by Anna Hackett
Selena’s face turned sad. “The Gizzida took it, didn’t they? They twisted the gyr.”
Mac blew out a breath. “It looks that way. They’ve bred this thing to hunt our drones.”
Selena shifted in her chair. “The gyr are a very rare bird. The Gizzida couldn’t have more than one.”
“But surely they could genetically engineer more?” Niko said.
“No.” Selena pushed her hair back. “They can alter a living being, but they can’t create one from nothing.”
Sitting back in her chair, Mac considered Selena’s words. They all knew why the Gizzida had come to Earth—for the resources and the main resource was human bodies for their genesis tanks. To create more raptor soldiers.
“It’s highly doubtful they have more,” Selena continued. “The gyr only breed once every five of your Earth years.”
“Well, that’s a bit of good luck then.” Niko shoved his hands in his pockets. “Anything else you think might be relevant to us catching this thing?”
“They like to live near the water.”
Mac nodded. “We found its nest.” She tapped the keyboard and the image of the tanks and the gyr nest appeared. “It’s right near the harbor and the alien ship.”
Selena frowned and leaned forward. “That’s not its nest.”
“What?” Mac frowned. “It looks like a nest.”
“The gyr have…hunting outposts.” She moved a hand like she was searching for the right word. “Way stations. They store things there, but it isn’t where they sleep or spend the majority of their time. Its main nest would be on top of the water, surrounded by water.”
“Really?” Mac looked at Niko. “We need to get the intel team running some searches. Find any possible offshore locations that might work.”
“We don’t have drones offshore. Or recent maps of the area,” Niko said in a dark tone.
“We’ll find it,” Mac said.
“Gyr are very skilled hunters,” Selena said. “Their sense of smell is beyond anything we have ever encountered on Florum. My guess is this creature is smelling your drones.”
An alarm blared. Selena jumped and Mac jolted, ready to leap to her feet. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t on duty today. “Thanks, Selena.”
Niko and Mac rushed into the main Command Center area.
Elle was at a comp with a headset on. “Head northwest of the Enclave, Marcus. Twenty kilometers.”
“Got it, Elle.” Marcus’ voice came across the speakers.
On the screen, Mac saw Hell Squad sitting in a Hawk. “What’s going on?”
“Survivors coming in.” Elle’s pretty face hardened. “Aliens are in pursuit.”
“Are we sure they aren’t hybrids this time?” Niko put his hands on his hips, watching the screen.
“Lia has a drone going in close now to confirm,” Elle replied.
They all watched, tense and apprehensive, as Lia’s drone zoomed in closer to the frightened survivors. God, this was so much worse than being in the field. There was no way she could be a comms officer.
These survivors were clearly making a run toward the Enclave. In the back of an open truck, Mac saw a group of people with gaunt, frightened faces and threadbare clothes. Her gut cramped. A lot of them were kids.
A chair scraped loudly against the floor, and there was a strangled cry. A woman at one of the comp stations was standing and swaying on her feet. Her face was white.
“That’s…that’s my husband.” Tears welled in her eyes. “In the red shirt. That’s Jacob. He wasn’t selected for the Enclave. He made me come with our daughter.” She pressed a fist to her mouth. “I thought he was dead.”
Jesus. Mac watched as Hell Squad’s Hawk raced closer to the truck. And the aliens’ big, rugged, black vehicle did too.
Niko stared up at the screens. “Let’s bring them home.”
***
Niko’s pulse was drumming. It felt like a ticking clock. He watched as the ugly, squat vehicle moved closer to the survivors’ truck.
Then the raptor vehicle opened fire.
Shit. Niko tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him. He saw the truck swerving madly to avoid the raptor poison. In the back, adults covered the children with their bodies. One survivor toppled out of the truck bed with a bloodcurdling scream.
Chyort! How long until Hell Squad reached them?
The muscles in Niko’s neck and shoulders felt stretched to their breaking point. He felt the terror of the woman, Anne, whose husband was in the truck. She was wringing her hands and quietly murmuring prayers.
“Bugs!” Elle cried out. “Marcus, watch out, you have alien bugs in the vicinity.”
Niko searched the screen and then he spotted them. The alien bugs looked like mutant dragonflies. They had long, elongated bodies, and two sets of transparent wings. Their heads had large, multifaceted eyes and their mouths had serrated mandibles on either side.
He watched in horror as one of the bugs reached the back of the truck and snapped at the humans. With a cry, a woman was wrenched out of the truck.
He heard Anne gasp. Her husband was shielding a group of children.
President Howell had died like this—taken by an alien bug. The bastard deserved it. Niko couldn’t believe the man had separated couples and families. All so he could pick the best of the best. Scientists, artists, the most intelligent…Howell had planned his own little utopia with himself at the helm.
“Anne, maybe you want to wait outside,” Niko suggested.
“No.” The woman grabbed his arm, her fingernails digging into his skin. “Bring him home. Please. Bring them home safely, Nikolai.”
He patted her arm. “We will.” Niko hoped it wasn’t a lie.
Finally, he saw the quadcopter appear, dropping its illusion. Hell Squad had arrived.
Laser fire joined the fray. The alien vehicle swerved to avoid it.
Mackenna moved up beside Niko and slipped her hand into his. They watched as the fight turned chaotic. Hell Squad fought hard and fast, and Elle continued to murmur information to her team. The alien vehicle skidded to a halt, raptors pouring out.
“Marcus, you have seven raptors exiting the vehicle,” Elle said. “Standard raptor weapons.”
Suddenly, a black shadow darted in front of the drone. A loud screech echoed from the speakers.
“Drone killer,” Lia said from another comp station. “I repeat, the drone killer is in the area.” She looked back at Niko. “Do you want me to pull the drones back? Or do we keep them there?”
Before he had the chance to respond, the drone shook. Something had impacted it. Hard. It fell from the sky in a dizzying spiral.
Lia cursed, fighting to regain control. A second later, the drone crashed into the ground and the screen went black.
Shit. But they still had another in the air.
“I’m taking over the final drone,” Lia said. Then she barked orders to her drone operators through her headset.
Niko watched as Lia flew the drone in a mad dance through the sky to avoid the drone killer chasing it. Lia was using some pretty fancy flying to stay out of the bird’s reach. But it also meant this footage was shaky, blurry, and not aimed where they needed it.
“Keep going, Lia,” Elle said. “That drone is relaying back the audio as well. We can’t lose it.”
Niko got a glimpse of Hell Squad reaching the truck. He saw kids being handed down to Marcus. The rest of Hell Squad was engaging the approaching aliens.
Then the image was gone, and all he saw was blue sky and cloud. There was the odd glimpse of the drone killer’s sleek, black body.
“I can’t keep this up.” Lia’s voice was strained.
Dammit. Niko drummed his fingers on the desk, felt Mac squeeze his other hand. Did he risk keeping the drone out there, or did he cut off contact with Hell Squad to save it? Without the drone, they couldn’t call for backup, and had no intel from Elle.
“The damn drone killer is closing in,” Lia cri
ed. “We can’t afford to lose another drone!”
Niko stared at the wild footage shaking across the screen. It wasn’t helping them. “Pull the drone back.”
“No.” Anne cried. “What about the survivors?”
“Hell Squad will bring them home. Lia, move the drone back to a safe distance but try to stay in range to keep the audio. Elle, tell Marcus we might lose contact.”
The drone retreated, whizzing away from the combat area. The audio was still loud and clear.
“Cruz, get the kids on the Hawk.” Marcus’ voice was a loud roar. “Everyone else. Run! Get to that quadcopter.” There was the sound of laser fire and raptor weapons. It sounded like it was right on top of them.
God, it was horrible to listen to. Niko dragged in a breath.
And then he heard Cruz cursing in Spanish. “They lobbed some sort of grenade. Watch out!”
Now there was screaming.
“Fuck. People are hit. I repeat people are hit,” Cruz said.
Niko turned to look at Elle. “Backup?”
“I’ve already activated Squad Three. They’ll be there in a few minutes.” Elle’s voice was shaky but calm.
“Shit!” Cruz again. “Marcus is hit. I repeat Marcus is down.”
At the comp, Elle went pale. She gripped her keyboard. “Cruz—”
“I’ve got him, Ellie. He’s paralyzed by the raptor poison, but he’s alive.”
But Niko knew that raptor poison burned and ate through flesh. Beside him, Anne was sobbing, and gulping in shallow breaths.
Niko looked at Mackenna. Her face was grim, but she leaned into him. Giving him her support.
“Arriving at the scene.” Tane Rahia’s cool voice came across the line.
“Tane, this is Lia. Any sign of the drone killer?”
A pause.
“Nothing.”
“Screw this.” Lia spun. “I’m taking the drone back in.”
“Do it,” Niko said.
A minute later, the screens flickered back to life. One displayed the drone feed, and the other the video from Tane’s helmet camera.
The scene was filled with carnage.
Hell Squad was fighting, giving cover to the survivors, who were running for the Hawk. Some were huddled in a frightened group near their truck. Niko’s stomach dropped away. There were lots of bodies on the ground. Too many.
And one was a man, sprawled facedown and wearing a red shirt.
Niko heard a keening cry beside him. He spun and caught Anne as her legs gave out.
Then she straightened and shoved against him. “You were supposed to save him!” She hammered at Niko’s chest. “He’d survived all this time…” Tears were falling down her face. “This is like losing him all over again.” She broke down, sobbing.
Niko pulled her close, helpless to soothe her suffering. He heard another noise and looked up.
Anne’s young daughter was standing in the doorway, staring at the screen with a pale face. “Daddy?”
For a second, Niko was in another time and place. Watching another young girl staring at her father’s dead body.
Another technician stood and pried Anne away from Niko. With an arm wrapped around the sobbing woman, the other female technician led Anne and her daughter away.
Back on the screen, Gabe Jackson was carrying Marcus onto the Hawk. Soon, Hell Squad and the remaining survivors were aboard, and the Hawk lifted off.
Squad Three remained on the ground, busy mowing through the few remaining aliens.
Niko flexed his hands and closed his eyes.
Mackenna’s firm touch was on his arm. “It’s not your fault, Niko.”
So why did it feel like it was?
He turned around and stormed out.
Chapter Twelve
Mac found Niko in his apartment. The lights were on low and there was a half empty bottle of vodka beside him.
She’d expected him to be splattering paint across canvas, but he was sitting at a small table. His hands were moving in slow, methodical movements, and were covered in something gray. Clay, she realized. He was sculpting.
He was shirtless, his jeans riding low on his hips. His face was set like stone and a brooding presence filled the air.
“Niko.”
“I’m not good company right now, Mackenna.”
“They made it back. Marcus and the others are in the infirmary.”
A muscle ticked in Niko’s jaw. “Not all of them. Not Anne’s husband.”
Mac approached, aching for him. “I think—”
“They’re dead. I should’ve left the drone there. I should have sent more squads in the first place. I should’ve found the drone killer by now.” He slammed his hand down on the table, making his art supplies rattle. “I should’ve done something.”
Mac realized she’d seen more death and suffering at Blue Mountain Base. They’d been going out to fight the aliens every day, they’d been under attack, they’d suffered casualties. Maybe she’d become a little numb to the losses.
But despite his assassin background, Niko and the people of the Enclave had been more insulated since the invasion. She loved the fact that he felt so deeply, but she didn’t want him to suffer, to take on a guilt that wasn’t his.
“Niko, we’re in the middle of a war. There will be casualties.” She felt a pain in her heart. “There’ll be more before this is over.”
He looked up at her, his eyes stormy. “My work for Russian Intelligence…it was all about death.” He looked down at his hands. “At first, I was proud. I was working for my country, doing a difficult job…but I never once questioned my orders.”
His accent had thickened, and Mackenna forced herself to stay still and listen.
“They sent me to kill a man, a traitor, just outside Moscow.” Now Niko looked at the wall, lost in his painful memories. “I killed him. And then realized his small daughter was watching. She looked at me like I was a monster and it made me realize that I was. After that, I found out that the man wasn’t a traitor.” Niko blew out a breath. “He was just a citizen who disagreed with the government. They made me into a murderer.” Then he shook his head angrily. “No, that isn’t right. No one else is to blame for what I did except myself.”
“What did you do after that?”
“I left. Disappeared. I did what I did best, and used my considerable skills to vanish.”
She knew he would have been very good at it. And she knew his former bosses would’ve tried to hunt him down.
“I was hiding among the artist community in New York when I picked up my first paintbrush. And then I started carving this beautiful piece of mahogany…” He looked up at her. “For once, I was creating and making something beautiful, instead of killing and destroying.”
Mac felt a desperate need to touch him. She reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “Niko, you’ve made something here at the Enclave. A home, a haven, a sanctuary. Without your leadership, most of these people wouldn’t have made it.”
Emotion spasmed over his face. “I should have done more to save those people today. If I hadn’t been caught up, so distracted by…”
When his words drifted away, Mac raised a brow. She absorbed the pain that pierced her chest. “Go on. Distracted by fucking me? By me sucking your cock in the shower? By—”
“Stop it,” he bit off.
“You started it, damn you. You know what, Niko? Those deaths today—Anne’s husband—it isn’t about you. You should be focused on fighting back, not blaming yourself and wallowing in it.”
He reached out and yanked her into his lap. She stayed stiff in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. He pressed his face against her neck. “I’m sorry.”
She tried to stay hard, but she couldn’t. She sagged against him, holding on tight. God, he was melting something inside her, and for once, she didn’t care. For him, she could have a soft spot.
He reached up, his hand circling her throat and smearing clay on her skin. �
�I don’t regret a single second with you, Mackenna. You make it bearable. You make it all worthwhile.” He leaned forward and kissed her.
This kiss was slow, gentle, and it felt different from everything they’d shared before. Mac felt butterflies in her stomach.
“It’s okay, Niko. I’m here when you need me. But don’t think I won’t kick your ass when you need it.”
His smile was faint, but it was there. “We should go and check on the injured. On Marcus.”
She nodded and slipped off his lap. She watched as he grabbed his shirt, pulled it on, and took a second to wash his hands.
He held her hand in a death grip as they walked down to the infirmary.
And once again, Mac found herself in that plush waiting room that she was beginning to hate. All of Squad Nine, and Hell Squad, and their partners were there—worried and waiting. Cruz was holding a shaken Elle in his arms.
“Any news?” Niko asked.
Cruz shook his head.
Elle turned teary eyes their way. “Marcus never gets hurt. He’s so big, so strong, so…”
Seemingly indestructible. But Mac knew the risks they took every time they went out there. Any of them could get hurt.
Niko’s hand tightened on hers and she knew he was thinking the same thing.
When Niko wandered over to talk with Roth and Cruz, Cam came over to Mac. “You have clay on you.” She waved at the neck of Mac’s shirt.
Damn. Mac had forgotten about it. She glanced down at herself. Well, there wasn’t much she could do about it.
Cam smiled. “It’s the perfect imprint of big, strong fingers. I’m happy for you, babe.”
“Thanks, Cam.”
“Wish I could find a hunk of sexy who looks at me like he looks at you.”
“Cam, you have it. You’re so busy beating him up because you’re afraid.”
“Afraid?” Cam made a hissing sound. “You’re talking about Hemi?” She shook her head. “Screw that. I don’t need that annoying, scruffy Neanderthal—”
“You ever hear that one about protesting too much?”
Cam’s mouth snapped shut and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Shut up.”
The infirmary door opened, and everyone in the waiting room glanced up. Mac expected to see Doc Emerson.