The road to the spaceport

“Thanks for the shirt, miss!”

“Oh, it’s no problem, sweetie. Can’t let you walk around looking like you lost a fight with a shredder! Thank goodness you didn’t hurt yourself in that horrible traffic accident.”

“Yeah, haha. Thank goodness the only thing the truck broke was my credit-chip and clothes!”

“Oh well, you know how unreliable those self-driving cars can be. Take care!”

Kensu exited the store wearing a brand new green holographic dress shirt. While it was tacky, it didn’t attract attention like his old destroyed outfit. “How did you know that woman would help us, AIDA?”

“I looked into her social media profile and found a history of charity donations. I just extrapolated the pattern.”

“Ah, thanks, but, err… green is not my color. Can you?” AIDA accessed the shirt holographic projectors. The green fabric transformed into a more inconspicuous, white. “Good, now we can blend in better. Let’s go buy us a ticket out of this planet.”

“Speaking of, Kensu. There might be a couple of problems with the plan. It seems like the Bureau froze your accounts.”

“What? Well, I guess it was just a matter of time… say, AIDA, I don’t suppose you could be able to hack us some money? Or a ticket out of here?”

“I don’t appreciate you asking me to break the law…” Kensu raised an eyebrow at no one in particular. AIDA had a lot of audacity to pretend to care about laws after breaking half of them this very morning. “…But it might be possible depending on the level of security I’m dealing with. However, that leaves us with another problem.”

“Which is?”

“The Bureau posted a wanted poster of you on their social media. They are offering a reward for information that might lead to your capture.”

Kensu gulped. “S-should I hide my face or something?”

“That would look even more suspicious. Don’t worry, there are barely any views on their post. Only 500 people on Earth would recognize you as a fugitive. The real danger is that your face is now on the criminal database. If you are caught on a camera connected to the Neighborhood Watch algorithm, like those on the spaceport, the Bureau will know.”

“Should have asked that lady for a hat. I guess we can’t take the front door, huh?”

“No. Which prompts me once again to recommend going to- the “

“The professor’s secret warehouse. Yeah, but no. We are still sticking to the plan. You can be kind of obsessive, you know that?”

“I’m merely analytical. If you insist on picking the most ill-advised course of action, then I am obligated to remind you of its dangers and alternatives.”

“Right, now I know why the old man always complained that you never let him order food in peace.”

“Someone had to remind the professor that pizza is not a suitable lunch for a man his age.”

“It wasn’t his cholesterol that killed him in the end, wasn’t it? Don’t worry, I actually do have a Plan B.” As he reached the intersection, Kensu turned right, walking away from the train station. “At least our scuffle with the military got us close to the Happy Belter yard.”

“Happy Belter… they are, or were, one of the lab's main partners. A shipping company specialized in delivering cargo to the asteroid belt,” AIDA said the information out loud despite Kensu being fully aware of it. A bad habit the AI had ever since he met her.

“And guess who was the poor little intern that got stuck working late shifts delivering seeds to… ah, here we are.” Kensu arrived at the perimeter of another container yard. “Can you please change my shirt to copy the Happy Belter uniform?”

The holograms on Kensu’s shirt glimmered as they matched the look of the uniform worn by the few Earth-bound Happy Belter employees. He walked up to the back door, pressed a number on the keypad, and- “Voila, they never change the password.”

Kensu found his way inside a parking lot where automated trucks waited for their turn to go to the Spaceport. “Let’s see, the next one out is… this one. Huh, it’s already open.” He opened the back of the truck and slinked inside. The interior was almost pitch black. The young scientist could not see anything as the vehicle rumbled and got moving.

“It seems like your plan is working, Kensu.”

“Yeah, now to find a box to sit and wait for... wait a second. Where is the cargo?” Kensu stuck his hands out to try to find anything in the truck, but there was apparently nothing there.

“I’m afraid there will be a small detour,” a smug voice said. The light turned on, revealing… nothing. The space was empty. But Kensu wasn’t alone. The air shimmered; a person wearing a black and blue high-tech suit appeared almost out of thin air.

“The Bureau!” Kensu instinctively hopped back and raised his fists. With a chuckle, the inspector unsheathed his vibrating sword.

“Oh, you have some moxie. Too bad we aren’t going to fight just yet. I want to have a civilized conversation and ask some questions. The job is not just dicing and slicing, you know?”

“Since when are you butchers civilized? I would say you shoot first and ask questions later, but we both know you prefer to play with your little knives.”

“Of course, guns tend to confuse the police and not let them know who is responsible for pacifying their crime scene. Besides, have you ever cleaved a spine before? It’s more cathartic than shooting someone’s skull, I’ll tell you that much.”

“What do you want? If this about Professor Katashi’s experiments, I didn’t-”

“Don’t play coy, Doctor. Or, I hear you go by “professor” these days? We know you aren’t this “Kensu” kid you pretend to be. DNA doesn’t lie, Doc.”

“What do you mean? Ack!” a pair of arms slid underneath Kensu’s armpits and held him in place. Another invisible goon had been lying in wait. Two of them. The light shimmered, and a third inspector appeared wearing red and black armor.

“I’m going to enjoy getting some payback.”

“Wait, Red! You were supposed to wait until I got more information out of him first.”

“No. He must pay. Blood for blood.” The red inspector held his blade so close to Kensu’s face that he could feel the vibration of the sword on his teeth.

“You know, not everyone in Bureau is as zealous as my friend here. If you tell us where you hid your pods, I bet I can talk some sense into him here before he turns you into mince-meat.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about!”

“Have it your way, doc.” The inspector shrugged. “Red, why don’t you start with the left eye?”

“My pleasure.”

Time slowed to a crawl. Kensu’s body moved on his own as the sword approached his brown eyes. He raised his legs and unleashed a double kick powerful enough to send the Red Inspector flying out of the truck’s back doors.

Kensu used the momentary confusion to spring himself backward, slamming his captor towards the Blue Inspector. Before the two could come to their senses, Kensu got free and was already running out of the truck.

“You won’t get away!” the Red Inspector tried to slash Kensu as he exited the truck. But, without breaking his stride, Kensu dodged the strike, wrestled the sword away from him, and delivered a slash of his own, or almost.

By sheer inertia, the blade was going straight for the Inspector's neck, but Kensu diverted the strike upward, knocking the man’s mask away from his head. The man was bald, with a rugged face overflowing with fury. He bellowed. “Argh! Not again! But if we are using the same tricks-”

“Kensu, the sword!”

“I know!”

Kensu threw the sword back into the truck before it could self-destruct. The weapon exploded just as the two other inspectors exited the vehicle, leaving behind a plume of smoke.

“Are they alive?” The smoke cleared to show the three inspectors standing. Red’s armor was covered in holes, some bleeding, but he seemed raring for round two. His Blue friend lost most of his helmet in the blast, revealing a pale face and patches of oily black hair. The Green inspector was barely harmed with barely some soot on her armor.

“They are, run!”

“You won’t get away!” The Red Inspector pulled out his handgun and blasted wildly as Kensu ducked into the nearby alley.

“Red, stop! Not yet!” The Green inspector lowered his partner’s arms. “Remember the plan, we have to-“

“Hey, are those Bureau inspectors?”

“First time I’ve seen one without a mask.”

“First time I’ve seen one period.”

“Hmm, he looks familiar….”

A small crowd of people gathered to see what the commotion was about. They surrounded the three inspectors, looking at them like they were the newest attraction at the circus.

“Crap. Witnesses.”

“This is going to suck, but we know what to do.” The Blue inspector pressed a button on his wrist. The truck began ticking. “Everyone, come close, please! We need to take your statements. Don’t worry, we don’t bite. Closer, please. Yes, like that…”