Foresight, page 6
“Only to you, Nick. And only because Frank is admittedly easier to say.”
“I’m going to tell Grimmel you called it Frank.”
“You wouldn’t.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Give me a few minutes to dry my hair and put on some lipstick, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Sure thing, boss. Still mad at me?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Fair enough. I love you, Yazz.”
“I love you too, Nick.”
Chapter 10
Nicholas and Yasmin nearly collided with Colonel Haines as they each approached the corridor leading to Grimmel’s temporary quarters, reaching the same intersection in the passageway at the same time.
Pulling to a sudden stop, Nicholas came to attention, while Yasmin jumped back to avoid colliding with the other woman. “Colonel Haines, ma’am.” He did a double-take, his eyes dropping from his commanding officer’s very made-up face to the navy blue dress she had chosen instead of her Marine dress uniform. It fit snugly to her body, with a low neckline revealing a bit of cleavage, her hem just above her knees. He stared but couldn’t find a response he considered both respectful and complementary before his time ran out.
“At ease, Captain,” Haines said, allowing Nicholas to relax his posture. “What, you’ve never seen a woman in a dress before?”
The comment elicited a laugh from Yasmin. “Good evening, Colonel Haines,” she said. “I think he’s just not sure how to balance respect for your position and the fact that you look incredible in that dress.”
“Something like that,” Nicholas said.
“We don’t get many opportunities to impress a man,” Haines replied. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but Aaron Grimmel is unattached.”
“And you’re hoping to change that?” Yasmin asked.
Haines shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to me. Once we board the arkship I’ll be converted to a civilian role in the initial onboard government. It’s just good tactics to make my case to the most revered man on the ship before competition increases.”
“It doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome,” Yasmin said.
Haines smiled. “Not at all.”
“No offense, Colonel, but I prefer you barking orders at me over discussing Grimmel’s sex appeal with my wife.”
Both women laughed. “There’s time for both, Captain,” Haines said. “Especially since we’re reaching the endgame. I’m confident both you and your beautiful, intelligent, hard-working spouse will make us all proud very soon.”
“We’re close,” Yasmin admitted. She glanced at Nicholas. “We could have been closer, but we’ll get there.”
He sensed the lingering venom and anger in her statement and resisted the urge to sigh in chagrin. Maybe she had mostly forgiven him, but the outcome had left a burn that would take a little more time to heal.
“Anyway,” he said, segueing away from the topic. “I didn’t realize Aaron Grimmel had his own living space down here. Last I heard, he spent all his time holed up in his ivory tower.”
“You can do that when you have your own personal military the size of a small country’s,” Haines replied.
“You should be glad for it, Nick,” Yasmin added. “I spent six months holed up there with his team. The facilities are top notch, and we made a lot of progress on a lot of tech in very little time. Including everything you see in Foresight. We don’t get off Earth without Aaron Grimmel. But I understand why you would be jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” Nicholas countered.
“Mmm-hmm. I believe that.”
“It’s true. What does all the money or power in the world mean now? Just a better seat on the first arkship out of Dodge. That’s about it.”
“You’ll probably think differently when he’s the Governor of Metro and you’re a Deputy Sheriff.”
“I’ll still have you, and he won’t.” Nicholas glanced at Haines. “No offense, ma’am. I think Grimmel would be an idiot not to give you a shot.”
Haines laughed. “Thank you, Captain.”
The trio made their way down the corridor, passing other quarters on the way. Grimmel had taken up residence in the research area of the compound, in the single master suite reserved for the head of the lab. From what Duffy had told him, Nicholas knew Doctor Rashburne hadn’t been happy about relinquishing the poshest apartment inside the bunker, but he also couldn’t argue with the temporary accommodations considering who had taken his place.
Besides, they would all be out of here soon enough.
Nicholas deferred to Colonel Haines, letting her take the lead in knocking on the simple aluminum door to the quarters. Grimmel surprised him by answering the door himself, pulling it open and offering a wide smile to his guests.
“Colonel Haines,” he said, his eyes flicking over her dress. “What an unexpected delight to see you in a dress. You look fabulous. Haha!”
“Thank you, Mister Grimmel,” she replied, face flushing. It felt strange to Nicholas to see his CO react like a regular woman.
“Please, call me Aaron,” he continued. “That goes for you as well, Captain Shepherd, and Yasmin. But only when we aren’t in the lab, my dear.”
“Of course, sir,” Yasmin said.
Grimmel cupped his ear and leaned toward her. “What was that?”
“Of course, Aaron,” she repeated, slightly uncomfortable to use his name.
“Better.”
“You should definitely call me Avril then, Aaron,” Haines said. She glanced at Nicholas. “You can continue using Colonel Haines.”
They all laughed.
“Come in, come in,” Grimmel said, stepping aside so they could enter. Even though his quarters were the largest in the compound, they weren’t any more poshly decorated than any of the other apartments. A worn orange sofa joined an end table, television, and a pair of smaller chairs in the living room, while a hallway to the left led to two bedrooms and a larger bathroom.
Nicholas stopped and inhaled deeply. “What is that wonderful smell?” he asked.
“I went down to the kitchen after meeting with you in the hangar,” Grimmel replied. “I cooked up a little something. It’s nothing too fancy, the kitchens don’t have a lot of my favorite herbs and spices and I didn’t have time to fly back to HQ. But I believe you’ll enjoy it.”
“You cook?” Nicholas asked.
“I wasn’t always the man I am today, Nicholas. And when you think about it, cooking is a science of its own. Chemical reactions, genetic composition, and all of that. Understanding those things is an excellent building block to more advanced pursuits.” His gaze shifted past them, back to the still-open door. “Where’s Luke?”
“He couldn’t make it,” Nicholas said. “He’s sort of grounded.”
“Sort-of? Elaborate.”
“He broke some rules. The MPs caught him. Now he’s doing community service, helping Lieutenant Carter out in the hangar.”
Grimmel’s face darkened slightly, just enough that Nicholas noticed before it brightened again. “I see. Well, hopefully I’ll get to meet him once we’re transferred to the Pilgrim. Which I’m absolutely certain will be any day now.”
“About that, si… Aaron,” Yasmin said. “I’m—”
“If you were planning to apologize, you can stop right there,” Grimmel said. “No apologies needed. And no need to be cross with your husband for raising his concerns. He did the right thing, Yasmin.”
“But the counter-inertial systems on the—”
“Yes, I’m aware,” Grimmel said, cutting her off again. “I studied the systems before approving the prototypes.”
“Then why did you recommend aborting the mission?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Wine?” he asked, heading over to a combination dining and conference table that sat in an open area to the right. Grimmel had laid out a spread on it, with a seating for six. Roast vegetables, chicken, gravy, rice pilaf, and even an apple pie along with two bottles of wine.
He picked up one of the bottles. “Two years ago, these bottles sold for over ten thousand dollars each. I’m not saying that to brag. Do you know what they’re worth now?”
“Nothing,” Nicholas said.
“Exactly,” Grimmel replied. “If I were one of the unfortunates stuck out in the wilds, I’d be lucky to trade one of these bottles for a can of sardines. I wish we could help those people. I wish we could help everyone. But even a man like me has limitations. And these things are worthless if we forget what truly matters.” He paused and smiled. “Go ahead, ask me what that is.”
“What matters?” Haines said, taking the bait.
“People,” Grimmel replied. “The survival of the human race. Our exodus to the stars. We can’t save everyone, but we can save hundreds of thousands. All the faith and trust in the world isn’t enough to put that at risk.”
“Excuse me, sir,” Yasmin said. “Doesn’t that statement imply a lack of faith and trust?”
“Hmmm,” Grimmel said, rubbing at his beard. “I can see how you might arrive at that conclusion, and from a purely logical perspective that argument is solvent.” He picked up a glass and poured some wine into it. “But that’s only because you don’t have all of the inputs.”
“Are you going to fill me in?”
“Only if you stop calling me sir.” Grimmel smiled and handed Yasmin the first glass before turning back to the table to pour another.
“Okay, Aaron,” Nicholas said. “I’m game. If you have trust and faith that Foresight would have passed its tests, why did you recommend the abort?”
Grimmel handed Nicholas the next glass. “That’s why I invited you here, Nicholas. I have to admit, this isn’t purely a social call. We have very important matters to discuss. Matters that could have an incalculable impact on the arkship program, and Project Foresight.” He poured two more glasses, handing one to Colonel Haines before raising his glass up. “A toast. To the future.”
“To the future,” the others said, clinking their glasses.
“We can talk while we eat,” Grimmel said. “Haha!”
Chapter 11
“Excuse me,” Luke said, approaching five Marines grouped together near the hangar blast doors. They were busy with rags and lubricant, cleaning their rifles to ensure weapons that were put to the test of life and death every night remained in good working order. A tired-looking older woman with a bandage on her cheek looked up and met his eyes. Luke knew better than to look away if he wanted any measure of respect from her.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Lucius Shepherd, ma’am,” he replied. “I’m volunteering up here with my friends. We’re just trying to help support you in any way we can.”
The woman’s hard expression softened to a smile. “Shepherd. You’re the Captain’s son?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Your father’s going to get us out of this shit, ain’t that right?” one of the other Marines asked. He had light-colored peach fuzz on his face and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing a large dragon tattoo on one forearm. “Every time I watch that bird of his take off my heart pounds like I’m with my girl for the first time all over again.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” a third Marine said. She looked at Luke. “Don’t pay Gills any mind. He thinks he’s Don Juan or something.”
“Don who?” Gills asked. “Never heard of him. Alls I’m saying is that I’m damn excited to get out of this place already. Auntie took a claw to the cheek last night.” He nodded at the older woman. “Bastard missed taking her out by this much.” He spread his thumb and forefinger, and then pulled them closer together. “That ugly ship there is our ticket to survival.”
“Ugly?” the fourth Marine in the group said. A Black man who looked ready to take on the next wave of trife single-handed. “I think it’s sleek.”
“You got that right, Rocky,” Auntie agreed, smiling at Luke. “I wish your father could take us joyriding in it. I bet it’s a blast.”
“That would be so cool. Like Auntie said, I’m Rocky.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Luke replied, reaching out to shake his hand.
Rocky laughed. “So polite. We’re simple jarheads, man, not officers. That’s Gills, Mackey, and of course, Auntie. Or sometimes we call her Sarge. And the quiet guy there is Toast.”
Toast looked over at Luke, the reason for his nickname immediately obvious. The entire left side of his face was badly scarred. “Childhood accident,” he said, his voice slightly raspy. “I always thought that would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me.” He laughed.
“Great to meet all of you,” Luke said. “Like I said, I’m volunteering to help out. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Got any Budweiser?” Gills asked.
Grinning, Luke shook his head. “I’ve already raided the food supply a few times. I never found any beer.”
“Damn shame,” Rocky said.
“Do you know how to clean a rifle?” Auntie asked.
“No, ma’am.”
“Do you want to learn?”
“Sure, but I’m supposed to help you, not the other way around.”
“Letting us teach you something is helping,” Rocky said. “Anything that gets the mind off the routine for a little while does that for us.”
“Besides,” Mackey said. “Once you know how to do it, you can clean all our rifles every night while we sit here like big shots and watch.”
The Marines laughed. Luke laughed with them. “Okay, sure. Just tell me what to do?”
“We should probably start from scratch,” Auntie said. “Let me put my MK back together and then I’ll—”
Auntie stopped speaking immediately as the klaxon beside the blast doors suddenly sounded in one long, steady blare, the light flashing orange. Seconds later, the loud peal died out with a long whine, followed by Lieutenant Carter’s voice over the loudspeaker.
“Attention all Marines. Attention all Marines. Spotters have eyes on a slick coming in from the east. Form up. This is not a drill. You know what to do.”
“Shit,” Rocky said, grabbing the pieces of his rifle he had laid out on a rag as they all quickly began reassembling their guns. “Bastards are early today.”
Activity in the hangar increased as Marines jumped up and ran for their assigned positions. Groups of combatants hurried to the APCs while techs bounced from one Butcher to the next, pulling their charging cables and setting them in motion.
“Should I be worried?” Luke asked.
“Naw, nothing to worry about,” Mackey said. “This is SOP. Standard operating procedure.”
“Trife come every night,” Gills said. “Screw the trife, man.”
“There’s a nest somewhere to the east of the compound,” Auntie said. “We think it’s underground because we haven’t been able to find it. Every night they pour in from that direction and give us hell. The spotters catch sight of them about ten klicks out. Forward defenses will head out to harass them from there all the way back through four different choke points. Units take turns alternating positions so everyone has a fair shot at being on the front line. That’s where we were last night, which is why I have this nice souvenir.” She pointed to her cheek. “On a bad night, they’ll get to the second choke point.”
“What if they get through all four?” Luke asked.
“Never happen,” Toast replied.
“Toast’s right,” Auntie said. “As long as we have enough ammunition and some Butchers left standing, they won’t get through.”
“But what if they do?”
“They’d still have to make it through the blast doors to get into the hangar. And then they’d have to get through the base defenses. Since we were front line last night, we get the easy job tonight, babysitting Foresight.”
“The boring job, you mean,” Gills said. “Might as well not even bother putting this MK back together. Not gonna need it.”
“Your father wouldn’t have let you anywhere near the hangar if he thought you’d be in danger,” Auntie said. “Although the trife are a couple of hours early today. It happens sometimes.”
The blast doors slid open, stopping after leaving enough space for the APCs to get out. A few of the butchers climbed onto special racks on the back of the vehicles, hitching a ride as they pulled out of the hangar and down the slope to the abandoned part of the base.
Auntie finished putting her rifle back together before removing a hardened computerized tablet from a pocket on the leg of her fatigues. She tapped on the interface a few times, until a video feed appeared.
“This is a live feed from the lead APC,” Auntie said. “We can watch the main event unfold from here.”
“Hey, Luke,” Jennifer said, approaching the Marines. “The base is under attack. We should get clear.”
Briar and Scott followed close behind her.
“Just let me borrow a rifle,” Scott said. “I can help out.”
“Auntie,” Luke said. “These are my friends. Jennifer, Briar, and Scott.” He pointed to each of them.
“Nothing to worry about here, folks,” Gills said. “We’ve essentially got the night off. Been here almost a year, trife have never breached the third choke point. Not once.”
“It’s fine here,” Luke said. He motioned to Auntie’s tablet. “I want to watch.”
“Are you sure, bro?” Scott asked. “It can get pretty ugly, believe me.”
“I may not have been on my own out there, but I’ve seen plenty of ugly too,” Luke replied.
“We all have,” Briar agreed.
“Besides, it might be cathartic to watch the Marines decimate those bastards.”
“In that case, who has the popcorn?” Scott asked.
“And the beer,” Rocky agreed.
“All right, that’s enough chatter,” Auntie said. “We’re still on the clock. Luke, you’re welcome to stay and watch for now, but if I give the order, you’ll need to get clear at a run.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Luke said.
Auntie leaned over, using her pack to prop up the tablet. Luke took a moment to look around the hangar. Nearly all of the Marines were already gone, leaving only their bedrolls, discarded MRE wrappers, and personal effects behind. A pair of ragged Butchers remained in the hangar as well, the single red eye at the center of their large square heads active.
