Chapter Two

1800 – Arkansas2

150 – 2105

"Zach, Goose!" Niko shouted in warning as the ground trembled from another quake.

The entrance to the mining cave where both Zachary and Gooseman were standing slowly started to give way to masses of dirt and rocks from the hill above. Both men moved of one accord, attempting to stave off the literal mountain of debris raining around them as well as protect the civilian miners.

Goose fingered his badge as large boulders rained down amidst the group. On impact with one of the rocks, his bio-defenses reacted by turning his skin into a substance resembling granite. He was able to use this transformation to shield as many of the miners as he could, literally, with his body. Meanwhile Zachary was using his bionic arm to smash as many of the larger rocks as he could. However, both men were so busy trying to protect the civilians, that there would be precious little time for Zachary to use his implant and bionics to power up and drive the boulders back.

"Doc, I need you!" Niko yelled, and without waiting for a reply, she grabbed his hand and slapped it to her shoulder. At the same time, she moved to trigger her badge. A golden aura engulfed their figures as Niko guided an energy field around the mouth of the mineshaft holding Goose, Zach and the miners. Slowly, Niko broadened the span of the shield to push back against the rockslide - slowing it and ultimately suspending it in midair.

Goose looked out through the dusty golden haze and saw Niko and Doc several feet from the landslide's point of orgin. "Zach, Niko is buying us time, but she can't hold it much longer." Already Goose could see Niko staggering from the exertion of maintaining a psychic force shield against mass and gravity, as more and more of the hill collapsed in upon itself and against her psychokinetic buffer.

"It's enough." Captain Foxx carefully flexed his bionic arm to harness the energy that his implant triggered. Within seconds, the arm began to glow as it reached its terminal point. Aiming carefully, Zachary unleashed the power in the form of a bolt of energy directly up into the hail of falling rubble, pulverizing it into fine dust and plowing a trench directly through the rest of the hill.

Niko fell to her knees as the shockwave of Zachary's thunderbolt slammed against her psychic defenses and shattered her projected shield. Only Doc's strong grip on her shoulder prevented her from full collapse.

"You okay, Niko?" Doc asked feeling disoriented himself from the psychic rapport that came when Niko's powers created a merge of implant power.

Niko could do little more than nod her head in response. She was panting too hard to have the breath to answer, and she was already warding off the psychic backlash that came from the effort she had poured into protecting Zach, Goose, and the miners.

After making sure that the mine was in no more immediate danger of collapse, Zachary and Goose made their way to their comrades. "You all right, Niko?" Zach asked.

Finding her voice Niko answered, "Yes, Captain," and accepted the hand that Goose offered to pull her to her feet. She stumbled slightly and Goose carefully positioned himself so that he was unobtrusively supporting the majority of her weight. "It's a good thing you used your thunderbolt when you did, I don't think I could have held back that avalanche much longer."

"If you hadn't acted as quickly as you did, I wouldn't have had the time to charge up."

Niko just nodded and closed her eyes for a minute. The headache that often came with backlash was starting to increase in tempo making it hard to concentrate.

"Niko, you still with us."

Niko's eyes snapped open as she looked at her captain. "Yes, sir."

"What's your implant charge?" Zach asked her again noticing the greenish cast to her complexion

Niko lightly brushed her badge to get a general feel of how much power remained. Sighing, she answered. "There isn't much left; probably not enough to do much good in an emergency." She admitted.

"Goose, you and Niko return to base."

"Captain," Niko protested, "Goose is needed here. I can make it to camp by myself."

"I'm not questioning whether or not you can take care of yourself, Ranger. Given the recent events, I need you both to recharge your implants. After you've had a chance to rest and eat, you are to report back here to relieve Doc and myself. These quakes have a mechanical origin, and we are not going to stop until we find out who or what is behind them. I'll see you at 2100 hours." Zachary's tone of voice brooked no argument.

"Aye, sir." Niko and Goose said in unison and headed in the general direction of the small mining site where they had reined in their cybersteeds.

Halfway to the encampment, Niko felt and then heard another shockwave explosion, this one a hundred meters from where the previous one had occurred. Goose and Niko reacted immediately and started toward the site of the secondary explosion. However, before they had taken more than a few steps, the earth beneath their feet buckled again as another blast erupted from a different location, this one much closer to the pair.

Goose stumbled backward into Niko, and they both fell to their knees. "Goose, the horses!" Niko pointed to the area that had held their rations and cybersteeds. A large hole had cratered in the earth, and the surrounding land was being swallowed by the sinkhole that had formed.

Through the smoke, ash, and debris, Goose could barely see Triton and the other horses attempting to flee. However, their reins were still fastened to a post, which was beginning to slide into the newly formed chasm. Shane pulled himself to his feet and with a running start leapt across the fractured ground. Landing hard on the other side, he continued his momentum in a roll to the horses.

The ground continued to lurch and sway as it broke in on itself and rolled into the growing depression. Knowing he did not have the time to untangle the harnesses, Goose took his blaster from its holster and opened fire slicing through the electro-leather straps securing the horses to the pole.

Now free, the horses broke for safer ground. Shane grabbed Triton's frayed reins and pulled himself into the saddle. "We're going to have to jump for it." Triton gave the mechanical equivalent of a whinny and vaulted in the air leading the pack of cybersteeds in a jump across the fissure.

Niko watched as the four horses and Shane catapulted into the air. Just as they were landing safely on the other side a fourth quake ripped across the ground, and what was once safe a foothold became a precarious landslide. Niko watched horrified as the group struggled unsuccessfully for purchase in the abrading hillside.

Even though she was on her feet and sprinting to help, Niko was too far away to lend any physical assistance. Reaching out, Niko channeled what was left of her energy and unleashed a psychokinetic net around the five figures. With the last vestige of implant power, she yanked the group to safer ground.

Only Shane's incredibly strong grip on Triton kept him in the saddle as they jarred to a less than graceful stop. Breathing hard, he looked back at the nothingness that had once been terra firma. Had Niko not reacted when she did, they would have plummeted to an uncertain end. Shane looked back to where Niko had been and saw her lying prone on the ground.

Biting back a string of curses, he rushed to her side. Gently, he flipped her to her back. "Niko? Can you hear me?"

"Shane?" Niko gasped as her eyes fluttered open.

"Some magic trick." He smiled down at her. "Didn't think you had any juice left."

"Neither did I." She admitted pulling herself into a seated position. "But, I can guarantee that I don't have any now."