Dade pulled his phaser from his hip before crossing over the threshold. It was still inside the dark room. No sound but the thumping of Dade’s heart as it reverberated in his ears. The door whisked shut behind him.
He’d made it to the first set of boxes when a voice said, “We’d hoped with a little encouragement you’d take the bait.”
Dade stiffened.
A hired mercenary stepped out of the shadows on the far side of the room. The man was dressed in black, his face partially covered by heat-shielded synth-fabric. He held a phaser aimed at Dade’s chest.
Then another mercenary, this one a young girl, stepped out from a stack of boxes across the room. She looked every bit as menacing, holding her phaser steady.
Dade was caught in the middle. He took a few steps back, then a few more, keeping his own phaser up. Trying to gain a little wiggle room and some time. The only exit out of the room was at his back, and he knew he couldn’t make it there without being shot.
They matched him step for step, keeping their phasers pointed, one at his chest, the other at his head. Their gazes took Dade’s measure.
The man shot first, a rapid succession of three blasts.
Dade had seen the twitch of the man’s finger on the trigger seconds before he pulled, giving Dade enough time to dance to the side before dropping and rolling behind a stack of boxes. He returned fire, exchanging volleyed shots. Several came close enough to singe the fabric of his cloak. Boxes disintegrated around him.
A sense of peace came over him. He let go of the danger and instead focused on the moment, his every breath, each shot, moving steadily across the room while he stayed behind a barrier of boxes. He inched his way toward the door.
But the girl, seeing that, slipped between him and his goal, blocking his way out. She grinned.
Dade shot at her, satisfied when he sent her scurrying.
The room was blown to hell. Everything that had been in the boxes had been pulverized, creating a cloud of debris that choked him.
“You need to put the phaser down,” the man called out from behind the stack of burned and crumbled boxes that he used for cover. “It’s your only chance to leave here alive.”
Dade responded with another round of phase-fire before jetting from behind the boxes that were no longer hiding him sufficiently. He jumped on top of what was left, then launched himself across the room to land where he knew the man hid. The mercenary’s face registered shock seconds before Dade fell on top of him.
Not a moment passed before Dade got to his feet and kicked out with his booted heel against the man’s wrist. The mercenary’s phaser shot wildly, scorching the ceiling. Dade kicked again, dislodging the phaser.
The man got to his feet and swung at Dade.
Dade ducked, while twisting his body to shoot at the girl who came up behind them.
The girl’s phase-fire hit Dade close enough to singe his protective vest, blowing a hole through his cloak. He shot back, hitting her in the right shoulder.
She screamed and dropped her phaser.
Meanwhile, the man jumped onto Dade’s back, attempting to apply a choke hold. Dade twisted, flipped around, and used the butt of the phaser to knock the guy out cold. Then he moved across the room to stand over the girl. She was reaching for her phaser when he clocked her on the back of the head.
He heaved in air, sucking it heavily through his lungs. Dade stood up straight, taking a step toward the door when it burst open. Three more mercenaries, bigger than the last two, entered the room.
Dade swore as he raised his phaser, swallowing his panting breath. His gut hurt, his face hurt, his chest where the phase-fire had scorched his vest burned like a continuous electrical shock. There was nowhere left to hide. Dade was exhausted, but he wouldn’t give up.
That was when he glimpsed Saben entering behind the mercenaries. No more than a shadow, a silent specter they didn’t see coming. His friend moved soundlessly, knocking out two from behind before grabbing the leader by the throat and choking him until he passed out.
“Thank sun I found you,” Saben said, his face tight and his mouth set in a grim line. He was worried, and that worried Dade.
Now that the adrenaline was leaking from his body, Dade felt embarrassed that his mission had gone sideways. He wasn’t this sloppy. “What happened to you?”
“I had no other choice.” Saben took a pack off his back and pulled out a foul-smelling pile of brown fabric. He shoved the clothes at Dade. “You weren’t getting out of here unless I figured out an alternative route.”
Dade recoiled, but stepping away did little to stop the stench of the clothing from burning his nostrils. His eyes watered as he coughed. “Where did you get those nasty things?”
“I borrowed them before I came inside.” The way Saben said “borrowed” had Dade envisioning a naked guy knocked out somewhere.
“You couldn’t find anything cleaner?” Dade asked.
“I took the first thing that would fit. Don’t get prissy.”
“What about the cameras?”
“I took out this Level before I came in with an explosive because it seemed the most expedient.” Sabin stressed, “Now hurry.”
Dade peeled off his hood, mask, and clothes, then pulled on the new clothes. He tried to breathe through his mouth and not his nose. Not that it helped—the scent was putrid.
“Tell me what happened,” Dade said.
Saben set about dragging the mercenaries to the back of the room and then began to put the remains of the boxes in front of them so their bodies wouldn’t be seen from the door. “A silent alarm was tripped. The factory went into lockdown. They shut down all networks in the building, which cut our comms and autosealed all exits.”
“How did you get in?”
Saben laughed. “Same way we’re getting out.”
“What should I do with my things?” He couldn’t very well leave them.
Saben looked around. “We’ll have to burn them so they can’t trace your DNA.”
Dade looked longingly at the mask and cloak. He loved them. Yes, he could get newer ones with better gadgets. But this set was the original, and because of that they meant something. He was going to lose them without managing to procure any VitD. What a waste of time and resources, and he had no one to blame but himself.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Arden’s body sang with its usual anticipatory music. She could already feel the high of the adrenaline rush hit her body. When they’d reached the ledge between Levels Two and Three, they worked together to ensure their speeders were well hidden from city scanners. The craggy outcropping of the buildings wasn’t made for parking, even the temporary sort. There wasn’t much room to maneuver four bodies and their vehicles.
She had her mask on. The heat from the feedback made her skin tacky with sweat. The suit she wore would keep her body warm and nimble in the frigid cold that blew against them. They stood in the swell of the air current as it rushed between the open sections between the Levels, the temperature here several degrees lower than normal.
She’d strapped her supplies to her back in a slimline pack that hugged her body. Arden engaged the grip sensors on her climbing gloves, then began to scale the building’s gray concrete walls, aiming for a hoverport cut into the structure halfway up the building. Now that she had the lay of the land around the South Grid Lockup, she wasn’t sure this plan would work. It had appeared much different, wider, from the aerial photos, whereas in reality, there was less room through the buildings than expected to maneuver their escape.
The others climbed behind her. They moved swiftly and silently, hands grabbing and bodies exerting as efficiently as possible. Stealth would be the key to pulling this off. Right now, as they hung from the side of the building, they were at their most vulnerable until the rescue plan was set into motion. Even with the thick static cloud that billowed around them, swallowing them up, they were still exposed to anyone who happened to look too closely.
Arden fel
t the push of the air stream as it whipped past her. It rushed through the open Levels, thrusting her against the hard surface of the wall. She inched around the side of the building, following available footholds. The air shifted, then sucked her body backward like a vacuum. She gripped the cold, unforgiving concrete and metal, the sensors on her gloves barely keeping her grip intact. Clinging, she curled her fingers to catch whatever lip she could as her feet slipped, searching for a toehold.
She crested the rise to the hoverport and crawled over the edge. The gray swirls of static cloud blew across the tarmac ominously. Her body low to the ground, she ran, the others following behind. They set up behind a section of hovervans. Pulling the packs off their backs, they began to extract their phasers and other items.
Niall put his hand out for Arden’s binoculars, then slid to the end of the van to peek around the side. There was the whiz-whiz sound as he adjusted the digital sliders on the side of the view caps. Humming as they caught focus.
Everything was in position, and yet she couldn’t get rid of the pit lodged in her chest. She rubbed it, pressing the heel of her hand tight against her sternum to try to release the pressure.
“What’s wrong with you?” Colin asked.
Arden dropped her hand, gripping her fist tight at her side, and blew out a long breath. “Nothing.”
Do something, she reminded herself, so she wouldn’t look like a complete noob worrying over the outcome of their rescue. She checked the charge of her phaser. Trying to will away the tension that had taken her over.
Niall returned.
He handed Arden’s binoculars back to her. “All clear. It’s a go.”
Arden nodded. Then Niall and Uri were off, heading in opposite directions.
Using the binoculars, Colin watched the other two get into position. “Your jolly mood seems to be spreading.”
“Give me the binoculars and shut your trap,” she said playfully, fully expecting the punch in the arm he gave her. She put the binoculars to her face and did another sweep of the hoverport.
When the door finally opened fifteen minutes later, three people walked out. Mariah was in the middle. Her hands bound with electro-cuffs: three-inch metal bracers covering her forearms, bound together by magnets. Her head was down, her face covered by her hair.
On either side walked two guards. They wore govie-greens, phasers in their hands at the ready.
“See? I told you she would be here,” Arden said, feeling a rushing relief. Dade’s info had been correct. She owed him big-time.
Mariah lifted her face into the cold blast of wind, her skin littered in bruises. Both eyes were nearly swollen shut. Her hair hung in stringy clumps. She was still in the same outfit she’d worn to the club, though now it sported rips and tears. What was left of it was heavily stained with blood.
At least she was walking under her own power. Broken bones, torn skin—those could heal. Dead meant Mariah couldn’t come back.
Arden sucked in her breath, feeling each second of torture they’d put Mariah through as if she’d been the one battered. It made Arden determined to pull this off. No one was going to mess with her family.
“I’m going to kill them,” Uri said through the earpiece. His voice shook with unhinged rage.
“Hold,” Niall commanded.
Arden focused the binoculars on where Uri hid. Assuring herself he was going to stay in place. His body vibrated, yet he didn’t make a move toward the building. She released her breath. This operation would blow up if he went crazy. He’d ruin their one shot, not that she blamed him for his anger.
The trio made its way to the transport hovercraft, the guards on high alert. Both of them repeatedly scanned the area, their phasers slowly panning the surrounding deck. The back door of the hovervan opened on their approach, accompanied by a series of beeps.
Arden slid away her binoculars, strapping them into the pocket of her suit. She leveled her phaser, training it on the guards, then relaxed her shoulders and body to get into the right mind frame to take a shot if needed.
They waited.
Seconds ticked, seeming too slow. And yet Niall still didn’t give the signal. Their window was closing, and they all felt it. Adrenaline pumped through Arden. Her fingers were itchy, and her body strained forward. Beside her, Colin also kept his body ready, coiled with anticipation.
“If we wait any longer, they’re going to take off,” Uri said. If that happened, the rescue was over.
Arden agreed. They needed to move.
“Not yet,” Niall said. “Wait for it—”
There was a split second when the first guard moved toward the driver’s side and the second guard turned to the back of the vehicle.
“Now,” Niall said.
The order hit like a crack. They were on their feet within the next heartbeat. Arden and Colin ran the length of the trackway. They kept their approach partially concealed, crouching as they ran, moving between the hovercars. Phasers were level and out, powered on high.
Colin came around the front of the car, surprising the first guard and catching him with a fist to the gut before the guard could raise his phaser in return. Then he rounded a kick to the guard’s hand, kicking the phaser out. It clattered to the ground.
Arden focused on the other guard. Coming up behind him, she squeezed his neck, pushing on the trachea. He squirmed, knocking her in the face. She held on, climbing his back, her hands staying in place until the lack of air caused him to pass out. It would have been easier to shoot both of them, and they would have if necessary, but they couldn’t alert the rest of the govies that something was happening outside.
When the guard slumped to the ground, Arden checked back with Colin, making sure that he’d subdued his guard. He nodded to her, moving forward to help with Mariah. Together they urged her to the edge of the hoverport.
Behind them, Uri focused his attention on a line of govie speeders, having already taken care of the hovervans. He quickly went down the line, on each one using a silenced charge, designed to take out their electrical system. Meanwhile, Niall ran to the door of the South Grid Lockup. He blew out the door scanner with several phaser shots. Which triggered the alarm.
Sirens blared. The loud pulsing beat hit Arden’s ears, the vibrations nearly driving her to her knees, as they were designed to do. She forced herself to keep moving.
Niall ran past Uri, yelling, “That’s only going to hold them for a moment. Let’s go.”
“I’m not finished.” Uri blew out another speeder in the line, before he started running too.
“Move.” Niall ran to the end of the hoverport, where Arden and Colin were jostling Mariah, and jumped over.
Niall landed on the platform where they’d parked the speeders. Colin and Arden followed. They were getting onto their speeders when Arden realized Uri and Mariah hadn’t jumped. She looked up and watched an unspoken moment between Mariah and Uri.
“Hurry up,” she screamed.
That snapped Uri out of whatever fog he was in. Uri moved, then jumped over the side, landing in a crouch.
Mariah was supposed to be next. Uri stood below, arms out to catch her since her balance would be off from her still-shackled hands. Yet she didn’t jump, instead standing there frozen. The wind tossed her hair into her face as she looked over the edge with a vacant look of terror. The moments trickled by, seeming like hours.
They all began to scream at her—urging her to jump.
The deck flooded with govies. They’d managed to circumvent the door. Firing round after round, they ran toward Mariah. She ducked to avoid the shots, yet still wouldn’t make the leap.
Uri hopped on his speeder, bringing it up and around close to where she stood. He had his phaser out, shooting back at the govies as he neared the platform to grab her. But he was going too fast, his trajectory off. Arden could see there was no way he’d be able to pull Mariah onto the speeder with him.
He missed by inches.
Niall and Colin were already headi
ng out to deflect the govies who’d managed to find undamaged speeders. They probably hadn’t seen the exchange. There wasn’t time for Uri to circle around to try again. It was up to her to get Mariah.
Arden aimed her speeder for the edge where Mariah stood. She leaned into her driving, aiming for the angle she’d need while avoiding incoming phaser shots that were hitting hard and heavy. She trusted that someone else would take out the govies, so that her whole focus could be on Mariah. Changing direction on a dime to avoid incoming phase-fire, she zoomed by Mariah, catching her around the waist and hauling her on board.
Thankfully, Mariah came to life then. She wiggled and adjusted herself so that she could straddle the seat behind Arden.
“Are you okay?” Arden yelled over the wind as they changed direction away from the platform. She saw Mariah nod but couldn’t hear a response.
The others pulled away from the platform, falling into line behind them. Unfortunately, there were more than a few govies able to get on workable speeders. The chase was locked within two Levels. Dropping below Level Three would be certain death, since the Lower Levels were far too populated to drive safely.
Retreating to Level Four was a possibility, but with a high likelihood of failure. Public transport was a problem there, since the skytram moved at too high a speed for the speeders to avoid if they found themselves on an intersecting path.
Anything above Level Four was out altogether. There was a plasma barrier to keep out any flight traffic. It would fry the speeders within seconds.
So the only way to shake the govies was to outrun, evade, and hide. Easier said than done. But there was no way Arden was about to be caught. Not after having Mariah back. She would see everyone safe or die trying.
A speeder came too close. The govie shot a blast of phase-fire, the blast missing them by inches. Arden turned between two buildings, hitting the brakes while skidding sideways. Correcting at the last second, millimeters from hitting the wall. She took off again, shooting out of the bottleneck like a rocket.
The Breaking Light (Split City Book 1) Page 16
