No Rules

by McCormick, Jenna

  “Well, there are definitely more of them in here. We need to get to a cave or something, get the hell away from them. I’ll lead the way.” She swallowed hard when she looked at her device. The helcats were enormous, and if she wasn’t mistaken, the bioluminescent light had faded.

  Eyeing the sky, Gwella nodded. “She’s right. Get everyone over here, now.”

  The piercing screech of the circling helcats punctuated her point.

  As the patrollers and breeders ran off, Gwella turned to Alison. “If I get everyone aboard the ship, can you and a small group pick off the rest?”

  “I hope so.”

  Gwella nodded once. “Right. I’ll call the ship to set down in the clearing there. Once we’re ready, we’ll have the patrollers form a perimeter to keep the beasts at bay long enough to evacuate.”

  “Make sure they know not to touch me. This device won’t discriminate between friend and helcat.” Alison eyed the beasts overhead. “Why aren’t they attacking? They are obviously starving, so why wait?”

  “I don’t know, but I plan to take full advantage of it.” Gwella removed a small communication device from her pocket. “The ship has been in orbit for several days now. I had a feeling everything would come to a head. Go out into the clearing. If there are any more nearby, the scent of blood will draw them here.”

  Alison had wanted to wait for Del, to make sure he and Ari were safe, but she was just rebuilding the trust between the empress and herself, so she simply nodded and moved through the open gate.

  Everything outside was eerie and still, with only a slight breeze rustling the dead leaves on the forest floor. Clutching her device she walked the tree line and scanned the skies. Perhaps there had only been four helcats left, the four that had attacked. Her demoleculizer ought to hold off the last three. She hoped.

  The great roaring of engines overhead caught her notice and she saw the massive ship, still fighting gravity, maneuver to the indicated spot for extraction. Again her eyes went to the trees, heart banging against her ribs like it wanted out. If it wouldn’t waste whatever juice her bioluminescents had left she’d start zapping trees, just to be sure nothing lurked in the shadows between them. The hair on the back of her neck stood completely on end.

  With a groaning of metal, the ship set down, the rear hull separating like a giant mouth preparing to take a bite. And like krill to a whale, the remaining inhabitants of Daton Five spilled forth, eager to be the appetizer.

  You’re losing it, Alison. The ship is safe, the monsters are behind them.

  Patrollers moved forward, chem whips at the ready, fanning out around the ship, ready to die if it meant their loved ones would be safe. A few met her eye and nodded, a show of respect she’d seen them give to Dani. It warmed her that these warrior women had accepted her.

  She nodded back once before slowly circling back to the gate.

  Men held on to children or carried elders to speed up the process. The helcats alternately screeched and roared from within the crumbling village. Her apprehension grew. If there was one universal truth it was that nothing was ever easy and this evacuation was going way too neatly. Those things should be swooping down on the people, blocking their paths and keeping them from escaping. Their food source was fleeing and yet they did nothing to stop it.

  “Del!” she called out at the swarm of people bee-lining for the ship. Several heads turned in her direction but none of them were his. “Del Fenton!” He understood much more about strategy than she did and she wanted his take on what was happening.

  The last few trickles of humanity spilled from the gate, Kel and Link bringing up the rear. “Unless there are people in hiding, that’s everyone. We’ll do a head count once we’re airborne.”

  Nodding, Alison backed toward the ship. “Go make sure Del Fenton and Ari are onboard.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” Link rumbled.

  Not taking her gaze off the burning village, she gritted, “I won’t leave without them.”

  A silent communication passed between the men and Link bowed. “You are just as strong as any patroller defending her personal breeder.”

  They ran off and Alison gestured to the patrollers still guarding the trees to get aboard.

  Too smooth, too seamless. Nothing is this easy.

  As though hearing her mental criticism of their tactics, the helcats thumped down, the ground actually shaking as it absorbed the shock of their substantial weight. They were smaller, sleeker, or perhaps simply further along the road to starvation than the one in the gate because the first ran right through, wings tucked in to streamline its motion as it charged her. It hit her shield mid-roar and the noise was cut off instantly as it was atomized.

  The second was in hot pursuit and she barely registered the dim glow from the bioluminescent colony before it was upon her. This time, however, only the front half of the enormous mutant beast vanished, its hind legs and tail twitching.

  The lights had gone out completely, the little critters worn out and probably dead. Tossing it aside, Alison turned and bolted for the ship. The roar behind her spurred her to move faster than she ever had.

  Del. Where is Del? Somewhere in the corner of her mind that wasn’t completely frozen in fear she registered the oddness that Kel and Link hadn’t called out to let her know he and Ari were safely aboard. Perhaps they hadn’t found them yet or Gwella had forbidden them from leaving with the helcats bearing down.

  The ramp was in sight and she swore she could feel the creature’s breath on her neck but she didn’t turn to look, afraid she’d trip and it would be all over.

  Heart pounding, muscles burning, she charged up the ramp and kept going even as the thrusters fired up, lifting them off the ground.

  Someone caught her and she turned to stare as the helcat’s wings beat against the shifting air currents, intent on catching her. The metal doors clanged shut. Her whole body shook. That was too close.

  “Don’t worry, it won’t follow past the atmosphere, I’ve seen to that.” The voice was soft, reassuring, and at the same time struck a chord of terror in her that only one being ever had.

  Slowly she turned to meet the soulless gaze of the assassin.

  25

  Fenton’s arm was killing him.

  He thought it might be dislocated. He hadn’t phase split himself back together before the floor had collapsed, and he’d bashed both his shoulder and ankle on the way down. The ankle made walking painful, but with the welfare of Ari and the two little boys he’d rescued on the line, he had sucked it up and run as fast as they could go to the center of the forest, back to Gwella’s, and down into the basement where he and Alison had been imprisoned.

  “It stinks down here.” The younger boy wrinkled his nose.

  “You’ll get used to it. This is the best place to hide from the beasties.” He was banking on Alison to get rid of the beasties before they came looking down here.

  The older boy tugged on his sleeve, jarring his injured side. “What about your brother? Do you think he got out?”

  “He’s fine, just a little banged up.” Fenton winced as he unstrapped Ari’s carrier and set her down against the wall. The little girl’s eyes were wide though she didn’t make a peep. “He’s out checking to see what’s going on and he’ll let us know when it’s safe to go back above ground.”

  In fact, he’d been attempting to phase split since the moment they entered the cabin, to leave one version of himself standing guard. Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked. It must have something to do with his injury. “What are your names?”

  “I’m Thom and this is Rand,” the older boy said.

  Fenton stuck out his hand. “Good to meet you, Thom. Rand. I’m Del, and this is Ari.” His niece yawned, obviously not a fan of the pleasantries.

  Looking around, he admitted that the underground cell might become their tomb. While there was only one way for the helcats to get in, there was also no other way for them to escape. Another dead end. Not wanting to up
set the children, he kept that bit of information to himself.

  “Are you bound to a patroller?” Rand asked.

  “No.” He was beginning to second-guess everything. It was too quiet up there. If this was such a brilliant hiding spot, then why wasn’t anyone else here?

  Doubts about the demoleculizer he’d fashioned for Alison almost sent him to his knees. What had he been thinking? He could have killed her before she got anywhere near a helcat. The overlord had always said the Fenton line of males was stupid. Verbal abuse was just another weapon in the dead man’s sadistic arsenal, but he’d been taking chances, dabbling where an expert hand was needed. Just because he’d rigged some prehistoric equipment on a few military bases didn’t mean he could successfully engineer a genetic deterrent.

  “Are you all right?” Thom looked at him with wide eyes.

  Keep it together. For them. Make a plan, see it through. You can’t control anything else right now. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and forced a smile. “I’m worried about my female. She’s off fighting.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t bound to a patroller.”

  “I’m not. She’s not a patroller.”

  “Then why is she fighting?” Rand prodded.

  Children and questions, some things were universal. Good thing Ari couldn’t talk yet or they’d have him surrounded. A head-on ambush wasn’t working, so he switched to diversionary tactics. “Tell you what. If this is where we’re holing up, we need to stock up for a siege. Do you guys know what a siege is?”

  Thom nodded, but Rand shook his head. Fenton explained for both their benefits as simply as he could. “It’s when you are stuck somewhere for a long time. You need what are called provisions. Food, water, medical supplies, pillows, and blankets. What I want us to do is go throughout the house and collect as much of that kind of stuff as we can. Got it?”

  They worked steadily, making several trips downstairs to the basement and back, bringing candles, containers of preserved food, pillows, blankets, warm clothes, and as much water as possible, in case the pipes turned off.

  With no one else to tend Ari, Fenton couldn’t put his arm in a sling the way he wanted. The throbbing ache and worry over Alison kept him awake long after all three of the children dropped off into an exhausted sleep.

  No roars or screeches broke the stillness. If he didn’t know better, he’d think they were the only beings left alive on the surface of Daton Five.

  Shuffling footsteps came down the stairs and he rose, standing by the open door. “Alison?”

  “Sorry.” The face that appeared didn’t belong to the woman he most wanted to see, but she was a welcome sight nonetheless. “Not who you were expecting.”

  “Dani?” He grinned, thrilled to see her. “But how? That explosion collapsed the entire tunnel.”

  “I was transported out at the last second.”

  Transported? “By whom?”

  Her face was grim. “He called himself the assassin. He was looking for your woman.”

  Fenton cursed, then immediately lowered his voice so as not to disturb the children. “I can’t believe he found her. How did you escape?”

  “Purely by accident. He’s controlling the helcats, using his mind to somehow make them behave however he wants. They’re herding everyone onboard the ship as we speak.”

  “Take me there,” he said and then looked back at the sleeping children. “Is there anyone left who can stay with them?”

  Dani called up the stairs and another patroller appeared, along with several men, one badly injured. “I came across them on my way here.”

  “We’ll look after the little ones.” Though he was covered in ash and sweat, the man stood up and saluted Fenton. “Sir.”

  He recognized the younger man from training. “Dav, right?”

  His face broke into a grin. “Yes, sir. Your training saved my life, sir.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Kneeling down, he feathered a kiss over Ari’s forehead. “I’ll be back soon, little love.”

  He followed Dani up the stairs and out of the cottage. The insane roar of a helcat prodded them both into a jog heading directly for the main gates.

  He saw two of the creatures and then there was one and a half, with a stunned Alison beyond the carnage. She eyed the monstrosity coming for her and sprinted for the ship.

  “Alison! No!” He shouted her name but the cry of the last living helcat drowned out his call. Concentrating as best he could, he tried to phase split, only to have the pain in his shoulder jolt him back together. “Damn it!”

  Helplessly, he watched Alison get swallowed up by the ship that headed into the atmosphere, up out of sight. “We’re too late.”

  “Not necessarily,” Dani said. “I have your ship. If we can get close enough, you can phase split onto theirs, right?”

  Slowly he turned to her. “Where is it?”

  She led him out around the burning side of the city, out through the gates. “Keep an eye out for helcats.”

  Jogging through the clearing, he followed her up a steep incline and through a thick copse of evergreens to where, lo and behold, his shuttle suite sat. “I thought Gwella had this thing stripped down.”

  “Most of the contents were redistributed, but we hadn’t gotten around to stripping your tech.” Dani climbed aboard and proffered her hand.

  He took it and looked around the opulent space he and Alison had shared what seemed like a lifetime ago. “Everything is exactly as we left it.”

  Dani moved to the controls. “Hurry, they’ve already broke atmo.”

  Keying in the tracking sequence, he waited for the ship to lift and then turned to face her. “This truly is incredible, Dani.”

  She smiled, but the pleased expression fell away as he stalked closer. “Del?”

  “I don’t think you understand. I really don’t believe it. Any of it. Dani just happens to be alive and just happens to lure me out of hiding in time to see Alison run headlong into danger and just happens to have a ship nearby ready for me to give chase? No, I’m not that trusting.”

  “Del, come on—” Her words cut off when he wrapped his hands around her throat.

  “Only Alison calls me Del. Only Alison knows about my phase split and I know of only one person capable of reading that information from her mind. The assassin. So the fact that you know it means you’re in league with him. Now, let’s try this again. Who. The fuck. Are you?”

  The creature pinned in his grip vaporized, leaving him empty-handed.

  “Well, that didn’t work.” The assassin appeared mildly put out as he stared out at a cloud of gold mist heading toward the ship. “Or, more accurately, didn’t entirely work. You’ll be relieved to know, dear Alison, that Fenton is in hot pursuit.”

  Alison struggled against the invisible bonds holding her against the wall. “Leave him alone.”

  “Now why would I want to do something like that?” After tapping in a few commands he prowled the room. “It’s all in good fun.”

  “Del hasn’t done anything to end up on your list. Leave him alone.”

  “Oh, my dear, naïve girl, you think this is about a list? Your name was removed from my list weeks ago. You can go home any old time you like.”

  “Then why go to all this trouble? Why chase us so far?” His eyes narrowed even as his lips curled up. “It’s what I do. The pay, the list, none of it really matters. I’m in it for the thrill of the hunt, the anticipation of the blood yet to be spilled.”

  “You’re sick,” she whispered.

  “And you’re observant.” His gaze went to the viewport. “And he’s a worthy opponent. I might have overplayed my hand a bit, resurrecting Dani, but he fell for it. I was hoping for some grand theater, see if maybe the chameleon could entice him into a little romance. You’re still envious of that dead warrior woman, so jealous it fills you up. I would have loved to see your reaction if he had taken the bait.”

  She closed her eyes, trying to block his vici
ousness out, but it seeped through the corners, permeating her brain. He was in there, reading her thoughts, commenting on them as though he had a right. “Someone should put you down like the rabid mongrel you are.”

  “Ah, now there’s the rub. No one can. I’m completely and utterly invincible.” His laugh was bitter. “Believe me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, so I take my amusement where and when I can. And for my next trick, I’m going to fuck your beloved, slit his throat the moment he comes. You’ll be soon to follow, of course, coated in his arterial spray like a living tribute to his demise.”

  Behind him the shuttle suite drew nearer, stark white against the vast blackness of space. Maybe Del had a plan, maybe he saw a way out of this. Distracting the assassin and giving him his chance was the only thing she could do. “And then what?”

  “Then you’ll be dead.”

  She made a rude, dismissive noise. “Yes, yes, but what will you do?”

  “Kill every single person I stashed down in the cargo hold.”

  “Just slaughter them, like sheep? That doesn’t sound like much of a challenge.”

  He made a disgruntled sound. Behind him the shuttle suite filled the view screen. She intentionally kept her mind blank, focused on nothing. If he suspected, they were done for. “I still have that space pirate to contend with. And the empath.”

  “You don’t sound thrilled with those options.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why should you care if I’m bored?”

  “We were friends once. I’m betting on you to remember that. To show me a little leniency.”

  Slowly, he shook his head. “No, we weren’t. We worked together on some mutually beneficial projects. You were always afraid of me. Smart of you, by the way. I think you’re trying to snow me. Bravo for the attempt. However—”

  She’d never know what he’d intended to say because the shuttle suite collided with the bigger ship, the sound of grating metal echoing throughout the room.

  The assassin whirled, just in time for the hull of the shuttle suite to come flying toward them. She screamed and he roared in outrage as sparks flew.