by Lee Stephen
Looking at Esther, Ju`bajai stared with a look of complete captivation. The phrase was then transmitted: My bowels require alleviation.
Smirking, Esther looked back ahead. “Welcome to the Fourteenth.”
Scott’s voice emerged through her comm. “Esther, come in!”
She quickly answered, “Here, Scott. We’re on our way somewhere. Veck, Boris, where the hell were you sending us?”
“I was sending you to one of the junction hubs,” the technician answered, “but that is too far now! You should just go to the nearest hub in the direction you were heading, if you can reach it; that is the main hub to the Anthill.”
ESTHER’S VOICE crackled over Scott’s comm. “You hearing that, Scott?
Scott and the Numbers were entrenched in a firefight barely fifty meters from where they’d reentered the Anthill’s underground. They were being hit by sheer masses. Even with Cairo’s primary focus being on Confinement, there were more than enough bodies to completely outnumber Scott’s crew. More and more standard EDEN operatives began to appear in the mix, a clear sign that Cairo Command had called in reinforcements in the form of unit operatives. With every EDEN operative Scott felled, the wrench in his gut worsened.
“I heard it,” Scott answered Esther. “Where do we need to go?”
“Can you track my comm?”
Ducking back again, Scott narrowly avoided a bullet to the faceplate. He leaned around a corner and fired. “You make it sound so simple.”
“Follow my signal. We’ll soon be leaving Xenobiology. We’ll rendezvous in the halls.”
Leaving Xenobiology? How did they get that far out? “You have enough manpower for that?”
The scout cackled a single time. “You have no idea.” After a moment’s pause, her voice grew solemn. “Scott, what about Auric?”
Scott didn’t know how to answer her. He was born and bred a “no man left behind” person. Auric was one of his own. Yet there he was, in no position to go after his comrade without jeopardizing everything. At what point did honor need to take a backseat to the big picture?
At this one.
“We can’t get him, Ess,” Scott said. “We’ve got to extract the target.” This was a mission to uncover a conspiracy in EDEN Command—the global organization sworn to protect Earth from extraterrestrials. Auric hadn’t commed Scott for the purpose of having Scott rescue him. He commed Scott to tell him to go on without him. That was what Scott had to do. On top of that, Auric’s comm signal had completely disappeared. That meant someone had deactivated it. Someone had him in custody. There was no getting the German back.
Briefly, Jayden made eye contact with Scott. The Texan said nothing, though he offered a grim look of understanding. Scott could only shake his head. Switching to his comm, he queued up Rashid. “What’s it looking like on the surface?”
Rashid answered quickly. “We have defended the vessel and await your arrival. No additional forces have met us on the surface.”
That’s because they’re all focused down here. “Sit tight. We’ll be up there in a few.”
“We still have the woman, captain. If need be, she can serve as leverage.”
Great. “Copy that,” said Scott, cutting off the channel. A second later, Boris’s voice emerged.
“I have taken back control, captain! Reopening the blast shields in Confinement.”
“Atta boy, Boris. Hold onto it this time.”
IT TOOK MORE than a few minutes of Centurion’s striding, but he, Esther, and Ju`bajai indeed came upon the hub leading out of Xenobiology. Just like the hubs behind it, it was crawling with guards. As soon as the three came into view, fire was opened on them.
Edging against the wall and lowering, Centurion allowed Esther and Ju`bajai to dismount. As soon as they were off him, he raised his neutron rifle to fire at EDEN. As his shots impacted, operatives flew in every direction.
Esther spun to Ju`bajai. “Do one of those tricks again! Give me something to work with.” The Ithini said nothing—she only pointed past Esther back at Centurion. Turning back to the Ceratopian bodyguard, Esther’s eyes widened.
He was charging the hub.
“No!” Esther shouted, sprinting behind him. “You’re not going to—”
She never had a chance to say make it, but not for the reason she’d suspected. As she caught up with Centurion and the hub came into view, she witnessed what could only have been perceived as total annihilation—the definition of a one-“man” army. As Centurion drew closer, his shots grew more devastating. As EDEN guards panicked, they fell back and lost accuracy. Before ten seconds worth of time, Centurion was leaping straight up from the tram track into their midst.
Bodies flew everywhere, some swatted, some hurled. When spread out, Centurion’s arms covered a fourth of the hub. Between his constantlyswinging free hand and the hand firing neutron rays, there was nowhere for EDEN to go. Some took to the tram track for cover; Esther gunned them down with what little ammo she had left. Sprinting for the hub, she climbed quickly off the track to witness the scene.
It was carnage. Broken bodies were strewn everywhere. Nothing moved, besides the beast in the center of the room. Centurion was covered in blood, and by the looks of it, had endured more than a few shots to the exposed parts of his armor. The Ceratopian’s chin was dipped down, shielding his neckline completely.
Stepping under the sprinklers again, Esther wiped back her hair and beheld Centurion with awestruck eyes. Grunting painfully, Centurion limped Esther’s way. She quickly rushed to him. “You’re hurt! That was stupid, Centurion, stupid!” Wiping the water from her eyes, she inspected the wounds. They were numerous. Genuine concern struck Esther’s face. “Why did you do that? You could have been killed.”
Growling determinedly, Centurion pointed at her. Safe.
Esther slicked back her hair with both hands, resting them at the back of her neck. “Centurion, don’t worry about me. Worry about you. You’re the one who’s important. If I die, I die.”
Unacceptable.
Approaching from behind, water streaming down her pale oval head, Ju`bajai watched the scene.
“Can you walk?” Esther asked. “God, you’re riddled with bullets.” She watched as Centurion grunted and strode for the door. He was moving, albeit much more slowly. “All right, beast. Let’s keep moving, but no more charging. That’s an order.” Bending down, she claimed a guard’s handgun with a full magazine. “Now let’s—”
Her words were cut off as her vision flashed again. Ju`bajai. In the next instant, Esther was taken outside in the hallway, once again looking through the eyes of someone there. But this time, the someone was alone. The connection was brief; Esther could sense strength in the target’s mind. Ju`bajai was forced out only seconds after going in. Esther’s eyes were once again her own.
Motioning quickly, she beckoned Centurion away from the exit door. “Get to the side!” The alien complied. Dashing to the door herself, Esther readied her weapon and eased her head around the corner, staring intensely through water drops. She didn’t know if it was due to Ju`bajai or her own intuition, but she already knew who was waiting for her ahead. Logan Marshall.
The path out of Xenobiology was clear. The Anthill was ahead. But Logan was hiding. Flicking her head to sling her hair from her face, Esther shouted, “What’d you do with Auric?”
Sure enough, Logan answered. “You’re about to find out, miss.”
“Don’t make a mistake!”
“You guys always say that.” Moving from around the corner, Logan stepped into the open, assault rifle ready.
Esther realized in that instant that she couldn’t step out to match him. Logan was fully armed with unobstructed vision. Esther was in a maxi dress, battling sprinklers on her face. If she stepped out to fire, she’d be done for.
Logan wasn’t moving closer. He was standing stationary in the hall—forcing her hand. The Australian was well aware of his advantageous situation. “Come out and we’ll talk.”
“Sure,” she said back. “You have my wholehearted trust!”
“Trust obviously means a lot to you.”
She scowled. “Touché.” Getting on her comm quickly, she whispered, “I’m boxed in, Scott. It’s Marshall. He’s got position on me.”
ON THE OTHER side of the channel, Scott held his progress. He, Jayden, and the Numbers were closer to Esther’s position, but not close enough to help right at that moment. Logan was smart and skilled. He’d captured Auric. Esther had good reason to be concerned.
But there was one card Scott had—one he hated the thought of playing. One that Logan would never see coming. Adjusting his comm to include Logan, he said, “Marshall, this is Remington.”
AROUND THE CORNER where she was pinned, Esther saw Logan subtly move to open his comm. All the while, his assault rifle never wavered. “Good timing, mate. I’m about to be two-for-two.”
“We have Natalie,” Scott said.
Logan tensed. Even from her limited viewpoint, Esther could see it.
Scott’s voice came again. “Let Brooking and her company go.”
Taking advantage of the moment, Esther whirled around the corner, raising her handgun to aim straight at Logan. Logan’s assault rifle found her. But neither fired—a standoff occurred.
“You don’t have Natalie,” Logan said, his voice less than confident.
“Faraj,” Scott said, “put her on.”
Several seconds later, Natalie’s voice came over the comm. She was breathing exhaustedly. “I’m here, Lo.”
The moment her voice came through, Logan’s shoulders sunk. His dauntless posture was gone.
That was all they heard of Natalie. The next one to speak again was Scott. “Let Brooking go, Marshall.”
Logan was breathing intensely, water pouring down the face of his visor. For several seconds, he did nothing, his stalemate with Esther ongoing. Then slowly, defeatedly, he lowered his weapon.
“Drop it,” Esther said, motioning to the ground. Logan did as told. “Kick it to me.” The Australian complied. Bending down, Esther claimed his assault rifle.
As if preempting an inevitable request, Logan dropped to his knees. “If your boy so much as touches her—”
“Where’s Auric?” she asked. When Logan bit his lip, she took a step closer. “Where is Auric?”
Logan looked away disgustedly. “He’s in a maintenance closet. Tied to a pipe. Fourth hallway from here on your way out.”
Nodding, Esther said, “Good boy.” Stepping to him, she motioned for Centurion and Ju`bajai to follow her. As soon as Logan saw them, he laughed pathetically. Eyeing him, Esther said, “One day you’ll understand. It just won’t be today.”
“Let Natalie go.” He looked her straight in the eyes.
Esther looked nervously from Logan to the two extraterrestrials. She then settled on him again. “We’ll do what we can.”
Quietly, Logan’s jaw set. Esther, Centurion, and Ju`bajai disappeared down the halls.
MOVING STEADILY forward, Scott, Jayden, and the Numbers were leaving a trail of bodies behind them. Scott had given up counting how many EDEN operatives he’d gunned down once he’d reached sixteen. Between he and his cohorts, they’d felled at least fifty. Their strike team wasn’t without casualty, as Three had been struck fatally several halls back. Slayer “Two” had fallen back to his position, leaving Scott and One leading the charge as Jayden covered them from a distance.
Still, Scott tracked forward, pushing sopping scientists and workers out of his way as he weaved toward Esther’s comm signal. All of a sudden, far ahead of them, a succession of guards flew out of a side hallway amid the familiar neon flash of neutron fire. A cluster of frantic EDEN operatives backtracked behind them—neutron followed.
Dropping to a knee, Scott raised his E-35. The remaining Numbers followed suit, and between them and the neutron rays, the guards and operatives were taken down quickly. Rising, Scott moved in on the intersection. “Esther, is your Ceratopian armed?” he asked over the channel.
“Yes.”
“Then we’re right around the corner. Hold your fire.” An armed Ceratopian. How did you pull that off? Turning the corner of the intersection, Scott found himself drawing to a wide-eyed halt. Hands falling, he and the Numbers stared in awe.
Centurion was huge. Lumbering into the intersection, the massive armored lizard turned his horned head Scott’s way. Even at a distance, Scott could see the alien’s eyes widen as they caught sight of Scott. It recognized him.
Bullets tattered Centurion’s armor from behind. Turning around and propping his neutron rifle on his left forearm, the Ceratopian sent several zaps soaring down the hall. The EDEN fire stopped.
Esther emerged moments later. Drenched from head to toe, she bolted for Scott the moment she saw him, crashing into him with an embrace that lasted all of one second before wiping her hair back and looking at him. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Eyes focusing past Scott, she blinked when she saw Jayden. “Jay! What are you doing here?” The Texan was already running to her. “I told you to go back!”
“He listened,” Scott said. “Then he came back in with me.”
Her expression endearing, Esther looked Jayden’s way. Then her brow arched. “Wait!” Backing up, she faced the way she and her aliens had come. “One, two, three...” She stopped at a closet several meters away. “This is four!”
“Four?” asked Scott. “Four what?”
Bolting for the closet, Esther whipped it open while Centurion and the Numbers held off the few EDEN guards that dared show themselves. As soon as Scott saw who was inside, he hurried to the closet. Auric! The groggy slayer’s hands were tied behind his back, wrapped around a coolant pipe that ran from the floor to the ceiling.
Agitated, Esther fought with the knot Logan had tied. “What the hell kind of knot is this?” Pulling out her pistol, she placed the barrel between Auric’s hands. A single shot later and the rope was broken. Auric wrenched his hands free.
“Are you okay? Can you walk?” Scott asked. The German shook his head dizzily, then nodded. “Get up. We’ve got to go.” Pulling Auric to his feet, the team of escapees fled down the hall.
The trek back to the surface was anything but clean. Even with Cairo’s primary focus back on Confinement, a solid concentration of their defense force was trailing Scott and his escapees. Scott had been blocking out the fact that he was killing human beings for the sake of the task at hand, but his stomach was gradually reminding him of the fact.
Perhaps it was fatigue, or perhaps Cairo was regaining its footing, but the crop of guards and operatives that were converging on them were getting decidedly more apt. Skidding around corners and firing behind them over their shoulders, every member of the escape team sans Ju`bajai was firing relentlessly. Not even that was enough to save them all. Another one of the Numbers—Two—had taken a clean shot to the neck from either a sniper or an extremely lucky operative. The slayer was killed instantly, leaving Scott with only One and Four remaining of his backup. Others, while not shot fatally, had taken more than their fair share of close calls, grazes, or non-fatal wounds. Even Scott had been clipped, his armor being pierced several times along his thigh and shoulder. No pain was associated with any of the injuries—adrenaline was in full swing. Auric, One, Four, and Centurion had taken the brunt of the beating, being positioned between the pursuers and the unarmored Esther, Jayden, and Ju`bajai. Bloodied and battered, they still moved.
Then the shot Scott had been dreading took place. He didn’t see where it had come from or who had released it. He only saw Centurion stutter-step awkwardly, a mist of red puffing from the side of the Ceratopian’s neck. In the next second, the colossal alien lost his footing and toppled backward.
Scott slid to a halt. “Cover him! Cover him!” This was the crux of their operation—the whole reason they were there. Attempting to stagger to his feet, the fallen bodyguard was suddenly the focus of all EDEN firepower. “Veck, cover him now!”
Leaping in front of Centurion, Scott raised his assault rifle and opened fire. Auric, One, and Four joined him on the front line while Jayden and Esther fired from behind them. Moments later, Four threw down his assault rifle and pulled out his sidearm. He was out of E-35 ammo. The rest of them weren’t far behind.
Scott’s mind raced. We’re one turn from the elevator. Just one turn! Going to his comm, he queued up Rashid. “We need immediate assistance! The package is down, I repeat, the package is down!”
“On our way!” the fulcrum answered.
A shot struck Esther in the shoulder. The scout cried and fell back. Jayden pulled her behind cover.
This was it. This was their mission. Sparing Centurion a glance, Scott watched as the alien struggled to scramble away. Every motion Centurion made was strained. Scott fired on.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-click-click-click-click-click!
He was out of ammunition. “Sidearm, sidearm!” Jayden tossed Scott Esther’s handgun. Scott snatched it and fired. “Boris, do something. Do anything!”
The technician was frantic. “What can I do?”
“I don’t care what you do, just do it now!” It was a panicked response. There were no blast doors anywhere. Scott knew there was nothing Boris could accomplish to help them. “Faraj, hurry it up!”
“On our way, captain!”
Surging to his feet, Centurion staggered in adrenaline-filled lunges. The discombobulated alien beaded for the corner. Then, in a fall as long and thundering as a toppling oak, the Ceratopian collapsed forward. The ivory floor shook beneath their feet.
Veck! Veck! Veck! Veck! “Pull him to cover!” Scott fired on as One and Four withdrew. Grabbing the massive alien, they strained to pull him to the corner. He barely budged.
A new awareness struck Scott—a connection. It was Ju`bajai. The next statement his mind registered made his face pale.