The Pit Bull crashed into the side of Gregory’s ship with enough force to test the safety features of the shock harness that kept me secured to the seat. The front of our ship drove into the hull of Gregory’s ship and just kept on going. I expected some resistance when we made contact, but the metal the Pit Bull was made out of was far superior to anything I had ever seen.

  The front of our ship penetrated its target and kept on slicing through the metal like it was water.

  Explosions flared around us as components not meant to be struck with force detonated. Fires swept over our hull but Poppy kept the accelerator down and kept on pushing it forward.

  On and on we went till we finally came to a stop.

  I was shaken.

  I was sweaty.

  But I was uninjured.

  Laughter echoed around me as Willis slapped his thigh. Shoulders shaking he pointed my way, shook his head and laughed all over again.

  I took the first deep breath in what felt like an age; I took another and another till I realised I was hyperventilating. I tried to lean down between my knees to suck in more oxygen, but it didn’t seem to help. Fiddling for the controls that would allow my helmet to retract, I couldn’t move them; my fingers felt like dead weights as I struggled and became angry that I couldn’t do such a simple task. Giving up on the controls for my helmet I tried to unbuckle myself from my seat but this too proved too much of an effort.

  I grabbed the harness for all I was worth and shook and yanked at it trying my best to pull it apart but failing.

  Why couldn’t I breathe?

  Why couldn’t I escape?

  “Let me fucking out!”

  I strained and pulled but it felt like my movements were growing weaker and weaker by the second.

  “Quinton!” Someone was calling my name, but they sounded miles away.

  I needed to get out of here. Coming on board this ship was a mistake. Asking to join this crew was a mistake.

  “Quinton.”

  There it was again, that voice.

  “Quinton!”

  Something slapped me on the cheek and I focused wild-eyed on the face in front of me. It was Poppy. She was smiling. She stroked the side of the cheek she had hit and everything wasn’t as bad as it once was.

  I took in what felt like my first proper breath. It calmed my nerves. It calmed my soul.

  “Breathe. That’s it. Just breathe,” she said, raising and lowering her hand. “It happens to some people when they have their first experience on the Pit Bull. It’s not something most humans have experienced. You would normally need military training to get used to purposely crashing into another ship. But we haven’t got the time for that. This is what they designed this ship for. A secret branch of the military built it small and compact to ram and penetrate the hull of the enemy’s ship. Once there, the crew onboard could evacuate and raid their enemies. It’s mainly used for stealth missions.”

  I could hear sirens wailing in the background as what looked like mist surrounded us.

  “We are firmly inside your boss’s ship. You should be able to breathe without the aid of your suit but if the oxygen drops one percent or you find yourself in a vacuum then it will reseal around your face.”

  “Why… why would I find myself in a vacuum?” I asked her.

  “Because your bitch ass may find itself outside in space,” Willis said, stepping past me. “Come on, we don’t want to get pigeonholed here, as someone is bound to come looking for us sooner or later.”

  Poppy looked into my eyes and tapped me on the shoulder once more before she followed Willis.

  I did the same but clicked my fingers and spun around looking at the Peacemaker. I picked up the shotgun and cradled it in my arms hoping against hope that I wouldn’t need to use it.

  * * *

  Hope can kiss my ass!

  Crouched low, I moved my head as another bullet blasted the wall I was crouched behind. Sparks flew from the impact and I looked back wide-eyed at Poppy, who only gave me a smile.

  Willis was nowhere to be found, as he had rushed ahead of us in a fit of barely controlled enjoyment and rage.

  “Where’s Willis?”

  Poppy gave me a shrug. “He sometimes does this. José has warned him against it, but he’s like a rabid dog when we get into a conflict like this.”

  We could hear the distant sounds of a firefight somewhere in the ship, but I couldn’t pinpoint the location.

  I peeked around the corner and threw my head back as bullets came my way.

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  Two guards.

  They were steadily walking towards us without fear of repercussion. I didn’t blame them. We hadn’t fired a single shot since they encountered us.

  I held the Peacemaker in my hands and took in a deep breath. If I wanted this to stop then I would need to take action. There was only one way this was ever going to end—with blood on my hands, and if I thought any different then I was just lying to myself.

  “Lay down your weapons and you shall not be hurt!” I shouted.

  Laughter sounded down the walls as the shooting ceased. “If you were going to do anything to us, you would have done so already.”

  “This is your final warning—” Gunshots cut me off, followed by laughter.

  “How’s that for a final warning?”

  I shook my head before I shoved the gun round the corridor and pumped it full of lead.

  The roar the shotgun made was murderous as smoke filled the corridor.

  The smoke brought silence, much as one would get after a firework show had ended.

  I counted to five and peeked around the corner to see nothing but blood and corpses. I nodded my head at Poppy as I emerged into the corridor and took another tentative step forward; I walked towards the men on the floor and was about to avert my gaze but something in my soul told me not to. It would be disrespectful to do so. This was war, and in war one warrior always acknowledged the other.

  My head snapped up as I heard more footsteps coming our way, and I raised the shotgun without even thinking. A group of three saw me but it was already too late—I squeezed the trigger and watched as they tried to move out of the way but it was pointless. Buckshot had peppered their bodies dropping them to the floor.

  I fired once more to stop the twitching.

  I looked back at Poppy, who stared at me with a look I couldn’t make out, but it was gone in an instant.

  We continued onwards, taking lefts and rights, never slowing down longer than was necessary.

  “Where do you think Gregory is?”

  “You know him better than I do,” Poppy replied.

  I barked a laugh and shook my head. “That man knows as little about my life as I know about his. Although it appears our lives have been intertwined for years. All I can say is—”

  Gregory and a group of his goons came to a skidding halt before us as we turned a corner. Surprise graced his face for a moment, but it disappeared and a look of boredom replaced it. He smoothed down the charcoal-coloured suit that did an excellent job of hiding his bulging middle; straightening out the cuffs of his shirt he stared at me.

  “Nothing to say, asshole?” I asked.

  “What is there to say? I either do the job assigned to me or someone else will take my place. I’ve already told you a company like Xcorp is a nation onto itself. If you think you can ever win then… more fool you.”

  “Why?”

  “How much do you know about WW3?”

  I looked at him in puzzlement, and said, “Only what they taught us in school. Global war, between the nations that always hated each other, led to a World Government that outlawed war on Earth. The destruction that took place nearly ended humanity.”

  “Yes, yes, but what about the birth of AI?”

  “What about it?” I asked.

  “AI was humanity’s greatest creation, some say greater than space travel. Everyone always knew AI was coming, they just didn’t know how terrifying the robots would be, how efficient they would be at killing, outsmarting and controlling human beings. They nearly became the apex predators, the rulers of Earth. So like everything else that humankind fears, they were outlawed.

  “Their creation was outlawed, the designs on how to create them were destroyed, and all the creators, engineers, designers, anyone and everyone who worked on building them, were imprisoned or killed one by one.”

  I looked at him in disbelief.

  “What, don’t believe me? Nor did I to begin with. It wasn’t something they taught in school and for good reason. How could anyone justify killing thousands upon thousands of people just for a dream they wanted to turn into reality? But I can assure you it happened.”

  “And you’re telling me this because?” I asked.

  “Because Xcorp has gained lost knowledge. Knowledge that could make them the dominant company galaxy-wide. Knowledge that could even make the World Government fear tackling them.”

  The penny dropped.

  Of course.

  Why hire so much protection just to ferry me through space? What information could be so important that Xcorp would hunt me through space? Why did they want what I had so badly?

  “I see you’ve finally cottoned on. Didn’t I once mention in your appraisals what a fast learner you were?”

  I gave him the finger with disdain.

  “Well, if what you’re telling me is true than Xcorp is fucccked!” I shouted with glee, “Once the World Government gets an inkling of what you bastards have been up to, then… heads are going to roll. If I were you Gregory, I would start looking for another job.”

  “It took my superiors a lot of time and effort to find out the details on how to build AI. A lot of people were killed. A lot of people were paid. So to think an insect like you would put a dent in those plans is highly laughable.”

  I grabbed the handle of my gun till my knuckles turned white. “You are such a selfish prick. It never occurred to you that maybe there was a reason this technology was outlawed? Countries still make and produce nuclear weapons; if that doesn’t tell you something about how dangerous these things are then nothing will.”

  Gregory waved off the issue like an annoying fly. “We shall learn from our past mistakes. The issue lay in building a humanoid with AI abilities and allowing them the free will, allowing them the ability to make choices based on thoughts and feelings. We shall now build them with free will removed. They shall still have the same intellect, the same reasoning, but only up to a certain point.

  “We shall install countermeasures or blockers if they stray too far off the beaten path.”

  “Countermeasures or blockers,” I said, throwing my head back and laughing. “Have you dickheads given this any thought whatsoever? You sound like children playing with Pandora’s Box. Free will isn’t something that can be restrained. You are talking about creating new life, and new life always finds a way to flourish!”

  Gregory rolled his eyes and brushed down the sleeves of his suit, in a sign I knew only too well from working with him all those years back in the office. He was done with this meeting, and it was your signal to get out.

  “You know what, you pompous prick,” I said, pointing my shotgun towards him, “I would rather die than see you get what you want.”

  “You make it sound like there was going to be another outcome,” he said, confusion on his face.

  Two shots were fired. Two heads exploded.

  I looked in shock as two bodies from Gregory’s entourage fell to the floor in a sticky mess. More shots were fired as men turned around and began firing behind them.

  The scene before me became a screaming mess of chaos.

  Blood splatted against the walls and brain matter landed on my cheek as I did the only thing that seemed to make sense: I squeezed the trigger of my gun in a blind panic until there were no shells left.

  The smoke cleared and all I saw was dead bodies and the smiling manic face of Willis looking at me from the other end of the corridor.

  I did a quick check of the bodies on the floor but failed to find the one I wanted.

  Shit!

  “Gregory must have escaped,” I said, moving off in the only direction he could have gone.

  “Where are you going?” Poppy called after me.

  “I have to end this!” I said over my shoulder. “This thing is my responsibility.”

  “How do you work that out?” Willis shouted.

  “I don’t know,” I said, turning around and giving them a shrug. “It sounds like something a hero would say! What do you want from me? I’m new to this.”

  And with that, I was gone. Living a dream many people before me and after me would always have. Running down a corridor chasing my former boss with a weapon in my hand… wait, was I the only one to ever have that dream?

  Well, call me fucked up because I was about to do something I had wanted to do for a very long time.