Chapter 44
I just got word that there’s another transport,” Rhane said, pointing to his comlink as they continued through the jungle in the strange Walker. “They think it has more prisoners from Earth.”
“Where is it?” Colt asked as he looked at the GPS hologram map that floated over the dashboard.
“About three clicks from here, and Koenig has already sent a Tracker to make sure there aren’t any surprises. But if we hurry we should have enough time to get in and out before it finds us.”
Colt noticed another Walker skittering through the jungle beside them, and then he saw two more, plus five or six armored ultralights and a massive machine that looked like a tank on eight mechanical stilts. It resembled the Walkers but was twice as big, with heavy armor casing and topped with a gun turret.
“This seems like as good a spot as any for an ambush,” Rhane said. He parked beneath the cover of something that looked like a red mushroom, though it was nearly as big as a garage. The other vehicles stopped as well, each one with its weapons systems pointed toward the sky.
Colt felt anxious as he sat there, wondering if any of the prisoners inside the Thule transport might be his friends or maybe Jonas’s mom or even the sheriff of Sanctuary. And he wondered how they were going to knock the transport out of the sky without killing everyone inside.
“Steady now,” Rhane said as the air started to buzz with the sound of an engine in flight. “I can see her in the distance.”
Eyes narrowed, Colt looked at the sky and saw the faintest speck of gray approaching. He watched as Rhane again flipped open the panel that controlled the weapons systems.
“Just a few more seconds,” Rhane said. “Hang on, we’re—”
The ground started to shake and the trees swayed back and forth. There was a cracking sound like wood splitting, and Colt turned to see a massive Tracker heading directly toward them.
“Now there’s a twist I didn’t expect,” Rhane said. He accelerated and headed directly for the Tracker, guns blazing as the bullets ricocheted off the giant mechanical monster. The Tracker’s chest opened like a set of elevator doors, revealing a bank of sixteen missiles that all fired at once. Spinning and swirling, they headed straight for Rhane’s Walker.
There was an explosion as something like a lightning bolt shot out from the massive tank-like contraption with the gun turret. The Tracker’s missiles died as they came in contact with the energy field, and the bolt struck the Tracker in the chest. Energy crackled along its surface, and a second later the lights behind its eyes went out.
“What was that?” Colt asked.
“Think of it as an electromagnetic pulse with a kick.”
The Tracker teetered and fell, but there was no time to celebrate. The gun turret took aim at the transport in the sky and unleashed a second blast of energy.
“Nice shot,” Rhane said as he watched it hit. Bolts like lightning danced across the bulk of the transport. The engines sputtered before they failed, and smoke trailed as it started to fall.
“Let’s go find us some prisoners,” Rhane said, taking off at a trajectory that led them toward the path of the falling vehicle. Its hull struck the top of the trees and then crumpled when it struck a trunk. There was a crash of splintering wood and snapping trees, followed by an explosion.
Rhane and Colt were first on the scene, and they watched as the engine spit flames of red, orange, and gold as smoke rose through the canopy of trees. There were sounds like people pounding against the wall, and Rhane didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a blowtorch from the back of his vehicle and lit it midstride as he raced toward the wreckage.
The other Soldiers of the Grail weren’t far behind, and they joined Rhane as he cut open a doorway in the metal husk of the transport. His soldiers entered with weapons raised, but they didn’t need them. There was no resistance from Koenig’s men as the prisoners from Earth were led out.
Colt didn’t recognize anyone at first and was giving up hope when he saw Oz, followed by Danielle and Pierce, who had a massive gash on his forehead.
“That’s my squad!” he cried, just as Oz said, “Look! There he is.”
Before Colt could reach them, a pair of Soldiers of the Grail stepped in front of him with guns drawn.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the first one asked.
“They’re with me,” Colt said. “They’re part of the mission.”
Rhane led them all through the remains of what had once been a city.
Pierce was walking with a noticeable limp. Though he insisted that he was fine, Colt was fairly certain that his squad-mate’s ankle was broken and found a walking stick to help support his weight.
They could just make out the rough shapes of buildings beneath the creeping vines. Some were sagging and others had fallen over. Trees grew out of windows and pools of stagnant water covered the streets, creating the perfect breeding ground for insects.
“I don’t understand why tourists don’t like this place,” Oz said. “I mean, look at that.” He pointed at a spider that was the size of a bicycle tire. It was black and hairy with bright yellow stripes and was clinging to a web as thick as a rope.
“That’s disgusting,” Danielle said.
“Vrolek spiders are a delicacy,” Rhane said. “They taste a bit like chicken, though the consistency is more like porridge.”
Danielle crinkled her nose. “Double disgusting.”
“How much farther?” Pierce asked. The cut on his head had stopped bleeding but it looked infected, and sweat was beading on his forehead.
“We’re here.” Rhane pulled back a curtain of vines and revealed a metal staircase that led up to the second floor of a crumbling building. Strange phosphorescent fungus clung to the exterior walls, and water trailed down the surface like tears.
“What is this place?” Colt asked.
“Nowhere important,” Rhane said as two of his men stood guard at the base of the stairs. He led the remnant of Phantom Squad through a door and down a hall until he came to an empty apartment. Other than a table and some broken chairs, there wasn’t much in the way of furniture, and the only light source was a series of windows buried under thick vines.
“Then what are we doing here?” Pierce asked, his voice weak, though his words were sharp. He glared at Rhane even as he leaned against the wall, chest heaving. Each labored breath produced a sound like rattling bones. Before anyone could react, his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fell over.
“Pierce!” Danielle rushed over and placed her head against his chest. “I don’t think he’s breathing.”
“He’s infected,” Rhane said.
“Can’t you do something?” Danielle asked.
“Possibly,” Rhane said. “But I’m not making any promises.”
Danielle stroked Pierce’s forehead while Colt and Oz, at Rhane’s command, went in search of the driest wood they could find. When they got back, Rhane started a small fire right next to the window and soon had a small pot of water boiling on the open flame. He pulled out a pouch and added what looked like dried herbs and tea leaves. The concoction smelled like a wet towel that had been sitting in the bottom of a gym bag for the better part of a semester.
“I need one of your socks,” Rhane said.
“Don’t look at me,” Danielle said. “I’m not taking my boots off with those spider things running around.”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Colt said. He removed one of his boots and then his sock and handed it to Rhane, who proceeded to scoop the leaves out from the pan and place them inside the sock. When he was finished he placed it on Pierce’s wound.
“Now what?” Danielle asked.
Rhane shrugged. “If he’s still breathing in the morning, then I give him a better than average shot at surviving.”
“But—”
“He’ll make it,” Colt said.
Danielle wiped a tear from her eye. “I hope so.”
“I don’t mean to sound like a jerk,” Oz said, “but we have bigger issues at the moment.”
“He’s right,” Rhane added. “Koenig knows that Colt is here, which means he’s going to accelerate his plan to invade Earth.”
“I thought he didn’t believe in the prophecy,” Danielle said.
“That’s what he likes to tell people,” Rhane replied. “But he isn’t willing to take any chances. Besides, he needs to attack before his treaties with the Dagon Alliance and the Vril fall apart, just like his treaty with the Black Sun Militia. That was a devastating blow.”
“How long do we have?” Colt asked.
“From everything we can tell, less than twenty-four hours.” Rhane pulled out a metal disc the size of a coaster. He pressed a button, and a holomap of Dresh appeared.
“Why are you doing this?” Colt asked. “I mean, if this world dies, you’re going to die with it, so why are you helping us? Why not invade Earth so you can survive?”
“Because if Koenig succeeds it will only be a matter of time before he destroys your planet, just as he destroyed ours,” Rhane said. “Besides, we don’t believe all hope is lost here on Gathmara. But before we can heal our land, we have to get rid of the man who poisoned it.”
He walked over to a closet and pulled out a black duffel bag, which he unzipped and placed in the center of the floor. “It’s not quite what you’re used to, but it should do.”
Inside the duffel were explosives and detonators, along with goggles, a pair of boots, and guns. There were even magnetic grenades, grappling hooks, pulse charges, and clips for the sidearms.
“Grab what you can carry and then try to get some sleep,” Rhane said. “We head out in five hours.”
“This is it?” Colt said as he pulled out a Luger that looked like it had been used during the Second World War. “What about body armor?”
“Afraid that I’m fresh out,” Rhane said. “After all, we Thule don’t exactly need armor, now do we?”