Marik rose with a cohesive fighting force against Travlor’s inhuman killing machines and Travlor could see that they fought tenaciously to repel his lethal intruders. It was a chaotic clash as Terran hit men waded into the midst of Marik’s fighting unit.
Travlor, wielding nothing more than his thoughts, searched through the scene of erupting anarchy. His mission was to locate the abhorrent topside woman, and surrounded by an elite guard of twenty-five of his most vicious combatants, he marched through the destruction with unruffled impunity.
Ni-Cio and his team fought for their lives as they faced an overwhelming number of invaders, “To the rear…it is our only chance!”
Their thought-shields deflected most of the bullets from the frontal attack, so he relentlessly urged his men back toward Travlor’s rear offensive and the inner ring, “Break their assault and we can make the Great Hall!”
Ni-Cio knew that their only chance of survival lay in reaching the inner ring. If they could break through Travlor’s rear assault, he could get his team within reach of the Great Hall. But every inch of ground they gained was paid for with precious human currency. They had not even reached the halfway point and Ni-Cio was down by half of his men.
“Ni-Cio! Ni-Cio! It’s Evan!” Evan’s cry broke through his concentration. Locked in mortal combat, he didn’t reply. He just opened his mind so that the topsider could witness the devastation.
“Hold any way you can! I’m on my way!”
Ni-Cio surged forward as he and the remainder of his unit fought ferociously on.
Ni-Cio and nine of his men finally cleared their tunnel as the bone-jarring blasts of Travlor’s explosives detonated. They were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. Ni-Cio nervously surveyed the rock over their heads and he knew that the Great Hall had been compromised.
His command seared through the minds of the remaining units, “The Great Hall has been breached! We are needed now!”
He and his men picked themselves up. They were joined by Aris and twelve of his team, along with five of Talus’s warriors. Heavy smoke flowed around them like a raging river, obscuring their vision. Ni-Cio felt as if he had been thrust into hell.
The stragglers gathered around him. Before he could issue his orders, the figure of Mer-An materialized out of a muddy cloud of gray smoke. She dragged two broken bodies while her last man brought up the rear. His thought-forms fired steadily back through the thick haze.
Ni-Cio and the others sprinted to help her as a thought blazed into their minds.
“I am almost with you, Ni-Cio!”
Before they could reach Mer-An, Rogert and eight of his men burst from their tunnel. Two of Rogert’s team grabbed the men from Mer-An’s hands, and as one, they turned to protect their retreat.
Of the one hundred and sixty Atlanteans chosen to defend the interior tunnels, the thirty-nine remaining men and women crowded around Ni-Cio to receive their final orders. He looked into their weary faces and knew that all of them were nearing the end of their endurance, “If we cannot repel the forces from the Great Hall, I am afraid that all is lost. Look to yourselves and do the best that you can.”
He prepared to lead his courageous fighters into their last pitched battle when a passionate cry reverberated through the corridor, halting their forward rush.
“Ni-Cio! I am with you!”
Ni-Cio glanced over his shoulder and squinted. His team dropped into defensive postures. A lone figure emerged from the smoke and the gloom and he recognized the topsider. Ni-Cio almost laughed. A surge of energy entered his body and his heart beat with renewed hope, “You are slow to join us!”
Evan caught up to the group and breathlessly clasped Ni-Cio’s outstretched hand. Ni-Cio could see the toll that Evan’s journey had taken, but he also recognized a bond of brotherhood that would never be broken.
Evan eyed the group. He nodded and took a deep breath. He glanced at Ni-Cio and jerked his chin in the direction of the Great Hall, “Let’s move!”
Shoulder to shoulder, Ni-Cio and Evan led the ragtag band of fighters into the shadows of the Great Hall. Ni-Cio knew it was a gallant charge, he just desperately hoped that it would be enough to turn the tide.
Ni-Cio and his warriors raged through the cavernous opening into the Great Hall. Those who still had crystals scorched a path through the backs of their unwary assailants. Together they exploded into the ranks of Travlor’s entrenched army with arcing flashes of telekinetic energy.
From his position, Ni-Cio saw that Marik and his group were pinned behind a barricade. He cleared a swath and Marik seized the advantage. He leapt from cover to lead his group in a valiant counteroffensive. As he waded fearlessly into a barrage of hostile fire, his battle cry rang through Ni-Cio’s heart, “For freedom! For Atlantis!”
His followers streamed from behind their barriers, and those without crystals launched anything they could grab with the efficacy and ferocity of guided missiles.
To Ni-Cio, it seemed that Marik wielded his crystal like a broadsword. His face was suffused with brilliant bands of blue and gold, the colors of honor and incorruptibility. The aging Council Leader fought with reckless abandon and leveled ten men before his shield flickered, and failed. A hail of bullets brought him to his knees. His last thought found Ni-Cio.
“Lead them well…” Marik’s powerful form sank to the floor.
Ni-Cio went wild. He rallied Atlanteans from every direction and they redoubled their efforts.
Aris and Mer-An guarded each other’s back and burned a fatal swath. Rogert led his stouthearted eight into a terrible clash. Before their determined onslaught, Travlor’s soldiers fell.
Side by side, Ni-Cio and Evan fought in harrowing combat. Ni-Cio’s crystal-enhanced energy, and Evan’s telekinetic prowess, brought down scores of mercenaries. By deadly increments, Ni-Cio felt the weight of battle shift.
He tried to assess their progress. As his eyes circled the immense chamber, he glimpsed Travlor accompanied by his special contingent, entering the tunnel leading to the Council Hall.
Ni-Cio screamed maniacally. He grabbed Evan and broke into the open, “Travlor is going after Daria!”
Evan and Ni-Cio blasted a path toward the back of the Great Hall while Ni-Cio communicated his alarm to Daria, “Travlor is in the tunnel! I am coming!”
Travlor did not look back as he broke into the bleak corridor. From his elite squad he chose six men and underscored his order with an intense compulsion, “Let no one through!”
The men stopped and turned to guard the entrance. Travlor knew that the only route into the tunnel would be through his men and they would fight to the death.
He hurried through the passage toward the portal opening. He stalked his prey, and sensed that he was close, “The woman is not to be harmed. Destroy the others.”
Travlor and his men were unopposed as they barged into the Council Hall. Daria stood alone in the center of the room. Travlor elbowed his way through his men and halted before his catch.
The woman met his gaze with an intensity he did not remember. “You may kill me, but Ni-Cio will never let you out of here alive.”
Travlor lifted his face to the cavernous ceiling and chuckled, “Oh, you are mistaken, my dear. It is not your death I require. It is your life.” He gestured to his squad, and they surrounded her with military precision.
He picked out two soldiers, “Blow that wall!”
The men bent to prepare the explosives while Travlor surveyed the hospital. He spied the biospheres, “I see you have provided a faster mode of transport. Very thoughtful.” He motioned to another duo, “Once we are ready to leave these chambers, bring one of those biospheres with you. I intend to leave Atlantis in style.”
He returned his gaze to the topsider, “Where are the others? I find it hard to believe you were left alone.”
Daria stepped toward him, “There are no others. Once your killers acquired the Great Hall, everyone was called to fight.” Her tone was different, it had e
levated, just slightly.
Travlor scrutinized her face, then looked at his squad, “Spread out; look for…”
“We’re ready, sir.”
Interrupted by the soldier in charge of demolitions, Travlor reined in his anger and jerked his head, “Get everybody under cover.”
The soldiers quickly overturned the beds. Huddled behind the mattresses, they used their bodies to shield Daria. Still encased in his own energy shield, Travlor stood, impervious to the detonation.
With a muffled WHOOOMP, debris rained down upon Travlor and his men, but they had created their avenue of escape.
Ni-Cio and Evan exerted a frantic effort to gain access to the tunnel leading to the Council Hall. Ni-Cio’s crystal had cracked in half, so as Evan waged his telekinetic powers, Ni-Cio relied upon his skill of Last Strike. They fought through the Hall until they were close to the tunnel entrance where they were met by six of Travlor’s elite soldiers. The odds did not favor Ni-Cio. He and Evan took cover behind one of the columns and Ni-Cio summoned Aris and Mer-An. He waited for them to come, but as the noise of the explosion reached his ears, Ni-Cio went berserk.
Grasping the jagged pieces of his broken crystal in either hand, he vaulted from behind the column and charged the defenders. His awareness narrowed to three soldiers. In a timed move of Last Strike, Ni-Cio raised both hands and rammed the razor-sharp crystals into the carotid arteries of two of his targets. With his right foot, he delivered a kick to the face of the third target. The man’s nose cartilage was thrust up and into his brain, he was dead before he hit the ground.
Ni-Cio did not wait for Evan and the others to take out the last three guards. He raced toward the Council Hall.
Evan, Aris and Mer-An barged into the Council chambers to see Ni-Cio pulling people from under the dais. He helped Kyla from beneath the crawlspace and she jumped up to hug her brother.
“Ni-Cio, Travlor has Daria!” Kyla’s gaze took in the others and she started to cry, “She would not let us stand with her. She made the children enter first, then Ylno with her group, and finally…” Tears left tracks in her dusty cheeks. She forced herself to continue, “She made me take her crystal in case we were found.” Her shoulders shook and Ni-Cio tried to support her, but she evaded his grasp and Evan saw her fear. “Travlor has taken a biosphere. If we don’t get to him, we may never see Daria again!”
Ni-Cio sprinted for the detonated exit, but Evan grabbed his arm, “Among the four of us we only have one crystal and no way to shield ourselves.”
Ni-Cio cocked a fist, ready to fight. It took a tremendous amount of willpower to keep from hitting the topsider. Ni-Cio’s roar vibrated through Evan’s insides, “You do not understand! If Travlor kills Daria, nothing else matters!”
Ni-Cio yanked his arm from Evan’s hold and grabbed a biosphere. He leapt through the open gap and pounded down the gloomy corridor. Evan and Aris chased his fleeing form and Evan’s thought swirled into Mer-An and Kyla.
“Guard the children…we will do what we can to help Ni-Cio!”
Kyla’s footsteps echoed off the tunnel walls, “I am coming with you!”
Having reached an exit that was still intact, Travlor began to prepare the biosphere. His remaining soldiers surrounded Daria and waited for orders.
“You know what to do. Finish the job for which you were hired.”
Travlor stood and crossed to Daria. He took her arm and led her to the edge of the pool. But she could not wrest her gaze from Travlor’s men. She watched in horror as they pulled yellow canisters and ugly masks from their backpacks.
Once they had acquired the necessary tools, the soldiers fanned out of the exit. Travlor lowered his mouth to Daria’s ear and the sound of his venomous voice made her cringe, “Do not tax yourself attempting to reach Ni-Cio. I have blocked your thoughts.” He pointed to the elongated biosphere, “Get in.”
Daria tried to back up, “I won’t go!”
Travlor gripped her arm in a powerful hold and shook her so hard that her teeth clattered together, “I do not have time to argue!”
Daria yelped with pain and struggled to break free. Yanking her off her feet as though she weighed no more than a kitten, Travlor hurled her into the biosphere. She clung to the sides. At last, her courage deserted her, “I don’t know why you have to take me. I’m no threat to you!”
Travlor rapidly adjusted himself behind her and used his body as a restraint. The canopy materialized and Daria felt as though she had been sealed inside a coffin, “I need you to attend my health.”
Travlor willed the biosphere into a descent. He flew the craft through the tunnel and toward the open sea and Daria squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to reach Ni-Cio but received not even the breath of a reply. She prayed that Travlor was blocking her thoughts. She refused to let herself think of the alternative.
Trying to suppress her fear, she took several deep breaths in an effort to relax and Na-Kai’s words flowed from her memory. “You are stronger than you know…events have unfolded as they should…”
Travlor’s breath scrabbled over her neck and the touch of his body made her skin crawl. She felt unclean. Daria was considering her options when a sense of defiance bloomed within her. She looked over her shoulder, “It won’t matter where you try to hide. Ni-Cio will find me!”
Travlor’s eyes opened wide and a malevolent grin parted his lips, “My dear, no one will be left alive to find you. With your departure secured, a highly toxic supplement to the Atlantean air supply is being released. You see, I have paid my men to be very thorough.”
Daria squirmed, but Travlor easily pinned her down. She gave up, “Travlor, I’ll do anything you ask, just call your soldiers off. You have no reason to do that!”
His dispassionate reply was worse than a slap, “Quite the contrary. I would not have you continue to hope for rescue. Better to have your undivided attention.”
Daria could no longer contain her grief or her desperation. She lowered her head to the console and bitter sobs welled up from deep within her chest. Through great, choking breaths, she tried one last time to break Travlor’s composure, “You cannot compel me. With everyone dead, what reason would I ever have to help you?”
His sigh came out with a rasp, “For my sake, I hope you are more aware than it would seem.”
Daria pushed herself up and turned to face her captor. She swiped at her eyes, “What are you talking about?”
Travlor quirked a black eyebrow. His words chilled her to the marrow, “Why, the child you carry. Her safety alone should ensure your undying obedience.”
Ni-Cio carried a biosphere and found the only exit he thought Travlor could have used. He wasn’t sure if Travlor’s death squad still guarded the passage, so he made his way through the halls with as much stealth as possible. He encountered no resistance, and when he entered the pool area, he hurriedly prepared to leave. He had adjusted the length of the biosphere and was settled inside when Evan, Aris and Kyla dashed into the room. Evan stumbled to the edge of the pool and fell to his knees, “Ni-Cio, they’re using gas!”
Ni-Cio scrambled out of the biosphere and grabbed Evan. “Kyla! In the biosphere!” Kyla jumped into the craft and looked back. “We have to get him away from the gas!”
Ni-Cio and Aris lowered Evan behind Kyla. The hatch materialized and Ni-Cio hit the side with his hand, “Get him out of here…we will meet you at his compound…”
He saw Kyla nod. The biosphere lit up and hurtled down into the black water. Ni-Cio grabbed Aris’s arm and turned away from the pool. He sent an urgent command to the other Atlanteans, “Full bioskins, now!”
Encased within their bioskins, Ni-Cio and Aris fled the pool access as Evan’s thoughts thundered back.
“I don’t know what kind of gas they’re using…and I don’t how it will affect the bioskins…get everyone out immediately, and be ready to decontaminate topside!”
“Evan…the bioskins will hold long enough…look to yourself…I do not know how much you inhaled…
”
Ni-Cio and Aris skirted dead bodies as they barreled toward the Council Hall. There were no signs of life. They rounded a corner. Ni-Cio slowed his pace and Aris followed his lead.
Ni-Cio stopped, shook his head and looked at Aris. His friend was lit with an eerie green from the light of the luminescent sticks, “I cannot hear Daria’s thoughts…”
Ni-Cio glanced down the path they had just traveled and started to turn back, but Aris grabbed his arm, “Ni-Cio, Travlor must not intend to kill her…or he would have done so…”
Ni-Cio hesitated, torn between duty and love. He scowled. Aris did not move. Within the space of a single heartbeat, Ni-Cio made his decision, “Agreed…let’s move!”
As one, they ran toward the Council Hall.
“Aris…we have to get everyone out…I do not know how long it will take for the gas to neutralize…”
“Affirmative…”
Ni-Cio issued an urgent order, “Everyone to the Council Hall…we must abandon Atlantis…we must do so now!”
Ni-Cio relayed the course heading to Evan’s compound before he and Aris reached the hall. Through the ragged hole, Aris and Ni-Cio saw that the children were already prepared. Mer-An, having assigned some of the biospheres to be carried, was leading the youngest children out into the corridor.
Aris ran to Mer-An and took her in his arms in a ferocious embrace. Ni-Cio heard his anxious thoughts.
“Evan and Kyla will be waiting topside to help you and the children. You will be safe…Ni-Cio and I will come as soon as we can…by all the gods, I do love you!”
Tides of Change Page 27