Birthright: Book I of the Temujin Saga (25 page)

Quintin remained silent.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Crystal. “What do you want from us?”

Temujin downed his drink in one gulp and smiled. “From you? Nothing.”

He leaned toward Quintin again and whispered, “But
you
….”

Quintin continued staring at the floor.

“You,” continued Temujin. “You are the only thing that stands between me and my ultimate goal.”

“What are you
talking
about?” said Crystal.

“The world, my dear,” said Temujin, spreading his arms in a wide, sweeping gesture. “I want
the world
! But your lover sees fit to stand in my way.”

Crystal looked quizzically from Temujin to Quintin.

Temujin sneered. “So you’ve never told her?”

His question was answered with silence.

Temujin threw his head back and let loose a hearty, barking laugh. “The humble hero! You see, my dear, your beloved Alexander and I are merely pawns in an inter-stellar game of chess between two rival regimes. We were both bred for the sole purpose of spoiling the other side’s plans.”

“What?”
Crystal blurted.

“Aliens, Miss Hammond,” the Khan elaborated. He leaned in close to her, filling her nostrils with the overpowering odor of alcohol on his breath. “We are
gods
created by
men
— or rather extraterrestrials. To call them men would be an insult to even this lowly race, wouldn’t it, Alexander?”

Quintin glanced up as Chuluun casually walked around them to stand closer to his master. Slowly, and making as little movement as possible, Quintin slipped his fingers beneath his shirt and fumbled for the handle of the concealed laser sword.

The Khan continued his speech. “What you saw in the gymnasium was only a small display of my power.” He paused and looked over his shoulder at Quintin. “And yours as well, I’m sure.”

Quintin feigned anger as his fingers wrapped around the handle and ever so slowly slid the sword out of his waistband.

“You see,” said Temujin, turning his back on the teens once more. “Once our little war is over, my alien benefactors plan to march in and pick up the pieces. Then, once they have what they want, I will be obsolete. Outmoded. No longer required. They will claim what remains of humanity and forge it into their ultimate weapon to use against their enemies.

“But I have no intention of turning the world over to them. Why should I hand over what is rightly mine? My
birthright
? Thanks to our mutual acquaintance, I now have the technology to stand up to the Seignso and repel them from
my
kingdom.”

“You’re insane!” Crystal said.

Chuluun raised his hand to slap Crystal. Instead of recoiling, she clenched her jaw and readied herself for the strike. Chuluun grinned and lowered his hand.

The Khan turned and looked at Quintin. “But perhaps I am being too hasty. I had forgotten how alike we are, you and I. After all, we are both the bastard children of uncaring, selfish parents, Alexander. We should combine our forces. Imagine the power. Imagine the
fear
!”

The laser sword’s hilt finally cleared the waistband of Quintin’s jeans. His thumb caressed the igniter switch.

“Together we could crush the Seignso
and
the Federation,” said Temujin. ::What say you, brother?::

Quintin continued to stare at the floor, unable to respond the way Temujin expected him to.

::It is where you belong. Do not deny it.::

Again Quintin remained silent.

::Insolent child!:: Temujin shouted inside Quintin’s mind. ::Why do you not answer me?::

Slowly, Quintin looked up into the Khan’s trembling eyes, his own eyes glowing an eerie emerald green.

“Who are you?” Temujin backed away from the teen. “You are not Alexander. Chuluun!”

Quintin flicked the sword’s igniter switch and the white-hot blade hissed from its hilt. He flipped the handle in his fingers, and the blade sliced clean through the handcuffs binding his hands, instantly melting the metal on contact. With his hands free, he adopted an offensive stance with the sword.

“Don’t move!” he shouted. “Hands in the air!”

Temujin stood his ground. “Who are you?”

“Cadet Quintin MacLaren,” said Quintin. “I am hereby placing you under arrest for crimes against the Federation, conspiracy to commit planetary genocide, kidnapping, and murder.”

Temujin and his general were silent for a moment, dumbstruck by the absurdity of the youth’s declaration, but then the Khan chuckled. The chuckles erupted into hearty laughter as Chuluun joined in.

Suddenly the Khan stopped laughing. “Guards!”

The door behind Quintin was thrown open, and the two armed escorts stormed into the room. Caught off guard, Quintin barely noticed as the laser sword flew from his fingers and into the Khan’s waiting hand. He looked down at his empty hand, baffled by the warlord’s display of mental power.

Temujin looked at the guards. “Kill him.”

The Horde troopers opened fire with their plasma rifles, and Crystal screamed as rapid-fire crimson beams tore through Quintin’s body. Blood trickled from his mouth as he groaned and fell onto his back, dead.

Temujin roared with laughter and clapped his hands with delight. Crystal sobbed as the emerald glow slowly faded from Quintin’s eyes.

*****

“Faster!” Alex shouted over the suits’ comm system.

Sam’s armored fingers gripped the steering wheel so tight that it cracked. He pressed the accelerator, and the engine roared as the needle on the speedometer passed ninety, one hundred, and finally one hundred and ten miles-per-hour, a speed normally considered to be suicidal on the hilly country road with its regular traffic of tractors and horse-drawn Amish buggies.

“The road splits just up ahead,” said Alex. “We can either go south toward Bonaparte or north toward Stockport.”

“No,” Sam said. “Temujin will most likely keep a westerly course. We need to do the same.”

“This road doesn’t
go
west,” Alex insisted. “You either have to go south through Bonaparte and Bentonsport, or go across Highway 16 past Stockport.”

“That’ll take too long. We can’t lose him,” said Sam. “Aren’t there any roads that go west?”

“Just a dirt service road.”

Moe snorted. “More like a goat trail.”

“Then that’s what I’m taking,” Sam said.

“Well, whatever you’re going to do, do it fast,” said Moe. “We’re running out of road here.”

Up ahead, the intersection came into view, and a small tractor pulling a load of hay bales crossed the truck’s path.

“Sam,” Alex shouted. “Sam!”

“I see it,” said Sam. “Hang on!”

He pressed the accelerator against the floorboard. The needle climbed past one-twenty and buried as the engine roared like an irate dinosaur. For a brief instant, Sam could see the whites of the horrified farmer’s eyes as the truck ran the stop sign and sailed through the air toward the hay wagon. The truck plunged through the hay and for a moment the world turned yellow until the windshield cleared and the front tires made contact with the muddy service road on the other side.

In the passenger seat, Cherry braced her hands against the roof and dashboard. Her helmet banged against the roof of the cab as the truck shuddered and pitched. “You maniac!”

“Oops,” said Sam. “Did I do that?”

Robert brushed hay away from his helmet. “Now what, genius? We don’t even know where we’re going now.”

“Sure we do,” said Sam. “West.”

“This road won’t go on forever,” said Alex.

“This truck’s got four-wheel drive.”

“You’re going to get us killed!”

Sam shook his head. “Nah.”

Sam ignored the cautionary signs on the side of the road, and the truck rocketed over a deep creek bed. The back tires barely made contact with solid ground on the other side and chewed the earth until they regained traction and propelled the truck forward again. The truck rammed through a fence and into a harvested cornfield. The back tires dug deep, muddy ruts into the soil and threw yellow, stubby corn stalks into the air. The truck’s rear end fishtailed momentarily before straightening out and surging forward through the field.

“Dammit, Samrai!” yelled Moe. “Watch where the hell you’re going!”

“Yes, Mom,” said Sam.

The truck crested a hill and a line of trees at the end of the field came into view.

“All right, sweetheart, take the wheel,” Sam said.

Cherry turned.
“What?”

“Take the wheel,” Sam repeated as he crawled out the driver’s side window.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“I’m going to clear a path.”

“You’re
what
?” Cherry quickly scooted over to grab the wheel.

Sam settled onto the ledge of the open window. “I’m going to need more firepower.”

“How’s this?” Rene hefted a minigun ripped off one of the disabled Death Walkers onto the roof.

Sam nodded. “Let’s do it!”

Sam and Lamont each wrapped an arm around the truck’s roll bar and leveled their free arms at the rapidly approaching tree line while Robert stood behind Rene, bracing himself between the Cajun and the tailgate.

“Ready,” Robert said.

Moe and Alex flanked Rene and aimed their cannons. “Ready!” they said.

“Aim low and don’t stop until you see blue sky,” Sam ordered. “Fire!”

The armored soldiers unleashed a devastating barrage of green ion blasts and .50 caliber bullets at the base of the tree line, raising a dense cloud of dirt, charred wood, and leaves. Trees fell left and right as the truck penetrated the cloud, lurched, and jumped over the crudely severed stumps.

“I can’t see!” cried Cherry.

“You don’t have to!” Sam increased his rate of fire as he sprayed the forest. “Just go straight!”

A low branch appeared out of the cloud and smacked Lamont in the face, splintering the limb in two and sending the Replodian flying.

Alex reached for him but was too late. “Lamont!”

Lamont bounced out of the truck and clawed the air, but the tailgate was already out of reach. The suit’s boot thrusters engaged, propelled forward at high speed. His fingers clamped down like a vise on the tailgate, and the thrusters disengaged, dropping his legs and causing the armored boots to dig deep furrows in the pulverized earth. Lamont scrambled up into the bucking truck while Alex and Robert pulled.

“Are you okay, lad?” asked Robert.

Lamont took three deep breaths and shouted, “No!”

Finally the truck cleared the timber, and the dust cloud slowly dissipated. Sam climbed back inside the cab and took the wheel back from Cherry, who was now shaking uncontrollably.

“Nice driving, babe,” he said.

“You’re insane!” she shouted. “How could you do that?”

“Oh, c’mon,” said Sam. “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure. Remember?”

“That’s the
Navy
, you nitwit!”

“My bad.”

Suddenly the truck was plunged into darkness.

“Hey, who turned off the sun?” said Moe.

Sam looked out the window into the sky and, despite the blackness enveloping the truck, saw only blue sky and sunshine above them, with the occasional cloud drifting lazily by.

“It’s the
Ragnarok
,” said Sam. “We’re right below her.”

“How do we get aboard?” asked Alex.

“Use your boot thrusters,” said Sam. “Just push off the truck hard and the thrusters will engage automatically.”

“That’s all?”

“Happy thoughts wouldn’t hurt,” Sam said.

“Gee,” said Alex, “thanks.”

“No problem,” said Sam. “Once we reach the ship, I’ll locate an emergency escape hatch and unlock it.”

“Everybody get ready,” said Lamont.

Sam set the cruise control and climbed out the window again, this time crawling along the roof of the truck to the passenger side, where Cherry was climbing awkwardly out of her own window. She crouched on the roof and looked from the invisible ship to the shadowy ground rushing below her and back to the ship again.

“You okay?” asked Sam.

She shook her head.

“Now!” said Lamont.

Five sets of thrusters engaged one by one, and the others were propelled into the air.

Sam appeared at Cherry’s side. “Just jump.”

Sam laid a hand on Cherry’s shoulder. His display lit up with diagnostics and charts. Everything was working properly. Her heart rate, however, was through the roof, and her breathing erratic.

“I can’t,” Cherry said, her voice shaky.

“Trust me,” Sam said. “All you have to do is jump. The suit will do the rest.”

“What if it doesn’t?”

“Well then we’ll probably crash into that tree.”

“What?” Cherry turned her head.

Sure enough, a large oak tree was drawing dangerously close as the truck thundered onward. Cherry screamed as Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and leapt into the air, engaging his thrusters and rocketing away from the truck in a trail of jet exhaust. Less than a second later, the truck collided with the tree and folded like an accordion.

Cherry stared at the receding wreckage. Her chest heaved as she breathed, the armor’s breastplate flexing with the motion. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Sam, his voice calm and cheery. “You’re acting like we were in some kind of danger.”

“Why, I—
Oof!
” Cherry grunted as they came to rest against the underbelly of the ship.

Sam hovered over to the others. “Find the edges,” he said.

The others dispersed, feeling along the ship’s invisible underbelly. Sam repositioned Cherry so that he held her under her arms. She panicked and kicked her legs.

“Okay,” he said, “I’ve got you. Now, I want you to push down with your heels to ignite the thrusters.”

Cherry shook her head. “But—”

“Hey,” Sam said. “
I’ve got you.
You can do this. Just push down.

Cherry’s body tensed, and she kicked down with both legs. Bursts of blue flame shot from the thrusters along her ankles, and Sam felt her rise up slightly in his grip. As she drifted away from him, she flailed her arms and grabbed his wrists.