Love of Mars

Chapter 16

Stella didn't notice it at first because when the guys were out on a mission, the house was always quieter. But this quiet felt different. She checked the kitchen clock on the wall again.

11:47 PM.

They should have been back hours ago.

Across the room, Stoker was working on a small component for the new regenerator, tools spread out across the kitchen table as if they didn't have a fully functional labratory on the premises.

"Stoker," Stella said, trying to sound casual, "how long do missions usually take?"

He didn't look up. "Depends on the mission, Honey. Why?"

"Throttle said this one was stopping a shipment leaving the docks. That doesn't sound like an all-night job..right?"

That made him pause. He slowly set down his screwdriver and the piece he was working on. 

"What time did they leave?"

"Late afternoon. Around five?" Stoker frowned slightly. 

"Yeah... they should be back." Just then, the kitchen door opened and Charley walked in, holding her phone.

"Okay, I'm officially worried now," she said. Stella turned. 

"You too?"

"I tried calling the communicator frequency. Nothing. Not even static." Stoker stood up fully now. 

"Well, that ain't good."

Charley crossed her arms. "They always check in. Even if things go sideways, we at least get a 'we're alive' message." Stella felt a knot forming in her stomach. 

"You think something happened-"

"Maybe," Stoker said. "Maybe not. They might just have got carried away again but we don't sit around waitin' to find out." He straightened up taking on the the air of a military leader. "You got a way to track the bikes, Honey?" he asked. Stella nodded immediately and practically ran to get her computer. 

"Yeah. Charley and I installed passive trackers in all the bikes after the last incident. Didn't tell them 'cause we knew they'd complain about privacy."

Charley smirked. "Smart woman." Stella started typing quickly, pulling up a map of the city. Three small blinking dots appeared... all in the same place. Her stomach dropped.

"They're not moving," she said quietly. Stoker leaned over her shoulder. 

"Where is that?" She zoomed in on the map. Industrial area. Old factories and warehouses.

"Karbunkle's old research facility, it's near where they were going to intercept the shipment." Stella said immediately, recognizing the area. "Limburger used it years ago but it's been abandoned for years."

Stoker's expression hardened. "Or so we thought. If Karbunkle's involved, this ain't just a shipment job." Stella stared at the three unmoving dots.

"What if they're not there?" she said. "What if the bikes are but the guys aren't because-"

"They got taken." Charley finished for her softly. No one spoke for a few seconds. Stoker grabbed his helmet from the table. 

"Alright. We're gona go get 'em." He looked at both of them expectantly. "Meet outside in ten." The two women immediately got to it getting tools and the guys spare weapons. Stella quickly ran to the safe in her father's old study and carefully grabbed the few weapons she had hoped to never have to use again - twin pistols, throwing knives and a divers blade. She secured them each methodically to her belt and leg holsters, the way she had been taught years ago.