Ormand couldn’t imagine what Apolino thought they knew. It was obvious they knew nothing. Ormand just stared at the man and tried not to growl.
“No, this wasn’t the Syndicate. This was something different. It renders our armor useless. Watch this . . . it gets interesting towards the end.” Apolino activated a holo-video.
The familiar Sonoran jungle appeared. The scene was of the marshlands. Battle-tech warriors stood in a loose semicircle around a clump of trees. The one in the front used a torch to burn back the jungle. Ormand saw the blink of a beacon just beyond the tree line.
All at once a triceratops broke through the trees. The warrior with the torch took the full brunt of the charge. He fell on his back and didn’t get up. One of the others dispatched the beast then continued to torch the jungle.
Soon another dinosaur charged, laying the second warrior flat. Before long, more triceratopses burst from the jungle, this time laser blasts erupted from between the animals. Two guards were downed by a large blaster off to the right.
Then something happened in the video that made Ormand’s blood chill. Atlantos squinted and scooted toward the video. Ormand leaned over the lanky man. A battle-tech warrior had just exploded all at once, fragments of his armor flying across the field. It had looked as if the man had been hit by some sort of high-speed ballistic. Then the camera shook as if hit by a similar blast and cut off.
Ormand looked at Atlantos, blinked his eyes and swallowed. “What do you make of it?”
“Nothing good.” Atlantos’ face was ashen.
Chapter 10, Trevino Manor
The shimmer of the obfuscator glimmered through the air above Josué, a vast umbrella of blur against the Sonoran evening sky. It had somehow survived Ormand’s attack. Perhaps the Omri Family left it to hide the destruction from the rest of the Galaxy, or perhaps it had just been overlooked. Josué was glad it was there now to hide the reconstruction effort. It was one more way his father helped him from beyond the grave.
His hand brushed against the voice weapon at his side. If only he’d known its power earlier, things might have been different. “A game changer,” Germán had called it, and it was – or would be from now on. He wondered if Felisa seen its effect, before . . . .
“She will survive.” Elder John straightened his shoulders.
“I know.” Josué took the man’s words as an attempt to assure him. But he didn’t feel assured. When he thought about it, all he felt was cold. Cold in his legs. Cold in his arms. And empty in his gut. That was when he didn’t outright cry.
They walked over the bridge and along the pathway from the newly framed engineering building to the fresh foundation of the manor. The sun hung over the trees. “Your mother knows better than the rest of us how to heal her.” The blue-robed elder paused in his step.
“My Mother?” Josué stopped.
“Thetis. Your mother. You gave Felisa to Thetis. We watched it through the link. I saw the entire battle.”
“You mean the woman in the jungle was my mother?”
“I thought you knew. Surely the sacred sands have told you by now. You must have known.”
My mother! Perhaps he had known. Perhaps he had suppressed knowing. It made sense now that the elder had said it. “And she can heal Felisa?”
“Without a doubt. Thetis knows medicine none of our doctors know. You did right to give Felisa to her.”
Josué continued to walk. His step felt a little lighter. He only wished he could have stayed just a little longer with Felisa, but time is critical with wounds and healing. There was nothing more he could have done.
John led him to a twisted piece of metal, rising like a leafless sapling from a muddy hole in the center of the house, framed in a concrete square. Chipped yellow paint clung to it, bringing back memories of Josué’s last moments with Héctor – and his father. He looked away, blinking back a tear.
The bunker was more centered than Josué had realized, protected on all sides by as much of the manor as possible. He liked that. Anywhere he would walk within the new manor, he would be close to his father’s final resting place.
John looked down at the square section. “We could rebuild the bunker, if you’d like.”
Josué was sure, even if they rebuilt it, he would never find the wherewithal to use it. He couldn’t think of a more fitting memorial to his father than to leave it the way it was. “Please, don’t change a thing.” He looked out at the perimeter of the compound. They had almost finished the walls. “Those will protect us.”
“They will hold for the immediate need.” John led Josué through the compound to the eastern hillside overlooking the manor. The shimmer of the obfuscator remained above them. A separate wall surrounded a new plot. He felt a sense of reverence as the Elder led him into the enclosure. In the last rays of the day sun, symmetric monuments reflected pink, planted in neat rows and columns along the hillside.
“We took the liberty of adding a memorial garden.” John walked to the top of the hill, where a solitary statue stood apart from the others, reminding Josué of a General reviewing his troops.
“We re-buried everyone we found in the compound.” John leaned his hand against the larger monument’s solid white stone. “This is Héctor’s.”
Josué wiped his damp cheek. “It’s perfect.” He didn’t know how to thank the Elder. Kneeling where he stood, he read, “Enrique Romano.” Josué stood abruptly, placing his hands on his hips. The moment had been ruined. A fire burned in his breast at the very sight of the name. Enrique – the one who had betrayed them all!
“He was just as much a victim as you were.” John’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “His mind was controlled by Ormand. He died doing what he could to protect those he loved.”
Josué crossed his arms. “Hmm.” He stepped around the other grave markers, wondering why everything around him seemed so blurry.
“Don’t forget the weapon you carry.” The elder looked firmly at him.
Josué stopped in front of Héctor’s memorial and laid his hand on the white stone, hoping the trembling in his arms wouldn’t show.
They stood on the hill a moment longer before John led the way back to the series of tents at the south end. Germán waited for them in the largest one.
“Garvin left word here.” Germán sat up as they entered. “The blockade is in place. They won’t let anything land on this planet without clearing it with you first.”
“Good.” Josué found a chair opposite the big man and sat. John took the seat next to him. A thin table stretched between them.
“He’s had no problem with recruitment.” Germán rested his arms on the table. “People from across the Galaxy have lined up for the cause. All he has to do is mention the name Trevino and they sign.”
“Can we starve out Ormand and prevent Apolino from landing more troops?”
“Looks that way.” Germán placed his hands behind his head and his feet on the table.
They sat there for a while, no one saying anything. Then Josué leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table. “I’d like to challenge Ormand.”
“You mean formally?” Germán leaned in.
Josué nodded, pushing his chair back and cradling his hands behind his head.
“In front of Parliament?” Germán crossed his arms and placed his feet on the floor.
Josué nodded again. His gaze passed through the tent door and fell on the monument to Héctor. “We have fifty voice weapons. We’ll test them this week. Our army outnumbers his, for now. If we give him more time, he can only grow stronger. It’s the right moment to act.”
“I’m just making sure you’ve thought it through.” Germán rested his elbow on the table. Then the big man smiled a crooked smile. “There is just one more detail.”
“What’s that?”
“Can I be your Second?”
Chapter 11, The Wall
Josué shifted in his seat on the triceratops. From the protection of the jungle canopy
he could see the entire city. The light of the night sun cast a long shadow against the mountains.
The dull hum of a seeker buzzed along the wall. Josué hoped Germán was right. The foliage didn’t seem thick enough to keep them off its radar, but the robot flew past and he remembered to breathe.
Germán swung down from his mount. “How do you plan to get in there?”
“John showed me the layout of the city.” Josué got off his dinosaur and concentrated on the ground. A holographic map appeared between them, something John had shown him how to do the night before. “There’s a door. Against the mountains, over there.” He pointed between the mountain and the wall. “It’s just around that corner. Elder John said it’s not monitored in any way. We can sneak in as soon as the night sun goes down.”
“That’s the wrong part of town, if you know what I mean. The elder may not have known about the Omri neighborhood on the other side of that gate.” Germán stepped over to look at the real wall. The lines of his face were drawn.
Josué stepped next to Germán. “Do you have a better idea?”
Germán peered into the mountains. “I don’t see any cover between here and there.”
“Hopefully, with the absence of the Syndicate, things in the city have calmed?”
Germán chuckled. “Even if they have, we’re still headed for trouble. You know as well as I do, Omri families fight each other. In an Omri neighborhood if they don’t recognize you first, they shoot and ask questions later.”
Josué chewed his lip and scoured the hillside. “Let’s hope darkness will do the job.”
When the night sun finally dropped below the horizon and the seeker finished its latest pass, Germán turned to him. “We might be able to find a different way into the city, tomorrow.”
“We’ve come this far . . . .” Josué couldn’t bear the thought of losing another day. “If we wait, Ormand may find out about the new Trevino Manor . . .”
“Alright. Here goes.” Germán stepped out of the jungle and ran for the cover of the wall.
Josué followed, heart pounding. They skirted the wall to the corner facing the mountains then turned to sprint to the dark hollow of the door. Josué could just see its outline when a voice stopped him in his tracks. “Hold it right there.”
Josué and Germán froze.
“Hands up,” the voice commanded.
They obeyed.
A shape to Josué’s right separated from the ridge, a large blaster slung over the man’s shoulder. Another figure darted into plain view. This one held a blaster pointed directly at them.
Josué felt a strong grip pull his arm down and around. A tie-wrap dug into his wrists. A knock on the side of his head sent him forward and into darkness.
***
Josué opened his eyes. The stale smell of his own breath nauseated him. All he could see was the black, checkered pattern of burlap over his eyes. His nose itched.
Swallowing, he stretched his neck, feeling a tie wrap around his throat and trying not to vomit at the sensation.
Uneven rock jutted into his side. From the stiffness in his limbs he had been laying there a while. A crushing weight pushed against his back, making breathing more trouble than it should be. Josué guessed the weight was Germán, and from the sluggish way he moved, the man was still unconscious.
Fighting the panic rising in his chest, Josué managed to rock Germán to the side and successfully shrug him off. The tie-wrap dug into his wrists as he sat up, but the feeling of being free from Germán’s crushing weight was enough to let him breathe easier.
He wedged his wrists apart, but the bonds were tight. A trick Héctor had taught him came to mind. Feeling for a sharp rock, he relaxed his shoulders and elbows. Bracing himself against Germán and pressing his palms to the floor, he gyrated his fingers. The edge of the wrap caught against a corner. Josué gave it a quick jerk. Half of it broke. He tried again then smiled as he rubbed his free wrists. An anxious second later, he had his hood off.
Glancing around the room, he said a quick prayer of thanks. In the half light of the cave, a guard sat propped against a stone wall. The man’s head had fallen to the side. Snores escaped his bearded lips.
Josué snapped the ties on Germán’s wrist and shook the big man awake.
Germán groaned.
“Shh!” Josué whispered. “There’s a guard.”
“How many?”
“Just the one. He’s sleeping.”
The big man ripped his hood off and rose without a sound. He took a step toward the guard, grabbed the man’s gun and slammed the butt of it into his sleeping head.
A laze blast from the adjacent room hit the wall next to Germán, sending rock chips flying. The big man stepped to the side, raised his newly acquired blaster and returned fire. One shot later he waved for Josué to follow.
In the adjacent room the second guard lay sprawled across a large table.
“Let’s hope these two didn’t recognize you.”
Josué agreed, glad he hadn’t brought his voice weapon.
Germán led the way out into an early dusk. The gate the Elder had told him about stood opposite the valley, its opened doors seemed so close.
Josué hissed and threw himself behind a boulder. Black uniformed sicario were making their way across the valley. Ten men walked in a line, their heads down, blasters cradled in their arms.
“It looks like they called a welcoming party.” Germán aimed and fired. Two men fell before the others ran for cover. Two more fell before they could jump behind a rock.
“It’s going to be close.” Germán ran for the gate.
Josué followed. He would have liked to have planned this out a little more, but Germán’s surprise tactic seemed to be working.
As he passed near the body of one of the downed men, Germán plucked a gun from the ground and tossed it to Josué.
Josué caught it and covered the ridge with repeated blasts while Germán ran the rest of the way to the gate.
From the door’s protection, Germán covered while Josué ran. Laser blasts pocked the ground and wall as they ducked into the city.
Chapter 12, Parliament
Josué sprinted after Germán as they dove for cover behind the next building. Sicario graffiti marked the walls.
The entrance to the underground was just one alley away. The big man ran into it, taking the stairs a landing at a time. Josué darted after him, careening into the wall on the way down and sliding to the bottom on his knees.
Josué caught up to his friend once they had gotten deeper into the tunnels. There was no sign anyone had followed them.
“They must not have recognized you.”
“Maybe they were on their way to the fight at Southern Ops.” Josué put his hands in his pockets.
“Then it was good we thinned down their ranks a little.”
They walked in silence until Josué recognized a street name on one of the signs. “Don’t forget we’ll need vipers and parliamentary robes.”
“I’m a step ahead of you.” Germán paused at a corner then led him up a stairway into the open.
Josué recognized the hospital’s familiar red-cross on the building in front of them. Germán led the way to the back entrance. They took the stairway to the seventh floor.
Out of breath, Josué stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway. The sign over it read, “Dr. Pepe Aguillar.”
“Is this the doctor who patched up our men after the sicario attack?”
Germán nodded and stepped inside. Josué followed.
They waited. And waited. Finally, Josué asked, “Are you sure he still works here? Maybe he left with the rest of the Syndicate.”
“He’s here. Pepe’s the kind that will never leave this city. You’ll like him.” Germán leaned back in the doctor’s chair, placing his feet one at a time on the desk.
Just then the door opened. A small-framed man with bright blue eyes and a white coat entered. Spectacles ga
ve him a professorial look. A hint of grey highlighted his black curly hair.
The man took one look at Germán and whirled to close the door, throwing the lock. A smile framed his face when he turned around. Josué noticed laugh lines at the corner of his eyes.
“Germán. So good to see you again.” Doctor Pepe held out both hands.
Germán stood and the two men embraced.
“So, what brings you here?” The doctor lifted his spectacles and eyed the dried blood at the corner of Germán’s mouth.
Germán wiped at it and held his hand out to Josué. “This is Josué Trevino. He needs your help.”
“Master Trevino.” The doctor turned and grasped Josué’s hand in both of his. They were cool and dry as sandpaper. “It is an honor. I knew your father. A man among men. How can I be of service to you?”
“We need vipers and clothes.” Germán stared at the doctor’s badge.
The doctor’s smile never left his face. He nodded. “For the Master of the Trevino Family, nothing is too much.”
“And for me. We’ll both need parliamentary robes. We can pay.”
“I wouldn’t think of it. It will be my contribution.” The doctor looked at Josué a moment then turned his attention back to Germán. “I’ll be back. Stay in the office and don’t open the door for anyone.”
The doctor was gone as quickly as he had entered. They heard the door lock after him.
Josué eyed the comfortable looking couch along the wall. Germán sat back down in the doctor’s chair. Tilting it, he returned his feet to the comfort of the desk. “I told you, you would like him.”
“Dr. Aguillar is a very good man.” Josué gave in to the urge to stretch out on the wide seat. Thoughts of Felisa filled his mind. She would be proud of the steps they were taking. Don’t give up, he said to her mentally and thought he heard a faint, Don’t you give up, before he drifted into the softness of the cool leather.