Tigers Of Heaven: Book Summary

It turns out that Kane has been in the clutches of Baron Cobalt for twelve days. The entire time he's been used as a stud, forced to mate with the female hybrids six times every two days. The only way he was able to tell how much time had passed was by his meals.  

One of his keepers is a man named Maddock, the sole survivor of the hover tank crew when they had accidentally destroyed the Dulce Facility. He has been in AREA 51 for three months.  After meeting the man once, he doesn't see him again. Instead he's under the tender mercies of a man named Gifford.

Area 51 is considered to be part of the outlands, not actually falling under any one baron's sphere of influence. It is actually closer to Snakefishville than it is to Cobaltville. 

Kane, just recently having returned from one of his stud sessions, is unable to keep his eyes open, a side effect of the aphrodisiac gel they used on him. Something awakens him later on and he spots a hole in the wall where his food is slipped into his cell. 

Gifford arrives, telling him that it's time, yet again, to work.  He cuffs Kane and they leave, heading towards an elevator. Kane has become used to the routine, and he listens in on the brief conversation, gaining the access code to use later, if he gets the chance to escape. He's taken to shower, and shave, as the hybrid females tend to suffer from whisker burn while mating with him, then led to the breeding chamber.

His mate this time around is Quavell, the young Hybrid woman he spared after destroying her drilling machine at Dulce. She talks to him as she applies the gel, then strips and mounts him. She tells him that they need his help, that Cobalt has brought war to the Hybrid race.  He listens, and for the first time during his captivity, actually enjoys the mating.

Grant, Brigid, and Skydog are traveling overland to AREA 51 inside the Titano, the war wag they repaired. Skydog has several of his warriors with them, as they are expecting a lot of trouble. They are just on the outskirts of the ruins of Las Vegas. When they stop, the native warriors start playing Arcahey.  

It isn't long before they head into the ruins and are traveling down the Vegas Strip when they set off a land mine. 

Lakesh is in the control room in Cerberus, monitoring the outside temperature.  It is very cold at the moment. He is terrified that both Kane and Domi are dead.  If it turns out that they are dead, he knows that his resistance network is finished, and that the Hybrids have one, once and for all. 

He spots Banks with Dafore and decides to go check on them. Banks is describing his strange dreams to Dafore. He is positive that they are being sent from Balam. Dafore doesn't believe it for a second, but Lakesh is intrigued.  He asks Banks if he can hypnotize him.  The man agrees. 

The mine was a booby trap, making it impossible to continue traveling through the ruins.  Brigid spots a Deathbird but the pilot acts as if it didn't see the explosion or the War Wag for that matter. But they figure that they're in for serious trouble and need to escape the ruins.  Before they know it, they fall under attack.

After finishing her session with Kane, Quavell leaves.  Gifford takes Kane back to his cell and Kane realizes that Gifford isn't allowed to harm him, but the man goads Kane by telling him that they've been using Domi to their fullest pleasure. This information enrages Kane but he is able to control his anger, until Gifford takes off the cuffs.  Kane head butts him, breaking Gifford's nose, then before Gifford can retaliate, he locks himself back inside his cell. He expects that Gifford is going to come in after him, but it doesn't happen.

When Kane finally wakes up, the power has gone out. He looks up and spots the camera, realizing that it can't see him as the red light is out. He makes his escape, heading through the access hatch where his food is delivered.  The trip down the dumb waiter is exceptionally exhausting and very painful. Kane finally makes it to the bottom where he finds night vision goggles have been left behind for him to use, as well as a maglight.

Using both items, he continues trying to explore, but runs into guards.  He is able to kill one of the guards and is forced to run. But he doesn't run for long, as he runs into Domi, who kills the guards.

The Titano is still under attack, but Grant decides to force the attackers to come to him, not being forced where the attackers want them to go. Skydog reaches him using the comm link inside the titano, telling him that he, and his warriors spot about four Sandcats, closing rapidly. Grant is ready to fight for his life, but is totally shocked when he spots the attackers waving a white flag.

After leaving the titano, letting Skydog and his men  cover him, he meets the commander of the mag force, a young man named Ramirez.  He learns from the man that hey have the same goal in mind, AREA 51.  Ramirez knows him and invites him to come out and get more answers. Grant finds himself growing to admire the much younger man, seeing similarities to Kane. Baptist joins him and they head out with Ramirez.

They are taken to meet the actual leader of the expedition, none other than Baron Sharpe and his aid, Crawler.

Meanwhile, back at Cerberus, Banks is put under by Lakesh, and Balam is able to instantly establish a communication link with Lakesh, using the young exile as his conduit. Balam informs them that he wants to send his emissaries to the redoubt.  He and Lakesh end up arguing for a bit over this, but he gives in, giving Balam the code to the gateway. 

Within seconds, the emissaries arrive. It's Ericka and Sam.  She and Lakesh have met before, twelve years before to be exact.  He knew her when she was confined to the wheelchair, and can't believe that it's her.  She introduces Sam and claims that he is her son.

Back at AREA 51, Kane is shocked speechless when he meets with Domi. She takes him with her, to meet with the resistance.  He doubts that it's her and she freaks on him, going off on a major, nasty rant, calling him everything she can think of until he apologizes to her.  He learns that he's actually been in the base for fourteen days. 

She accepts his apology and leads him deeper into the base, telling him that the darkness will only last for about another hour.  She tells him that her friends arranged the outage.  Hearing guards approaching, they duck into a vent to escape detection.

Domi takes him and they meet up with the Mag Maddock.  He sees about ten hybrids and several other humans all together. The take the time to explain how they helped Domi after she got separated.  He is given food and sees the hybrid, Quavell, who turns out to be the leader of the resistance, but she is more than willing to turn over the leadership to Kane and Domi. From Quavell, he learns what Cobalt did, and how Sharpe and Snakefish made a pact and are on their way to take over the facility.

Kane also learns of the Imperator from Quavell, and how Balam installed him as the overall ruler of the Nine Barons.

Near the Vegas ruins, Brigid insults Sharpe, and refuses to call him Lord.   Grant is taken back by her unusual outburst, but Sharpe isn't offended.  They briefly discuss the encounter with Kane, months before and they learn a bit about Crawlers history. After this is said and done, Sharpe gets to the point, informing them that they intend on taking AREA 51 away from Cobalt. 

In AREA 51, Kane continues to meet with the Rebels. He flies off the handle, in a rage. He considers all of them traitors because the knows what the hybrids need, knows that they were created in order to replace the human race. In his rant, he actually manhandles one of the male hybrids until Domi tells him to stop.  It works, as he is stunned that she, of all people, would stand up for the hybrids. It works, he lets the male go.  

Quavell takes him with her to show him what she showed Domi.  She takes him to see the last remaining Hybrid infants.  Only twenty three survive out of two thousand.  Kane is wracked by guilt, knowing that his actions caused the deaths.  Quavell explains to him that they have been in contact with Sharpe and Snakefish, and that the troops they sent are almost there and that they will need help entering the facility. She is able to convince him to help.

He also learns that the female hybrids might be able to bare children, although it is far too early to tell if he succeeded in impregnating any of them.

The next day Brigid is looking over the dry lakebed leading to AREA 51.  She notices that she needs her glasses more and more, ever since the damage she sustained in the Antarctic. After a brief discussion with Grant and the others, they end up taking point with the Titano, knowing that it's armor would protect far better than the armor on the Sandcats.

As they approach the Facility, Brigid spots a flare that was launched from the Facility itself, just before the Titano ends up coming under attack.

Inside AREA 51, Kane is looking over the weapons that the rebels were able to secure. He takes a grenade and a hideout weapon for himself. They discuss their plans, and how one of the Hybrid rebels is going to use a flare gun to signal the incoming forces.

After the plans were laid out, Quavell goes to check on the surviving infants, leaving Kane and Domi alone.  The tension between them is palatable, but they finally start taking. Kane gets to see a different side of the albino that he never knew existed before, and understands her.

Grant, in the lead with the Titano, discovers that they are indeed in a mine field, after detonating several.  One sandcat veers off the path and is taken out by one of the mines.  A small fleet of about ten hummers race away from the facility to take on the attackers. A second sandcat is disabled, forcing Grant to take Skydog with him to use LAW rockets on the attackers.

The ensuing battle is brutal, and a third Sandcat is taken out during the fighting. The Deathbird that they brought with them joins the battle, but is forced to retreat before it can really be useful. Grant retreats to the Titano and gets it moving again.  As they approach, they pick up Kane on the communications link.

Inside the base, Kane and Domi make it to the bases monorail system and travel on it, Kane successfully using the password that the memorized.  They don't make it too far before the guards spot them.  Once again, Kane and Domi split up

Kane finds a control room and is almost giddy with relief when he spots the Titano on the external monitors. He leaves the room and continues to try and find his way out.  He passes by a room with a group of men who are busily arming themselves.  Figuring the best thing to do would be to take them out, he tosses a grenade into the room and closes the door behind it. 

The result, needless to say, is devastating. 

He continues to run for the surface, and spots a hybrid holding a gun. His instincts kick in and he kills the hybrid, only to discover that the hybrid was one of the rebels. A wave of guilt washes over him, albeit only for a brief period of time.

He takes the elevator and is shocked to see that four of the men from the armory that he tossed the grenade into are actually alive. He offers them a chance to back down an d continue to live, because of how lucky they were, but they choose to fight. He wins.

Later, he runs into Maddock then into Griffith. A nasty fight occurs and he kills him but ends up getting a broken rib in the process. 

Finally, he makes it to the surface and contacts Grant over the comm.  The battle quickly becomes a route and the three of them are reunited once again.

Kane isn't happy at all to see Sharpe and Crawler.  Sharpe calls him a murderous bastard, but says it with a smile on his face. Kane is told that they need to be debriefed, and senses some serious hostility from the Mag, Ramirez. 

Before they know what happens, the tables are turned when Ramirez announces that they are all under arrest for treason and murder.  They allow the surviving sec men and magistrates to change sides, coming over to the attacking forces.  Brigid however, anticipated this action and took measures to counter it. She has an implode grenade ready.  Crawler isn't able to figure out if she's bluffing or not.  

The moment is very tense, when Domi arrives on the scene from the base. A magistrate fires, she returns the fire and then the Amerinds with Grant open up.  Another battle breaks out and they all try to cram into the Titano,  Kane grabs the implode from Brigid and tosses it at the Sandcat housing Sharpe and Crawler.  Domi ends up grabbing the weapon and is killed when it detonates.

Three days have passed when they finally arrive in what's left of Port Morninglight. On the trip everyone kept pretty much to themselves and rarely spoke to one another. They meet the last surviving resident of the ville, a man named Dubois.  The man tells them that the few other survivors were taken back to new Edo by the Tigers of Heaven. He opted to stay behind, but doesn't refuse them passage to the island. 

Skydog takes the Titano and his surviving warriors and leaves. Kane and the others don't need the wag, as they'll just use the gateway to get home again.

The next day they are approaching the island.  It's a rough ride but they make it and dock at the small Japanese style ville.  Here they are met by a group of Samurai, led by a man named Shoki.  He doesn't bother to hide his hostile feelings towards the newcomers and it looks like a fight is about to break out when Shizuka arrives and defuses the situation.

They learn, after Shoki leaves, that he loves Shizuka.  She openly tells them that her heart belongs to a certain Black Tiger.

She takes them to see the Dynamo and they meet with the man who they had fought with weeks before, when they were following the Magistrates who had attacked Port Morningside. They learn about the history of the ville.

After all is said and done, they are taken to a trophy room, where they are shown all manner of strange and unusual things, from different time periods. Including a dinosaur that was killed only a short time before.  

They are told that all these things come from an island a short distance from where they are. After this, they are told that they are to leave in the morning and not return, because if they do they would be treated as enemies.

Everyone is shown their rooms. Kane tries to get rest but he can't come to grips with Domi's death. Eventually he does fall asleep but is woken up a short time later by Brigid. She wants to know what happened to him in AREA 51, and he asks her to give him time. That he will tell her once he is ready.  She understands, but before they can continue talking, they are attacked.

Grant goes to bathe, and is relaxing and letting the tension seep from his muscles when Shizuka arrives. She massages his shoulders and he tells her about his history.  They end up making love. While they are both drying off and basking in the glow, Shoki bursts in on them. Grant is eventually able to pound the smaller man into submission, but not before learning that he is part of the Black Dragons.  They both head out into the courtyard and see the Black Dragons, as well as the samarai going at it toe to toe. 

To make matters worse, a force consisting of Magistrates, arrive to join the fight.

Lakesh ended up jumping out of Cerberus with Erica and Sam.  He talks to Sam, who tells him how he will bring order and allow human and hybrid alike to co-exist in peace. Lakesh isn't at all impressed by this and tells Sam that he's just another Megalomaniac and a mutie. Instead of getting mad, Sam ends up restoring Lakesh's youth and vitality, as he had with Erica. After the transformation is complete, Balam shows himself and tells Lakesh that they must speak of the future.

End of Tigers of Heaven.