by Anna Hackett
“The rex will get us.” Her hands were shaking as she moved them over the controls.
“Just focus on your flying. You don’t want me at the controls, do you?”
“Hell, no.” Determination spiked in her voice.
“Well, I’m going to just sit here and think about having sex with you. Your husky little cries, your sweet, honey taste—”
“What?” She choked out the word on a shocked breath.
“Beats thinking about the aliens.”
Finn saw Lia’s shaking hands steady. Looked like his little distraction was working. But he was grateful she couldn’t see his face. Because looking at the enormous, approaching rex was a fucking nightmare.
The aircraft lifted off the ground.
The rex got closer.
“Oh, God.” Lia turned them sharply to the left in a steep climb.
The rex roared, snapping its jaws in their direction.
Finn’s eyes widened. He saw the red eye of the creature through the glass of the cockpit canopy, just a few meters away.
Then they were past it.
As they soared into the air, he let out a breath. He heard Lia do the same. She turned the jet east, and he saw the rising sun was turning the sky from black to blue.
“We made it.” She turned in her seat with a whoop. “We made it.”
Finn reached out and touched her face. “Never doubted it for a second.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lia pulled in a few deep breaths, a wide smile on her face. They were in the air, the day dawning around them, the aliens behind them.
“The supersonic systems will take a minute to come online.” She saw the sixty-second countdown flash up on the screen and start ticking down.
“I’ve looked at the map, and we’re a little too far south,” Finn said. “You’ll need to adjust course. Sending you corrections now.”
“You’re a pretty good navigator for a flyboy.”
He leaned forward and tugged on her hair. “I prefer the pilot seat, baby.”
She smiled again and opened a comms line. “This is Supersonic One to the Enclave.”
“Hi, Supersonic One, this is Elle. How’s the ocean?”
“Blue. And not an alien in sight. We are on track to go to supersonic speed in less than one minute. After that, we won’t be able to communicate.”
“Acknowledged. Hell Squad said you got away.”
“They okay?”
“Still fighting their way out, but they’ll be fine.” Elle’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Good luck, Lia. See you when you two get home.”
“Thanks, Elle.” Lia closed the comm line, and her elated feeling from their escape and takeoff dissolved. “You really think Hell Squad is okay?”
“Yes,” Finn replied.
Just one simple word. His strong, sure tone made her believe it. She knew that the squad had been through so much, and even when they got knocked down or battered, they kept getting back up again. They kept fighting.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded. It was loud in the tight confines of the cockpit. It was coming from both her controls and Finn’s tablet.
He cursed. “Pteros incoming.”
Lia glanced at the countdown. “There are still sixteen seconds to supersonic speed.”
“They’re coming in fast.”
“We don’t have any weapons.” Lia dragged her hand across her mouth.
“We can evade them, Lia. Pretend we’re a drone. Pretend you’re outrunning that drone killer bird that was taking down your drones.”
Lia’s focus narrowed. Finn’s words reverberated in her head. Letting herself relax, she put the jet into evasive maneuvers. Finn kept speaking in easy, confident tones, giving her encouragement.
As the first ptero reached them, she pushed the jet into a wild turnaway. For a second, they were upside down, then they leveled out.
Finn called out. “Nice move!”
She saw more pteros coming. Raptor poison spewed through the air. No! There was no way this jet could withstand the tiniest bit of poison. She spun the jet to the right.
Ten seconds to supersonic.
Nine. Eight. Seven.
Each second felt like an eternity. She pulled up into a steep climb. A ptero whizzed past.
Six. Five. Four.
She turned again. The world turned upside-down, and became a whirl. Even though she knew she was putting the old jet through its paces, it responded like a superstar.
Then Finn cursed. “Heat-seeking missile incoming. Goddammit.”
Lia stayed calm. She levelled them out, putting the jewel-blue ocean beneath them.
Three. Two. One.
They hit supersonic speed.
In a flash, the pteros and the missile were gone, and there was just blue sky around them. She sat back in her seat.
“Nice work, flygirl.” Finn’s hands squeezed her shoulders.
“Thanks. We’ll be over the drop zone in about thirty minutes,” she said.
“So, we’ll drop this amplifier and then we head back. Easy.”
Lia checked her controls. She had to admit it was nice to be supersonic, with a jet under her control. She was flying free, not trapped underground, not being hunted by the aliens.
Only one other thing had made her feel like this. Being with Finn.
“You’re quiet,” he said.
“Just contemplating falling in love with you.”
She stared straight ahead, too afraid to turn around and look at him.
There was a pause. “Oh?” That one sound was filled with satisfaction. “Knew you wouldn’t be able to resist me for long.”
Lia laughed, emotion flowing through her chest. “Arrogant flyboy.”
His hand landed on the back of her neck, and squeezed. “Your arrogant flyboy.”
He was hers. She was still terrified of taking the risk, of loving him and losing him. But she wanted him, needed him, and he was worth any risk.
“I wish I could hold you right now,” he said.
She touched his hand and turned to look at him. “After we finish this mission, you can do a whole lot more than hold me.” Because dammit, she was getting them home. One way or another.
“You’re on, flygirl. Now, let’s drop this amplifier and help save the world.”
The trip out felt easy, compared to what they’d been through. Lia could almost imagine she was just on another commercial flight for her old airline.
“Approaching location,” Finn said.
“Preparing to leave supersonic speed,” Lia replied. “Hold on.”
A second later, Lia felt a slight jerk as they returned to normal speed. All around them was blue ocean and even bluer sky.
It was a beautiful sight. She pulled in a deep breath. Out here, there were no aliens, no invasion, no hardships. She started their descent. They had to be low enough to ensure the amplifier survived the drop.
“How about we find an island and live in tropical luxury?” Finn suggested.
Lia made a sound. “Drinking coconut milk and eating fish all day?”
“Could be worse. Besides, there’d be unlimited sex on the beach.”
“Hmm, but sand would get into some nasty places,” she replied.
“It’d be worth it.”
The jet slowed, and her voice turned serious. “Okay, we’re at the location and at the right altitude. I’ve put us in a tight holding pattern.”
“Let’s do this. Preparing to drop the amplifier.”
She could hear Finn tapping his controls. Lia glanced down through the canopy, staring down at the waves below. She frowned. “Wait!” She stared out the window. “What the hell is that?”
“What the fuck?” Finn said.
The water below them was churning, frothy and black. Then, something dark shot out of the water. Finn cursed, and Lia stared, open-mouthed, at the huge tentacle waving outside the cockpit.
“Hell.” Lia touch the controls and they shot away from it.
As they
turned in a wide circle, Lia watched as a huge creature started to rise up out of the water. It was covered in thick, black scales, and then a huge head looked up and she saw glowing red eyes.
More tentacles started to rise up, waving madly. They had huge sucker pads all over them.
“It’s a damn alien kraken!” Finn shouted. “Watch out!”
She saw a tentacle moving toward them. She moved them again. “We have to get out of here.”
“I can’t drop the amplifier on top of this damn monster,” Finn said. “It’ll be destroyed.”
And this entire mission would be a waste.
“Shit.” Another tentacle reared up, and Lia moved to evade again. “We’ll have to get away from it, first. I’ll take us farther out.”
“Do it. Go!”
Now Lia could see the giant mouth of the monster. What the hell had the aliens done to their planet?
She concentrated on flying. They shot away, but suddenly they were wrenched to a stop. What the hell?
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked.
Her hands moved over the controls. “I don’t know. I have the engines at full speed. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
Then Finn cursed. “There’s a tentacle attached to the back of the plane!”
Another black tentacle smacked into them. The suckers stuck to the cockpit canopy.
The jet was jerked backward and tossed around. Lia was thrown hard against her seat. She heard Finn swear.
God, they were stuck to the alien kraken.
“Lia? You okay?”
“I’m okay. Any ideas on how to get loose from this thing?”
“I don’t know.”
Think, Lia. They had no weapons, nothing.
“What if you ignite the supersonic engines?” Finn suggested.
She shook her head. “It’ll tear us apart.”
And there’d be no guarantee that the amplifier would make it.
“Can we shock it?”
“Without shocking ourselves?” She fell silent, deep in thought.
“What if—”
“Shh,” she said. “I’m thinking. That could work.”
“What, Lia?”
“I could reroute some power to the exterior drag reduction skin. That will electrify the exterior of the jet and might be enough to dislodge our friend.”
Or make him really mad. The tentacle moved again, swinging them around, and for a second, they were upside-down. Lia pressed her hands to the cockpit canopy, staring down at the giant creature below.
“Do it!” Finn yelled.
Then, they were thrown upright again. Lia worked feverishly at the controls. “There,” she cried.
She felt a tingle, and the hairs on her arms rose. Then the kraken let out a deafening screech.
The suckers released them.
The jet plummeted straight down toward the water.
***
Oh, God. Finn watched the waves rush closer and yelled at Lia, “Switch off the charge!”
“I have.”
But the plane was in a wild spiral.
“I can’t pull it up,” she yelled.
Bam.
Something slammed into them, breaking their fall and swiping them sideways in a dizzying rush.
The kraken had grabbed them again.
“Next time, I’m flying,” Finn called out. He saw Lia was frozen, staring out at the kraken. “Lia!”
His voice seemed to jolt her out of her daze. Her hands moved back to the controls.
Another tentacle hit the other side of the jet. Metal groaned.
Shit, the damn alien was going to crush them.
“I’m going to shock it again,” Lia said.
“What?” Finn’s eyebrows rose. “It really didn’t like that the first time.”
“I’ll try and engage the engines again at the same time.”
“Okay. Go for it.” Damn, he really hated being stuck back here, unable to help her.
The panel on the right side of the plane cracked, the metal denting inward.
“Do it now,” Finn yelled.
With a deep breath, Lia engaged the electrical charge.
Again, the kraken dropped them instantly. Its tentacles waved madly around them.
The plane dropped and Finn felt his stomach go hard. Lia engaged the engines.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the plane shot forward. Finn felt his heart start beating again.
“Hell, yeah!” he yelled. “You are amazing.”
As they pulled away from the kraken, he saw Lia drop her head forward. “After this, no more field missions for me. Drone missions only.”
Finn needed to touch her. He unclipped his harness, leaned over the back of her seat, and pulled her head back. He pressed his mouth to hers, delving his tongue deep. She moaned into the kiss, and he nipped her bottom lip, feeling a dizzying rush of desire deep in his gut.
“Finn.” She pulled back, breathless. “Get your harness back on.”
He did as she asked. He could hear air whistling in through a crack somewhere. They’d definitely sustained some damage, but they were thankfully still in the air. He looked back and saw the giant alien creature in the distance. It was slowly sinking back into the water.
“Let’s drop the amplifier and get out of here,” Lia said.
“Best thing I’ve heard all day. Let me take care of that right now.”
The quiet in the cockpit was only broken by the whistle of air and the sound of Finn’s fingers on the controls.
Finn hit the cargo-release control.
A red light blinked on the comp screen. Malfunction.
“God fucking dammit.” He slammed his palms against the console.
Lia twisted in her seat. “What?”
“The cargo release clamp is damaged. I can’t open the cargo hatch, and that means I can’t drop the amplifier.”
She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her temple. “Can things get any worse?”
Finn had learned that on a mission, things could always get worse. He unfastened his harness again.
Her eyes popped open. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to climb out there and release the amplifier myself.”
Her eyes widened. “Climb out there?” Her voice rose a notch. “We’re at a low altitude, but it’s still a long drop, Finn.”
“Not planning to fall. Open the canopy, Lia.”
“No.” She shook her head wildly. “One wrong move out there, and—”
“I’ll fall off.” He leaned forward and cupped her face. “I know. But there’s a line of recessed maintenance handholds all the way to the back of the jet, and…we have to do this. Preferably before the mutant kraken comes back.” He tried for a smile. “And I’m nimble.”
“My courageous flyboy.” Emotion moved through her green eyes. “Why did I have to go and fall for a hero?”
Her words made his heart clench. He wished they were anywhere else but here.
She released a slow breath. “Let me slow us down first. You’ll have a better chance of not slipping off.”
Lia slowed the jet as much as she could. When she opened the canopy, the wind was still a harsh, rude rush to Finn’s face.
He gave her another quick, hard kiss, and then he climbed out onto the plane’s exterior.
He gripped the first of the handholds and climbed, slowly and steadily, toward the back of the plane and the cargo area. The wind whipped his hair in his eyes and tore at his clothes. He gripped onto handholds and jammed the toes of his boots into them, praying none of them were rusted or loose. One move at a time. He could do this.
Then he made the fatal error of looking down. He loved heights…when there was a nice, sturdy, reinforced glass wall between him and the ground. He swallowed to wet his dry throat and kept moving.
He was getting close to the cargo-hatch release mechanism. He could see it—it was a large red handle set into the side of the aircraft.
Then his foot slipped.
His leg swung off the plane, hanging out over the air. His hands gripped tight and he wedged his other foot under one handhold, as hard as he could, trying to stop his body from slipping.
Shit. His muscles strained and he pulled his leg in, pressing his body against the metal of the plane. He stayed there a second, calming his harsh breathing. Jesus, Lia must be frantic.
Finn regained his footing and kept moving steadily toward the release latch. He reached the handle and, one-handed, he yanked it open.
Nothing happened.
Fuck. It wasn’t working. He closed his eyes for a second, then he glanced down the side of the jet. He’d have to cut the damn door open.
He dipped into his pocket and fished out the laser cutter he’d stowed there back at Aeron. He fired up the laser, reached down and sliced into the metal.
For once, he caught a break. The cargo door fell open, dropping downward toward the ocean below.
He swung around, holding two handholds, and dangled against the side of the jet. He kicked his feet inside the cargo area.
The amplifier rolled toward the edge. It tilted for a second on the edge, and then it dropped out into the air.
Finn didn’t wait to see if it hit the waves. He climbed back up, his arms starting to burn, and headed back toward the cockpit. Lia was waving at him.
He retraced his steps and climbed back into the cockpit. Once he was safely inside, he collapsed into his seat and felt the tense muscles in his neck and back relax.
Lia was busy closing the canopy. Then she undid her harness, reached back, and smacked him in the chest. “Don’t ever do that again.” Then she grabbed the front of his flight suit and yanked him forward for a kiss.
He breathed in the smell of her. “If this is my reward, I might consider doing it again.”
She smiled, tears blurring her eyes. “I think loving a hero might be hard work.”
He pulled her close. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
Chapter Fourteen
Hot damn, they’d done it. Finn was buzzing. Adrenaline was punching through his veins, making him feel like he’d downed a six-pack of homebrew, along with some shots of the God-awful homemade tequila his pilots liked to make.
They were once again zooming along at supersonic speed, heading back toward the mainland. He tried not to take notice of the thin crack in the side of the plane. It was holding for now.
