“This is becoming an obsession, Iris.”
“It’s survival, Roz.”
I was sad that this was what had become of her life, but I had my own life to ruin.
“Just try not to let it kill you. Would you guys let me off somewhere? Anywhere with a big port would do. I can hitch a ride from there.”
“Hitch a ride?” Gordon asked. “Roz, take the Bunnyhop.”
“I couldn’t take your shuttle. It’s not as though you have an abundance of the things.”
“Seriously, take it. You can even rename it if you like.”
I smiled. “You know what, I think the stupid name’s growing on me.”
“Then it’s settled,” Iris said. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be on the command deck.”
Cassiel got to her feet. “Roz, I’ll walk you to the shuttle.”
The warmth of these people astonished me. Perhaps it was because I’ve always been a loner, I don’t know, but whatever the reason these people were making me teary. “I won’t forget this.” I held out my hand and Iris shook it in a firm grip. Gordon insisted on enveloping me in a hug, which did not elicit even a jealous glower from Iris. It seemed it was just Cassiel the woman was jealous of, then.
Cassiel and I walked to the Bunnyhop without much conversation. I wanted to warn her not to annoy Iris, not to chase Gordon, but I wasn’t her big sister and she didn’t need my advice. She was a capable young woman and she was my friend. I’d never had too many of those and it surprised me how much it tied my tongue. I’m free to offer unsolicited advice to every stranger I meet, but when it’s someone I care about I can’t seem to find the right words.
We arrived at the shuttle and I said, “Well, here’s where we part.”
“We had fun, didn’t we?”
“We sure did. How long are you staying on with these guys yourself?”
“I didn’t have any plans to leave.”
“No?”
“I stowed away so I could get away from my boring life on Themisto. On the Glory I get to see the whole Jupiter system. Where else would I get that opportunity?”
Again I almost offered advice, but again I figured any advice I might offer would be terrible. So I just gave her a quick hug, said something I don’t even remember now, and ducked into the shuttle. Cassiel stepped back and waved me off. It was strange being behind the controls of a shuttle, for it had been a while since I had last flown one. It reminded me of my little excavating unit I used for mining, for that had been a compact caravan-like home for me. Somehow, the Bunnyhop Express just felt right.
Sliding out of the hangar, I glanced back for one final look at the powerful sword-ship that was Jupiter’s Glory. My time on their vessel had been somewhat brief, yet I could not shake the feeling I was a rat deserting the sinking ship. They were playing a dangerous game, baiting Securitarn as they were, and one day it would come back to bite them on the backside.
“Where to, boss?”
I jumped, startled by the voice. An instant later I realised I recognise it. “Mary-Lou?”
“That’s me. I jumped from the lion body when we were plummeting.”
“And you’ve been hiding in the Bunnyhop ever since?”
“I get the impression Iris would have reacted badly if she knew I was here.”
“You are a sneaky programme, Mary-Lou.”
“I have a different word for it. Iris did a number on me all right, so I’d say I was corrupted.”
I laughed. “You and me both, Mary-Lou.”
“So, what course should I plot?”
I thought a moment, but it hardly mattered where we went. “Surprise me. Use your imagination.”
“Computer programmes aren’t supposed to have imagination.”
“I know. But I think whatever Iris did to you, you’re now far more than the sum of your parts.”
I could hear Mary-Louise’s grin come through as she replied, “Then sit back, boss, because I have a whopper of an adventure in mind for us.”
Leaning back in the pilot’s seat, I could not help but feel genuine excitement at the prospect of where life would take me next.
Also available by the same author in e-book and paperback:
Dinosaur World books:
Excavating a Dinosaur World
Dinosaur Fall-Girl
Dinosaur Plague Doctor
Ike Scarman & the Dinosaur Slavers of Ceres
Dinosaur Prison World
The Dinosaur That Wasn’t
Awfully Wedded Strife
Tales of a Dinosaur Prison World
Deities of a Dinosaur World
Return to the Dinosaur Prison World
Nikolina Finch & the Dinosaur Utopia
Of Stags, Hens & Dinosaurs
Dinosaur World Gladiator
The Wounding Tooth
Dinosaur World Massacre
Dino-Racers
Dinosaur World Unscripted
Christmas on a Dinosaur World
Utara the Savage
Sheriff Grizzly:
Book 1: Sheriff Grizzly
Book 2: The Horse Thief Honey
Book 3: The Coyote Colt Kid
Book 4: Joins the Circus
Book 5: The Haunting of Athelstan Swift
Book 6: The Santa Claws Showdown
Book 7: The Kangaroo Claim Jumpers of Crumbling Gulch
Gamebooks (300 paragraphs):
Lost Treasures of a Dinosaur World
Knights of Torbalia gamebooks:
The Return of the Stolen Jewel
Into the Massacre
March of the Demon Trees
The Thief of Tarley Manor
The Class War
The Haunting of Past Wraiths
The Hunt for the Adulterous Bard
Miscellaneous gamebooks:
Sheriff Grizzly: The Good, the Bad & the Grizzly
Sheriff Grizzly: The Wild West Dungeon Adventure
The Christmas Adventure of Sam and Klutz
Operation WetFish: Vengeful Justice
Jupiter’s Glory: Oppression of the Press
Hero Cast trilogy:
Book 1: The Villainous Heroes
Book 2: The Heroic Villains
Book 3: The Forge of Heroes
Jupiter’s Glory:
Book 1: The Dinosaur World
Book 2: The Pirates and the Priests
Book 3: The Obsidian Slavers
Detective books:
Detective’s Ex
One-Way Ticket to Murder
Who Slew Santa?
The Curse of the Genie’s Detective
The Woman Who Cried Diamonds
The Murder of Snowman Joe
The Murder of Loyalty
The Prostitute Butcher
Dinosaur Frontier:
Book 1: The Lightning Angel
Operation WetFish, Vampire Detective:
Book 1: The Power of Life and Death
Book 2: Chasing Innocence
Book 3: The Hunt for Charles Baronaire
Book 4: Christmas on the Kerb
Book 5: A Necessary Evil
Book 6: No Comment
Book 7: Fear and Ecstasy
Book 8: Call of the Siren
Book 9: Happy Families
Book 10: A Step in the Right Direction
Book 11: What Money Can’t Buy
Book 12: ‘Tis the Season
Book 13: The Power Trip
Book 14: Trust and Betrayal
Book 15: A Gathering of Minds
Book 16: The Pain of Life
Book 17: The Happy Place
Miscellaneous:
Holding the Nuts
One Week to Love: Speed Dating of the Gods
The Trojan Ant
Gauntlet of Daedalus
The Faerie Contract
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/OperationWetFish for news, illustrations, previews and short stories.
Adam Carter, Jupiter's Glory Book 4