Eddie threw aside a skillet. At the bottom of the sink, covered in grease, was a dull, plastic nipple.
“Aaagh!” Eddie said, grabbing it. The nipple slipped out of his hand, bounced off the edge of the sink, and plopped into the garbage disposal.
“Hijo de—”
“Are you not done yet?” Alma asked. “Seriously?”
“Why do they make these damned things so slippery?”
“Eddie, just—stop. Make sandwiches while I finish packing. Just make sandwiches. Please!”
Eddie mumbled all the way to the fridge. Opening it, he grabbed a loaf of white bread.
Right there, on the bottom shelf, was a dilemma.
A glistening jar of jelly…or a pack of ham.
Right next to each other.
He opened his mouth to say something but then thought the better of it.
Ham might go bad…
Jelly was sweet…
Peanut butter and jelly was more economical. Jelly would last longer. Who knows how long they’d be away.
He had to think smart. He had to prepare the family.
Jelly.
Yeah.
Jelly.
He grabbed the jar of jelly and with a butter knife, he spread it across six slices of bread.
“Eddie, can you go to the porch and get the stroller?” Alma asked
“I’m busy!”
“It’s an emergency!” she screamed. “Hurry up!”
He slapped the bread slices together, threw them in plastic bags and tossed those into a huge cardboard box. He raided the pantry, knocking bags of pork rinds into the box. Then he grabbed two cartons of guava juice and threw them in.
“Okay, meals ready!” he said.
He dashed through the pod, into a sun porch where the metal walls were covered in windows to let in sunlight during the day.
A pink stroller and a purple jogging stroller sat in the darkness.
The pink stroller was light. Easy to fold. The one they used for short trips. A great workhorse of a stroller for a parent, the one that never failed them.
The jogging stroller was more comfortable for Dylan. He could take naps in it. And they could store things inside…
He had to make sure his kid was comfortable. He had to ensure that, no matter what!
He grabbed the purple stroller and started to wheel it into the kitchen.
But then he stopped.
Several shadows caught his eye.
Handcoils.
Hanging in a locked cabinet.
Protection.
That’s what was missing. That’s what he’d forgotten this whole time.
If the white ship came back, he could blow the pilot away. He could unload a handcoil into the bastards onboard. Just like on the movies.
And then he’d be a hero.
He jiggled the handle on the cupboard.
Locked.
“Damn!”
His dad probably had the keys.
What the hell, he couldn’t wait!
CRASH!
He broke the glass with a lamp.
“Eddie?” Alma asked.
“It’s me,” Eddie said. “It’s okay, babe!”
“What are you doing?”
“Just keep packing, all right?” he asked, grabbing a handcoil.
Immediately he felt more powerful, like he was two times his size, and more muscular.
He wheeled the stroller out into the kitchen with the handcoil tucked into his belt.
Alma was waiting for him. Despite the chaos earlier, the suitcase and duffle bag were neatly packed. She and Dylan had changed into field jackets.
“Let’s get out of here,” Eddie said heroically.
Alma sighed and smacked her head.
“Why, why, WHY did you pick the purple stroller?” she asked.
Her eyes went to the handcoil tucked on his belt.
“Eddie, you’re being stupid. Did you at least pack the lunches?”
Eddie grunted, nodded toward the cardboard box on the table.
Alma picked through the box. One by one, she tossed the pork rind bags out.
“Really. We flee for our lives and you bring pork rinds?!”
She opened a sandwich bag and pulled out a slice of bread that was soggy with jelly.
“You should have packed ham,” she said. “And there’s no peanut butter. Eddie!”
The master bedroom door slammed open and Delfino and Xiomara emerged with backpacks in their hands.
Xiomara glanced at the packed meals and shook her head.
“God is punishing me for not teaching you how to cook,” she said.
“Forget it,” Delfino said, pointing outside.
Three unmarked black police cars eased into the plant parking lot.
Everyone rushed out the door. Eddie was the last in line. He grabbed a field jacket hanging near the door and stopped to take one last look at the pod.
It was a mess. The place was in shambles, and you would have thought a herd of elephants came raging through.
Eddie sighed. He reached for the light switch, but a hand grabbed him.
It was Alma, and she pulled him into the night.
Chapter 16
The drive across the plains of Refugio was long and quiet. Because of security concerns, the family rode separately. Mama Tonia and Papa Ito rode in front, Eddie, Alma and Dylan in the middle, and Delfino and Xiomara in the rear.
The unmarked cars split up, taking different roads and long detours, just in case the white ship was watching from above.
Eddie rode in the shadows, holding Alma’s hand. He and Alma didn’t talk; with all the noise that had preceded the ride, silence was welcome.
Ted drove. His radio beeped at intervals and occasionally a police dispatcher spoke in code. But he mostly ignored the radio, driving in quiet.
Dylan fell asleep in Alma’s arms. Eddie looked down lovingly. It was just as well. His son wouldn’t remember any of this. He and Alma would have to tell him one day.
“Your Mamá and I had to run for our lives,” he would joke.
“Really?” Dylan would ask.
“Yep. But thanks to my shooting skills, we didn’t have to run for long…”
Of course, Alma would snort and dismiss him.
“Eddie, stop,” she would say.
And then he would give her a funny grin, tussle Dylan’s hair and tell him the truth about what happened. Word for word.
Eddie sighed.
An arc of stars over Reader IV’s rings looked like stepping stones on a pond. They sparkled. A small, blinking red light traveled across them.
“Any word on the ship?” Eddie whispered.
“Little bit,” Ted said. “We’ve got a patrol up in space looking for him now. Problem is, they haven’t been able to find anything.”
“Maybe he jumped into hyperspace?” Eddie asked.
“Maybe,” Ted said. He glanced back at them in the rearview mirror. “Why don’t you folks get some sleep? We’ll be at the hotel pods in about an hour.”
Eddie and Alma fell asleep, their heads resting against the windows.
***
When Ted slowed into the parking lot, Eddie startled up and glanced at the clock.
Almost dawn.
Alma stirred and tied her hair into a ponytail. Dylan remained fast asleep.
Outside, a complex of double-sized metal pods lay scattered across the sand. They looked like someone spilled a bunch of chocolate beans across the desert. A sign staked in the sand read El Lago Nopal - Cactus Lake Resort.
A shimmering lake lay just beyond the pods. Several pleasure boats slid across the water in the darkness.
“This is too nice,” Alma said.
“Don’t worry,” Ted said. “It’s remote and you will be comfortable. The moment we bring the criminal in, you can return home. I’ll stand by you folks personally until we bring him in. Got nothing else to do.”
***
They had their own separate hotel pods. Eddie and
Alma’s was spacious—instead of sharing like at home, they had their own kitchen. And a whole bedroom to themselves. Complete with a bathroom, and a television in every room.
While bigger, the pods reminded him of home. There were few planets in the galaxy where pod living didn’t exist; they were the only way to guarantee safety in harsh planetary winds. Travel wasn’t as sexy as it was in the early days of humanity, at least not in the Rah Galaxy.
But Eddie was glad to be somewhere safe.
Alma pulled up the blinds as the sun began to rise.
Eddie turned on the television and watched a news report about the dead body. While the reporter didn’t release names, video footage did show the recycling plant.
“Everyone’s going to know now,” Eddie said. “Here comes the gossip.”
Alma shrugged.
Someone knocked on the door.
Ted entered.
“Might have a lead on that ship,” he said.
Eddie’s heart rose.
“Thank God,”’Alma said.
“Had some kind of cloaking device. Was hiding out near Reader IV. Even if he tries to flee, we should be able to catch him. We’ve got GALPOL standing by just in case.”
“Thanks, Ted,” Eddie said.
“Not a problem,” Ted said, “I need you folks to get comfortable while we finish up our pursuit. Take the kid for a swim. Water’s beautiful.”
Chapter 17
A police patrol ship eased across space near Reader IV.
The gas giant’s atmosphere swirled furiously.
There were no other ships in sight, not from what Sergeant Clarissa Yuma could tell.
“See anything?” she asked, slowing the ship’s speed.
Sergeant Billy Thomas shook his head.
“I don’t see anything.”
“He was just here,” Clarissa said. “Can’t have gone too far.”
She spoke into her radio. “We’re up here in orbit and we don’t see the suspect.”
The dispatcher spoke. “We’re not picking up any hyperspace signatures in the area. He must be around there somewhere.”
“Copy,” Clarissa said. “We’ll search the perimeter of Reader IV and see if he’s hiding behind the planet.”
“Keep us posted,” the dispatcher said.
Billy switched a few buttons on his instrument panel, activating two spotlights on the bottom of the ship.
Clarissa switched on a cloak locator, sweeping the area for any stealth technology signatures.
Nothing.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Clarissa said, increasing their speed.
“Who do you think this guy is?” Billy asked.
“No idea. Chief said it was some connection with a murder.”
Clarissa pushed on the throttle and soon the ship was rocketing at full speed around Reader IV’s rings.
“Hey, over there,” Billy said as they rounded the planet.
A white speck floated across Reader IV, like a mote of dust.
A ship.
“Open the radio,” Clarissa said.
Billy hit some buttons on the instrument panel.
“This is Sergeant Clarissa Yuma of the Refugio Police Force. Deactivate your weapons, turn off the power to your ship and direct all passengers to gather in the airlock and put their hands above their heads. Make ready for our boarding.”
Silence.
“Confirm your acceptance of our orders,” Clarissa said.
The police ship moved closer to the white ship.
It floated through space lazily, like a fish. The lights in the bridge were turned off. But three shadows sat in the pilot seats on the bridge, silent and unmoving.
“Ship’s off,” Billy said. “Looks like they’re waiting on our next move.”
The instrument panel beeped.
“Enemy weapons detected,” the computer said.
“Deactivate your weapons!” Clarissa said, putting a hand on the weapon joystick.
Slowly, energy gathered at the base of the white ship.
“Shit, he’s got a pulse blaster,” Billy said. “Take him out, Clary!”
Clarissa didn’t hesitate. She opened up the guns on the base of the police ship and fired. Billy joined in with a machine gun turret.
Before the white ship could fire, they sprayed it with gunfire, cracking the glass on the bridge.
The pulse blaster powered down, sucking the gathered energy into the cannon, and—
The ship exploded in a brilliant display of sparks.
Clarissa and Billy shielded their eyes.
“Ah, damn,” Clarissa said. “GALPOL’s going to crawl up our asses now. Call the chief.”
She radioed for an ambulance ship, and the two sat silently, watching the white ship smolder.
***
The bowels of the white ship broke apart.
The bridge drifted off, separated from the hull.
Several crash test dummies spun into space, their arms flailing and their bodies burning.
Next to them, a giant ball bearing the size of a truck hovered and rotated slowly.
The husk of the bridge slammed into the ball and another explosion engulfed it. But the ball remained.
A small door on the underside of the ball opened.
There was nothing inside.
The inside of the ball was empty. Soundproof. Indestructible. Tamper-proof. Masterfully engineered to keep something inside.
But when the patrol ship approached, sweeping the area with its spotlights, there was nothing. The sergeants radioed to the dispatch that the threat was neutralized.
There was nothing here.
Just curved walls of steel, fire, and burning metal.
And darkness.
Darkness that, if you looked close enough, blotted out the stars…
Chapter 18
Eddie bought a pair of swim trunks for himself and Dylan at the concierge pod, which was a more like a surf shop than a hotel front desk. He paid at the automated cash register, using his thumbprint to connect to his banking account. Then he followed Dylan and Alma as they ran toward the sandy beach in the distance, laughing.
He pulled off his shirt and looked up at the sky.
The sun had completely risen, and Refugio’s brown sky had a slight haze to it.
A shoreline wind blew across the beach, stirring up a sandy cloud. Several white cabanas rustled near the shore.
Dylan splashed into the water.
“Papi!”
Eddie waved and caught up.
Alma watched from the beach, lying on a blanket while Eddie and Dylan splashed around in the waves.
Dylan was fascinated by the revolving nature of the water. Every surging tide was a scary event and the boy seized up and ran away from the wave. But the moment the waves retreated, he ran deeper into the water. Eddie had to stop him from running too far.
The water was cold, but it felt good. He splashed at Dylan and Dylan splashed back. He motioned to Alma to join them, but she didn’t feel like getting wet. Instead, she took the chance to get some more sleep.
Mama Tonia wheeled Papa Ito out to the beach and he sat under a cabana. He waved to Eddie. He looked good.
Delfino and Xiomara sat around Papa Ito, tending to his needs. Mama Tonia, in a black swimsuit and sunglasses, took a few steps into the water, cupped her hands to her eyes and stared out over the gray sea. Then she stepped out of the water and called to Eddie and told him to be careful about pneumonia. Upon hearing her, Eddie belly flopped, causing a stir. Dylan laughed at him and jumped on his back, and Eddie crawled on all fours with his face halfway in the water, pretending to be an alligator.
The swimming session wore Dylan out, and Eddie carried him back to the cabana where Alma was sleeping.
After a couple of hours, everyone decided to pack up and go back to the hotel pods.
As they gathered their things, Eddie felt sad. He wished that he’d brought a camera.
It was the first family vacation in years.
Why did something bad have to happen to bring everyone together like this?
They needed a true vacation.
They were all working too much. He was working too much.
He thought about what he’d be doing if he hadn’t been involved in the scuffle.
He’d be getting ready for his next trip to the Garbage Star. Maybe he would have spent some alone time with Alma. Maybe played with Dylan for a bit.
Hard work was everything. Family was everything. He worked hard because of his family.
But wouldn’t it be nice to relax more than once every few years? Who knew how much time Papa Ito had left?
Alma rubbed Eddie’s shoulder.
“You okay?” she asked.
The sun was brighter now, and his skin was warm. He brushed some sand off.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just got to thinking.”
“About what?” she asked.
He didn’t want the moment to end. The sunlight beating down on the beach. The sparkling sequins on the waves. The gulls squawking as they circled overhead. The waves around his ankles, his son laughing, the family all there on the beach, all together.
“Nothing,” Eddie said. “Love you, babe,” he said.
She kissed him. Together, the family walked back to the pod.
***
Ted was waiting for them outside the pod.
“Everything okay, Ted?” Delfino asked.
“Good news,” Ted said. “We caught him.”
“Really?” Eddie asked.
“Really,” Ted said, smiling.
Eddie whooped and jumped into the air.
Alma sighed with relief. Delfino put his arm around Xiomara, and Xiomara uttered a quick prayer.
“What happened?” Eddie asked.
“Patrol found the white ship hiding out behind Reader IV. We hailed him, told him to come in for questioning. Didn’t respond. Just opened fire instead. We neutralized the ship and had no choice but to destroy it.”
Ted pointed into the sky. Far off, there was a small fire burning and smoking in the sky just off Reader IV. Then he showed them a tablet with news footage.
Sure enough, the white ship was on fire. There was little left of it.
“I think it’s safe for you to go home now,” Ted said. He laughed. “Hope you liked your vacation.”
Garbage Star (Galaxy Mavericks Book 4) Page 8
