"Damn, these things can run!" Keith exclaimed as he mashed the accelerator to the floor. Only slowly losing ground, there were no less than thirty Shaitan warriors giving chase. Holding the wheel with one hand, Keith reached toward the backseat, where a box of grenades sat. Before he could open the lid, and remove one of the lethal projectiles, the front tire of the Jeep hit a small rock, that caused the vehicle to change direction, and the box slid to the floor.
"Shit!" he yelled in frustration.
"How long ago did you guys cuff him?" Michael asked as the trio raced along the outlying jungle, following the faint trail left by the other Jeep.
"I don't know. Maybe an hour?" Kevin replied
"More than enough time for that bastard to make it back to your ship, take everything, and go back to the center of town." Williams said.
"But why would he even want to do that? Our mission was only to kidnap their leader, not blow them all up."
"Have to ask him, won't we?"
The aliens were still too close for comfort, and Keith needed a weapon. Fast. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He let off the accelerator only slightly, to allow the aliens to gain a little distance, then slammed on the brakes, and hit the gas again. The warriors closest to the Jeep impacted hard on the open tailgate, and fell, rolling to the ground. The warriors behind them saw, and leaped over their brothers to avoid the same misfortune. The jolt of the warriors against the Jeep had another effect. The box of grenades slid along the floor, forward into reach of the driver.
"Faster. No telling how much time we've got left." Williams said as the Jeep broke free of the jungle, and hit the paved roads of the alien city. Michael whipped his head to the left, as he head a loud crack from somewhere nearby. He let off the gas, and gently applied the brakes, then said
"That sounded like gunfire. A Human weapon." The trio left the Jeep to investigate the noise, and as they proceeded farther, Kevin noticed a few deep scratches on the walls of nearby buildings. As they rounded a corner, a large pile of alien bodies laid just outside the entrance to a small building.
"You keep an eye on things, and let me know if they start coming back. I'm gonna go check on the civvies." Davis said to Marcus as he slowly stood from the command chair. Marcus nodded in understanding, but kept his attention focused on the screen as Davis walked past him toward the rear of the ship, where the civilians had gathered. Alanna Scott-Villalobos sat in the corner, at a small computer terminal, and was busy typing something.
"Excuse me, miss. But just what in the hell do you think you're doing with our computer?" Davis asked.
"Captain, we ain't got a whole lotta time for this. We gotta stop that guy before he blows everything to kingdom come." Williams said as the trio walked forward, now with Kevin in the lead toward the small building with the bodies piled in front.
"Sergeant, we all heard a gunshot from this area, and I think there might be a survivor here from my team." Kevin said. At that moment, making slow progress, dragging herself inch by inch, Val pulled herself out through the doorway.
"VAL!" Kevin shouted as he ran toward her, climbing over the dead bodies.
"Come on. We're getting you out of here." He said as Michael and Williams helped him lift, and carry her toward the still idling Jeep.
"I'm sending my story off to my editor." Alanna said without tuning around.
"I think that's something that could probably wait until we get you somewhere safe." Davis said with impatience. Alanna typed the end of a paragraph, then turned to face Davis
"There's a maniac out there with a super bomb that will wipe out this entire city, and a whole lot more as well. We're sitting well inside the blast radius, and that thing could go boom at any second, so I don't think I've got the luxury of waiting."
Michael pressed the accelerator harder as he followed the trail left by the passage of Keith's Jeep. Williams was in the front seat, scanning everything, with his rifle at the ready. Kevin was in the back seat, leaning farther back, into the cargo / utility area of the Jeep, where Val lay. As Kevin gave her the condensed version of the events after Uri died, Val hoarsely whispered
"Always knew he was crazy."
"Shit. I think we're too late." Williams said as he peered through the windshield, and spotted another Jeep coming toward them. Kevin turned around to face the front, and despite the distance, locked eyes with Keith.
"We'll just lead him back to our ship, and get the hell out of here." Michael said with an edge of defeat creeping into his voice.
YOU ARE READING
Michael Scott Book 1/5: The Procyon War
Science FictionHumanity has settled one of the planets in the Procyon system. The native inhabitants of a sister planet within the system have decided they don't like visitors. After it seems war is imminent, a group of Sol System Marines are dispatched to help ke...
