As they lay there, another blaster bolt sizzled in the air above them.
Jaan looked anxiously at Qirn.
“If one of these shots hits a crate full of fireworks just right, this whole building could go up!"
They all knew the safety barriers used in packing such combustible contents in this sector. But nothing would prevent the ensuing tragedy if a blaster struck one dead center.
Qirn growled under his breath. But he nodded silent agreement. He suddenly looked at his other Iraxx companions.
“Okay. We must get the human girl out safe—these Harg are not important."
The other Iraxx nodded agreement.
“Let's stun as many as we can and then lay down cover fire. Then we can go for the girl."
In a single motion, the three Iraxx warriors jumped up and fired simultaneously.
Two Harg fell stunned while the third leapt away.
“Let's go!” Qirn shouted.
The Iraxx fired again and again as the Harg returned their more deadly fire.
Just as he was about to follow his companion through the building exit, Craga pulled out his communicator. He saw the tracers of blaster fire, but the combatants remained unseen amid the countless rows of wooden crates.
He spoke into his communicator.
“Don't let any of them get out alive. Obey me as if it came from the Great Paum!” Smiling, he unhooked another device from his wide belt. His eyes narrowed into two slits as he pushed the button.
Somewhere near the center of the vast warehouse, the door of a crate opened. But inside, the crate appeared empty.
“Let them deal with a Destructor,” Craga whispered with a savage grin.
Hurriedly, he made his way out of the building.
Blaster fire filled the air for a moment, some of it hitting the far walls and burning carbon-etched holes into the thick, blast-proof metal. But some hit the edges of the crates, sending them and plasti-steel fragments high into the air.
“Aim carefully!” Qirn shouted to his warriors.
The Iraxx ran between several crates piled high to the ceiling in hot pursuit of Elise, who now had about a minute's lead-time.
Moments later, the remaining Harg scattered after them.
It was ‘fire, duck and run’ as Qirn and his warriors quickly made their way through the maze of crates and toward where they hoped Elise was hiding.
Qirn felt a hot, stinging sensation on the back of his neck as another crate rocked under a hit and part of it fragmented into tiny projectiles.
Though the Mejadic lined each crate with a protective shielding of plasti-steel, it was only a matter of time before a direct hit set off a deadly chain reaction.
And then the entire warehouse would go up.
Qirn looked around hurriedly as the blaster fire grew thick in the air all around them.
“There she is!” Jaan shouted.
Elise appeared to their left from around a fallen pile of crates.
But the Harg saw her too.
A blaster bolt leapt toward her.
Elise shuddered backward and slumped to the floor, clutching her side where the blaster struck.
“No!” Qirn shouted as he fired and stunned the Harg in return.
Jaan and Yuli leapt up and returned their own volleys.
Another Harg fell. And another. But several more took their place.
Without warning a crate exploded near them—suddenly the air was full of multi-colored smoke and streaking rockets. The small missiles screamed through the air in every direction, then exploded with bright flashes of color above them near the warehouse ceiling.
“We've got to split up.” Qirn pointed at Yuli and Trag. “You two fan out and draw their fire in that direction.” He turned to Jaan. “You make a break that way. Draw their fire. And I'll make for the girl."
The Iraxx warriors nodded silently.
“Now!” Qirn shouted.
They jumped up simultaneously and fired.
Yuli and Trag fired from their hips as they jumped around crates and ran toward the south wall of the building. The Harg fired first at them, then turned their weapons to Jaan who ducked and fired as he made his way in the opposite direction.
Keeping low, Qirn quickly made his way to Elise's unmoving form.
But he made it only halfway when he ducked for cover under a sudden hail of blaster fire.
The Harg knew his intentions.
A few dozen yards away, behind the cover of a large pile of crates, Yuli and Trag were reloading their blasters, when a strange sound came to their ears.
The two Iraxx paused, straining to hear against harsh silence of the huge warehouse.
It came again—a sound that made their blood run cold.
The ominous sound of steel claws scratching against a surface.
And then the silence returned.
Yuli and Trag locked eyes.
“It can't be!” Trag whispered with anxiety.
Yuli popped a fully loaded cartridge back into his weapon as his eyes nervously darted from place to place. He groaned deep inside, but still kept a keen eye out. And still they strained their ears for the sound they didn't want to hear.
But they heard the scratching sound again.
And this time it was much closer.
“Get your sensor out! I'll cover!” Yuli raised his weapon and pointed at a row of crates close by. But there was nothing to see even though he stared unflinching at the spot where he thought the sound emanated.
Trag grabbed at the hand-held sensor strapped to his belt. With a curse, he fumbled it loose and almost dropped it.
“Hurry!” Yuli urged.
Suddenly, one of the crates moved mysteriously before his unbelieving eyes—moved by an unseen power.
Yuli fired a barrage at the invisible monster.
But the tracers disappeared into the thick concrete floor and shattered fragments of plasti-steel from the crate that had mysteriously moved.
As the debris cleared the air, the eerie silence returned.
The Iraxx warrior held his weapon steady as he peered intently all around, trying to look in every direction at the same time. His breathing grew rapid as he fought the urge to run, but he didn't know which direction to run now—he didn't know where the Destructor was.
Finally, Trag held his sensor out and began tuning it as he pointed it first at the blaster fragmented crate and began a slow scan.
“I ... I don't see anything,” he whispered urgently.
“It's there,” Yuli said with a finality. “Find it! I can't blast it if I don't know where it's at!"
The scratching sound whispered right beside them.
Yuli and Trag started to turn.
The wall of crates they were hiding behind suddenly began to crash down on their heads. The two Iraxx flung their hands up to ward off the heavy crates falling upon them. In their hearts, each knew the Destructor was coming down on them at the same time—coming in for the kill.
Yuli screamed as he felt the invisible talons grabbing for him.
He managed a short blast before his weapon was ripped from his hand. As the crates knocked him down to the ground with their heavy blows, he still felt the invisible grasp of the Destructor locked on him.
With boxes and crates falling all around him, he felt his body violently jerked away.
Trag lay dazed momentarily as another crate bounced off his head. He pushed violently and kicked repeatedly at the pile of boxes that covered him as he fought to find a way out from under them.
A scream pierced the air, followed immediately by a short burst from a blaster.
Both sounds were close by.
Trag shuddered.
As he shoved the last crate off of his body and stood, he looked around in panic for his friend.
In the distance, the Harg fired again at both Qirn and Jaan. But it did not register in Trag's mind as his eyes searched the jumble of boxes and crates looking for a sign of his fallen friend.
And then he saw it.
Yuli's leg was visible beside a fallen pile of crates a few yards away.
Trag's eyes widened with horror.
As he watched, Yuli's leg suddenly jerked and stiffened.
And a muffled scream split the air.
Trag pulled his blaster from its holster and scrambled over the fallen boxes toward where Yuli lay.
But as he drew close he paused. Slowly, hesitantly, he made his way closer.
“Y-Yuli?"
Silence answered.
He fought the panic rising inside him. Holding his blaster, he looked slowly around, realizing that the invisible Destructor could be anywhere.
It could be right behind him.
Trag swallowed hard.
Finally, he forced himself to move closer until he came around the last crates and could see the fallen form of his friend.
Yuli lay flat on his back; his eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling far above.
Trag knew he was dead even without his sensor.
A crate over to his left suddenly moved.
Trag jumped.
He fired burst after burst at the area and all around it.
But only the flying splinters of plasti-steel and chunks from the concrete floor resulted from his mad volley.
He stared in panic first in one direction and another, trying to see the invisible monster.
But he couldn't, no matter how hard he stared.
And now he did not have his sensor; it was lost somewhere under the pile of crates behind him.
Trag knew he had to get out of there.
If he wanted to live.
He began backing slowly away, facing the area where the crate had moved. His shaking hand held the blaster as he stumbled backward over the fallen debris.
Fear gripped his entire being. Deep inside, he knew he was being hunted.
And he knew the Destructor was close—very close.
He felt it.
Trag screamed inside his mind.
In the distance, he heard the shouts and blaster fire from the others, but that did not matter now.
As he stumbled again, almost falling, he reached down to steady himself. But he slid and fell to the ground.
He immediately struggled to get up and continue his retreat. But as he pushed himself to his knees, the haunting sound came again—the gut-wrenching sound of steel talons scratching.
Trag froze.
The silence returned—except for the explosive pounding of his heart.
Trag wiped the sweat out his eyes as he strained his ears and eyes for any sign of the Destructor.
Anything.
Between one heartbeat and the next, he felt the invisible appendage slip around his neck from behind.
Trag opened his mouth to scream as he tried to turn and fire.
But the deadly grip tightened.
And mercifully, Trag lost consciousness.
* * * *
JAAN WAS CONFUSED.
He looked up and fired a quick blast at a Harg and ducked back behind his cover.
But he stared over in the direction where the screams still echoed.
There weren't any Harg over there, and yet he plainly heard Yuli's blood-curdling scream a few moments ago.
And now, there was nothing—no movement, not any indication that either of them were there.
Or alive.
Jaan pulled out the tiny communicator and flipped it open.
“Captain,” Jaan said into it. “Captain, something's happened to Yuli and Trag."
“I think you're right. I've already tried to raise them,” Qirn answered tersely.
“What do we do?” Jaan whispered.
“I've got to get to the human girl. I can see her. But I'm pinned down."
Jaan pulled out a second blaster from its holster. “I'll cover you until you reach her and find more cover. Then you can cover for me and I'll make my way over to you."
“Then we're outta here,” Qirn's voice said evenly.
Jaan flipped his communicator closed and replaced it on his belt. He picked up a second blaster and held both barrels upright a moment.
He counted to three and jumped up—both blasters firing.
The remaining Harg returned fire, but Jaan ducked momentarily and jumped back up firing once again.
He stunned one of them squarely in the chest—the alien falling backward unconscious.
But the other two fired back with rapid bursts.
In that moment, Qirn reached the limp form of Elise.
As he reached for her a blaster bolt ripped through the air right over his head.
In one motion, Qirn turned and fired.
His instinctive aim proved true and another Harg fell stunned.
The last two Harg disappeared behind a pile of crates.
Qirn quickly pulled Elise into the shadows. He pulled out his sensor to scan her wounds. He hoped Jaan would make it to them in the next few minutes. Otherwise he would be force to leave without him.
* * * *
BUT JAAN SAT frozen.
He had ducked back behind some cover after he saw Qirn drop the Harg. It had been his intention to pause only a second then begin to make his way over to his captain.
But just as he started to rise, he saw a crate move by itself—pushed by an unseen force.
His mind reeled a moment, fighting against what his eyes just saw. And in the next second it hit him—there was a Destructor here.
His entire body froze with panic.
Jaan barely breathed, still staring at the crate. He held his two blasters with barrels pointing upright and ready. But he could not will himself to move with the recognition of the terrible thing he knew now hunted him.
As he sat there, he heard the sound he dreaded—the faint sound of scratching claws moving ever closer.
Death, sure and terrible, came for Jaan.
The Iraxx warrior gasped breathlessly.
He felt a rush of adrenaline shoot throughout his body with the pounding of his heart. But still he remained frozen, his mind somehow detached from his body in its blizzard of thoughts.
Another crate moved ever so slightly against the weight of some invisible thing.
The Destructor was less than a meter away now.
Jaan's mind snapped.
In his heart, he knew he'd never kill the invisible Destructor.
But he could take it with him.
And everybody else in the warehouse.
He fired directly into several oversized crates marked ‘Extremely Powerful—Careful.'
Jaan screamed as the explosions and missiles erupted.
He rose and fired into more boxes, sending more missiles whistling into the air as dozens exploded into a shower of lights. Explosion after colorful explosion ripped the air, the quickly growing number of missiles making it seem as if it were raining fireworks from the sky.
The intensity and number grew exponentially as the warehouse started to fill with showers of multi-colored explosions.
Suddenly, against the constant flash and sparks, he saw the outline of the Destructor coming for him.
Jaan screamed again as he aimed for the crates all around the vague shape of the Destructor.
Powerful explosions erupted and Jaan was blinded.
But he'd seen that faint outline of the Destructor thrown down and partially consumed by the power of the blasts all around them.
Still, while he watched in horror as the now unstoppable barrage of exploding fireworks increased, he saw the shadowy outline of the damaged Destructor lifting itself up.
A steel claw reached out for him.
Jaan fired furiously.
As he screamed, the chain reaction of explosions grew together in rapid succession until it detonated every box in this one section of the warehouse.
The Destructor continued to reach out while the Iraxx warrior pumped blast after blast into its reinforced tritanium steel body, sending chunks of its armor plating into the air where they became
plainly visible once separated from its cloaking field.
Even as Jaan felt the Destructor strip him of his blasters and take him into its deadly embrace, the expanding reach of the explosions finally engulfed them both.
Jaan screamed one last time.
* * * *
QIRN HEAVED ELISE over his shoulder with one motion while the air filled with flying missiles and explosions.
He knew the explosions had started from the area where Jaan had suddenly started firing like a madman. He assumed the worst for his fellow Iraxx warrior as the explosions increased.
An especially powerful explosion ripped the air, almost knocking him down.
The room filled with missiles streaking in every direction and exploding with bright, blinding colors. More crates erupted from hits by these fiery missiles, their contents also shooting out in every direction and adding to the ever-growing array of colorful, deadly displays within the confines of the shielded warehouse.
The chain reaction had started.
More and more crates erupted and sent their fiery contents skyward with screaming cries. In only a few seconds, a blizzard of missiles filled the cavernous warehouse.
Just above the roar of the flying missiles and explosions, Qirn heard the screams of the last two Harg behind him as they fled for the same exit.
Qirn carried the human female as best he could. Again and again he stumbled and almost fell. Again and again he forced his body up, shouldering the limp form as he ran amid the blinding missiles that came at him from every direction.
He knew it was almost too late.
The explosions quickly grew in both number and intensity.
He was almost to the exit door, but he was so exhausted from the weight he carried he felt he couldn't go another step.
Still, he willed his body to obey.
He gasped desperately for breath as he steeled himself for one last burst of energy to escape.
All at once, Qirn felt somebody else beside him.
Rab stood beside him, panting and streaming sweat down his face.
“I couldn't wait outside any longer, not once I heard the powerful explosions growing. I came to help.” He grasped Elise to help carry Qirn's load.
They ran for the exit.
Just as they reached the door, the myriad of small explosions finally grew together into a single, powerful blast.
In that instant, the titanic fireball reached out with its explosive power and ignited everything else left inside the reinforced warehouse.
Borne On Wings of Steel Page 21