Dark Energy: Set in The Human Chronicles Universe (The Adam Cain Saga Book 5)

by T. R. Harris

  With his artificial hand, Kanan gripped the handle of the Key Case a little tighter. If he could take only one item, this would be it. He would not let it out of his possession.

  Chapter 13

  The flash bolt struck the robot on the side of the head, just where Arieel had hit the Aris-style bot on Arret that caused Kanan to teleport. Adam thought it strange, lining up a shot on a figure that was, well, him. But he had no choice. He also had no choice but to use a Xan-fi flash rifle; that was the only model they had aboard the shuttle. Arieel had hit Kanan with a bolt from a BAR, one of the superweapons built on Hax’on. That bolt was about twice as strong as the level-one bolt Adam just fired … at himself. Still, he was hoping for the same result—an overloading of the circuits in Kanan’s robot head and an automatic teleport to places unknown.

  And that would open another can of worms. The service module was deadly in his own right and could pop in and out at a moment’s notice. That was why he was leaving that part of the operation to Panur.

  Before leaving the Ed Gibson, the mutant loaded a small amount of equipment into the shuttle and had spent the time transiting to Navarus working on a miniature Lerpiniere field. In typical Panur fashion, he had something constructed by the time the team landed. The problem, as Panur outlined it, was that the field was uni-directional, meaning it was more like a ray than a field. Panur could hold the module in place, if he could keep the beam focused on the orb. But that just meant Kanan couldn’t teleport. He could still streak along on his anti-gravity legs.

  Adam didn’t plan to fire on Kanan, at least not at the time he did. But the robot’s enhanced eyesight and heat-detecting sensors had picked up Riyad hiding in the forest directly ahead of the entrance to the mine. Adam saw the flash of recognition and the tensing of the robot’s artificial muscles. He had to do something even before Panur could focus his beam on his doppelganger.

  “Monty!” Riyad yelled, “get your people over here!”

  Momentarily stunned by the unexpected ambush, the treasure hunters now regained their senses, which had been additionally dulled by their fatigue. Adrenalin took over, and they raced away from the shuttle car, heading for the tree line where Riyad was waving with one hand while holding a flash rifle in the other.

  Summer was the closest to where Kanan had been standing, and now she noticed that the robot dropped the metal briefcase when he was struck with the flash bolt. In a split-second decision, she turned and ran back to get the case.

  “Summer, what the hell?” Adam yelled as she slid in the hard-packed dirt and scooped up the case by the handle.

  She was sprinting for the trees five seconds later.

  Sherri moved up beside Adam. They were positioned behind a set of old ore carriers, those that were frozen solid by the rust. Panur was on the opposite side of the adit, also hidden behind an old piece of mining equipment, his pistol-like interphase beam firmly in his grip. He grimaced at Adam because of his premature shot.

  Sorry, Adam said through his ATD.

  That’s okay, Panur answered in Adam’s mind. I didn’t have a good shot anyway. Do you have him?

  I do, Adam replied through the mental connection. I’m picking up the servos in the robot. He’s just inside the entrance, on my side.

  Normally, Panur couldn’t pick up telepathic communications. Still, Adam’s upgraded ATD had beefed up the linking capability and was now able to sync with advanced brain waves—if the brain was advanced enough. Panur’s was.

  Twenty minutes earlier, Riyad landed the shuttle up the hill from the coordinates Adam had for the base camp, and when they didn’t find the team there, they’d followed the footprints further down the mountain. That’s when they heard the screaming of the rusted wheels. It echoed for miles around, leading them to the mine … and Kanan.

  It wasn’t hard to gauge when Summer and her people would emerge from the tunnel, along with the Aris service module. The sound said it all. But when Kanan appeared behind them, it took Adam a moment to get over the shock of seeing himself herding the others forward, dressed in an impeccable Enforcer uniform and clutching a silver metal briefcase.

  What now? Adam asked Panur mentally.

  Get your people clear. Even if Kanan makes a break for his ship, he’ll have to leave all his goodies behind. What is that case Summer has?

  I don’t know, but Kanan was holding it. It wasn’t in the ore car. Could that be the thing he came here to get?

  That’s a good bet. But now we have it. That’s gotta piss him off.

  “Adam!”

  The voice was high-pitched and shrill. Adam recognized it as coming from Summer Rains.

  He looked to the trees. Summer was standing frozen in fear, with the four-and-a-half-inch diameter greenish-colored orb having teleported and now hovering a few feet from her face. She had the case held out in front of her, using it as a shield. To her right, Riyad was moving into position, trying to get around Summer to get a shot on Kanan. The orb kept shifting position, keeping Summer between him and Riyad. Monty and Tidus stood off to the left, unarmed and at the mercy of the service module. Kanan ignored them.

  “Back off, Riyad!” Adam yelled. “He won’t shoot Summer.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “He wants the case.”

  Is this the real Adam Cain? asked a voice in Adam’s head. If so, then it is an indicator of your flawed reasoning that you would come to Navarus to save your friends.

  At least I have friends.

  But for how long? Tell the female to drop the case, and I will allow you and your friends to leave.

  Sure, like I’m going to believe that. What’s so important about the case, anyway?

  Adam sprinted toward the trees, soon to be joined by Sherri with a Xan-fi cradled in her arms. Riyad crouched behind a tree with the barrel of his rifle aimed at the hovering orb twenty feet away. He was a good shot, but there was no guarantee he could hit something that small and bouncing around in mid-air.

  What is in the case is of no importance. Now stop this resistance. I could easily teleport behind the female and strike her with a killing bolt of energy.

  And then what? You can’t carry the case yourself.

  Let me worry about that. I will find a way—

  Adam felt the break in the mental connection with the orb the moment Panur’s beam locked on. For a moment, Adam could feel what Kanan felt; it was almost like suffocating. Unfortunately for Panur, the module could still move, and it was soon discovered that the interphase beam needed direct line-of-sight to be effective. He lost the effect when Kanan darted around a tree.

  After that, it was as if the entire forest exploded around them. Kanan began teleporting at a frantic pace, popping into existence just long enough to lash out with fiery bolts. The star-hot balls of energy struck the trees, causing interior moisture and pitch to instantly vaporize and expand. The trees exploded, as did patches of semi-frozen ground where more bolts landed.

  The team frantically ran for cover but to where? Everything around them was exploding and catching fire. Summer screamed and fell backward, dropping the case. Riyad and Monty were at her side a moment later, each grabbing a thin arm and dragging her away. Sherri dove into the bucket of an old ore carrier and covered her head with her arms.

  The new flash bolts suddenly died off, leaving only the crackling of the burning trees and the popping of the pitch. In the lull, Adam ran forward and snatched up the case. He turned and ran for the entrance to the mine.

  That’s when another Adam Cain came face to face with him.

  The two figures, looking almost as mirror images, stared at each other for a moment. Then the Adam Cain with the briefcase smiled. A second later, white-hot bolts of energy shot out from his eyes, striking the other Adam Cain squarely in the chest and throwing him backward. The Cain with the case ran into the mine.

  Panur and Tidus were at Adam’s side a moment later.

  “Are you okay?” Tidus asked. Panur already knew he wa
s.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. He took the case into the mine.”

  “Let him have it,” Monty said as he, Summer and Riyad came up to them. “Maybe now he’ll leave the planet—” He noticed Summer open her mouth to speak. “And maybe not blow it up. I get it, Summer. But if he doesn’t destroy it, then we’re filthy rich.”

  Sherri was the last one to join the group, having been reluctant to leave her iron shelter until she was sure it was safe.

  Adam stood up, batting at the embers in his once pristine Enforcer uniform.

  “We can’t let him get away with it. He’s letting his fleet get destroyed just so he can get that damn case. It has to be more dangerous than anything he’s had before.”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Monty countered with his best former master chief logic.

  “Adam is right,” Panur said. “He’s trapped inside, and Adam has a way of tracking him.”

  “You do?” Tidus asked.

  “The electronic servos in his joints and other functions. I can read them with my ATD. He’s heading deeper into the mine.”

  “Come,” Panur said. “I have a device that can keep him from teleporting.”

  “Yeah, we saw it in action,” Summer said. She still hadn’t recovered fully from her near-death experience with the service module. Adam got the impression she was more frightened of the orb than the robot. That made sense, the robot looked like him.

  Adam—the real Adam—took his MK-47 and handed it to Tidus. Riyad did the same with Monty.

  “And I don’t get a weapon?” said Summer.

  “Here.” It was Sherri’s turn to give up her handgun. Now all she, Riyad and Adam were armed with were their Xan-fi rifles.

  “Okay, then,” Summer said. “Let’s go bag ourselves an Aris service module.”

  The team turned toward the adit.

  “Wait a minute!” Adam called out. They turned to him. He pointed at the hole in the chest of his uniform.

  “Remember, the one with the hole is the real one. Don’t go popping off shots just because I look like a robot.”

  Monty, Summer and Tidus still had their lamps secured to utility belts by cords and having survived the jostling that took place outside. They flicked them on the moment they entered the mine.

  “He’s down there,” Adam said, pointing. “Moving off to the left now.”

  “The left?” Tidus questioned. “He must be in the side tunnel. This is good. It’s a dead end.”

  Panur led the way. He could see perfectly in the flickering light of the lamps, and his body could act as a shield should Kanan suddenly appear and light off a bolt at the team. But Adam could see the robot moving, meaning Kanan was still aboard his so-called transport. Adam didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered that Kanan built a robotic version of him. Why not another Aris? Hopefully, he wouldn’t get a chance to ask the service module. He’d just as soon melt the annoying hunk of metal and be done with it.

  Riyad and Monty covered the entrance to the side tunnel. The ground here was muddy and was disturbed by several shoeprints. A set of rusted out rail lines ran down the middle of the tunnel, which itself curved off to the left, allowing their lights to reach only so far.

  “We were just down here,” Summer said. “It goes on for about fifty yards before coming to a split in the tunnel. The one on the left comes to a dead-end about thirty yards after the split. The one on the right, we didn’t get a chance to explore.”

  “Roger that,” Adam said. “Be careful. It looks like Kanan did go left. The robot is moving pretty slowly now, but still moving.”

  With Panur still in the lead and Adam bringing up the rear, the five Humans, one Juirean and a mutant moved cautiously down the tunnel. At the ‘Y,’ they hugged the dripping sides of the passageway, moving closer to the signals for the robot Adam could track.

  “Just a few more yards,” Adam whispered. Just then, he felt a tingle in his mind, an itch at the back of his head. He paused, turning to look behind him. Had Kanan teleported?

  “The robot’s here.” Panur’s voice echoed off the stone walls as he reached the end of the tunnel. “But I don’t see the briefcase.”

  A powerful blast of air, dirt and rock struck Adam from behind, coming from the direction of the team. He was thrown forward, landing hard on his face and in a frigid pool of dirty water. In the darkness, his ATD took over, enhancing the scene with an eerie green glow. Dust clouds filled the tunnel, along with a wall of still tumbling rock behind him.

  Panur, are you okay?

  Of course, came the answer in his head. The rest of us are, too. We’re in the back chamber—“Yes, he’s okay,” Adam heard Panur address the others, while still within the mind link. Kanan’s not here.

  Adam felt the presence behind him. He rolled in the muddy pool until he could see the hovering orb.

  Yeah, I know. He’s here.

  Get to your feet, Adam Cain, Kanan ordered through another telepathic connection. Adam wondered if Kanan could hear his conversation with Panur and vice versa?

  Adam stood up. His once immaculate Enforcer uniform, the one with the hole in the chest, was now unrecognizable, covered as it was with mud and caked dirt.

  Come with me; I require your assistance.

  Panur, can you hear me?

  Of course.

  Can you hear Kanan?

  No, should I?

  He’s talking to me through the ATD. I was wondering if he could hear.

  If I can’t hear him, then he probably can’t hear me. Make sure you don’t cross our circuits, and we should be fine. What is he doing?

  He’s leading me back down the tunnel—wait, we just turned into the other one at the ‘Y.’

  Kanan hovered above a spot near a jagged part of the rock wall. Hidden behind an outcropping was the silver briefcase.

  Take it. You will bring it to my ship.

  He wants me to take the case to his ship, Adam said through his ATD, hopefully to Panur. He didn’t know how the ATD knew which mind to link with, but so far, it was doing fine.

  You should probably do what he wants. We are just now getting our bearings, trying to figure a way out of here. We can’t help you at this point.

  Adam hesitated, standing defiantly before the orb, holding the briefcase.

  You know you can’t kill me, Adam said with all the bravado his mind could muster.

  I know you are lying. You were very close to death the last time we met. I accept that your artificial capacity gives you a certain tolerance, but I also sensed you were very close to your limit. Do not test me, Adam Cain. I assure you I have much more capacity for delivering energy bolts than you have to absorb them.

  Adam grimaced. The service module had a point.

  Okay, fine, I’ll help you. But what about my friends?

  Worry not about them. That is what I do not understand about living creatures. You are often more concerned with the welfare of others than you are for yourselves.

  And that is why you’ll always be just a machine. You have no connection to others.

  Your connection to others will cost you your life, Adam Cain. And another fact: Had you stayed away, the only difference in today’s outcome is you would live to see another day. As it is now, that is very unlikely. Now, proceed. We must hurry. There is not much time left.

  What do you mean? What’s going to happen.

  Nothing that concerns you. Now, go.

  Chapter 14

  Everyone in the cave had suffered some injury, everyone except Panur. Fortunately, none were severe. And now they huddled at the back of the tunnel, staring at a pile of rubble that blocked the exit. The strange apparition of robotic Adam Cain stood to one side, wobbling slightly on pre-programmed motors, making it appear as though it was still being controlled by the Aris orb. The deception worked, making Adam believe Kanan was still within the robot.

  Panur told the others about Adam, Kanan and the mysterious case, so they couldn’t expect him to help. Hell, depending on
how far Kanan’s ship was from the mine, Adam could be dead by now. All the orb wanted him for was to carry the damn case.

  Besides the possibility that they could suffocate in the small chamber, the thought on everyone’s mind was whether or not Panur planned to destroy the planet. From a purely logical point, he wouldn’t. At least that’s what Panur believed. His fleet had been destroyed, so he had no need to eliminate any more of the allied facilities. He also had the case, which would probably set him on a different path toward—what, no one knew. In that case, the Dead Worlds may not matter at all. Of course, all this speculation was up for interpretation.

  Or, as Sherri pointed out, Kanan could be a jerk and destroy Navarus because he could.

  Either way, if they didn’t figure a way out of the cave, they’d be dead in a couple of hours at the most—everyone except Panur.

  This got Sherri thinking. If the planet broke apart, and Panur wasn’t sucked into one of the dark matter singularities, there was no doubt he’d survive. Granted, it may be centuries—if ever—before his frozen body was recovered from the vacuum of space. But if he was sucked into a singularity, what would happen to him then?

  Sherri’s musings only lasted a moment before the team went to work, removing rock from the entrance.

  The blockage couldn’t be that thick. Kanan used his energy bolts to superheat the moisture between the rocks to create the explosion. They hadn’t heard any subsequent cave-ins, so it was a good bet all he’d done is bought himself time to get away. And using Panur’s superhuman strength and endurance, they were making pretty good progress after only a few minutes.