(GQ #8) Mingling on the Moon

7. Fact, Fiction and Finding Solutions

Lungs burning, blood churning, Lorenzo burst onto the polished concrete of the fifth floor. He spotted the escaped criminals to his right, struggling to pull the cart out of the elevator. Ranger Quinn locked eyes with him for a moment before barreling it down the hall leading toward the conference.

Ranger Summers entered just a moment later, followed by... no one else.

"Ranger Summers, where are Kelly and Wattson?"

He looked behind him, down the stairwell. "I thought they'd be behind me, but..."

Lorenzo thought he had cornered two criminals only to have another one on the loose. Again. He should've known it was too convenient for Kelly's harebrained scheme to work, and now he and Wattson were M.I.A. How many new ways could things go wrong today? Now wasn't the time to find out.

"They went to the conference room." Lorenzo looked on ahead. "Let's go."

"Yes, sir!" Summers nodded, preparing for another run.

The captain blocked him with his arm. "No. We have to look presentable."

In the floor's reflection, Lorenzo saw two haggard, disheveled, moderately sweaty young men. They lacked the image of anyone who should honor the Interstellar Forces, let alone such a historical voyage as the Celestion-5's. He tucked his hair back into his hat and dabbed the sweat off of his face. His life may have been falling apart right now, but he didn't have to look like it.

Ranger Summers followed suit, and afterwards, the two rounded the corner and presented themselves to the guard like two calm, mature adults.

"Is he with your crew, sir?" the guard gestured to Summers.

"He is." Lorenzo nodded.

"So are we."

Ambling in behind them was none other than Ranger Kelly, followed by Ranger Wattson. The captain had a few questions he'd like to ask them, but none were pressing at the moment. At least one problem was taken care of.

Once inside, their next problem stood front and center in the crowded room. All eyes fell on Major Flores and Ranger Quinn as they pleaded with Captain Vanderbilt. The situation caused such a ruckus, it caught the attention of a Command member.

"What's the meaning of all of this?" The commander, a balding, older gentleman, placed himself between Vanderbilt and the culprits.

Lorenzo left his subordinates behind to approach the group. "We believe Major Flores and Ranger Quinn used this cart to take our belongings without our knowledge. When confronted, they fled here." He gestured toward the cart. "May I request your permission to examine this?"

"Permission granted."

After a nod of appreciation, Lorenzo stooped down and lifted up the cloth covering the cart. Underneath hid a collection of boxes. He took one, trying to hide his disgust when his bare hands felt the sticky sensation of honey residue. A quick examination revealed the name on it to be Leonardo Summers.

"Just as I expected, this belongs to one of my subordinates."

"Ah, is that mine? Can I have it?" Summers reached forward. "I just need to get my wallet out of it real fast."

Lorenzo handed the box to him, more interested in what the commander would have to say about this.

"What were you doing with the Celestion-5's equipment?" He crossed his arms at the two thieves.

"We weren't tryin' t' steal anything, sir." Quinn was the first to defend herself. "I mean," she scratched behind her neck, "I guess technically that's what we were doin', huh? But the only reason we did is because Cap'n Vanderbilt wanted to give 'em a fun little welcoming surprise. Ya weren't s'posed to know about it, so we kinda panicked when you found us in the hallway."