Lucas and Evie: A Farpointe Initiative Origin Story, page 3
CHAPTER SEVEN
True to his word, Griggs delivered the information.
Three days later Paul and Lucas were hiding in a roadside ditch waiting for the two trucks. They carried the precious cargo desired by two different parties. One cargo meant life and the other was continued dependence. Lucas shook the thought out of his head as he reminded himself that this was for Samantha.
As he looked up at the moonless sky, Lucas' hand flexed on the remote that would deploy the road spikes they'd put in place an hour ago. The idea was to disable the lead vehicle and quickly incapacitate the drivers before they could alert anyone that something was wrong. Bobby and Evie were one hundred yards up the road; they would take care of the second truck, the one with the raw material.
Lucas looked at Paul, who was intently staring at his handheld tablet. A young kid named Blaine, who was being paid well to ensure his silence, was a mile up the road. He would alert Paul via text message when the two trucks passed him.
With some nostalgia Lucas realized this was the last time he and Paul would be working together. Paul had initially balked at the idea of working for Griggs, his disdain for the man rivaling Lucas', but in the end the idea of retiring after this last job had been the convincing factor.
"Do you know where you're going after this?" Lucas asked.
Paul hesitated and scratched his gray-whiskered chin, "Not sure I should say. Not sure I can trust you."
Lucas grinned. "You have a point there."
Paul fastened a steely gaze on Lucas. "I've heard the CPF will leave you alone if you live out in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to buy a snowmobile and hire someone to drop me off in the middle of Canada. Then I'll disappear into the tundra. Maybe find a native woman and settle into a snug cabin and hunt caribou. Can you imagine that? Me, hunting caribou and surrounded by little, dark-haired kids." Paul hesitated for a minute, getting lost in his imagination. "Yeah, I could go native."
Lucas had to bite his finger to prevent himself from laughing too loudly. "Seriously, I'm going to miss you. You're a pain in my backside, but it's been a real pleasure working with you."
Paul nodded curtly and turned his face back to the road. "At the risk of sounding mushy, it's been an honor working with you. I can't think of a better way to go out than by rescuing your sister."
Lucas nodded, amazed that he gotten so much emotion out of the tough-as-leather former oil rig worker. He looked back at the coal-colored sky just as he heard a soft chirp from Paul's tablet.
Paul looked at him and nodded. "It's showtime."
****
Tugging the black stocking hat over her ears, Evie looked at the young man on her right. Bobby was like a little brother to her. Hired for his fists and fighting skills, Bobby had proven time and again that he had the ability to think through tough problems. He was what Evie's mother would have affectionately called "deep waters". He appeared a simple read on the outside but hid so much more underneath. Plumbing the depths of Bobby could take you a lifetime.
Evie looked at the young man and whispered, "So what's next for Robert Hughes?"
"Well, I figure there's only one place for someone like me," he said quietly. "The resistance can always use someone with my skill set."
Evie smiled in the dark. "I'm sure they could, and I think that would be a noble place to put your particular skills to use. I'd like you to find someone who could build upon what I've taught you, because you're a promising student."
"Thank you for the kind words, Miss Evelyn. I appreciate you taking the time to teach me to read and write. I'm sure I wasn't the easiest student to work with."
"On the contrary, I did very little after you grasped the basics. I know you have a hard time believing you're an intelligent person, but it's true." Evie thought for a second. "What was the last book you finished?"
"The Brothers Karamozov."
"There you go. I can't get through that book, but I'll bet you enjoyed it."
"I did."
"That's what I'm telling you. Believe in yourself and you won't always need to make your way in this world with your fists. When R3 wins, they're going to need people like you to lead the rebuilding. People who believe in freedom and individuality. That's something you can be a part of."
"Thank you again, Miss Evelyn. Being with you and Lucas and Paul has been real special to me. Leaving you will be the hardest thing I've ever done."
Evie's eyes misted over and she fought down a lump in her throat. "You're welcome, Bobby. It's been a pleasure." She reached over and squeezed his gloved hand. Seconds later, his tablet chirped and Bobby read the message.
"It's Paul. The trucks are on their way."
****
The big transport truck lumbered toward them. Lucas prayed the plan they'd put together went smoothly. If there were any hiccups, the trucks would roll on by and Samantha would ride away to the horrors of the medical facility.
The pebbles by the side of the road rattled and vibrated. Beside him, Paul shifted position. He was coiled and ready to shoot out of the ditch the minute the truck hit the spikes.
Headlights illuminated the battered road sign Lucas was using as a marker. When the nose of the truck passed it, Lucas mashed the button and heard the satisfying explosion of rubber tires being pierced and losing air. Both men shot out of the ditch hugging the side of the road, remaining concealed until the driver brought the truck to a stop. Lucas was tempted to look down the road in order to see Evie and Bobby, but stopped himself. Any distraction could endanger his part of the mission, and without this part, the rest wouldn't happen.
The truck lurched to a stop as Paul and Lucas swarmed to the doors and pressed stun pistols to the necks of the two surprised men sitting in the cab.
"Gentlemen," Lucas said. "If you will kindly step out of the truck and lie down on the road, we can make this quick and painless for you. If you should decide to resist, we'll light your bodies up like Christmas trees. Now, let's move."
The driver and his companion held up their hands to show they were complying with Lucas' instructions. Lucas and Paul held the doors open for them as they both climbed out of the truck and lay face down on the asphalt.
"Thank you, gentlemen, for your cooperation," said Lucas. "It's most..."
Lucas' words faltered as he felt something warm and wet hit his face, followed by a popping sound. He palmed away the liquid. In the truck's headlights his gloved hand came away dark and wet. Lucas looked questioningly toward Paul. His friend stood motionless, looking down at a dark stain spreading across his chest, and then he simply fell to the pavement.
Lucas stared, horrified. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Paul was supposed to disappear into the tundra on a snowmobile.
The soft whir of spinning blades reached his ears. Fifty yards away, Lucas saw the faint red glow of a drone flight light. The drone must have been trailing the convoy for surveillance reasons. They'd seen everything and Paul had been standing where the drone had a clear shot.
Pain exploded across Lucas' jaw as a fist slammed into his face. The guard had taken advantage of Lucas' shock and landed a solid punch. He staggered backward, but remained on his feet. Shock was replaced by rage as the image of Paul falling lifeless to the ground played in his head. Lucas advanced on the guard, blocked two quick strikes, and then landed a left/right combination to the man's face followed by a chop to the throat. The man dropped to his knees, grasping at his throat. Lucas retrieved the stun pistol and jammed it into the man's neck and pulled the trigger. The guard convulsed and fell to the ground.
Large, muscular arms encircled him in a grip-like bands of steel, causing Lucas to drop the stun pistol. Pain flared in his injured ribs and he gasped for breath that wasn't there. In desperation, he slammed the back of his head into the man's face. The guard's grip loosened. Lucas freed himself from the man's grasp and spun to face his attacker. They traded blows. The man was a skilled fighter, and Lucas couldn't gain an advantage.
After several more combinations that the man blocked, Lucas saw an opening in the man's defense and moved in to deliver a blow that he hoped would end the fight.
The guard anticipated the move, recovered, and Lucas felt his fist whistle through the air, missing his opponent. Red-hot pain lanced through his left side. Lucas staggered backwards and saw the handle of a knife protruding from his ribs. He dropped to his knees grasping the handle. He saw the man's foot coming toward his face and then knew only blackness.
****
Evie was zip-tying the driver's hands behind his back when she heard the popping sound. Looking down the road, she was able to see two men struggling in the light of the truck's headlights.
Something had gone wrong. Panic rose in her chest as she realized that one of the men was Lucas. Where was Paul? Why wasn't he helping Lucas?
To her horror she saw the bright flash of metal, a knife, in the beams and watched a man in blue fatigues plunge the blade into the body of her husband and then connect a roundhouse kick to Lucas' head. Her husband's body fell lifeless to the asphalt. A scream of agony escaped her lips as her worst fears unfolded before her eyes. She had been unable to stop it, any of it.
She'd failed him.
She jumped into the open cab, slammed the door shut, jammed the clutch to the floor, rammed the shifter into first gear, and pushed the gas pedal to the mat. The engine roared as the truck jumped. She heard Bobby yelling for her to wait, but she was already gone before he could do anything.
Evie had no plan. She needed to be with her husband. He needed her.
I'm on my way, baby.
Fifty yards separated her from her love when there was a bone-jarring explosion on the passenger side. Terror gripped Evie as she was thrown around the cab of the truck like a rag doll. In a violent cacophony of shrieking metal and grinding asphalt, the truck rolled twice and Evie was tossed through the windshield in a hail of shattering glass. Her body struck the pavement and rolled several more yards before coming to rest.
Unbelievable pain coursed through her body as she struggled to hold on to the one thin strand of consciousness left to her. With effort, Evie was able to turn her head. Lucas was lying on the pavement, alone. She attempted to extend her arm toward the man who had rescued her from a death in the ghettos, but was unable to move. She began to lose her grip on consciousness and darkness was beginning to overtake her mind.
I'm sorry, my love, she thought. Her mind was filled with the regret of never being able to hold him again and then there was no more.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The words came from a long distance away.
They seemed to be pulling him out of the darkness and into the light.
He tried to move toward it, but his limbs would not obey, and yet the light grew brighter.
Around him he heard beeping and whirring. There was a strange antiseptic smell. Then, those strange, garbled words again.
"Mr. Kreg?"
Who was this person talking to?
"Mr. Kreg?"
Lucas' eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring into the soft glow of overhead lighting. He was still unable to move and he felt something in his throat.
"Mr. Kreg, please don't struggle," came a cold, clinical voice from above him. "You've been intubated, meaning there is a tube in your throat that is helping you breathe. We've given you a neuro-blocker. That's why you're unable to move your arms and legs. A small nod of your head will be sufficient to indicate you understand what I'm saying."
Lucas nodded.
Evie. Where was Evie?
"Mr. Kreg." The voice moved into his field of vision, revealing a rather severe-looking older man holding a medical tablet. "During your failed robbery you were stabbed in the heart, resulting in a massive loss of blood and extensive damage to the heart tissue. Currently you are being kept alive by machines bypassing your damaged heart. If you were taken off these machines you would die in a matter of minutes. Have I explained your situation in a manner you can understand?"
Lucas nodded.
"Very good. Your wife is on the table to your left if you care to turn your head."
Lucas did, and immediately wished he hadn't. He barely recognized the woman lying on the table. Evie was a broken, bloody mess with tubes and wires extending from her body. Tears of grief welled in Lucas' eyes and traced a path down his face.
What had he done to her?
"Your wife is in much the same position as you. Without the machines she will also die quickly. Please nod if you understand her situation."
Lucas again nodded, squeezing his eyes shut, and turned his head away from Evie.
There was a scraping on the floor as the man pulled a stool up to the side of the bed and sat down. He looked into Lucas' eyes.
"The penalty for your crimes is death. However, your government has initiated two new programs. You and your wife are in possession of certain skills that could be beneficial to the CPF Augmented Soldier Program and the CPF Pilot Initiative. Acting as the government's agent, I am here to offer you an alternative to death. I offer you and your wife the chance to be remade. However, there are certain parameters you must agree to. Mr. Kreg, this procedure would radically alter your life and everything you have known previously. Do you understand me?"
Lucas looked back at the broken body that had once been his beautiful wife. The choices he'd made had put her there. He'd failed her, and he didn't deserve her. The grief was unbearable. The hurt was crushing him. Whatever this man was offering had to be better than seeing his wife die.
"Mr. Kreg, do you understand? The choice is yours."
Lucas nodded, making the choice that he prayed would one day reunite him with the woman he loved.
****
End of the Book Stuff
So this little story was actually the very first thing I wrote in the Farpointe Initiative universe. I wanted to explore two characters and see where they came from. Now, I significantly rewrote, but the core of the original story is still there.
I hope you enjoyed the book. If you did head on over to where you bought it and leave me a review.
Check out my website (http://www.aaronhubble.com) and sign-up for my author newsletter. You'll here from me maybe once-a-month and when I have have something new coming out. To thank you for signing up, I'll send you a free copy of Testator Run - A Science Fiction Short Story. I think you'll like it. Just in the way of a teaser, this little short will lead into a much bigger story that I plan on writing soon.
Live long and prosper, my friends.
Aaron
About the Author
Aaron Hubble lives in Central Michigan with his wife Tracie and their two daughters. By day Aaron is a woodworker, turning big pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood. All other times, he likes to let his mind roam the wide open spaces of the galaxy and write down the stories that he sees in his head. His wife tries to make sense of what he writes while educating their children and keeping her husband in line.
Aaron Hubble, Lucas and Evie: A Farpointe Initiative Origin Story
