Authors: T.A. Uner
Drawing the charge from her pocket she inched her way closer towards the second stage. An image of the two humans appeared in her mind.
I beat you two,
she thought.
I beat
—
A rush of wind knocked into her like a stampeding beast and she nearly dropped the charge. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw the white-skinned human from the diner, his head poking out of thin air, two canine heads right below his chin.
He must be inside a cloaked vehicle!
“I think you better stop whatever it is you’re doing and surrender, lady!” the boy said. “That is, if you are indeed a
lady
!”
“Too late human!” Tir said. “I win!” Tir hurled the charge at the rocket and it stuck to its surface like a tick. “Your future is oblivion!” She cackled before pressing the retrieval button on her belt. A red whirlwind of energy enveloped her, whisking her back to her recovery point where she would return to her own time.
“Shit!” Johnny said. “Where’d that Lycarian go?” Both Jessie and Studs began barking wildly. “What’s up guys?” They licked his face and pointed their heads at the charge. Johnny activated the wristlink flashlight and shined it on the charge. “There it is!”
Johnny thought hard. His fingers danced across the touchscreen of Gina’s monitor, looking for information on how to disarm a Lycarian charge. He heard a loud bark and Studs leapt out of Gina. Johnny’s heart dropped into his stomach as Studs streaked through the air like a javelin and landed on one of the mobile launcher’s beams. Jessie followed, doing a summersault and landing on Studs’ back. Her claws gripping the side handles on Studs’ pack.
Johnny watched as Studs inched closer towards the charge, which was blinking green; soon it started blinking yellow and emitting a loud noise, like nails scratching a chalkboard. Jessie barked and her metallic utility pack opened up. A silver robotic claw emerged and tapped the surface of the charge as if testing it. The charge was now blinking red, and Johnny’s heart was pressing against his sternum. The claw gripped the surface of the charge and began dialing it while the red light blinked faster.
Then it stopped and reverted to yellow before returning to green. Johnny exhaled. Seconds later the claw pressed a release button on the side of the charge and plucked it from the rocket’s surface. Stud’s pack then opened and it placed the disarmed charge inside it.
After the Dobermans returned to Gina Johnny gave each one a good hard scratch between their ears. “You were right on about these dogs Argos; you were
so
right.”
Inside the VAB Argos was searching for charges. Call it luck or timing; he hadn’t encountered any security guards since infiltrating the compound. Only a few technicians wearing hardhats and white lab coats that shot him mystified looks.
He tried forcing Johnny and the dogs from his thoughts; he had no other choice. It would only distract him. Soon he located the charges. Two pairs. They were in arming sequence for detonation. His only option was to use his scanner to disrupt the arming frequency.
“Who the hell are you?”
Argos spun around. Two security guards were pointing revolvers at him. They were dressed in black police caps, trousers, and white shirts. NASA security was written on their badges. He slowly slipped his scanner inside his field jacket pocket.
Argos reached inside his field jacket to pull out his replica 1960s credentials. One of the guards cocked his gun loudly and Argos stopped. “Nice and easy Mister,” the first guard said, “we don’t take too kindly to unauthorized personnel rummaging around here.”
“You can take a look for yourself,” Argos said. He gritted his teeth.
These two dips pop in here right when I’m trying to save their timeline.
The first guard approached him gingerly while the second guard covered him.
“I’m in the middle of a mission here,” Argos insisted. “You guys are interrupting my work.”
“Yeah, right pal,” the first guard said. “And I’m Pete Rose.”
The second guard had taken out Argos’ wallet and looked it over. “What does it say Larry?” the first guard asked.
Larry looked at the first guard. “Says he’s with CIA intelligence, Bobby.”
“That’s right,” Argos confirmed, “there’re four time bombs inside this facility.” Both guards stared at him as if he’d gone insane, “And if I don’t deactivate them, this whole facility is going up in smoke.” Argos’ scanner began to beep wildly and vibrate in his pocket.
“What the hell’s that?” Bobby asked.
“That’s my scanner.” Argos felt droplets of sweat sticking to his undershirt.
“We’re gonna have to check you out buddy,” Bobby said before looking at Larry. “Cuff ‘em.”
“I don’t have time for this crap.” Argos snatched the gun from Bobby’s grip−before Larry could reach for his own gun−and trained it on both security guards.
Both men looked at Argos dejectedly and raised their hands in surrender. A few seconds later Argos lowered the gun and offered it back to Bobby, whose face was mired in discomfiture.
“You guys have three seconds to trust me,” Argos ordered “or this whole complex is going to be a pile of rubble.”
They looked at one another before turning back to face Argos. “Sure Mister, I mean Agent Better,” Larry said before handing back Argos’ ID badge.
“Like I said there’s a few bombs in this complex, I’m here to disarm them, I need you two to alert the base quietly, and get everyone out of here…remember…
quietly
! Last thing we need is a panic.”
Both guards walked away hurriedly and Argos caught their animated chatter: “So who do you think planted those bombs?” Larry asked. Bobby replied, “Gotta be those damn Soviets, they’re probably jealous cuz we’re gonna beat ‘em to the moon.”
After they’d left Argos resumed his work. He found the right frequency and the first charge started shutting down.
July 16
th
, 1969
9:32 EDT
Just as it did in the original timeline, the mighty Saturn V rocket carried the three human astronauts— Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., Neil A. Armstrong, and Michael Collins—into space, towards perhaps the most important human achievement of the 20
th
century.
July 20
th
, 1969
They stood in front of the televisions inside the electronics section of a department store, one black man, one white teen and two Dobermans, surrounded by televisions of all makes and models. Some color, and some black and white. Johnny’s father had told him about black and white televisions but he’d never actually seen one. Nobody seemed to mind that two dogs were inside the store, watching alongside them, or if they did, no one said anything.
But that did not matter now. The only thing that mattered was what they watched on television. A man named Neil Armstrong, dressed in a protective astronaut suit, descending the ladder of the lunar module while the whole world held its breath.
Then came the epic words that were forever transcribed in the human spirit. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Afterwards, Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface of the moon and the U.S. flag was planted.
Johnny’s heart felt like it was lodged in his throat and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Then, he smiled and exhaled. Around them a few customers had gathered and were hugging one another, they hugged him and Argos too, and one lady petted Jessie and Studs.
Outside the store, Gina waited for them in the parking lot. When Johnny exited the department store, he looked up at the sky and saw a section of the moon staring down at him. “So it really did happen, didn’t it Argos?”
“And what makes you think it
didn’t
happen Johnny?”
“The kids at school. They all say it was a hoax, that the government faked it. They say it could’ve never been done.” They stopped when they reached Gina. Argos tossed Johnny the keys. He caught it and looked up at the moon again, before getting behind the wheel. Both Jessie and Studs took their spot in the rear seat.
“The 60s were a volatile era,” Argos said somberly, “plus there will always be conspiracy theorists who look at things from their perspective. Besides, they didn’t have the means to fake a landing. Back then—or now I should say—it was actually easier to travel to the moon with the available technology.”
“Yeah, I hear you.” Johnny looked up at the sky one last time. “You know Argos, there were these two really strange kids at school who supposedly hacked into the school’s computer and posted that moon landing hoax theory on the school’s social studies webpage.”
Arizona
Present Day
Bloodboy and Diablo waited for Grendis to call them.
Bloodboy did not like to be kept waiting, but Grendis was their boss, and whatever the boss said, they’d do it. If Grendis wanted them to walk off a cliff, he and Diablo would do it. If Grendis wanted them to rip off traffic signs and sell them to blind people, they’d do it, if he wanted them to shoot up a bunch of bullies in their crappy-ass high school.
They’d do it. It was that simple.
Grendis had given them the keys to his house in Phoenix. It was a sweet place with a computer in almost every room, a bowling alley with two lanes and a lavish backyard pool surrounded by palm trees. There was even a Mexican butler named Sanchez. Unfortunately, he was off today.
“I’m bored,” Bloodboy said as he lounged on the leather sofa. “So tired of hacking into the public school website and posting curse words on the elementary school menus.”
Diablo nodded. “I wonder when Grendis is gonna call? This bullshit waiting game is driving me nuts.” He pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and twirled it in his palm.
“That thing loaded?” Bloodboy asked.
Diablo smiled and pointed it at his friend.
“Watch it then, you don’t want to blow my damn ears off, right? Don’t forget, we got Omega Day coming up.”
“How could I forget that?” Diablo put the gun away and went over to a fully stocked refrigerator filled with beer. He cracked open a can and sipped it before belching loudly.
“I can’t wait to see the looks on those kids’ faces when they see us in all our glory,” Bloodboy said.
Diablo just belched again. “Yeah, man. And don’t forget your friend Principal Barnes.”
Bloodboy laughed, and turned his thoughts backward.
Three Weeks Earlier
“You really need to get your act together Richard,” Principal Barnes said. “You can’t start fights with other students in the hallways.”
Bloodboy stared at him through his tinted glasses. Slouched in the chair in front of Barnes, lazily eying the framed awards on the wall behind the principal. “I don’t go by that name. It’s Bloodboy. And just so you know, one of those students tripped me in the classroom. Of course, the teacher did nothing.”
Barnes’ thick mustache dropped and formed a half-scowl. “I don’t know which planet you’re from, Son, but here, in Arizona, we go by our
real
names, not our stage names.” Barnes stood up from behind his desk. Sweat stains on his dress shirt formed damp circles under his arms. He straightened his tie and put his hands in his pants pockets. “Look, I was a rebel once,” he said compassionately. “And I know this is a difficult time in your life, but you can always go talk to your guidance counselor. You know that, right?”
Bloodboy remained silent.
“It’s Miss Kelly.”
Yeah, I remember her,
Bloodboy thought.
She’s kinda purty.
He stood up. The chain in his pocket jingled.
“Wait, Son,” Barnes said. “I didn’t dismiss you yet.” He stared at Bloodboy like a cat eyeing a pigeon. “Just listen.”
Bloodboy froze. He decided he’d listen to this tool talk a few more seconds, he was kinda funny. “Okay Principal Barnes, I’m
listening
.”
“You’re a smart young man, Richard. Your grades are decent, and if you worked a little bit harder at improving your social skills and appearance, you could do a lot more for yourself. Maybe even make some friends.”
Bloodboy nodded and fingered his lip ring. Barnes looked at it disgustedly. “End of lecture, Richard, you can go now.”
***
Outside Diablo was waiting for him near the bike racks and packing dip inside his cheek. “How’s Principal Barnes, Blood?”
“Quite talkative,” Bloodboy responded. “He keeps calling me
Richard
.”
“Yeah,” Diablo replied before spitting out a streak of dip juice. “Check this out. You know my chemistry teacher, Mr. Filmore, calls me Franklin.”
Bloodboy started peddling while Diablo trailed him on his bike. “C’mon
Franklin
, let’s go hit the firing range. Get us some practice.”
As they were leaving the school grounds, the security guard smirked at them. “You boys stay out of trouble now,” he yelled from the inside of his vehicle.
“Sure thing, Manny,” Bloodboy said. “See ya later.” He waved at Manny while Diablo launched a dip streak over his shoulder.
“Gotta go get some smokes at the TipMart,” Bloodboy called out. Diablo nodded and continued peddling behind him.
They passed a school sign and turned right at the T-junction leading off school grounds before merging onto the bicycle lane at the side of the main road. As they neared the TipMart a BMW roared past them and cut them off. It hopped onto the curb before blocking their path.
Four students from their high school emerged from the vehicle. Bloodboy recognized one as Billy Roberts. The baseball player from his school he’d gotten into a scuffle with earlier today. “You two freaks got an ass beatin’ commin’ to ya for spray painting my locker,” Billy said. He was with his two jock friends, Jasper and Keyshawn.
Diablo grunted like a boar. Bloodboy extended his middle finger to Billy and his friends. “Eat this.”
The next thing Bloodboy knew, his cheek was kissing the cold pavement. He squirmed while reaching inside his pocket for his chain. A heavy weight settled on his arm and when he looked up Jasper was on top of him. In the corner of his eye he saw Diablo down too, being kicked in the face and ribs by Keyshawn and Bobby.