The Guards looked at each other nervously, but complied.
Hydon moved into the chamber beyond the door while Adam waited with for his team.
Two minutes later, Adam was relieved to see Lt. Tobias appear around a faraway corner and enter the last corridor before the vault — followed by the other SEAL’s, Sherri and all the rest, including McCarthy and his men. Kaylor and Jym brought up the rear. None of the Humans had been armed yet. Part of him wanted to tell Hydon not to supply weapons to McCarthy and his men, but he thought better of it. If Hydon detected distrust by Adam for members of his own team, he might reconsider giving weapons to any of them. He hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision.
Adam waved them through the doorway and the Juireans closed the heavy door, securing it from inside when the last of them was through. Immediately, Adam felt his ears pop, as the pressure inside the room was increased. This increased air pressure would add even more resistance when attempting to open the door.
Of course, the Klin would probably just blow it….
They were all in a large foyer area shaped in a semi-circle. Three doors were placed in the curving far wall, and positioned between each door were formidable metal barricades manned by six Juireans each. The Guards were encased in full body armor, including helmets, and each gripped the largest hand-held flash rifles Adam had ever seen.
A Juirean was motioning for the group to follow him through the doorway on the left. Without a word, they all followed. They entered a larger chamber, rectangular in shape, with a ceiling over twenty meters high. Assembled around them were a number of squads of Juirean Guards, as well as Hydon and about half of his support group.
Adam walked up to the Elder, his own group standing behind, looking unsure what to do next. After a moment, Hydon took notice. “Commander, supply each of these creatures with a flash rifle and sidearm, along with ample charges. Then find a barracks for them, somewhere not too far from my quarters. They are now part of my personal guard. Is that understood?”
Adam could see that the Guard commander recognized Adam and his companions as Humans, the very enemy they were currently waging war against — and for all he knew — were attacking Juir at that very moment. Apparently only Hydon and his closest advisors knew the truth.
“My Lord?” the commander said, “are you sure that is wise?”
“They can be trusted, commander, and soon we may need their assistance. Do as ordered.”
“Yes, my Lord.” The Juirean Guard moved up to Adam until he was only a few inches from him, towering a head taller. He looked down at the Human with undisguised contempt before finally saying, “Follow me. There is a place where you can find quarters.”
The room they were taken to was large and utilitarian, consisting of only a row of bunks, a bank of lockers and a communal grooming station at the end. Since all Juirean fighters were male, there was no need to have separate quarters for men and women.
Two Juireans wheeled a large cart into the room, filled with protruding barrels from a dozen or more flash rifles, plus MK’s and satchels of assorted charge packs for the weapons. Without a word, all the military personnel in Adam’s group swarmed the cart, snatching up weapons and ammo with gusto. They each admired the feel of the weapon in their grasp, as if it were a long-lost love. Adam armed himself as well, and after going so long without holding a weapon in his hands, he felt almost a drug-high sweep over him.
Sherri was no exception. She confidently selected a rifle and MK of her own, but soon the thrill had passed. “Adam, what’s going on now? We have Juireans giving us weapons — and the whole damn place feels like it’s being blown apart.”
“You’re right about that, Sherri,” Adam said as the group assembled around him. “The Klin found a way to get here sooner than expected. The Juireans are going to be creamed.” He showed his best Cheshire Cat smile. “It looks like we’re now part of Supreme Leader’s elite personal bodyguard, complete with weapons of our own.”
“And where are we exactly?” asked Chief Rutledge.
“Somewhere below the big pyramid, that’s all I know.” Then his face turned serious. “The buildings on the surface are going to be incinerated, and then they’ll come down here looking for us. It’s Hydon’s plan to hold out here until our fleet arrives. I have no idea what the Klin are going to bring against us.”
“This Juirean Hydon could have left with the other bigwigs,” McCarthy said, stepping forward. “Why didn’t he?”
“I think it’s symbolic, McCarthy. Seems like there’s something he thinks is worth dying for-”
“Like his planet and his people,” Petty officer John Tindal said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
McCarthy ignored the remark. “We’re not sacrificing ourselves for these alien bastards, Cain. Just get that straight. If we see a way to get out of here alive, we’re going to take it.”
“Well, seeing that we’re probably a mile beneath the surface of Juir, and undoubtedly the only Humans within a thousand light years, good luck with that. But right now we have to keep the Klin from getting in here and taking us all out.”
Adam began to turn away, but then he had another thought. “And seeing that I’m the only one here who has the ear of the all-mighty Juirean leader, I think it’s about time you and your men start following my orders.” His voice was a growl as he spit out the last syllable.
Adam wasn’t the best at reading alien body language, yet it didn’t take an expert to see the tension and sadness on the faces of all the Juireans in the underground bunker. For hours now the bombardment on the surface had continued, and with each blast the natives knew their world above was being torn apart. Adam could relate, having lived through the bombardment of Earth by this very same race of aliens. And yet at the time, Adam had been more concerned about saving his own life, along with those of wife and daughter, than with any planetary legacy issues. Also at the time, he truly believed the Klin would stop the destruction — as they eventually did — but only after so many people had died.
Yet on the surface of Juir, the destruction was continuing unabated. It was evident by the frequency and intensity of the explosions that the Klin had eliminated any Juirean resistance, both in space and on the planet, and now had free reign to cause all the death and destruction they could deliver. The only limitation would be the capacity of their energy generators, and with constant rechargings, the bombardment could continue for weeks, if not months.
In a way, Adam felt sorry for the Juireans. They had to stay sequestered in their self-imposed prison far below the surface while their entire world was being destroyed, along with countless generations of Juirean history. When the Klin were through with Juir, all that would be left would be smoldering monuments to a once great race of beings.
Adam was sure the Klin already had detailed schematics of the maze of tunnels and chambers under the great pyramid. For hundreds, if not thousands of years, Klin spies had infiltrated Juirean culture and government. Each target would have been carefully delineated and scheduled for destruction, including the underground labyrinth. But first they had to gain control of the surface, and as the occupants of the bunker began to hear the slow, yet very clear, decrease in the frequency of the explosions above, they knew that time was drawing near.
After all, Adam thought, you can only bomb a building into ashes for so long. More than that and you’re just being a dick.
Adam knew that if he survived to ever walk the surface of Juir again he would find a completely alien landscape, unrecognizable from the one he had only the briefest memory of. It would be a scene right out of his vision of Hell. And for the non-religious Juireans who managed to survive, it would be the new standard from which they would forever associate with their own concept of Hell.