Space Race (Space Race 1) Nathan Hystad (ebooks children's books free .TXT) 📖

“Nice day for a walk,” he added, turning his attention in my direction.

“Nice day for a lot of things,” I replied.

“What’s a stranger like you doing in the Wastes? Come to stay?” The man was older, bald, and wearing a worn green jumpsuit. The logo of some Corporation had been torn from the chest, replaced with a patch of fabric that didn’t match his outfit.

“Visiting with Bello and Grid down the way.” I pointed toward their place.

“Good people, them. You with the others?”

I tilted my head, curious at his words. “Sure am.”

“Think they got any real shot at this?” the man asked. I still had no idea what he was referring to, but I wanted to keep him talking.

“How could we not?”

“For starters, how can a few hundred citizens overthrow an institution of billions?” he asked thoughtfully.

Was he insinuating an uprising? I had to test him on it. “The revolt is coming whether you or I participate, so why not toss a few more hands on deck?”

He nodded. “Suppose you’re right. Nice to meet you, fellow. Take care of yourself out there.”

I kept moving, wondering if my old flame and her new husband were truly tied up in this revolt or not. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

Instead of returning to confront them about it, I continued toward town. I was sweating profusely when I spotted the storefront, covered by a shaded awning. A couple of people stood there with cold drinks, chatting pleasantly. I nodded at them and entered the place, finding an empty bar.

A woman sat near the bartender, her back turned to me, and I took the stool beside her.

“Hey, Aster.”

She didn’t even look over at me. “Hawk. You’re still around? I expected you to take off in the middle of the night. At least this time, you won’t be breaking Bello’s heart.”

I sensed something deeper in her comment but took the jab with grace. “I would have, but the ship’s not repaired.”

I always had the feeling Aster didn’t like me much, and she was reinforcing that now. “I know you’re trying to be funny, but it’s not working.”

“Then how about I buy you another one of those, and we start off on the right foot?”

She turned, and I saw the scar over her left eye. It was pink and puckered, a constant reminder from a fight at Orion manufacturing plant a decade ago.

“Fine. She still talks about you. Grid too. That man loved you like a brother.”

“And you? What’s been keeping you occupied?”

“Mostly working with them. Lots of new people here, especially over the last year. We have some contracts to fix up old…”

“Ships? For who?” I glanced at the bartender, who was watching the news a good ten yards away. “Liberty?” I said it quietly, but she still shushed me.

“What do you think about them?”

“That they’re unstable. They don’t have a shot at making any real changes,” I said.

“I suppose you think this Race is one hundred percent kosher too?” Aster asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t have enough information.”

“Spoken like a sideline superhero.”

I didn’t know how to respond, so we sat in silence, me ordering a bottle of water for the walk home. I said farewell, but she only grunted as I left the dim bar into the bright daylight.

____________

I wished I could send Bryson Kelley a message, but I had no means to contact SeaTech’s CEO. People like that were too rich, too powerful to give public access. In the old days, the world was separated into countries and governments, but now CEOs ruled the roost, and Bryson had rising stock.

Grid and Bello teamed up on the repairs with Aster’s help, but no matter how many times I offered to assist them, they disregarded me like I was an underfoot child. Aster still didn’t want to talk to me, and I was okay with that. I was relegated to babysitter, and quickly found I knew nothing about caring for children.

At first, they were hesitant to hang out with a stranger, but soon I couldn’t get them to leave me alone. I was used to spending my days solo on Capricious, not making small talk with a three-and-a-half-year-old. Bon was white-haired and fair-skinned, just like her mother, and I could already tell Jess was going to take after his father. He was almost two years younger than Bon, but nearly as tall.

In my downtime, I did some reading on SeaTech, astounded with what the CEO had done. Utilizing the ocean to create a one-of-a-kind manufacturing plant underwater near Hawaii was impressive in itself, but it was the manner in which he continued to use his company resources to invest in further growth that really caught my eye.

The records were private with each Corporation, but not once did I find mention of any partners or financing bodies. From everything I could gather, Kelley was the sole owner and operator of SeaTech, which meant he didn’t have to dole out hefty dividends at the end of each quarter.

I assumed that was how he’d risen to eleventh overall. I suspected the man’s business would enter the Primary Corp ranks very soon, especially with what was happening to places like Oasis. Not that I was bitter or anything.

Finally, three days later than promised, Capricious was ready, and when I had CP run a scan, she passed with flying colors.

“That’s quite the voice you gave her,” Bello said.

I tried to pretend I didn’t understand what she was suggesting, but they did sound almost identical. “It’s a glitch. Haven’t been able to adjust it.”

Bello began to play with the keypad. “Want me to tweak it?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Grid and the kids were inside, and the sun had long descended across the Wastes. I’d stayed close over the course of the week, trying to remind myself I couldn’t hide here long. After my quick visit into town, I thought it was best to keep out of