MoonRush (38 page)

* * *

Okay, so the situation was serious and everything
—
what with the gunshots and all
—
but Rob was having a blast. He couldn’t remember the last time someone…okay, Cleo…had told him he was too young to be there. And that diamond? Dude. And now he was full
on in the middle of a high
-
speed chase
on the
M
oon
. This could not get
any
cool
er
.

Jarod took a hard left, turning away from the café, sending the
Moon
Rover behind a large, long crest. Just as Rob was about to ask what was going on, Jarod slammed on the brake
s
, sending everyone forward into their seat straps. Jarod spun the Rover around
.
M
oon rocks spew
ed
out in an arc as the vehicle came to a complete stop.

“What are you doing?! They are right on top of us!” Mia punched Jarod square
ly
in the shoulder, causing him to wince and rub at the sore spot.

“Hey, hey,
hey!
Will you knock that off? Ow!” He threw up his hands in defense as Mia socked him a second time. “Trust me for a sec, will ya? I have an idea.”

Jarod kept the
Moon
Rover at a standstill for what felt like an eternity, waiting for…what? Rob had no idea. The ships following them were behind the ridge, but Rob could feel them there, getting closer by the second. To be honest, Rob wanted to pound on Jarod
,
too. They had to get out. But there they sat.

And then Jarod punched the accelerator, slapping the crew back into their seats. Rob had no idea what had just happened. Jarod had gone in the wrong direction, stopped
,
and then waited. And
then
he started in the opposite direction again, with no kind of cue that Rob could see. There was no reason for anything that Jarod was doing right now. Was there such a thing as
M
oon fever?

The
Moon
Rover flew out from behind the crest, and Rob fully expected to see their
pursuers
right on top of them. But scanning the horizon, they were nowhere to be found. Then Rob spotted some movement off in the distance, along the top of the ridge. Gil and his cronies must have tried to cut them off, thinking that the Rogues were heading back out to the diamond fields. Rob watched as the ships spun in disarray, trying to get back on the Rogues’ trail while not colliding with one another.

And now they had some breathing room. Not much, but some. Jarod made a beeline around to the back of the Dark Side of the Moon
Café
, and, sure enough, a garage opening appeared right in front of them. Buton never failed. Their tail was still coming, but Jarod managed to zip back and forth between the travelers entering and exiting the underground without crashing into anyone. Another zig and one more zag
,
and they were in the garage
.
T
heir pursuers
were
somewhere outside and
,
hopefully
,
baffled.

Jarod darted a glance behind them. “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

Right as he spoke, the buggy beneath them shuddered, slowing down. Rob looked over Jarod’s shoulder at the readout. They were almost out of juice.

They drifted to a halt
just
yards away from a charging station
.
T
rucks and
Jeep
s
were
plugged in on all sides. Okay
. It was
time for Rob to earn his keep as Mr. Obvious.

“We don’t have time to recharge.”

Cleo went to step out of the
Moon
Rover. “We’ve got to go to the authorities.”

Once more, Mia and Jarod spoke as one. “No!” The both looked at each other, clearly surprised
that
they were in agreement once again.

Jarod spoke first. “Trust me, there is
no
law enforcement in there.”

“He’s right,” Mia seconded.

“Then
,
what are we supposed to do?” Rob threw up his hands. They had a lead, but that wasn’t going to last much longer. Especially if they all sat around jawing like
“grownups” seemed determined to do.

But Jarod was already searching amongst the other vehicles. “We’re going to…um…“borrow” a ride.”

Jarod could apparently feel the group disapproval aimed at his backside as he straightened up and gave them all a look.

“What? Once we’re
E
arthside, we’ll pay them back. Honest.”

Rob looked around at the other crew members. They were all obviously uncomfortable with the idea. Then
,
an amplified voice boomed out through the underground garage.

“This area has been placed under martial law. Please stop your vehicles…”

Jarod had already bent down over a
M
oon
Jeep
, looking like he was attempting
to
hot
-wire it.
Judging from the tanks, it was a hydrogen engine, so
there was
no need to worry about a charge. Rob shook his head and nudged him aside.

“Let me.” Rob popped open his legs, revealing an enormous assortment of tools. He reached in for what he needed and got to work.

Rob felt Mia give his “legs” the once
-
over. All right. Here we go again.
He
start
ed
to feel awkward until she asked the question.

“What else you got in there?” There was no shock or pity in her tone. Rob felt a smile creep over his face.

Jarod spoke from somewhere behind Rob’s back.

“You don’t want to know.” Rob felt Jarod dig an elbow into his ribs.

At
that point, Rob had the engine running. He gave an extra shot of power to the motor, revving it up. He turned and bowed with a flourish.

“Everybody on board.”

After some grunting and sweating
and
a couple of expletives thrown in for good measure, the crew got the
Star D
iamond aboard, still covered in its tarp. Mia and Cleo hopped in after it, but there wasn’t enough room for Jarod and Buton. Rob stood up, ready to climb out of the vehicle.

“No. You go.” Jarod stopped him with a hand.

Rob made a face. “Hey, I don’t want to go with the girls!”

A sound of gravity boots clomping toward them distracted Rob long enough for Jarod to hit the accelerator on the
Jeep
. As the vehicle lurched forward, Rob fell back into his seat. He turned around to watch Jarod and Buton disappear around a corner of the garage.

This s
uck
ed
. Those guys were gonna have all the fun now. Rob just knew it.

The
Jeep
joined in with the caravan heading back out to the diamond fields. With the new car and a different number in their crew, they might escape notice.
If
fate
were
on their side.

Or was that karma? Rob could never remember the difference.

* * *

Dr. Weigner was less than pleased with the current situation. The doctor had identified the likelihood of some sort of subterfuge when the Rogues had disappeared behind the long dune. No one had listened to his protests.

After realizing their mistake and backtracking to the Dark Side of the Moon Café, with a conspicuous lack of apology from Stavros, Weigner and his team had now trapped the Rogues within the underground parking structure. That was about to change, at least in part.

The doctor observed as a
Jeep
tried to blend in with the group of vehicle
s
headed back out for more prospecting. Did these cretins think he lacked eyes? He identified the Asian woman, the African American
,
and the teenage boy. Manifestly absent were the leader of the crew… and Dr. Desei.

Captain Stavros’ face appeared in the air above the dashboard, his brow furrowed.

“I said no departures.” His voice cut off for a moment, his face expectant, apparently waiting for some sort of acknowledgment. When none was forthcoming, Stavros spoke again, his tone much sharper.

“What are you waiting for? Intercept them.”

Weigner laid a hand across the driver’s chest, keeping him from pursuit. The frown on Stavros’ face deepened by a factor of three, but it could not be helped
.
These soldiers were like one big ganglion. Nothing but pure reflex
—
with nary an original thought in the bunch. Weigner urged the soldier in a different direction.

“No. Head toward the garage.”

“Seaman Jacobs! Belay that order!” the captain snapped.

The hapless seaman begged Weigner for understanding with his eyes.

“Doctor, I have my orders.” Ah, military types. They were nothing if not consistent.

The doctor made a motion for the man to hold still for a moment, placing his hand on the wheel to assure the soldier’s obedience gene did not get the better of him. Time for another assertion of dominance. Weigner wondered for a moment if this conflict would ultimately degenerate to the point of his comparing genitalia with the prickly captain. That would prove awkward.

“Captain, I believe we can accomplish more by detaining the two
who
still remain here. One of them is Dr. Desei, who is clearly the brains behind the organization.”

“Negative. We have eyes on the others. They are the priority.”

“Yes, Captain, but I know where Desei will go.”

“Just because you know Dr. Desei does not mean
that
you know where he is heading.” The disbelief painting Stavros’ face was palpable.