Alien Assassin (28 page)

Sherri moved over next to him. “Did you see anything?”

“Some, but not enough. I believe I saw the two distance coordinates. Of course, it could be the coordinates for the nearest Burger King, for all I know.”

Sherri placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s okay. We’ll sort it out once we get out of here. Right now we have to find another way out.”

Adam rose from the chair and the two of them turned toward the exit.

Just then a section of the wall to Adam’s left turned wavy. The two Humans stared with rapt attention for a moment, until a figure materialized before them. It was a creature about a meter-and-half tall, with smooth features and wearing a shimmering shirt and pants. Then the alien’s skin began to change color as it moved away from the wall.

And the chameleon-like being was holding an MK, pointed right at them.

He shook his head at Sherri. “Don’t,” he said, watching as she began to lift her own MK. “Please drop your weapon. I, too, do not rely on targeting computers.”

Sherri reluctantly let her weapon fall to the floor. “Who are you?” she asked.

The being stepped in closer to them and looked up at Adam. “I’m the one who’s been tracking you since Hildoria. I’m also the one who helped get you out of Kroekus’ building.”

“If you call nearly collapsing the entire building on our heads as helping!”

“Shoddy construction. Nevertheless, you survived. And you led us here. My Juirean employers are very grateful.”

“Not when they get the body count,” said Sherri, caustically.

“That’s not my concern. All I have to do now is make sure that you do not escape again—”

“Who’s your friend?”

The creature spun just in time to catch a right cross from Riyad fist. He was standing in the doorway, and behind him was a cadre of his fellow Human beings.

The alien went spiraling into the wall to his right, dropping the MK as he fell hard to the floor. Adam stepped forward to kick the weapon away.

Quickly recovering, the alien attempted to get to his feet.
Tough little bastard
, Adam thought. Normally a blow like that from a Human would have killed a lesser creature.

Adam lifted the creature by his shimmering shirt; he didn’t want the thing to blend into his surroundings again and disappear.

“How did you get in here? Do you know—”

Adam felt a searing pain in his left side.
 
Something wasn’t right. He dropped the alien and stumbled backwards. He looked down to see a growing blood stain begin to spread just below his rib cage. He looked at the alien, and saw the thing smile.

Adam could now see two shorter, additional arms hidden under his shirt, and one of the stubby hands held a knife, covered in his own blood. Riyad rushed forward, grabbed the creature’s head, and nearly twisted it off. This time the chameleon did die.

Adam leaned back against the counter and grabbed his side.

Sherri rushed to him and ripped open his tunic at the point of the knife’s entry. She pressed her palm onto the wound. “Get me a strip of the Klin’s robe!”

Riyad rushed to the nearest body and ripped off a section of cloth. Sherri took the cloth and wrapped it around his waist, pulling it tight before tying it off. A groan was forced out of Adam mouth as he gritted his teeth against the pain. “Fuck, it hurts,” he moaned.

“From the color of the blood, it doesn’t look like it hit anything vital. I’ll get you sewn up as soon as we get to someplace with a first aid kit. Buck up, sailor!”

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.”

Riyad stepped up to the two of them. “What now, chief?”

Adam took a deep breath and tried to shake off the pain. He could see a group of men looking through the window at him, as well as several peering over Riyad’s shoulder near the door. Well, he’d taken charge in the barracks. Now it was up to him to lead.

“There were a group of 2G’s on the other side of the cavern. Where are they now?”

Someone in the group spoke up. “There’s still there. It looks like the Juireans have retreated there, too.”

“Let’s go get them. There has to be another way out of here.”

There were several open-cab transports scattered nearby, and Adam struggled through the pain and into the passenger seat of the nearest one. Riyad took the controls while Sherri climbed in the back. Meanwhile, the thirty or so remaining men from the barracks loaded themselves into and on top of four other vehicles, and they all set off across the vast expanse of the cavern.

The 2G’s, about ten of them, were situated on a platform about five meters above the floor of the cavern. They were moving toward a set of doors about a hundred meters away. Seeing Adam’s force barreling towards them, they began to run for the doors. But before they got there, some of Adam’s men opened fire ahead of their path.

The 2G’s stopped and began to move back the way they’d come. But more bolts flashed behind them, and they soon stopped and waited for Adam’s men to arrive.

About every thirty meters along the walkway were drop-down ladders. Adam’s men called for the 2G’s to climb down the nearest ladder. They obeyed without incident.

Adam’s men shoved the 2G’s into a tight circle and disarmed them. Adam could tell by their expressions that the native-borns would have just as soon ripped the 2G’s apart. But he needed information, and he needed it quick. His men herded the 2G’s until they were standing beside Adam’s vehicle. Adam remained seated.

He looked at the nearest one. “Is there another way out of here?” Adam grimaced through the pain in his side.

The young 2G gave Adam a smirk. “You will not get anything out of us.”

Adam twisted around, painfully, and removed the MK-17 from Riyad’s holster. Turning to face the 2G, he placed a bolt right through the man’s forehead. Then aiming the weapon at the 2G to his right, Adam said, “I’m in no mood for this. Is there another way out of here?”

The stunned and terrified 2G began stammering, “Yes! I will show you!”

“Good. Now wasn’t that easier?”

“It’s up there,” said the 2G, and nearly all the rest of them pointed to the double doors as well.

“Let’s move,” Adam groaned, holding his side.

Two of the other Humans helped Adam out of the seat and to the ladder. He struggled up, and in a moment they were into another passageway, this one much smaller and more dimly lit.

“Where does this take us?” Riyad said, holding the talkative 2G by the collar of his tunic.

“It will lead to an emergency airlock just above the main staging area.

Moving two abreast, Adam’s force, along with the nine surviving 2G’s, moved along the narrow corridor for a good twenty minutes before coming to a larger room. There was a thin pressure window in a doorway. Adam looked through it and found that they were about forty meters above the main airlock floor. From his vantage point he could see at least twenty-five or more large shuttles with their rear panels opens. These would be the Juirean landing craft. And further on, he could see the
FS-475
.

There were two Juireans Guards stationed outside Kaylor’s ship. But what he found odd was that there were only five Juireans near the landing craft. He smiled to himself.
We must have taken out a lot of the green-haired bastards. They couldn’t even spare very many to watch their ships.

Adam turned to the eyes watching him. He glanced around quickly and found one of the men holding a flash rifle. “Give that to me,” he said.

The man obliged.

Then to Riyad: “Take a squad down between those two shuttles and take out the five guards there. I’ll take out the two by Kaylor’s ship. Move on my shot.”

Then they opened the door. There was a staggered catwalk that wrapped around an outcrop in the old uranium excavation and was hidden from view from the floor of the airlock, and Adam’s men filed down silently. Adam watched as Riyad and ten of the Humans slipped in between the two shuttles. He knew that as soon as a bolt went off in the chamber everyone would be aware of their presence.

Adam moved behind one of the shuttles and began to climb the stair-stepped sides of the old open-pit mine. His side screamed with pain, but he endured until he reached a vantage point about fifty meters from the guards at Kaylor’s ship.

Hefting the flash rifle, Adam rested his right shoulder against the side of the wall and sighted along the barrel. Long-range shots with a flash rifle were not that difficult. The bolts themselves were not overly affected by gravity; their weakness lie in their limited range. This model of XF was good for about a hundred meters. After that, the bolts quickly lost energy and dissipated.

Before taking his shot, waited for Riyad and his men to get into position. Then he lined up the first guard in his site, and pulled the trigger.

The bolt flew true and impacted the guard in the throat. He immediately shifted his sight and squeezed the trigger again. This bolt hit the Juirean in the forehead.

Adam quickly glanced to his left and saw Riyad and his men blast the five other Juireans in flashes of blue-white energy.

Adam keyed his comm unit. “Kaylor, where are you?”

“Oh, thank all the Gods there may be. I’m so glad to hear from you!” came Kaylor’s impassioned response. “Was that you who just took out the guards?”

“Yeah. Me and my army.”

“Your army?”

“It seems this has turned into a rescue mission after all. Meet us at the shuttle closest to your ship.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kaylor and Jym staggered up to the group of Humans, panting and bending over to rest their arms on their knees. The two aliens then slowly looked up…and stopped breathing, as they scanned the ominous scene before them. Glaring down at them were dozens of heavily armed and fierce-looking Humans. Even though they knew they were friends, the two aliens still shuddered at the awesome sight.

Adam noticed their expressions. “Relax, they’re on our side.”

Sherri stepped up next to him. “The Juireans are not going to let Kaylor’s ship off the surface.”

“I know. I’ve got another plan.”

Adam directed Riyad and Sherri to get the men into the nearest Juirean landing craft. Turning to Kaylor, he asked, “Can you fly that thing?”

Kaylor frowned. “I suppose so. It shouldn’t be too difficult. But what about my ship?”

Adam stepped closer and put his hand on Kaylor’s shoulder. “We’re going to have to leave her. It’s the only way we can get out of here alive.”