“Oh man, we’re late,” Kymm said.
“No we’re not,” Chriz said pointing to the digital holographic clock on the wall. “Baxter was just early.”
Zenna just smiled.
The three sat down. Zenna just kept smiling at me. Kymm was smiling too, only it was a less sincere smile. Chriz wasn’t even pretending to smile. It was eating him up that I was getting all this attention.
Before I had a chance to rub the attention I was getting in Chriz’s face, Lobi and Elvin came bursting into the room. Lobi was even more hyper than normal.
“I found them! I found them!” he shouted, almost hyperventilating.
“Slow down, Scout,” K-999 growled.
“We used the information SC obtained while we were on Explorer.” Lobi was now turning red in the face with excitement.
“They are cloaked but we can see them,” Elvin said, only slightly less excited than Lobi.
“Where are they?” GiS asked.
“They were on the Explorer all along,” Lobi said. “We picked up thirty-two organic life signs. They are all in the first floor conference room.”
“Are you sure?” Kymm asked.
Elvin and Lobi both shrugged. “This is science. You can never be sure, but it’s highly probable.”
“Why didn’t we notice those life signs before?” GiS asked.
“We didn’t have sensors tuned to be so sensitive,” Elvin said.
“Or this could be a way to lure us in. To trap us,” GiS said.
“Of course it could be a trap, Animal,” the princess snapped. “But we still have to go.”
“She’s right, you know,” I said. “We’ve got to chance it.”
“There’s no way we can fit thirty-two beings on one shuttle,” Kymm said.
“Then we’ll take both shuttles,” I said.
“We’ll have no backup!” Chriz said.
“If we fail, then Searcher heads for Earth and sends Earth Force,” Kymm said.
“We’ll need at least two of us to stay on Searcher,” K-999 said.
“I’ll stay with Lobi,” GiS said.
Lobi breathed a big sigh of relief. He was none too anxious to actually face the TVTrons, being much more of a “theory” than a “practice” type of guy than the rest of us. He actually made Elvin look like a jock. GiS, though, surprised me. I wasn’t so surprised that he didn’t mind missing the action. I was surprised that he trusted me enough to fly a shuttle on a dangerous mission without him.
GiS looked me in the eye. “I’m sure the princess will take my seat.”
The princess swallowed. “It would be an honor,” she said.
K-999 shook his head. “Sigma, are you sure you’re up to making two trips in one day?”
“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” I said.
“I’ll be fine,” Elvin said. “Though I wish Baxter had picked his words a little differently.”
“Ditto, ditto,” Zenna said.
I smiled. That was my team. Sticking by me through thick and thin. Even if they weren’t sure I was right, if I was sure I was right, they were willing to trust me. I wasn’t about to make any of us wrong.
K-999 looked at GiS. “You sure you’re sure?”
“I see no other options, my friend.”
“Fine. We’ll take off in one hour.”
* * * *
You know how when you’re really anxious for something, time just seems to crawl? Well, the hour before take off seemed to last a lifetime. I know why I was anxious. I knew the TVTrons would be waiting for us. We had barely escaped the last time and now were going in again. I guess I just wanted to get it over with one way or another.
It was funny hanging out with the princess. She was sort of pompous and arrogant, not the type of girl I thought I’d find myself attracted to, but I did. I wasn’t sure what that said about me. Maybe I saw the deeper, committed leader in her? Maybe it was because she was so pretty? Maybe I just liked the attention? But whatever the reason, I kind of liked the way I felt when I was around her. It was like I could take anything the universe could throw at me.
I liked hanging with her.
The princess looked at me as we walked into the shuttle bay. “You seem nervous, Baxter.”
“Nah, just cautious.”
She stared at me.
“Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous.”
“No need to be nervous. You are a great pilot and fast thinker on your feet. We will be fine.”
“Gee, princess, uh, Your Highness, now you sound like Zenna.”
The princess stopped walking. She cocked her head back. “I’m not sure how I should take that…”
“It’s meant to be a compliment,” I said, motioning for her to come along.
We walked up to my shuttle, where the bots were just finishing prepping her for flight. My crew was already in the shuttle.
Kymm was walking around her shuttle, just finishing her preflight check. Kymm didn’t trust her crew or the bots as much as I did. Which is fine, we all have our own styles. Plus, with Kymm’s special eye, she could detect small cuts and dinks that others couldn’t. Kymm turned to the princess and me and gave me a thumbs up and wink, then went into her shuttle.
“That girl likes you,” the princess said with a sly smile.
“We’re both pilots,” I said, as I started walking around my shuttle, looking for anything that might not be quite right. (I trust my crew and the bots, but it’s not a blind trust.) “We’re friends, nothing more.”
The princess just smiled.
I finished my inspection and joined my crew in the shuttle.
Zenna was at her station checking her instruments. Elvin was at his station but he wasn’t checking his consoles. He was using a mini-laser on a strange-looking pair of sun glasses.
“Ah, Elvin we’re in space, millions of miles away from any sun. You don’t need shades,” I told him.
He looked up from his work. He gave me his I’m-a-genius-I-know-that look… “We’ll be able to use these shades!” he said. “I did an analysis of those TVTrons we defeated earlier. I think we can use these shades to block their mind control ray.”
“You’re right. That sure would be useful,” I said.
“Of course, I haven’t been able to actually test them,” Elvin said.
“Yes, well, that would make things too easy,” I said.
“What’s wrong with being too easy?” Zenna asked.
“It was a joke, Zen,” I said as I sat in the pilot’s seat.
“Oh. It wasn’t a very good one.”
“My job is to fly, not make good jokes.” I said.
“That’s for sure,” SC, Zenna, Elvin and the princess all said. I took that as a good sign that my team and the princess were in sync.
“SC, are we cleared for takeoff?” I asked.
“Kappa has first clearance; you may follow them in one minute.”
“Okay, people, let’s get this over with and bring our guys home.”
“Be safe and good luck,” GiS called over our speaker.
I watched Kappa’s shuttle take off. I took a deep breath. I powered up my shuttle. I exhaled and took off.
We were within visual range of the Explorer in minutes. It was still sitting there lifeless, but the strange thing was the landing bay doors were open — wide open.
“Lifeless and inviting is not a good combo,” I said over the speaker so everybody could hear.
“They may have just not bothered to close the bay doors,” Kymm suggested from her shuttle.
“I may not be that old, but I wasn’t born yesterday either,” I said. “I’m smart enough to know that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
“Yeah, well we don’t have much choice,” Kymm said. “We’ll go in first and check it out.”
“But my group has the experience,” I said.
“But we’re better rested,” Kymm said. “Plus, with my computer- aided eyes, I can land under less than optimal conditions.”
“She’s right,” SC, K-999 and GiS all said at once.
I looked at the princess. “As long as we get in to save our people I don’t care who goes in first,” she said.
“Okay, Kymm, we’ll back you up.”
“Smartest thing you’ve said in years,” Kymm said over the speaker.
I turned and watched her shuttle head toward the Explorer. The shuttle flew into the Explorer and out of our sight.
“We’re in,” Kymm said over the speaker. “So far it’s nice and quiet.”
“The Explorer currently has life support up and working,” I heard K-999 say over the comm.
That didn’t sound right. It sounded too easy.
“Uh oh,” Kymm called over the comm. “The lift door just opened. There have to be dozens of TVTrons pouring out of it.”
“Are you on the left or right of the lift?” I asked over the comm.
“Ah, the left,” Kymm said. “Why?”
“How many meters away are you?”
“Two hundred twenty-seven. I repeat why?”
I pushed my throttle down. I went shooting toward the Explorer at break-neck speed.
“What are you doing?” Elvin shouted.
“Landing on the Explorer,” I said.
“You’re going too fast!” Elvin shouted louder. “You can’t control the landing…”
I looked at the princess. She gave me a little wink. That made me feel good. I ignored Elvin and kept zooming toward the Explorer…
“Uh, Baxter,” GiS called from the Searcher, sounding much calmer than I know he felt. “What in Buck Roger’s name are you doing?”
“I’m landing…” I said as we raced closer and closer to Explorer.
“At that speed you’ll take out half the shuttle bay…” GiS said over the speaker.
“Exactly!”
“Humans, I let them go on one mission without me,” GiS muttered.
Elvin looked at his console. “We’ll be inside in ten tics…”
“Great. Kymm, you and your crew stay in your shuttle,” I called over the comm.
“No problem…”
If this was going to work, I was going to have to time it just right. I was good, I knew that; but I was also going to have to be lucky.
As we were about at the bay door I eased off the throttle just enough. We cleared the door to the shuttle bay.
“We’re in!” Elvin shouted, though it was fairly obvious.
I jammed on the air brakes. The shuttle started to screech and slow, but of course it didn’t stop. I was counting on that fact to help us. We slid past Kymm’s shuttle right toward the oncoming TVTrons.
The force of the shuttle’s collision took out the lead TVTrons.
“You’re using the shuttle like a giant bowling ball,” Zenna said.
It was an interesting and surprisingly accurate observation.
I jerked the shuttle quickly to the right. The sudden action caused the shuttle to spin around in a circle. While we spun we took out more and more TVTrons. Of course we were also heading toward the shuttle bay wall. Spinning as we were I could only catch a glance of the wall when we faced it. But each time I caught a glimpse, it was closer and closer. My goal was to not only take out as many TVTrons as I could but to hit the wall with the shuttle’s tail. That way I would at least be able to fly the shuttle out of here and then Kymm could tow us home.
“Brace for impact,” I called to my crew.
“I’ve been braced since we came in here,” Elvin said.
“I was braced before that,” Zenna said.
“You are never boring, Baxter Moon,” was all the princess said.
I jammed on brakes with all my might. We spun completely around a couple more times, taking out many TVTrons before we finally crashed into the far wall.
The crash was jolting but not deadly. After a couple of tics my brain stopped wiggling around in my skull.
I turned to the princess and my crew. “Are you all okay?”
“Not nearly as hurt I as thought I would be,” Elvin said.
“That was kind of fun,” Zenna said.
“Next time I drive,” the princess said.
We looked on the bay landing floor. I had made quite a mess. There were huge skid and burn marks from the entry door to the wall. The floor was also littered with the broken remains of the TVTrons. It was quite a mess, a good mess.
“Good job,” Kymm called over the comm. “You took them all out.”
“SC, do you have any control of the ship?” K-999 asked over the comm.
“No, I do not,” SC said bluntly.
Elvin looked at his console. “Interestingly, the TVTrons do have life support working at this level and the level above us.”
“So they want us alive,” the princess said.
“At least for now,” I added.
“Just because they have it on now, doesn’t mean they’ll keep it on,” K-999 growled. “I want the squads to disembark and make sure you all have your helmets, full air supply and energy rods.”
“Plus, I’ve made three pairs of special glasses,” Elvin said. “They should in theory block the TVTrons’ hypnotic effect.”
“Good job, Elvin,” K-999 said. “Give a pair to Baxter, Zenna and Kymm.”
“But…”
“They are the three best hand-to-hand fighters,” K-999 said, before Elvin could say anything else.
Elvin handed a pair of the shades to Zenna.
“K-999 is right,” she said to him. “I am much better in a fight than you are. But you are much smarter than me.”
Elvin wasn’t taking much consolation in that. He stalked over to me and handed me my glasses.
“Don’t worry, Elvin, you did your part creating these. I bet they save the day.”
“Just once I’d like to be the one who saves the day,” he said.
“We all must do our parts.” The princess said.
I slid the glasses onto my forehead. I positioned them down over my eyes. Everything looked slightly darker but not much different.
“I made them so they wouldn’t filter out light,” Elvin said. “Just the specific wavelength the TVTrons broadcast over.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “Nice job, Elvin.”
* * * *
We got out of our shuttle, weapons ready. But there were no more TVTrons (besides the smashed ones) in sight. We met Kappa squad by the lift door, where Elvin gave Kymm her special shades. Watching the expression on Chriz’s face, he was even less happy about this than Elvin. I was guessing that it wasn’t so much that he didn’t get shades or that Kymm did, it was more that I got shades.
Kymm smiled as she looked at the mess I had made out of the TVTrons. “Good job, Moon. You made the place a TVTron junk yard.”
K-999 was all business. He sniffed the lift door. “SC, is the lift active?” he asked.
“Yes, surprisingly, it is. I have access to it.”
“Now, that doesn’t sound much like a trap,” I said cynically.