Houston didn’t pause long enough for Detroit to respond. Resuming his stride, he curled his hands into white-knuckled fists. “There’s no nice way to put it. You include the Floaters in this, and they’ll get themselves killed.”
Detroit squeezed her eyes shut and dragged her fingers through her hair. “I convinced one person not to do something stupid tonight. I don’t think I have the energy to do it again.”
“Your meeting with Tatum?” Houston pressed. Noticing Leif stirring, he dropped his voice and inched closer to his teammates.
Her back pressed to the wall, Detroit sank to the floor. “These people know how to survive, not fight. I can’t sound the trumpets of war with them beside us.”
With an exasperated groan, Auggie shoved himself back into the conversation. “So, we’re taking the noble route then? Fantastic. What’s the plan?”
“Tatum was worried about her brother, that horrible Nicoli guy, making a scene if she publicly announced the call of support for our cause. There is a whole lot of family drama there that blew this little orphan’s minds. Regardless, it worked in our favor. I suggested she spread the word quietly, in a more one-on-one, grapevine approach. It will take her until morning to reach all of her people that way. That buys us much needed time.” Locking stares with Houston, Detroit caught a glimpse of absolute understanding in his mahogany smolder that made the breath catch in her throat. “When the majority of the ship is asleep, we move with our previous mission. Two boats, paddling downstream.”
The winds of outrage stolen from his sails, Houston deflated. “So, we’re facing this fight alone?”
Elbows on her knees, Detroit’s hands hung limply between them. “Just as it was always intended.”
As the paddles sliced through the water with gentle laps, moonlight glittered off its rolling surface. In one boat sat the new family, Reno, and a still groggy Juneau. In the other, Houston, Detroit, and Auggie took their places at the oars.
Only when the colossal ships shrank in the distance, did Detroit break the mandatory silence with her desperate plea. “Auggie, if you have a flask hidden anywhere—and I mean anywhere on your person—you will become my favorite person in the universe if you let me have a drink. I need something to warm me up.”
“Would if I could, mon capitaine.” Auggie cringed, plunging his paddle in for another stroke. “Believe me when I say I’m regretting my cold turkey method as much as you.”
Hugging her arms over her chest, Detroit rubbed her frozen hands up and down her arms in a desperate search for warmth. She tipped her chin over her shoulder, peering back at Auggie from her seat at the front of the rowboat. “If I haven’t said it before, I’m proud of you for making this change.”
“I guess I’m finally figuring out who I am.” Auggie grinned, in tribute to the conversation they had aboard the AT-1-NS. “A young black man, lost at sea, questioning his choice in friends.”
“We all are,” Houston muttered. His stare on swivel, he searched the shoreline for possible threats.
“Where is my head!” Remi chirped. Swiveling in her seat, she dug behind her at the floorboards of the boat. “I grabbed tons of extra blankets for Adalyn. You’re all welcome to them!”
Remi caught a threadbare navy blanket with tiny yellow flowers and passed it to Leif as she went in search of more with her baby-free hand.
Shaking her head to deny Leif’s offering, Detroit didn’t budge from her seat. Partially because she feared she was frozen there. “We can’t take blankets from the baby. She needs them more than we do.”
“Nonsense!” Remi came up with a patchwork quilt riddled with holes. Despite its flaws, its fabric was still thick and heavy. “For all you’ve done for us, it’s the least we can do in return. Plus, she has more than enough. I went a little overboard grabbing them. These are just lining the bottom of the boat.”
She shoved the quilt in Leif’s direction, then went in search of another.
“There’s no point in arguing with her,” Leif muttered in a stage whisper. “She’s stubborn as a mule and always wins.”
“Can’t argue with the truth.” Remi’s head popped back up, this time toting a denim blanket backed with fleece. “This is a good one. Nice and warm.”
Head tilted to the side, Leif’s sun-bleached eyebrows raised at the point made for him. “See?”
Relenting, Detroit slid to the edge of the boat, giving Houston and Auggie time to adjust to her shifted position before she reached for the blankets. “Thank you.”
With Adalyn nestled in her lap, Remi traced the side of her index finger over the baby’s cheek. “It’s our absolute pleasure.”
Reno took advantage of their break by setting his oars aside and checking Juneau’s wounds. Resting on a bed of blankets, her pulse and breathing were steady. Yet the longer she remained unconscious, the more his trepidation grew. Health and wellness being his specialized studies, he knew all too well the hazards of infection. Not to mention the possible side effects of the foreign device embedded into her spinal cord. Brain function could be severed, or there could be evidence of paralysis. Even without the benefit of antibiotics, Reno could find plants and herbs on land that could combat most everything. At sea, his skills were useless. Until they went ashore, all he could do was worry and wonder.
Wading through the myriad of questions that flooded his mind, Reno ventured only one. “How far are we going?”
Teeth chattering, Detroit flung the denim and fleece quilt around her shoulders. “Our best guess is that Adalyn is around forty hours old. She’s closing in on that magic number. I say at the first signs of day-break we go ashore. I want to watch the skyline back toward the Floaters’ camp and make sure they’re okay.”
Reno cast his gaze to the horizon, where the cloak of night had already lightened to a delicate amethyst, and pressed his lips into a thin line. Whatever was going to happen, it wouldn’t be long now.
Wearing their blankets as cloaks, the team paddled on.
Chapter Nineteen
The sun crested over the horizon, its glow transforming the water to molten gold that dripped from the oars and shimmered with every stroke. In her search of the shoreline for a safe place to go ashore, Detroit thought she saw movement a moment ago. This time, she was certain she did. The leaves of a low-hanging branch rustled, the silver gleam of metal sliding out from between the foliage. Kicking the side of Auggie’s foot, Dee drew his attention to the matter with a subtle jerk of her chin. With a nod of understanding, he eased his paddle down beside him and signaled an alert to Reno with practiced hand gestures.
Inching her way to the back of the rowboat, slow and careful not to tip them, Detroit took the seat beside Houston. A finger to her lips hushed him.
Brow furrowed, he put up little resistance as she hooked her hand over his forearm and guided him back. Wriggling into position, the two laid flat over two seats.
With Detroit’s curves brushing against him, Houston couldn’t stifle a mischievous grin. “I should probably question your motives, but I’m finding myself more inclined to enjoy the moment.”
Auggie flopped down on the other side of him, adding himself to the mix by shimmying in close.
“Well, now it’s just weird.” Houston’s nose crinkled into a grimace. “What are we doing, gang?”
The ping of a bullet colliding with the water covered them with the prickling mist of its spray.
“Ah, they’re shooting at us,” Houston answered for them, staring up at the gray clouds rolling overhead.
Rolling on to his stomach, Auggie peered over the edge of the dinghy. One twisted lock of hair bobbed against his forehead as he moved. “This is the part where we have to be all self-sacrificing to save the baby, isn’t it?”
“’Fraid so.” Detroit twisted from one side to the other, as she patted herself down to make sure all of her weapons were tucked in and secure. “Anyone have any ideas on how to do that without throwing ourselves in the freezing cold water?”
&
nbsp; Checking the ammo on his pulse rifle, Auggie locked the chamber back into place. “I, for one, was hoping you would come up with something brilliant, O Captain, My Captain.”
“Stop calling me that,” Detroit grumbled, shooting him a sideways glare. “On the count of roll … roll!”
In unison, the trio threw their weight to the right. The boat tipped at a sharp pitch, dumping them into the icy water. While the neoprene layer of insulation in their flight suits helped battle the cold, its unforgiving bite still tore through their extremities. The moment they surfaced, shivering and sputtering, they latched on to the overturned dinghy and glided it in front of the other. With the barrel of his auto rifle trained on the shoreline, and the other passengers on his boat hunkered down, Reno provided cover for them all.
The waterlogged team members treaded water, moving their overturned vessel into place. Leaning their weight on one side, they raised the port side in the air to form a blockade.
At the sight of the defensive move, those hidden in the tree line opened fire. Shots rained in from all sides, tearing holes through their makeshift shield.
“We have to keep the two boats together!” Detroit shouted over the barrage of flying bullets. Pulling the scout rifle at her hip, she balanced her weight on the submerged starboard side, and positioned herself to fire off a round the first chance she got.
“Then it’s a good thing I took a vow of gun celibacy.” With a potent one-armed backstroke, Houston heaved their vessel closer to the other. Clamping one hand on the edge of Reno’s boat, the other gripped the wooden bench in the center of theirs.
Auggie craned around the nose of the ship, and volleyed back gunfire. “Meaning you aren’t having sex with guns anymore? Damn, man, is that something you were actually doing? Seems like a monumentally bad idea.”
Fighting against the weight pulling at him from either side, Houston forced the words through clenched teeth. “No … you moron … I’m not shooting guns.”
Ducking back in as shots pelted the water beside him, Auggie leaned into the boat and kicked them toward shallower water. “We’re on a planet we are unfamiliar with, where countless people are trying to kill us, and you pick now to become a gun monk? Yeah, I’m the moron here.”
One cartridge emptied, Detroit tread water with her arms over her head to change it out. “We are being supportive of his decision! Can we focus now, please? The second our feet can touch the bottom, we double fist our weapons and charge the beach. How far out are we?”
Sucking in a lungful of air, Auggie went underwater for a beat. He popped back up, shaking the frigid water from his hair. “I’m just saying he’s a sharpshooter. This is one of those moments where that would be a pretty sweet advantage!”
“Auggie!” Detroit and Houston barked in chorus.
“Fine! We’re about ten feet from where it starts to get shallow. Lean in and kick!” Auggie lead by example, throwing his weight forward.
The trio pushed forward, while Reno maintained cover. With a weapon cradled in each hand and red hair exploding off his head like living flame, he pulled himself up onto his knees and fired on anything that moved.
Houston found the sand beneath his feet before his shorter teammates. “I’ve got land! We need to find a safe way to get the baby ashore.”
“These boats aren’t heavy.” Detroit broke into a determined stride the second she could touch bottom. “We can use the other as a shield if we need to.”
While they had gained physical footing, the water still caused tactical mobility to elude them. Continuous blasts from the shoreline shredded their dinghy, cutting holes in how long it would be able to shield them.
“This keeps up and we won’t make it out of the water!” Augusta screamed. Grabbing the power fusion rifle strapped to his back, he took the two-hand approach in the next round of his assault.
“This is when Juneau usually charges in and blows something up,” Houston grunted, face reddening with the strain of maintaining the position of both boats. “Any chance she’s coming to?”
Responding with only a curt shake of his head, Reno loaded another magazine and resumed fire.
Jaw locked tight, Detroit sprayed the shore with bullets, then spun back under the limited cover of their deteriorating blockade. “Is it just me, or did the number of marks on that beach triple?”
Auggie swiveled to the side, narrowly missing taking a stray bullet to the shoulder. “I was thinking the same thing. For every shooter we take out, it’s like two more take their place!”
As if cued by this discovery, a fresh rash of pops rang out from farther inland. Yet, none were directed at the A-5. Bodies slumped across the beach, seemingly taken out by friendly fire.
Bending his arm, Auggie rested his rifle against his shoulder. “Did we switch teams? What the hell happened?”
“Can’t really see, guys.” Houston, who had inched into shallower water, had no choice but to physically carry their shield while lugging the other boat onward. “What’s going on?”
Detroit holstered her weapons, spun on her heel, and helped him pull Reno’s boat in. “For whatever reason, they momentarily forgot about us. Instead of questioning it, I say we run.”
Dropping what was left of the dinghy with a relieved grunt, Houston shook out his cramping arm. “The baby needs to be protected at all costs.” The deep scowl cut into his features contradicted what would have been a tender sentiment. “I don’t care if it’s me, or an overturned boat, something is always in front her.”
“Really?” Detroit frowned, pausing to reload. “You went with using your own body for cover over the metal structure? This is why A-5 teams have a short lifespan.”
Soaked strands of blond hair clinging to his forehead, Leif’s bright blue eyes popped into view. “What’s happening?”
“Far as we can tell?” Auggie didn’t bother to glance up from his task of recalibrating his automated weapon so it could eject the influx of water. “There are people trying to kill the people who were trying to kill us.”
The sounds of gunfire moving farther inland allowed them to hear Adalyn fussing in the belly of their boat. Cradling the baby tight to her chest, Remi risked a glance up. She shook with terror, her head jerking in one direction then the other on alert for further danger. “D-does that m-mean we’re safe?” she stammered, lips blue from cold and fear.
“It means we have an opportunity, and we aren’t going to waste it.” Grabbing the nose of their boat, Detroit helped Houston drag it to where the water was little more than knee deep. “Let’s get them out of here and head south on foot.”
Raising one hand to quiet them all, Houston listened to the fading soundtrack of war. “They’ve moved away from the beach. We’re safe to move.”
Detroit and Auggie held the boat steady while Reno grabbed the edge and propelled himself over the side. Turning back, he gathered Juneau’s slack frame in his arms. After a quick toss of her weight to adjust his grip, he started for shore.
Leif’s leap from the boat was punctuated by instantly chattering teeth and a shouted expletive. “Orion’s Belt! This is fr-freezing!”
“Oh, is it cold?” Auggie asked in mock confusion. “I couldn’t tell, because all of my boy parts have become girl parts.”
Oblivious to their banter, Remi chewed on her lower lip as her stare searched the blood-soaked sand. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“For the moment. Let’s not waste it.” Offering the frightened mother her hand, Detroit grabbed her elbow to help guide her out.
Branches snapped behind them. One lone Fortress soldier darted from the brush and opened fire. A bullet struck the edge of the rowboat, tossing it back. Losing her footing, Remi fell into the water with Adalyn in her arms.
Arms pumping, Reno dashed after the soldier and chased him into the trees.
Resurfacing, an anguished wail tore from Remi, “I lost her! I lost hold of the baby!”
Detroit filled her lungs and dove under. Swimming around legs,
and through the cloud of kicked up sand, she found sweet Adalyn sinking deeper into the murky water. As soon as she caught her under her arms, she bolted topside.
“I’ve got her! Go!” Detroit exploded to the surface.
“She isn’t crying! Why isn’t she crying?” Remi tried to grab for her child, only to have Detroit elbow her away.
“She will!” the team leader promised, sprinting for the shore. Skidding into the sand on her knees, Detroit eased the baby to the ground. “Reno! She went under and she’s blue!”
“I’ll get him!” Kicking up a spray of sand, Auggie raced off after Reno.
While Detroit ticked through first aid basics, she pressed her palm to Adalyn’s chest and turned the infant over. “We need to clear her airway if she swallowed any water.”
“Come on, baby. You need to cry.” Eyes swimming with tears, Remi folded her hands in prayer and pressed them to her lips.
A never-ending minute later, Reno jogged back down the beach.
Taking the baby, he shoved his team leader aside. “How long was she under?” he asked, in a stern tone well beyond his years. After pulling the wet blankets away from Adalyn’s shivering skin, Reno tossed them aside.
“Seemed like an eternity,” Remi whimpered, chewing her nails to nubs.
Leif hovered behind her, anxiously rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms.
“It wasn’t long.” Sinking back on her heels, Detroit fought to steady her own breathing. “Two minutes tops.”
As Adalyn began to cough, Reno positioned her tiny body over his knee and patted her back with a gentle force. “I wasn’t in the water long. How cold was it? Do you have any signs of hyperthermia? Blue fingers of lips? Any deteriorating tissue?”
“I’m guessing I’m blue from head to foot.” Tremors shuddering through her, Detroit glanced down at her flight suit. “Because I can’t feel my fingers or toes. Hence some of those wayward shots I fired off at the end.”
“Oh, sure. Blame the cold for your lousy aim.” Houston’s attempt at a joke couldn’t hide the fear snaking through his tone.
Apocalypse Five: Archive of the Fives Book One Page 14