Human Chronicles Part 2 Book 2: The Apex Predator (29 page)

Chapter 45

Adam Cain…

A
rieel didn’t bother with establishing a link with the Earth and then tracking down Adam by conventional means. Instead she hitched a ride on an already-existing CW-link with the planet, and then after a quick scan, found Adam’s ATD within a minute of breaking the link with Ruszel.

It was his turn to be roused from a deep sleep.

Adam!
When he allowed the link, Arieel’s mental voice came through like a shout.

What the …? Calm down Arieel. What’s going on?

It’s Riyad Tarazi, he has been captured by the Kracori, yet he managed to enlist the services of an alien from the region to transmit his final message.

He’s dead?

No, he is still alive. I said he was captured. This was his final message before his capture.

Adam sat up in the bed, feeling Sherri rustle next to him. Since the conversation with Arieel was through telepathy, he could let her sleep.
What’s the message?

The coordinates to Elision are accurate. The Kracori are located in a void area of the Juddle – or Silvean – Nebula within a region surrounded by the Dysion Shield. The alien says this shield will be very difficult for your ships to penetrate.

Thank you, Arieel. This information is extremely helpful. The fleet will now start making final plans and preparations for attacking Elision. Now tell me more about Riyad. How do you know he’s still alive and hasn’t already been killed?

The alien said the Kracori intend to torture him and use him as an example as your forces commence their attack.

So he’s still alive and somewhere on Elision?

That is my understanding, Adam.

Adam’s mind was exploding with conflicting emotions. On the one hand they now had confirmation of the McCarthy Coordinates; on the other Riyad was on Elision and being held captive, and probably suffering unimaginable torture, both mental and physical. And with the fleet months away from arriving on station, his torture would continue unabated….

Arieel, I am truly grateful for you relaying this message, and once again, for your help during the Kracori attack. Without you, many more of my people would have died.

Adam felt a sudden rush of emotion through his ATD, although no words had been spoken. This was something new.
I only wish I could have done more, Adam. I truly mean that.

Adam
knew
she did; he could feel her regret as if it were his own. So the ATD can also convoy emotions. This was an interesting sidebar – for another time. Now Adam had some planning to do.
I’m going to let you go now, Arieel. I have to start planning Riyad’s rescue.

I know you are. I will be available to assist you, as will all my resources. However, one thing I ask is that you begin your mission from Formil. I believe you will find our assistance invaluable.

I appreciate that, Arieel,
Adam said, a little confused by her comment.
Formil will be a good staging area for the rescue. I will be in touch.

May the gods assist you in your planning, Adam Cain; you know you are now among their chosen few.

Adam felt the link dissolve. Even though Sherri was asleep in the bed next to him, he suddenly felt very alone; this was a common occurrence after each mental conversation with Arieel. It seemed as though they were able to connect on a level that went beyond simple telepathy. He now realized that their emotions were also being joined during these links, and not just their thoughts. This raised a concern he was not prepared to handle at this time.

He shook his head and commanded that the lights in the bathroom come on. He slipped out of the bed and jumped in the shower.

Riyad had to be saved; there was no question about that. The question for the moment, however, was
how
?

********

 
“Bullshit, General!”

General Russell Blake – the Supreme Commander of all Human military forces throughout the galaxy – let Adam’s expletive go by without comment. “You may not like it, Captain, but it’s true. You
are
an iconic hero figure here on Earth, and it wouldn’t do for you to go get yourself killed – not now, and especially not at the hands of the same aliens who just scorched a fair chunk of the planet. The people are demoralized enough. News of your death would only exacerbate those feelings.”

“Sir, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated … which means I don’t intend to die on this mission. You know I have some special abilities that will tip the odds in my favor.”

“I’m fully aware of your … your device, Captain; however, we’re talking about the home planet of the Kracori race. No matter what fancy gizmo you may have inside you, on Elision you’ll stick out like a Sumo wrestler at a bulimia convention.”

“I don’t plan on taking a vacation there, sir. I should be able to tap into their comm system well ahead of time and locate Riyad before I make landfall. And then it’s just a quick extraction and we’re gone without a lot of fanfare.”

General Blake shook his head. “With you no longer in my chain of command, I can’t order you not to go, Captain. And even if you were, I doubt I could stop you.” Adam knew what the General meant, and he was probably right. Blake released a deep sigh. “Adam, the fleet is coming, and if you and Mr. Tarazi are still on the planet at that time – for whatever reason – there will be no delay in the attack. This is much bigger than either you or Tarazi.”

“Understood, sir. If I haven’t been able to get us off the planet by then, I will welcome the fleet’s arrival.”

“When are you leaving?”

“As soon as I can resupply the
Pegasus
; probably sometime tomorrow.”

“Good luck, Captain,” General Blake said, offering Adam his hand.

The handshake was firm and meaningful. The two military men knew the stakes and they knew the chances, yet it was just something that had to be done.

Wasn’t that always the case when it came to risking one’s life for a greater cause?

********

 
“You rotten bastard! Did you think you could just slink off without telling me?”

“I have to go, Sherri. You know it and I know it.”

“Of course I know, so don’t be so melodramatic. But I’m coming with you. Riyad is my friend, too.”

“I can’t let you do that. I’ll be going in taking full advantage of my ATD. It’s the only reason I have even a slim chance of success.”

“That’s why you need me along; I want one of those things, too.”

“You’re acting out of emotion, Sherri.”

“And you’re not? C’mon, Adam, you’ve been trying to get me fitted with one of your fancy gizmos for months now. And now when I’m ready, you say no?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Listen up, buddy,” Sherri said as she moved to within inches of Adam’s face, “I’ve seen what can be done with that thing inside you,” she poked him under his right armpit, causing him to jump, “and I see now how valuable it is to the survival of – well, everyone.” Her eyes burned a hole right through him. “You know me,
Cain
; I’m not taking no for an answer!”

“Arieel may not allow you to be fitted,” he countered, grasping for any reason not to take her on the mission.

“That’s bullshit! You have that little alien sexpot wrapped around your little finger, and you know it. She’ll do anything you ask. I’m going, Adam, and you had better come to grips with that real fast.” She spun on her heels and stormed toward the master bedroom in the apartment Phoenix Command had provided for them. “Now I’ve got some packing to do. I would suggest you stop wasting time and do the same.”

Chapter 46

Adam Cain…

I
t was late afternoon of the next day by the time the
Pegasus
was fully restocked, not only with food and other essential supplies, but also with additional missiles and other armaments. Sherri was already inside, yet Adam was out on the tarmac, looking into the giant orange ball that was the sun setting over the craggy mountains to the west.

He always loved the desert – the real desert – where the landscape stretched to the horizon without a single trace of civilization. The VIP landing field outside of Phoenix Command was not such a place; there were buildings and other signs of man’s habitation for as far as he could see. And yet the smell and the feel of desert air could never change.

He grimaced at the thought, knowing now that the air he breathed carried an elevated level of radiation. Not deadly in its own right, but probably enough to raise cancer rates through the roof in a few short years. Once he returned to space, Adam vowed to contact Kroekus and have him set to work finding a cure for cancer somewhere from within the myriad of worlds under his control. Anywhere there were biological beings, cancer was found, and with so many millennia head start on the Humans, aliens – somewhere – had to have already found a cure. Adam was determined to find it – if he lived long enough.

Phoenix Command – as well as the entire sprawling megalopolis surrounding it – had been spared a direct hit by the Kracori bombs, although one did strike forty-eight miles to the west, close to the border between what had once been Arizona and California. Yes, those designations no longer existed on the planet Earth, at least not officially. Now they were all one big happy family of Humans, although not very happy at the moment.

No matter what the maps said, Adam would always be a California boy. Yet now, as he watched the brilliant swatch of red and yellow stretching across the vast western sky, created there by the setting of the star known as Sol, Adam Cain wondered if this would be the last sunset he would ever witness on his birth-world. Something inside told him it just might be.

In the yellow afterglow of late afternoon, Adam noticed a Humvee speeding toward his location. He wasn’t sure what this could mean; all his supplies were loaded and he was only minutes from liftoff. However, the large, boxy vehicle was definitely coming his way, and soon it skidded to a stop only a few feet from where he stood. The passenger door suddenly flew open, almost before the Humvee had come to a complete stop.

Out stepped Admiral Andy Tobias.

Adam smiled as his old friend and former commander approached. “Andy! I was hoping I’d get a chance to see you again before I left. Thanks for coming.” Adam offered his hand to the slender, gray-haired Georgian.

“Well, Captain, we’re going to have to talk about that.”

Just then the two rear side doors of the Humvee also opened … and out climbed Geoffrey Rutledge and John Tindal, two of his former SEAL teammates from a now-distant past. At the time he had last seen them, Rutledge had been a gruff old Master Chief, while John had been a Petty Officer First-Class. From the stories he’d heard, they had both left the Navy and were now performing as a musical duo in Key West. Adam had always thought it strange that these two super-macho, trained-killers would now be entertaining the sunburned tourists and wasted fishermen in America’s southern-most city with sets of old happy-hippy songs.

He smiled, genuinely glad to see them. There just hadn’t been enough time since he and Sherri had arrived back on the planet to look up old friends.

But Adam frowned when, instead of coming up to him with silly grins on their faces, the pair moved to the rear of the Humvee and opened the back hatch. His concern grew even deeper when they began to unload three, dark green duffle bags.

He looked to Tobias with his jaw open.

“We’re going with you, Captain.” Tobias stated with authority, no question in his voice.

Adam shook his head. “Can’t let you do that, Andy. You’re not equipped for the mission.”

Chief Rutledge had heard that last comment as he and Tindal lugged the bulging duffle bags up to the pair of officers and let them drop to the ground with a thud. “Not yet, Junior,” he said. “We’re not equipped … yet. But once we’re outfitted with those magic remote-control things, we’ll be just like you.”

Adam went to speak, but the Chief wasn’t done. He poked a thick finger into Adam’s chest. “I knew you when you were just a scared little baby, all crying for his daddy, and before you became this bigger-than-life superman character. But you’re not fooling anyone, and if hadn’t been for the three of us standing here, you probably would have done your four-and-out and be washing dishes somewhere instead getting ready to head back out again to save the world – which you have a nasty habit of doing!”

It was Tindal’s turn. “There’s no getting around it, Captain, you need us on this op.” Tindal and Adam were about the same age, so they had spent a lot of time together in their early days in the Teams.

“But I don’t even know if I can get you all fitted,” Adam said, pleading for them to change their minds.

Tobias smiled. “Yeah, I know all about your relationship with that alien woman; Sherri’s filled me in. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to make it happen,” he said with a wink.

“Besides, you had
better
make it happen,” Rutledge said returning to the conversation. “After all, five supermen have a much better chance of getting Tarazi out alive then just one limp-dick like you.” Adam remembered Rutledge as being a tough old bird, but he was surprised at what a curmudgeon he’d grown into. The blistering Florida sun did that to people.

Adam didn’t know what to say. Yesterday he was an army of one heading off to fight the windmill. Now with Sherri and his old teammates, they were five. He had to admit, he would surely enjoy their company for the month-long journey to Formil, and even if Arieel wouldn’t fit them with ATD’s, he could always leave them on the planet when he set-off on the mission – alone.

“There’s not much room aboard, only two cabins.”

“That’s okay, Captain,” John Tindal said. “We’ve hot-bunked it before, and in worse conditions than these.”

Adam shrugged. “Okay then, stow your gear; we lift-off in five minutes.”

********

A few hours later, the
Pegasus
was just leaving the Solar System and Adam steered the starship slightly above the ecliptic before cranking the speed up to max. The journey to Formil would take twenty-eight days, yet Adam wouldn’t wait for their arrival before speaking with Arieel about his plans. He tapped into several outgoing CW-links and made contact with the alien telepathically.

He was sitting in the lounge of the
Pegasus
, watching as Sherri and his three former Teammates went on about the exciting times they had as the core of a behind-the-lines seek-and-destroy unit Adam once headed following the Juirean attack on the Earth. They would be unaware he was communicating with the spiritual and political leader of an entire coalition of planets, and from across a staggering distance of nine-thousand light-years. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible during the subliminal conversation.

So that’s it in a nutshell. What do you think?

I think I still do not understand all Human idioms, since you seemingly have an inexhaustible supply of them,
Arieel replied in his mind.
Yet I do understand your situation … as well as your question. I said I would do everything in my power to assist you and your race, so I will allow for the procedures.

Adam didn’t sense any trepidation on her part, nothing like the incredible sorrow and concern he’d seen her display when he had been fitted with what the Formilian’s referred to as their
Gift from the Gods
. He had been the first and only male to ever have one of the artificial telepathy devices implanted, and to her – as well as all the other Formilians who knew at the time – it had been the most sacrilegious act one could commit against their beliefs. In light of all that, Adam had been expecting more of a blowback from his most recent request.

Things have changed here, Adam,
Arieel thought.
We have begun to be more aware of the political atmosphere around us and how seemingly unrelated events half-way across the galaxy can eventually end up affecting us. We are now taking a more-active role in the affairs of the Expansion and beyond.

That’s good,
Adam replied.
The Formilians are the technological leaders of the galaxy, and as such, you can have a major influence.

That is our belief as well. So we will help you, and everything will be ready when you arrive. Your people will have to have their units tuned, and then implanted. After that will come the training, which you are well-aware is the hardest and most-time consuming aspect of the entire procedure.

I understand, yet with the timetable for the Human invasion of Elision, we’ll only have a month to train, so it will have to be mission-focused at first. And besides, the longer we delay the mission, the more suffering Riyad will experience. He may even die.

The Kracori said they will keep him alive until the fleet’s arrival.

That will be drug-induced by then, and even if we do rescue him at that point, there wouldn’t be much left. No, we really must hurry.

Then do what you can to prepare your colleagues ahead of time. Having a detailed knowledge of the functioning of the Gift will help build their foundation for when the real training begins. It is all I can suggest.

That’s a great idea, Arieel,
Adam thought,
and again, I am so incredibly grateful for all you’re doing for us. Hopefully someday, when all this bloodshed and turmoil in the galaxy has past, our two races can have more interaction with each other.
Adam felt a strange emotional wave flow through his body, but then it quick dissipated.

That would be most welcome, Adam Cain. I will go now to begin the preparations. Have a safe journey
– and then after a hesitation –
my friend.

As the link with the alien faded into the ether, Adam was once more left feeling empty and alone. This emotion was becoming more pronounced with each new conversation he had with the Formilian Speaker. Someday he would take the time to figure out why.