could not be found, or you would have destroyed it..."
"So you get rid of me and the Centaurus technology is gone forever. To what end? What is so much better that your people would pass on that awesome potential?" asked Heck, driving the conversation away from the Centaurus Device.
"My superiors have access to something greater. Something faster, safer, and more reliable."
"They have another way to use wormholes?"
"Not wormholes, Marshal. Alien technology. Faster than light engines that work beyond what our own engineers are capable of! Even the brilliant Dr. Connor could not conceive their potential."
That revelation stunned the room. For a moment, Heck wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Mankind had been working and living in space for almost two centuries and colonized a number of planets and moons, and yet no trace of sentient alien life had ever been discovered.
"Why should I believe that absurd statement?"
"I realize how far-fetched that sounds, Marshal, but it is true." Lainne's eyes were glued to those of the dark man, while Gelad's face was a mask of stone. Heck somehow knew that the Israeli was already aware of this.
"Ok. Let's say your aliens are real. What's the catch? Why are they giving you their technology?"
"I have learned a great deal about these aliens and I believe them to be demons, agents of Satan. I stand apart from the Crescent Moon on this point. It goes against all that Allah teaches to believe these beings are kind and gentle benefactors."
"Go on."
"I know all about you, Marshal." Heck nodded but said nothing. "I know what happened to you. I know about your woman's disappearance and I know who attacked you as you were preparing to enter the wormhole. You may thank Orion's Sword for that, Marshal."
"Orion's Sword," he repeated. "Aren't you one of them?"
"I work for them, but I could never be one of them. They have powerful weapons and spacecraft. It is remarkable you escaped from them."
"Are they aliens?"
"They would have us believe their lies that they are our beneficent saviors. But I know better. And now that we have what they want, they have become more bold. They claim to come from the Orion constellation. And if they do, then that is where Hell may be found."
"What's so bad about them? Aren't they giving you FTL technology?" asked Lainne.
"Nothing is free," answered the man.
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Heck. "What is their price?"
"The m-" began the assassin. But all that escaped his lips were groans of pain. The man was suddenly wracked with spasms and began jerking about as though he were having a seizure.
"What's happening?" demanded Lainne in a panic. "Help him!"
But there was no help for him. Foam accumulated on his lips and blood tricked from his ears and nose as he grunted and thrashed. Lainne looked away and covered her mouth as the other two men watched the assassin die.
"Well, at least we don't have to kill him," said Heck. Gelad nodded. "We should be going now."
"What was that all about? What happened to him?"
"There must be a device somewhere in his body that triggered a seizure, killing him."
"How did they know he was talking? Can they hear us somehow?"
"No. They could not hear us. It is possible that the device that killed him recorded this conversation, but they could not collect that without physically removing the device. When we entered this bunker, whatever tracking device was inside him may have gone offline and was programed to terminate him in a predefined period of time."
"But wouldn't he know that?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. In any case, we must assume that others will know of our general location very soon. We should be on our way as soon as we can, unless of course we would like to meet more of these assassins working for Orion's Sword."
Lainne was beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the death and violence. It was really remarkable to her how these men could witness the death of a human being and be so unmoved. Even though
"So you get rid of me and the Centaurus technology is gone forever. To what end? What is so much better that your people would pass on that awesome potential?" asked Heck, driving the conversation away from the Centaurus Device.
"My superiors have access to something greater. Something faster, safer, and more reliable."
"They have another way to use wormholes?"
"Not wormholes, Marshal. Alien technology. Faster than light engines that work beyond what our own engineers are capable of! Even the brilliant Dr. Connor could not conceive their potential."
That revelation stunned the room. For a moment, Heck wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Mankind had been working and living in space for almost two centuries and colonized a number of planets and moons, and yet no trace of sentient alien life had ever been discovered.
"Why should I believe that absurd statement?"
"I realize how far-fetched that sounds, Marshal, but it is true." Lainne's eyes were glued to those of the dark man, while Gelad's face was a mask of stone. Heck somehow knew that the Israeli was already aware of this.
"Ok. Let's say your aliens are real. What's the catch? Why are they giving you their technology?"
"I have learned a great deal about these aliens and I believe them to be demons, agents of Satan. I stand apart from the Crescent Moon on this point. It goes against all that Allah teaches to believe these beings are kind and gentle benefactors."
"Go on."
"I know all about you, Marshal." Heck nodded but said nothing. "I know what happened to you. I know about your woman's disappearance and I know who attacked you as you were preparing to enter the wormhole. You may thank Orion's Sword for that, Marshal."
"Orion's Sword," he repeated. "Aren't you one of them?"
"I work for them, but I could never be one of them. They have powerful weapons and spacecraft. It is remarkable you escaped from them."
"Are they aliens?"
"They would have us believe their lies that they are our beneficent saviors. But I know better. And now that we have what they want, they have become more bold. They claim to come from the Orion constellation. And if they do, then that is where Hell may be found."
"What's so bad about them? Aren't they giving you FTL technology?" asked Lainne.
"Nothing is free," answered the man.
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Heck. "What is their price?"
"The m-" began the assassin. But all that escaped his lips were groans of pain. The man was suddenly wracked with spasms and began jerking about as though he were having a seizure.
"What's happening?" demanded Lainne in a panic. "Help him!"
But there was no help for him. Foam accumulated on his lips and blood tricked from his ears and nose as he grunted and thrashed. Lainne looked away and covered her mouth as the other two men watched the assassin die.
"Well, at least we don't have to kill him," said Heck. Gelad nodded. "We should be going now."
"What was that all about? What happened to him?"
"There must be a device somewhere in his body that triggered a seizure, killing him."
"How did they know he was talking? Can they hear us somehow?"
"No. They could not hear us. It is possible that the device that killed him recorded this conversation, but they could not collect that without physically removing the device. When we entered this bunker, whatever tracking device was inside him may have gone offline and was programed to terminate him in a predefined period of time."
"But wouldn't he know that?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. In any case, we must assume that others will know of our general location very soon. We should be on our way as soon as we can, unless of course we would like to meet more of these assassins working for Orion's Sword."
Lainne was beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the death and violence. It was really remarkable to her how these men could witness the death of a human being and be so unmoved. Even though
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