Zed moved with care along the top of the speeding vehicle. He felt like a cowboy making his way along the top of a runaway train. Thankfully, this Monstro had better suspension than a steam engine; otherwise, the rough Martian road would have thrown him over the side the second he stood.

  Zed hoped the memories Unen had put together were accurate, or he would be out of options in a hurry. It had been a gamble getting up here. He’d never actually seen the top of a Monstro before, but he had seen the ceiling inside. With as much speed as he could manage, Zed made his way toward the back until he stood above the cargo area. He breathed a sigh of relief when he came upon a small, round window—an emergency hatch. So far, so good. The real question was whether the Monstro was pressurized.

  It made sense that Johns and his crew would have left the Monstros depressurized so they could make a quick exit when they got to the launch site. Now it was the moment of truth. Zed’s eyes raced over the door's simple readout. An "all clear" indicator glowed a beautiful green. Zed reached for the handle and hoped that fate would be kind, though luck hadn’t exactly been on his side lately.

  He’d come this far. There was no point in hesitating now. Zed flipped up the latch, gripped the handle, and twisted. The door popped open a few centimeters, and then slowly lifted of its own accord. It was dark inside. Zed couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Hopefully, anyone inside was in the cockpit and not expecting visitors to suddenly drop by.

  Zed swung his legs into the hole and lowered himself as carefully as he could manage. His fall was shorter than he expected. He landed just a meter down on a stack of crates. He cursed under his breath as one of them fell over until he remembered that he was in a vacuum and the sound wouldn’t carry. The lights were dim, but no one was in the cargo hold.

  This might actually work, Zed thought.

  He made his way toward the closed cockpit door and caught a glimpse of Baat on the Chariot through the port side windows. The old chaplain would be worrying about him. Hopefully, in a few more minutes, the Monstro would roll to a stop, and his mind could be put at ease.

  Zed stopped just in front of the cockpit door. What was he thinking? Was he going to talk whoever was inside into surrendering? Not likely. Zed glanced around the cargo bay. An oversized crowbar caught his eye. Hopefully, the threat of a cracked faceplate would be enough to convince whoever was inside to pull over. Now that he was here, Zed wasn’t so sure he wanted the driver to be Johns. Oh, he wanted him brought to justice; he just wasn’t sure that, in a face-to-face match, he could subdue the big man, no matter how large a club he carried.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Zed’s finger was inches from the door switch when it slid open of its own accord. The first thing Zed noticed was the figure filling the doorway. It was Johns. The second was the harpoon pointed at Zed's chest.

  They stood like that for a moment. Finally, Johns broke the silence. “What, you didn’t think you were the only one to think of the harpoons, did ya?”

  “I—I didn’t…” Zed stuttered.

  Johns gestured with the tip of the harpoon. “Have a seat, lad. No point standing around. I’m sure you must be tired after that little stunt. Most impressive, I must say. You’re a regular action hero!”

  Zed said nothing and lowered himself into the copilot seat. It was a tight fit with the turtle suit on. Johns sat beside him but never took his eyes off him, keeping the harpoon squarely pointed at Zed’s chest.

  “Now, I know what you’re likely thinking, young Zed. After all that success in getting in here, you’re sure your luck will hold out if you try to take this from me. For your own sake, I beg ya, put such thoughts out of your mind. I truly don’t want to see ya hurt, or worse. Please?”

  Zed said nothing. Johns sighed and lowered the harpoon. “Truth is, boy, I don’t even need this thing to stop you from whatever you’re thinking. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a sight bigger than you and could just as easily smash your faceplate in as shoot ya. Keep that in mind, and everything will be just fine.”

  He set the harpoon gun down within easy reach but well away from Zed. Johns gripped the controls and disabled the autopilot.

  “What are ya doing here, boy? You were free and clear. You managed to slip the noose, and we would have flown off with your life none the worse for it.”

  “None the worse for it?” Zed laughed. “You’re taking all the mushrooms. I’ll likely die without them. The cave entrance collapsed when I left, so it’s not like someone can just swing by and pick up some more for me.”

  Johns's face paled.

  “You didn’t know, did you?”

  Johns just stared at the road ahead.

  “Holy crap. You took the mushroom, and you didn’t even know you were signing yourself up for a lifetime dependence. I guess you should have read the fine print.”

  Johns shrugged. “It makes little difference. I grow impossible plants for a living.”

  “Well, for your sake, I hope you’re right. It was super unpleasant when my first seven days were up. If you can’t get your alien crop going for the long trip back to Earth, you’re in for a world of hurt at best. I guess the thing that gave you the edge to betray Naug being the thing that takes you out would be pretty hilarious, though, right?”

  Johns turned and looked at Zed for several seconds. His gold-flecked eyes regarded Zed with pity, not anger. This pushed Zed from smug to enraged.

  “I hope you do run out,” he spat. “But I hope it doesn’t kill you. I want you to live knowing you’re the kind of scum that would betray an entire planet.”

  “Well, lad, you’d better hope you’re wrong, because if I run out, you run out. Like it or not, we're in this together now,” Johns said flatly. He made a CIG gesture and cleared his throat. “Andy, ya there?”