The Legend of Earth (The Human Chronicles Saga -- Book 5) (15 page)

Chapter 16

It took Jonnif several minutes to calm down after his conversation with the Juirean Elder. His aide Mininof stood beside him, watching his expression.

“Now you give it time,” Mininof said. “You have given all those trapped in the bunker much to think about.”

“I refuse to be dismissed so disrespectfully! Hydon is without
legend
, and I am the one standing in the ruins of
his
capital. He has no place to be condescending.”

“Just give it time, Jonnif. I’m sure that even now the seeds of rebellion are being planted. Hydon may have no real value to us strategically, but just knowing that his own people may soon turn against him must bring you great satisfaction.”

“It does,” Jonnif said with a grunt. “But I would have enjoyed it more if I’d heard fear in his voice.”

“You may still get the opportunity to experience that fear, and possibly in person. Patience, Jonnif. In the meantime, we must begin preparations for the arrival of the troop ships. There are still a lot of Juireans left to kill, here and elsewhere.”

With that comment, Jonnif of the Kracori smiled. The killing of Juireans had become his new favorite pastime. Eating them was his second best.

Chapter 17

The Guard Commander and a squad of five other Juireans accompanied Adam and his team back to their barracks. On the way, Adam wasn’t sure if he should warn the Juirean that McCarthy may not take too kindly to be disarmed. He was hoping his distrust for the hulking Englishman wasn’t clouding his judgment. He knew Nigel would protest having his guns taken away, but would he really go all the way and try to take Hydon –
and Adam, too?

Adam saw the logic in having the Humans disarmed. They had no need for them as long as the bunker was secure, and Hydon did say he could have them back if the bunker came under attack. Still, he didn’t feel comfortable without have at least a sidearm resting on his hip. All they had to do was just hold out long enough for the fleet to arrive and then everything would be fine.

Adam had left Chief Rutledge and Petty Officer Tindal in the barracks with Sherri and the two aliens. All of them seemed to get along fairly well and he’d seen marked improvement in all of their moods once they moved from the other barracks. They could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Even though the surface of Juir was now a smoldering wasteland, they appeared to be safe and secure down in the bunker. And with the truce brokered between Adam and Hydon, within a few months, the Kracori would be on the run – from both Human
and
Juirean forces. The war would be over and they could all go home.

Adam sensed the tension the moment he entered the barracks. The three Humans were sitting on a pair of cots at the far end of the room, while Kaylor and Jym stood against the side wall. Behind them were the white sheets the aliens had draped around their cots. All of them wore solemn, serious expressions.

Riyad and Tobias sensed it too, but before they could react, four of McCarthy’s men appeared behind them, while two more burst through the sheets behind Kaylor and Jym, flash rifles level and ready.

The Guard Commander went for his MK sidearm, but even before it cleared the holster, the Humans behind them had smashed the stocks of their rifles into the heads of all the Juireans. They fell into a silent heap in the door to the barracks.

With Adam, Riyad and Tobias unarmed, the three of them simply raised their hands in surrender

McCarthy came forward to face Adam, a large grin on his face.

“This is crazy, McCarthy,” Adam said flatly, although he knew no amount of reasoning would stop the chain of events the Englishman had just set in motion.

“Maybe so Cain, but in the immortal words of Don Corleone, ‘
He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse
.’”

“This is going to get bloody.”

“That’s aces by me. Now get over there with the others.”

McCarthy’s men stripped the unconscious Juireans of their weapons and then did their best to place their new cache anywhere they could on their bodies – one can never have too much firepower.

“Is Hydon still in the command center?” McCarthy asked Adam.

“He was when we left. So it’s not just us you’re after? Now you’re just being stupid.”

Nigel told two of his men to stand guard over the prisoners and then left with the remaining four.
Five men up against three hundred Juireans – McCarthy just might have a chance,
Adam thought sardonically. For the time being, Adam would just wait it out and let the Juireans do their job. If McCarthy and his men got killed trying to take Hydon, well that would be a problem that just took care of itself….

The word had not yet spread through the bunker that the Humans should not be carrying weapons, so McCarthy’s small team was able to easily stroll through the main chamber of the bunker and to the command center without question. Not a single Juirean gave them more than their customary glance as they passed in the hallway. In five days, most of the occupants of the bunker had become accustomed to seeing the Human aliens among them, at least in the public spaces.

The command center was another matter altogether. While eavesdropping a few minutes before, McCarthy had acquired a lay of the land. Now he confidently walked straight in and approached Hydon – still at the command console – while his men stationed themselves at the doorway.

Hydon and Yol-fin saw McCarthy coming; they also noticed he was still armed. Momentarily confused, they hesitated raising the alarm. Nigel took the opportunity to rush up to Hydon and slip in behind him, clamping a massive arm around the alien’s chest. Nigel McCarthy stood nearly six-and-half-feet tall, but still the Juirean towered over him by a good eight inches. Hydon began to struggle, but his eyes grew wide when he found he could gain no ground against the Human’s incredible strength.

McCarthy let out a small laugh when he felt Hydon submit, an then he whispered in Hydon’s ear, “Now you know what your people have been up against. Pretty impressive, isn’t it, mate?”

Unrestrained, Yol-fin cried out, “Guards, protect the Elder!”

A dozen heads lifted from their consoles, the words of alarm not registering right away. Yet a few did react quicker, only to be the first to be cut them down by the brilliant bolts from the Human’s flash rifles, some before they could even lift from their chairs. A level-one bolt even caught Yol-fin center mass, cauterizing the hole it left before his body even struck the floor.

In a few seconds, the four Human gunmen had struck down all the aliens in the room except Hydon, but not before an alarm sounded. McCarthy flung the unarmed Juirean toward the corridor, where two of his men grabbed him by the arms. Several Juirean Guards were running down the corridor – but
away
from the command center. McCarthy smiled.
They think we’re under attack from the outside. Let them keep thinking that.

“Stand back,” he said to his men, and they all moved farther back into the command center. Within seconds, the corridor was clear with all the aliens running toward to the main entrance to the bunker.

“Move out. Thomas and Sato, take point.”

At the end of the long corridor their luck ran out. Three Juirean Overlords – signified by their blue manes – were heading for the corridor, each followed by a yellow-haired counselor. The eyes of the Overlords grew wide when they saw Hydon held securely by his two Human guards.

McCarthy tried to think fast. “We’re moving Lord Hydon to a safer location,” he called out to the Overlords. They hesitated.

“No, they are not! I am being taken prisoner,” Hydon countered almost immediately.

“Alert security!” one of Overlords yelled, his voice echoing off the metal walls and ceiling of the chamber, only moments before a bolt from McCarthy’s own MK entered his body just below the neck. A flurry of other bolts sent the remaining five Juireans to the deck.

But now the dozens of other Juireans in the chamber were focused on McCarthy and the other Humans. The team moved out, hugging the side of the curving wall, heading toward the corridor leading to the barracks.

“Stand back!” McCarthy commanded, “or I will kill
Lord
Hydon.” He insisted on using the prefix ‘Lord’ to make his captive sound even more important, hopefully giving the troops second thoughts about opening fire.

“Disregard my welfare—” Hydon began to say, just before McCarthy smashed the butt of his MK into the side of the Elder’s mouth. Teeth broke and blood sprayed out, stunning the Juirean into silence.

The team continued to move closer to the corridor leading to the barracks, while a phalanx of Juirean Guards took up a position in front of them. When they reached the corridor, McCarthy scanned the hallway and found it empty. They moved inside.

McCarthy grabbed Hydon by the arm, freeing up the two men who had been holding him so they take up defensive stances; down on one knee, flash rifles held securely against their cheeks. Together, the team shuffled farther down the corridor, as dozens of Juireans began to fill the narrow opening with too many unguarded bodies.

“Open fire,” McCarthy said calmly, and his four marksmen began to send bolt after bolt into the mass of aliens. The Juireans in the front rows – those who weren’t killed immediately – tried to retreat, but where blocked by the crunch of other bodies from behind. Soon, over twenty Juireans lay dead, forming a very effective berm across the width of the hallway.

With two of McCarthy’s men providing suppressing fire, the other three – with Hydon – scrambled down the length of the hallway. Once at the entrance to the barracks, others from the team provided cover for the forward two as they ran for cover. Answering bolts were now coursing down the corridor, but all the Humans made it to the barracks safely.

Adam made a quick count as McCarthy’s men reentered the room.
Damn, they all made it back – and with Hydon.

There was a second exit from the barracks leading to the mess hall. All the various barracks in the complex were located next to this huge room. Across the mess hall were other corridors leading to the bunker’s life support facilities and workshops – and to the room where the small submarine-like craft was located.

A few aliens were in the main mess hall – not Juireans – when the Humans entered. These creatures wore the uniforms of cooks and attendants, so they were not part of the defense force called to action when the alarms sounded. McCarthy’s men sent accurate bolts of blue energy into their bodies without hesitation.

With McCarthy leading the way, Adam and his people were shoved along behind him by the members of the Englishman’s team. Hydon was now with the last group, used as a shield for when the Juireans burst into the mess hall, however, they were all through and into another hallway before the Juireans managed to form a following party. Moments later McCarthy entered the room with the boring pod.

On the floor around the long, fifteen meter tall craft were four dead Juirean Guards. Baker stepped out from the entrance of the craft, coming face-to-face with McCarthy. “Sorry, we couldn’t wait any longer. We had to take them out.”