The captain did a quick calculation. “That leaves four hundred and fifty-two that made it. Unbelievable. I would never have thought them capable of this much carnage.” He turned to Al, “How about security?”
“Like I said we should have the fence back up, and Chris mentioned the floodlights, but I think it would be advisable to stay overnight in the community center again. It’s our safest bet.”
Elizabeth addressed her husband, “Do you think they will be back?”
“I think they might. They went to lick their wounds and rest, but going by the one that I ran into, they are smart enough to know we are vulnerable and might use that in their favor.”
The captain took a deep breath; looking around at his closest friends. He had an idea he had to propose, and their reaction would either reinforce his decision or stop it outright. “I think we should evacuate.”
“And go where?” asked Ana.
“To Overlook Mountain. It would be the safest place.”
Chris was skeptical, “All of us?” That’s a lot of people. Is there even room?”
“Yes. We could even bring the natives if they decide to join us. The underground cavern combined with the long wide tunnel to the outside should be plenty if we divide it up—and that facility is designed to be impregnable.”
Nobody liked the idea. It would be a crowded, noisy existence, at least at first. Al added his concerns to the captains. “I no longer believe we can defend this village in an open area such as this. We had the fence and eight men patrolling the perimeter, four of them highly mobile in buggies. We had the watchers, the lookouts in the mountain, and Robot Nine. None of that prevented the attack—I agree with the captain, we should move to Overlook.”
Al had one more point to make. “We have to realize that at some point, we will have to reveal the secrets contained in that mountain; there is no way we can prevent it. We will also have to ration and limit our resources. Not everyone will be pleased.”
In the end, the founding members all agreed that safety was the primary concern. Their best option was to move Camelot to the mountain. The problem was getting four hundred and fifty-two people, plus the natives if they wished, and all the essential supplies they would need safely there. The shuttles would help, but because the village was no longer safe, they must move soon. This plan would require a many of the colonists to get there by walking.
That night they spread the word that tomorrow everyone would pack the bare minimum and prepare to leave. The essentials only were stressed, as many would be walking. They would be staying at the community center until they made their departure, and in two days they would be leaving for Overlook Mountain. Whether they were ready or not.
Chapter Seventeen
The weather the morning they left Camelot was glorious, with a prediction for clear skies, seventy degrees, and no rain in sight. They managed to repair one of the damaged shuttlecrafts that gave them three shuttles for transporting passengers and carrying supplies. The little spaceships were loaded to capacity with seventy-two of the injured, the children, and essential survival supplies. An hour after dawn they left Camelot to fly to Overlook and unload and return for more passengers as quickly as possible.
It was going to be a ten-mile trek through the valley for everyone else. The uncertain route made their objective even further.
Al opted to head the procession on foot, rather than riding in the buggy. Robot Nine would be the rear guard along with two security personnel, and the rest of his heavily armed officers he scattered along the line.
The Sansi had lived with this threat for generations, and decided they would stay where they are. Their caves had proved to be quite suitable to their needs. As a result of all the trouble, some were even glad the Kuthra were leaving.
They were refugees, fleeing a conflict zone, and the captain told the colonists to move as quickly as possible. Some had small carts pulled by robots salvaged from Excalibur, and all wore backpacks stuffed with the things that made life worth living. Many were scientists, and academics, and had neglected a proper exercise regime. As a result, the line moved slowly.
Elizabeth, Chris, and Edward walked with Al feeling perfectly safe. They knew if anything happened, Al could become a dire threat to whatever threatened them.
Elizabeth asked, “How long will it take to get there Al?”
He looked back at the long line of head down, plodding people and replied, “Moving at this rate, it will take us all day.” He was frustrated at their speed but knew there was little that would force them to move faster. They were, after all, only human.
In the beginning, they wound their way through the forest following an animal trail. The dune buggy and the men in it were on point, and clearing the way. The two watchers they deployed overhead were providing his men with an aerial view. Al had done all he could think of to guarantee the safety of the travelers.
They crossed a small stream and the trees thinned out, revealing a large clearing. An open area with nowhere to hide. If they went around they would not make it to the mountain before dark, so Al opted to move the line faster and go straight across. The aerial images provided by the watchers showed the forest on both sides went as far as the eye could see. Going around would be not only time-consuming but hazardous.
The animals that created the trail they followed went straight across the clearing, and into the forest, as if they considered this path the safest course. The column of humans followed their example and hurried across the open space.
On the other side of the clearing, the trail into the forest was like a dark hole leading to another world, which they stepped into one by one. The buggy was abandoned and left in the clearing; too large to fit through the trees.
One hundred feet in, the leaders of the column spotted a large snake that caused quite a commotion, but it wanted no part of the intruders and slithered away in the opposite direction rather quickly.
In the middle of this thick stand of trees was a cleared spot, with the forest canopy hiding it from above. Small tree stumps speckled the ground, and a giant fallen tree lay across their path. The procession began to back up to fill the cleared area. Alarm bells began going off in Al’s head, realizing they had walked into the perfect setting for an ambush.
The way Elizabeth was looking around only made him more concerned. She looked up at him and said, “I think it might be time Mister Clark.”
“You’re giving me permission?”
“Yes Al, I am. This little journey is scaring the crap out of me.”
He tried, but could not hide his smile. “Okay Liz, you talked me into it.”
Behind Al, someone screamed.
The metal of a man is measured by what is inside. As the world opened up to him, and his eyes refocused, at the edge of the clearing with the downed tree he saw a large dog dragging a woman kicking and screaming into the brush. Chris took a shot but for fear of hitting the woman, he aimed too high. Elizabeth yelled, “Save her!”
His systems still flooding his body with power, he aimed for the dog and ran—right into the surprised animal, tackling it to the ground and punching it. Hard. Lights out for the devil dog. He then helped the woman up and steadied her.
“We have a problem,” came Sid’s voice over the radio. His place in line put him at the entrance to the forest, with people behind him still crossing the wide clearing.
“Multiple targets following the tree line and closing. They have us pinned.”
Edward came and took the woman from him, and Al told Chris to stay alert. He ran back towards the clearing. Al could hear his men firing, and the roar of rage from the Riktors long before he got there.
****
With his improved vision, he could see the movement of a Riktor through the trees, leaning down to snap at several people desperately trying to get away. He left the path and made a beeline towards the beast, firing the rifle as he went.
The animal screamed as the energy beam burned holes in its flank, and when
Al burst out of cover from the trees, in a blind rage the Riktor roared and turned to face him. When it saw both Al and Sid’s rifles pointed at its head, his roar stopped, and it looked surprised. It somehow knew it had made a mistake. This intelligent creature closed its eyes as they fired—and collapsed with two holes in its head. Two whiffs of smoke accompanied his last breath.
Not far away, a similar scene was playing out. A second Riktor was closing in on another section of the line of people further into the clearing. Most were scrambling to get away, but there always seemed to be that one or two that freeze. Al was on his way to help when a shuttle appeared overhead. Moving fast it slid to a stop directly above the monster, and someone leaned out the door and shot it several times in the top of the head.
Cheers erupted from the crowd when the captain landed the shuttlecraft in the clearing and Ana jumped from the open door. Little Ana with the pixie face was doing a victory dance and jumping up and down, still yelling at the dead beast before her. “Take that you stupid piece of—.”
A second shuttle made its appearance followed shortly by the third. Everyone in the clearing boarded the shuttles and escaped to the mountain. Al was relieved to see seventy-two more people take to the safety of the skies. Now all he had to do was get the rest to Overlook.
They blew the tree with explosives. There was no time to play, so rather than have everybody crawl over; they went through. The middle of the tree disintegrated in a shower of wood and dirt, and then three hundred and four people picked up the trail, with six miles to go, and four hours until sunset. The line moved much faster.
****
Terror stood in the shadows at the edge of the forest and watched them go. He and his new mate had watched the entire battle from the safety of the trees and were the only survivors, but the intruders were leaving, and the valley was now his to do with as he pleased. The birds and dogs had done well, but they were weak creatures with little sense. He would need to find more of his kind and rebuild his pack to ensure the valley remained theirs.
The strongest carnivore in the valley believed the beings from above would some day try to return. If they did, he would do what he did before. Terror had learned something in the past few days that stuck in his mind. There must be many willing to sacrifice themselves for your goals, and there must be a plan.
****
The lower entrance to the mountain was similar to the camouflaged door half way up, but much larger and this entrance had a titanium door hiding behind the hologram. The captain was there to show them where the opening was and had the door open. The camouflage hologram remained in place, so the colonists got to feel what it’s like to walk into a mountain.
Once inside, they found themselves in a large well-lit square metal tunnel that appeared to go on forever. A fine layer of dust on the floor told Al they were the first to make use of this passage in a considerable amount of time. There was no debris, no equipment, nothing but twenty-five feet of dull metal on all four sides and a strip of lights in the center of the ceiling that met the floor in the distance.
“We could sure use the buggy right now. I’m getting tired just thinking how long this tunnel is,” said Chris.
Al suggested, “Maybe we can figure out a way to get it here and use it for tunnel duty once we settle in.”
The much older Edward Florida was getting tired as well. “Wait until you’re my age, and then you can complain for a good reason.”
“Sorry Doc, I guess I’m just anxious to get there and get some rest.”
Liz said, “Now that they closed that door I feel much better.”
Al replied, “I second that.”
When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, the colonists already there were claiming space of their own. There was not a lot of room on the floor of the cavern, so a makeshift hallway had been partitioned off to one side of the giant metal tunnel, and people were now dividing up the real estate the passageway opened up.
The leaders did not stop. They kept going until they reached the transporter and beamed themselves up to the library. They were to meet there and decide what items required their attention first. Once again, they gathered to decide the fate of the colony, and the founders had a lot to consider.
The captain gave them a few minutes to rest and collect their thoughts and then said, “I don’t think we can stay here. The tunnel is going to be a hard place to live, and some people are setting up inside the cavern where they shouldn’t. Some of that equipment might be dangerous.”
Elizabeth volunteered, “We have enough food for maybe a month. If we use the replicators in the sleeping quarters, maybe a little longer. Then we’ll have to figure out how to feed everyone.”
“Where are we going to feed everyone?” asked Kayla. “I haven’t seen a place large enough to hold everybody.”
The captain knew that Tiro was listening. As a part of the facility computer, he was everywhere. “Tiro, can we speak with you?”
Like a spirit that can come and go as it pleases, he materialized. The four-foot gray alien was standing next to the captain, and he was not a happy hologram. “Your people are making use of critical facility resources to fabricate living space. It is unwise to be here.”
The captain agreed, but there was nowhere else to go. The Sansi caves were no more extensive than where they were, and the lack of technology would severely hamper their quality of life. “Our security chief has stationed personnel at exits, and nobody will be allowed above the cavern without express permission. I am sorry Tiro, but we have no choice.”
The captain felt bad, but he had to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of his people. “Okay, back to the original question. Is there a place we can use to feed everyone?”
“There is a suitably sized storage room on the west side of the chamber. I could have that cleaned before you make use of it. Would that be satisfactory?”
“Yes Tiro, please do that.”
“Will that be all then?”
Tiro was upset and unhappy with the outcome of his assistance. He had not predicted this overcrowded scenario.
The captain had an idea, “Did your people research the rest of this planet, before choosing this site?”
“Our surveys found this to be the optimum location.”
“Yes, but are their other places that may be less dangerous?”
“It is possible, but this is the only large landmass except for a few small islands. The chances are small you will find any location more suitable than this valley.”
The captain had a hundred places he needed to be, and he knew the others did too. “All right, thank you, Tiro. I truly am sorry for having to bring my people here. Your help will be vital in the weeks to come, and I hope you understand the circumstances.”
Tiro said, “There is an option you have not considered. It would be risky, but possibly beneficial.”
“What would that be,” inquired the captain.
“Take your people to another world.”
The captain smiled. He had considered that option, but not seriously. The odds were not in their favor. “Your records are more than half a century old, and even if we could find a place, I’m not sure I trust the technology. We will look around here first. There must be someplace on this planet we can settle in peace.”
Tiro left, and they continued discussing what was necessary for life at Overlook. When the meeting was over, and they left, Chris turned to the captain with an excited expression and said, “Time to go exploring?”
“Yes Chris, it is time to go exploring.”
Chris loved exploring.
Chapter Eighteen
Kira attended the funeral ceremonies for the brave warriors that gave their lives in defense of her and the Kuthra. In a daze, she was still trying to come to terms with the reality. She was well aware that Toji assembled these men to assist her, and the excitement of the hunt combined with her rescue had swept them away to their deaths.
She had spent many days with Toji
; exploring, dreaming, and just having fun. Many times they had talked about fighting the Riktors, with different ideas on how to go about it. It had been idle talk among close friends until the star gods arrived. The first time they tried to fight the Riktors had worked out well. This funeral ceremony was a reminder that not all hunts are successful.
The natives arranged the funeral pyres in a circle, where one would ignite the next. First in line was Toji’s. A ritual handed down from generation to generation, and a long time since so many had left this world for the next at the same time.
Her parents were with her, as well as her relatives and friends, but it did little to help her feel better. Kira felt responsible. She had grown away from the childhood friends they once were and had seen little of Toji since the Kuthra arrived. Now it was too late, and they would never get another chance.
The chief lit the first pyre, and the prayer to the gods began. Softly spoken by all, they watched as the fire worked its way around until all six wooden platforms were blazing, and the prayer continued. When the last of the flames flickered out, the prayer stopped, and everyone left to herald the lives of the departed and support those left behind. A few stayed behind to finish sending them on their journey.
The after gathering was a tradition, and with such a small tribe, everyone attended. Kira was not in the mood. It was difficult for her to think of happy memories, much less talk about them. Kira was feeling guilty for betraying their love. She sat in a corner by herself until everyone left.
She was beginning to remaster the art of walking, although she still had occasional glitches. With a need to go somewhere, she decided to walk to Camelot. She left as the sun began to go down to see how her friends at Camelot were doing. She thought the walk might take her mind off her loss.
AL CLARK - Avalon -: (Book Two) Page 18
