The Rush (6 page)

Authors: Ben Hopkin,Carolyn McCray

BOOK: The Rush

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“Now, exactly two hundred years later, a brand-new band of
‘Forty-niners’ are racing to the moon.”

The images exploded outward, enveloping the viewing
audience, and then reassembled themselves in the razor-sharp digital Surround-D
images of the present day, with quick cuts of spacecraft taking off from the
earth’s surface, some from official-looking launchpads, some from backyards,
most from shady, albeit tech-forward used spacecraft lots. Interspersed were
shots of complicated docking maneuvers at the space station and shaky landings
at the Moonbase.

Crowds of miners stood around in their spacesuits or sat on
moon bikes—observing as fresh competition exited the shuttles.

“Everyone’s rushing to claim the best stake.” As Chad spoke,
shots of a ragtag group of ships lined up at the “termination” line, where the
light and dark sides of the moon meet. It really was pretty amazing stuff. If
his love of the sea didn’t eclipse all else, Jarod might have been tempted to
try his hand up there. Then the screen filled with stacks of high tech “huts”
making up a modern-day squatters’ village.

Or maybe not.

“When you’re only granted an acre, you’d better choose
carefully. It’s first come, first served.” The camera focused on a miner in a
spacesuit, kneeling in the moondust, panning for jewels.

Chad’s narrative continued. “Undetectable to any mining
devices, there is only one way to find the jewels. Pan the moondust by hand.”
The final shot was of a tiny sliver of a Star Diamond, sparkling with unholy
fire in the miner’s pan.

“Are you coming, or not?” Brandi whined from the deck,
compact in hand, retouching her makeup. “Once that windbag’s done, we’re on.”

Damn it. Jarod turned to Buton. “Anything yet?”

The man might be a computer wizard, but apparently he
couldn’t conjure proof that the galleon below was, in fact, the treasure ship
that they hoped it would be.

But they couldn’t miss this window. Not again. If they
wanted any press out of this, they needed to air today.

Jarod unzipped the top of his wet suit, tugging it down to
his waist.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Cleo asked.

“Giving them something to look at,” Jarod responded,
catching some moisture from his suit and rubbing it on his bare chest. “Duh.”

That got another low-five from Rob.

Chad’s carefully cultured delivery followed Jarod out. “And
who knows? You may be the next one to ‘Strike It Rich’!”

* * *

Brandi fidgeted, working out her pre-airing nerves. She
could hear Chad’s weaselly voice droning on in her earpiece, finishing up his
segment. That Botoxed jerk had scooped her again. Star Diamonds? Really? She
looked around the ship’s deck. The ship looked as though it was manufactured
back before J. Lo became a grandmother. This scene really couldn’t compete with
space jewels and a mad rush to the moon. She could feel her already tenuous
slot within the newscasters’ hierarchy plummeting.

She turned to make sure that Jarod was ready to go. His pecs
rippled as the drops of water glistened in the Caribbean light. She forced
herself to swallow. Where had this guy come from? And where had he been hiding
those muscles?

The voice buzzing in her ear had switched over to the main
anchor. Thanks, Chad. Continuing our “Striking It Rich” segment, we join Brandi
Broadhope in the Bahamas…

Brandi released the recording disk, which spiraled out of
her hand and hovered a yard away, red light blinking. She cleared her throat,
hoping the flush in her cheeks wouldn’t be too visible in the bright sunshine.
She gazed beyond the tiny lens at her adoring fans.

“I’m here with the leader of Rogues Incorporated, Jarod
Haster. Tell me, Jarod, what exactly do you do?”

Jarod’s eyes sparkled as he shifted his weight to one side,
somehow managing to lounge without any support. “We like to call ourselves
‘aquatic acquisition specialists.’ “

“You’re what?” she said, looking back at the floating disk,
sharing her fake bewilderment with the audience.

“Treasure hunters, basically.” Jarod hefted the goblet, the
gold and jewels ten times more impressive in the midday sun. “We’ve found the
San Rafael—a Spanish galleon rumored to have been carrying over two tons of
gold coins.” Jarod lobbed the cup from one hand to the other. “And we’re going
to see if those historians are correct.”

Trying hard not to be flustered by those pearly whites,
Brandi added, “Well, looks like you’ll be very rich, very soon.”

“That’s the plan, darlin’.” Jarod’s slash of a smile planted
itself firmly in her belly, then radiated downward. Seriously, was her makeup
covering the heat in her cheeks?

“Uncle Jare!” A young voice called from the bridge. “We’ve
got serious ping!”

Jarod winked at Brandi, and spoke to the TV audience before
turning away. “That would be fate calling.”

Brandi watched the well-proportioned man hustle toward the
bridge. She caught herself staring and whipped back to the lens.

“There you have it, Steven. Another man ‘Striking It Rich.’ “
She kept her smile plastered rigidly in place until the red light blinked off.
The disk floated down to her outstretched hand.

Her gaze wandered back to the bridge as she fanned her face.

It might be her getting lucky after all.

To purchase
Moonrush
on Amazon
,
click
here
…

About the Authors
Carolyn McCray

Carolyn McCray is a social media and sales consultant
to indie authors and publishing houses alike. Her own controversial thriller,
30 Pieces of Silver
, hit
the #1 spot on the Amazon Men’s Adventure/War/Techno-Thriller lists, (beating
out the likes of Clive Cussler), and all thirteen of her indie-published books
are Kindle Bestsellers. Her latest nonfiction endeavor, Dollars & Sense:
The Definitive Guide to Self-publishing Success (coauthored with Amber Scott)
debuted at #1 on Amazon’s “Authorship” bestselling list.

Carolyn is also the founder of the
Indie Book Collective
, an
organization with over 6,000 members which is dedicated to helping authors
utilize social media to the fullest to sell their books. The Collective offers
free workshops, a live advice radio show, innovative programs such as Blog Tour
de Force & Bestseller for a Day, and so much more to its members.

Ben Hopkin

Ben Hopkin is a transplanted Texan. After being indoctrinated in
the Lone Star State he was ripped from his ancestral home and whisked away to
Los Angeles, where he was forced to appreciate fish tacos and sushi. While
there, he worked as a professional actor, director, and producer, as well as
teacher, which he loves most. He has now settled in Provo, Utah, with his wife
and three children. Just in case there was any question, Provo is NOT a happy
medium between Ft. Worth and LA, although his kids have made the transition
from body boards to snowboards seamlessly.

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The
characters, incidents, places, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.

The Rush

An
Off Our Meds
Project
/published by arrangement with the author

FIRST EDITION

Kindle Edition

No part of this book may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Any inquiries can be made to:

3524 South Star Lake Rd

Auburn, WA 98001

Contact Information

Carolyn McCray
can be found just about everywhere social media exists (and some that are just
in her head).

Off Our Meds MultiMedia,
LLC

Ben Hopkin