Chapter Thirteen—Secure Line with the Cartoon Lady

Kyle touched his wristlet and a chime sounded. May answered the line moments later. “Is this line secure?”

“Yep!” Kyle said. “Sure is, cartoon lady.”

“What’s your situation report?” she asked, ignoring the pet name he had come up for her today.

John was standing in front of the windows looking out over pristine beaches with islands off in the distance. Sleek ships floated about the skies over the horizon.

“Oh, I wanna go to that night club off in the water!” Kelly whined.

When Kyle said nothing May added, “Are you enjoying yourself, Max?”

“Sure,” he said. “Say, May. When was the last time you went on vacation?”

“If and when I ever go on a vacation is irrelevant to the matter at hand. I take it that was Kelly Hess just now?”

“Can we go? Please. Pleeaaase?”

“We’ll think about it,” John said, answering Kelly.

Kyle glanced at Kelly and she nodded excitedly. Then he turned to John who shrugged using just his head. The beaches were beautiful. “Could be,” Kyle said. “I mean, assuming we didn’t go bust on this little chore of yours.”

“I have a contact that will pick you up at the Harkun space port. His call sign is Hex.”

“Thanks, May. Now I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What was this all really about?”

“You understand the nature of our relationship, Max,” she said. “Both you and Staxx do. We provide you with high quality tech and operational intel and you perform tasks for us.”

“Really?” Max said. “Because I was under the impression that our motives were the same.”

I can’t believe she’s actually entertaining this conversation with me.

“And what motives are those?”

“To kick ass and drag our overlords into the mud with the rest of us. To pull down the system, and have a hells of a time doing it!”

There was a long pause.

Then she came back with. “Interesting.”

“Come on down to the Keys and we’ll have a hot date.”

“Funny guy.”

She clicked off.

“Wow,” Kelly said. “I hope that wasn’t actually an attempt to ask out whoever that was, because, Squeaky, that was lame.”

“Shut up,” he said.

“No you shut up.”

“We’re not going to any clubs..”

“Wait!” she said, getting off the sofa and putting out her hands. “I didn’t mean it. Listen, I can help you—give you some tips. Trust me!”

Kyle took pause. He was getting scammed right now, but for some reason he wanted to go for it, if even only to create an excuse to stick around the Keys a little longer. Their hotel was amazing—just as good as their primo rooms on the Chylaxium.

Glancing toward John, the big guy shrugged.

“All right,” he said. “Maybe we can stick around for a while.”

“YES!”

He pointed a stern finger at Kelly. “You better behave.”

“I will.”

“You better!”

“I will!”

John chuckled.

“So,” he said, “we stick around for a day or two then head back to Ororis Prime and hand the girl over?”

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “I’m sure Big Daddy Hess won’t miss his little hussy of a daughter for short while longer.”

“Hey!” Kelly complained. “I’m not a hussy.”

“Pfft!”

“Whatever.”

Suddenly John’s wristlet started beeping shrilly.

“What is that?” Kyle asked.

“Shit!” John exclaimed. “Somebody’s hacking the front door!”

“Hells!” Max complained. “Never can catch a break when we want one.”