way up and gained the kitchen floor. He rolled as quietly as he could and pulled his automatic again. But just before he could fire, an angry scream filled the kitchen as a man with a giant butcher's knife fell from the rafters onto the wounded animal. The beast roared and tried to stand, but its assailant plunged the knife again and again under its neck armor until the Talkhan finally collapsed from the shrapnel wounds and the plunging knife.
Everett was shocked when he saw the filthy and blood-covered man as he moaned loudly and then rolled off and lay spread-eagled on the damaged floor. Carl holstered his nine millimeter and knelt down beside the man and looked at him curiously. The T-shirt of the large, bearded man read KIRK OVER PICARD AND JANEWAY UNDER ME!
'Like your shirt,' Everett said, quickly checking the man's wounds.
The animal grunted and lay still in the far corner, and Everett stood and walked over to it and, to be sure it was finally dead, kicked it. Then he looked at the remains of the Channel 7 cameraman and grimaced. He then moved his weapon from side to side, sweeping the area for anything that so much as moved. Satisfied, he whispered into his mike the all clear while assisting Hal Whikam to his feet.
'What happened up there?' Collins asked from below.
'Don't let Ms. Dawes and the boy hesitate in the kitchen on their way through. It's not pretty, looks like the Channel Seven camera jock wasn't as fast as his reporter friend.'
One by one Everett helped the others into the kitchen of the Broken Cactus. Julie was the first up and saw the man lying against the stove breathing hard. He was bloody and cut in so many places she couldn't believe it.
'Hal!' she screamed and ran to him. 'Billy, Hal's alive!' she called back over her shoulder. 'Hal, oh, Hal... God, what happened to you?'
Hal opened his eyes and focused on Julie. He smiled at her and then Billy as he joined her.
'That was one tough motherfucker, Jules, I'll tell you that,' Hal said weakly. 'We fought back and forth down in those tunnels for what had to be the longest four hours of my freakin' life. Then I made it back up here and the bastard had me cornered. Luckily for me, that reporter guy, you know, the one from Phoenix, Kashihara?' Hal grimaced in pain as he tried to raise his head. 'He came in the diner screaming about being left behind.' Hal focused on Julie again after drifting for a moment. 'Well, I guess you could say he saved my life. That monster thing went for him and the chickenshit bastard actually pushed his cameraman in front of him and ran. But he got his when he turned and another one of those ugly bastards got him and took him under. That gave me time to scramble up in the rafters, then Captain Marvel there chucks in a grenade and almost made mincemeat outa me.'
Julie hugged Hal and with Billy's help assisted him to his feet, and they slowly made their way out of the kitchen.
'But I finally got that fucker,' Hal said with his arms around Julie and Billy. Hal gave one final look at the beast and shook his head admiringly. 'What a tough SOB,' he mumbled.
Collins immediately ushered everyone into the dining room and then called the base camp, looking around as the others found places to sit and rest. He watched Julie as she went behind the bar and filled glasses full of ice and water and passed them around. As Jack listened to the report from the base camp, he was glad his remaining men had removed their earpieces and let them dangle as they removed gloves, helmets, and the new body armor that had saved most of their lives. Collins turned away while listening to the voice on the other end explaining the details of the loss of life belowground and at the base camp. Collins shook his head as he listened to the numbers. When he was done, he turned and slowly walked up to Everett, who was just staring out the window. The major took a deep breath when he saw that the big SEAL still had his radio on and his earpiece in. In exasperation Jack removed his helmet and took his gloves off and threw them inside.
'We don't know for sure if she was one of the casualties, Carl,' he said softly. At first it didn't look as if Everett was going to respond. Carl, for his part, was surprised that Collins had seen through his ruse with Lisa so quickly. But what did it matter?
'You didn't get a chance to know her, Jack. Most people just looking at her would've thought she was just another dumb blond or some stupid crap like that. But she was smart.' Carl spit some dirt from his mouth. His voice lowered as he again looked out the window. 'And brave? I've never known a braver woman. If the parent hit the base camp, she would have done her duty,' he said as he turned and faced Jack.
Collins patted him on the back and turned to the others. 'They're sending a Pave Low to pick us up. Is the way to the roof through there, Ms. Dawes? I came up the outside stairs earlier and I don't fancy going out there and doing it again.'
'Yes, back through the kitchen,' Julie's tired voice answered, and then she winced as Ryan applied ointment to the nasty cut running the entire length of her back.
'Don't bother to hand out menus,' Everett said from the window, 'Major, we're about to have company.'
Collins ran to where Everett was looking out the window. Jack made no reaction for Julie's and Billy's sakes as he watched four or five waves of parting concrete and street asphalt head right for the Broken Cactus. Two zigzagged and crossed the road, sending up huge chunks of roadway as they crossed Main Street, then suddenly they swerved back toward them.
'Site One, Site One, we have company. We're headed for the roof, repeat, we are headed for the roof,' Collins said as calmly as he could into the mike, then put his gloves back on. 'Okay, kids, let's head up. Ryan, you first, take the civilians.... Where is the other one?'
Everyone looked around, but Tony had disappeared.
'Don't have time for this, let's just hope he knows what he's doing,' Collins said, as he placed his last magazine into his XM8.
The navy pilot led the protesting Julie, Billy, and the wounded Hal to the stairs as they yelled about not leaving Tony. They were quickly followed by the remaining five Delta and Rangers. Collins called for Everett, who was still looking out the large dining-room window. Carl silently watched the advancing animals while shoving a new magazine into his own assault rifle, then he suddenly turned and dove as the floor exploded in the exact place he had been standing. He rolled and came up firing into the animal as it cleared the wall and floor. The rounds struck but only a few caused any noticeable damage.
The beast struck out and its claws sent Jack's XM8 crashing against the wall. Then it quickly turned on Everett and swiped, catching him on the new vest. The nylon covering material separated easily, but then the steel-like claws struck the packed-abalone-shell case and ricocheted off. Still, Carl was thrown across the room, the rounds from his weapon stitching a pattern in the wooden ceiling and sending 5.56-mm rounds slamming into the headboard of Billy's bed upstairs.
Now the Talkhan turned its full attention on Jack. He quickly pulled his personal combat knife from its scabbard and faced the inhuman form before him. The beast roared, shaking the remaining dishes and pans in the kitchen. Jack quickly glanced in the direction of Everett, who was just starting to regain his senses after striking the far wall.
The beast watched Jack, its brows arched to show the full glory of its yellow eyes, then it charged, head up and claws extended. Jack didn't move at first. To a layman it would have seemed Collins was frozen in fear, but Jack had a mind that always planned three moves ahead. As the beast charged and swiped at Jack, he ducked, barely escaping being raked by the death-dealing talons. As he did so, he quickly brought his black-painted, stainless-steel-edged knife up and slashed at the creature's leg tendons that were exposed when its leg muscles flexed. The Talkhan screamed in pain as the knife severed the tendon in its right knee joint. Before the beast could turn on Collins, he had come up behind it and instantly found a vulnerable spot in its massive shoulder armor. He quickly sank the blade in and out three times in succession, wounding the animal to the point it was delirious in pain and outraged at the assault.
Everett shook himself and looked about for his assault rifle. He found it three feet away.
Jack was surprised how quickly the animal recovered and regained its momentum. Instead of turning around to face its enemy, the beast quickly brought its tail up and slapped at Jack. The stinger caught in the front of his vest and pulled him down to the floor, slamming him into the bloodstained linoleum.
'Stay down, Jack!' Everett cried.
Collins quickly covered his head as the XM8 opened up.
Taking advantage of the animal's distraction as Everett slammed rounds into it, Jack rolled free, dodging two quick stabs of the creature's stinger, and recovered his own weapon. He opened up, adding his firepower to
