She leapt around the corner. The man’s eyes bugged in surprise, and his mouth became an ‘O’ as she shot him between the eyes. Breathing heavily, Selene watched his body thud to the floor before turning back to the others, who were just catching up.
“That’ll silence him,” Ivy said, raising her eyebrows at the dead body.
“Yep,” Selene said. “But I’m worried it’s too late.”
“Keep moving.” Rikkard adjusted his rifle at his shoulder.
This time Rikkard led the way, probably to keep her from rushing ahead again. Selene hoped he remembered the schematics as well as she.
They made it to the stairwell where Selene flashed the keycard bracelet back over the door’s panel. It flashed green, and she ushered everyone inside.
Once everyone was inside but her, Ivy and Rikkard, she took Ivy’s forearm. “Lead the way. All the way to the top.”
Ivy nodded brusquely before pushing her way through the others to lead the charge up the stairs.
Rikkard ushered Selene inside the door first before stepping through. Side by side they climbed the steps. The Icarus were slow on the stairs, but she couldn’t fault them. They had to be exhausted after all they’d been through.
They stopped on the top floor, crowding on the landing outside the door.
“It’s not far now,” Selene assured them before calling up to Ivy. “The stairs to the roof are straight through the door, then a left, a right, and half way down the hall there will be a door with an emergency exit sign.”
“Right!” Ivy called back before leading them out.
Selene’s heart pounded in her ears as they piled into the white corridor. Red lights flashed overhead and an alarm blared, ringing in her ears. She covered one of her ears with her free hand. There was nothing she could do about the other. She had to be ready with her weapon in case they encountered more security.
The group shuffled cautiously down the hall. She understood why Ivy took things slow—she knew better than most what the Dominion was capable of.
A pop sound echoed behind them, barely audible over the alarm. Selene’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember why that was so familiar. As she looked over her shoulder to see what it was, a black gatling turret descended from the ceiling.
Her heart skipped, and everything turned into slow motion as a red light slowly blinked on above the barrels.
Rikkard grabbed her arm, his fingers digging painfully into her bicep.
“Run!” she screamed.
The Icarus took off without prodding, and Selene was quick on their heels. The high-pitched whine of the turret rang in her ears before heat warmed her backside and linoleum exploded inches away from her.
Screams of terror filled her ears as the Icarus struggled to get away. Rikkard yanked her along faster, slipping them further into the group.
A cry of pain made her twist to look back.
A woman, maybe twenty years old, slipped and fell. Her wide eyes looked up and met Selene’s as laser fire peppered her spine, tearing her entire body to shreds.
Selene gasped, and bile rose into her throat. She forced herself to look away as nausea soured her stomach.
Rikkard’s grip on her tightened. “Faster!” he commanded, and the single word seemed to spur them.
The group rounded a corner, and Selene and Rikkard skidded to a stop as the others froze.
“What the fuck?” Rikkard snapped. He pushed through the others, pulling her with him to the head of the pack.
Selene’s eyes widened as she stared at a maze of red lasers crisscrossing the hall—an intricate wall of death with spaces that might be just wide enough for them to leap through.
“What the hell is this?” Ivy hissed. Her eyes narrowed at the beams of light.
“Fuck,” Selene cursed. Her heart pounded loudly, nearly drowning out the sound of the alarm.
The screech of the turret reaching the hall overpowered even Selene’s own terror as it stopped, then slowly began turning ninety degrees.
Selene looked back at the turret, and then at Rikkard. Tears burned her eyes. Was this it? Was this the end? She didn’t even know if the others had made it out, but she couldn’t imagine how they’d gotten past this.
She parted her lips to speak, but Rikkard shook his head, his eyes burning with anger. “Don’t you dare,” he said, his voice hushed. It made his fury all too real. “We’re going to fucking make it.” His fingers tightened on her arm, and he propelled them forward.
“Rik…” she whispered, glancing between him and the red wall of lasers. She was good, but not that good. How was she supposed to get through that? How was he? Not to mention the rest of them. Some of the Icarus could barely walk.
Rikkard growled as his eyes swept the wall. She covered his hand with her own. Pain swelled in her chest. She couldn’t believe they were going down like this. It was just like her to lead them to their deaths.
Rikkard stiffened, and his eyes widened slightly before he raised his rifle to his shoulder. A blue laser flared from the tip of his gun. It slammed into part of the ceiling where a steady laser beam came from.
The light of the beam he’d hit flickered and died.
Her heart squeezed and her pulse skipped. This brilliant fucker is going to save us all.
“Go!” Rikkard shouted.
Selene nodded. She had to be the first crazy one through. There’s no way any sane person would try this.
Another blue laser fired, and a beam died. There were hundreds of lasers, and no way they’d ever be able to take them all out, but Selene already saw Rikkard forging a path. One big enough for her to leap straight through.
A grin spread across her face, and she jumped arms first, forcing her body to sail as straight as possible until she passed the first beam, then ducked into a roll. Heat passed overhead, but she sailed right under the second.
Another blue laser shot through the hall, and Selene jumped for the path Rikkard was forging.
Her heart beat faster than she’d ever thought possible. She couldn’t think, only react as beam after beam died, creating a twisting path through the wall of laser beams to the empty hall beyond.
Someone’s heavy breath echoed behind her, and she risked a glance back as she rolled up into a crouch between two beams.
Ivy followed, a determined look on her face. So did the rest of the Icarus. Each of them followed, Rikkard close behind Ivy, crouching low like her, his cold gaze suddenly burning with certainty. Certainty that they’d get out alive.
A wicked grin spread on her lips as she caught his eyes. He shot out another beam for her, and nodded for her to continue.
Selene turned back toward the last few feet of laser beams, just as a loud click broke through her excitement. She’d barely sailed clear through the end when she turned back to see the turret facing the hall, red light flashing, and barrels revving to spin.
“Shit,” Selene said.
Her eyes widened as the linoleum was torn from the floor, flying in every direction.
Rikkard paused more than half way through to look over his shoulder.
“Move!” Selene screamed.
He heeded her words, and continued with renewed energy, following close behind Ivy as debris ticked against the walls before burning in the laser beams. A foul stench clouded the air, but Selene barely registered it as her mind raced.
A scream tore through the air as a beam burned an Icarus. He doubled over, at the back of the pack. He didn’t get the chance to look up before the gatling fire tore his body to shreds.
“Come on!” Selene’s breathing quickened as Ivy dove through the last few beams, and rolled to her feet. Rikkard joined them next, grunting as he slipped across the floor, having hardly enough room to make it under the two feet of remaining space. Once he army-crawled through, he leapt to his feet and turned to watch the others.
Another Icarus went down, her scream silenced by the turret. Just as three Icarus got through, two were shredded; a man and the woman he’d been ca
rrying.
Her heart seized.
“We’ve got to get moving,” Ivy said. Her voice sounded pained.
“The others,” Selene whispered. But she knew it was too late. A fifth Icarus was shot down as another escaped.
“Move!” Rikkard spun her toward the exit. At the end of the hall, a glowing red sign told her they were nearly there.
Selene took a deep breath, shoving down all of her feelings about leaving others behind. She followed Rikkard and Ivy, racing with what little adrenaline she had left to the far end of the hallway.
She flashed the keycard bracelet over the door, and they barrelled through and up a flight of stairs. The whir of the turret faded behind them as they burst onto the roof.
Cold night air took her hair, whipping it against her face. Selene pushed it away to see their cruiser safely landed on the roof, Icarus piling into the back, Sav and Flik ushering them in. From the looks of it, they hadn’t lost anyone.
Relief made her shoulders sag. Her entire body ached for rest, but she pushed on, following the others across the sand brushed cement to the lowered cargo door.
“You made it!” Flik called over the whir of the cruiser’s propellers.
“Barely,” Rikkard grunted as they slowed to greet the others.
Flik’s face fell as Selene watched him count the Icarus they had left. Only five of them had made it out, not counting her, Rikkard, and Ivy.
“Shit,” Flik said.
Selene nodded glumly and ushered the rest of them on. “Let’s get out of here.”
“You got it.” Flik disappeared inside alongside Sav.
Ivy was quick to follow, herding the remaining Icarus into the back of the cargo bay. She flitted around to each of them, inspecting for injury.
Selene walked up the cargo bay doors, but Rikkard stopped her.
“Hey,” he said.
Selene could barely hear him over the wind buffeting her ears.
“You did good,” he said.
She bit back a sigh. “Not good enough.”
Rikkard opened his mouth to speak when something behind her caught his eye. His eyes widened and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, quickly ushering her inside as he held a finger to his ear.
“Rem! Go now!” he yelled into his comset.
“OW! Damn! Okay!” Rem snapped back.
Selene turned as they reached the top of the cargo bay door; just in time to see the cement of the roof part and the black steel of another security turret slowly rise.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Selene stepped away from the edge of the door, and Rikkard raced over to the wall of the hold to slam his palm against the large red close button.
The propellers outside revved harder, kicking up sand. They were just lifting away from the building as the turret locked into place and begun slowly turning to face its enemy.
“Rem!” she snapped into her comset. “Get us the fuck out of here!”
“I’m working on it!” came his reply.
The cargo hold door creaked closed as red swelled in the large two barrels of the turret’s guns.
“Now!” she screamed.
The cruiser pushed away from the roof and rose high in the sky, heading south towards New Manhattan. But it was too late. The turret had them in its sights, and it was ready to fire.
The cargo door clanged shut just as the laser fired, red streaking across the night.
“Hold onto something!” Rikkard shouted.
Selene dove to the edge of the hold, wrapping her fingers around the netting as the hull of the cruiser shook violently.
Pressing her fingers to her ear, Selene ordered, “Activate shields, now!”
“Yes ma’am!” Rem said.
“We need to get to the cockpit,” Selene said to Rikkard through gritted teeth.
He nodded, and helped her out of the tangle of netting she’d gotten herself into before they took off through the cargo hold and up the short hall to the cockpit.
“Move!” Rikkard snapped.
Rem barely turned before Rikkard yanked him out of the pilot’s seat and took it himself. Selene didn’t need to ask Darius to step aside, he’d already flown from the co-pilot’s chair the second she entered.
She took her seat, flashing Darius a knowing smile, which he grinned at. Strapping herself in tight, Selene brought up three monitors; guns, an aerial view of their location, and the camera attached to the turret on the bottom of the ship. The hull shook as the turret clicked into place, and she spun it to face the way they’d come.
Red glowed inside the turrets barrels. Her heart skipped as she grabbed the handles for turret control. “Evasive maneuvers!”
Rikkard didn’t ask, only jammed the controls forward, throwing them from the sky toward the earth.
Selene held on tight as Darius was thrown against the back wall. “Activate artificial gravity!” she reminded Rikkard.
He grunted in response and flicked a switch. Her shoulders felt immediately lighter with no gravity pressing against the straps over her chest.
Red lasers passed overhead, brightening the sky before disappearing into the clouds. Rikkard yanked the controls up, and the cruiser skimmed the surface of a high sand dune before he sent them higher into the sky, increasing speed until they couldn’t possibly move faster.
“We’re almost clear!” Selene sighed with relief.
Rikkard gave the briefest of nods. He turned the ship left and right as lasers passed by the ship, but now they were far out of reach. No turret would get them so far away.
Selene leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she tilted her head toward the ceiling. Since she couldn’t thank Aldar anymore, she silently thanked whatever magical being out there that they’d made it out alive.
“Nice work!” Darius slapped Selene and Rikkard on the shoulder, squeezing them before he stepped back, rubbing his head.
Selene flashed a grin. “Thanks.”
Her elation faded when Ivy appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows tightly knit and her lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you have a med kit?” she asked.
Selene nodded, and flicked off the belts securing her torso. “Take over,” she told Rem, who readily took her co-pilot’s chair. “Yeah, we do. It should have plenty of nano-spray.”
Ivy nodded solemnly as she followed Selene back into the kitchen, where Selene pulled a med kit out from below the sink. Together they headed back to the cargo hold where the Icarus sat on crates or the floor, most looking winded but relieved.
“We’ve made it out of range of the turrets,” Selene told them. A few looked up with sparkling eyes and relaxed smiles, while the rest gave barely any sign they’d heard her.
Selene handed Ivy the med kit, and Ivy thanked her as she took it to a handsome man with thick dark hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. He smiled at her, though the look was a bit dazed. Blood trickled down his forehead. Selene imagined he must have hit his head in their escape, before Rikkard managed to turn on the artificial gravity.
She approached slowly as Ivy greeted the man, a warm smile lighting up her features. Selene raised an eyebrow, assessing Ivy’s gentle hand on his arm, and the way he took her fingers and squeezed it. Selene didn’t know why she was surprised. Ivy was a gorgeous woman, even if she was young. Still, it was strange to see Ivy being gentle after all the times they’d fought. She couldn’t get Ivy’s blood-lusting face out of her head. She’d never have believed this was possible if she weren’t seeing it for herself.
“Is this Selene?” the man asked Ivy, breaking Selene from her thoughts.
Selene joined them, smiling as Ivy turned and nodded.
“Yes,” Ivy said. “I told you she’d come.” Her tone turned teasing.
The man chuckled. “You did.” He looked between Ivy and Selene before trying to sit up.
Ivy frowned, and slammed her hand against his chest, forcing him to lie back on the two crates beneath him. His head rested on a folded sweater that looked suspi
ciously like one of Rem’s. Someone had already started rifling through the ship apparently. “Stay,” Ivy insisted.
Selene laughed and took the man’s outstretched hand, shaking it before letting him go and crossing her arms. “Nice to meet you…” she trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.
“Steven,” he said. “Nice to finally meet the woman brave enough to infiltrate that damned place.”
Selene shrugged. “Ivy would have done it if she wasn’t already inside.”
Ivy grimaced.
“I don’t doubt that,” Steven said, smiling up at Ivy.
Ivy turned to rifle through the med kit bag. She found the nano-spray and let some go into his hair before inspecting him for other injuries.
“I’m fine, Ivy.” He took her hand, and squeezed.
Ivy blushed.
Selene raised her eyebrows, suddenly feeling like a third wheel. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She silently stepped away, checking on the other Icarus, who seemed to be doing well treating their own. She returned to the cockpit, shaking her head, still unable to believe Ivy was really that different when she wasn’t under the Dominion’s thumb.
“How is everyone?” Sav asked upon her entrance.
“Good,” she said. “A couple bumped heads from someone’s crazy flying.” She gave Rikkard’s back a pointed look. His shoulders stiffened as if he sensed her glare. “But otherwise, they seem fine.”
Sav sighed in relief. She had a feeling he cared a lot more about this mission than he’d let on. “That’s good to hear.”
“How long until we get back to the pirate ship?” Selene asked, unable to stop herself from grimacing over the term. It felt hokey to call them pirates.
“A few hours,” Rem said, turning from the console.
Selene nodded and leaned back against the wall. Her muscles ached, and her head swam with exhaustion, but she didn’t want to leave the crew just yet. “Thank you guys… for coming.” She felt guilty having brought them into this, but she knew she couldn’t have done it without them.
Darius laughed, rocking his head back. “You don’t need to thank us, Selene.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but Rem slid her a look. “You really don’t,” he said.
The Darri Commission: A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure (Dominion Rising Book 3) Page 7