“Maybe Osgood saw it as more of a military endeavor,” Aerie said. “That would explain why it was on the Boötes system?”
“Probably,” St. Cloud said. “But only the plans were on it, last I checked. There wasn’t any budget and there weren’t any allocations for the project.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time a politician engaged in fraud or corruption,” Exton pointed out.
“True.” St. Cloud nodded up ahead. “Either way, we need to target it.”
“If we can get back to my shuttle, I’ll be able to contact the Perdition,” Exton said. “I left my comm behind when Brock and I were allowed to land. Even if they’ve stripped the ship, I’ll be able to call them from the shuttle.”
“We don’t need your ship,” St. Cloud said. “Aerie’s with us. All the comms here are the same as the NETech and the systems we use in Comms Sec. She’ll be able to contact your friends if we can get to a comm terminal.”
Exton felt Aerie’s surprise at hearing the General say her name. From the look on her face, he had a feeling she was grateful for the compliment. He rolled his eyes. It looked like Aerie was warming up to her father once more. Exton knew he would have to be extra vigilant if he was going to make sure she didn’t get hurt by him again.
They hurried to the hangar, only to find it full of activity. Outside the hangar doors, Exton could see the outline of a few MENACE fighters and a couple of other fighter jets as they fought off the URS forces.
Miles away, Exton watched as another missile launched, its piercing shriek wailing as it shot up into the air.
He frowned. Why were they using larger missiles? The fighters were smaller, and they wouldn’t need a lot of ammunition to take down.
Before he could ask St. Cloud about it, the General interrupted him.
“There,” St. Cloud called out. “There’s the lieutenant’s shuttle. Spilt up and get onboard.”
“Why?” Aerie asked.
“This is not the time to question orders, Aerie,” St. Cloud reminded.
“I’m just curious.”
“Come on, Aerie,” Exton said, grabbing her arm. “Let’s just go.”
“Gerard is here,” St. Cloud said. “He’s likely keeping watch over Merra, since he wasn’t there to greet Brock when he came in with Exton. If they are launching the GPI, they’ll need a shuttle to get the launch site. That means we stay close to his ship.”
“Oh.” Aerie nodded and then hurried after Exton.
“Did you really have to know that to follow orders?” Exton asked. “We’re already suspicious enough, considering I’m supposed to be in a cell.”
“I happen to like knowing why,” Aerie insisted. “After everything my father’s done, for good or for bad, I’m not just letting him call the shots.”
“I guess I can see your point. As antithetical as it is to military protocol.”
A shot rang out beside them, and Exton pushed Aerie behind a loading station. “Watch out,” he said. “I think we’ve been found out.”
“Ouch,” Aerie murmured, as she pulled herself up onto her knees. “Oh well, better than shot, I suppose.” She pulled out the gun tucked into the folds of her uniform. “I only have one,” she said.
“I’ll watch your back,” Exton told her.
He wondered if she was nervous. She peeked up over the small ledge the loading station lent them with some reserve. But a moment later, she took aim and began to fight back. He grinned as he turned to watch out for other possible ambushes.
They were in a battle for their lives and the lives of others. Behind him, Aerie continued to fire, never stopping to do more than aim. He saw a number of guards downed.
“Aerie,” Exton called over his shoulder. “You’re doing well, keep going.”
“I’m almost out of rounds,” she yelled back. She ducked down again.
“We might be able to grab some of the guard’s weapons,” he said. “We’ll need a distraction.”
Where is St. Cloud with all of this? Exton wondered. It would be the perfect distraction, to have two battlefronts.
More shots followed, before a sudden stop. Aerie was just loading her last round when a guard called out, “Come out with your hands up. You’re surrounded.”
“What do we do?” Aerie whispered.
Before Exton could say anything, a scream cried out through the hangar, effectively interrupting their resistance.
“Victor!”
Aerie nearly bounced up, but he grabbed her and kept her down. “Mom!” she cried. She recovered her balance and looked over toward Gerard’s shuttle.
Exton followed her gaze. He saw Gerard and another woman as they were leading Merra toward the shuttle. St. Cloud had stepped in their path, his weapon raised.
“I’m here for my wife,” he said. Even several meters away, Exton could hear the undertone of cold rage.
“Which one?” the woman beside Gerard asked.
“You know which one, Phoebe.” His gaze flickered to her, dismissive and unimpressed. “I never considered you my wife. You were just a unit director.”
Phoebe held her gun to Merra’s face. “We were still married according to the URS laws. Say anything else, and I’ll make sure this one is properly dead this time.”
St. Cloud hesitated.
Before anyone could do anything else, Gerard yawned, blatantly bored. “This is stupid,” he said. “You can’t win, St. Cloud. You’re outnumbered.”
The other guards, as if broken from a spell, suddenly left Aerie and Exton behind and hurried over.
“I might be outnumbered,” St. Cloud said, “but I’ve never been outmatched when it came to you, Gerard. I know your training and everything you could ever hope to think of. I’ll be the winner in this battle. Besides, you’re forgetting something.”
“Oh, really?” Gerard laughed. “What’s that? Your daughter?” He turned and caught Aerie’s eyes. “I’ve already had the pleasure. And Exton’s, too.”
“You’re forgetting the rest of my family,” St. Cloud told him easily. He held up his comm device in his other hand.
Exton felt a rumble. His eyes darted to the ceiling, where rubble began to break and fall. He hurriedly grabbed Aerie. “Run for cover.”
A large blast! echoed in the distance, before the weight of the sound came crashing down on them the same time the roof of the hangar crumbled in.
In the quick seconds that followed, Exton pushed Aerie into a nearby hallway and covered her, protecting her as the guards were scattered and squashed. He squinted through the rubble to see St. Cloud fight with Gerard, as Merra, free from Phoebe’s full attention, made for a fallen weapon.
“It’s Cal,” Aerie murmured behind him.
Exton turned his eyes away from the fight to see one of Petra’s smaller supply shuttles as it came down into the hangar. It hovered over the debris. Even from where he was, he could see Cal’s grim determination.
It couldn’t have been an easy feat to get here, Exton thought. There was still an airship battle going on outside the hangar.
A cry of pain shot out from among the noise.
“Mom!” Aerie cried, hurrying over.
Exton flew after her as she ran for her mother. Merra landed hard on her knees as blood ran out from her shoulder.
Phoebe stood over her, her confidence shaken, her dark hair unkempt and dusty, but a final triumphant gleam in her eye. “This is the end,” she said.
Exton heard, rather than saw Aerie as she took aim and fired. Phoebe crumbled and fell to the floor, limp and pliant against the floor, her body in a broken position.
“Sorry, Director,” she mumbled. Before Exton could assure her that she did it to protect her mother, Aerie turned to him. “We have to get her out of here.”
Behind him, St. Cloud and Gerard were still locked in a fierce battle, while Cal managed to open his ship’s cargo bay doors. “Let’s move,” he said. He came up beside Merra, who was doing her best to hold off going into shock.
“Mom,” Aerie
called. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Merra relented to Aerie’s embrace, as she turned her attention to Exton. “Hello, Exton,” she said. “My favorite son-in-law. I knew you wouldn’t let an innocent woman suffer.”
“Unless you’re talking about Aerie, you can give up the act. I know about the ecobomb,” he told her, as Aerie took off her uniform jacket and used it to hamper the bleeding in her shoulder. “Which we will discuss later.”
“I’m not sure I could survive that,” she rasped.
“I’ll see to it that you do,” he replied. He carefully arranged her arms and then hoisted her over his shoulder. She was barely any taller than Aerie, and even with her awkward position, he was able to manage the extra weight. “Cal’s waiting for us.”
Merra grunted in pain. “I heard about Dorian,” she said. “I’m glad Cal survived. He’s doing his brother proud.”
Aerie nodded, pressing into her shoulder as Exton hurried toward the ship. “You need to stay with us,” she said. “For all of us. Marcus still needs you as a mother, and so do I. Even Serena needs you.”
Merra gave her a pained smile. “I’m not a fool, Aerie. I know I owe it to you to survive. Who else would let Victor free and convince her space pirate husband to come rescue me?”
“Oh, Mom.” Aerie sighed.
Exton clutched at his mother-in-law’s body as he carried her into the awaiting shuttle. He settled Merra into the small sick bay area. As Aerie tended to her wounds, Exton hurried to the cockpit.
He saw Cal and nodded in greeting. “Nice shooting.”
Cal’s arrogant smirk came quickly enough. “I might be able to teach you how to do it one day. If you ask nicely.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Exton replied. “Even though I am the second-best pilot in all of Petra. Maybe I’ll be able to teach you a thing or two as well.”
“I guess I still have to figure out how to catch a skydiver in midair,” Cal replied. “Now, buckle up. We’re getting out of here.”
“We still need St. Cloud,” Exton said. “And Brock is here, too.”
“I have orders from the General,” Cal said. “Get Mom out of here.” He adjusted the thrusters and began to take flight.
“Just fly over to where he and Gerard are fighting,” Exton said. “I want to take Gerard with us.”
“What? Why?”
He grimaced. “I can tell you and Aerie are related,” he grumbled. “Just do it. I’m going to go down to the loading dock.”
Cal snarled back, but he was silent as he took the aircraft over to the other side of the hangar.
This was going to be tricky, Exton thought, as he headed toward the back the of ship once more. He could hear Aerie and Merra’s muffled voices, as they crammed into the small ward behind him. He almost smiled as he heard Aerie scold Merra as she attempted to bandage the wound.
Gerard’s yell cut through Exton’s concentration. He turned to see St. Cloud as he held Gerard down against the floor, his weapon trained on Gerard’s heart. The General was breathing hard.
We might be able to save him this time, Exton thought. For the first time in what seemed like forever, hope sparked inside of him.
“St. Cloud,” he called. “Bring him here and get onboard.”
“I can’t.”
Exton frowned. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “Just grab him and let’s go.”
“He’s bleeding out, Exton.”
At his words, Exton didn’t stop to think. Terror rushed through him as he grabbed the spare med pack and jumped down off the ramp, hurrying over.
“Here,” he said. “We’ve got to hurry.”
St. Cloud, as exhausted and sweaty as he was from the battle, didn’t question his assertion.
Exton saw Gerard was bleeding heavily. “What happened?” he asked, suddenly wishing he had been trained to save lives better than he had been trained to take them.
“I shot him, Exton,” St. Cloud told him, clearly unapologetic. “I managed to get him just under the ribs.”
“Help me,” Exton said. “Apply pressure while I see if this temporary bandage will stick.”
“Why are you trying to save me?” Gerard asked, his voice wheezy.
“Sounds like I broke a rib or two,” St. Cloud said.
“We’ve got to save you because of Meredith,” Exton told Gerard, feeling like he was screaming as his hands kept pressing down on the bandage. “I promised her.”
“You promised my med tech you would save me?” Gerard asked. His eyes were blinking fast, and his breathing was getting more labored.
“Yes!” Exton bit his lip, watching as Gerard’s face went white. He clapped Gerard’s cheek. “Stay with us!”
“Why?”
“We were friends once,” Exton told him. “Don’t you remember? You were friends with me and Tyler and Meredith, and she loves you. You gave us the codes so we could steal the Perdition from the URS.”
“We were friends?” Gerard coughed.
“Yes,” Exton yelled, silently cursing as the bandage slipped off again. There was too much blood, he realized. “Stay with us for Meredith. We’ll help you. We can help you get back to your old self.”
“Is that so?” Gerard’s eyes cleared a second later. Exton was just about to see if St. Cloud would help move him when Gerard laughed.
Exton frowned. “What are—”
Gerard spat at him, his salvia mixed in with blood. “I’ll die before I’ll help you.” His arm came out and ripped away the last of the makeshift tourniquet Exton had arranged on his chest.
Exton stood there, stricken, with Gerard’s cloud of bloody spit still sprayed on his chest. He felt the world seem to stop and fall silent, as Gerard breathed his last breath, allowing death to take his defiant spirit away.
He’s gone. I failed. Exton felt numb as he sat back on his knees and glanced over at St. Cloud.
“He deserved it, Exton. If nothing else, he deserved it for what he did to Aerie.” St. Cloud stood up and turned toward the waiting ship.
Exton felt his heart take St. Cloud’s words like a blow. He knew he had to hurry, and there was nothing he could do for Gerard now. But something inside of him cried out, words failing him as he felt just how wrong it was that Gerard was gone. Part of him was tempted to scream out at God, asking why, why this terrible thing had happened and demand justice.
But he already knew Gerard would not come back if he did that. Exton knew the answer, or at least part of the answer, as to why Gerard was gone. He knew Gerard died because of his own choices and actions, and Exton knew he was partially to blame.
The full answer to that question was complicated. Likely too complicated for him to fully know or understand.
And as for justice, Exton thought, it was already served.
“Exton, come on,” St. Cloud called from behind him. “We have other people to save now.”
Exton slowly stood up as he nodded. He took one last look at Gerard, saluting him, and then hurried back to the ship.
I failed to save Gerard, but I will not fail to stop Osgood. I won’t let him destroy my friends and allies.
St. Cloud reached out a hand for him. Exton took it, and before he could thank him for his support, Cal shut the cargo bay doors and took off.
♦24♦
Aerie nearly fell over as Cal hit the accelerator and shot up out of the hangar. She almost yelled at him, but before she could say anything, she caught sight of Exton’s face.
The look of defeat on his stark face was unnerving and awful. She turned toward the General. “Dad.”
St. Cloud nearly jumped. “What is it?”
“Come here and watch over Mom,” Aerie said as she hurried past him, trying to get to Exton.
She reached for him as he sat on the floor. “Exton,” she murmured, the hard and fast flight making it easy for her to sit beside him.
“I’m okay,” he said.
“That’s good to hear,” Cal called out from the cockpit. “B
ecause I need all of you to buckle up. We’re still in the middle of the battle, and the ship’s got a target on it.
“I know you’re not okay,” Aerie told Exton. She gave him a quick hug. “But we’ll be okay.” She tugged on his hand, trying to get him to strap into a seat, but he resisted.
“I wasn’t able to save Gerard.” Exton looked down at his hands.
Apparently, he wasn’t concerned about flying through a battlefield. Aerie gripped his hands. “You can’t save everyone, Exton,” she told him softly.
“Some people don’t believe that.”
She almost smiled. How did Exton manage to get this way? Aerie wondered. To feel responsible for the whole world, when the whole world seemed to be against him. She was amazed at his heart, even if she knew she objected to his logic.
“Some people don’t even try to save others,” Aerie reminded him. “Now, let’s get settled. My mom’s going to need a lot of medical attention. She’s lost a lot of blood.”
“We need to get her to a medic as soon as possible,” her father called from the med ward. “We’re out of med supplies.”
“What can we do, Exton?” she asked. “We still have to stop the GPI, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do,” the General said. “There’s nothing more important than stopping him. If we don’t, he’ll crush Petra and Chaya and the rest of our allies.”
Aerie watched as Exton shook his head, as if he was clearing it of his troubles. From his expression, she knew it was not the end of his sorrow. Aerie vowed to get him to talk about Gerard later. While she was not sad he was gone, she was sad that he’d had his life taken away from him so tragically.
But now, she knew Exton’s heart, and even Merra’s wounds had to be pushed back in order to defeat Osgood.
“If we can stop Osgood now,” Aerie said, “we’ll be able to free the URS from his control.”
Exton stood up and turned toward Cal. “We need to know what’s happening,” he said. “Cal, I need you to head toward Cartagena. Emery’s there, with Serena, so we’ll be able to get Merra some care while I find out how Kamalo and Aunt Patty are doing on the battlefield front.
“What about the GPI?” the General asked. “It’s better to stop it from launching. If it gets into space before we shoot it down, it’ll put the entire world at risk.”
The Price of Paradise Page 23
