Escape

by Laney Kaye

  Which meant our bond was inevitable.

  But I couldn’t do that to him, and I couldn’t do it to myself.

  So I had to leave him. My breath caught. I didn’t want to go, but I had no choice. That was why I’d welcomed him into my bed. I knew it would be the only chance we’d have to be together.

  Crossing the room to my closet, I dressed quickly in my black clothing, topping my outfit with a lab coat to add a touch of nurse professionalism.

  I dumped most of my medical supplies from my bag and stuffed protein bars in their place.

  Scurrying around my room, I added only what I needed.

  Once I was gone, there was no coming back for anything left behind. My mission here was done. I’d rescued as many of the captives as possible, and Herc had assured me there were no Resistance personnel left in the compound.

  The empty, dull feeling inside reminded me I hadn’t gotten all the captives out, and I slumped on the bed. Tears filled my eyes, but I wiped them away. I didn’t have time to grieve for my sister or the others we’d yet to lose, even though I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob for the rest of my life.

  If Selina was here, she would shake her finger at me. Tell me to get my ass in gear. Because I was wasting time I could not afford to waste.

  The Resistance needed me.

  Pausing in my kitchen, I left Herc a note—I couldn’t slip away without telling him where I was going, because he’d worry something horrible had happened to me.

  This wasn’t truly leaving him. Not in my heart. If we were meant to be, we’d find each other again. Somehow. Someday.

  But I couldn’t remain here any longer, in the place where my sister had died.

  I scanned my room one last time, but nothing called out to me as essential. This room meant nothing to me. Why, then, did I cross the bed and stroke the place where Herc had last lain beside me?

  No. I couldn’t think like this. About him. I needed to keep my focus.

  I lifted my chin and turned my back on my bed. On my memories.

  And, with my pack on my back, I left my room.

  Outside, I paused in the shadow cast by the entrance’s overhang and glanced around. Yes, the guards would be out, but they knew me. Not just because I’d tended to many of their wounds, but because I’d purposefully become invisible. They saw me working at all hours of the day, rushing to care for an injured person.

  To them, I was just another Regime employee, here in this gods-forsaken place to do a job.

  I eased out from the darkness and was immediately outlined by yellow beams cast by the halolights mounted on poles near my building and around the perimeter of the compound. My feet crunched as I strode down the path.

  A soldier moved by me as I approached the main road. He flicked his munga smoke into the gutter and dipped his head. “Evening,” he said. “Take care out tonight. Never know when Resistance fighters might pull a shady and attack.”

  “Will do,” I said cheerfully. If only the Resistance fighters would ‘pull a shady and attack.’ And drive these cursed encroachers out into the desert. They could become viper-fodder for a change.

  I kept my pace steady. Unhurried, as if I had a valid reason for being out tonight, but not so rushed that I might need assistance. As I passed them, I nodded to a group of soldiers standing near the wall. Their conversation ceased, and they watched me.

  Lots of military presence out tonight. Were they planning some kind of nighttime maneuver? Not the norm for the Regime.

  Of course, I couldn’t stop thinking about Herc. Funny how he’d said the final choice for the third bond was mine. That I just had to tell him I wanted him.

  I did want him. Not only in my bed. I wanted to spend my life with him.

  But, he had obligations. To his job, his men, his government.

  I had obligations to my people.

  With my older sister dead, they’d look to me for leadership. The same way they’d looked for guidance from Queen Lyra.

  Our mother.

  Continuing on the main path, I headed east, circumventing the prison building, only pausing long enough to grin with grim satisfaction. It would take the Regime considerable time to rebuild this structure. Months, if the Resistance was lucky. Until then, they’d have nowhere to keep captives.

  This would buy us time to regroup and come up with a new strategy.

  We’d won a battle—and paid too dear a price—but had barely made headway in the war.

  Moving on, I ducked down the short alley between two sleaze-easies. The uninhibited laughter, combined with shattering glass and grunts from what had to be fights, told me the crowd inside each building were already well-juiced. The fire that had skirted this part of the compound last night hadn’t slowed anyone down.

  Acting casual—if that was possible in a dark alley—I made sure there was no one nearby, before easing out of my lab coat. That, I tossed into a nearby trash bin.

  After taking a second look around, I inched my way behind the sleaze-easy someone had oddly decided needed to be painted bright pink. I dropped to my heels and dug around, unearthing the tool I’d buried underneath a mound of sand and rubbish. With the tool, I lifted a circular metal cap. These tunnels used to lead to the sewers that’d serviced the old town, before it’d been turned into a military compound ten years ago.

  But now, this one had become my escape hatch.

  I dropped to my butt, and eased my legs down into the black hole. Palms gripping each side, I lowered myself until my feet hit soil-covered cement. As I tucked my body inside and slid the cover back in place, I was careful not to make a sound.

  Taking my light, I shone it around the tiny underground space, ensuring I was alone. Not that I expected to meet up with anyone here. Outside of Resistance top administration, no one knew this place existed.

  I tossed my backpack onto the ground. With it on my back, I wouldn’t fit through the passage. After dropping to my hands and knees, I lowered onto my belly, then moved forward, sliding my body into the tunnel that would take me underneath the wall, the laserblade fence—I hoped—and out into the surrounding dunes.

  In no time, I was drenched in sweat, coated in dirt. And panting from my exertions. But I was making slow progress. Patience will always be rewarded. So, my mother had said not long after we’d escaped the Regime’s jail cell and run into the desert with nothing but the clothing on our backs.

  I was done with patience. I wanted action.

  Revenge.

  Barely wide enough for a narlol, the tunnel’s ceiling brushed my back, while the walls scraped my sides. But from the dim light growing ahead, I knew I would be out in the open again soon.

  With a last push, I emerged from the hole, exiting into a small cave. Not a true cave. More like an armatote den, where they commonly hid their young.

  I crawled through the opening and stood outside. Shivering, I brushed off my clothing. My appearance meant nothing, but insects meant everything. No better way to liven up an evening than with an armor spider bite. Instant paralysis followed by a quick wrap in their webs. By the time I could move it would be too late, because they’d leave me beside a ready-to-spawn egg sack full of hungry baby spiders.

  Armor spiders laid their eggs in dark places.

  The desert glowed milky beneath the two moons. Lack of cloud-cover was a bonus tonight. I could move faster if I could see. A night vultrex called, telling his friends he’d spotted prey. I shuddered. It wouldn’t be me tonight. Not if I had any say in it.

  I pulled my knife from my pack and slipped it into its sheath on my side, then warmed my palm with my P220. While a 220 wouldn’t take down a pillion at any distance, for short range, it was deadly.

  Walking north, my footsteps ate up the clicks. If I pushed, tonight I’d cover a third of the distance I had to travel to reach the caves. Come dawn, I’d have to find cover, though. Not only because I feared being spotted by Regime drones, but because I daren’t risk attracting vipers. Since they hunted based on vi
bration, my footsteps would give me away. But they rarely came out at night. Their sole predator, broad-winged screes, had night vision and ate the vipers whole. Fortunately, screes hadn’t developed a taste for humans.

  By dawn, my head pounded and my limbs trembled from exhaustion. And, while I kept looking back and seeing nothing, a niggling feeling between my shoulder blades suggested I was being followed.

  My heart gave a jerky thud at the thought, and I picked up my pace. As much as I could. Despite the protein bar I’d eaten an hour ago, washed down with water from my canteen, I was unable to drum up enough energy to run.

  Coming to a small dune, I dropped to the sand and crept to the top. Peered around. The glint far to my west could be anything. A Regime patrol. Mercenaries. Or the early morning light reflecting off trash.

  So, maybe my feeling was wrong. There didn’t seem to be anyone out here but me. Lack of sleep could be making me imagine the sensation of being watched.

  I flopped onto my back. If only I could close my eyes and sleep. Or lay here forever with nothing more to do but stare at the sky.

  A rumble underground bolted me upright, and I shot to my feet, frantic. Viper!

  Racing down the dune, I leapt across a long stretch of sand, aiming for a shadowy mound of rocks ahead. Behind me, I heard the creature’s eerie cry as it churned its way up to the surface. In my exhausted state, it was too easy to imagine its teeth sinking into my legs, hamstringing me so I couldn’t get away. The viper would suck me under, drowning me in the sand. My mouth flashed dry, and I pushed for more speed.

  I scrambled up onto the rock pile and tucked my legs to my chin. Sliding my arms around them, I held them close. Shivers took over my frame, and my ragged breathing created white puffs in the cool morning air. My pulse roared in my throat.

  I sensed, rather than felt the creature pause and then move away. Without my footsteps, the viper had nothing to latch onto. Even if it burst from the sand, it would have a hard time finding me, since it didn’t see well and couldn’t hear at all.

  Dropping my face onto my knees, I closed my eyes and shuddered. Thank the gods I’d been spared. But it was obvious I couldn’t press on any longer. I needed to find a safe place to hide, where I could sleep. Now.

  Back on the sand, I walked slower, watching how I placed each foot. Keeping my tread light, so I wouldn’t call back the viper.

  An endless plain covered in prickly cava stretched around me on all sides. The tall, spindly plants bloomed during the spring rains. What I wouldn’t give for a jolt of the drink we brewed from the roasted berries. I searched further, becoming more desperate as the sun slowly rose above the horizon, shooting its scorching heat across the sand. If only I could find another armatote cave to crawl into. Or, for that matter, any rocky location with shade. Merciless, the sun would bake me alive before noon.

  Eventually, I found another rocky outcropping and dropped down underneath an overhang, curling up on my side. The sand became my pillow, and with the sun up, I didn’t need a blanket.

  I fell asleep in seconds.

  The crushing pain of a boot slamming down on my hand drove me from my nightmares. I cried out as my hand spasmed. My gun!

  “Looking for this?” the Regime soldier asked with a grin, holding up my P220.

  His two buddies standing behind him chuckled.

  I jumped to my haunches and scrambled back, putting distance between me and the men.

  “It’s Jake, right?” I asked, aiming for casual. How was I going to get out of this? And how had they found me? If only I’d been able to find a better location to hide while I slept. “You remember me. Maya, a nurse at the compound.”

  “Traveling mighty far to take care of the wounded, aren’t you?” the guy to Jake’s left said.

  “I’m really glad you found me. I…took a walk and got lost. I’ve been walking in circles all night.” Would they buy my lie? Just in case, I started easing around the mound of rocks. Worst case, I’d run. If I gave it my all, I might be able to outdistance them. Dressed in full fatigues and combat boots, they’d be slower than me. I hoped so, anyway.

  “Surround her, guys,” Jake said, and they flanked me before I could move, penning me against the rocks. Jake’s gaze narrowed on me. “How did you get past the guards? Regime folk know better than to wander, which tells me we’ve had a filthy Resistance infiltrator in our midst.”

  My cover was blown. If they brought me back to the compound, they’d lock me up. Question me. Torture me, too, most likely.

  Gods. Would Smithton pin my guilt on Herc? I’d been determined to leave before I could endanger him, but had I left too late?

  I’d have to warn him, somehow.

  The men rushed me.

  Grabbing an arm, I ducked and flipped one of the guys onto the ground. He groaned. Jake dove forward and took me down. My breath was knocked from me. Spitting sand, I bucked, trying to heave him off my back. Someone else grabbed my legs, pinning them together.

  Boots stomped over to stand in front of me.

  The soldier I’d tackled stood above me, rifle lifted in both hands.

  He drove the polished steel of the rifle butt toward my head.

  Chapter Eleven

  Herc

  M y head was going to explode.

  I couldn’t wrap my brain around what Maya had told me. Not that I didn’t believe her, implicitly and instantly, but it made a lie of everything me and my guys thought we’d been fighting for over the last six weeks.

  Add to that my shame. Grief raging through me, I’d attacked Maya instinctively, trying to find someone to blame.

  I couldn’t believe Spike was dead. I’d never lost a man before, and the pain had driven me to lash out.

  Maya hadn’t treated me that badly, not even when I’d ripped her sister’s body apart. Seemed she was better at handling loss than I was.

  I slammed open the door to our quarters. Leo, Jag, and Khal were all there, their attitudes mirroring my shock.

  For a moment, I couldn’t form words. “Where is he? Are you sure this isn’t a load of beetric-crap?”

  Hells, I was hoping it was. Easy enough for some dumb Glian soldier to assume a Felidaekin was dead, just because he’d gone down.

  Khal looked up. “Boss. Shit of a thing, hey? I was at the sleaze-easy. Couple of B-Company guys offered to buy me rounds in commiseration. I had no damn idea what they were talking about, then they told me B-Company were mobilized after the escapees. They saw Spike go down. Can’t frackin’ believe it. Bro gone just like that,” he snapped his fingers.

  Leo hauled himself off the sclera-covered lounge and headed toward his vidcom on the counter. “Those damn drones. They’ve been all over us like a swarm of stingers since day one. You need to tell the Resistance to back the hell off, Cap, if we’re changing to their side.” His tone held a note of reproach, like he thought I should’ve acted earlier. Twenty minutes ago, I’d have agreed with him. Now I knew it would have made no difference. “I’ll see if there’s some interface I can use to knock the bastards out of the sky. I should’ve damn well thought of that before.”

  I shook my head. “You try disabling them, but there’s no point me talking to the Resistance.”

  Jag raised his head from between his hands. “No? We’re not in with them anymore?”

  “Oh hells, yeah, we’re in with them. Balls deep. But the armed drones aren’t theirs.”

  Jag jerked upright, Leo swiveled around from his vidcom.

  “Say what, now?” Khal moved in, like I’d make more sense close up.

  “The Resistance drones are recon only.”

  A low whistle from Leo sliced the air. “Then who’s running the armed units?”

  I crossed to the counter and poured a cup of cold cava from the pot. Not because I wanted it, but because I needed my hands to be doing something, so I didn’t feel fucking useless. “I intend to find out. We got a location on the body yet? We need to go get him.”

  Khal’s jaw jutted a
ngrily, though, like me, he’d be using aggression to mask sorrow. “No, we don’t. I spoke with the captain of B-Co. He said that was a load of shit about them leaving him out there. He’s in the morgue.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I went to the med center soon as I heard. Dude could’ve still been alive, y’know? I thought maybe they called it wrong.”

  Fuck. I’d been hoping the same thing. “Definite?”

  He nodded. “I spoke with that other nurse. Tina. She was pretty shook up, said he was gone before they brought him in. Apparently, he was sliced up real bad—” He choked off and cleared his throat. “I told her we need him by sunset tomorrow. For the ceremony, y’know.”

  We’d take Spike out into the desert at sundown, when Aaidar first showed as a far-distant pinprick on the darkening sky. Commit his ashes to the winds, so his spirit could blow back home.

  I slammed my mug down. “I’m going to see Smithton.”

  Jag stood. “Are you sure, Herc? We want to play this carefully. If those drones have something to do with the Regime, we need to know why they’re targeting us.”

  “You think they are?”

  Jag nodded. “Could be. Twice in a couple of days one of us has been hit. And how many times have we come under fire? More than I can damn well count. Yet only two Glian’s have taken a hit—and they were flanking Leo when he copped it, remember?”

  Leo growled, still angry that the men who’d tried to shelter against his bulk had died. He’d only been winged, regenerating before we got him to the med center. “That makes no sense. The Resistance hired us. And it’s not like we come cheap.”

  A scowl formed on Jag’s lean face, but I knew it wasn’t directed at Leo. He was thinking. “Yeah. I can’t fathom it. But I can’t see the alternative, either. All I’m saying is, Cap needs to tread light with Smithton.”

  I nodded, though my blood churned with the desire to seek immediate revenge. “We need intel before we make a move. Leo, you hit the screens. I’ll try not to hit Smithton.”

  It only took me minutes to race across the compound, though Smithton’s quarters were in the quadrant diametrically opposite to ours, the upmarket side of this dump, where double story buildings edged streets that were swept each day, and the sleaze-easy went by a fancy name, a sedate façade hiding the purchase-mates from public view.