The Danverse

  The darkness was stifling. It was the type of night that would make you feel like there was no such thing as light even possible.   The stars had gone out and the moon was a faint memory. As John crept forward, he strained his ears to pick up even the slightest sound.   The area he was in was dangerous enough as was, he didn’t need to be surprised by something and give his position away.   The Jackal base was close, that he could tell from the stink of ozone ionization in the air. Their suits needed a constant refresh of energy to keep going, so the area near their hold out spots was always peppered with the tinge of a violent storm.   John thought this was appropriate considering the devastation that was left in their wake was just like that of a violent hurricane.   He didn’t want to be there; he didn’t want to be this close.   He knew that they had sensor mines, sentry guns… all sort of nasty tricks laid out through the surrounding area ...

  III               Jaba led the way through the darkened avenues of Ta’al, passing in haste structures that men of science would have stopped for years to study even a small section of. His pace was swift though and Haquim kept stopping to allow the column of captives to catch up. Hassan stayed close to Adrian, pistol drawn to dissuade him from making an escape attempt. Finally the villagers caught up and the group set off again. Hassan looked sideways to Adrian and said “Mr. Morris you are fortunate. For the first time in thousands of years the rightful rulers of this ancient city will arise and you will be the instrument of their deliverance.” He wagged the pistol in the other man’s face, “Please do remember us when you become god?”             “Have no fear that I will remember you, Arab.” Was Adrian’s only reply.       ...

  II             The world swam back into focus as Adrian began recovering consciousness and he noted a sharp pain in his wrists that briefly made him forget about the painful grinding of his broken collar bone. Apparently, he had been out long enough for them to bind his hands. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw that he was surrounded by the group of Arabs and in their midst was a large black man.   So, there was a fifth man after all, which must have been on sentry duty that he had missed in his scouting. He allowed himself to give the dead mercenaries a measure of respect for their professionalism. In the mix he could discern a pecking order in the stature and manner of the men. Some were wretches with pitted faces and ratty hair while a few wore well made clothes and meticulously groomed beards. One man stepped forward, grinning cruelly, shaking his head as if amused and pulling off his gloves one finger at a t...