Boss 302 - Chapter 8

Raised by an inventor and mathematical genius, Gerry knew the workings of his prized Mustang inside and out. He knew a little less about the physics behind the updated equipment that had been added to make his life on the run easier, but he was not so worried about how those components would function after being subjected to being dumped from the tunnel into the (luckily) fresh water ocean that dominated this planet. He was sure that equipment would be okay because it had pulled him out of the drink without so much as a hiccup. Now he needed to set about drying out the standard parts left in the Mustang. He still depended on a combustion engine that had been modified to accept multiple fuel types for normal ground travel. That meant blowing the water out of the twin carburetors and distributor in order to achieve ignition. There didn’t seem to be any significant electrical damage to the car. Once the engine was running again, the fuel cells that powered the anti-gravity system would need to recharge for a little while. Fully charged, the cells would be stabilized as long as the car’s engine ran for a few minutes in hover mode. The gear head who had installed the anti-gravity system explained that an auto-ignition sequencer would run the V8 engine when power levels dropped below 80%. It wasn’t the most efficient combination of past and future technologies under normal circumstances, but it was a hell of a lot better than how it had performed during his little undersea adventure, when all of the car’s circuits had been choked out.

Galack waited patiently just outside the shop’s bay doors, facing the endless horizon of water. Gerry had a lot more questions for him, but he knew there would be time for that later. He pulled two large industrial fans close to the Mustang’s front end and turned them on pointed at the engine. He pulled apart the distributor cap and wiped it dry by hand. He then went to the trunk to check the condition of his provisions. After the near-catastrophe he had just avoided, Gerry needed some fuel of his own. Water slowly drained from underneath the trunk as he opened it. Besides being a little damp, the food packets seemed unharmed. He grabbed an energy bar and juice packet and closed the trunk.

Just then, a fleshy, spiked appendage slapped the concrete near his right foot. Gerry quickly stumbled backwards as another tentacle lashed out at him from under the car. The two visible arms pulled a translucent, bulbous creature into view. Gerry’s eyes widened as the beast rolled once on the floor and came upright on two of its eight formidable arms, the rest of them whipping menacingly in the air. It seemed that Gerry had picked up a hitchhiker on his way out of the water. This hitchhiker wasn’t going to say thank you for the ride, he surmised.