Scientific Sorcery

Part 39

Kerr felt the rumbling in his back as he ran. The vibration shot up to his neck. He shivered. What was that?

All around him, the battle was loud. Men were shouting and screaming out in pain—most of them ahead of him, where Amaunet and her warriors were surging forward. But there was something else. It was something unnatural, and yet familiar.

What was that? Kerr turned and looked over his shoulder, but didn't see anything except the angry faces of the enemy men chasing after him.

And then he heard it. The sound was unmistakable.

A string of explosions sounded in the air. A violent RATA-TATA-TAT!

Kerr's eyes shot wide. That wasn't a rifle or a musket. That was a machine gun! And that rumbling—that was an engine! It was getting closer, which meant one thing—there was some kind of vehicle with a machine gun, and it was coming this way. His body was bullet-proof, but he could still be crushed—his head could still be shot. And these women would be no match for that many bullets. They would be ripped to pieces.

Kerr tried to run faster, but he was already giving everything he had just to keep up with the women. He tried to shout, but managed a weak gasp, the sound of it drowning in the din of the battle. Gritting his teeth, he willed his poor legs to push harder. They burned in response. He felt like he was running slower rather than faster.

Behind him, he heard a mighty cheer go up amongst the enemy. The rumbling engines were louder... almost on top of them. His mind felt like twisted taffy. Engines and machine guns didn't jive with bows and arrows. It didn't fit into any time period that he could imagine. He was having doubts about his sanity—and whether or not this was all a dream.

He didn't have time to consider. Behind him, the crowd split. With a roar, a green jeep soared into view. Kerr saw it with the eyes of a historian, placing the design as something from the late 1900's... military design, but there were no insignias on it that he could see. The man behind the wheel laughed like a maniac. He saw Kerr and the group of women running in front of him and his smile grew more wide.

Kerr's eyes locked on the end of the machine gun barrel. It seemed to grow closer in his vision as time slowed and stretched in a familiar way.

Emergency by-pass enabled

Organs stabilized

Energy levels at 86%

Calculating trajectory

"NO!" Kerr roared. He didn't want the suit jumping him away. Sudden energy flooded his arms, legs, and chest. He surged forward, feeling like an unstoppable dynamo again.

The women ahead of him were looking back now, but their heads were turning slow. He saw their eyes roll sideways as he flew past them. He was shouting, but even that seemed drawn out in his ears, "Geeeeeeeet dooooooown!"

He was running toward Amaunet and the others, his feet kicking up dirt as he sprinted. Behind him, he heard the machine gun start to explode bullets. He cringed, knowing he would soon feel the sting of impacts.

The women beside Amaunet were spinning to face the new foe, eyes widening. Out of the corner of Kerr's eyes, he saw two flanking women fly backwards in a shower of blood. The bullets were shooting into them and into the men behind and around them. Kerr could see lines of yellow drawing in the air. He understood them as the paths of bullets. He was seeing them, and a larger yellow line that was the arc of gunfire. It was going to slice through him in a split second.

Trajectory calculated

Preparing Jump

Kerr acted on his first instinct. He bent forward and kicked hard with both legs. They were already preparing for a jump, vibrating with energy, and the push took him forward instead of upward. Kerr reached out with both arms.