Subterranean (51 page)

“What about Bo'rada? I thought he was your leader.”

“Bo'rada?” He made a foul sound with his mouth. “No smart. I lead Bo'rada.”

Ashley realized that this coup had been in the works long before her team appeared. Their arrival had almost screwed up Sin'jari's plan, but he'd turned it to his own ends.

“Now I lead. I say kill all you. And any others come here.”

Ashley shook her head. “You won't win this. Tru'gula's hunters won't allow it.”

A sly look came to his eyes. He pointed to Tru'gula. “Bad. He help you others kill Mo'amba.” He then tapped his chest with the dagger. “I find out.” He slashed the dagger through the air. “I stop.”

So Tru'gula was going to be pinned as an accessory to the crime, a coconspirator. Dead men tell no tales. She glanced at him, but his eyes were half closed.

Sin'jari noticed it too. He poked the wounded hunter with a finger, getting his attention. They spoke back and forth for a few minutes. Angry words. Finally, Sin'jari turned his back on him and faced Ashley again. He pointed a thumb toward Tru'gula. “No smart. He call help. But nobody there. Mo'amba dead.” He sneered at her. “Now you.”

He raised the poisoned dagger and stepped toward her. She tried to back away but was blocked by the
silaris
behind her.

Just as Sin'jari grabbed Ashley's throat with a bony hand, a noise erupted from the wormhole. Sin'jari twisted his neck around to look.

Ashley jumped as the transport sled blasted out of the wormhole and flew across the chamber, colliding into several of the
silaris
, knocking them off their feet.

The distraction was enough to allow Ben to crawl from the wormhole. He was standing before anyone was even aware he had appeared. He raised the rifle to his shoulder and pointed it at Sin'jari. “Mate, I suggest you let the lady go.”

Sin'jari hissed at him and plunged the dagger toward her chest.

Ben fired.

Ashley saw the left side of Sin'jari's head fly away. His body stood there for half a second, dagger still poised, then crumpled to the floor.

A couple
silaris
rushed toward Ben. He swung his rifle, and in two shots, two bodies lay on the floor. “Any others?”

Suddenly, from behind the group of
silaris
, as if by magic, a troop of hunters appeared, bristling with long spears.

“Meet a few of my friends,” Ben said with a smile. “I placed a quick call before arriving. This bloody
heri'huti
means of communication could put the phone company out of business.”

The
silaris
, without their leader, put up little fight and were roughly herded away.

Ashley rushed over to Ben and wrapped him in her arms. “You're okay. I didn't know . . . didn't know what Sin'jari had done up there.” She squeezed him and, muffled against his chest, said the words she had held so long in her chest. “I love you.”

“Ay? What was that?” he said, pulling back to look her square in the face.

“I . . . I love you.”

He slipped back into her embrace. “Oh, that. I knew you did. I was just wondering when you'd figure it out.”

“Shut up.” She reached up and kissed him.

Ben then moved his lips to her ear. “You know, there's someone up top who's waiting for a big hug and kiss too.”

She pulled back from him, her hands clenched on his shoulders. “Do you mean—”

He nodded. “Jason's fine. Just a bit shook up like the rest of us.”

Tears blurred her vision as Ben smiled down at her. He then pulled her into a tight embrace. In his arms, she felt the strength of family she'd never experienced before.

Still in his arms, Ashley watched Bo'rada stalk into the chamber, confusion evident on his features. Crossing to the scarred figure, he spoke heatedly to Tru'gula, who answered with repeated gestures. Bo'rada's eyes grew wide.

“I leave you for a second,” Ben whispered, “and see how much trouble you get into.”

Once Tru'gula finished, the leader stared with disgust at Sin'jari's body, then turned to Ashley and Ben. He bent his head solemnly in their direction. As apology or thanks, she wasn't sure.

Ben broke free of her embrace. “I forgot.” He crossed to Sin'jari's body and fingered open the pouch on the dead man's belt. He reached inside and pulled out the diamond statue.

“
Ohna!
” Ben held the figure up for all to see, then crossed over and placed the female statue on the pedestal next to the male figure. “They make a nice couple, don't you think?”

J
ASON SAT ON A SOILED CHAIR IN THE DEMOLISHED RECEPTION
room of Blakely's office. He had his cracked Nintendo Game Boy in his lap and was trying to tape it together. Harry and his companion creatures were outside somewhere, patrolling, keeping an eye on things. Ever since the explosion of the elevator, Harry wanted the area watched closely.

Jason knew he was supposed to stay with Sandy back in Blakely's office, but she was giving him the creeps. All she did was stare off into space, fiddling with her hair. She didn't even say a word when he got up.

He thought about how Ben had saved him, and hoped desperately that he would return soon with his mom.

Then a soft
scritch-scritch
ing noise from outside froze him in the chair. It was probably Harry or one of the others. Wasn't it? The noise came again. It sounded like a bunch of boards was being shifted around.

He quietly stood up and took a step toward the hallway, toward safety. When he heard the noise once more, his curiosity got the better of him. He took a step toward the decimated entrance to the building.

He'd just take a peek. It might be important, or nothing at all.

Holding his breath to avoid any detection of his position, he snuck around an overturned desk to get a clear view out the building.

He stared, waiting for the sound to repeat so he could tell where it was coming from, afraid even to blink in case he should miss something. Nothing was out there besides the crater from the explosion and piles of debris strewn around the edge by the blast. Nothing moved.

He started to straighten from where he crouched. Probably just—

Then he heard and saw it at the same time. A muzzle, protruding from under a pile of tumbled lumber and bricks, about twenty yards away. It was easy to miss, camouflaged well with the black rock and scorched debris. If it hadn't moved, he'd have overlooked it.

It moved again, shifting the debris until a black eye swung clear. It seemed to be staring straight at him. Jason knew it was the beast who'd been sniffing him when he was tied up. The one Ben called Tiny Tim. Jason froze, afraid to draw its attention further.

He watched as it dropped its head back to the floor, obviously still dazed, groggy, recovering from the explosion. Jason needed to warn someone that it had survived.

Then a new sound intruded.

A voice. A familiar voice. Female. Crying.

He watched as Linda ran into view, her eyes glued to the crater. Her face was smudged, her hair in stringy tangles. Tears swelled in her eyes.

Khalid stepped into view behind her, smoking a cigarette. “It's done,” he heard Khalid say. “The boy's gone.”

Linda stumbled to the crater's far edge and began walking around it. Jason realized she was going to cross within a yard of the buried monster.

Jason dashed from the building and ran to the crater's edge. He called across the hole to her. “Linda! Get back! Run!”

Linda jumped at the sight of him, her hands fluttering around her cheeks like scared birds. “Jason?” His words and sudden appearance seemed to shock her. Her foot slipped, and she tripped into the crater.

“Watch out!”

With a roar, the beast reacted, erupting from the pile of debris like some bloody jack-in-the-box. It reared up. A white bone protruded from its side where its arm had been. Its entire flank was charred. It lunged at Linda, who cowered on the crater floor.

“No!” Jason screamed.

Khalid reacted first, in panic, firing madly at the beast. The beast swung toward Khalid, drawn by the noise of the gun. Yelling, Khalid pawed at his pocket, his eyes so wide they bulged. He barely seemed to react when the monster snatched him up. Only a weak groan escaped his lips as he was yanked upward, his waist trapped in the beast's jaws.

The man's weight, however, proved too much for the beast in its weakened state. It collapsed back into the pile of debris with a crash, still clutching Khalid in its jaws.

Linda scuttled on her hands and knees to the far side of the crater, her face a mask of horror as the beast crept away, dragging the Egyptian with it.

Khalid thrashed in its teeth, his arms still free. He had the pistol in his hand but wasn't using it. Instead he was trying to free something from his pocket.

With a fierce yank and a yell of triumph, blood flowing from his lips, he pulled his hand free. Jason recognized the object. Khalid had showed it to him before. A radio transmitter for setting off bombs.

Linda spotted it too. “Don't!” she screamed.

Khalid smiled painfully. Blood flowed freely from his lips. He raised his hand.

“No!” Linda screamed.

Before Khalid could press the detonator, the monster spasmed, jarring Khalid and knocking the transmitter from his hands. It bounced a few feet away.

Khalid scrabbled for the device; it was just out of reach. Jason watched as the creature, weakening, went limp. Khalid's eyes squinted in agony as he struggled to inch himself from the clenched jaws and reach the transmitter. His fingers brushed the edge of the device on his second attempt.

Jason did not wait. He dashed forward.

Linda called. “Get back!”

He ignored her and snatched the transmitter seconds before Khalid's hand reached the same spot. Khalid swore at him, bloody spittle flying from his mouth. Jason danced back.

“Give it to me, boy!”

“No.” Jason backed another step away, out of Khalid's reach.

“Then die.” Khalid raised his other hand, the pistol still in his grip. Almost point-blank range.

The last thing Jason saw was the flash of muzzle fire.

Ashley stood and stretched her legs in
ohna
's chamber. She gave Harry's aluminum transport a kick with her toe. Four hours riding piggyback on top of Ben from the
mimi'swee
village! She worked a kink out of her lower back with a knuckle. Damn!

“C'mon,” Ben called from outside. “It's clear. Let's go.”

Ashley crawled from the tiny chamber into Alpha Cavern. She had wondered if she would ever see this place again. Bone-tired, she smiled. Finally!

However, when she spotted the means of transport from here, her smile sank. “A motorcycle?” Ashley clambered down the cliff to Ben.

“I have to hand it to Harry,” he said. “He builds mean machines.”

She nodded, climbing behind Ben on the cycle. It was unfortunate that Harry's brother, Dennis, had to be left back with the
mimi'swee
, but his injured ankle compromised their speed. He was coming up with the band of
mimi'swee
hunters, on foot. “I don't care if we have to get there by mule,” she said. “I need to see Jason.”

“I know. It's bugging me that I can't reach Nob'cobi. Hang on.” Within moments, they were racing through darkness toward the distant glow of the base.

Ashley pressed herself against Ben's back, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. She hugged him tighter. She could almost hear his heartbeat.

“Keep an eye out for any of those
crak'an
,” Ben yelled above the engine noise. “Those nasties are creeping all over the cavern.”

“You just keep this bike aiming straight toward the base. I don't care what gets in the way. Run over it.”

She watched the surroundings for any flash of movement as they traveled. Nothing but darkness. Soon the blackness faded to a dusky twilight as they approached the base. As night was beaten back by the camp lights, a growing stench filled the air.

She crinkled her nose. “My god.”

“You'll get used to it.”

She prayed she never would. When Ashley saw the devastation and destruction, she closed her eyes. How did Jason survive this?

“Almost there,” Ben shouted.

Suddenly, to the right, a reptilian head sprang up behind an overturned car, its muzzle bloody. Ben saw it and gunned the bike. The cycle shot forward, leaving the beast bellowing far behind.

“Over there,” Ben said finally, pointing.

She had already recognized it. Though scarred with burns, Blakely's office still stood intact. Ben slowed the bike to a crawl and edged around a corner of the building.

The sight that came into view stopped Ashley's heart cold.

No! She flew off the cycle. The hulking carcass of one of the predators lay sprawled just yards from the building. Khalid lay limp in its jaws, his pallor pale, his eyes staring blindly upward.

This was not the sight that had panicked her. Harry was hunched over a small figure that lay twisted on the rock.

No, she prayed, not after so much.

Ben caught up to her, pulling her back. “Wait,” he said.

She resisted his restraint, pushing his arm away. She crossed over to Harry. Standing up, he moved aside for her. Ben stood next to her.

“It's not Jason, Ash,” Ben said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “That's what I was trying to tell you. I knew from your face what you were thinking.”

She stared down at the dead
mimi'swee
hunter, a bullet hole in his chest. “Who is it?”

Ben knelt down next to the dead man, placing his hand on his shoulder. “No wonder I couldn't reach him. It's Nob'cobi.” Ben lifted his eyes to Harry. “What happened?”

With tears threatening, Harry explained, “I'd gone to check for survivors from the elevator explosion. The
mimi'swee
were left to guard the building. While I was away, Khalid and Linda returned.” He continued to relate how the
crak'an
attacked and how Khalid attempted to blow the place up as a final act before he died. “The hunters were watching, waiting for the best time to intervene. When Jason grabbed the transmitter, Khalid tried to kill him. But Nob'cobi knocked the boy to the side and took the bullet instead.”