War of the Spheres Read online

  “Sorry doctor,” I said, “but Knox outranks me. We’re going up. If you’re so concerned, you should get to work packing the engine carefully.”

  His lips twisted into a momentary snarl, and then he rushed out of the lab. Clearly, he was on a mission of some kind.

  The major moved away to get his crews packing things, and the befuddled technicians and scientists did the same. They buzzed together like a hive of sorry bees.

  I approached Colonel Hughes as the rest of them began to work slowly, as if in shock.

  “Who’s idea was it, really?” I asked her.

  She looked up as if she hadn’t heard me. “What?”

  “Was it you? Did you suggest to Control that we should step up deployment?”

  She frowned. “No. It was Dr. Gevan, actually—he cited some data about an imminent anomaly which will affect our course if we wait too long.”

  I squinted at her, then at Gevan who was encouraging staff as they crated the big, experimental engine.

  “That’s odd,” I said. “Didn’t he just say that we shouldn’t do this?”

  Hughes shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t listening. This whole thing has been a disaster from start to finish. I’d blame you, but it all started before you arrived, not after.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  She gave me a wan smile. “I’m going to pack the essentials from my office. Are you feeling well enough to resume your duties?”

  I worked my fingers and rolled my shoulders. “My limbs are functional. I’m a bit torn up, but Knox’s medical team has patched all the leaks.”

  The truth of it was that much of my shredded flesh had already stitched together, and I’d already begun to remove some of the bandages.

  She shook her head, examining me for a moment. “You combat-types must be born with a higher pain threshold than the norm.”

  “I know something about that theory,” I smirked.

  The group worked for nine hours to pack up themselves and the generator. That last bit was the tricky part.

  “It’s radioactive, isn’t it?” I asked the techs as they gingerly used robotic arms to lift and place the generating engine into a crate that was as big as a pickup.

  “It ticks away all the time,” one of them told me. “If you keep your balls close to that thing, you’ll be sterile in no time.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Getting to the roof would require a number of lifting robots, sled-like loaders and smart cables. Everything had to be rated for maximum loads, too.

  They packed the unit into a special cargo elevator built to carry multi-ton loads. Even so, the lift groaned and swayed ponderously when the engine was placed inside.

  “We need someone to ride with this thing up to the roof,” one of the techs said.

  “Well don’t look at me,” Fillmore said. “I’m a man of science, not a grunting laborer.”

  Gevan slowly shook his head. “Bunions… and if I throw my back out, I won’t be worth a crap later on.”

  The rest all shook their heads or looked away.

  “I’ll do it,” I said, watching them.

  They looked at me with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

  “In fact, I’m determined to keep it in sight,” I added.

  “It’s not your job,” the foreman said.

  I shrugged. “Then you can come with me and keep an eye on things.”

  He hesitated, but at last he shook his head. He backed up and let me climb aboard the elevator car with the generator taking up the vast majority of the floor space. I was forced, in fact, to almost straddle the thing.

  Remembering what the tech had said earlier about this contraption leaking rads, I found myself sweating a little as I perched there, hanging onto dangling chains to steady myself.

  “Ready!” I told them.

  The elevator didn’t budge. Instead, Major Knox appeared.

  “What in the living hell…?” he asked, looking at me. “Chief, what are you doing?”

  “Riding shotgun.”

  “You’re unarmed and badly injured. That makes you a less than ideal candidate.”

  After dabbing at a stained bandage, I shrugged and showed him my stitched-up hands. “I feel fine.”

  “Criminy, Gray…” He narrowed his eyes at me, appraising me. “Here,” he said at last, handing me his service pistol. “I can tell you’re a dedicated man, and I appreciate that. There’s no room on the lift for more troops. You squat on that radioactive egg, and we’ll meet you at the top.”

  The big doors rolled shut, leaving me alone with the device. I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d do if it activated somehow—die fast, I figured.

  The pistol Knox had given me was big, old-fashioned and heavy. The grip was made from some light polymer, so all the mass of it came from the meaty barrel. Unlike most modern guns, it fired powder-driven rounds, rather than some form of radiation. Shrugging, I tucked it away and hung on.

  Someone somewhere finally pressed a big industrial button. A green light glowed, a horn sounded, and the lift began to move. For some reason, I’d expected the lift to move quickly—but instead it crawled like a snail on a brick wall.

  “Hey, tough guy,” the foreman called out to me. “If it starts to sway and rock in the shaft, tell us and we’ll stop until it settles down.”

  “Will do,” I said, lifting a comm-link to my mouth. “Testing…”

  “I read you,” the foreman said. “Luck.”

  They were soon lost to sight below me as the elevator crawled up toward the roof. I heard nothing but grinding gears and a deep whirring sound. Minutes passed, a floor went by without incident, and the noisy ride continued.

  I shimmied down to stand near the aft end of the device. Really, I was looking for a more comfortable spot. Then, a voice spoke up behind me.

  “Well, I’m glad you finally moved.”

  I whirled around and gripped the chain again. One foot came up automatically, and I was already preparing to boot the hitchhiker off my slow-motion ride—but then I recognized him.

  “You really shouldn’t sit astride the field generator,” Toby said. “Your testicles will become irradiated—didn’t anyone tell you?”

  “Dude…” I said, “you’ve got nerve. What are you doing on this elevator? Knox will shoot you if you mess something up.”

  Toby shrugged. “Your supposition is highly unlikely. Now, an alien attack is a different story... Do you think they’ll be agreeable about letting this thing leave Earth?”

  I stared at him. “How’d you get in here?”

  “I jumped onto the roof of the car from the floor above.”

  Looking up, I saw a small air vent. Could he have gotten his skinny butt through that?

  “It shouldn’t be possible… There were supposed to be guards on every floor, securing the cargo lift.”

  “Yeah? Well, let’s look for some when we get to the next level. We’ll be there in about forty seconds.”

  Toby crossed his arms and put his back against the engine. He looked expectantly upward. I watched the shaft creep by through the open doorway. A crack of white light appeared. I saw boots standing there—three pairs of them.

  In less than a second, I knew something was wrong. One guard per level—that’s what Major Knox had said. Besides—at least one pair of boots belonged to a workman, not a security guard.

  My hand shot out and landed on Toby’s bony shoulder.

  “Hey!” he complained.

  “Listen,” I said harshly in his ear, “back up, and get behind the engine. Something’s wrong.”

  He looked at me, and his face shifted to alarm. “You know, you seem to be a distinct focal point for trouble,” he said.

  “Agreed.”

  “…and by the way, I told you so.”

  Moving quickly, we clambered over the engine and crouched behind it. The white light from the next floor grew from a slit, to a bright bar.

  Then the
boots shifted. A stubby black gun barrel poked down toward us out of that brilliance, and I knew we were in real trouble.

  Chapter 9

  The slash of light grew wider. I noticed the guy in the middle was wearing a uniform. I could also see the soles of his boots—he was laid out on the floor in a heap.

  I slid back down out of sight.

  “Toby, you need to stay low—no matter what,” I whispered. “Let me deal with these guys, and then I’ll give you the all clear.”

  “Okay,” he whispered back. “Wait a minute—what if you get killed?”

  “That’s not going to happen, kid.”

  “I told you not to call me that,” he snapped in a harsh, but low voice.

  “Jeez, Toby—now is not the time…”

  Missing the hint, Toby continued in a monologue.

  “…furthermore, Chief—it’s quite apparent that you’re a reckless man and given to brash proclivities. It’s perfectly plausible—”

  “Please shut up, Toby—so I don’t have to knock you out for your own good.”

  His brows furrowed, and he glared at me, but he did shut up after that.

  We were pressed in-between the back wall and the weighty cargo. It was great cover, but in addition to not wanting to get shot, I found myself hoping the load didn’t shift and crush us both.

  Boosting myself up, I managed to peer over the massive crate once more. I could see the killers squatting down. It seemed to me they were dressed in common janitor’s coveralls.

  They stood to either side of the fallen guard—crouching to get a look into the slowly rising elevator car. I made a judgment call then and decided to use my comm unit later when I could afford the distraction.

  Hopefully, I could just lay low and there wouldn’t be any shooting. My main priority was getting this project to launch, after all.

  As they peered down into the darkened car, I could see the faces on these two were concealed by a pair of welder’s masks. The gun barrel that slid back and forth in the growing doorway was a radiation-generating type. I was really hoping these men would be taking great care—to not hit and damage the engine.

  “What are you doing?” Toby asked at my side, so I looked his way to shush him. That’s when the gun went off. A white bolt of energy burned into the crate near my head.

  “Crap,” I rasped. “I was hoping they were going to be careful.”

  “That was your plan? That they were going to be careful?” he hissed back.

  “No, it wasn’t my plan…”

  He stared at me expectantly as if waiting for an explanation.

  “Just shut up for a minute,” I told him.

  He didn’t look happy, but he did shut up momentarily. I’d decided to throw a little diplomacy at the hostile men.

  “Hold on now, gentlemen,” I called out. “There’s no reason to get all crazy here.”

  Then, I drew the major’s sidearm, did a quick check on the magazine, and flicked off the safety. It was a big gun. Toby’s index finger would have fit into the muzzle. The weight of it felt good in my hand.

  “Is there some kind of problem I’m not aware of?” I asked them, trying to stall.

  One of them spoke under his breath: “Your side—back corner.”

  The voice was unfamiliar. Two more bolts sizzled into the wall near my head, so I got ready.

  There was no room to straighten out for a proper stance, so I pointed the gun up and got my other forearm ready to brace behind it. I didn’t want the big bastard to buck into my face when I fired it.

  “Cover up your ears, and keep your—” I started to tell Toby, but when I glanced over to my side, I noticed the little shit was gone. “Crap.”

  I couldn’t afford to wait another second. The men should be presenting me a full target by now. I pictured in my mind where the welding masks would now be positioned—accounting for the plodding motion of the cargo lift.

  This was going to be a shoot-out at close range, so in my mind I focused, envisioning fluid, instinctive action. My adrenaline was spiking again, so I exhaled a deep breath and went for it.

  Muzzle first, I slid above my cover and aimed for the guy on the left. I squeezed off two deafening shots and slipped back down with my left ear burning. They’d returned fire, and one of them had tagged me.

  My ears were ringing, but I could still hear somebody hollering out on the landing of the passing floor. I took that to be a good sign and checked my ear. I smelled like burning meat, but it was only superficial.

  My groping fingers found the fried wires of my comm unit’s ear piece. I guess I wouldn’t be calling in about this attack after all.

  It sounded quiet, so I decided to take a look. I fired blind into the ceiling and then popped up. Peering down at the floor outside as it inched away, I saw only the downed guard. There was no blood on the floor either. Damn.

  “Toby!” I shouted. I heard nothing over the groan of distant machinery and the creak of the overtaxed freight lift as it crept upward. The glare of light from the landing passed slowly away below the open front of the elevator.

  Satisfied that I was closed off alone between floors for now, I decided to get into better positioning. My ear had been partly burned, but it was cauterized. I focused my attention on it as if it were only pressure instead of pain and put it into the back of my mind.

  I shuffled along the gap toward the spot Toby had stood in earlier. I looked around the end of the big crate just to make sure the punk was really gone. He was.

  Finding a better position in case there was a repeat attempt to take me out, I crouched under cover and made ready to take another shot. I still had very little clearance, though. The gun would be going off inches from my face.

  Eventually, the crack of light appeared and widened again. The boots were there too, but the men were cagier this time. They hung back and cautiously shuffled from several paces away. I only waited until I had a shot at kneecaps.

  I started emptying the magazine before they could get a fix on my new location. One of them yelled, and they both went down—dropping to the floor. I reloaded.

  Before I could follow up, the guy on the right popped up from prone, pulsed a blast of white radiation my way and dove again.

  I ducked but could smell my hair freshly burning. I realized that these guys actually were being a little conservative with their shots.

  Far from being completely worried about this engine getting damaged, they had the option to just spray laser-fire at me to much greater effect. They weren’t doing that. They were being moderately careful and aiming their shots. That meant it was me they were gunning for, not the field-generator. I just needed to stay behind this gigantic crate. I fired a couple more wild shots to buy me time to reach the next floor.

  When I got there, I saw at least six pairs of boots. It would take some fancy shooting to clear this room.

  “Gray? Hey, Chief—you okay? What the hell’s going on?”

  It was Knox’s sergeant. He and the other men all wore salt and pepper camo to my relief.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said. “I’m fine. Did you catch those guys?” I asked him.

  “We have two men down, but we only caught you—thanks to Dr. Jonah here.” The sergeant stepped aside to reveal Toby with his arms crossed and his chin stuck out.

  “Oh, for crying out loud…” I said.

  “I suppose a ‘thank you’ would prove too embarrassing?” Toby asked. “Yes… I see that it would be, so I won’t expect any gratitude. I’ll make do with a room full of witnesses.”

  The sergeant reached around the edge of the elevator and smacked the red button, bringing the noisy car to a stop.

  “So, who were these assholes who attacked my guards?” he demanded.

  “How the hell should I know?”

  “Well, you seem to be right in the middle of all the shit around here. Didn’t you get a look at them?”

  I got an irritating I told you so kind of face from Toby.

  “They were
wearing masks and coveralls while they shot at me—sorry I didn’t get a better description for you.”

  “If the major finds that this machinery is damaged there’s going to be hell to pay,” the sergeant grumbled. “You should have called for help the moment you got into trouble.”

  “Yeah, well, I ran into technical difficulties,” I said, fingering the melted comm unit wires next to my burned ear.

  “Oh, right—I see you got a spot of sunburn, there…Specialist!” he called out.

  “Sergeant?” a man reported immediately.

  “Give the chief your comm unit. He’s still got a floor to go…and get a med-kit for his burns.”

  The soldier quickly offered me the gear. As he extended it to me, I saw he wore thick gloves that had heavy wear and ground-in soot. My mind was connecting them as possible welding gear. I took the medical unit and nodded my thanks to the man.

  While I applied salve, I studied him, wondering if he was an accomplice to the mayhem. He didn’t seem too worried about anything.

  It turned out that part of my ear was missing. After clapping a patch over it, I checked the major’s pistol once more and smacked the green button again. To my surprise, he squeezed aboard the car with me. His belly rubbed against the field-generator, and he looked far from comfortable.

  “Jeez, this is tight,” he complained.

  “Glad to have you aboard,” I said, but I watched him closely. I was fully aware he might be helping my attackers, who’d definitely been human.

  The machinery groaned and squealed in protest as the elevator car crept upward. I hoped there wouldn’t be any more surprises since Major Knox himself was on the next floor waiting. I was sort of right.

  “Just as I suspected,” a voice said behind me.

  Once again, Toby had snuck onto the cargo lift. Unbelievable.

  “See this protuberance here?” he demanded, pointing at what looked like a loose wire with a golden bolt head on the end of it.

  “It’s that weasel again?” the sergeant demanded, his eyes blazing. “I ought to swat you!”

  “You can’t be serious,” Toby said, edging away.

  I fingered my belt for a moment, toying with the idea of fulfilling the sergeant’s threat.