Zeeka was already flying over the island. When the others reached the shore, she flew back to the beach, diving and turning sharply over the others’ heads as she zoomed into the jungle along the path they were to take inland. They were to start immediately, while the other groups would be waiting. They had further to go around the hill that rose sharply on the western side of the island.
They didn’t need to climb it to get a view since Zeeka could fly high above the jungle and then return to show them the way. From the western side, they didn’t have a clear path either. Their way forward was strewn with debris, and lined with gullies and rock falls.
They moved out as soon as they determined a viable route. Strider went first. Brigitte followed as the Wolfoid stayed on all fours and worked her way through the brush and over obstacles. Zeeka crashed through the foliage over their heads in a controlled dive to get below the cover. She spread her wings and glided low to the ground as she zigzagged easterly toward the compound.
Zeeka turned sharply to the right as she discovered a well-worn path heading up the hill. She followed it to a wide opening with a metal gate. She hovered in front of it, beating her wings as she let her eyes adjust to the darkness within.
A wide corridor was beyond with a high roof. It sloped gently downward, turning and disappearing around a corner in the distance. Zeeka returned to the others, wanting to tell them, but knowing that if she spoke, the Professor would know they were there. She was afraid of the man, because the others feared him. With everything her parents had told her of Braden and the Golden Warrior, the fact that the old man had, by himself, taken them both was alarming.
When the others reached the well-traveled path, she’d show them the entrance to the cave. Strider could determine what to do from there.
Braden Awake
“G? Are you there?” Braden asked, wincing at the pounding in his head. He tested his arms, surprised to find that he wasn’t bound. He was in a bed, uncomfortable and rough, but better than in the sand on the floor. G-War meowed and snarled, to let Braden know that he was there.
Braden thought the room they were in looked dark, but found that a cloth was wrapped around his head. When he removed it, he realized there was a patch over his eye, the one behind which the neural implant had been installed. Braden tried to activate it. There was nothing.
“Crap. He removed my neural implant. Why aren’t you in my head, G?” Braden asked rhetorically. He can block our mindlink, too? The Overlords had nothing on this guy, these guys, whatever the real story was.
Braden threw his legs off the bed, which he found was a simple cot, padded with a thatch-work of vines and leaves. Walls of the ancients surrounded them on three sides and on the fourth, metal bars stood close together, floor to ceiling. The ‘cat was in a small cage chained at the front of their prison. Braden found the lock, but didn’t have anything to pry it open with. G-War barely fit inside. He and Braden locked eyes, but they couldn’t share a single thought. The ‘cat looked miserable.
Braden’s head hurt less, probably because he was doing something, but he was miserable, too. “I’m right here with you, G. I wonder if they used a gaff hook to take that thing out of my eye. It feels like they split my head open.” Braden sat on the cage and G-War yowled, so he adjusted and sat on the floor next to the cage. He closed his eyes and tried to will the pain away.
He heard a slight creak as the door outside their prison opened.
“I hoped that you’d be awake by now,” the Professor said. Braden couldn’t see the man in the semi-darkness using his one eye. The patch covered the other and Braden hoped that his eye was under there.
“Let us go and we won’t kill you,” Braden said, half-heartedly, as he held his head in his hands.
“Your friends are on their way here right now,” the Professor replied. “I expect that’s exactly what they have in mind. What they don’t know is that we’ve had four-hundred years to improve how we defend ourselves. Remember that we were cut off because of the war. We never knew if or when they were coming for us. That means that we are more than prepared for your happy band of cavemen and their pets.” The old Professor moved close to the bars and looked at Braden.
“Do you think just because someone put a neural implant in your head that you are an equal to those who came before, a peer to a person like me? I’m the Professor, and compared to me, you are no higher on the evolutionary scale than those creatures you met on the beach!” His lip quivered as he spoke, eyebrows pulled downward as he tried to control his rage.
“If you’ve had four-hundred years to improve, why couldn’t you take out the implant without tearing up my eyeball? And if you’re so good, how come that mob of misfits even exists? You think you’re smarter than you are and that’s how you’re going to fall. Just like the Overlords, at the end, you’ll be begging for your life, begging your betters to have mercy.” Braden’s head throbbed with his efforts to think.
He leaned against the cage, putting a couple fingers through so he could touch G-War.
‘That’s more like it. Now how are you going to get me out of here?’ the ‘cat said clearly into Braden’s mind. He sighed and turned toward the Professor.
“I’d like to rest now, if you don’t mind. Show some compassion. That’ll make it easier when your time comes,” Braden said, unable to stop threatening the man.
“I’ve already gotten what I needed from you. The females will provide the rest, but a sample from each of the species will give me enough to work with for the remainder of my lifetime, which is beyond what you can imagine,” the Professor taunted. He dropped a flask to the floor and kicked it through a gap at the bottom of the bars. “Drink it,” he said, hesitating for a moment before turning and walking from the room.
The door closed lightly behind him. Braden saw a corridor beyond, lit by the artificial lights of the ancients, but that was all he could see before the door closed. He couldn’t judge how wide the corridor was or whether there were cells on the other side. All he knew was that he was trapped in here, but at least if he touched the ‘cat, they could talk.
That was his sole comfort. G-War seemed to appreciate it, too, although his misery at being in the cage dominated most of his thoughts.
Braden opened the flask and sniffed, expecting to smell a strange concoction, but there wasn’t anything. It tasted like water. Braden fed the mouth of the flask into the cage to make sure G-War was able to drink, too. The ‘cat drank more than half the flask, but Braden didn’t care. He’d do without. Once they finished the flask, he staggered back to the bed, hoping that sleep would bring relief.
He fell asleep quickly, but his dreams were dogged by images of the Professor sticking needles into him, cutting pieces from his body, and laughing at him the whole time.
Pik Ashore
Holly expertly maneuvered the great ship around the rocky outcropping and into the cove, driving the ship gently onto the shore where Brandt leapt from the deck and landed knee-deep in the water. He waded ashore as Pik slipped over the side, splashing into a small wave rolling past the ship.
Pik walked onto the beach without hesitation, expecting that the Hawkoids had seen the ship enter the cove. He watched the Warden backing out to where it would wait for the companions’ return.
Treetis crouched atop the King’s head, watching the trail and wondering why the misfit mob wasn’t there to greet them. He thought he was ready to go to war. He’d killed much game as G-War had taught him how to hunt, and he expected those lessons would translate directly to fighting a human. Even if they didn’t, he’d figure it out when the time came. He wasn’t worried. He was a Hillcat.
Pik waved the King forward as he walked, then started jogging along the trail to the compound. Brandt followed, matching the Lizard Man’s speed until Pik held up his trident, signaling for a halt. They stopped and listened. The Lizard Man pointed to Treetis and held up his hands. The ‘cat looked at him for a few heartbeats before he understood.
Tr
eetis closed his eyes and tried reaching out as the Golden Warrior and Fealona had taught him, trying to feel if others were near. He sensed the presence of smaller creatures, not intelligent, before he found the misshapen creatures, blocking the trail ahead.
Once he knew they were there, the challenge was to communicate to the Lizard Man and the Aurochs what he’d seen. He climbed down Brandt’s face and jumped into the sand. He scratched a line forward, then pointed along the sandy trail. Brandt and Pik both nodded. Then Treetis stabbed a claw into the sand a dozen times on the trail ahead of them. He raised a paw and staggered around on his other three, then again pointed up the trail.
Pik nodded and tapped Brandt on the nose. It was time to execute the plan. Brandt would run at them full speed. They creatures would dive out of the way, and Brandt would continue to the compound, where Pik would hunt down the Professor. The Lizard Man was confident that the Professor held no power over him, like he’d been able to dominate Braden and the ‘cat.
Pik joined Treetis on Brandt’s broad back. With a gentle tap, Brandt knew they were ready. He pawed the sand and launched himself forward, running faster and faster toward the compound. As Treetis had seen, the creatures stood in the way. They’d recovered their spears and clubs and shook them at the oncoming Aurochs. Only for a moment, though. As Pik had guessed, they threw their weapons away as they dove into the brush, frantic to get out of the way of the great King.
Brandt dodged slightly to miss one who was slower than the others, bumping the creatures aside as he raced passed. He continued running, slowing as he approached the compound. Pik slid down the King’s side before he came to a stop. With his trident before him, Pik Ha’ar burst into the building from which they’d seen the Professor emerge the day prior.
Inside, he found a living quarters with books, many, many old-style books. There was technology, too and a door that was locked. Pik jabbed at it with his spear, but to no effect. He bolted from the small building and went to the next, a larger structure, with windows open to the side. Pik jumped in front of the window and looked in. It appeared to be a laboratory, similar to the facility he’d awoken in on the RV Traveler. Old Tech dominated the space. Pik ran around the building to find the door, entering when he did.
He made a quick tour around the facility, and not seeing any weapons or the Professor, left without touching anything. The third building looked to be a barracks of sorts. It had two rows of bunk beds, all recently slept in. On the other side of the room, there was a long table with bench seats and a fabricator set into the wall. A small restroom was off to the side. Brandt’s bugling and stomping alerted Pik to a danger outside. He opened the door and looked into the compound.
The mob had returned. This time, they remembered their weapons. They were trying to form a circle around Brandt, but he was swinging his great horns from side to side and pawing at the ground. The mob hadn’t seen Pik as they menaced the King of the Aurochs. Urged on by the man-horse, one darted toward Brandt’s exposed flank and jabbed his spear into the Aurochs’ hip. The point didn’t penetrate as it wasn’t sharp enough.
Brandt jumped around, swinging his head violently at the attacker, hitting him, and sending him flying into the nearest building. The misfit crumpled to the ground. Brandt completed his turn, chasing back another misguided adventurer. Pik used his spear to drive the creatures back as he entered the circle. Since they were already there, he used his mindlink to talk with Brandt.
‘There’s no one inside, and where are the others?’ Pik asked Brandt. Brandt bugled again and again, to let everyone on the island know that he was engaged with the enemy.
‘Don’t answer me. We’re in the compound and no one’s here. Watch out!’ Pik said over the mindlink, unsure of whether the others would hear or not.
The Underground Complex
Micah had heard Pik’s call as they left their positions and moved past the door in the mound. The others wanted to run but Micah stopped Fea and waved her back. She brought them together and whispered, “If there’s no one in the compound, then maybe they are hiding. A place like that--” Micah pointed to the mound. “--looks like somewhere an ancient would hide.”
Aadi thought it made sense and he nodded. Fea didn’t care either way. Bronwyn was concerned with the creatures that Brandt and Pik faced. She knew that they were mostly harmless, and she had confidence that she could control them. When she tried to speak, Micah put her finger to her lips.
Micah led Aadi to the door. Fea stood to the side. There was a hand-pad next to it. She put her hand on it, expecting a red light indicating that she wasn’t authorized access. It didn’t light up at all. She pulled on the door and although it was heavy, it opened after she used both hands and braced herself. Aadi and Fea stood close by, ready to protect Micah if someone lurked below.
They peered into the darkness. The ‘cat’s eyes adjusted the quickest, and she nodded and walked in. Micah followed, pulling Aadi behind her. Bronwyn watched them go, then turned and ran for the compound. Zyena watched from her perch above the mound. Unwilling to fly underground, she went after the girl to watch over her.
Fea continued down a long set of stairs that led far below the surface of the island. The ancients’ lighting system seemed to be half-functional. Every other light panel was dark. The heat of the island’s day, although not bad, didn’t penetrate to the depths as it cooled considerably on their way down. When they reached the bottom, they found a corridor that led in one direction. The poor lighting showed doors at various intervals.
Micah shrugged and pointed. Fea went first, running ahead, only to stop, listen, and then run some more. Micah walked carefully, a sword in one hand and a blaster in the other. She wanted to be ready for anything. Aadi watched, unblinking.
As they came to the first door, Micah looked at Fea and nodded. The ‘cat shrugged. She couldn’t feel whether anything was inside or not. Micah turned to tell Bronwyn to stay in the corridor with Aadi, but the teenager wasn’t there. Micah panicked and ran to the stairs, wondering if Bronwyn had sensed something that made her afraid and stopped.
The steps were empty. The door remained open at the top, casting light into the shadows.
Bronwyn’s gone to the compound to talk with the misfits, Micah thought, then opened the mindlink, even though she knew it could alert the Professor to her presence. ‘Bronwyn is on her way to you, but not us,’ Micah said over the mindlink. Pik confirmed he heard her and they’d watch out for the girl. Micah also hoped that Zyena had heard and was with her. Zyena was large for a Hawkoid and could intimidate the misfits if they became hostile toward Bronwyn.
Micah returned to the doorway and shook her head. She knew exactly where the girl had gone. She suspected that they should have sent her with Brandt in the first place, but in the original plan, she wasn’t going ashore. Aadi thought the same thing.
None of that mattered at that very moment, where they stood in an underground corridor, not knowing where the Professor was, or Braden or G-War for that matter. And she wanted to find them.
Micah grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. The lights inside came on, showing a store room of sorts. It smelled musty and dank. Dust lay undisturbed on the surfaces of boxes on shelves. She shut the door and signaled that they needed to move on. They hurried to the next door and the next. This was a storage area, off the beaten path. She didn’t need to see what was in the crates, that wasn’t her purpose in being there, and checking empty rooms was wasting their time.
She pulled the group together and whispered, “If we don’t find something soon, I think we need to go back outside.” Fea shook her head and pointed down the corridor. Aadi shook his head as well. They’d all heard Pik’s call that no one was in the compound. Bronwyn would calm the mob. They were convinced that Braden was somewhere in the underground complex, as they were beginning to think of it.
For a moment, Micah wondered if such a complex existed below the ancients’ compound in the rainforest. She shook that off. Think
ing of more Overlords running around was too foul to contemplate.
She was closer to finding Braden and G-War, because she could say with certainty where they were not.
Fea ran past the last few doors along the sides and stopped at a larger, heavier door at the end of the corridor. She nodded and pointed at it. Micah had put her sword away to pull the first door open, and it was still in its scabbard. There was no way she could open doors and carry the sword. She dialed the tightest beam possible on the blaster and held it firmly, ready to fire.
With a deep breath, she yanked on the door, but this one was secured. She put her hand on the panel and it turned green, which both pleased her and frightened her. How and why did it recognize her?
No time to think, she pulled the door open to reveal another corridor. This one was well-lit, wide with impressive doors arrayed along one side. She pushed Aadi through to face one direction while she jumped in behind him, facing the other way. The corridor wasn’t empty. There were boxes along the walls and a Bot stood there, too. Micah didn’t hesitate, she fired, hoping that its energy shield wasn’t active.
Hope was a lousy plan. Her shot reflected from the Bot and barely missed her head as it flashed past, too fast for her to move out of its way, had it come more directly at her. She looked behind her at the scorch mark down the corridor where the beam had spent its energy.
She crouched, ready to dive through the door and away from the Bot if it fired, but then realized that it was a Development Unit, a smaller version of one, but a Bot that didn’t have weapons, only the defensive shield.
She relaxed only slightly as the presence of any Bots suggested that there could be a Security Bot somewhere. She tried the closest door, getting a green indicator from the panel before it unlocked to allow them in. She pulled it open and dropped to a knee, ready to fire. The room was a massive laboratory into which most of the doors in the corridor opened.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 56