Truck Drivin’ Hero Page 20

  “Half of our ground-based sensors have been permanently damaged and will need to be replaced, but we are still receiving intermittent telemetry from some of them. Several of them have pinged in the past hour, and they are showing the tracking signal from your plasma pistol heading west on I-70 past Topeka.”

  Zorflox thought about that. The plasma pistol, of course. One of the females with Bill Reynolds had picked it up off the ground. Now she was traveling and still had the pistol, and was hundreds of miles to the west of where he was.

  “Yes, thank you,” he said. By not correcting him about his location, he knew it was a lie of omission, but it was necessary.

  “We can call the medical treatment center at Fort Denver and have them ready for you if you want,” Captain Ulilogax said.

  “No, but can you give me the phone number for their general office so I can call them if I do need anything?”

  Captain Ulilogax looked it up and rattled it off for him. “You need to report there and recover as soon as possible. No more dilly-dallying on whatever wild goose chase you’re on,” he said, this time referencing a flying animal from their homeworld.

  “Of course,” Zorflox said, and hung up. He leaned back in the detective’s chair and closed his eyes. Bill Reynolds and his harem weren’t heading south to Texarkana or to Belize. They were still headed west. Bill had lied to him. Who knew what else he was lying about?

  Bill still represented a threat to all the Greys. He had to be stopped. Zorflox no longer thought him a good person.

  Zorflox got to his feet and exited the office. A police officer approached him. “Amy?” he asked, unsure if it was her or some other human.

  “Yes,” she said. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  Zorflox was glad that he hadn’t mixed up two police officers again. “Has my car been recovered?”

  “Yes, we had it towed here, but it’s in pretty bad shape. Our mechanic says that it’ll require a new roof, new mirrors, and a couple other things.”

  “Is it driveable?”

  The question clearly took her off guard. “Um, I don’t think so, but we’ll make the repairs for you and then have it shipped wherever you need it, don’t worry about that.”

  “I need it tonight. What needs to be done?”

  “I’m afraid the mechanic has already gone home for the night. Also, a storm’s coming in from the west. It’ll probably be a tornado. You don’t want to drive anywhere in that.”

  Zorflox knew he should listen, but he had already committed to this course of action when he hadn’t told Captain Ulilogax about his missing plasma pistol. For a moment, he almost asked for the detective’s car, but then he remembered that most of yesterday’s police station’s cars had been inoperable. His car was special, and he needed it. “Then call the mechanic and have him come back. Instruct him to remove the roof of the car, replace all four tires, and complete all other absolutely necessary repairs. Tell him he has one hour to complete repairs or that he will find himself in a re-education camp.”

  Amy stepped back and put her hand on her heart. Zorflox knew he had crossed a serious line just now. “I apologize, Amy. I did not mean that. Just tell the mechanic to get here, and tell him that I am being an unreasonable alien. If it takes longer than an hour, I will be mad, but nobody is going to a camp.”

  The detective was still a little pale, but she nodded. “Are you sure about the roof? You’re seriously going to drive around in a tornado with the rain dumping all over you?”

  Zorflox hesitated. Not because of the rain, though that would certainly be bad, but because in the morning, he’d have to deal with the sun’s rays with no protection. Still, he nodded. “Have him install a tarp or other temporary roof. I will also require a firearm. A revolver, if your armory has one.”

  Amy nodded. “You got it, boss.” She disappeared into her office, presumably to call the mechanic.

  Zorflox sat down in a chair. The exertion of the last few minutes had exacerbated the pain of his injuries, and he knew it was only going to get worse. Still, he knew he couldn’t afford to truly rest.

  Bill Reynolds was out there, and he had destroyed JR.

  Bill Reynolds was out there, and he had shot Zorflox in the chest.

  Bill Reynolds was out there, and he was a threat to the alien occupation.

  Bill Reynolds must be brought to justice.

  Hero’s windshield wipers were going as fast as they could go, but they couldn’t keep up with the rain. Visibility was nearly zero now and somehow still getting worse, though frequent bolts of lightning provided brief flashes of illumination. Hero didn’t dare push the truck faster than the 25 miles per hour he was going now.

  The wind was so powerful that he thought they could tip over at any time. In fact, in this case, their cargo was a huge boon to them. The fusion generator was so heavy and so low to the ground that it would take a huge gust to actually blow them over.

  Still, it came with its own problems. And as the truck’s brakes locked up again, Hero again wished that maybe his cargo could be just a little lighter. Still, he didn’t dare use his jake brake in this rain. He once jack knifed on a rainy day back in Miami.

  Hero concentrated on the dotted white line signifying the division between the two westbound lanes. As long as he kept that in his sight, it didn’t matter what else happened. Well, unless Speedy crashed in front of him. He had given up trying to keep up with her lights miles ago.

  Apple was holding on to the sides of her seat with a death grip. She was pale as a ghost and had stopped talking a while ago. Hero would be concerned about her if he didn’t have the road to worry about. He’d make sure to check her the next time they stopped, though.

  The CB radio started talking. “Hero, we’re lis… Weather Ray… Nay Do That Touched Down… Ten Miles Ahead.”

  Hero tried to fill in the gaps before Apple piped up. “I heard: Hero, we’re listening to the local weather radio station. They say that there’s a tornado that touched down about ten miles ahead of us.”

  “Thanks for that, Apple. Try to find that weather radio station they’re talking about,” he said.

  Apple tuned the AM dial until she found the weather report. It was as garbled as the CB signal had been, but eventually they got the message. About ten miles in front of them, a tornado had touched down. It wasn’t the only one. There was another one thirty miles behind them and another three tornadoes to the north and south of the highway.

  “At our current speed, we’re going to hit that tornado in about twenty minutes. I can’t rely on Sunshine to see it or to be able to radio us if she does see it. I need you to keep your eyes out for it, Apple. You got me?” Hero asked.

  “Yes,” Apple said softly. Then she laughed. “Storm chasers.”

  “What?”

  “We’re like those storm chasers you see on the documentary channels. I always thought they were crazy, that I would never end up like them, but here I am.”

  Hero nodded. “Did you learn anything from those documentaries that would help you spot a tornado?”

  Apple shook her head. “Those guys always went out in the daytime. I think that the only way they make any money is by taking pictures. Besides, they probably think it’s way too dangerous to go near a tornado at night.”

  Hero grimaced. “I think you’re right. You’d have to be an idiot to be out in this.”

  “And yet, here we are,” Apple said.

  “I do feel a little bit like an idiot for accepting this mission, so maybe I’m right where I need to be.”

  Apple reached over and touched his hand. “I’m glad you did accept it, and I’m glad I came along.”

  “I appreciate it but I really need to concentrate on the road and not think about your sexy body,” Hero said.

  Apple jerked away. “Fine, I’ll stop,” she said with a fake pout.

  “You’ll get plenty of touches when we’re out of danger,” he said.

  “Do you promise?” she asked.
It wasn’t fake anymore.

  “I promise I’ll give you one last bang before I leave Colorado. That is, if we’re not dead or in a re-education camp,” Hero said.

  “Gee, you’re so romantic,” she said, but dutifully went back to scanning the horizon for danger. It wasn’t long before he heard a sound of danger, but it wasn’t Apple’s voice. Hail began to pelt the truck.

  “Sorry, old girl,” Hero said out loud to Alexandria.

  “Do you always talk to your truck?” Apple asked.

  “Mostly just when I’m abusing her. Why? Beginning to regret getting involved with me?”

  “Nope. Is she family, too?”

  “I get the feeling you’re mocking me, but yes. She’s been there for me for a long time. I guess she’s a lesser member of my family, since I’m willing to put her in danger for others, but I still have a lot of sentimental attachment to her. I wouldn’t be on this mission if not for her, either.”

  “It would be pretty hard to be Truck Drivin’ Hero without driving the truck, wouldn’t it?” she teased.

  “You're hilarious. Keep your eyes on the weather and your brain where it needs to be,” Hero said. The hail was getting more intense, and he felt like he had to yell to have Apple hear him. “How close are we to the tornado?”

  “About two miles, maybe five minutes.”

  “Can you see it yet?”

  “I can’t see anything.”

  “Keep looking!”

  The CB came back to life. It was mostly static at first, but finally words started to take shape. “…north side of the road. We are… minimum safe distance. We will be on the left shoulder. I repeat, pull over now, turn around if you can, and get to a minimum safe distance.”

  Hero eased onto the brakes, finally getting the message. He pulled over to the right side of the road, turning on his hazards. Over the sound of the hail, he heard a high-pitched whine. Soon, a pair of headlights could be seen through the blinding rain. A car came zooming by them, laying on its horn, driving faster than it should have for driving on the wrong side of the road. It started slowing down when it saw them, and stopped about a half mile down the road.

  “Hero, this is Sunshine, we see you there on the side of the road. That twister’s heading this way and I’m not sure you’re far enough back.”

  Hero looked over on the side of the road. There was a guard-rail on both sides, and his turning radius was too big to make a U-turn. If he tried to go in reverse in these conditions, he’d almost certainly jack knife it or run it off the road. This was as far back as they could go.

  He grabbed the hand mic. “Thanks for letting us know. This old girl’s ass is too big to flip around, so I’m afraid we’re stuck right here. Do me a favor and come back around so that Apple can get in with you two.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Apple said, taking off her seat belt. “We’ll leave the truck here and come back for it when the storm’s over.”

  “It is a good idea, but I’m not going anywhere.”

  “What do you mean, you’re not going anywhere?”

  “I mean, someone needs to stay in this truck. If it gets thrown into a Kansas cornfield a quarter mile off the road, someone needs to be able to guide you to it. It’s my truck, so that person should be me.”

  “That’s stupid. If it gets thrown a quarter mile, you’ll be dead.”

  “Maybe, but maybe I’ll be alive.”

  She sputtered, as if she couldn’t find the words to argue with him. “Fine!” she screamed finally. “But I’m staying with you.”

  “Like hell you are.”

  “Why should you stay and not me?” Apple asked defiantly.

  “Because you’ve got much more to live for than to just sit in a truck and wait for a tornado to sweep you up. My usefulness to the Resistance ends with this solar storm, but you’re so important that they sent you with the most dangerous piece of equipment that the humans own, just because you’re the only one who can use it.”

  She sat there, arms crossed. She knew all of that was right, yet she didn’t move. “I’m still not going.”

  Sunshine’s voice came through the CB radio. “We’re right behind you whenever you guys are ready.” Hero looked in his side mirror. He couldn’t see the car at all, but he could see the light from the headlights. They were pointed to the south, perpendicular to the road, so they had obviously parked sideways so that they could jump straight into the car.

  Hero got out of the car. Hail immediately began to pelt his head, but luckily it was small enough that he wasn’t about to be knocked out by it. He ran around the front of the truck to Apple’s side and opened the door. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around her body and lifted. Luckily she had already taken off her seat belt, because she began to fight him immediately.

  “Put me down!” she yelled. He said nothing as he threw her over his shoulder and began to run to the back of the truck. She banged on his back, but compared to the hail hitting his head, it was nothing. “Ow, my butt! Ow! Ow!”

  Apparently, yoga pants didn’t protect much against hail. Hero would have laughed if he wasn’t getting pelted with hail himself. The Mustang only had two doors, but Sunshine had opened the passenger side door for them already, and she was already sitting in the back seat. That meant that the two of them would just have had to jump in the back seat, minimizing time in the hail. Hero was not gentle as he set Apple on her feet and then pushed her into the back seat over her objections. He closed the Mustang door and ran back to his truck.

  He got back in and sat there shivering for a moment. “Hero, what just happened?” came Speedy’s voice over the CB.

  “I’m staying with the truck. Apple can explain why. You guys get out of here. I’ll let you know when I'm clear.”

  There was silence for a moment. The girls were surely talking among themselves. “We’re all staying,” came the response.

  “God damnit, I’m the boss of this mission. The leader of this Final Fantasy party. Speedy, I need you to drive this truck if I get incapacitated. Sunshine, I’ll need you to drive the Mustang while she does that. And Apple, you’re part of the cargo, so you have to stay safe. Are we all clear on what we have to do?” Hero asked.

  There was silence on the other end of the line for another few moments, then a somber, “10-4. Good luck, Hero.”

  He grimaced, but was glad when he saw the headlights behind him turn and fade away. There was nothing left but the sound of hail and rain beating the cab of his semi truck.

  “Well, this was a dumb idea,” Hero said as he waited for the tornado to suck him up to oblivion. He was just about ready to feel sorry for himself when the passenger side door opened.

  22

  Sheriff Zorflox pulled out of the gas station just as it began to rain. He had managed to make good time so far, somehow pushing the police cruiser to over 100 MPH in the night conditions.

  Despite being stiff from his injuries, he felt invigorated. He was on the hunt for a dangerous criminal, much like Wyatt Earp had gone after Curly Bill in Tombstone. This was the life he was meant to lead, not manning a checkpoint and checking documents all day. Just a good old fashioned game of cat-and-mouse, where he would be the victor and Bill Reynolds would be the loser.

  He would bring Bill in with the help of the gun that Detective Jacobs had given him, a Smith & Wesson Model 500. He had been unaware that such a magnificent gun existed. It gleamed along its entire length. It fired bullets a half inch thick, what Amy had called “fifty cal”. It could kill someone at 200 yards. It was so big that it was intimidating to even look at it. If this gun had existed in the mid-19th century, it is what the cowboys would have used. Zorflox was sure that Bill would surrender immediately upon seeing it.

  After bringing Bill in, he imagined that all would be forgiven. The Captain would praise his instincts and let him choose his next posting. Of course he would want something important, but he would also make sure that it was close to whichever re-education camp that Bill wa
s put in. He would drop by from time to time, supposedly for an interrogation but really just to gloat.

  His fantasy was getting more and more elaborate as he pressed onward, so much so that he barely noticed when the rain began to form a small puddle on the tarp above him. To the mechanic’s credit, he had done a great job. He had even braced the windshield against the dashboard since it no longer had the roof to support it. At 100 MPH, the sound of the rain and wind hitting the tarp was deafening, but it would all be worth it when he caught the cowardly Bill Reynolds.

  The rain turned to hail, battering the car’s windshield and weighing the tarp down further. A few holes even appeared in the tarp before the rest of the hail covered up those holes while still letting water in. In fact, Sheriff Zorflox was getting soaked. He hardly noticed, though. He was on the path of righteousness, and all the rain in the world couldn’t deter him.

  While every instinct he had told him to slow down, he instead pushed the pedal to the metal, maintaining speed in the face of the worst storm he had ever seen. He would catch them…

  “I thought I told you to get your ass out of here,” Hero said.

  “You did,” Sunshine said, closing the door and shivering a bit. “You even had really good reasons why Speedy and Apple had to leave, so they did. I didn’t feel like your reason for me to leave was good enough. Apple can drive the Mustang, or they can just leave it for all I care.”

  “This isn't a democracy, Sunshine.” He picked up his hand mic. “Speedy, get your ass back here and pick Sunshine up.”

  “What’s that, Boss?” Staticky sounds filled the channel, but it was clear that it was Speedy making them. “You’re breaking up.”

  “This isn’t funny. Get back here.”

  “Sorry Hero. Danger close.” There was a pause. “Take care of her for me, will ya?”

  He knew there was nothing he could do about it now. “I will.” He hung up the hand mic.

  “So, what do you want to do now?” Sunshine asked.