Preservation: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Ghost Squadron Book 7)

by Sarah Noffke

  The hummingbird hovered over her body. Its head whipped to the side, its eyes landing on her bleeding leg.

  “No,” Penrae cried, scrambling backwards.

  The bird dove again, this time piercing her skin with its beak. She slapped at the bird, connecting with its beating wings, but it defended itself against her attacks. Penrae kicked her leg into the air, trying to throw off the creature who was buzzing around it with gross excitement.

  Grabbing the bloodthirsty hummingbird with both hands, Penrae yanked it off her leg and threw it across the room, where it landed with a thump. Not caring that she might have just killed one of the last remaining vampiric hummingbirds in existence, she grabbed the vault and sprinted for the door, desperate to get as far from that room as she could.

  ~~~

  “Should we check on Penrae?” Julianna asked, peeking around a corner to look for witnesses.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Eddie said, his eyes on the hallway they’d just come from. “She’s probably buzzing around this place without a problem, since she blends in so well.”

  Julianna nodded, looking at the device. “The good news is that the client appears to be in a room on the other side of the next corridor.”

  “What’s the bad news?” Eddie asked, preparing himself.

  “The room is fucking gigantic.”

  “Like the size of an ark?” Eddie joked.

  Jules rolled her eyes. “If we can stay out of sight until we get to the client, we’re in good shape. I’m okay with shooting our way out of here, but I’d feel better doing that with a piece of the Tangle Thief in tow.”

  “Agreed.” Eddie slipped around Julianna, taking the lead. She gave him a cold stare that communicated her disapproval. “You can go first after we get the client,” he told her defensively.

  She held her finger to her mouth, straightening, indicating she’d heard something.

  Eddie heard it too. It was coming from behind them. He opened the door closest to them and encouraged Julianna to follow. It slipped shut behind them just as two figures strolled around the corner. Eddie was able to observe them through a small window of mirrored glass in the side panel. The figures halted in the middle of the hallway, seeming to review a stack of files together.

  “They’ll move on,” Eddie told Julianna, reading her look of worry.

  He turned around, taking in the dim room they’d entered. Shelves with various-shaped cubbyholes lined the wall. From their distance, Eddie could only make out pairs of reflective eyes staring back at him from a few of the cubbies.

  “What do you suppose those are?” he asked, taking a step closer.

  “Eddie…” Julianna said, a warning in her voice.

  “What are you worried about? Whatever is in those holes isn’t big enough to do us any harm.”

  “I think we should leave whatever it is alone,” she argued. “Those scientists will be gone soon.”

  “Yes, but in the meantime, I’m just going to have a quick look-see.”

  Eddie ducked down, peering into one of the holes. Large, round eyes stared back at him. As he got closer, he could make out a pointed face, covered in short, soft fur. A small creature was perched close to the edge of the shelf, its pink nose wiggling.

  “Well, hello there, little buddy,” Eddie said to the creature.

  It looked like a cross between a koala bear and a kitten. The animal blinked up at him in curiosity.

  “Eddie, I don’t like this.”

  “You’re the animal lover,” he teased, extending a hand to the creature. “Need I remind you that you once risked your life, and our mission, to save a bunch of rabbits on Kai?”

  “You shouldn’t remind me, if you want to live much longer,” Julianna said, her tone impatient. “Come on, those scientists are continuing down the hallway. Let’s get ready to go.”

  “She’s really a nice lady and would probably take you home with her,” Eddie told the animal in a baby voice. It tilted its head to the side, its nose sniffing wildly, taking in Eddie’s scent. “I think it likes me,” Eddie said, smiling over his shoulder at Julianna.

  A sharp pain stabbed through his fingers. He whipped around to find the animal clamped onto his hand, where blood was squirting out. Eddie held back a scream and waved his hand through the air, trying to throw off the strange, murderous creature.

  “I told you,” Julianna said in a hush, running over and stopping at his side.

  “It won’t let go,” he said, holding his hand still. The furry creature had its mouth around three of his fingers and part of his palm, its eyes roving back and forth like looking for its next point of attack.

  Julianna pulled out her gun.

  “Are you crazy?” Eddie nearly yelled. “You can’t shoot this thing.”

  “Why not?” she asked, completely serious.

  “Because it’s…well, it’s a furry critter.”

  Julianna’s eyes darted to the side. She slid her arm in front of Eddie’s chest, encouraging him back. He turned to find a dozen pairs of eyes blinking back at them from the cubbies.

  “I’m guessing that all of those guys are as hungry as this one,” Julianna stated.

  Eddie lifted his hand, where the creature still dangled. The animal didn’t look to be growing weary, but blood was dripping from Eddie’s hand onto its fur.

  “Any ideas?” he wanted to know.

  “Besides blowing its brains out?” Julianna asked.

  “Yeah, besides that.”

  Julianna looked at the window and then to the dark cubbies where the animal had been perched. “What do you want to bet that these little fuckers normally live underground?”

  Eddie looked up at the ceiling, which was lined with dim lights. “Yeah, that makes sense to me.”

  “Let’s take it for a ride and try to find a bright light.” Julianna suggested.

  Eddie shook his hand, hoping the thing would let go. When it didn’t he said, “Okay, but this thing hurts like a bitch.”

  “Well, maybe next time, you’ll listen to me when I tell you to not touch the native animals.”

  “Yeah…’next time’,” he said, following her out the door and into the empty hallway.

  ~~~

  Penrae was still running when she rounded a corner, nearly colliding with a man in a smart, black suit. He reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling back, and his gray eyes slid over her. The box nearly fell from her grasp.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” Trembling, Penrae pulled out of his grasp and took several steps backward, leaving a trail of blood from her shoe.

  “You’re bleeding,” the man said, closing the distance quickly.

  “I-I-I fell,” she stuttered.

  “And why were you running?” the man asked.

  “I’m late,” she lied, hurrying around the man.

  He sniffed loudly. “That smell…I recognize it.”

  Penrae whipped around. “I was working in the tropical desert when I fell on a cactus. That’s what you smell.”

  The man sniffed again, this time more fervently. “No, this isn’t a plant smell. Your smell…it reminds me of someone.”

  Penrae’s eyes widened. No. He couldn’t be. She nearly stumbled as she backed away, frantically reviewing her options. The man reached out for her, but she made space between them. He snatched her anyway.

  His gray eyes narrowed, and his lips pinched together. “Penrae, is that you? Have you come home for your punishment?” Verdok asked, his tone sharp.

  A hot pain shot down Penrae’s spine, and she spun around, doing the only thing she knew. She fled.

  ~~~

  Julianna had been right. The bright light in the hallway instantly made the deceptive furry animal release its death grip on Eddie’s hand, and it scurried off in the opposite direction.

  “I think someone might notice a bloody animal on the loose,” Eddie said, wrapping his wounded hand in a piece of cloth he’d pulled from his
shirt.

  “Then we’d better hurry,” Julianna stated, pointing at a door at the far end. “The client is through there.”

  Eddie pulled his gun from its holster. “I sort of doubt that it won’t be heavily guarded at this point.”

  “Then we’d better be ready to deactivate it and run like hell,” Julianna said, pressing her comm. “Penrae, do you copy?”

  Silence.

  “Penrae?” Julianna tried again.

  When there was no answer, she strode for the far side of the hallway.

  “What’s the plan?” Eddie asked, scanning the space at their backs.

  “Get the client and get the fuck out of here.”

  “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate how uncomplicated you are?” Eddie asked, a laugh in his voice.

  “Tell me later,” Julianna said, raising her gun. “We’ve got company.”

  Two guards strode around the corner, at first not seeing Julianna and Eddie. Jules fired twice, knocking them out swiftly. They fell to the ground, almost instantly morphing into their snake forms.

  “So you’re not sharing, are you?” Eddie teased, picking up the pace and running on his toes beside Julianna.

  “The next ones are all yours,” she promised, sliding around the corner to check the next hallway, as he did the same on the other side of her.

  When they’d checked that all was clear, they slid back the door to the large room where the Tangle Thief was located.

  It was the size of the landing bay on Ricky Bobby, but was crammed with crates and clear cases. The room was incredibly orderly, with the rows stacked at an even, middling height so that they could see to the far side. In the center sat a single case, and suspended in the middle of it was the client.

  Eddie started forward, but Julianna stopped him. He gave her a curious look.

  Silently, she pointed to the device in her hands. It showed that the client wasn’t straight ahead of them, as it appeared to be, but rather in the far corner of the room.

  Eddie smiled. It was a decoy. The Saverus had either been expecting them, or the fake had been there for a while, serving as bait for anyone who would try to stop the plan.

  Julianna nodded to the right, indicating the closest route to the client, and the two set off soundlessly.

  ~~~

  Penrae ran, not daring to look behind her. She had no idea how she’d escape Verdok.

  Of course he found me. I was foolish not to consider that he’d be here. His vengeance will be overwhelming when he catches me. If he catches me…

  Penrae knew it was dangerous, but she whipped her head over her shoulder to check her progress, and nearly stumbled from the shock. Verdok was so close. He slithered rapidly behind her, having shifted into snake form.

  Since she was carrying the box, her movement was limited. Still, none of it would matter if she didn’t survive to get it back to Julianna and Eddie. She slipped into the form of Sebastian the ferret, and the chrome box clattered to the ground. Small and agile, she scurried up a vent shaft that ran along the wall and ceiling, moving the way she’d often seen the ferret do. When at the top of the shaft, Penrae slipped through the slats of the ventilation system.

  Verdok hissed, his shadow swaying back and forth. “Don’t forget that wherever you hide, I’ll be able to sniff you out.” He disappeared.

  Penrae wasted no time, speedily climbing through into a nearby room. It was lined with shelves that were filled with jars. Running along the crammed shelves, Penrae’s ferret eyes made out seed-like objects in the jars.

  The door to the room creaked as it opened.

  “Penrae, I smell you,” Verdok sang, glee in his voice.

  Dammit! I couldn’t have fallen into a room with a hungry, serpent-eating dragon? Seeds are useless!

  She scurried between the jars, making a few teeter. She worried she was leading Verdok straight to her. And I’m a damn ferret, something he can gobble up in an instant!

  But Penrae didn’t know what else to do. She’d been intimidated by Verdok since she could remember. He’d always bossed her around. Made her take the blame. Bullied her.

  And in the end, he’d murder her.

  She backed up, watching his swaying shadow near from the far side of the aisle.

  “You know, Penrae,” Verdok began with a hiss. “I knew you’d return. I knew, when Savern was about to disappear, that you’d want to be a part of our great planet.”

  Penrae nearly slipped off the other side of the shelf, having backed up blindly. The sound of Verdok’s voice made her insides vibrate with fear. It always had.

  “The thing is, I can’t have you joining us on the new planet,” Verdok hissed. “You mess up everything; I can only imagine how you’d screw up the new Savern. Not to mention the lies you’d tell about me.”

  Penrae carefully climbed up the side of the shelf, making her way to the next level. She had a plan, but she wasn’t sure it was a very good one. Actually, she was mostly unsure of whether she could pull it off, but she had nothing to lose at this point.

  “Do you remember when we were younger, how you told the Elders it was me who made the mistake on the mission?” Verdok asked, disapproval heavy in his tone.

  It was you, Penrae thought bitterly.

  “And then later, when we were assigned this mission, you tried to get me to accept your plan.” Verdok laughed. “You tried to get me to let the old doctor go, thinking he’d lead us to a clue. You were so shortsighted; you are even more so now.”

  Verdok slithered around the corner. He was directly below Penrae’s shelf.

  “Come out of hiding and take your punishment like a good girl. Your time has come.”

  I’ll come out, alright, Penrae thought, and she took off running, knocking against each of the jars as she went, sending them tumbling over the side of the shelf to rain glass down on Verdok’s head.

  He shrieked his disappointment, slithering quickly to avoid the falling objects, but still staying in the line of fire. Taking a deep breath, Penrae leapt off the end of the shelf, morphing into a figure who she looked up to, a human she wanted to be just like.

  Verdok halted. Glass shards punctured his scales in many places, and his eyes fumed with anger.

  In the form of Julianna, Penrae held up her gun and pointed it directly at Verdok. Before he could react, she released the safety, as she had seen the commander do a number of times.

  “It’s your turn to be punished,” Penrae growled, then she pulled the trigger with zero hesitation.

  ~~~

  According to the tracker, the client was only a short distance ahead. There were a few crates, but Julianna went for the closest one, pulling off the lid, making more noise than she should.

  “It’s not here,” she said, moving on to another crate.

  Eddie nodded, his eyes scanning. Footsteps clapped on the concrete, making Julianna tense.

  “Keep going,” Eddie encouraged. “I’m going to go cut these guys off.”

  Julianna looked up to argue, but catching the serious look in Eddie’s eyes, she nodded instead. She dove back into her search, with only two more crates to go.

  ~~~

  Eddie sprinted in the direction of the sound of the footsteps. Five guards stopped in the center of the large room as soon as they spotted him.

  He halted too, taking in his surroundings. When he noticed a side door, he turned to face the guards. “Hey, guys. How’s it going? I was looking for the little snakes’ room. Can you help me out?”

  They lifted the weapons they held, not looking as comfortable holding them as seasoned soldiers would. But there were still five of them and one of him.

  “So, no to directions?” Eddie joked, and he darted behind the closest shelf as the gunfire started.

  Not only were they horrible shots, but Eddie was incredibly fast. He was at the door before they even realized he was no longer hiding behind the crates. He whipped it open, intent on drawing the imposters as far from Julianna as possible so
she could find the client.

  He slowed when he arrived in the next room. It was more of a greenhouse than a storage room, like the one he’d just exited. Rows and rows of plants that resembled ferns lined the short room. A quick glance around told Eddie that he’d picked the wrong place to hide; it was a dead end. He spun back to the door he’d come through.

  I’ll just have to pick these guys off one at a time.

  From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the plants start to sway slightly. Thinking it was a hallucination, he chanced a glance. The leaves of the plants were indeed unfurling; a stem reached up from each center, with a bud at the top.

  Curious, Eddie watched as all the buds blossomed on the different plants. It was mesmerizing, but he was trying to keep one eye on the door.

  And then music emanated from the plants—a soft, melodic tune that instantly put him at ease.

  His eyelids nearly slipped shut, and he was shocked at how quickly these plants’ effects worked. He took a step forward and stumbled, feeling drunk for the first time since being enhanced.

  It was precisely at that moment that he realized that he couldn’t fight the sleep-inducing effects of the plants. He was powerless against them.

  His legs gave out, sending him flat to the floor. He tried one last time to fight the urge to sleep, but decided it would be best to shut his eyes for a moment while he got his strength. He took a deep breath, satisfied with this plan, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  ~~~

  Penrae’s hand shook as she stared at the dead body before her.

  Verdok’s.

  I did it. I finally faced my demons! Rather, Julianna did…Does my form matter, as long as it was my hand that slayed the beast that haunted me my whole life?

  Penrae shifted back into the form she’d taken when she entered the warehouse, but didn’t move from her spot.

  “I’ve got the client,” Julianna’s voice echoed over the comm.

  Penrae stayed frozen, continuing to stare at Verdok’s dead body.

  “Penrae? Are you there?” Julianna asked.

  “Y-Y-Yes, I’m here,” Penrae stuttered, backing up for the door.

  “Do you have the vault?” Julianna asked. “We need to get out of here.”