Home Planet: Awakening (Part 1) (9 page)

So I moved fast, grabbing his gun with my right while simultaneously wrapping my left around his neck in a chokehold. I applied pressure. He’d be unconscious for a few seconds if done right. But as he started to struggle, something wasn’t right. Even with my considerable size advantage, I could
not
get him to release his gun. I pressed harder on his neck, now desperate to cut off the blood flow, but he continued bucking and twisting as if it was having no effect. My strength was waning. Reichs was incredibly strong and I was no closer to getting his gun or knocking him out. It was decision time—fight or flight. I released the chokehold and while maintaining the grip on his gun, landed a devastating thrust kick to the side of his right knee. He crumpled to the floor and I took the chance to retreat halfway to the door and equipment closet, keeping him in my sights. Quicker than my brain could register, he turned and fired off a three round salvo. I felt a searing pain in my upper left arm as one of the rounds sliced through my flesh.

“Arggghhh! You mother—”

And I returned fire—a series of double-taps, again and again. More than one struck home and Reichs rolled expertly around the corner as I reached the door marked,
Ready Room.
I crashed backward through the door and kicked it shut. My heart was pumping as I felt my wounded arm, my sliced fleece and stasis suit soaked with blood, which continued to form round spots on the dirty metal floor. I found the corner of the room and sat down there with my gun covering the door. The room contained maybe two dozen comfortable-looking chairs lined up movie theater style but with the aisles down the outside. All faced the display wall and narrow holotable at the front. The skeleton of a long-dead crewmember sat in the front row, his head slumped to the side. I eyed the other walls as I heard the footfalls of Reichs growing nearer outside and saw an extremely unwelcome sight. The door I’d entered through was the only way in or out. I was trapped, bleeding, and about to face an inexplicably strong foe. It was him or me, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Luker slid in a new clip into his service pistol and chambered a round. He’d bulls-eyed all fifteen rounds at twenty-five yards, so had already sent the fresh target back to forty for a little more challenge. He’d won the Northwestern Interdepartmental Shooting Contest for the last two years and wanted to make this year a hat-trick. His partner had told him to quit and join the Olympic team in time for the 2064 London Olympics. As much as he loved shooting, he couldn’t imagine spending all day, every day practicing it. Or any other one thing for that matter.

“Variety’s the spice of life,” he’d replied in justification.

Besides, he loved policing, being one of the good guys and making a positive impact on the world. Although disparagement caught up with everyone sometimes, he worked hard not to become the stereotype of the cynical cop. Sure, he saw some of the worst humanity had to offer, but keeping it in perspective was the trick to staying positive. Most parts of most people were good and even the worst had redeeming qualities. Perhaps not in abundance, but there nevertheless.

Luker always remembered the phrase his wise old grandpa had told him: “The line between good and evil doesn’t run between us, it runs through us.”

Luker readied his stance and raised his weapon, aiming with his dominant right eye. He regulated his breathing then applied pressure evenly and firmly, squeezing off the first round, then the second in quick succession. At this distance, he’d continued trying for the head bullseyes on the human silhouette target, leaving the torso bullseyes for an even greater range. Both shots hit right of center—the first a nine, the second a mere eight.

He fired two more headshots, again going wide. This was unlike him and he put it down to the poor night’s sleep and a long adrenaline-filled day on the streets. He had a lot on his mind. It was a time of potential change and soon came decision time. Stay in the area he’d grown up in or join his Mom and sister, Nikki, in LA. He knew there was demand for cops in LA, so continuing his work—his life’s work—wouldn’t be an obstacle. Truth be told, he couldn’t live without the days on the streets. Sure, there was danger, but that was all part of the attraction for Luker. Not reckless, unmitigated danger, but risks taken for a purpose, almost a higher purpose. That was something Luker saw all around him in the modern world—lack of purpose. He couldn’t live like that and didn’t understand how others could either. Sure, indulgence and leisure were fine, but in Luker’s opinion, the difference between those who made something of themselves and those who did not was all about choices. Always doing what you
wanted
to do and not what you
needed
to do was a sure way to screw up your life. Eventually, anyhow. But he was no puritan and didn’t preach.

“Everything in moderation,” as his mom always said.

Maybe not
everything
in moderation, but most things, anyway.

He took two more shots, but felt distracted and failed to reach his usual precision.

He flicked on the safety, lay down his weapon and pulled the lever bringing the target back to his booth. He retrieved the target and picked it up along with the others in his booth. The range had emptied over the last thirty minutes or so. It was past nine and most cops had families or bars to go to. There were no more shooters; only one other person remained—a tallish, early-forties guy also in uniform. Luker recognized the guy as a SWAT team sergeant. He was tanned, with salt-and-pepper hair and a good four inches shorter than Luker. The sergeant had been standing there, evidently having watched him shoot.

Luker removed his ear defenders and nodded to the sergeant.

“Nice shooting, Luker,” he said, offering his hand. “Sergeant Josh McKay.”

“Thanks.”

“Say, you ever thought about trying out for our unit? We could use someone like you.”

“Yeah … heard about Dalziel quitting.”

“So you interested?”

“Let me think about it.”

“Okay, Luker. But don’t think too long. There’re a lotta guys who wanna join the team.”

“Sure. I’ll get back to you before the weekend. Thanks for the consideration, sergeant.”

“Okay, need to get going … You think about it …”

Luker nodded with a brief smile. McKay returned the gesture and left.

Then, before he could mull it over, Luker’s phone rang. He tapped the screen and saw his sister, Nikki, on videocall from her apartment in LA.

“Hey, what ya doing big brother?”

She smiled broadly, her face alive with positivity. Luker felt tired but was pleased she’d called. He was nearing the tipping point of his decision and a conversation with Nikki could help him decide.

“Hey, Nikki. Just finishing up at the range.”

“What? Didn’t have enough bad guys to shoot today?”

“Ah, you know. Gotta keep on top of my game. How about you? First week go well?”

Her eyes came alive, her enthusiasm climbing yet another notch.

“Wow, it was
awesome
like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve got so many talented people around me. But they’re really supportive, you know … new girl in town and all.”

“So, remind me of the part you’re playing. Some kind of TV show isn’t it?”

Nikki shook her head and made a face of faux-disgust, ever the actress.

“Danny, Danny … don’t you listen to anything I say, huh? It’s a new show,
The Break,
about these female inmates escaping from prison. Hey, you may not have heard of it now, but when it shows in a few months’ time, you’ll see me on a screen near you. I play Alice, one of the cons … Not exactly a starring role, but a few lines here and there and they might elevate the role next season … You know, if the show takes off and all.”

“That’s great, Nikki. I’m happy for you. You’ve done well. I bet Mom’s proud... Say, how’s she finding it there? Is she there?”

“No, she’s gone out. She’s at Latin dancing lessons. I hooked her up with one of the crew’s moms. They hit it off great! She loves it here. The weather, the activities for her … Think she misses her garden though—apartment living’s not for her. But once I get some money together I’m gonna buy a place. A place for us all, Danny. So have you decided? You know we’d love nothing more and it’d mean the world to Mom…”

His first few weeks in LA had gone by like a blur. New place, new job, new people… It was the first time Luker had ever lived anywhere but Idaho save for a year in London when he was seventeen. He’d never even been to LA to visit and now it was home. He’d completed the fourteen-hour drive south in one day, stopping at Twin Falls and Las Vegas amongst other places. He’d always heard so much about Vegas and stopped on the strip long enough to take a look around. It had been dusk and the hotels and casinos were starting to light up the desert night. The place was too manufactured for Luker’s liking and he’d never gambled a dollar in his entire life. He hadn’t needed to stop, his autonomous car navigating its way flawlessly as he read and napped and took in the views. He felt blessed to have been born in such a beautiful country with such diversity of landscapes, cultures and thought. He felt blessed, too, that he hadn’t needed to drive the grueling route manually. He couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like before autonomous vehicles. Tiring and boring, probably. Arriving in San Bernadino, it’d taken a full hour more to arrive at the apartment complex in Glendale. The size of LA’s sprawl truly amazed him.

A few days later, having settled into the third bedroom of Nikki’s apartment, he’d started with the LAPD. Same job, different city. So similar, but so different. His new partner, Blanco, had shown him the ropes and they’d worked well together sharing a mutual interest in soccer. Blanco enjoyed playing as well as watching LA Galaxy and its bevy of near-retired international greats. Luker hadn’t yet decided whether to join the local amateur team Blanco played for, but he was tempted. When he’d told Blanco that seven years ago he’d trialed at the Arsenal Academy in London, Blanco had almost begged him to join his team. Luker had played since childhood and at six-five, solidly built and faster than many sprinters, the budding center-back could’ve been a dominating force in the Premier League club’s defense. But it wasn’t to be and Luker hadn’t played since it all went wrong for him over in England. He’d torn his anterior cruciate ligament and had to return to Idaho and finish high school a year late. Then, he joined the police and hadn’t looked back. Most people assumed his sport was football—the American variety—on account of his build. He
had
played for a while, back in junior high, but the research convinced him that all those head impacts caused brain damage. He valued his brain too much to risk it just for sport. He valued his knees too, but they could heal or even be replaced.

Luker liked Blanco and appreciated his Spanish language skills when dealing with non-English speakers on the streets. Luker was a monoglot—something he needed to change if he was to do his work to the best of his potential. He would take Spanish classes at night school—something he’d always wanted to do, but had never gotten around to.

Now, it was just before seven on Saturday night as he helped his Mom and Nikki get ready for their soon-to-arrive guests. He laid out the last of the glasses on the dining table next to the wine, spirits, mixers and other assorted drinks and snacks. The party had been Nikki’s doing—a welcome-to-town get-together to help him meet her friends and co-workers from the business. At first, he’d not been keen, never one for wanting a fuss being made about him. But he’d warmed to the idea. It reminded him, once again, how lucky he was to have a little sis like Nikki and a mom like theirs. They’d always been close, but even more so since his dad died when he was fourteen and Nikki was eleven. It had been a devastating blow to the three of them and came completely out of the blue. Although he didn’t talk about it much, Luker still thought of his dad every day. It was a hole in his life that could never truly be filled.

He put those memories to the back of his mind and started to wonder what Nikki’s friends would be like. TV culture lived large in the public’s imagination and even though he watched little television himself, he had at least some inkling of excitement at meeting them. Some were apparently celebrities, but he wasn’t sure what that meant anymore. It seemed for the longest time that everyone was a self-declared model or socialite. Anyway, perhaps some of Nikki’s friends were hot, being in showbiz and all. He’d see the night through and try to have fun, but wasn’t really one for partying anymore. Truth be told, he just liked going about his life and doing a good job and righting wrongs wherever he found them.
White Knight Syndrome,
Nikki had called it. Maybe, but so what if he liked helping people? It made him feel good and made others feel good. That’s who he was, take it or leave it.

The video-entry phone rang.

Nikki called excitedly from her bedroom, “Someone’s here. Can you get that? Danny, Mom?”

Luker called back, “Already on it.”

Mom, Marleen, was pulling something from the oven—finger food apparently.

A beautiful mid-twenties woman stood alone, smiling into the entry phone camera, her wavy blonde hair falling over her shoulders.

Luker said, “Hi there, this is Dan, Nikki’s brother.”

She said, “Oh, hi there! I’m Juliet, here for the party.”

Her voice was west coast and soft and musical to Luker’s ears. He’d never seen her before, but he buzzed her through.

“Sure, come on up, Juliet.”

Great start,
he thought, grinning and looking forward to meeting her in person.

Thirty seconds later, she arrived wearing a little black sequined dress, holding a small matching clutch—classy and sexy at the same time. Nikki arrived from last-minute make-up to introduce Juliet who she’d met at the fitness studio they both attended. Juliet was some tech startup high-flyer that commuted each day by Hyperloop to Silicon Valley—a half an hour trip. She had family and friends in LA and didn’t want to leave. Minutes later two attractive-looking brunette women arrived—actresses in the same show as Nikki he later found out. The one called Elise was apparently a big name, a rising star. Luker had never heard of her, but everyone else had, including his sixty-year-old mom. The other actress was apparently with Elise, as in they were partners. The days when homosexuality was an issue or even a talking point were long gone … in California at least. Luker didn’t really take to Elise—everything was about her, her, her. If her ego was this big now, he wondered how she’d fit her head through the door if she ever became an A-lister.

Guests started arriving at a dizzying rate and Luker was having trouble keeping up with the whole welcoming routine thing. Eventually, he decided he’d meet people as-and-when and went to the fridge and got his first beer of the evening. He took a swig and got a call. Blanco had to cancel—both his wife and youngest daughter had a fever. A shame, but not like he didn’t see enough of the guy. But he’d need to take him up on those Galaxy tickets next weekend, though.

The night went on and the music got louder. Wisely, Nikki had invited the neighbors. It was primarily a young-persons’ complex, so they could continue late into the night.

It was ten o’clock and Luker was in conversation with an older man who’d once played a TV cop. The guy was full of chatter once he’d found out he was a real one. Over by the door, he watched as his sister kissed her first-to-arrive guest, Juliet, goodbye. The middle-aged former-TV cop continued talking as Luker looked on, disappointed she was leaving so early. She went for the door but then turned, looking over her shoulder, searching for a moment. Her eyes fell on Luker and she smiled and came over to say goodbye.

“Excuse me,” said Luker to the guy and turned to meet Juliet.

“Sorry, I have to leave—got an early conference call tomorrow.”

“On a Sunday?”

“Yeah, afraid so—no one else to do it in a little firm like ours. Anyway, it was really nice to meet you, Dan. Sorry we didn’t have longer to talk …”

I’m sorry too,
he thought as she reached up to peck his cheek, her blue eyes not leaving his.

“See you around, Dan.”

“Take care, Juliet.”

The aging actor nodded bye to her too then continued while Luker watched her leave.

“So, is it true that they banned robot patrols because of the risk of hacking?”

“Err … yeah, that was one of the reasons …”

***

Luker met a lot of people that night, most of whom he liked, but they were from a different world. While he was out dealing with domestics and shootings, they were getting their hair and make-up done and rehearsing their lines. Not a problem and the world needed people of many talents, but chances were he’d meet closer friends through his work or just organically over time. Still, the party was a sweet gesture by Nikki and he’d met Juliet. She seemed different, special somehow. Sure, she was very attractive, but that was only part of it. She had something intangible and, in time, he hoped to work out what that something was.

As the crowd starting thinning at around one a.m., Luker drank his fourth and final beer of the night and wondered if he could engineer a way to see Juliet again.