by Anna Hackett
“You want to observe the prisoners?” he asked. “Your squad is already here.”
“I sure do.” When she breezed past him, she didn’t miss the disappointment in his eyes.
As soon as she entered, she took in the barred cells, and the interrogation rooms with their thick, plate-glass windows. The berserkers stood, grouped in front of one window.
Griff’s head lifted like he scented her, his gaze instantly zeroing in on her.
“Hey, sweet thing,” Hemi said, in his booming voice. As she walked past him, he reached out and slapped her butt.
She shot him a mock glare. “Lucky I like you, Rahia, or you’d lose that hand.”
“Like you’d ever hurt me.” He grabbed her hand, lifting it gently, and looked at her wrist. Something flickered in his dark eyes, and he brushed the bruises lightly with his thumb. “Brave. You did good out there.”
She smiled. She didn’t just like the goofball, she loved him like a brother.
When she looked up, Griff was scowling right at where Hemi was holding her. Her heart did a little flip-flop. Oh, she liked that possessive look in his eyes.
Then she turned and looked through the glass.
Inside the small room, Laura Bladon was questioning Jasper. Her red hair was pulled back in a braid, and she wore fatigues on her fit body.
She peppered the man with questions, and he alternated from belligerent to beaten. She had a commanding voice and the patience of a saint. Damn, the woman was good. Of course, she was happily sharing quarters with the arrogant, way-too-smart Noah from the tech team. Being in love with the man would require a good dose of patience.
Suddenly, Laura slapped a hand on the table. “You might have had a protection deal with the Gizzida, but it wasn’t going to last. Whatever they have planned will end us all.”
Jasper’s chin dropped to his chest. “I know.”
Laura straightened.
He looked up, face tortured. “I was trying to buy some time. For the kids. Fuck.”
“You saw the octagon,” Laura prompted.
“Yeah, they were transporting it somewhere. They fucking bragged about it.”
The room around Indy went quiet.
Laura tilted her head. “Where?”
Jasper shrugged. “Somewhere in the mountains.”
Laura leaned in. “You know what it is. What it does.” These weren’t questions.
“Yeah.” Now, he had a defeated look. “It’s a bomb.”
Curses echoed around Indy.
“And it’s not just the one. It’s part of some trio of bombs. There are three of them, strategically placed around the world. This is their end game. They set these off, and they rid the Earth of the last of the human species.”
Chapter Ten
Just off shift from patrolling around the Enclave, and fresh from a shower, Griff entered the Command Center.
But he wasn’t thinking of their patrol, or even the Gizzida. Nope, he was thinking of a sexy, outspoken, tattooed brunette.
He spotted her among the crowd, standing with the rest of his squad. She glanced over and shot him a smile. The damn thing lit up her face, and hit him in his gut like a punch. God, she was gorgeous.
Griff moved over to join her and the berserkers. At the front of the room, Holmes was talking about the octagon.
“We have drones doing intensive sweeps of the mountains,” he said.
Indy shifted in front of Griff, her body brushing against his. He smiled. As the general continued talking, Griff felt a brush of fingers against the front of his jeans.
Shit. He stiffened. Indy’s fingers were hidden between their bodies. Again, she brushed her hand down the length of his hardening cock. The wild little minx. He forced his face to stay blank and his body still, so he didn’t draw any attention to them. They were standing in the middle of a damn crowded room.
She kept stroking him and he gritted his teeth. “Wild girl…”
At his whisper, she glanced back over her shoulder. He got the full blast of her teasing smile.
“—sending Squad Three in to do a sweep.”
The general’s voice jerked Griff back to reality. He coughed to cover the desire raging through him.
Tane glanced at him, eyeing him strangely for a second, before the squad leader turned back to look at Holmes. “We’ll investigate the area of highest activity.”
The general nodded. “Good luck.”
Indy turned. “You guys be careful out there.”
“Recon only, Indy,” Hemi said.
She caught Griff’s eyes for a moment. He wanted to kiss her, but tapped her nose instead. With a smile, she turned and joined Arden. The women walked down the hall leading to the comms office.
Thankfully, by the time he got to the squad locker room, Griff’s raging hard-on had cooled. He slammed his armor back on, then grabbed his carbine, checking it over.
“So, saw Indy smiling at you,” Hemi said.
Griff just grunted. He knew his squad could gossip with the best of them.
“Today at least,” Levi added.
“Let’s move it,” Tane said.
Together, the team moved toward the Hawk hangar. Before they entered, Tane gripped Griff’s arm, pulling him to a stop.
“You go gently,” Tane warned. “Indy might be brash on the outside, but that attitude is hiding a big heart.”
“I know that. Better than anybody.”
Tane stared at him with a scowl, the scrutiny making Griff’s neck itch, then the other man nodded.
Soon, they were in the Hawk, winging their way toward the Blue Mountains.
“Welcome aboard Erickson Air,” their pilot said. “We’re expecting clear skies, but there is always a chance of alien-induced turbulence, so please keep your belts fastened.”
Today, their pilot was Finn. The man was magic at the Hawk controls. Griff pressed one palm against the cool metal wall of the Hawk, staring out the window. All he could see were trees and a clear blue sky.
Sometimes, he missed Blue Mountain Base. He missed all the trees, the quiet calm of the mountains.
“So, we evacuate Blue Mountain Base and the Gizzida move into the area?” Ash said.
Tane looked thoughtful. “We aren’t focused on the mountains anymore, so they can hide shit up there.”
It wasn’t long before Finn had them flying through a valley, with rocky, tree-covered slopes rising up on either side. They passed a pretty, narrow waterfall dropping down to the valley floor below. It had no doubt been a popular spot for hikers to visit once.
Griff’s fingers curled into a fist. The aliens couldn’t have it. They couldn’t have this planet, and they couldn’t have what was left of the planet’s people. They especially couldn’t have Indy.
He would fight, with everything he had, to protect it. To protect her.
“Anyone see anything?” Tane asked.
Everyone was looking out the windows.
“Only trees,” Ash answered.
“Nothing from up here,” Finn called out.
Suddenly, the Hawk jerked like it had hit a rock wall.
The berserkers were thrown around the cabin, and curses echoed off the walls. Griff nearly fell on his ass, but caught himself at the last second.
What the fuck?
“Finn?” Tane roared.
Everyone rose. The Hawk was stationary, bobbing in the air, its engines vibrating hard under their boots.
“We’re stuck in some sort of…web,” the pilot yelled.
Fucking fantastic. Griff stared through the window, arching his neck. That’s when he saw it—a glistening, near-translucent net spread across the valley.
Like a fucking spider’s web.
Shit, he really hoped a giant, alien spider didn’t appear.
Tane cursed, slowly and steadily under his breath. He wrenched open the side door.
“Indy, our Hawk is trapped in some sort of web,” Tane said. “Clearly Gizzida construction.”
“Ho
ld on, Squad Three.” Indy’s voice. “I’m getting a drone into position so you can take a closer look.”
“It’s tangled around one of the rotors,” Finn said. “Doesn’t matter how much power I give the engines, we’re stuck.”
“Squad Nine encountered something like this in the city while flying the Darkswifts,” Indy said.
Out the side door, Griff saw the shining string of the web. It was close enough that he could reach out a gloved hand and touch it. He plucked it. Damn, it was strong.
Shit, they had to cut themselves loose or they weren’t going anywhere.
“I’ll climb out—”
“Watch out!” Finn shouted. “Incoming.”
That’s when Griff heard the rhythmic whoop, whoop, whoop sound of something slapping through the air. He turned his head, felt Tane right beside him, as they looked out the side of the Hawk.
Three flying aliens came into view.
The things were huge, with large wings covered in brightly-colored feathers. On top of their long heads, they each had a large, bony-looking crest.
One let out a piercing squawk that echoed down through the valley.
“They don’t look too bad,” Hemi said.
The flying aliens moved closer and dived, sweeping in close to the Hawk. One opened its mouth, and dark-green poison sprayed out. It splattered against the side of the Hawk, and there was a hiss of burning metal.
“Shit,” Hemi muttered. “I take it back.”
Panic left a sick taste in Indy’s mouth.
She listened to the guys cursing, and then the sound of carbine fire.
“Tane?” She tapped her fingers on the keyboard. “Tane, report.”
His deep growl filled the line. “We’re still stuck in this Gizzida web, or net, or whatever the hell it is.” She heard carbines again. “Ash is on the autoturret. We have three flying creatures, Indy. New ones that we haven’t seen before. Feathered wings, crests on their heads, and they spray poison.”
Her nose wrinkled. Nice.
“Watch out!” Hemi shouted.
She pulled up the Hawk’s diagnostics and saw the weakening points on the hull. Shit, if they didn’t get out of there soon, the Hawk would disintegrate.
They needed help.
She swiped her screen. “I’m sending in Squad Nine. They’ll be coming in on the Darkswifts.”
“We’re too far away,” Tane said. “We won’t last that long.”
Her chest constricted.
“The poison’s eating in close to one of the engines,” Finn added.
“I’m going to cut us free.” Griff’s deep voice.
Indy stiffened. What?
“Griff, shit,” Tane bit out. “Get back here.”
Indy tapped again, switching to the camera view from Tane’s helmet. On screen, she saw Griff’s tough body…just as he climbed out of the Hawk.
She watched him climbing up the side of the Hawk, then reach out to touch the web she could barely see. Then he aimed for one of the rotors, climbing swiftly up the gray hull.
Tane looked down at that moment, and she got a sickening view of just how high up they were.
God. Her heart lodged in her throat. If Griff fell…
Then Tane shifted his head, and she saw one of the flying aliens. Her belly contracted. The things were huge.
An alarm went off, drawing her attention back to her screen. Her redirected drone was in range. Drone feed filled her screens.
She gasped. “Tane, you have six more flying aliens incoming.” Her hand curled into a fist, and she fought not to thump it against her desk.
“Acknowledged,” Tane said.
She heard carbine fire, and watched as one of the creatures sprayed poison at the Hawk. Right at Griff clinging to the outside of the aircraft.
Dammit. She held her breath and leaned forward.
The poison hit, Griff cursed, and then he slipped. He slid a meter down the Hawk before he was able to grab something. He dangled off the side of the quadcopter.
Indy was going to be sick. Swallowing back bile, she kept her gaze glued to the screen. “Don’t you dare die,” she muttered under her breath.
The autoturret fired, and she saw one of the flying creatures crumple and plummet.
“Woo-hoo!” Hemi shouted. “Nice shooting, Connors.”
Indy tuned them out. As she watched, Griff pulled himself back up onto the Hawk. He moved back to the rotor, and yanked his combat knife off his belt. He started hacking at the web.
Indy watched the red dots on her screen getting closer. “Tane, they’re almost on you.”
She heard the autoturret firing again.
The drone was closer now, giving her a perfect view of the stuck Hawk, and the flying aliens, circling it like vultures. On screen, she saw one of the aliens dive…aiming right at Griff.
“Griff, watch out!” she yelled.
The creature sprayed a deadly stream of poison, before pulling up at the last minute. It winged away, but the poison had splattered all over the Hawk and Griff. She heard his grunt of pain across the line.
“Griff,” Indy whispered. Beside her, Arden grabbed her arm and squeezed.
Griff made a pained sound, but on the screen, he kept cutting at the web.
Another red dot dived. “Griff, there’s another creature incoming!”
Dammit, she watched him look up, then keep cutting. She saw that his movements were sluggish and uncoordinated. She bit her lip. He was hurt.
She swiped the screen, taking over the controls of the drone. Someone in the drone team would track her down and ream her, no doubt. At this point, she didn’t give a shit.
She urged the drone forward, pushing it ahead at full speed. She aimed it right at the flying creature.
Just as the alien was closing in on Griff, Indy’s drone slammed into the creature’s body. With a wild screech, it fell out of its dive, tumbling in the air, and flapping its wings to try and right itself.
The drone’s image tumbled as well. Oh shit, the drone was going to crash.
Then the camera image righted itself, although it flickered. The drone was still airborne but a little dinged up.
She saw Griff was still clinging to the side of the Hawk, but slipping.
“Web is…free of the rotor.” Griff’s gritty voice was barely understandable.
She watched as he slid down the side of the quadcopter. Her pulse jumped. Oh no, he was going to fall.
Then a strong hand clamped onto Griff’s wrist.
She circled the drone around. Dom was out on the side of the Hawk, holding onto Griff. Tane was behind Dom, holding onto the other man’s legs. Hemi was holding onto Tane.
Together, the berserkers heaved Griff back inside.
“Go. Go!” Tane yelled. “Fuck. Griff’s burned to shit. Alien poison’s chewed through his armor, burned his face, shoulder, and chest.”
Indy felt her stomach heave. She spun, and grabbed her trash can from under her desk, just as her coffee and breakfast came back up.
“Get us back to the Enclave as fast as you can, Finn,” Tane called out.
Tane had shut off his camera. She couldn’t see Griff, or what was happening.
“Lay him out,” Ash’s voice. “Fuck. Levi, pass me the emergency nanomeds.”
Fear filled Indy. He was hurt bad. She yanked her headset off and tossed it on the desk. With a shaking hand, she sent a message to Doc Emerson.
“Indy, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Arden’s face was pale.
Indy managed a nod, then she jumped out of her chair and sprinted for the Hawk hangar.
Chapter Eleven
“Enough.” Griff growled the word and shoved Ash away from him. “I’m fine.”
Ash just raised a brow. “Only thanks to the nanomeds I shot into your ass cheek.”
The squads all carried doses of emergency nanomeds on their missions, but tried not to use them, unless they were the last resort. The nanomeds needed proper monitoring, or they could go haywir
e.
Griff felt the burn of the nanomeds in his veins. It was almost as bad as the burn of the Gizzida poison that had chewed through his armor and skin. Ash had taken Griff’s chest armor off, and thankfully there was no residual poison on his trousers or shirt.
“You’re damn lucky the poison didn’t reach bone,” Ash said. “It was fucking close.”
Griff rubbed his healing shoulder. It was still red and raw. Thankfully, the pain was manageable now.
He felt the Hawk slow and move into a hover. It started descending, and he heard the distant ringing of sirens. Griff grabbed his damaged armor. He’d have to visit Manu at the armory, and trade it in for some new stuff.
After the Hawk landed, Tane slid the door open. The first thing Griff saw was Indy bearing down on them, her face like a thunderstorm.
“Are you insane?” she shouted.
“Uh-oh,” Levi murmured as he helped Griff up. “You’re in for it now.”
Ash let out a low laugh and gripped Griff’s other arm. The men helped him out of the Hawk.
Indy scanned his body. “Do you want to kill yourself?”
“No, I—”
She held up a hand. “Climbing out of a Hawk in midair with flying aliens around is a freaking bad idea.”
The rest of Griff’s squad laughed around him.
“Welcome to the world of pissed-off women.” Hemi slapped Griff’s uninjured shoulder.
Indy glared at the man.
“Shit.” Hemi held his hands up. “I’m not the one who climbed out of the Hawk and got burned up.”
Indy’s gaze switched back to Griff. Her face changed and he saw the fear under her anger. She reached up, cupping his still healing cheek.
“I’m okay,” he told her.
She sucked in a breath and nodded. Her gaze fell to his burned armor and her chest hitched. “Don’t do it again.”
The berserkers were laughing again.
“Nanomeds are healing him up fine,” Ash assured her.
“The doc is still checking you over.” Indy cocked her hip, full of attitude, and pointed.
Nearby, Emerson waited with an iono-stretcher. She waved at him.
“Not getting on that stretcher and not going to the infirmary.”