1899- Journey to Mars

[ 105 ]

In the Argent, Bixie wailed and collapsed to the floor.

Dakota yelped as the bag he held began to smoke.

Everyone hurried to them except Billy, who couldn’t leave the controls at this stage of the ascent. Edgar said, “I saw it.” He wiped moisture from his eyes and knelt beside Bixie.

Bixie said, “He be gone. Me beautiful Scotsman be gone.”

Ekka didn’t react but her eyes darkened as she helped Bixie into her seat while Pat opened Dakota’s bag and removed the glowing orb. “This thing’s almost too hot to handle.” He trotted to the galley, returning with a large metal bowl, and placed Guthrie’s heart in it.

Edgar told them what he had seen as they treated Bixie. The little Jamaican wiped her eyes, “Billy.”

“Yes.”

“De Golden Man, da one dat murdered Ian, he be comin’ fer us now.”

“Why? I don’t understand what it wants.”

“He come for dat,” she pointed at the glowing orb in the metal bowl.

Avi said, “If we are being willing to give it to the Golden Man, will he stop in the chasing of us?”

Bixie was silent a moment, gathering her words because of what she foresaw. “If dah Golden one gets dis part o’ Guthrie, our own world and every other world will be ash.”

Edgar thought of Dejah and said, “But he left Barsoom, and it’s only burned in places.”

Bixie said, “He don’t be finished with your red planet, Eddie. He’ll be returnin’ and burn all de life out of it. Listen to what I say. He. Will. Not. Stop.”

Edgar returned to the telescope as the others sat in silent thought. He scanned the sky behind the Argent for several minutes, and found what he was looking for. He said, “I see it. It’s just a gold speck right now, but the Golden Man is coming, just like Bixie said.”

“Is it gaining?”

Edgar watched for a full minute, “Yes. Slowly, but yes.”

Ekka said, “Then we cannot escape this thing. Our journey is too far.”

Billy motioned Koothrappally to him. “I’m going to need for you to calculate faster than you ever have in your life.”

“What is the problem?”

“Problems. Plural. Many of them. We know our laser cannons won’t stop the robot, and neither will any other arms we have.”

Koothrappally said, “So, I am assuming you have a plan to stop it.”

“I do.”

“What is it?” All the others on the Argent turned their attention to Billy.

“I’m flying the Argent toward Jupiter.”

Everyone was stunned, and Koothrappally had to close his open mouth. He said, “But that is away from Earth.”

“Yes.”

Avi put his head in his hands, and Pat said softly, “Billy, I might not be ready to go along with that idea.”

Ekka walked to her husband, putting a hand on his shoulder. She had picked up on the danger from Pat as he spoke. And she wouldn’t let anyone, not even their old friend Pat Garrett, hurt Billy. She was battered and bruised from their fight on the surface of Barsoom, but she still had one knife on her belt, and she could flip the knife underhanded into someone faster than they could draw, even her lightning fast gunman friend Pat Garrett. Billy knew it because he had witnessed her practicing the move, but no one else knew.