‘Well un-jam them, use its arms or something.’
Michael wrestled with the controls of the two malfunctioning robots, adjusting the cameras to see the problem. The feeds coming to his laptop, he could see clearly and not give away his position. The robots were placed at key points around the crater to appear like their force was more substantial and distributed than it actually was. The ruse had worked and Enzi’s men were confused and distracted by the fire the robots had briefly issued. As he checked one had a round jammed, the other had dropped the weapon, its smaller arms unable to withstand the pounding.
He concentrated on the robot with the jam, knowing the smaller robot would only drop the weapon again as soon as it fired. Using Debra’s guidance to clear the chamber and reload, manipulating the arms with rapid dexterity. This took some minutes and he could see Enzi’s men cautiously gaining ground, as he altered the camera feeds to his headset.
‘Come on Michael, they are almost on us, we need cover fire.’
‘I am going as fast as I can; I am not proficient with weapons!’
He used the controls to slap the high capacity cylinder magazine home with the robots other arm. Then placed the gun back into its temporary mounting on the track-bed. His sight camera showed Enzi’s men only metres away.
‘The other one is dead, we have an exposed flank.’
Debra knew what to do, and told Michael to keep firing as long as he could.
Michael was not a violent man, he had always seen solving problems as a peaceful past time, but now he was different. These people had killed his friends for no reason other than personal gain, and now they threatened once more. He put the gun on semi-automatic fire, and released an arc of bullets across the path of the approaching men. Debra moved across to catch them in a cross fire from a few yards to Michael’s right, putting a whole magazine into the enemy party.
Enzi was observing his orders being carried out, from a safe distance as usual, he saw his men be cut down by a hail of fire from two directions, falling very close to the firing point. He now only had four men left, those around him and Jones. ever-reliable Jones. He turned to issue him with instruction, but could not see him in the darkness.
‘Jones! Where are you? Answer me!’
Jones could not reply, as he was moving rapidly through the jungle, not bothering with minimising his noise, the thunderstorm building and raging overhead disguising his snapping and rustling passage. The rain slid easily off his shaved head, running into his eyes, but he did not reduce his pace. He was taking a wide path to get to the helicopter; he had already prepared the area with some weapons in reserve. He would serve Chui Enzi no more.
Jacob moved down the steps and could see an identical set of stairs across the chamber, leading back up. In front of him embedded in the floor was a dome, made of black stone with a walkway cut into it, a single groove a metre wide. Above the dome was the hole that the keystone had left when it ascended, and he could just see the glow of the obelisks above. In the centre of the room, exactly in the centre in fact, was a black cylinder, hovering two metres over the black dome. Jacob could see it was not attached to anything, just floating free in the room, a hole in the bottom of it.
‘That is where the fifth amulet rests Jacob, in that cylinder.’
‘What is holding it in place?’
‘We presume magnetism like the keystone.’
‘And the hole is for the amulet?’
‘Yes, as I told you before the fifth holder places their amulet in there and receives the power of the complex.’
‘That would be me then!’
A familiar voice caused Jacob to spin around, and he was confronted by an unexpected sight. Standing at the bottom of the steps was Mastasson, a knife to Katherine’s neck and an annoyingly familiar smug smile across his face.
‘Hello Jacob, you should have killed me when you had the chance.’
‘I am better than you, not a murderer.’
‘Katherine may disagree with you.’
Michael had done his job. There were no soldiers left that their sensors could see. Debra told him to get back to the boats, the storm overhead was raging, with multiple lightning strikes crackling around them, small fires visible on the hills from their contact. She grabbed him by the collar, ignoring his protests at leaving his robots.
‘They will be here when we come back, but we have to go now!’
She half dragged him down the wall, he began to run back to the river, and was met by his beloved Evelyn. She and Juan had taken out the guards minutes earlier. Juan had started the boat, ensuring a full tank of fuel for both boats from the reserves on-board
Evelyn was still holding her rifle, aiming behind them for any hostiles, ‘Hello Michael, finished being a soldier for the day?’
‘I will leave that job to the experts.’
Debra spoke out, ‘He is too modest, he covered your back while we left, good job.’
Evelyn kissed Michael on the cheek and nodded to Debra. She was greeting Juan, ‘You really know how to handle yourself.’
‘Well coming from you Debra, I accept the compliment. ‘
Debra untied the bowline, Juan took the small fire-team back down river to the Arcadia, riding the increased river flow to the sea.
Archer could not hear the boat leaving, but knew from a glance at his watch on the underside of his wrist that Debra and company had left. He could see Enzi now, just down the wall, only metres away. He settled in position, ready to take out the small remaining team and their master, he took aim, then he felt the barrel of the rifle in the back of his neck.
Jones had reached the Osprey not realising it was on his route. He saw an opportunity he lingered long enough to ensure his improvised plan was set. He looked back to ensure he was not pursued and then continued on to what was now his helicopter. There sitting on the grass the rain cascading over its sleek black body was the Alligator. This one he did not object to meeting in the jungle, he clambered into the cockpit, and began to familiarise himself. Jones had flown a helicopter before, but not a military one, he wanted to check he was comfortable with the controls before risking conflict.
Katherine was staring in disbelief at Jacob, ‘Well can you answer me?’
Mastasson loved the conflict he had created, ‘Well Jacob tell her how her mother died, go on!’
Jacob face was conflicted, ‘It is complicated Katherine, but now is not the time.’
Her rage overrode logic and she refused to comply stepping forward to Jacob, Mastasson allowed her freedom.
Jacob looked her in the eye, attempted to touch her shoulder, but she hesitated looking him in the eye and then shunned his concern.
He attempted to calm her down, ‘You see Katherine, we had targeted known drug dealers and were taking them out in surgical strikes as part of the war on drugs in the eighties.’
‘And what have my parents got to do with that?’
‘They were wrongly identified as dealers, enroute to a meet, they were killed by a missile strike on their car.’
‘So you have lied to me all this time!’
‘I did not lie, I told you they died in a car accident, but not what caused it.’
‘Does not matter how you dress it up! You lied!’
Mastasson was laughing to himself by the doorway.
‘You can shut up Mastasson, you supplied the intelligence which targeted them in the first place!’
‘I did Jacob, but you acted on it, so it is your fault!’
‘No it is not! You wanted them dead, because her father was aware of your other activities and threatened to report you!’
‘That’s a lie!’
‘It’s not, he knew about your issues in Fort Clayton, and was going to turn you in, so you targeted him before he could give evidence.’