Jason King: Agent to the Stars 1: The Enclaves of Sylox (42 page)

Adam jumped to his feet, while breathing a sigh of relief that he was still alive. He then reached through the hole in the wall and yanked Kaylor and Jym through. They all ended up in the middle of the corridor, coughing and covered in white dust and bits of broken wallboard.

There were several large windows set in the opposite wall of the corridor, with dim yellow light shining through. Adam crossed to the nearest one and smashed out the glass with the butt of the rifle. The window was large enough to crawl through, so Adam shoved Jym and Kaylor through the opening, before following himself.

Once outside the building, Adam pressed his back against the warmth of the brick wall and then with his left arm forced Jym and Kaylor to do the same. They were in the greenbelt area between two of the Ministry buildings, separated by about sixty feet. To their left a battle was raging, with two groups squared off against one another, firing from concealed doorways and from behind vehicles positioned outside the south entrance of the building.

The three escapees were fully exposed, with dozens of windows from both buildings facing the grassy area. Luckily for them, the sun was beginning to set, and deep shadows were beginning to fill the space between the buildings. The blue tunics both Adam and Kaylor wore – along with Jym’s dark green one – would help provide some camouflage, but at any moment they could be spotted.

To his right and about a hundred feet away, Adam saw the outer wall that enclosed the Ministry Complex. He turned to the aliens. “Stay low and close to the building,” he whispered, and then they set off for it, hugging the side of the building as they went.

If anyone in the buildings noticed their movement, they chose to ignore them in light of the intense fighting taking place at the other end of the building. They made it to the wall without incident.

Adam fell against the barricade and then surveyed each direction for guard towers. Seeing none, he stood and grabbed Jym by his tunic. “Trust me,” he said … and promptly proceeded to toss the much smaller creature up to the top of the twelve-foot high partition. Jym clung there, with an arm and a leg dangling precariously over each side. Kaylor was more cooperative, and soon he, too, had been hoisted atop the wall.

Adam then tossed the bolt rifle over to the other side, and with an easy leap in the light gravity, was able to reach the top of the wall with both hands propel the rest of his body over in one fluid motion. He landed softly on the ground below and then called for Jym and Kaylor, one at a time, to drop into his arms.

They were in a not-so-green greenbelt area about ninety feet wide between the wall and a road running parallel to the Ministry Complex. Beyond the road were several streets heading away from the Compound and lined with buildings of various heights and design. A short distance to their left was the nearest street intersection; several clusters of creatures had gathered there, looking in the direction of the Ministry, curious at all the explosions and gunfire taking place. In the gray light of dusk, none of the spectators had noticed the three escapees scale the wall, so Adam grabbed the rifle and led them in a sprint for the cover of the nearest building.

Crouching in a darkened entryway, Adam noticed both Jym and Kaylor panting heavily, trying to catch their breath.
Out of shape aliens
, Adam observed.
Go figure!

Inside the Ministry Complex the sounds of the battle could still be heard, but they were growing less intense. Adam pulled Kaylor near. “Which way is it to the spaceport?”

Kaylor pointed to their right. “That way,” he panted. “It is about twenty minutes away by foot. Perhaps we should find a transport for hire?”

“You want us to call a cab?” Adam shot back. “I have a better idea.” He handed the rifle to Kaylor and then took off in a sprint down the street.

Along the road were parked several of the native wheeled transports, with a number of aliens of various shapes and sizes milling around them, chattering and pointing toward the Ministry. Near the end of the row of vehicles, one of the drivers had climbed out of his car and was standing at the open door, looking toward the Compound and the rising column of black smoke, now easily visible in the late afternoon sky. Adam moved up behind him and then used both his hands to grab the alien by the back of his shirt and the seat of his pants. He tossed the startled creature high into the air; he landed hard about ten feet away in a patch of bushes at the side of the street.

“Get in!” Adam yelled, as he slid into the driver’s seat.

Of course, Adam had never driven an alien car before, but he
had
observed how it was done during the drive to the Ministry Complex earlier that morning. In the center console was a joystick with a flat handle on top, and once Jym had climbed in the back and Kaylor into the front passenger seat, Adam pushed the stick all the way forward and with purpose.

But nothing happened.

He pushed it again … still nothing.

Then Kaylor calmly reached over and flicked a switch on the dashboard.

The vehicle suddenly lunged forward, sideswiping another car before Adam could throttle back and steer back into the center of the road. Embarrassed, he glanced over at Kaylor and flashed a silly-looking grin. “Oops!”

Adam quickly got the feel of the controls, and soon they were racing down the road and toward the spaceport. Most of the traffic on the road was heading in the opposite direction, towards the Ministry Complex, so they made it back to the spaceport in less than five minutes.

Barreling through the main gate, Adam half-expected to come upon a contingent of Ministry police waiting for them; after all, they couldn’t outrun radios or telephones – or whatever they used on this planet. But no one of authority seemed to be present, not even the incredibly-bloated alien at the guard hut. However, there
were
other creatures in the spaceport, but most were scurrying about in a frenetic panic, readying their ships for liftoff. They paid no special attention to Adam’s speeding vehicle.

News of the raid on the Ministry Complex had spread rapidly, and even though no one knew exactly what was happening, very few in the spaceport were willing to wait around and find out. Like true mariners everywhere – whether at sea or in space – they preferred their chances off-land during a time of crisis, rather than as sitting ducks stuck in port.

Adam pulled back on the joystick and the car skidded to a halt at the base of the ramp leading up to the cargo hold of the
FS-475
. Kaylor jumped out and ran to a covered panel set in the skin of the spaceship. Flipping it open, he punched in a code and the door to the cargo bay slid open. The three of them ran up the protruding ramp and into the ship.

As Jym secured the door and retracted the ramp, Kaylor and Adam hurried to the pilothouse. Jym was only steps behind.

“How long until we can take off?” Adam asked, as he sank into a seat and began to fasten his safety harness.

Both Kaylor and Jym were frantically pushing buttons and pulling levers. “When on-planet, I always keep one of the main generators humming, just in case we have to bolt-out fast,” Kaylor answered. “Even then, it will still take about five minutes before we’ve built up enough compression to pull us up.”

Adam didn’t have any idea what Kaylor was talking about – but he did sound convincing. So for the next few minutes, as the two aliens went about their pre-flight chores, Adam nervously peered through the open viewport and across the ever-darkening spaceport, expecting at any moment to see streaks from electric balls of energy, or hear the deafening blast of an explosion.

Instead … there came the sickening feeling of vertigo as the ship’s gravity-well engaged and overrode that of the planet’s own attraction. Then, without any sense of movement on their part, it was as if the whole spaceport moved away from them at incredible speed. The entire city below them fell away quickly, followed by the surrounding land and then finally the planet itself.

They were back in space, and to his surprise, Adam began to relax.

But not so Kaylor and Jym. As the spherical shape of the planet became more pronounced, and the bright layer of atmosphere grew thinner, the two aliens were staring intently at their view screens, Kaylor’s forehead furrowed with deep creases.

“Is everything okay?’ Adam asked.

“It looks like two other craft have slipped in behind us,” Jym answered.

“From the surface—”

“No,” Jym interrupted. “They were already in orbit.”

“What are you going to do?”

Kaylor leaned back in his seat. “Nothing right now,” he said. “They’re not closing on us; just holding back, following.”

“So where do we go now?” Adam asked.

Jym whipped his furry head around in Adam’s direction. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you broke us out of the Ministry!” he barked. “I don’t have any idea where we can go—”

“I have a suggestion.”

The new voice came from behind them, from the door to the pilothouse.

In unison, the three of them jerked their heads around, only to find a tall, dark figure standing in the doorway, bolt weapon aimed at them. More creatures stood behind him in the passageway, each with their own weapon pointed into the room.

Leaning into the pilothouse, the speaker handed Jym a piece of paper.

“What is that?” Kaylor asked Jym.

Jym looked up from the paper. “It is the coordinates of the Kyllian Asteroids.”

Adam didn’t hear any of the exchange, nor did he notice the look of shock on Kaylor’s face at the mention of the Kyllian Asteroids. Instead he sat in stunned silence as he stared at the creature in the doorway.

It was another Human – and he was smiling and staring directly into Adam’s eyes!

Chapter 17

“Y
ou must be Adam Cain,” the Human said. He stepped further into the room, until he was about six feet from Adam. “I am honored to meet you. And I am Riyad Tarazi.” The man then turned to his backups and nodded.

Adam was shocked into inaction and offered no resistance as Riyad’s troops swept into the room and disarmed them all. He then turned to Jym. “Enter those coordinates into the autopilot … and then let’s all go up to the common room for a friendly chat.”

The man – Riyad Tarazi – led the small party up the corresponding ladders and to the lounge area of the ship, during which time Adam had a chance to get a good look at him. He was right at six-feet tall, heavily muscled and with tight, jet black hair on his head and full beard. His eyes were dark, as was his complexion … and if his name didn’t give it away, the accent was unmistakable. Riyad Tarazi was of either Arab or Iranian descent.

An odd nervousness filled Adam’s senses, although he couldn’t quite explain why. Here was another Human, someone just like him in this strange, alien universe. He should have been feeling overwhelming joy at the moment, yet all Adam could see before him was a threat. And remarkably, it was a greater threat than anything else he’d yet encountered….

Jym and Kaylor sat on the couch as Riyad took a seat at the table; Adam chose to stand. “Come, sit my brother,” Riyad said, offering a seat at the table, while the four other creatures with Riyad fanned out around the room, maintaining their guard with weapons ready.

Reluctantly, Adam sat down.

Leaning forward, Riyad reached out and grasped Adam’s arm. “I am so pleased to see you, Mr. Cain.” The words sounded sincere, and his incredibly bright smile was disarming. “I was wondering if I would
ever
see another Human again. Later we must talk at length about our adventures. I’m sure we have much to share.”

Then releasing Adam’s arm, he turned his attention to Kaylor. “But first things first,” he said as he locked his dark eyes on the pale alien. “You,” he said directly to Kaylor, “You have something of mine – and I want it back.”

Kaylor was trying to look more upset than scared, yet with little success. He sat on the edge of the couch and said, “Who are
you
to come aboard my ship with weapons upon us? I do not know you, and I’m sure I have nothing that belongs to you.”

Riyad just smiled. “Oh, I’m afraid you do. As a matter of fact, you took it from me a few days ago after my men had spent considerable time and effort to secure it.” Kaylor’s eyes grew wide and Adam could see him begin to visibly shake. “And then to make matters worse, you managed to abscond with the
one
thing that had more value to me than all the other riches aboard that alien ship –
the ship’s computer core
.”

What did he just say?
Adam turned to Kaylor. “Is that true?
You
have the computer core? Why didn’t you tell me! That thing can help me get back home.”

“That’s exactly right, my Human brother,” said Riyad. “That one item is more important to the two of us then they could possibly imagine.” Riyad looked over at Adam again. “So he didn’t tell you he hid the computer core somewhere in the asteroid belt while on the way to Nimor?”

“No … no he didn’t,” Adam said between gritted teeth. “And why the hell not?”

“I
couldn’t
tell you.” Kaylor pleaded in his defense. “We are not allowed to take anything from a derelict until the salvage is awarded. It was for your own protection.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit! So why
did
you take it?”

“Because, as I told you, it can take months for the salvage process to go through, and then there can be counter-claims and other disputes. I wanted to make sure we’d get something for risking our lives—”

“So you chased away my captains and took
my
prize.” Riyad rose from his chair and walked the short distance over to Kaylor. Then in a move almost too swift to see, he lifted Kaylor by his tunic and pinned him against the bulkhead, his feet dangling easily a foot off the floor. “And now with your lie, the damn Juireans think
my pirates
took the core, and they will not rest until they get it!”

Riyad released him, letting the alien fall unceremoniously to the floor. He then walked casually over to the food counter, pressed a few buttons, and returned to the table with two drinks in hand. He sat down, placing one of the drinks in front of Adam. Kaylor sheepishly returned to the couch.

After taking a long gulp of his drink, Riyad leaned back in the chair and propped his booted feet onto the table. “Neither of you know the significance of that spaceship, do you?” he said to Kaylor and Jym. “Well, let me inform you.” He took another long swig off his drink. “The ship you so brazenly took from my men …” – he paused for effect – “… was a
Klin
starship.”

The two aliens – and even Adam – were shocked by the revelation.

“
Klin!
Are you sure?” Jym had found his voice.

“I’m positive, my little friend. And now you understand why the Juireans have interceded – and why your lies have put me and my men in such a dangerous predicament.”

He waited for the full impact of his disclosure to sink in, and then he gave a subtle nod to his guards. All four of them descended on Kaylor and Jym, holding them down on the couch as they locked ankle bracelets on each of them. It only took a few seconds, and then the guards resumed their silent vigil.

“What are you doing?”
Kaylor yelled, as he grasped at the foreign object now attached to his leg.

“Each of those bracelets carries a small explosive charge,” Riyad said. “It should be small enough not to cause any widespread structural damage to your ship, but definitely strong enough to blow off both your legs – and undoubtedly bring about your untimely and very agonizingly-painful deaths. I have taken this action to guarantee that you will cooperate with my demands.” He took another gulp of his drink. “Now … the two of you will recover my computer core and hand it over to me. If you do this without any resistance, I will release you and send you on your way unharmed. If not ….” He pulled a small black box out of his pocket, “all I have to do is press in a code … and you will not live to see another day.”

Riyad seemed to revel in watching the look of horror on the faces of the two aliens. Then after finishing off his drink, he asked, “Do I make myself clear?” Both of the terrified aliens nodded emphatically.

“You don’t have to do this,” Kaylor said. “The computer core has caused me enough problems. I just want to get it out of my life.”

“Good,” said Riyad. “Then we have an understanding. I just want to make sure I have your full cooperation for the duration of our time together.”

Adam was somewhat surprised at the drastic action Riyad had taken. He wanted the information from the core as well, but this seemed like an extreme way to go about getting it. Kaylor looked at him. “Adam, is there anything you can do to help us? If you remember, I did save your life on that ship….”

“Yes, but you lied to me, Kaylor. I didn’t want to take the core from you; all I wanted was to learn the location of Earth from it. After that, it was all yours. And as far as you saving my life … I believe I just saved the two of you from having your memories scraped clean by the fucking Juireans. I think we’ll call it even.”

Even as he spoke, Adam couldn’t believe the harshness of the words that were coming from his mouth. He’d never considered himself a particularly cruel person, but right now he was seething with anger and frustration. For the past few days, he had been riding a rollercoaster of emotions; one moment feeling as if he had a real chance of getting home and back to Maria and Cassie, and then the next having his hopes crushed underfoot and replaced with nothing but bottomless despair.

And Kaylor had the computer core all along.

He locked eyes with Kaylor. “Just get the core and everything will be okay—”

Just then, Adam felt something tight grab his ankle, and when he sprung out of the chair and looked around, he saw Riyad bent over under the table. Adam backed away and looked down at his ankle – he now had a bracelet fastened on his ankle as well. “What the fuck, Tarazi!” The guards moved in, weapons pointed at Adam.

Riyad calmly leaned back in the chair, a look of incredibly satisfaction on his face. “Sorry, my friend, but you are an extremely dangerous person. I cannot take the chance that you will not attack me or my men. This is also for your own good.”

“My own good; how do you figure?”
He placed his foot on the chair and began to examine the device. It was a simple black metal band with a small box about the size of a cigarette pack welded on it. There didn’t seem to be any access to the box or latch on the band.

“Mr. Cain, we both need the computer core and we both want to get home. I may have to do some pretty nasty things to get the cooperation I need, and I don’t want you to start growing a conscience. Besides … you are a Human, and I could certainly use you in a fight, if it comes down to that. I just want to make sure you’re going to be on my side, if and when that time comes.”

Adam was a trained SEAL and an underwater demolition expert. He knew explosive devices, along with a fair knowledge of how to disarm them. But this was not the time to reveal this information. After all, he certainly wouldn’t be allowed to disarm the device – even if he could – while in the same room with Tarazi and his guards.

What he had to do now was put this Riyad Tarazi character at ease. The pirate definitely thought he had the upper hand, and considering the fact that the ankle bomb was made from some alien technology of which Adam knew nothing about, there was a pretty good chance he was right.

Calmly, Adam sat back down. “Listen
Riyad
, I don’t want to be any trouble,” Adam said softly. “I just want to get home, just like you. Promise me that once you get the core that you’ll keep your word and take these things off.”

“As one Human to another, you have my word.”

Regrettably, that statement didn’t make Adam feel any better….