Scrapyard Ship 4 Realms of Time (13 page)

Jason, finally on his feet again, retrieved his weapon. He accessed his HUD multi-gun configurations menu and selected heat-seeking micro-missiles. He fired several times into both tanks. The resulting explosions knocked Jason and everyone else off their feet.

Playing nice was no longer an option. Jason communicated via his NanoCom for his crew to shoot to kill. Soon afterwards, the German soldiers were pushed back into the trees.

“
Into the shuttle!” Jason barked as he ran up the gangway and into the Magnum. By the time he’d taken a seat at the controls, the last of the SEALs and the three remaining rhinos were also on board. Jason searched his nano-device database to see if he had the necessary updates to pilot the thing, but didn’t find any reference to it.

“
How hard can it be?” he asked out loud.

Billy, seated next to him, removed his helmet. Lighting up a fresh cigar, he urged, “Give it a try.”

Based on what he’d seen Grimes do several times, and with his own knowledge from flying the Pacesetter, Jason got the shuttle powered up and its thrusters activated within seconds. Although the takeoff was a bit shaky, he soon had the Magnum elevated above the treetops and flying steady. Below, a crude dirt road cut through the trees. The halo navigation display showed multiple yellow icons, and two blue ones.

Billy leaned forward and pointed down. “There they are.”

Slowly making its way through the trees was the personnel carrier. Jason switched on the targeting display overlay and fired multiple bursts—first, twenty feet in front of the vehicle, then twenty feet behind it. The truck came to a skidding stop. Two ten-foot-diameter craters, one ahead of them and one behind them, made it impossible for the vehicle to go anywhere.

The back gate of the truck opened and several soldiers emerged. Bringing their rifles up, they began shooting at the shuttle. Before Jason could return fire, another person climbed out of the open gate. It was Dira. The top of her battle suit had been removed and she wore a small tank top that highlighted the violet skin on her exposed arms. Preoccupied with firing on the Magnum, the two soldiers didn’t notice Dira advancing from behind. She was holding a German rifle, trying to figure out how to work the bolt-action mechanism, when she gave up and swung the stock of the gun like a bat. One of the soldiers went down like a bag of rocks. As the second soldier spun around and pointed the muzzle of his rifle at Dira, Jason fired a plasma bolt. The German disintegrated. Dira looked up, shielded her eyes with one hand, and waved with the other.

“
She’s quite the little badass,” Jason said appraisingly.

“
Kicks ass and takes no prisoners,” Billy added.

Jason landed the Magnum on the road directly behind the German personnel carrier. Men and rhinos piled out and made a defensive perimeter. Dira was attending to Grimes, who was still sprawled out on the bed of the truck. As Jason and Orion approached, Dira looked up.

“
She’s just now coming around.”

Jason nodded and leaned in next to them. “That’s quite a bump on her head. What did they hit her with?”

“
A rifle.”

Orion smiled. “So it’s only fitting you returned the favor. You’re a maniac—I’m going to start calling you warrior princess.”

Dira lost her smile and glared back at Orion, not saying a word. Jason wasn’t sure what Orion meant when she said princess, and was about to ask when Grimes started to sit up.

“
What happened? Where am I?”

Dira put a hand on her chest and gently pushed her back down. “Take it easy, Lieutenant. You’ve taken a bad hit to the forehead. Probably have a slight concussion.”

Grimes brought a hand up to the lump on her head and moaned. “I take it you took care of the Germans?”

“
Dira was a big part of that,” Jason said with a smile.

Grimes looked out at the road behind them and saw the Magnum. “Who flew the shuttle?”

“
I did. Piece of cake …” Jason said.

“
Next time you might want to lower the landing struts, Captain. Just a suggestion.”

Jason didn’t look. “Crap.”

Dira helped Grimes sit up. Jason scooted out the back of the truck to the dirt road. He needed to find out what was happening on the Minian.

“
Go for Ricket.”

“
Status?”

“
Two Crystal City ships are firing on the Minian; no damage. We’ve been boarded several times and one rhino is dead. We now have all the phase-port accesses guarded by multiple hover drones.”

“
Have you returned fire?”

“
No, Captain. We’ve just recently acquired access to the bridge.”

“
Any idea what they want, other than to destroy the Minian? Have you tried contacting them?”

“
The boarding insurgents are definitely Caldurian, but they aren’t the returning Minian crew. These are originals, coming from the Crystal City ships. As far as contacting them, my hails have not been acknowledged. And I don’t believe they are trying to destroy the ship, more like disable her. We’re getting hit with fairly light plasma fire.”

“
Ricket, we’ll be moving after the next probe. I don’t need to tell you the importance of you staying in one piece up there. The fate of the planet lies with our uniting the remaining drone pairs.”

“
Yes, sir. And also, Captain, I’ve spoken to Admiral Reynolds. As I mentioned to him, I think I know what happened to the Minian’s crew. It has something to do with Bristol’s sudden appearance here on board the ship. It looks like he may have caused a multiverse time reference anomaly.”

“
So where’s the crew now?”

“
I believe they are here, but out-of-phase and residing on some other layer of the multiverse. One more thing, Captain: again, according to the AI, there is a high probability the originals have aligned themselves with the Craing.”

Jason was quiet for several moments. If true, that could be catastrophic.

“
You need to get this time reference thing figured out, Ricket. Find Granger. And talk to the admiral; request he bring The Lilly back to Earth.”

“
He’s already made that decision, Captain. In fact, I’m seeing a wormhole spooled nearby as we speak.”

“
I’ll check in later. Keep working on this time reference issue and find Granger.”

* * *

Grimes, back in the cockpit, insisted she was fine and more than capable to pilot the shuttle. Jason sat shotgun and kept a close watch on her.

“
I’m fine, Captain.”

The shuttle rose into the air and Grimes throttled it up into the low-lying cloud cover above. “Next stop, South America,” Jason said, turning to the passengers behind him.

Bristol was seated in the center seat closest to the cockpit, with Dira to his left and Orion on his right. Billy and his SEALs were seated in the rows behind them, with the remaining three rhinos standing in the aft cargo section. Dira stood up and Orion passed her the upper section of her battle suit. Jason’s eyes flickered up to the curves of her body beneath her tight-fitting tank top. His mind flashed back to her identical naked shape-shifting organism on board the Minian. Catching himself, he brought his thoughts back to the present and turned his attention to Bristol. Like a small, snow-capped mountain range, a grouping of small pimples followed the contour of his chin.

“
Bristol, Ricket believes when you arbitrarily phase-shifted onto the Minian it may have done something with the Caldurian crew, which is why they’re missing. Perhaps some sort of out-of-phase anomaly.”

Bristol looked up from the equipment satchel spread out on his lap. Seeming annoyed at the interruption, he looked over at Jason, shaking his head.

“
No, not possible. Ricket’s an idiot.”

“
Hardly.”

Bristol shrugged. “Even if he’s not an idiot, he’s wrong.”

“
Explain.”

Bristol pursed his lips and scratched at his chin with a bony finger. “Phase-shifting is extremely common, especially with a newer ship like the Minian. From taking a crap to moving between decks, phase-shifting matter is a constant occurrence.”

He squirmed in his seat and scowled. “The only thing that could have such an effect is if the Minian was transitioning between multiverse layers when I showed up. The technology I used for my phase-shift device is somewhat different than the Caldurians’. My design may have lacked certain safeguards.”

“
So Ricket may be correct?”

“
I don’t know. Maybe.”

“
Can you work with Ricket and come up with a way to bring the crew of the Minian back?”

“
Why bother? Seems like a pretty sweet ship. Keep it for yourselves.”

“
Just stay in contact with Ricket, okay? I want you to provide some constructive ideas … work as a team.”

Bristol shrugged. “Whatever.”

“
Captain, we’re coming up on the continent,” Grimes said.

Jason turned. Before clearing, the dense cloud cover had made it impossible to see anything. A blinking icon faded into view on the shuttle’s holo-nav display. The contours of the landscape below changed from ocean to flatlands to mountains. Grimes brought the shuttle lower, decreasing speed. As the shuttle fell below the clouds a singular mountain peak reached up before them. Jason looked at his HUD’s time-reference date: it was September 9. The year was 30,250,534, over thirty million years into the future.

Everything was black—nothing but scorched earth.

“
No life forms,” Bristol said, scanning his equipment. “No animals, no birds. Shit, not even an insect … nothing. Welcome to the end of the world, everybody.”

The interior of the shuttle went quiet as everyone looked out at the devastation beyond.

“
There,” Grimes said, pointing to a rocky outcropping ahead. “The drone’s just sitting there out in the open.”

As the Magnum approached the drone’s position, Jason took in the surroundings. As if the Earth had been encased in a thick layer of molten black glass, the side of the mountain reflected the Magnum’s slow approach. The drone sat upon a plateau of sorts, its black housing blending in with the blackness of everything around it.

Sadness fell over Jason. Knowing that the world he knew would no longer exist millions of years into the future made him nostalgic for home. He thought of Mollie and then of Nan, and that she would never be a part of his world again.

“
Captain, is there any reason we need to land?”

“
No, I’ll have Ricket dispatch the drone’s pair. We’ll be able to position it remotely from here.”

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Gaddy finished winding a makeshift-bandage around her upper arm. Already soaked, it did little to stem the flow of blood. She leaned back against the large rock she’d been hiding behind to let her heart rate slow. She listened. Sweat dripped from her hair and into her eyes. She stood and peered around the smooth rock surface, back in the direction she’d come. Perhaps they’d found another prey to pursue.

Lightheaded, she leaned her face into the rock, absorbing the coolness leftover from the night’s chill and thought back. At the start there had been four others. One had been a friend from childhood; the other three were fellow student dissidents. One by one, they’d succumbed to a violent end in this place Ricket called HAB 12. Two long weeks of running and hiding. The river of molten lava may have been the worst; Shakin lost his life there. But no, it was the relentless Serapins—they were definitely the worst. Pampel, Horsh, and, most recently, Stipp, were overcome and consumed by those ever-pursuing, remarkably hungry, giant blue Serapins. How she’d evaded them so far, she wasn’t sure. The one energy weapon she’d brought with her was now completely drained of power.

In retrospect, Gaddy wondered if she shouldn’t have pushed the others into joining her quite so hard. But the consequences of her not making the trek across this habitat would be far worse. The political climate had reached a critical stage; real progress was within reach. Breaking the bonds from a malicious dictatorship meant everything, not only to the youth of the Craing worlds, but to its mainstream populace, as well. What Ricket and Captain Reynolds had accomplished by killing Emperor Quorp and bringing down the Loop had started a chain reaction of unprecedented change within the Craing political system. For the first time, concepts such as freedom and democracy were more than just ideological abstractions. More and more of the Craing world citizenry were coming to understand that life could be different, perhaps even like some parts of planet Earth.

But that new hope changed in a matter of days. Seven massive, city-like vessels, crystal vessels, had entered Craing space. Advanced Caldurian technology was offered in exchange for the use of the Craing’s far-reaching military strongholds sited throughout the universe. Together, they would be an unbeatable force. And the Caldurians would gain the numbers and might to stand up to their true enemies, the Caldurian progressives.

Looking back, Gaddy knew, even before Captain Reynolds and his team had reentered the portal, that she would someday need to reach out to them again. She had watched Ricket enter the ridiculously long code to open the portal. With her eidetic memory the numbers were still there for her to input two weeks ago, when her small team embarked on their mission into HAB 12. With luck, they’d be able to bring back help.

A distant screech broke the morning silence. She’d become very familiar with that sound and the dread it filled her with every time she heard it. The Serapins were coming, probably smelling fresh blood. Beyond fear now, she was almost resigned to the fact she would soon die, and join her friends.

As the sun climbed higher, so did the heat. She wiped her forehead and looked at the desert landscape before her. A flash. More like a reflection. Something metallic caught her eye. She estimated it was about a mile’s distance away, but she’d already learned calculating distances here was tricky.

Two more screeches from behind, louder now. Without another thought, Gaddy took off toward the metallic reflection. With a height of only three feet, average for an adult Craing female, Gaddy had a stride far shorter than those of her seven-foot-tall pursuers. Her only advantage was her head start. At a half mile, she heard them coming. God, how many of them are there? She ran on, not chancing a look behind, fearing it would slow her pace. With a quarter mile to go, she saw it. In fact, it was her own small utility ship, the same one she’d given to Captain Reynolds and his team to use so they could head back across HAB 12.

At fifty yards from the utility ship, the ground started to shake. There was a virtual stampede of hungry Serapins closing in on her from behind. She loosened the blood-soaked tourniquet on her arm and flung it over her shoulder. The thunderous noise stopped. Gaddy, so exhausted she wanted to retch, glanced back. There were six Serapins and two of them were fighting over the bloody cloth. As she reached the utility vehicle they were fast on her heels.

Outside the battered old vehicle, she entered the code on the well-worn keypad to open the mid-ship hatch. Nothing. The Serapins were running again, forty feet out, and picking up speed. Angered that she’d made it all this way to the finish line only to end up as breakfast for Serapins, she gritted her teeth and kicked at the small ship—once, twice, three times. Almost imperceptibly, she heard the internal actuators catch and the whirring sound of small motors. The hatch began to open. She squeezed through the opening and slapped at the red CLOSE button up on the bulkhead to her right. More whirling and the hatch began to slowly close. The Serapins reached the ship. Snapping jaws filled the narrow space, stopping the movement of the hatch. Saliva, long and stringy, whipped into the cargo hold and onto Gaddy’s face. Angrily, she kicked out with every remaining ounce of strength she possessed. All six Serapins began to fight their way into the small opening. No! No! No! The hatch was opening, being pushed back in the wrong direction. Two Serapins got their large heads inside, only inches from Gaddy. Looking around frantically for something, anything, she could use as a weapon she spotted her old toolbox. Still kicking, she reached for the box and, one-handed, opened its small latch. They were pushing their way inside. Gaddy, without looking, clutched at the first thing she could wrap her fingers around. It was a wrench that had a sharp protruding angle to it. She swung it at the closest snout, ripping the flesh between its two flaring nostrils. Blood spurted, and the Serapin pulled its head back. This allowed the second Serapin to push in farther. She swung the wrench again, driving the pointed metal into its left eye. The beast pulled back screeching, taking the wrench along with it. Gaddy dove for the CLOSE button one more time—the hatch shut with a definitive click as it locked into place.

Gaddy fell back and fought to catch her breath. She stayed like that for a long time. Exhausted, she slept for three hours.

When Gaddy awoke, the utility vehicle was quiet. Midday light streamed in through dirty portholes and the cockpit window. Thirsty, she looked about the cargo hold for something to drink. Her arm sore, she moved into the cockpit and found a canteen. She shook it and heard the wonderful sound of sloshing water. With desperation, she removed the cap and drank deeply. It was warm and brackish tasting, but she drank it all and loved every swallow. Lowering the canteen, her eyes moved to the cockpit window. In the ship’s far side shade, the ground was blue and alive. Easily a hundred Serapins were curled up next to one another, like sleeping dogs. Gaddy’s heart momentarily skipped a beat—then began to pound faster in her chest. More Serapins were moving in from the direction she had come. Turning to the side window her expression turned from fear and frustration to one of hope. There stood the portal, glowing blue and wonderful, twenty feet from the ship.

There was no way she’d reach the portal before getting ripped apart by the Serapins. She moved over to the pilot’s seat and contemplated her options. She had an idea.

“
Come on, baby, start for me one more time.”

Gaddy initiated the start function and waited. The vehicle shook as the thrusters tried to catch and ignite. They came alive and the dash controls came online. Smiling, Gaddy brought the small utility vehicle off the ground. Like a wave, the Serapins scurried to their feet outside. Angered and snapping at each other, they moved away from the heat of the thrusters.

Gaddy brought the ship around in a wide circle until the far side of the ship was butt-up against the portal opening. She brought the ship down to the ground and let out a long, slow, breath. Excited, she moved back into the cargo hold and peered out the hatch porthole. Sure enough, she was right up against the portal. She pressed the OPEN button and the hatch slowly slid open. Sunlight streamed in from the two- to three-inch gap between the ship and the portal. Where was the keypad? She looked from one side to the other and then remembered: the keypad had been moved several feet back, onto a pole. Disheartened, she let her own weight pull her back down in her seat. She sat there, looking into the portal, wondering how she’d be able to reach the pad safely.

Movement caught her eye. Something black, on the other side of the portal, rushed by—moving fast. There it was again, running in the opposite direction. Gaddy, back up on her knees, pressed her face up to the portal and peered through.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19