"Why would I bother to have such mundane equipment wasting precious space in the pockets of my lab coat?" Heinbaum replied with a sniff.
"Oh that's okay Doc. I have a more satisfying way of restraining this jerk."
With those words, McPherson bent down, grabbed one of Trakutel's forearms in his huge hands and broke it over his knee with a resounding crack. As the man screamed in agony, McPherson did the same thing to the other forearm. Ogling at the jagged white ends of the bones sticking through the muscles in his arms, Trakutel passed out from the pain.
Standing up and looking worriedly at his friend, McPherson asked, "How did you know those bullets wouldn't kill you? The risk you took was insane."
"Not at all. Those bullets might have the energy to pass through a normal defensive screen but not one enhanced by my genius."
Reaching into his side pocket, Heinbaum pulled out a small gray plastic device with three white buttons. He pressed the large middle button and a red LED light flicked into existence.
"You saved my life with a garage door opener?" McPherson asked.
Taking a deep breath and shaking his head with a frown, Heinbaum replied, "I reprogrammed your PDS via WiFi. The new configuration is impenetrable to all molecules. You were perfectly safe within the confines of your PDS."
"All molecules! What above oxygen? I'd be up the creek with no paddle if my PDS was still active."
"Oh calm down Captain. My firm assumption was you'd have the situation well under control by the time breathing became an issue," Heinbaum replied dismissively. "However, just in case, I brought my own oxygen supply."
Reaching into his pocket, Heinbaum produced a small blue tank attached to a nose cover.
"No use in taking unnecessary chances," Heinbaum said as he tapped the side of his head. "Brains over brawn."
"You saved my life, Doc," McPherson declared as he swept the weasily scientist into a bear hug.
"Enough!" Heinbaum yelled. "You're breaking my back."
"I owe ya one even if you did try to smother me."
"No you don't. I've spent too much time training your worthless hide. I don't have time to repeat the process."
"I love you too, Doc."
"Cease your inane display of affection, and let's call General Blunt. Somewhere on this base is a rather large bald-headed bitch waiting for a report from her henchmen. We shouldn't keep her in suspense."
"I owe ya one," McPherson laughed as he hugged the man even tighter.
"Stop it you fawning whey-faced oaf."
***
Yuri-Milost didn't appreciate Deacon Rash keeping her waiting. His last message a little over an hour ago assured her he would handle whatever problem Trakutel had run into and report back to her when the job was finished. The fact that Trakutel had told him to bring the blessed sacrificial heirlooms indicated the problem could be dangerous. The Sig weapons had been specifically designed for encounters with PDS protected soldiers. The whole situation was making Yuri-Milost experience a whole new feeling, and she didn't like it. Uncertainty.
Everything about her plan to kill Whatsit and his faithful Human followers had gone without a hitch. Her strategy to have the Asiddians blamed for the deaths was cunning. So why had Trakutel summoned help at such a late hour? Why was Deacon Rash taking so long to report? As she walked from her apartment toward the gym for her weightlifting exercises, the feelings of uncertainty grew into nagging worry. Veering away from the gym toward the scout saucer hangar where Rash had said he was meeting Trakutel, she quickened her pace.
Slipping from the hallway into the shadowy hangar, Yuri-Milost crept behind a forklift just in time to see Heinbaum walking down the ramp of the Verbinna. The bony scientist stopped at the bottom of the ramp, turned and put his hands on his hips as if he was impatient and said something to someone inside the ship. As if in answer to Heinbaum, McPherson walked down the ramp with a body slung over his shoulder and a metal case tucked under his other arm. Together the duo marched into the hallway and disappeared.
Dread sucked at Yuri-Milost's soul as she recognized the person McPherson was carrying. Leonard Trakutel hung like a rag doll, his head lolling from side to side and his arms twisted. It looked like white spikes were jutting from his forearms, and before they entered the hallway, Yuri-Milost's enhanced vision clearly saw the whitish spikes were the broken bloody ends of his forearm bones.
Sneaking to the hallway entrance and making sure McPherson and Heinbaum were out of sight, Yuri-Milost slipped into the Verbinna. Following the drips and splashes of blood on the ramp and in the companionway, she made her way to the Engineering Bay. Hubert Rash lay on the deck in a coagulating pool of his own blood. The side of his throat was sliced open, and his dead brown eyes stared at her like the eyes of a gutted fish on display in a butcher shop.
Thinking of a way to save herself from certain ruin, Yuri-Milost jogged to the master control room and activated the Verbinna's power systems. Retracting the entry ramp to seal the saucer, she keyed the galactic coordinates of the Cuddlur System into the GPC and pushed the green GO icon. The Verbinna disappeared, and a loud boom shook the underground hangar as air rushed to fill the suddenly empty area the saucer had vacated. Confident she'd escaped the clutches of FORCE with a fully functional scout saucer; Yuri-Milost allowed herself a momentary chuckle of satisfaction as she gazed at the planet Cuddlur centered in the view screen.
Time to clean up the mess in Engineering and then perhaps a nice snack.
Chapter 18 - Tangles
Quentin DeLoth smiled as he lounged in the overstuffed, brown leather La-Z-Boy recliner in Yuri-Milost's suite. He always took the opportunity to imagine himself as leader of the Church known as The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany.
Following her nightly routine, Yuri-Milost had left for the gym. She liked to keep her muscles rock hard, and lifting heavy steel weights tempered her overabundance of testosterone. Yuri-Milost had been examined and treated by several Endocrinologists for her hormone imbalance, but nothing eased her symptoms more than good old heavy lifting and sweat.
Visualizing a room full of devoted followers kneeling before him, DeLoth practiced moving his hands in complex benedictions. Just as he completed a gesture baptizing a new follower into his flock, the door of the suite was rammed open, and ten FORCE Commandos stormed into the room.
Four of the soldiers covered him while the others searched the suite. Shouts of 'Clear' echoed from the various rooms. DeLoth was handcuffed with manacles made of tempered steel designed to withstand the muscular strength of activated humans. Confirming the suite was secured, the leader of the Commando squad touched his throat mic and spoke the all clear signal.
General Blunt and Captain McPherson entered the suite. As the Commandos backed away, their squad leader pointed what looked like a miniature garage door opener at DeLoth and pushed one of its buttons. Chirping after a short delay, a red LED flashed on top of the device confirming DeLoth's PDS had been deactivated.
Deciding bluster was the best way to handle the strong-arm intrusion by Blunt and his team, DeLoth said, "What is the meaning of this, General? Has the burden of leadership caused you to abandon the Constitutional rights enjoyed by all US Citizens?"
Ignoring the question, Tom frowned at the intricately carved cross on the wall above DeLoth's head and the tables covered with half-burnt candles and brass bowls.
"Tell me Lieutenant DeLoth, what do all these decorations mean?"
"Decorations?" DeLoth responded. "You have the honor of standing in the Holy Sanctuary of The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany. Bow your head reverently and cherish the sacred moment."
Rather than being honored to be in the sacred chamber and chastised for his blasphemous description of the Holy Relics, Tom said, "My father once told me the story of his raid on a church named The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany. Bunch of religious fanatics committing murder and treason in the name of God."
McPherson chimed in and asked, "Are you t
elling me this skinny lounge rat is the reincarnation of Your Grace?"
DeLoth was stunned. These profane infidels must be punished for their transgressions. Straining to break his bonds and leap at the devils, he wrestled with the Commandos who held him in the recliner. Realizing at last he was incapable of administering Holy Retribution upon Blunt and McPherson, DeLoth stopped fighting his captors and glared.
"I don't have the background, training or Divine Lineage to carry the mantel of Your Grace. Only her eminence Colonel Svet Yuri-Milost possesses the Divine Lineage and Holy Spirit of Your Grace."
"Interesting," Tom said. "You refer to lineage. So Yuri-Milost is somehow related to the original Your Grace?"
Shifting his eyes back and forth as if he'd unwittingly disclosed a trade secret, DeLoth licked his suddenly dry lips.
"Church secrets and ceremonies are beyond the comprehension of nonbelievers and heretics. As a result, you are incapable of understanding or appreciating the nuances of The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany. I pity you."
"I pity the damned evil soul of Hubert Rash," McPherson shot back. "I bet he's still knocking on the gates of Hell trying to get the Devil to let him enter."
"Rash? What's happened to Deacon Rash?"
"Deacon huh? He assumed room temperature a short time after he tried to kill me. Seems he developed a throat condition incompatible with fogging a mirror. Corporal Trakutel will be enjoying a full body cast for several weeks while he tries to get healthy enough for execution after his conviction for treason."
Pleased with the shocked look on DeLoth's face, Tom demanded, "Where is Yuri-Milost? I have many things to discuss with her."
"Your Grace answers to no mere mortal, be it man or woman."
"I think you misunderstand this whole situation," Tom replied. "Your PDS implant has been deactivated. You're under arrest for subversion. Your life expectancy is limited."
Just then, the squad leader touched his ear where his K-wave combat transceiver was fitted and said, "General, I've just been advised the Verbinna has FLITed. Its IFF beacon can't be located in our Solar System."
Frowning at DeLoth, Tom said, "I think your value just dropped to zero. Seems Colonel Yuri-Milost considers you expendable. Take him to the brig."
"Wait!" DeLoth pleaded as he was dragged from the suite. "I have information you need. Please! General!"
As his screams faded down the hall, Tom grinned at McPherson and said, "Get with Dr. Heinbaum and see if he can trace the Verbinna."
***
"Yuri-Milost means what?" Tom asked with amazement as he sat down at the Staff conference table. Jason, Amanda and McPherson were the only others present.
Jason replied, "After interrogating DeLoth, I checked some translation apps to verify his ramblings. Svet means Holy and Milost means Grace in the Croatian language. Phonetically, Yuri sounds like the English word Your, so her name translates to Holy Your Grace depending on how twisted your mind is."
Pointing to some papers in a file folder she held, Amanda added, "According to the records, her Croatian mother and brother were killed during the Chrysallaman invasion as she told us at our first meeting. A more detailed drill-down into her family history reveals her grandfather was the original Your Grace who Whatsit killed during the raid on The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany in Washington, DC."
"Yuri-Milost was seeking revenge against Whatsit for killing her grandfather and destroying The Exalted Fellowship of the Holy Epiphany. Her actions make sense in a perverted way," McPherson added.
"Have her contacts and followers been rounded up?" Tom asked.
"Yes. Trakutel and Rash were the recruiters, and DeLoth was the record keeper."
"Sounds like DeLoth is a fountain of information," Tom said.
Smiling at the remark, Jason said, "For some odd reason, DeLoth has the impression Captain McPherson is a bloodthirsty devil ready to tear his arms off his body if he doesn't talk."
Nodding at McPherson, he continued, "At first DeLoth acted like he wasn't going to talk. McPherson showed him the video of Trakutel having the compound fractures of his arms reset by the base physicians. I'll have to admit the visuals and audio were gruesome. McPherson turned off the video, cracked his knuckles and walked toward him with a frightful look in his eyes. DeLoth sung like a canary."
"The poor lad is just high strung," McPherson chuckled. "Heck, everyone knows I'm just a big teddy bear."
"I'd say a big Polar bear with two inch claws is more like it," Amanda replied. "Anyway, we've taken six men into custody. Acolytes as DeLoth refers to them."
"What about the Salterr and our people?" Tom asked. "What did they do to them?"
"Gassed them unconscious, destroyed their exterior MA weapons, programmed the FLIT gens to self-destruct and sent them on a one-way journey into orbit around Chrysalis," Amanda answered. "The assumption was the Asiddians would destroy the Salterr the moment it appeared in orbit. All evidence of the crimes of Yuri-Milost and her followers would be obliterated. The perfect murder of five innocent people."
Scowling as he considered how Yuri-Milost almost got away with her crimes, Tom said, "We're going to Chrysalis. Doug and his team are resourceful. Assuming they survived their arrival in orbit without being blown apart by the Asiddians, I believe the odds favor them still being alive when we get there. If not, the Asiddians are going to learn about Human retribution. What's the status of the repairs to the Destinnee?"
"Completed," McPherson said. "All damages have been repaired, the fusion generators replaced by FLIT gens and MA weaponry installed. The improved defensive shield works like a charm."
"Excellent.”
"Since we don't need the stasis pods any longer because we have the FLIT drive, they've been replaced with living quarters for our troops. The ship's capacity for transporting personnel has doubled, and we have four hundred FORCE commandos with PDS implants on standby."
"All three remaining scout saucers will be going with us," Tom said. "The Salterr may have been completely destroyed, but if there is anything left of it, I want an available docking bay ready to receive it."
"Yes sir," Jason, Amanda and McPherson said in unison.
"I've decided Chellsee Brookkss will be a member of the crew. Even though her main concern seems to be the welfare of Whatsit, she has convinced me her knowledge of Chrysalis and the Royal Palace will come in handy. Nothing like a native guide to make our search for survivors a little easier."
A soft knock tapped on the door, and Madelyn Amsley stuck her head into the room.
"Sir. Dr. Heinbaum requests all of you join him in his lab. He says he has something you'll probably want to take with you to Chrysalis. He's insistent."
Tom was intrigued. The only times Heinbaum ever requested personal meetings was when he'd made a momentous development.
Glancing at McPherson with raised eyebrows, he asked, "What's going on?"
Shrugging, McPherson responded, "Search me."
Looking back Amsley, Tom said, "Tell the good doctor we're on our way."
***
Tom and his Staff walked into Heinbaum's laboratory just in time to see Longarrow pretending to quick draw a finger gun from his lab coat pocket and shoot Heinbaum. Doing his comical best to act as if he'd been fatally wounded, Heinbaum flailed his arms as if an imaginary bullet had pierced his chest and careened backwards into a work bench.
Realizing he had an audience, Heinbaum straightened the lapels on his lab coat and said, "Ah you're here at last. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"Time is precious Dr. Heinbaum," Tom replied. "I trust the Oscar winning performance we just witnessed isn't the only reason you asked to see us."
Missing the sarcasm, Heinbaum said, "I do have a flair for the dramatic, General. I appreciate your noticing; however, I do believe the demonstration Ernest and I have planned will overshadow my acting skills."
"Come closer," Heinbaum urged, and he motioned for everyone to gather near Longarrow. "Ple
ase notice we've set up targets at the far end of the lab."
About 30 feet away, work benches and equipment had been moved to clear a space along the far wall. Some two feet in front of the wall, a wooden bookcase had been positioned and on top of it were arranged a glass jug, a wedge of Armorium and a plate of the Asiddian hull material. The arrangement looked like a cobbled together shooting range set up by Boy Scouts at a campsite to test their BB guns.
"You've all heard of British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke's third law which states 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'. I thought it would be useful for our advanced technology to take on some of the aspects of magic."
Pointing at the makeshift target range, Heinbaum said, "Observe. Mr. Longarrow, if you please."
Longarrow pulled his empty hand from his lab coat pocket and dramatically made a finger gun which he pointed at the targets.
Dawn of Chrysalis (The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. Book 2) Page 23