by S. E. Smith
Taylor glanced over her shoulder in time to see Buzz jerk as another blast hit close. He shot her a frustrated look before turning on his heel and running back to the compound. Taylor didn’t wait any longer.
“Here, let me help,” she said, rushing up to where Karna was struggling.
“Londius?” Karna asked as she turned and looked at Taylor with frightened eyes.
“Buzz has him,” Taylor said, wincing at the sounds of the fighting drawing nearer.
“My skirt is caught,” Karna said, jerking at the back of her skirt.
Taylor grabbed a handful of the material and pulled. The sound of tearing could barely be heard over the shouts of the warriors, the blasts, and the overhead fighter transports attacking the invading forces.
“You’re free! This way,” Taylor said, grabbing Karna’s hand and pulling her forward.
Taylor stopped at the end of the alley and glanced around the corner. She could see a group of Trivator warriors moving down along the sides of the buildings. They were returning fire on the rebels.
Her head jerked up when a fighter moved slowly over the area, striking with a frightening precision into several buildings further down the road. Squeezing Karna’s hand, Taylor drew in a deep breath and took off running. The right side of the gate that led into the compound lay on the ground. The other gate hung crooked, bent from flying debris.
“There’s Buzz; go to him! He knows where Lonnie is,” Taylor called out, turning toward the area where she saw a wounded soldier fall.
Taylor’s heart pounded as she ran to the man. He was holding his side, but she could see blood coming from his leg as well. Falling to her knees, she pulled the scarf holding her hair back from her head and untied it.
“How bad is your side?” she asked breathlessly, tying the scarf around his thigh to stem the blood long enough for her to check his side.
“Run, female!” The warrior growled with a furious look. “You should not be here.”
Taylor sent him a shaky grin. “I don’t think any of us should be here,” she replied, throwing herself over him when a series of rapid fire struck the building to the left of them. “Can you get up?”
“Yes,” the warrior hissed, struggling up with Taylor’s help. “Who are you?”
“Taylor Sampson,” she replied, wrapping her arm around his waist. “Come on.”
The warrior grimly nodded. Taylor saw him turn pale, but he didn’t complain. She could tell he had more wounds than she had seen at first. He had blood coming from his shoulder and a gash along his forehead.
“What’s happening?” Taylor asked as they struggled across the compound, pausing briefly to wait for the gunfire to clear before moving to the next area of cover.
“Talks have broken down,” the man grunted. “The West has declared a separation from the Alliance and has identified the Eastern region as part of their territory. The planet is on the verge of a Civil War. The Eastern side is rebelling. They hope the Alliance will send in troops to support them. The Western council that was working with Razor has been assassinated and a new governing board of extremists has taken over.”
Taylor paled. The little that she knew of the situation, the Western had been on the verge of accepting an agreement. She knew that Razor was there working on the negotiations.
She stumbled when his leg gave out under him. He was losing a lot more blood than she’d realized. Relief washed through her when two of the military medics rushed forward and grabbed him. She stepped back and realized that she was near the tent where she and Buzz had been working.
“Prepare for evacuation one!” One of the medics called out. “We have been told to pull back to the military base.”
Taylor nodded. Her eyes swept over the compound. It was just a temporary medical station, not a military one. She swallowed as she saw more injured soldiers being transported in and additional support coverage converging in the center.
She started forward before she remembered her backpack. Turning, she hurried back to the living quarters. She saw several people running out. Pushing past them, she ran up the stairs. She was almost to the third floor when she heard her name.
“Taylor,” Buzz called out from the second floor landing. “We have been ordered to evacuate.”
Taylor looked down over the railing. “I know. I’m just grabbing my backpack,” she replied.
Buzz nodded. “Hurry. I’ll wait for you,” he said with a worried glance down the stairwell.
Taylor nodded and hurried up the last few steps. Holding onto the wall when the building shook, she jogged down the corridor to her room. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. It didn’t take her long to pack the few things she had brought.
Her eyes froze on the two pictures next to the bed. One was of her, Jesse, Jordan, and their dad. The other was a picture of her and Saber that Jordan had taken a few months ago on her birthday. They had been sitting outside watching Lyon and Leila. She was holding Leila while Lyon was climbing on Saber’s back. She had leaned in to nibble on Lyon’s fingers. Saber had turned his head to watch and she had surprised him with a kiss.
Her fingers trembled as she grabbed the pictures off the side table. Stuffing them in her backpack, she quickly zipped it closed and slid the straps over her shoulders. She had just opened the door when the world around her exploded.
Chapter Twelve
Saber lifted the weights before slowly lowering them back down. He had gone in for a follow up with the healer today. He looked at his right leg and grinned. It would never be perfect, but over the last two months a lot had changed.
He rubbed his leg through the new biotech brace and swallowed. The new medication had worked. The synthetic bone they had implanted in his leg had finally fused with the natural bone. The rejection inhibitors had kept his body from rejecting it. He would need to have regular injections, probably for the rest of his life, but it was a small price to pay. On top of that, he had been given an experimental brace the university was developing.
“Taylor,” Saber whispered, fingering the material.
He closed his eyes as a shaft of pain swept through him. She had been behind it all. She was the reason the Medical Research department had contacted him. Her degree was in Physical Therapy and Developmental Research. She had been working in the Biotech labs researching a new material using the same nanotechnology that had been implanted into Hunter.
Swinging around, he stood up. The nagging pain from the unhealed bone was finally gone. He could still feel the stiffness in his leg, but he was slowly working it out. The damaged nerves were no longer an issue as long as he had the brace on. A monitor detected his movements and sent small electrical impulses into the brace, causing his leg to react in a natural, fluid movement.
Stretching, he bent and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. He frowned when he saw the shadow of a transport fly over the house. He raised his hand to show Hunter that he saw him.
He walked across the nearly completed garden. Taking the steps two at a time, a wave of pleasure swept through him. He would never take the simple movement of walking for granted again.
Opening the door, he waited as Dagger and Hunter both slid out of the transport. His smile faded when he saw the tense look on their faces. It was the same look that they wore before some of their more dangerous missions.
“What happened?” Saber asked, stiffening when he saw the anger burning in Hunter’s eyes.
“Let’s go inside,” Hunter said with a nod.
Saber stood aside as both men entered. He followed them into the living room and turned to face them. He tossed the towel onto the low table and folded his arms across his chest.
“How is your leg?” Hunter asked in a taut voice.
“Good, why?” Saber responded, looking between the two men. Dagger’s eyes narrowed on the brace Saber was wearing. “Prototype. It does something similar to the implant Hunter has.”
“Can you fight?” Dagger asked with an intense star
e.
Saber raised an eyebrow and looked back at Hunter who nodded. His stomach tightened when he saw something savage burning in Hunter’s eyes. It was the same look that he had when Jesse, Jordan, and Taylor had been surrounded by the human males who planned to rape and kill them.
“Is she alive?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes,” Hunter replied in a clipped tone. “What I’m about to tell you has not been authorized by the Lead Council.”
“What we are going to do has not been authorized either… except by Razor,” Dagger added with a savage grin.
“Two days ago, militants killed the ruling Western Council on Dises V. They broke off negotiations and attacked the city of Drues,” Hunter explained.
“Drues,” Saber muttered, raising his hand and running it down over his face. “Isn't that where Taylor’s medical group is stationed?”
“Yes,” Hunter said with a tired sigh. “It was an unexpected move. The city is one of the largest in the Eastern sector, but it is also one of the furthest from the Western border.”
“You said she is alive,” Saber replied, dropping his hand to his side. “Surely, the forces there evacuated the medical staff, especially knowing it was made up of volunteers.”
Hunter nodded. “Yes, they were evacuated, but Taylor didn’t make it. One of the students said he was waiting for her to grab her backpack when the barracks was hit. He was pulled out, but the rescue team didn’t realize that Taylor was still in there.”
Saber swallowed and glanced down at his clenched fists. If he lost her… He looked up at Hunter. There was more. She had to make it. He had said that she wasn’t dead.
“Where is she?” he asked in a harsh voice.
Hunter glanced at Dagger. Dagger walked over to the vidcom and slid a chip into it. Saber stepped closer. He recognized Taylor immediately. She was sitting in a chair. There was dried blood on her face and she looked extremely young and pale. He couldn’t see her eyes because they were covered, but he could see her lips moving.
“This was sent to Razor,” Hunter said in a grim tone. “The militant group that took over the Western government recognized Taylor and is using her to keep Razor from flattening the entire region. They said she will be tried as a traitor and kept at an undisclosed location until her execution.”
Saber stepped closer, watching Taylor’s lips. His hand rose to touch her face. He could see the bruising along her cheek under the cloth wrapped around her eyes. His eyes moved down to her lips again and a fierce wave of fire seared him.
I love you, Saber. I love you, Saber.
He could see what she was saying. She was telling him goodbye in her own way. Turning, he stared at Hunter and Dagger.
“When do we leave?” he asked.
“Tonight,” Hunter said. “Razor will brief us when we get there. No one else but us and two others know about this mission.”
Later that evening, Saber stood on the remote landing field that was used for training. He had packed his gear carefully, going for what he thought would be the most essential in a retrieval mission. Taylor’s bloody and bruised face haunted him as he prepared. Her silent words sent a wave of deadly calm and purpose through him. He would get her back, and he would kill anyone who tried to stop him.
He stood silently on the dark field as an advance attack transport appeared over the treetops. Whoever was handling it knew what they were doing. They were coming in fast and dark. A moment later, the ship landed on the tarmac and the rear platform lowered to reveal a soft, dim red light. Saber watched as three men stepped out onto the platform and waited for them.
“Sword, Thunder, and Trig will be our support team,” Hunter said, nodding to the three men as they strode forward.
“I’m surprised you’re still alive,” Saber said, nodding at Dagger’s older brother, Trig, as he walked by him. “I expected Dagger to kill your ass the next time he saw you.”
Trig glanced at Dagger and grinned. “He still threatens to, but Jordan won’t let him. She likes me,” he boasted before his smile died. “This would tear both Jordan and Hunter’s mates up if they knew what was happening.”
Saber nodded, stepping inside behind Thunder, Sword, Hunter, and Dagger. He watched as Hunter and Dagger secured their weapons under the seat.
“Yes, but knowing those two, they would be going in after Taylor, if they did,” he said, wrapping his hand around the hold bar above the seats as Thunder lifted off the tarmac.
Trig glanced at Saber’s leg. “I heard you were wounded pretty badly,” he said, doubt clouding his expression. “Are you fit for the mission?”
Saber heard the reservation in Trig’s voice. He reacted with a swift, decisive move. His hand released the hold bar and he grabbed Trig’s arm and twisted. Using his bad leg, he kicked Trig’s feet out from under him. Within seconds, he had Trig on his stomach with his arm bent at an awkward angle. He could feel the other men’s eyes on him as he held Trig down on the metal floor of the ship, the knife that he carried pressed to the man’s throat.
Saber could feel the adrenaline rushing through his system. “What do you think?” he asked in a deadly voice.
Trig winced when the knife pierced his skin. “I think you’ve put on some muscle since I last saw you. What the hell have you been doing?” he muttered.
Tense laughter echoed through the ship as Saber stepped back. He reached down and helped Trig back to his feet. Sheathing the knife at his waist, he looked up when Trig touched his neck.
“You know, a simple yes would have worked just as well,” Trig complained, pulling a cloth from his shirt and holding it against his neck.
Saber glanced away and shrugged. “I could have,” he said, looking back at Trig with an intense stare. “But, you would have doubted it. This mission is too important to worry whether one of us on the team is fit for duty.”
Trig grimaced. “True,” he muttered. “I meant it, though. You’ve put on some muscle.”
“That’s what happens when you can’t use your legs,” Saber retorted.
Saber moved to one of the seats and strapped in. Sword and Thunder would be the pilots for the mission. While all of them were experienced, those two wouldn’t send up red flags the way Saber, Hunter, and Dagger would. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and pulled Taylor’s beautiful image into his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Six days later, Saber stood on Dises V. He turned as Razor approached. They had landed in a desolate area north of where the Trivator forces had set up their headquarters. Razor had been keeping them posted on what was happening.
“Razor,” Saber said, nodding to him when he stopped in front of him.
“She and four other Trivator warriors have been tried and found guilty,” Razor replied in response.
Saber hid the fact that he felt like Razor had just punched him. He could feel the nerve in his jaw pulsing. His hand wrapped around the knife at his waist.
“Where is she?” he asked in a deceptively quiet voice.
Saber didn’t miss Razor’s glance at the other men standing around them. Each warrior was poised and ready. The only thing they needed was a location.
“Let’s take this inside,” Razor replied, waving his hand to a temporary structure that had been set up. “A global field disrupter has been set up in orbit, but I don’t want to take a chance.”
Saber nodded and strode toward the large tent. The field disrupter was used to prevent their enemies from using the satellite or drone systems to lock on their location and movements. It was an excellent system, but required constant monitoring so that it wasn’t hacked by their enemies and used against them.
He waited as Razor nodded to the table set up in the center room. Walking over, he sat down and stared at the holographic map of the planet floating in the center of the table. It was a rugged, mountainous planet.
“Earlier today, the Western sector sent a vidcom of a mock trial. They made sure that Taylor and the other four warriors were visib
le,” Razor started to explain, tapping the console in front of him to display the video.
“The ruling sector of Dises V finds each of you guilty of treason,” a voice off-screen said. “Each warrior is sentenced to fight in the death rings.”
Saber’s jaw tightened as the image flashed to each warrior’s face. They all stared back at the front of the room in silence, their heads held high. For a brief moment, the video turned, showing five men standing up at the front of the room. Every man wore a cover over their face so that only their eyes showed. What they didn’t know was that the eyes were the key to a man’s soul. He would take the time later to study each one carefully.
He sat forward when the image turned to where Taylor was sitting off to the side. She was wearing a white shirt and a pair of dark tan pants. Her long hair was braided and the bruises on her face were healed. She looked incredibly young and fragile.
His gut twisted at the sight of her. He knew the men holding her were using her delicate appearance as a way to push their buttons. They wanted Razor to see that they could ruthlessly crush her if they wanted. She was a symbol of the Eastern sector… and the Trivators, powerless to stop their cruelty.
“State your name, traitor,” the man demanded, stepping down from where he had been standing behind the table.
Taylor raised a delicate eyebrow and stared back at the man in defiance. A tug of amusement pulled at the corner of Saber’s lips even as he wanted to strangle Taylor for being so stubborn. She might look delicate and fragile, but he knew she had the heart of a warrior.
“My name is not traitor, jackass. It is Taylor Sampson,” she stated calmly, looking at the man. “You know only cowards feel a need to hide their faces, don’t you?”
“You will only answer the questions,” the man said in a harsh voice, taking a step closer to where she was sitting. “You are under the protection of the Trivator known as Hunter, the brother of the one called Razor who has attacked our planet, are you not?”
