“Just the four of us?” Hot Dog asked.
“Yeah,” Drue said. “The original Moon Platoon.”
“Everyone’s still really shaken up by everything that happened earlier,” Benny said. “It’s probably not a good idea to send the whole fleet out when we’re honestly not even sure what we’re looking for yet.”
“Ricardo seems to have actually caused an argument underground trying to figure out what was going on, so you probably don’t have to worry about the Pit Crew for a little while. Get a plan together and go,” Pinky said. “You coming, Jazz?” Drue asked.
She nodded. “I guess now is as good a time as any to test out the things I learned in Hot Dog’s crash course. We should gather some supplies first, though. Drue, can you grab some extra first-aid kits and food and water just in case we run into any trouble? Or if Dr Bale needs help? Hot Dog, maybe see what kind of heat sensors the McGuyvers might have.” She turned to Pinky. “Any records Elijah has about Dr Bale and where you found these campsites would be useful in forming search parameters.”
“Gladly,” the AI said. “I’ll transfer everything I have to your HoloTek and we can form a strategy together.”
“Right,” Benny said. “Let’s take ten and meet down in the garage?”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Hot Dog said.
Benny started to respond, telling her for what felt like the hundredth time that day that he wasn’t their leader. Instead, he nodded, and headed for the lift.
He wasn’t sure why he was going to his suite in the Lunar Taj until he was there alone, and suddenly his breathing was heavier and his pulse was racing as questions rushed through his mind. How had he become such an integral part in the survival of his family, his planet, his species in just a few days? And, perhaps more frightening, what would have happened if he hadn’t gone to the Taj? He took a seat on the edge of his bed and tried to get a hold of himself. They had a next move, which was good. But driving off to the far side of the Moon to search for some mysterious scientist who may or may not be able to help them didn’t seem like it was enough. Especially when his family’s safety was concerned. Whatever happened, he had to keep them safe. Somehow.
Benny looked at his nightstand where a silver hood ornament had been displayed for most of his stay on the Taj. It hadn’t been all that long ago that his father had given it to him, before the man had trekked into the desert in search of water and never returned. But it was gone now, left behind in the alien ship and no doubt destroyed when Elijah West blew up his hyperdrive engine, and Benny suddenly wished more than anything that he could hold it again, as if doing so would make the homesickness that was growing in his chest go away.
Now a gold glove sat on the nightstand, the one thing Benny had taken from the alien spacecraft – the only way they’d managed to escape. He picked it up and slid it over his hand. It covered his palm, but his fingers stuck out. He made a fist, then spread his hand out again. Analysis in the Taj’s research labs had confirmed that the glove was made up of unknown elements, which hadn’t exactly been a surprise. On the alien ship, it had somehow controlled the rock walls of the craft, allowing its wearer to open up doorways. But he didn’t know how it worked, and so far it had been useless on the Moon. He’d smashed it against the ground outside, but nothing had happened.
Still, if he was going out in a Space Runner, he felt like he should have it with him. Just in case.
There was a beeping in his room, and then Pinky’s voice.
“May I have a word?”
“Uh, sure,” Benny said.
The AI appeared in front of him.
“Benny …” She paused for a moment. “I don’t disagree with the choices you’re making right now. In fact, I think you’re doing everything in your power to try to figure out the problem of the Alpha Maraudi. But that’s the issue. I’ve been monitoring your heart rate, and I’m a bit concerned that you might be pushing yourself too hard. I don’t want you to burn out. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break and trying to relax.”
“Relax?” Benny asked. “How am I supposed to relax? If anything, we’re not moving fast enough. What if the aliens are already on their way back to the Earth? What if they’re on the Moon. What if at any moment—”
“You aren’t making me feel any better.” Her expression softened as she put her hands on her hips. “I know a lot about you, Benny. All your background information and application materials are stored on my servers. I’ve watched you rally the kids here and lead them to victory. I can’t imagine how tough that’s been. I know …” She sat down on the bed beside him. “I know you’re worried about your family. Alejandro. Justin. Your grandmother. The rest of your caravan. But you have to take care of yourself, too.”
“There’s just so much going on,” Benny said, staring down at the shining metal on his palm. “How do I know if what we’re doing is going to work or help us at all?”
“You don’t. In the same way Elijah didn’t know if his first Space Runner prototype would fly. And you didn’t know if you could stop the asteroids. Sometimes you have to just believe in yourself and take a leap of faith.”
“I’m pretty sure Elijah did a million tests on the Space Runner before he took it out. And it’s not like we were flying blind up there earlier. We had all your charts and graphs and had tested some of the lasers ourselves.”
“Benny, I’m trying to comfort you here, and as a holographic facsimile with no physical body, you’re going to have to work with me a little on this.”
He snorted, and then took a deep breath.
“Is there anything else I can do or say to make this easier?” Pinky asked.
Benny looked over at her. “Do you really think Elijah’s alive? I know you said so in the thing you sent out, but …”
Pinky stood and took a few slow steps away from him. “I don’t know,” she said. She turned to the screen that made up the wall across from Benny’s bed. Suddenly, videos of Elijah filled the space. He jetted across lunar mares in souped-up muscle cars. He winked at the camera while waving to Taj guests. In a smaller video in the background, he presented what must have been the real Pinky with a bouquet of shiny chrome roses. The AI smiled a sad smile. “But, despite all the mistakes he made, I really hope he is.”
“Yeah,” Benny said. “Me, too.”
Pinky shook her head. The screen went black again. “Jasmine and Hot Dog are already down in the garage. You don’t want to keep your friends waiting.”
“Right,” Benny said. “And, uh … thanks, Pinky.”
“You were right in your application video, you know. You already have changed the world. I have the most advanced processing power of any computer known to man, and there’s no scenario my processors can run in which your father wouldn’t be beaming with pride at your accomplishments.”
And then she was gone.
Benny took one last look at his hand before pulling off the golden glove and shoving it into the pocket of his space suit. Then, he took a deep breath and headed for the door.
Everyone else was in the garage by the time Benny made his way down. The warehouse-like building hadn’t changed much since the first time Benny had seen it a week before: a ceiling of bright white light reflected off the dark, polished floors, and the acrid scents of electronics and