Athena's lips curled downward. "There you are again, bringing it up."

  "It's hard not to."

  "You resent me now," Athena said with a trace of bitterness.

  "Not you," Blade said. "But I do resent the way you manipulated the Force to satisfy your own selfish interests."

  "Selfish!" Athena exploded, her cheeks flushing a crimson hue. "If you had any idea of the sheer hell I've been through, you wouldn't accuse me of being so petty."

  "And what about the hell Grizzly has experienced? What about his misery, his hurt? He loved you with all his heart. You were the first person he ever fully and truly cared for, and you concocted an elaborate deception so you could back out of the relationship instead of being open and honest about your feelings."

  Athena bowed her head, and her next words were barely audible. "I thought it was for the best."

  "You thought wrong."

  "I know that now," Athena said, gazing at him, tears rimming her eyes. "I know I made the biggest mistake of my life. But you must appreciate what I was going through a year ago. I mean, there we were, Grizzly and me, deeply in love and talking about the prospect of marriage, of having a home and rearing children." She paused and swallowed hard. "Can you imagine it? No woman has ever married a hybrid before. Our children might have turned out as freaks. They would have been ridiculed and scorned, even hated by some people. How could I put them through that?"

  Blade pursed his lips. "There's no evidence to indicate your children would have been freaks. For all we know, they would have been born totally human."

  "But what if they weren't? Did I have the right to take such a risk?"

  "I can't say," Blade said softly.

  "The prospect of having children was only half of the problem," Athena elaborated. "To be perfectly honest, I wasn't convinced I loved Grizzly as much as I thought I did."

  "Sounds as if you've been seeing a psychiatrist," Blade said jokingly.

  "I have been."

  "Oh?"

  "I've been in therapy ever since the funeral."

  The Warrior leaned forward. "Now it's my turn to get a few answers. If I'm prying, just tell me to butt out."

  "What would you like to know?"

  "Was it your idea to fake your own death?"

  "Yes," Athena said, then caught herself. "Well, no, actually it wasn't. General Gallagher paid me a visit in the hospital while the rest of you were off in Canada somewhere, and I happened to mention my reservations about marrying Grizzly to him."

  The Warrior's features clouded. "Go on."

  "He sympathized with me, which surprised me to no end, and he told me he wished he could help. I never thought much about it at the time. He left, then came back about an hour later, and said he had this crazy idea that might solve my problem."

  "He proposed staging your funeral so you could break off your relationship with Grizzly without having to face him. Did he go so far as to claim the ruse would be best for both of you and spare you a lot of unnecessary grief?"

  Athena's eyes narrowed. "Yes. How did you know?"

  "A lucky guess," Blade said harshly.

  "I thought about the idea that whole night. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. The wound I sustained in Alaska was bothering me terribly, and the drugs the doctor had me on didn't help matters much. I was woozy most of the time and couldn't think straight. By morning I'd talked myself into believing General Gallagher had devised the perfect solution," Athena detailed. "I could let Grizzly off easy—"

  "Easy?" Blade interrupted.

  "I didn't think he'd take my death so hard."

  "He loved you, Athena."

  "I know, but—"

  "There are no buts about it," Blade said, cutting her off again. "Why don't you do both of us a favor and confess the real reason you agreed to Gallagher's scheme?"

  "What reason?"

  "You weren't thinking of any future children. You were concerned about yourself, specifically your career and your status as California's premier journalist."

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Athena said defensively.

  "I think you do. You pointed out yourself that no human has ever married a hybrid. The news would have spread throughout the entire Federation and beyond. There were bound to be those, both human and hybrids alike, who would oppose the idea, who would have branded you as some kind of pervert or labelled you as demented. Everywhere you went, there would have been people whispering and pointing and laughing behind your back. That's the real reason you had second thoughts. You were afraid of the social consequences, of the stigma."

  Athena's lower lips quivered. "Maybe I was. What gives you the right to judge me?"

  "I'm not judging you. I'm simply trying to get to the truth. Both Grizzly and you are close friends, and I want to do whatever I can to help. But I can't do a thing if you won't be honest with me."

  Athena ran a finger across her eyes and sniffled. "You still consider me a friend after all I've done?"

  "Of course," Blade assured her, smiling. He abruptly stiffened when he heard footsteps approaching rapidly and jumped to his feet.

  Captain Havoc ran around the boulder and halted. "We've got trouble," he announced, his gaze lingering for a second on Athena's haunted visage.

  "More mutations?" she asked, rising.

  "No. Raiders."

  CHAPTER THREE

  "How many do you figure there are?" Athena asked anxiously.

  "We'll know in a bit," Blade said from his position behind a boulder situated on the south side of the rock cluster, which had turned out to be a field of stony mammoths approximately 30 yards in circumference. He gazed across the expanse of burning desert at the distant figures. "What makes you think they're raiders, Captain?"

  The officer produced the binoculars he normally kept stashed in his backpack. "Take a look for yourself, sir."

  Blade promptly did so, adjusting the black knob on the binoculars until he could see the approaching band clearly. There were 11 of them, eight men and three women, all wearing shabby clothing, all well armed. In the lead walked a tall bald man.

  "Can I take a look?" Athena inquired.

  "Here," the Warrior replied, handing the binoculars over to her.

  Athena gazed through the eyepieces, then frowned. "All I see are eleven people hiking this way. What makes you think they're raiders?"

  "Gut instinct," Havoc said.

  "That's hardly good enough."

  "It's kept me alive all these years."

  Blade turned and surveyed the jumble of slabs and spherical monoliths. "We'll take cover and see what they're up to before making our move."

  "Do you think they're raiders?" Athena asked, lowering the binoculars.

  "Could be."

  "They could also be innocent travelers."

  Havoc chuckled. "And cows can fly."

  "Follow me," Blade said, and headed northward, threading a path among the boulders. He noticed a number of oversized reptilian tracks imprinted in the soft earth and guessed there must be more mutations about. Hefting the M-16, he went around a particularly gigantic slab and stopped in surprise at the sight of a sparkling pool.

  "Water!" Athena exclaimed and dashed to the edge. She knelt and cupped her right hand, about to take a drink.

  "Hold up," Blade advised. "We don't know if it's safe to drink yet. Havoc has to test it first."

  Reluctantly, Athena merely dipped her fingers into the cool liquid. "I hope it tests out all right. The water in my canteen is flat and tasteless after all this time."

  "Do you want me to test it now?" Havoc questioned, gripping the straps to his backpack.

  "No," Blade answered. "There isn't enough time. Wait until our visitors leave." He walked slowly along the rim of the pool, peering into the depths. There didn't appear to be a bottom. The subterranean source must be far beneath the surface, he reasoned.

  "I'll bet those raiders know about this water," Havoc said.

  "We still don't know if they are raiders," Athena said.

  "Until proven otherwise, we'll act on the assumption that they are," Blade said. He scanned the boulders rimming the pool, then indicated one 20 feet away. It was easily 15 feet in diameter, about eight feet in height, and flattopped. "That's where we'll take cover."

  "What if they spot us?" Athena responded.

  "They won't be able to see the top from here," Blade said and walked to the boulder. He slung the M-16 over his right shoulder, bent his knees, and jumped. His hands closed on the lip and held fast, and in a sweeping motion of his powerful arms he pulled himself up. Squatting, he gestured to the others. "Come on. I'll help you up."

  Athena and Havoc came to the base of the slab.

  Leaning down, Blade extended his right arm. "Leap up and grab hold," he instructed the journalist. She complied, and in an instant he had her beside him. It took but a few seconds to lift Havoc onto their hiding place.

  Athena placed her left palm on the smooth surface. "This rock is hot. We'll be burnt to a crisp."

  The officer moved a yard from the lip and lay down on his stomach. "It's hard to believe you were once on the Force," he remarked.

  "Why?"

  "Because you can't take a little discomfort without complaining."

  "I crossed the desert without griping."

  Blade stretched out and rested his chin on his forearms. By tilting his neck an inch or so, he could see the pool and the ground surrounding it.

  "Why did you come along, Athena?" Captain Havoc wanted to know. "We could have handled this without you."

  "I don't have to explain my motives to you," Athena replied testily.

  "I was just curious."

  "And you know what curiosity did to the cat."

  Blade glanced at them. "Quit your bickering. Athena, lie down." He faced front again and sighed. Why, he wondered, couldn't they get along? Havoc and Athena had been at each other's throat since day one. Perhaps stress was to blame. For Athena, she was under the strain of knowing she might have to confront the person whose love she'd rejected so deceitfully. In Havoc's case, the officer had to deal with the knowledge that his betrayal of the Force had been revealed.

  The Warrior had to admire the officer's courage in frankly confessing to the treachery. It had all started over a year ago when Havoc's younger brother, Sergeant Jim Havoc, was killed in action during a mission in Canada. Another member of the team, a volunteer from the Flathead Indians in Montana, had also been slain. Their deaths, combined with the news that Athena had supposedly died from the injuries she sustained on their previous assignment, had depressed Blade immensely. He'd temporarily disbanded the unit to give himself time to recover emotionally.

  Eventually Blade decided to activate the Force again. The call went out to each of the Federation factions and volunteers were sent. Much to his amazement, the Free State of California's recruit turned out to be Captain Mike Havoc. At first Blade was delighted to have the officer on the team. But then he began to notice odd quirks in Havoc's behavior. During sparring sessions, the officer always went overboard and seemed to be trying to beat Blade to a pulp. Havoc maintained an air of secrecy about himself and never really opened up to the other members. And to top it all off, the officer spent a great deal of time in hushed conversations with General Miles Gallagher, the officer liaison between the Force and the governor of California.

  Three days ago Havoc finally admitted his duplicity. He'd gone AWOL from the Force Facility located near Los Angeles and flown to San Francisco, where Blade was investigating a lead that Athena Morris might still be alive. The officer had assisted the Warrior in defeating three martial arts experts sent by General Gallagher to dissuade Blade from continuing his investigation, and then Havoc had disclosed the shocking news that Gallagher had been trying to destroy the Force from within. The good general, Blade learned, had enlisted Havoc's aid by claiming the officer's younger brother died due to Blade's callous negligence. Gallagher convinced his subordinate that revenge was called for, and the general went so far as to propose a strategy of ruining the reputation of the elite squad using Havoc as the inside man.

  The scheme had almost worked.

  Blade frowned as he considered the devious tactics General Gallagher had employed: convincing him to take the members of the new team on their first mission prematurely, before they were fully trained, in the hope they would all perish; giving the volunteers a three-day pass in Los Angeles and trying to manipulate them into becoming involved in embarrassing displays of drunkenness and rowdy behavior; and even having a spy planted at the Force Facility to keep tabs on their activities, using enlisted army personnel as undercover eyes and ears.

  When he returned to L.A., Blade promised himself, there would be a reckoning with Miles Gallagher.

  He realized that the general probably proposed the despicable plan to fake Athena's death as yet another attempt to disband the Force. What puzzled him was the motive. Gallagher had never made any secret of the fact he disliked the unit from the very beginning. The general always maintained the strike squad was a waste of manpower, not to mention a needless expenditure of time, energy, and financial resources on California's part. Ever since the governor initially proposed forming the team, the general reiterated his opposition on a regular basis. But Blade would never have suspected Gallagher capable of going to such extreme lengths to eliminate the Force. Fanatical was the word that came to his mind. Now that he understood the full extent of the general's actions, he appreciated how dangerous the man truly was.

  The sound of voices wafted to the Warrior's ears.

  Blade raised his head and stared to the south, waiting patiently for the band to appear.

  "Should we try to take a prisoner?" Captain Havoc asked Blade.

  "Maybe. We'll play it by ear. Don't make a move unless I give the word."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I don't like being on this boulder," Athena said. "If they should discover us, we'll be trapped."

  "Stay still and be quiet and we won't be discovered," Blade said. He perceived movement at the southern boundary of the boulder field and flattened. "Here they come."

  The voices became louder, the words distinguishable.

  "—hope that spring hasn't dried up," said a man in a testy tone.

  "Relax, Ajax. It's never been dry before," said someone else.

  "I can't wait to take a drink," chimed in a third person, a woman.

  "How long will we stay here, anyway?" asked a fourth.

  "As long as I want," the man called Ajax snapped.

  "Do you still plan to get to Mesaville by tonight?"

  At the reference to their destination, Blade twisted and grinned at his companions. So they were close, after all! He turned to the front and heard an exclamation of joy.

  "The pool! Here it is!"

  A chorus of glad cries greeted the announcement, and a flurry of pounding feet heralded a general stampede to the water.

  Blade listened to splashing and slurping and a few expressions of happiness. The travelers were quenching their thirst with gusto.

  "Ramis, why are you taking off your clothes?" someone suddenly asked.

  "I'm going to take a bath," answered a man in a high-pitched intonation.

  "Like hell you are!" roared Ajax. "You put one toe in this pool and I'll blow your fool head off."

  "What's wrong with taking a bath?" Ramis countered.

  "Do you think any of us will want to drink this water after you get through washing your filthy body in it?"

  "Give me a break! I'm not that dirty."

  "I wouldn't give a damn if you were squeaky clean. Don't step foot into the pool, or else."

  Ever so slowly, Blade elevated his head until he could see the band. The 11 were sprawled around the spring in attitudes of profound relief, most drinking greedily. The bald man sat on the south side, lightly splattering water on his head and face. His features were angular and hinted at latent cruelty. A nasty scar extended from the bottom of his lower eye down to his chin. His clothing consisted of a crudely fashioned brown shirt and pants, both sporting uneven stitching and lopsided hems. Black boots, each with the tips worn off, adorned his feet. A revolver rested on a holster on his left hip, and lying on the ground by his side was a rifle.

  "I wish I could afford a bath when we get to Mesaville," one of the women commented, a blonde with close-cropped hair who wore a green shirt and blue shorts. A pistol hung in a shoulder holster under her left arm. "How about it, Ajax? Will you give me the money?"

  The bald man regarded her coldly. "Dream on, Claire."

  "Why not? Baths are only a quarter."

  "Does money grow on trees around here?" Ajax retorted. "Even lousy quarters are hard to come by nowadays."

  "I wish we weren't going there at all," said the one known as Ramis, a thin man attired all in faded black leather.

  "Why not?" asked Claire.

  "Because I don't like being within a hundred miles of Death Master. That guy gives me the creeps."

  "You're a wimp," Ajax stated scornfully. "You've always been a wimp. What you need is more exercise to build up those muscles of yours. Why don't you climb that boulder over there and check out the area to make sure there's no one else around? And keep your eyes peeled for mutants."

  Ramis pouted and placed his hands on his slim hips. "Which boulder are you talking about?"

  "That one," Ajax said and absently pointed.

  With a start, Blade realized the bald man was pointing directly at the slab on which he was hidden.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Blade tensed and placed his right hand on his M-16. If worse came to worst he and the others could probably fight their way out, but any one of them might be killed in the attempt. He lowered his head and listened as the thin man approached.

  Both Havoc and Athena were lying flat, their eyes riveted on the rim.

  "You want me to climb on top of this?" Ramis asked, his very tone implying the task was impossible.

  "Yeah," Ajax answered.

  Several seconds of silence followed.

  "Ain't no way, man," Ramis declared.

 

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