by Isaac Hooke
Rade grabbed her by the hand and savagely hauled her in. He mashed his lips against hers. Neither shock nor surprise registered on her face. No, she returned his kiss passionately, hungrily, as if she had wanted it all along.
He forced himself to pull away. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m only making this harder than it needs to be for the both of us.”
She nodded sadly, and turned to go.
After walking two paces, she glanced askance at him.
On his HUD, he received an abrupt credit transfer notification.
You have received fifty digicoins from Shaw Chopra.
“What’s this?” Rade asked.
“I bet you fifty digicoins we’d be apprehended thirty seconds after landing at the Pyramid Palace,” she explained. “We weren’t. You won the bet.”
“Oh.” He chuckled softly. “Well. Thanks for paying up.”
“I always repay my debts,” she told him. “See you next time, big boy.”
“See you, big girl,” he replied.
He watched her walk to the train. She reached her car, and looked back halfway up the stairs to give him a sad wave.
He waved back, and then she boarded. He peered through the windows, trying to follow her as she walked toward her seat, but he soon lost sight of her.
Rade watched until the train vanished down the tracks.
Rade, Tahoe and the others hovered in the shadows beneath the rebuilt docks of Naval Amphibious Base New Coronado. They sat in kayaks, and the delicious smell of pizza wafted from the cardboard boxes balanced delicately on the light frames of the craft.
They heard the distant shouts of instructors, and then nothing for several long minutes.
Then, just like that, Rade could hear the panting of weary men, and the repeated swishing of oars in water. He had his night vision active, and saw the first of the inflatable boats approaching. They belonged to class two thousand and thirty-three, whose members were currently completing Trial Week.
Manned by six students each, those boats rowed past. Rade watched the members of Alpha paddle out to the different craft in turn: they shoved the pizzas into the laps of the trainees before returning to the shadows. No one in the recipient boats ever said anything.
When his turn came, Rade delivered his own pizza, to similar results.
In moments, the trainees had all gone by, and Alpha had completed its clandestine operation.
“I don’t think those bitches have a clue what just happened,” Bender said as the platoon scrambled back onto the shore and fetched their kayaks from the water.
“No,” Tahoe agreed. “But did we, when we were in their places?”
“Suppose not,” Bender agreed.
“Saving the world, and giving out pizzas, without expecting any credit in return,” Fret said. “It’s what we do.”
“It certainly is,” Rade said.
“Though just once, I’d like to have a pizza for myself,” Fret said.
“We will,” Rade said, thinking of Shaw. “Someday.”
Thanks for reading!
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Mech 3 - Coming in two weeks. To be notified when the book becomes available, click here.
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Mech 2
If you’d like to see more of Rade and his team, let me know in the reviews.
Take care, and I hope to see you soon…
Thank you!
- Isaac
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Isaac Hooke holds a degree in engineering physics, though his more unusual inventions remain fictive at this time. He is an avid hiker, cyclist, and photographer who sometimes resides in Edmonton, Alberta.
Get in touch:
isaachooke.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my knowledgeable beta readers and advanced reviewers who helped smooth out the rough edges of the prerelease manuscript: Nicole P., Lisa G., Sandy G., Jerry P., Mark P., Adam W., Chris, and Trudi.
And of course I’d be remiss if I didn't thank my dear mother, father, and brothers.
— Isaac Hooke
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