Chapter 10.
CENTRAL AMERICA (1930)
Excerpts From The Journal of Hugo Danner.
"We've done it! We finally reached the Valley of the Vanished. . .and the ruins of the temple of the Demon Manhunter."
"Dr. Hardin is ecstatic, as he is now more confident than ever that he is one step closer to proving his controversial theories. But, I am apprehensive. For the long-lost cache of Mayan gold, rumored to be here, is said to make King Tut's tomb look like a pauper's grave! And that kind of talk can fuel all kinds of unscrupulous ambition. Indeed, all during the trek through the jungle, I have felt like someone (or some _thing_) has had us under intense scrutiny. That is why I've confided in Dr. Hardin. Not only about my concerns that we might have been followed, here. But, also. . ."
". . .about my superhuman capabilities."
"He listened to the story of my life. And, after the inevitable initial reaction of open-mouthed amazement, to a demonstration of my strength, he became most empathetic. Telling me he knew all too well what it felt like to be scorned for his beliefs (the wide-spread publication of which is one of the reasons I had joined his expedition in the first place)!"
" 'Mankind has developed a vast array of deadly weapons over the last seventy years,' he told me. 'America, especially! And, at the rate the rest of the world is going, in playing catch-up, I grow increasingly certain that the Great War will _not_ turn out to be the first and last such military conflict. Hence, my secondary reason for seeking out this valley.' "
" 'I plan to make it the site of a colony for those who feel as I do. People who think the world is racing toward self-destruction. And who, therefore, want to have a new race of people ready and waiting, in the proverbial wings, to build a new and better world in its place.' "
"He then added that- -by virtue of what I had just told and shown him- -I would make a perfect progenitor for such a race."
GOTHAM CITY
(06/29/2001)
To Wesley Crusher, it was like watching a flesh-and-blood version of some primitive computer video game.
The Predator had made the first move. Lunging toward the individual with the samurai sword with its massive right arm extended. And with the claw-like blades on its wrist seeking to behead that individual with a right-to-left motion. But, the latter managed to duck underneath that swing! Furthermore, he was able to immediately block a nearly similar move, by the Predator's left arm, before attempting to retaliate with a left side kick to the Predator's upper chest. Sending it backward just enough to permit the individual a chance to cleave its skull straight down the middle! The Predator, however, blocked the vertically downward arc of the katana's blade by crisscrossing both pairs of metal claws at the wrists. It then spun about, counter-clockwise, in a move that resulted in its left elbow collided with Deathstroke (the aforementioned individual with the katana). Sending him to the ground nearly face-first. The Predator then jumped into the air; its right left extended in a clear indication that it intended to land atop Deathstroke's head with its right foot. Thereby killing him through the fracturing of his skull!
But, Deathstroke managed to roll to his right (and, thus, out of the way) just in time. Then, he rolled back; while simultaneously using his right leg to sweep both of the Predator's legs out from under him! Consequently, the massively tall alien managed to land flat on its back. Thereby becoming vulnerable to a lunge forward by Deathstroke. A lunge that he fully intended to end with the katana impaled right through the alien's heart!
All of this occurring in less time than it takes to tell.
Yet, Jean-Luc Picard knew an opportunity when he saw one. So, he immediately ordered everyone to. . .
"Open fire. Now!"
As a result, he and Will Riker wound up hitting Deathstroke with maximum stun, while Spock, Wesley, and the Traveler did the same with the Predator. That, in turn, made Sela Yar scream in pain, as she experienced the backlash of having her mind-meld, with the alien huntsman, broken so severely.
"Quickly!" Picard ordered once more. "Everyone surround that creature so we can get him back to the runabout and get out of here."
Yet, even as the 24th century quintet ran forward, to do just that, a new wrinkle developed. This one, in the form of an armored figure that came flying out of the sky to land in between them and the Predator!
KNICKERBOCKER NATIONAL FOREST
(FIVE MINUTES EARLIER)
"Satisfied, Your Excellency?" asked Sergeant Major Fors of Khan Noonein Singh.
"With the conventional weaponry, yes," replied the Sikh. "But, I am curious as to this strange suit of armor. What is it?"
"It's a prototype robotic exoskeleton that the Soviet Union developed just before the end of the Cold War. The Russian code-name for it translates as 'Rocket Red.' And it was intended to be worn by airborne troops operating in areas that had been. . .tactically nuked."
"Interesting! Might I have a demonstration of it?"
Suddenly, klaxons began blaring all around the two men. Followed by a voice, over the PA system, clamoring:
"Red alert! Red alert! Targeted subject has been sighted in Gotham City, at GFP off-ramp near Boltinoff Avenue and Frontage Road. Code-name Deathstroke has engaged the target. Therefore, Plan B protocol is now in effect. This is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill!"
"You want a demo, Your Excellency?" said the sergeant major. "You got it!"
"Halt!" ordered the armored man. "Stay right where you are. These two are now prisoners of the Federal government."
"And we are Federal agents," countered the starship captain (flashing one of the FBI badges the runabout's on-board replicator had fashioned for him and the others).
"These two don't fall within your jurisdiction," replied the armored man. "Now, back off!"
"Negative!" Picard exclaimed. "FBI has overriding jurisdiction in all cases of espionage on American soil."
"Not where the TFX is concerned," insisted the armored man.
"And just what is the TFX?" persisted Picard.
"Task Force X," replied the Batman. "A covert branch of the Defense Intelligence Agency. One that I thought had been disbanded."
tbc
