Rogue Operator Read Free

inky blackness not helping. She reached
forward, her hands shaking, and turned on the headlights.
    And she
joined the screams.
     
     

 
     
    Mona Reservoir, Utah
     
    Jason Peterson covered his head, the explosion terrific, casting a
huge arc of water over their tiny boat.
    “Carl,
are you fucking crazy?” he yelled as he laughed. Carl Shephard shrugged his
shoulders and grinned from under the umbrella he had popped open only moments
before. “Nobody said you could use explosives!”
    Carl closed
the umbrella, placing it beside him in their small v-hull boat while wagging a
finger.
    “Not
true. The rules of the game say no explosive material may be used. I
used a high pressure gas to create a shockwave that momentarily displaced the
water, hence the shower you both just enjoyed. And, I might point out, by doing
so, I have set a new record.” He pointed at the water.
    Jason looked
at where he was pointing. At least a dozen fish had bobbed to the surface.
    “Can I
see the trigger?” asked Phil Hopkins.
    Carl
shook his head. “Completely autonomous. I married up one of our miniaturized
drones, programmed it to seek out a school of fish, then detonate when within
one meter.”
    Jason’s
eyebrows shot up and his chin dropped to his chest. “And just how was this
thing going to know that the biological it found were fish and not humans?”
    “Anything
more than a foot in length it aborts.”
    “You’re
lucky we’re on this lake alone,” said Phil. He jabbed a finger in the air at Carl.
“And next year we’re amending the rules. No autonomous robots, and nothing that
can suddenly displace water or air.”
    Carl frowned.
“Awww, you guys are no fun,” he moaned with mock angst. A moment later he was
all smiles as he grabbed his net and began fishing dinner for a few days out of
the water.
    Jason laughed.
He couldn’t remember the last time they had just had a simple, good time.
Certainly not since the accident at the lab. And in fact, they had all been
under so much pressure, it was probably their fishing trip the previous year
that they had last all had a good laugh. They had debated cancelling the trip
this year after the near catastrophe, but decided against it.
    This
is the only thing that keeps us sane.
    “Catch
and release for the next few days, I guess,” he said as he grabbed his own net
to help.
    “Looks
like we’ve got company.”
    He stopped
and looked to where Phil was pointing as Carl continued to gather his trophies.
    “It’s a
public lake, boys, we’ve just been lucky so far.” Carl grunted as he leaned
out, tipping the boat slightly. “Just…one…more!”
    The boat
tipped precariously to the side, and Jason yelped as he reached for Carl. His
own weight caused the boat to tilt even more and he gasped for air as he
tumbled into the water after Carl. He hit the frigid water and his instinct was
to gasp from the cold, but he resisted, instead spreading out his legs and
arms, then opening his squeezed-shut eyes. He could see nothing at first, then
turned his head and saw the surface above him. Waving his arms and kicking his
legs, he began to inch toward the dim light, his unprepared lungs ready to
burst, every inch of his body screaming against the cold.
    Something
grabbed his foot.
    His
heart hammered into his chest, and he kicked, trying to free himself from
whatever had a grip on him, but it wouldn’t let go. His lungs were ready to
burst from the exertion and he felt himself begin to be dragged down.
    He bent
over, pulling his leg up, or rather his body down toward his leg, and nearly
gasped when he saw it was a hand wrapped around his ankle.
    Carl!
    Jason
reached down and grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled. Carl let go of Jason’s
ankle, and his face came into sight. With his legs freed, Jason kicked as hard
as he could, clawing at the water with his free hand, his lungs on fire,
desperate for oxygen. The surface was so far above he knew they weren’t going
to make it.
    A