“Follow me.” Rivkah pumped Chi into her legs and her breaths came slower, easier, her steps quicker. She pivoted in her run and followed the energetic ribbon that led to her nemesis. She pushed her legs faster and faster, the wind whizzing by her, the Chi heating her up.
She tensed and abruptly stopped, her boots skidding across the light snow and rock.
Abdu and Bogle stopped as well, not because they wanted to, but because they had to.
A dead end. Nothing but hundreds of feet of rock going straight up – exactly where the ribbon was headed.
Something tickled at the back of Rivkah’s neck. Someone was near and that someone didn’t have good intentions. A footstep crunched on gravel, though delicately, somewhere in the distance and wrapped around her senses – senses that her newly awakened powers had heightened, tenfold. The person was attempting to be quiet for a purpose – a negative purpose.
Rivkah glanced at Bogle’s and Abdu’s feet. They hadn’t moved. She gave a nod at her companions. They nodded back. With any luck, they had picked up on the weird energy or at least read her body language and knew something was amiss. They moved backwards, butting against the rock wall.
“Can you see anything?” Rivkah whispered. She pointed her gun at the lip of the canyon, waiting for whomever, or whatever, to show itself.
Abdu shook his head.
Bogle pointed at a lone tree overhanging the top of the ridge. “Right there. I see –”
A red-hot laser lit up the canyon, and zipped into Bogle’s chest. She gasped and clasped her arms to her bosom. She fell hard against the rock wall and slid down, slumping over.
A purple blast came from Abdu’s rifle, hitting the tree. A crack and the tree fell as if it had been sawn at its base. A Kelhoon stood where the tree had been, thrown off balance by the sudden exposure. He fumbled with his weapon.
Abdu took another aim, pulled the trigger. His bamboo rifle pressed back into his shoulder as the shot was true, hitting the Kelhoon and knocking him backward.
Rivkah rushed to Bogle’s side. She picked her up, blood seeping from Bogle’s chest and dripping to the ground. Rivkah turned to Abdu. “Climb.”
He nodded.
Rivkah wrapped her fingers around the chains crisscrossing his back, holding Bogle in the other arm.
“Where are we going?” asked Bogle. Her eyelids drooped. Her body went slack.
They didn’t have much time.
“Miracle man here is going to heal you once we get out of this jam. I’d have him do it here, but more dipwads with an appetite to kill are coming.” Like before, she could feel it: the violent rush of bloodthirsty predators who had her scent. They would never stop, never give up. They were going to have to kill the lot of them or find their way off Callisto to escape the carnage. One thing at a time. They had to get out of the canyon and save Bogle. Blood seeped through her fingers marking off the minutes Bogle had left to live, like a demonic hourglass.
Abdu placed one hand on the rock and then another, pulling him and Rivkah and Bogle up.
“Leave me,” said Bogle, her voice barely audible.
“Believe me,” replied Rivkah. “I wish I could.” They needed her. Rivkah needed her. The prophecies needed her, so Jaxx could rid this moon, and maybe the galaxy, of the Negative ETs. The Agadon could not be allowed to take over. Abdu hadn’t said much. There hadn’t been time. But what he had said was clear: if the Agadon prevailed, unending bloodshed and chaos would follow.
Plus, Bogle was growing on her. Annoying, yes. Talked too much, for sure. A pure-grade, 100% weirdo, no doubt. But Bogle was handy, full of courage, and kept up with Rivkah. And there wasn’t anything wrong with that.
“Can you move faster, Abdu? I don’t think she’ll make it.”
Abdu grabbed the next rock and positioned his foot on a small outcropping, then pulled himself up the wall even further. “Almost half way there.”
An explosion sounded somewhere in the canyon. A Leaping Lizard – a Kelhoon starfighter – zoomed upward. A ball of smoke followed in its wake. It had been on a bombing mission.
A dozen missiles blasted from the source of the smoke and hit the Kelhoon Leaping Lizard’s rear ion drives. The starfighter screeched and corkscrewed, imploding seconds later in a cloud of fire and debris.
The ground shook as a pound echoed across the gorge. An Agadon mech turned a corner, exposing itself, and coming into full view. It raised its arm and a cannon popped up from the forearm, rotated, targeted Rivkah and her friends, then glowed like hot coal.
Wapooo!
An ion expelled from its muzzle, heading Rivkah’s way. This was it. All the failures she had in life culminated to this point – death by rock climbing.
9
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Nearing East Rise, Callisto
Jaxx had to do this – had to give himself up for the benefit of all. If he didn’t, he and his friends would continually be chased by two unrelenting races – the Agadon and the Kelhoon. Running would get him nowhere and farther away from fulfilling the prophecy, especially the part where he was to convince the Kelhoon to take his side against these blue A/I demons. And he wasn’t going to rope in any one of his friends in the process.
“Fox,” yelled Jaxx. “I’m turning myself in.” He unstrapped his phaser, pointing it at Taz.
Taz grunted, looking up at the Kelhoon, then back at Jaxx, perhaps computing his options. After a few beats, it became clear Taz was going to stay put and do nothing.
Zara squeezed Jaxx’s shoulder, her voice low and urgent. “You’re doing no such thing. We work as a team. We can escape this.”
“That’s what I’m intending,” responded Jaxx, continuing to glare up at Fox. “In fact, I’m intending to end this all for good.”
“We must go, Jaxx,” cried Zara. “In order to fulfill the prophecy, we must do it together. You can’t do it alone.”
“Don’t move, Jaxx,” growled Fox from atop the rocky crest. He gestured to several Kelhoon troops. They nodded and jogged out of view.
Jaxx figured they were heading down to put him and his buddies in energetic cuffs. What they’d do to Tazz, he didn’t know. Hopefully they’d experiment on the guy, find a detonation switch in his CPU that blew every Agadon to fragments the size of computer chips. Dream on, he thought. Nothing is that easy.
“Naze watashitachiha jibun jishin ni kawatte imasu ka?” asked Kiyo-zan, his cape blowing in the wind, his weapon ready.
Good. He was alive, and now standing.
“We are not turning ourselves in, Kiyo-zan. I am turning myself in.” Jaxx tapped his wrist. “Get your shield ready. On my mark, cover yourself and Zara.”
“Are you fleeing?” Taz laughed, resting his hand on his holstered gun. “You cowards.”
“Cowards?” An image of Taz escaping from Abdu back on planet Taiyo entered his mind. Abdu had held Taz at bay and, when the chips were down, Taz had turned tail and run. “We are no more a coward than you.” Jaxx smiled. A pricking sensation at the base of his skull told him there were more than just Kelhoon lizard slime in the area. The Agadon were near as well. “When did you call more of your friends?”
“Very perceptive, Jaxx. Yes, I called them a few minutes ago. They’re around, waiting for my orders. And…”
The Kelhoon that Fox had ordered down into the canyon rounded the bend.
Taz continued, though speaking to his team. “Eg, eg unit sug-nine, commence attack.”
Jaxx pushed Zara behind Kiyo-zan. “Don’t let her go.”
Zara shoved Kiyo-zan away. “Rethink your actions, Jaxx. Be wise. Two heads are better than one.”
“Go, find Rivkah and the others,” ordered Jaxx.
Zara whipped her tail, anger spreading across her face. “Our job is to keep you alive, not the other way around, peach-fuzz.”
“Your job is to keep me alive until I give my life for Callisto and the rest of the galaxy. That’s fine, but you mentioned another prophecy which indicates we must turn the Kel
hoon to our side, if we’re going to win the war against evil. And, that’s what I’ll be attempting. Otherwise, we won’t fulfill any prophecy.”
Zara gritted her teeth. “Yes, but do it with us, not by yourself. This lone path will only lead to misery.”
Jaxx gave Kiyo-zan a look, and the Taiyonian warrior gave a slight bow. He stepped in front of Zara and lifted his wrist.
Shooooooz!
A shield materialized from Kiyo-zan’s arm bracelet.
Zzzzshwop! Zzzzshwop!
Agadon soldiers in full armor, huge rifles mounted on their shoulders, rushed up the canyon, ion chargers blazing. The blasts ripped apart the edge of the ridge, dropping rocks the size of bricks to the canyon floor. The Agadon were a ways away, but with their speed they’d be swarming Jaxx’s position soon enough.
Ion charges rocketed over Jaxx’s head. The portion of the ridge where Fox stood erupted, rock splintered outward. Several Kelhoon plummeted, screaming, to their deaths.
Fox, that cunning bastard, leaped back just in time and disappeared beyond the cliff’s lip.
The Kelhoon had retreated to a safe distance, but that didn’t slow their assault on the Agadon. Ion fire rained down, riddling the enemy as they pressed forward. Jaxx grinned. Though he’d done nothing to make it happen, the Kelhoon were already on his side.
The battle raged all around them, giving Zara and Kiyo-zan enough cover to escape down a ravine. Kiyo-zan’s shield kept them safe from any errant shots. Zara dug her feet into the ground, trying to stall Kiyo-zan and get to Jaxx, but Kiyo-zan kept her moving.
Jaxx needed to be captured by the Kelhoon, and quickly. First, he had to get away from Taz. He pulled his gun close and slid along the side of the wall.
“No, you don’t,” said Taz, slamming Jaxx in the side with the butt of his weapon.
Jaxx absorbed the blow, grabbed Taz’s arm, and spun away, forcing Taz toward him. He let loose with an overhand punch, knocking Taz to the ground. He twisted around. Agadon were bearing down on them. He couldn’t stand and fight, not with those odds.
He turned and dashed toward the hill that led up to the gorge’s upper ridge, where the Kelhoon were busy popping shots off at the mass of oncoming Agadon warriors. He reached the base of a hill.
He ran with all his might, his feet sinking into the heavy snow. The Chi activated, this time without his conscious doing, and bounded him faster up the hill, taking long strides, placing each footstep perfectly on the ground like a snow leopard after its prey. Reaching the top, he found a throng of Kelhoon waiting for him, guns drawn.
He dropped his weapon and raised his hands.
A Kelhoon walked forward. The slitted pupils in the center of his eyes contracted. “Wokjaha Kaja.”
Jaxx put his hands out. The Kelhoon soldier reached behind his back, grabbing something from his satchel that was clipped to his belt. He pulled out two gold cuffs and slapped them on Jaxx’s wrists. The cuffs vibrated and an energetic chord shot out of each inner cuff, connecting together.
“Welcome, brother.”
Jaxx craned his neck, seeing his brother, Richard Fox, behind a gang of Kelhoon, a smirk on his face, a hateful gleam in his eyes.
10
E-Quadrant, Solar System - Whitefish, Montana
“They’re getting through the lines,” yelled a Marine running past Drew, alarms in the city blaring, making it very difficult to hear anything but the whining sounds.
Drew jumped to the ground, his eyes wide, his heart pumping. “What lines? Where are the lines?”
Bratatatatatat ratatatatat! Bratatatatatat ratatatatat!
Machine guns echoed at the edge of the city. People ran from bar or store to God-knows-where…probably to their homes. Drew, on the other hand, was out of luck. He had no home to go to.
“What are you doing? Get over here.” Megan waved him over to her bar.
Drew dashed her way.
Her face changed from fear to confusion. Her frown deepened and her forehead crinkled. “What are you doing?”
“You were calling for me to come over,” responded Drew, out of breath, his face flushed red.
She glanced at his gun and shook her head. “No. Not you. I was calling him.”
Drew looked over his shoulder. An older, bigger man ran in his direction. Drew glanced back at Megan, giving her a hopeful gaze.
She sighed, her breath forced, her hand pointing inside and to the back of the bar. “Alright… get your butt in there.” She opened the door wider, letting her friend barrel in, practically bulling Drew over.
“Go, go.” Megan pushed both Drew and her friend forward.
Drew followed the big man down the bar’s basement stairs. They ducked as they turned a corner down the staircase, reaching another set of stairs.
Cold, damp air hit him bringing with it the unmistakable stench of mildew. He heard a door shut, then a lock latch. For a second, everything was pitch dark, but Megan clicked on the bare bulb that hung overhead then pulled a rifle from the gun rack. She threw the rifle to her friend, who caught it, cocked it and wiped the sweat pouring off his face.
“Drew? Do you know how to use that gun? Because you’re holding it like a rookie,” said Megan.
Drew fidgeted with the gun, shaking his head. “I’m a novice.”
A static sound went through Drew’s ears. “You do as I say with that gun and everything will be fine,” came Drew’s mother. The static faded away.
Fuck. There she was again.
Megan gestured to her friend. “Drew, meet Carl, Carl meet Drew.”
Drew’s face whitened. Was it the Carl? How had he missed that? He took a longer look at the guy, nodding his head in disaster. Of course, it was. “Hi, Carl. I think we’ve met.” He didn’t attempt any type of hand shake. The guy could rip him a new asshole if he wanted.
“You’re nice to me now, eh?” grumbled Carl, wiping more sweat off his face.
“From what I remember, you bumped into me earlier today, not the other way around.”
Carl took a step forward, fury in his eyes. The basement shook and dust fell from the ceiling. They all ducked, waiting for the place to come crashing down on their heads.
“Did they break through the city’s shield?” asked Drew.
“I don’t know.” Megan went to a closet. She pulled down a carton of bullets and handed them to Carl. He put his hand on it, but Megan held the carton tightly, forcing him to look at her. “You don’t get these until you play nice with our visitor. Understand?”
Carl bit his lip, considering his options. A dull explosion hit somewhere in the city and the basement shook a second time. He grabbed the bullets. “Got it.”
Megan pulled out a rifle, lifted the rifle’s bolt handle and pulled it to the rear.
Click!
She inserted a bullet and pressed it down with her thumb. Then another bullet, and another. She pushed the bolt handle forward.
Click!
She rotated the bolt handle down, producing another click.
She shut the closet and leaned against it. She tilted her head at Drew’s gun. “What kind of weapon is that?”
Drew rubbed the bottom of the magazine with his palm. “It’s a phaser. A Marine gave it to me.”
She scoffed. “The Marines have been using this town as a military experiment. We were a peaceful city until those bastards showed up after our own asshole politicians decided to up and fly to the stars.”
“They’re using this place as an experiment?” asked Drew.
“A few weeks after the government took themselves off planet in those rocket ships, we were setting up our own government, our own peaceful, beautiful place. It was crazy at first. The placed filled up with a bunch of militia types and hippies, but they were able to adjust. It was a get-along kinda town. Then a Marine showed up, then another, as if surveying the area. They took over this place, set up their own government with restrictions, rations, and curfews and to top it off, they rolled out this massive shield and some
crazy-ass weapons. Weapons even our military vets had never heard of before.” She shrugged. “Then, what do you know? Massive ships come in about a week later dropping bombs on the shield. Like-for-like energy, as they say.”
“Are you saying they attracted the ET’s?” asked Drew, jerking back as another explosion rocked the building.
“Yes. We were fine before the Marine’s showed up. They practically put a homing beacon on us,” said Carl. He grunted, shifting in his stance, clearly frustrated. “And that little girl. The gifted one? It’s her doing. They are attracted to her. I guarantee it. Once we get out of here, she’s got my first trigger-happy shot.”
The words hit Drew like a punch to the chest. Killing Mya wasn’t going to happen on his watch. Mya was an innocent, sweet young girl with no ill-will toward anyone. She’d protected the city with her weird-ass mutant powers. “They started coming before the girl was even here, Carl. Hell, when we landed in the helicopters, the ET’s were practically on top of Whitefish.”
Carl pointed his rifle at Drew. “You arrived with her?”
Drew quickly shook his head no. It was a lie, but if it meant saving his own skin, sure he was gonna veer from the truth. “I meant to say I saw her land. And those ET’s have been fucking shit up all over the world, not just here.” Drew wanted Carl’s mind on something other than Mya.
“Carl, stop being an ass. If you don’t, I’ll shove this rifle straight up your ass. Understand?” Megan leaned against a wall, her rifle between her crossed arms, her eyes like guns about to go off in Carl’s face. “And Drew –”
The alarms turned off. Suddenly and strangely. Did all the power in the city go off? One look at the still lit light bulb answered his question, telling him a flat, no. Were the alarms destroyed somehow?
Someone rapped on their basement door.
Atlantis Quadrilogy - Box Set Page 73