The Traveler (52 page)

Collins turned to a white-faced Henri, who waited patiently and acted as if he rode rocs all the time back in France, even though his stiff frame and wide eyes betrayed the fact of the matter quite differently.

“Ready, Colonel?”

There was silence as Henri found he didn't want to make any noise and frighten the very large and carnivorous bird he found himself sitting upon.

“Shall we go and try to retrieve the master chief's little toy?”

“By all means,” Everett said as he kicked his own roc, Foghorn Leghorn, not too gently, making the enormous and already skittish bird elicit a wild, cawing scream as it broke at full speed for the gate. Jack's roc followed and then Farbeaux's as he tried desperately to stay in the old saddle of Roman design.

Everett's exhilarating scream of “Hi-ho Silver” reverberated even over the rumblings of Erebus.

*   *   *

At sunup the first probing attacks began in earnest. An exhausted Charlie Ellenshaw almost didn't react to the warning tone sounded by the small radar system installed in each of the sixteen lasers pods. Each revolution of the small self-enclosed dish told Ellenshaw that what he was seeing was real. The defensive system went into action without having being told to do so.

The first sizzle and pop of the eastern-most laser pod startled a slumbering Jenks to full wakefulness. He never hesitated in sending up one of the recharged drones to get a bird's-eye view of what was taking place along the tree line.

Ellenshaw watched as the faster-than-light laser burst into the far-off trees. He didn't know if the accurate system hit anything other than wood. Then before he could contemplate more, a second and third shot sounded and the bluish-green bolts of laser light shot out, reaching for the unseen raptors as they tested the range of the defensive measures they employed. The thought of how smart these animals were made Jenks's head hurt.

All sixteen of the lasers went off simultaneously as the raptors made a bold move and actually broke the cover of the trees to expose themselves. They flapped their flightless wings and screamed into the air and then ran back into the cover of the trees.

Jenks got the number one drone remote to the desired altitude and his blood froze as he saw the bison and mammoth herds moving much faster than before. When he examined the edges of the enormous migratory herd he saw the reasons why—a hundred raptors charged and then retreated, making the animals start to flee in panic.

“Crap, it looks like those bastards are making their move.” Jenks reached for the radio.

Charlie Ellenshaw watched as the raptors were no longer interested in hiding and playing games—they were coming on and they meant business.

Above him the lasers started firing off at intervals that told Ellenshaw and Jenks that they now had precious little time remaining.

The lightning in the morning sky overhead lit up like the old footage of London during the blitz. The lasers would fast drain at this rate and they both knew it.

*   *   *

The five miles were covered in bone-jarring speed by the three rocs as they ran free for the first time since Everett had corralled them six weeks before. They were free and the large birds sensed it. Their speed and maneuverability over the uneven jungle floor was amazing. They would smell something that might be a danger to them and automatically shift gears and turn in another direction. Then they would eventually reroute to their original course. Enough so that Jack was beginning to suspect that every animal in this crazed land was intelligent enough to instantly adapt to any quickly changing situation. The men were quite scratched up by the time the three rocs finally broke into the open. Everett was the first to rein Foghorn in, and Jack and Henri were grateful when their rides followed suit.

“It's right over this ridge. Tie up and we'll walk the rest of the way.”

Jack and Henri did as instructed and then they started off through the thinning brush of the outermost jungle. Carl was kneeling only feet away.

“I thought it was going to take forever to get a favorable wind.”

“Their sense of smell is that good?” Jack asked as he and Henri kneeled next to Carl, who only nodded his head in answer to Jack's query.

As Everett parted the bushes they spied the small valley below. The first thing they saw made their eyes widen in awe as they thought they'd never see one of the damnable things again.

Inside the small clearing was the downed saucer. It was smashed and ancient. Large sections of its round housing were missing and the upper dome of the saucer was smashed and open to the elements. But it was what was crawling all over the ancient crashed vehicle that held their attention. They were even lying casually in front of it on the ground. Several young raptors were playing with one another until one or the other started snapping. Some of the feathered raptors looked to be larger than the ones they had seen earlier. These meandered in and out of the once powerful ship. Jack despaired and turned away and sat heavily into the tall grass.

“The saucer looks to have been dead for at least a million years. Hell, it may even have been the first one to open up a wormhole over Antarctica. But as you can plainly see, it has new tenants now.”

Collins shook his head. “How are we going to get inside?” he asked.

“We don't have to—look,” Carl said as Jack and Henri tried to see what it was he was indicating in the far distance. “Near the small river running by the saucers starboard side.” He looked at Henri. “That's the right side for you landlubbers.”

Henri gave Carl a withering look in return.

Jack realized that the quirky Carl was just having the time of his life knowing full well that no matter what his fate would be, he wouldn't have to face it alone.

“See it,” Carl said, pointing once more.

Jack removed the cased binoculars from his pack. He adjusted the focus and then scanned the area on the starboard side of the ancient crashed saucer. Then he finally spied what Everett was pointing at. Near the water's edge was a debris pile that several of the raptors hovered around. One would retrieve something and then another would hiss and then throw a rock to get the first to drop what it was holding. As he adjusted the image and brought the large pile of debris into sharper focus Jack saw that it was a collection of detritus that held one thing in common—they were all shiny or extremely colorful. He saw Roman helmets, banners from the Chinese, and even several shiny sixth-century gladius swords. God help this backward world if the raptors ever started using the weapons they had scavenged.

“If they have it, it's in that pile.”

Jack lowered the field glasses and then pursed his lips.

“Recommendations?” he asked both men.

“Do we have a choice? How many of those feathered lizards are there?” Farbeaux asked.

“Maybe a hundred.”

It was Jack who faced both men. “Then we have to scare the hell out of them long enough to examine their little collection.”

“And how do we go about accomplishing that?”

Jack smiled, although only briefly. “The old cavalry way. We charge into the camp and run off the tribe. I figure we may frighten them off for the chance at seeing the coupling.”

Carl nodded but Henri did not. “Are you insane?”

“Yeah, I am.”

The Frenchman watched as both Jack and Everett made their way back to their waiting rocs.

“I'm truly starting to hate you two gentlemen.”

 

22

Sarah saw the encampment from a mile off and the sight made her freeze. The roc she rode smelled the violence in the air and balked at continuing forward. The five of them watched from the highest hill surrounding the center of the game trail where Jenks and Charlie were waiting for them. The vision that greeted Ryan was chilling as he watched the defensive laser system crisscrossing the cloud and ash-laden sky like bursts of diamonds that streaked to their targets. In the distance they could see the many thousands of animals as the dust cloud they created blotted out the sky, but they could still see the small shapes that ran in and out of the migrating animals. The massive weight of both mammoth and bison herds shook the very earth beneath them.

“Damn it!” Ryan said as he had trouble controlling the roc, which wanted very much to leave the area through its serious sense of smell. It knew what was hunting the bison and mammoth herds. “I figure Charlie and the master chief have about a half hour before they are trampled underfoot or them raptors get to them. The way that laser system is firing off they won't have much juice left in the batteries before those murderous things are on them.” He looked at his frightened companions. He didn't need to ask what they should do because as one they kicked the giant rocs into motion. The enormous birds were hesitant at first and then the frightened avians broke cover. It wasn't long before they found out what changed the rocs' small minds—the raptors came at them from the rear. They had somehow worked their way around them, or this had been another group that came in from a different direction than the main assault. The first raptor screamed and leaped at the roc that Virginia was astride and missed her by mere inches as Will didn't hesitate to shoot three times from the Glock into the stumbling raptor. With that fight closely won, they charged down the slope and through the screening trees in front of them.

The five people and birds shot down the hill narrowly missing trees and raptors that sprung from behind cover. They dodged three of these attacks with only Sarah's roc coming up bloody as a raptor had managed to strike the roc in its hindquarters. The bird was able to keep its feet only after careening Sarah and itself from tree to tree, momentarily threatening to dump the diminutive geologist.

Jason found his path to the valley blocked by three of the hissing reptilian creatures that displayed their plumage as if this alone would dissuade Jason from fleeing. Just before the first of the three bent over to spring, it was stunned and frightened by the incredible roar of Erebus as she blew her caldera. The expanding gas and ash hit and rolled down Erebus and her sisters like a tidal wave of scalding fury. The pyroclastic phenomena had one intention—to kill the continent of Antarctica, the last landmass free of the ice that covered the entire world.

Sarah and Anya flew past Jason as the raptors blocking their path fled before the onslaught of noise and thunder. Jason, Virginia, and Will were not far behind as the choices had become clear to all—face the four giant volcanoes' wrath, or run the gauntlet of voracious raptors.

Above, the sky filled with black smoke and the rain consisting of fiery coals started to devastate the surrounding landscape.

They charged headlong into the first great battle between Mother Nature and her smartest animal life, and one thing was looking foregone—both man and animal were going to lose this fight.

The coincidence of Erebus erupting at the exact same moment of Everett's disappearance was not lost on Sarah or Virginia. The wormhole effect had done something to trigger this event but they had precious little time to contemplate as to why. It seems the history of this world had been shaped by beings other than any who ever called this planet home. Human destiny had been in the hands of others all the way from the beginning.

The world of 227,000 years ago was coming to an end with fire, and then miles upon miles of ice.

*   *   *

Henri could not believe what it was they were attempting. Did these men have a death wish? He saw the excitement in both Everett's and Collins's faces. It was as if they actually looked forward to the challenge. The Frenchman, although thoroughly motivated to find that power coupling, was equally anxious not to be knocked off of his giant chicken while riding into the very nest of raptors they normally would have avoided.

“Gentlemen, shall we sally forth?” Jack said. He raised the Glock nine millimeter as his large roc pawed at the earth, irritated by the sulfuric smell emanating from the south. Carl raised his own weapon and then they both looked at Henri, who unenthusiastically raised the M-4 in mock bravado.

“By all means, let's ride off to our deaths, because by the look of Erebus, we're out of time.”

“Boy, he's a real killjoy, isn't he?”

“Yes, he is that, but he's French, what can you do?” Jack said as he kicked the roc into action. Everett smiled at Farbeaux and with a return look expressing his incredulity, the former French black operation commando reluctantly followed the two crazed Americans into the valley of the shadow of death—
or something akin to it anyway,
he thought.

*   *   *

The batteries were draining so fast that Jenks had to adjust not only the rate of fire from the sixteen weapons, but also the distance to engage the target. He tapped in the new parameters and then placed the laptop down and tossed Ellenshaw another thirty-round magazine for his M-4.

“Okay, Doc, we need to supplement the lasers. Start by firing into the front of that bison herd when they get within two hundred yards. Maybe we can turn this stampede into going another direction.”

“Shoot the buffalo?” Ellenshaw asked, horrified about shooting such a magnificent animal.

Jenks inserted his own magazine into his weapon and then charged it. He finally spared Ellenshaw a look of frustration. “Look, either we turn them now or wait until them hairy-ass elephants are crawling up our butts.”

Ellenshaw finally understood. He turned and aimed, waiting for the bison to come within range.

The attack from behind caught both Jenks and Ellenshaw off guard. As Jenks turned and saw the four raptors jump upon the outer trailers of their defensive line, he quickly fired, hitting one of the brightly plumed animals, dropping him into the empty bed of the trailer. Charlie wasn't as fast and managed to stitch the sky with tracer rounds as the three remaining raptors jumped from the green-painted trailers into the center of the camp. The first sprinted, feathered arms outstretched for balance as it tried desperately to avoid the bullets striking the ground at its feet. The master chief cursed again when he saw the animal crash into the ceramic and steel doorway. It rebounded with half of its scaled, reptilian head sliced open and dangling. It quickly shook off the blow and started to charge the doorway again.