Realms of Time (Scrapyard Ship)

by Mark Wayne McGinnis

  Led by Orion, Jason saw the rest of the team entering the clearing and running toward them. One of the rhinos was in the middle of the pack, carrying the young Cheyenne female, Chameli. Her face was taut with fear. Jason did a quick head count: Orion, Dira, eight SEALs, Chameli, and two rhino-warriors. Where the hell was Bristol?

  Checking his HUD, Jason saw Bristol’s life-icon located a hundred yards away. He was still alive, but definitely not moving. The noise around them, like a thousand buzz saws, filled the air. The first of the hover disks to enter the opened swath was flying low to the ground and heading directly for Orion’s team. Before Jason could raise his multi-gun, she fired and destroyed it.

  Almost at once, four disks appeared from multiple directions, cutting new twenty-five-foot-wide swaths in the surrounding fields. As the disks broke into opened areas and sped toward them, the SEAL team reacted appropriately. Too close for missiles, they used rail munitions and shredded the disk mowers into burning slag. Still, half a football field distance away from them, Jason felt a sense of pride in how Orion, the SEALs, and the rhinos had again handled themselves in battle.

  Jason watched as four new mowers appeared in the open area. Then two more mowers surprised the distant team by moving down on them from above. By the time Jason raised his weapon and took out one of the high-flying disks, the second one had descended on top of three SEALs. They were shredded to their knees, leaving only boots and leg stubs behind. As the disk rose up, Orion screamed something unintelligible and shot the disk into oblivion. The remaining SEALs and rhinos continued to fire until the last of the disks was destroyed.

  By the time Jason, Billy, and Rizzo reached the others, Dira was attending to the injured. Orion, obviously angry, strode directly toward Jason.

  “What the hell is wrong with our HUDs?”

  It hadn’t even occurred to him that those disks hadn’t shown up on their HUDs. If they had, the three dead SEALs might have had a fighting chance.

  “I don’t know, Orion. The truth is, you know more about our battle suits than any one of us. At least any of those here.”

  She stared back at Jason, her anger dissipating. “This was a clusterfuck, Cap. Those boys didn’t have to die.”

  “No, Orion they didn’t.”

  Jason heard the now familiar buzzing sound in the distance. “Incoming!” he yelled.

  Everyone crouched low, quieted down, and raised their weapons at the ready. Then Jason noticed the young Cheyenne woman. She lay shielded alongside the bulk of a protecting rhino-warrior. Her eyes were wide, not comprehending the horror she’d witnessed. Jason bet she regretted her decision to come along with them.

  This was madness … They’d only made it halfway to the drone. And they hadn’t yet reached what would probably be the most dangerous realm of all, the Jurassic period. Jason thought about the two remaining advanced technology, nearly impossible to detect, drones. Was there another way, other than trudging along on foot like this? The shuttle instrumentation had proven to be far too inaccurate to be effective from the air. The best he could do was keep at it with Bristol’s equipment and keep the shuttle close.

  He hailed Grimes.

  “Go for Grimes.”

  “Pack up. We need your help.”

  “Aye, Cap. Um, I’m actually at the controls now. The drone’s position is not showing up at all. I’ve been trying to track your movements. With all the shifting time realms, I’m not getting a definitive lock on your position.”

  “Then we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. I’ll give you visual directions. But you’ll need to move it—we’re under attack.”

  “Aye, Cap. Where do I head first?”

  Chapter 26

  It took less than five minutes for the shuttle to arrive—and not a second too soon, as more mowing disks were attacking. Although they hadn’t suffered any more fatalities, exhaustion was setting in. As the Magnum came into view from the south, its dual plasma cannons easily eradicated the remaining disk mowers.

  The shuttle hovered overhead and soon descended onto the open swath where Jason’s team waited. Once on the ground, the shuttle’s gangway lowered and the team quickly moved inside to safety.

  “You ready to get out of here, Cap?” Grimes yelled over her shoulder.

  “Not yet. Bristol’s still out there somewhere,” Jason answered, as he joined her, taking the passenger seat. He pointed to a blinking life-icon on her nav display.

  “I see him.” Grimes brought the shuttle up and turned her around one hundred and eighty degrees, and slowly moved her forward across the fields.

  “There!” Jason said, pointing to a cleared section of the field. Toppled stalks covered the ground. “I think I see a leg.”

  Grimes brought the shuttle down nearby and lowered the gangway.

  “Dira, you’re with me,” Jason said, moving through the cabin. She grabbed up her MediKits and followed.

  Walking over the toppled stalks was tricky. Both Jason and Dira fell several times before reaching Bristol’s location. They quickly started to pull stalks away from his body. Both hesitated. Bristol wasn’t moving. Face down, the back of his battle suit was sheared in several spots, as were his helmet, pack and rear end.

  Dira leaned in and cleared more debris from around Bristol’s helmet. Jason could tell he was still alive; his life-icon on his HUD still indicated strong life signs.

  “How you doing in there?” Dira asked, peering into his visor.

  “Oh, let’s see. I’ve had spears flung at me; arrows shot at me; been trampled by too many buffalo to count; and now, nearly shredded to death by maniac flying saucers. I couldn’t be better.”

  “Well, then, why don’t you try to get up? You seem to be in one piece.”

  Bristol slowly moved. First one arm, then the other. Then his legs. Sitting up, he looked at Jason. “I quit. No more. I don’t fucking care if you find those drones or not.”

  Dira stood. “He seems to be okay. At least physically.”

  “Thank you, Dira. Go ahead and head back. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  She nodded, picked up her MediKit satchels and moved off in the direction of the Magnum.

  “You’re right. You’ve been through a lot.”

  Bristol shakily got to his feet and looked at Jason. “Damn right. Enough is enough. Get me back to the Minian.”

  “Well … the truth is, I have no more need for your services. Now that you’ve quit.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re free to go. Make a life for yourself. Good luck, Bristol. You’ll need it.”

  Jason turned and walked several paces away.

  “Wait, what the hell are you doing? You can’t just leave me here.”

  “I most certainly can. Remember, Bristol, I have zero compassion for you. If it weren’t for you and your brother, Nan would still be alive. You’re lucky I haven’t snapped your neck. Truth is, there was only one reason I didn’t. You were useful.”

  “I’m still useful. For God’s sakes, I’m the most useful person around. And how will you get close enough to the next drone? No, you absolutely do need me!”

  “Look, I don’t like you. I don’t like your sniveling. I don't like that I just lost three good men—men who gave their lives for this mission, while you constantly dribble complaints. You’re a self-serving little boy. And the truth is I don’t trust you.”

  Jason continued toward the shuttle.

  “Wait! Wait! Will you just wait one second?”

  “What?” Jason barked back.

  “Let me prove myself. Okay? I mean, I can’t promise to be perfect or anything, but let me try. Come on, for shit’s sake, I’m going to die out here!”

  Jason continued several more paces, then, without turning back, said, “Find your equipment; hurry up, before I change my mind.”

  * * *

  The mood on board was somber.

  “Billy, I’m sorry. Those three were the real deal. The bes
t of the best … everything that being a Navy SEAL meant. McMillian, Brown, and Scotty were nothing short of stellar.”

  “Aye, Cap, that they were. So we owe it to them. We need to complete this mission.”

  Jason scrutinized those who were left. They looked like they’d been through hell and back. SEAL battle suits were gouged. Faces behind visors looked tired. The rhinos were showing the effect perhaps more than the others. Their hides were streaked with blood from deep lacerations—far too many to count. Rizzo sat in the back row of seats with Chameli sitting next to him, her arms wrapped around his arm. Meeting Jason’s eyes, Rizzo smiled and looked confident. Gazing at Chameli, Jason was surprised to see she wore a similar smile. Perhaps she was tougher than he’d first thought. Off to their right Bristol was working away at equipment that looked as battered as his battle suit, with sections of the case sheared away.

  “Equipment still work?”

  Bristol looked ready to give him a flippant answer but seemed to catch himself. “It’s not one hundred percent, but it’s operational. I’ll make it work, Captain.”

  Jason nodded, then caught Billy’s eye. He shrugged and gave a look of surprise at Bristol’s proper use of the title Captain.

  “Cap, shall I lift off?” Grimes asked.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to leave this realm quite yet. Let’s take a look around here first. There’s something we need to verify.”

  “You mean like this planet now being part of the Craing empire?” Billy asked.

  All heads turned toward Billy.

  The SEAL next to Billy, Petty Officer Chris Myers, glared. “That’s not funny. Don’t even joke about that.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s no joke, Myers,” Jason responded. “Let’s just see what we see, all right?”

  Grimes lifted off and kicked in the thrusters. Staying low, the Magnum moved across the fields and banked left over the rise, flying over the bus and the Craing day workers. Cresting a hilltop, a deep valley came into view where a modern, strikingly white city encompassed much of the valley floor. Towering spires reached into the sky where flying vehicles were circling like bees around a hive. Midway into the city, another great aurora borealis-type curtain rose into the sky. Like the others, this one too marked a separation between time realms.

  “Stay on the outskirts and circle the city,” Jason told her.

  More city detail came into view. Jason felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He’d seen this type of architecture before. But not on Earth. He’d seen it on Halimar. Halimar of the Craing worlds.

  “Over there, Cap,” Billy said, leaning forward and pointing a finger toward the far side of the city. “Looks like an airfield.”

  Jason gestured for Grimes to head in that direction. As they approached, familiar shapes came into view. Hundreds of spacecraft. They were, perhaps, of a more modern, sleeker design, but they were definitely Craing heavy cruisers. Jason used his HUD optics to zoom in on a group of people standing on the airfield. Sure enough, they were all Craing.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Jason commanded. “Take us back, Grimes, on course to find the drone.”

  “Captain, over there—toward the curtain. That’s the direction we need to go,” Bristol said, looking up from his equipment.

  A flash caught Jason’s eye and he turned to see a ball of flame burst through the curtain. Two small crafts followed, one of them trailing smoke. Seconds later five large birds flew inside the curtain.

  “Those are Pteranodons, Cap,” Rizzo said, smiling from ear to ear. “They lived during the late Cretaceous geological period in North America. Look at their wingspan, it must be thirty feet.”

  “Looks like Craing City will be having some visitors,” Orion interjected.

  Jason nodded, watching the massive birds head for the circling aircrafts above. “Take us in, Grimes. Bristol, once we’re clear of the curtain, get us the drone’s rough coordinates as soon as possible.”

  Chapter 27

  Quickening his pace, the admiral knew he was already late getting back to the conference room to meet with Ricket and Gaddy. More pressing business had needed attending to: business that was four feet and one inch tall; far more opinionated than any nine-year-old should typically be; and the most adorable, the most important thing, in his life. Mollie had been insistent. She wanted to continue with her self-defense classes, and with Orion away, that meant finding an adequate substitute. Apparently among the remaining SEAL security team personnel on board The Lilly, there was a close quarters combat instructor. Supposedly, he was a real badass. The admiral finally tracked him down in the gym, where he was going through his own unique form of calisthenics.

  The admiral did his best to stand up taller and hold in his belly while he watched the SEAL complete the hundredth of his alternating leg squats.

  Recognizing he wasn't alone, Chief Petty Officer Woodrow came to attention and saluted.

  “Sorry, Admiral, I didn’t see you there.”

  “As you were, Woodrow. Look, I’m late for a meeting. I need to know if you’re up to providing a little combat training for one of the crew.”

  “Close quarters combat, sir?” Woodrow asked, already nodding.

  The admiral assessed the tall petty officer. He wore a black tank top, and his arms looked thick and muscular, with prominent protruding veins running along the inside of his forearms. His broad shoulders made his waist seem ridiculously thin. The man was obviously a maniac when it came to physically conditioning his body.

  “Yes, close quarters and weapons training. The gunny’s already started her training, but, as you know, she’s on a mission right now.”

  “You’re not talking about the kid, are you?” Woodrow seemed to regret the tone of his question as soon as it left his lips.

  “That kid happens to be my granddaughter, Mister.”

  “Sorry, sir. No disrespect intended. It’s just that, well, I might not be the best person to help her.”

  “And why is that?”

  Woodrow took an extra few seconds to answer. “I’m tough, sir. Hell, my training makes grown men cry.”

  “So you’re saying you’re too tough to train her?”

  “Well, no, sir. Of course I’ll train her. It’s just—”

  “For God’s sakes, spit it out, man. What is it?”

  “I don’t train people to merely defend themselves. Not that alone. My training is nothing like she’d undergo at neighborhood Taekwondo classes. I train people to kill. As quickly and efficiently as humanly possible. My students learn to kill their opponent by any means necessary, including fighting dirty, if that’s what’s called for. Falling dead lasts a long time—I make sure that won’t happen due to ill-preparedness.”

  “I can live with that. Expect to have classes every day. She’ll be here in thirty minutes.”

  Woodrow saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  The admiral entered the conference room ten minutes late. Both Ricket and Gaddy were seated, as well as the XO. Perkins had been a last minute invite.

  “First off, Ricket, who’s minding the Minian?”

  “Two rhino-warriors: Traveler and Second Reflection. Additionally, Admiral, there’s an armed security force of thirty SEALs, and all portals are secured by armed mini-hover drones.”

  “Fine,” the admiral said, taking his seat. Before he could utter another word, he was being hailed.

  “Go for Admiral Reynolds.”

  “Sir, we’ve got new contacts in Earth space. There’s an incoming hail for Captain Reynolds,” Ensign McBride said.

  “What are the contacts?”

  “Those same two Crystal City ships.”

  “And who is it I’ll be talking to, Ensign?”

  “It’s Granger, sir. I don’t understand what he’s—”

  “Just hang tight, I’m en route to the bridge.”

  The admiral stood up. “We’ll need to move this meeting to the bridge. You too, Gaddy.”

  As the admiral enter
ed The Lilly’s bridge, he was greeted with the image of Granger’s smiling face on the forward two sections of the wrap-around display.

  The admiral nodded for McBride to enable the audio link.

  “Hello, Admiral. You’re looking a bit distressed. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.”

  “Drop the small talk, Granger. I need to know what’s going on. Why are you contacting us from a Crystal City ship? Originals and progressives, from what I understand, don’t play well together. Truth is, we thought you’d been taken with the rest of the Minian’s crew.”

  “Let me do my best to explain things, Admiral. It’s far simpler than you may think. First of all, I like this particular thread of existence I’m on within the multiverse. This is my home. But my brethren progressive Caldurians? Not so much. Truth is, they haven’t set foot here for hundreds of years.”

  “How can you say that? The Minian showed up in Allied space, fired on an Allied vessel, and is now sitting in Earth space.”

  “First of all, as far as the progressives are concerned, the Minian no longer exists. She was destroyed by a phase-shift anomaly, in a time and dimension far removed from this one.”

  “In other words, you’ve pirated the damn vessel to take as your own.”

  Granger simply stared back at the admiral.

  “What the hell happened to her crew?”

  “That’s a bit more tricky to explain. To be honest, I’m not really sure. Many of the crew were accomplices, eager to start a new life here. The others, the progressives, who still prided themselves on being adverse to violence, well, obviously, they needed to be dealt with.”

  “You killed them? Killed your own damn crew!”