Chapter 2: Chapter Sixteen: Building Zero

Chapter Sixteen

Building Zero

 

SCOTTY HAD NEVER experienced anything like it in all his life, and if it had not have happened to him, he would have never believed anyone who dared to tell the tale of acquiring armored skin. Yet, as distressing as it should have been, all five of them were too consumed with the possibilities to fear the reality.

            The office felt a bit warmer than it had before the build installed, but that had been anticipated. Both Jasmine and Madison complained that their arms and legs felt a little too heavy, so with all of that, Doctor Stryker broadcasted the first patch to the Armor Skin build.

            He made them walk and run around the office to see if they could function normally and without being clumsy. Doctor Stratton watched them perform calisthenics – Diego had difficulties doing pushups, but Joseph could only crank out four sit-ups. Stryker got them very motivated as he pitched various items to where they were standing and ordering everyone to deflect it all with their forearms.

            Scotty did find it difficult to move, but he was inside an office that had had all of the lights turned off, so he figured once outside and in the open he’d be able to sprint and jump if he needed to. Joseph worried about Jasmine, after all she’d just had a build installed to her knees, and he wasn’t sure if a second build would create medical complications. However, testing on the extraterrestrial animals proved that stacking builds caused no problems.

            The initial concern could have been chalked up to inexperience as a Geneware architect and the fact that they hadn’t written thousands of lines of code for the Cybernetics program, but Scotty understood that the other four knew they were outnumbered and out gunned. The security drones were still out there, and that concerned everyone, but staff members were at the biodome, assessing the damage and rescuing the extraterrestrial animals, and there were friendly drones in the area whose mission was to protect researchers.

            Since the build was in the development stage, there was a major upgrade to endure, and Stryker wanted to broadcast the entirety of the first stage before allowing them to conduct a mission. The concealment expansion added a build he called Cloak and Cape, and it would allow cyborgs to blend in with their environment. The uniforms would be upgraded in time, after a new material was developed so a build could be installed, and the Geneware architects would make it happen.

*

“This is a high-end build,” Madison said, watching the color of her arms morph from a cool beige to an eerie green within the bubble of light her Helix was creating. “Protection from thermal weapons, not too sure about kinetic though. The security drones that try to harm us will be dealt with, but when I get my hands on the ones that damaged the biodome I’ll smash them to smithereens. And don’t forget that I am an astrobiologist and will be in charge of the next mission.”

            “No,” Scotty said. “I’m in charge of shutting down Zoran’s data terminal.”

            Madison wrinkled her nose to that. “I fully intend on proving myself tonight, I have countermeasures, body armor, and counterillumination. I feel like a warrior.”

            “Let’s don’t start doing this again,” Jasmine said. “We really don’t have time, and we need to decide what to do next.”

            Joseph was karate chopping his forearms. “My skin feels weird.”

            “Sort of like a soft metal,” Diego said.

            A minute or so later, the director of operations got to his feet and walked to where everyone was gathered. “Researchers,” Stryker said, his voice raspy and edgy from the weight of stress and uncertainty. “I need all of you to listen carefully.”

            “We’ve updated our plans,” Stratton said.

            “Tonight, between one and two, we will all meet at mission control,” Stryker explained. “Doctor Amherst and Slade are crating the extraterrestrials that have been caged, and they will be loading them onto a Zeus, but we have just enough room aboard the three spaceplanes for all of us. We will begin evacuating before first light. Most of the androids will remain here.”

            They said nothing.

            “It’s the only thing we can do for now.”

            Scotty agreed, but he wasn’t going to allow an enemy of Galactic Research, of planet Earth, to destroy Fossil Crater. They had all the tools they needed to achieve success, and Scotty figured that Stryker had provided it all so they could do more than be in the way. He felt as if their true will was being tested, and he would not be the one who let down someone who possessed such a large influence on his and his siblings’ futures.

            Scotty shored up a plan of his own. It was one he’d been piecing together for close to a week. He took a good long look around the office, staring at the glass sculptures of the exoplanets and studying the alien artifacts and the ceramic sculptures of the extraterrestrials whose home was Fossil Crater. Then he was walking around and touching the extraterrestrial plant life. The little Altair palm was first, then he moved on to the Wolf 359 blue fern and the Ross 154 fan leaf, and the Tau Ceti fir tree was last. He would not allow any of it to be harmed. 

            “You’re right. Now, we need to get to the biodome and help Amherst and Slade crate the extraterrestrials.”

            Both doctors agreed and Stratton opened the door to let them leave.

            Walking down the accessway to the airlock, Madison decided to adjust the gameplan. “Are we actually going to the biodome, Scotty? “Because I’d like to help evacuate the extraterrestrial animals before Zoran has a chance to harm any of them.”

            “Zoran isn’t trying to harm the extraterrestrials, because he needs something to sell and back up the data in the Star Nexus. He wants that program so he can sell the data and become wealthy. But he has to have live samples from the star systems that Galactic Research has sent spacecraft to so he can drive up the price of his product. He’s in the process of making The Zoo his and only his so he can turn it into a shopping mall. He’s trying to run us off, but we’ll run him off.”

            “I don’t know,” Diego said. “I mean, who would want to buy the Alpha Centauri Harry Dragons. Have you ever smelled one after taco night?”

            But Scotty only stomped through the airlock and turned to walk across the crater.

*

Feeling unusually brave – thanks to the build and the countermeasures – all five walked into Cyborg Park to reassess their next move and do a bit more planning.

            “What are we gonna do at the biodome?” Joseph asked. “Shouldn’t we go to Building Zero?”

            “Yes, and now,” Diego said. “I believe that bringing Sparta back online should be priority.”

            “No, we have to make sure that Slade knows what Zoran and Reuven are doing. I don’t want Zoran to get his hands on anything.”

            “Well, he won’t if we evacuate,” Madison said.

            “He’s here at Fossil Crater,” Scotty said. “He’s here to interfere with that and anything else we try to do, and Electra, Reuven, and Tarsus will be helping him.”

            Three security drones circled overhead, so Scotty energized his Helix in case he needed to access his countermeasures.

            “I can’t believe the staff allowed this to happen. Why didn’t they program the quadcopters to attack his ship?”

            “Maybe Zoran has a countermeasure for the quads,” Jasmine said.

            “And Reuven is helping with that,” Diego said. “He’s probably the one who’s reprogramming the quads.”

            “But why attack the biodome?” Madison asked everyone.

            “To try and prevent us from evacuating the extraterrestrials. Like I said, he want’s those for himself.”

            Madison thought about it all for a minute.

            “If they stay on Fossil Crater then he’s got them. But if they get out, and some of them eventually will escape, then they might be lost forever. I’m angrier than I’ve ever been in my life. I want Zoran to pay for what he’s done to the spaceport.”

            Then suddenly, a rogue drone swooped in with its weapons deployed and opened fire on the group. Both Jasmine and Scotty deflected the plasma slugs with their forearms, while Diego, Joseph, and Madison readied themselves before the Mech Cyborg statue. Just an hour or so previous you’d believed that they were surely done for, but Scotty and his faction had been transformed into warriors and were honing their skills.

            “Not this again!”

            Madison energized her Helix and opened the countermeasure file. She picked the Gamma-ray Burst and touched the send icon with her finger. Less than a minute later the drone erupted into flames, caused by an electrical overload in its CPU, and fell to the dirt and rocks below where it continued to burn for ten minutes.

            All five erupted in cheers and excitement.

            “That’s number four!” Scotty shouted. “How many quads are on Fossil Crater?”

            “Over seventy,” Diego said. “And every one of them could have been reprogramed. I hope you and Maddy had plenty of Tau Ceti fruit punch during breakfast.”

            Scotty’s face glowed with delight, and he almost laughed. “I’m actually trying to cut back. Now, let’s get to the biodome.”

 

 

*

They didn’t talk during their journey across Fossil Crater, and Scotty kept reminding the others to walk fast and keep an eye on the sky. When they crossed the science recreational area, the first thing they noticed was the damage the security drones had caused.

            “We’ve got to find Slade,” Scotty said. “Zoran wants us to leave. He wants the spaceport and the Star Nexus all to himself so he can sell the data and use the animals and insects as proof that the planets do exist. And who knows who he’ll sell the data to, and what they’ll do with it. Who knows who he’ll sell the extraterrestrials to.”

            They walked through the open airlock and crossed the foyer. Most of the roof was on the floor, and the electricity was cut off, making everything especially dark and eerie. Strange insect and animal sounds were emanating from somewhere inside the facility. Maybe none of the extraterrestrials were injured. One thing was for sure though, a lot of the insects and animals were on the loose.

            “Let’s go to the insectarium,” Scotty suggested, but a voice echoed up the accessway.

            “Researchers, you can’t be in here!” Exozoologist Slade shouted, then lowered her tone. “It’s too dangerous. We have a lot of critters on the loose, and everything in here can sting or bite.”

            “We’re here to help crate the extraterrestrials,” Scotty said. “We need to relocate as many as possible.”

            “No, we won’t be able to catch all of them. A lot of them will be staying here, with or without a patched up biodome.”

            “Why?” All five resounded.

            Slade’s eyes widened, and she said, “Because of Zoran. We can’t risk getting injured, or worse.”

            An Alpha Centauri harry dragon scampered across the floor, attempting to evade Slade and the kennels, but she spied it and reached out her hands and shouted, “Critter net!” Her Helix morphed into a bright green web, and she immediately threw it at the dragon and captured it on the first attempt.

            “So, what can we do to help?” Scotty asked.

            “Silence! You can help me by not helping,” Slade said, fuming and appearing very anxious. “All five of you get to the flight control room, now! The first flight leaves in less than two hours.”

            “No,” Scotty moaned and then raised his tone. “You have to listen to me.”

            “Researcher,” Doctor Amherst called from the gloom. “We know exactly what’s going to happen, so do as your ordered and hightail it to mission control.”

            “But I know something important.”

            “There is nothing more important than the extraterrestrial animals,” Slade said. 

            “Listen,” Scotty said, his voice waxing with both anger and fear. “Zoran wants The Zoo and the Star Nexus so he can sell the data and the extraterrestrials. He’s just trying to scare us away.”

            All talking ceased, and if the extraterrestrial insects hadn’t been chirping, buzzing, and trilling, you could have heard a pin drop.

            “That’s highly unlikely,” Slade mumbled, sounding unsure.  

            “I also know that a staff member is helping Zoran, and one of the robots is involved too.”

            Amherst stopped what he was doing, and Slade walked closer so she could hear all that was being said.

            After a short pause, Slade said, “Report to the flight control room at once and await further instructions. Lots to do.”

            “Please, we don’t need to –”

            “Scotty, we know what we’re doing,” Slade said, and kneeled before a small kennel. “There will only be a few flights out of here, so get to moving.”

            They didn’t move.

            “Zoran and Reuven will take possession of the Star Nexus tonight,” Scotty whispered, watching Slade return to the gloom of the biodome. “And all of Galactic Research’s work will be theirs. The location of my parents will be lost forever.” 

            “No, we’ll stop whatever it –”

            That was as far as Diego would get with that.

            From a big shadow, Reuven appeared and walked to where they were standing.

            “What did Slade tell the five of you?”

            They said nothing.

            “The flights leave in less than an hour,” he said, and it was almost a growl.

            “We’re on our way,” Diego said.

            Then he turned his attention to Scotty. “Don’t get too involved in what’s occurring on this spaceport. All of your dreams and convictions will be crushed by nobility and greed. And the strong will always out power the weak. That is how it has always been, and that is how it will always be.”

            All five turned to exit the biodome, but he had one final warning.

            “Understand, Astrophel, if you attempt to interfere again, I will unleash my full arsenal of technology on you, and it won’t end well.”

*

Beneath the Orion Pavilion, Scotty gestured for the others to form a semicircle.  

They did.

            “Okay, I think we should go to Building Zero and get Sparta back online. We’ll need his help, and I’m not leaving without him. We’ll be better off with him back in the game and doing what he does best. But we can’t walk together like before, we’ll have to split up, so I want Maddy, Jaz, and Joey to walk together, and be sure to stay at least one hundred feet behind me and Diego.”

            Madison stomped her foot on the concrete and placed her hands on her hips. “What? I think splitting up is a bad idea.”

            “No, it’s a good idea,” Diego said. “We’ve been attacked twice already, and we don’t need to be bunched up if it happens again.”

            Jasmine was unable to decide, and she was concerned about their safety.  “We can walk together without being bunched up.”

            “No, we’re gonna spread out like Scott said to,” Joseph said.

            “And we might have to do a little jogging. Not much time left. Let’s go.”

*

Luck was not on their side that night. As soon as they all stepped out from under the pavilion, Electra walked out of the darkness, and she was opening files in her Helix.

            “Where are the five of you going?”

            Flanked by Jasmine and Joseph, Scotty took a few steps in her direction. “We’re on our way to stop Zoran from destroying Fossil Crater and stealing the extraterrestrials.”

            “Oh, is that so. You think you are big and brave nowadays, researcher?” Electra said and touched an icon floating in the display. Suddenly her eyes brightened a lot, but within only a few seconds they both resembled glowing red coals in a firepit. “You were warned, Astrophel.”

            “I don’t have to –” That was as far as he got with his lecture.

            Then the strangest and scariest situation any of them had ever been tangled up in – besides the drone attack at the observatory – unfolded there at the biodome. Two red beams of hot light were jetting from Electra’s face; her eyes actually. Somehow, someway she’d used a build to convert her electric eyes from harmless lenses and circuitry to dangerous laser weapons. However, the android apparently had never practiced manipulating the weapon build, as she was having a lot of trouble acquiring a target. First the dirt and rocks at her feet, then the night sky. Electra found the pavilion once and hit a metal pole, sending a shower of sparks down onto the concrete patio.

            “Everybody, survival and evasion mode!” Scotty shouted. “To Building Zero.”

            But before they could get too far, Electra staggered to her right and placed both lasers on Joseph. She hit him precisely on his butt, burning two holes in his uniform and creating another fire shower. Luckily, the metallic skin build kept him from getting injured.

            He managed to look back over his shoulder, even though he really didn’t want to, and found Electra staggering across the street, the red lasers cutting through the night sky.  

“She hit me on my butt, just keep running!”

            Both Madison and Jasmine intentionally slowed to allow him to run ahead and for them to survey the damage. They found the holes in his pants, which were smoldering and glowing, and giggled at his misfortune.

            “Looking good, Joey,” Jasmine said.

            “She hit me on my butt!” he shouted, but he was doing more bragging than complaining. “I can’t believe she hit me on my butt.”

            Then everyone got to laughing pretty hard, Joseph too, and that laughter, for some strange reason, felt good to all five of them.

            “You alright back there, bro,” Scotty called from point. “You okay to keep running.”

            “Don’t have much choice, do I,” Joseph mumbled, and then raised his tone. “By the way, I want a metal for this!”

            “We’ll all get metals after we melt down Zoran’s starship,” Madison panted.

            After several grueling minutes of jogging, Scotty gestured for everyone to stop. Five to eight security drones were circling over the Astraeus Laboratory, low and slow and with their weapons deployed. Apparently, someone wanted to beef up security, and that could only mean one thing.  

            “Something very important is going on inside Building Zero,” Scotty said. They were close enough to see the top of the facility. A few windows boasted milky yellow light, but all of the light fixtures on the grounds had had the electricity cut to them. “A few more blocks and we’re there.”

            They jogged to the turnstile gate and shuffled through one at a time, keeping their eyes on the drones overhead and the big shadows looming on the grounds. With Scotty leading the way, they sprinted to the metal door. Once they were gathered together again, he swiped his keycard and pulled the door open.

            All five crept through the entrance and stood in the accessway. Scotty and Diego listened for any sounds of trouble. They knew a pair of dangerous security drones were posted in one of the subterranean levels, but the thought of Tarsus or Electra discovering their location and going on the attack worried them a lot more. Scotty was extremely concerned for Joseph and Jasmine. Madison browsed through the countermeasure files in her Helix, trying to pick out something that could defend them against the program they were about to face.

You are reading story J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus at novel35.com

            They walked down the accessway into the unknown.

            “Let’s get to the LEAP room and take Sparta away from the crypto pod,” Scotty said.

            “He’ll reboot and come back online with no problems,” Diego said, peering into the gloom before them.

            “I better power up my Helix and load a countermeasure,” Scotty mumbled. “If we bump into Tarsus in here, I’ll have to shut him down.”

            Scotty led them back to the LEAP room. He placed his key card before the card reader and to his aggravation, nothing happened. Without hesitating, Diego and Madison took turns swiping their key cards, but the doors did not open. It seemed as if someone had been expecting Scotty to return and wanted to keep him from snooping around. 

            “Forget the cards,” Scotty said. “Let’s pry the doors open.”

            They did.

All five wedged their hands into the center of the sliding metal doors and pulled them apart – only a couple of feet – but it was enough for them to slide through and enter the stairwell. They ran down to the second set of doors and didn’t bother with the card reader, simply pulled the sliding doors open and shuffled into the LEAP room.

            Scotty led the way around the portable partition, but all of them got to the crypto pod at the same time. They looked upon Sparta in both terror and sadness, but they understood that he was about to be rescued. Hoped that he would reboot and be the same Sparta that he was before he was decommissioned.

“Listen,” Madison said. “We can’t just pull this thing apart the same way we opened the sliding doors, because an alarm will go off, and we don’t want alarms going off. And don’t forget about the security drones. If they fly in, we’ll have to fight them, and the LEAP room will –”

            Snap. Pop.

            “Okay, almost open,” Scotty groaned, and turned to Madison. “Mind giving us a hand.”

She gestured to say that she didn’t agree with his decision, but Jasmine and Scotty were already pulling the Cryptovirology pod apart with their bare hands. Diego and Joseph spied what they were doing – saw that they were having success – and pawed and pried at the glass door. 

 “Yes, this is an unwelcomed deviation from our plan,” Madison groaned, and stole a few steps backwards.  

            It opened with a relative amount of ease, with no alarms or dangerous security drones. All five took Sparta in their hands and carried him to the other side of the LEAP room, where they hoped he could safely reboot.

            There they waited, waited, and waited.

Scotty and Diego paced the concrete floor while Jasmine and Madison sat at the android’s side. From time to time calling his name and listening for any sounds of life.

            It took fifteen minutes for Sparta to reboot. First his eyes opened and emitted a bright blue light that changed to a white light and then faded to a color they could not see. Then a vast array of electronic sounds was emanating from somewhere inside him. Jasmine and Madison were both confident he’d come back online, but Scotty, Joseph, and Diego were a little suspicious. They’d never watched an android repair and reboot.

            “Sparta,” Scotty said, kneeling and looking into his eyes. “Can you hear us?”

            Then suddenly, an electronic voice emanated from within Sparta, “Galactic Research, our future is out there. Humanlike version twelve point two.”

            That encouraged the others to begin talking to him and asking questions.

            Then suddenly and without warning, Sparta scrambled to his feet and spoke. “Researchers, we have to destroy Zoran’s starship, he cannot be allowed to leave the spaceport with the Star Nexus.”

            All five erupted in excitement and laughter.

            “We thought we’d lost you forever,” Jasmine and Madison said in unison and took Sparta in their arms to hug him.

            He moved his gaze around the LEAP room, finding everyone and exchanging smiles and expressions of cheerfulness. “I would have been, if not for all of you. Thank you for protecting me.”

            “We have to find the Galactic Map room and shut down Zoran’s self-destruct tech,” Scotty said. “We don’t have much time left.”

            “I am behind schedule on a few important updates,” Sparta said, and giggled. “It will have to wait until we save the spaceport. Now, follow me to the Star Nexus.”

*

Marching to danger is not a natural thing for anyone to do, and they discovered this quickly. Even though they were well equipped to deal with threats, every distant sound forced them to kneel and prepare for an attack, and every time a door whirred open, they fully expected a security drone to glide across the floor and execute a search and seizure.

            All was well until they made it to the stairwell down to the subterranean levels. From there they could hear the haunting echoes of voices; angry and laced with suspicion.

            “What do we do now?” Diego asked, but Scotty pointed to the card reader. Sparta reached through them and swiped his card, and both doors whirred open.

            They shuffled out onto the mezzanine and walked as fast as they could, peering down at a massive aviary and animal enclosure that appeared to be vacant. They never spied anyone until they opened the metal doors. Tarsus was rushing down the concrete stairs, video messaging someone with his Helix.

            “The spaceport has suffered major damage,” he said, as they stood and watched him. “The attack was a success. Everyone is so scared now, and Stryker has been forced to issue evacuation orders.”

            Then they heard another voice that surely belonged to Zoran Voloshin.

            “You can stop patting yourself on the back! Stryker’s command post is still in one piece. Now I’ll have to level this laboratory, so let’s get out of here before the neutralizer explodes.”

            “Yes, so sorry about that,” Tarsus said. “The Exoplanet laboratory was Aldrich Thomson’s responsibility. Had not a thing to do with me.”

            “There are only ten minutes remaining on the countdown clock, so get out of here and meet me at the rendezvous point!”

            “Shouting only makes things worse,” Tarsus grumbled, and then hurried away.

            “Researchers, we need to make a plan,” Sparta said, “because Zoran is returning to his starship.”

            “We don’t have any time to waste,” Scotty said. “We have to go now. Maddy, you’ll broadcast a countermeasure to shut down Tarsus. I’ll send out one to stop the self-destruct tech. Our metal skin build will protect us from the quads, but if they don’t stop, Maddy, you’ll take em out. Diego, Joey, and Jaz, stay behind us and keep an eye out for trouble.”

            They cracked open the metal door and slid through, carefully walking onto the steel mezzanine. All five seemed to tiptoe to the door at the far end where the last big metal door awaited. They traversed the last accessway and crept up to the airlock. The doors were fully open, and they could see large pieces of metal strewn across the titanium and brass metallic floor.

            “Are those the security drones?” Joseph asked.

            Scattered across the floor were over thirty jagged pieces of metal and plastic. All of it entangled with wiring and various circuit boards. Scotty and Diego counted the weapons that they recognized. They had been large, powerful weapons. 

            “They used to be the security drones,” Sparta said.

Madison’s eyes widened, but she said, “One less thing I have to worry about.”

            “What’s that cylinder with all the wires sticking out of it?” Jasmine asked.

            “The radioisotope thermoelectric generator,” Diego said.

            “Are you serious,” Madison whispered. “Sparta, how do we-”

            “Do not panic. The plutonium is sealed inside a radiation-proof case, so you five are safe.”

            Scotty peered across the Galactic Map room and regarded the Star Nexus. It hovered slightly above the floor, its pinpoints of light shimmering and twisting within a black and grey sphere whose beauty forced the marvel of technology to mime a glittery crystal ball. It seemed as if someone had placed the data terminal in the apparatus room; for what reason he had an idea.

            “They’ve probably uploaded a program to block anything we try to download,” Madison said. “To make our countermeasures useless.”

            “Well, let’s go for it,” Scotty said. “Just hope Tarsus doesn’t come back.”

            Sparta energized his Helix and scrolled through the security suite until he located Tarsus.

            “He is one floor above us. It appears as if he is moving towards the front entrance, hopefully he will leave.”

            “Okay,” Diego said, “so the coast is clear.”

            “Wait,” Jasmine said. “What if we can’t open the light curtain? What if the card reader has been shut off?”

            “Then we’ll walk through it,” Scotty said.

            “It might not be that easy,” Jasmine said, peering into Scotty’s eyes.

            “You’re right,” Madison said, and browsed through her countermeasure files. “That might set off alarms, or worse.”

            Diego cut his eyes to the ceiling, but Scotty shook his head in aggravation. He wanted to get it over with because he knew that there was more than one countdown clock ticking away, and he wasn’t sure if the last flight out would take off without them.

            “Well, we need to do something, and now,” Scotty said.

            Then Sparta was talking. “Yes, we can broadcast countermeasures and builds to anything that is on the spaceport. But there is no time for talking, only actions or we will suffer dire consequences.”

            “And I know exactly what he’s talking about,” Scotty said. “The countdown clock is ticking away, so let’s move it!”

*

A minute later and they were in the apparatus room, and the data terminal was in plain view before the Star Nexus.

            “Okay, there it is,” Scotty said. “Zoran’s data terminal.”

             Seeing the data terminal again helped them understand how far good guys can fall after becoming enamored with fantasies of power and wealth. Scotty kneeled between it and the Star Nexus and turned to the other four.

            “If you don’t want to stay and help, I’ll understand. Zoran and Reuven will probably walk back here to-”

            “We’re not leaving you,” Joseph said.

            “You can’t do this by yourself,” Jasmine said. “We’re here to help.”

            “We’re a team now,” Diego said, and immediately lowered his tone. “We do the heavy lifting together.”

            “The Titan Crew,” Madison said, and gestured for Scotty to continue with what he was doing.

            Scotty examined the data terminal for buttons, wheels, and keys.

            “Look,” Jasmine said, and it was almost a shout. “That switch is glowing.”

            “Hit the power button then,” Joseph said, and reached out his hand to the control panel.

            Scotty touched several tiny icons before finding the correct one and when he engaged it, a bright holographic GUI buzzed and crackled into existence. Nothing unusual for a cartographic data terminal, except for the fact that a small developers’ terminal was there and boasting over one hundred lines of code.

            “This is it.”

            “What?” Diego asked, sounding confused.

            “The self-destruct tech,” Scotty said. “The pulse weapon’s developers’ window is right in front of us.”

            “It’s seems way too easy,” Madison said. “It might be a trap.”

            “It’s not a trap,” Diego and Scotty said together.

            “Whatever,” Madison rolled her eyes and scanned through the builds. She leaned in for a better view and found what she was searching for. “Oh wow, we only have three minutes left. Okay, it’s not a trap.”

            “I told you,” Diego chided.

            “Please, researchers, broadcast a stop all,” Sparta said.

            Madison energized her Helix. She scrolled through the countermeasure file and touched the Quasar icon. A list of targets populated, and she was surprised to find Zoran’s data terminal, labeled as Zoran Voloshin – Procyon Data Terminal, on the list. She highlighted that and touched the broadcast icon. A progress bar immediately populated, and in only a few seconds it was displaying one hundred percent.    

            Scotty watched the builds quickly morph into a scrambled mess of nonsense, one line at a time, and within two minutes the self-destruct tech was no more.

            Scotty rocked back on his butt and peered into the hologram. Then he took a good long look at the data terminal and realized with the clarity one has when learning of its own fate that they might have deactivated a decoy.

            “This is all way too easy,” Scotty said to Sparta, who was standing at the apparatus room’s light curtain.

            “You might be right. I believe Zoran and Reuven led us here to keep us from interfering with something that is important to them.”

            Then Scotty scrambled to his feet and marched to the entrance of the apparatus room.

            “Like escaping with the Star Nexus!” he shouted.

            “Yes, follow me,” Sparta said, and walked across the Galactic Map room. “Hurry, we have to go quickly.”

            They did.

            “I do hope Reuven is there with Zoran as we have some unfinished business to settle,” he said, peering into a topographic map in his Helix. “He has picked the wrong person as an ally, and it will cost him dearly. Zoran has once before attempted a hostile takeover of this spaceport, and it nearly cost him his life. He got away during round one, but I am going to ensure he does not escape this time. After he is captured, he will face a lifetime of confinement and hard labor, and he will never harm anything or anyone ever again.”

            They moved through the accessways and the stairwells and got back outside with ease, but Scotty immediately spied several security drones flying away from the laboratory and heading to the northwest side of Fossil Crater.

            They hurried off into the undeveloped land between the launch complex and the observatory, where the mulga trees and Kangaroo grass were sprinkled sparsely, allowing for an easy and fast walk. The green Helix light illuminated the desert floor, and from time to time they spied flora that they understood was not native to Australia or planet Earth. Scotty saw what he knew to be an Altair palm tree, attempted to count them but he quickly gave up as there was more to see. The Tau Ceti fir trees were out there too, they counted over ten. The beautifully colored Epsilon Eridani flowers seemed to be everywhere, and some were as tall as Sparta. No time to worry about how that had occurred or what the consequences would be, as they were approaching something menacing and dangerous.

            Bright white lights cut through the desert night, and all six of them could hear three people talking, and they understood what they were about to face.

            They slowed their movements, stepping lightly and listening intently to the conversation. Without warning, two of the big bright lights were powered off.

            “What do we do now?” Scotty asked Sparta.

            Without hesitating, he said, “We approach a little closer and begin our raid. I need everyone who has countermeasures to begin opening those programs, and if anyone has malware, please prepare those programs to be broadcasted. We will need to hit Zoran with everything we have.”

            Then an unusual sound emanated from the starship. A humming noise was flowing across the desert to where all six were standing and preparing to do battle with a menacing space pirate who was quite dangerous. A bright green light pulsated near the desert floor, casting the trees in silhouette, forcing everyone to understand that Zoran was only one hundred feet from their location.

            “What’s going on,” Joseph and Diego whispered.

            “Zoran’s running a preflight checklist,” Madison growled, peering into her Helix. “We only have a few minutes before he takes off, and then he’ll be out of our reach.” 

            “No, I need to have a talk with Zoran,” Scotty said. “Let’s go.”

            “Affirmative,” Sparta said, and gestured for everyone to begin walking. “Let us get just a little closer to the targets.”

            They crept across the desert floor, hunched over and stepping lightly as they could, and stopped at the edge of a clearing. From there they had a direct line of sight to Zoran’s starship and were only fifty feet away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find story with these keywords: J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus, Read J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus, J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus novel, J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus book, J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus story, J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus full, J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus Latest Chapter