Mark of Eon: Eon Warriors #5

by Hackett, Anna

  He moved to the closest subject. He saw it was some sort of furry, alien animal. It looked native to the planet. Quite a few of the animals being tested on looked native to Kelaff.

  Then his gaze fell on a large, humanoid form, and he stiffened.

  An Eon warrior.

  “Oh no,” Lara murmured.

  Aydin moved over to the man and checked him over. He had a pulse. Aydin lifted the scanner and ran it over the warrior’s prone form.

  “This is Malax’s missing spy,” Aydin said.

  “He’s alive?” Caze asked.

  “His body is still functioning, but he has no brain function.”

  Pain speared through Aydin. He heard Caze’s curse, followed by the sharp breaths of the women. Aydin hated that there was nothing he could do to help this warrior.

  “Cren.” Caze looked away.

  “Is he a warrior, too?” Jamie asked.

  Aydin spun and saw another tall, muscled man—leaner than the Eon warrior. He was dressed in some sort of black metal armor.

  Aydin shook his head, lifting his scanner again. “He’s Oronis.”

  “They are allies of ours,” Caze said. “They have similar ancestors to the Eon.”

  Aydin shook his head. “This man is brain-dead too.”

  They were all somber as Aydin finished checking the Oronis warrior over. He sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to do his job. He coded in some extra scans to determine what the Kantos were doing here. He pulled some gear out of his pack and started to take samples. They needed to know exactly what the Kantos were doing, and how to stop them.

  “Before we leave, I’ll inject these subjects with a drug to end their suffering,” Aydin said.

  “The helians?” Caze asked.

  “Not in here.”

  “What’s this?” Lara called out.

  She and Jamie were standing beside two small tanks filled with a black fluid, shot through with green.

  “I’ll take a sample of it,” Aydin said.

  “Here.” Jamie gently lifted the lid off the tank.

  Aydin took a sample and nodded. They moved to the next tank.

  She cracked the lid. At that moment, the liquid changed form, turning into a black gas.

  No. As the gas flowed out of the tank, Aydin realized it wasn’t a gas. They were microscopic insects.

  With a fierce buzzing, they flew out of the tank. They arrowed toward Jamie, swirling around her head.

  “Ahh.” She batted at them.

  Quickly, Aydin morphed his helian into a blower. He raised his arm and shot out a burst of air at the insects. They blew off her.

  But in the air, they reformed and circled around. Aydin commanded his helian to form a second weapon. This time, he blasted them with cold air, freezing them. He heard them plink against the floor.

  He lowered his arm. “Jamie?”

  “Fuck, I hate the Kantos.” She was probing her cheeks.

  He strode to her and gripped her jaw. She had some bites on her cheeks and her eyes were red.

  “Did you swallow any?” he asked.

  “Hell, no.”

  He lifted the scanner, and waved it over her head. Then he relaxed. “No abnormal results. You’re fine.”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “You all right, Jamie?” Lara asked, concerned.

  “Fine. I’ll be even better when we find those helians and see the last of this place.”

  Aydin quickly finished taking samples and euthanizing the test subjects, before they moved back into the corridor. He paused at the door and bowed his head, thinking of those who’d had their lives taken from them.

  Then he followed the others to check the next room. Again, there were no helians, but thank the warriors, there weren’t any more test subjects, either.

  “Keep moving,” Caze said. “The facility isn’t large, so let’s clear it quickly.”

  In the next room, there were cages full of native animals. They squawked and jumped around in the cages. Aydin saw one of the large-eyed animals that they’d seen in the forest. It chittered wildly at them.

  “I’m not leaving these guys here.” Jamie opened the cages.

  Animals stormed out of the cages, rushing out of the room. The furry creature with the long tail and big eyes leaped at Jamie, and clamped itself onto her arm.

  “Hey, shoo. Off you go.”

  The furry creature clung harder, its huge eyes darting around the room.

  “It appears you have a new friend,” Aydin said.

  “Dammit.” She huffed out a breath. “Fine, hitch a ride, but only to the surface.”

  In the next room, Aydin’s scanner lit up.

  “Aydin?” Caze asked.

  “The helians were here.” Then Aydin frowned. “But they aren’t now.”

  “Shit,” Lara and Jamie muttered at the same time.

  “We’re not giving up,” Aydin said firmly.

  The creature on Jamie’s arm nuzzled her neck. She scowled at it.

  Lara laughed. “Apparently that little guy is not aware that you’re a badass space marine, Park. Now you have a cute little kitty.”

  “Shut up, Traynor.”

  “The creature appears to be female,” Aydin added.

  Jamie’s glare transferred to him.

  “Come on,” Caze said. “We have two more rooms left to search. Let’s find those helians.”

  Chapter Nine

  The final rooms were empty.

  Jamie wanted to punch the wall. She tugged at the neck of her suit—she was starting to feel hot. The small, furry creature watched her curiously with its overlarge eyes.

  “No helians.” Aydin’s face looked like it was carved from granite.

  “Let’s plug into their system and see if we can find any extra information,” Caze said.

  Both warriors moved over to one of the strange Kantos consoles at the side of the room.

  While they were busy, Jamie circled the space. She wondered how many people had been tortured or killed here. What the hell would the Kantos do if they managed to invade Earth? It would be a nightmare beyond imagining.

  It wasn’t going to happen. She wouldn’t let it.

  Suddenly, her vision blurred, and a wash of heat crashed over her. Shit. She needed some air. This place was getting to her.

  “Cren.” Caze was scowling at the console screen.

  “What is it?” Lara asked.

  “A Kantos ship just entered orbit.”

  “We need to go,” Aydin said.

  They moved back into the corridor, breaking into a jog as they headed back toward the external door they’d used to access the lab.

  Jamie’s vision blurred again and her stomach rolled. Her little friend clung to her shoulder and made a squawking noise.

  She fought to keep herself upright. She couldn’t slow them down. She needed to get out.

  “Jamie?”

  She moved her head up—damn, it felt like it weighed a ton—and blinked at Aydin.

  He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and jammed her breathing apparatus into her mouth. She looked at the little creature. “I hope you can hold your breath.”

  Moments later, they were pushing out the door and into the water. Thankfully, the furball clamped its mouth shut, and clung to Jamie without complaint.

  Jamie watched Caze and Lara kicking strongly through the water. She followed them, sticking to the middle of the sinkhole.

  But she hadn’t gone very far when her chest started burning. Shit, something was wrong.

  She focused on kicking her legs. Get out of the sinkhole, then Aydin could check her over. But as the minutes ticked by, her movements were getting sluggish and uncoordinated. Aydin appeared beside her, gripping her arm. She saw the concern on his face through his helmet. He kicked hard, tugging her with him.

  It felt like it took forever, but finally they broke through the surface. Jamie yanked the breathing apparatus out of
her mouth and sucked in air. She saw Caze was already out of the sinkhole and helping Lara up the rocky edge.

  Jamie kicked, trying to move her heavy arms and legs. She lost some of her momentum and her head went under the water.

  “Jamie.” Aydin’s strong arm wrapped around her and held her up.

  She spat out a mouthful of water. “Don’t…feel so good.”

  “I knew something was wrong. So stubborn.” He sounded pissed.

  When he reached the edge of the sinkhole, Caze was reaching down for them. The other warrior pulled her up, while Aydin clambered out behind her. The furry creature leaped off onto the ground and shook off her fur. After Caze dragged Jamie over the edge, she sat down, and almost tipped sideways.

  “What’s wrong?” Lara asked.

  “Something’s wrong with Jamie.” Aydin crouched beside her and ran the scanner over her. His fingers touched her neck.

  She shivered, too tired to move. “Please tell me I don’t have fucking Kantos bugs in me.” Suddenly, tremors hit her, and she couldn’t stop them.

  When she looked into Aydin’s black-green eyes, she saw the worry in them. His scanner beeped.

  “No.” Relief filled his face. “It appears you’re having an allergic reaction to a native pollen.” He lifted a pressure injector. “I have an all-purpose antidote that should ease the symptoms.”

  She stared at the injector and her throat tightened. They were on a dangerous, time-sensitive mission. She couldn’t let her past hang-ups slow them down. She nodded. “Do it.”

  He brushed a hand over her hair, which strangely soothed her, and when she met his gaze, he injected her. It took only seconds before cool relief washed through her.

  She dragged in some breaths and looked at Aydin. “My vision is still blurry.”

  “It’ll take a little time to flush the pollen out of your system.”

  “Shh,” Caze snapped suddenly.

  They all turned, dropping into silence. Jamie realized that there weren’t even any animal noises coming from the trees.

  Her big-eyed, animal friend had frozen, staring at the trees with an unblinking stare.

  Shit. Jamie squinted, scanning the vegetation around them as best she could.

  There was a faint rustle, and suddenly, two Kantos soldiers rushed out of the trees.

  Their brown bodies moved on four long, jointed legs, and they held two razor-sharp arms up in front of their strong, molded torsos. Their hard bodies were made of a tough, brown shell that she knew from experience was hard to crack. Their shoulders were covered in armored plates, and they had four beady, glowing, yellow eyes. Those eyes sat above a narrow mouth filled with sharp teeth.

  Crap. Jamie was well aware that she couldn’t fight a flea right now. Dammit, she hated being weak.

  Caze and Aydin leaped up, their swords forming on their arms. The little furry alien scurried into the bushes.

  The two warriors rushed at the aliens. Beside Jamie, Lara pulled her staff off her back. A buzzing sound filled the air—the Kantos communicating with each other.

  Awkwardly, Jamie pushed to her feet. Damn, she was weak. She hated it.

  “Let them take care of it,” Lara said.

  There was a rustle behind them, and Jamie and Lara spun. A Kantos bug came out of the undergrowth.

  Jamie managed to yank her combat knife off her belt. “Aren’t you an ugly little thing.”

  The black bug was the size of a dog, with a shiny exoskeleton, furry legs, and snapping pincers on either side of its mouth. It hissed and rushed at her.

  Jamie jumped and slashed at it. She almost toppled over, but managed to regain her balance. Beside her, Lara was fighting a second bug.

  The creature came at Jamie again.

  She lifted her knife, ready.

  But then a huge sword slashed down, skewering the bug. Its hard shell cracked, and green blood leaked onto the ground.

  She turned her head and looked at Aydin.

  He was in full warrior mode. And he looked hot as hell. Despite the very bad timing, her girl parts took notice.

  “I had it,” she complained.

  “Right.” He straightened. “You’re wavering on your feet, barely staying upright.” He took her arm.

  “Doesn’t mean I didn’t have it.”

  She heard the sound of more fighting and turned. Lara and Caze chased a Kantos soldier into the vegetation.

  “They might need help,” Jamie said. “Go. Help them. Come back for me after.”

  “No,” he growled.

  “I can take care of myself.”

  His jaw tightened. “Believe me, I know. Me wanting to help you doesn’t diminish that.”

  A bug leaped out of a tree and came at them, its pinchers snapping wildly. Aydin slashed out angrily, leaving it with its legs wriggling and its body bleeding out on the ground.

  “I know that,” he continued like they hadn’t been interrupted. “Helping you doesn’t mean I think you’re weak or incapable.”

  Jamie stared at him. “I’m used to being alone.”

  “So practice leaning on somebody else,” he muttered. “Just a little.”

  Her knees felt like water, and she wondered how much longer she could hold herself vertical. “Aydin…”

  “Yes, Jamie.”

  “I don’t think I can walk.”

  His eyes fired. “And?”

  “Damn, you’re an ass.” She huffed out a breath. “Fine, will you help me?”

  “Yes.” A smile curved his mouth. “I’ll help you.” He took a step closer and scooped her into his arms.

  * * *

  “Let’s get to Caze and Lara,” Aydin said.

  He hitched Jamie up higher in his arms and headed off into the vegetation. She was a light weight against his chest and he liked her there. Tucked close.

  They’d only gone a few meters when some small bugs poured out of the jungle.

  “Fuck,” Jamie bit out.

  Aydin turned, still holding Jamie, and lifted his sword. As he backed up, Jamie yanked her blaster from her hip.

  One of the bugs leaped off the ground, flying at his face. She fired.

  One blast of laser took the bug down.

  The rest attacked like a black wave.

  Jamie kept firing. When one got close to them, Aydin skewered it.

  Cren, they were cut off from Caze and Lara.

  “There are too many,” Jamie yelled.

  Aydin turned and ran. He sprinted through the forest, vines slapping at them. Jamie swiveled, firing over his shoulder at the bugs chasing them.

  Suddenly, a bug leaped out of a tree and hit him in the face. He stumbled, feeling it scratching at his skin.

  “Dammit.” Jamie smacked at the alien. “Put me down, warrior.”

  He let her feet hit the ground. More bugs came out of the trees ahead of them, and Jamie swiveled to fire on them. Aydin gripped the bug on him and managed to pull it off. It wasn’t far from his face, jaws snapping.

  There was a funny, chittering sound, and their furry friend appeared, eyes glowing. Aydin was pretty sure it was the same one they’d rescued from the lab. It landed on Aydin’s shoulder, its fur standing on end. It chittered again and claws extended from its paws.

  Aydin’s eyes widened. The alien creature flew at the bug attacking him. Its claws were like small knives, moving so fast they blurred.

  The bug dropped to the ground, bleeding. It was sliced to ribbons.

  Then the furry creature went wild. It leaped off him into the middle of the swarm and attacked.

  “What the hell?” Jamie stared at it.

  The furred animal moved like lightning, dicing up the other bugs. Some of the Kantos bugs turned, trying to run back in to the undergrowth.

  “Holy cow,” Jamie breathed.

  The little creature chased them into the bushes and the vegetation shook wildly. Then the furry creature sauntered out and sat on its haunches, its tail waving gently behind it. Its claws retracted, and delicat
ely, it licked its fingers, looking cute and harmless again. It shuffled over and nuzzled Jamie’s ankles.

  “I think that is the perfect pet for you,” Aydin said.

  She shot him a look. Then she crouched down and scooped the tiny alien creature up. “You get treats for life, little guy.”

  It nuzzled her cheek.

  Jamie smiled at the creature, but it only took seconds for her smile to dissolve. “Your face is badly cut up.”

  Aydin touched his cheek. Then he opened his medical kit and pressed a bandage to the worst cut on his cheek. “It is not life-threatening, and my helian is already working to heal them. They can wait until we get out of here.”

  “We need to find the others.”

  She leaned her hand against a tree trunk, pulling in a breath.

  Aydin peered at her suspiciously. She was sweating hard. “Jamie?”

  “I can’t feel my legs.” She collapsed.

  Aydin caught her before she hit the ground. He pulled her into his arms again. “This must be part of the allergic reaction.”

  But he saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She was such a physical woman, and he knew that she hated being vulnerable.

  He tipped her chin up and made her look at him. “Jamie, I’ll get you out of here. I’ll heal you.”

  Her dark gaze ran over his face. “I believe you.”

  She’d just placed her trust in him, and he knew it was huge. The furry animal leaped up onto his other shoulder, and hitching Jamie up, they set off into the bushes.

  Jamie was looking at the alien. “Cute and deadly.”

  He moved into a steady jog, but moments later, their new pet swiveled to look behind them and growled.

  Crashing sounds rumbled through the undergrowth, followed by a screech.

  “More bugs incoming,” Jamie said.

  Aydin focused his gaze ahead and picked up his pace. A second later, they burst out of the vegetation, right at the edge of another sinkhole.

  “Cren.” Aydin caught himself just before his momentum carried them over the edge.

  “Shit.”

  They were on the high side of the sinkhole, and it was a long drop down to the water line. The other side of the sinkhole was lower, and the higher vantage point gave them a good view. He could just barely make out the small clearing and the stealth ship on the other side of the sinkhole.