**********
Chamberlain saw the two spheres, their outer hulls ripped open, slowly sinking down to the ocean floor. The one that had just detached--there was a pressure hatch where it had been.
“Right in there,” Chamberlain ordered the pilots. “Put our nose right through it.”
The MH-90 raced toward the hatch. When they were within a hundred meters the nose gun fired, tearing through the outer door.
Chamberlain hit the control that sealed off the pilot’s compartment from the rear.
“Flooding,” he announced.
The back ramp cracked open and water poured in.
As Chamberlain led the way out of the cargo bay, a tentacle shot by him, snatching the soldier next in line. Chamberlain dove forward, firing rounds at the creature. Designed to work on the Valkyrie armor, the specially adapted ammunition tore through the soft body of the kraken with little damage, the charge inside exploding harmlessly well after it had passed through.
A killer whale darted up and with one snap of its teeth severed the tentacle. The kraken turned its attention to the whale, and Chamberlain led his soldiers to the gap in the outer hatch. He paused there and did a quick check of the battle behind him.
Half the MH-90s were destroyed, floating derelicts. He saw numerous Valkyrie and Earth Battalion combat suits floating lifelessly in the water. He had a dozen soldiers with him as they placed a waterproof charge on the inner door. The charge exploded and Chamberlain was the first one in, swept in with the water that surged through. He kept his weapon at the ready as the corridor went up and pressure equalized.
He surfaced in the corridor, the pressure from the Atlantis dome keeping the water at bay. He moved forward, checking his rear view, seeing what was left of his battalion following. He focused back on the front.
The walls of the wide corridor were made of black metal, and the corridor went straight ahead, toward a golden glow. A figure was silhouetted against that glow for a moment, about twenty meters ahead, and Chamberlain’s training kicked in. He fired automatically, his rounds hitting dead on target.
The Valkyrie was knocked back, tumbling in a heap.
Chamberlain came out of the corridor inside the dome · and was momentarily stunned by the display that was projected on the interior surface. This pause allowed the rest of his group to catch up with him. Chamberlain ordered them to deploy tactically, and they moved forward toward the center tower, their suits allowing them to make large leaps and bounds over the terrain between.
They were engaged several times by Valkyries, and four of his surviving soldiers were killed, but there was no solid defense. Chamberlain realized that the Shadow had deployed most of the Valkyries outside of the dome, perhaps being warned by sensors or some other means as to what direction the attack was coming from.
A wide staircase, over a hundred meters in width, led up to massive doors set at the base of the tower. Chamberlain bounded up the stairs and through the open doors. To his right, a ramp went upward along the outer wall of the tower. And he headed in that direction.
**********
Memories flooded Dane’s essence.
Being a child in a field. Feeling the bright sun and cool breeze on his skin. The smell of the freshly cut hay.
On board a helicopter with his team returning from a Particularly dangerous mission in Cambodia, where the exhilaration of being alive mixed with exhaustion as the adrenaline rush of combat wore off.
Sin Fen and the connection his mind had shared with hers.
He could sense how close Chamberlain and his troops were.
It was all coming to an end.
*********
Chamberlain led his troops through wide doors into the room filled with the latticework of globes.
Destroy them. They are the Shadow.
Chamberlain didn’t hesitate. “Charge,” he ordered over the battalion net.
The survivors of the First Earth Battalion dashed forward, firing as they did so.
Globes shattered under the barrage.
Chamberlain felt a wave of pain sweep through his brain and he staggered, blinded.
**********
Dane probed the shield around the crystal sphere. It was weaker. He pushed harder, forcing the surviving members of the Shadow into a difficult decision: defend the source of their power, or defend themselves.
Unaccustomed to being attacked, having destroyed so many timelines with impunity, they failed to act decisively and tried to do both.
They failed in both.
**********
Chamberlain was the last member of the First Earth Battalion still standing. Barely. Blood was streaming from his nose, mouth, ears and eyes from hemorrhages in his brain. There was one last Shadow globe still intact.
With great effort Chamberlain tried to aim his weapon, but he couldn’t lift it. He fell to his knees, the image of the last globe flickering on his helmet screen.
*********
Dane could feel the essence of the last Shadow still trying to shield the crystal. He focused his power and punched through, pouring his essence into the crystal. It was as if he dove into hot lava as he felt the immense power of the globe.
He saw it then--that this crystal supplied the power that made all the portals work. He absorbed that power, drawing it in, feeling it build around him.
He remembered Sin Fen’s smile as she lay on top of the black pyramid, focusing its power against the Shadow. A similar smile crossed his face as he realized he was fulfilling his destiny.
The crystal sphere exploded.
Across multiple parallel worlds portals snapped out of existence.
EPILOGUE
EARTH TIMELINE--VIII
Washington, DC, 14 April 1865
As President Lincoln helped Mary into the carriage, she cried out in anguish. He gripped her wrists, keeping her from falling out.
“What is it?”
As he put her on the seat next to him, she put her hands to her head. It had been a long day, perhaps the best and worst week of his life. Just five days ago General Grant had accepted lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Lincoln had traveled to Richmond where he had been wildly cheered by troops and freed slaves. He’d been asked by the ranking Union officer how to treat the people of the former Southern capital. He’d told the general to “let them up easy,” in I accordance with his policy of integrating the South back into the Union as smoothly and quickly as possible.
General Grant and his wife were supposed to be joining them for the trip to Ford Theater this evening, but at the last minute, the general had begged off, citing other responsibilities.
Then Mary had had two visions during the day: one of which showed Sherman’s army winning a final victory; the other showing her husband’s body laid out in the East Room of the White House and a voice saying “Lincoln is dead.”
The president had been uncertain how to interpret these two visions. Perhaps she had had another vision. He leaned close. “What is it?” he repeated.
Mary lifted her head and surprisingly there was a wide smile on her face. “They’re gone.”
“What’s gone?”
“The voice. The visions. They’re gone. I’m free.”
Lincoln wrapped his long arm around his wife. Her body felt loose, the tenseness that had always been present was gone. She lifted her face toward his, and he kissed her.
“Let’s skip the play,” she whispered.
THE END
Table of Contents
Start
Table of Contents
Start
yscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Battle For Atlantis Page 24
