by John Zakour
‘‘Good point.’’
‘‘Yes, good to know you agree with me,’’ HARV said. ‘‘If I slept, I would sleep better knowing that.’’
I don’t think it was my imagination that HARV was growing a bit more cynical each day he was connected to my brain. I wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing, but it certainly wasn’t all that reassuring.
I turned to Carol. ‘‘Am I as annoying as he is?’’
Carol pointed to the deflector beam that was now less than a hundred meters away. ‘‘I think we better concentrate on the matter at hand,’’ she said, showing her potential for a career in politics.
I reached forward and tapped Priscilla on the shoulder. ‘‘We need to land as close to the beam as you can get.’’
She nodded. ‘‘I’ve been listening to your conversation with HARV.’’
‘‘Any thoughts?’’ I asked her.
She shook her head. ‘‘I’m glad I don’t have a computer wired to my brain.’’
‘‘Any other thoughts?’’
‘‘It’s amazing humans still run the place.’’
‘‘Any other thoughts? Ones more pertinent to our current situation,’’ I said.
‘‘No, sounds like a good sound plan,’’ Priscilla said.
‘‘She’s just humoring you because she thinks you are cute,’’ HARV said.
Priscilla’s driver pulled our hover up next to the deflector beam. The beam wasn’t that stirring, a long metallic post shooting maybe one hundred meters into the Moon’s sky. Sitting atop the post were two old-fashioned looking rotating satellite dishes. HARV told me that one of the dishes was for backup tracking and the other fired the deflector or, if needed, tractor beam.
Priscilla turned towards Carol and I. ‘‘Put your feet on the nano pads. I will activate the nano suits for your surface walk.’’
I followed Priscilla’s instruction. HARV also put his feet on one of pads. For all of HARV’s claims that he has no desire to act human, he certainly does act like us sometimes.
Priscilla reached up and pressed a button on the ceiling of the shuttle. I felt a tingle from my toes to my head as the nano fiber rolled up my body. (At least I thought I felt it.) In less than a second, I was completely covered. Though it may have been the second time I had worn a nano suit, the first time was under emergency conditions so I didn’t really get a chance to think about it. That time it was react or die. This time, I had time to reflect on having my body covered by tiny nano molecules. I felt wrapped, like yesterday’s roast beef sub trying to stay fresh in the corner deli’s refrigerated showcase.
Priscilla pushed another button on the ceiling. The rear door of the shuttle popped open. I moved out of the shuttle toward the beam. HARV’s image trailed me. For some reason he was wearing an old-fashioned space suit, one with an extra big helmet. I kept moving carefully to the beam.
The beam wasn’t much thicker than a streetlight. Looking up and down, I saw no control panel. I figured this was only a minor problem as I was certain HARV knew were the panel was.
HARV pointed to the left about two centimeters from where my eyes were looking. ‘‘The control panel is there!’’
I positioned myself in front of where HARV was pointing. The surface looked smooth and unbroken. ‘‘Are you sure?’’
HARV didn’t say anything. I turned to see him anxiously tapping his foot. ‘‘Just press right there,’’ he said, pointing.
A beam of red light shot from my eye to a point on the beam. Making a fist, I pounded on the beam. A small door popped up revealing circuitry.
HARV walked over and peered over my shoulder. ‘‘Wow, this interface is so old . . .’’
‘‘How old?’’
‘‘Looks like they haven’t updated it in decades.’’
‘‘Can you still interface with it?’’
HARV nodded. ‘‘You can count to ten. Can’t you?’’
‘‘A simple yes would have been enough.’’
‘‘Surely it would have been.’’
HARV leaned into the control panel. ‘‘I’m just surprised this hardware hasn’t been updated in thirty years.’’
I shrugged. ‘‘Why would the council spend money on something as trivial as protecting Earth from killer asteroids? I’m sure they have more important things to spend it on, like updating their offices.’’
HARV looked at me. ‘‘You really do have quite the cynical side.’’
‘‘Yeah, what can I say?’’
HARV smiled at me. ‘‘It’s actually my favorite part of your personality.’’
Pointing at the interface I asked, ‘‘Are you going to reprogram that thing?’’
HARV walked away. ‘‘Unlike you, I can walk and chew gum and deftly hack into the Moon’s asteroid deflector beam at the same time.’’
‘‘I take that as a yes,’’ I said.
‘‘It’s done,’’ HARV told me.
We turned and headed back to the shuttle. ‘‘Of course, none of this will mean anything unless we stop Sputnik and his girls from re-reprogramming it.’’
‘‘That’s easier said than done,’’ I said.
HARV smiled. ‘‘Most things are, my friend. Most things are.’’
We got into the shuttle and it took off. I knew if this plan was going to have a chance of working we were going to have to convince Shara to, at the very least, free Elena and hopefully fight along our side as well.
I wasn’t all that secure knowing that my plan hinged on not only freeing Elena but also relying on her. Elena was more than a bit combustible. I was certain she would gladly take Sputnik down; I just couldn’t be sure she would stop there. I was fighting fire with an even bigger fire. A fire I wasn’t sure I would be able to rein in once it ignited. Still, I didn’t see much choice. Besides, for some reason, I trusted Elena.
As we flew toward the dome covering the city, Carol must have noticed the look of concern on my face.
‘‘Worried about Elena,’’ she said.
‘‘Yeah. I trust her. I just don’t know why, so I’m not sure if I trust my trust.’’
Carol touched me on the shoulder. ‘‘I trust her, too,’’ she said. ‘‘She could have killed us at any time and she didn’t.’’
‘‘Yeah. But maybe she just likes playing with us? We’re the mice and she’s the cat.’’
I had to hope that in this case the cat would be more interested in taking out the big rat . . . a rat named Sputnik.
Chapter 35
We were lucky. The Moon’s Psi Training Center was on the opposite side of the Moon colony from the control center, so our chances of running into Bo and his girls were slim. Bo was a cocky SOB, and we could use that to our advantage. Bo wasn’t even going to consider beginning to conceive that we may be loose and ready to toss an extra large wrench into his plan to destroy Earth.
I knew Sputnik’s type well. He was the kind of guy who was dead certain the universe revolved around him. He had no limitations, at least none he could see. In many ways that may have been one of the keys to his success—he didn’t see his weaknesses, so he didn’t let them get in his way. I planned on using that to my advantage.
As we drove closer to Psi Training Center, I felt the tension all around the Moon colony. The sense of unease was palpable. Many of the Moon’s inhabitants were afraid of Bo’s actions; they were just more afraid to say anything. It was my hope that by tilting the tables against Bo, more people would slip over to our side.
It wasn’t long until we arrived at the center, a nondescript looking purple building. It was larger than most of the other buildings on the Moon but still boxy and seemingly made out of plastic blocks.
Carol and I got out of the shuttle and casually walked toward the building.
‘‘So what’s the plan?’’ Carol asked.
‘‘Why does everybody always ask me that?’’
‘‘One, you’re supposed to be the leader and two, nobody ever thinks you have a plan,’’ HARV said.
‘‘Then what?’’ HARV promoted.
‘‘Hope for the best,’’ I said.
HARV shook his head. ‘‘I know you think a partial, half-baked plan is better than no plan at all, but I am starting to question that.’’
‘‘Have faith, my holographic friend. Have faith.’’
If Shara was half the psi everybody thought she was there was no point in trying to sneak in and free Elena. We would appeal to Shara’s senses.
Shara may not openly oppose Sputnik, but I was betting with a little convincing, she would be on our side. Or, at the very least, do nothing to hinder us. After all, even if Bo didn’t kill her husband Mo, he certainly tried to take advantage of Mo’s absence.
As we approached the building, HARV took some shots at my logic. ‘‘What makes you think that Shara will side with us? She is holding her own daughter prisoner.’’
‘‘Just a hunch, going on what I hear and noticing the Bo Sputnik-centered events Shara hasn’t been at.’’
‘‘So you are basically basing your hunches about Shara on hearsay and absence of information,’’ HARV said, rubbing his chin as we walked.
‘‘Pretty much.’’
HARV stopped walking for a moment and just stood there shaking his head. ‘‘Ah, I’m going to miss Earth.’’
Carol and I walked up the steps to the door of the Training Center. I reached for door chime.
‘‘Come in,’’ a voice called from inside before I had chance to push it.
The door popped open. Carol and I walked into a large, open reception area. A woman, who I assumed was Shara, was sitting in a large chair facing the door. She had three puppies in her lap she was softly petting. She was flanked by two large males wearing purple tunics, one bald, one with long light blue hair.
‘‘Shara, I presume?’’
‘‘Yes, that’s her,’’ Carol said.
‘‘Mr. Johnson, I was expecting you an hour ago,’’ Shara said.
‘‘Sorry, been busy. You know, trying to save Earth and all.’’
‘‘Now you have even less time,’’ Shara said.
Shara may have been Melda’s twin sister but she appeared to be an older version of her. She had short dark hair done up in a bun and fair features. She was attractive, in an old schoolmarm in purple hot pants kind of way.
‘‘Is purple the official color of the Moon?’’ I asked.
Shara cranked her head, looking at me like I was crazy. ‘‘We don’t have time for your silly questions! I assume you want my aid in your gripe against Boris.’’
‘‘Gripe? He’s trying to destroy Earth,’’ I said.
Shara shook her head. ‘‘Earth has not treated us well at all. They treat us like we are their poorer, uglier, dumber little sibling. They want things from us, but don’t give anything to us besides their toxic waste.’’
‘‘Still, you can’t let fifteen billion people die,’’ I said.
‘‘Perhaps,’’ she said coolly. ‘‘Though my calculations are that not all fifteen billion will die. A few thousand will survive . . . Probably.’’
Shara looked at the men beside her. ‘‘Andres. Carlos. See if Mr. Johnson here is worthy of my aid.’’ Shara motioned toward me with her head.
The two big dudes pulled small staffs from their orange silk belts. They grabbed the ends of their staffs, extending them as they moved toward me.
The next thing I knew I was in a steel cage with Andres and Carlos and we were surrounded by a roaring crowd.
‘‘The crowd and cage are only in your head,’’ HARV said, ‘‘but those staffs are very real.’’
If Shara wanted a show then I’d give her one. A short one. I popped GUS into my hand.
‘‘If you shoot them I will consider that cheating,’’ Shara called to me, both audibly and mentally.
So much for that idea. I tugged on GUS’ ends, extending him. The bald one, Andres I believe, came at me smashing his staff down toward my head. Lifting GUS up over my head I blocked his attack. I kicked him in the kneecap, as his staff recoiled off of GUS. He bent over, clutching his knee. I speared him in the solar plexus with GUS. The blow doubled him over, the wind knocked out of him.
Carlos lashed at me, cracking his staff over my back. Without my body armor the move would have been damaging. In this case, it was only annoying. I whipped my body around toward him, leading with GUS, swinging for his head. He ducked under my attack, smiling away. He saw it coming before I threw it. The bad news was he was a psi. I hate fighting psis. The good news was, I have a lot of experience fighting psis.
I quickly thought, ‘‘I’ll swing again.’’
I feigned my body forward like I was getting ready to spin again, but at the last minute I stopped, spun the other way, kicking Carlos in the chin. His head shot back. I heard his teeth clunk together. It was a nasty sound. I liked it. The crowd booed.
I wound up to finish him off. The crowd started chanting, ‘‘Down with Zach, down with Zach.’’ I knew they weren’t really there but they still bugged me. I stopped, pulled GUS back, retracted him, and popped him back up my sleeve.
I peered through the crowd to see Shara sitting in the back row.
‘‘Enough of this,’’ I shouted.
Shara smiled. ‘‘No need to shout,’’ she said. The crowd and cage dissolved around me.
Shara stood up. ‘‘It seems you have a chance to stop Bo. I will help you.’’
Chapter 36
Shara led us through the corridors of the Psi Training Center. As we walked down the hallways a few blue-haired girls would open their doors a crack to take a peek at us. None of them said a word though.
‘‘Pretty quiet group you have here,’’ I told Shara.
‘‘Yes, in fact the entirety of the Moon is quiet now,’’ she answered. ‘‘We are unsure about the future. Even the strongest precogs have no idea.’’
‘‘How come?’’ I asked.
‘‘Too many variables,’’ Carol answered.
Shara gave me a slight smile. ‘‘Yes, Mr. Johnson. When it comes to you, the odds somehow get skewed.’’
‘‘Is that good or bad?’’ I asked.
Shara casually shrugged. ‘‘Time will tell. Time will tell.’’
We reached the room Elena was being kept in. Elena was lying on a bed. She had a metallic helmet on her head that was connected to a machine on the side of the bed. A blue-haired girl sat by Elena’s side, holding her hand. A light-blue-haired guy was manning the machine.
Both the girl and the guy gave us looks of apprehension when we entered the room.
‘‘Don’t worry, they are on our side,’’ Shara reassured them.
‘‘But, but,’’ the boy stammered. ‘‘Mr. Sputnik ordered her to be restrained.’’
‘‘Fine,’’ Shara said. She locked eyes with the boy. ‘‘Sleep!’’
The boy collapsed to floor, sucking his thumb. Shara focused on the girl. ‘‘Any comments?’’
The girl put one hand behind her back and pointed to Elena with the other. ‘‘I would never question my teacher.’’
‘‘Smart girl,’’ Shara said, walking forward to the control panel.
The headband on Elena started to blink frantically then faded out. Shara pointed to the band with two fingers then motioned them away from the bed. The band flew off of Elena’s head.
Elena shot up in bed. ‘‘Where the DOS am I?’’ she shouted.
The young girl quickly moved to Elena’s side. She put her hand gently on her forehead. ‘‘You are in the Psi Center. You are safe.’’
Elena glared at the girl. She crumpled to the ground and curled up in the fetal position, sucking her thumb. Yep, she was Shara’s daughter.
Elena stood up from the bed. She turned her attention to Shara, Carol, and me. Elena looked fiercely at Shara then looked at me. ‘‘She’s trying to hide it but she’s betrayed you.’�
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‘‘I don’t think so,’’ I said. ‘‘She helped us free you so we can stop Sputnik. I don’t think she would have tipped him off.’’
Elena shook her head. ‘‘Not Sputnik, Earth.’’
I popped GUS into my hand and pointed him at Shara. ‘‘Is that true?’’
Shara took an anxious step back. ‘‘It’s not what you think!’’
‘‘You turned your back on your own people so Earth will repay you,’’ Elena said.
‘‘Okay, it is kind of what you think,’’ Shara admitted. ‘‘But Sputnik’s ideal world doesn’t match mine. He has to be stopped. I’m not looking for much, maybe my own reality HV series. I can share my knowledge with the masses and make a tidy profit to boot.’’
‘‘But tipping off Earth doesn’t help matters at all. Earth can’t stop the asteroids,’’ HARV noted.
‘‘Really?’’ Shara asked.
Everybody in the room nodded yes.
‘‘DOS!’’ Shara shouted, stomping her foot. ‘‘Mo was always the one who figured out those little details.’’ She took a deep breath. ‘‘Oh well, lucky you passed my test, which means you may be able to stop Bo.’’ She took another deep breath. ‘‘I have faith in you all now.’’
‘‘Great. That and one hundred credits gets us a cup of real coffee.’’
‘‘You do realize Earth will retaliate and destroy the Moon?’’ HARV told Shara.
Shara stopped to think for a nano. ‘‘No, I never thought about that either . . .’’
‘‘So you are dooming the planet we love!’’ Elena shouted.
Shara shook her head. ‘‘It’s not truly a planet, my dear,’’ she said, always the teacher.
‘‘So it’s quite possible because of you we could be up the creek without a paddle . . .’’
She looked at me. ‘‘I’m not quite sure I understand your statement.’’
I clobbered her on the head with GUS. She dropped to the ground. She may have trusted us, but I didn’t trust her.
Pointing to the bed Elena had been in, I said, ‘‘Let’s hook her up to that.’’
‘‘With pleasure,’’ Elena said.
