Jaxx was indeed the key. And the Agadon would do anything to take him and use him for their own selfish purposes, including taking this world over and blowing it to hell and back.
That wasn’t going to happen on Jaxx’s watch.
18
Denver, Colorado
Jaxx ran as fast as his Chi state allowed toward the Denver library. He needed a way to get to the pyramid under Machu Pichu. That was the only place he could repair the connections between the pyramids on earth. The library was where the Marines kept their vehicles — he needed to borrow one.
He skidded to a halt in front of a crumpled Agadon hover tank that was still burning from the carnage it had taken. Two more hover tanks were in the same condition, twisted and gnarled.
Another tank came into a view and as it rounded a corner, a barrage of missiles shot from the top of the library and toward it.
Jaxx jumped behind the closest object to him — the base of a thick lamp post.
Not good a place to hide your body from an impending explosion.
He covered his ears and went into a ball, making himself as tiny as possible.
A bright light flared up as the missiles hit their intended target, and a loud concussion blared an instant later. Heat blanketed Jaxx, then small chunks of hot debris splattered against him.
He arched his back, yelping loudly. He swung his hand behind him, swiping off the few pieces of burning armor that seared through his jumpsuit.
“Ow,” he moaned, pushing himself up, only to fall back down as an ion blast soared over head, coming from a different direction.
He looked up and gasped. Agadon were rushing his position, shooting wildly.
“Oh, shit.” He could take on a few Agadon at the same time, but not a hundred or more raring to rip his skull off.
Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! Thrum!
A dozen helicopters with wide cabins and two missile racks near the helicopter’s pointed nose, flew overhead, the wind whipping Jaxx’s hair. A horde of Marines, more than twenty from each helicopter and in battle suits, appeared out of the helicopter’s side doors, repelling down long, black ropes. They landed in the middle of the attackers, bringing their fury and fire-power to the enemies ugly friggin’ mugs.
Jaxx went for his gun, then smacked his hip with his fist. He didn’t have a weapon, except his own hands and the powerful Chi rushing through his veins.
He raced toward the brawl.
An Agadon pelted a Marine’s battle armor with blue flashes of ion charges, pushing the Marine back, but doing very little damage.
The Marine raised the heavy cannon at his side and returned fire in kind.
B-da-da-da-da! B-da-da-da-da!
Fire spewed from the Marine’s cannon muzzle, shooting hundreds of bursts in seconds, riddling the Agadon with thick slugs.
The Agadon jolted left and right, blue blood spewing out of him in every direction, his arms flailing about. His gun spun out of his hand and flew into the air, plummeting to the ground. The Agadon met the ground a second later, smoke trailing from its body. He lay motionless on his back, his legs twitching, and Jaxx knew the A/I in that Agadon’s central processing unit was traveling the etheric webs and landing in another Agadon body on some mothership that was docked God-knows-where.
A clank punctured the air. A Marine in a fully armored battle suit landed on his back and slid across the ground, the concrete scraping against his armor. An Agadon jumped on top of him, clawing at his face. The Agadon’s upper back opened — his skin folded back, exposing wires, lights, and gears. A small cannon extended out and upward. It lifted above the Agadon’s head, attached by a flexible metallic shaft, and pointed at the Marine, letting loose an array of bolts into the Marine’s chest.
The armor held, sending sparks and electricity across the Agadon’s torso.
Jaxx brought up his Chi — the Universal energy coiling up in his solar plexus — and channeled it to his hands. He thrust his arms forward, yelling as he did so.
The Agadon looked up, then braced. His A/I skin pressed inward upon impact, and his robotic ribs cracked as Jaxx’s energy hit the Agadon hard, spinning him wildly away from the Marine and against the legs of another fighting Agadon, tumbling them both across the pavement and into a building.
The Agadon soldiers, seeing that they were outmatched and outnumbered, pulled back.
The Marine Jaxx saved twisted around, planting his hands on the ground, and gave Jaxx a nod, a gesture of thanks. He stood and brought up his weapon, slamming more seething bullets into the retreating Agadon, pushing them back even more.
The Marines had this covered.
Jaxx dashed down the street toward the base’s northern gate, just in front of the library. Dead Agadon filled the street, and the glow of fire lit the road.
More blasts sprung up as Jaxx reached the library doubling as a make-shit Marine base. Plumes of debris, mixed with dirt and blacktop, filled the air near the eastern gate.
Damn.
The base needed Jaxx’s help, and badly. But he had to go to South America, get to the key pyramid, and end this war. Shit. But he had to. If he didn’t, he’d be putting out fires all over Earth for the rest of his days, which would end up saving very few human lives.
He rushed through a broken portion of the complex’s northern gate, seeing a few untouched crafts up ahead.
There was a problem.
Of course.
They were all the same type of futuristic helicopters he’d just seen the Marines repel from.
He didn’t like helicopters. They weren’t fast or maneuverable. If anything, they were clunky and excellent target practice.
It didn’t matter.
He planted his foot and rushed over to a helicopter, opened the cockpit door. He jumped inside and sat on the cushioned pilot’s seat. He slammed the door shut.
He’d only flew a few helicopters in his life as a pilot in the Secret Space Program. And that was years ago. How different could it be? A starfighter was maneuverable. A helicopter? Well, not so much. The instrumentation a bit different, but he could handle it. He hoped.
A concussion pounded against the ground next to him, and gravel pummeled against the side of his chopper. He checked his port side, gazing out the window. There was a brand new hole in the concrete with steam rising toward the sky.
He strapped in and quickly flicked on the ion fuel cells feeding the engines. Next, he clicked the plasma battery button to the active position. He held down the starter, hearing the helicopter power up, the cockpit beginning to sound like an overloaded, maximum-strength dishwasher with a megaphone attached.
He reached behind him, pulling off a helmet from a top rail. He put it on, drowning out the sound.
He opened the throttle slowly, checking the revolutions per minute, his heart pumping, hoping he could get off the ground before an errant friendly fire came his way or an Agadon found their prized possession — Jaxx.
He gradually pulled the collective lever, waiting for the collective’s pitch to increase, then pushed the left pedal with his foot.
The helicopter raised off the ground, and his eyes widened. He forgot how much closer a helicopter felt to death than a strarfighter ever could.
He pressed the cyclic control stick forward. The helicopter shuddered, and the nose pulled up. The bird shook, and the helicopter’s power started to fade, it’s engines nearing a stall.
“Relax, Jaxx. Relax,” he told himself, taking in a deep breath. He pressed the cyclic more forward. The helicopter eased and zipped onward.
“It’s all coming back now.”
He veered the helicopter toward the south and fired the rear jets. His back sunk into his chair’s backrest and he climbed higher, watching the chaos beneath him shrink and become like miniature toys.
He leaned his head against the head rest. It would be clear sailing from this point —
His eyes lowered and his jaw slackened. The air war was still raging in front of him. What the hell was h
e thinking? A straight line south would lead him into a starfighter battle a few miles away.
He shook his head. “Not this time. I’m avoiding a fight. I’ll take the long route.”
He shifted the helicopter west. He’d take the wide flight path round the combat and none, especially not the Agadon, would be the wiser.
The cockpit beeped loudly. He checked the holographic radar on his flight console. An Agadon starfighter broke off from his fight and was headed in Jaxx’s direction.
Jaxx rolled his eyes, checked his weapon’s array, and kissed his fingertips, pressing them on the ceiling a second later. “Well, let’s see what fight you got in you, chopper.”
19
Denver, Colorado
More beeping pierced the cockpit, and Jaxx punched the ceiling. “Stop it.”
The beeping shut off.
“That’s better.” He pulled the helicopter into a greater ascent. He’d need speed when the Agadon starfighter caught up to him, most likely wanting to end this helicopter’s life, crash it into the city below, and take an unconscious Jaxx away in cuffs.
He checked his holographic display. The Agadon was coming in hot, weapons ready.
He pushed his cyclic forward, putting the helicopter into a descent, and switched off his trigger safety. He eyed the control panel, nodded with a smile, and flipped on his heat seekers. Alway a wonderful thing to have when you’re outmatched on just about all levels, except on wit and skill.
One minute until the Agadon was in range.
Jaxx flicked the missile flaps switch, opening them. His missile rack hummed, the missiles moving outward, the tips sticking out of the rack.
“Twenty seconds. Nineteen, eighteen…” How he hated count downs. He had to count though, had to be perfect, had to let loose these heat seekers before the Agadon had a chance to engage.
He continued his descent, the helicopter bumping up and down like it thought turbulence was an enjoyable thing.
“Eight, seven…”
He pressed the holographic targeting marker and dragged it over the Agadon in pursuit. This alien was going to have a nasty surprise in a matter of seconds.
He narrowed his eyes, his index finger resting on the trigger. “Two, one.”
He leveled the helicopter, the altimeter showing three thousand and thirty two feet. He pulled the trigger.
Shoooowah! Shoooowah! Shoooowah!
One by one, missiles fired, their tails yellow with hot hate, spewing fire like the evil dragon’s they were. They flew far in front of him. His console dinged, and the missiles shifted, arcing wide over Jaxx’s helicopter, finding their prey.
He viewed his display, watching the missiles head for the kill.
The Agadon starfighter tipped on its side, sending rounds of ions at the heat seeker projectiles.
One missile blew up, shattering into a million dust particles, creating a temporary cloud in the sky.
The next hit true, cutting the craft in half, a ball of sparks and a fiery inferno lit up the firmament, and fell toward the city below.
“Whoo!” hooted Jaxx, pumping a fist in the air. Even in a helicopter, they were no match for —
A sharp bang and his chopper turned on its own, the cockpit beeping bloody murder, the dome light changing from daylight white to red. His helicopter began to twirl in a circle, over and over again.
What had he missed? He checked his display. A second Agadon starfighter? He switched to rear cameras.
There it was. Another starfighter, untouched, spitting more blue ion fire out its weapon’s barrel, shredding Jaxx’s helicopter tail rotor and tail boom to shreds.
He pressed his cyclic back. It didn’t move. He attempted again, straining with all his might. The damn thing was jammed. How could a cyclic jam?
He had neither the time nor the ability to land. The helicopter was a dead bird flying, and if he stayed in it for too much longer, he’d be a dead man piloting.
He unstrapped, checking the altimeter; two thousand eight hundred feet and some change before impacting into the streets underneath him, and most likely five or ten seconds until he was blown out of the sky by the Agadon prick closing in.
“Parachute?” He scrambled to the cabin, ducking low so not to hit his head on the shallow ceiling.
He slipped his hand behind one of the seats up against the hull and pulled out a pack.
He raced to the door, the helicopter spinning in a clockwise motion, and grabbed the cabin door handle and pulled, sliding the door open. A rush of wind pelted him, flapping against his clothes and skin. He strapped on the parachute pack, only buckling the chest straps.
He brought Chi into his legs and jumped diagonally in a downward trajectory, making sure to be as far from the rotor blade as possible, pushing off hard in order to put enough space between him and the damaged chopper.
A loud sonic boom came from overhead. The Agadon starfighter flew by, too fast to slow down and target Jaxx on this pass, which meant the Agadon would be making another pass soon. Jaxx had to get to the ground, and fast.
His skin pressed tightly against his bones as he made a dive toward the city below. Looking around, he almost laughed. He hadn’t even made it to Denver’s outskirts before being nearly shot out of the sky in a craft he had no business flying.
He brought his body into a deeper dive, clutching the parachute pack in his hands as tightly as possible. Continuing the Chi, he fought the wind as he pulled the pack through one arm and then the other.
The clips on the end of the stomach straps flung wildly about until he grabbed one strap and buckled it. He had to hurry this shit up, or he’d be a splat on the ground soon.
He took a deep breath of air while buckling the third strap near his groin area, clipping them around the inside of his legs.
He went into a deeper dive, heading straight down, hoping he was becoming a pea-sized human, out of the Agadon’s sight and off its energy signature display. He heard another boom.
Jaxx wasn’t that lucky.
He felt something coming in hot and heavy, and it wasn’t good. He twisted in the air and an ion bolt zipped past him, nearly hitting his leg. He grunted loudly, not wanting to do what he had to do in the moment — pull the chord and let his parachute save him from plummeting face-first into the ground.
He was closing in on six hundred feet. If he waited any longer, his chute wouldn’t have enough resistance for a safe landing. He brought his hands to the pull chord.
And yet, if he did pull the chord, he’d be easing toward the ground, and the Agadon would have no problem popping him out of the sky.
Screw it. He had to fall more. He dropped his hand from the chord and continued his impossible descent to safety.
He spotted a skyscraper below, though slightly off course. He steered his body’s trajectory toward the tall structure. He didn’t have much clearance to stick the landing and run, but it would do.
A second ion bolt flew by him.
He had to be under five hundred feet in altitude. Time to let loose.
He pulled the chord and felt a jerk at his shoulders and around his groin, nothing he’d want to experience more than once.
He clasped the parachute’s steering control toggle and brake, pulling them up and down, gliding himself in for a landing.
Another boom split the air above him. He shuddered, his parachute rocking in the starfighter’s wake. The Agadon had flown by, nearly hitting him.
He lifted his feet up, the building coming in closer, faster. He pulled the control toggle and the brake in a downward direction at the same time, slowing his trajectory and speed.
Shock ran through his ankles when his feet slammed against the building’s roof. He leaned back, and his heels skid across the roof’s black concrete, his body rushing quickly toward the edge of the skyscraper.
“Oh, shit.”
He unclipped his torso and stomach strap quickly, yet he wasn’t slowing down. He’d be over the edge in a matter of feet.
&n
bsp; He flipped on his stomach, digging his fingertips onto the roof’s blacktop with one hand, trying to unstrap his groin belt with the other. He let out a yelp, more out of fright than anything else, as he jerked and stopped, his feet hanging over the edge.
He glanced up. The chute had wrapped around a metal I-beam sticking up through the roof, holding him in place, keeping him from falling to his doom.
He pushed himself up and stood, unclipped his groin belt and tossed the pack off his back.
The Agadon starfighter’s ion-burners pounded the sky, and Jaxx looked up. The craft was in a bird dive heading for his location.
“Not good,” said Jaxx, peering around, doing his best to locate a way off this roof.
He eyed a small shed-like structure with a door. That had to be the way down, the way off this death trap.
He hurried to the shed, hearing the Agadon barrel its way closer. He grasped the door knob and turned.
Locked.
He growled, rearing back with his leg and spun, popping the door open with a round house kick. Nothing but tools and darkness, and more importantly, no staircase that led down to help him escape.
He glanced in the craft’s direction. It would be on top of him any second. His eyes darted left and right. There was no other door.
Zoopha! Zoopha!
Jaxx leaped to the side, somersaulting away from the incoming ion blasts.
Crackow!
A blow of warmth fell over him, and large wood splinters landed on Jaxx. He pushed up and glanced in the direction it came.
The shack was a pile of smoking lumber. He shook his head and stood, dusting himself off, watching the Agadon loop around for another pass.
20
Denver, Colorado
Zoopha! Zoopha!
The Agadon ship shot blue ions, strafing the top of the skyscraper. Jaxx ran, then leaped to the side, and rolled out of the way. Several chunks of tar and rooftop splattered over him.
The Complete Atlantis Series, Books 1 - 5: Ascendant Saga Page 99