JESUS & Co. (#4): Robot Train

JESUS & Co. (4) ROBOT TRAIN by Jacob Lindaman

  This book or the parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise – without prior written permission of the author except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual people, organizations, and/or events are purely coincidental.

  ISBN: 9781310932458

  Copyright © 2014 by Jacob Lindaman

  All rights reserved

  Cover art by Caleb Davis

 

  JESUS & Co. (1) Beefed Up Balloon – Available now

  JESUS & Co. (2) The Safest Place – Available now

  JESUS & Co. (3) Machetes and Machine Guns – Available now

  JESUS & Co. (4) Robot Train – Available now

  JESUS & Co. (5) Space Dragon – Available March 1st 2015

  JESUS & Co.

  ROBOT TRAIN

  Noah and Jesus planted the seed across enemy lines in the fertile field of General Cornelius Van Der Booten. They had heard his name, everyone had, but never met the man. That is, until they snuck down from the wall, through enemy camp and into the officer’s showers. In his vulnerable and moist position the great general was, naturally, compliant with their request to chew his ear for a minute. They presented him with information they hoped he couldn’t refuse.

  “What does this mean?” he’d asked them as water sprayed from above.

  “You already know,” Jesus had told him. The general stood up straight breathing the steamy air, his back to the infiltrators.

  “Suppose I do?”

  “Then you’ll change teams. Would you like to accompany us back over the wall?” Noah had wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but Jesus, by giving indirect answers to the general’s questions, seemed unconcerned with time.

  “Perhaps I should, but…” the general reached for his whistle. “I have to. Forgive me.”

  Like two mortar shells bursting with fire they took off back towards the wall where they’d come from. They didn’t get far before they met the first grunts offering resistance.

  Boorash!

  Noah had tossed a homemade explosive device sending plumes of fire and smoke high into the air. Coupled with Jesus’ superior machete slashing skills the two had managed to survive long enough to get themselves cornered in a little pocket of wood. Only when a last second shot that took out the most fearsome boss they’d encountered did they realize they might live. They’d both been shot; Noah had absorbed tiny bits of shrapnel from his own grenades, but Jesus had taken the worse beating. Using machetes forced him into close hand-to-hand combat. This meant not just dealing punishment, but taking it too.

  ~

  By the time John the Baptist’s retrieve and return team found them they weren’t much to look at. On account of losing his hearing Noah was able to walk, but he kept saying, “No, I don’t want kelp! I need a medic!” Jesus, however, was out. His face, arms and uniform were soaked in blood-much of it his own.

  On the other side of the wall they were loaded on a military transport vehicle. They joined a caravan of supply trucks evacuating the front. The best team of physicians from around the country assessed the damage of the broken Jesus en route to the hospital.

  “It’s his heart. There’s not enough blood to keep it inflated,” the physician with the grandest muttonchops said.

  “No, he’s concussed from the explosions. We need to wake him up,” a second physician with a large round belly offered.

  “He’s been poisoned. The pallor of his skin is a reaction to the toxin,” the last physician with the goldest watch fob said.

  The vehicle rumbled on. More ideas were conjectured, but no treatment held sway with whatever was really going on. He was fading fast and they knew it. The physicians were about to give up hope when suddenly a portal appeared next to Jesus dropping a man onto the floor of the vehicle.

  “What the blazes!” Muttonchops said. “Who the devil are you?”

  “What? Where am I? Is this…yes, this is the right place.” He shook his head clearing his thoughts. “Ah, upsidedown this time? I’ll have to work on the placement of that thing.” The man looked at Jesus then up to the wide-eyed physicians. “We don’t have much time. Ishtar’s train is moving quickly. Gentlemen,” as he spoke he sucked the portal into a small device he quickly returned to his pocket, “where are the Sons of Thunder?”

  “James is in the cab,” Muttonchops said pointing a trembly finger to the front of the vehicle.

  The mysterious man hurried to the front shutting the door behind him. He sat between the driver, a muscular bald man, and James.

  “You’re early, Job,” James said without otherwise acknowledging his presence.

  “We have to act. Ishtar’s train is in position.”

  “Relax, we’re almost there.” James flicked into the air a war-rationed 1943 steel penny. “Tails. Know what that means,” he asked Job. “Nothing.”

  The line of transport vehicles slowed to a stop letting out the passengers. The medics carefully lowered Jesus down, then Noah. The physicians climbed down after.

  “What in the world! This isn’t a hospital,” the physician placed his timepiece back into his vest pocket.

  “That’s correct,” James said. “This is the entrance to Opolis, a high level security clearance military operations facility.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It’s top secret,” the fat physician said.

  “And this is where you’ll be leaving us.”

  A different transport vehicle pulled up next to them. James directed them to enter and be on their way. Once they were gone he turned his attention to John who had just arrived from one of the other vehicles.

  “We should hurry,” James advised. “Job said the window of opportunity is now.”

  “Let’s do this,” John said as he cracked his knuckles.

  Inside the base James briefed a small team of soldiers.

  “Likely, you’re wondering why you’re all here. When we realized these two might not be coming back alive, we decided this was unacceptable and quickly took maters into our own hands. We’ve placed scouts along rail lines in Switzerland.”

  The soldiers looked at each other puzzled. The man with the most gray in his hair and the most need of a razor spoke up, “But that’s four thousand miles from here. What could possibly be in Switzerland and how would we get there?”

  “It’s not for soldiers to ask questions!” John slammed his fist into the wall. “We give the orders. You do them. You must have faith in your leadership.”

  “Alright, alright,” James said patting John on the shoulder. “He’s just excited is all.” He looked at the badge of the nearest man. “Thomas, is that right? We don’t have much time. Physicians of great expertise treated Jesus to no avail. We’ve procured another remedy. This man here,” he pointed to the man on the other side of James, “is Lieutenant Job. He’s a First Class Intelligence Officer. He’s partnered with our research and development labs to create a portal directly to any place in the world. You all will be accompanying him back to Switzerland. He and his small team of scouts have located a special train that we’re very interested in. There’s a prisoner on this train that we need. She goes by the name of Sheba and she is the queen of Zealandia.”

  “What’s so special about this Sheba?” Isaac asked.

  “Dan blasnet man! Stop the questions!” John punched the wall again leaving a
crater in the cement block. “And what’s with those stupid flowers? Those aren’t something a soldier should have.”

  “Ha, ha,” Thomas nudged Isaac in the ribs. “You should give him one.”

  “Here ya go.” Isaac pulled a yellow tulip from his quiver.

  “What! I don’t want one.” John squished it in his fist crumbling the pieces to the ground. “Why don’t you take your stupid bow and arrow and get a real weapon?”

  “Oh this baby is real alright.” Isaac patted the automatic weapon, AutoArrow 3000X, like a pet attack kitten resting on his lap. “This bad boy fires 150 arrows a minute.”

  “We’ll, let’s just hope we don’t have to depend on Mr. Bow and Arrow or we’re all as good as dead.”

  “Wait, what do you mean we?” Thomas asked. “You’re not coming are you?”

  “Oh yeah! I’m going with you boys whether you like it or not!”

  Ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft, ft!

  “Ahh!”

  Isaac painted John’s outline on the wall with arrows.

  “Enough,” James interrupted, “we need to move out. Job, open the portal. Thomas, you and your men follow him. John and I will take the lead upon arrival.”

  John gave Isaac a death look.

  Ft!

  One more strategically placed between his legs.

  Job pulled the device from his pocket and pointed it at the wall. He clicked it a few times, but nothing happened. He pushed some more buttons and banged it with his fist and tried again. An oval of blue hues rippled around in a circle. John was first through then Thomas and Isaac. The next two members of the team, Elijah and Luke, jumped in. Finally, James and Job hopped through.