Armonto Virtuoso walked down the stairs holding his weapon, continuing to fire its unrelenting stream of crackling purple voltage at the monk. He did not stop until he’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Shanks dropped to the ground the instant Armonto ceased firing. The monk twitched helplessly, unable to move. Lugard approached, kicking away Shanks’ walking staff and pressing the tip of his sword’s blade against Shanks’ neck.
Armonto turned to see Grohm lumbering directly toward him. He raised his weapon and fired on the Rognok. Grohm tensed as the purple lightening assaulted him, eventually bringing him to his knees. He glared at Armonto, his face pained, but he endured the electrical assault, at least until Rionknidis regained his own footing. Rionknidis manifested another powerglove around the hand Grohm hadn’t crushed and struck the Rognok viciously across the face with a powerful flying punch.
Jack saw Grohm’s head snap to the side as the shockwave from the impact rippled out, sending Grohm to the ground, dazed. Rionknidis took a moment to spit on Grohm before smiling. “Now that’s what we call a critical hit!” Rionknidis snarled.
Jack pushed himself up to his knees as Green unsteadily got back to his feet. No sooner had the Professor finished standing than he, too, was assaulted by the purple beams. Green cried out, his eyes rolling in every direction before he collapsed onto the ground.
Jack looked up as Armonto Virtuoso stood over him. Without a word, Armonto aimed his weapon at Jack and pulled its trigger. Jack screamed as the jolts from the gun surged through him, causing every muscle to tighten and seize up painfully. Jack’s jaw clenched down so hard, it felt as though his teeth might break, and his entire body convulsed as the purple rays continued to ravage him. When they stopped, Jack lay on the ground, helpless and unable to move. He gazed up at Armonto, who smiled down at him with disdain.
Seqis turned toward Anna, who stood at the top of the platform’s stairs before the digi-matrix machine, looking down on the scene before her. “Your Highness,” he said, “the threat has been neutralized.”
“My thanks to you, Commander,” Anna said. “Mr. Virtuoso, activate your machine. It is time to get on with this.”
“By your command, Your Highness,” replied Armonto as he pulled out his datapad and entered the activation code.
The mechanical monstrosity of the digi-matrix machine hummed to life, the lights of its readouts coming on. The massive cone attached to the seal began to turn, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. Jack gritted his teeth, desperately struggling to get back control over his body, his heart thumping with despair. He was able to roll himself off his back and onto his side, tilting his head in time to see Armonto’s machine reach its full speed, tendrils of electricity emanating from it and licking at the seal.
No, he thought forlornly. It can’t end like this… it can’t!
But as Armonto’s machine reached its full operational power, all evidence pointed to the contrary. His friends had all been beaten. The bad guys were about to win. And worst of all, there was nothing he could do to stop it!
Jack looked at Anna, who still stood facing the room, gazing out over it as though she were taking a moment to saver her victory. Her eyes eventually made their way to him, and he met her stare. When he did, something tingled in the back of his mind, like a radio picking up on a hazy transmission.
Jack… he heard Anna’s voice say.
Jack felt his mind buzz. As he looked into her eyes, he somehow locked onto something… he didn’t know what it was, but he could feel her – the old Anna, the one he knew – as though she were there, trapped somewhere behind those eyes.
Anna… he thought.
Jack, help me… he heard her say again.
Jack rolled onto his back, his breathing rapid as he struggled to move. He felt his heart thumping hastily in his chest and the blood pumping through his veins. He could hear the lessons Shanks had shared with him replay in his head…
Follow your energy. Find your source. Align your trinity. Achieve Equilibrium.
Jack dug deep down, finding as much willpower and resolve as he could muster. His body tensed as he struggled to focus on his Source, touching that part within him where his spirit lived. His head began to ache, throbbing painfully as his brain began to tingle. He willed the energy from his Source to travel up his spine, working its way into his mind. His vision blurred, all reality around him suddenly vibrating violently as the back of his head buzzed. He tried to control the energy, tried to make it touch that part in the back of his mind that was responding, tried to keep his focus as the pain in his head grew sharper, his conscious mind struggling with his subconscious.
He forced the energy to make contact with the buzzing part of his brain, and when he did, his headache disappeared, and time slowed…
All sound drained away. All feeling faded. He felt like he was out of his own body, looking down on himself. He could see the pattern of his life’s energy flowing though him and willed it to move into his arms and legs, banishing the lingering effects of Armonto Virtuoso’s weapon as it reinvigorated his body and replenished his muscles.
Jack stood, slowly and purposefully rising up as he felt the power that was coursing through him, his mind, body, and spirit all working in perfect harmony. With a clear mind, he raised his eyes…
He saw the Royal Vanguard, each member turning toward him as they noticed he was back on his feet.
He saw Armonto Virtuoso’s face, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He saw every ray of light. Every speck of dust. Every corner of the room.
And he saw Anna, the worm in the back of her neck slithering on her shoulder, hissing at him.
But most important of all… he saw what he had to do.
Jack moved, starting his sprint forward as Anna began to turn, preparing to head toward the access orb to break the Great Seal. Each of his steps rang out like the boom of thunder in his ears as his feet made impact with the floor. He could feel every fiber of his muscles contracting or relaxing as he moved his arms and legs, running, running, right for his target.
Dahuud saw him make his move first. She turned away from Scallywag, manifesting two more knives, throwing them in Jack’s direction.
Jack spun, not even slowing down, twisting his head and his body as the knives flew by. The blades rotated end-over-end as they came within inches of hitting him, their sound and motion as fearsome as the spinning rotors of a helicopter.
Jack kept running.
Lugard rushed to intercept, his movements graceful and deadly. Jack could see the angle of his arms as he gripped his rapier. Jack dropped to his knees as Lugard swung, the sword lashing out in a sideways motion. Jack leaned away as he slid forward on his knees, his head tilted backwards, the humming blade of the Paragon’s sword coming within a hair’s breadth of making contact.
That’s when Rionknidis leapt toward Jack, the warrior’s fist raised, his powerglove gauntlet rippling with ferocious energy and threatening to descend upon him. Jack rolled forward and kicked up off his hands, gracefully arcing into the air just as Rionknidis’s fist impacted the floor so forcefully, it formed a crater in the ground. Jack’s momentum carried him over the Tygarian, landing him behind the warrior and giving him a clear path to the Princess.
Jack saw Armonto Virtuoso moving forward, aiming his lightening gun right for him. At the same time, Seqis was moving, gripping his warhammer as he prepared to intercept Jack…
Jack turned, heading right for Seqis as Armonto fired.
The purple lightening caught Seqis in the crossfire, just as Jack had planned. Seqis grunted as the electric tendrils ravaged him, causing him to drop his hammer.
Jack slid forward and grabbed the weapon before it hit the ground. He twirled around, hurling the warhammer like a discus, aimed right at Armonto. The weapon hit Armonto square in the chest, the impact sending him flying backward and into the ground with a crash.
Anna was already upon the raised dais where the stone kiosk jutted from the floor, t
he access orb in front of her. Jack moved, heading right for her, trying desperately to close the gap between them …
She reached out about to place her hands on the orb…
Jack could hear the shouts of the Vanguard, dull and distant, behind him…
He locked his eyes on the dark worm sprouting from the back of Anna’s head, writhing and hissing at him with animosity.
Jack gritted his teeth and leapt forward, his hand reaching out…
Anna made contact with the orb…
Jack grabbed onto the worm.
Jack felt his body jerk, and it was as though his consciousness had been ripped out of him and hurled down a frenetic tunnel. Before he knew it, he was in a dark void, a large circle of light with a single eye in its center being the only thing in sight. He looked around, confused as to his current whereabouts. “Anna?” he screamed. “ANNA!”
“Jack…” he heard her reply.
Jack turned. He saw Anna not far away. She was on her knees, pale, weak, and in pain. A Deathlord stood behind her, his arms dug into her back. The Deathlord was without armor, tall and muscular and sinewy. Its face was like a skull, with burning red eyes, no nose, and a ghastly mouth with sharp and threatening teeth. It hissed at Jack when it saw him.
“Help me,” Anna begged. “It’s too strong… I can’t… fight it…”
“Let her go!” cried Jack as he rushed toward the Deathlord.
Before he could reach Anna, a shadow flew by the Deathlord controlling her, rushing up toward Jack and hitting him square on, sending Jack flying back. Jack cried out in pain as the shadow swirled around him. Jack lashed out, grabbing onto it. Whatever it was felt slimy and icky in his grip. The shadow formed into the shape of a man with blazing red eyes and stared into Jack’s surprised gaze.
“How is this possible?” a deep voice echoed in the darkness, the shadow regarding Jack curiously. “How are you here?”
“What are you?” gasped Jack.
“This is my domain, Earthman,” the voice echoed as the shadow’s eyes narrowed. “You have no place in it.”
“I’m making a place,” sneered Jack, grabbing onto the shadow’s neck. “Let Anna go!”
Laughter boomed all around. “It seems you are indeed full of surprises,” the voice said. “But I have a few of my own.” The shadow began melting onto Jack like black tar. Jack wrestled, trying to get away, but he couldn’t. The tar began to cover him, creeping up his neck toward his mouth and face. The shadow’s booming laughter echoed all around; its revelry dripping with malice.
“Jack!” cried Anna. “Save yourself!”
“ANNA!” screamed Jack just before the tar covered his mouth.
“Leave!” shrieked Anna. “Hurry! Before it’s too late!”
Jack’s frightened eyes met Anna’s, who looked back at him just as frightened.
I’ll be back for you, Jack thought. Just hang in there. Hang in there!
Just before he was completely covered, Jack reached out with his mind, focusing on the buzzing sensation in the back of his brain. Suddenly, he was yanked backwards, ripped from the grip of the shadow, the tunnel he’d fallen into reversing itself as he returned to his body.
It took a second before he realized his grip was still tightly around the worm as it struggled in his grasp. He could feel his connection with it and with Anna’s body.
“STEP AWAY!” he heard Seqis’s voice boom from behind him.
Instinctually, Jack grabbed Anna and turned, using her as a shield, one arm around her neck, his other hand gripped firmly around the worm. He knew Anna wanted to fight him, but his control over the worm kept her still. Jack eyed the four Vanguard before him as Dahuud, Rionknidis, and Lugard all manifested sniper rifles, their laser sights aimed right at him. Jack quickly shrunk behind Anna to avoid their targeting. He felt bad about using her as a human shield, but he figured he’d probably feel worse if he got shot.
“Last warning, Earthman,” growled Seqis, his eyes hard, focused, and locked directly on Jack. “Step away from her Imperial Highness, or we will be forced to kill you.”
This is totally not cool, thought Jack. The worm was fighting his connection, but Jack held on tight, reaching into Anna with his mind. Tell them to stand down, Jack ordered.
“Stand down,” Anna said through gritted teeth.
“Your Highness—” Seqis objected.
“Drop your weapons and stand down!” cried Anna. “That is an order!”
The Vanguard hesitated.
“You are bound to follow my every command, whether you agree with it or not!” Jack made Anna say. “I am commanding you to stand down and not to harm these people!”
The sniper rifles disappeared and the Vanguard reluctantly took a step back, eyeing Jack with murderous intensity.
“Scally?” Jack called out. “You alive?”
“Barely,” the Visini mumbled as he got to his feet.
“Be a pal and get Mr. Virtuoso’s little ray gun,” Jack said.
“Be my pleasure,” Scallywag replied. As the Visini limped his way toward Armonto, Jack scanned the room for Grohm.
“Grohm,” Jack yelled as the Rognok lumbered back to his feet. “Smash that teleportation jammer thing, please.”
“Grohm smash,” Grohm grunted as he walked toward the device.
“Think very carefully about what you are doing, Earthman,” Seqis said.
“Commander, I know you don’t believe it right now,” Jack said, “but we’re both trying to protect Anna.”
“Earthman,” said Seqis gravely. “If you teleport out of here with Her Imperial Highness, there will be no second chance. We will make it our sole mission to hunt you down. And when we do, we will kill you.”
“And trust me,” growled Rionknidis, “we’ll make it hurt.”
Scallywag picked up Armonto’s lightening gun where he’d dropped it. “Not as much as this, I’m sure,” he muttered, before spraying the Vanguard with electrical storms of purple electricity. All four of the Vanguard fell, writhing and shaking on the ground as Scallywag continued to spray them. And just when they’d had enough, he did it once more for good measure.
“Oy, I kinda like this,” Scallywag said, smiling, as he regarded the ray gun. “Think I’ll hang onta it.” He looked down at Armonto as the man moaned, nursing his chest where Seqis’s hammer had struck him.
“You… have no idea… what you’re doing…” Armonto muttered.
“Shooting people? I think I have me a pretty good idea how ta do that,” said Scallywag with a smile as he blasted Armonto with the lightening, causing the man to cry out and convulse.
Shanks climbed back up to his feet as did the Professor, both of them still looking weak and shaken. Shanks picked up his staff while Green lifted Heckubus off the ground, the robot’s limbs dangling uselessly as small sparks erupted from around the knives in his chest.
“Fascinating,” the robot mused. “I never believed it possible NOT to be able to maliciously enjoy such a sweet victory. I believe I may have just discovered an entirely new way to loathe.”
“Fear not, my robotic friend,” Green said. “We’ll get you fixed up as good as new.”
Grohm picked up the teleportation jammer and lifted it over his head, hurling it into the digi-matrix machine. The jammer broke apart as it impacted the digi-matrix, sending pieces of the fearsome machine breaking away from the Great Seal, its cone whining pathetically as it slowed and came to a stop.
Scallywag looked at Jack. “I believe that’s yer cue, lad,” he said.
“Earthman…” Seqis struggled to say, his eyes looking at Jack and pleading with him not to go through with what he was about to do. “This… is not a wise strategy…”
Jack looked at the man sadly. “Probably not,” Jack replied. “But it’s the right one.”
The group gathered together, looking down at their defeated foes. Jack held Anna close to him as the Professor once again pulled out the teleportation signal booster and activated it.<
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“Teleport,” Jack said.
And in a flash, they were gone.
Chapter 64
With a flash of light, the entire group reappeared on the bridge of the Earthship. Dan, who’d been sitting there patiently, immediately perked up, getting to his feet. “Oh, joyous day!” he exclaimed. “You’ve all come back! And with her Imperial Highness, no less! Is this the part where we all dance?”
“Oy, simmer down tin can,” Scallywag said. “One crazy robot yammering about is enough, savvy?”
Green moved to a nearby chair and laid Heckubus down, sparks erupting from the robot’s many wounds. “Oh, dear!” cried Dan. “Mr. Moriarty! What’s happened to you?”
“No need to fret, my friend,” the Professor said. “He just got a few sharp objects thrown at him.”
“Will he be alright?”
“Oh, of that I’m certain,” said Green with a smile. “Shouldn’t be anything I won’t be able to fix. Who knows? We might even find a way to incorporate a few upgrades! What do you say, old chum?” Green gave Heckubus a light tap to the shoulder with his fist, causing Heckubus’s arm to spark and fall off.
“I despise you all…” Heckubus muttered.
Dan walked up and stood at the robot’s side. “I’m sorry you’re upset, Mr. Moriarty. But I, for one, am extremely pleased to see you made it back in one piece,” said Dan as the bottom half of one of Heckubus’s legs fell off. “So to speak,” Dan added.
“What’s that?” asked Heckubus as sparks continued to erupt from him. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m having a hard time hearing your inane words of comfort over all the knives currently stabbing me.”
“I can certainly understand your frustration at your current state, sir,” Dan said. “But on the positive side, at least you were not destroyed.”
“True,” Heckubus said. “And I learned a very valuable lesson.”
“What might that be, sir?”
Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2) Page 77