Authors: Ken Goddard

Final Disposition (45 page)

“We
do
want Malcolm’s memories … very much … to complete the set,” the dark figure said earnestly.

“Completing the set, meaning that you kept a copy —?”

“Yes. Did you expect we would toss aside the incredible memories the four of you have experienced throughout your lifetimes?”

“So that you can ‘play’ us … over and over again, on your planet?”

“Yes,” the dark figure retorted. “Why should you care? You have your memories back … or you will, when you let me —”

He started to reach out with his rubbery hand, but Cellars placed his own rubber-gloved left hand over the diamond pendant.

“I don’t want my old memories back,” he said calmly. “I’m fine with what I’ve got right now.”

The creature drew back his hand slowly.

“And I especially don’t want you and your rubbery friends — Allesandra specifically included — ‘playing’ us ... or ‘experiencing’ us … somewhere on the other side of the galaxy.”

“But —”

“Something I didn’t tell you about being a knight,” Cellars continued on evenly. “Some of us like to face our adversaries on the ground, eyeball to eyeball … and others prefer to mount up.”

Somewhere behind Cellars, a Kiowa Warrior engine roared into life.

The dark figure’s violet eyes widened in sudden understanding.

An instant later, bright blue beams streaked out from the ship, centering around the mesh bag and glass cylinders at Cellars’ booted feet … and on Malcolm Byzor, who threw himself sideways into the snow.

Cellars fired the first bullet into the center of the dark creature’s forehead … ignoring the burst of rapidly condensing vapor and the sound of a single small stone clattering away in the darkness … dropped to one knee, firing round after fire-billowing round up at the point where the blue beams originated … and then staggered backwards from the sonic concussions as Bobby Dawson sent four Hellfire missiles streaking across the sky over his head, striking one after another at the same blue-light-beaming point on the ship that Cellars had been aiming at.

But the difference between the impact of Cellars’ tiny 40-caliber hollow-point bullets and Dawson’s hundred-and-eight-pound Longbow Hellfire missiles — specifically designed to defeat the reactive armor on main battle tanks with dual shape-charged copper cones — was significant.

The disc-shaped ship’s armor held against the first two missiles, started to crumble inward from the impact of third … and then imploded in a huge explosive burst of condensing vapor that knocked Cellars off his feet.

Dazed, Cellars barely heard the splash of the huge stone as it plummeted down onto the moon-lit surface of the lake … and then disappeared from sight, leaving huge ripples in its wake that charged toward the shoreline like a miniature Tsunami.

The chilled water was still splashing against his rubber boots when Cellars finally managed to stagger to his feet … and realized that Lisa Marcini was standing there, a few feet away, staring at him.

“You don’t want your old memories back?” she whispered, coming up close and searching his still blinking eyes. He turned and met her gaze.

“No, I don’t. Like I told my rubbery friend, I’m fine with what I’ve got now. I really don’t want to risk losing the music … or you.”

Colin bent his head, removed the diamond pendant and gently slipped it over her head.

Taking her gaze from him for the first time, she lifted the glittering stone and examined it closely.

“You know,” she said, staring back up into his eyes, still holding the diamond in her hands, “there’s a pretty big one of these things at the bottom of that lake over there. I can’t imagine they’ll just leave it behind forever. They may come back for it someday.”

“That’s okay, let them come,” Cellars said with a shrug. “Just so long as they never figure out that a stubborn knight or two can always take down a king.”

Lisa Marcini smiled. “I think that’s enough dragon-slaying for one day, Cowboy. Let’s go home.”

THE END

About the Author

A former deputy sheriff, police forensic scientist and crime lab director, Ken Goddard is currently the director of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory. His previous novels include
Balefire
,
The Alchemist
,
Prey
,
Wildfire
,
Cheater
,
Double Blind
,
First Evidence,
and
Outer Perimeter
. Ken and his wife live in Ashland, Oregon.