It nearly did.
Instead of impacting the undercarriage and command module of the Zeppelin as planned, the Skipper cart wheeled into the outer wall of the port side mini-blimp. The spinning mess of metal and more hit like a burning bullet. The rust-colored cover of the air ship crumpled then punctured. The flaming wreckage of the smaller craft continued to spin as its remaining engine casing lost integrity. It became a whirling ball of disintegrating aircraft, eviscerating the zeppelin in a jagged line.
Then the secondary explosions inside the Skipper began. With fire suppression systems disengaged, the auxiliary fuel tanks erupted as did the fully-flooded fuel lines.
Next came the ammunition caches. The bang and pop of grenades and bullet cartridges was lost in the rumbling blasts from the armed warheads fixed beneath disintegrating wings.
Finally, as the whole ball fell to pieces, the batteries--overcharged to the point of instability--exploded.
Debris from the Skipper fell to Earth leaving behind a long gash in the side of the Geryon Reich’s Battleship. Flames flashed from that gash as the volatile gases inside ignited. The entire aircraft listed as the explosions acted like a thruster, shoving the beast off-course.
Nina heard alarms ringing inside the giant ship. She heard engines roar to life as the pilots tried to regain control.
"I dare say, perhaps we should evacuate ourselves to—"
Johnny did not need to finish his suggestion; a rain of debris—most of it on fire—fell onto the field. First small chunks from the Skipper, then larger pieces from the Battleship…
…Trevor watched the beautiful destruction from the top floor of the badly-damaged summer home. Below him, human and Geryon infantrymen diverted their attention to the sounds of destruction above and behind them.
For his part, the usually boisterous Brewer stood in a trance mumbling over and over again, "Wow."
Trevor seized the opportunity and told this mirror image of his friend, "This is how you win this war, Jon. Every battle is a roll of the dice. You don't play it safe, you don't second-guess. Know your enemy and go for the throat."
Brewer turned to him, his eyes wide and his lips still mumbling.
Trevor put a hand on the taller man's shoulder and told him, "You have it in you. I've seen it. Stop being such an arrogant ass and you'll find it."
He did not know if he got through. Was it even possible to get through to this alternate Brewer? It had taken the shock of invasion plus personal failure to change the Jon Brewer he knew, could a victory such as this do the trick here?
Trevor hoped so. He missed the advice, the camaraderie, and the strategic mind of his friend. Perhaps he could find it again in this man, if only he could unlock it.
The sound of an explosion carried over the battlefield. The Geryon Battleship—the one with the rust colored exterior and gray lightning icon—turned and descended. The flames in its side grew; the aftershocks of the successful attack rippled beneath the surface of the craft.
It was dying.
The nose swung down. The rear propeller seemed unaffected, spinning in the same lazy motion and helping to speed the craft's doom as the aft rose and momentum drove the Battleship toward Earth.
"Look," Brewer pointed to the war zone below.
The Golems staggered back and forth, some throwing their arms in the air as if fighting off phantom attacks.
Trevor chuckled. No, he laughed. An evil laugh.
"Controlled with virtual reality modules, right? Look at them," metal arms flailed, heads swiveled. Trevor laughed again. "Their pilots are burning up there in the ship and we get to watch it through their pet robots. Say, looks like that guy got his arm caught on fire," one of the Golems waved its right arm around as if there might be flames there but, of course, it was the operator in the dirigible—not the robot in the field— alight.
"Burn you bastards," Trevor mumbled
As the dirigible plunged into the lake, the Golems stopped acting and stood silent.
Trevor radioed, "First and second squads, attack."
The human soldiers from the remaining two houses poured out and quickly overwhelmed the handful of flesh-and-blood Geryons, most struck down from behind while staring in horror at their falling mother ship.
A sound like thunder rolled across the basin of the lake. It bounced off the sentry mountains and cried toward the heavens. It was the sound of the Battleship crashing into the lake; sinking into the lethally-frigid waters.
---
While most of the troops stood by the water's edge shooting any swimming Geryons who managed to stave off hypothermia, and Reverend Johnny led a patrol to sweep the surrounding forest for stragglers, Nina hurried in to the mansion.
Corporal Brewer and two men hovered over radar and communications gear there. When he saw her, the Corporal quickly reported, "Radar is clear."
The report did not interest her.
"Where is he?"
Brewer answered with a glance toward the ceiling…
…Trevor stood on the balcony, the remnants of doors open behind him.
He stood and watched the corpse of his enemy. The Battleship’s front was fully under water, the back half still burned. Smoke from a dozen small fires and as many large ones joined to form a massive stream of black and gray rising to the blue sky.
Behind him, Major Forest hurried into the office. She saw him, calmed, and then slowly walked out onto the balcony next to the man who had engineered their unlikely triumph.
He felt her presence but did not look to her.
Together—side by side--they gazed upon the spoils of battle. A fireball burst from the dead ship. A moment later the clap of the explosion reached their ears.
Without turning, she spoke with the slightest—merely a hint—of awe in her voice.
"You did it."
The carnage on the lake hypnotized Trevor with the realization that, yes, he had done it. As he had done time and time again. He had brought ruin and death. He had vanquished another enemy. And it had come to him as easily on this world as it had come on his own many times, without one visit from the Old Man, without any K9s at this command, and far removed from the library of knowledge hidden in the basement of his house.
He replied to her in an even, unemotional voice, "That’s just the start of what I can do. What I’m going to do."
Nina did not argue, she did not say a word. She stood there, equally transfixed by the destruction he wrought.
The fire from the burning dirigible sent a wave of heat across the lake in every direction. Not enough to mask the cold of winter, but enough to make the surreal scene of the massive Battleship’s disintegration tangible.
Trevor’s head cocked to the side slightly. So slightly she did not notice.
His eyes cast over and down. Over to her.
Those eyes crawled up her body from her feet to her hair, studying every line—every lovely line--along the way. He saw the glint of explosions and fire in her eyes, although he was not sure if that glint were illusion or real.
Trevor’s arm reached…slowly…across the void between them. His fingers touched at then curled around her waist. She said not a word as he yanked her close. Her ponytails bobbed with the sudden movement. His other hand also found her body while her arms instinctively draped over his shoulders as they had so many times long ago.
He kissed her. Intense. Deep.
Trevor kissed Nina and he did not want to stop. His hands massaged her back as if to convince himself of her reality. Her fingers dug into his shoulders like claws. He pulled her even closer to feel every exhilarating curve in her body.
A mushroom cloud of fire and smoke and shattering debris blasted out from the destroyed hulk as it entered the final act of its decent to a chaotic end.
16. Bound
"For every Sir Lancelot in your blood, there's a Genghis Kahn. You were built for this, and they used a lot of parts from the dark side of the workshop."
--George Junior
&nb
sp; Trevor ran his hand over the dirty wall one more time, confirming with touch what the illumination of his flashlight showed: no line, no crease, nothing. Just solid stone wall.
He sighed but, in truth, did not find it surprising. After all, since coming to this parallel universe he could not feel the mysterious key around his neck, the key the Old Man gave him to access the secret basement beneath his mansion where the third gift lay.
It appeared the key and the secret door did not cross the dimensions with him.
If things were the same—and who knew exactly how much was, indeed, identical—then the door and disappearing key of this reality belonged to the person who had been the link on the chain for this Earth. The person chased from this lakeside mansion.
He stepped out from the cubbyhole beneath the stone stairs of this mansion's basement that was, in fact, half-buried in the side of the mountain. Apparently a building style popular on this Earth.
In any case, like the rest of the home, the basement was dingy and covered in cob webs. No mementos from the previous owner remained. What little light glowed in the cave-like cellar came from small, oblong liquid lanterns, sort of a cross between a chemical glow stick and a camping torch, about the size and shape of a football and standard issue emergency lighting for Nina's people. The 'lights' actually gave out a significant amount of heat, making them something like a portable campfire.
If this place ever served the same purpose on this world at it did a universe away, Trevor saw no sign of it. He wondered if his counterpart had had time to organize an orderly evacuation or did he barely escaped with his life, leaving any materials to the mercy of the invaders or scavengers.
The latter explanation seemed likely, considering Nina knew nothing of this place or her Trevor's activities during the early days of the invasion.
His thoughts dissipated at the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.
Reverend Johnny asked, "Mr. Stone, is your solitude down here by design or accident?"
"Come on down, Johnny."
The Reverend accepted the invitation.
"Corporal Brewer and the first wave of evacuees have departed. They have offered their assurances of a swift return with additional transports to facilitate our own egress from this forlorn place."
Johnny referred to the fact that they—Johnny and Trevor—were now two of only a handful of people remaining at the estate. The Skipper's sacrifice resulted in a reduction in transport capacity.
Nineteen infantry, two technicians, Major Forest, Reverend Johnny, Brewer and Trevor Stone had survived the day. Of that group, six of the infantry had suffered significant injuries including broken bones, shrapnel wounds, burns, and blunt trauma.
While the two remaining Skippers held enough physical space to carry all of their number back to Thebes, the extra weight would have devoured too much fuel for the trip.
To the surprise—and delight—of the rank and file, Trevor insisted on sending the wounded and other personnel first; he would wait for the next transport and face an overnight stay in the wilderness while most of the others returned to the relative safety of Thebes.
Ironically, the men nearly came to blows over who would stay with him. It appeared that their victory served as a great inspiration, just as Trevor hoped. When he eventually returned to the city, he knew he would need to find similar inspiration for the rest of humanity's remnants.
Johnny stood alongside Trevor and said, "The two Skippers have disappeared over the horizon into the setting sun. The Major has deployed the five remaining infantrymen at guard points throughout the mansion, as I assume this is where you would prefer to make camp."
"Yes, this will do. She told me earlier that based on her understanding of the Geryons they will be back in force, but their main base is far enough away that they shouldn't get here for a couple of days. We should be safe here for one night."
"That reminds me," Johnny added. "I believe Major Forest is looking for you."
Stone fidgeted and closed his eyes. He had not spoken to her since the kiss on the balcony, an embrace interrupted not long after it began. Once his blood cooled, Trevor decided to avoid her.
"You seem in distress," Johnny observed. "What troubles you, my friend?"
Trevor almost chuckled. Where should he start?
Well, you see Rev, I still love Nina with all my heart even though I’ve got a de facto wife on the other side of the dimensional divide. Oh, and I just spent several minutes in a hot make out session with the Nina Forest of this world. Did I mention that one minute I despise her for looking like the woman I loved, then the next I want to take her in my arms?
No, Trevor could not explain all that. Not to Johnny. Not even to himself. However, he did manage to condense it into one surprisingly efficient package: "I’m confused, I guess."
"Oh, yes, well, I myself am having difficulty accepting the implications of the parallel universe concept. Yet I have found a certain peace in—"
Johnny stopped as he comprehended the true source of Trevor’s confusion.
"Yes. I can see how this could be very confusing for you; very difficult."
Nearly six years ago, Johnny not only informed Trevor of the memory-eating implant in Nina's head, but also removed it.
"I can see your dilemma, Mr. Stone. Affairs such as these, they are to be handled with the utmost care. You are dealing with forces far more powerful than any alien armada or scoundrel creature. You are dealing with the passions of your heart."
Trevor stood and listened, saying nothing.
"If you’ll indulge me, in the early days after I had…after I had dispatched my family when The Order implanted them and turned them loose on me…after I had begun my quest for revenge…I walked to the neighborhood where my brother and his children lived. I sought them out in the hope of taking them to sanctuary. I was particularly keen on finding my niece—my God daughter—Alyssa. A beautiful girl not even ten years old and already a firecracker."
Johnny smiled a grin of fond remembrance.
"Of course I was too late. I knew this when I spied the Spider Sentries and Missionaries wandering the streets of the housing development. Nonetheless, I came upon Alyssa. She was infected beyond the point of salvation. Her tiny body was no match for Voggoth’s parasite. Yet I did not see the blotches on her face as she approached me. I knew they were there; logic insisted so. Post-mortem examination proved as much. But I could not see them on her face because my heart so desperately wanted her to be that firecracker of a little girl—a human little girl—that I loved so dearly."
"You killed her, your God daughter?"
Johnny shook his head. "That’s the point, my friend. I did not kill my God daughter, she was not even there. She died when the implant seized control of her body."
"But you said you didn’t see blotches. How could you kill her?"
"My mind, Mister Stone, I could trust my mind; my intellect. As for my heart, that is a different matter. The heart is a fickle friend; fair weather at best. At your moment of joy it is there to be filled with celebration and to make the wonderful fruits of love and life that much sweeter. But when it has not been fed the diet it desires, it will turn on you without warning. It will coax and coerce. The heart is not to be trusted. Certainly not when it sings a tune that is not in key with what your head knows to be true."
"Elegantly put as always, but for me it isn’t that simple."
The Rev corrected, "Yes, it is quite simple. In your case, Trevor, you merely have to remember where you are."
"Where I am? Well, where am I?"
Johnny reminded, "You are away from home."
---
Trevor managed to work his way around the mansion and up into the second floor office without seeing Nina. As he traveled, he made sure there was enough light to allow the temporary residents to move about safely but also made sure that blankets, wood, and whatever else he could find were positioned over windows and doors to keep that light muffled inside the home.
> He brought three emergency blankets to the office with him and hung them over the busted balcony doors. Stone took one last look toward the lake before pulling the makeshift drapes closed. Debris still burned on the water but the inferno had dwindled to scattered embers.
In any case, he positioned the blankets and turned to leave, only to see Nina emerge from the adjoining room.
She strolled to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said, "Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you. Where you been?"
Trevor stepped away. "I was, um, searching the place. I’m afraid there's nothing of value here. It was a wasted trip."
She tilted her head as if puzzled by his words. "I don't know about that. I mean, you won a big victory here today."
He turned and tried to find something in the empty room to focus on other than her.
She pressed against his back.
"You did a lot of things today, things that really…hmm, how to say this? Things that really impressed me."
Her hands worked around his waist from behind.
"Major…"
"The guards are outside, we’re safe here. Not a peep from the hills and woods. We have this place to ourselves tonight. Plenty of time…"
Her hands massaged his chest then worked lower…searching…
"Major…I’m sorry I…"
"Mmm…" she purred as she found the spot."You don’t feel sorry."
Trevor pulled her hands away, let them go, stepped off, then faced her.
"Listen, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have done that."
"Done what?" She purposely teased.
He scowled, "I should not have kissed you."
"Oh…that…yeah, I remember that," she raised a finger to her mouth as if touching the memory of his lips.
"It was a mistake. I got caught up in the moment. It was wrong and I’m sorry."
To his surprise, she accepted the explanation. Her demeanor changed as if she had already forgotten the incident.
"Do you understand? I’m sorry. I really am."
Beyond Armageddon: Book 03 - Parallels Page 22