Read Online Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet by Matthew Kadish - Free Book Online Page A

back in the 1970’s.  Green-red-and-white colored lamps hung from
the ceiling, but they hadn’t been cleaned in so long, barely any light could
actually escape from them.  In the corner was a scratched and rickety pool
table, and an on-the-fritz jukebox thumped some music that was cool about ten
years ago.
    Big Jim’s was crowded today.  Students of all shapes and
sizes staked out most of the tables with their textbooks and study materials while
they nursed soft drinks and ate pizza.  There was a line at the counter, where
Fred – the pot-bellied and unshaven owner of Big Jim’s (and don’t bother asking
why a guy named Fred christened his restaurant after a guy named Jim) – stood
at a cash register taking orders with all the good cheer of a professional
sewer cleaner, which was to say, none at all.
    “S’up, Fred?” said Jack as he walked by.
    “Welcome back, freeloader,” grumbled Fred.  “I’d ask if I
could get you anything, but you never have any money, do ya?”
    “Yeah, which would make it really hard to pay for the
hospital bill if I ever actually ate here,” smiled Jack.
    “Pah!” spat Fred.  “I should charge ya rent for all the time
you spend lollygagging around.  Food or no.”
    “Slumlord would definitely be a step up for you, buddy,”
said Jack.  “Hey, you seen Matt or Chunk?”
    “In the back,” said Fred.  “At the arcade.”
    The “arcade” as Fred liked to call it consisted of one (yes,
one) video game, plugged into a dangerously exposed electrical socket and tucked
away in the back of the restaurant.  Jack made his way over to the hidden
alcove to find his two buddies hard at work among the “bleeps” and “boops” of Nova
Commander IV .  Matt was gripping the game’s joystick, his eyes narrow with
concentration, with Chunk at his side cheering him on.
    “Look out for the plasma cannons!” cried Chunk.  “You got a
fighter on your six.  Ooooh-oooooh, there’s a power-up over there!”
    “Would you shut up, dude!” snapped Matt.  “I know what I’m
doing, okay?  I’ve only played this game a billion times.”
    “And you still suck at it!” Jack said with a smirk.
    Matt and Chunk looked up from their game in surprise. 
“Jack?” said Matt.  “Holy crap!  Is it five o’clock already?”
    “Whoa,” said Chunk.  “Seems like we just got here.  This
game is eviiiiiiil!”
    “Chill, dudes.  You did just get here,” said Jack.  “You’ll
never guess.  Mr. Shepherd let me out early.”
    Matt and Chunk exchanged a disbelieving glance.  “Um, you
didn’t actually kill Mr. Shepherd and are trying to stage an alibi, are you?”
asked Matt.
    “Swear to God,” said Jack.  “I’m just as shocked as you
are.”
    Suddenly, Nova Commander IV sang a depressing little
ditty signaling the failure of a mission and game over.  Matt cursed under his
breath and kicked the machine.
    “Dang it, and I was just about to beat my high score, too,”
he complained.  “Thanks for distracting me with your good news, my so-called friend .”
    “When you gonna learn?” smiled Jack, sidling up to Nova
Commander IV and gingerly patting it like a cute little puppy.  “No one is
ever gonna dethrone me when it comes to this game.  I’m the best star pilot on
this side of the galaxy.”
    “Not anymore!” piped up Chunk.
    “Huh?” asked Jack.
    “Yeah, some dude with the initials MTS beat your score,”
said Matt, with just a hint of a smirk.  “Guess there’s a new king in town.”
    Jack glanced at the screen.  Sure enough, when the top
scorers flashed up, his initials were indeed second, with the mysterious MTS
beating him out by just a couple hundred points for the top spot.
    “You gotta be kidding me,” mumbled Jack.  After all he’d been
through today, losing out on the top spot for Nova Commander as well was
just too much.  Since even before he had started high school, Jack had spent
countless hours of his life hanging out at Big Jim’s