Realms of Time (Scrapyard Ship) Read online

  * * *

  On the move again they approached the ridgeline. The hairy figures were gone and the South African plains were relatively quiet. Bristol, checking his instruments, was clearly on edge. Several times Jason saw Bristol out of his peripheral vision, watching him, assessing him. As long as Bristol kept his mouth shut, he’d live through the day, Jason thought. They moved up into the rocks, slowing their pace. Halfway up the ridge, a hidden valley dipped down into an area the size of three adjacent football fields. Jason’s eyes were drawn to several caves.

  ping, ping, ping.

  “Yeah, it’s definitely here. Like close,” Bristol said.

  “Can you tell which one?” Jason asked, now seeing four caves of different sizes—two against the hillside and two cavernous openings on the ground before them.

  “Um, let me see …” Bristol moved forward, stopping every so often to check his readings. “If this fucking thing would stop blinking out …” Several steps later he moved off to the left toward one of the caves on the hillside. “Well, it’s probably this one.”

  “Probably?” Billy said, not even attempting to hide his disdain.

  Bristol looked up but held his tongue.

  “All right, we’ll check it out.”

  Jason turned and signaled for Traveler. As he approached, Bristol took a tentative step back.

  “We’re going in; we’ll need several sentries out here. Same with you, Billy,” Jason said. Billy and Traveler turned and gathered their teams.

  Jason approached the cave and realized that it was the one most often used. Nearly all the hillside grass had been trampled away, leaving clear-cut pathways into the dark void ahead. Hearing running feet behind him, Jason turned to see Orion jogging up the hillside in his direction.

  “Cap, I was thinking.”

  He waited for her to reach him and nodded for her to continue.

  “Maybe we should set our multi-guns for stun or heavy stun. Just seems overtly cruel to come into their home and start killing everyone. Even if they do attack.”

  “Agreed. Go ahead and spread the word.”

  Orion opened a channel and spoke the directive. Each of the SEALs stopped and seemed to stare off in space, accessing their HUDs and making necessary changes.

  Standing at the mouth of the cave, Jason realized just how immense it was—guessing it was one hundred fifty to two hundred feet wide. Turning, he saw five rhinos and five SEALs taking up positions around the valley. With one exception, the rest of his teammates were headed up to join him at the mouth of the cave.

  “Bristol, you’re going to have to move quicker than that. Get up here and help direct us.”

  The team cleared a path for Bristol as he made his way to Jason’s side. Still looking at his instruments, he pointed. “In there.”

  “Really? You’ll need to do better than that.”

  Bristol continued forward and veered off toward the right, eventually disappearing into the darkness. Echoes bounced off the rock and into the black void above. Their helmet lights came on and Bristol came back into view. Both Jason and Billy hurried to catch up. There was something in the far distance, something—a flickering light—a campfire. Billy communicated to the team to spread out. Jason thought it strange that he’d yet to see any cavern walls. This was even bigger than the cavern beneath the scrapyard. The ground was definitely sloping down now and he found himself having to check his forward momentum. They walked for close to an hour in the darkness. He’d been aware of the growing number of red icons appearing on his HUD. Hundreds of them.

  “Cap, I’m feeling uneasy about this,” Billy commented.

  “Just take it slow. So far I’m sure we’re just a curiosity to them,” Jason said, trying to sound calm.

  The cavern they were in suddenly closed down to a ten-foot-wide roughly hewn archway. The area beyond was brightly lit and there were excited voices, some yelling. Jason and Billy stopped at the entrance and tentatively peered in. What Jason saw caused him to hold his breath. A cavern expanse, easily the size of a football stadium, had fires along its periphery and a larger one blazing in the middle. Groups of ape-like people were congregated. Some were holding spears, others baskets; some were bare-chested females. But it was what he saw above them that captivated Jason’s attention. As high as the eye could see were switchback paths, like catwalks, angled upward toward some dark, unseen pinnacle above. Hundreds more of the apelike people were traversing the narrow walkways, some going up, some coming down.

  Bristol stepped into the cavern still looking at his instruments. Jason reached for him, but he was already five feet ahead. Still looking down he held out an arm and pointed straight up. As if realizing he’d walked off by himself, he looked up and around. The hordes of apelike people had stopped and were now facing in their direction. Spears came up amid a growing sound of angry murmurs. Spears flew from all sides and above. Jason sidestepped one, only to walk into the path of another. Their battle suits easily shielded them from harm.

  “Where’s the drone, Bristol?” Jason asked.

  “All the way to the top,” he replied, never taking his eyes off the crowd in front of them. The rest of the team were filing in behind. When the four rhino-warriors emerged, frightened shouts erupted from the crowd of apelike people. More males with spears moved forward, while females, some quickly picking up small children, skirted off in the opposite direction. Jason watched as a spear pierced Traveler’s thigh, blood spraying into the air; it seemed an artery was severed. Dira went quickly to his side and began working to stem the flow of blood.

  Jason visually followed the contours of several switchbacks above until he found one that eventually egressed onto the cavern floor.

  “This way. We need to keep going,” he said, pulling Bristol along with him and hurrying off toward the path. Jason pushed Bristol forward. “Go. Don’t stop till you get to the drone. Billy, take your team and stay with him.”

  Traveler had apparently lost too much blood to get back into the fight; Jason saw that he was alive, lying against the cavern wall by the cavern entrance. The two remaining rhinos stepped forward and created a defensive semicircle. No more spears were flying, but they seemed to have an ample amount of rocks to throw. Dira carefully moved in close to Jason and looked up at him.

  “How’s Traveler?” Jason asked.

  “His internal nanites are working overtime but that cut artery makes me nervous,” she responded. “He’ll be okay once we get him into a MediPod.”

  “Good.” He saw something in her expression. “What?”

  “You have to admit, they’re fascinating. The ape-people. To think you’re looking at the your own evolutionary beginnings.” She smiled. “I have to say, I see a definite resemblance.”

  Jason didn’t reply, giving her a brief smile. Turning his attention back to the ape people, several of the males had tentatively moved forward. They were becoming more vocal. One male, taller, maybe five and a half feet, stood in front of the rest. His face, albeit covered with hair, was humanlike and didn't have any of the Neanderthal characteristics Jason had seen numerous times depicted in books. His voice, sounding like a jumble of unconnected sounds, was now becoming intelligible as Jason’s nano-devices started to translate his speech. Although the utterances were primitive, the ape-man was definitely talking. Jason held a hand up, signaling Dira to stay put. Slowly, he walked past the rhinos and stood several paces before the talking ape-man. Moving cautiously, he brought his hands up and unclasped his helmet and pulled it off his head. The prehistoric crowd hushed, then more excited murmurs rose around them. Jason, although he’d seldom used it, quickly configured his nano-device so he could speak directly with them.

  “I am called Jason,” he said.

  Again, absolute quiet, then more murmurs. The ape-man spoke. “I am Pawn.”

  “We are not your enemy. We do not wish to fight.”

  “You must leave here. Now,” Pawn replied, his face bunching into an angry snarl.

&
nbsp; “Soon. Very soon. We need to find something.” Jason used the muzzle of his multi-gun and drew a crude picture of the drone on the dirt floor. Pawn stepped forward, tilting his head from side to side, and looked back up at Jason. With eyes wide his face filled with fury. He jumped toward Jason with unexpected agility. Jason was bowled over and on the ground as clenched fists hammered at his face. He tasted blood in his mouth and his vision started to tunnel into blackness. Then, just as quickly, the ape-man was off him, suspended in the air—arms flailing and legs gyrating. Jason, catching his breath, sat up to see one of the large rhino-warriors outstretched arm—a hand clenched a fistful of Pawn’s fur on his back.

  The rhino watched the flailing ape-man, then looked down toward Jason. Was that a smile? Jason got back to his feet and motioned for him to put the ape-man down.

  “It’s okay, just put him down.”

  The rhino released the smaller man, letting him fall to the ground. He quickly skittered backwards on all fours and then stood up. Once again Jason approached him. This time on guard for an attack.

  “Why did you attack me?”

  “We know you’ve come to take Ishima.”

  “Ishima?”

  Pawn pointed a hairy finger toward the crude drawing in the dirt. “Ishima. God of land and sky.” Other ape-men, over a hundred of them now, had moved in closer and stood behind Pawn. There was that same face; Pawn was turning furious again. Without thinking, Jason stepped in and delivered a roundhouse punch to the smaller caveman’s jaw. He fell down to the ground and didn’t move for several moments. The others behind him took several steps backwards. Pawn was slow to recover; first, getting to his knees, then standing with his balance wavering.

  Jason hailed Billy.

  “Go for Billy,”

  With his eyes, Jason followed the switchback path up until he could no longer see it in the smoky haze above.

  “Status?”

  “It’s here, Cap. Hovering at the top of this cavern. There must be fifty dead apes laying around on the path up ahead that, I’m guessing, got in too close to the drone. All of them have nasty-looking scorch marks to their upper torsos.”

  “Get the exact coordinates from Bristol and send them to me.”

  Dira was at his side and looking up at his face. She smirked and retrieved several items from her MediKit. He shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. “The nanites are already doing their thing. I’m fine.”

  “Let me at least wipe off some of the blood,” she said, and proceeded to clean his cheek and then his forehead. She made a face marked with exasperation. “Seriously, you pick a fight with a prehistoric caveman?”

  Billy, back on his NanoCom, said, “Here are the coordinates, Cap. Sending them now.”

  Jason retrieved the message packet and forwarded them on to Ricket. Then he hailed him.

  “Go for Ricket.”

  “Got the coordinates?”

  “Yes, Captain. I’m preparing to phase-shift the first paired drone now.”

  “We’re inside of a rocky cavern. Will that make a difference?”

  “It shouldn’t. The Minian is less than a thousand miles away from your position.”

  Jason set his HUD to display Billy’s helmet feed. He saw the drone and the bodies on the surrounding pathways ahead.

  There was a white flash and a second identical drone appeared. It hovered ten feet below the other. Both drones came alive and spun one hundred and eighty degrees, while hidden panels opened and weapon muzzles secured into place with distinctive clicks. Jason waited—watching the standoff, both drones looking angry as if they would fire on the other any second. Then, in unison, they put away their weaponry, closed their panels, and quietly hovered there together.

  Chapter 13

  They left the cavern with two rhinos carrying Traveler, now in-and-out of consciousness. No more spears or rocks were thrown; apparently the ape-people were now appeased having two drones, or Gods, instead of just the one.

  They made their way back to the shuttle late in the afternoon. Something was cooking on the open fire and Jason hoped it was antelope. Within minutes RCMs were unfolding and game, hunted by the rhinos on the return trip, was added to the fire. Dira was adamant that Traveler needed to be transported back to the Minian as soon as possible. Within minutes Ricket, on the Minian, had prepped one of the shuttles and remotely piloted it to their camp. Although smaller, it was virtually identical to the Magnum. The shuttle circled once overhead and then landed fifty yards from the other shuttle. With Traveler secured, and two others rhinos to accompany him, the shuttle was back in the air within five minutes.

  Jason didn’t like the fact that Traveler, his friend and now the rhino leader, would be out of commission for a while. Even though Ricket had insisted Traveler would be fine alone up on the Minian, Jason was convinced it was more prudent that he be protected, on the off chance something happened up there. Ricket assured him that the other two rhinos could be returned to the planet within minutes, if necessary.

  More rocks were soon placed around the fire and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Jason sat down next to Billy, who passed him a cigar. Rarely did he accept one of Billy’s stink bombs, but he took it and leaned forward for a light. He stifled a cough, then drew in the rich, aromatic smoke.

  “Not a bad day’s work,” Billy said, looking pleased with himself. “Hell, if the rest of the drones go that easy—”

  Jason held up a hand and shook his head. “You know what you just did, don’t you?”

  “No, I didn’t jinx anything. I’m just saying …”

  “We have four more of those suckers to pair up. I think we need to be ready for the worst,” Jason answered, watching the glowing hot ember at the end of his cigar.

  Rizzo was handing out platters of meat and some kind of roasted, locally harvested, potatoes. As Jason reached up for his, his eyes caught an image at the edge of the camp. Two gargantuan lionesses. Licking their chops, they watched as everyone ate. The rhino-warrior named Few Words walked up to the fire and tore off one of the large antelope legs. As he approached the female lions they rose up off their haunches, looking ready to bolt. But apparently the rhino’s total lack of fear, and the aroma of the roasted meat, kept the lionesses put. They accepted the leg and wasted no time tearing and eating its flesh. But what surprised Jason the most was how they permitted Few Words to sit down on the ground next to them. At one point, the rhino gave the larger of the two cats a scratch behind her ears and left his arm resting along her back. Dira and Grimes, sitting together, both pointed to the sight with mouths ajar.

  Jason tossed what remained of his cigar into the flames. He’d had enough of the acrid-tasting thing. Billy threw him a pained expression. Using one hand, Jason pulled his virtual notepad from a pouch on his belt and expanded it out in front of them.

  “All right, let’s take a look at where we’re off to next.” Rizzo and Orion got up and stood behind them. A map depicting Europe hovered in the air. A pulsating icon came into view, then disappeared.

  “Is that France?” Billy asked.

  “Yes, northern area—a little place called Conches. I’d guess close to Paris,” Jason replied.

  Bristol, who had been thoroughly engrossed in his meal, stood up, threw several greasy bones into the fire and hovered behind Rizzo and Orion. “I may be able to find the next one somewhat easier.”

  Heads turned in his direction.

  “I mean, what are the odds it will be in a cave, or underground, again?”

  No one answered and Jason closed down his virtual notepad. Getting to his feet, he stretched. “Up at 0600. I need everyone rested—big day tomorrow.” He nodded and smiled to Dira and Grimes, still deep in conversation, and headed off toward his RCM.

  * * *

  Jason was up at first light, well before 0600. The six remaining rhinos were clearing the campsite. As Few Words carried one of the fireside rocks and tossed it back out into the plains, one of the lionesses looked up, grow
led, then fell back into a bed of tall grass.

  RCMs refolded into themselves as each of the SEALs and other teammates staggered out into the morning air. Jason had gotten coffee brewing first thing and offered up steaming mugs as they shuffled over to the shuttle. Orion, eyes half-closed, accepted the mug of coffee and smiled.

  “Gunny, you’ll want to reconfigure everyone’s multi-gun default settings. I have a feeling stun levels won’t cut it—not today,” Jason said.

  “Aye, Cap,” she said, looking around. “Where’s all the rocks?”

  “Don’t get comfortable; we’re wheels up in ten,” Jason said, staring at the one standing RCM. “Let me guess, Bristol?”

  “Who else?” Billy said, shaking his head. “Want me to get him going?”

  “Yeah, you better. Before you know it half the day will be shot.”

  * * *

  As soon as Lieutenant Grimes flew the Magnum up into the air, the time-reference indicator on Jason’s HUD started to change—slow at first, then changing every second or two. The total estimated distance between Johannesburg and Conches was 5,154 miles, and within four minutes, the shuttle was halfway there. Bristol, seated, was staring at the equipment on his lap. The rhinos, standing at the back of the shuttle, swayed and grabbed for handholds as the shuttle banked sharply to the left.

  Jason sat in the cockpit next to Grimes. He watched her as she confidently handled the controls—always active, checking settings, making adjustments, and scoping out the terrain below. There was something edgy about her, which reminded him of Nan. His heart missed a beat at the thought of Nan, now gone; he would never see her or touch her again. He fought away the shroud of sadness that was rushing to overwhelm him, wanting to engulf him.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Grimes asked, quickly glancing in Jason’s direction.

  He smiled. “Huh, I haven’t heard that expression in years.”