Jack shook his head. “We actually have two issues.”
“Only two?” Steve asked.
“First issue is, we don’t actually know if adding the potion and elixir to the storage tanks will do the trick. Will it take down the shields? We don’t know. Second, if it does work, it won’t be in time. The war will start with Torron having the advantage, and she’ll do a lot of damage before the shields come down.”
“Maybe there’s something else you could do,” Haven signed to Caroline. “You’ve defeated her in the past. Four times, right?”
“Haven wants to know if there’s something else you can do,” Caroline said. “You’ve faced her before.”
“We have to get close to her to figure out what to do,” Jeremy said.
“If you defeated her four times in the past, why is she still alive?” Jack asked.
Matt corrected him. “We actually only defeated her three times: once in the thirteenth century, once in the seventeenth century, and once in the nineteenth century. Each time, we forced her to return to Gandoral, where she rules. We didn’t kill her. The other time we faced her was in the fifteenth century. We were on Gandoral, the Underworld to you. We started the fifty-year war and left before we actually faced her.”
“Somehow, we need to get information about the magic she’s using and how to counter it,” Jeremy said. “We’ve learned from our past experiences that a direct confrontation with Torron could be a disaster. Going head-to-head with her won’t work.”
“I’ll go,” Steve announced. “She wants me to join her. I’ll go and join with her.”
“That’s crazy,” Jesse said, clearly surprised at the idea. “First of all, she wouldn’t trust you. You would be dead before you could say hello.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Steve said. “She’s been after me since we crossed through Whispering Pass on our first trek. I really don’t know why, but she wants me to join her.”
“That’s easy,” Matt said. “She has the powers of the Underworld. You have the powers of the Alliance. Working together, there would be no one to stop the two of you from taking this world, consolidating all power over Gandoral, and conquering other planets in the universe.”
“Other planets?” Jack asked.
“You really don’t think there are only two planets in the universe that have advanced life, do you?” Jeremy asked. He observed the looks on everyone’s faces. “T-Bone told me that before he went to Africa with Torron, she told him there were at least several hundred other planets with advanced civilizations. He said she wanted to rule them all.”
“It’s all about power,” Caroline said.
“Yes, power,” Jeremy confirmed. “The reason Earth is the first and most important target is because of the Alliance. If she could consolidate the two sources of power, her powers coupled with those of the Alliance, there would be no limit to what she could achieve. What you’re suggesting, Steve, would be very, very dangerous.”
“You’re not going alone,” Matt said.
“I have to go alone.” Steve insisted. “I will go alone.”
“No, I’ll disappear and be at your side in case you need help,” Jesse insisted.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Matt said. “Slatel, you stay here and watch the colors of the pipes and let us know when they change and start flowing into the core. When you’re done, jump to the bottom of the two-mile shaft and join us on the surface. Steve, you take the rest of us down and back to the surface. Then you and Jesse will attempt to get inside the dome. We’ll keep in touch by two-way radio communications. Let’s go.”
Chapter 31
Revilo—Harbinger of Death
It was 9:37 before Steve walked up to the double doors leading into the dome. He stood thirty feet in front of them waving a white flag. Only a few minutes went by before the doors opened and four Humongers surrounded him. They searched him for weapons and looked into his knapsack. When they found nothing, they led him into the dome. Jesse followed behind, invisible to the Humongers.
The doors closed, and the Humongers stepped away from Steve. Immediately, he was hit with a barrage of lightning, knocking him to the ground. He shook violently and then went quiet.
Jesse rushed to his side and held his hand in hers. It’s working, she thought. Did she mean to kill him or only send a message?
I think she was sending me a message, Steve projected. She also took my powers away.
You can hear my thoughts? Jesse asked.
Yes, and you mine, Steve projected. I’m good. Stand back. Steve sat up.
Torron floated down from the balcony overlooking the entire inside of the dome and settled in front of Steve. “This is a surprise, I thought you were dead,” she said as she walked a circle around him. “Why are you here? The battle for Earth starts in less than fifteen minutes.”
A little shaky, Steve stood up. “I was thinking about your last proposal.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been thinking. If I were to join with you, together we would be unbeatable, likely the most powerful duo in the universe.”
The queen led Steve to her private quarters. “In order for that to happen, we would need all nine of the Symbols of Power. How many do you have?”
“I only have one.” He pulled the Symbol out from under his shirt and showed it to her.
“Is the rest of the Alliance alive? I know you have more than that,” Torron said.
“Delay the start of the battle until tomorrow, and we can discuss how to get the other Symbols,” Steve said.
A deep foghorn blasted away.
“You’re too late,” Torron said with a crooked smile. “The battle has begun. Take him to the cages.”
Steve didn’t struggle but went willingly to the cages with four Humongers escorting him.
~~~
The foghorn blasted at every dome. Torron went to the control room. She sat on her throne and watched the action taking place in the Mega-Crystal, concentrating her attention on the Bay Area domes.
A hole began to open up in the top of the dome. It was like a circle opening to a wider and wider diameter until it was large enough for the Krak-4 mother ship to pass through.
Two A-10 aircraft shot rockets into the hole as it opened. Even though the hole was there, the pale blue shield was still in place. The rockets exploded on the surface. The mother ship ignored the A-10s.
Once through, the hole closed. The mother ship rose straight up above the dome until it reached twenty-six thousand feet, about five miles high, and became stationary above the dome.
Movement could be seen in the water next to the domes. There were six domes that touched the water: one in Seattle, one in Portland, two in the San Francisco Bay, one in Los Angeles, and one in San Diego. A large door opened in the dome under the surface of the water, and five Revilos left each of the six domes.
Torron watched the action taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seven of the Revilos went straight north and under the Golden Gate Bridge into the open sea. Three of the Revilos stayed in the bay and began destroying every boat and ship in their path.
The seven that went out to sea began engaging the ships in the area. There was no discrimination. Commercial, private, and military ships were all being attacked.
A Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine fired several torpedoes at the Revilos as they came into view west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The torpedoes hit their targets but exploded on the shield with no damage to the Revilos. The Revilos were quick under water and were on top of the submarine before it could react. The giant claws grabbed the submarine and crushed it easily into three pieces.
The thirty Revilos continued to devastate the boats and ships up and down the West Coast.
Chapter 32
Oar-7 Attack Fighter
The foghorn blasted. About a hundred feet above the ground, a slit that went all the way around the circumference of the dome opened up and continued to open until it was about fifty feet high. Hundreds of Oar-
7 attack fighters began flying out in all directions. They immediately came under fire from the ground and the air, but the rockets and bullets fired at them failed to penetrate the pale blue protective shield. The Oar-7s simply ignored the bombardment from the ground and air and headed to their ground targets.
Following the Oar-7 attack fighters, hundreds of dragons and firebirds with Humongers as their riders came flying out. Dressed in black clothing with black cape and black hood, the riders kept their faces hidden under the hoods.
While the Oar-7s attacked the infrastructure, the dragons went after the civilians. Fire and destruction erupted in neighborhoods around the domes. Eventually the dragons spread out across the cities, spreading their destruction.
The US military continued to attack the Oar-7s and dragons with no effect.
~~~
“By the end of the day, we’ll have destroyed the West Coast infrastructure,” General Haflyf said. “All bridges, all power stations, all oil and gas refineries and distribution centers, and all hospitals and schools will be demolished.”
“What is happening with the military response to our attack?” Torron asked, obviously pleased.
“Just as you predicted, Your Majesty, they’re attacking with no success,” the general responded. “We’re ignoring them until our initial objectives have been achieved.”
“Drake, I need you to go back to Gandoral and prepare the second wave,” Torron said. “The West Coast will fall in fourteen days. I want the second wave
of domes, Oar-7s, mother ships, and soldiers starting to leave Gandoral so they arrive here in fifteen days. Next, we’ll hit ten of the major cities between the coast and the Mississippi River.”
~~~
The foghorn blasted.
Gary looked at his watch. Ten o’clock, he thought. Right on time. “Here they come.”
As the mother ship rose and the fighters began flying out of the dome, the large door opened and soldiers began to emerge. At first, they were men, and then all the other creatures began to flow out.
“Every one of them has a blue aura around them,” Sammy said, looking through binoculars. “I think it’s the same protective shield the dome has.” He handed the binoculars to Johnny.
“Wait, wait,” Johnny said. “The aura of one of the soldiers is going off and on. Look at the short guy next to the tree over there.” He handed the binoculars to Gary.
Gary watched as a second soldier came to the aid of the first. The second soldier tapped on the top of the first’s helmet. The aura continued to flicker. They took the helmet off. The second soldier reached into his backpack and pulled out a small, gold-colored button. He pulled a button off the top of the helmet, tossed it away, and put a new one in its place. The first soldier put his helmet back on, and the aura surrounded him without a flicker.
“I’m going to try something,” Gary said. “See that big ugly one standing next to the lamppost?”
“Yeah,” Sammy said.
“Watch through your scopes.”
They all had their scopes trained on the Humonger.
“On top of his helmet . . . do you see the gold button?”
“Yes,” Johnny said.
“Can you see that the blue aura starts below the button?” Gary asked. “That means the button isn’t protected. I’ll shoot the button off the helmet. Sammy, once it’s gone, shoot him in the head.”
All their rifles had silencers. The button disappeared, the aura disappeared, and the Humonger suddenly jerked backward and fell to the ground.
“We need to get this information to the military right away,” Johnny said.
“I’ll send a message on my radio,” Gary said, “but I’m not sure how much good it will do. Taking out the button is a tough shot.”
“Hey, there are three of those big guys headed our way,” Sammy said as he signaled for silence.
“Knives,” Gary whispered and motioned to hit the tops of their helmets with the butt of the knife handle.
They waited until the three had passed them and jumped them from behind. The quick hit to the button on top of the helmet turned off the shield. They then quickly slit their throats.
“This is the message I want to send,” Gary said as they dragged the three bodies into the bushes.
~~~
Torron was watching several monitors, each showing the battle in different cities.
One monitor showed the Los Angeles freeway bridges being destroyed. Another showed the Space Needle in Seattle coming down.
“The Oar-7s are quite lethal. Your engineers have done well, Mr. Jensen.” Torron sounded almost gleeful. “You will have a significant role in ruling over this planet. Bring Smalik to me.”
A few minutes later, Smalik was brought in.
“Take the chains off him,” Torron said.
It was clear he had been beaten badly. Once the chains were removed, he fell to his knees. He struggled to speak. “What do you wish me to do?”
“The Alliance is still alive,” Torron said with distain.
“What? That can’t be,” Smalik was surprised.
“I will deal with them later; I have one of them locked up. You are important to me so you are safe for now. I need you to finish the task I asked you to perform. Find Hagred and Margot and bring them to me.” Torron waved for him to leave and turned her attention back to the Mega-Crystal.
~~~
“They’re going after the infrastructure and civilians,” General Wisecoff said on the phone. “Mr. President, we can’t stop the attack. They’re attacking shipping up and down the coast. They’re attacking the civilians fleeing on the freeways. There’s no hint of morality. They’re attacking the most innocent of our nation, ignoring the military altogether.”
“General,” Colonel Smith interrupted.
“Mr. President, I have to go. I’ll keep in touch.” The general seemed impatient. “What is it, Colonel?”
“We heard from a civilian at the Ontario dome,” the colonel said. “Apparently there’s a gold button on the top of the aliens’ helmets that energizes their protective shield. Our tech guys say it has to be electronic. It has to be communicating with the dome. The civilians are being brought here. They have three of the helmets with them.”
Chapter 33
The Bridge Is Out
For days the traffic jam across the Golden Gate Bridge was relentless, but at least the traffic was moving. All lanes were heading north with the exception of one lane that headed south, reserved for emergency vehicles and a military convoy going into the city. The jam-up this morning was caused by a six-car crash inside the Robin Williams Tunnel, just north of the bridge. The cars were stopped on the bridge, and streams of people were walking and running on the sidewalk and down the middle of the lanes.
Foghorns blasted in the distance, and the sky was filled with attack fighters, dragons, and US military aircraft.
Four dragons landed on the two bridge towers, two on each tower. With loud screeches, they dove toward the cars below, spewing flaming saliva on both cars and people. The cars began exploding.
At the same time, two Revilos grabbed the towers from below. Their giant claws easily crushed the steel structures, and the bridge began to fall. Because the towers weren’t completely cut in two, the bridge collapsed slowly, allowing most of the people to survive the fall. There were thousands climbing onto the structure still showing above the water.
In downtown San Francisco, the Oar-7s were blasting at the ground level of all the tallest buildings. The Transamerica Pyramid was the first to fall. Other buildings fell as the destruction continued.
All of the cities in the San Francisco Bay Area were starting to burn.
~~~
Steve? Jesse projected. We need to get out of here before Torron comes for you.
She’s probably real busy right now, Steve replied. We should try to do some damage on our way out.
What do you have in mind?
First, I need to get my powers back. Ste
ve rummaged through his knapsack. Ah, here it is. He pulled out a small vial with green liquid in it and held it up to the light.
Jesse walked through the cage wires and sat down beside Steve. The vial from under the volcano.
That’s right. Put it on me, Steve directed.
Jesse pulled the stopper out of the top of the vial, releasing a wisp of green fumes. Oh, I forgot, she thought. It smells like bacon. She put a drop of the thick liquid on her forefinger and gently rubbed it into Steve’s forehead.
It only took a few seconds before Steve turned beet red and began to sweat and have convulsions. Eventually, he settled down and passed out for a few minutes. Then without notice, he jumped to his feet and shook his head. “Where the heck am I?”
“Trying to delay the start of the battle didn’t work,” Jesse said. “We need to get out of here.” She reappeared and then walked right out through the thick wire mesh that made up the cage.
Steve used the laser beams from his eyes to cut through the wire, and they both went to the door. Jesse took Steve by the hand, and they disappeared.
~~~
“It’s working,” Slatel announced on the two-way radio. “At exactly the same time, the dark green tube turned bright red and the purple tube turned bright yellow. They both are now flowing into the mixer. I’m watching the tubes coming out of the core, and the pale blue is changing to a light orange. I’m leaving now.”
He ran through the lightning barrages and onto the stairway leading to the bottom of the dome. Instead of walking the two miles down to the bottom, he simply jumped. He fell, crashing back and forth against the stairs on both sides, destroying most of the stairs on his way down. He landed at the bottom in several pieces. He pulled himself back together, jumped the last few feet to the ground below the dome, and sank into the ground.
~~~
“We don’t know if that will bring down the shields,” Jeremy reminded Caroline. “If it does, the first dome to lose its shield will be this one. It’s the closest one to the core.”
Winds of War Page 19
