“They’ve done it. The bastards have got away from us and snatched our destiny.”
“Not necessarily,” Doc said, his eyes moving intently over the flashing lights and digital displays on the comp banks.
“Why?” Ryan asked, striding over to where Doc stood.
The old man gestured to the comp bank. “Everything looks as if it is still set for where they were headed. All we have got to do is get ourselves into the mat-trans and close the door. And if that fails, we still have the last destination button. We just need to be ready to come out fighting.”
Gloria had joined them while Doc was speaking, and she looked nervously at Ryan. “None of us have ever done this before. What’s it like?”
Ryan took a deep breath and tried to describe the experience of a jump to the Gate queen. It wasn’t easy, as he didn’t want to dissuade her from the jump, but he was only too well aware that there would be an enemy at the other end, and it was important that the Gate be prepared for a firefight as soon as possible.
Gloria listened intently, then whistled. “Shit, that sounds nasty, honey. But if it’s what it takes… This is our fate, and we’ve got to follow it through.”
The warrior queen turned to Tammy and sent her to the ground level with a small party of scouts and instructions to fetch the men, children and belongings of the tribe. While this happened, she briefed her warriors on what they were about to do.
Ryan gathered the companions.
“Walking into the belly of the beast,” Doc commented when Ryan explained their plans.
“Mebbe,” the one-eyed warrior countered, “but then again, better to know what we walk into than just stumble, like we usually do.”
“That’s a fair point,” Mildred mused. “The thing that worries me is how they’ll cope with the jump. We’re used to them, and find it hard enough.”
“Only one way to find out,” J.B. remarked in the kind of blunt tone that refused argument.
Waiting for the Gate to assemble, the companions took the chance to strip and check their blasters after their recent heavy use. It was a good feeling to know that, whatever else, the weaponry would be primed for use when they arrived.
The Gate were finally gathered in the large chamber, and Gloria assembled them to explain what their next move was to be. There was a ripple of apprehension about the mat-trans jump, particularly when she detailed the possible effects as outlined by Ryan. But the Gate was a tribe that couldn’t back down on their destiny, and they willingly backed their queen.
Gloria turned to where Ryan and the companions were waiting.
“We’re ready,” she said with a decisive nod.
“Okay,” Ryan replied. “Your people take the largest of the mat-trans units. That way you can all travel together. We’ll take the smallest.”
“You won’t come with us?” the warrior queen asked.
“Better if we spread ourselves over two chambers. It’ll divide their forces,” Ryan explained.
Gloria bit her lip and assented. “Seems fair.” She looked across at Jak. “You coming with us, honey?”
The albino allowed a rare smile to flicker across his face, so brief as to be gone before it could even be truly noticed.
“Like to, but place now with Ryan and friends. Fight as unit, mebbe important when arrive.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point, sweets. I’ll get us into the chamber. What happens then?”
“The settings are automatic,” Doc explained, indicating the comp banks. “As soon as you close the door and the lock slips into place, it triggers off the destination and the jump begins. If that does not happen, press the button marked LD.”
“Okay. Can’t pretend I’m not shitting myself at the thought of it, and I guess the rest of us are, too, but it’s got to be done, yeah?”
With that, she turned and directed the Gate to move into the mat-trans chamber. It took a couple of minutes for the wags to be maneuvered in, and for the men and children to load up. Then the women entered the chamber, ringing the wags and children that stood in the center of the chamber. The formation was such that, when they arrived, the Amazons would form a line of defense around the supplies and the children as soon as they recovered consciousness.