Chapter 43
Colt froze, uncertain if he should be frightened or relieved.
Soldiers of the Grail were supposed to be sworn enemies of Koenig’s Defense Corps. And there was the fact that Rhane had helped Colt train for Project Betrayal back on campus . . . but did Agent O’Keefe and the others know that he was one of them—that he was a Thule? They had to know, Colt told himself. Right?
“Look, you’ve got more questions than I have time to answer,” Rhane said, as though he had been reading Colt’s thoughts. “The way I see it, you have two choices. You can come with us or you can stay here and face Koenig’s Defense Corps when they come looking for you—that is, if the Riek don’t get hold of you first.”
Rhane stood there, expressionless, his good eye lingering on Colt. Probing. Searching. Then, without a word, he turned and walked over to the fallen Thule and fished a set of keys from a pouch that hung from its belt. He unlocked Colt’s bonds and led him out of the transport and into a jungle that looked like one of the training scenarios from the hologram room—but this time it was real.
Trees draped in vines rose high overhead, their canopy of leaves blotting out the sun. The temperature was overwhelming and the air was thick, making it hard to breathe. Much of the ground was covered in standing pools that were dotted with cattails and lily pads, and Colt watched as winged frogs, bright yellow with red spots, flew over the water’s surface.
From what he could see there were at least thirty Soldiers of the Grail, some in their native Thule form while others looked human. They scampered along the fallen transport, scavenging parts and loading them into a cart pulled by a creature the size of an elephant, though with its massive hump, round head, and tusks jutting out from its wide jaw, it looked more like a mutated rhino.
Colt squinted and wiped the moisture from his brow, wondering what to do. Project Betrayal wasn’t supposed to take place for another ten days, and he was supposed to have the rest of Phantom Squad at his side, not to mention support from Jackal, Blizzard, Lightning, and Anvil. Instead, here he was on Gathmara with a renegade army of Thule, and he was fairly certain that the only thing keeping them from splitting him open and eating his liver was the fact that they thought Colt was somehow going to help them destroy Aldrich Koenig and his Defense Corps.
“I wasn’t kidding about the infection,” Rhane said as he snapped off a meaty leaf from what looked like an oversized aloe plant. He ran his thumbnail down the center, squeezed out a clear gelatinous liquid that smelled like lemon, and rubbed it on Colt’s wrists. “It’s called evros, and it does wonders for surface wounds.”
“Thanks,” Colt said. It was cold and at first it stung, but it didn’t take long before soothing relief set in. As he stood there he caught sight of armed soldiers escorting the other prisoners to an armored vehicle with eight oversized tires. It looked a bit like a Stryker, but it was built for cargo, not warfare.
There were at least two dozen prisoners, and each of them silently clambered into the back with their heads down and shoulders slumped. The only one Colt was able to make eye contact with was Sheriff Sutherland, but one of Rhane’s soldiers pushed the sheriff into the back of the vehicle before he could speak.
Colt frowned and took a step forward, but Rhane grabbed him by the arm. “They’re not your concern,” he said. “At least not for now.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
Before Rhane could answer, a roar like an engine spooked a flock of birds, and they took to the sky. Moments later something that looked like a cross between a helicopter and a fighter jet was looming overhead.
“What is that thing?” Colt asked.
“One of Koenig’s hovercraft,” Rhane said. “We took their prize and they want it back.”
“Their prize?”
“You.” Rhane turned to the other soldiers. “We’re heading out. Now!”
“Wait,” Colt said. “You knew I was in that transport?”
Rhane didn’t reply as he led Colt into the trees to where an armored Walker with six mechanical legs instead of four normal tires was parked. There was a flurry of activity as the Soldiers of the Grail gathered their gear and loaded the other vehicles.
A band of Twilek swung from branch to branch, their screams echoing through the jungle as the ground transport with all the prisoners in the back rumbled to life. There was a sound like metal grating on metal as the driver put it into gear. Exhaust spilled from dual smokestacks as the vehicle moved down a path that looked far too narrow.
Trees shook as Koenig’s hovercraft drew near. It was close enough that when Colt looked up through the branches he could see the insignia of the Defense Corps on the underbelly. Guns mounted on the hovercraft started to fire, and flares of orange erupted from the barrels. Colt turned and covered his head as bullets tore through the vegetation.
“Let’s go!” Rhane shouted as he jumped into the driver’s seat of the armored Walker.
Shrapnel bounced off the Walker as Colt slid underneath, scrambling to get to the passenger’s door. There was shouting. Someone screamed, and Colt watched as a Soldier of the Grail fell nearby, his lifeless eyes open and his mouth agape.
“Now!”
Rhane’s voice shocked Colt into motion and he rolled out from under the vehicle, opened the door, and climbed into the passenger’s seat. The Walker jolted forward, pounding through pools of dead water and skittering over moss-covered boulders as the hovercraft tracked them through the branches overhead.
Soon the ground started to shake, and moments later a herd of what looked like six-legged elk thundered across the path up ahead. Each was as big as a draft horse, with a long tail that ended in a set of wicked spikes. Their eyes looked crazed as they fled before the hovercraft overhead.
Rhane broke hard to the left and into a wide clearing. There was a roar like an engine, and the hovercraft dropped down with its nose pointed at the Walker. A spray of bullets erupted from the guns lodged under the wings, ricocheting off the armor. The windshield splintered but didn’t break as Rhane reached over and flipped open a panel. “See those red switches? Flip ’em on.”
Colt did as he was told, and panels opened up on either side of the hood, revealing a set of machine guns. They opened fire, tearing through the leaves and branches. Bullets sprayed the hovercraft, pounding against metal and glass.
“Looks like we’re going to need some extra firepower,” Rhane said. “See the RPG-7 in the back?”
Colt looked over his shoulder to see a rocket-propelled grenade launcher resting on the floorboards.
“It’s loaded with a Thermobaric warhead,” Rhane said. “Think you can handle it?”
“How hard can it be?” Colt unstrapped his seat belt, grabbed the grenade launcher, and leaned out the window, bracing his hip against the door.
The Walker dipped as they went through another pool, and Colt barely managed to keep from falling out. The hovercraft held its ground and bullets continued to fly, but Colt tried to ignore them as he took aim.
The hovercraft was in his sights. Just aim, exhale, and pull the trigger, Colt told himself. The warhead hissed as it left the launcher. Colt watched it streak through the air before it slammed into the hovercraft. There was a flash of light followed by an explosion, and the hovercraft spiraled out of control and slammed into the ground.