Chapter 14
Jason took one more circuit around the campsite, not only to ensure they hadn’t left anything behind, but to avoid all the sly glances, uncomfortable silences, or out-and-out smirks from both Billy and Orion. Dira’s words still rang in his ear: There isn't a soul on board The Lilly who hasn’t noticed how you look at me. Had he been that obvious? The last thing he’d wanted to do was hurt Nan, or push her away—and he’d undoubtedly done both. On the flip side, he’d had just about the most spectacular morning he could remember. He needed to get his head back into the game and, if at all possible, complete the mission. In a few days, the Craing Emperor’s Guard would be entering the Sol solar system.
At the far edge of the rock ledge where several trees were growing at what seemed to be unnatural angles—as if being pulled over the ledge itself—Jason looked to the far horizon from five hundred feet above ground. From this perspective he could clearly see all the other quadrants. He wondered what perils lay ahead for his team. If they were anything like quadrant 1, they had a ton of work cut out for them and very little time to do it.
Dys: 05 Hrs: 13 Mins: 12
The next obstacle was a rocky gorge over a mile wide. Jason studied the terrain ahead and searched for an easier way to cross it, but it zigzagged from one horizon to the other—casting a brutal scar across the landscape. What made this gorge more of a concern, above and beyond its sharp rocks and deep canyons, was the constant expulsion of steam from below that was rising up in the air. Whatever lay at the bottom of the gorge was more than a little hot. But staring at it all day wasn’t going to get anything accomplished. The actions he and his team took over the next 48 hours could very well determine the fate of mankind.
Jason joined the assault team where they had converged in the clearing. Everyone was back in battle gear with helmets on. Orion was giving an impromptu demonstration of the multi-gun weapons system. Jason listened and followed along with her instructions on how to access menu selections quickly, as well as how to set default favorites ahead of time.
When Orion completed her overview and answered everyone’s questions, she looked over to Jason.
“It’s time we head out,” Jason said. “Pair off and stay alert.” Dira and Morgan were paired off again. Morgan had removed his helmet and Dira and Billy were looking at something on his neck.
“What’s the problem over there, Lieutenant?” Jason inquired, moving closer and taking in Morgan’s exposed shoulder and lower neck area.
Dira said, “Morgan has some kind of parasite growth.” Now seeing his bared skin up close, what surprised Jason—beyond the fact that the growth seemed large, easily an inch thick and irregular in shape—was that it showed signs of movement under Morgan’s skin. “Can’t really remove it at this time—dangerously close to his carotid artery. I’ve taken a sample and it’s being analyzed.”
Billy asked, “Does it hurt? I mean can you feel it wiggling around like that?”
“Yes, I can feel it wiggling around—it’s doing f*cking cartwheels on my neck!” Morgan spat back, frowning at Billy.
“Where could he have picked up something like that?” Jason asked Dira.
She shrugged and then opened her eyes wider. “I imagine the pool.”
“Okay, everyone, take a few minutes and check yourselves,” Jason said, wasting no time in activating the release mechanism to his own battle suit. The others did the same. As it turned out, no one else seemed to have picked up a parasite. Morgan was uncomfortable, but it hadn’t adversely affected him otherwise, at least not yet. Once all were suited up again, Jason ordered the team to phase-shift back down to ground level, and they quickly complied.
They marched in pairs in the direction of the gorge expanse ahead. Jason’s HUD showed the outside temperature was rising steadily. Each battle suit was equipped with an internal climate control, but Jason wasn’t sure what extremes it was capable of handling. He opened a direct NanoCom channel to Ricket, who walked by his side.
“Ricket, what can you tell me about our suits ability to withstand heat?”
“The materials themselves are nearly impervious to extreme heat. How the suit will compensate and maintain survivable levels, I’m not sure. I’m reading extremely high temperatures below ground.”
They’d reached the gorge. The terrain was even more perilous than Jason had thought. Thousands of jagged spires pointed toward the sky. In between were crevasses and deep canyons. In some spots, he couldn’t even see bottom.
“Looks like some of this terrain will be impossible to traverse on foot. For those areas, we’ll phase-shift to suitable flat areas. Like stepping stones. Who wants to go first, show us how it’s done?”
Jason was not surprised when Orion moved to the edge with her hand raised. “Let me give it a try, Cap,” she said. She took a step back and assessed the gorge, eyeing places where she’d phase-shift to and the areas where she would climb or walk. Then she was gone. Twenty yards into the gorge, Orion was already walking across a rocky plateau before disappearing from sight.
“Who’s next?” Jason asked. “Follow where Orion is going. Watch where she’s phase-shifting to and where she’s walking and climbing.”
“I’ll take Morgan across,” Dira said. They both walked to the edge and disappeared. One by one, everyone did the same. Jason and Ricket brought up the rear.
Jason hailed Orion.
“Go for Gunny, Cap.”
“Where are you, Orion?” Jason asked.
“Three quarters the way across. Moving a little slower now—terrain is worse here. I’ve used all but one of my five phase-shifts. I was going to hold here for a while and recharge.”
“Good idea. The rest of us will get close and hold for a recharge as well—good work Gunny,” Jason said. Now, looking across the gorge, he saw his assault team—some in pairs and some a distance apart from each other—but all were slowly making their way to the other side. The six remaining rhino warriors seemed to be having a difficult time finding adequate locations to shift to, capable of holding their substantial girth.
Four hails came in at once. “Go ahead, Rizzo,” the first one to make contact.
“Captain, something’s happening below. It’s heating up and there’s lots more steam. My HUD readout says it’s close to three hundred degrees.” Jason received virtually the same information from the other three hails. Jason and Ricket were now halfway across the gorge. Most of the others were almost even with Orion, three quarters the way across.
“Captain,” Ricket said, “It’s now clearer to see that we are traversing a volcanic river of lava, and apparently it has tides. The lava is steadily rising and at its current rate we will be vaporized within seventeen minutes.”
Jason did the calculations in his head. No one had more than one phase-shift left and none was close to either side of the gorge.
“Get moving everyone; do whatever you can to get to the far side. Move it!”
One sure thing about a life and death situation was getting that boost of adrenalin coursing through your veins. The capacity for almost superhuman feats kicked in. Everyone was moving quickly now. One glance downward and it became apparent the lava was rising—fast. Beneath billowing clouds of white steam, glowing red lava flowed mere yards below their feet. Heat rose in waves, distorting visibility. Jason hopped from the ledge of one rocky spire to the next and helped Ricket along the way.
Fifty feet ahead, but at an elevation lower than Jason and Ricket’s, a rhino warrior was frantically looking around. He was trying to find a way to move higher. Without full battle suit gear, his leather-thong sandals had begun to melt. Then one caught fire. Jason opened his visor and yelled directly across the divide: “Phase-shift back to us—you can make it!” He pointed to an open area close by. The rhino-beast turned in their direction and immediately started to input coordinates onto his wristband. Come on, come on, hurry up! He was taking too long, looking up and then back at his wrist several times. Just as it seemed he might have figured it out, the red glow of lava appeared all around him. He screamed in agony as molten rock flowed over the tops of his large feet. As if melting, the rhino-beast’s legs merged with the fiery molten river. He toppled over, hands outstretched to break his fall, only for them to disappear into the lava as well. The echoes of the rhino warrior’s screams lingered as his entire body caught fire, disappearing into the molten lava. In seconds, the rest of the assault team would face the same fate. There simply was nowhere to run, no place to hide. Jason picked Ricket up and placed him on his shoulders. In the distance, he looked for Dira. Had she already succumbed to what their fate might inevitably be?
A cloud passed overhead. Both Jason and Ricket looked up. Not a cloud. Two boxy mail truck-looking crafts were lumbering along in the direction of quadrant 2, a mere thirty feet overhead. Calculating the flat space on top of each vehicle to be about fifteen feet by twenty, Jason was encouraged. He opened a channel to the group.
“Look up! We’re going to phase-shift to the roof of those feeding drones. One at a time. Jump to the middle—once you’re up there, get over to the sides. We don’t want to phase-shift right on top of each other. Let’s start with you first, Orion,” Jason commanded.
One by one, starting with Orion, they phase-shifted onto the top of the drones. With the weight of each additional person, the drones lost a little altitude. Jason noticed that the rhino warriors were not phase-shifting as their turns came around. Jason and Ricket were the last to make their phase-shifts. Weighted down, both feeding drones barely skimmed above the tops of the rocky spires. Once above solid ground, everyone jumped from the drone rooftops. Within seconds, the drones rose back up and slowly continued on with their deliveries. At the edge of the gorge, Jason and the others looked back to the remaining rhino warriors. Two separate screams of agony were immediately followed by two more bright bursts of fire. Only three rhino- beasts, those fortunate to be on higher spires or plateaus, remained.