Free Enemy by Paul Hughes Page B

fingers grasping in several directions at once, then suddenly focused on Vishnu. With a flash, he was caught in the web and pulled down. He was gone.
         [simon! save yourself!]
         ((paul, no!))
         Paul dove straight for the Enemy, veering around the web beam focused on him. The Enemy was caught off guard.
         Paul hit the Enemy at full speed, tearing himself from existence, but hardly affecting the Enemy. However, the Enemy was disoriented for several seconds...
         ((bless you, paul.))
         Simon dove as fast as he could toward the small blue planet below him, forgetting the temporarily blinded Enemy.
         Simon had a promise to keep.
     
         A gentle wind swept the island.
         “Start talking, or I start shooting.”
         Reynald stood, silent.
         “Do you work for Cervera? Are you Styx?”
         Reynald looked through Jennings with his terribly gray eyes. He said nothing.
         “Talk to me!”
         A flicker in time and Reynald was right there and Jennings’ gun was in Reynald’s hand. It shimmered with an impossible light and faded from view before Jennings’ eyes. Reynald approached, and Jennings stumbled back, startled. Reynald glared. Another flash and Reynald’s fist connected squarely with the side of Jennings’ face, knocking him off his feet and onto the sand.
         “You blind, arrogant people. You kill for no reason. You kill without knowing why or who.”
         Jennings said nothing, confused to silence.
         Reynald put his hands to his eyes.
         “Captain?” The man in black’s eyes flickered with an inner fire.
         “What?” Reynald sounded so empty.
         “It’s Simon. He’s coming.”
         “The fleet’s Whendropped?”
         “...”
         “What is it? What’s wrong?”
         “There was a massacre around the fourth planet.”
         “The fleet?”           
         “The fleet—Simon is the only survivor.”
         “The Enemy?”
         “It’s coming. It’s coming to Harvest.”
         “No. Please, no.” Reynald’s whisper was barely audible over the breaking waves.
         “It’s coming.”
         The sky above them was torn open as Simon’s longboat plummeted to the ground.
         The longboat was immense. It landed on the beach with a storm of wind and sand, a great black sliver of metal.
         ((get on, they’re close!))
         Jennings was shocked beyond words. He stood and watched the craft land in utter disbelief, jaw agape in amazement. Was it really another Diablo vessel?
         The men in black ran to the longboat, boarded it through a hatchway. Reynald snapped from his reverie, ran toward the longboat, slowed, halted.
         Jennings was terrified. He sat alone on the beach, blood still coursing down his face. In shock, he wiped it from his eyes and wondered at the redness of his hand.
         Reynald relented. He could not blame this man for Magdalene’s death or this insane war. He was just another innocent dragged into the war against the Enemy.
         “The Enemy is coming for your planet.”
         ((HURRY.))
         “I know you don’t understand any of this. I’m sorry you had to be caught up in this—”
         ((THEY’RE ALMOST HERE.))
         “The Enemy’s coming for your planet. They’ll kill it. They’ll kill your people. They’ll kill you. They’ll steal your souls and you’ll be damned forever.”
         ((NOW.))
         “If you want to live, come with us.” Reynald looked at Jennings with his too-gray eyes. “There’s nothing we can do now for your people, your planet, your time.”
         Reynald looked to the northwest, where an ominous line of black clouds had appeared. The darkness swept upon them. The black lace of the Enemy web was already engulfing the sky.
         “There’s a storm coming.
         “If you