Stratton looked crushed and all three of them noticed.
“Stratton has a crush on you, Ash. Had I known, I wouldn’t have said all that.”
“I didn’t know either, not until now.”
Novacek opened the door, “Anyway, Admiral—Tomlinson found a cave. Its entrance is about three-quarters of the way up the east face. Solomon is waiting to take you up there, if you’re still up to it after your little romp?”
Steven tipping his head to Ashlyn, “Can you watch Phillip for me?”
“Of course.”
Novacek leaned over to Ashlyn and quietly whispered, “The prisoner must have put up a little fight; he knocked the buttons on your blouse off one notch.”
Ashlyn quietly mouthed, “thank you.”
Retrieving his pack, Steven followed Solomon up the mountain to Tomlinson, who was waiting for him.
“Admiral, I cleared the entrance away enough so that we can get through.”
“Here, sir. Take these,” said Solomon, handing him a sheathed machete and flashlight. “We only have a few of these, wish we had more.”
“Thanks. Solomon, get some help to clear the rest of the brush away from the entrance,” ordered Steven. Clipping the sheath to his belt, he pulled the machete, “Ok, Tomlinson, lead the way.”
The entrance was narrow, barely more than a shoulder-width slit between the boulders. Once inside, they found that it was much wider and easily traversed. Not surprisingly with each step down the tunnel’s descending, twisting turns, the temperature grew cooler. The walls and floor were damp and covered in patches of moss. Occasionally, Tomlinson would stop to chop away a root that was blocking their path.
The two of them discussed the smoothness of the floor and walls, both agreeing that it was an artificial, constructed passageway. It was also apparent that the tunnel hadn’t been used in hundreds, if not thousands of years.
They were forty meters in when they noticed the sound of running water. Without need for discussion, the men began moving faster, anxious to see what was ahead.
Within minutes, the tunnel opened out upon a large cavern. Very humanlike stairs cut into the rock, descended to a sand beach with a gently, flowing river about fifteen meters across. The water entered through a large fissure several meters above the cavern floor to their right; then exited through an even larger opening, sixty-five meters to their left.
Kneeling on the smooth sand at the river’s edge, Steven cupped a handful of water. Raising it to his lips, he prepared to take a sip.
“Sir, you really shouldn’t. It could have bacteria in it,” warned Tomlinson. “It should be boiled at the very least.”
“Squeak, squeak!”
Tomlinson looked at Steven with questioning eyes.
“I’m a guinea pig.”
Tomlinson chuckled, especially when Steven added, “Wait until you have kids, it tends to dumb-down your humor.
However, you’re right, Tomlinson. The thing is, we only have two days of rations. It’s only a matter of time.” Though he wasn’t sure how he knew, he felt sure the water was safe. Taking first one handful, then another. “It’s—great. Nice and cool.”
“It looks like we’ve found a new home.”
The cavern was more than Steven could have hoped for; they had water and a defensible shelter out of the extreme heat.
Hours later, the crew safely moved inside the cavern, dusk crept into night. As Steven and the crew prepared to settle in for some sleep, an out of breath sentry approached, “Admiral, the lookouts have spotted two enemy craft,” adding, “It’s too bad the radios don’t work in here.”
Steven had to smile.
Following the sentry to the northern watch, Steven found that Novacek was already there, binoculars in hand. Though the sky was dark, the aircraft’s silhouettes could be seen, hovering in the distance.
“They haven’t m-moved in t-ten m-minutes,” said Novacek.
“They’re scouts, waiting for rein-” said Steven as a shout from one of the higher watches interrupted him.
“Sir, there’s four more approaching from the west.”
“And there’s the cavalry. I’m surprised it took them so long to get here.”
They watched the ships sweep over the area, lights shifting from pod to pod on the desert floor.
“I wonder what they are t-thinking?” said Novacek. “They’ve got to know we’re here at the m-mountain.”
“They’ll wait for daylight. Too risky to approach at night,” answered Steven.
“Guess you’re r-right, looks like they’re l-leaving,” said Novacek as the six fighters streaked away.
Steven took note that they had departed to the southeast, the same direction that led to the planet’s primary city.
“You should get some rest, Admiral. I’ve got this for tonight.”
Steven nodded in agreement, “Wake me if they return.”
“B-by the way,” Novacek added, “I was s-speaking to Mr. O’brien earlier. His r-research revealed that there are t-times when this planet only has an hour of darkness, due to the orbital p-path around the binary suns. He says that we were lucky—that right now we’re in a s-seven hour s-solar cycle of darkness which allows it to s-cool off at night. Also, the s-suns are low on the h-horizon.
So if you think it’s hot n-now—wait until s-summer.”
“Thanks,” said Steven. “Keep me up to date on information like that.”
Steven returned to the cave to get some much-needed rest. Snuggling up next to Phillip who was fast asleep, lying beside Ashlyn—Steven’s eyes closed.
Steven awoke late the next morning to the sound of Ashlyn singing and playing a rousing tune on her Balalaika. Slipping his boots on, Steven headed toward the chorus of homegrown musicians who had joined her in accompaniment around a warm fire. It was as festive a gathering as he had seen in years. The entire crew was enjoying her rendition of one Steven’s new favorite songs. As she sang, “In the midnight hour, she cried more, more, more,” her eyes found Steven’s.
Adding to Ashlyn’s joyous distraction, Phillip came exuberantly running up, “Dad, Dad, we caught a fish! Novacek says it is a trout fish. I don’t know what he meant, but he said something about it being a rainbow.”
Phillip’s news spread through the crew, bringing the cheerful gathering to an abrupt halt. Scrambling feet, motivated by empty stomachs carried everyone down to the river with eager anticipation.
No one was more surprised than Steven to see that it really was a trout. The species had disappeared on Earth over a century before and it was exciting to see the wriggling, flopping fish.
Steven, standing beside Novacek. “Beautiful—isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. I saw one in a m-museum once, though this one is b-bigger and more c-colorful than the one I remember,” said Novacek.
“It looks like we found a food source,” said Steven smiling, adding, “Any further update from the watches?”
“No, sir. Nothing n-new outside. But, we d-did d-d-discover a map.” He looked at Steven with a twinkling gleam in his eyes. “It’s p-pretty simplistic, and there isn’t all that much to it, but the fact that it exists at all … is interesting. T-to see it though, you’ll have to s-swim to the other s-side of the river. It’s in an alcove that b-bends round the corner. You’ll find it hidden b-behind a large b-boulder towards the back.”
Stripping down to his boxers, flashlight strapped about his wrist, Steven swam to the other side of the river.
At the back of the alcove, kneeling before the wall behind the boulder, Steven’s fingers slid down the smooth rock facing, following the beam of his flashlight. He found the small map near the bottom of the wall. It was little more than something that a child might have drawn. As Novacek had said, it was simplistic.
Their mountain was clearly defined, as was the planet’s primary city, represented by a pyramid, far to the southeast. A winding, crudely drawn, broken line connected the two points.
Steven pondered t
he map’s simplicity and wondered what the motive might have been for drawing it. It seemed to serve no apparent purpose.
Seeing that the green moss had grown right up to the eastern edge of the mountain, he thought to himself, Another hundred years and we might never have—I wonder. Reaching out, he ran his fingers over it. Tugging at the moss, he began peeling it away, piece by piece. His mind raced with anticipation. When he actually saw the beginnings of a diverging path, the exhilaration of discovery rushed through him.
The new trail, represented by a double wavy line, symbolized the river. As he pulled off the next piece of moss, Steven found the point where the river trail ended and the beginnings of an overland trail began. Yanking off the remaining moss, he saw that the trail continued in a southeasterly direction. There were varied landmarks along the way—leading to a biblical reference at the end of the trail—a flaming tree.
Steven jumped as a hand gently touched his shoulder. Without needing to look, he knew from the sensual tingle that it was Ashlyn.
In turning, Steven’s eyes fell upon her long trim legs that led upwards to her wet, sheer, white-lace panties. Time, literally, slowed to a standstill around Steven. Ashlyn stood before him, frozen, unmoving. He studied her unabashedly, unhindered. His mouth moistened, his tongue feigning a stab as if it were already between her soft folds. It was a sight of pure seduction. Droplets of glistening water adorned her goose-bumped skin. One droplet’s lingering trail led upwards over her flat belly until it disappeared beneath the loose, protruding edge of her wet midi t-shirt.
The sight of her heavy breasts and the bump of her cold nipples beneath shattered the frozen moment in time. Looking into her eyes, he saw her acquiescent, longing. Ashlyn’s erratic breathing showed she was waiting for his touch.
“Am I interrupting you,” said Ashlyn in apology.
“No, I’m glad you came,” he said with a last glance at the plumped swells between her legs.
“I haven’t. Not in the last twelve hours anyway,” she said as she playfully pinched the lobe of his ear. In bending to sit beside him, her hand caressingly slid down his shoulder to his leg, her touch melting him.
Steven turned off his flashlight.
Hidden from the sight of the crew, a soft orange reflection from the campfires across the river providing a comforting warmth, Ash slipped off her t-shirt and gently pushed him onto his back. Her craving had returned, stronger than before.
***
Forty-five minutes later, having returned across the river, they donned their dry clothes. With only an exchange of glances between them, Steven watched her walk away, prisoner to her every move.
“Sir? Admiral?”
“Yes?” said Steven absentmindedly.
Novacek smiled as he glanced in Ashlyn’s direction. “So, what d-did you think about the m-map?”
“They had goosebumps.”
“Goosebumps?” Novacek chuckled. “S-she does have inc-c-c-credibly nice goosebumps.” His honesty returned Steven to reality. “Sir, if I m-may be so b-bold. Our r-ride home is g-gone. There’s no reason to b-believe that we’re ever g-g-going to leave this r-rock. Our lives here w-will b-be very tough even with such, goosebumps. And t-they may be short-lived lives at t-that.
I don’t know Renee very well, but I k-know she’d w-want you to be h-happy.”
“Those were Renee’s exact words to me.”
“S-s-sir?”
“She gave Phillip a recorded message. She had a vision. In it, she saw that Avenger was going to be destroyed and that I wasn’t going to be returning to Earth. She saw that Ashlyn and I were going to fall in love. She said it was our destiny and that I shouldn’t try to change it. She gave us her blessing.
She had the vision at the same moment I was meeting Ashlyn for the very first time, at the Awards ceremony. So there was no way for her to have assumed anything.”
“Interes-s-sting.” Novacek’s brow raised. “Maybe Renee was r-right, maybe it is d-destiny.”
After only a brief pause, “Novacek, are you up for a night trek?”
He nodded.
“In four hours, it’ll be dark. I want you to take eighty men back to the pods and if they are still intact, strip them of all the rafts you can carry. If the Grays or the Nephilim decide to engage us, we might need to move the crew out the back door.”
“Speak-king of the Nephilim. That f-file you gave me to r-read had some rather rough c-concepts. Did you also get the feeling that s-something was missing from the President’s s-story?”
“I did. I think President Tomlinson believed it though. But, like you say, there was something missing,” said Steven.
“And—by the b-back door. You mean go d-down that hole? D-down the river?”
“I know—the idea makes me nervous too, but the map is bigger then what you saw. There’s a second trail,” said Steven.
“Even so—a t-travel route d-drawn on a map that might be t-tens of thousands of years old doesn’t inspire much c-confidence for me, sir.”
“Nor I, but we should be prepared, just in case.
Novacek, when you head out to the landing site, be cautious. It’s just a feeling I have, but something doesn’t feel right. When you get there, rest the team. Use the time to observe the pods before you approach. Take both of the Titan rifles along.”
“Aye, sir. We’ll take it s-slow.”
***
Novacek, addressing the team, “We will observe only, r-repeat, observe only, the pods for t-thirty minutes b-before we move in. Use the t-time to rest, y-you’ll n-need it for the return leg.
T-team leaders, set up your s-spotters on whatever h-high g-ground you can find. Baker and Charlie t-team split left. T-tango and Cash, split r-right. Mama Bear, will follow P-Papa Bear up the center.
Radios are for emergency use only. We don’t want any broadcasts if at all possible.
All right everyone, m-move‑out.”
At their positions, around the landing area, they waited. Twenty minutes later, a runner from Baker team reported to Novacek, “Sir, Ensign Vasquez said he saw movement inside one of the pods.”
“Inside? D-did he see w-what it w-was?”
“He’s not sure. It wasn’t much more than a shadow. The fact that he saw something move was all he could say for sure.”
He thought of Steven’s warning. “Give word t-to our units to stay p-put an extra t-t-twenty minutes. If a grain of sand shifts, report back to me.”
They waited patiently, watching. Novacek trusted his men, and if they thought they saw something then he accepted it as gospel.
As the twenty minutes expired, the teams sent a runner requesting further instructions. Novacek moved up the dune to the sniper with the Titan rifle. “Hansen, have you s-s-seen anything t-through the scope?”
“No, sir. It’s deserted. It’s easy for the eyes to play tricks with all the shadows down there.”
“I hope you’re r-right.” Novacek slid down to the waiting runners. “T-tell Vasquez to b-blow up the p-pod he s-saw movement in. Let’s see w-what happens. Warn your units about w-what we’re d-doing, and that we’ll initiate t-the attack in three m-minutes. Tell t-them to be p-prepared for return f-fire.”
Atop the hill, Vasquez took control of the second Titan rifle, setting it to full power. Targeting the pod, he pulled the trigger. In a flash, it exploded in a ball of flames. Amidst the explosion, a small, shrill scream could be heard coming from inside the flaming pod.
Instantaneously, return laser fire erupted from a dozen or more pods. The heavy volley of return fire that pummeled Vasquez’s position surprised all of them.
Knowing they didn’t have time to engage in a lengthy fire-fight, Novacek gave the order to destroy any pod in which the enemy was hiding. He was thankful Steven had ordered him to take the heavy assault rifles. With the briefest touch, the pods exploded in a ball of flame. It wasn’t long before the Nephilim began to evacuate the pods in favor of natural cover, little as it was. Within minutes, the skirm
ish was over.
The teams moved quickly, following their orders to strip the pods of their life rafts—and as they were able, Novacek ordered the team to gather any alien weapons they could carry. Overall, the mission was a huge success. Some 94 rafts and 4 undamaged enemy weapons retrieved.
An hour before sunrise when the detachment returned to the forest’s perimeter, per security instructions, a signal was sent to the stationed sentries who were waiting for their return. When no reply came, Novacek picked five of his team to accompany him into the forest, leaving the others waiting behind. Beneath the shroud of trees, the darkness was intense. With little choice, they forged ahead, their flashlights illuminating the way. Twenty meters in, they found the first body—face down.
Novacek turned the body of the young man over. A small white spider came crawling out of his mouth. It was the size of a thumbnail with two black eyes that sat on the end of long, flexible, yellow stocks.
“There’s a dead one on his shirt.” From the spider’s squished body, a clear fluid oozed. “It’s blood is dissolving his shirt, like acid.”
“There’s another one!” said a scared voice in the darkness behind Novacek.
All eyes shifted, following the path of the flashlight as it scanned the trunk of a nearby tree. A dozen or more scurried away from the flashlight’s touch, reacting to its brightness. No one took so much as a breath as the lights moved higher into the leafed branches above. “Everybody run!” said Novacek. Above them, thousands, tens of thousands of spiders were in the process of lowering themselves down on near invisible web strings.
A pained scream like none Novacek had ever heard before came from Private Withers to his right. “It bit me!” he screamed, trying to swipe it away. The more he flailed, the more it seemed to excite the myriad of descending spiders.
Novacek stopped to help—in the process, his swaying flashlight illuminated several that were scurrying up his pant legs at sprinters speed. The flashlight became a swatter, batting them away. A sudden tickle under his collar panicked him. He could feel the spider crawling. Slapping his neck several times and not forgetting that the spiders had an acidic poison, he expected to feel horrifying pain from the blotch of moisture he felt clinging to his skin.
EARTH'S LAST WAR (CHILDREN OF DESTINY Book 1) Page 23
