“Yeah, one who almost got the world blown up,” Iyabo said.
Pinky perked up, taking in a sharp breath. “They’re trying to make a connection now.”
“You still have eyes and ears in there, right?” Benny asked, getting to his feet. Even if they weren’t calling the shots, he didn’t want to be left in the dark. “Can you show us what’s happening?”
She nodded. In a flash two of the intersecting walls of the common room changed. One was a side view of those gathered in the meeting room. Dr. Bale looked different from before. His beard was trimmed much shorter and his hair was clean and slicked back. He wore a pristine new space suit and had traded out his thick goggles for a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. Ricardo and Trevone stood on one side of him, his assistants on the other. The second wall in the Mustang common room gave them a frontal view of the holodesk. A squiggly blue hologram pulsed in the air above it as Dr. Bale attempted to make contact with Earth. Benny and his friends all walked closer to the video-feed walls, staring at the scene playing out before them.
“Where are Sahar and the Miyamuras?” Jasmine asked.
“Ricardo sent them on patrol outside the Taj,” Pinky said.
“That’s crazy,” Benny said. “Did you tell them we were attacked out there earlier?”
“They all seem to agree that the Pit Crew can handle themselves.”
Hot Dog took a step closer to the video walls. “How long do you think it’ll take before—”
The line above the desk in the meeting room flashed and was replaced by a hologram of an office where serious-looking men and women in dark suits sat around a circular table, all staring into the camera.
“Yes!” Benny shouted. “It worked. We’ve got contact.”
His attention was immediately focused on the one man who didn’t look like he belonged there. His minty-green hair was like a dollop of foam on the top of his head, complementing his similarly dyed mustache and short, pointy beard. Max Étoile, the tall, thin man who had run the Taj under Elijah’s command and had fled when the major asteroid storm approached.
On the video feed, Max squinted. “You?” he asked. “Where’s Elijah?”
“Wait . . .” Drue said. “That Max guy actually made it back to Earth?”
“And he knows who Dr. Bale is,” Jasmine whispered.
A woman with red hair pulled back into a severe bun sat at the center of the hologram. She turned to someone offscreen. “Get the chairman.”
“He’s in a meeting with—” a voice started.
“Get the chairman,” the woman repeated, her tone unchanged. Then she turned her attention to the camera. “Doctor. It’s good to see you’re alive. When we lost contact with the Moon, we’d feared the worst. Asteroids took out NASA’s orbiting telescopes and our satellites, giving us limited visibility. We’re working off older, Earthbound models now.” She pursed her lips. “Is the Taj secure?”
“It is,” Dr. Bale said. “Despite our insufficient preparedness.” His voice took a harsh tone. “Elijah’s children here on the Moon managed to stop an Alpha Maraudi assault that would have wiped out Earth.”
“I’m sure you could have handled the aliens yourself if you had to, with all the weaponry at your disposal,” the woman on camera said.
“True.” Dr. Bale shrugged. “But I suppose we’ll never know.”
“Guys, you did not say anything about weapons,” Iyabo said.
“Wait . . .” Benny said. “They know about the Alpha Maraudi?” He shook his head, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.
“And from the way they’re talking about the weaponry,” Jasmine said, “I wonder if it was made on Earth.”
Drue stepped closer to the screen. “I feel like I’ve seen this lady before.”
The woman paused a few beats before tilting her head to one side. None of the other people in suits had moved since the call started. “And Elijah West?” she asked.
“Elijah was captured during the alien attack,” Ricardo said, stepping forward. “Our number one priority is to find him and—”
“His current status is unknown,” Dr. Bale said, raising a hand to silence the leader of the Pit Crew.
Ricardo looked like he was going to say more, but closed his mouth instead.
“Who are . . .” the woman started, looking at him. She stopped, though, either because she recognized him or because it didn’t matter, Benny wasn’t sure. “Well, at least we won’t have to worry about Elijah getting in the way of—”
“This had better be good,” a man boomed offscreen.
Beside Benny, Drue flinched.
The woman with the red bun looked at the man in the chair to her left and cleared her throat. The man stood and hurried out of the way as another figure came on-screen. He sat down, his brown hair slicked over in a severe part. He stared into the camera with piercing gray eyes as the woman leaned over and whispered into his ear. Something about him looked familiar, but Benny couldn’t quite figure out why until Drue stepped even closer to the wall, his eyes wide.
“Dad?” he asked, his voice cracking through the single syllable.
“Whaaaaaat?” Hot Dog said, drawing out the word. “No way.”
“Hello, Senator Lincoln,” Dr. Bale said with a smile.
“Dr. Bale.” Drue’s father nodded.
“I should let him know I’m okay,” Drue said. He took a few steps toward the door but then stopped, likely remembering that he couldn’t get into the meeting room. In a flash he was back at the wall, practically bouncing on his feet. Benny had never seen him look so on edge, and after all they’d been through together in the past week, that was saying a lot.
But Drue’s father didn’t ask about his son or any of the EW-SCABers. Instead, he put his hands together on the desk in front of him and spoke to Dr. Bale. “What is going on? I’ve got a fleet of top secret, weaponized Space Runners ready for takeoff here, and you can’t even keep a single line of communication open?”
“Weaponized Space Runners?” Jasmine asked.
“There were complications,” Dr. Bale said. “The asteroid storm—”
“I don’t want excuses,” Drue’s father said.
“Your dad is super intense,” Hot Dog said.
“Yeah, he’s great,” Drue said flatly, in barely more than a whisper, his eyes glued to the screen.
“Update us on the alien threat,” Senator Lincoln continued.
“They’ve retreated,” Dr. Bale said. “Likely gearing up for another, more vicious assault on Earth. There were five scouts on the dark side earlier, but I have no further evidence of them on radar. That being said, we have a very limited understanding of how fast their ships can travel, and our current satellite capabilities on the Moon are less than ideal. I’ll be launching deep space probes as soon as I can get them put together, but we need to move quickly and strike hard.” He crossed his arms. “The resort is ready to become our base of operations. Project New Apollo can begin.”
Ricardo and Trevone both turned to look at each other, before Ricardo took a few steps forward. In one swift movement, Trevone’s hand was on Ricardo’s shoulder, holding him still.
“What is he talking about?” Benny asked.
Max leaned into the camera. “If Elijah could hear you now, don’t you know he’d just die if he found out what was going on.”
Ricardo opened his mouth to say something, but either thought better of it or couldn’t figure out the right words. Watching him, Benny could relate.
“I’m glad to see you made it back to Earth, Max,” Dr. Bale said. “I trust the drones I supplied you with enabled a safe journey.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it safe,” Max said, sneering. “It was certainly the most anxiety-filled flight I’ve ever been on, what with the asteroids exploding around me near constantly.” He raised a hand to his chest and gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Mr. Étoile, the information you’ve given us about the Taj has been useful over the years, and you’ll b
e handsomely rewarded for your work,” Senator Lincoln said. “But with Elijah West out of the picture and your documented support of our plans moving forward, I see no roadblocks to the government taking control of the Taj. You’re excused.”
Max stared at him for a beat before stammering, “B-but I can still help—”
“That will be all, Mr. Étoile,” Drue’s father said, never even looking at Max.
“Max and Dr. Bale and the government were all working together this whole time?” Hot Dog asked as Max huffed and stomped out of the meeting room.
“This is some conspiracy-theory kinda stuff,” Iyabo said. “Right?”
“It’s not a theory if it’s real,” Jasmine said.
Benny kept his eyes focused on Dr. Bale, trying to piece everything together. There was a brick of dread in the pit of his stomach making his guts churn.
“The war is here, ladies and gentlemen,” Dr. Bale continued, clasping his hands behind his back. “Just as I warned you it would be. When all this is over and Earth is safe, we’ll be seen as heroes. Saviors. And you, the ones who trusted in me when all the others thought I was mad—who saw through Elijah West’s deceptions—will be lauded as visionaries.”
“I’m not totally sure what’s happening,” Hot Dog said, “but I don’t like it.”
“All those trips back and forth to Earth he mentioned,” Jasmine said. “He was gathering allies. There were people on Earth who believed him.”
“Well,” Drue’s father said with a grim edge to his voice, “at least we weren’t sinking money into preparation for nothing. You’re sure your superweapon is ready?”
Benny took in a quick breath.
“What is he talking about?” Jasmine asked, wringing her hands.
“We haven’t been able to field-test it, given the circumstances, but I stand by its design,” Dr. Bale said. “You have my guarantee it will fulfill its purpose.”
“It had better,” Senator Lincoln said.
“I can clear out the rest of the asteroids between here and Earth with my drones. That won’t be a problem,” Dr. Bale continued. He motioned to Todd and Mae. “I’ll have my assistants launch them now. It will take a while, but I’ll get you a viable path to the Moon. Then we’ll send the children here home, and the Taj will be opened up to the forces you’ve put together.”
“Oh, heck no,” Hot Dog said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know, I’m getting used to resort life,” Iyabo said. She scoffed. “I told you we were better off here alone.”
“Once we’ve secured the Taj,” Senator Lincoln said, “I want us striking as soon as possible.”
“Of course,” Dr. Bale said. “We’ll take this fight to them and stop the enemy before they have a chance to hit us again.”
“They’re going to try to destroy the aliens with something horrible,” Benny said.
“But wait,” Hot Dog said. “He can’t just give the Taj over to the government or whoever.”
“Who’s going to stop them?” Jasmine asked.
“Um, us,” Hot Dog said.
On the screen, Senator Drue Bob Lincoln, Jr. nodded to Dr. Bale. “We have much to do on our end. The president won’t be thrilled when she hears about what we’ve been doing, but I’m sure she’ll be on board once she understands the full extent of the alien problem. For the time being, this entire incident will remain top secret. With any luck, we can handle it covertly, before the American people have to know anything about it.”
Dr. Bale tapped on his HoloTek. “I’m sending you all the information gathered by my team and the artificial intelligence here at the Taj.”
“Is she going to be a problem? Max tells me she’s quite . . . spirited.”
“Spirited?” Pinky asked. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m contacting the real me and getting her to track him down and slap him.”
“Pinky won’t be a problem,” Dr. Bale said, motioning to Trevone. “We have a leash on her.”
In the common room, Pinky gasped, then clenched her fists.
Trevone’s eyebrows were knitted together. “Yes,” he said. And then something in his expression changed. He glanced to one side. It looked to Benny like he was staring right at them for a few seconds. Then he turned his attention back to the hologram. “Pinky is under our control now. It would take a programmer far smarter than anyone in this room to get past my firewalls.”
“Good,” Senator Lincoln said. “We’ll be in touch in a few hours, Doctor. The Congressional Committee on Lunar Affairs thanks you for your work.”
And then the hologram floating above the table disappeared.
“What was that?” Ricardo asked, covering the few feet between him and Dr. Bale in a single bound, until the tall boy was glaring down at the man. “You told me we were going to find Elijah. You said—”
“My boy,” Bale said, digging into the second word. “This is your best chance of finding him. With an army at your back.” He narrowed his eyes. “We need these reinforcements. Trust me. You’ve seen how strong these aliens are. As passionate as you and your Crew may be, you can’t take them on alone.”
Ricardo took a long look at him before taking a step back.
Dr. Bale turned away from the Pit Crew and marched toward the door. “Come on, then. I’d like to take a look at the research labs. We have a war to prepare for.”
13.
For a moment, everyone in the Mustangs’ common room stood silent, unsure of what to say. Finally, Benny spoke up.
“We can’t let them do this,” he said. “I know the Alpha Maraudi are a threat to humanity, but they’re people. I mean, sort of. You know what I mean. There’s got to be something we can do. Another way.”
“He’s using the Pit Crew’s desperation to get them to go along with this,” Jasmine said. “To bring an army here.”
“To exterminate the aliens.”
“Is that even possible?” Hot Dog asked. “I mean, I know they said they had armed Space Runners, and Dr. Bale definitely has some crazy weapons, but . . .”
“I don’t know.” Jasmine shook her head. “Elijah was right when he said that humans are pretty good at destroying things. And we have no idea what this superweapon might be.”
“Yeah,” Iyabo said. “That does not sound good.”
“Is it here?” Benny asked. “On the Moon? Could we find it?”
“If it’s here,” Pinky said, “it’s cloaked with the same sort of device that kept us from tracking Dr. Bale and his team over the years.”
Hot Dog scoffed. “How could Elijah have let this happen?”
Benny looked over at Drue, figuring he’d at least want to weigh in on this and talk about blowing up planets or how powerful particle beams could be. But he just stood there staring at the wall, which had returned to its previous animated state, red mustangs running in place, galloping without ever moving forward. His eyebrows were scrunched together, a deep crease between them.
“He didn’t ask about me,” Drue said quietly.
In the shock of everything, Benny had almost forgotten that Senator Lincoln—Drue’s father—had been the chairman of the group that seemed to be behind all this on Earth.
Hot Dog turned to him, her mouth twisting as she inhaled a breath through her teeth. “Well,” she said eventually, “I mean, maybe Dr. Bale already sent him stuff saying everyone was okay?”
Drue didn’t respond.
Benny couldn’t stop shaking his head as he thought of how everything was rocketing out of control. Drue had asked him what he would do if it came down to the fate of Earth versus the fate of the Alpha Maraudi, if only one could survive. He’d avoided answering this, even thinking about it too much. And that was because deep inside, he knew he’d always choose Earth. Part of him even wondered if maybe Dr. Bale’s solution was for the best after all. And that made him feel even worse.
But in his heart, he knew this wasn’t right. That there had to be a better way—he just had to figure out what that was. And
this wasn’t just because he’d seen his own caravan reflected in the Alpha Maraudi. It was something else. He didn’t want to be the kind of person who was okay with a bunch of aliens being killed.
“Whatever we do now, it has to be quick,” Jasmine said. “Before Dr. Bale can clear a path back to Earth.”
“And before a bunch of army dudes show up,” Iyabo added.
“Todd and Mae are in the garage now,” Pinky said, “activating most of the remaining drones.”
Hot Dog twisted a blond curl. “So what’s our next move?”
Benny was lost in his head. He didn’t realize everyone was staring at him until the room was silent. Even Pinky seemed to be looking to him for guidance. And realizing that, his chest suddenly felt tight.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe we could try to warn the Alpha Maraudi? Crap, does that make us traitors to the human race?”
“Uh, maybe,” Iyabo said.
“Ramona’s looking into setting up another satellite for us,” Jasmine said. “But we’ll have to figure out a way to actually contact them.”
“Drue,” Hot Dog said, “what if you called your dad and tried to explain things to him?”
Drue looked like he’d been woken up out of a daze, and stared back at Hot Dog in confusion for a few beats. “Are you kidding me? You heard him. He’s made up his mind.”
“Yeah, but you’re his son,” Jasmine said. “Maybe . . .”
“That’s not how this works,” he said. “Trust me. He’s not going to listen to anything I have to say.”
“Okay,” Hot Dog said. She spoke slowly, taking great care to choose each word. “You said that sometimes you peeked at your dad’s files, right? Is there anything you might have heard or seen back on Earth that could give us a clue as to what the government is doing?”
“Most of the stuff didn’t make sense to me,” Drue said. “I mean, there was a lot of alien talk after they found those ruins on Pluto, but none of the things I saw said anything about the Alpha Maraudi. And these Space Runners he mentioned . . . I kind of figured those were for use on Earth, you know? Why go to war on land when you could attack from space.” He shook his head, turning back to the wall where his father had been just a few minutes before. “Why did he even let me come up here? Why would . . . ?”