Aces Abroad

"Five minutes," said Jayewardene, walking quickly to the other side of the car.

They pulled up next to the front gate. The guard walked slowly over and extended his hand. "Your badges, please." Jayewardene unclipped his and handed it over as the guard collected them.

"Shit," said Danforth. " I dropped the damn thing." Saul flipped on the car's interior lights. Jayewardene glanced at his watch. They didn't have time for this. Danforth reached into the crack between the edge of the seat and the door, made a face, and pulled out the badge. He handed it quickly to the guard, who took the badges back to his post before swinging the gate open.

The gate creaked closed behind them with less than two minutes left. Saul pushed the accelerator quickly up to fifty, doing his best to avoid the larger potholes.

" I hope Radha can manage this. She's never extended her powers over such a large area before." Tachyon drummed his fingers on the vinyl car seat. He turned to look back. "We're far enough away, I think. Stop here."

Saul pulled over and they all got out and looked back toward the base.

"I don't get it." Danforth crouched down next to the rear of the car. "I mean, all she can do is turn into an elephant. I don't see where this gets us."

"Yes, but the mass has to come from somewhere, Mr. Danforth. And electrical energy is the most easily convertible source." Tachyon looked at his watch. "Twenty seconds."

"You know, if you could make your movies this exciting, Mr D…" Paula shook her head. "Come on, Radha."

The entire base went silently dark. "Hot damn." Danforth popped up and bounced on his toes. "She did it." Jayewardene looked at the gray sky above the horizon. A dark shape lifted itself up out of the larger blackness and moved toward them, throwing off occasional blue sparks. "I think she may be a bit overcharged," said Tachyon. "But no gunfire. I'm sure they don't know what hit them."

"That's fine," said Danforth. "Because I'm not really sure what did either."

"What I understand," said Saul, leaning into the front seat and starting up the car, "is that no more choppers are taking off from there for a while. And Miss Elephant Girl owes me a new battery from yesterday."

Radha flew in and landed next to the car, sparks igniting from each foot as she touched the ground. Jayewardene thought she looked a little bigger than she had the day before. Tachyon walked over and stepped onto her front leg, his hair standing out like a clown's wig as he touched her. Radha lifted him up onto her back.

"We'll see you soon, with luck," the alien said, waving. Jayewardene nodded. "The drive to Adam's Peak should take us about an hour from here. Fly northwest as quickly as you can."

The elephant rose noiselessly into the air and they were gone before anything else could be said.

The road was narrow. Dense trees grew to its edge and stretched ahead endlessly. They had been alone except for a bus and a few horse-drawn carts. Jayewardene explained to them what the ape really was and how he had come by the knowledge. Discussing his ace ability passed the time during the drive. Saul was pushing as hard as he could on the mud-slicked roads, making better time than Jayewardene had thought possible.

"I don't understand one thing, though," said Paula, leaning forward from the backseat to put her head next to his.

"If these visions are always true, why are you working so hard to see that things turnout?"

"For myself there is no choice," Jayewardene said. "I ca

"I think you're being a little hard on yourself." Paula gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "There's only so much anyone can do."

"Those are my beliefs." Jayewardene turned around and looked into her eyes. She returned the look for an instant, then sank back next to Danforth.

"Something going on up ahead," Saul said in a level, almost disinterested tone.

They were at the top of a hill. The trees had been cleared away from the roadside for a hundred yards or so on either side, giving them an unobstructed view.

Sri Pada's peak was still shrouded in the early morning mist. Helicopters circled something unseen near the base of the mountain.

"Think it's our boy they're after?" asked Danforth. "Almost certainly." Jayewardene wished he had brought along field glasses. One of the circling shapes might be Radha and Tachyon, but from this distance there was no way to tell. The clearing ended, and they were again surrounded by jungle.

"Want me to jack it up a little?" Saul crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"As long as we get there alive," Paula said, fastening her seat belt.

Saul pushed the accelerator down a little farther, leaving a spray of mud behind them.

They parked behind a pair of abandoned buses that blocked off the road. No one was visible other than the beast and its attackers. The pilgrims had either fled up the mountain or back down the road into the valley. Jayewardene walked as quickly as he could up the stone steps, the others following behind him. The helicopters had kept the ape from making it very far up the mountain.

"Any sign of our elephant?" asked Danforth.

"Can't see them from here." Jayewardene's sides already hurt from the exertion. He paused to rest a moment and looked up as one of the choppers dropped a steel net. There was an answering roar, but they couldn't tell if the net had found its target.

They worked their way up the steps for several hundred yards, passing through an empty but undamaged rest station. The helicopters were still pressing their attack, although they appeared to be fewer in number now. Jayewardene slipped on one of the wet flagstones and smashed his knee against a step edge. Saul grabbed him by the armpits and lifted him up. "I'm all right," he said, painfully straightening his leg. "Let's keep on."

An elephant trumpeted in the distance. "Hurry" said Paula, taking the stairs in twos. Jayewardene and the others trotted up after her. After another hundred-yard climb he stopped them. "We have to cut across the mountain's face here. The footing is very dangerous. Hold on to the trees when you can." He stepped out onto the moist soil and steadied himself against a coconut palm, then began working slowly toward the direction of the battle.

They were slightly higher than the ape when they got close enough to see what was going on. The monster had a steel. net in one hand and a stripped tree in the other. It was holding Radha and the two remaining helicopters at bay like a gladiator with a net and trident. Jayewardene couldn't see Robyn but assumed that the beast had her in the top of a tree again.

"Well, now that we're here, what the hell do we do?" Danforth leaned against a jak tree, breathing hard.

"We go get Robyn." Paula wiped her muddy hands on her shorts and took a step toward the ape.

"Wait." Danforth grabbed her hand. " I can't afford to lose you too. Let's see what Tachyon can do."

"No," Paula said, twisting away. "We have to get her out while the ape's distracted."

The pair stared hard at each other for a moment, then Jayewardene came between them. "Let's get a bit closer and see what's possible."

They half-slid, half-walked down the slope, then hit a ledge that was deep mud. Jayewardene felt it slip uncomfortably into his shoes. Robyn was still nowhere in sight, but the ape hadn't noticed them.

The last helicopter moved into position over the ape and dropped its net. The ape caught it on the end of the tree and deflected it to one side, then tossed the tree at the retreating chopper, which had to bank away sharply to avoid being hit. The ape beat its chest and roared.