Birthday Bash

By M.E. Owen

Nine months before the AI Purge, Cray Solnik, newly hired onto the Far Trails, accepts an invitation to Zion Station's null-grav arena to celebrate Police Chief Jones's birthday with an experimental virtual reality experience. He and his new friends become characters in a throwback sci-fi story, run by the station's AI Max, complete with rocketships, ray guns, and evil Martians who want to steal Earth for themselves.

 

But the fun ends when the birthday treat goes arwy, threatening both Jones and the station itself. Can Cray save the day?

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.E. Owen
• Release date: Jul 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201988043

Book preview

Birthday Bash

BIRTHDAY BASH

ZION STATION 06

M.E. OWEN

TOWHEE PUBLISHING

BIRTHDAY BASH

A ZION STATION STORY

Nine months before the AI Purge

They floated in a loose group along the wall of Zion Station’s largest null-grav arena, three of them, each carrying a soft black balaclava and a sugar cube.

Cray’s stomach rumbled. Smells like curry in here, he said. There gonna be food at this party?

Just the sugar, said Max, Zion’s resident AI. I don’t want your digestion to interfere with Jones’s birthday festivities. Its voice seemed to emanate from everywhere at once, a bit too loud, and oddly flat in the huge spherical chamber.

"Birthday festivities? said Chief Jones y Garcia. She scowled at Mike Stevens. Goddammit, Mike! You lied to me!"

She turned to leave and Mike snagged her arm. Her glare cut off whatever he was going to say.

Cray had known Mike for all of twelve hours, and he’d met Jones three minutes ago, just outside the hatch beside them. Mike was a decent guy—a little weird, and he drank too much, but Cray had never met a Techmaster who wasn’t weird and didn’t drink.

But Jones ... he’d heard things about Zion Station’s police chief. Things that made him not want to cross her, for all that he had over a foot of height on her and probably twice her mass.

Just ‘Jones,’ she’d said as she sized him up outside. Save the ‘Chief’ for when I’m arresting you.

I don’t intend to get arrested, he’d said.

She’d scowled. You’re part of Skip’s crew. It’s inevitable. But I won’t hold it against you.

And with that, he figured he was in.

Cray watched her glare at Mike. Three ... two ... but then Mike’s sense of self-preservation kicked in and he removed his hand with a grin.

I didn’t lie, really! he said. Max and I really do have something awesome to show you! We’ve been working on it in our spare time.

Her eyes narrowed ominously.

It’s just coincidence that it’s your birthday, Mike said. Really.

Really? Cray murmured to himself.

But Jones heard, and flicked an amused glance at him. When she looked back at Mike, she’d obviously relaxed.

Good, she grumbled, but there was no ire in it. Damn low turnout for a birthday party, anyway. I thought Dane was coming.

As if summoned, the fourth member of their party crossed through the grav/null-grav threshold.

He was sixty if he was a day, dark like Jones, and a couple hairs taller than her five-and-a-bit. But twice as wide, and apparently solid muscle. The light glared off his bald