Arlo (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 4)

by Arcadia Shield

  Juniper gave an unladylike snort. “As if I need any of that from you.” But a part of her did want that. Being alone was tough. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a decent night’s sleep. When you were alone, you always needed to be on the alert, always looking for the next place to hide. You had to be ready to run at a moment’s notice. You never knew when the next sleaze would come along and try to steal your things, or hold you down and force you to do things in exchange for a bed and a free meal. Or for nothing, just take what they wanted and leave you for dead.

  Arlo tugged her closer. Damn, he felt good, hard and solid. Her fingers traced down his arm muscles. He smelled of weapons’ grease and peppermint. Juniper inched even closer and inhaled deeply. She could get used to this smell and the feel of his muscles. Maybe she could let him in. They’d started something and she shouldn’t run again, not because things were difficult or tricky. She wanted him.

  What was the harm in enjoying herself? Tomorrow, everything could be over. Why was she holding back?

  Arlo’s wrist comm beeped. He cursed and stepped away, breaking the tension. He raised his comm to his mouth. “Go ahead.”

  “You’re needed in the vehicle bay,” said Heath. “It’s time for us to blow up the comms site.”

  Chapter 8

  Arlo had been so distracted by Juniper being in his workshop, that he hadn’t noticed the time sliding by. He was never late for missions. But, when it came to Juniper, he didn’t mind the distraction.

  Those cautious purple eyes had almost been glowing as her breath had tickled his chin. He could still smell her crisp apple scent as they strode toward the vehicle bay. For now, it looked like she would stay. Arlo wanted to make sure it remained that way. Whatever he needed to do, he’d do it. Juniper Firestar was not getting away from him this time.

  They arrived in the vehicle bay. Heath, Lincoln, Malachi, Ranger, and Brett were already there. They all wore pulse laser protection vests and helmets and carried pulse laser weapons.

  Danni was also there, standing to one side, her posture erect as she watched the last of the supplies being loaded into the modified Cobra they were taking on the road.

  Heath nodded at Arlo and Juniper as they arrived and handed over more protection vests and helmets.

  In the backpack Arlo wore were a dozen bombs they’d need to destroy the State comms site. He loaded them into the Cobra before passing Juniper an earpiece so she’d be linked to the open comms link between them. It also opened a link to Jude who was on base comms and would feed live data to the group.

  “Keep us up to date as to the progress of your mission,” said Danni as they all climbed into the Cobra.

  “You’ll be the first to know when we’re successful,” said Lincoln.

  Danni gave him an exasperated shake of her head. “No heroics. I want you all back here safely.”

  “Heroics is what I’m all about.” Lincoln grinned at her and then looked at the rest of the group. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep everyone safe.”

  The ramp leading to the exit was lit with a dim light as Heath drove the Cobra toward a set of sliding doors. Then they were outside, cruising through the night toward their target.

  Arlo sat on the bench next to Juniper. “Are you familiar with our earpiece comms?”

  She looked at the earbud in her fingers. “I imagine it’s straightforward enough.”

  “It is. Insert it into your ear, then press it when you want to communicate. At the moment, it’s set with all open comms, so you’ll hear all of us and Jude back at base. If you need to mute it for any reason, double-click it.”

  Juniper nodded and placed the earbud in her ear before activating it.

  “And I guess you know your way around a pulse laser gun.”

  She nodded, but Arlo could see in her eyes that she was overwhelmed again. This was too much for her. Bringing her on this mission could tip her over the edge and she’d decide to flee.

  He thought about telling Heath to turn around, to take them back to base. Juniper could stay behind. She’d kill him if he did that, but he’d risk her fury to keep her safe.

  He heard her take a deep breath. “I can handle a gun. And I know how to cover people’s backs. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Arlo leaned closer to her. “I have you to worry about.”

  A flash of something he wasn’t certain of appeared in her purple eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived.

  “Listen up, everybody,” said Heath. “We’re targeting the signal tower in what was once central London. Since the State have full control of all the old communications channels, this one is ideal. Jude, care to fill us in on this particular tower?”

  “No problem,” said Jude through the comms. “This is one of the largest buildings in the city. It’s almost two hundred feet high if you include the signal mast. The communication signals go through subterranean optical fiber links. There’s still a backup system of microwave signals, though. Before the State took over, one floor of the tower was staffed by experts. They’d broadcast traffic and relay signals between live broadcast sites, including satellites and television companies.”

  Lincoln yawned and rested his head on Ranger’s shoulder. “This is all fascinating. Why don’t you just tell us where we need to place the bombs?”

  Jude laughed. “I’m getting to that bit. But you need to know what you’re dealing with.”

  “This is all useful information,” said Heath. “Knowing where to put the bombs would be good.”

  “Fine. You should all be grateful one of us is interested in communications. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve saved your butts when you’ve been jiving around in the field playing heroes and villains.”

  “We appreciate your love for all things radio,” said Lincoln.

  “Maybe I won’t be watching your butt this time,” grumbled Jude.

  “I only like women to watch my butt.”

  “You’d better not let Anastasia hear you say that,” said Arlo.

  Lincoln grinned. “I especially like her watching my butt.”

  “Keep focused,” said Heath. “Jude, carry on.”

  “There’s an electrified fence running around the tower. That’s a new addition since the State took over. There’s also a guard booth by this fence. It never has more than two guards at any one time. They aren’t heavily armed, but you’ll need to take them out before you get through to the tower. Once you’re through, all you need to look out for are additional guards and any armed drones.”

  “We’ll need to make this quick,” said Heath. “The guards will need to be taken out before they can signal for backup. We keep the Invis-Tech shield up on the vehicle so they don’t see us coming. This site will be under scrutiny from drones. We’ll have five minutes at most before one passes by.”

  “I can deal with the drones,” said Lincoln. “I’ll shoot them out of the sky while Arlo sets the bombs.”

  “I’ll go with Lincoln,” said Heath. “We’ll clear the route of any more guards or soldiers. Brett and Ranger, I want you on the lookout for any backup approaching. Add support to Lincoln if he needs it to take out any drones.”

  “Got it,” said Ranger.

  Brett nodded.

  “Malachi, I want you to stay with the vehicle, make sure we’re ready to go once the explosives are primed and in place. Juniper and Arlo, you’re in charge of setting the bombs.”

  Everyone nodded. The mission was in place.

  Arlo turned his attention to the tinted window as they passed through a once-busy urban street lined with terraced houses. The latest series of messages the State pumped out flowed across a brightly lit billboard set high on a stone wall. Loyalty to your leader means a lifetime of happiness. With obedience comes reward. He snorted and looked away. If this plan worked, these messages would soon be a distant memory.

  He tapped Heath on the shoulder. “Any chance we can have some Flame radio?”

  “I was waiting for y
ou to ask.” Heath flicked the radio on in the front of the Cobra.

  Arlo immediately relaxed as he heard the sound of a rousing guitar solo pump through the speakers.

  Juniper smiled at him. “I wonder what Octavia is up to tonight?”

  “She’ll have an eye on what we’re doing, you can guarantee that. And she’ll be watching the State too.”

  “I wonder where she’s based?” said Juniper. “She knows a lot of what happens across the whole country.”

  “I think she’s based around here,” said Jude. “Well, for some of the time. She’s here right now.”

  “What makes you say that?” asked Arlo.

  “I can’t be certain, but she rarely mentions other countries. From her accent, I’d say Octavia was local. I think she moves around a lot. She needs to, so she doesn’t get picked up by the State.”

  “She doesn’t have an accent,” said Lincoln. “She just has one hell of a sexy voice.”

  “That sexy voice has saved your ass on numerous occasions,” growled Jude.

  “And I expect she’ll keep on doing it,” said Arlo. “Octavia’s good to have on our side.”

  “I like her,” said Juniper. “She never had much to say about the Badlands, but she keeps an eye out for isolated communities. I think she’s on the side of the dragon hybrids.”

  As if she knew they were talking about her, Octavia lowered the volume of the song she was blasting out. “Next up, I’ll be playing a tune from the Shadow Killers. It’s good advice to anyone out there tonight. Stick to the shadows and be extra careful. There are a lot of bodies out this evening, not all of them friendly. Anyone who goes out and plays with the devil needs to keep their wits about them.”

  “She’s talking about us,” said Jude, excitement in his voice. “Octavia knows what we’re doing.”

  “That’s not possible,” said Heath. “Unless we have a leak at the base, she won’t have a clue what we’re up to.”

  “Octavia wouldn’t have said that otherwise,” said Jude.

  “If she knows what we’re doing, then there’s a risk the State does as well,” said Heath. “We know they’re always trying to jam signals and listen in to us. Just like we do to them.”

  “It could be a coincidence,” said Arlo. “Octavia often gives veiled warnings about things. She needs to keep things vague, just in case the State knows about her.”

  “They know about her,” said Lincoln. “And they must hate her. I bet it kills them that they haven’t found her yet.”

  “If they do, they’ll drag her off the air and kill her. She’s given away too much valuable information. They must see her as a threat,” said Heath.

  “She’s not,” said Jude, his tone angry. “She’s just looking out for us. Well, looking out for everybody.”

  “We all know you have the hots for her,” said Arlo.

  “It’s not that,” protested Jude. “She’s just good to have around. You like her too. You love the music she plays.”

  Arlo shrugged. He did, but he loved who was sitting next to him much more.

  “Heath, you might want to slow down,” said Jude. “There’s a street patrol up ahead.”

  Heath had already engaged the Invis-Tech on the Cobra, but he slowed anyway. If the State were looking for them, they could pick up the heat signatures of those inside.

  Everyone was silent as they waited for further instruction from Jude.

  Arlo leaned toward Juniper and forced himself to back off. She was fine. She’d been in far worse situations and had gotten out in one piece. A little trouble from a State patrol would not bother her.

  “Okay. You’re good to go,” said Jude. “It looks like they were just on night patrol, not looking out for you in particular.”

  “We’re ten minutes from the tower,” said Heath. “Everyone do a final check of your weapons. If you have questions, now’s the time to ask.”

  Everyone knew what they were doing and focused on their weapons checks as they neared their destination.

  Arlo felt the vehicle slow and took a few deep breaths. This would be a walk in the park, so long as Juniper behaved herself.

  The Cobra stopped. Heath gestured to Lincoln. “We’ll check the area is clear and disable the guards. Brett and Ranger, you keep watch while we’re gone. Keep your focus on the sky for any drones.”

  Brett and Ranger slid out the back of the Cobra, their eyes trained to the sky.

  “Are you ready?” Arlo asked Juniper. A big part of him hoped she’d ask to stay behind in the Cobra, sit this one out. She’d be safe in here and would have Malachi to keep an eye on her. He knew there was no chance of that happening.

  Juniper’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s go blow this place up.”

  SHE LEFT THE COBRA with Arlo by her side. It was just the two of them walking through the muggy night air, heading toward the tower. Juniper could already see the red lights that lit up the circular mushroom at the top of the tower.

  “Heath, what’s the situation with the guards?” asked Arlo.

  “They’re out of commission,” replied Heath. “The tower is waiting for you.”

  Arlo nodded and glanced over at Juniper.

  She could feel the tension in the air. Having Arlo so close was ratcheting up her nerves. Didn’t he want her there? Well, tough if he didn’t. She wasn’t going to wait behind like some good girl. She needed to be in the middle of the action. That was where she’d always been. She would not stop now because of him.

  “Ranger. Brett. Any problems with you?” asked Arlo.

  “It’s all clear here,” said Ranger. “We’ve only spotted two drones. They were too far out to be an issue.”

  “All good at the vehicle, Malachi?”

  “Everything is good,” said Malachi.

  “We’re moving in,” said Arlo.

  They hurried to the fence surrounding the tower. Juniper spotted the now-empty guard booth to their right and the shadowy figures of Heath and Lincoln standing beside it. Everything seemed too quiet, almost as if a storm were brewing. The atmosphere was holding its breath waiting for the first explosion of thunder.

  This would once have been a thriving hub of communications. Thousands of people would have worked in the tower every day, coming and going with live broadcasts, linking to different sites across the world with the latest news. Now, there was nothing but the looming figure of the tower and an eerie sense of desolation.

  Arlo reached toward the fence, but Juniper pulled him back. “Have you forgotten this is electrified?”

  “Heath will have cut the power by now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He grinned at her. “It’s nice to know you care.”

  “I just don’t want to see you get fried. There’s nothing worse than the stink of a fried human.”

  “It’s safe.” Arlo’s grin softened. “You’d feel the charge in the air if the fence was still electrified.” He pulled a pair of wire cutters from his combat trousers pocket and sliced through the fence. Once he’d made a hole big enough for them to climb through, he went through first and offered his hand to Juniper.

  She didn’t take it. It felt weird taking his hand. This wasn’t a date. It was different when they’d been in the workshop, just the two of them. But out here, in the open, everything felt too exposed. Her feelings about Arlo were a mess. Right now, she had to focus on the mission. They were here to blow up this tower. Everything else would have to wait.

  Juniper wrinkled her nose as an unpleasant smell hit her. It stank like a wet dog who needed a damn good bath. Probably several baths.

  A howl rolled through the night and the back of her neck prickled as they stopped and raised their weapons in unison.

  “Whatever that is, it didn’t sound friendly,” muttered Arlo. “Jude, give us some eyes out here. We’ve got company.”

  “You’ve got three heat signatures that have joined you,” said Jude. “They keep jumping around, though. It’s hard to get a fix on them.”


  “Try,” said Arlo. “Whatever they are, they’re not sounding like they want to play nice.”

  “More like they want to tear our heads off and eat them,” said Juniper.

  “I thought it was a system blip when they first appeared,” said Jude. “They’re too fast to be human.”

  “That’s not a comfort,” said Arlo. “Have you got a fix on their location yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “If I can smell them, they can’t be that far away,” said Juniper.

  “Let’s keep moving.” Arlo gestured to some abandoned vehicles spotted with rust and covered in dirt.

  Juniper stuck to his side as they hurried from shadow to shadow, keeping close to the vehicles to give them protection and cover.

  “Heath, is everything okay?” muttered Arlo.

  “It’s all quiet at the guard booth,” said Heath. “We can hear the dog howls. Have you seen them yet?”

  “There’s nothing this side of the fence,” said Arlo.

  Juniper’s heart drummed in her chest as she tried to identify the source of the noise. She’d seen the damage caused by the mutant creatures who roamed the land. “The State could have guard dogs at the tower.”

  “They sound like bloody big dogs,” said Arlo. “Keep alert. They could come from anywhere.”

  “The heat signatures are getting closer,” warned Jude. “There’s something definitely out there with you.”

  “Thanks for that,” said Arlo. “We sort of figured that part out for ourselves.”

  “You might want to make a run for it,” said Jude. “Their heat signatures keep flipping off the system. Each time they reappear, they’re getting nearer.”

  Arlo grabbed Juniper’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  Juniper nodded. They were a hundred yards from their target. They could sprint to it, set the bombs and be out in less than five minutes.

  Before they’d even taken two steps, Jude yelled a warning over the comms.

  A foul-smelling black ball of muscle shot through the air and smashed into Arlo.