Domination

by Jon S. Lewis

  “They’re with me,” Colt said. “They’re part of the mission.”

  Rhane led them all through the remains of what had once been a city.

  Pierce was walking with a noticeable limp. Though he insisted that he was fine, Colt was fairly certain that his squad-mate’s ankle was broken and found a walking stick to help support his weight.

  They could just make out the rough shapes of buildings beneath the creeping vines. Some were sagging and others had fallen over. Trees grew out of windows and pools of stagnant water covered the streets, creating the perfect breeding ground for insects.

  “I don’t understand why tourists don’t like this place,” Oz said. “I mean, look at that.” He pointed at a spider that was the size of a bicycle tire. It was black and hairy with bright yellow stripes and was clinging to a web as thick as a rope.

  “That’s disgusting,” Danielle said.

  “Vrolek spiders are a delicacy,” Rhane said. “They taste a bit like chicken, though the consistency is more like porridge.”

  Danielle crinkled her nose. “Double disgusting.”

  “How much farther?” Pierce asked. The cut on his head had stopped bleeding but it looked infected, and sweat was beading on his forehead.

  “We’re here.” Rhane pulled back a curtain of vines and revealed a metal staircase that led up to the second floor of a crumbling building. Strange phosphorescent fungus clung to the exterior walls, and water trailed down the surface like tears.

  “What is this place?” Colt asked.

  “Nowhere important,” Rhane said as two of his men stood guard at the base of the stairs. He led the remnant of Phantom Squad through a door and down a hall until he came to an empty apartment. Other than a table and some broken chairs, there wasn’t much in the way of furniture, and the only light source was a series of windows buried under thick vines.

  “Then what are we doing here?” Pierce asked, his voice weak, though his words were sharp. He glared at Rhane even as he leaned against the wall, chest heaving. Each labored breath produced a sound like rattling bones. Before anyone could react, his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fell over.

  “Pierce!” Danielle rushed over and placed her head against his chest. “I don’t think he’s breathing.”

  “He’s infected,” Rhane said.

  “Can’t you do something?” Danielle asked.

  “Possibly,” Rhane said. “But I’m not making any promises.”

  Danielle stroked Pierce’s forehead while Colt and Oz, at Rhane’s command, went in search of the driest wood they could find. When they got back, Rhane started a small fire right next to the window and soon had a small pot of water boiling on the open flame. He pulled out a pouch and added what looked like dried herbs and tea leaves. The concoction smelled like a wet towel that had been sitting in the bottom of a gym bag for the better part of a semester.

  “I need one of your socks,” Rhane said.

  “Don’t look at me,” Danielle said. “I’m not taking my boots off with those spider things running around.”

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” Colt said. He removed one of his boots and then his sock and handed it to Rhane, who proceeded to scoop the leaves out from the pan and place them inside the sock. When he was finished he placed it on Pierce’s wound.

  “Now what?” Danielle asked.

  Rhane shrugged. “If he’s still breathing in the morning, then I give him a better than average shot at surviving.”

  “But—”

  “He’ll make it,” Colt said.

  Danielle wiped a tear from her eye. “I hope so.”

  “I don’t mean to sound like a jerk,” Oz said, “but we have bigger issues at the moment.”

  “He’s right,” Rhane added. “Koenig knows that Colt is here, which means he’s going to accelerate his plan to invade Earth.”

  “I thought he didn’t believe in the prophecy,” Danielle said.

  “That’s what he likes to tell people,” Rhane replied. “But he isn’t willing to take any chances. Besides, he needs to attack before his treaties with the Dagon Alliance and the Vril fall apart, just like his treaty with the Black Sun Militia. That was a devastating blow.”

  “How long do we have?” Colt asked.

  “From everything we can tell, less than twenty-four hours.” Rhane pulled out a metal disc the size of a coaster. He pressed a button, and a holomap of Dresh appeared.

  “Why are you doing this?” Colt asked. “I mean, if this world dies, you’re going to die with it, so why are you helping us? Why not invade Earth so you can survive?”

  “Because if Koenig succeeds it will only be a matter of time before he destroys your planet, just as he destroyed ours,” Rhane said. “Besides, we don’t believe all hope is lost here on Gathmara. But before we can heal our land, we have to get rid of the man who poisoned it.”

  He walked over to a closet and pulled out a black duffel bag, which he unzipped and placed in the center of the floor. “It’s not quite what you’re used to, but it should do.”

  Inside the duffel were explosives and detonators, along with goggles, a pair of boots, and guns. There were even magnetic grenades, grappling hooks, pulse charges, and clips for the sidearms.

  “Grab what you can carry and then try to get some sleep,” Rhane said. “We head out in five hours.”

  “This is it?” Colt said as he pulled out a Luger that looked like it had been used during the Second World War. “What about body armor?”

  “Afraid that I’m fresh out,” Rhane said. “After all, we Thule don’t exactly need armor, now do we?”

  : :

  CHAPTER 45 : :

  It was still dark when Colt woke up the next morning to the sound of hushed voices.

  He cracked open an eyelid and saw Oz snoring while a red lizard with a bright blue underbelly crawled over his friend’s hand, up his arm, and then up the wall and out the window. Danielle was curled up beneath a thin blanket next to the remnants of the fire, and Rhane was on the other side of the room kneeling next to Pierce.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Pierce was saying as he sat with his back against the wall.

  “It’s better that you stay here and—”

  “Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me?”

  Rhane shook his head. “Then at least drink this,” he said, handing Pierce a mug with steam coming off it.

  Pierce brought it to his nose and sniffed. “What is it?”

  “Our version of an energy drink,” Rhane said.

  “No thanks.” Pierce set the mug to the side and tried to stand, but he collapsed back to the floor, his face contorted.

  “That one is going to get us all killed,” Rhane said as he walked over to where Colt lay. “His ankle is broken and he still has a fever.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Colt said. The first vestiges of sunlight shone through the window, and as Colt stood he could just make out Dresh in the distance. Countless buildings created an uneven landscape, and smokestacks belched endless plumes that rose to join vast clouds the color of steel wool.

  They ate a quick breakfast as they listened to Rhane’s plan. Pierce relented and drank Rhane’s concoction, and within minutes he was strong enough to pack his gear and head downstairs with the others.

  “You’re sure that you’re okay?” Colt said.

  “Never felt better,” Pierce replied as he shouldered an assault rifle, but Colt could tell by the weakness in his voice, not to mention his chalky complexion, that he was lying.

  Rhane drove Pierce in the Walker while Colt, Danielle, and Oz followed on armored ultralights. Though it was early, the temperature was already sweltering. The aviator goggles that Colt wore kept steaming over, and he had to stop more than once to clean them off.

  The Twilek were already out, plucking insects from their fur and feeding on bright red fruit with green flesh. The juice ran down their lips and onto their coats, but they didn’t seem to mind. A flock of Ryax took to the sky as the vehic
les rushed past their nesting area, and Colt thought he caught a glimpse of a Riek before it disappeared into the shadows.

  They parked half a click outside Dresh in the middle of a swamp teeming with wildlife. Rhane led them the rest of the way by foot, fighting through the thick vegetation and steamy air. Half an hour later they had reached the outskirts of Dresh, but they stopped when Rhane raised his hand.

  “What’s wrong?” Colt asked, his voice barely a whisper.

  Rhane nodded toward the distance. “Soldiers from the Dagon Alliance,” he said. “You can tell by their markings. See those squid-looking things on their arms?”

  “We’re going to take them out, right?” Oz said, sliding the strap of his assault rifle off his shoulder so he could hold it at the ready.

  “No,” Rhane said. “We can’t afford the distraction.”

  “I can hit a fly on top of a soda can from a hundred yards away,” Oz said.

  “It has nothing to do with your marksmanship,” Rhane said. “We don’t want to lose track of our primary mission, and we definitely don’t want them sounding the alarm and alerting their friends. Besides, I can guarantee you that there are hovercraft scanning the jungle, not to mention the Trackers that our scouts spotted earlier this morning.”

  Oz shouldered his assault rifle with obvious reluctance, eyeing the soldiers of the Dagon Alliance until there was too much vegetation and too many shadows between them.

  Soon they stepped foot on the first crumbling street of Dresh. All around them flowering vines choked the dilapidated buildings. A lizard the length of a broomstick jumped from its perch with arms and legs spread, relying on parachute-like membranes that attached from its front to back ankles as it glided from building to building.

  “Where is everybody?” Danielle asked as they walked down an empty street.

  “Most citizens have fled to the jungle,” Rhane said. “Those who remain stay locked inside their homes, fearful to come out and face the wrath of Koenig’s Defense Corps.”

  No sooner had the words left Rhane’s lips than Colt spotted two figures at the other end of the street, heading toward them. One was a Thule in its native reptilian form with a red armband; the other looked human and was dressed in a crisp gray military uniform.

  “This way,” Rhane said as he ducked down an alley.

  They heard the sound of marching feet, and soon hundreds of soldiers marched past, many carrying red banners with the symbol of the Defense Corps. Colt also noticed flags from the Dagon Alliance and the Vril, but there were no signs of the Black Sun Militia or the Soldiers of the Grail among the troops.

  Just then Colt spotted movement in a window high overhead. Then he saw a spark, as if someone had lit a candle. The flame burned hotter and then arced out the window.

  “Molotov cocktails!” Oz shouted as glass shattered on the pavement below. Fire erupted, and more bottles followed at once. The soldiers scattered. Some started shooting up at the windows while others took cover.

  Two hovercraft lowered from the sky and opened fire at the empty windows. Cement and glass exploded. One of the hovercraft unleashed a series of sidewinder missiles that blasted a hole in the wall. A soldier fell, arms flailing and legs kicking. He changed from human to Thule in midair, but when he struck the ground he stopped moving.

  “That’s our cue,” Rhane said, slipping out of their hiding spot and taking off down the street at a sprint.

  Colt looked back at Pierce. “Can you keep up?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Pierce said.

  As Colt ran down the street, away from the fray, he caught sight of three animals that looked like a cross between a hyena and a wild pig, all feasting on some kind of roadkill.

  “What are those things?” he asked as he ran alongside Rhane.

  “Blurg,” Rhane said.

  The animals snorted and gulped, nipping at one another as they fought for scraps of food. Colt watched as one tore a hunk of flesh away and swallowed it whole, scales and all. His stomach churned and he tried to look away, but he couldn’t.

  Distracted, Colt didn’t see the broken glass on the sidewalk. The sounds of shards crunching under his boots echoed across the too-empty street, and the animals turned to stare at him. Their long snouts were stained with blood, and their lips were curled back to reveal wicked teeth.

  “Nice and easy,” Rhane said. “All they want to know is that we aren’t interested in their kill.”

  “Trust me, we’re not.”

  “Over there.” Rhane was crouched behind what looked like a trash bin. “See that barge?” He pointed down the street to a rusted boat scarred by scratches and dents. “That’s the canal that will take us to the reactor station.”

  There was a sound like a turbine engine, and Colt looked up between the buildings to see one of Koenig’s hovercraft approaching.

  “This way!” Rhane pulled him into what looked like an old butcher shop, and the other three members of Phantom Squad followed. Colt stood next to the front window and watched as the hovercraft descended until it was only ten feet off the ground. The roar of the turbines shook the walls as garbage spun through the air like it was caught in a tornado.

  “Do you think they saw us?” Danielle asked.

  “If they did, they’d be shooting,” Rhane said.

  Colt could feel his heart beating in his throat as he waited for the hovercraft to fly away. It seemed like hours even though it had only been a few minutes, but it finally left them alone.

  “Let’s go,” Rhane said. “If they have search teams out, that means they think we’re close. Everybody keep your eyes open.”

  Like Venice, Dresh was known for its intricate system of canals, but instead of gondolas there were rusted-out barges. The water was reddish-orange, and a disgusting froth clung to the surface along the cement walls that lined the canal.

  “Not exactly the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean, is it?” Rhane said. Suddenly his face started to contort, and there was a sound like bone cracking. His skin bubbled and his muscles flexed, and a moment later he was standing there in his native Thule form.

  At nearly eight feet tall, he looked a bit like a bearded dragon. He had massive shoulders and a powerful tail, and his body was covered in scales the color of honey. He had a short snout, and his back was lined with row after row of spikes. There were even clusters of spiny scales covering his throat.

  Pierce took a step back, his index finger wrapped around the trigger of his assault rifle as he pointed the barrel at Rhane.

  “If you think I’m ugly, wait until you run into Koenig,” Rhane said as he wrapped his long toes around the edge of the canal. Nails like talons sank into the crumbling cement as he flexed them, his eyes now locked on the murky water.

  “Is that sewage?” Danielle asked.

  “Better you don’t know,” Rhane said, his tone flat.

  “It doesn’t matter, because it’s our only way inside,” Colt said as he removed his pack and took out his breathing apparatus.

  “Just mind the Gorem and you’ll be fine,” Rhane said.

  “Nobody said anything about Gorem,” Oz said.

  A chill ran down Colt’s spine as he thought back to the enormous sea monster that had attacked Oz and him in the waterways beneath Trident Biotech. It had looked like a cross between an eel and an alligator, but it had three sets of arms and each one ended in a clawed hand.