The Encounter

by Norman Fitts

  Margaret moved around to the corner. She peered down the trail, got down on her stomach and eased out to the edge. She sensed a lot of movement below them and looked back at Lawrence. "This may work. They're bunching together at the bottom."

  "Do it."

  Ben was just about to order his men to open fire when a ball of white light exploded in the trees in front of them. A large piece of a tree trunk disappeared. The remaining wood couldn't hold the weight. The tree toppled tearing limbs from the trees around it. Ben's men scattered out of the way. The collision with the ground was thunderous, sending up a cloud of dirt and debris. She began firing at will. Another tree went down and then another.

  Ben screamed for his men to shoot back. Nobody was listening. He cocked his rifle. From where he was standing, he couldn't see her. Everyone moved around ducking trees until she hit a man. He never uttered a word. His legs, one arm and the top of his skull fell to the ground.

  Somebody yelled, "I ain't fightin' no witch."

  "Me neither", came a reply.

  Ben fired his rifle in the air. "I'll kill the first one of you who runs."

  Two shots from his own men forced him to duck for cover. Everyone else ran for the horses.

  Margaret listened to the shouts and held her fire allowing them to get away. After a moment she stood up. Lawrence joined her. They both watched for a moment.

  She blew across the end of her weapon. "Well, I guess we showed 'em pilgrim."

  Lawrence couldn't help but laugh. “I had no idea you were a John Wayne fan.”

  “Your motion pictures are an interesting form of entertainment.”

  Neither one had seen the man die. She turned her back. He was still watching the woods. There was a flash of sunlight off metal. He didn't hesitate. He drew and fired, fanning four shots in the direction of the flash. A bullet whizzed between them followed by the report. They both dropped down. Ben stumbled into the open trying to cock his rifle. He staggered, dropped the rifle and collapsed.

  Lawrence and Margaret slowly got up, stood and watched him for a moment. He didn't move.

  Lawrence started down. "I better have a look."

  She took his arm. "No need."

  "You're sure?"

  "Yeah."

  He watched for another moment, and then took her word for it. They both turned and walked back inside. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She hugged him back, and then went to her bag to put back the weapon. She paused to notice a hole in the bag. The moment she opened it she saw the light. It was fading in and out.

  Lawrence saw her kneeling and staring. "What is it?"

  She kept the gun, reached in and picked up the small device. A bullet had passed through the bag and nicked it. She stood and held it toward him.

  "The light... Your people, right?"

  "It could be. You better reload that, just in case."

  He started ejecting the empties. She pressed the device and static came back. She slipped the device into her shirt pocket, and then retrieved the other two magazines from her bag. She pushed those into her other pants pocket and waited for Lawrence.

  She could hear the faint, high pitched sound emitted from the anti-gravity engines as they oscillated, using the planets natural forces to control the ship's decent. There was no doubt, whoever it was knew she was there.

  Lawrence finished reloading the pistol, closed the breach and holstered the gun.

  "Bring the goggles", she said. "Let's move back into the cave till we see who shows up." She knew if worse came to worse they could retreat into the caverns and hope there was a back door.

  Lawrence picked up the goggles and they both moved into the shadows. The horses began to react to the sound put out by the ship. With the goggles in place, everything in the back of the cave was visible including the passage that led underground.

  Lawrence looked into the passage. "You know, unless there's phosphorus deposits, or something down there, there's not gonna be a light source for these things to work with."

  "They don't use light."

  He pulled them off and looked at them. "They don't use any light?"

  "You mind if we talk about this later." She motioned to the cave entrance. Dust, debris and the air itself swirled as a cloaked ship settled into position just off the rock shelf.

  "Run or stay?"

  She took his arm. "It’s cloaked. Run..."

  He followed her, fitting his goggles back in place. "You’re sure?"

  "No I’m not sure, but we can’t afford to be wrong.”

  They entered the passageway. She was right about the goggles. It looked like a well-lit room.

  The passage was narrow, but he'd been in tighter places, if not spots. The rock was cold to the touch. He kept looking behind him. "You know, who ever they are, it's not gonna take 'em long to figure out where we went."

  She didn't answer.

  ***

  The Assault Ship drifted into the year eighteen seventy-five. Here the trail ended. They’d found her. They weren't picking up a distress beacon from her ship. Their scanners did detect the trace elements left behind by the damaged engines. They were still following the energy link from the present. It took them to the high mountains of Wyoming.

  From there they began to scan for her bio-signature. Her brother made an adjustment to his panel. His equipment was refined to pick up very subtle traces of his own kind. Her life sign was very faint but it was there. His communications officer reported receiving the encrypted signal but had not received a verbal response when he answered it. Her brother then broadened the range and other non-human life signs popped up. The Vergon were close to her, very close.

  The Assault Ship's weapons and shields were a match for most anything, but for the moment there didn't seem to be anything to attack or defend against. If the Vergon vessel was around it was cloaked as well. Again their advantage was the link to the present. They could locate the enemy vessel that way, if they had to.

  Her brother's heart was in his throat as he locked onto her location. He had also requested, and been granted, weapons control. If it came to that, he would be the one to carry out their father's orders.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  After the encounter at Margaret's house, the Bounty Hunters had spent some time in Earth orbit debating their next move. They knew they weren't going to have a free hand for very long. Either her people, or more of their own kind, would show up soon. The fact that they knew she was marooned in the planet's past tipped the scale in their favor. Her energy link to the present had failed or she'd shut it down. Otherwise, they could have followed it to her like a fishing line to the bait. In any event, the time displacement equipment on her ship no longer worked. What they didn't know was how far back. They'd have to slowly move back through the past following the discharge from her damaged engines.

  The bounty on her alone made it worth the try. However, there were other considerations. The intergalactic black market dealt in a wide spectrum of items. Genetic engineering, for purposes other than correcting birth defects within a species, had long been outlawed throughout the universe. That had created a lucrative market for genetic material, especially living eggs. They'd deliver her alive after removing part of her reproductive system.

  Margaret's species was high on the list of desirable donors making her wrong about one thing. Even dead, she wasn't entirely worthless.

  The Leader of the Vergon had worked himself into a very tight spot. He knew that her people would show up very soon. He had decided to send the scout ship in after her with orders not to return without her. He would take his ship to the edge of the solar system. They would remain cloaked and wait.

  After one hundred and twenty Earth years they located the end of the particle trail. Their sensors now detected trace elements from the damaged ship on the surface. The landing site wasn’t hard to find with the angular damage to the tops of the trees. The ship was there, but it was cloaked. It was fortunate that time travel wasn’t an exa
ct science. It was impossible to locate a precise moment in time or even an exact day. Otherwise they could have arrived, a short time before she did, and simply picked her up. There was no time to keep trying.

  There was no way to scan the interior of a cloaked vessel so they were forced to land, locate and blow the hatch. The ship was empty. The scout ship Commander was furious. Now he'd have to look for her bio-signature.

  The ship settled in just above the rock shelf. The hatch opened and seven Vergon dropped onto the ledge. One of the horses lunged in the shadows. Without thinking, one of the Bounty Hunters fired in the direction of the motion. The shot exploded on the neck of the horse. The headless animal dropped to the cave floor. The other two horses panicked and bolted past them. The Bounty Hunters let them go.

  The scout ship Commander walked over and looked at what was left and, in no uncertain terms, told the others that the next man to use anything lethal without orders from him would find himself keeping whatever that was on the ground, company.

  They checked the rest of the cave and found the campsite. They also found the escape route. He sent a member of his crew back for the night-vision gear they needed to go after them.

  Margaret and Lawrence made their way into the mountain. The cold dampness was taking its toll on her. She hadn't said anything, but he could tell.

  She was slightly in front. "It's getting wider just ahead."

  Lawrence looked past her. She was right. Margaret moved ahead, and then suddenly stopped. He almost ran into her. He didn't have to ask why. Blocking their way was a large chasm. It was thirty feet wide and even with the goggles, dropped away to nothing.

  Lawrence looked back the way they came. "Maybe it’s your people."

  “No, it’s not. I caught their scent the moment they left the ship.”

  “Then we’ll have to make a stand here.”

  "We can't. There's no cover."

  He looked back at the hole again. "Well, I don't see we have a lotta choice."

  She looked back down the passage, the ceiling height, then at the hole. "I can jump this."

  He looked at her, then the other side of the chasm. "Maybe you can, but there's no way I'm..." His eyes came back to her. "You go on. I'll hold 'em here as long as I can."

  She knew what he was going to say before he said it. "You're crazy if you think I'll leave you here."

  "I'll say it again. We don't have a choice. They'll get us both if you stay."

  She looked at the hole again. "I'll carry you."

  "Now who's crazy? Not even you could make that jump with a hundred and eighty pounds on your back."

  "I won't argue about this. I'm not going without you."

  Before he could answer there was the sound of distant footfalls in the passage behind them.

  She would die with him here, or in the hole. "There's no time." She turned him toward her. "Whatever happens, happens to both of us."

  He watched her eyes. She was serious. He'd trusted her with his life more than once and would have to trust her again. He took her face in his hands. "I love you." He kissed her. "Let's try the jump, but in case we don't make it... I told you so."

  She grinned and they both moved back down the passageway for a running start.

  He got on her back. She looked back over her shoulder. "Hang on."

  He tightened his hold around her neck. She took his legs and began to run. It wasn't until now that he fully realized how physically powerful she really was. She was running on the balls of her feet gaining speed with every stride. The muscles in her back felt like steel cable against him. She was nearing the edge. He closed his eyes. She never hesitated. With her last step she threw herself into the air with every ounce of strength she had left.

  The far side of the chasm was an overhang. That chance of nature saved their lives. She let go of his legs. He opened his eyes. They were coming down just short of the other side. She reached out and caught the overhang with her hands and forearms. Their bodies swung under the ledge instead of into a rock wall.

  They hung for a moment. "Climb up me", she said, her voice strained under their combined weight and her waning strength.

  He pulled himself up onto the ledge. She followed with his help. There wasn't time for talk, or rest. The Bounty Hunters were almost on them. With any luck the hole would stop them, or at least slow them down. They got up and ran down the passageway.

  The scout ship Commander, and two of his men, were able to jump the hole. One wasn’t so lucky. He sent the other three back to the ship to circle the area in case there was another way out.

  Margaret and Lawrence moved through the passage. Her breathing had become more labored. The cold and the exertion had begun to win this fight for survival. The passage suddenly became a crawl space. They had to get down on their hands and knees. The crawl space ended at an opening too small for them to get through.

  Lawrence was in front. He peered through the hole. "There's a room on the other side, but there's no way we're gonna get through this. I guess we're gonna have to face 'em."

  "Let me see." She moved up beside him and touched the rock. "Move back."

  He started pushing himself back. "What are you gonna do?"

  She slipped back beside him. "Make the hole bigger." She brought out her weapon.

  "Don't you think we're a little close", he asked, with more than a little concern?

  "No", she answered.

  She aimed and fired. The shell popped and the rock disappeared in a ball of light.

  He kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."

  "I know. You said that before... but don't stop saying it."

  They both crawled through the opening into an open cavern. There was a large pool of water in the bottom of the cavern. On the far side was an opening big enough to walk through. They stood for a moment and tried to decide whether to test the water's depth or try and work their way around the wall.

  Margaret looked back at the hole. "They're coming."

  Lawrence made the decision for them. He was cold, but she was freezing to death. He was sure the water would prove fatal. This cavern was an underground catch basin for the spring run off from the mountain. There was enough angle to the walls to afford a foothold. They carefully made their way to the other side.

  As they entered the passageway he paused in the opening. "Let's give 'em something to think about."

  He drew his gun and rested it on his hand, against the wall. A moment later a head appeared in the hole. He fired. The sound was deafening. She screamed and grabbed her ears. The bullet hit the wall just above the hole. He cocked the gun again. Margaret ran down the passage away from him, her hands covering her ears. He fired again adjusting for the error.

  The scout ship Commander had sent his men in ahead of him. The head of the man in front jerked back. The second man through was splattered with brain matter and skull fragments.

  Lawrence watched for a moment. Nothing else appeared in the hole. He fired two more shots, holstered the gun, turned and followed Margaret at a trot.

  He rubbed his arms against the cold. When he found her, she was several hundred feet back in the mountain looking up.

  She looked at him. "Next time you try that, use mine. My ears are still ringing. You smell that?"

  He stepped up beside her, looked up into an opening in the ceiling and drew a deep breath through his nose. "Fresh air. You know, I've been in enough caves to know we've been moving into the mountain not down into the ground. We might not be that far from the surface."

  She knew she had to get out soon. "Looks narrow, you wanna try it?"

  "We gotta do something while you still have the strength to try. I don't know how long it'll take 'em to figure out the coast is clear back there."

  The ceiling was about eleven feet up. She knelt down. "Get on my shoulders."

  He swung his legs over her shoulders. She stood up. She took his hands to balance him while he got to his feet on her shoulders. He turned loose and stood up pausin
g to recover his balance. He could just get his hands inside the crack in the ceiling. She took him by the ankles and pressed him over her head. That did it. He got a handhold and pulled himself up.

  He looked down. "The walls are close enough to use your feet and back to climb up."

  "Move a little higher."

  "If you can jump this high, grab my arm. I'll pull you up."

  "The weight might pull you out. Move up out of the way. I can make it."

  He climbed up several feet, and then stopped. She studied the opening for a moment, bent her knees and sprang upward. Her head, shoulders and upper body entered the crack. She stretched out her arms and hands and caught herself. She brought up her knees and feet and pressed her back against the wall.

  She looked up. "If it gets too narrow I'll pass you my gun."

  "Okay." He started upward.

  The remaining crewman had become somewhat cautious. It was on pain of certain death that finally got him to precede the Commander back through the hole. They crawled into the cavern and stood. They saw the opening on the other side of the pool and made their way along the wall the same as Margaret and Lawrence had.

  The angle of assent had changed. Lawrence looked up. There was light and an opening above him. He looked down. "There's light. About fifty feet and we're outta here."

  Margaret moved and dislodged a small rock. It bounced down the hole.

  The Bounty Hunters had missed the opening in the ceiling. They were both several feet beyond it when the rock landed behind them. They stopped, looked, and then walked back. The scout ship Commander found the rock and then looked up. A chorus of sounds, that wouldn't have needed a translation, left his mouth. He grabbed the other man and hoisted him into the air.

  Lawrence pulled himself out through the hole in the side of the mountain. He stood and took a deep breath. He pulled the goggles down around his neck. The sun was beginning to warm him.