by T. R. Harris
Sherri and Riyad jerked their heads in his direction. Riyad leaned toward him and whispered. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Adam whispered back, “We need an army to get out of here. And here it is.”
The men in the room all surged forward and surrounded them. The older man spoke again. “What’s going on here? We know this isn’t Earth. How can a SEAL team be out here to rescue us?”
Adam spoke quickly. “We were all abducted, too, just like you, but managed to escape. But we haven’t much time. There is a force of aliens coming into the facility, and they plan on killing all of us.”
Another man spoke up from within the crowd, “Is this some kind of 2G trick?”
Sherri decided to speak up, hoping that a woman’s voice would sound more trustworthy.
“It’s true. You have heard of the Juireans? Well there are several hundred of them on their way here. These other men, the 2G’s, will either try to fight them off, or they will abandon you and probably blow the complex.”
“I’m not going to sit here and be killed,” someone yelled from the back. “What can we do?”
Adam climbed onto one of the beds. “Listen carefully. How many of you have military experience? And I don’t mean as yeomen or dispersing clerks. How many of you are combat trained?”
To his surprise, the majority of hands went up. “Good. We have limited weapons at this time. We’re going to have to fight our way out. But believe me, if we stay, we all die. Understood?” There were nods and murmurs throughout the room.
Adam continued. “As the battle proceeds, you must secure all the weapons and ammo as you can.” He lifted his flash rifle. “Flick here… and the charge pack drops out. Slap in another one. The rifle is good for thirty shots.” He then pulled out his MK-17. “Same here. Flick this and insert a new pack. Set for level-two and you have ten shots per pack. The Juireans will probably come at us wearing body armor. Shoot for the head. Most will not be wearing full-face armor. But if you’re against the other Humans, the 2G’s, you’ll need level-one on the pistols for a kill.”
The three of them passed out the twelve surplus weapons they carried plus a couple of knapsacks of power packs. “The rest of you will just have to arm yourself as we go. Each man with a weapon raise your hand. The rest of you form up around one of these guys.”
Riyad climbed on the bunk next to Adam. “I don’t have a lot of experience with the way the Juireans fight, but what I have seen shows they are very regimented and prefer forming lines for attack. Take out the lead line, and the others will probably fall back to regroup.”
Adam raised his hand. “Also, we have the advantage of close-in fighting. In the narrow passageways, they will not be able to use their superior numbers to their full advantage. Just keep the bodies piling up, and they will have trouble getting through.”
They could already hear the sounds of a battle outside the barracks. “Come on, men. Let’s go home!” Adam yelled, as a chorus of cheers joined in.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The men flowed out of the barracks room and into the corridor, turning left and heading for the exam room and the main chamber of the underground complex.
Adam pulled Sherri and Riyad aside. “Go with them and stay in touch with the comm. I have to get to the computer room.”
“By yourself?” Riyad asked.
“With the complex under attack, the Klin – or the Humans – will probably try to destroy the computer core. I have to get there first.”
“You’d do better with help,” Riyad said.
“If we can’t beat back the Juireans, as well as these other crazy Humans, it won’t make a difference. I need the two of you to guide our little army. If we all bolt and run, they may not trust us anymore.”
“He’s right,” Sherri said, pulling Riyad away. “Hurry! They’ll notice we didn’t follow in a moment.”
Reluctantly, Riyad allowed Sherri to lead him away.
Adam watched them disappeared around a bend in the hallway, and felt a sudden loneliness envelop him. He was hoping it wouldn’t be the last he saw of them. Then he turned and sprinted down the deserted hallway.
As Riyad and Sherri caught up with the others, they found them huddled in doorways and firing at the line of Juireans filling the main passageway leading into the cavernous chamber. Several Juireans lie dead, and the second line was just beginning to back away.
“Suppressing fire!” someone called out, and a number of electric bolts flew into the retreating ranks. Then at least ten men ran forward, and slid baseball-style on the smooth stone floor until they impacted the bodies of the dead aliens. Then they began snatching up bolt rifles and straps of power packs from the dead, before sprinting back to their lines.
Almost instantly, the rate and intensity of fire increased, filling the corridor with white hot streaks from the energy weapons.
Riyad and Sherri had taken up the cause, and were firing at the reformed line of advancing Juireans. And they were advancing, taking bolts shots to their body armor. But the Humans were very accurate with most of their shots, and numerous Juirean heads exploded in bloody messes, leaving only empty cavities within their helmets.
The Juireans once again began to retreat.
As they turned their backs on the blistering fire from the Humans, the Juirean heads were better protected, with their helmets covering their necks as well. But this then presented to the Humans the fatal flaw in the Juirean armor. The armor was concentrated in the front, with only supporting straps across their backs. The Juireans never figured they would be retreating from a battle, rendering rear armor superfluous.
Many Juireans died before learning of this flaw in their equipment.
Adam could hear the sounds of battle all around him, but fortunately, the passageways he entered were all deserted. Eventually he turned left at an intersection of corridors and came out in at the edge of the vast cavern that made up the main uranium excavation. Far to his left, he could see the main force of Juireans trying to penetrate the fire laid down from his small army of Humans. Then across the cavern, he saw a second of force of Juireans being fired upon by twenty to thirty Humans in blue tunics. At least these 2G’s hadn’t deserted the battle. He had no idea how many more there were within the complex.
To his right he saw a large plate glass window set in the rock wall with a door next to it. That would be the control room, and hopefully, the still intact computer core. He sprinted towards it, MK in his hand.
He knelt down below the window, and then did a quick pop-up glimpse inside. There were beings in the room. He spied two large Humans, as well as three tall creatures with white hair. Klin! There were Klin here.
He did another quick look to fill in some of his visual gaps. There was a Klin seated at a terminal, with two standing behind him. The two hulking Humans were standing with their backs to the window. Adam had no time to waste. He was sure they were erasing the computer’s hard drive as he watched.
Adam slid his hand into the recess depression in the door and pressed. The door slid open, and he barreled into the room, jumping headlong into the Klin seated at the computer. He hit something hard as they tumbled into the other two Klin. They all fell to the floor. Adam lay on the Klin and brought his MK-17 to bear on the nearest Human. He pressed the trigger and a bolt lashed out to strike the man just below the shoulder blade. The man fell back against the window and collapsed to the floor.
As he swung the weapon toward the other man, he found he was too late. A block-like fist slammed into his jaw. Adam’s eyes crossed and he felt himself go limp. The MK fell from his hand.
Next, thick hands gripped his tunic and pulled him off the floor. When his vision cleared, he was face-to-face with a massive head; the man had piercing blue eyes, a square jaw and a trace of stubble. The goliath reared back with his right arm for another blow. But Adam recovered just in time, and fell into the body of his attacker, sending a knee into the man’s groin. He screamed loudly into Adam’s ear,
but did not release him. Instead two massive hands clamped themselves around Adam’s throat, and began to squeeze.
Adam managed to force his arms up between the two bulging arms, and then spun his whole body to his left, using his entire weight as leverage to break the grip on his throat. The man’s arms separated more, and Adam flung his right elbow up, impacting the man’s protruding jaw.
His attacker stumbled backwards; Adam sent a left jab into the man’s nose, and blood gushed forth.
Next, Adam sent a spin kick to the man’s rib cage. He fell back even more. And then his opponent saw the MK-17 on the floor to his right. He dove for it, just as Adam took shelter behind one of the Klin.
The first bolt struck the Klin in the center of his chest. Adam supported the alien for cover as the Human charged forward, tying to line up a better shot—
Then a bolt flashed past Adam’s head, in the direct of the Human. The man took the blue bolt of electricity in his throat, falling to the floor, dead.
Adam turned to see Sherri standing in the doorway. “That’s twice I’ve saved your worthless life,” she said with a smile.
Adam nodded at her, then turned his attention to the two surviving Klin. They were getting to their feet, each wearing small exo-suits, mainly to help support their weight against the heavy gravity. Adam saw one of them reach under a counter and withdraw a small laser weapon. Sherri shot him dead.
Adam grabbed the last Klin by his robes and pushed him against the large window. “Why are you doing this to us?” Adam screamed at the alien. “What do you hope to accomplish by getting my entire race killed by the Juireans?”
The Klin appeared calm in the light of his situation. His eyes looked old, yet bright and clear. “Your race will not be exterminated. At least not yet.”
The cryptic answer just sent Adam into more a rage. “Stop playing games with me, asshole. Tell me why you’re doing this!”
“This plan has been in the works for a thousand years. There is nothing you can do to stop it now.”
Adam jerked the alien to the computer terminal, righted the chair and threw him into it. “Get me the location of Earth – now!”
“You are too late for that, too.”
Adam looked at the screen. There was cryptic writing on the screen, and the lines were disappearing even as he watched. He couldn’t read the writing, but he did recognize numbers. There! Two sets of numbers, preceded by a two digit number. But the first of the two was gone, then the last. He looked hard at the next two numbers: 446.78 and 319.51. And then they were gone, too.
He knew he had part of a set of coordinates. Where they led him would take more time and concentration then he could afford at the moment. He turned to Sherri.
“What are you doing here? What about the Juireans?”
“They’ve retreated to the elevator area. They’ve barricaded it. We’re not getting out that way anytime soon.”
Adam turned his attention back to the Klin. “Is there another way out of here?”
“I would never tell—”
A laser beam penetrated the Klin’s back and his eyes grew wide. Adam looked over his shoulder just as the first Human with the wound to his shoulder was taking aim at him. Sherri’s answering bolt nearly severed the man’s head.
Adam threw the now-dead Klin on the floor and took his seat at the console. The data was gone; the screen just a maze of static.
Sherri moved over next to him. “Did you see anything?”
“Some, but not enough. I believe I saw the two distance coordinates. Of course, it could be the coordinates for the nearest Burger King, for all I know.”
Sherri placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s okay. We’ll sort it out once we get out of here. Right now we have to find another way out.”
Adam rose from the chair and the two of them turned toward the exit.
Just then a section of the wall to Adam’s left turned wavy. The two Humans stared with rapt attention for a moment, until a figure materialized before them. It was a creature about a meter-and-half tall, with smooth features and wearing a shimmering shirt and pants. Then the alien’s skin began to change color as it moved away from the wall.
And the chameleon-like being was holding an MK, pointed right at them.
He shook his head at Sherri. “Don’t,” he said, watching as she began to lift her own MK. “Please drop your weapon. I, too, do not rely on targeting computers.”
Sherri reluctantly let her weapon fall to the floor. “Who are you?” she asked.
The being stepped in closer to them and looked up at Adam. “I’m the one who’s been tracking you since Hildoria. I’m also the one who helped get you out of Kroekus’ building.”
“If you call nearly collapsing the entire building on our heads as helping!”
“Shoddy construction. Nevertheless, you survived. And you led us here. My Juirean employers are very grateful.”
“Not when they get the body count,” said Sherri, caustically.
“That’s not my concern. All I have to do now is make sure that you do not escape again—”
“Who’s your friend?”
The creature spun just in time to catch a right cross from Riyad fist. He was standing in the doorway, and behind him was a cadre of his fellow Human beings.
The alien went spiraling into the wall to his right, dropping the MK as he fell hard to the floor. Adam stepped forward to kick the weapon away.
Quickly recovering, the alien attempted to get to his feet. Tough little bastard, Adam thought. Normally a blow like that from a Human would have killed a lesser creature.
Adam lifted the creature by his shimmering shirt; he didn’t want the thing to blend into his surroundings again and disappear.
“How did you get in here? Do you know—”
Adam felt a searing pain in his left side. Something wasn’t right. He dropped the alien and stumbled backwards. He looked down to see a growing blood stain begin to spread just below his rib cage. He looked at the alien, and saw the thing smile.
Adam could now see two shorter, additional arms hidden under his shirt, and one of the stubby hands held a knife, covered in his own blood. Riyad rushed forward, grabbed the creature’s head, and nearly twisted it off. This time the chameleon did die.
Adam leaned back against the counter and grabbed his side.
Sherri rushed to him and ripped open his tunic at the point of the knife’s entry. She pressed her palm onto the wound. “Get me a strip of the Klin’s robe!”
Riyad rushed to the nearest body and ripped off a section of cloth. Sherri took the cloth and wrapped it around his waist, pulling it tight before tying it off. A groan was forced out of Adam mouth as he gritted his teeth against the pain. “Fuck, it hurts,” he moaned.
“From the color of the blood, it doesn’t look like it hit anything vital. I’ll get you sewn up as soon as we get to someplace with a first aid kit. Buck up, sailor!”
“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.”
Riyad stepped up to the two of them. “What now, chief?”
Adam took a deep breath and tried to shake off the pain. He could see a group of men looking through the window at him, as well as several peering over Riyad’s shoulder near the door. Well, he’d taken charge in the barracks. Now it was up to him to lead.
“There were a group of 2G’s on the other side of the cavern. Where are they now?”
Someone in the group spoke up. “There’s still there. It looks like the Juireans have retreated there, too.”
“Let’s go get them. There has to be another way out of here.”
There were several open-cab transports scattered nearby, and Adam struggled through the pain and into the passenger seat of the nearest one. Riyad took the controls while Sherri climbed in the back. Meanwhile, the thirty or so remaining men from the barracks loaded themselves into and on top of four other vehicles, and they all set off across the vast expanse of the cavern.
The 2G’s, about ten of them, were situa
ted on a platform about five meters above the floor of the cavern. They were moving toward a set of doors about a hundred meters away. Seeing Adam’s force barreling towards them, they began to run for the doors. But before they got there, some of Adam’s men opened fire ahead of their path.
The 2G’s stopped and began to move back the way they’d come. But more bolts flashed behind them, and they soon stopped and waited for Adam’s men to arrive.
About every thirty meters along the walkway were drop-down ladders. Adam’s men called for the 2G’s to climb down the nearest ladder. They obeyed without incident.
Adam’s men shoved the 2G’s into a tight circle and disarmed them. Adam could tell by their expressions that the native-borns would have just as soon ripped the 2G’s apart. But he needed information, and he needed it quick. His men herded the 2G’s until they were standing beside Adam’s vehicle. Adam remained seated.
He looked at the nearest one. “Is there another way out of here?” Adam grimaced through the pain in his side.
The young 2G gave Adam a smirk. “You will not get anything out of us.”
Adam twisted around, painfully, and removed the MK-17 from Riyad’s holster. Turning to face the 2G, he placed a bolt right through the man’s forehead. Then aiming the weapon at the 2G to his right, Adam said, “I’m in no mood for this. Is there another way out of here?”
The stunned and terrified 2G began stammering, “Yes! I will show you!”
“Good. Now wasn’t that easier?”
“It’s up there,” said the 2G, and nearly all the rest of them pointed to the double doors as well.
“Let’s move,” Adam groaned, holding his side.
Two of the other Humans helped Adam out of the seat and to the ladder. He struggled up, and in a moment they were into another passageway, this one much smaller and more dimly lit.
