Runs In The Family
Page 37
Hex sighed. “How am I supposed to do that?”
Jessica shook her head. “Find out what happened, Hex. What’s the situation down below?”
“Klatk lost contact with her team. There’s been a cave-in on at least one of the lower levels. I’ll send a team down there as soon as I can.”
“Gotcha. Keep security up and don’t let your guard down.”
“Roger, Jess.”
She studied the control console and decided it was worth trying to climb. “Keep the faith, Hex.”
“Roger, Bulldog. Will advise of changes. Out.”
Jessica turned and looked around the slightly curving wall with the light for anything usable. She snapped the light’s cylindrical shaft into a 90-degree bend and nested it into a bunch of cables and wires so it pointed up at the target console. Wiping her hands on her coveralls, she reached out to an open panel on the control console and found a solid handhold for both hands. Swinging her left leg up as she vaulted to the console, she found purchase on the side of the control station, pulled her full weight up, and scrambled for a higher grip. Right foot placed on her initial handhold, Jessica tested her weight on the console and found it stable. Able to rest, she looked up into the cockpit at the systems station and froze. One entire panel was gone, revealing the inner workings and board systems within. The interior gold board reflected the flashlight and showed row upon row of silver connections and black chipsets. Most of them were square, but a few were round. In the depth of the console, there was a board of rectangular shaped ones just like...
Oh, shit!
An icy bolt of electricity shot down her spine and she reached into her pocket—
WHAMM!
<
No shit!
The Raknar bucked from side to side as multiple detonations hit the mech’s body. From the feel of it, several hit the Raknar’s back, and the vibrations threatened to throw her off the console completely. Whole body frantically grabbing the console, Jessica barked at her earpiece. “Hex! Report!”
Outside, she heard the Altar batteries open fire with a deafening whoosh. “Returning fire on red air. Six bandits. They’re making another run. Hang on, Jess!”
A series of detonations rippled along the spine of the Raknar. The first few were lower down, near the Raknar’s hips. They traveled up the imaginary spine of the beast, and Jessica realized it wasn’t any type of collateral damage. The Raknar, and she, were the targets. This wasn’t about the Altar colony at all. The Raknar and whatever was below the surface were the problems. What if it’s all connected? Klatk’s people are simply in the way and—
Jessica didn’t have time to finish that train of thought. A large explosion threw her from the control console and toward the cockpit door. Pain shot through her for a millisecond before her head glanced off the cockpit rail. She slid down the wall and came to rest in a pile of cables and filth as the cockpit door clanged shut above her.
* * * * *
Get “Peacemaker” now at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752J8M3K/.
Find out more about Kevin Ikenberry and “Peacemaker” at:
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The following is an
Excerpt from Book One of the Revelations Cycle:
Cartwright’s Cavaliers
___________________
Mark Wandrey
Available Now from Seventh Seal Press
eBook, Paperback, and Audio
Excerpt from “Cartwright’s Cavaliers:”
The last two operational tanks were trapped on their chosen path. Faced with destroyed vehicles front and back, they cut sideways to the edge of the dry river bed they’d been moving along and found several large boulders to maneuver around that allowed them to present a hull-down defensive position. Their troopers rallied on that position. It was starting to look like they’d dig in when Phoenix 1 screamed over and strafed them with dual streams of railgun rounds. A split second later, Phoenix 2 followed on a parallel path. Jim was just cheering the air attack when he saw it. The sixth damned tank, and it was a heavy.
“I got that last tank,” Jim said over the command net.
“Observe and stand by,” Murdock said.
“We’ll have these in hand shortly,” Buddha agreed, his transmission interspersed with the thudding of his CASPer firing its magnet accelerator. “We can be there in a few minutes.”
Jim examined his battlespace. The tank was massive. It had to be one of the fusion-powered beasts he’d read about. Which meant shields and energy weapons. It was heading down the same gap the APC had taken, so it was heading toward Second Squad, and fast.
“Shit,” he said.
“Jim,” Hargrave said, “we’re in position. What are you doing?”
“Leading,” Jim said as he jumped out from the rock wall.
* * * * *
Get “Cartwright’s Cavaliers” now at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRZKM95/.
Find out more about Mark Wandrey and “Cartwright’s Cavaliers” at: http://chriskennedypublishing.com/imprints-authors/mark-wandrey/.
The following is an
Excerpt from Book One of the Kin Wars Saga:
Wraithkin
___________________
Jason Cordova
Now Available from Theogony Books
eBook, Paperback, and Audio
Excerpt from “Wraithkin:”
Prologue
The lifeless body of his fellow agent on the bed confirmed the undercover operation was thoroughly busted.
“Crap,” Agent Andrew Espinoza, Dominion Intelligence Bureau, said as he stepped fully into the dimly lit room and carefully made his way to the filthy bed in which his fellow agent lay. He turned away from the ruined body of his friend and scanned the room for any sign of danger. Seeing none, he quickly walked back out of the room to where the slaves he had rescued earlier were waiting.
“Okay, let’s keep quiet now,” he reminded them. “I’ll go first, and you follow me. I don’t think there are any more slavers in the warehouse. Understand?”
They all nodded. He offered them a smile of confidence, though he had lied. He knew there was one more slaver in the warehouse, hiding near the side exit they were about to use. He had a plan to deal with that person, however. First he had to get the slaves to safety.
He led the way, his pistol up and ready as he guided the women through the dank and musty halls of the old, rundown building. It had been abandoned years before, and the slaver ring had managed to get it for a song. In fact, they had even qualified for a tax-exempt purchase due to the condition of the neighborhood around it. The local constable had wanted the property sold, and the slaver ring had stepped in and offered him a cut if he gave it to them. The constable had readily agreed, and the slavers had turned the warehouse into the processing plant for the sex slaves they sold throughout the Dominion. Andrew knew all this because he had been the one to help set up the purchase in the first place.
Now, though, he wished he had chosen another locale.
He stopped the following slaves as he came to the opening which led into one of the warehouse’s spacious storage areas. Beyond that lay their final destination, and he was dreading the confrontation with the last slaver. He checked his gun and grunted in surprise as he saw he had two fewer rounds left than he had thought. He shook his head and charged the pistol.
“Stay here and wait for my signal,” he told the rescued slaves. They nodded in unison.
He took a deep, calming breath. No matter what happened, he had to get the slaves to safety. He owed them that much. His sworn duty was to protect the Dominion from people like the slavers, and someone along the way had failed these poor women. He exhaled slowly, crossed himself and prayed to God, the Emperor and any other person who might have been paying attention.
&nbs
p; He charged into the room, his footsteps loud on the concrete flooring. He had his gun up as he ducked behind a small, empty crate. He peeked over the top and snarled; he had been hoping against hope the slaver was facing the other direction.
Apparently Murphy is still a stronger presence in my life than God, he thought as he locked eyes with the last slaver. The woman’s eyes widened in recognition and shock, and he knew he would only have one chance before she killed them all.
He dove to the right of the crate and rolled, letting his momentum drag him out of the slaver’s immediate line of fire. He struggled to his feet as her gun swung up and began to track him, but he was already moving, sprinting back to the left while closing in on her. She fired twice, both shots ricocheting off the floor and embedding themselves in the wall behind him.
Andrew skid to a stop and took careful aim. It was a race, the slaver bringing her gun around as his own came to bear upon her. The muzzles of both guns flashed simultaneously, and Andrew grunted as pain flared in his shoulder.
A second shot punched him in the gut and he fell, shocked the woman had managed to get him. He lifted his head and saw that while he had hit her, her wound wasn’t nearly as bad as his. He had merely clipped her collarbone and, while it would smart, it was in no way fatal. She took aim on him and smiled coldly.
Andrew swiftly brought his gun up with his working arm and fired one final time. The round struck true, burrowing itself right between the slaver’s eyes. She fell backwards and lay still, dead. He groaned and dropped the gun, pain blossoming in his stomach. He rolled onto his back and stared at the old warehouse’s ceiling.
That sucked, he groused. He closed his eyes and let out a long, painful breath.
* * * * *
Get “Wraithkin” now at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0RGYZS.
Find out more about Jason Cordova and “Wraithkin” at: http://chriskennedypublishing.com/imprints-authors/jason-cordova/
Acknowledgements
Runs In The Family was originally published in January 2016 by Strigidae Publishing and my long time friends Henry and Hollie Snider. Later that summer, Henry underwent heart surgery and they were forced to shutter the fledgling press just as this novel was really gaining steam. While this was an unfortunate development for everyone, I’d rather have my friend alive and well. I can report that Henry is doing just fine and that he always knew this book would find another home.
I’m exceedingly grateful to Chris Kennedy for agreeing to bring this book to Theogony Press as a Second Edition. I’ve been very fortunate to work with Chris and fellow creator Mark Wandrey in the bestselling Four Horsemen Universe books, and when I told Chris about this book, he agreed to look it over and eventually gave the approval to bring it back into print. As we pushed it to publication, editor Tiffany Reynolds climbed on board and helped to tweak the manuscript into what you’ve read and hopefully enjoyed.
I’d be remiss without thanking my family and my team for all the work they’ve put in and put up with over the course of the last six years. I wrote the original draft for this novel in 2011 and it’s been through lots of ups and downs ever since. The future of The Imprint War is uncertain right now, and it’s not because of the ending you just read. (Note: I know it’s not a happy ending – war doesn’t end happily for everyone.) I do look forward to following the continuing adventures of Mairin Shields, but it’s going to take some time because of other projects in front of me. But, I can assure you that we haven’t seen the last of her.
And, if you’re wanting a little more Imprint War right now, check out a prequel novella to this book called Lancer One – available only through Amazon.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
December 2017