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Back Whirlwind Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

I try to imagine what’s going on inside them—pilots suddenly unable to see out blackened windows, frantically trying to pull out of their dives, relying on navigational controls. The tiniest mites breach the interior of the cockpits, flying in through air exhaust systems and cannon muzzles. They crawl down throats and fly onto the pupils of eyes. More and more microscopic bugs pour in, till the cabins are awash with them.

BLAM, one of the copters crashes into the stumpy ground and explodes.

WHHIIRFF, the other one zigzags down and is swallowed up by the trees at the edge of the forest.

As I watch the helicopters fall from the sky, I remember the army ants that broke up the colonel’s ambush on the river. It’s ironic that the rain forest’s smallest and most despised creatures are now coming to the aid of its largest ones, and turning the tide of the battle.

I start sprinting again. We’re close to the fence now. I can see a machine gun and a laser weapon clearly, mounted atop platforms on the guard towers. I spot the colonel himself taking control of the laser weapon and aiming it at Kidah and his torch.

The personal battle between these two titans from the future has now been joined, and it promises to be a brief one. The white-hot beam flashes across the dark field, searing a savage path toward the wizard.

87

87

Kidah flings his torch high into the air, like a cheerleader tossing a baton. When the burning branch reaches the apex of its arc, the flame turns blue and then goes out. At the same second, the searchlights crisscrossing the clearing all pulse and then blink off, as if the colonel’s electric generators were shorted out by the extinguishing of the wizard’s torch.

For a heartbeat, the vast field is plunged into pitch darkness. I stop running and begin to pick my way forward.

Then an apocalyptic peal of thunder rips the sky open, and a blazing bolt of energy flashes down like a serpent’s forked tongue. A laser from the sky streaks toward the man-made laser atop the guard tower.

A shadow dives off the platform a split second before the lightning strikes. I’m pretty sure it was the colonel, making a desperate escape. Then the bolt from the stormy black sky flashes into the guard tower, and nothing is left standing save a few scorched and twisted metal bars.

I reach the fence in the first wave of attackers, and start climbing. It was probably electrified, but the blue pulse of Kidah’s torch took care of that. Even so, it’s not easy to climb a three-story fence in rainy darkness.