Jason King: Agent to the Stars 1: The Enclaves of Sylox (25 page)

“And what is
his
name?”

“Very funny,” I said to Miranda. “So they’re not coming to help?”

“Wilma didn’t say they wouldn’t, but she sure did go into a long litany of all the reasons she shouldn’t.”

“
Wilma?
Her name is
Wilma
?” Miranda’s eyes sparkled as a thin grin stretched her lips.

I ignored her. After all, Colonel Wilma Baskin was a very impressive figure, whether in uniform or out. But now the real question was whether or not she would send her two-hundred-strength force to our rescue. Quint had placed an encoded transponder on the test Noreen, with a burst voice recording capability. She would know where we are, but whether she would have picked up any useful audio to help make the case for the Marine’s intervention, well, that remained to be seen.

“Aren’t they authorized to protect Humans who are in danger?” Miranda asked.

“Sure,” Quint said. “But not two accused jewel thieves – along with their unwitting accomplice.”

“So it looks like we’re on our own,” I said, as I checked the power readings on the S-33 for about the tenth time.

“Too bad we don’t have more shoes to throw, other than what we’re wearing,” said Miranda sarcastically.

That gave me an idea.

I stood up abruptly and moved to the food processing station in the room.

“What are you up to?” Miranda asked.

“Just watch.” I made a series of entries at the processor terminal, and almost immediately, several three-inch-diameter, hard brown balls began to spit out the delivery chute.

“What the hell are those?” Miranda stepped over and picked up one of the balls. She smelled it and then took a bite. She frowned.

“Damn, they’re hard, but they taste like caramel.”

“They are – crunchy caramel balls. I have them quite often at my house. About the size of a baseball, right?”

**********

“You say we should throw these at the soldiers?” Quint asked. There was no enthusiasm in his voice. “You’ve got to be crazy. We won’t even get close enough, and then what happens if they do jump? What do we do then?”

“This is just if our weapons run short, and if they jump then we’ll have a distraction, a diversion.” More of the hard balls were now rolling out of the chute, and Miranda scooped up a couple of handfuls and took them over to Quint. She returned and filled her pockets with them, too.

“Just aim for their heads. They hate anything coming toward their faces.”

I went back to the door. “Quint and I will take lead once in the corridor, so I need Miranda and Vol’ox to bring Billork. I know we’ll eventually need him as a hostage. Our objective will be to get out of the underground complex and back topside, so we’ll be heading to the right when we leave here. Miranda, watch our backs for any troops behind us. Now we shouldn’t be more than a hundred feet or so from the central lobby area, and I’m sure that’s where most of the troops will be assembling, so be careful. Hopefully, most of the Zorphins will have their S-33 handguns set at Level-2 to give them more shots per battery pack—”

“Why hopefully?” Miranda asked.

Quint and I exchanged a knowing glance. “Because a Level-2 bolt can’t kill a Human. I learned that back at Battlefield Vegas a long time ago, and by accident, I might add. But that’s another story.”

“Oh good, so I’ll know if the bolt won’t kill me, after I’ve been shot.”

“Actually you can tell by the color of the bolt,” Quint said. “Pale blue – almost white – is a Level-2. Pure blue means L-1, and to duck for cover if you see that coming from the enemy.”

“Got it, Mr. Valarie,” Miranda acknowledged with a wink. “So where should I set the MK I took from the guard?”

“Two will be fine, for the aliens. It not only burns their flesh, but the electrical charge also causes cardiac arrest in most species.”

“Yum,” said Miranda. “Can’t wait to start racking up some points. It’s been a while since I played
Alien Shooter
on my computer – and I used to be really good at it.”

“Wonderful,” I said. “Just remember, these aliens shoot back – for real.”

We positioned ourselves near the door, and when all was ready, I nodded to Quint. He opened the door.

Chapter 34

The two of us moved out into the corridor, crouching and scanning both directions. No one was within eyesight, but we could hear voices coming from our right. We slipped down the hallway, Quint on one side, me on the other.

About twenty feet down, I was able to see around the curvature of the passageway and into the central foyer at the base of the wide stairway leading up to surface. I could make out a dozen Zorphin military troops, looking strange with their reverse knee joints pointing backwards, while displaying an impossible range of motion with their triple jointed arms. Half of the troops carried Xan-fi flash rifles, while the other half had S-33’s.

There were also four topless electric carts parked between us and the troops. Eventually the aliens would board the carts for a quicker trip through the labyrinth, but for now they would provide us with cover.

Quint and I sprinted forward in a low crouch and then slid on the polished marble floor up to the nearest cart. Peering through seats and steering sticks we watched to see if we’d been noticed. Once clear, I turned to Miranda and signaled for her and Vol’ox to drag Bill to the cart.

It was when the Mulicorean tripped halfway to the cart that our problems really began. He fell over one of Bill’s unnaturally long legs and fell with a grunt to the floor. The sound echoed off the stone walls of the corridor, attracting the attention of the two Zorphins closest to the cart.

I nodded to Quint, and together we took careful aim.

The two aliens began to walk toward the cart. There was some cover provided by the vehicles, but not much. So it wasn’t long before the approaching seven-foot-tall aliens spotted the tops of our heads from their high vantage point. And then one of them looked further down the corridor and saw the heap of bodies that was Miranda and Vol’ox hunched over Bill.

We opened fire – two shots, two kills. But then pandemonium broke out in the staging area. I cursed – aloud – when I saw the effectiveness of the alien troops as they turned, crouched and broke up into squads, taking cover within a second or two of our shots. This I hadn’t counted on and I wondered where the Zorphin had got their training. For a race of creatures who haven’t fought a war in centuries, these guys were well-trained.

The huge, circular room at the base of the stairway was also decorated with a variety of statues, settees, credenzas and the like, so the soldiers were able to find ample cover, including two of the electric carts that were closer to their position. Quint and I couldn’t get very few clear shots. I began to get worried, because the longer it took us to clear this force and make it up the stairway, the more likely other troops would arrive, both from down here and also from the surface.

And then to top it all off, Bill was coming to.

Miranda and Vol’ox had pulled Bill up to the cart next to where Quint and I were finding cover, but I could hear his grumbling even over the sound of the random flash bolt whizzing by. I looked over and saw that Miranda had planted a knee in Bill’s chest and stuck the MK just under his chin. Even then, the groggy look of Bill’s eyes showed that he wasn’t even aware of either. That would change, and then Miranda would have a heluva mess on her hands.

I took one of my crunchy caramel balls from my pocket. Quint saw me do it. “Hungry, or are you planning on throwing that thing?”

“Throwing it,” I said. “We can’t get a good shot on any of them, but this thing can arch over.”

“Like a hand grenade, but without the explosion?”

“That’s right.”

“Without the boom-boom and you expect it to work?”

“Oh ye of little faith….” And then I tossed the ball. The ceiling in the huge room was well over a hundred feet high, and was part of the mound on the surface. So I was able to get some pretty good height on the throw. But the ball landed short of my target.

Quint looked at me with disgust, shaking his head.

“Hey, it takes a while to gauge the weight and distance. The next one will be better.”

And it was. This time the ball made it over the barricade formed when a couple of statue tables had been pushed together. I heard a yelp – and then a Zorphin suddenly sprang up from behind the barrier, clearing it by a good two feet. He landed awkwardly on the tables and fell forward, losing his weapon in the process.

Quint and I both opened up, and soon another alien was dead.

“Well I’ll, be damned – it worked,” Miranda cried out from twelve feet away.

“Get ready,” I said to Quint. “I’ll throw, you shoot.”

Quint took aim toward the barricade and nodded. “Ready.”

I heaved another of the balls; another answering ‘yelp,’ and another jumping alien. Quint didn’t even let this one land before shooting him. It was a like playing a life-size game of Whack-A-Mole, but this time with bug-like aliens.

Since I had the stronger arm and better aim, I did the throwing while Quint did the shooting. Soon another five Zorphins were dead.

**********

“I need more balls!” I shouted to Miranda.

“I knew that already,” she called back with a smile. But then she rolled the ones she had over to me.

Quint slapped another power pack into his S-33, and we set about shooting skeet with the jumping Zorphins.

There were shouts coming from all over the enemy position, as officers pleaded with their troops not to jump when the balls approach. I spotted one of the officers exposed slightly as he yelled out. I took aim and let loose with one of my tasty treats.

He didn’t see it coming, so I yelled out as loud as I could, “Hey!”

This got his attention, just as the ball closed on his face. Seeing the ball, the officer instinctively jumped, and Quint nailed him just as he cleared his cover.

There were still ten or so of the soldiers remaining and I knew more would be showing up behind us soon. But now the survivors were beginning to break rank and panic. A couple broke for the stairway, where Miranda cut them down with two accurate blasts from her MK-17.

Let’s see: two running/hopping targets at a distance of about forty yards. Now that was some impressive shooting, especially for a person with no military experience.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on that for long, because the remaining troops were now retreating down the corridor at the other side of the lobby chamber.

“Put Bill in the back of that cart and then you and Vol’ox get over to the stairs. We’ll cover you!” I ordered Miranda. But she was already a step ahead of me, and the cart pulled away even before I finished my sentence.

“Quint, break right as I cover you. In three, two, one, break!”

I laid down suppressing fire at the retreating aliens as the rest of my party reached the wide stairway. Quint helped the other two carry Bill up the stairs. The alien was more aware of things now and his huge head wobbled around, trying to focus on what was going on around him. He was still groggy enough that they reached the top of the stairs without him protesting too much.

At the top, Quint took a knee and sighted his weapon along his cheek. I took off in a sprint for the stairs as Quint laid down covering fire; even as series of bolt splashes struck the marble floor around me as I ran.

I took the stairs three steps at a time – and was panting like a horse after a ten furlong race by the time I reached the top.

I slid in next to Quint and took aim. “I need to work out more,” I managed to say.

“I’ve been telling you that for years,” Quint replied, “and more than just your silly softball games.”

“Hey, my softball skills just saved our asses.”

“More like your culinary skills, dickhead.”

“There’s more coming from outside!” Miranda screamed.

I patted Quint on the shoulder and then took off toward the huge opening leading outside. The sun was low in the sky by now, so the light streaming through wasn’t too much of an adjustment for my eyes. Miranda and Vol’ox had Bill over at the right side of the opening, and now she was standing on his chest, pinning him to the floor. I saw the recognition in Bill’s eyes as I ran over to the trio. He knew me, but there was no animosity in this gaze, so he was still out in la-la-land somewhere.

“There,” Miranda said, pointing to a grouping of Zorphin soldiers near a supply truck and a small armored vehicle. There were a dozen of them, and then to the left three more vehicles were approaching, all loaded down with armed aliens.

Across the vast field I could see the
Enterprise
on the landing pad about two hundred yards away. That was too far to run, especially having to carry Billork.

“Hurry up,” Quint yelled from the top of the stairs. “Another dozen or so have turned up and they’re all moving this way.”

Shit! We were boxed in by overwhelming superior numbers and firepower. I looked down at Bill. His expression was changing; he was becoming angrier.

I got him to his feet. “You know who I am?” I asked, pressing the S-33 into his chin.

“Yes I do, and you should know you will not get out of here alive. You have no option but to release me and surrender.”

“Sorry, Bill, but you gave me no option when you sentenced us all to death. Now if I die, so do you.”

I hauled him out in front of me and into the open. The troops outside, now estimated to be about forty, saw that I had a Zorphin with me. I was hoping that even at this distance, someone would recognize Bill and hold their fire.

But no such luck. A barrage of flash bolts came flying my way, and it was all I could do to get us both back behind cover without getting either of us killed.

“That was a foolish move, Jason. There are easier ways of killing yourself than like that.” Bill said.

I ignored him. Instead I moved to the edge of the opening. “I have Billork Gon-Mok with me,” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “He’s your leader if you weren’t aware of that. Call a superior to verify. But we are all going to be moving toward the launch pad, and if you don’t want your leader to die, then you will hold your fire.”

“Is that you, Billork?” A strong voice called out from the cluster of troops now facing us.

“Yes, I am here!”

“Careful, my friend,” I whispered to Bill. “Don’t say or do anything foolish.” And for emphasis, I stabbed Bill’s rib cage with the barrel of the S-33. He grimaced and then looked down at me with a frown.

“Was that really necessary?”

“Damn you, Bill, we’ve known each other for a long time. I still can’t believe you’re the mastermind behind this whole thing, and that you would do this to me.”

“My name is Billork! It is not Bill, or Billy, or even Billy-Bob. And actually the decision to involve you was an easy one.”

I was genuinely hurt. Even though I had spent the past seven years on Sylox, I didn’t associate with many aliens. I had Human customers, I shopped at Human stores, and I even ordered most of my major items from Amazon – which by the way had just opened a major warehouse in Sylox City. So I had really considered Bill – Billork – a friend, and certainly my closest alien friend. And now my friend was glaring down at me with open hatred.

But right now I needed him to save our lives.

“Answer him, or I’ll kill you now. You’re just dead weight otherwise.”

“Hornus, it is Billork. The Humans have me hostage. I believe they want to get to their ship in safety.”

I nodded.

“Of course, Billork. We do not want you to come to any harm. Proceed. You will be safe.”

“That went well,” I said. I turned to the rest of my crew. “Let’s get ready to move out. Quint, get over here!”