Amazon Gate

by James Axler

  Jak fell into the midst of a melee and felt hands grab at him, fists pummel into him. Temporarily off guard and flailing, Jak tried to defend himself but found his eye closed by a blow that opened up the flesh over his brow. The blood spilled down into his eye, blinding him.

  Jak knew he was in trouble, but was saved by the wild eyed Gloria. Screaming wildly, she flew into the midst of the crowd, slashing away at the hands that plucked at Jak's clothes and skin.

  Jak pulled himself to his feet, hitting out at the Illuminated Ones around him, turning back-to-back with the wild and flaming warrior queen. Together they chilled four of the Illuminated Ones, and watched the others turn and flee into the inner chamber, where the rest of their sec squad were in the process of retreating.

  Gloria turned to Jak, her eyes red and flaring like her hair. Jak felt a flash of electricity between them, knew that they were bonded by blood and fire.

  "They're going away!" Tammy's voice rang out over the general noise of the Gate warriors as they clustered in the chamber.

  Ryan and Krysty ran after the last of the sec men as they headed for the mat-trans. Jorgensen, standing at the camp console, keyed in the last code and joined the last of his people, slamming the door of the mat-trans chamber as Ryan raised his Steyr.

  As the sound of the door echoed, Ryan let the blaster drop. It was too late. The Illuminated Ones had escaped.

  IN THE ANTICLIMAX of the empty chamber, Gloria cursed.

  "They've done it. The bastards have got away from us and snatched our destiny."

  "Not necessarily," Doc said, his eyes moving intently over the flashing lights and digital displays on the comp banks.

  "Why?" Ryan asked, striding over to where Doc stood.

  The old man gestured to the comp bank. "Everything looks as if it is still set for where they were headed. All we have got to do is get ourselves into the mat-trans and close the door. And if that fails, we still have the last destination button. We just need to be ready to come out fighting."

  Gloria had joined them while Doc was speaking, and she looked nervously at Ryan. "None of us have ever done this before. What's it like?"

  Ryan took a deep breath and tried to describe the experience of a jump to the Gate queen. It wasn't easy, as he didn't want to dissuade her from the jump, but he was only too well aware that there would be an enemy at the other end, and it was important that the Gate be prepared for a firefight as soon as possible.

  Gloria listened intently, then whistled. "Shit, that sounds nasty, honey. But if it's what it takes… This is our fate, and we've got to follow it through."

  The warrior queen turned to Tammy and sent her to the ground level with a small party of scouts and instructions to fetch the men, children and belongings of the tribe. While this happened, she briefed her warriors on what they were about to do.

  Ryan gathered the companions.

  "Walking into the belly of the beast," Doc commented when Ryan explained their plans.

  "Mebbe," the one-eyed warrior countered, "but then again, better to know what we walk into than just stumble, like we usually do."

  "That's a fair point," Mildred mused. "The thing that worries me is how they'll cope with the jump. We're used to them, and find it hard enough."

  "Only one way to find out," J.B. remarked in the kind of blunt tone that refused argument.

  Waiting for the Gate to assemble, the companions took the chance to strip and check their blasters after their recent heavy use. It was a good feeling to know that, whatever else, the weaponry would be primed for use when they arrived.

  The Gate were finally gathered in the large chamber, and Gloria assembled them to explain what their next move was to be. There was a ripple of apprehension about the mat-trans jump, particularly when she detailed the possible effects as outlined by Ryan. But the Gate was a tribe that couldn't back down on their destiny, and they willingly backed their queen.

  Gloria turned to where Ryan and the companions were waiting.

  "We're ready," she said with a decisive nod.

  "Okay," Ryan replied. "Your people take the largest of the mat-trans units. That way you can all travel together. We'll take the smallest."

  "You won't come with us?" the warrior queen asked.

  "Better if we spread ourselves over two chambers. It'll divide their forces," Ryan explained.

  Gloria bit her lip and assented. "Seems fair." She looked across at Jak. "You coming with us, honey?"

  The albino allowed a rare smile to flicker across his face, so brief as to be gone before it could even be truly noticed.

  "Like to, but place now with Ryan and friends. Fight as unit, mebbe important when arrive."

  "Yeah, that's a good point, sweets. I'll get us into the chamber. What happens then?"

  "The settings are automatic," Doc explained, indicating the comp banks. "As soon as you close the door and the lock slips into place, it triggers off the destination and the jump begins. If that does not happen, press the button marked LD."

  "Okay. Can't pretend I'm not shitting myself at the thought of it, and I guess the rest of us are, too, but it's got to be done, yeah?"

  With that, she turned and directed the Gate to move into the mat-trans chamber. It took a couple of minutes for the wags to be maneuvered in, and for the men and children to load up. Then the women entered the chamber, ringing the wags and children that stood in the center of the chamber. The formation was such that, when they arrived, the Amazons would form a line of defense around the supplies and the children as soon as they recovered consciousness.

  Ryan and the companions waited until the tribe was fully positioned within the chamber before they entered their own mat-trans. Once inside, they prepared themselves for the jump, knowing that a swift recovery on the other end would be a necessity.

  As Ryan made to close the door to the chamber, Jak stayed him. "Let me," he said simply.

  The one-eyed man assented and took his position on the floor of the unit.

  Jak looked out from the door of the mat-trans, across to where the larger unit stood. Gloria was standing by the door, waiting.

  "Ready?" Jak asked. Gloria replied with a brief nod, her piercing blue gaze steady on the albino's. It crossed his mind that the premonitory dream he had on the last jump hadn't come true. They were all alive and were traveling on together. "See on other side," he said simply to the queen.

  "You bet, sweetie," Gloria replied with a grin as Jak closed the door of the mat-trans and assumed his position on the floor, having seen her disappear into the interior of the larger chamber.

  The disks on the floor began to glow, and the tendrils of mist that both preceded and came in the aftermath of a jump began to rise and swirl around them.

  What neither party could see was the sudden change in the figures on the comp banks. The lights flickered, and the digital numbers on the LCD displays for both chambers began to change, coming to rest on different combinations that would send the parties in different directions.

  The fail safe procedure Jorgensen had initiated earlier had been triggered. The Gate would be separated from Ryan's people, and neither party would land at the new base for the Illuminated Ones.

  Jorgensen might have lost the battle, but he had given his people some peace.

  At what cost to his pursuers?