“One more thing,” Cuddy said.
“Uh huh… what’s that?” Jackie asked, already walking toward her car.
“Could you take Rufus with you?”
The question somewhat softened her stony expression. “Whatever. Rufus, come on…”
They watched Jackie climb into her car, then reach across and open the passenger-side door. She called for the dog.
“Go on, boy,” Cuddy said.
Jackie called again and the old yellow lab jumped into the passenger seat of the VW. The door closed as the engine sprang to life. Revving up the engine, she put the car in reverse then backed out. After completing a three-point turn, she sped up the drive. At the top of the driveway she drove beneath the Howsh spacecraft, maneuvering around several dead Howsh bodies, and then she was gone—speeding away. Cuddy watched until the VW’s taillights disappeared into the oncoming darkness.
Cuddy led the way up the gangway into the Howsh ship. Knowing Tow was no longer there—he felt alone. Almost disconnected.
“Isn’t there a way to like… open a window in here, or something?” Tony asked, adding, “That smell… it’s like a combination of shit, a wet blanket, and Rudy Myers’ body odor, in 6th grade gym class. Remember Rudy Myers, Kyle?”
Kyle said, “Yeah, he was younger than me… few grades lower, but I remember Rudy. I then discovered he was a fellow inmate when at Whiteville. No surprise… he still had that outrageous BO.”
Climbing the last set of stairs, Cuddy listened to them talk. For the first time, he felt slighted—like he’d missed out on some part of life most boys took for granted.
Reaching the bridge, they could see the AI orb hovering low in front of the primary forward console. “Everything ready to go?” Cuddy asked, taking a seat. Kyle and Tony sat down too, both seeming rather nervous. Cuddy knew that he, more than likely, looked equally uneasy.
“Yes, Cuddy… the spacecraft is nearly ready. I have retracted the gangway. The Arm of Lia is ready to lift off.”
“Wait… that’s what this ship’s called? The Arm of Lia? That’s the stupidest name for a ship I’ve ever heard,” Kyle barked out.
“Yeah,” Tony said, “we need something bad-ass. Like the Enforcer or Doomsday.”
“Can we change the ship’s name, AI orb? Is there some way to do that?” Cuddy asked.
“Yes… it is a simple procedure.”
Cuddy thought about name-switching for a moment, then said, “Change it to… the Revenge.”
Both Kyle and Tony nodded appreciatively.
Tony said, “Um… while we’re at it, that orb thingy has a lame name too. How about we rename it?”
Cuddy was well aware they were stalling—doing everything possible to avoid the inevitable battle ahead. He studied the AI orb, then said, “Naw… the orb is what Tow referred to it as, so we’ll just keep it.”
“Plain old orb it is then,” Tony said, going along with his decision.
“I have reconfigured the ship’s name,” the AI orb said.
“I guess we should get going, orb. Where are the two Howsh vessels now?”
“They are together, above the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan. Their current course is northwest, possibly en route to Moscow.”
“Where were they before that?” Cuddy asked.
“Bangladesh… it has since been destroyed.”
“That’s crazy, how is that even possible?” Cuddy said, now watching Tony peer around. “What are you after?” Cuddy asked.
“Looking for seat belts. Doesn’t this smelly heap have seatbelts?”
The orb answered, “No, on board there are sufficient G-force compensators. So strapping oneself down will not be necessary.”
“Let’s just get going, orb. We’ve avoided taking off long enough.”
The deck beneath their feet began to vibrate and multiple displays sprang to life around the compartment. The elongated observation window, which once held a nighttime view of the house and barn at the bottom of the drive, now showed a sea of black. Cuddy felt a strange uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He’d never flown before, never been in a plane, so this new sensation of movement—both vertical and horizontal—was disconcerting.
All three stood, then moved across to various windows on either side of the craft. As the details of the landscape below quickly contracted, like a camera’s zooming out effect, Cuddy could now see the entire town of Woodbury. His eyes found and focused on one of the larger buildings, Stone River Hospital. He thought of Momma, wondering if she was all right. He’d never been this far away from her… not ever. Then he thought of Jackie and found himself smiling, though she’d still be mad at him for quite a while.
Woodbury now was only a dot in the distance. The Revenge was moving at incredible speed and, true to what the orb had said, there was no sense of movement at all.
“How long before we reach the other…”
“Five minutes, Cuddy,” the orb replied.
Chapter 33
Kyle was the first to stand, quickly followed by Tony and Cuddy. Bright strobes of red light reflected in through the forward observation window. Plasma strikes. From his vantage point, Cuddy could see fantastic, billowing eruptions of fire within the sprawling devastated city below.
“That’s what’s left of St. Basil’s Cathedral, and there’s Red Square next to it…” Cuddy said, pointing.
Both Tony and Kyle glanced over to Cuddy.
“I remember somehow… must have seen it on TV… maybe National Geographic or something.”
“Whatever… it’s pretty much rubble now,” Kyle said.
“Do they know we’re here?” Cuddy asked.
The orb said, “Yes, of course. They have been tracking our position since we left the ranch. On an ongoing basis, the two ships have been hailing us.”
“So, they don’t know their sister ship has been seized?” Tony asked.
“I do not believe so,” the orb replied. “The assumption would be a communications malfunction.”
“Good… can we get in closer?” Cuddy asked.
The orb shifted position from one console to another, its articulating arms constantly moving—its mechanical four-fingered hands making new adjustments.
“Yes, but in monitoring their communications… the captains of both of these Howsh vessels are becoming suspicious. Their guard is up.”
Cuddy asked, “Where are spaceships, like this one, the weakest… uh, what’s the word?”
“You mean most vulnerable?” Kyle asked.
“Aft. The propulsion system,” the orb replied.
“Up the old tailpipe… huh?” Tony threw in.
“Let’s do that! Can you find a way to sneak up from behind? Then fire on both ships at the same time?” Cuddy asked, as he watched the orientation of the landscape outside suddenly pivot around. The orb had altered their course. Also, the Revenge’s speed had increased.
Tony sat back down, reaching out for something to hold on to. As the orb piloted the ship, with what seemed phenomenal skill, Kyle and Cuddy exchanged a quick look. They were moving in fast. Directly ahead of them, Cuddy spotted the enemy ship’s aft thrusters—two on the left and two further away, on the right.
“Shall I fire the Revenge’s plasma weapons?” the orb asked.
Tony and Kyle looked at Cuddy. Hesitating, he was reminded that Tow had placed the orb under his direction.
“Yes! Blow them out of the fucking sky,” Tony interjected.
The orb waited.
Cuddy hesitated. Just days ago, he had the mind of a seven-year-old boy; his biggest responsibility was feeding Rufus. And, truthfully, he often was not good remembering to do that. How was it that he, of all people everywhere, was now ready to perform something of such unfathomable importance?