***
Josué awoke to a pair of viper keys dropped onto his chest.
“Get dressed,” Germán said.
He looked up. Parliamentary robes hung on the office door. The doctor must have come and gone while he slept. Josué wished he’d been awake to thank the man.
Getting up, he stepped into the sonic shower in the corner of the office. A couple of moments under it and he smelled and felt better. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to use a sonic shower. Water cleaned, but sonic waves could get to the dirt water molecules were too big to handle.
Josué took the parliamentary robe off the hanger and looked at his family crest. For the first time he noticed the green raptor curled between two pillars in the center of it. He decided to ask his mother about it when he saw her next.
On their way to the vipers, Josué thought through his plan. “So, tell me again. How are we going to get into the parliamentary chamber?”
“I have a connection with the guards in that building.”
“What if your connection left with the Syndicate?”
“Dr. Aguillar was here, wasn’t he?”
Two vipers sat waiting for them at the back entrance. Josué mounted his and kicked it into action. The familiar purr filled him with courage and energy. He was ready to face Ormand.
“Put your helmet on.”
Josué looked at the back of the viper. A helmet complete with voice radio sat behind him on the seat. Josué put it on. “That way no one can see who we are.”
“Right.” Germán revved his engine.
A few turns and one stop later they found a place to park in the back of the parliamentary building. Josué looked up at the towering edifice, recognizing the skimmer bay on the seventeenth floor.
“That’s where my dad and I entered the first time.” He thought back to the fear and awe of that day. The place had seemed larger than life. Now any sense of the majestic was all gone. The realities of what he’d learned about the leading Families and their treachery had shattered it.
“You won’t have that luxury this time. Welcome to the real entrance.”
Josué followed Germán into the truck bay. They entered through a hallway full of broken tiles. The smell of banana and coffee grounds made him gag. Ceiling tiles hung down. Wires stuck out through holes in the walls. The shouts of workers echoed through the dingy hallways.
Germán opened a thin door with scuff marks across it. A guard sat in an old chair, perched at on odd angle from the floor. The man practically lost his seat when he saw the robes on Germán and Josué.
“Hey, have you seen Guido?” Germán folded his arms, not showing any indication he noticed the guard’s discomfort.
“No, but I can radio him,” the guard said around a large bite of sandwich.
“Do that.” Germán tapped his foot.
The man in the chair fumbled with his radio and keyed in a call code. He mumbled something over the receiver then shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, grabbed some papers, and stepped hastily out of the room. The loud clatter of a garbage can being knocked over boomed from behind the closed door.
A few moments later a frazzled Guido entered.
“Holy – On my mother’s grave! Germán is that you?” The man’s smile looked genuine. “Francis said there was a Parliamentarian looking for me. Where did you get those clothes?”
“Guido, I’d like you to meet Master Josué Trevino.” Josué couldn’t help but notice how Germán liked to introduce him by his title.
“Jo-su-wow. I’d heard you were alive. Never thought I’d meet you. It is an honor. Guido Salvo, at your service.” Guido snapped to attention and bent his head in a curt bow.
“Guido, we need you to get the young Master and I up to Parliament – without being seen. Can you handle that for us?” Germán patted the guard on the shoulder.
“Sure. No problem. We have a lift. No one else uses it. It drops you off right into the lobby of Parliament. You’ll be in past security, if that’s what you mean.”
Germán nodded his head. “Exactly. Lead the way.”
More spoiled milk and rotten vegetable smells greeted them in the utility elevator. Ripped matting hung from broken studs. Josué tried not to touch anything as his stomach sank with the upward motion. They were at the seventeenth floor before his nerves could really set in.
Stepping out of the beat up doors and into the anteroom, he glanced into the Parliamentary Chambers. A dark figure sat behind a large podium at the front, catching Josué’s attention like a magnet. A black mop of curly hair hung over the man’s forehead. Pudgy cheeks and stubble punctuated an unforgettable jaw. Looking at the coal-pit eyes of Ormand Omri, Josué clenched his fists.
Chapter 13, The Challenge
There is just one life for each of us: our own.
Trevino Family Proverb
Josué pushed open the back doors and entered the room. Germán followed behind him.
The afternoon sun shone through a wall of tinted glass, casting shadows of desks and men across the floor. Twenty-eight masters of the ruling families sat in concentric semi-circles around Ormand’s bench.
A trickle of sweat made its way down Josué’s arm. The clump of his boots echoed on the hardwood floor. An awkward silence fell over the boisterous room from back to front as his steps took him closer to the Ormand. The man at the front, who had been addressing the chair, turned to look at Josué. He mumbled his final words as he sank to his seat, eyes flickering between Ormand and Josué.
Josué kept his focus on the large man sitting at the front of the room, his father’s killer. The man’s expression passed from confusion to comprehension to hatred.
Ormand shifted in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.
When Josué had reached the front of the room, he turned to face the assembly. Keeping his voice calm and steady, he said, “The Trevino Family rises to a question of privilege.”
“The Trevino Family no longer exists,” Ormand barked out behind him.
“On what grounds would you assert this, since you are currently without a manor and therefore are not a Family either?” Josué half-looked over his shoulder.
Ormand remained silent.
“Point of order.” A tired and thin Guy Dominicci rose from his chair and addressed the council. “The Trevino Family is represented this day by its surviving heir. I move that the floor recognize Master Trevino and hear his petition.”
A general murmur of agreement rose from the members of the council.
Dominicci smiled at Josué and nodded. “You may continue.” He sat down.
Josué pulled a glove from his waistband, sliding it through his fingers. “I would like the witness of this dignified assembly in a matter of honor. As the surviving heir of the Trevino Family, I, Josué Trevino, demand satisfaction from the Omri Family.” Josué turned to look Ormand in the eye and threw his glove at the large man as he said the word ‘satisfaction.’ It hit Ormand square in his chest before falling into his lap.
Ormand shot to his feet, his mouth agape. Looking down at the glove, his cheeks turned a rosy red. His lips curled back into a snarl. He half-growled, half-shouted, “Challenge accepted! Name your terms.”
Josué paused. Technically, Ormand should be the one to name the terms. Josué had issued the challenge. He shrugged, knowing very well Ormand would never honor the terms. “On the field of battle, within one week. Your army against mine.”
“Very well!” Ormand leaned over the bench. “I will relish finishing the job I started months ago – burying your family beneath the surface of Sonora IV!”
Josué smiled at the pulsing vein on Ormand’s forehead. The redness in his cheeks had spread down to dark spots against his pale, chubby neck. Ormand’s mustache lifted and fell with the heaves of his chest.
Josué spun on his heels and strode out of the chamber. Germán followed. They took the official elevator down to the first floor, the one reserved f
or Parliamentarians. The marble walls and golden-edged mirrors in the lift were a luxury Josué felt he’d just earned.
Looking in the mirror, Josué smiled. The resemblance to his father was unmistakable when he wore the robe.
“Good show. I thought the man was going to burst his head right then and there.” Germán’s eyes glinted with pride.
“I guess he thought he was being intimidating.” Josué laughed. His cheeks ached from the smile pasted there.
“You got to him. Guys like that can’t take it when people stand up to them.”
“He won’t take it sitting, that’s for sure. We’ve got a race ahead of us.” A chill went down Josué’s back at the thought.
Downstairs, Josué mounted the doctor’s viper. Germán took both his and Josué’s outer robes, rolled them into a ball and threw them into the sewer before mounting his viper. They would ride in their white shirts emblazoned with the Trevino crest in the center. Josué looked down at it, rubbing the green raptor for good luck.
The two men kicked their engines into action at the same moment. When they were through the city gates, Josué opened his throttle and watched the scenery blur around him. Within seconds they had crossed the valley and were under the safe cover of jungle canopy.
“Now, if things will just go as planned,” Josué said.
Germán nodded his head beside him.
“These are excellent vipers the good Doctor secured for us,” Josué said over the intercom. “I could start to like flying with a helmet. Keeps the wind out of my eyes. And, I think these vipers out-perform the ones I grew up with.”
He could see his reflection in Germán’s visor. “They ought to. Dr. Aguillar could have bought us another blockade ship for the price he paid for them.”
Josué imagined a smile hidden behind the tinted glass.
The sound of jet-fire pieced the noise of their vipers. “Do you hear that?”
“They were faster than I thought they would be.” Germán gunned his engine.
Josué sped up. “Can they get us under these trees?”
“Only if . . . ,” Germán started to say, but he was cut off by a loud, persistent beeping in Josué’s helmet.
He checked his gauges. “What’s that?”
“They’re locked on us. Bail!” Germán yelled over the intercom. The big man jumped off his viper next to Josué with a heavy grunt. Josué jumped backward, rolled and sat up in time to see two cloudy-white missile tails snake over his head. Angling through the trees, they intercepted the rider-less vipers in two separate balls of fire. The roar of the jet above them dimmed. The jungle fell silent.
“They left.” Josué cocked his ear. The chatter of monkeys and buzz of insects was all he could hear.
Germán’s eyes searched the tree tops in the waning light, blaster raised. “They know where we are. They’ll be back.” Germán put his blaster in its holster, took off his helmet and threw it into the bush.
Josué did the same and looked at his friend. They were miles from the rendezvous point. It would take at least an hour to walk there. Making them very late.
Germán leaned against a tree. “Do you have any triceratopses handy? There’s no telling how soon Ormand and his men will close in on us.”
A low growl came from the bush behind the big man. Germán spun around, blaster raised. Josué followed his gaze. The piercing eyes of a raptor glinted from beneath an elephant leaf.
Josué and Germán stepped back in unison. The beast crawled out, its head waving side to side. Another, smaller one crawled out beside the first.
The four of them stood in the clearing, locked in uncertainty. The raptors looked at them, mouths closed. Curiosity took the place of the usual ferocity on their faces.
Finally the smaller raptor walked over to Josué and pressed its nose against his foot. Josué’s vision turned golden. “They’re here for us.”
“Uh – No!” Germán stepped backward. “I said triceratops. You aren’t getting me on one of those things. I’d really rather walk.”
“Suit yourself.” Josué jumped onto its back. The animal trotted around the clearing in a circle as if getting used to his weight.
“Come on.” He pointed at the larger raptor waiting in front of his friend. “They’re actually more comfortable than a triceratops.” The animal ran in a tight circle and stretched its neck. “And agile.”
Germán looked at Josué; clearly impressed he hadn’t become dinner. He looked at the larger beast and took a step toward it. The animal bowed its head and sniffed Germán’s shoe. Germán hesitated then swung his leg over its back.
They were off the next second. The raptors were twice as fast as the bulky triceratopses and silent. Josué marveled at the beast’s sleek movement as they passed like the wind around trees and over gullies. He hardly felt a bump when the animal leapt over a part of the river.
Josué saw the marshland through the trees. The rendezvous point was close. They jumped over a fallen tree. Mid hurdle, a blinding bolt passed through the beast’s neck and slammed into Josué’s chest. The thunder of a laze blast filled his ears as he fell forward.
Lying in a pile of leaves, Josué looked up. He felt tenderly at his chest. It was hot, but whole. His shirt had burned away just below the crest, revealing very red skin.
The next moment, the shadow of Germán rose over him. The man aimed his blaster and returned fire. With a satisfied look he held out a hand to Josué.
“Come on, there’s going to be more of them. Ride at my back.”
Germán’s strong arm lifted him to his feet. Josué swung around and landed on the back of the raptor, very disoriented.
Chapter 14, Grandee
The beast struggled under their combined weight. One more mile, Josué thought at it.
The raptor grunted and seemed to run faster.
The broken-down wall between Trevino and Omri properties lay on the horizon like the backbone of an ancient one. The rendezvous point!
Another blaster shot echoed through the trees. Josué’s stomach lurched as he fell forward to land on top of Germán and the dead raptor, his hand splashing red goo pooling rapidly.
“Get up!” the mechanized voice of an Omri trooper ordered.
Josué raised his arms above his head and rose to his feet slowly. He glanced down at Germán. The man peered at him through an eye-slit. A slight nod brought Josué’s attention to the man’s hands. He clutched what looked like a perfect long staff of bamboo. Another broken staff lay across Josué’s foot.
Josué jerked to the side, kicked the staff into his hands and leapt high, using the stick as a lever. A laze blast cut through the air where he’d stood the second before. He landed on the trooper’s arm, knocking the blaster away.
Germán exploded from the ground in a flurry of motion like Hector re-incarnate. With a swift movement, he brought his staff across the head of the trooper. The man crumpled to the ground.
Josué bent over to retrieve the blaster and felt the heat of a laze blast against his back. He dove behind the fallen raptor. Germán joined him just as a blanket of laser fire lit the woods.
Josué peered into the darkening trees. “How many do you count?” Shadows of legs marched through the underbrush. To Josué, it looked like an entire platoon.
“Too many!” Germán returned fire.
Josué’s eyesight turned yellow. The deep throated roar of a dinosaur rumbled over the popping laze blasts.
In the blinking lights, Josué saw the flick of a tail and a blur of movement. He heard a scream and a crunch.
“Can you summon anymore?” Germán took aim at an Omri soldier, laying him flat.
Josué gripped his blaster and covered the flank. His aim wasn’t as good as Germán’s, but he managed to knock at least one Omri soldier on his back.
Through the trees, a battle skimmer stopped over the marsh. Omri soldiers were packed into it like matchsticks. Josué’s heart sunk when two more skimmers pulled behind the
first. Ormand’s army had arrived.
A larger skimmer came up behind the first three, broke from the group and circled into the jungle where Josué and Germán lay against the dead raptor. The laser fire ceased when the vehicle entered the enclosure. The jungle became silent. Josué and Germán held their fire as two troopers walked up to them, took their blasters and dragged them to their feet.
In the fading light of day, Josué saw Ormand’s round silhouette at the helm. His sneering laughter echoed through the trees like the cackle of a madman. “Your army against mine, eh Josué? Well, I’ve brought my army. Where’s yours?” Ormand’s face glowed from the railing.
“Oh – did you need a week to pull one together? How many of your pitiful Syndicate friends were you planning to pay with dirty promises of Trevino wine?” Ormand kicked the door open. “Or would it just have been the two of you?” Ormand stepped with majestic exaggeration down the steps.
Josué watched and waited. His fingers turned cold in the trooper’s vice-like grip. He eyed the property line, unable to believe how close they had come. Less than a mile and they would have been the ones springing the trap.
Ormand wore the same tiger-striped jacket Josué remembered from the night of the Trevino raid. It swung around the man’s legs as he covered the distance between them.
“Oh, you left something behind at Parliament.” With another laugh, Ormand produced Josué’s glove from his pocket. He lifted it to the boy’s mouth and paused. “Any last words, Master Trevino?” An amused smile played on his lips. “And to think you were the youngest and probably the shortest-lived Master of a Sonoran Family – ever. We’re making history here.”
Josué strained against the guard. If Ormand took one more step, he might be able to butt the man in the head or spit in his face. Anything would be better than standing like a pig on a spit.
“I should have killed you when I killed your father!” Ormand shouted in his face. “But I gave in to the pitiful pleas of your grandfather!” He paused and smiled. “And to think, in the end, all three of you will die like the fools you always were.”