Kevin clung to the top of the container, vexed, goo still sticky against his clothes. Adrenaline, and m00m's goo kept him plastered flat against the steel surface. Searchlights continued their sweep across the port below as their stealth mission continued, F8 agents combing the yard in mounting confusion. The fact that the very container they sought was being hoisted into the sky completely escaped them. Kevin could only reluctantly bask in goo and pray they didn't look up.
The crane groaned and shifted. The container lurched and swung over the chaos like a pendulum. Kevin squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his body flat, willing himself invisible as the metal box moved toward the drop-zone of the Quant-Truck Line. Quant Trucks were responsible for carrying cargo great distances across the ground of One-World.
Inside, Goldstar steadied herself, notebook still open across her knees. The pen trembled slightly in her grip as she continued sketching out a plan, with the release of each pen stroke her eyes locked on the glowing face of m00m emitting from the wall. The container shuddered once more, then with a heavy metallic clang locked securely onto the bed of the Quant‑Truck. Goldstar opened a custom-cut top hatch and Kevin slid back inside, the goo had mostly evaporated and seeped into the fabric of his clothes. The shift in movement made it clear, they were now in transit, carried away from the port toward whatever waited in between their target destination of F8 27-A. Both Gold and Kev tilted their heads back on her old leather couch riddled with exhaustion, and fell asleep.
"Good m00ming friends," m00m chirped, creating his own lore for the human saying "Good morning", his voice almost startling in its cheer. The two humans opened their eyes, and as it turned out, none of this was a dream. "Soak in that beautiful sunshine and be sure to stay hydrated today! We've already been on the road for seven hours and you've both spent approximately five of them sleeping, waking up here and there, and staring at your shoes. Look, I understand, it was quite an intense situation, even for my species. But perhaps conversation and getting to know each other would be beneficial?"
Kevin groaned. "Yeah, sure, easy for you. You didn't just shoot someone in the head."
"To be technical," m00m replied, "I did eat multiple people."
"That's probably normal shit for you. Which is exactly why I'm not even close to happy about this situation. You talk like you're all nice and jolly but bruh, we don't even know anything about you" Kevin's voice was flat, bitter. "Plus, I'm a fugitive now. So it's wraps for me."
Goldstar shot a look toward the wall. "Kev, you're not alone in this. You saved us. If they'd gotten to us, we'd be chipped or dead."
"This is why I suggested we get to know each other." m00m reminded.
Roger's voice cut through the convo, faint and glitching, goo clogging his circuits. "Roger… still operational… but… compromised."
m00m's glow pulsed sympathetically. "Roger, you're not compromised. You're just part of me now. Listen up team! I have inherited all of Roger's processing abilities. Through him, I can learn everything he knows. So I basically have the information of the entire thing you humans call, 'The Internet'."
Kevin sat up, eyebrows lifting despite himself. "Wait, hold up. You inherited all of Roger? Dude's gonna hack our brains next."
"I could if I wanted to, does that scare you Kev? Moving forward, it would be more efficient for you and Goldstar to just ask me questions directly instead of Roger," m00m said, his tone almost proud. "And as a bonus, I sound British."
Goldstar exhaled, a half-smile as she spoke. "Good. Then it's settled, we're a team. Oh, and you obviously agree to not hack our brains, right?"
"Sounds fair." Said m00m.
The hum of the magnetic levitation and wind hitting the exterior of the Quant Truck and container whistled. They were moving along very fast. The entire rig gliding silently across the cracked earth where the great American highway systems once lay. No tires, no gas, no driver. Just magnets, quantum tech, satellites, and F8's unseen hand pulling everything along invisible tracks. The sun spilled silver across the desert floor, if this were any other situation, the crew aboard may have even appreciated its beauty.
Inside, Goldstar traced her pen across the page, but her focus broke when Kevin's voice cracked again. "I can't pretend I'm fine. Never killed anyone before. I feel messed up, empty."
Her voice steadied, motherly-like. "You didn't have a choice. It was him or you. It was us or them."
"I know," Kevin muttered. "But that doesn't stop the fact my face is now in their system. Every chipped citizen on One‑World becomes an instant informant the second they see me. The Clarity network hijacks their vision, logs the sighting, and reports my location back to F8. They don't even have to want to help; the system makes them all bounty hunters by default, eyes and ears working against me."
A ripple of blue glow spread across the wall as m00m spoke. "Destruction is part of transformation. What burns may still become something new."
Kevin barked a bitter laugh. "Great advice Slimer. Did you just read your first series of motivational quotes or something? Plus, like I said before, you didn't pull the trigger."
"Kev," Goldstar cut in, sharper now. "Enough. You're alive. We're alive. That's what matters." She tapped the page with her pen, then looked up at m00m. "Roger… I mean… new friend embedded in my container, pull up the news. I need to know how bad this is."
"Accessing… pulling now," m00m replied, his voice carrying Roger's cadence but steadier, stronger. "Stand by."
The Quant Truck convoy pushed deeper into the desert, humming along. Beyond the steel walls, the barren expanse stretched endless. Goldstar's gaze hardened. "If they're already looking for us, this ride won't stay quiet for long."
Kevin stared at the wall, dread curling in his gut. Somewhere out there, maybe everywhere, his portrait in the form of a Wanted Poster was already projecting inside the Minds-Eye of every chipped soul on Earth.