Incursion (The Narrows of Time Series Book 2)

by Jay J. Falconer

  “I don’t understand.”

  The fat man stepped forward. “I was the one who took you into the rift. My name is Bruno Benner. We knew Reece would double-cross us, so I took Lucas’ place.”

  “You’re not dead, either?”

  “Nope,” Bruno said, pulling his trousers up. He smiled. “It takes a whole lot more than that to kill this old dog.” Bruno raised his arm, pointing at the watch. “My friends were listening remotely. When I gave them the go signal, Lucas came to your rescue.”

  “We needed to know where you were before we could use our Incursion technology to send me in and take Reece out. The watch has a transmitter built in. Once we pinpointed your location, we were able to remotely hear and see everything from where we were to inside this room. Then it was just a matter of timing.”

  “So, that was you in the glowing suit and mask, earlier?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why did you shoot me?” she asked.

  Lucas put his hands on hers. “Sorry about that. But we could only keep the incursion wedge open for a few seconds before the machine yanked me back. I had to stun everyone with one shot. There wasn’t time for pinpoint shooting. You’ll be okay.”

  She rubbed the side of her neck. “I’m not so sure.” She looked at Bruno. “How long have I been out?”

  “Just a few minutes. When they traced us to this location, Rico and his men arrived here in minutes.”

  Lucas smiled. “Turns out, my boss’ cabin is only a couple of miles from here. Worked out better than we’d planned.”

  She fiddled with Bruno’s watch. “Where did you get this?”

  “From my boss, Professor Kleezebee.”

  “Do I get one?”

  “Sorry. The advanced technology only works for my kind,” Bruno answered. “It’s just a watch for ordinary humans.”

  “I guarantee that Reece never saw that one coming,” Lucas said, with a hint of pride in his voice. He pinched his fingers together and held them near the corner of his mouth. He puffed his lips together, pretending to blow smoke. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

  Bruno put his hand on her shoulder. “You should know that this was all Lucas’ idea. I’ve known him for a long time and the only other person he would have done this for would have been his little brother. You must be a very special person.”

  She smiled, then kissed Lucas on the lips. It was a long, closed-mouth kiss. It was clear to Wyatt that there was plenty of passion behind it.

  When the kiss was over, Lucas told Bruno, “A bit of an over-share, but thanks, buddy.”

  She ran her hand across the smart-skin fabric, then yanked it back.

  “I’m still cooling down after a couple hundred amps of juice ran through the suit. Could have boiled water before.”

  “Maybe you should have changed, first?”

  “I didn’t want to waste a second. I had to be sure you were safe.”

  She kissed Lucas again. This time, Wyatt could see her insert her tongue into his mouth, while running her hands along the inside of his thighs. Lucas arched his back and adjusted his head angle, wrapping his arms around her back. Both of them were moaning and running their hands all over each other.

  Wyatt could see the passion mounting. He waited a good minute before speaking. “Dr. Ramsay? I really need to speak with you.”

  Rico tapped Lucas on the shoulder. “Hey, Casanova. You need to come up for air.”

  Lucas stopped the kiss. “This better be damned important!”

  Rico pointed at Wyatt.

  Wyatt cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but this can’t wait. Cyrus plans to attack.”

  Lucas walked to Wyatt’s position with Bruno and Rico. “When?”

  “Soon. He’s assembling his troops now. Once his new weapon is operational, he’ll come at you hard.”

  “What kind of weapon?” Rico asked.

  “It’s called a Stunner Deck. It’s a mobile platform station capable of disrupting a planet’s entire energy grid. It’s based on Kleezebee’s stunner technology, but fires a hybrid plasma burst capable of eating through metal.”

  “Holy fuck,” Lucas said.

  “That’s why he needs the E-121 modules,” Rico said.

  “Yes, to super-charge the weapon, then it can be used globally.”

  “A planet killer,” Lucas said.

  “Even without the spheres, he can still deploy it on a local scale. If he uses it on humans and tunes it properly, it would disrupt every cell in the body. He calls it his little QED.”

  “He must have combined my dad’s sonic disruptors with the stunner tech, to create some type of hybrid quantum entanglement device.”

  “Then he’s planning to attack Earth. Or what’s left of it,” Rico said.

  “Or the Krellian home world,” Lucas said. “Assuming he knows where it’s located.”

  “Earth is his primary target,” Wyatt said.

  “That’s why he tightened security around the transport ships,” Rico said.

  “Yes, he plans to launch the weapon from orbit.”

  “Still, he’ll need a sizable ground force for security and cleanup.”

  “Yeah, Kristov’s army,” Lucas said.

  “Over a hundred squads are already trained and in place on Earth,” Wyatt added.

  “He’d have to coordinate them, but Earth’s Planetary Security Division scans all signals to and from the planet,” Rico said.

  “Cyrus has been using Stump Fisher to deliver information and specs to his sleeper cells on Earth.”

  “The tollway receipts,” Lucas said.

  Rico nodded. “No one would ever suspect a broken down old baker. I’m sure he sailed through customs.”

  “Cyrus has been planning this attack ever since the Krellian Invasion eighteen months ago,” Wyatt said.

  “While Earth’s planetary defenses are weak,” Rico said. “Now we know why this month’s tollway receipt was missing.”

  Wyatt nodded. “Fisher didn’t need to deliver any more information. Cyrus is ready to launch his assault. Now.”

  “Is Cyrus responsible for the civilian casualties at Fisher’s bakery?”

  “That wasn’t us. But he’s pissed about Kristov.”

  Lucas looked at Rico. “That was one big bag of crazy.” Both men laughed.

  “You guys may have crossed the line with that one,” Wyatt said.

  “Maybe so, but she had it coming,” Lucas said. “She turned our friend Zack into a freezer bag.”

  Wyatt didn’t understand the reference.

  “How do you know all this?” Rico asked.

  “I’m part of their inner circle; I was recently promoted to second in command behind Freakshow. Trust me, you won’t stand a chance against his troops or the Stunner Deck.”

  “If he reverse-engineered our tech, then he must have had help. Cyrus and Freakshow don’t have the expertise,” Lucas said.

  “He brought in a scientist from Avanti Prime,” Wyatt said.

  “A short, bald, black man?”

  “Yes. Dr. Marcus Yakberry.”

  “At least he’s no longer a viable option. We made sure of that,” Rico said.

  “He’s not dead. Only wounded,” Wyatt said.

  “Damn it!” Rico said.

  “What kind of experiment is Yakberry running in Kristov’s lab?” Lucas asked.

  “I’m not entirely sure, but I did overhear the SC and Freakshow discussing it one time. I think it has something to do fattening up the locals at his feeding stations.”

  “Zack—” Rico said.

  “That explains the free food at the Dunn-Rite Café. Anything else we should know?”

  “My orders are to recover the spheres and bring them to the rally point at Abbidos Lake. Cyrus expects me to ride shotgun with Freakshow during the assault. He doesn’t trust his mental state.”

  “Can you blame him?” Lucas said, snickering.

  “How much time do we have?” Bruno asked.

&
nbsp; “A few hours, maybe more.”

  Bruno looked at Lucas. “Is that sufficient?”

  “More than enough. Now that we have the E-121, we just need to fire up the Incursion Chamber and unravel this mess.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “Then we’re fucked, either way.”

  “Since I can’t show up at the rally point empty-handed, I won’t,” Wyatt said. “My absence will buy you a little extra time, but Cyrus won’t wait forever.” Wyatt reached into his back pocket and pulled out a three-inch-long piece of metal with gold contacts on each end. “I did manage to pull this from the Stunner Deck when nobody was looking. It’s the master fuse.” He tossed it to Lucas. “But if they test the weapon before the attack, they’ll know it’s missing and replace it. Hopefully, Cyrus will be in such a rush to exact revenge, he’ll skip the test.”

  Lucas held it up, fiddling with the contacts on each end.

  Wyatt pulled a pea-sized digi-card from his front shirt pocket, holding it up between his first two fingers. “This might come in handy, too.” He gave it to Lucas. “It’s a copy of the schematics.”

  “Fuji will love this.”

  “I’m praying smart men like you can figure out a way to defend against this machine.”

  “Are the specs current?”

  Wyatt nodded.

  “Why are you helping us?” Rico asked.

  “Long story. Let’s just say that I’m tired of killing innocents. We all answer to a higher power, and my debts have come due. Someone needs to stop them, and I’ve been told by the One and Only that that someone is you.”

  “I’ve heard that before,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Bruno and then pointed at the transports cases. “I’ve got the girl. You guys grab the rest.”

  Bruno nodded, then his team gathered up the items and carried them out the door. “Anything else, before I go call this in to the professor?”

  “Look around. See if you can find a stash of power adapters. Reece has them here somewhere. Just grab them all. We can sort them out later.”

  “What about Reece and his men?” Rico asked.

  “Why are you asking me?”

  “This is your op. You’ve earned it, Sergeant.”

  “Sergeant? I like the sound of that. Thanks, Major,” Lucas said with a smile from ear to ear. He held out his hand.

  Rico gave him the stunner.

  Lucas took a few moments to fiddle with the controls on the weapon, then he zapped Reece and each of his men. “That’ll hold them for a while.”

  Rico shrugged. “That’s one way to handle it. I’m sure someone will come along, eventually.”

  “If not, fuck ‘em.”

  Rico pointed at Wyatt. “And this guy?”

  “I think he’s earned a get-out-of-jail-free card, don’t you?”

  “Agreed,” Rico said, cutting the ropes that were holding Wyatt to the chair.

  “Thank you,” Wyatt said, standing up. “May God be at your side and assist you in all your worldly endeavors.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Just get the hell out of here before we change our minds,” Lucas said, putting his arm around Carrie Anne. He pulled her in close to his side. “You ready?”

  She smiled, snuggling her chin to his chest. “Lead the way, my prince.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Lucas held the screen door to Kleezebee’s cabin open, allowing Carrie Anne to walk in first. He followed her, with Rico and Bruno close behind. Kleezebee and Fuji were standing inside, by the stone fireplace; both were grinning with a silly look—like what your proud father would have done when you brought your first significant other home to meet him. Embarrassing, to say the least, but they were family.

  “Professor? This is Carrie Anne Fisher.”

  “I’m honored to meet you. I’ve heard nothing but good things.”

  “Thank you for saving me,” she said, hugging Kleezebee with a two-armed embrace. She kissed him on the cheek.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Kleezebee said, as she pulled away. “I wish there was something we could have done for your father.”

  “Thank you. Lucas told me what happened. At least he didn’t die alone and that’s all anyone can ask.”

  “What else did you tell her?” Kleezebee asked Lucas.

  “Not much, boss. Just a little small talk on the way here.” Lucas pointed at his little friend in the robe, then looked at the girl. “This is Master Fuji. A good friend and mentor.”

  She tried to hug Fuji, but the monk stepped back. She looked at Lucas with a Did I do something wrong look on her face.

  Lucas whispered in her ear. “He doesn’t like physical contact. Something about disrupting his connection to the Akashic Field. I usually just bow. It’s his way.”

  She did.

  The monk reciprocated. “Loss fills the heart with despair, yet the soul frees it.”

  She seemed a bit confused, probably from trying to unravel the monk’s odd demeanor. She smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Kleezebee’s stare burned a hole in Lucas’ forehead. “Just a little small talk, huh?”

  Lucas shrugged, realizing that he needed to get some new friends. Time to change to subject, he decided. “Everything ready, Professor?”

  “Yes. We just need to install the E-121.”

  “The cases are in the trunk of the skimmer,” Rico said.

  “Bring them down to the basement,” Kleezebee told Bruno.

  “And don’t forget the Google Glasses and the other thing,” Lucas added.

  “What other thing?” the professor asked.

  “A dermal re-generator.”

  “In need of a little touch up, are we?”

  Carrie Anne giggled.

  “Yep. Long overdue,” Lucas said, thinking Kleezebee was either trying to show off, or embarrass him, somehow. He turned to Bruno. “I’ll need the box of adapters, too.”

  Lucas slid his hand next to Carrie Anne’s. He wrapped his fingers inside of hers. “You wanna help me?”

  She touched his cheek, running her fingers across the contour of his scars. “I don’t know. These are such a big part of you. Are you sure you want them removed?”

  “Absolutely. They’re my past. You’re my future.”

  She smiled, squeezing his hand and hugging his arm with her ample chest. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”

  A long minute later, Bruno returned with the adapters and the skin repair device. “The professor said you have fifteen minutes,” Bruno said, adding a quick wink to the mix.

  “Do have some extra clothes and shoes I can change into?” Carrie Anne asked Bruno. “I gotta’ get out of these CFM heels. They’re killing me.”

  “Let me check. I’m sure we can find something for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “CFM heels?” Lucas asked her.

  “It’s what my girlfriends and I call them—Come Fuck Me heels.”

  Lucas laughed, admiring her candor and wit, though he wished she wasn’t planning to change out of the sexy outfit she was wearing. He led her down the hallway to his bedroom on the left. They sat on the edge of the unmade, queen-sized bed.

  She nestled her shoulder next to his and put her hand on his thigh. His mind quivered with possibilities.

  He looked through the box of power cords next to him on the bed, checking each one to see if it had the proper male connector. It took a few minutes, but he found the matching plug for the dermal re-generator and stuck its twin-pronged-end into the electrical socket along the wall next to the lamp.

  “Do we need to let it recharge, first?” she asked, sliding her hand to the inside of his leg. Then, she moved her palm up his leg two inches.

  “No, it’s on AC now, so the battery won’t matter,” he said, wondering if she were teasing him on purpose, or just trying to break his mental focus. Either way, it was working—big time. He fumbled to insert the male end of the power cord into the dermal device, but m
anaged to complete the task, even though now her fingers were lightly stroking the cloth-covered shaft of his growing penis.

  She looked down at her hand, then up at Lucas. “Is this okay?”

  “Ah, yeah. But it is kind of distracting.”

  “Do you want me to stop?” she asked, pulling her hand away from his crotch.

  “No. No. It’s okay. I can manage,” he said, putting her hand back where it was. She continued her gentle fondling.

  He stopped working on the device, wanting to enjoy the sensation swelling below his waist.

  “Should we turn it on?” she asked a minute later.

  “Trust me, it’s already turned on.”

  “I mean the device, silly.”

  “Oh,” he said, snapping back to reality. He flipped the device on. “Works like a charm.”

  He gave it to her. “Just hold it directly over each scar.”

  “For how long?”

  “You’ll know. When the scar vanishes, move to the next spot.”

  “Okay, but tell me if I’m hurting you.”

  Lucas didn’t want her to worry. “You won’t. It’s completely painless.”

  “Have you used one of these before? How do you know?”

  He didn’t. But he was confident that he could man-up and take a little pain, if there was some. “No. But I’m a scientist, remember. I know these things. Trust me. I won’t feel a thing.”

  She held the unit over the first scar, sending a warm, tingly sensation across his skin. There wasn’t any pain; not in the truest sense of the word. It felt more like heavy skin pressure, like what you would feel if you jammed your tongue into the gums on the outside of your teeth, then rubbed it around from side to side, quickly.

  Thirty seconds later, she stopped and turned the device off. “That’s the first one. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. How does it look?”

  She kissed the area of his cheek where the scar had been. “Smooth and sexy.”

  “I like the sound of that. Feel free to kiss me anywhere you like.”

  “Anywhere?” she asked with a devilish grin.

  He smiled. “Yeah, I love surprises.”

  She held the palm of his hand to her mouth, giving it a series of tender, baby kisses. Then she looked him deep in the eyes, sliding the tip of his middle finger into her mouth. First, she flicked just the tip with her tongue, then she worked her magic up and down the sides of his finger, licking him as she went. He felt dizzy; her mouth was heaven. Then she put his finger deep inside her mouth; far enough to touch her tonsils. She sucked it—softly at first, then increasing the vacuum pressure as she moved his digit in and out of her lips.