“Everyone place your hands on the coffer,” ordered Grenik. “And, for those that can’t, put your hands on our backs.”
Rivkah placed a hand on the coffer while holding her rifle in the other. Grenik stood next to her, doing the same. One by one, the rest of the team placed their hands on the stone coffer, except for two who didn’t have room. A hand touched Rivkah’s back.
“Hi Rivkah,” said Bogle, booming into Rivkah’s mind.
Rivkah jerked back, startled. “Don’t do that.” She looked at everyone, pointing to her head. “Bogle’s on the line.”
Bogle spoke. “I guess I just press this button and—”
Everything went white and Rivkah watched as her hands faded in front of her, then reappeared, hands still on the same coffer.
“Let’s go,” said Grenik, lifting his hands off the coffer. He rushed through the doorway.
“Okay, we’re safe when you exit the coffer,” mentioned Bogle.
“Hold on. We teleported?”
“Yes,” responded Bogle. “You’re now in East Rise. Get out and get out fast. Kelhoon are coming.”
A woman soldier grabbed Rivkah’s hand, pulling her out of the opening and down another shallow and narrow tunnel.
Rivkah shook her hand loose just as an explosion pounded next to the pyramid, shaking the ground. Rivkah slid down the descending tunnel, her feet touching the ground at the exit. She popped up and ran, following Grenik and the rest of the team.
Bogle’s voice blipped back into her mind. “Tell them to go left, down the Garden Downs alleyway.”
Rivkah ran forward, jumping over a man lying on the ground, dead and charred to the bones. “The Garden Downs alleyway?”
“They’ll know what I’m speaking of, so hurry. Tell them.”
The city burned. Fire consumed the trees and smoke billowed out of dome windows, graying the sky. Tracer rounds pocketed the hills that encompassed the city, followed an instant later by hefty explosions from ion blasts.
Rivkah couldn’t tell who was winning or losing, but East Rise and its inhabitants were in the middle of hell.
The air was filled with burning skin. She reached Grenik.
“Bogle says we need to go down Garden Downs alleyway.”
Grenik nodded and turned on a dime. “Follow us. We need you in the middle of the pack. We’re guarding you.”
They turned down a narrow passage in between domes and golden gates, untouched flowers of vibrant colors, streaming down green vines hanging off of the dome’s roofs and intertwining in the gates.
“Halt! And, duck down. Kelhoons will be passing your twelve very soon,” yelled Bogle.
Rivkah covered her ears, Bogle’s voice pounding against her brain. “Lighten up, Bogle. You're about made me deaf.” She ignored Bogle’s apologies and put her hands up. “Stop. Kelhoons approaching. Everyone, take cover.”
Dut Team wasn’t about conflict. They were the assassin team, and they were in East Rise to kill off the Kelhoons’ beloved leader. Somehow, the Atlanteans knew where the leader was. How they could even tell a Kelhoon apart, let alone find their leader, was an anomaly to Rivkah. In combat, however, you don’t question and if you do, you better have a life-saving answer.
The team spread out, butting up against anything and everything.
Rivkah leaned back against a gate, the colorful foliage somewhat camouflaging her, hiding her torso from view, but the rest was out in the open, begging to be seen.
A small troop of Kelhoons ran by a cobblestone path at the end of the alleyway, their green scales covering their very human-like faces, their bodies tall and wide, thick with muscle. Their weapons of choice were cannon blasters that hung over their shoulders by a strap and long, thin rifles, very much like the rifles issued to the Space Marines in the Secret Space Program.
One Kelhoon stopped at the alleyway, his scales protruding outward, his pupils slit like a snake’s, his tongue pushing outward. He wore armor, thick and blue, his helmet covering his black hair, though its long strands fell down its back. He raised his rifle, then lowered it, slowly striding into the alleyway. “Boongasha!”
He let loose a few shots and a Dut Team member slumped, shooting back with his three-pronged trident and missing wide before dying. His body hit the ground hard.
Everyone, including Rivkah, returned fire, riddling holes throughout the Kelhoon’s body. It fell back onto the cobblestone street, its blue blood oozing onto the ground, its eyes open, deathly staring at the heavens that its soul had no chance of reaching.
“They’re doubling back, Rivkah,” said Bogle. “Tell your team to get ready.”
Rikvah went to one knee, aiming her rifle at the soon to be oncoming Kelhoon grunts. “Get ready, they’re doubling back.”
A few of the Dut Team raced toward the end of the alleyway, passing the Kelhoon they just stuck a couple dozen bolts through, and leaned up against the gate. The rest went to one knee as well, aiming their weapons.
The first Kelhoon jumped into the alleyway, blasting at anything and everything, putting holes in the domes. Chunks of rocks shot outward.
Rivkah pulled her trigger, hitting the Kelhoon smack-dab between the eyes. The Kelhoon was then greeted with a shot to the gut and to the side of the head by the two Dut Team members at the end of the alleyway. Blood splat as the Kelhoon dropped to his knees and fell forward, dead.
A long sword flew across the alleyway from behind the team, digging into a woman’s back. She screamed, then turned, putting two charges into a Kelhoon coming from their rear. The woman lay on her side, dropping her weapon, reaching for the sky. Her arm fell and her breathing stopped.
They were surrounded, if you could call it that. The Kelhoon had them at both ends of the alleyway, the gates and domes trapped them in at the sides.
“You led us to our death, Bogle,” moaned Rivkah, taking aim at another Kelhoon, dropping it before it could get a shot off.
“I’m tasked to get you to their leader. I’m doing my best to keep you alive.”
“Find us a way out.”
Grenik rushed forward at a Kelhoon mere feet from Rivkah, and slammed his shoulder into the side of the intruder, tackling him to the cobblestone. Grenik slipped his arms around the Kelhoon’s neck, twisted, and a crack indicated an end-to-life break for the half-lizard.
They were being overrun, Kelhoon coming in from each direction; over gates, from the top of the domes, and in the front and back of the alleyway.
“Use your powers, Rivkah,” screamed Bogle.
“This doesn’t feel like you took us in this direction by accident, Bogle.” Rivkah dropped her rifle, covering her ears. “You—”
Rivkah’s anger rose, coming to the surface, and then outward as she thrust her arms to her side. A Kelhoon flew back into a fellow soldier. Rivkah picked up her rifle and rushed the Kelhoon, sliding in by its side, putting two shots into its brain, then quickly stood, pounding her fist into another Kelhoon making its way past another recently killed Atlantean. The Kelhoons fell back, toppling over a downed fellow soldier.
Rivkah jumped and landed a knee on its chest, then pounded her fist against his face. He grabbed her and tossed her like a rag doll, then pulled out a jagged sword. It reared back. The sword sliced through another Atlantean Dut Team member coming to help, dropping the woman. She flopped to her side, holding her stomach.
Rivkah placed a well-aimed kick into the Kelhoon’s groin just as he came down with the sword. A blast rang out, hitting the Kelhoon in the head, and Rivkah spun away, the sword penetrating the ground where she once was, the Kelhoon falling forward, breathless.
Rivkah popped into a defensive crouch, waiting for the next enemy, seeing that the others from her team were ready to pounce as well. Yet, everything in the alleyway was strangely quiet, the echoing of the distant battle bouncing off the dome walls.
She gathered herself and glanced at the damage done. “Five of us dead, fourteen of them.” Not bad. These Atlanteans knew what they were d
oing. Trapped, and they still came out on top.
Rivkah walked forward. “Bogle, no more screw ups. Where now?” Somehow it felt like a trap. But why would Bogle lead them to their deaths? It made no sense. She shook away her suspicion.
“More Kelhoon coming, so get out of there as fast you can. Race to the domes in Koptic End. Await instructions there.”
Rivkah rushed to the end of the alleyway, the rest following her. She peeked around the corner, seeing a blood bath take place down the way, the Atlanteans taking the brunt of a battle they didn’t want.
A hand grabbed her shoulder. “You get in the middle of the pack,” said Grenik, greenish-blue blood splattered across his golden chest armor. “Where to next?”
“Koptic End.”
“Excellent. We go now.”
A few soldiers pushed Rivkah into the center of the group, surrounding her the best they could with five less warriors on their team.
They entered a scorched and blackened forest, smoke trailing off tree branches, the ground blanketed in ash. They ran for ten minutes, brushing past dead tree after dead tree, a few Kelhoon and dozens of Atlanteans were strung around the trees, lifeless. Rivkah did her best not to inhale the smell of barbecued flesh.
“Koptic End is up ahead,” said Grenik.
They pushed passed the edge of the forest, entering a meadow filled with dome upon dome, also beaten to shit, their walls caved in, their roofs collapsed, and many more dead lying in the streets.
“Bogle, we’re here.”
“The Kelhoon HQ is moving. It must be a ship.”
“Is it taking off?”
“It’s too far away now.” Bogle sighed. “You will never get there from here. I’ll call in a transport.”
Rivkah leaned against a dome, eyeing Grenik. “She’s calling a transport. The HQ has left its current position.”
Grenik smiled. “We may need to attempt this at another point in time, Rivkah. Let’s fall back. We’ve done too mu—” He winced in pain, his breath expelling quickly. He looked down, grabbing a sword thrust through his stomach, blood dripping across his hands and down his stomach armor. “So much for double-gilded armor.” He turned around. A Kelhoon raced toward him. He lifted his spear, sending a smearing of shots in its direction, hitting the alien bastard, then more shots blanketed the Kelhoon from the rest of Dut Team. The Kelhoon and Grenik both hit the ground, never to breathe again.
Rivkah looked at the fallen warrior, Grenik, her mouth gaped open. That sword came out of nowhere. Almost as if they’d been sent into a trap. It had to be. The second one in less than twenty minutes. “Bogle, what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, Rivkah. I’m not here to defend the demons that killed Star Warden and have taken you, me, Jaxx, and Fox prisoner. I’m here against my will, Rivkah. I’m here against the will of God.”
“I’m your God Damn Captain, Bogle. You take orders from me.”
“I’m sorry. Bogle, out.”
“Bogle?”
No reply.
“Bogle!”
Nothing.
“That piece of shit. Does anyone have any loyalty?” She lifted her rifle. A swarm of Kelhoon came out of domes, their weapons aimed at Rivkah and what remained of Dut Team. Dut opened fire and several Kelhoons fell. Rivkah knew this wasn’t a winning battle and backed away, firing her PR-8 on auto, red-tracer fire, ripping apart Kelhoon after Kelhoon. If she had to die, she was going to take as many of them with her as she could.
A bolt sliced into her thigh and she dropped to the ground, picking off more Kelhoons as they filed out in droves. An Atlantean slammed into her, knocking her over. She pushed the Atlantean away, only to see he was dead.
She crawled backward, butting up against a dome, the PR-8 starting to burn her hands from the continued auto-fire, practically melting her skin to the rifle.
She took a quick survey, still firing wildly, doing her best to keep the Kelhoons at bay. She was the only one on her team left alive, and although Dut Team had killed a lot of Kelhoons, a lot wasn’t enough.
A boom erupted overhead and a flash lit up the sky. A ship descended, dropping at what seemed to be thousands of miles per hour, then stopping on a dime, hovering a few inches off the ground a bit in front of her, taking the brunt of Kelhoon fire.
It was a dropship. In fact, it was Fox’s dropship.
The ramp hissed and Fox jumped out, full striated-ebb nebula titanium exo-suit on, and a cannon hanging tightly from a strap around his shoulder. He pulled the trigger, letting the cannon blast expel, hit a target, then repeat.
A dome went up in flames, crystals and rocks splintered from it, a slight miss by Fox, but nonetheless it crumbled onto a Kelhoon who thought it wise to use it as cover.
Rivkah pulled herself forward, dragging herself just as another energy charge zipped into her foot, slashing her boot open, exposing blood and singed skin. She screamed in pain, cringing, biting down hard and hobbled on one foot until she made it to the ramp.
Another shot clipped her shoulder and spun her around, tossing her to the ground.
She felt a thump next to her. It was Fox, using his body and striated suit to deflect any shot directed at her. He slapped the cannon onto his back, magnetizing it in place. He picked her up, rushing her up the ramp and into the dropship. He shut the ramp, placed her on the bed, then strapped her in.
The ship shook from the oncoming fire, but its armor was thick. Fire from hand held weapons would do little damage, if any.
He sat at in his pilot’s seat. “Time to get you back to Flood of Dawn, Rivkah.”
The dropship lifted, then bolted forward, leaving the combat zone.
47
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Flood of Dawn, Callisto
Rivkah was back in Flood of Dawn, sitting in a healer’s room. A zap went through her thigh and she yelped, jerking back, slapping a device away from the healer’s hand.
The instrument hit the floor, bouncing up and down on the crystal tiling. To Rivkah’s untrained eye, the thing looked like a small spray gun.
The healer stepped back and glanced down at the medical instrument. She wiggled her hand from Rivkah’s sharp smack. “It’s fixed, Miss Rivkah Ravenwood.” She bowed and walked out of the small room and down a hall.
Rivkah moved her leg. “Holy shit.” It was better. Beyond better. How did they heal her so fast?
Right now it didn’t matter. She needed to find Bogle and fast. If Fox hadn’t saved her own ass, Rivkah would be splattered all over an East Rise street, much like Grenik.
A knock echoed in the room. It was Liberty. “We’ll be resting up and getting back to the front lines tomorrow.”
Who were we? Liberty hadn’t even come close to touching any front lines. Instead, she sat back in her luxury and monitored the battles. Saying you would have been more accurate.
“Bogle betrayed us.” Rivkah’s nose flared. “Let me find her.”
“She’s gone.”
“You can’t find her?”
Liberty shook her head. “No, and we don’t know why. It’s as if she just vanished.” She walked to Rivkah and sat on the medical table alongside her. She touched Rivkah’s upper back. Rivkah calmed and almost dropped to the floor in relaxation from Liberty’s soothing touch. “We rest up.” She stood and bowed, then exited the room.
“I guess that’s that.”
Rivkah was more than ready to kick butt and head into action and help push these Kelhoons off of Callisto, but apparently she wasn’t allowed—not yet.
“Tomorrow,” she told herself, remembering the young girl.
Boots clanked down the hall and Rivkah stood. She took a few steps toward the door to see who was coming.
Fox turned the corner, nearly bumping into her. “Whoa,” he said. “Watch it.”
Rivkah stepped back. “What are you doing here?” She needed to know why he came back and why the hell he was helping the Atlanteans, and most importantly, her.
“I do what I want and wh
en I want.” He folded his arms over his chest.
“Nah, that’s not even close. Do I have to repeat myself to get the truth?”
“I’m here to right a wrong. A big wrong. Slade—”
A siren sounded and the crystalline walls that made up the room changed from beautiful translucent white to a dimmer glow.
Rivkah cocked her head to the side, pushing Fox out of the way. She dashed forward and out into the hall, seeing a mass of Atlanteans glaring up at the hallway walls, also wondering what the hell was going on.
Did the Kelhoons send a force to attack Flood of Dawn?
“Rivkah,” came a voice.
Rivkah spun on her heels. Liberty strode toward her and fast. “What is it?”
“We have to go. Jaxx changed his mind.” She continued down the hall, glancing over her shoulder. “Fox, we need you as well.”
“What do you mean—” Rikvah stopped mid-sentence as Liberty rounded a corner, disappearing from view. She turned, staring at Fox. “Looks like we gotta go see what the hubbub is about.”
“What the hell did Jaxx do now?” Fox grunted, moving by Rivkah, marching down the hall where Liberty had gone.
Rivkah followed, her mind spinning. If Jaxx came back, then that meant…
Her heart fell. Yes, Jaxx was a pain in the ass, but he had become her pain in the ass, even though she would never admit it to the poor bastard’s face, and him coming back meant one thing—he returned to give his life for all the inhabitants of Callisto and to end a prophecy he was born to fulfill.
He wasn’t a wimp after all. He was a hero.
Yet, she didn’t want him to die. Not today. Not ever.
48
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Callisto
Jaxx hovered over Callisto. Whatever shields had blocked her mighty cities from view had been decimated. She was bare, smoking, vulnerable. He felt her pain, at the cellular level. If he left, he’d be the coward he’d always feared he was. If he stayed, he was dead meat. If it had just been him, he’d have stepped on the gas and been out of that quadrant and headed back for Earth, just as fast as his ship could carry him, but Rivkah was still down there. He could save her. He had one act left in him and it was the one that counted.
Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller Page 48
