A wave of spiders poured down the stairs, and together they blasted through them, sparks flying into the air, evaporating as they fought their way up the steps. On the landing, a gigantic mechanorachnid with glowing ruby eyes blocked the way. They blasted it with the pistols, but they had little effect on the gleaming, metal body.
“Go for the eyes!” Erin said, and they took aim.
The creature hissed in fury as 2, then 4, then 6 of its horrid eyes exploded in puffs of red dust. It thrashed, keeled over, and then burst into sparks.
“Was that the queen?” Dave asked, as they crept up the steps.
Erin poked her head around the corner, gulped, and then said, “Nope…”
Dave leaned over her and looked, “Shit!”
Guarding Casey’s door was a hulking black mass with jointed, razor-sharp legs. It had two heads that swiveled back and forth watchfully, gleaming red eyes attentive for intruders. Dave and Erin glanced at each other, nodded, and then split up, drawing the gaze of those sweeping eyes in both directions, firing at the glittering rubies. The thing screeched in pain as they blasted out its eyes, its legs flailing.
Jesus, it looked real, Dave thought, and the creature stood up on its hind legs, protecting its remaining eyes. A bolt of blue fire arced through the air, striking Erin in the shoulder, and she went down, crying, “I’m hit!” Dave saw smoke rising from her shoulder, but she rolled away from a second blast, and came up on one knee, firing her pistol in rapid succession. On the creature’s abdomen, Dave glimpsed a swirling, blue crystal. He took careful aim, fired, and saw the crystal burst into a million blue shards. The queen collapsed, her mechanical legs folding beneath her as the light faded from her eyes. She evaporated into a thick black cloud and swirled away. Erin hobbled toward Casey’s door, which was coated in shiny, translucent webs. She fired her pistol, and the webs burned away. Casey came rushing out of the room, and threw herself into Erin’s embrace.
“My hero!” She cried.
“It was a team effort.” Erin admitted, rubbing her smoking wound.
Casey hugged Dave, giving him a peck on the cheek. Dave returned the embrace, careful to keep his sweaty hands from groping her ass. In his Haloes, a stat screen appeared, showing his shots fired, hits, misses, and score.
“Old man’s got skills!” Erin said, “Deadeye Dave, we’ll call you.”
Dave grinned like a maniac and blew smoke from his pistol.
“Next time, you’re the hostage.” Casey said to her.
“That was a…blast!” Dave said, and the girls groaned.
“Hey, now that we’ve saved the world, I have some last minute shopping to do for the trip. You?”
“I could use a few things.” Dave agreed.
“Are pants required?” Casey asked.
“We could wear bikinis!” Erin suggested.
Dave flushed, and added, “I need a shower.”
The next morning, Dave found himself wedged into a middle seat on the plane between the girls. They shared a movie in their Haloes during the flight, getting odd looks from the people across the aisle, as the three of them stared off, seemingly at nothing, and chuckled to themselves. Dave didn’t care. The kid in him was practically bouncing out of his seat with excitement. The last few days had made him feel so young. Now, with the prospect of a childhood dream coming true, and his new cyborg eyes, he really did feel like a kid. He’d been as horny as one, too, unfortunately. He didn’t remember a time when he’d jerked off so frequently, as he had these past few days.
He’d stopped feeling quite so guilty about it, because it was becoming normal, but he couldn’t help that twinge of sickness, thinking of himself as perverted when he stroked his cock, imagining Erin’s delectable bottom. He made a strong mental effort, though, not to include Casey in those fantasies. That was a line a little too far. The memory of Erin’s suggestion that she was going down on his daughter, however, did not make that an easy thing to do.
The blinding Florida sunshine greeted them as they departed Melbourne International, but there was something a bit off about it. Blinding. It should have been blinding, because he’d forgotten to pack sunglasses. It wasn’t, though. His vision itself was tinted against the bright rays. He caught Erin’s eye, and saw that her normal bright blues were darker, like a shade had been drawn over them. She cocked her head in question.
“Do the Haloes…adapt to the sunlight?”
“Of course!” She chirped.
“Jesus. These things are even gonna put sunglasses out of business.”
The three of them, bags in hand, crossed to the car rental, where Erin checked them in. A short time after, a valet brought around a bright red EV convertible.
“Nice choice!” Dave praised her.
“Every hot blonde needs a cherry red drop top.” Casey said.
“Beats the old bucket back home, that’s for sure.” Erin agreed, took the proffered keyfob from the valet, and got behind the wheel. Casey vaulted the passenger side door into her seat, Dave, awkwardly, clambered into the back seat. They cruised down the ramp and hit the highway. Off to his right, Dave watched the rolling ocean waves, dotted by small boats and parasailers. Yeah, this was the life. He settled back in his seat, while Casey tuned the radio, until the Red Hot Chili Peppers were crooning, “Road trippin’ with my two favorite allies…” from the speakers.
“Now that’s timing!” She said, and settled back in her seat, kicking her feet up on the dash, her bare legs soaking in the sun.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Dave asked.
“Leah,” Erin said, “Share the map with Dave.”
In the corner of his vision, a HUD displayed an overlay of a GPS route on the road ahead.
“Should have known.” He answered himself.
He stared off at the ocean and lost himself in the music and the whipping of the warm coastal wind.
“I can give you a better view, Dave.” the voice of Hal said in his ear.
“Shit!”
Casey looked back at him, and he caught Erin’s eye in the mirror.
“Hal.” he said, and waved it off, then he replied, “Ok, Hal. Show me what you’ve got.”
Something like the zoom control of his phone camera winked into existence, floating in the corner of his right eye. He scrolled the dial, and watched the ocean grow closer, closer, until he felt like he was right there on the beach. The effect made him feel a bit dizzy, like he’d lost his depth perception, but he became accustomed to it quickly. He could even make out a gaggle of girls in bikinis along the sand, and chuckled to himself. These things were a peeper’s dream. If he’d been a peeper.
Erin pulled the convertible into the Radisson Resort at the Port. The place was completely packed, and not just with the usual early-summer vacation goers. This was a global event, never to be repeated. Though the world had known for some time that it was coming, as the launch grew closer it actually became real for people. Even getting flights and a hotel 3 months before had been a challenge, and it hadn’t come cheap. The entire state was gouging on prices, and it was paying off big.
Rocket Launch View Point would be off limits for the general public, having been reserved for high-ranking dignitaries, and covered in massive amounts of security. Fortunately, they’d be able to get in at Port Canaveral Park. While it wouldn’t be a front row seat, just being a part of it was enough.