Chapter 4: The Next Day

Logan woke early and lay in his bed thinking about what was ahead of him. He also realised that this was probably be the last time he would be sleeping in this bed for a long time. As he got up, he looked around and memorised the room so he would remember it.

He dressed himself in the clothes he had been given yesterday; black pants, black t-shirt with an outline of a hammer in white on the upper left chest and black combat boots. He put the knife from his grandfather onto the gun belt from his father and slipped it on so that the knife was in the small of his back with the handle on his right side. Next, he checked and loaded the Glock 17s with 17-round clips filled with hollow points. He debated wearing the shoulder holster and the Glock 19s before finally putting them on, but with 15-round hollow point clips. Finally, he put on the trench coat and filled the eight magazine holders in the coat and one on each thigh with 17-round clips of hollow points. He was ready to go.

Logan left the room carrying the gun and knife cases he had received the night before. He was met at the top of the stairs by Morgan and the three fembots, all similarly attired. Logan handed each a knife and then led them downstairs, depositing the cases with the others to be taken with them.

"Ready to go I see," Mathew said as the group walked into the dining room.

"Yes, we want to get an early start on the tests. We will be leaving as soon as the bots have packed everything on the runabout," Logan explained.

"Very well then, I wish all of you the very best of luck," Mathew said to them all and then left the room. A bot walked in behind him.

"Everything is packed sir," the bot said.

"Thank you," Morgan said and the bot turned and walked out. "Guess that means we are ready then."

"So it does," Logan said as he looked around. "Let's go." Morgan nodded and they all walked out of the house and into the runabout. Moments later, they were in the air.

Morgan walked along the corridor with the three fembots, headed towards the access way to the Hammer, while Logan went to get the engineer in charge of the work done on the Hammer. As she rounded the last corner, she saw a woman standing there with a G36 in her hands, checking the magazine. Acting on instinct, she drew her Glock 17s and pointed them at the woman.

"Freeze," she called out. The woman swept around faster then Morgan could believe and pointed the G36 at them, as well as a Glock 17 of her own. The three fembots also had their Glocks out and were pointing them at the woman. No one moved for fear of someone shooting.

"What is going on here?" Morgan heard Logan ask from behind her. She kept her eyes on the woman until Logan walked in between them.

"All of you put your weapons away," Logan said his voice full of authority. Slowly, everyone put their weapons down, but the tension remained.

"Logan, you know this woman?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, she is joining the crew, filling out our numbers," Logan explained. He then looked at Christine and noticed the large number of boxes around her. "What are all these boxes?"

"Some are from a man named Richard Jacobs and addressed to each of you I presume. Some are my personal effects. The majority are from General Bruno, with his complements," Christine replied.

"Those will be for the girls but what has the General sent us," Logan asked, slightly suspicious.

"The latest in military combat armour, rifles, handguns, grenades, explosives and enough ammunition to fight a small war," Christine said with a smile.

"How generous of him," Logan replied in understatement. "Guess we can go aboard then. Sven, where are you?" Logan called out.

"Right here Mr Jacobs, staying out of the way of all these lovelies and their guns," said a big man as he walked up. "Ready to see your ship?"

"Indeed we are. The sooner we get this sorted out, the sooner we can be off," Logan replied. Sven just huffed and walked up to the keypad beside the sealed hatch and punched in a code. The hatch opened silently. Sven led the group down a tunnel and towards another door that opened as they approached. They stepped through it and into the cargo bay of the Hammer.

"Everything is ship-shape and perfect, your Ebony there saw to that," Sven said as they walked across the deck. "If you don't need me for your inspection then I will be in my office."

"That's ok, I know where it is," Logan said and shook Sven's hand before he turned and left. "Shall we see to the bridge?" Logan asked his crew.

"Lets," Ebony said before anyone else could reply. Logan chuckled and followed Ebony up the stairs to the raised section of the cargo bay and then up another set of stairs to the upper deck. Taking a right from the top of the stairs, the group walked onto the bridge.