Shackleton's Folly (The Lost Wonder Book 1) (41 page)

In seconds, an explosion filled the forest and rained debris across the meadow. The Koty troopers reacted as the trained troops launched themselves into the forest to battle the invisible enemy that slayed at will. A second blast at the base of one of the large pine trees shattered it, and the tree fell into the meadow. The crown of the tree smashed to the ground 10 meters from the dedication plaque and sent shattered sculpture pieces wide. Alec, Electra, and Dancer made for the tree line closest to them. Wolfgang Gray followed right behind them. They climbed over a fallen tree trunk and sought refuge on the other side. They all peeked over the trunk — all but Dancer, who tapped into his minion spies, who were following the battles from vantage points throughout the forest.

Alec was trying to get the lay of the land as he spotted what he was looking for. “Wolfgang, now do you see what you and your new friends have done?” The three inscription pieces were glowing ever brighter on the floor close to the dedication plaque.

Gray looked from the scene to Alec. “What do you suggest we do?”

Energy and projectile-weapons fire came from both Koty and the Atlantean Security Force in pitched battles that littered the chamber in every direction from their position.

Alec took another look over the tree trunk and then back to his companions. “Look at the dedication plaque. What do you say we put the pieces back in place and see what happens?” Alec peeked his head up over the tree trunk again to get an idea of where the Koty were in relation to the inscription pieces. The tree bark near his face exploded from Koty energy blasts. He ducked down quickly. “I will go around and try to get to the pieces from a different side.”

Wolfgang Gray said, “Shackleton, the odds are you will get five meters, at best, across that open ground. This one is on me.” He took another look at the meadow. “The Koty troopers will hesitate to shoot me. Not that they care so much about shooting a human, but they will hesitate not knowing what Captain K’Dhoplon will do if they kill me accidentally.” Wolfgang turned to Electra. “Your people came from Earth?”

“Atlantis,” replied Electra.

This surprised Wolfgang, “Why not?” It was the culmination of all the ridiculous things happening to him. He had been hired — more like conscripted — into helping the Koty on their expansionist campaign. Gray had only a small inkling of hope left for the human race — only a tiny ember. Shackleton, on the other hand, had followed his father’s Folly.
It killed the elder
, Wolfgang thought,
and so it might kill his son
. Gray felt a great weight fall from his shoulders.

Gray moved quickly down the trunk and kept it between him and the Koty troops. He found a notch in the trunk where he was able to get a better view of the situation. He could see that he had a more direct line to the inscription pieces still on the floor.

Alec watched as Gray waited for a lull in the fighting before he made his move over the top of the tree trunk.

Gray surveyed the meadow and watched as Koty troopers and members of the Atlantean Security Force fell to the ground dead or dying. He saw his chance as the troopers closest to the dedication plaque left their positions. They went on the attack in force to flank the Atlantean Security Force, who fell back to the tree line.

Filled with new purpose, Gray ran toward the inscription pieces on the floor near the far end of the plaque. Koty Troops hesitated shooting him as he sprinted the distance. It was well known that the human had been given to the Captain as a pet, but it was not known if he was still wanted alive. They held their fire. Gray closed in on the pieces; he was getting ever so much closer. He changed directions, diving toward the three inscription pieces. Gray’s body slid on the floor and collided with the inscription pieces. His momentum took them with him to a point just under the missing corner. He had advanced the inscription pieces to the closest point they had been to the plaque in thousands of cycles.

With just a glance, Gray could see which edges of the inscription pieces went together. He lined two glowing pieces up with each other and pressed them together. He turned his head aside quickly. A white light, bright as arc welding, came from the material as the edges came together to fuse themselves back into place. The repaired edge, where the pieces had bonded to each other, was so clean that you would not have been able to distinguish the repair.

The intense bright light had caught the attention of just about everyone in the meadow, including Captain K’Dhoplon. “Gray, stop what you are doing, and bring me the pieces —
now
,” demanded Captain K’Dhoplon from a position across the meadow from Alec and Electra.

The last piece needed to be moved only about half a meter into place. “Captain,” Gray shouted as he grabbed the smaller piece and brought it in closer to the larger one. Only centimeters separated them. He made up his mind. “You must know that the Koty are doomed to fail.” Gray slid the pieces together; the edges smacked with impact, but they were out of alignment. “An economy such as yours, built on military expansion, will inevitably fall when they are no longer able to advance.” He seized the small piece with both hands. “I will put a stop to you!” He slid the piece home. The edges matched, erupting with light so intense that Gray was lost in it to those looking in his direction. The light from the fusing pieces faded, leaving one unified corner piece matching the missing section of the dedication plaque. An energy blast hit him squarely in the back and knocked him forward.

Captain K’Dhoplon turned the rifle from Gray and back to the fight with the Atlantean Security Force.

Alec took his wrist bracer off, and it snapped to full length. He turned to Electra. “Stay here — I will take up where Wolfgang left off.” He ran down the trunk and jammed the staff into the tree trunk, using it to vault over it. Alec pulled his pistol out to return the fire of three Koty who were paying enough attention to him to shoot at him. Commander Astraeus directed his troops, and a hail of hypersonic projectiles followed, cutting one of the Koty in two. Electra was just a few steps behind Alec.

“We stay together. You need covering fire,” came the calm report from Electra as she hammered another Koty with rapid hypersonic fire.

Alec ran through blasts of energy weapons; then he dropped into a slide across the floor like a runner in baseball rounding third base, stretching it home, hoping to beat the ball to the plate. His momentum took him hard into the corner piece and Gray’s motionless body. Electra slid on her side into Alec.

“Hurry — we have no cover here.” Electra’s worry was clear on her face as she spoke to Alec. She kept her fire to single shots or short bursts to better manage her ammunition. Electra pulled out the empty clip and replaced it from the ammo belt around her waist.

Gray moaned and opened his eyes. “Shackleton, I need help to finish this.”

“Count on it, Gray.” Alec assessed the dedication plaque’s jagged edge where the corner piece had to go. An energy blast missed his head and struck the plaque. The energy rippled through the material, like a stone striking a quiet pond, the waves radiating from the point of impact.

Electra returned fire, taking out the Koty sniper in a tree a hundred meters away.

“That could have just as well have been your head, Shackleton,” said Captain K’Dhoplon. “You will bring the piece to me.” He had a contingent of his troops with him, their weapons giving him cover.

Electra whispered over her shoulder, “I will kill him before he gets a chance.”

“Cover for me,” Alec replied.

Electra had placed herself next to him, using him as a brace as she shielded him with her weapon. The business end traversed the meadow, looking for a target.

Alec slowly picked up the corner piece from the floor. He lifted it up over Wolfgang Gray. Alec nodded to Wolfgang, who grabbed the lower edge and helped Alec jam the corner piece into place. A hail of energy fire struck all about them. At the same time, a blazing light came from the entire surface of the dedication plaque, filling the chamber with an intensity none had ever experienced. He tentatively took his hands away from the dedication plaque. Alec did not hear anything fall. The optic nerves at the back of his eyes screamed with pain, as he was at point blank to the light source. Alec felt movement beside him. It was Electra, and she was having trouble seeing as well, even with her back to the plaque.

The battling parties either sought refuge from the intense light or took advantage of the distraction. The statue of the Emperor came to life as an image of the Hanging Gardens flickered above his outstretched hand. The representation of the garden slowly spun and winked out of existence again. The holographic image of the Emperor’s Hanging Gardens above winked back into existence, becoming steady and whole, with minute detail.

The Koty started to concentrate fire on the trio. Electra’s fire became more sustained as she covered Alec. Commander Astraeus’ troops returned fire from three directions, taking out more of the Koty.

The chamber’s normal lighting had gone eerily dark as the light of the plaque had faded. The chamber was lit by the fully functioning, vibrant purple holographic globe that spun slowly overhead. Alec stood up and helped Electra from her firing stance.

Captain K’Dhoplon, the Koty troops, Commander Astraeus, and the Atlantean Security Force members held their positions and watched the events overhead with amazement. A light-yellow energy wave appeared near a line of longitude and, like sunlight on a planet, washed across the globe as the delineator between light and darkness. The wave made its way around the now-solid image of the Emperor’s Hanging Gardens.

A second wave of light crossed the globe, following in the wake of the first; its color was more of a light brown. In the wake of the second wave, the seams that connected the gardens were highlighted but not as one would have expected. Some of the seams were a faint teal, but many more were lined in a spectrum of red, showing the viewer the extent of stresses that had built up. In some areas, the red lines were of a brightness that the only conclusion one could come to was that this was the beginning of the destruction of the Emperor’s Hanging Gardens.

Gray pulled at Alec’s leg. Alec and Electra bent down to hear him. Wolfgang asked, “What happens next?”

The chamber lit up with a red color so bright that it seemed to transport them all to hell. Every living eye within viewing distance watched bordering on terror as all the seams connecting the holographic gardens to one another lit up with an intense blazing red light. Cracks appeared along the seams. Everyone in the chamber was lifted from the floor simultaneously and tossed into the air; the ground beneath their feet pitched them high and then dropped away. The ground heaved again. All the combatants, having lost their footing, grabbed onto anything stationary as the world gave way again. The cries heard were not of battle but of mortal terror.

Gray was held in place by Alec and Electra. He managed, “Should this be happening?”

Alec bent over him. “As a great man once said, ‘Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.’ I have enough hope for the both of us, Wolfgang.”

The floor shook again and brought down some of the sculptured forest. It had already suffered some damage, and now some of the pine trees were falling. But, as they did, they took with them other, more stable, trees. The combatants below ran for their lives. The trees crushed everything below them as they struck the ground.

Koty troopers saw it first. They pointed up at the globe; it now showed the gardens splitting apart. The 1070 pentagons separated in slow motion. The Koty Sergeant looked to Captain K’Dhoplon.

Captain K’Dhoplon assessed the situation quickly and ordered his men, “Back to the ship!” The Koty troops took the mobile wounded and vanished into the forest.

Commander Astraeus had some burnt clothing from energy-weapons fire. He barked orders as he came toward them.

Alec put away his weapon while looking down at Gray. His staff snapped back into the wrist bracer. “Electra, find out how we can help your people.”

“Are you alright?” Commander Astraeus asked Electra.

“One man needing medical attention. Captain Shackleton and I are fine.” She asked Alec, “To the
Quest
?”

Gray was in shock. “Leave me,” he moaned and fell unconscious.

Alec raised his hand to stop Commander Astraeus from continuing. “I have him. You should just worry about getting your people out of here.” He reached down and lifted Gray’s unconscious form, raising him to a standing position, and turned him to face Alec. The years had not gone so well for Gray. He had aged a lot since they had last crossed paths. Alec squatted, letting Gray ease over his shoulder Then Alec stood, in the “fireman’s lift.” He bounced the weight a little to get it distributed. Electra and Commander Astraeus were a little surprised at the ease of the carry.

“Let’s go. I have him,” said Alec.

“I will cover Alec,” said Electra. They headed back the way they had come.

Commander Astraeus was about to protest; then he thought better of it and yelled to his second in command. He came upon a member of his command who was in bad shape. He glanced back where Alec had been and picked up the wounded man and proceeded to turn him, as Alec had done with Gray. He followed Alec’s quick technique, and, after a fashion, he had the man on his shoulders. His second in command reported that recovery had proceeded and that all were evacuating the building.

Commander Astraeus said as he adjusted his load, “We are out of here. Contact the carriers, and let them know we are exiting the front doors.”

Captain K’Dhoplon and the remaining Koty troops ran from the large, open front doors of the Maintenance Citadel. They continued down the flights of steps to where their four APCs remained at the ready. The Koty troops who had maintained security perimeter at the APCs took covering positions as the Koty evacuated the building. They covered the wounded evacuation until all were boarded and strapped in. When preparations for liftoff were complete, the outstanding troops covered for each other as they returned to the APCs. They lifted off, and the doors and landing ramps closed as the APCs sprang higher into the air. This coordinated withdrawal took less than two minutes.