The steady hum of the Quant Truck continued, a rhythm and motion so constant it almost lulled Kevin to sleep. He sat slouched against the wall, eyes heavy, until m00m's voice broke the silence.
"Access complete," m00m said, his glow intensifying across the steel interior. "Displaying results now."
m00m had pulled up several pieces of information on Goldstar's computer monitors: Kevin's face in crisp, unforgiving detail. A bold header stamped across it read MURDER — WANTED. Beneath, the bounty amount scrolled in F8 credits, digits that would climb higher with every passing hour.
Kevin's stomach dropped. "Well, there it is. My fifteen minutes of fame and my last 15 minutes of life, all in one."
Goldstar leaned forward, jaw tight. "Roger… m00m… whatever you're called now, show me the next poster."
The words were simple: Suspect Armed / Dangerous. Avoid contact.Report sightings through Clarity for instant F8 Coin reward.
Kevin barked a humorless laugh. "Perfect. Now every chiphead on Earth is basically a bounty hunter. They won't even have to want to turn me in, their eyes'll just do it for them." He threw his hands up. "We're screwed."
Goldstar glanced at the poster again, then snorted softly. "Well, silver lining, they think your name is Sean. Guess your improv with the crane operator stuck."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Great. Wanted for murder under a fake name. Real comforting. At least I didn't give him my real name when he asked."
The Quant Truck jolted suddenly, rattling the container. Supplies slid across the floor. Goldstar steadied herself against the couch, eyes narrowing. "Convoy turbulence. Might be a drone sweep."
m00m's face on the container interior pulsed brighter, scanning. "Confirmed. Two aerial units overhead, running infrared sweeps. They haven't flagged us… yet."
Kevin's voice sharpened with panic. "So at any second, some flying tin can sees me through the metal and F8 gets the alert? Great. Just great."
"Not necessarily," m00m said. His glow deepened to a rich indigo, and a thin layer of goo spread outward from the "zero shapes" that made up his eyes, coating the container's inner walls. Outside, the entire container glimmered faintly as the substance hardened across its surface like a second skin. "I can mask our heat signature. Their infrared sensors will see nothing more than cold steel."
Goldstar raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Camouflage. You're full of surprises. That's insanely fucking cool and incredibly useful."
"Facts," Kevin added as an afterthought, his voice brightening a bit despite his seemingly imminent defeat.
"This is like our team just got super powers! We're superheroes now… I mean think about it, we have a giant shipping container creature that can transform and eat bad guys that is also a super-hacker who can bond with electronics and distort metal. I knew we were destined for greatness," Goldstar remarked, cheerfully inspired.
"Slimer, that's pretty dope. Not gonna lie. We may need to get you a super hero cape," m00m's eyes pulsed, looking happier than ever.
"Wait, so you actually like me?" m00m asked, hopeful.
"I'm starting to. Yeah," Kevin said, letting off the first small grin since the start of the mission.
Upon analyzing m00m's newly showcased power, Goldstar caught herself by surprise thinking about the first power m00m had showcased, pairing with her Roger virtual assistant unit. "Uhhh, I just had a random terrifying thought… you know how you mentioned you inherited ALL of Roger's data?… so even the photos from my hidden folder?" She blurted.
"Yes, that's correct. But I took one quick look at that folder and determined that absolute safe keeping is required," m00m replied calmly.
"Oh god. Eww, so you've seen them?" Goldstar groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"Yes. I have, and they're quite g00wiy!" m00m answered."It was really my first time seeing a female human in such a form."
"Gross! I don't even know how to react!" Goldstar half-laughed, cheeks going peachy.
"YOO, Slimer I'm liking you more and more. Be sure to hit me with those pics if you really want to secure my friendship," Kevin teased.
"Stop," Goldstar snapped, then exhaled. "Sorry Kevin, her secrets are safe with me," m00m promised. "Shall I dive into the depths of your phone next and see what type of potential black mail material I can find, too?"
"Can we change the topic before I puke?" Goldstar insisted.
"Why, are you currently experiencing motion sickness? This trip is quite smooth minus that drone sweep I just thwarted," m00m replied innocently.
"CHANGE THE TOPIC!" Goldstar yelled. "Note to self, delete all sensitive material from Roger."
Above, the faint buzz of the drones passed overhead. Kevin held his breath. Seconds stretched into an eternity, then faded. The buzz grew more faint, then vanished.
m00m's eyes blinked open again. "All clear. They are gone. Just like I promised."
Kevin let out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay… that was actually badass. Guess you're useful after all. With these alien superpowers we just might make it."
New information was displayed on the computer monitor, additional propaganda was unfolding, flickering through feeds pulled from F8's network. Streams of posters, Kevin's face everywhere, billboards, street corner holos, even small AR pop-ups in chipped citizens' Minds-Eye interface.
Kevin buried his face in his hands. "No wonder it feels like my life's over. That's cause it is."
"Not if we make something new of it," m00m offered calmly. "Destruction can be the seed of transformation."
Kevin groaned. "There you go again with the motivational speaker crap. What's next, you gonna tell me teamwork makes the dream work?"
Goldstar smirked. "That's not wrong, Kev. We're a team now, whether you like it or not. You, me, and… whatever he is." She pointed her pen toward m00m's glowing face.
The truck hit another turbulent dip, a harsh vibration shuddering through the floor. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. Outside, the desert stretched wide. Goldstar steadied herself, then turned to the others. "Get used to it," she suggested. "Yeah, this ride isn't stopping until Silver City. And if drones don't catch us first, F8 will be there for sure." Kevin reminded.
He leaned back, bobbing his head like a nervous tick. The wanted poster still burned in his mind. But for the first time since the port, he glanced at Goldstar, then at m00m, and managed a thin smile. "Fine. Team it is. It's time to step up against the odds. But please don't expect me to start singing around a campfire or any shit like that."