Read Online Scrapyard Ship 4 Realms of Time by Mark Wayne McGinnis - Free Book Online

minutes, the ten SEALs and ten rhinos exited the Magnum and were loosely assembling at a nearby rock formation. Eventually, Bristol appeared on the gangway carrying a backpack; a separate satchel hung from one shoulder. Rizzo was waiting for him and pointed in the direction of the SEALs. “Over there.”
    Grimes jogged down the gangway and joined Jason. “Cap, you want me to stay here, keep an eye on the shuttle and your fighter?”
    Jason looked over at the fighter and thought for a moment.
    “ Can you remote pilot that fighter?”
    “ Yes, sir”
    “ Send it back to the Minian. We can always call it back here if it’s needed.”
    “ Yes, sir”
    Jason signaled for Billy to join them.
    “ Aye, Cap?”
    “ I’d like you to assign two SEALs to keep watch here with Grimes. And have them get several fires going.”
    “ You got it, Cap.” Billy spun on his heels and barked out two names: “Holloway, Donaldson!”
    “ I’ll close up the shuttle, Cap,” Grimes said, and headed off. Jason watched her leave, realizing he couldn’t recall ever seeing the young lieutenant in one of their newer formfitting battle suits before. He had to admit, she filled it out in all the right spots.
    “ Excuse me, Captain.”
    Jason turned to see Rizzo approaching, with Bristol several paces behind. “What’s up, Rizzo?”
    “ Bristol’s got his instrumentation going. He may have a rough indication where the drone is located.”
    Bristol released the strap of his satchel and let the device slide down to the ground. Crouching over, he pressed a small indentation on the device’s side and two long flaps on its top opened, revealing a holographic virtual landscape representation that was nearly identical to the one Jason had earlier accessed on the fighter. The landscape flickered and disappeared several times, breaking into tiny digitized blocks, then held steady for several seconds, before repeating the same process, over and over again.
    Bristol looked up. “Um, the thing’s freaking out, but if you watch …”
    Jason saw it. The third time a small red icon blinked on—then off—at the farthest eastern coordinates of the landscape.
    “ There. See it?”
    “ I saw it. You sure that’s it?” Jason said.
    “ What else would it be? And it’s coming up at that same location each time. The drone’s doing its best to stay undetectable.”
    “ What’s the distance from our current location?”
    “ Um, I guess around three-quarters of a mile. Close. But the terrain looks to be ridiculously uneven moving eastward. I cannot guarantee we’ll find a more suitable campsite.”
    “ Here’s fine. At least it’s close. Hell, this might be easier than we thought.”
     
    * * *
     
    Local time was 2:20 PM. Jason, in the lead with Bristol and Rizzo, was followed by the rhino-warriors and SEALs. Orion and Dira brought up the rear. Life was abundant. Flocks of birds flew overhead, and small rodents crossed in front of them. More life than he would have thought possible. Several stubby-necked giraffes watched the team from afar.
    Passing a large fresh pile of excrement, Jason wondered what kind of animal could produce such an ample load. He figured this would be a good time to play around with his HUD’s phase-time-comparator circuit, the PTCC, and find out. He set the parameters for one hour earlier and watched the corresponding video feed. It took several seconds, and then he saw them: two-horned, white rhinoceros. No less than twenty of them and they were big, easily five thousand pounds each. He watched as one of the animals stood at that same dump spot and dropped his load. Three others followed his lead and did the same ten to twenty yards further up ahead—as if making a line. Perhaps marking their territory? Jason fast-forwarded the feed and saw them retreat the way they’d come, behind them.
    The scream echoed across the plains. Jason spun in time to see that one of their rhino-warriors had been pierced from behind. An