Space Retriever: Mike Long

By John Leader

A galactic trek with sophisticated overtones traces Space Retriever Mike Long as he selects assignments with principals willing to finance the high cost of searching and collecting stolen valuables. On his trail are assassin androids that ambush him and he must fight to survive.
“.................. cautiously pressed close to one of the picturesque walls, crouching low, and holding for close quarters combat action. As predicted one of the hidden androids stirred and moved out of the shadows, walked toward him and started firing. Darting fast, Mike............What I desire from Master is the first half of the formula. My corporation has the second half and with it the whole formula will fall into place, since only half was developed. He and the research group were investigating methods to attach a methyl and covalent oxygen with a radical............ “Step into my office. It’ll take a few minutes for the money transfer,” Knight turned for the walk into his office.
“That won’t be necessary,” ............”

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Leader
• Release date: Jul 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301312467

John Leader

John Leader enjoys writing science fiction, his first choice. He writes horror just as well. He works using commercial arts techniques and creates his own book covers. His science fiction stories take on action adventure themes.He reads general and technical magazines and books when he can find good materials.He is a part time martial arts practitioner and is familiar with a variety of defense systems.

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Space Retriever: Mike Long

By John Leader

Copyright 2013 John Leader

Smashwords Editon

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MASTER OF FICTION

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Blood Grip Against The Land / Sankor Sangres: Mercenary For Hire

Short Stories

Courage For Profit (FREE)

Four Mini Stories - Space Warrior 60,400.111102

Space Warrior 60,400.111103 (Book II Six Short Stories)

Horror Story: The Horror Of Skull Face

Humor: Alien Jokes

xxxx

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1-The Kidnapping

Chapter 2-The Industrial Formula

Chapter 3-Find Lutz

Chapter 4-Professional Thieves

Chapter 5-TriCyclops Planet

Chapter 6-The Heirloom

Chapter 7-Intergalactic Secrets

Space Retriever: Mike Long

by

John Leader

Chapter 1

Kidnapped

Mike confronted trouble like a neurologist approached cranial surgery. A burning sensation reminded him of the painful knife fight five years earlier, mainly his bone on his right thumb severed when he miscalculated a straight parry against a knife lined at his exposed soft throat. Lucky for him the thumb bone cutting happened on the city street within the civilized world. Mike Long considered it one of his dumbest mistakes. He realized that if the slicing of the thump had happened far out in the uninhabited planets where medical attention remained scarce then normal medical suturing, care, and physical therapy would have required medical experts longer time to repair osteology, neurological damage and extra time for muscular pincher strength therapy to regain normal thumb action.

Retrieval jobs in the vast universe hit blood tough highs, hit deadly hard, and came with bruising costs. But greed, possession, and intrinsic value paid for the difficult effort and the high jeopardy and scattered bodies. Its dangers intertwined with the operation, distance, materials, cost of human life and the objective value the client attached and was willing to shell out for the return of their prized chattels.

Finishing his warm coffee Mike exited the small extravagant tourist café, The Old Home Oven, and walked the pleasant distance to the adjacent city. He found it difficult to ignore the taste of the home style prepared food and its real food flavors. He quickly turned to follow a route that crossed an area marking the edge of the touching city limits and highlighted the artistically created area with a complex intertwining of crisscross pathways. Its design served as a marking for the space between the two neighboring cities. Even though the quaint small restaurant and coffee shop hid within the jungle of kiosks, small stores, and humongous metropolitan power building the The Old Home Oven towered over other eateries for its social class and delicately luxurious chef prepared food. It caught Mike that the strata of society visited the strange little eatery from middle echelon to the highest elite of the business world. The elegant little restaurant never advertised yet the delicious savory hot delights brought the customers to feast every day.

At the outer, lightly populated perimeter, Mike glanced back and down the pedestrian walkway, the city limits line lay a short distance in front of him. He glanced around and his hand reached for his neck as an uneasy sensation excited his sixth sense. Instinctively he reached for his laser gun hanging cross carry at his left hip with the black alloyed butt slightly higher than belt level. In quick time he turned and pursued a route highlighted with a smartly designed complex system of intertwining crisscross pathways of solid walls that created a labyrinth style of decorative structures built to clarify the point where the two city limits met and marked their city territory.

Passed several colorful rock-solid smooth walls Mike halted. Two mechanized and battle line assassin androids appeared from behind the impressionistic style painted wall twenty or thirty yards from him and next to several more walls cutting across his intended route. Mike always maintained his on person combat alert system active. Retrieval experience told him to carry the security alert defensive system plugged into his personal communicator. Its combat style function out did cheap civilian gear and his simulated common looking ear piece was specifically designed and fabricated by his good friend and micro engineer for civilian appearance. The crisscrossed six and eight foot artistic designed walls played into Mike’s strategy. Short turns around the thick stone walls created defensive cover positions against multiple laser gun fire targeting him.

His ear piece with its combat capabilities picked up combat sounds including clicking laser triggers, low hum activated explosive devices, bio-movement in mechanized and human joint sounds, and light forward foot steps. He stood quietly, watched and listened, scanned his immediate surrounds, several familiar bug sounds snapped in which he dismissed, his mind active as his thoughts perused the idea that someone tagged his routine and waylaid to ambush him. The first class combat assassin androids tracked him patiently on foot and cut into his return route. He knew assassin androids like these ones held little defensive measures for him to track in combat mode.

The death trap squeezed closer as he cautiously pressed close to one of the picturesque walls, crouching low, and holding for close quarters combat action. As predicted one of the hidden androids stirred and moved out of the shadows, walked toward him and started firing. Darting fast, Mike turned the stone corner as the burning laser shots dusted a powder cloud on the corner of the wall inches behind him, boiling chips burning his clothes and left beaded drops of blood forming on the cut line on his upper forehead from one of the exploding laser blasts.

Scrambling for better protection he sped fast and raced hard around and passed the next visible stone corner. The second android on his heels rounded the previous corner lining for Mike who waited for him and from his crouched position he sprang up and fired from around the solid defensive corner and protected posture. The mechanized menace proved a bit faster with its fire, its shot ricocheted off Mike’s laser knocking it out of his hand as the laser line burned close enough to his flesh, the heat curled his arm hairs leaving the clothing as if a hot iron had pressed it, cloth ambers glowed and smoked, his energy body shield saving his life again.

In the melee the cunning android assassin managed to close the distance and Mike quickly jumped out from around and behind the solid wall throwing several hard side kicks attempting to topple the android and gain time to grab his laser several feet away on the rock solid ground. The multiple hard kicks pummeled the heavy android slightly back as it quickly regained its balance. In the split seconds Mike instantly jumped, rolled and in flight snatched his laser off the rock compressed ground, hot buzzing laser fire brushed his back as he maneuvered and fired like a human roman candle. Several of the laser shot sliced through the android, it thumped to one metallic knee off balance, and the displaced weight toppled it onto the ground on its side. Its flaming clothes exposed multiple laser glow holes on its sideways laying metallic torso.

Tension squeezed as the first android rounded the corner of one of the other artistically painted heavy solid walls, its laser gun targeting him for a quick dispatch. Instinctively, sweat on his carbon smirred face, Mike rolled and flattened behind the defunct, smoking mechanized machine for cover. If he could confuse the first pursuing android long enough and create a continuous automatic volley of laser fire with his laser gun set on full auto power he might have a chance to survive the attack. The reckless, instantaneous action paid off as his efforts cut the android across the neck and face. But the mechanized android assassin was not eliminated and the lack of pain and fear from it allowed for the attack to continued as it fired at Mike who swiftly responded by squeezing flatter to the ground behind the metal torso of the android on the ground in front of him using it for cover, and maintaining a prone firing position, one definite move left. Collected and cool under the murderous assault he focused and sliced the deadly android opening it like a dinner sardine can freezing it in mid assassin mode, but its assault continued, its laser shot hit off target and to the right of Mike, rocky chunks exploding into the air and flew over Mike’s head as the laser shot dig deep into his protective body shield before ricocheting to his right side. Sweat beaded form his bloody carbon smirred face as his mined repeated, body armor, body armor,

Burning blackish smoke flared and hissed out from the ripped mechanized torso of the assassin android as Mike stood over it and fired point blank death shots terminating the mechanized pile once a live android and now a mangled mess on the cold rocky pedestrian walk way between the two friendly cities. Mike watched as its hand held laser flopped out of its broken, burning, non-functioning right synthetic metallic assassin hand.

The obviously mangled debris before him told Mike that enemies licked close at his heels. The question on his mind remained. Just who sent these, first class, emotionless, over prized mechanized android assassins? Someone from a past job? He certainly left dozens of enemies that traveled among the multitude of planets. His thoughts returned to the smoke filled mechanized assassin machines as he dug quickly and scavenged the motionless androids for any IDs or serial numbers. Their pile of electronics and mechanical parts revealed little information that might lead to the sender or senders. Even the common manufacturing parts had been removed and replaced with professionally constructed sets. No doubt by an expert in programming, electronics and mechanical engineering, not to mention combat and assault tactics. A robotic expert of sorts and someone with heavy financial reaches and dark connections into the black hidden underworld where even death carried a price tag. The little information and mixed thoughts pushed Mike into a fast walk as he headed home, his senses alert, his hunting eyes searching the infinite alley ways, streets high and low, shadowy windows and shady dark walls.

Caution heightened on his approach to his house, his mind centered on entering through his working office doorway by the side of the house. From a distance he spotted a business class limousine, dark in color, a driver, and man in a slick executive suit. The last visit like this one brought several well dressed thugs looking to use him for target practice as a reward for one of his last retrieval jobs, their floating vehicle ready to throttle into the sky traffic lanes above the city. He slowed his rapid pace and quickly called a girl friend at the vehicle registration department of sky traffic.

Hey, Sue. This is Mike. I have a vehicle sitting outside my house. Do I need to call local police enforcement? Mike waited for a response.

Let me check the number you printed to me. Sue said. She was the head of the license bureau for vehicle registration.

Don’t worry, Mike. The limo is owned by some business man named Ingleman. He’s medium, green eyes, an executive with a local business, a sole proprietor. I’ll send you his picture. Make sure it’s him before you get caught with the wall against your back. I think I saw that name in the local news reports, something about kidnapping, robbery, can’t recall.

Thanks, Sue. Mike walked quietly, the laser in his right hand at the ready.

Half way to the stone archway leading onto his property Mr. Ingleman stepped out of the dark blue limousine and walked around. He signaled for Mike as he leaned back on the floating limo and faced the stone archway, green vines and yellow flowers hanging from it. Ingleman’s previous communications and recent knock on the door left him wanting to talk directly with Mike. His serious and sad face displayed clearly as he turned toward Mike and walked close up and stopped next to him ready to chat.

"Mr. Long, it’s important