She readied her gear for the tenth time. Everyone was fully loaded with food, water, and weapons. Brandt had the shield generator tied to his back with Amazonian rope. He was still healing from the storm’s gashes and rubs, but he didn’t complain. He was the King of the Aurochs and his friends were in trouble.
Pik asked Micah for a blaster, but she didn’t have an extra one. He said that he’d be fine with his trident. Pik assumed that he’d be bait for the Professor, opening the way for the rest of the companions to take him down.
Micah knew what Pik was thinking, but didn’t have a better plan. She gave the Lizard Man’s plan her full support. As she thought about it, she wondered where the scientists were. She headed below.
She found them in the lab, so engrossed in a project that they didn’t even hear her enter. Micah cleared her throat, then louder. They didn’t lift their heads from examining whatever was on the table.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she grumbled as she walked behind them and grabbed a handful of each, pulling them roughly away from the table.
“Hey!” Patti May looked put out. Chrysalis knew better than to argue with Micah, so he kept his mouth closed.
“Braden has been taken by an ancient still living on the island. Bronwyn described his mind as ‘dark.’ He knows all about the intelligent species, that they were engineered by the ancients, and he can block our mindlink and the neural implant. He’s dangerous. He has Braden and G-War and we’re going after them. You two are staying here, but you have to be ready in case we need you!” She emphasized the last few words, but couldn’t imagine what the scientists could do if things got ugly. She wanted them to participate in some way, even if only to wish them well.
“What do you want us to do about it?” Patti May said with a sneer. Micah took a calming breath.
“I want you to be ready to come ashore. If we find a laboratory, you may want to examine it, but I don’t think the Professor is very good. There’s a group of creatures on that island that are misshapen with low intelligence. I think they are his failed experiments.”
“A Genetic Engineer from the old school. We didn’t do any of that on Cygnus VI. We cloned, but that was standard technology, not any kind of research. When can we go look at the lab?” Chrysalis asked.
“We have no idea where the lab is or when you can come ashore. We haven’t gone ourselves, yet, but we have a plan.”
“Good. Let us know when things are safe for us to look at the laboratory,” Patti May said as she returned to the bench where she’d been working. She waved one hand dismissively as she resumed her study. Chrysalis shrugged and mouthed the words, ‘thank you.’
Micah walked out of the lab and opened her neural implant. ‘Holly, would Dr. Johns be put out if I killed his son and that other scientist that we’ve been saddled with?’
‘Master President, I never know when you are joking. I don’t think anyone should be killing anyone else. Those two are established scientists. They are very good at what they do. You shouldn’t have any problems with them,’ Holly said soothingly.
‘So, yes. Dr. Johns would be put out, is what I hear from you. We need help and they aren’t helping. They don’t even seem interested in helping.’
‘Master Micah, Pik Ha’ar’s plan is tactically sound and has a very high probability of success. I think you underestimate your abilities,’ Holly added, sounding confident.
‘I think you overestimate them,’ Micah replied, closing the link.
Pik asked to meet the two Wolfoids and Micah on the bridge. Once there, he used the navigation board to show a three-dimensional image of the island. The Wolfoids were never good with two-dimensional maps, but they seemed to completely grasp the representation that Holly provided.
Pik ran through the plan afresh, talking about how long it would take each group to travel through the jungle. They estimated the time between drop off and when they should start walking. Then he changed things. Once south of the island, the ship would turn around and head the opposite direction, which changed the delivery sequence, but Pik wanted to reduce the predictability.
The ship would circle the island a second time, dropping each group into the ocean on the starboard side, away from where someone on the beach could see them leaving the ship. With the Dolphins’ assistance, thanks to Bronwyn, they’d swim the teams close to the shore, then return to the ship for the next group. Pik absolutely didn’t care that the ‘cats were going to get wet, although Fea didn’t complain. Her mate had been captured, too.
The female Hillcats were the hunters when they ran in a pack. Fea was no different. She watched over a great number of ‘cats, the matriarch of a large group that had left the ‘cat enclave in Warren Deep and ventured to the south to reestablish themselves as predators and not surrender to a life as a shepherd. And bonding with humans was encouraged, to help humanity along a better path.
Fea was going after her mate, just like Micah, and wouldn’t return without him. ‘I don’t think you can hear me, Ax, but just in case, I’m coming for you.’
Micah put a hand on the white ‘cat’s back, hoping they’d be ready for whatever the Professor had in store. Micah had her sword slung across her back and two blasters. She carried a length of rope, one flask of water, and only a little food, energy bars as the fabricator referred to them. And that was it. She would be ready to fight with each heartbeat as they traveled inland.
The ship swung around the south end of the island and the first group prepared to go into the water. The Rabbits wore their life preservers and the Wolfoids had an extra flotation strap around their necks, to keep their heads out of the water.
The ship sailed past the cove, where Brandt’s group would disembark last. First up was Micah’s group. She let a strand of rope trail behind her that Aadi could hang on to as the Dolphins took them ashore. Micah carried Fea in her arms, hoping she’d be able to keep the ‘cat from completely submerging. Bronwyn carried her own food and water. For a teenager, she’d seen too much, been a part of things no one her age should have to be a part of, but thanks to G-War, she was stronger and Micah was happy to have her along. Bronwyn would be able to keep the creatures from attacking them while the Professor was taken care of.
Pik didn’t say anything. He simply pointed at the ocean and nodded. The Dolphins magically appeared next to the ship. Bronwyn and Micah climbed directly onto their backs as Fea wrapped herself across Micah’s shoulders and Aadi clung to the rope from her pack. The Dolphins veered away from the ship, lolling in a trough to put distance between themselves and the ship. Once it was well clear, they started swimming.
Micah Ashore
Aadi tried to stay as close to the water as possible, not wanting to be easily seen, but every time a wave hit him, Micah was almost yanked from the Dolphin’s back. Fea clung to Micah’s neck like a huge scarf, draped to her waist. The ‘cat was mostly dry and Fea wanted to stay that way. Bronwyn was soaked as she frolicked on Rhodi. Chlora was all business, carrying a heavier load and dragging a sea anchor.
The Dolphins took them into the surf then swam parallel to the beach until they were in waist-deep water for Micah. She slid off Chlora, thanking her for her help, turned, and ran for the beach with Aadi still hanging onto the rope. Fea dropped to the sand when they were past the tide. Bronwyn did the same, taking longer to come ashore as she watched Rhodi and Chlora dive through the surf and race to catch up as the ship sailed into the distance.
Zyena was perched in a tree, intently watching the jungle. Micah and the others stopped below her and waited. They’d agreed not to use the mindlink. The Professor had to know they were coming, but the details of the plan were different from the execution. Now that they were ashore, silence was king. Micah had turned her neural implant completely off as Holly had encouraged.
Zyena used her wing to point to a path and then nodded. She took off and flew ahead, staying under the jungle’s canopy, landing where she could see Micah as well as the approaching trail. They’d asked
for her to screech in warning if anyone or anything appeared.
Fea melted into the undergrowth, popping up not far away, her all-white head standing out against the greens prevalent on the island. She sat calmly and, with all her senses, watched.
Bronwyn leaned close to Micah, but only to watch the jungle, study it, listen to its sounds. She didn’t seek comfort. She’d learned a great deal about the world in her short time on it, and she realized that some people weren’t compatible with the rest. She discovered that the humans and the Overlords could not coexist. In her mind, the creature that called itself the Professor was in the same category. She expected that when night fell, he’d be gone and she was good with that, because she believed that it needed to be done. She looked at Micah, smiling, knowing that Micah wasn’t afraid to kill him herself.
Micah noticed the teenager looking at her, but didn’t speculate on why. It only mattered that the girl stay out of harm’s way. Micah waved to Zyena, then pointed at her own eyes and stabbed her fingers forward, pointing down the trail.
Zyena understood. Scout the way ahead. She launched and flew forward, weaving left, well away from the trail, then right, crisscrossing the trail at ninety degrees as she looked to make sure the others weren’t walking into a trap. A ways forward, she ran across a built-up mound, with a door inclined against it, as if opening to a stairway down. The Hawkoid resisted the temptation to project a mental image of the door. She flew around it, and not seeing anyone or anything, she returned, landing on the sand next to Micah. With her talon, she drew a rough map of the trail leading ahead, then meticulously drew in a door and a mound. It was little more than a stick figure as this was her first time drawing, but she pointed emphatically to the circle and door.
Micah nodded, but the only thing she understood was that there was something man-made up ahead. She didn’t know if it was a trap or a building or what. What mattered most was that they knew it was there. Bronwyn put her hand on the Hawkoid’s shoulder, nodded, and then looked to Micah.
“There’s a door set into a small mound. It looks like it leads underground,” the girl whispered. Bronwyn was gifted in ways that Micah could only guess. She hadn’t used the mindlink, so however she learned the information, Micah was pleased to know the particulars. She wanted to check it out before they moved toward the compound. She waved at Fea and Aadi, signaling that they were going.
Aadi hovered nearby, the rope still in his mouth as he tried to stay out of the others’ way. He was ready to do what he could, a focused thunderclap at the forefront of his thoughts.
The ‘cat disappeared into the undergrowth, reappearing down the trail as she crouched low, listening and watching.
Micah picked a route to the side of the obvious trail. With a blaster in one hand and her sword in the other, she walked carefully, expecting a trap. Bronwyn was right behind her, stepping where Micah stepped, moving slowly and deliberately.
Zyena perched almost directly above the mound, watching in the direction of the compound. Micah wondered if she’d moved too close to her ultimate target. She took a knee behind a bush, not far from the door. She put her sword in the scabbard across her back and drew her second blaster. She rested one in the bush and held the other loosely as she settled in to wait until the others were on the island. Then she’d figure out what this place was all about. If she had to, she’d burn them out of the underground, send flame into the hole as if destroying a nest of ground wasps.
Bounder Ashore
Bounder vaulted into the wave, missing Rhodi completely. His head dunked for less than a heartbeat as the flotation device around his neck helped bring him back to the surface. Rhodi dove and came from below, easing him onto his back. He used his Wolfoid hands to grasp the Dolphin’s dorsal fin as he straddled him with his back legs, scratching Rhodi in the process. Wolfoids were ill-suited for riding Dolphins.
Ferrer was terrified to go into the water, even though he wore a life vest. Holly watched it all using the external sensors and slowed the ship so they didn’t go too far past their drop off point. Pik finally offered a hand to help the Rabbit off the deck and onto Chlora’s back. Ferrer let go only after he had one hand firmly on Chlora’s fin. He couldn’t get where he was comfortable on the Dolphin’s back as his back legs weren’t made for gripping. He had no time to adjust for as soon as he let go of the ship, Chlora veered toward the open ocean.
The ship immediately sped up as Holly wanted to get back on schedule for the final two deliveries. Ferrer closed his eyes, shaking as he hugged himself against the Dolphin’s slick back. He held the fin with both hands, getting wetter and wetter as she swam toward shore. Finally, the Dolphin stopped swimming and rocked gently from side to side. Ferrer opened his eyes and blinked rapidly as salt water dripped into them, burning.
He saw that they were beyond the surf, in the shallows. He brought his outside leg over and pushed off Chlora’s back so hard that she rolled upside down into an oncoming wave. Ferrer splashed into the water that was chest-deep to him and ran as hard as he was able to get out of the god-forsaken water, and kept running once he hit the beach. There was no predicting the direction a terrified rabbit would run.
Bounder was already ashore and could only run after the Rabbit, watching over him in case a threat appeared. He carried his spear in his hand, slapping it into the sand as he ran on all fours. Skirill flew ahead, under the jungle’s canopy, but still as high off the ground as he could manage. He bobbed and weaved between branches and trunks as he tried to keep one eye on the Rabbit and one on his way ahead.
Ferrer stopped, eyes wide as he looked for an escape route. Bounder tackled him, both of the wet creatures rolling through the sand. He made to hop up and run, but the Wolfoid wrapped his big feet in a bear hug. This earned him a Rabbit kick in the chest, which launched Ferrer away from Bounder and into a tree trunk. He collapsed, dazed and covered in sand.
Bounder stood up and shook, sending sand flying. He tried to brush the rest off, but it clung to his wet fur. He shook his head and adjusted his grip on the lightning spear. He poked the Rabbit in the chest none too gently. Ferrer’s eyes popped open.
Bounder crouched near him, putting out both hands as a calming gesture. The Rabbit’s eyes darted one way and then another. Bounder gripped Ferrer’s head in both hands and rubbed noses, looking into the Rabbit’s eyes. At one point in Vii’s history, a Rabbit would have wilted in fear being nose to nose with a Wolfoid, but not anymore. They were friends, allies in the cause of freedom.
Ferrer blinked to clear his eyes, then patted Bounder on the shoulder to show that he was okay. Ferrer stood and shook, sending sand in an arc over Bounder, who shook in return, making sure he sent sand flying Ferrer’s way. Skirill watched it all in amazement.
He thought they’d gone ashore to rescue Braden and G-War, not undergo a male bonding experience. He leapt from the branch and dropped toward the ground before extending his wings. As he approached the two other members of his party, he back-winged, slapping both Bounder and Ferrer in the head repeatedly before landing.
He used one wing to point the way inland. Then he pointed at Bounder, sending him behind a tree in one direction. He selected Ferrer and pointed him toward a bush in the other direction. Then the Hawkoid pointed repeatedly at the sand. “Stay put and wait,” he was telling them. Skirill flew back into the trees and tried to look inconspicuous. Other birds flew about, but they were nowhere near the size of a Hawkoid.
Bounder’s group had the shortest trip to the compound, not shortest distance-wise, but short in that there was a wide path that led straight through the jungle. Skirill spotted a way to the open sky where he could fly above the trees and tell the others when the ship had arrived at the cove. The other Hawkoids would be doing the same thing at regular intervals to coordinate the attack on the compound.
They settled in to wait.
Strider Ashore
The last two groups watched in shock as Ferrer panicked.
They knew that they
would have to go into the ocean next. Strider made Brigitte go first so she could ‘encourage’ the Rabbit from the deck. Holly prepared to slow the ship, just in case.
They added an extra flotation ring around each of her small arms. She waddled to the edge of the deck and looked with trepidation as the ocean’s waves slapped the side of the ship and splashed the deck. Rhodi angled close, swimming easily alongside the ship as it traveled south, abeam the western side of the island.
Strider encouraged Brigitte, who stumbled as she got close to the edge. She sat down heavily and looked at the ocean. Strider tried to be patient, but couldn’t. There was too much at stake. Strider wrapped her Wolfoid arms around the Rabbit, pinning the floaties to Brigitte’s side and with a mighty heave, sent them both overboard.
Rhodi and Chlora were ready, stalwart in their assistance to the companions simply because Bronwyn had asked for their help. The Rabbit bounced off Rhodi’s back. With the round flotation devices on her small arms, she was unable to grip the Dolphin’s dorsal fin. Rhodi bumped her over his head where she lay on her stomach, backed up against his dorsal fin. She wrapped her arms around his head and he chittered happily. Rhodi had free use of his tail so he propelled them quickly along the surface.
Brigitte had a great view and watched in joy as they swam along the wave-tops.
When the Rabbit bounced off Rhodi, Strider went into the water. She sank as she remembered the device she was supposed to wear around her neck was still on the deck. She’d left it behind. She kicked and pawed, trying to get herself back toward the surface. When something big rammed into her, driving her forward, she broke the surface and kept going as Chlora came out of the water with her. When the Wolfoid splashed down, she landed on the Dolphin’s back. She clasped her arms around the dorsal fin and they were off, racing to catch Rhodi and Brigitte.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 55