The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper (3 page)

“They were assholes and had it coming.”

They laughed. Ben said good night and headed up the back steps to the apartment. The food was good and the two beers helped him to relax even more. He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. He hoped tomorrow would go back to normal. He would go home to the farmhouse and help the Vander Hoyts with anything they needed done on the farm.

He thought about Major Andrea Anderson, then wondered,
What the hell was with those damn spacers?
If it had just been, the spacer crew he could have wrote that off in his mind as a fluke. The thing with the major followed right on the heels of the fight, so there is something fishy as hell about both of them. It was a nice kiss once she responded.

Deep down Ben knew it wasn’t over. He knew he would see the major and her boys again soon. She didn’t seem like the type to just give up and go away
.
Ben drifted off to sleep.

The major, sergeant major and Gunny were at the sheriff’s office. The spacer crew was all in one cell. They were mostly upright except for the big meathead who was out of it on painkillers. The major told the sheriff that the spacers were her crew and she had let them off the ship while they took on fuel and supplies. He chewed her ass up one side and down the other, telling her that the place they had tried to trash and persons they assaulted were friends of his.

The night judge had already set their bail and fines earlier so after the sheriff was through yelling and the fines paid, the cell was opened and the spacers helped each other out to the hover van they had rented. She asked them if they wanted medical attention and that they would take them to the hospital. The captain replied that they could take care of themselves back at their ship. On the ride to the space port, the major asked Gunny for the travel safe and the combination.

She sat down, punched in the combination and opened it up. Inside was a stack of credit chips, all in Sols — ten, to be exact, at a thousand each. The van arrived at the ship and the doors automatically opened. They all were moving slow and two of men got on either side of the big guy to help him up the loading ramp and onto their ship. The woman and the skinny spacer got out next and walked away, and the captain exited the van last.

The captain paused, keeping the door from closing, and looked at the major. He had that hateful smile on his face. After a short silence, he told her, “I think I’m going to kill that guy. I’m not under contract to you now that we’ve been paid and I know my crew wants his hide.”

The major returned his stare with one of her own. “Captain, I would not advise that if you don’t want to orphan your ship,” she replied coldly. “You didn’t threaten him tonight, even after that skinny asshole pulled a knife. If you go back to that bar and start anything, you may not come out alive. Those people are his friends.” She paused for a second. “It will go very bad for you and your crew if you go back there. I can’t stress this enough to you.”

“And what about you, Major? What are you going to do?” he asked.

“Right now, Captain, in his eyes I am no better than you. However, my people are much better suited to deal with him,” she said. “Tomorrow I’m going to get him to join my team, and then you will have to go through us to get to him.”

The captain snorted and walked away with their money under his arm. The major held the door and watched him. He was shaking his head and talking to himself. He probably didn’t believe her, and he was just enough of a cocky fool to get his whole crew killed. He had been warned. The door slid shut, and she told the sergeant major to take them back to the hotel. 0700 was in four hours and a little sleep would be nice.

The major’s alarm went off at 0600. She showered, then sat down and logged into a secured net to see if there were any messages from the general’s office. There was only one, wishing them luck on the mission and hoping the asset could be signed up and secured in the least amount of time possible. The major replied with a report of the first day’s events. She left out only one thing in her report. As far as she was concerned, it was an isolated incident and there was no reason to mention it.

She met her men for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They planned to fly out to the farm first and look around again. She thought she might talk to the Vander Hoyts, tell them she was an old friend and find out if they had heard from Ben. They lifted off at 0730 and retraced the route from the night before, from the space station hotel complex to Gus’s and out into the country. The major put on a sundress and some soft-sole flat shoes. A designer purse and sunglasses rounded out her outfit for the day. She did not want to draw attention to herself or make people less willing to talk to her.

She drove the hover car herself to keep the illusion of being alone. Matt sat in the front passenger seat while Bill sat in the back, listening to audio from the bar the night before. There was nothing much at all to hear until the fight broke out.

They had been sitting outside with a directional mic, recording for hours, until Ben left and made his walk home. Matt and Bill had decided not to tell the major they had the mic and infrared recording the whole time she was confronting Ben on the side of the road. They had seen her knock him down and laughed at the scene. They could do nothing but stare as she straddled him and pinned him to the ground. After about ten seconds of no audio or movement, they saw Ben raise his head and, they thought, head butt the major. Her temperature spiked then eventually returned to normal.

Later they understood when they saw the major was not hurt — plus Ben was calling her “lady” again and asking how much he owed her. They looked at each other, then back to the screen and laughed. Holy shit! It was a kiss. One day they would have to shake that brave young man’s hand.

The Vander Hoyts were both out in the yard. Janet was pulling weeds from the flowers surrounding the front porch and Harold had a hammer and nails, repairing a fence. The major pulled down the gravel drive, shut the engine down, and let the car sink to the ground 15 meters from the house. She did not want the Vander Hoyts covered in dirt and sand.

The major walked up to Janet first and said good morning. She got a big smile and a sweet “good morning dear” in return. She said her name was Dawn and explained she was looking for Ben. Harold walked over and answered before Janet could say anything. Harold said he was looking for Ben also. The “rascal” was supposed to fix the fence for him today, but it looked like he didn’t come home last night. Janet said it was unusual, that even on Friday nights when Ben stayed out later he was still home before midnight. He was always up at six on Saturday doing something for Pa until mid- afternoon or later.

Janet offered the major some coffee and to come sit on the porch. Harold cleared his throat. “Am I chopped liver or can I have some coffee too?” he joked.

The major went up the steps and sat down. Harold sat next to her. Janet brought three cups of black coffee, cream and sugar. They made their coffee quietly until Harold broke the silence.

“So Dawn, how do you know Ben? He’s never had anyone come visit.”

“We use to go to school together and went separate ways afterwards,” the major lied. She said she had heard from someone that Ben was on Anubis, so she thought she would look him up on her way to Osiris. Janetsaid he was a wonderful bo
y
—
always so nice and helping out. He kept his room clean and always paid his rent on time. She would do his laundry from time to time and money would mysteriously appear on the kitchen table the next day. They just wondered about him because he didn’t talk much about his family or life.

The major knew a little about his family, and decided it would not hurt the mission to give them a little info. She told them Ben was an orphan. A train wreck on Athena had killed his parents. She told them she did not think he had any family other than his grandparents. They were both sad to hear about Ben’s misfortune, but it made sense to them now. The major could see they both thought the world of Ben, and he probably felt the same way about them.

Surrogate grandparents,
she thought. “Now, don’t tell him I told you. He may have his own reason for not saying anything.,” she said.

“We won’t tell him,” Harold said. 

She thanked them for the coffee. She shook Harold’s hand, then turned to shake Janet’s, who decided a hug was better. She tensed for a second, then relaxed and hugged Janet back and said good-bye again. She walked down the steps and crossed the yard to the hover car.

The major realized she had really enjoyed that 20 minutes with them. She got behind the controls and lifted off. “Where to now, boss?” Bill asked from the back seat.

“I want to go by the bar and see what time it opens,” she replied. “If they are open I may go in and sit for a while, maybe read and have some more coffee. I want you to wait outside for about 30 minutes in case he is already there or walks in. If he does not show in 30 then you can start a search perimeter, working your way away from the bar until you’re no farther than 15 minutes in any direction. I want you to be able to get back here if I signal his arrival.”

On Anubis, there was no defined time for any business to open or close. You could keep the doors open all day and night if you wanted. But Gus didn’t want anything to do with being open around the clock. He opened at nine and closed at two in the morning. He was sweeping around all the tables when a beautiful woman in a sundress walked in and sat in the last booth along the wall facing the door. The kitchen was directly behind her. Gus was wondering what was going to happen today in his quiet little bar. First a brawl last night, and now this. He had never seen her before and he would have remembered a woman like her.

“Good morning Ms. Can I get you anything?” he asked.

“Is your coffee any good?” She figured that was an easy enough question.

“My coffee is the best on the planet,” Gus said, puffing out his chest a little.

“Well sir, in that case please bring me a cup please. Is it okay if I sit and read?”

“It is no problem at all. If you want I will make that your personal table from now on,” Gus joked.

The major could not help but laugh a hearty, friendly laugh and touch Gus lightly on the arm as she did. Gus thought it was the sweetest sound he ever heard. He walked away and got her a cup with some cream and sugar on the side. He started his sweeping again, thinking how he wished he were 30 years younger.

The local patrons started drifting in for coffee. Andrea sat there sipping hers, which seemed to magically stay filled. She noticed the bruising on Cindy’s arm and neck. You wouldn’t know by her attitude and good humor that someone had tried to strangle her the night before. Some of the locals were talking about the excitement from last night. Two men sitting close by were recounting the events. Although Andrea had heard a lot of it, she did not get to see any of it.

“Did you see how fast old Gus wrapped his towel around that man’s neck?” one man commented. “He was choking the shit out of him. It was great.”

“But that young man Ben, he moved like the wind. He punched the big man in the ear and broke his leg. He had him down in seconds, and that was a big son of a bitch,” the man added. “I’m glad there were six of those assholes.”

His friend looked at him, confused.

“If there had been just a couple it would have been over so quick, it would have been no fun to watch,” the man explained with a chuckle.

“What you smiling at, missy?” Gus asked Andrea as he approached her.

“It sounds like you had some excitement in here last night,” she commented, nodding in the direction of the men she’d been listening to.

“Aww, it was no trouble,” Gus said. “Some trash blew in the door off the street. A friend and I had to clean it up and take it out.”

She remembered seeing some men dragging the spacers out in front of the bar by their feet and arms for the sheriff to pick up. “Do you think there will be any excitement like that again today?” she asked innocently.

“No,” Gus said. “This is a quiet little establishment. That was the first trouble I have had in years. I don’t expect there will be any more.”

About that time, Ben was coming down the back steps. He walked in the back door and through the kitchen, past the booth Andrea was sitting in, and sat down at the farthest end of the bar. He didn’t see her. She messaged for Matt and Bill to come in, telling them he had arrived. They said they were a couple blocks away and would be there in a few minutes.

Cindy was behind the bar. He asked about Gus and she said he was in his office doing paperwork.  He looked at the clock — it was 1030. He had slept like the dead. His lip was a little swollen and his cheekbone hurt to the touch. He had no idea what he would tell the Vander Hoyts when he got home. Ma would be all over him like a mother hen and Pa would give him a lecture — at least in front of Ma. Later he would want all the good details of the fight.

He asks Cindy for some coffee and asked whether the kitchen was open for food. The cook heard him and walked to the bar. He said he had instructions to cook him anything he wanted at any time. He had no problem with doing that for Ben. He loved old Gus and Cindy; they were like family, and Ben had protected that family.

Cindy had been smiling at Ben since he walked in. He said, “You’re in a good mood.”

“Yes I am,” she replied. “Ben, honey, what are you wearing?”

Ben looked at his homemade shorts, the shirt that was too small for him, and the old sandals. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s all a little tight, sweetie,” Cindy replied with a chuckle.

He had put his clothes in the dryer before he walked down, so he was just wearing the things he got from the apartment. The cook was still standing there waiting, so he asked for some eggs with toast and bacon. He heard a voice say, “Could I get some toast with butter please?”

The cook said “yes ma’am” and walked to the back to start on the food. Ben sat dead still for a minute, not saying anything.

“What’s wrong honey?” Cindy asked.

Ben relaxed and said, “It’s nothing.”

Cindy shrugged and walked down the bar to the first booth, which Ben couldn’t see because the end of the bar blocked his view. “Would you like some coffee, dear?” she asked the voice in the booth.

“No thank you, but I would like some juice if you have some, and where is the ladies room?” the voice answered.

“Go to the other end of the bar and down the hall; you’ll see the sign, dear.”

“Thanks Cindy,” the voice said.

Ben closed his eyes. He heard Cindy move away to the kitchen and could hear someone walking in his direction. The whole room got quiet. The locals just now we’re seeing who had been sitting in that booth. The jet-black shoulder length hair, the flawless skin. The ice blue eyes and the sundress that fit perfectly. She moved quietly with the soft-soled shoes, but Ben could hear each step. He heard a pause in her steps as he felt her lips on his ear.

“Good morning,” she said softly, before moving on to the ladies room. She really did have to go; she must have drunk a pot of coffee since 0600 a.m.
Not everything is smoke and mirrors,
she thought as she messaged Matt and Bill to come in and sit in the first booth at the front door.

The bar was still quiet. Ben opened his eyes. He hadn’t seen her so he wasn’t prepared when she walked back out and turned towards him and her booth. This time, as she walked by she put her hand under his chin and lifted, closing his mouth which must have been hanging open. She was gorgeous and so different than last night, when she looked more like a warrior princess. Everyone in the bar was watching and busted out laughing as she moved on past him to her seat. The tongues started wagging.

He had to come up with a plan and get the hell out of there. The doors opened behind him and he heard two people sit down. He didn’t turn and look. He just listened. Cindy walked over to see if the customer wanted to order.

“What can I get you fellas?” she asked.

“How’s the food here, ma’am?” one of them asked.

“It’s great,” she said, smiling. “We don’t have a big menu. I would recommend the double cheeseburger to you two. You look like you could do it justice.”

“That sounds great. Bring us each a double with everything, some fries and two waters.”

“Two doubles loaded, coming up,” Cindy replied.

“Ma’am,” the man continued, “have you seen six spacers in here lately? My partner and I are colonial rangers and we’re looking for five men and a woman.”

All ears perked up at that revelation.

“You can ask anyone in here about what happened last night,” Cindy replied as she walked away to put their order in with the cook.

Ben heard people moving around and chairs scraping the floor as the locals gathered around the Rangers to tell their current favorite version of the story. Ben decided to turn around and see what they looked like.