A roar picked up over head and Mya was right, the ships were leaving, moving south.
“What can my uncle do to help everyone here? Why is he so important?” inquired Drew.
“Without him, we can’t close the doors.”
“What doors?” asked Megan.
“The ones that lets the bad people come in and fly around Earth. They can’t do that when we close the doors up,” responded Mya.
Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche!
A Marine rounded a corner and stood a block down the street. The Marine paused and stared at Drew.
Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche! Tsche!
He ran like a bat out of hell toward them, pushing up his visor. It was Segarra. He unclipped his helmet and pulled off his mask, dropping it on the street.
Out of breath, covered in perspiration, Segarra made it to Mya’s side and picked her up. The worry in his eyes changed to delight. “You did it again, Mya. And this time you got them all in one swoop. You chased them off, Baby.”
Mya didn’t say anything. She didn’t smile or frown. She merely hugged her dad. “This was the last time, Papa.”
Segarra shook his head. “It’s not. We have a lot of work to do. More of these blue mean people are all over our planet.”
Mya lowered her eyes. “No. No more.”
Segarra became stern, then relaxed. Drew could tell Segarra wasn’t going to argue. He kissed her on the cheek instead. “I’m just happy you’re alive and okay.”
“I have to be with Drew and Megan for a little bit.”
Segarra faced Drew, his eyes firm. “What does she mean?”
Mya touched her father’s cheek. “We are going to look for others like me and wait for Jaxx to find us.”
“Excuse me?” Segarra stood straighter. “Again, what does my daughter mean?” He wasn’t happy with what was coming out of Mya’s mouth.
Drew shrugged. “No idea.” Of all things, Drew wanted a joint, not to look for kids with the same powers as Mya.
Segarra huffed and dipped his head. “Good day, you two. Thank you for keeping my child safe.” He turned on his heels and, holding Mya, walked away and disappeared around a corner.
“What did she mean, Drew?” asked Megan, shoving her hands hard in her pockets. “Who is Jaxx?”
Drew looked over Megan’s shoulder. A sign with a marijuana leaf was screwed into a shop behind her. “Holy shit.”
Her eyes went wide. “Is there an Agadon behind me?”
“No, no. This is something that’s good. Real good.” He walked past her, heading toward the ganja dispensary.
32
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Namuh Farms, Callisto
Jaxx stared at Slade crumpled on the floor, a mess of blood pooling around his corpse. It was this man, Slade, who made his life a miserable hell for months, and here Slade was, dead like a poisoned rat sprawled out on the ground.
Craig rested his hand on Jaxx’s back. “You probably wanted to see that guy dead for a long time, huh?”
Jaxx nodded his head, then shifted on his feet. He had so many questions, the most glaring of which was why the fuck the President of the United States was down here with Slade. But Rivkah was more important. He had to tell Rivkah that Slade took his last breath not too long ago, even if she was unconscious. Maybe that could help bring her back. “I have to go.”
He halted when he saw his buddy, Kiyo-zan, on the floor, motionless. He had saved Jaxx’s life. He bent down, touching the back of Kiyo-zan’s head. “Thank you, my friend. Always, and forever. Thank you.”
A ding and the elevator door opened. Fox barreled out, skidding to a halt in front of them, breathless. “The pyramid just popped up out of nowhere. Scared the shit out of me. Clever trick, Jaxx-boy. How did you pull a pyramid out of your ass like that?”
“It has to deal with octaves and vibrational dimensions, Fox. Your mind wouldn’t understand,” said Zara. She had Rivkah in her arms. She halted when she saw Kiyo-zan. She gave a sad bow and closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry for your loss, Jaxx. He was a good man.” She lifted Rivkah a little higher in the air. “She doesn’t have much time. Jaxx.” She tipped her head toward the pyramid entrance. “There might be something in there that might help Rivkah.”
Craig backed up. “A cat-human?” He bowed, then extended his hand. “I’m Craig Martelle, the President of the United States of –”
Zara pushed him aside with her hip. “Move it, long-nose.”
Jaxx rushed past the pyramid entrance. Two women greeted him, though greeted was the wrong word. These two sat cross legged near the entrance of the pyramid, their eyelids shut, humming. A megalithic rectangular stone was in front of them, hovering and spinning end over end.
Their eyes opened and the stone crashed to the floor, pinging loudly against the walls. They stood, their hands out, unblinking.
“Pyramid,” said Jaxx. “I have an injured friend. Can we heal her?”
A door opened up in the side of a transparent wall, leading to a room full of weapons, bones, and stone tablets covered with hieroglyphs. Jaxx would have been in absolute heaven translating each glyph, figuring out the secret to the creation of the universe, if he’d had time. But time was slipping away, taking Rivkah with it.
He walked into the room and static electricity swarmed over him.
The two humming women followed Jaxx, their arms still extended outward.
Jaxx turned, trying to figure out where the pyramid was trying to lead him, and accidently bumped into one of the women. “You can help Rivkah?” There was a hopeful gleam in Jaxx’s eyes.
A woman dipped her head. The other woman mimicked her.
They must be mute, thought Jaxx. “Zara, bring Rivkah in here.”
“Yes, I’m on my way.” Zara rounded the door frame, Rivkah still limp and lifeless.
“Put Rivkah in their arms,” ordered Jaxx.
A woman slowly shook her head and sat down in the middle of the room, the one area that wasn’t littered with ancient masterpieces. The other woman sat across from her. They both patted the ground at the same time.
Zara gently set Rivkah on the ground in between the two ladies. She backed away and the women began to hum louder. Rivkah lifted off the ground and hovered between them, her legs straight out and her arms by her sides as if she was on an invisible table.
Lightning-like electricity materialized around Rivkah and a loud pop filled the air. Rivkah began vibrating, shaking, her limbs moving as if she was going through a shock treatment. Her head lifted and she screamed. She fell to the floor.
The two women in meditation stood and put their hands together, bowed, then walked out of the room.
Jaxx held his breath for several seconds and finally spoke. “Rivkah? Are you there? Are you alive?”
33
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Namuh Farms, Callisto
“Where am I?” Rivkah bolted up, her eyes darting around the room. The kids? Where were the kids? Was she too late?
Jaxx ran to her side, grasping her arm. “You’re with me.”
“Jaxx?” She couldn’t believe her eyes. Was he really there in front of her? She reached out and touched his face. “Did you –” She didn’t finish her sentence. She wanted to know if he saved her, because damn, that would make up for a lot of shit she’d put up with from this guy. But the children. They were most important.
A flood of energy ran over her, running down her arms and to her feet. A voice boomed in her ears, one that she knew was from the structure she was inside. How was it possible for a building to talk with her? “I have to get the children and bring them down here. Here their DNA can be rewired and link up to the pyramid network. They can help us close it.”
She stood and ran out of the healing chamber and out of the pyramid. She stopped, her heart racing, her adrenaline on full alert. Where the fuck was she? How the hell could she get out?
Jaxx caught up to her. “What’s all this about children?”
Jaxx pulled her to the elevator. It opened.
She hurried into the elevator, Jaxx by her side. He pressed the up arrow. She closed her eyes, searching for humans in the city. She let out a sigh of relief. “They are safe.” She looked at Jaxx. “I know where the children are.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. They rushed into the skyscaper’s lobby and out of the entrance doors. There wasn’t any time to question how she made it underground and to a giant pyramid. She had to get the children away from any remaining Kelhoon. The damn place was vacant. No sounds, no gun blasts close by, just thunder and crackling phasers over the hills to the north.
They made their way down a side street, heading toward the castle that mainstaged the city. Rivkah couldn’t believe how warm it was in contrast to the rest of Callisto. Her brain raced on ahead, making plans for the children. She would house them right here, keep them safe, keep them far from the Kelhoon and the Agadon and any other race that might seek to enslave them.
“Left,” she shouted, heading down another street. “Right there.” She lifted her arm, pointing her index finger at a warehouse. “I don’t know if it’s being guarded.”
Jaxx shook his head. “Okbak, the Kelhoon leader, said he sent all his troops after the Agadon. My guess is that it’s safe.”
Okbak? What the hell was Jaxx doing talking with Kajka Okbak and how did he convince the prick to go after the Agadon? Again, too many questions, too little time. “If we don’t get those kids secretly, we’ll have to deal with the Kelhoon assholes knowing we are stealing them from their business.”
Jaxx’s hand brushed against hers as they ran and a tingling went up her spine and encapsulated her heart. Just the touch, the need to be touched by him some more, riveted her soul. Later. That could all come later. She made her way to the warehouse.
She squeezed the latch and pulled down. A loud clank and the large warehouse door opened. The lights turned on, practically blinding them, then died down to normal.
Whispers and gasps filled the place, and the children pounded against the wooden shacks they were trapped in, their hands bound by energetic cuffs.
“Help us,” yelled an older girl. “Please.”
Rivkah glanced to her left, seeing a console. “Jaxx, figure that out.”
Jaxx placed his hands over the console and closed his eyes. It blasted apart, sparks shooting everywhere.
“It worked,” yelled the little girl. “My handcuffs turned off.”
A rumble filled the sky. Jaxx looked out the door. “Shit. It’s a Kelhoon ship. Let’s go.”
Fighting these lizard scum wouldn’t be so smart around these kids. Any errant shot would mean immediate death. They had to go. She ran to the closest shelter in front of her and threw the door open. Several kids stared up at her, their eyes blank, their souls crushed. She waived them out, her own eyes fierce, but her voice soft. “Get out. All of you. We’re getting you to safety.”
In under ten minutes they had exactly twenty-four children out of their cages. “Follow me, and Jaxx, take the rear. Make sure we make it safely and to the underground facility, no matter what.”
Jaxx nodded and prodded several children forward. “You’re doing good. But we’re not out of this yet.”
Exiting the warehouse, two dozen kids behind her, Rivkah dashed onward and down a street. A flash of light zoomed overhead, then slowed. It was a Kelhoon transport. It reversed course and hovered over them, then began to descend.
“Take the kids and go,” yelled Jaxx, eyeing the craft coming in for a landing. “They’ll want their child investments and I’m not giving any to them.”
Rivkah narrowed her eyes, throwing her hands in the air. “Keep going, children. We’ll be safe.” The truth is, she didn’t know if she was leading them to safety or not.
They rounded a corner and found themselves down the street from the skyscraper. Another ship came into view. Though it was far away, it was coming in fast. The Kelhoon knew something was up and they didn’t like it.
Wapooo! Wapooo! Krackow!
Phaser blasts and a ball of fire rose into the sky from down the street and around the corner. It was exactly where Jaxx had left them. She closed her eyes to scan his energy signature, then a roar filled the sky. Starfighters were on their way.
She stepped up the stairs into the skyscraper and opened the door, letting all the children run inside. “Press that elevator arrow down.”
A young girl pumped her little feet as fast as they could carry her and punched the down arrow. The elevator dinged and opened. That was fine and dandy, but twenty-four kids wouldn’t fit in that thing.
Fuck.
She pushed in twelve, packing them in as best she could. She stood outside the elevator with the remaining twelve. The elevator doors shut.
Rivkah brought her fingernails to her teeth, tapping, waiting. “Come on. Hurry, hurry.” She waited a few more seconds and pressed the up arrow. Soon, the elevator would make its way back up and she’d shove everyone, including herself, inside.
Another blast rocked the building and Rivkah ducked. The kids ducked and screamed. This explosion was closer. Was Jaxx safe? Was he heading this way?
The elevator dinged open and she pushed all the kids inside, jimmying herself next to the digital buttons on a panel next to the elevator door. She pressed the down arrow. The doors closed.
She relaxed, for the moment. When she’d make it down there, then what? Would she take more information from the pyramid? She hoped so. Otherwise, they may be sitting ducks down here waiting for the Kelhoon to show up and make mincemeat of them.
The door opened. The twelve kids who took the first ride in the elevator were standing around, scared looks in their eyes. “To the pyramid. Go, every one of you.”
All twenty-four ran, Rivkah right behind them. They entered the pyramid.
Fox stood inside, looking nonchalantly at the kids like this was a normal affair. “Eh, now what?” He put his hands up, waiting for an answer.
“Where is the cat-lady?” asked Rivkah. She was nowhere to be seen.
“Around the corner. She doesn’t want to scare the kids any more than they already are.”
The kids have seen half-lizards, half-humans. A beautiful lioness would probably be a relief, but to each her own.
Rivkah went deep within, taking several large breaths, asking the pyramid her next step. She waited, listening. Finally, the answer came.
“We need –”
The elevator dinged and she turned, her hands in fists, ready to take on a thousand Kelhoon idiots if she had to. She dropped her hands. It was Jaxx and a momentary smile erupted on her face, her heart going to him. She hid it a second later.
He held out a Kelhoon rifle and blasted the elevator to shit, warping the inside, making it non-operational. But, how did he get that rifle? Must had taken it from a Kelhoon in the Kelhoon transport that had landed, then probably used the rifle to blow the transport to kingdom come. Hence the explosions outside.
Jaxx walked toward them, sweat dripping down his temples and cheek. “Kelhoon are crawling all over the city up there and are probably in the skyscraper now. Hopefully the broken elevator will keep them at bay for a while.” His eyes were full of doubt.
The Kelhoon always found a way. Rivkah knew this all too well. Give them ten minutes, and they’d be crawling down here as well.
34
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Namuh Farms, Callisto
Jaxx stopped, his eyelids closing. He was receiving a message. His body shivered, his mind racing with hieroglyphs transforming into words. The pyramid was speaking to him, giving him important information.
He opened his eyes and walked hastily into the pyramid. “Children. Things are going to be a li
ttle different in a few seconds. I need each and every one of you to hold hands with Rivkah and that nice fellow standing over there and make a circle.” He motioned toward Fox.
Fox raised his hand shrugging, then grunted something inaudible. “What do you need from me now, Jaxx?”
“Get in the circle.” Jaxx walked to the middle and sat down, his legs crossed like a yogi. The children surrounded him, most looking unsure, others stone faced, probably numb to everything in life following the Kelhoon’s treatment of them.
Rivkah made her way to the circle as well, then held onto the children’s hands. Fox did the same.
“We’re attempting to close the pyramid network now.”
The pyramid hummed. Static electricity filled the room, sending shocks against the walls and across the floor. An energetic vortex circled Jaxx, twisting and turning, expanding his heart, opening him up to the Universe. Showers of golden light shot from the middle of the pyramid, through Jaxx. He relaxed, his body lightened, and he felt himself rise.
A concussion burst in the structure, near the elevator, rocking the room.
Jaxx didn’t budge. “Keep your focus. Pay attention to nothing but the hum.”
Jaxx arched back, his heart opening even wider, and a bright light beamed through him and out into the cosmos, rocketing through solar system after solar system, connecting to every pyramid on every planet in the galaxy. He felt them all. He was them all. He was the beating heart of every pyramid ever built, from the smallest pile of rocks to the most majestic structures on far-flung planets.
The lines connecting the pyramids were red, muddied. In Jaxx’s mind’s eye, he saw a key.
The pyramid shook again as shell after shell detonated nearby and a Kelhoon entered the room. How it had found a way to the underground facility, Jaxx didn’t know. More Kelhoon boots slapped against the floor outside of the pyramid. He felt their anger, their heat. They readied their weapons.
Atlantis Quadrilogy - Box Set Page 87
