Salvage-5: Another Mission (First Contact)

by Brian K. Larson

  The scared woman on the bed drew the blanket up under her chin, “Don’t hurt me, Mister. I-I didn’t...”

  “That’s enough, Trish,” the man bellowed, “Don’t say anything!”

  “I get the feeling that you’re really not the Abbot, are you?” turning to the woman, “...and don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.”

  The man gasped for a breath from the weight of Tucker’s foot, “Whattya want from us?”

  “Shhh, not so loud. You really don’t want to attract anyone, now do you?”

  “N-no...sorry, I don’t want anyone else to know...just lighten your foot, I can’t breathe,” the man again pleaded.

  “Okay, so you’re not the Abbot, but you’re impersonating one. So, who are you? That’s my question,” Tucker asked, lifting some of the pressure off the man’s chest.

  The man gasped for another breath of air, “I’m a caretaker...”

  “Caretaker of the technology that my friend, Calvin Jones, was looking for, right?”

  “You know Cal?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Y-you’re the one who busted him out the jail, aren’t ya?”

  “Well, yeah, that was me, in the flesh.”

  “Calvin broke our computers...the information is all gone!”

  “I really don’t think so,” Tucker said, pressing a bit harder again.

  “Okay, okay...”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “The Vatican wouldn’t have kept you here to be the caretaker of the technology if you didn’t have it.”

  “You’ve got a point.”

  Tucker glanced at the empty bed. He jumped aside just in time as the woman attacked with a swift Kung-Fu kick at his head.

  The adrenaline pumping through his veins charged Tucker’s chip. The woman glared at him with that frightening green-eyed look that he had become very familiar with.

  His foot came off of the Abbot’s chest and kicked across the air, connecting with the woman, who was already swinging again.

  The fat man on the ground rolled over and crawled away on his hands and knees. Tucker held out his hand toward the man, freezing him in his tracks with a power wave, while he gave a push movement with his free arm at the woman, flinging her into the wall. She slid down the wall to the ground. Wires dangled from one of her eyes. When her feet hit the ground she charged at Tucker once more.

  Taking the power wave that held the man, he swung the wave at the woman, and hit her full force with both arms, slamming her back again into the wall. This time, her body made an impression in the stone wall before it fell to the floor. Sparks flew out of the smoking body.

  The man had nearly made it to the door before Tucker grabbed his robe and pulled him back.

  “Now!” Tucker ordered, “You better take me to the computer before I decide to do the same thing to you!”

  “N-No! Don’t kill me. I’m not a clone, I’m a human!”

  “So, you do know about this technology, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I helped create her. She was our first creation, the first chip made from the blue prints we intercepted from the asteroid.

  “You had better be telling me the truth...”

  “I am! I am! I, I can prove it! I’ll take you to the back room. There’s an underground cellar. The chips are made there. You’ll see.”

  “I don’t like going down...”

  “It’s only one floor. Not like the Noosphere you’ve seen.”

  “You know about the alien Noosphere?”

  “Yes, yes...It was all part of the download. We have only been able to duplicate a small part of what we got. The orders from the Vatican were to perfect the technology, and then turn it over to them.”

  “You didn’t turn it over to them yet?”

  “Not all of it.”

  “How much do they have?”

  “Not enough to do anything with. Just enough to keep us funded here. I promise you. That’s all!”

  “Okay, take me to a terminal. I just need to see it once.”

  “Okay, okay...it’s that way,” the man pointed.

  Tucker took the man by the collar and shoved him toward the back door that led them to a hatch in the floor, “You first!”

  The man pointed to the wooden door in the floor and looked at Tucker, “It’s down there.”

  “Open it!” Tucker ordered.

  The man creaked the door and propped it open with a stick, then he flipped a switch on the wall, illuminating a staircase heading down.

  Tucker only had to look at the man for him to understand he was to go first again.

  Once at the bottom of the stairs, Tucker was amazed at all the electronic equipment.

  “You did all this by yourself?”

  “Yes, I’m an engineer. It’s not that hard to construct once you understand the schematics.”

  “Bring up the chip implant designs. That’s all I need.”

  The man typed commands on the keyboard and promptly displayed the data he had requested.

  Tucker looked over at the wall and saw a fiber optic cable dangling from another machine, “You have an accelerator?”

  “Yes, yes of course we do. It was all part of the download.”

  “Great. You need to jack me in. I can store all the data I need about the chip.”

  “You’re chipped? Damn! Then why are you doing this?”

  “Father, you mustn’t be damning things,” Tucker winked.

  “Yeah, you’re a funny guy.”

  “Well,” Tucker shrugged, “I try.”

  It only took a few minutes for Tucker to get fully charged. He turned to the computer screen and quickly absorbed all the files he needed. When he finished, he turned to the man and smiled.

  “You can go now...I won’t tell a soul you were here.”

  Tucker looked at the man, to the computer and equipment, and back to the man, “You don’t think I’m going to leave this technology in your hands, right? I mean, you do know I have to destroy it.”

  The man looked down, “I know, I know...”

  “Do you have any backups?”

  “Everything is right here in this room. There are three backup copies on different computers.”

  Tucker reached inside his robe for a radio, “Sam...Sam...Come in, do you copy?”

  The radio returned static and then Sam’s voice blurted, “I’m on my way, Sir!”

  Tucker reached his hands out over the computer and sent a large energy wave into the computer equipment. Then he slowly turned in the room, making sure his power wave touched every piece of equipment. Sparks and smoke shot out from the electronics as he made his way around the room. Then he stopped, turned to the man and tapped him on his forehead, “Sorry, but you never saw me here.”

  “R-right...” the man stammered.

  Tucker sped up the steps and out the door just in time to see Captain Rothschild land her Harrier in the monastery’s courtyard.

  She opened the canopy and deployed the boarding ladder as Tucker ran to the plane.

  Tucker was still strapping into the rear seat as Sam took off. They were airborne before the canopy closed and the boarding ladder retracted.

  “Thanks, Captain. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Like I told you before, Colonel. I’m not about to leave anyone behind!”

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

  “No offence, Colonel,” Sam shouted over the jet’s intercom, “Sorry, I forgot, Sir!”

  “It’s alright, Captain. I got what I needed. Now, let’s go see Buster!”

  “Right, Sir. We’ll be landing in five hours.”

  “Good work, Captain!”

  “Thank you, Sir!”

  “Think I’ll just take a little nap now, night night!”

  “No worries, Sir!”

  Sam punched the throttle and the jet shot into the cover of the mountains to the north.

  * * *

 
; Chapter 12

  Whidbey Island

  Oak Harbor, WA

  Tucker’s Place

  Earth Date: November 11, 2065 21:00

  A soft knock on his door summoned Tucker. He got up from his kitchen table and opened the door.

  “Buster! Good to see you,” Tucker quickly pulled the young man in by the collar and shut the door, “Anyone follow you?”

  “Umm, no, I don’t think so, Sir.”

  “Hey, whiz-kid. You don’t have to call me Sir anymore, Just Tucker, m’kay?”

  “Sure, Sir, er, Tucker. Samantha told me you wanted to see me.”

  “Yes I do!”

  “What’s up, Sir...Tucker,” Buster asked, raising a hands in the air, “Sorry, it’s hard not to call you, Sir, Sir...Tuck.”

  “No worries, whiz-kid. Now...let’s get down to business.” Tucker peered out the front drapes, “You sure no one followed you here?”

  “Nope.”

  Tucker turned to Buster, his hands on his hips, “Okay, so you’re sure no one followed you, or nope you’re really not sure?”

  “No one followed me, Tucker. I was very careful.”

  “How’d they let you off base, anyway?”

  “Oh, that was easy,” Buster chuckled, slapping his knee.

  “Oh, please do tell, I can hardly wait.”

  “Samantha snuck me out.”

  “She snuck you off base?”

  “Well, yeah. How else did you expect me to get here? I don’t have a driver’s license yet.”

  “Why Buster?”

  “What’s the matter, Sir...damn...Tucker?”

  “You went AWOL for me?”

  “Well, not for you.”

  “You do have a crush on Captain Rothschild, don’t you?”

  “Well, yeah. I kind of do...I came for her...and of course, I’m more than happy to help you with whatever it is you need.”

  “I’m actually impressed, Lieutenant.”

  “That I went off base?”

  “I do believe I’ve had an impact on you after all.”

  “Well, you are a great Commander, Si-Tucker.”

  “You’ll get it right, and yes, I’m so very happy that you are here.”

  “So, tell me, TUCKER,” Buster labored to say, “What do you need?”

  “Right this way,” Tucker led Buster to his kitchen table where his computer was set up, booted and waiting for commands. “I need your whiz-kid skills to study some designs and write me a bit of code for my chip.”

  “Sure, thing...Tucker...just show me what ya got.”

  “Well, first you need to pull the schematics.”

  “Okay, just give me the URL address.”

  Tucker stopped Buster by pointing to the back of his neck, “You’ll have to pull them from here.”

  Buster looked at Tucker, to the computer, and then back to Tucker, “You want me to access your chip?”

  “Yes.”

  Buster continued to give Tucker a blank stare, “How do you expect me...”

  “It’s okay, Buster,” Tucker said, picking up a fiber cable from the table, “I’ve got the hardware.”

  “Wow, well...I’ve never done this before.”

  “Well, that makes two of us.”

  “You expect me to tap into your chip?”

  “Yep...why, is that a problem for my whiz-kid?” Tucker shrugged.

  “Umm, well...I don’t think I can access it without an accelerator.”

  “No problem, kid.”

  Buster looked at the computer, “I-I don’t know if this computer is powerful enough to do that.”

  “Nonsense.”

  “Okay, but, but...”

  “It’s okay, Buster. I hacked the access programming and installed it on my computer. I’ve got an interface that will give you direct access to the chip.”

  “Really...you hacked the program?”

  “Shhh, it’ll be our little secret.”

  “O-okay...whatever you say.”

  “It may not be a gamma accelerator, but it should give you access to the files I stored in there.”

  “You wanna fill me in with what it is you want to accomplish?”

  “Sure. I’m stealing the Salvage-5 and going back for Cassie.”

  “Oh, I see...” Buster paused a moment, “STEALING?! You’re going to steal a space ship?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “But, Sir...Commander, er, ah, Tucker...are you nuts?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact...”

  “Wow! This is so exciting! Tucker, when are you leaving? And you don’t expect me to go with you I hope, ‘cause I’m pretty spent on going into space.”

  “Not to worry, Buster.”

  “Really? I don’t have to go?”

  “Noooo, not at all.”

  “Whew...I was beginning to think you were going to rope me into some criminal activity and to put me in front of those cyborg-clone, alien...things...again.”

  “Oh, no...no, I’ve got another task that you’d be much more suited for.”

  “Oh, boy,” Buster gulped, “I can hardly wait to hear about this.”

  “Yeah, well, you see, the ship is being overhauled. Sergeant Samuels and the Captain are in charge of doing those upgrades, and I really wouldn’t have access to the ship until it’s ready, prepped, and on the tarmac ready to go...so, we’ve got about four months to plan it all out.”

  “Okay, I’m following, so far...I think. Hey! Does Sam know what you’re planning?”

  “Sort of...maybe…well, probably not.”

  “Shouldn’t she be told?”

  “I did tell them, but then I told them I was just kidding, but I did tell them.”

  “Uh huh...okay...so, are they onboard?”

  “Onboard for what? “

  “For stealing the space ship?”

  “Why would they need to be onboard? They’re not coming with me. I’m going alone.”

  “You can’t be serious...you can’t go out there by yourself!”

  “Sure I can...with your enhancements.”

  “My enhancements?”

  “Yeah, remember? The code you’re going to write for my chip?”

  “Ah...I see...okay, well...besides programming your chip, what else is it you haven’t told me yet? ‘Cause I’m startin’ to feel like there’s more.”

  “Well of course there’s more,” Tucker gave Buster a wink, “You are a smart one, ain’t ya?”

  “Very funny, Commander, er, Tucker...damn! I’m sorry, I am really having a hard time getting that.”

  “I understand...and it’s alright, kid. I am actually honored.”

  “Honored, Sir?”

  “Yes, I am honored that you still feel like I’m your commanding officer.”

  “Oh, shucks. You’re my hero...you saved my life more than once out there.”

  “So, you can just think of this as your way of thanking me.”

  “Okay, what is it, already? What’re you getting me into, here?”

  “I need you to get close to the people who control the jump-ring.”

  “Oh no...oh...no...you don’t want me to jack it, do you?”

  “Well, sort of, yes.”

  “Commander!”

  “What?”

  “First you’re stealing the ship. Now you want me to hijack the jump-ring to send you back to get Major Phillips?”

  “I know you can do this...you’re my whiz-kid.”

  “You know what they’d do to me if they catch me as an accessory to your crimes?”

  “I know you can do this without being caught...you’re a resourceful guy...remember? You keep telling me that you pull your own weight. This is your big chance to prove that to me, once and for all,” Tucker smiled.

  “Okay, okay...it’s been kind of boring driving transports all over base...guess this would liven things up a bit.”

  “That’s the spirit, Son. Hey, I thought you said you didn’t have a license?”

  “Don’t need on
e on base.”

  “Well, if you can pull this off for me, you’d have my deepest appreciation,” Tucker said, holding his hands over his heart, “...and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yes,” Tucker answered, drawing an X over his chest, “Cross my heart.”

  Buster smiled, “I’ll actually have your appreciation?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re deepest appreciation?”

  “Absolutely,” Tucker nodded.

  “I won’t have to prove that I pull my own weight anymore?”

  “Never again.”

  “...and you’ll admit I’m a man, and you’ll continue to teach me how to smoke?”

  “Well, let’s not get too carried away, now.”

  Buster chuckled, “Well, I had to try.”

  “You’re learning, kid, you’re learning.”

  “Okay, let’s get this figured out.”

  “You in a hurry?”

  “Well, I’m supposed to be sleeping in my rack at the base. They might be missing me soon.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “They sort of said they were going to keep close tabs on me.”

  “You didn’t just leave an empty bunk, did you?”

  “Oh, of course not. I put pillows under the blankets to make it look like I was still there...it’s a trick I did on my mom when I wanted to sneak out.”

  “Buster? You used to sneak out at night? I’m impressed.”

  “Well, I never got away with it.”

  “Damn, you really had me going there.”

  “Sorry, but I thought it would be better than an empty bed.”

  “Yeah, way better...”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Yep, that’s my whiz-kid.”

  Buster took the cord from Tucker and quickly turned Tucker around and plugged it in. Then he connected the other end to the adapter on the computer and sat down before the screen and keyboard.

  “You okay, so far?”

  “Yep, just great, please continue.”

  Buster began typing commands and stared in awe at the screen.

  A few short moments later, the computer displayed the alien schematics. Buster intently examined every inch of them in awe before making any comment, “Oh WOW, Sir...I mean, Commander, er, Tucker,” Buster stammered at the drawings, “Where’d you get these designs?”

  “Well, that’s not important.”

  “Wow...amazing...this is so cool, Sir.”