Escape to Earth 1: Running From Fate (26 page)

“How…” Then Amanda stopped talking and her eyes went wide. She looked at Lukas, who nodded, “Just think and the computer will hear you.” Amanda sat back and closed her eyes.

Lukas walked back over to Trevor and said, “Do you have the diagram for the new disruptor barrel?”

“I do.”

“Let me have them.” Trevor opened his backpack and pulled the blueprints out. Lukas looked at them and tilted his head, “These are pretty good.”

“Thanks. The main beam won’t actually touch the sides of the barrel. It should flow through without resistance.”

“Will it need time to cool after multiple shots?”

“That will depend in large part on the power being used to operate it.”

Lukas nodded and fed the forms into a receiver on the converter. Lukas looked at the panel above the receiver and assigned a code for the entry. “Wrist Unit.”

“Yes.”

“Can you determine how long Willow and Amanda will be communicating?”

“I must say that I really think both of them were shocked by the other. They will not be stopping soon.”

“What?”

“She is mentally in a state of bliss and Willow is already modifying the power control programs.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t start production.”

“They’re being radically changed. You were wise to wait.”

Lukas looked at Trevor and then at Amanda. He thought about Joey and Salud. Then there’s Jinks and Sarah. Something was going on and he began to suspect that he knew what it was but didn’t dare say anything. He needed to talk about it but knew there was too much at stake to consider it. He shook his head and began to wonder about fate. “Did it really exist?”

• • •

“Hello.”

“Jim, we have an issue.”

“What is that?”

“Sarah does not answer her pager.”

“What?”

“The agent I sent to that car plant.”

“Yes.”

“She’s not responding to her pager.”

“When was your last contact?”

“When she reported nothing unusual was happening.”

“Call her.”

“What?”

“Why are we so reluctant to make a phone call?”

“Ok.”

Jim waited and fifteen minutes later his phone rang, “HELLO!”

“She answered.”

“Imagine. Shocked, yes shocked I am!”

“You don’t need to use sarcasm. She says that while she was spying on General Jekins, she developed a real affection for him. She says it wasn’t easy but she convinced him to give her a chance.”

“That does happen occasionally.”

“I guess.”

Jim heard something in her voice, “What are you thinking, Jill?”

“I don’t know if there’s anything more than that but…”

“Do you think she was honest in her report?”

“She has never been dishonest in the past.”

“But?”

“She’s never been emotionally attracted to anyone during the entire time I’ve been using her. And according to Jekins’ file, he’s hasn’t either.”

“Why can’t I shake the feeling that something’s going on beneath the surface of that island?”

“I don’t have anything to say it’s more than what it is but it just doesn’t feel right.”

Jim thought for a moment and said, “We need to get someone to take a real look around. Do you still have a relationship with McIntosh?”

“You’re thinking about using him?”

“It’s not American soil. I can’t just issue a warrant and walk in.”

“There might be some…casualties if you use him.”

Jim strummed his fingers on his desk and said, “Contact him with the usual payment method.”

“Yes Sir.”

“This is Black Coded, Jill.”

“I know, I’m erasing the recording of this conversation.”

“That would be good.” Jill hung up and Jim thought about what was going on. He’d wait to see what McIntosh turned up. Then, if he had to bring the General in, he’d request satellite coverage.

• • •

Lukas looked around the table in the converter building and smiled at the group gathered around the table. There were some very powerful minds and people sitting there and he shook his head at the absolute impossible odds that any one of them would be there. Fate? He took a breath and said, “Why don’t we start with Trevor and Amanda and see what they’ve come up with.”

Trevor stood up and suddenly Lukas’ Wrist Unit began loudly beeping. Lukas’ eyes narrowed and he pressed the button on it, “Why are you interrupting us?”

“I’ve scanned three ocean speed boats approaching the island at high speed thirty miles out. There are fifteen men on each of the boats and they’re all heavily armed.”

“That son of a bitch!”

Lukas looked at Sarah, “What are you talking about?”

“It’s got to be McIntosh!”

Salud shook her head, “Who is McIntosh?”

Sarah shook her head, “He’s a modern day pirate. He attacks ships and takes hostages. He’s come ashore at night and blasted his way into banks and taken everything in their safes. Most of the time his trail is littered with dead bodies.” Sarah looked at Lukas, “Our government has used him in the past to remove those that have proven to be troublesome.”

Lukas looked around the table, “Do any of you have a weapon?”

Sarah shook her head, “Lukas, these pirates are armed with automatic weapons along with missile launchers and most are wearing body armor.”

Jinks looked at Lukas, “Use Willow to take them out.”

Lukas shook his head and they heard from the wall speaker, “They are attacking at night so this side of the planet is visible to the probe in orbit. If I use my disruptors on them, it will see it and that fleet might be coming early.”

Lukas said, “Did anyone bring a weapon with them?”

No one spoke and Joey stood up and hit the table with a fist, “This is my fault. I should have brought some in.”

Lukas said loudly, “So no one has anything to defend ourselves?”

Stoney snickered, “I have a cutlass.”

Everyone looked at him and he shrugged, “Hey, it was on sale at a novelty shop on Barbados.”

Lukas said, “Go get it.”

“What?”

“Quit wasting time; go get it.” Stoney stared at him for a moment, looked at Jinks, who nodded, and then jumped up and sprinted out of the room.

Lukas looked at Willow, “You mentioned that the Fellowship Warships did not detect your new force field.”

“I had it inside my normal field.”

“Could that probe detect it at its lowest setting?”

“I couldn’t.”

Salud looked at Lukas, “Just what are you planning?”

“I intend to meet them when they come ashore and see if I can’t persuade them to leave.”

Jinks shook his head, “No way. If anyone is going to take them on, it should be Stoney and me.”

Lukas looked at Jinks and smiled, “I admire your bravery, Jinks, but we only have one cutlass. The truth of the matter is that I could take you and Stoney together.”

Jinks tilted his head and Lukas shook his head. Faster than anyone at the table could see, Lukas was behind Jinks and had him in a headlock that Jinks could not break. Lukas released him and said, “If you can do it faster, you can go.”

Jinks rubbed his neck and still couldn’t believe how fast Lukas had moved. Stoney came running back in and handed Lukas the cutlass. Everyone moaned, it was little more than a toy. Stoney said, “Hey, I like shiny objects.”

Lukas took the cutlass and walked around to Willows rear. The deck lifted and Lukas threw the cutlass into it converter. He waited and a few moments later the deck opened and Lukas took out a cutlass that gleamed in the overhead lights. Stoney said, “I don’t know how that is going to help you against body armor.”

Lukas walked over to the front wall and picked up a twenty-pound sledgehammer. He brought it with him and put it on the table. He raised the cutlass and lightly hit the hammer’s head; it split into two pieces. Lukas reached in his pocket and took out his portable force field. “I’m taking a neon lantern with me. I’ll see if I can’t talk some sense into them.”

Sarah shook her head, “That isn’t going to happen.”

Lukas winked at her, “You haven’t heard me trying to be convincing.”

Everyone looked at Salud. Joey said, “You’re just going to sit there and let him go?”

“Do you think anyone in here can stop him? I’m going to have to watch him board one of our ships and go out and face warships more than a hundred times larger and know he has to do it. I’ve accepted that the odds against us will always be outrageous.” Salud looked up, “Willow, can you send us a view of what’s happening?”

“Turn on the TV.”

Lukas walked over and kissed Salud on the forehead, “I’ll be back.”

“Take your time.” Lukas put the back of the cutlass on his shoulder and walked out of the building.

Jinks looked at Salud, “That force field must really work.”

Joey said, “Why do you say that?”

“She’s not worried about him. That says more than any words she could use.” He looked at Salud, “Am I right?”

“Yes you are!” Salud looked at Sarah, “If we prevent McIntosh from getting any information, what do you think your former associates might try next?”

“They’ll bring us under full satellite coverage to see what they’re up against. Then they’ll probably drum up some lie that terrorists are moving weapons here to use against them.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“This is lose-lose for us. Either way, we will get their full attention.”

Salud nodded and the TV screen showed Lukas walking down to the beach with his cutlass and a beach chair. Stoney said, “He really has some huge brass…”

“Stoney, there are ladies present.”

Amanda nodded, “I think they’re made of steel.” Trevor tapped her on the arm and she said, “Hey, I’m just saying.”

• • •

McIntosh saw the shoreline ahead and looked at the spacing between his three boats. Perfect, the lads were spot on. Suddenly, he saw a bright light illuminate the beach directly in front of his boat. His eyes adjusted and he saw a single man sitting in a beach chair. He looked at the driver and said, “What’s wrong with this picture?” The driver shrugged and the gunner manning the fifty caliber machine gun on the bow looked back, “You want I should put out the light and him with it?”

McIntosh shook his head, “No, I want this one myself.” He looked under the deck and the radar operator said, “There’s nothing else around him.”

The boats ran into the sand and McIntosh walked across the bow and jumped to the sand. He lowered the eight-gauge shotgun and pointed it at the man sitting in the chair, who continued to sit and smile at him. “Welcome ashore, Captain, or are you an Admiral?”

McIntosh smiled, “Actually, I’m a Commodore.”

“Well welcome ashore, Commodore.”

McIntosh looked around as his men spread out. They wouldn’t move further ashore until McIntosh led the way. “Do you know who I am?”

“I do. Your actions have been quite impressive.”

“And you’re sitting here smiling like a donkey eating briars. I would think you wouldn’t be here showing me this disrespect.”

“I’m here to make an effort to stop you from going any further.”

“Do tell. And just how do you intend to do that?”

“Why do most of the people on the ships you capture quit resisting?”

McIntosh’s head went back and he looked at his men standing around him, “I really find this fellow entertaining. Isn’t he funny?” His men laughed on cue and McIntosh turned back to the man in the chair, “They stop resisting because they know it’s futile and they’ll only die if they continue.”

“Before they stop, you do have to demonstrate that their resistance is actually futile.”

“You know how it is, Laddie. They won’t take my word for it.”

“Are you capable of taking someone’s word about that?”

McIntosh’s head went down, “What are you saying?”

“If I tell you that I am going to kill every last one of you if you continue, would you take my word for it?”

McIntosh tilted his head and looked Lukas in the eyes and saw no fear. That unnerved him. “Now you know I can’t just accept that you are going to stop us alone. You’re not even armed.”

Lukas took the cutlass out of the sand and said, “Oh, but I am.” McIntosh shook his head and started to order his men to kill this simpleton but Lukas said, “I agree with you that an example has to be made before you can make the right decision.”

“What?”

“You have forty five men here that came on three boats. If you will step aside, I really don’t want to harm you; who would make the decision to leave if I did, I am going to remove the fifteen that came on your boat.”

“I’m not moving anywhere.” He took off his wide tri-hat with a long feather sticking out of it and swept it around as he bowed, “Take your best shot.”

McIntosh straightened up and wondered why his men hadn’t fired on this obviously crazy person. Lukas sat in the chair and McIntosh said, “You may begin.”

Lukas leaned to the left and pointed behind him with his cutlass. McIntosh’s eyebrows came down and he looked over his shoulder. Every man that had come on is boat was lying on the sand and none of them still had their heads. He whipped around and saw Lukas wipe blood off his cutlass with a white towel. “Now, it is not my intention to end the career of such a fine Pirate like yourself…but I will end it here on this beach, this night, and dispose of your bodies and boats so that no one will ever know how you met your end. You really might prefer it that way; just imagine the legends that will spring up.”

McIntosh looked behind him again and then turned and walked among the dead bodies. None of them saw what killed them. Their dead expressions didn’t even show surprise. It happened so fast that…he turned around and saw all his men had their weapons trained on Lukas and he sat in that chair with that stupid grin. “Commodore, do you have the example you need to make a good decision?”

“I didn’t come here without being asked.”

“I know. And if you disappear in the effort, they are going to feel obliged to come and take a closer look. I’m going to count on you to tell them that you found nothing here.”

“You really are maddening.”

Lukas stopped grinning and said, “I should go ahead and kill you but I do need you to throw them off my scent. If not for that, all of you would be lying on the sand. Did I make a good enough example to persuade you that I am capable of doing what I say?”