Ryan recognized the voice. It belonged to the colonel. He raised his head from the dirt, put his hand to his stomach and pretended to retch some more. As he did, his fingers dipped inside his pocket for the slap charge he had squirreled away.
Ryan waited, because he knew he was weakened, and that he would only have one chance.
When the colonel stepped a little closer, Ryan threw himself at the man. He grabbed him by the shoulder, turned him, then locked a forearm across the bottom of his helmet.
The other black-armored men started to close in immediately.
“What exactly do you think this is going to get you?” the colonel said with a laugh. “You can’t hurt me.”
“Mebbe I can’t, but this can.”
Ryan showed him the AP, charge, holding it right in front of his nose. Then he said to the others, “Lower your blasters or this guy’s head is going to disappear.”
“Cook him,” the colonel said.
“Sir, I think he means it,” Hylander said.
“And I think he’s bluffing. Take him out!”
“No, don’t!” Nara cried as she struggled to her feet. “I know him, Colonel. He will kill you.”
The colonel shrugged. “I’m expendable, Jurascik. Just like any of the others. Just like you. The mission will go on without me. And that’s all that matters.”
“There isn’t a mission anymore,” Nara told him. “On the other side, it’s all falling apart. Right now, FIVE is probably already at war with itself. There’s not going to be an exodus from Earth. Not of a million, not even a thousand.”
“She’s right,” Damm said. “The only people who are going to come across after us are a handful of CEOs and Totality Concept bigwigs. The rest of the hundred billion is as good as dead. My guess is, the bastards have arranged it so no one else can follow.”
“Things could come together again,” the colonel said. “Sometime in the future maybe.”
“You’ve got to face facts. There’s not going to be a next time. This is the final gasp.”
“I know that’s a possibility”
“Colonel, I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Nara said. “Believe me, it’s done. It’s over. I saw it. For better or worse, as it now stands, we six are the sole survivors of planet Earth.”
As the truth slowly settled in, Gabhart seemed to sag in Ryan’s grasp. He loosened his hold on the man’s chest and said, “I want you other three to put your weapons down on the ground, then take three big steps back from them.”
After they’d obeyed his order, the companions moved in and picked up the strange blasters.
“Now, out of those armor suits,” Ryan said. “All of you. Help them, Damm.”
Under their high-tech gear, the soldier-scientists of the parallel earth were less than impressive. They looked undernourished, and they wore threadbare jumpsuits. The toes of all their white polyester socks had holes in them.
When they were out of their armor and seated on the ground, Ryan released the colonel. Krysty immediately rushed over and gave him a hug.
“You did it, Ryan!” she cried. “You came back!”
Standing beside Damm, Nara watched as they kissed tenderly. When their lips parted and Ryan glanced over at her, the blonde shook her head sadly. “Something told me you were taken,” she said.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Gabhart said, as Damm removed his chest plate and tossed it aside.
“They were so close to making it all work, and it would’ve worked.”
“Don’t know about that,” the mercie said. “The same mentality that fucked up the planet in the first place was in charge. If you look at it that way, what happened isn’t any big surprise.”
“You really think they’re coming over here?” Ockerman said from his seat on the curb. “The scum-sucking CEOs, I mean.”
“I think they’re probably going to try,” Ryan answered.
“You can bet they’re going to try,” Nara said.
“What are we going to do with their missile?” Hylander asked. “There’s sure no point in launching it. Without the technology to use it, the satellite’s nothing but orbiting junk.”
“Why don’t you send it back?” Ryan said.