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

“Enjoy the evening, and take care of each other. Well done, team.” The feed went dark.

____________

Since hearing the news of my father, I couldn’t wait to arrive at the hotel. We were forced to do a few interviews with the media before being allowed to continue, and we stumbled through the questions with as much grace as we could. By the time we left, I was sure I’d made a complete fool of myself, but I didn’t really care. I just wanted to see my dad.

The hotel was luxurious, at least for Mars. This was where the executives from Lotus would stay when on-planet, and the Racers each took an entire floor, with every member being given a two-bedroom suite. Of course, we were stuck on the second story, befitting our rank before the race began. I noticed how they didn’t put us ahead of the teams behind in the standings. No one here wanted SeaTech involved in their Race; that much was clear.

After a quick shower, I went to the lobby to ask after my dad.

“Arlo?” His voice carried across the white-tiled lobby before the Lotus desk clerk had a chance to respond to my question.

“Dad!” I ran over to him, hugging the big man. He was thinner, but I still felt the strength behind those arms as he embraced me tightly. We split apart, him holding me at arm’s length, as if appraising his boy.

“You look…happy, Arlo.”

Was there a change in me since I’d started this Race? I guessed meeting new friends, and having a real purpose again, had been stimulating. “That’s because I get to see my old man. How have you been?”

His gaze followed past me to the clerk and a few guests walking toward the restaurant bar. “We need to talk. Your room?”

“Sure.”

We chatted amicably about inane things while taking the elevator one story to my suite’s floor. The moment we closed my door, he started pacing the room. I took stock of my dad. He was a big man, three inches taller than me, and built like a girder. His hair was long, and it fell in his eyes as he stared at me from a few feet away. They were the same color as mine, dark blue with green speckles in them, like a galaxy from afar.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Something’s going on, Arlo. And it’s insidious.”

“You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

He sat on the gray couch, and I took a seat across from him, anxious to hear what he had to say.

“Sage. They’re making a weapon, or weapons. I was taken against my will. They only brought their best floor teams, and I barely had a chance to say goodbye to your mother. She was so worried, but neither of us expected I’d be gone so long. Mars…they used to manufacture fundamental building materials out here. Things for the mines in the Belt. But the entire factory floor has been reconfigured. We’re making modifications to ships, and the size of the energy converters for the Core is bigger than anything in production.”

“Meaning?”

“These things are packed to the gills with firepower. We estimate one pulse could destroy a planetoid three kilometers in diameter.”

“War,” I whispered. “Any idea what they’re calling the vessels?”

“They haven’t come out and said it, but we’ve named them Defenders.”

“War is coming,” I said.

“That’s what I’d say, but the strangest thing’s happened. I’ve seen that woman, Octavia Post, walking through the grounds. I had to demonstrate my section to her one day. Explain what we were doing. She seemed pleased.”

“The Board is behind it?”

“I don’t know if they’re behind it, or just supporting the manufacturing, but I’ve also seen representatives from the other top fives. Lotus, Luna Corp, Orion, and Oasis. Arlo, I think they might be uniting.” He spoke cautiously, peering at the door every few seconds as if someone might break in and arrest him.

“I’m surprised they let you go.”

“Me too. I don’t know how you managed to have me restationed, Arlo, but someone must have called in a favor.”

“They didn’t tell you, did they?” I went to the minibar and grabbed a couple of water bottles.

“Tell me what? I know you’re in the Race, and working for SeaTech. How did that happen?” He took the offered drink and sipped it.

“Long story, but I’ve managed to secure you and mom a home at SeaTech,” I told him.

“What? That’s… what will I do there?”

“Nothing. It’s a retirement facility. You’re done, Dad. Time to enjoy life. There are beaches, and great food. Wait until you see the sunrise and smell the place after a rainfall. You’ll—”

“How can we trust them? They’re just another Corporation, Arlo.” He frowned. This wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting.

“Bryson is different. Or better, at the very least. Mom’s already there waiting for you, Dad. You’ve worked hard your entire existence. Can’t you be happy about this?”

He stared at me like he was trying to unlock the final piece to a difficult puzzle. “I don’t like it.”

His reluctance was starting to worry me. “What? You’d rather stay here and continue making war machines for Sage? Or the Board?”

He stood, the tension drifting from the air when he smiled. It was a grin he’d picked up from his own father, Preston Lewis. “If you trust this Kelley character, that’ll have to be enough for me. And your mother. I’ve watched that woman work tirelessly, and after your...incident, things were tough on her. On us.”

I detested that my attack on the Sage CEO had caused rippling effects to my parents, but I hadn’t considered them while decking Frank Under. “I’m sorry,” I said, probably for the hundredth time.

He dismissed the apology with a wave of his water bottle. “This retirement package makes up for it.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Grandpa,” I said.

“That makes sense, with the racing again. He was so damned proud of you, Arlo. Imagine how he’d react to