Foundations (Book 2 of 3) by Dayton Ward

Author:Dayton Ward [Ward, Dayton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: 0743456734
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2012-07-13T17:35:11+00:00

Chapter 13

“Mr. Scott! Mr. al-Khaled!”

As he exited the building that housed the Starfleet contingent’s temporary mess hall with al-Khaled and Lindstrom, Scott caught sight of three men running toward them. Actually, Scott realized, two of the men, Reger and Marplon, seemed to be assisting the third man, whom the engineer recognized as Hacom, moving as fast as their aged bodies appeared able to carry them.

“Marplon? What’s wrong?” Al-Khaled broke away from his companions to meet the approaching Elders. The three men stumbled to a halt, gasping for air, and Reger dropped to his knees.

What could upset the Elders like this? Scott wondered. As he crouched beside the fallen Reger, the old man’s breaths were coming in ragged wheezes as he fought to speak.

“Lan— uunh!” was all he could force out before the effort overwhelmed him.

Grasping Marplon by the shoulders and trying to steady the man, al-Khaled’s face was a mask of concern and confusion. “Marplon, what is it? What’s happened?”

The Elder was beginning to catch his breath, nodding in response to al-Khaled’s words. Indicating Hacom with a wave of his hand, he managed to say between deep, sucking breaths, “The Guardian has been revealed! Hacom… Hacom… Landru is returning as it was foretold in prophecy. He is coming to enslave us again.”

“What?” The words seemed to Scott at first to be the ramblings of a man lost in hysterics. “That canna be possible. Landru is gone, Marplon. Ye helped to turn him off, remember?”

It was Hacom who answered, his expression one of mild contentment. “I have carried out the will of Landru. He has returned. We will all be of the Body once again.”

Scott rose to his feet. “I thought the beastie was completely shut down,” he said, “that its memory banks had been wiped.”

“Landru is all-powerful,” Hacom countered, his voice remaining calm. “He has been here for six thousand years, and he will be here long after our passing.”

Al-Khaled’s eyes were wide with near shock. “If this is true, then we may be in big trouble. We should get these men to the hospital. Reger doesn’t look good at all.”

And then the wailing started.

Screaming, shrieking voices filled the outdoor air from all directions at once. Scott saw a pair of passing Betans fall to the ground, writhing and moaning in what must have been intense agony. Another man burst from a nearby building, his hands over his ears while shouting something unintelligible at the top of his lungs. All around the Starfleet officers the sounds of panic and pain from women and men alike were beginning to bleed together in a single unrelenting cacophony.

“This can’t be good,” Lindstrom said.

Marplon froze, his voice a whisper. “Landruuuu…”

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