Hero Go Home

Previously: As Twain and Digger discovering the secret of the City of the Moon, Yi Fan tried to stall the Cobalt Czar from entering the cave until Metalord could return with the mask. And now…

“Then again, let’s not go in right away,” the Czar said with a small smile. Yi Fan’s tension eased, but only barely. The Czar turned to take in the rest of the small outpost. “There’s something I’m still not clear on.”

“What’s that?” Yi Fan asked.

“The damage,” the Czar said. He walked out of the inner compound to the crumpled remains of a truck in the small motor pool. The various fluids from the truck had mingled in a reeking, viscous puddle with a rainbow sheen. “This truck has been demolished like the ones on the road leading up the hill, and that truck over there…” he pointed at the ass end of another truck sticking out of the small barracks, “was used to destroy that building. Destroying vehicles and using them as weapons certainly sounds like Metalord, but the way these are ripped to shreds doesn’t look like his work.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” the Czar said. “As a matter of fact, they look like your ghost’s.”

“How strange,” Yi Fan said. “He must be trying to sow distrust between us.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]Ghostly fists smashed down on top of the Czar. The ground shook with the impact, and the Ghost howled his rage to the iron sky…[/blockquote]“That must be it,” the Czar agreed. He turned and strode toward the cave, calling out over his shoulder, “Cave now, yes? You stand guard out here.”

“No!” Yi Fan said as she ran to catch up to him.

The Czar stopped and turned to face her. “Did you just refuse to follow my order?”

“No,” Yi Fan said. “I… I merely meant that it might be better if I accompany you.”

“The City of the Moon is for me and me alone,” the Czar said. “Have I ever been unclear on that?”

“No, certainly not,” Yi Fan said. “But these Americans, they are…”

“They are dead men,” the Czar said and walked toward the entrance.

“No!” Yi Fan shouted in a voice not entirely her own, and ghostly fists smashed down on top of the Czar. The ground shook with the impact, and the Ghost howled his rage to the iron sky.

***

“That sounds like… Yi Fan!” Twain said. He scrambled to his feet and ran out of the chamber the way they had come in.

Digger started to run after him, then stopped and looked at the cup. He’d thought the juice required an hour in the sunlight, but it looked as if the juice in the cup was already glowing. It was hard to tell because of the pervasive glow of the crystals lining the walls and ceiling, but it certainly looked…

He had no time to worry about it now. He dashed out after Twain, leaving behind the blue glow of the crystals and following the bobbing circle of light from Twain’s flashlight. He bumped into rocky projections and stumbled over irregularities in the cave floor as he tried not to lose sight of the flashlight’s glow. The howls of the Ghost surrounded him in the darkness as he pushed forward. The ground rumbled once again, and tiny chunks of rock sifted from the ceiling.

A fight has begun. There will probably be more tomorrow. Don’t miss the next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: While Yi Fan tried to stall the Czar outside, Twain and Digger had finally reached the City of the Moon. And now…

Twain and Digger stood in a narrow passageway with tiny glowing blue crystals dotting the walls and ceiling. “I knew it,” Twain said. “I knew they had to be here.”

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the River the way Pat had taught him years ago. Unlike then, Twain could feel it now, an ebb and swell, like a pulse driven by a million heartbeats.

“Hey,” Digger said, “it looks brighter through there.”

Twain followed Digger down the narrow passageway and around a bend into another, wider chamber. There more crystals here, and bigger. The ones in the previous passage had been only two to three inches long. In here, some were as long as a foot. It was brighter in here as well, due in part to light shining through a small opening into another chamber. Twain got down on hands and knees and shrugged out of his backpack.

“What are you doing?” Digger asked.

“There’s more in here,” Twain said. He crawled through the narrow passageway.

And emerged into a gigantic chamber, hundreds of feet across, the ceiling soaring high above his head. The blue glow was intense in here, coming from thousands, maybe millions of crystals. Tiny ones covered the floor like fur, while larger ones dominated the middle of the chamber, many taller than a man.

“Wow, that’s bright,” Digger said from beside him. “Jeez, it’s like a cathedral or something in here. Look, there’s even an altar.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]“But that’s not a cathedral in there. It’s tar sands. It’s a reservoir just waiting to be tapped.”[/blockquote]Digger pointed at something toward the center of the vast chamber. It was hard to make out at first–just a different configuation of glowing blue crystals in a sea of them–but just in front of a cluster of tall crystals that reminded Twain vaguely of Stonehenge sat a smaller cluster of almost uniform height, about waist high. Something small and dark lay just to one side of the altar, but the pulse of the River in Twain’s head made it hard to concentrate. Twain got down to crawl out of the chamber.

“Where are you going?” Digger asked. “This is what you came for. Twice. Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, bask in it or something?”

“I didn’t do it for the view,” Twain said as he crawled out.

“What does that mean?” Digger asked as he emerged into the smalled antechamber.

Twain was sitting on the floor, rooting through his pack. He pulled the Cup of Regret from his backpack and set it on the rock floor. “I came here to use this place, not gawk at it,” Twain said.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t…”

“Don’t get me wrong. I can see that it’s beautiful,” Twain said. He pulled out a wineskin and poured juice into the cup. The golden juice looked green in the blue glow. “But that’s not a cathedral in there. It’s tar sands. It’s a reservoir just waiting to be tapped. That’s why…”

He stopped as the earth rumbled beneath them, and far off, they heard a ghostly howl.

Hey, I think we’re getting close to a big confrontation, as heroes, villains, and whatever the hell Twain is fight over the City of the Moon. Don’t miss the next exciting chapter of Run, Digger, Run!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: As Yi Fan and Cole conspired to bring down the Czar, Twain and Digger descended into the cave. And now…

As Yi Fan disappeared into the darkness, Digger turned away from her to look down the passage they were following. A moment later, Twain swung his flashlight around to illuminate their way.

“Wait,” Digger said. “Turn it off.”

“Why?” Twain asked.

“I thought I saw…” Digger trailed off without finishing.

Twain shut off the light, plunging them both into utter blackness. “Well, this was a great idea,” Twain said.

“Wait for it,” Digger said.

And slowly over the next couple of minutes, Twain saw what Digger had meant. The blackness gradually became less black, like the hour before dawn. It was so dim that Twain had trouble even perceiving it directly. When Twain was a kid, he’d had an old TV in his room. He would stay up late watching old monster movies, and when he turned the TV set off, the screen would glow just like this, so dimly that he could only perceive it by looking away from it and sensing the glow in his peripheral vision.

He turned the flashlight back on. “Come on,” he said and set off down the passageway, expecting to come upon the mysterious light source around the next bend.

But they encountered nothing unusual around the next bend, or the next. Twain switched off the flashlight again and the glow grew more quickly and more intense. [blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”left”]They continued further down the tunnel, and this time when Twain turned off the flashlight, he had no need to turn it back on, because the glow was light enough to maneuver by…[/blockquote]

“This is it,” he said, walking down the passageway illuminated by the pale blue glow. He rounded a last bend and gasped.

***

The jeep’s springs sighed with almost human relief as the Cobalt Czar climbed out of the jeep. He took in the bodies and wreckage scattered around the compound. “Where are they now?”

“I don’t know,” Yi Fan said above the clatter of soldiers rushing to take up guard positions. “They were gone when I got here.”

The Czar looked at the fance, with the missing bit where Metalord had unraveled the wire. It looked as if it had been partially eaten. “They’re in the cave, obviously.”

He took two steps toward the cave and found Yi Fan falling into step beside him. “I don’t think so,” she said. “The tracks look like they meant to enter the cave, but left. Scared off by the sound of your convoy, perhaps.”

“So where do you believe they are,” the Czar asked.

“Hard to say,” Yi Fan said. “But the tracks say they went that way.”

She pointed off northeast into the trees. The Czar considered for a moment, then nodded. “Well, then, by all means, let’s pursue.”

He turned away from the cave, then snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, I remember now. I knew there was another reason to go into the cave.”

Yi Fan paled as he turned back toward the entrance. The Czar must not enter the cave at any cost!

Will Yi Fan be able to stop the Czar from entering, or at least stall him until Cole gets there? Don’t miss our next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: As Twain and Digger descended toward the City of the Moon, Yi fan got a call ordering her to meet the Cobalt Czar there.

“What are you doing?” Yi Fan asked.

“Working on a way to beat the Czar,” Cole said. “I don’t want to kill him, but if it comes down to it…”

“There’s a better way,” Yi Fan said. “Can you fly?”

Cole sucked air through his teeth as he considered. “Could be difficult. I’m getting stronger, but I’m not sure I’m there yet.”

“Then find out,” Yi Fan said.

“Why?”

“The mask…” Yi Fan began.

“The mask that Digger’s after?” Cole interrupted. “The one that took away his powers?”

“Yes,” Yi Fan said. “It will work on the Czar also, I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t know,” Cole said. “We kind of decided that taking away his powers would be bad.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]“What’s important is that you get the mask, quickly! Can’t you hear? He’s almost upon us!”[/blockquote]“He’s coming here to confront you, and he’s not happy. How do you propose to beat him? Like that?” She pointed at the sliced rock on the ground. “The Czar’s skin is considerably tougher than that rock. And maiming him won’t stop him. He destroyed his own arm during the Pestilence from Heaven without hesitation and kept fighting.”

“How many arms did he have?” Cole asked. “Because he had two when I fought him.”

“He has a healer who helped him grow a new one,” Yi Fan said. “So if the mask doesn’t work, we can use your idea as a ‘Plan B.’”

“Oh no, it’s not Plan B,” Cole said. “It’s more like Plan, um, L or something.”

“The letter’s not important!” Yi Fan snapped above the sound of distant engines laboring up the hillside. “What’s important is that you get the mask, quickly! Can’t you hear? He’s almost upon us!”

“Okay, lady, keep your shirt on,” Cole said. Then he looked her up and down and smiled. “Although later, if you wanted to take it off…”

Yi Fan’s eyes clouded with white, and Cole dimly heard the howl of unearthly winds. “Go!” Yi Fan said in a voice that was not entirely hers.

“Okay, fine,” Cole said. He gestured at the fence. Steel wire unraveled from it and wrapped itself around Cole’s waist, under the crotch and over each shoulder several times, like a climbing harness. “Here goes.”

He concentrated and lifted slowly from the ground. “Hey, what do you know? This crazy gizmo really works!” he said in English.

“What?” Yi Fan asked as her ghostly aspect faded. The engine noises grew louder.

“Never mind,” Cole said in Chinese. “Where’s the mask?”

“In the Czar’s personal chambers,” Yi Fan said. She handed him the canvas messenger bag she wore over her shoulder. “Put it in this. I’ll stall until you get back.”

“Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “He still thinks I’m working for him. Go quickly, but don’t let yourself be seen.”

“Right. I’ll be right back.” He soared out over the trees and disappeared.

Yi Fan walked toward the gate to the compound and looked down the dirt road to the short convoy of vehicles laboring up toward her.

Will Cole make it back in time? And what’s happening underground? Don’t miss the next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: Twain, Yi Fan and Digger had entered the forbidden cave to find the fabled City of the Moon. And now…

The Cobalt Czar sat alone in the back of the Jeep, his shoulders so broad that there was no room for someone to sit beside him, had anyone been brave enough to do so. With every bump they hit, the springs creaked alarmingly under his weight.

“Call Yi Fan and have her meet us there,” the Czar said to his secretary riding in the front passenger seat. “These Americans have gotten tiresome. I think I’ll simply kill them and be done with it.”

***

The chirp of the phone echoed off the walls, shockingly loud in the darkness of the cave. Yi Fan pulled out her phone, briefly illuminating the three of them in the harsh pale light of the phone screen. “Hello?”

“Mi__Cri________nts__kk__,” came the almost completely unintellible signal from the Czar’s personal secretary before the call dropped.

“Hello? Hello?” Yi Fan shut off the phone. “I can’t understand him from in here. I’ll have to take the call outside.”

“Why bother?” Twain asked. “We’re on the verge of defeating the Czar for good.”

“But until we do, we mustn’t let him suspect my loyalty or my true intentions,” Yi Fan said. She bussed Twain on the cheek and turned back the way they had come. “I’ll try not to take long. Good luck.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”left”]His attention was comepletely riveted on a length of steel wire floating before him, ripped from the inner chain-link fence protecting the cave…[/blockquote]A short while later, she emerged into sunlight. The Chinese-American sat on a flat rock a short distance away. His attention was comepletely riveted on a length of steel wire floating before him, ripped from the inner chain-link fence protecting the cave. Her phone chirped again, and he started. The wire dropped to the ground.

Yi Fan answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Officer Yi Fan?” asked the voice of the Czar’s secretary. “Where are you right now?”

“Is there a problem?” Yi Fan asked as the American concentrated on the wire again, lifting it off the ground.

“We’ve received a report that the Americans have attacked the City of the Moon,” the secretary said. Yi Fan’s attention was distracted by a rock underneath the floating wire, or rather, two nearly identical rocks side-by-side, with matching, perfectly flat edges between them. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought they had once been one rock that was sliced in two. “You are to meet the Czar there immediately.”

“I understand,” Yi Fan said. “I’ll go there now.”

She clicked off the connection and turned to the American. “Hey, you understand Mandarin, right?”

“Yes,” the man said, not taking his eyes off the wire writhing slowly in front of him.

“Are you okay? Because you seem… strange.”

The man let the wire drop again and turned his full attention on Yi Fan. “Yes, I’m fine. What do you need?”

“The Czar is on his way here right now,” Yi Fan said. “I can…”

She let the sentence drift off, unfinished. Next to where the wire had dropped, the two almost identical rocks were now four rocks of unequal sizes, as if they had just been cut in two.

Just what is Cole’s secret weapon? Don’t miss the next exciting episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: Digger, Twain and Yi Fan were making their way down into the cave that serves as the entrance to the City of the Moon. And now…

“How do you ‘accidentally’ have brain surgery?” Digger asked.

“How isn’t the important part of the story,” Twain said. “The important part is that it put the device in my head that let me flip over a year before the First String event that gave everyone else their powers.”

“Wait, you had your powers before?” Digger asked.

“Yeah,” Twain said. “ And while I was getting all that sorted out, this guy hunts me down, name of Pat. Old guy. Never could get a straight answer on exactly how old. And he heads this secret society called the League of Dragons.”

“You’re shitting me,” Digger said.

“Hey, learn Chinese and ask her,” Twain said, swinging the flashlight beam at Yi Fan. “Anyway, this Pat tells me the thing in my head allows me to tap into this power that he called the River, and if I let him teach me, I could learn how to do a hell of a lot more with it than change clothes.”

“Like what?”

“Like what you used to be able to do,” Twain said. “Be faster and stronger and tougher than anyone else. Channel it to heal or to defend. Pretty much anything.”

“But you never had those kinds of powers,” Digger asked. “So why did you turn him down? Or was he just a fraud?”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]”…suddenly the amazing things I’d been seeing Pat and the others do were small potatoes. You made us obsolete in like a day…”[/blockquote]“Neither,” Twain said. “While I was his student in China, I saw people do incredible things. But I could never get it to work. Maybe the device in my head was blocking me, or maybe I was just subconsciously unable to accept the fact that I could do that kind of stuff, too. All I know is, I spent two years banging my head against the wall with no results, and by that time, guys like you were starting to pop up all over the place. And suddenly the amazing things I’d been seeing Pat and the others do were small potatoes. You made us obsolete in like a day.”

“So you quit.”

“Yeah,” Twain said. “I came back home and learned how to make the most of what I could do. How to make it pay.”

“So what does that have to do with what’s going on now?” Digger asked.

He saw Twain’s face crinkle in the darkness in what looked like a smile. “All that stuff I could never do? I could do it when I had that crystal.”

***

Cole sat on a flat rock near the cave entrance and concentrated on the inner fence surrounding the cave. His perceptions were coming clearer with every passing minute. He could feel the entire periphery of the inner fence, and most of the outer fence as well, although he still barely had enough strength to lift a rifle.

He still had one weapon he could use against the Czar, although he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to use it. He had only ever done it once before, and the devastation it had wreaked had been terrifying.

What could Cole’s secret weapon possibly be? Don’t miss our next exciting episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: Cole just told Twain and Yi Fan that one soldier escaped their attack on the City of the Moon, and will probably summon the Czar. And now…

“I did!” Yi Fan said. “I mean, that one did try to get away in a jeep, but I smashed it!”

“He was thrown clear,” Cole said, as the metal surrounding them–the rifles, the chain-link fencing, the smashed vehicles down the slope–began to make its presence more firmly known in his mind. “He was taking off down the hill when I came up here.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?” asked Twain.

“Because I didn’t want him to die?” Cole said. “Plus, how was I supposed to do it? My powers aren’t working, remember.”

He reached out a hand at one of the rifles nearby and concentrated. Nothing happened for a moment, then one end of the weapon lifted a couple of feet, swayed and dipped, then dropped again.  “They’re coming back, though.”

“Well, that’s going to make it tight,” Twain said. “The Cup needs an hour to charge, and that’s only if I’m right about the cave.”

“I can try to stall him, if it comes to that,” Yi Fan said.

“Right,” Twain said. “Let’s get moving then.”

The gate securing the cave’s entrance was held in place by a thick chain with a padlock. Twain tested the chain link fence to make sure it wasn’t electrified, then started to climb. When he was halfway up, Digger grabbed the lock and pulled it open, then opened the gate. Twain dropped back down. “Why didn’t you do that before I started climbing?”

“What’s funny about that?”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]He reached out a hand at one of the rifles nearby and concentrated. Nothing happened for a moment, then one end of the weapon lifted a couple of feet, swayed and dipped, then dropped again. ..[/blockquote]As they approached the cave entrance, Cole said, “You guys go on ahead. I’m going to stay out here.”

“Claustrophobic?” Digger asked.

“No,” Cole said. He waved his fingers at the fence, and the chain link shivered in response. “Just going to work on getting my mojo back.”

Digger nodded. “Well, yell if you need us.”

Digger sighed in relief as they entered the cool darkness. Even though his powers weren’t aligned with operating underground anymore, he hadn’t forgotten what it was like. Being down here did make him even more aware of the lack of his former senses, however. Without his enhanced vision or seismic sense, he felt somehow blind and cut off. Was this the way Cole had felt when he was unable to sense metals? “So what’s the deal with this cave, anyway?” Digger asked.

“I told you before. We can get more of the crystals like the one we took from Caveat here,” Twain said. He pulled a flashlight out of his pack and turned it on as they descended into greater darkness.

“You think,” Digger said.

“I know,” Twain said.

“How can you be so sure?” Digger asked.

“Because I can feel them, up ahead,” Twain said. “A lot of them.”

“You can feel them?” Digger asked. “Since when?”

“Since… Well, that’s actually a long story.”

You have something else to talk about while we walk?” Digger asked. His eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness.

“No,” Twain admitted. “It started when I accidentally had brain surgery.”

Well, we all knew something was wrong with his mind, right? Don’t miss the rest of Twain’s explanation in our next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: Digger and Cole made their way to the military base protecting the City of the Moon, only to find Twain and Yi Fan already there. And now…

Twain turned and fixed Digger with a mocking smile. He wore a backpack for hiking, but otherwise seemed unarmed and unprepared, which seemed strange to Cole. According to Digger, Twain was always prepared. “What are you doing here? Did you decide to follow another one of my plans after all?”

“No,” said Digger. “I just want the mask.”

“What did he say?” asked Yi Fan in Mandarin.

“He said he wants the mask,” Cole translated.

“Why?” Yi Fan asked. “The mask doesn’t work anymore.”

“What?” Twain asked.

“I already tried putting it on the Czar, and it didn’t work,” Yi Fan explained.

“What are they saying?” Digger asked Cole.

“The mask is broken,” Cole answered.

“Was the amulet still attached?” Twain asked.

“What?”

“There was something taped to the forehead,” Twain said.

“Oh, yeah,” Yi Fan said. “The tape was coming loose and it looked ugly, so the Czar pulled it off.”

“That’s the control,” Twain said. “The mask doesn’t work unless the amulet touches the forehead. Doesn’t matter. I’ve come up with a better plan.”

“What are they saying now?” Digger asked.

“The mask may not be broken,” Cole said.

“Well, damn it, pick one!” Digger yelled at Twain.

“Shut up!” Twain yelled back. “What are you even doing here?”

“We were going to hole up here until Cole got his powers back, then come rescue you,” Digger said.

“I don’t need rescuing,” Twain countered.

“I see that,” Digger said. “So why are you here? You really think you can destroy the Czar’s powers here?”

Twain smiled and pulled the Cup of Regret from his backpack.

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”left”]“Oh, God no, seriously?” Digger asked. “I’ve already told you. Time travel never helps. I’ve made the trip three times already, and nothing good has come of it.”[/blockquote]“Oh, God no, seriously?” Digger asked. “I’ve already told you. Time travel never helps. I’ve made the trip three times already, and nothing good has come of it.”

“Perhaps you’re doing it wrong,” Twain said. He turned and walked away toward an inner fenced enclosure.

“What was he saying?” Yi Fan asked.

Twain shrugged. “The Cup didn’t work well for him, so he thinks it won’t work for anyone else.”

“”What does it do?” Yi Fan asked.

“Remember when you first met me? When I said I had come from the future?” Twain hefted the cup. “This is what will send me back.”

“What good will that do?” Yi Fan asked.

“All the good in the world,” Twain said. “It’s the key to defeating the Czar.”

“What are you telling her?” Digger asked in English.

“How much you suck,” Twain said. “You want to see how the Cup really ought to work? Just follow me.”

“You’re awfully confident,” Cole said. “You really think you can do whatever it is you plan to do before the Czar gets here to stop you?”

Twain stopped and looked at Cole like he was an idiot. “Why would the Czar even come here?”

“Because of that soldier who escaped and called for help?” Cole said.

Twain looked startled. He turned to Yi Fan and said in Mandarin, “I thought you killed everyone before they could summon help!”

Weekly conclusion coming tomorrow, and then I need to get on the stick and write the first episode of week 37 the same day to get back on schedule. Can I do it? Oh, and what happens next in the story? Don’t miss the next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Previously: Cole and Digger had found a military outpost that they believed might be the mysterious cave Twain had told them about. And now…

“So what now?” Cole asked after they had retreated down the hill a ways. “You want to break in there?”

Digger shook his head. “If it’s that vital to the Czar, it was silly of me to think he’d leave it unguarded. We might as well just stay here. We’re far enough away from the truck, and no one think we’d hole up this close to one of his bases. How are you feeling? Are the drugs wearing off?”

“Well, I sweated myself sober a while ago,” Cole said. “As for the other…”

He closed his eyes and tried to stretch out with his mind. “There’s something there. Before, I couldn’t feel anything. Now, it feels like touching something through a thick layer of cotton and trying to figure out the texture underneath.”

“Good,” Digger said, “so when you’re fully back, we’ll go back to the palace and spring Twain, and then…”

He was interrupted by the sound of shots and a siren. “Did they find us?”

Cole looked around frantically, but saw no one approaching through the trees and the shots sounded far off. “No, something else is happening.”

“Damn it,” Digger said. “Come on.”

He took off in the direction of the shots. Cole followed. They made their way around the hillside, as the sound of gunshots was accompanied by a familiar roar.

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]He took off in the direction of the shots. Cole followed. They made their way around the hillside, as the sound of gunshots was accompanied by a familiar roar…[/blockquote]The Ghost was somewhere ahead, Cole realized, as the shots became more frantic and were joined now by screams. He heard the sound of an engine, and a jeep came rattling down the road just now barely visible through the trees. Seconds later, a larger truck hit the road behind the jeep, flung by some incredible force. It bounced up and caught the rear of the fleeing jeep, flipping it into the air. The vehicle’s sole occupant, a young soldier, was thrown clear, arms and legs flailing. He landed in some tall undergrowth to the side of the road as the vehicles continued to roll down the slope, the noise of their passage almost drowning out the roar above.

The siren cut off, and moments later, the roar of the Ghost’s wind with it. Digger and Cole stopped just shy of emerging onto the road. Cole faintly heard a rustle in the undergrowth where the soldier had fallen, looked that way to catch a bare glimpse of the soldier crawling into the deeper cover of the trees before turning down the slope. Up the slope, he could hear voices approaching, thought he could hear something about “just go to the cave.”

And then Digger said, “Twain?” When Cole turned away from watching the soldier, he saw Digger on the road, headed up.

***

The Czar listened with increasing anger to reports of no success in finding the escaped Americans. “Can you really be this incompetent?” he yelled at the lieutenant giving the report.

“Excellency” Another guard ran into the room, breathless. “There’s been an attack! The Ghost Dragon has attacked the City of the Moon!”

What will the Czar do next? And what is the secret of the mysterious City of the Moon? Don’t miss the next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…