Despite the moral support of Amrah and the dream of Veronica, Michael felt utterly alone as he walked in blind sunlight to meet the challenge. Nevertheless, he braced himself, ignoring the heat and the parched rocks. As relaxed as he could get under the circumstances, he cleared his mind and headed toward the white sands of the dry lake bottom.
A subtle whistle made Michael look up as a triangular craft materialized in the sky, descending fast, then hovering in mid-air a foot above the ground. No engine noise. No wind. No displacement of sand pattern. Krastinios was right on time.
Michael closed the distance. The small hermetic vessel seemed to absorb the light through its dull, black surface. It had a V shape. A familiar smell pervaded the area, not unpleasant, rather sweet, like burned licorice, not unlike the smell of Amrah's spaceship. Michael puzzled over the lack of noise and wondered whether the craft used the same mode of propulsion as Amrah’s.
One side of the hull slid open, revealing the loathsome smile of his archenemy. Michael kept his anger in check and chose a rough, sarcastic approach. "What'd you do? Steal an Air Force prototype?"
"You disappoint me, Tanner. I am hurt. This is much more advanced technology. Don't you like it?"
"Where's Jennifer, you, filthy snake?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such lack of manners! She is here. Would you care to come in?"
"Thanks, but no thanks, let her come out. Did you bring Tori, too?"
Krastinios beckoned to someone inside, and both Jennifer and Tori appeared in the opening, hands bound behind their backs, squinting against the mid-day sun.
"Daddy!" Jennifer exclaimed, both surprise and relief evident on her face.
"Michael?" Tori looked confused and a little embarrassed.
"Get them out, away from this thing." Michael reinforced his natural authority with a mental command.
"I believe they would be more comfortable waiting inside, really." Krastinios flinched, as if resenting the coercion.
"I don't trust your sneaky ways. Let them out, and untie their hands."
"You have no sense of humor whatsoever, Tanner. And you are spoiling all my fun." Krastinios sighed. When he snapped his fingers, the ties fell off the prisoners' hands.
Jennifer jumped off the hovering craft and ran into her father's arms. Tori massaged her wrists and looked around. She hesitated for a second then stepped out of the craft, blinking under the glare of the bright sun. When her gaze met Michael's, ten years of guilt seemed to weigh on her shoulders. Still holding Jennifer, Michael looked at Tori with steady understanding, sending waves of forgiveness to soothe her suffering mind. She responded with a smile.
"Tori, I'm glad you're all right. Would you please take Jennifer to the shelter up there? There is shade and water. I have some business with Mr. K." The pseudonym rang as an insult.
Krastinios didn’t seem to notice. "What a touching family portrait. Unfortunately, in a few minutes there won't be anymore family."
Ignoring the threat, Michael watched Tori and Jennifer retreat to the flimsy shade of the makeshift tent he had pitched the night before, then turned his attention back to his enemy.
“How lovely,” Krastinios mocked. "Now, it's just you and me, alone at last, free to consummate."
"Cut the crap. Let's get on with it."
"A little impatient, aren't we?" Krastinios obviously enjoyed the idea of the duel. “For myself, I would like to savor the moment. I have been waiting for this."
"So have I, asshole. It's pay-back time."
"I see that you have learned a few tricks since we last met. But closing your mind to my scrutiny will not help you much."
Michael composed himself and relaxed his stance, turning slightly to face Krastinios straight on. As he unfocused his eyes, he flashed lightning at the exact spot where his opponent's head was a moment before. It hit the black aircraft in a shimmer of disrupted electromagnetic fields. A strong licorice smell filled Michael's nostrils as loud, impudent laughter resounded behind him.
Michael faced about, just in time to sidestep a much stronger jolt coming straight at him. The fire bolt scorched the sand where Michael had been standing.
Another peal of laughter... "You provide the finest entertainment, my dear Tanner. I enjoy it immensely."
Michael aimed again, this time igniting a ball of tumbleweed while Krastinios evaporated to reappear on the right, laughing in the same infuriating way.
A cloud of sand and dust started to rise when Krastinios summoned a fierce whirlwind. Blinded, Michael struggled to stay erect. The tornadic wind threatened to sweep him off his feet and throw him to the heavens. Michael held fast, concentrating his energy, rooting himself deep into Mother Earth. He choked on dust, arms covering his face protectively. Quickly, the vortex subsided.
Suddenly blotting the sun, a wingspan of nine feet dropped upon Michael's head, talons and claws slashing. A gigantic eagle... It took several deep cuts in the skin of his arms before Michael could collect his wits and mentally send the bird of prey packing with a cry of dismay.
*****
From the relative safety of the tent, overlooking the dry lake, halfway to the entrance of what looked like a mine, Jennifer and Tori stared in horror. Every time Michael faltered under an attack, Jennifer cried out. She wanted to rush toward him, but what could she do? Throw rocks? It seemed childish. Shielding her eyes, she looked in the direction of the mine and saw something on a flat stone. Some kind of gun... She ran toward it.
"Jennifer!" Tori called after her.
Jennifer ignored the call. When she returned to Tori, out of breath, she proudly held in front of her Michael's Uzi. “I found something." She handed the weapon to Tori. "Can you use it? We've got to help him."
"Dear God, I don't know..." Tori took the weapon and looked it over. "I've seen it used in movies." She tried the grip. "It looks armed, I just have to pull the trigger.”
“Try it!"
Resolutely, Jennifer and Tori walked down toward the lake.
*****
Now bleeding from many gashes on face and arms, mad as hell, Michael faced Krastinios again. He struck, strong and true. Krastinios did not vanish this time but somehow deflected the jolt back to its sender. The bolt hit Michael in the chest, paralyzing him with pain and fear. He staggered and fell, tasting blood and grit on his lips. Willing himself to get up despite the crippling wound, Michael dragged himself to his feet, only to fall again.
Krastinios loomed now, blocking the sun, filling the air with vexing laughter. At such close range, Michael could not avoid a fatal blow. He felt so weak, ready to faint. If only he had a few seconds to recover...
A round of firearm exploded nearby.
Krastinios stopped laughing. His eyes narrowed with surprise, mouth twisting as he clutched his stomach. With green blood seeped from several wounds, the black knight fell to his knees.
Closing his eyes for an instant, Michael thanked Jennifer for the respite while mentally healing his worse injuries. No time to rest, though. Half running, half limping, he rushed toward the mine entrance, gesturing to Tori and Jennifer. "Get away from there!"
Krastinios, already on his feet, didn’t follow Michael but went straight for Jennifer and Tori. Jennifer scrambled up the slope like a rabbit, but Tori stood her ground, a figure of righteousness and wrath in her dirty, sweaty dress, firing at will. This time, however, the bullets hit an invisible shield and ricocheted in every direction. Tori gasped, stopped firing then dropped the weapon to run. When she tripped, a net stretched in front of her. She fell, tangled in the web. A few yards away, Jennifer met the same fate.
Krastinios laughed. "Maybe I shall kill you first." Taking a deep breath, he prepared to strike. In that instant, lightning hit him hard on the side of the head. Krastinios pivoted, eyes full of hatred, to face Michael who stood in the black entrance of the mine. "Do not interfere, Earthling. I will take care of you too."
"Pick on someone your own strength, coward!" Michael held his chest as he limped further
inside the dark tunnel. This time Krastinios followed him.
Michael went straight for the dynamite, ignited it with a mind jolt then lightly dropped into the shaft, slowing his descent by levitating. He landed on the floor of the cave a little harder than expected, waiting for Krastinios to get caught in the explosion. No such luck. The dark knight was already next to him when the conflagration shook the cave, sending a shower of dust and rock through the communicating chimney, disturbing a thousand screaming and flapping bats.
*****
While struggling to get out of the net, Tori and Jennifer heard the explosion that shook the mountainside. Tori freed herself first, then helped Jennifer out and held her in her arms. "God help us!" she cried in despair, pressing the girl against her chest. Several smaller explosions followed.
Dust and heavy smoke came out of the entrance, but neither Tori nor Jennifer dared enter the collapsed tunnels.
Jennifer attempted to contact her father's mind. "Dad is alive!" she declared triumphantly, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Then, she stayed linked to Michael's mind, offering her small supply of energy to supplement his.
*****
Despite the explosion, the cave itself was still intact. The deeper rock had not been affected much by the shock, but the two combatants now threw lightning at each other, illuminating the cave with their fireworks.
Regaining control of his body, Michael fired relentlessly to keep Krastinios busy, while mentally exploring the silo underneath. The alien envoy did not relent. Obviously he had access to limitless energy. Michael would have to end the fight soon, or else die of pure exhaustion.
When he finally located the device, Michael discovered with dismay that the countdown sequence had already started without his intervention. The tremors had triggered the sensitive mechanism. The seconds rolled down on the red dial, seven, six, five...
Using telekinesis, Michael attempted to reverse the process. Distracted by the problem at hand, he failed to sense the boulder Krastinios had detached from the rock above him. Too late... The force of the blow on his left shoulder made him lose all control. Michael felt himself falling into darkness...
"Daddy! Daddy!" Jennifer’s frantic screams in his mind called him back to awareness. Behind closed eyelids, Michael gathered all his remaining strength to call all the screaming bats to fall on Krastinios. A brief distraction was all he needed. In the silo, the seconds ticked, five, four... In a supreme effort, Michael willed himself out of the cave, in the same fraction of a second when fifty megatons of blazing energy imploded, burning the oxygen, melting the rock of the deep cave, volatilizing the lake, and mutilating Mother Earth who rumbled in protest.
Michael re-materialized outside, under the bright sun, next to Jennifer and Tori. "Down!" he yelled, dragging Jennifer to the ground and covering her with his body. Tori sprawled down at his side, protecting her head.
The seconds that followed happened in slow motion. First, a piercing screech froze bodies and minds. Then, a low rumble amplified as it shook the very ground they lay on. The tremor contracted, then expanded. Soon, a violent wave, like a ripple in water, coursed from the epicenter, throwing and displacing everything in its wake. Hills collapsed, hillocks rose. The ground shook under a shower of rocks and a cloud of dust.
The three of them were ejected then thrown to the ground, coughing and choking on the dust. Michael raised a mental shield against falling rocks and other projectiles. The angry infrasound of the wounded planet covered Jennifer’s screams. When it was over, they didn't dare move, waiting for the aftershock. It came within a few minutes, but with minor effects.
Michael finally raised his head, surprised to be alive, eyes screwed against the stinging sand particles. The cloud above was only dust. Mother Earth had swallowed the pain and the poison. Michael closed his eyes in infinite gratitude. Covered with white powder that resembled salt, the three sat up, checking themselves for injuries.
Jennifer looked at her father, then at Tori's piteous state and said, "We look like the three stooges after a flour fight in the kitchen."
"I'll be damned if that was a flour fight." Still shaken, Michael didn’t feel like laughing.
But Jennifer started chuckling then Tori joined in. Soon Michael laughed, glad to relieve the tension.
Suddenly, Michael saw something slithering on the ground and blanched. Jennifer and Tori stopped laughing, frozen in place. Slowly, Michael brought one hand to his boot, reaching for the knife. "Don't make a move," he whispered under his breath.
The blade flew in a quick silver-blur, impacting in a fleshy thud, followed by a faint rattle. Michael relaxed. Jennifer looked behind her at the downed target and screamed. Tori looked horrified at the sight of the fangs. Mouth open, the rattlesnake writhed around the blade that had nailed it to the ground.
"I hate them snakes," Michael spat before collapsing from exhaustion. As the adrenalin wore off, the pain of his multiple injuries made itself felt. Tori and Jennifer tried to make him more comfortable and brought him the water bottle retrieved from the collapsed shelter.
After they all drank, Michael took the time to see to his wounds. Jennifer offered to join her mind to her father's to help. Pleased by her willingness to learn the skill, Michael showed her how to reset bones, repair tissue, neatly cleanse and close wounds and cuts. Soon, with the sun setting behind the western mountain range, the exhausted Crusader fell asleep.
A few hours later, Michael awoke to gaze upon a field of stars. He felt whole again. Immediately, he noticed the eerie glow of an unnatural object hovering about a foot above the dry lake sands. Tori and Jennifer awoke as Michael started to move.
"Are you okay, Daddy?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart."
"What do we do now?" Tori asked.
"Let’s get out of here. How about Dave's home... I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the night in a bed."
Tori looked skeptical. "But how do we get there?"
"Seems to me like we have a craft waiting right here. The vessel doesn't look damaged by the quake. It must have ridden the wave."
The three of them walked toward the black flying object. The open door looked inviting. Michael stepped first into the softly lit interior. The cabin was spacious and totally empty, except for structural beams, reminding him of Amrah’s ship. Tentatively, Michael sat down and found supporting pressure to accommodate his bottom. Jennifer and Tori did the same with much dignity despite their ragged clothes, dirty faces and disheveled appearance.
Michael addressed his daughter. "So Jen, how did that creep work this thing?"
"With his mind, I think."
"You think... Hum... Let's see... First, maybe we should close the hatch. Jen, could you do that for me, please?"
"I don't know if I can." Jennifer screwed up her face in concentration. The sliding panel closed a bit, then stopped, then slid a little further.
Michael wondered how his daughter picked up telekinesis so easily. She must be very powerful. "You got it... Easy does it, nice and smooth..."
When the panel closed shut, Jennifer beamed with pride.
"The rest shouldn't be too hard." Michael recognized the technology. Amrah had taught him to fly such vessels. It was just a matter of linking his mental vibrations to the magnetic field. The magnetism made the object float easily, and the mind gave it direction and speed.
Michael concentrated on the coordinates, willing the light ship to fly to its destination. "Let's go home, wherever that is. We won the first battle, but galactic war is coming our way. We better get ready to help."
Jennifer and Tori looked dismayed by this news.
In a spray of diamond dust, the small craft shot off, illuminating the desert night. None of the passengers, however, saw the wondrous display in the starry sky.
Chapter Nineteen
"Mr. Fontaine, I have your wife on line two." At the sound of his assistant's excited voice on the intercom, Jean-Marc Fontaine stopped the relentless pacing.
He threw his gum in the wastebasket and snatched the receiver.
"Tori, at last. Are you all right? I was worried-sick. I called all our friends trying to find you. Where have you been?"
"I'm fine, Love. And Jennifer is fine, too. We are in Little Rock, Arkansas."
"What are you doing in Arkansas?"
"I'll explain when I see you. I need you. I'd like to come to New York right now."
"Listen, I have a better idea. I'm driving to Washington D.C. today. I could join you in Little Rock afterwards for a few days."
"I'd love it. In that case, I'll need a favor... Not for me, for Jennifer..."
Later that day, driving his company Mercedes, Jean-Marc Fontaine found himself sharing his impressions in French with a huge black and white feline answering to the name of Shadow. From the back seat, the cat oversaw his every moves with disdain. On the passenger side lay the attaché-case containing the compromising file on Chemitek Enterprises.
Thinking back, Jean-Marc Fontaine had never seen Miss Goldbloom so animated or so worried as this morning. She’d surprised him, losing her reserve like that.
"I hope you weren't joking about offering me a job if I lost this one!" She’d dropped the heavy folder on his desk, her questioning eyes looking straight at him for a change. "There is enough in there to sink this company with fines and send the CEO behind bars for a few years. I broke all the security codes but I was careful. They won't find out anytime soon." She’d blushed a little. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The crimson had claimed her whole face.
"We are doing the right thing," Jean-Marc had assured her. "Do not worry so much. Except for the culprits, everyone will be fine."
While driving, Jean-Marc usually reverted to French whenever thinking aloud. Shadow the cat listened between naps, one ear shivering once in a while. Fontaine could have sworn the animal knew he was going to meet Jennifer from the minute he’d picked it up. A good man this Bill Jensen... If nothing else, it said something about Michael Tanner’s choice of friends and business associates. "Right, Shadow?"
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