The Mulligan Planet by Zachariah Dracoulis

rock, which when they reached wedged deep
inside before blowing the top half of the monstrous rock into tiny
pieces. “That… was… awesome! John, can I blow something else up?” I
was still in awe as the larger chunks of rock peppered the ground,
“I think I need to get a drink. It’s been a big day.” I heard a
throaty chuckle to my left, “That’s true, we should actually
probably be getting back, they have habits of sending pick-up crews
if it seems we've kidnapped members of the public and are doing
general evil. Speaking of which I could use some food.” The
triggers slipped back inside the wheel, “I take it I should set a
course for the base sir?” I nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.” the tracks
appeared again leading back to the main road and I followed. “Hey
car, do you have a name?” it felt sort of weird to ask a car this,
but at the same time it… he… I don’t know, the car spoke back and
usually things that spoke had names, “My designation is HCV, being
High Classification Vehicle, but during my development I was
codenamed Robert.” vehicle that has the capacity to level an entire
city and he has a name like Robert. Funny world. I pulled into the
underground parking facility and found my space, “Robert, I like
that name. Well, see you later.” I stepped out of the car, “Good
evening sir.”
    I followed Wolf back to the
elevator, “How long is it until the mission again?” Wolf shook his
head loose once we were moving down, “I think that’s the fastest
I’ve moved on the ground, um, two days, Greg gets back tomorrow,
we’ll feast then as well, and then the meeting is on Friday.” We
stepped out of the elevator and made our way to the bar, “What do
you mean feast?” Kate, Steven and Jason were sitting around a table
with two free seats which we swiftly occupied, “No-one’s sitting
here?” Kate shook her head, “Nope, Mike and Kyle were here, but
they left early.” Wolf waved over my shoulder, did some kind of
hand… thing, then gestured to Kate, myself then himself, “Now, the
feast, just like you said, we’ll feed up big before we leave,
steaks, blood, the whole shebang. It’s going to be a four-five hour
flight in the jet, so I’m thinking we start at around ten on
Thursday morning and then get some sleep, we can ship out at maybe
two on Friday morning?” I nodded as a tray with six shot glasses
filled with a clear liquid slid onto the table in front of me. I
looked over to Wolf who had the same, although he’d just downed his
third, “Guys, we are going to go have fun tonight, last night we
can for a while, there’s a club on the fourth floor. I’ll see you
guys there in, what, ten minutes. I’m gonna get changed.” Before I
said anything he’d finished his remaining shots and disappeared, I
looked over at Kate and the guys, “Um… me and Steven can come too
right?” I shrugged my mouth trying to catch up with my brain which
was still partly in the car. Then Kate came to my rescue and used
words which I was so grateful for, “Of course you guys are invited,
come on John, let’s get up there.” We stood and I had to stop and
marvel at just how beautiful she was, again, seriously, just jeans
and a t-shirt and she was still more beautiful than any woman I’d
seen all dolled up, anyway, sidetracked again, we got to the
elevator without talking, we’d left the guys so they could finish
their shots and get ready, but as soon as we were in the elevator
we’d locked together in a warm embrace and were holding our lips to
each other’s like there was nothing else in the world. I had missed
her more than I thought imaginable. When we finally broke apart I
couldn’t stop smiling, “You’re so unbelievably perfect.” She rubbed
her beautiful button nose on mine and smiled widely, “I’m not the
only one.”
    The elevator made a ding sound,
“Fourth floor.” We stepped out hand in hand to the smoke and
multi-coloured lights, a nineties dance track that I