by Anna Hackett
The first wave consisted of raptor troops marching, followed by a line of squat, black raptor vehicles. But in the lead, were three large rexes, saddled with riders.
The rexes resembled tyrannosaurus rexes—giant, savage monstrosities that could trample over people and vehicles.
And mounted on the back of one of the rexes, was a large yellow globe the size of a person.
That was when Devlin realized that some of the small figures marching behind the rexes weren’t raptors…they were humans.
“They’re just following along, like children behind the Pied Piper,” Taylor said, horrified.
“They must be survivors from the area who’ve been holed up in surrounding towns and farms,” Devlin said.
Taylor thumped a fist on the console. “Dammit, why aren’t the squads out here fighting?”
Devlin brought the ptero in lower.
“Maybe they’ve locked down the Enclave?” Sienna said quietly.
But that was when Devlin saw something that made his chest go tight, like an icy ball had lodged itself in his lungs. “No. Look.”
He saw Taylor frowning, scanning the motley group below. Then her face turned gray. “Oh no. No, no, no!”
Following right behind the rexes, staring up at the light, was a large group of armored soldiers. They were holding their carbines uselessly by their sides.
Devlin easily picked out the broad, muscled form of Marcus Steele. His squad walked behind him.
“Roth,” Taylor said in a broken voice.
Sienna, Theron, Tane and Hemi all rushed forward, crowding behind their chairs.
“The rest of our squad is down there.” Sienna pressed a fist to her chest.
“And mine,” Tane said darkly. “I see Connors, and King.”
“And Griff and Santora are just behind them,” Hemi said, his voice vibrating with anger.
Devlin stared down at the horrifying sight. The Enclave’s best fighters were all enslaved by the mind-control globe and following the aliens.
***
Taylor felt shaken to her very core.
Her squad was made up of the toughest soldiers she’d ever known. Just like Hell Squad and the berserkers. She couldn’t believe that they were all under the control of the aliens.
“Taylor? Taylor!”
The snap of Devlin’s voice broke through the haze clogging her head. “Yes?”
“See if you can work out how to activate the ptero’s weapons systems.” Dev’s face was grim. “I think we should thin out the aliens.” Now he smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. “With their own ship.” He looked at the others. “You guys better hold on again.”
“Get us down there soon,” Tane said.
Devlin nodded. “But let’s increase the odds in our favor, first.”
Right. Weapons. The task helped Taylor focus. She had a job to do. She was going to take down these aliens and free her friends.
She started touching the screens, listening as Dev told her which symbols to try.
“I’m not going to be good at this.” Lights appeared on the screen under her fingers, blinking wildly. “What if I hit our people?”
“We’ll start by attacking the aliens and their vehicles that are farther away from them. I know there’s still a chance we’ll hit someone…but it’s a risk we have to take.”
Taylor gave a short nod. Moments later, she finally got the controls active and had made an educated guess on which symbol controlled each weapon.
As they turned around, wheeling back toward the line of raptors, she sucked in a breath.
“Ready?”
“Oh, yeah.” She fired.
As raptor poison scattered across the raptor troops, some dove for cover, lots fell in the knee-high grass, and others aimed their weapons into the sky. They were clearly confused about the fact that their own ship was attacking them.
The ptero whizzed past the alien horde, and Devlin turned them back again to make another pass.
This time, Taylor aimed for the lead rex, which was the farthest away from the humans.
Poison sizzled into the creature’s side and the giant alien reared up.
Again and again, Dev turned them, and Taylor kept firing. Her aim was improving, and for a second, she wondered if she could risk aiming for the globe.
No. Her jaw tightened. The humans were just too close. Her friends were too close.
“You are rocking the poison, Cates.” Hemi appeared beside her, hanging over her shoulder.
Tane appeared on her other side, staring out the window with his scary-mad face. “Keep it up, Taylor.”
With the berserkers cheering her on and Devlin lining them up each time, she kept taking down the aliens.
Then the ship jolted. The two berserkers staggered sideways. Suddenly the whole ship swung to the right.
“We’re hit!” Devlin said.
She glanced at Devlin, and watched his hands move lightning-fast over the controls, his face strained with the effort of trying to right the ptero.
Taylor turned her attention out the window. She spotted several raptor vehicles parked in formation, with their heavy weapons aimed up at the sky. As she watched, a turret on one of the vehicles fired with a brilliant flash of red light.
“Incoming!” she yelled.
The missile flew through the air and slammed into the ptero. The ship shuddered under the impact, sparks bursting from the console.
The ptero dropped.
“I’ve lost most of the controls,” Dev yelled. “We’re going down. Hold on.”
Taylor was dimly aware of Tane and Hemi moving back to find somewhere safe. She stared out the window. “Dev, on the left. See that empty field?”
“I see it. Everyone hold on. Tight.”
Taylor sat back in her chair, checking her straps. The field was green, ringed by a metal fence and a few lone trees.
Dev reached out and grabbed her hand. “Taylor.”
She looked at his sexy, fallen-angel face. In his eyes, she could see all the words that he couldn’t say. “We’re going to make it, super spy. You and I have lots of stuff to do yet. I’m planning to make you fall in love with me.” Please fall in love with me. “And help you make friends. You’re going to go to parties, hang out with my squad, learn to have some fun.”
A brief smile flickered on his lips, then his face turned serious, his hand clenching on hers. He looked back to the window.
The grass-covered ground rushed up to meet them.
Oh, God. Taylor’s stomach turned in a sickening roll. The ptero dropped lower, clipping a tree. That sent them spinning wildly.
As they spun around, Taylor heard a scream, and realized it was her own.
They hit the ground with a crunch and she was thrown violently forward. They slid across the ground, grass, rocks, and dirt flying up at the windshield.
Then, they jerked to a stop, and there was silence.
Chapter Thirteen
Devlin yanked his straps off, and leaped out of his seat. He crouched beside Taylor and touched her face. She was conscious but dazed, blinking her eyes. He unclipped her straps.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey, yourself.” She smiled, her eyes clearing. “That was a pretty decent crash.”
“Thanks.”
She reached out and stroked his cheek. “You’re bleeding.”
“Think I got hit by some flying glass.” He helped her to her feet, and they moved toward the others.
They were all standing, battered but alive. Hemi had a nasty bump over his right eye and Tane had a streak of blood down the side of his face. Sienna and Theron looked fine.
Wait. Devlin realized that Theron’s arm looked odd. “Theron—?”
“The idiot tried to keep me safe.” Sienna slapped her hands against the big man’s chest. “He broke his damn arm ensuring I didn’t get a little bump.”
Theron grunted. “Right, I should have let you break your neck.”
Sienna rolled her eyes.
“I was fine. I would’ve gotten a bruise, not a broken bone.”
Theron shifted his carbine to his left hand. “I can shoot left-handed.”
Sienna sighed and swung her carbine around. “Fine. But you pull that trick again, and I’ll break your other arm for you.” She looked at Devlin. “Can we go and get our friends back now?”
Devlin nodded.
“Hell, yeah,” Hemi said.
“What about the globe?” Taylor asked.
“We’ll leave it here for now. Once we’ve rescued the others, we’ll come back for it.”
Devlin opened the ptero door, and they all carefully stepped out of the ship and onto the grass. One by one, they turned their illusion armor on. Devlin watched the others disappear, except for Taylor. Her illusion flickered in and out, like a bad wiring connection, before she disappeared from view.
The sun was well up in the sky now, filling the area with bright light. Devlin took the lead. “Let’s move.”
Even though he couldn’t see them, he sensed the others move close, in tight formation. They approached the alien horde, skirting a small patrol that had obviously been sent to investigate the downed ptero.
Ahead, several raptor vehicles spewed ugly, black smoke into the air. One rex lay motionless, down on its side, and scores of raptor bodies littered the grass.
Beyond, the humans, including their friends, all stood unnervingly still, arms by their sides, staring at the sphere on the rex’s back.
“Remember, avoid direct line of sight with the globe,” Devlin warned his team.
“We need to take that globe out,” Taylor said.
“Yes. Let’s get closer.”
As they neared the aliens, they moved down to their bellies, slithering through the grass. Soon, they were just meters away from the massive feet of the rex with the globe mounted on its back. Most of the alien forces were ahead of it, while the human prisoners were behind it.
Devlin studied the situation, careful not to look at that yellow light.
“We could try shooting it,” Tane suggested.
Devlin let out a quiet, noncommittal grunt. “Maybe. If we shoot at it and don’t break it, then we’re sitting ducks. The aliens will be on us in a flash.”
“So, what do we do?” Sienna whispered.
“I need to climb up the rex,” Devlin said.
Taylor made a sharp noise. “That’s a suicide run. As soon as you get on that creature’s back, it’s going to know you’re there. The aliens will attack and you’ll be a sitting duck.”
“I’ll be invisible.”
Taylor was silent for a second. She pushed in close to him, appearing inside his illusion. He saw her unhappy face, then watched as her gaze turned to the prisoners and their blank faces.
“Dammit, I want another option.”
“There isn’t one.” He cupped her cheek. “But a very wise woman once told me that protecting others is important.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.” He touched her sweet lips. “You’ve given me a lot to live for, Taylor.”
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll keep the aliens busy so no one notices you.”
He was so used to fighting alone in the shadows. To never depending on anyone else in the field. But right here, right now, he would happily put his life in this woman’s hands. He trusted her. Completely.
Somehow Taylor had melted his shell, shattered his defenses, and barged inside him without him knowing how to stop her. For a moment, he was thankful to the Gizzida for locking him in a cell with her.
“I trust you.” He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her lips. “But you stay safe. When we get back to the Enclave…”
She smiled. “When we get back, I seem to recall that it’s my turn to be on top.”
He fought back a laugh. “Deal.” It was a hell of an incentive.
Now, it was time to destroy the damn globe, and free their friends.
Devlin pushed up and sprinted toward the rex. He heard Taylor and the others firing toward the aliens.
The raptors spun around, confused. With their illusion armor on, Taylor and the others were impossible to spot. Reaching the rex, Devlin gripped a scaly leg and started clambering up.
Instantly, the creature started stomping its feet, sensing something was amiss.
Devlin just held on tighter and kept moving. He heard raptor weapons fire join the carbine fire. His gut went tight. Stay safe, Taylor.
As the rex kept moving, it made it harder for Devlin to climb. His hand slipped, and he jammed his boots in hard, struggling to stay on. He steadied himself and climbed again. He slipped again, sliding several meters. He reached out, and his hands snagged on something. He grabbed on, halting his fall. It was the leather harness that held the rex rider’s seat on the animal’s back.
He caught his breath, then, using the harness, pulled himself upward. The yellow glow intensified, and he knew he was getting close.
Then he heard shouts from below. Raptor and human.
Gripping onto the leather, he looked down and sucked in a breath. Taylor was out in the open, her armor flickering in and out like crazy.
Goddammit, no. Her illusion system was failing.
His chest went tight. He wasn’t the only one who’d spotted her. The raptors started firing in her direction. She ducked and sprinted. Then, the illusion failed completely.
Now, she was fully visible, with raptor troops converging on her.
“Keep going!” she screamed.
Even though she wasn’t looking at him, he knew she was talking to him. His focus wavered. He wanted to save her.
But too many lives depended on him destroying the globe. And he knew the best way to help Taylor was to smash the goddamn globe and free the squads standing only meters away.
As the raptors reached her and she started fighting to defend herself, Devlin forced himself to turn away from his woman and keep climbing. His jaw locked tight.
It was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
***
Taylor fought as hard as she could. She heard the rest of the team shooting at the raptors, and she kept firing her carbine until the raptors overran her.
She was tackled to the grass, and she struggled against the raptor crushing her. She reached down for her combat knife.
Another raptor appeared, slamming his boot down on her wrist. She gritted her teeth against a scream. Her armor bore the brunt of the impact, but it still hurt.
The raptors grabbed her arms and yanked her upright. They carted her off, her boots skimming across the ground.
How was Devlin doing? She didn’t dare let herself look at him. Come on, super spy.
The raptors jerked her to a stop. Ahead, she saw several raptor vehicles roaring in. The squat, bulky-looking machines topped with spikes, made her think of a herd of triceratops. The lead vehicles came to a halt mere meters away, spitting up dirt.
A door opened, and a tall raptor exited the first vehicle. He wore a red bandolier filled with raptor bone projectiles across his chest.
Her captors thrust her forward, slamming her against the hood of the lead vehicle. She felt the warmth radiating off the black metal.
The raptor with the bandolier watched her without any expression. “I have some questions for you.”
His English was excellent, without the heavy guttural accent most of them had. Then she heard a clanking sound, and turned her head.
Another raptor was bringing a set of black chains toward her.
No. Taylor started struggling wildly. Past and present slammed into her. She remembered seeing Chapman carrying shiny silver chains toward her and her mother. And now she was going to be chained down again.
Force the memories away, Taylor. She was trying, but panic stole her breath and her ability to think. People need you.
She kept struggling as the chain was wrapped around her left wrist. A sob escaped her.
You are
n’t that helpless little girl anymore. Taylor’s heart pounded. This time, the words were in Devlin’s cool, crisp voice. You’re the strong, courageous soldier you’ve made yourself.
Taylor forced herself to go still. She was panting hard and trying to calm her racing heartbeat. The chain was wrapped around her right wrist and she was flipped over until her back was pressed to the hood. The chains were pulled down the sides of the vehicle and fixed to something. Jaw tight, she gingerly pulled on the links. They held tight.
The head raptor stepped closer. “Where is the entrance to your base?”
Her chest went tight as a rock. No way she was telling this asshole anything. “Screw you.”
He took another menacing step closer. “Tell me. Or we will hurt you.”
She lifted her chin. “I don’t care. Kill me. I’ll never tell you.”
A considering look crossed the alien’s ugly face. Taylor didn’t want to die, but she’d do whatever she had to in order to protect Devlin and her friends. To protect all the innocent people hidden below in the Enclave. To protect that little boy hiding out in the city just looking for a way to survive.
She would die to give humanity a fighting chance. Like her mother had died protecting her.
The raptor gave a guttural command and she heard a scuffling sound beyond him. Two raptors came into view, holding a human between them. The tall woman, wearing black armor, was meekly shuffling forward.
Taylor hissed in a breath. It was Cam.
A sick feeling spread through Taylor’s stomach. Her friend’s eyes were blank, empty, and covered by that milky film. There was no sign of the funny, irreverent, and tough woman that Taylor had fought side by side with for two years.
They brought Cam to a stop, and one raptor beside her yanked her upper armor off, leaving her in just a dark-blue T-shirt.
“Tell me,” the raptor said again, “or I will hurt her.”
Once again, the memories threatened. In that moment, Taylor was back in that underground hellhole, watching a sadistic killer toying with her and killing another girl in front of her. Taylor had felt guilty for a long time about that poor girl’s death. It had taken her years of therapy to understand survivor’s guilt, and to realize that there was nothing she could have done. Given enough time, Chapman would’ve killed her, as well.