Tomorrow War by Mack Maloney Read Free Book Online Page A

forward fuselage.
    Its nickname was apt, as well. With a bubble cockpit and long, thin fuselage behind it, the TRX looked like a fifteen-foot-long metal-coated flying insect. Most were painted bright green, adding to the giant-fly appearance. Best of all, just about anybody could pilot one. The controls were simple and not much more complicated than driving an automobile. In this part of the world, TRX jetcopters were as numerous as real flies. The Cherrybenders had a small squadron of six at their disposal.
    It was to this small air base that Aki stumbled about fifteen minutes after Laki’s skewering.
    The guards who saw Aki approach in full panic nearly shot him on sight. He looked so horrible they thought they were being attacked by some kind of evil spirit.
    “Ghosts!” he was screaming in Japanese to the startled guards. “Ghosts … are everywhere!”
    The guards grabbed Aki and held him down.
    “What are you talking about!” one screamed at him. “What is happening?”
    By this time, there was a strange green foam coming from Aki’s mouth.
    “If they try to rescue the princess,” he stuttered through the foam, “they must take the train first!”
    The guards were in no mood to play heroes. Things had been strange on Kibini for days and they did not want to see just how much stranger they could become. Aki had gone insane, that was the most obvious conclusion. So the lead guard simply shot him twice in the head—this stopped his bloodcurdling squeals. Then they all made for the jetcopters. If the atoll was indeed under some kind of ethereal attack, the air-base guards wanted to be anyplace other than this isolated hilltop, six miles away from the pirates’ main base.
    So they tried to flee. But by the time they reached the southern end of the base, where the jetcopters were kept, they made another grisly discovery. The small contingent of air mechanics, who were charged with keeping the Bugs in flying condition, were all dead, sliced through the heart with bayonetlike skewers. Each man had died with an astonished look on his face.
    The air-base guards were desperate now. All six of them piled into one of the Bugs and hastily took off. The man who wound up behind the controls was somewhat experienced in driving a TRX jetcopter. He lifted off cleanly, but had some trouble maintaining a high enough speed to complete the translation over to horizontal flight. Built for four, the Bug was overloaded by a factor of two bodies. The pirates had a quick solution. The two last men who’d climbed aboard were summarily pushed back out the door, both fell several hundred feet to their deaths.
    Lighter now, the pilot was able to get the jetcopter level and moving horizontal. He pointed the nose of the Bug due south, toward the main base of the Cherries.
    The hasty flight proceeded well for the first minute or so. The guards were convinced that if they just got to the main base, the strength in numbers would protect them from whatever had spooked Aki and had killed the air mechanics. But just as the glow of the main lagoon came into view, the guards were astonished to find another Bug flying right beside them.
    They looked over at this jetcopter and were further dismayed to see that it contained not sea pirates but four huge Caucasian men in black combat fatigues and battle helmets. Two were pointing large infantry weapons at the guards.
    The pilot in control of the pirates’ Bug was named Zushi. At first sight of the second jetcopter, he banked the Bug wildly to the left. But the second aircraft stayed right with him. He tried increasing speed, but like a banshee, the second Bug stayed right up with them. Zushi put the jetcopter into a steep climb; the second Bug remained on his tail. He tried to dive—but the second aircraft perfectly mimicked his maneuver. Finally he slammed on the air brakes, hoping the second Bug would shoot past him—but the pursuing pilot did not fall for this. He pulled up right alongside the