<br /><br />Time and the Serpent: Part 6 – The Prime

Subscribe to Talien's Tower by Twitter, email or via the Site Feed

Sunday, October 4

Time and the Serpent: Part 6 – The Prime

Dust fell from the ceiling. Ssuthraa was still standing. Some of the other serpent people slowly got to their feet; others were unconscious from the impact. Archive and Jim-Bean were unharmed.

"I'm afraid your usssefulnesss isss at an end," hissed Ssuthraa quietly to Hammer. Then he turned to the other serpent men. "Look! The intrudersss inssserted an impossstor into our midssst!" He pointed at the corpse of Hunt, which was morphing back into a serpent person. "Kill them!"

Hammer didn't waste any time. He emptied both clips, downing two of the serpent people.

More got to their feet, lunging at Jim-Bean. He went under in a pile of flailing claws and fangs…

Then he burst outwards, flying up into the air. Serpent people were tossed to the side.

Jim-Bean, floating twenty feet in the air, brought his arms together. Rubble from the ceiling cracked away and smashed near Ssuthraa. He tumbled out of the way, but the serpent person next to him was crushed.

Archive was chanting too. Whether he was helping his fellow agents or harming the serpents was unclear.

"Guys!" shouted Jim-Bean, looking up. "I think I can hear fire engines!"

Hammer was backpedaling, firing as he went. "That means…"

"We relocated to the present!" shouted Jim-Bean.

"A CITY in the PRESENT!" Hammer shouted back. He fired and another serpent went down.

Jim-Bean pointed at the ceiling and more rubble cracked away, crushing another serpent person. Blue sky was visible through the cracks. The sound of emergency vehicles was clearly audible to all. In fact, the fire truck Jim-Bean heard sounded very close.

A second later the front end of a fire truck cracked through the rubble. Jim-Bean shifted out of the way as it tore past him, plunging the fifty foot distance to the floor below. It smashed into two serpent people.

Rubble slid down through the opening, creating a ramp upwards. Serpent people ran for the opening, transforming into their human guises, led by Ssuthraa.

Hammer turned and fired, but he was out of bullets. "If they get into the city…" more