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  "That wasn't our fault," Dox said. "This human is to blame." "Up yours!" Havoc snapped.

  Dox looked over his right shoulder. "I just hope I get the brains." "The brains?" Havoc repeated, puzzled.

  "Your brains when we feast on you," Dox stated. "I like brains, and I shall

  relish consuming yours."

  "Fat chance," Havoc remarked.

  "I like fat too," Dox confirmed.

  Havoc debated whether to make his break. There were only two of them

  now. Dox had ordered the other Hatchling, a deviate named Syph, to stand

  guard at the top of the cliffs for a while to insure no one was on their trail. Syph

  had grumbled but assented.

  "The Tower," Dox remarked cheerfully. "What tower?" Havoc questioned.

  The middle of the valley was too distant to perceive much detail, even with the

  full moon.

  "That's right," Dox commented. "You humans can't see worth shit at

  night." Havoc surreptitiously glanced to his rear, noting Rhea's position. The

  hybrid was two yards away, repeatedly gazing at the valley ahead as if he

  couldn't wait to reach their destination, Dox was the same way. Neither mutant was expecting trouble, and why should they? He had cooperated so far. They wouldn't anticipate him being rash enough to attempt to escape in their own territory, which was exactly why he should go for broke. Once they had him in

  that Tower, he'd be at their mercy. Getting away would be considerably harder. "My nose hurts like hell," Rhea commented.

  A dark figure unexpectedly emerged from cover 15 yards off, "Is that you,

  Dox?"

  "Who else would it be, idiot!" Dox replied.

  As they drew nearer, Havoc discovered the figure was a human guard

  wearing black clothing to blend in with the night. The guard carried an automatic

  rifle of indeterminate type.

  "That's no way to talk to me, Dox," the guard stated. "We are brothers,

  after all."

  "Don't remind me, Sadist," Dox said distastefully.

  The guard, a short man with a pale countenance, came closer. "Weren't

  you sent after a female? And where's the rest?"

  Dox did not seem pleased by the interrogation. "Who are you to question

  me? I report to Father. No one else."

  "I was just wondering," Sadist said

  "Don't bother me!" Dox snapped disdainfully, marching past the guard.

  Havoc came abreast of the man in black. He noticed a scar running down the left

  side of Sadist's face. The weapon he recognized as a Heckler & Koch Model HK

  94, an excellent piece of firepower. Sadist returned Havoc's glance with a

  threatening scowl.

  "Hi there, baboon-face!" Havoc quipped. "Were you born looking like that,

  or did you take a self-improvement course?"

  The reaction was exactly what Havoc wanted.

  Angry, stung by Dox's rebuke, and now insulted by the prisoner's

  effrontery, Sadist impulsively raised the HK94 with the stock toward the soldier,

  preparing to bash the noncom in the mouth. Only Havoc had other ideas. As the

  Sadist lifted the HK94, he exposed his midsection and his groin. Havoc pivoted,

  executing a side stop kick to Sadist's genitals, his right leg a streak as the blow

  connected. Even as Sadist grunted and started to double over, Havoc closed in,

  ramming his elbow into the guard's nose, crushing it. As expected, Sadist's grip

  on the HK94 went momentarily limp, and Havoc wrested the weapon from his

  hands. The maneuver was accomplished in the twinkling of an eye, before either

  Hatchling could intervene.

  Rhea responded first, hissing and charging.

  There was no time to check the safety. Havoc swung around, leveling the

  HK94, and squeezed the trigger. The HK94 cut loose. Previously convened to full

  automatic and outfitted with a 30-shot magazine, the HK94 stopped the mutant

  in its tracks, the 9-mm Parabellum slugs ripping a pattern across Rhea's face and

  crumpling the hybrid to the ground.

  One more to go!

  Havoc whirled, finding Dox not two feet away, talons outstretched. He

  fired, the HK94 chattering, the rounds tearing into Dox's chest and propelling

  him backwards, the impact sending the mutant sprawling. Sadist was trying to

  rise, his left hand over his ruined nose, his knees wobbly. Havoc swivdled,

  pointing the HK94 barrel at the guard.

  "No!" Sadist bleated, gaping at the end of the barrel not a hand's-breath

  from his face. "Don't!" he gurgled.

  "Stand up!" Havoc commanded.

  Sadist slowly straightened, blood pouring over his mouth and chin. Havoc backed up several strides, allowing room in case the guard tried to

  jump him. He glanced at the lights in the valley, waiting for a hue and cry, some

  indication his shots had been heard. He guessed the lights must be a quarter of

  a mile off.

  "What are you gonna do with me?" Sadist blubbered.

  "Shut up!" Havoc snapped, listening. He waited several minutes, but

  nothing happened. Sadist was breathing loudly through his mouth. "Where are

  the other guards?" Havoc asked, his tone grating and hard.

  "There are two patrolling the area near the huts," the Sadist said. "Down

  there." He pointed toward the valley,

  "What about up here?" Havoc queried.

  Sadist wiped some blood from his lips. "I'm the only one." Havoc wagged the HK94. "You expect me to believe you?" "Honest!" Sadist wailed. "Just one guard is posted on this ridge!" "Where are the rest of the Hatchlings?" Havoc probed,

  "In the Tower, as far as I know," the Sadist said.

  "Okay. Move your ass!" Havoc waved the barrel in the direction of a stand

  of trees to his left.

  "I'm going!" the guard assured him, hurrying to obey.

  Havoc cautiously followed Sadist into the trees. Satisfied they were

  concealed from view, he halted.

  "Stop!" he directed.

  Sadist complied, his left hand over his nose. "Please don't hurt me!" "Why shouldn't I?" Havoc demanded. "I know all about what you've done

  to the women here. You deserve to die, you prick!"

  Sadist gasped. "please! No! I'll do anything you say! Anything you want!" "I want information," Havoc stated. "For starters, why did you call that

  Hatchling your brother?"

  "Because he is," the guard replied. "Or was."

  "I don't get you," Havoc said.

  "We both had the same parents," Sadist divulged.

  "Dox and you had the same parents?" Havoc asked skeptically. "That's right," Sadist affirmed

  "The Spider was your father?" Havoc queried.

  "You know about the Spider?" the guard responded.

  "Why do you think I'm here?" Havoc retorted. "But how is it you both had

  the same parents?"

  "Easy," Sadist said. "Sometimes the Spider's babies are mutants, or part

  mutant, like the Hatchlings. They take after the Spider. But some of the babies

  are human, like me. We take after our moms."

  "So the human guards here are all children of the Spider? All his human

  kids?" Havoc asked.

  "Yep," Sadist confirmed. "The Spider doesn't let all the human babies live.

  Only the males, and only enough to keep his guards up to strength." "What about the rest of the boy babies and the girls?" Havoc inquired.

  Sadist hesitated.

  "I asked you a question," Havoc stated stiffly.

  "They're… eaten," Sadist responded hesitantly.

  "And you don't do a thing to prevent it, do you?" Havoc asked, "What could I d
o?" Sadist said fearfully. "The Hatchlings would eat me if I

  objected!" Havoc's lips curled downward, "You make me sick!"

  Sadist wisely kept his mouth shut.

  "All right. Here's what we're going to do," Havoc stated. "You are going to

  lead me to the Tower. Any problems, and I'll blow your head off. Understand?" "The Tower?" Sadist glanced toward the valley. "You don't mean it!" "Want to bet?" Havoc countered.

  "Listen, mister, I'll take you anywhere but the Tower," Sadist said.

  "Anywhere!"

  "You'll take me to the Tower, or you'll die right here," Havoc declared. "But he'sin the Tower!" Sadist exclaimed.

  "Which is why I want to go," Havoc said. "I'm going to kill the Spider."

  Sadist shook his head. "You're nuts, mister! There's no way you can kill him!" "Haven't you heard?" Havoc cracked. "A positive attitude can do wonders

  for your life." He motioned with the HK94 barrel. "Get the lead out!" Sadist shuffled down the slope. "You'll never make it!"

  "Let me worry about the Spider," Havoc said. "And keep your trap shut!"

  Shaking his head, holding his broken nose, Sadist descended.

  Havoc was alert for the slightest hint of danger as he dogged the guard's

  tracks. Since no alarm had sounded, he doubted anyone had heard the shots

  before. Which meant he might be able to reach the Tower of the Spider

  unnoticed. Once there, he intended to bring the mission to a speedy resolution

  by terminating the Spider. If the Spider fell, or so he reasoned, the Hatchlings

  might be easier to dispose of. The Spider was the leader, the brains behind the

  operation, and without him the Hatchlings and the human guards might come

  apart at the seams. At any rate, his plan was worth a try. The trees on the ridge

  became sparser the lower they went, the tree line fronting a wide field between

  the forest and the middle of the valley. Huge nets were suspended above the

  field on poles, obscuring the parcels titled during the spring and summer from

  aerial observation. Brown, dry, and broken corn stalks littered the field. On the far side a group of buildings, the huts and the Tower, were visible. A path wound

  under the nets, and Sadist moved along it.

  Havoc felt his muscles tense as they approached the center of the valley,

  the heart of the Spider's domain. He was bothered by the sensation of being

  watched, but he surveyed the field and the buildings beyond without spotting a

  soul. His instincts were prompting him to abandon his plan, to take cover in the

  forest and await a better opportunity. But he advanced anyway. He wanted to

  end the mission as quickly as possible, but he also wanted to prove something to

  himself and to Blade. Twice the Warrior had bested him at his own game. Twice!

  And one of those times had been at hand-to-hand combat, no less. His specialty!

  He wanted to redeem himself in Blade's eyes, to show the Warrior why he was

  considered the best damn soldier in the California Army!

  And then there was the woman.

  Havoc frowned as he thought of Leslie Reese. He'd failed her, failed her

  miserably, and as a consequence she had died. The sight of her lying broken and

  smashed on the rocks below the cliffs had been horrifying. He had felt like a

  branding iron had been imbedded in his abdomen. He still felt that way. To a

  man who prided himself on his perfection, failure was devastating. By

  terminating the Spider, he might atone, in some small way, for Leslie Reese's

  death. He might assuage his burning guilt. The huts were starkly defined by the

  moonlight. There were ten of them, one much larger than the others, each with

  a domed roof. Only the large hut displayed any light through its windows. Light

  also emanated from the Kingdom's centerpiece, the enormous, imposing,

  ominous edifice dominating the valley: the Tower.

  Havoc stepped up to Sadist and prodded him in the spine with the HK94,

  "Slow down," he whispered. Sadist imitated a statue.

  "Where are the women?" Havoc queried.

  "In their huts," Sadist said. "They're not allowed out this late." "In what part of the Tower will I find the Spider?" Havoc asked. "The top," Sadist revealed. "His chamber is way up at the very top." Havoc gave Sadist a shove, "Head for the Tower. And no monkey

  business!" The ground around the huts and the Tower had been cleared of all

  brush. There was no place to hide, and no one was in sight.

  Havoc felt more confident as they walked between two huts toward the

  Tower. The large hut occupied by the guards was positioned to the north of the

  rest, perhaps 5O yards distant. They weren't expecting an attack and their

  security was lax. He couldn't believe how easy the job was. That was when

  another guard appeared, corning around the corner of a hut to the right,

  whistling softly, an HK94 slung over his right shoulder. He abruptly halted,

  spotting the newcomers. "Sadist? Is that you?"

  Havoc nudged Sadist with the barrel.

  "Sure is, Jim."

  Havoc was partially screened by Sadist. He held the HK94 low so the other

  guard wouldn't spot it. Jim came toward them. "What the hell are you doing

  here? Aren't you supposed to be up on the east ridge?"

  "I had to report," Sadist said.

  "Report what?" Jim rejoined, now four strides away. "Why do you sound

  so funny? And who's that with you?"

  Havoc waited until the second guard was almost to them before he made

  his move. He shoved Sadist aside and performed a front snap kick to the second

  guard's chin, snapping the guard's head back, stunning him. Havoc instantly

  followed through with a jamming heel kick to the guard's right knee, then a front

  hall kick to the guard's face as the man doubled over. The second guard dropped

  like the proverbial rock.

  "Damn!" Sadist exclaimed, dazzled by the soldier's speed and power.

  Havoc jerked his right thumb at the Tower. "Let's go!" he prompted, concerned

  the commotion might draw more guards.

  Sadist hesitantly approached the Tower.

  Havoc constantly scanned the huts, the field, and the Tower, amazed no

  one else was challenging him. But after decades of operating in the valley

  without any trouble from outside sources, why should the Spider expect any

  now?

  "I don't want to do this!" Sadist whined.

  "Do it or die!" Havoc snapped.

  "You shoot me and everyone will hear it," Sadist said.

  "Who needs to shoot you? You saw what I just did to your buddy. I can

  kill you with my hands or my feet. Take your pick," Havoc told him. "I'll pass," Sadist muttered.

  The Tower loomed above them, dwarfing the huts, seeming to reach the

  stars themselves. Two windows were in evidence, one near the domed roof and

  another about halfway up. A flickering glow radiated from both. At the bottom of

  the Tower was the entrance, a huge wooden door with light seeping under the

  lower edge.

  Havoc was within ten feet of the Tower when the chill struck him, startling

  in its intensity, causing him to stop and gaze upward with a tinge of

  apprehension. Was his imagination overreacting to the oppressive atmosphere in

  the valley, or was the air noticeably cooler near the Tower? He saw Sadist shiver.

  So his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. But what could be responsible for the

  drastic drop in temperature?

  Sadist halted a yard from the
door, trembling.

  Havoc edged past the terrified guard to the door. He spied a rectangular

  metal latch on the right side of the door and walked over.

  "Don't!" Sadist warned in a whisper.

  Havoc glared at the man in black.

  Quaking, Sadist lowered his chin to his chest and clenched his fists. Havoc gingerly gripped the latch, the metal cold to his touch. The HK94

  ready in his left hand, he tugged on the latch with his right, expecting resistance,

  assuming a door so massive would be difficult to open. It wasn't. The door swung wide on well oiled hinges, bathing Havoc and Sadist in a

  luminous golden halo. And exposing them to the 13 Hatchlings waiting inside.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  "I can't believe we made it!" Athena exclaimed, inhaling deeply, grateful

  to be alive.

  "I knew we would," Blade said.

  "I knew I would," Grizzly amended. "I wasn't so sure about you two, what

  with you being human and all."

  "Don't start that again!" Athena snapped.

  Blade stared at the stars above, then at the pool hundreds of feet below.

  They were perched on the very rim of the precipice, seated on a rocky

  outcropping, resting from the exhausting ascent.

  "I don't scent any guards," Grizzly remarked, his face into the wind. "And you won't," Athena stated. "I told you before. The guards are posted

  on the west side of this ridge.

  During the day there are two, sometimes three. But at night I think they

  only post one."

  "Humans or Hatchlings?" Blade asked.

  "Humans," Athena divulged. "The Hatchlings can't be bothered with such

  petty duty."

  "Do you want me to go ahead and find the lookout?" Grizzly offered. "I'll

  slit his throat so fast he'll be dead before he realizes what happened." "We'll stick together," Blade said.

  "Can we make an exception in my case?" Athena inquired. "An exception?" Blade repeated quizzically.

  "I've got to visit the ladies'," Athena explained. "And I'll be damned if you

  two are going to watch." Grizzly chuckled. "What are you worried about? You

  don't have anything I'd be interested in."

  "The feeling is mutual," Athena countered, rising. She looked at Blade.

  "Give me a minute. That climb scared the piss out of me."

  "Be careful," Blade advised.

  Athena nodded. "I won't go far," she promised, and walked into the

  forest."

  "I kind of like her," Grizzly declared. "She's spunky for a female." "Females can be just as spunky as males," Blade remarked. "Not many would do what she's doing," Grizzly observed.