The Lady's Courage 3: Agent Santos

The four-wheeled ground vehicle sped away.  The rubber tires chirped as it turned a corner and disappeared out of sight.  My partner looked up at the sound of a barking dog coming from an upstairs window.  I pulled my coat tighter as a cool San Antonio breeze blew through my clothes. 

Snapping my fingers and pointing at the escaping family, I yelled over my shoulder.  "Follow them!”

Two officers broke away from the group and ran to their hover cars.  Their doors slammed sirens blared and they sped off.   My hover car was parked just behind the other officers.  The gauges on the all-electric cruiser lit up as the door slid shut.  All it took was for me to speak the address that I wanted, and the cruiser sped off in the right direction. 

The officer that the San Antonio PD had assigned me sat in silence while the cruiser took us through and above the city streets.  The silence was heavy, the type that could say more than a conversation. 

“What is the problem officer?”

Swiveling in my seat I gave the younger man all my attention.  He wiped the sweat that was beading down his forehead and cleared his throat.

“Well, I just haven’t ever served a warrant for an entire family before.”  The uniformed man stared off into the distance for a moment.  “Come to think of it I haven’t served a warrant for a child either.”

“And this bothers you?”

“I don’t know.  What exactly did they do?  I’m mean, being a bigot is not a crime.”

Waving my hand dismissively, I said.  “It doesn’t matter.  We serve the Intelligence.  She has decided that this family needs to be brought in.  So, we bring them in.”

The officer mimicked my sentiment and shrugged his shoulders.  “I guess you’re right.  It’s just that sometimes I wonder what some of these people have done.  Like these people, so many of them seem so harmless.”

“What do you want me to say.  I just work here.”  I said forcing a chuckle.

“Copy that.”  His chuckle even more forced than my own.

In fact, it was a well know secret as to why we were surprising the Tipton family this night.  I wasn’t the only one that was instructed to round up the dissenters.  That’s what the whole department was set up specifically to do. Everyone in my department had done their homework, but I always did extra credit.  The cruiser pulled up to the gate of the airport even as the family was turning the corner of the hanger.

The gate that separated us from the interior of the airport and the hangar was locked with a keypad.  The officer next to me was already pulling out his phone and calling the tower.  There was no way I was going to let them get away.

I had heard through my source that many that would not submit to the Intelligence were going to try and run.  And the only place to run, is off planet. 

“Ok.”  The officer said.  “I talked with the shift manager and he had to call his supervisor that said that all of this was highly unusual, but I think…”

“Get to the point.”  I said.

“Oh, they are sending someone out to open the gate for us.”

“That’s all I needed to know.”

I could feel the blood draining from my fists as the small white pickup pulled up to our gate and a uniformed man tapped a code into a keypad on his side of the fence.  As soon as the gate left a gap the size of our cruiser, I slipped it through.  The cruiser came to a stop just outside the large hangar door.  The red and blue lights from our light bar reflected off the dark buildings.  I pulled the light jacket I was wearing tighter.  A soft glow radiated from the open hangar doors.

Sucking in a deep breath and with a hand on my holstered pistol, I flung open the car door and silently stepped my way toward the looming space craft.  The light that had been coming from inside the hangar originated from the cockpit lights that were now silhouetting a couple of figures.  I saw what looked to be a male figure stare my way.

Instantly, the massive engines in the rear of the ship began to whistle then whine. The sound echoed in the steal hangar and reverberated in my ears. I felt my grip tightened around the pistol at my hip.  There was no way I could let them run like this.  Almost out of my control the pistol at my hip slipped out of its holster and leveled itself at the cockpit.

“Glenn, you and your family are under arrest.  Power down your aircraft and exit immediately.”  I screamed at the steal bird in front of me.

The officer next to me yelled at the top of his lungs.  “I don’t think they can hear you.”

I could feel the rage begin to boil deep within.  This was not supposed to happen this way. My scream was completely drowned out by the screeching engines.  So was sound of the three shots I fired at the cockpit.

Completely ignoring my attempt to stop it, the spacecraft inched forward toward the open air outside the hangar.  My companion and I dived out of the way as its wings passed over our heads.

I stuck out my hand.  “Get me through to the tower.  I need to talk to Glenn before they take-off.”

A moment later he handed me his phone.  “They put you through.”  He said.

  “Glenn, this is Agent Santos.  Bring your craft to a stop and let us board.  Do what’s best for your family.  You know that there is no scenario where this can end well.”

I heard his voice through the phone.  “I am doing what is best for my family, agent Santos.”

I watched from a distance as the spacecraft stopped at the end of the runway, the nose pointed down the dotted stripe.

“Glenn I’m authorized to take whatever steps I need to, to bring you into custody.  Power down your engines and we can all go home.”  I said.

Glenn chuckled.  “We both know, that is a lie.”

“In the name of Intelligence, power down your engines!”  I said. 

The light from the engines became blindingly bright and the sound deafening.  In less than two minutes they were all gone, the ship completely out of view.

The officer next to me, who I still hadn’t remembered to ask his name, kicked at the dirt with his boot.  “I guess that about wraps up the night huh.  I mean it’s a little harder to chase someone into space.”

My face tightened and I squeezed my eyes shut.  Where did they recruit these guys from anyway?  The local preschool?

“I’m sorry officer, um…”

“Wood ma’am.  The name is officer Wood.”  He said

“Right.”  I said.  “Your gonna need to find another ride home.  I’ve got a flight to catch.”

I didn’t look back at the man as I got back into the cruiser.  I only imagined the look of shock and confusion on his face as I drove off, and it made me smile.

I set the address into the cruiser’s navigator, then with shaking hands I fumbled with my phone.  I selected the name from my contacts and listened to it ring.  The person on the other end answered almost instantly. 

The voice was male with a deeper tone than I usually heard.  There was no small talk with this person, pure business.

“Agent Santos, you have failed to apprehend the Tipton family.”  The voice simply stated that fact then went silent. 

I squirmed in my chair.  It was always awkward talking with the Intelligence.  “Yes sir, I’m sorry. They boarded a spacecraft before I could intercept.”

“I don’t need your apologies, I need you to apprehend the Tiptons.  I see they have just left the atmosphere.  You have failed.”  The voice said.  The voice itself would have passed for a human voice anywhere, except there was never any emotional flavor in the conversation.  I could never tell if the Intelligence was pleased or angry.

“As the locals say, this aint my first rodeo.”  I regretted those words as soon as they left my mouth.  I waited for a response, a scolding, a snicker anything.  All I got was silence.  Nervously I chuckled to myself.  “I need a ride, umm, I mean a spacecraft.  I’m on my way to Lackland Air Force base now.  If you could authorize a craft for my use, I’ll bring the Tipton family back.”

“I’m getting multiple heat signatures from several space craft launching.  Also, many others are requesting authorization to launch.  It seems Agent Santos, that you have started a movement.”  The AI said through the phone.

I groaned internally.  This was not good.  The Intelligence was blaming me for more than the escape of the Tipton family.  I just got accused of failure, from a god. 

“With all due respect sir.”  I got cut off mid-sentence.

“You must address me as Master Intelligence.”  The voice on the other end said.

I cleared my throat.  “I’m sorry, Master Intelligence.  To be fair, the anti-AI movement has been around for a few years now.  It’s just within the last year or so that they have been getting organized.”  I said.

“Yes, Emilia I know.  Their xenophobic ideas are not new.”  The AI said.

I buried my head in my free hand.  Of course, the AI knows about the movement against it.  It probably knows more about the whole thing than I do, and I’ve been working on this case for a year.

“Yes of course.”

“Emilia.  I have set up a space craft for your use at Lackland Air force Base.  It will be fueled and waiting when you arrive.  Also, I have arranged for a pilot and partner to accompany you.  His name is Antoon.  He’ll have everything ready for you when you get there.”  The AI said.

“Master Intelligence.  I am a decent pilot and can handle this on my own.  I’m sure Antoon is good at what he does, but I think he would be better used elsewhere.”  I said, my voice climbing an octave.

“In the past you have proven yourself with more simple assignments, however, you have demonstrated that you cannot handle these difficult tasks on your own.  Antoon will be there to assist you when you require it.”  Said the AI

I could feel my arms sink slightly.  This is not what I had in mind.

“We will return with the Tipton family, Master Intelligence.”

“It would be in your best interest Emilia, and in the interest of those that you have left behind here, to return quickly.”  The AI said.

“Understood.”  I said. 

I understood, all too well. I knew what would happen to me and anyone I had ever cared about if I failed this time.  I had seen it happen to my last partner.  That just means, I cannot fail.