Twelve

I waited in Gus's loft. The chair was buried under dirty clothes so the only place to sit was his bed. Have you ever sat on sheets that smell like sweat and grease? I have now and I can tell you, it's unbearable. I can't imagine how the guy sleeps up here. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he's always at Wanda's place. I'll bet a thousand dollars Gus has never invited Wanda to his place for an evening of greasy, sweaty lust. If I thought it was his manly smell that attracted her, I'd rub his sheets all over my body, but I'm sure that's not what turns her on.

Dirty clothes covered the floor. A small desk was covered with grimy rover parts. Much like the garage below, his desk looks like a dozen projects started but never finished. Guaranteed, I am in the best hiding place on base. No self-respecting soldier would venture past the stench that would hit him by the third step up to the loft.

I felt sticky and cringy, but safe.

Soldiers shoved Gus into the dome and locked the door behind him. The sound of metal sliding against metal was followed by Gus swearing, "F'ing jerks lock me in, I lock you out. No one's getting in or out of this dome unless I allow it."

I wondered, if he hadn't made a ruckus in the hotel lobby would they have left the door unlocked? Were they locking everyone in their quarters? I waited and listened. Gus grumbled and cussed, then I heard metal parts being thrown against the wall.

I walked slowly down the steps. "You're disgusting. How can you live like that?" I asked.

Gus was startled and ready to throw a wrench when he recognized me. "Have you been here the whole time?" He asked.

"Hell no. I wouldn't last five more minutes up there."

"We've been invaded."

"I know. I left the party early because…Anyway, I saw them land. I went back to the hotel to warn Harding, but I was too late."

"There's nothing you could have done."

"Astrid, the witch said they come in peace, but I don't believe it."

"There is nothing peaceful about armed soldiers. Look at what they did to Harding and Monty," said Gus.

"We can't let them take control of everything we've built, but how can we fight them? We don't have weapons."

"Weapons aren't allowed on the moon; TAC regulations," Gus said walking to his volumetric additive manufacturing device which is looks like a big box but creates metal parts of from computer drawings.

"Someone should tell the invaders. Regulations aren't worth bupkis against one hundred gunmen."

"This might help," Gus said snapping parts together as he raised what looked like a large barreled pistol.

"Is that a gun?"

"It's a handheld rail gun," Gus said holding the pistol in a shooting stance.

"It's so small. I expected something bazooka sized."

"Yeah, you wish," Gus joked. "I don't want to blast holes in domes."

"Yeah, Felix already did that. It wasn't not pretty."

"A pistol this size is easy to handle and does plenty of damage," Gus said sliding a magazine into the pistol, then checking the gun for balance. Two magazines sat on the table. "I'm testing different ammo. Each mag has eight shots. These two magazines are loaded with something like buckshot, but extra spicy. The pellets travel at hypersonic speed. One shot can take out several bad guys."

"Dang. What's in the other magazine?" I asked.

"High velocity projectiles, like a kinetic missile, good for blasting through armor, metal doors, rovers, watch." Gus aimed the pistol at the far side of the dome where he'd lined up several layers of metal plate. "You set the intensity with this dial. I'll set it to medium." He adjusted the dial, aimed, and fired. The shock from blast reverberated off the dome walls. Smoke hung in the air at the end of the muzzle.

"Wow. That things a canon," I exclaimed.

"Let's see what it did," Gus said excitedly running to check the metal plates. Three half inch metal plates had a two-inch hole all the way through. "That's medium? What happens at full strength?" I asked.

"Don't know. Haven't tested that yet. I've been tweaking the batteries. If you fire off rounds too fast, you'll drain them. It's one of the trade-offs of keeping the gun pistol sized. It takes two minutes to charge on the base's wireless power grid or thirty seconds to charge the super capacitor for one shot. Without Dr. Bensons superconducting wire, we might get two shots per charge."

"So, what's the plan? I say we blast our way in, bust Harding and the TAC guys out of the Brig."

"If we attempt that, we'll be slaughtered," Gus mused

"So, what should we do?" I was keyed up, ready for a fight. We have a weapon. Gus can make more. I want action. We need to get these guys. I looked at Gus. He stood silent eying the pistol in thought.

"We do nothing."