Alpha Guard - Chapter Ten

A serialized sci-fi thriller novel, most easily described as Jack Reacher in space. Audio version read by Burt Reynolds.

Hello alpha-readers, welcome to Alpha Guard!

If this is your first time visiting, here’s a quick rundown of what’s what…

• My name is Samuel George London and I’m a writer from Hampshire in the UK. Usually, I write comic books, but this is my first novel. And just so my fellow Brits know, I’m writing in American-English because the main character is originally from the US.

• Alpha Guard is a sci-fi thriller novel, most easily described as Jack Reacher in space, but the short synopsis is as follows:

Even after generations of colonization, Mars is still a tough place to live - unless you can afford to live in Dome One. However, when the wealthy need to visit out-of-dome, they hire bodyguards known as ‘bugs’ to protect them. Alpha Guard is the best bug on the Red Planet, and when he's hired to escort a VIP around Mars, his skills are tested to the absolute limit.

• So, in a nutshell, if you like books by Lee Child, Andy Weir, Mark Greaney and Richard K. Morgan you will (probably) enjoy reading or listening to this story. And if you haven’t read or listened to chapter one yet, you can do so by clicking here.

• I’ll be publishing Alpha Guard on a monthly basis, chapter by chapter, right here for free. So, please be sure to subscribe to stay notified when new chapters are posted.

• I’ll never put a paywall on chapter posts, but if you’d like to, there is an opportunity to upgrade to paid. However, it’s only to fuel my caffeine habit. So, please only part with your hard earned cash, if you can afford it.

• There’s an audio version of this chapter available read by an AI version of Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds via ElevenLabs. However, when I eventually publish Alpha Guard as a fully polished novel, I will be hiring a human to read the audiobook.

• If you prefer to listen rather than read, Alpha Guard is also available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible or wherever you usually download your podcasts.

• If you'd like to follow me on social media, you can on Instagram, TikTok and X. Whether or not you’re on social media, please consider sharing Alpha Guard with anyone you think would be interested.

Happy reading and please let me know what you think in the comments.

Ciao for now,

SGL

P.S. If you need to refresh your memory on the previous chapter please click here.

The door slid open and standing in the doorway was a small slim woman with olive skin wearing a golden cross necklace.

“Hello, Ms. Sanchez,” Amrita said, “Are you ready for us?”

The poor woman looked stunned. It was understandable really. Not only was one of the richest people in the solar system standing at her doorway, but behind her was a big bug in a mech-suit and an even bigger android wielding a huge gun.

Finally finding her composure, Sanchez said, “I-I don’t think you’re all going to fit in here.”

“You’re right,” Amrita replied, “Alpha Guard, you and ARES wait out here.”

“I can’t do that ma’am,” I said.

She gave me a deathly stare, so I supplied her with a compromise. “ARES can stay out here to guard the entrance and I’ll stay by the kitchen inside. But that’s the best I can do.”

“Very well,” she said.

And all of us except the android shuffled inside the pod. While I stood in the narrow hallway, Amrita, Pandu, Camila and Jerry the media vulture went into the pod’s living space with Sanchez. Where there was the bare minimum furniture. Next to the window was a small table with two chairs. And up against the wall nearest was a two-seater couch, which had certainly seen better days. On the wall opposite was a large TV with a smashed screen.

The media vulture looked around and said, “Do you mind if I rearrange things slightly for the interview?”

Before Sanchez could answer, the vulture started moving the table and chairs toward the TV wall. Then he dragged the couch closer to the window and threw a blanket over it from his bag. After setting up his camera, I could see Dome One was now in shot through the window.

“Okay. Ms. Andras you sit here. Ms. Sanchez you sit there and take this,” directed the vulture while passing Sanchez a printed photo of who must have been her son.

Sitting at a slight angle to each other, Amrita began, “So, tell me. When was the last time you saw your fourteen year old son, Julio?”

Sanchez looked down at the photo and covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her emotion before saying, “Five days ago.”

Amrita placed a hand on her knee and said, “I know this will be difficult and possibly dangerous for you, but do you have any idea where he might be?”

Sanchez reached into a pocket on her cardigan and pulled out an empty medical vial and simply said, “Hyper-water.”

“Hyper-water?” asked Amrita while taking the vial from her to take a closer look.

“It’s what they're calling this new drug that turned up in the tunnels a few weeks ago.”

“And what does this have to do with Julio going missing?”

“We moved to Mars from Mexico City last year and as soon as we arrived he got mixed up with a bumper gang.”

“I see. But for all the folks watching, can you explain what a bumper gang is?”

“In the pods, bumping means to buy yourself out of your…” she hesitated and looked to Amrita for approval before continuing, “Your contract with Andras Corp. So you can move to New Jezero or even the outskirts of Dome One.”

“Right,” interjected Amrita, “And a bumper gang is effectively a group of individuals who pool their resources to help each other bump. But it’s my understanding the reality is most gang members never get bumped. And the gang leaders just use them to enrich themselves through various criminal activities?”

Sanchez gulped and nodded to confirm. Watching a mother in this much despair because of how the pods worked, I couldn’t help but think Andras Corp was just the ultimate bumper gang.

I only have a handful of memories with my Mom. But the one which stood out the most was when we went on vacation to the Moon. I was eight, and I’d finally grown to a height where I could go on all the rides at Crater Kingdom - The Funnest Place in the Solar System.

We spent the morning together as a family on the small slow rides my little sister could go on. But by lunchtime I was bored and pleaded with my parents for one of them to take me on the big fast rides. After a lot of talking, my Mom said she would take me and off we went.

We had a great afternoon. Especially as she bought us line jumper tickets, which meant we could go on every ride at least twice. We didn’t get back to the hotel until nine o’clock. My little sister usually went to bed way before that, so we tiptoed into the room where we found my Dad in front of the TV.

“Well, you took your time,” he said.

“I didn’t realize we had a curfew,” my Mom replied.

“He should be in bed by now.”

“I know, but we’re on vacation. Loosen up a little.”

“I’ll loosen up when you start pulling your weight.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Switching off the TV first, he stood up to say, “It means, while you’re rocketing around the solar system for your job, I’m left looking after the kids day and night. Then when we go on vacation, I’m still looking after the kids day and night.”

“Okay. Sounds like you need a break. How about you have the whole day to yourself tomorrow?”

That shut him up, and he went back to watching TV while my Mom got me ready for bed. After the bedtime story, I told her, “Dad shouldn’t speak to you like that.”

“You have to understand, honey. Even in this day and age, it’s a big ask for most men to be a stay-at-home parent. Fighting against millions of years of evolution is an uphill battle. And your father has it worse than most.”

“So, why doesn’t he get a job?”

“It’s complicated. But what I can tell you is that two opposing ideas can exist in the same person at the same time. You can both want something and not want it.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I replied.

“Being a grown up doesn’t make much sense. You’ve just got to get on with it.”

That’s why I loved my Mom. She didn’t overthink things. She kept her feet on the ground and did what needed to be done.

“Ms. Sanchez,” Amrita said while placing a hand on her upper arm this time, “If we’re truly going to help the pods, I need to know exactly what happened to Julio?”

Taking a deep breath, Sanchez explained, “His best friend told me their boss made them try hyper-water. Then the next thing he knows, he wakes up on the doorstep of his pod without Julio. No one has seen my son since.”

Sanchez couldn’t hold it in anymore. She feigned a cross over her chest and embraced the photo of her son with a haunting wail I’ll never forget.

In my earpiece, Eric asked me, “You reckon this is the same stuff that Andras suit was carryin’ the other day?”

Making sure my loudspeaker was muted, I said, “Could be. I don’t think it matters though. As long as humans exist, shit will always happen.”

“Talk about cynical, Yankee.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just reacted with a shoulder shrug emoji.

Then Pandu walked over to the couch, kneeled down and held Sanchez’s hands. Looking into her eyes, he said, “I promise to get justice for Julio.”

Moving her hands to wipe her tears with a tissue, Sanchez said, “And how do you plan to do that? We have no law enforcement here in the pods. It’s not like New Jezero or Dome One, where you simply don’t need it.”

“What if we had an ARES for every block of the pods?” Pandu asked.

“That would help,” said Sanchez before looking toward Amrita to ask, “But is it possible?”

“If it means a better life for those in the pods then yes, Andras Corp will make it happen,” Amrita said then she stood up and turned to look directly into the camera, “But that’s only possible if it’s the will of the people. To get this approved we’ll need your help. If you live in the pods and would like them to be safer, please tap the link on screen now to sign our petition to the Council. With your support, Guardian Pandu can provide your protection.”

Although I appreciated Amrita’s efforts to improve the pods, I was uneasy about what I’d just witnessed. I didn’t have anything against the criminals getting their asses kicked. I welcomed it if anything. I just worried about whether the armored androids could truly tell who were the criminals and who were the innocent bystanders.