Deliver Us Huis

Petrus pulled up the speeder alongside a rundown looking apartment.

I looked at the old building in disgust, “This is where Nickolai lives?”

Petrus looked at the building dismissively, “Yeah, he’s lived here since he left college.”

As we exited the speeder I felt nervous. I hadn’t seen Nickolai since he left for college a year ago. What would it be like meeting him again?

Before I had a chance to worry more a figure burst out of the apartment building. He rushed past Petrus and I and hopped in a nearby speeder.

“Get in the speeder,” Petrus said.

“What?”

“I don’t know why he was running, but that was Nickolai and we need to follow him.”

I scrambled into the car and fastened my seatbelt right as Petrus started up the speeder and started chasing his brother.

“Petrus!” I cried as he dodged one car after another trying to keep up with his brother.

“What?” he asked, pulling up to avoid crashing with another speeder.

“You’re not wearing a seatbelt!” I said.

“We’re in a car chase Tel, we’re being awesome. Awesome people don’t worry about seatbelts.”

“Well if we crash and you die from lack of seatbelt, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” I said, double checking to make sure mine was fastened.

Suddenly ahead of us a speeder dropped down, and started chasing Nickolai’s speeder.

“The planet patrol?” I asked, “Why are the planet patrol chasing your brother?”

“I dunno,” Petrus said, “We just gotta be sure we catch him first.”

We sped around cars, getting right on the government speeder’s tail.

“Tel, will you reach in the back and grab the black bag?”

In confusion I looked back and saw a small black bag behind his seat. After fighting with my seatbelt I finally unfastened it, reached back and placed the bag next to him.

He glanced at me, smiling when he saw the absence of my seatbelt, but wisely remaining silent on the matter.

After a few moments he pulled the speeder forward,“I need you to remove one of those metal discs, hold it out your window, then let it go.”

I opened the bag and brought one out, “Is this a bomb?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes, now hold it out your window.”

“Petrus?” I asked in disbelief.

“Trust me Tel, hold it out your window.”

I thrust my hand with the bomb in it out the window.

“And let go...now.”

Trusting Petrus I did as I was told. The bomb fell downward, and then with a magnetic like pull was attached to the planet patrol car. I heard a faint click, then a small explosion within the flying vehicle which sent it spiraling towards the ground.

We were now right on Nickolai’s tail. Noticing the planet patrol no longer chasing him he pulled off to the side, landing on top of a nearby building.

Once the speeders were parked we jumped out to meet Nickolai on the roof.

“Little brother!” Nickolai exclaimed, hugging Petrus.

“Younger by twelve minutes.” Petrus grumbled

“And forty two seconds.” Nickolai turned to me and winked, “And how are you Tel? Prettier than ever I see.”

I blushed. Something about Nickolai had always made me uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the fact that, while he looked uncannily like Petrus, he acted nothing like him. Often I would walk into the room, see one of them, and not know who it was until he started talking. Thankfully Nickolai wore glasses most of the time, while Petrus did not. This was the only thing that helped me differentiate Nickolai from Petrus on sight.

The two brothers, in some ways so alike, were completely different in my eyes.

Nickolai admired me loudly, to the point where I would blush.

Petrus respected me, and treated me like an equal.

Nickolai addressed me as ‘Darling’ ‘Dear’ and ‘Sweetheart’.

Petrus called me Tel, but something about him saying my name made my heart light up.

The two brothers, so similar, had such different effects on my heart.

But we weren’t here to discuss the mannerisms of my heart, we were here to talk about android armies of destruction.

Priorities.

“Nickolai,” I started, “We need your help, and it looks like you could use ours.”

He shrugged, “I’ve outrun the patrol before. I’ll do it again.”

“Why were you running?” I asked.

“Well, darling,” he smiled, “My research lab was working on a beta chip prototype that would give advanced AI capabilities to Androids. I decided, with another job lined up, the best way to leave this job was by stealing the beta chip to give to my new boss. How’d you like it for your android’s, sweetheart?”

I looked over at Petrus who shrugged, “I may have already asked him if he wanted to help.”

I shook my head, “So I suppose you’ll take the job?”

He smiled, “As long as you can get me off of this roof and off the planet patrol’s radar.”

I smiled, “Done.”