The Valiant - Michael Jan Friedman [15]
Youre next, Tarasco . The words echoed ominously in his brain, obliterating the possibility of any other thought. Tarasco scanned the corridor in either direction, but there was no one there. After all, what do I need with a captain? Or a crew, for that matter ?
Tarasco swallowed back his fear. Where are you ? he asked the engineer hi the confines of his mind.
Not so far away , came the coy, almost childlike answer. And getting closer all the time .
CHAPTER 5
ftt the sound of his adversarys thought, the captain could feel a wetness between his shoulder blades. Following his instincts, he whirledbut the corridor was still empty behind him.
Then he spun the other way
And there was Agnarsson, his eyes ablaze with silver light, a cruel smile on his otherwise expressionless face. He had always been a big man, but he seemed even bigger now, more imposing.
You cant kill me , the engineer insisted, his voice expanding to fill the hallway. Much as you want to, you cant. But I can kill you .
And he lifted his hand to carry out his threat.
However, Tarasco struck first. His pale blue laser beam slammed squarely into Agnarssons chest, forcing him back a couple of steps. The engineers smile became a grimace as he pitted his mysterious power against the lasers electromagnetic fury.
At first, he merely stood his ground. Then little by little, with the beams brilliance spattering against him, he did even better than that. He began to make his way forward again.
You cant stop me , Agnarsson told him, his voice echoing like thunder. Nothing can stop me . And he hurled a crackling bolt of livid pink energy at the captain.
Tarasco didnt have time to duck the discharge or get out of the way. All he could do was try to go limp as the engineers power hammered him into the bulkhead behind him.
The next thing the captain knew, he was sitting with his back against the bulkhead, feeling as if he had broken every bone in his body. There was blood in his mouth and a wetness in the back of his head that could only have been more blood.
And it hurt like the devil to draw a breath. More than likely, he had cracked a couple of ribs.
Through tears of pain, he looked up at Agnarsson. The man was gazing at his victim triumphantly, in no apparent hurry to finish him off. Almost reluctantly, he lifted his hand.
But before he could accomplish anything with it, the corridor erupted with a blinding, blue light. It caught the engineer by surprise and sent him staggering into the bulkhead.
The captain squinted and was able to make out two high-intensity shafts. Lasers, he thought. On their highest settings. They seemed to be coming from the opposite end of the corridor.
Forcing his eyes to focus, Tarasco saw that two more of his security officers had arrived. Their laser barrage was pummeling Agnarsson without respite, forcing him to expend more and more of his newfound energy just to remain conscious.
The captain knew that this might be his last chance. Looking around for his laser pistol, he found it lying on the deck less than a meter away. Putting aside the pain that squeezed his midsection like a vise, he dragged himself over to the weapon and took hold of it.
When he looked up again, he saw Agnarsson fighting the security officers lasers to a draw. It was difficult to predict which would give out firstthe engineers stamina or the pistols batteries.
Tarasco made the question moot by adding his own beam to the equation. Skewered in the back with it, Agnarsson groaned and crumpled to his knees. Then he fell forward, momentarily unconscious.
The captain turned his beam off. So did his security officers, whom he recognized as Siregar and Offenburger. In the aftermath of the battle, they couldnt help glancing at the corpses of Pelletier and the others.
Are you all right, sir? asked Offenburger, a tall man with blond hair and light