safely weaned off the drug.”
“Seems like an easy option to me.” Bailey looked between Jack and Lewis. “A child shouldn’t be dependent on a drug. She won’t always be young; we can’t have her dependent on this for the rest of her life.”
Jack nodded. “Yes, a safe withdrawal would be my vote, as well.”
“There’s a catch,” Ricky Bobby said.
Jack’s head rolled down again, his shoulders slightly hanging in defeat. “Go on then.”
“Without the drug, Dejoure will undoubtedly lose all her psychic abilities,” Ricky Bobby stated.
Lewis slid down in his chair. This wasn’t so cut-and-dried, like most things in life weren’t.
Jack shook his head. “Well then, the decision must go to DJ. I refuse to make that call for her.”
“I don’t want to give them up,” Dejoure’s voice sounded from the entrance.
Everyone turned to look at the girl, who was dressed in ripped jeans and a baggy T-shirt. She’d dyed a strand of her black hair pink and purple; more surprising than her individualized appearance was the smile on her face.
“I want to be of help to Ghost Squadron, and I can’t do that if I don’t have my gifts.”
Bailey stood and strode over to the girl, kneeling down before her. “That’s not true. You’re brave and intelligent, and you possess so many gifts.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Dejoure said proudly. “But with my psychic abilities, I’m a super-secret agent. I want to keep them.”
Bailey looked back at Jack and Lewis for reassurance.
Jack cleared his throat. “I said this to Vitos, and I meant it: I won’t force anyone on this crew to do anything. DJ, you’re young, but I’m not in a position to make this decision for you. If you want to stay on the drug, then that’s your choice.”
Dejoure nodded, her smile sparking her eyes. “That’s what I want. And don’t worry, I feel fine. It took the other kids they lost at least three months to feel their withdrawals, so I have loads of time.”
Lewis found himself standing. “What? Are you saying that Starboards Corp intentionally put children through that? Why? To see what would happen?”
She shrugged. “They were test subjects. As were we all. But yes, some were taken off the drug. I guess to see what happened.”
Bailey stood, shaking her head, and giving Lewis a look that he thought he understood. “We’re going to get that drug first, then we’re gonna go after Dr. Ass. He doesn’t get to experiment on children anymore.”
Lewis couldn’t help but smile, although the severity of the moment should have made him tense. That’s exactly what he’d thought the look on Bailey’s face meant. “I completely agree. Starboards Corp has to be stopped. I think it’s time someone popped their balloon.”
“Hatch has asked that I page you all,” Ricky Bobby said overhead. “He thinks he is ready.”
Jack looked at his watch, the one that matched Lewis’s, the one he’d inherited from his father. “In true Hatch form, he’s ahead of schedule.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Cacama System
Hatch had celebrated so many accomplishments. He’d built ships, weapons, devices that made holes in space and time. However, there were few things that stacked up to this moment.
He stood back, looking at the GAD-C, allowing a rare smile to form on his face. “What a beauty,” he said to himself.
“I think it needs some fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror,” Pip said overhead.
Hatch rolled his eyes. “It’s not the DeLorean.” He ran his tentacle over the bed of the machine. It was white with blue lights outlining the large surface. Overhead was a series of lasers and lights, all specialized with a technology unlike anything he’d ever created before.
“The DeLorean,” Pip said fondly. “I look forward to taking that baby for a spin.”
“Only once you get a body,” Hatch stated. “And we’ll see about you driving one of my cars. Remember what happened the last time?”
“It was a tiny scratch.”
“Doesn’t matter. Speaking of the DeLorean, I look forward to getting back to that project. The car still can’t get up to the right speed.”
“When will you get back to it?” Pip asked.
“When my apprentice is returned, of course,” Hatch said, pulling his tentacle back from the machine. A rawness covered his insides at the thought of Knox Gunnerson, locked away in a dark database.
“I meant when do I get a body?” Pip asked.
“Oh, of course this is about you.”
“Look, if you make me a body, think about how much more help I can I be to you,” the AI reasoned.
“I can only think of all the trouble you’ll get yourself into.”
“You’re about to make bodies for almost a hundred people,” Pip pointed out. “Why can’t you make one for me?”
“Because they supply the magic ingredient: DNA,” Hatch explained.
“Oh, well, you’ll figure something out,” Pip stated, as the entirety of the crew of Ricky Bobby entered the lab.
Hatch looked at them, for a moment disbelieving that these were the only beings on the ship. Liesel Diesel. Jack Renfro. Lieutenant Bailey Tennant. Detective Lewis Harlowe. Vitos Rigar. Dejoure Flournoy and of course, Harley.
They may not have been a big team, but already they’d made huge strides. Hatch felt pride for the individuals before him. Most would have failed at the obstacles they’d had to face to recover from this tragedy, but not this team. They were honest, brave and smart. He and Jack had done well to pick Bailey and Lewis, and the evidence was before him.
Hatch regarded the server and database that currently housed the consciousnesses of almost one hundred individuals. It was the retrieval of this machine and the K-factor that had made the next steps possible.
“May I present to you all, for the first time ever, the GAD-C,” Hatch stated, presenting the machine with two tentacles. “I haven’t had a chance to test it because there’s only one way to do that.” He picked up seven pairs of goggles, and passed them out to the crew. “Here, put these on.” Hatch lowered a pair over his own head to protect his eyes.
“Do you think it works?” Jack asked, looking over the polished product.
It was quite the beauty, although Hatch already realized he’d have to pare down the design going forward. There was no way that Bailey and Lewis could lug this around to each of the database sites. It was also unrealistic for them to bring back the servers.
No, printing will have to happen on the spot. Hatch laughed to himself. Monstre Corp probably thought they would cut them off by changing the codes to access the consciousnesses. But they were about to have the one and only key they needed to get access to the servers: a single consciousness that had been in all the databases. She alone would hold the access.
“I’m certain it works,” he told Jack. “However, there’s only one way to find out.” He turned three knobs exactly and flipped four switches. “Pip, send through the file for member 001.”
“Sending over file for Penrae,” Pip said exuberantly.
The overhead lights of the GAD-C flashed so brightly that it nearly sought to blind him, even with the protective goggles. The bed of the machine lit up. For a moment, it was too bright to see anything. A loud sound like a train speeding through the ship echoed from the GAD-C. Sparks shot from the side of the machine, which was the size of the server. Hatch waved away the smoke, not fearing this result. There were still bugs to be worked out, but that shouldn’t have significant effects on the outcome.
He stepped forward, four of his tentacles waving the smoke away from the GAD-C. The noise died away, and the lights dimmed.
“Did it work?” Jack asked, lowering his goggles.
“I’m not sure,” Hatch said, and for a rare moment, he was seriously concerned he’d failed.
It wouldn’t be a first, but it would go on record.
Bailey coughed from the smoke. It smelled of the strange minerals that Lewis and Vitos had taken from Sutra 6. She observed that Hatch looked more worried than she’d ever seen him.
“Hello? Issss anyone there?” an unfamiliar voice—marked by a hiss—asked.
Bailey found herself moving forward, trying to get a better look. She jumped back when the head of a snake popped out of the smoke. However, Hatch let out a relieved laugh.
“It worked!” the mechanic exclaimed.
Bailey blinked as she caught full sight of Penrae. She was, most straightforwardly put, a giant snake. Her red scales reflected the light, and her green eyes glowed through the smoke.
“I can’t believe it! I have my body back,” Penrae exclaimed, slithering completely off the GAD-C and standing a foot above the rest of them.
Then she cycled through the different people in the room. She shifted into the sweet appearance of Dejoure, and then to Liesel. She flickered into an image of Jack, and then of Lewis. For a brief moment, she took on Vitos’s appearance, and then to Bailey, Harley, and finally, Hatch.
“Thank you!” Penrae said, which sounded strange in Hatch’s voice. “Thank you for rescuing me and getting my body back.”
“If you have your body back, why are you taking on everyone else’s?” Pip asked.
Penrae laughed. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m just so excited.” She shifted back into her snake form, which wasn’t as menacing, since Bailey had studied up on her.
Apparently, she was of the Saverus race. They had a nice grace to their moments, almost rhythmic.
“Penrae,” Hatch began, an erratic excitement in his voice. “You’ve been in the other databases, right?”
“That’s correct. All five,” she answered.
“Then you’ll be able to tell us who is where?” Hatch asked.
“I can try, although they do move things around.”
“But you’ll have access to them, I assume.”
“Yes, and I can tell you everything that I’ve seen and heard, ghosting through the databases.” She shivered. “Monstre Corp is an awful place.”
Hatch nodded. “What you will offer us will be invaluable. It’s exactly what we need in order to rescue the rest of the team.”
Penrae looked around. “I still can’t believe I’m back. It hasn’t been that long for me, according to what you all told me about the timeline. However it felt like I was gone for decades.”
“Yes, what about the rest in the database?” Bailey asked. “They’ve been trapped much longer.”
“I have enough K-factor to print them, then we will have them returned to Pochli,” Hatch stated.
“It will take a while to rebuild them; getting them back to their lives is only the first part of that,” Jack said.
“It would seem that we still have a huge mission to fulfill, but there’s much to hope for,” Liesel said, taking a step forward. “The GAD-C is going to offer that new hope to those who have been lost.”
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Pip sang overhead. “Hold it right there. K-factor could have adverse effects on someone with your condition.”
Everyone froze.
Well, everyone but Hatch, who looked around in confusion.
“Whoops!” Pip said sheepishly.
“Condition? What do you mean? Her motion sickness? No, K-factor wouldn’t have any effect on that, Pip. Now, if she were pregnant…” Hatch trailed off, realization dawning on his face.
Bailey looked around, trying to find a way to escape.
“Hey there, Bailey, you want to go research leads?” Lewis asked, tugging on her arm.
Dejoure clicked her tongue at Harley, encouraging him away. “Let’s go play fetch, boy.”
Vitos offered an arm to Penrae, but then seeing that she had no arms, he lowered it. “May I show you around the ship? My name is Vitos.”
“I used to live here, you know?” Penrae said with a laugh.
Most of the crew had made it to the exit by the time Hatch bellowed, “How many of you knew that Liesel was pregnant?”
Bailey turned to see that Liesel and Jack hadn’t moved. Instead, they were looking quite red-faced.
“Uhhh….” they all said in unison.
“I’m the only one who didn’t know?” Hatch exclaimed, throwing several tentacles in the air.
“Well, in our defense, we were afraid you’d be angry,” Pip said.
“Angry! Angry?” Hatch yelled, his face pink. He puffed out his cheeks, and deflated a bit.
Liesel reached back, taking Jack’s hand.
“Look, Hatch,” Jack began. “I get that the timing isn’t the best, but—”
“The timing! This isn’t about timing!” Hatch exclaimed. “We’ve lost almost everyone on the ship. Angry! I’m not angry. I’m furious!”
One of his purple tentacles extended toward Liesel. She recoiled a bit.
“We’ve lost so much,” he continued, his tone adamant, “and you all dared to keep something worth celebrating from me?”
Liesel let out a breath, a smile sparking out of her laugh as she leaned forward. She took the tentacle Hatch offered her, wringing it sweetly.
“Liesel Diesel, of course the timing isn’t great,” Hatch stated. “But how could you think I’d be mad? I might be a lot of things, but you should know, I do all of this,” he circled his tentacles around, gesturing at the whole ship, “because I value life above all else. After we’ve lost so much, how could I not be happy for you to expand your world?”
Jack stepped up beside Liesel, hugging her tightly as he regarded Hatch fondly. “You know what, I think that’s exactly what we all needed to hear. Me especially.”
Bailey smiled at Lewis. They had a long way to go to rescuing Ghost Squadron, but if the last few days had shown them anything, there was hope.
She looked at Penrae and smiled inside. One down, two hundred and ninety-nine to go until Ghost Squadron was back.
FINIS
Formation
Have you read the Ghost Squadron series from Sarah Noffke and Michael Anderle? Book one is FORMATION and it’s available in ebook, print, and audio at Amazon.
Available Now at Amazon
Author Notes - Sarah Noffke
Written June 18, 2018
Thank you for reading another installment in this new series! Here’s something I forgot to mention in the first set of author notes: Jurgen Moder named this series. He wanted it to have the double meaning like Queen Bitch has in the German translation. It translates to “Mother of the Night” in English, which has a nice bit of double meaning, much like Precious Galaxy.
I really enjoy having Jurgen’s help. He reached out to me a few times and hopefully he noticed I wasn’t just open to his feedback, but welcoming to it. Since then he’s really become a wonderful help. We discuss story/cover ideas, he comes up with planet/system names, and sometimes he just assures me that I’m not insane (although, I think he’s lying to be nice).
As I wrote this installment in the series, I was reminded that this was the same time last year when I first started writing for LMBPN. I’d written 18 books before then, all on my own. I acutely
remember this was the time of year I started writing for LMBPN because I moved my office downstairs due to the July heat. This year, I moved my office to the kitchen table and had a flashback of last year, writing the first books in my Oriceran series.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started that series, but I knew that I needed to try something new. My solo books were doing well, but managing them and continuing to produce was making me crazy. I was also at a time in my life when I couldn’t afford to be crazy. I’ve said this before, and it deserves to be said many more times: LMBPN makes my life easier. There are certain things I’m good at and certain things I need to work at. However, I read a book this last year that spoke about unique abilities (UAs). The book said that we should work toward a lifestyle where we are putting most of our efforts into our UAs and farming out the rest. I want to believe my UA is writing. Marketing, email management, website building, social networking, etc are all things I can do, but they aren’t in my wheelhouse.
You are wondering where I’m going with this. I’m getting there.
So this time last year, I’m having a conversation with Michael Anderle, which by the way, my daughter keeps trying to come up with a nickname for him. She liked Mr. Tiger, but I told her that made no sense. She then came up with Manderle, but he said that had already been used. Well, we are about being original. So we’re back to calling him Mr. Tiger. I have no idea why she chose that, but as an aside, she calls Jurgen, Mr. Alligator, also for no discernible reason.
And so I digress. Mr. Tiger and I are chatting one morning. Let me back up slightly though. You’re wondering if I understand story structure right now. Bear with me. The day before this phone call was when the divorce for my marriage of 10 years was finalized. In California, divorces take at least six months. Mine took over nine, like an over-ripened baby. My ex-husband, because he was destined to be such, asked me if I’d go to a celebratory dinner to cheers to our divorce. I was like, isn’t that like wearing party hats at a funeral? Anyway, I go to dinner and he tells me a lot of things, but one was that I should rethink this author business since I needed to support myself and our daughter. I’d been doing it for almost a year, but he assumed I was living on fumes and I wouldn’t make it long term as a writer now that I didn’t have his support, especially in Southern California. I left dinner without saying goodbye.
