The Last Sunset (Preppers Fiction): The Dark Star is Coming and Death Lingers in its Shadow (Preppers Fiction, Meteor Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Survival Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter 6

                          
 
The Dark Star
was picking up speed. The date of impact had changed from September 16
th
to September 14
th
and calculations were predicting that the date would only grow more and more near. The date was currently February 17
th
and N.A.S.A. had just launched the ship with the massive prism on it that would spread the laser out over the meteor and cause it to disintegrate. The two astronauts piloting the prism ship were Trina Lopez and Martin Scorn. These two experienced astronauts were predicting that on the second day of September, they would be at a perfect distance from the oncoming meteor for the laser to enter the prism and destroy it forever.

                            Paul Ross continued to manage the project and the L.I.B weapon was coming along great. The plan was to have the weapon in testing by August 15
th
and ready to fire on the meteor by September 2
nd
. Darius was nearly ready to go public with his statement involving Paul Ross’s framing of Bitcow.

                            N.A.S.A. successfully used the media to convince the global population that the meteor was definitely going to be destroyed. They claimed that anybody who wanted to pay money to travel to the lunar base was wasting their time. This was ironic because every employee of N.A.S.A. had tickets to the lunar base. The goal was to keep society functioning normally and not to create a state of panic.

Chapter 7

              “I’m making an official statement today honey, it’s time to take this plan to the next level,” Darius said into his cell phone, which was on the bed beside him with the speakerphone feature turned on.

“D that’s great, but I really do feel bad for this Paul guy. How do you plan on proving that he framed Bitcow?”

“A million bucks tends to do all of the work for me”

“What do you mean?”

“I tracked down the girl that Bitcow raped and I promised her one million dollars if she told the judge that Paul set up the framing”

“But you said you were working for Bitcow for free. Where are you going to get that money?”

“Lance Bitcow is a moron. After he does me a favor and gets us tickets for the space shuttle, I’m going to go after him. We signed no contract saying that I would work for him for free, so after I get him off the hook I’m going to sue him and say that he promised me fifty million. Nobody is going to believe that I would work for free and I will easily win the case. At that point, I can pay off the girl Lance raped and we will head to the moon from there”

“God I love you, you’re a genius D”

“Thanks Kris, but don’t get too excited yet. I still have to execute this plan flawlessly”

“Go get em honey”

“Thanks babe, I’ll talk to you once the press conference is over.”

                            Darius hung up the phone, made some lunch and then headed down to the hotel lobby where the news crews were eagerly awaiting his arrival. Microphones were immediately thrust in his face and then the questions rolled in.

“Mr. Downey, what is your defense for the animal known as Lance Bitcow?” One beady eyed female reporter asked.

“Mr. Bitcow is innocent. When somebody acquires the wealth that my client has it tends to make people envious. It is this envy that causes people to want to sabotage the character of people like my client. A man named Paul Ross framed my client out of spite and jealousy. Mr. Ross is the project manager for
The Dark Star
termination project. I plan to have this man prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Darius was way too good at lying.

“Mr. Downey, what proof do you have that Mr. Ross framed your client?” Another reporter shouted.

“The young woman that my client has been accused of raping has come to me and revealed the truth. This woman’s identity will be protected as the case proceeds, but I assure you that her bravery to expose Mr. Ross as the monster that he is will be the primary reason that this man is locked in a cage for the rest of his life”

“What about the safety of the planet? If Mr. Ross is the project manager isn’t he an integral part of the team?” The beady-eyed woman was back for more action.

“Whether or not Mr. Ross is an integral part of the team is up for debate. If it is found that Mr. Ross is dispensable then he will be replaced and locked up once he is found guilty. If Mr. Ross is found to be irreplaceable then he will be offered a reduced sentence to continue working on L.I.B weapon until it is totally operational. No further questions please, I have to go meet with my client now.” Darius promptly left the lobby, pushing past the annoying reporters.

Chapter 8

                            Ray bailed Lance Bitcow out of jail (using Lance’s money) and Lance was now staying back at the Hilton Hotel. He was relaxing on his bed when there was a knock at the door. Lance hopped up and pulled on a shirt, he answered the door and Darius was standing there with a delighted look on his face. Bitcow ushered him inside and they sat together at the small hotel room table.

“Mr. Bitcow, the plan is underway and things are about to get messy for Paul Ross”

“Great news. I’m happy to hear that. By the way, you can call me Lance” This made Darius happy as he knew Lance was starting to warm up to him.

“Alright Lance, what I need you to do now is keep yourself quiet. Do not answer any questions under any circumstances. Do you understand me?”

“I understand”

“You need to stay away from the media at all costs. Do not talk about this case to anyone, especially not online or on the phone”

“I won’t Darius, trust me. I can’t go down for this bullshit. I’m too important to be defeated by some cunt who can’t handle a little kinky sex”

“Good, just stay isolated and let me handle the heat”

“Don’t fuck this up Darius. You’re my only hope here”

“I’m the best in the business, there’s no need to worry”

Darius stood up and left the room. As he walked to the elevator he smiled to himself, everything was coming together.

Chapter 9

                            After the woman who Bitcow raped was promised $1 million by Darius, she changed her story and blamed the entire ordeal on Paul Ross. Ross was immediately arrested and three days later there was a pretrial for the case. Darius presented false evidence that made it look as though Ross had successfully framed Bitcow due to his pure jealousy of the billionaire. Bitcow had gotten a piece of Paul’s hair during a final meeting at the Kennedy Space Center. Lance pretended to see a bug on Paul’s head and he swatted the imaginary insect, simultaneously grabbing a tiny amount of hair from the little bit that he had left on his balding head. Darius was able to plant this hair sample in the hotel room where the woman was found and this shifted the case against Paul Ross.

                            Things were looking great for Lance Bitcow as far as getting an innocent verdict went. Paul’s lawyer didn’t expect any hard evidence against his client, so he had very little to say during the hearing. The judge scheduled the final trial for August 29
th
and banged his mallet, dismissing the courtroom. On their way out of the courthouse, Lance thanked Darius.

“Darius Downey, you’re one of a kind my friend. Thank you for your hard work, I don’t see any way that I can lose this trial”

“Lance, if you lose this trial I will cry myself to sleep, not because you’ll be going to jail, but because it will stain my near perfect record,” Darius chuckled, which prompted Lance to laugh as well.

“Darius, I know you told me that you would do this job for free…” Bitcow paused, seemingly trying to build up the anticipation.

Darius’ heart was pounding; he wanted a spot on the space shuttle more than anything in the world. Bitcow continued.

“But I’ve decided that it wouldn’t be right of me to not give you anything. Ray and I have decided to pay you one hundred thousand dollars for your amazing work. I know the trial isn’t over yet, but I’m confident that we will win and I figured that this money will be an incentive for you to work hard.”

Darius swallowed and began sweating profusely. He wasn’t after the money, he needed tickets.

“Lance that’s very nice of you, I am very thankful. But is there any way I could exchange that money for two tickets on one of the space shuttles?”

“Hahaha, there’s no room on any of those shuttles, I figured you knew that. Besides, even if there was room those tickets cost over ten million a pop. Sorry Darius, I can’t help you out on that one. But you shouldn’t be worried at all, the L.I.B weapon is going to vaporize that meteor and the world is going to remain perfectly in tact”

“I understand. I have confidence in the weapon and I appreciate your kind gesture. I must be going now though, I need to call my wife.”

              Darius took the cheque from Lance and left the courthouse parking lot in a hurry, he was completely irate. He slammed his fists into the steering wheel of his rental car and let out a scream. He decided that he was in no state to drive, so he pulled the car over and called his wife. The phone rang until it reached the voicemail machine and Darius spoke in as calm a tone as he could muster.

“Hey Honey, it’s just me calling to give you some news. So Bitcows pretrial went really well today and I had Paul Ross’s lawyer on his toes all morning. It looks like we are going to win easily. The final trial is scheduled for August 29
th
. I’ve got good news; Bitcow gave me two tickets for one of the space shuttles. He told me that I was too smart to die in a fiery explosion, so he handed them over to me just a few minutes ago. Anyways, I will call you tomorrow, I love you.”

                            He hung up the phone and pulled his car back onto the main road. His anger returned to him and he started smashing his hands onto the dashboard. He felt helpless and betrayed. Even though it had never been a guarantee that Bitcow would give him tickets, he figured it was the least he could have done.

“A hundred thousand dollars, what the fuck good is that going to do me? Selfish fucking prick!” Darius was yelling at nobody as he swerved in and out of traffic, he had some serious plotting to do over the next few months.

Chapter 10

                            The date was August 29
th
and Bitcows trial had come faster than Darius could have imagined- but he was ready.
The Dark Star
was now scheduled to hit on September 9
th
and the L.I.B weapon was scheduled to shoot at the meteor on September 2
nd
. Lance confidently entered the courtroom with Darius by his side. They took their seats and Lance gave Paul Ross a glare. Ross looked completely terrified and he was beyond confused. He sat completely still and he was sweating profusely. When the young woman who had been raped took the stand Darius began questioning her.

“Miss Lovett, what is your profession?”

“I…I’m a prostitute,” She responded in a shaky voice.

“And you were hired by one of these two men a few months ago weren’t you?” Darius said as he pointed at Lance and Paul.

“Yes I was and then I was tied up, raped and never paid a cent”

Miss Lovett, which one of these men raped you and held you in a hotel room against your will?”

“Lance Bitcow!” She yelled forcefully.

                            Lance’s jaw nearly hit the floor, “Liar!” He screamed. The judge called order to the court and asked Darius to continue his questioning. It turns out that after Bitcow had not given Darius the tickets he wanted, Darius told the prostitute to change her story back to the truth and take Lance Bitcow down once and for all. After a lengthy trial Lance was eventually found guilty and given 108 months in prison. After the sentencing, Darius went to see an unhappy Lance Bitcow in his holding cell.

“You fucking moron, you’re not a lawyer, you’re a joke!” Bitcow yelled.

“Shut up you fucking rapist”

“You did this on purpose you son of a bitch”

“You didn’t give me what I wanted, Lance.”

“Well your still not going to get what you wanted, I’m taking this ticket to my grave,” Lance said as he pulled the ticket out of his pocket and waved it tauntingly in Darius’ face.

“We’ll see about that,” Darius said as he approached a nearby prison guard and began speaking to him politely.

“Hello sir, would you be able to do me a favor?”

“It depends,” The fat guard responded.

“I need you to go into that mans cell and get that little piece of paper he has with him,” Lance said pointing at Bitcow. “ He stole it from me before the trial ended and I need it back. I’ll give you a thousand dollars for your time,”

“Give me the money and it’s a deal.”

Lance handed the guard $1000 cash and watched as he entered Bitcows cell, beat him with a club and took the ticket out of his greedy hands. The guard walked back to Darius but then began to get curious.

“So what it this?” He asked Darius with suspicion in his eyes.

“It’s a ticket for my pregnant wife to get off this planet,” He responded as he snatched the ticket and started walking away. But just as he reached the door he turned to yell one last thing at Bitcow.

“Hey Lance, just so you know, I’m suing you for fifty million in legal fees. You can’t just not pay your attorney, especially when he works as hard as I do,” Darius gave an evil grin.

“Fuck you cocksucker, you’re not getting anything from me”

“I think Ray is going to disagree with you when I threaten to have him sued for covering up a rape. He wants his ticket more than anything so he will fork over your money no problem. Besides, it’s not like he’s really going to be working for you anymore once he lands on the moon.”

“Fuck you Downey, you worthless piece of shit!” Darius could hear Bitcows voice fading as he exited the building and called his wife.

                            Kristina was ecstatic that Lance had gotten her a ticket, but she was mortified that he did not have one for himself. Darius told her he would find a way, but he knew that was a lie.