As Terminator approached a sharp, rocky rise, the heavy vehicle slowed to half-speed.
Storm leaned back and frowned. "Looks like we'll have to walk from here."
"No, we don't. Terminator can handle just about any terrain."
Speedy reached above Storm's head and lowered a safety harness. "Here. Wrap this around you and secure it. Watch me."
The soldier put his arms through the straps and snapped the ends in place. Storm followed suit.
The Gunnery Sergeant pointed. "See those handles up there? Y'all better hold tight."
"Who's y'all? You keep saying 'all' but me and Ambush are the only ones with you and he's already strapped in and grabbing the sides of his chair."
Speedy chuckled. "Some of us Texans use y'all for 'you all' or just 'you,' so y'all better hang on quick!"
As soon as Storm clutched the grips, the vehicle lunged forward. While climbing the boulders, Terminator pitched sharply from one side to the other.
His head and body tossed in all directions as he yelled. "Like taming a wild horse!"
Once the bouncy ride leveled off and smoothed, Terminator lurched forward. Ambush elaborated on the details of the weapons as Storm occasionally barked directions and motioned with his hands.
While Captain Acosta continued his spiel about lasers, Storm kept one eye on the video screen, hoping to spot the slightest movement. We have to find something to show these Texans. There's got to be more muclones out here!
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Brain Train
Wednesday ~ August 19, 2093 ~ After Lunch
Fluffy, white clouds drifted across a gorgeous sky. The rich sapphire color reminded Caru of a fairy tale her mother read to her when she was a little girl.
Moderate temperatures and a slight breeze created the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of combat training and mind games — but first things first. Staring out the window as Caru withstood her first lesson of the day, she sat straight in a chair in the middle of Mercy's kitchen.
She adored her aunt's honey-blond hair: rarely the same day-to-day but often arranged in a beautiful fashion with a lovely bloom or decorative clips. When Mercy suggested braiding Caru's hair tight to her head to keep the strands out of her quiver, she never imagined it taking quite so long.
Watching from the kitchen table, Proto gulped what remained of his oatmeal. "Wow, don't you look fancy today."
Caru frowned. "That was a sweet surprise last night, but don't you have something more important to do than watch me?"
His mother snipped a few of Caru's frayed ends, then turned toward Proto. "Why don't you hurry along and scoop up some of Ice's piles along the fence? It's starting to smell pretty bad out there."
"Ohhh, do I have to? Teli and Fox will be here any minute."
"Go ahead; you've still got plenty of time."
Feeling a touch guilty for her cousin's plight, Caru giggled beneath her breath just the same. That's what he gets for teasing.
Lumbering out the back door, he grumbled. "It's not fair."
Caru eyed Mercy's handy work through a hand-held mirror as she tied a braid tight to her crown. "Wicked! I love it! Thanks for teaching me."
Her aunt plucked a hairpin from between her lips. "I'm almost done. I like the way the sun lightens your hair in the summer. The red tones have a pretty bronze shine this time of year."
As her dear friend twisted the last braid and pinned it in place, she smiled. "There. That does it. What do you think?"
"Fantastic! I would have made a mess trying to do it myself. Who did you learn from?"
"My mother. Your father and most villagers called her 'Miss Gracivil.' She used to experiment with my hair when I was about your age. I hated it then, but now ... I miss the touch of her hands." She slowly untied the knot behind Caru's neck.
Happy to be freed of the yellow and pink checkered cape, Caru jumped off the chair and hugged Mercy.
"You're the greatest aunt, ever!"
"Well, you wouldn't have thought so a couple of weeks ago."
"What do you mean?"
"I have to admit, and I only tell you this because I love you." Her gorgeous, blue eyes peered at Caru.
"I had my doubts about whether you would ever make a good leader. I even spoke to your father about it."
Her favorite grownup gently squeezed her arms. "But, I'm impressed to see how quickly you've turned things around. Very proud."
Caru grabbed the mirror and looked at her reflection. "You were right. I didn't give you much reason to think I'd be a good leader. I'm trying to be better."
She placed the mirror on the table. "I don't ever want to disappoint you again. You've been so kind to me; I could never let you down."
Mercy smiled. "I'm glad we're friends. If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."
Never had Caru felt so close to her father's sister. She blinked twice to clear her wet eyes.
Her aunt gathered the scissors, brushes, and pins. "What're your plans for the rest of the day?"
"Us kids were going to practice a little brain tease on each other. We've also been trying to convince Wolfuk to help us improve our combat moves in your backyard for a little while. Who knows what Angrokt and her Skalags are up to?"
Mercy mumbled. "That Proto, he never said a word about any of this."
Caru grinned. "I'm sure it's because he's been so busy playing with the smaller kids and planning my big surprise yesterday."
"Oh, I suppose you're right. The little ones love him to pieces and getting Blue Reaper ready for you meant the world to Proto and Fox."
She sighed. "Go on. Join your buddies and find Wolfuk. I'm sure he's just waiting for us grown-ups to say it's okay."
Tilting her head toward the door, Mercy smiled. "I hear Fox and Teli's voices outside. Go!"
A Couple of Hours Later
Relenting to the young warriors' desires, Wolfuk taught the four teens some finer tips to wrap up the last training session before the expected battle. Better to be fit with sharp reflexes if they were to face the inconceivable — Skalags breaching Ukkiville's wall.
The children are as ready as they're going to be — hopefully, it's enough.
Wolfuk's heart burned that afternoon as a tear formed in his eye. He looked up to the sky.
I sure miss you, brother.
The sight of Fox, named in honor of Wolfuk's lost sibling, often caused chest pains. The despair etched across Foxuk's face as he struggled for his last breath on that final mission still haunted Wolfuk more than a decade later.
Thoruk joined Wolfuk to help gather the wooden weapons from Mercy's backyard as the young warriors put their buddies through embarrassing but friendly mind control exercises.
Forcing a laugh with the village leader, Wolfuk kept an eye on the kids and listened to their creative ploys to tease each other's brains — a welcome distraction at that moment.
He glanced at Thoruk as they walked in Salty's direction. "Those kids sure know how to put it to each other."
His friend chuckled. "Yep. Who needs other entertainment when they're around? Kinda reminds me of how we were, back in our younger days."
Wolfuk looked up at Salty, who sat atop Slayer. "Hi, where's your sidekick?"
The well-groomed man with graying sideburns lowered his binoculars. "Tiger's down below. The corporal is checking for any unexpected movement. Don't want any surprises from those Skalags or muclones."
"Good idea." Wolfuk pulled himself up next to the commander. "Well, what do you think?"
Colonel Sultenfuss grinned. "I'm impressed with the way your teenagers handle themselves with weapons. Children back home couldn't do that. You train them so young."
Thoruk pointed toward Erik the Red Mountains. "We don't have any choice. The Skalags live on the other side of that range. We must be prepared for anything."
"I understand." He motioned toward the kids. "They sure have a great sense of humor."
Wolfuk snickered. "Yeah, the
y get it from their parents."
Thoruk winked. "Hey, we have to keep things loose around here, or we'd go crazy worrying about what might happen next."
Climbing on the vehicle, Ukkiville's leader sat on the other side of the deeply-tanned Texan and pointed at his daughter. "Caru is next."
Her voice cried out from 15 yards away. "Father, watch this!"
Thoruk waved. "This ought to be good. Her wits can challenge the best of us."
She stared at Fox. "I choose you as my victim. It's payback time for your little performance on the porch yesterday."
Her wary cousin shook his head. "Don't pick on me. I was trying to be friendly. Use one of them."
"Not a chance. You're mine Foxy Boy."
He sighed. "Great, just get it over with already."
She looked at her muscled buddy. "Come on, Proto. I need your help."
Intently musing over the finger Fox whacked with an errant swipe of his practice swords, Proto lifted his head. "Why me?"
She smiled. "Because I like you, Big Boy, and this is a chance to get back at your nemesis."
He hurried to her side. "Alright, let's do it to the little runt — whatever it is!"
Fox shrugged. "Bring it on. I ain't afraid of you wimps."
Holding the stopwatch, Teli chuckled. "On my mark, get set, go!"
Caru peered into Fox's eyes and in less than 10 seconds he knelt down in front of Proto and grabbed one of his hands. "Proto, you are the dream of my life."
Moments later, Caru turned her gaze away and stepped back, but Fox continued talking. "You got such pretty, blue eyes."
Proto started to chuckle but held it back with his free hand. Clutching their guts, Wolfuk and the others on Slayer could barely contain themselves.
Teli glanced at Caru, but she motioned him to keep the clock going.
Oblivious to it all and with caring, amber eyes, Fox continued to fawn over Proto. "We've been dear friends forever, and I can't imagine anybody I love more than you."
Pushed beyond his limit, Proto snorted while he roared uncontrollably.
Wolfuk and his fellow observers patted each other and laughed so hard that tears rolled down Salty's cheeks. Thoruk almost fell off of the vehicle, but Wolfuk clutched his arm and struggled to hold him up — his sides hurt so much.
Straight-faced, Fox placed his free hand over his heart. "Will you marry me, Proto?"
Chicksoy shot from Mercy's nose and mouth as she almost fell out of her porch chair.
Caru's voice rang out. "Stop the watch!"
Teli clicked the button. "Nine minutes and twenty-three seconds!"
Caru jumped up and down like a rabbit in a clover patch. "I did it! Father, did you see that? Fox was under my control for at least nine minutes after I broke eye contact!"
Thoruk's brow rose with his mouth agape. "How's that possible?"
As Caru ran toward him, Fox stood and mumbled to Proto. "What just happened? Why was I kneelin' — and why am I holdin' your hand?"
Teli blurted out. "You're going to get married!"
Bewildered, Fox flicked his buddy's hand away. "What do you mean?"
Proto chortled. "You just proposed to me, you idiot."
"Ain't true!"
Caru held her arms high as she reached Slayer. "I did it!"
Thoruk hopped down. "How? I've never been able to do that!"
Out of breath, she jabbered uncontrollably. "Since we planned to practice today, I took an extra dose of awgful last night. When my mind made contact with Fox's, and he knelt down, I concentrated real hard and continued telling him, 'keep going, keep going, keep going,' and he did! It's amazing!"
As his leader walked off with an arm around Caru, chatting about her accomplishment, Wolfuk turned toward Salty. "That was pretty impressive and hilarious, but I can't wait to hear how Storm's adventure went today."
"Me too. I want to check out one of those muclones you keep talking about."
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Rattling Sabres
Inside Terminator's Cabin
Wednesday ~ August 19, 2093 ~ 3:30 pm
After pausing for a late lunch, Storm and his scouting partners continued the search throughout the afternoon with little luck except for a doe and her yearling. Storm grew more anxious with each passing hour.
Certain they'd come across a few monsters to blast away with Terminator's weapons, he never got a glimpse of a single wanderer. More frustrated as dusk approached, an odd-looking heap caught his eyes.
"Whoa, stop! What's that?" Storm pointed near a cluster of poison sumac.
Speedy responded in his southern drawl. "Not sure. Let's check it out."
Slowing to a stop, he unhooked his harness and turned toward Ambush. "Stay here and watch for any unexpected movement."
Gunnery Sergeant Santo lifted the center hatch, climbed out, and hopped down to the ground. Storm followed, and as he neared the gory mangle of bones, flesh, and a brown and white hide, he shook his head. "What's left looks like a big whitetail."
Bloody evidence of a brutal slaying blanketed the entire area. The fresh kill left the leaves of the shrubs splattered in red and the surrounding soil soaked in crimson.
Storm lifted a set of antlers still attached to a partially-eaten skull — one eyeball missing, the other barely hanging by a bluish vein. "Looks like the buck I missed last year. It's got the same scar along its spine."
"Nice rack — beats any on my wall back home."
"See this?" Storm pointed at a set of evenly-spaced gashes along the mutilated animal's shoulder. "Probably a wildcat's doing — with claws bigger than I've ever seen."
Speedy nodded. "For sure — look at these." He stuck his thumb into one of two deep punctures in the deer's neck. The diameter of each wound was well over an inch wide.
Storm's jaw dropped. "Fangs — but they'd have to be enormous with that spacing and the size of those holes. Whatever did this ain't a creature from around here. We need to find it."
"See these?" Speedy pointed at what looked to be massive paw prints in the mud near the corpse.
"You think it's one of Angrokt's — what do y'all call them?"
Not far off, a loud roar startled Storm. His heart raced. "Muclones, and, yes, it probably is!"
Itching to witness Terminator's power, he hoped it was one of her monsters. "Let's go!"
Storm quickly climbed onto the motorized wagon and slipped down the hatch. Now, I get to see what Terminator really can do!
After buckling up, Speedy turned the steering wheel, and the armored vehicle slowly crept forward in the direction of the roar.
Ambush tapped a moving yellow blob on his screen. "Found it. The target's locked."
Speedy released the controls and the vehicle weaved through the trees on its own.
Storm glanced at the navigator. "Hurry! We need to catch up to it before it gets away! It's getting dark!"
"Don't fret. Terminator's tracking it." Speedy pushed a button. "Watch."
The same display used for the video cam earlier lit up with a green background. A yellow blob containing smaller orange patches moved across the screen.
Speedy touched the glass panel. "That's it! We're following the animal's heat signature. The darker oranges are the hotter spots of its anatomy — the lungs, heart, and muscles. The yellow outlines the rest of the body, which is warmer than the surrounding environment in green."
Storm shook his head. "No way!"
"It's true. See this scale." He tapped the numbers on the left side.
"The creature is about 80 yards ahead and moving at a good clip. It must have seen the lights or heard the engine."
Speedy flipped a lever below the word 'Stealth' and the headlamps dimmed to black while the whine of the motor fell silent. "We'll be able to monitor it with this display. Once the sucker slows down, we'll follow on foot."
"In the dark?"
"Y'all worry too much."
Speedy's insane! Stalking a predator that just mauled a huge
buck in the light of day is one thing — but after dark? "I don't want to be any part of that beast's food chain!"
"That won't happen. We've got gear to track it at night."
"You're kidding?"
"Nope. When that thing gets tired, we'll suit up, and I'll show you."
Another loud roar spiked the steamy, night air. Speedy looked at Storm. "You were right! It's a big cat — not too friendly from the sound of it."
After following it for almost an hour, the orange blobs within the larger yellow outline faded, and the movement stopped about 200 yards ahead. Speedy removed his harness. "Time to suit up. Let's bag a muclone."
Storm smiled. "No problemo."
He grabbed Speedy's sunglasses from the console and put them over his eyes. After scanning the panels, he squinted. "I can't see a blazing thing with this contraption."
Ambush laughed. "It's nighttime, you goof. The shades are to block out the sun. Here, this will work a lot better."
He placed a peculiar looking helmet over Storm's head and flipped down a visor. "Pop through the hatch and look around."
Storm pulled himself up partway and scanned the area. He whispered. "Blazes, I can't believe it! I can see a bird in that bush — in the dark. The scale says it's more than 60 yards away!"
Speedy chuckled. "Not bad, huh?"
"I don't suppose you have an extra one lying around?" Storm climbed out of the hole.
"Just a spare in case one of these goes bad." With a couple of weapons strapped to his shoulder, Speedy joined him up top.
"You'll love this." He reached over and pushed a control button on Storm's helmet.
"Holy crap! What did you do? I see those yellow and orange blobs again."
"I switched on your seeker. It also tracks the heat signature of different creatures — like we saw on the console. Y'all can locate any person, animal, or in our case, muclone within our range — day or night."
"That sure takes the sport out of hunting!"
"True, but I like the fact that it can't hide from us." Speedy called to his friend below.
"Signal me if more intruders show up."
Once he and Storm touched the ground, the Gunnery Sergeant reached out. "Here, take this."
The New World: Blue Moon Generatoin Page 18
