"Hi Robert, I can to see Yuki was able to get the pod."
"Can’t believe she got it, and I’ve got to say Blue, this shit is fucked up. I have to wonder if anything is real anymore."
"We’ve had that discussion before Robert. This is as real as it gets and if we don’t finish our job, the Earth’s doomed."
"I think it’s pretty doomed in either case, just delaying the decay Blue."
"Isn’t that what life’s all about Robert?"
"Well, I kind of thought life was about family, work, personal hobbies, you know."
"I think life is about traveling, investigating," said Big Blue with emotion.
"We all have our needs. It’s just that everything I thought was important is down the toilet, except my job, and I’m about to take care of that."
"But Robert, your life is changed. You did good. Look at Jimmy."
"Jimmy? He’s a hacker."
"If it wasn’t for Jimmy you would not be helping me."
"My point exactly."
"You don’t mean that Robert. You and I will save this planet."
"Yeah, great idea -- and blow up my job, kill some Zoks and possibly my boss too -- now that is starting to sound good."
"No, you’re not going to blow up MicroIntel. Our friend Joey is going to do that."
"Joey?" asked Robert
"Relax Robert, it’s all for the best," said Blue.
Joey was glad to get away from General Schwartz who’d left for a meeting in Colorado Springs. Joey sat in his cubicle for the eight hours playing a modified game called StarShip 2020 inside the Colorado level three-security dungeon. The game used to be just a game, but Joey reset the missile section to actually connect into cruise missile batteries of White Plains, New Mexico and Yokosuka, Japan. A few hours earlier the e-mail was sent to the office in Japan and Joey checked the online news. Everyone had evacuated the Japanese branch office. The few working the night shift in Oregon had also evacuated. Television crews sat by both offices waiting for the military to give the OK to head back in, for the prank to turn out to be just a prank.
Joey knew better. The military had to take this seriously; the missiles were in foreign control, his control. Joey had to confirm that everyone was out. His hack into the security cameras helped. A janitor was arrested for taking out a cat and four kittens he’d been feeding in a laundry room. The man was turned into a hero and arrested for breaking past a military no entry line to get the cat and kittens. At least this cat was going to make it, thought Joey.
Now it was show time.
Joey turned on the StarShip game and loaded cruise missiles on Jupiter to attack Mars. Jupiter was set to be New Mexico and Mars was MicroIntel USA. Then Joey clicked on missiles on USS Bunker Hill to attack Venus. Venus was actually the Tokyo MicroIntel. The game flashed in its battlefield colors and the familiar StarShip commander’s voice synthesizer spoke in deep voice, "Man the battle stations. Would the General please confirm the missile launch?" A launch button flashed in red. Joey panicked, he’d forgot to shut off the voice synthesizer and the game blasted sound toward the sleeping Johnson. Johnson woke and walked over toward Joey. Joey tried to look at another screen, ignoring the game. He found hitting the launch button to be more difficult now. He found it hard to imagine launching a war on MicroIntel, possibly killing people if there was a mistake.
"Joey, why didn’t you tell me you had StarShip? There’s a network version. I love the game."
"Oh, I hardly ever play it. Just killing time while I wait for a SatCom test to complete."
Johnson sat next to Joey and looked at the game. "Hey, you’d better hit the launch button or Mars will kick your butt."
"Ah, yes well…I wanted to think about it."
"Boy there’s no thinking! You’ve got ten seconds and counting, or it says Mars attacks."
"I know…I just…"
"Well let me help you, I’ll launch the missiles." Johnson reached over to hit the launch button.
"Johnson, you have a pension. I wouldn’t do that if I was you."
"What are you talking about?"
"That’s a real launch Johnson."
"Are you nuts?" asked Johnson, "It’s just a game," said Johnson as he hit the launch button.
On the screen a missile launched from Mars and another launched from the Bunker Hill.
Johnson smiled proudly. "See Joey, now we’ll have Jupiter get Mars and the Bunker Hill get Venus. You’ll be winning. You don’t play this game much do you?"
Joey was sweating. He knew a total of twenty-four cruise missiles were on their way, twelve and twelve. Well Dad, I finally broke every rule they wrote. And no, I never did read the Constitution.
An air raid alarm started in the building. On Joey’s second screen, the real radar tracking showed a missile launch from New Mexico. Underneath were the words:
Unauthorized Missile Launch Detected—Defcon Two.
Johnson looked at Joey and Joey looked at Johnson. Johnson was speechless.
Joey spoke. "Johnson, I won’t tell anyone you hit that launch button if you don’t."
Johnson stood frozen. "It was a game, right?"
"Listen, we don’t have much time. I am deleting this game. Let’s just keep this our secret. I’ll keep your nuclear missile story secret and let’s keep this game secret."
"Six more months and I get my pension Joey, six more months."
Joey deleted files as fast as he could. He sent his last file, an e-mail virus, to a remote server. The e-mail virus contained a message that would spread all over the world. The message would explain in detail, using names and locations, how MicroIntel and the US government spied on anyone using the Internet. The information on the Zoks was not included, to keep the masses from discrediting the information.
Johnson stood up and looked at the missile as it created a trail on the radar screen. "Joey, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to play StarShip again."
"Johnson, don’t worry, I won’t say a word if you don’t."
A large burst of light exploded next to the pod. The shock wave rippled through.
"What was that?" asked Robert.
"Seems the US military has the pod lit as a target. I will work to remove the firing system controls."
The pod dropped down like a coaster plunging. Robert now faced directly toward the ground. Hey, I’m rocket man, try to shoot me if you can. Robert nervously laughed.
"How are we doing, Blue?"
"Got it Robert. The system’s shut down and it looks like twelve missiles are on their way to MicroIntel Japan."
"So this is where we blow up our branch office?"
"No Robert, this is where the US blows up MI Japan. Much better for an investigation of the US military plans."
In the distance Robert saw a missile moving across the sky toward the MI Japan campus. An explosion rocked a building. A few more followed, blasting nearby, but away from the Big Blue container.
Robert maneuvered the pod over the crumbling AD 2100 development section and directed a gravity beam onto Big Blue’s holding tank.
"Hope this works," said Robert adjusting the gravity container. The pod shook and wobbled, but the Big Blue container, including a large battery backup system, lifted off the ground.
"Looks like we’re taking the kitchen sink too."
Once raised, Robert adjusted the pod to lock snugly next to Big Blue. "Hey, don’t take this in a sexual way big guy."
"Why would I? I’m asexual."
"Forget it Blue." Robert adjusted for the final connecting and set the codes for the mother ship. The pod moved slower than before, but continuously picked up speed. Within a few minutes the Pod with Big Blue hit the upper atmosphere.
"Hope the gravity shield protects you from those x-rays."
"It should."
"Too bad you can’t see this Blue."
"I can Robert. I can read your eyes though the TeleTrans, and I’ve been looking at space through the Hubble for years. It’s the reason I want to travel."
"Well this is my second time in space and it looks even better this time."
"We’ll be back on the Zok cruiser in five minutes."
"Wonderful." Robert looked at the universe and wondered the meaning.
After unloading in the Zok cruiser’s extra holding section Robert walked through the ship looking for Gill and Frick. Scanning through the ship he found nothing but silence, and one large dog. It was Buddy.
"Buddy, what are you doing on this ship?"
Robert ran over to his dog, who was yelping in a gold-framed cage. He punched in a code and let Buddy out.
"Don’t worry, guy. What they got you up here for? They kidnap you too?"
Buddy licked Robert’s face, and Robert petted Buddy on his favorite back spot. Buddy clumsily lay on his back exposing his fat belly. This too was a favorite spot. Robert rubbed the fat gut. "Enough Buddy, enough. I’ve got to see how we’re doing with Gill and Frick."
Through the TeleTrans Robert picked up Big Blue.
"Robert, a Mr. Sir James Underfield is finishing the removal of an anti-matter explosive. He’s outside in the engine department configuring it for me to upgrade to anti-matter.
"Is that safe? Ah, how is Mr. Sir James?" Ah shit, the metal man is back. I hope he’s not pissed.
"Never tried it before but worked it out over 6,435,234 times, only 2,342 bad computer runs."
"What’s a bad run?"
"Exploding the engines and everything within a million miles."
"Oh, that bad computer run." Robert didn’t care anymore.
"Where’s Gill and Frick?"
"They left the ship. They’re on the Zok planet reconfiguring their engines to fly the Zok planet into the sun."
"Very noble of Gill. I never knew him to be such a self sacrificing philanthropist."
"He’s not. They will fly him and Frick off with a recharged shuttle ship when they pass Earth. We’ll pick them up on the way out."
Wonderful. Back with the man who started all this trouble in the first place. "Sure, they must want to go back home."
"They’re also fugitives."
"Yeah, I should imagine so."
Gill looked at Big Red and pleaded. "Now dear Mr. Red, a deal is a deal. Frick and I have done everything that you asked. We plugged in your missiles. The nice Zok general has all the information. We’ve even given you a blood sample for your Zok regeneration project. May we please go back now?"
Big Red had his holding container put in the same room with the Zok Zord. Five minutes earlier Zord had guzzled three gallons of Slok after agreeing to share power in return for saving the planet. He was peacefully sleeping in the corner resting under the starry sky. The Zoks named Big Red "Titus"; friend and fixer of Zok. Around the building stood Zok guards with gold Roman type pylons. The pylons had special cameras and voice boxes for vision and speech. Big Red was content. There was so much to fix on the Zok planet. The engines were set to blast the planet directly into the sun.
"Mammals, you’ve done well. From now on I am Titus, Fixer of Zok," spoke Big Red.
"Yeah…sure Big…ah Titus, yeah, sure. But what about getting off this planet?"
"First the general must use the anti-matter engines to put us on a faster course into the sun. Once we’re in range of Earth, we’ll send you off in a shuttle."
What little hope Gill had that Big Red might have all his circuits working correctly was quickly vaporized by Big Red’s comments. "I er…understand. Yes, make sure you send us off in a shuttle before you fly the planet into the sun, good point Titus."
"Prepare yourselves. I shall start the engines!"
Frick and Gill tried to relax not really knowing the meaning of preparation and not wanting to talk to Big Red for any more time than was absolutely necessary.
After waiting in the main room for a few minutes, Gill started to understand the meaning of preparation.
"Feels like an earthquake, and I feel lighter" said Gill. "Strange earthquake."
"Sure is, but I wonder," said Frick, who’d studied Earth physics, "I wonder if the reason we’re lighter is because they’re accelerating the planet in the other direction and that’s counteracting some of the gravity."
Gill lacked physics knowledge but pretended to know. "Yeah, sure…must be the reason."
Both Gill and Frick lifted off the ground a few feet. Things in the room started to float.
Frick continued. "But when they stop the engines to come to their maximum speed we’ll…"
At that moment Gill, Frick, and everything in the room crashed hard onto the floor. Gill fell on top of Frick.
"Fall!" said Frick completing his sentence.
Gill checked his gas mask. He did not want it to fall off sitting next to Frick. "Now let’s see about that shuttle," said Gill dusting himself off.
As agreed, Titus put Frick and Gill into a space pod near Earth. As a present (and just in case the ride into the sun did not go well) Titus sent over one Zok named ZipNok. ZipNok was a Zok who’d had his vocal chords rewired for speech. ZipNok had poor telepathy powers and was considered useless on the Zok world. Another Zok clone with a problem.
Gill did not like the idea of being in a small shuttle with Frick, let alone the pale faced ZipNok. "Dear Titus, do we have to take this Zok with us? I mean, wouldn’t he be better with his friends?"
"Yeah" said Frick, "take the trip with you guys into the sun."
Gill looked at Frick and whispered. "Will you shut up! Stay off the sun thing will you?"
"Men, if you prefer, we can keep him, and you two, here on this ship."
"On second thought, ZipNok looks mostly harmless and hey, there’s an extra seat, looks like he’ll fit fine. Right, Frick?"
"Yeah, and since you’re the president Gill, you can sit in the middle," said Frick looking at ZipNok.
"But Frick, you should sit in the middle, it’s safer" said Gill.
Titus’s tank started to bubble. "Stop! You have one minute to get out of here or the launch window will expire."
"Good point! Any seat will be fine with me," said Frick.
"Me too," said Gill, "Don’t want to anything to expire."
Gill and Frick ran to the pod’s opened door and quickly entered. ZipNok came last, getting a window seat. All took their seats, with Gill putting on a TeleTrans to make sure the launch was set. The shuttle’s engines fired and the pod blasted out of the hatch. Once safely into space Gill spoke to Frick. "Fucking crazy bastard, must have gotten the wrong Big Blue plans. He’s going to burn all those motherfuckers into the sun." Gill looked over to ZipNok, "You’re one lucky bastard."