The Traveler (55 page)

“I don't know what to say,” he said, as he felt he couldn't face the people who had gambled so much in their attempt to bring him home.

“You're a navy man—why is that so surprising? You guys never know what to say,” Collins said with his brows raised, meaning for Carl to knock off the thank-yous.

“Regardless”—he looked at his friends and then his eyes settled on the Frenchman—“thank you. All of you.”

Farbeaux noticed most of that was directed at him, but the Frenchman couldn't bring himself to say anything. He was resentful of the fact that these men and women made him examine his life, and he did not like that at all. He only nodded in response to the debt of gratitude.

“Okay, everyone better cross their friggin' fingers,” Jenks said as everyone turned and watched as he crawled out from underneath the circular collider after connecting the main power source. Jenks nodded as the others shied away, making the older navy man laugh out loud. “Oh, come on, the least that will happen is that this magical erector set explodes and fries us all just like that volcano will do eventually, so what in the hell are you afraid of? Hell, I would be more afraid if this thing doesn't work and we are left here with the Colonel Sanders army chasing us until Erebus blows her top.” He looked at his watch as a joke. “Which should be in about thirty minutes by the feel of the ground.” He saw the others relax. Maybe he was gaining some humanity—who knows?

“Uh, would you mind ceasing with the jokes and start that damn thing up?” Ellenshaw said as he turned away from the trailers. “We have a lot of company heading our way.”

The others walked over and saw what Ellenshaw meant. In the veil of falling ash they watched as the raptors came out of the trees by the thousands. They pushed, screamed, hissed, and fought each other as they came. A large rooster was in the front and it held what looked like one of the ancient Roman spears at its side.

“Yes, now would be a good time,” Jack said as he turned to Jenks.

“Okay, Slim, let's see if we can jump-start this damn thing.”

Virginia mentally crossed her fingers as she reached into the last trailer and raised the clear plastic cover of the world's most expensive portable power source. She closed her eyes as she flipped the red switch.

They all felt the ozone in the air as the battery generator kicked in. Its small reactor core sent an electrical charge through the very ground as it slowly amped up in power. As Jenks turned to the doorway he cursed as the collider didn't move. Then he mentally kicked himself and ran to the collider and released the static pins holding it in place. It was only a second longer that the large collider started to slowly rotate on its axis.

“Start with fifty percent power only, Slim, until we get a return lock-on signal from Europa.”

“Right,” Virginia said. She was soon joined by Sarah.

As they watched, the doorway started to spark and hiss as it revolved faster and faster.

Master Chief Jenks sniffed the air and then cursed himself again. He was screwing up in his anxious state to get the hell out of there. He turned to Virginia. “Release the coolant reservoir, slowly. She's starting to sizzle a little.”

Virginia did as ordered and then crossed her fingers as she watched Jenks go to the main control panel in the trailer. He adjusted the audible signal and turned the knob all the way up. At first they didn't think it was working, then they all felt the minute irritation of the signal as it penetrated their eardrums.

“Signal is broadcasting,” Virginia said as the others gathered around and watched the sparkling doorway slowly open to another dimension with eye-hurting brilliance.

Virginia wanted to jump when the needle on the return signal pegged out in the red.

“Europa is on the line!”

Before any of them could react to the good news, the world exploded in flame and shrapnel.

 

23

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

The return team was shocked as the warning alarm on the doorway sounded three times, almost breaking the monitors along the technician's stations.

Niles went to the window where Moira was sitting in her chair. Alice bit her lip as she was confused as to how the return trip would work. They watched as the young technicians ran to their various stations. The activity was vivid and exciting as they speculated on the success of the mission. Most though worried about the missing security team that had deported with the Russians. Xavier Morales was most worried about that fact since it had been him who had so unceremoniously sent them away.

“
Los Angeles,
we need fifty percent reactor power,” called out the young UC Berkeley grad who was now in charge of doorway operations.

“
Los Angeles
reports her board is in the green. Going to fifty percent.”

“Open the collider and send out the return.”

The doorway slowly started its revolutions. The sound was piercing as most placed the headphones over their ears. They had learned that fact the last time—it was painful when the audio tones began.

“Signal acquisition at twenty-two thirty hundred hours and twenty-two seconds.”

The loud cheer went up inside the control room and at the science labs at Nellis.

Niles nodded his head as the first hurdle was jumped successfully. He turned and looked at the large monitor where Xavier was sitting, patiently and nervously waiting with the rest of them.

“What are the chances of us accidentally bringing something back that we don't particularly want?” Compton asked. Moira had not thought of that. The worst thing they had ever feared bringing back was a batch of angry Nazis, not monsters from a long-dead world.

Morales smiled. “Group locators will tell us; even our French friend was fixed with a tracking bug. We injected him the day before his departure.” Xavier watched as Niles clearly understood.

“You can stop an intruder from entering based on their transmission signal?”

“Yes and no. We can't stop them from transiting once they are through the doorway, but we can redirect an undesirable to another location if we prefer.”

“Where's that?” Niles asked, but as he looked at the Traveler he could see by her smile that she already knew.

“There are only so many operational doorways emitting signals, Doctor.”

Compton fully understood then.

ANTARCTICA, 227,000
B.C.E.

Jack shook his head and tried to clear the fog that clouded his memory. One minute he was standing next to Sarah as they were both exhilarated that a return signal had been acquired, then the world went crazy. He felt a sharp sting in his back and Sarah's small fingers digging into his skin. He hissed as she pulled out a smoking piece of metal shrapnel. He slowly looked up from his prone position and saw the others as they recovered and started moving. Charlie had his hair in his accustomed state, but he was bleeding from a large wound on his forehead. Others were tending to people who were slow to get up from the devastating explosion. The first thing a bleeding Jenks did was check Virginia, and when he saw that other than a broken nose she hadn't taken a big shot, he immediately crawled to the still-spinning doorway. He looked and saw that it was still functioning. He was about to turn and tell Virginia the good news that it hadn't been the doorway that exploded, but the gun pointing in his face explained the real reason behind the shocking and brutal attack. Doshnikov was standing over him. Jenks slowly stood on wobbly legs and saw the other four torn and battered mobsters as they held the team at bay with their sidearms.

“I am so disappointed you were going to go home and leave us behind without at least saying good-bye,” he said as he pushed the master chief hard into Virginia's arms, who stayed his fall while giving the Russian a withering hate-filled glare. He gestured with his Colt .45 for the others to stand. “I am sure you won't mind if we go first this time?”

Jack rocked back and forth as Sarah stilled him. Charlie Ellenshaw helped Farbeaux to his feet and Will and Ryan were still trying to gather their senses. Carl was on the ground with a bleeding Anya lying prone with her head in his lap. Everett was watching the Russians with murderous intent. The dark-haired Gypsy moaned and they all felt relief as she batted her eyes. Everett looked down—his relief was most visible.

“Now.” Doshnikov stepped forward and then reached for little Sarah. When Jack tried to stop him, Doshnikov shot the colonel in the upper thigh, sending him crashing to the ground.

“You son of a bitch!” Sarah said as she fought the hold of the Russian.

Ryan and Will ran to Jack but another shot rang out and ash and dirt flew from the bullet striking just inches from their feet.

“Another foolish attempt to stop us will result in us leaving one of these behind as we pass through the doorway.” He raised something he held in his left hand and easily tossed it up and down. It was an old grenade. “It seems you were right in your theory about others coming here before us, Colonel,” he said as he watched Jack hiss as he struggled to sit up. “We found two of these inside the pack attached to the skeletal remains of a soldier. We couldn't tell if he was Japanese or Chinese, but I must say it was indeed fortuitous that we came across him in our flight from your treachery.”

“There he goes using those big words again,” Jason said as his anger was just about to boil over. He would rather die here and now than take a chance at his friend being left behind in this whacked-out menagerie.

Doshnikov turned and looked at Ryan. He pointed the .45 at his head and pulled the trigger. Click, the hammer fell on an empty chamber.

“Your luck is holding, my friend.” He eased the old and rusty pin from the grenade and smiled as he held the handle in place and turned to the master chief and Virginia. “Now, start the process and get me and my men out of here.”

Jenks looked at Virginia and winked. She didn't understand why Harold was taking this so well. He stood on wobbly legs and made his way back to the trailer. He looked at Jack, who was watching while holding his wounded thigh. Of all people it was Henri who was applying pressure and a dressing to the bleeding hole. Collins fought his building anger with every ounce of willpower he had as the Russian reached out and took Sarah by the arm and steered her toward the still-spinning doorway.

“Remember, all I have to do is drop this inside of there and your dreams of a future are done—am I understood?”

Jenks smiled but it was brief and only Virginia saw it. She bit her lip, wondering why the gruff bastard was taking all of this so well.

“Behave and you just may see this lovely young lady again; misbehave and she will die a horrible death and you can stay here and contend with the animal life.”

“Master Chief, send this man to where he wants to go,” Jack said as Henri assisted him to his feet.

“Yes, sir,” Jenks said as he started the collider rolling at full RPMs. “Slim, stand by on the lasing system.”

Virginia saw Jenks switch to another tone setting on his control panel and made sure the volume was down when the return signal arrived. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was going to do. She looked at Sarah and then hurriedly back at Jenks, who winked.

“Start the lasing and get the collider lined up.”

Doshnikov heard the orders and, remembering this was where they were tricked back in Brooklyn, roughly brought Sarah to his side.

Henri made as if to move on the Russian but Jack forcibly stayed him. They exchanged looks and then Farbeaux knew the Americans had other plans for Doshnikov.

“Let's just cut to the chase—no countdowns, no fact-checking. Either this damn thing works, or it don't.” He smiled at Virginia and then nodded. “Bring the collider online at full power, Slim.”

Without even looking at the panel before her, Virginia did as she was told. Sarah looked over at Jack with fear in her eyes. Jack nodded at Jenks, telling her to concentrate on him. The master chief looked at the small woman whom he had come to like immensely.

“You trust me, Shorty?” Jenks asked as Doshnikov forced her to the doorway's opening. Sarah could only nod that she did. “Then tell everyone we'll be along shortly.” She nodded and Jenks smiled, relaxing her as much as he could.

As the other Russians came forward to join their boss, the doorway went into full-power mode. Suddenly the lasers reached the correct frequency and the burst of pure atomic sunlight exploded from the circling laser apertures, sending out a brilliantly illuminated perfect tunnel of spinning light. Doshnikov turned and smiled at the Americans. He halfheartedly saluted them as he started forward through the vortex of wind and multicolored light.

“Short Stuff, remember: that asshole doesn't have a Group security clearance,” Jack yelled above the din of noise.

The dawning look of understanding filled her face. She smiled as she realized what was about to happen.

The five Russians along with Sarah stepped into the doorway.

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

The doorway went to 115 percent power and the world inside the building started to shake and rattle as the dimensional doorway opened before them.

“Dr. Morales, we have six targets coming through, only one has a transponder.”

“All right, Europa, cull the herd down to size,” he said as he watched on from Nellis.

“Separation of signals commencing,” came the call as the explosion of light bathed the old building in a myriad of color. Before they saw the doorway start to power down they heard it.

They heard a woman's yelp of pain as the vision of the technicians returned slowly after having their retinas fused by the brilliant lasers. When they cleared they saw a lone figure standing on the far side of the doorway as the lasers shut down one at a time.

“Los Angeles,
cut power!” called out the lead tech as she stood and ran to the latest traveler.