by Anna Hackett
“We’ll be there.” He snapped the communicator shut.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Santha’s top guy, Devlin, found something.”
“The Genesis Facility?”
“Marcus didn’t say. Maybe. We need to get to Ops.” Gabe pressed a kiss to her mouth, lingered with a groan, then climbed out of bed. He pulled on his clothes. “Sounds like this Devlin got a bit beat up getting out of raptor territory.”
Emerson leaped up. “Why didn’t anyone call me?” She looked for her clothes.
“Don’t know.”
She eyed her skirt and strapless top and grimaced. “I need to stop by my quarters.”
He followed her gaze. “Hell, yeah. No way are you wearing that outfit into Ops.”
“Not even the shoes?” she teased.
“No,” he growled. “You’ll have to make do knowing I still have marks from those heels on my ass.”
Ten minutes later—and now sensibly clothed—Emerson followed Gabe into the Operations Area. She had her field kit over her shoulder. They found Santha, Hell Squad and General Holmes in a conference room, gathered around a glossy table. Elle and Santha both winked at Emerson, wide smiles flashing on their faces.
Then Emerson focused on the stranger in the room.
This had to be the mysterious Devlin. He was tall and lean, with dark hair that had a hint of curl. As he glanced her way, she saw his eyes were so dark they looked black. He had a hell of a face. Not because it was perfect, but because it made her think of late-night sins and fallen angels.
He was also bleeding from the head. It had stained his neck and soaked his gray shirt.
She hurried over to him. “Hi. I’m your friendly doctor, here to scan, poke and prod you.” She opened her backpack.
He didn’t smile, but something resembling amusement flared in his dark eyes. “Anything I can do to talk you out of the poking and prodding part?” He had a crisp British accent.
“Nope.” She lifted her m-scanner. “I took an oath and all of that. Besides, I get a kick out of poking and prodding.” She set the scanner to work on his head. “So, you’re Devlin?”
“Yes.” His gaze went over her shoulder. “Devlin Gray.”
“Dev’s become the backbone of my intel team,” Santha said. “He’s so good at sneaking around he makes the rest of us look like toddlers taking baby steps.”
“Well, Devlin. You haven’t been in for any medical checks since you arrived. I’ll expect you in the next few days.”
He raised a brow. “Yes, Doctor.”
Emerson didn’t buy his meek tone for a second. “You found the Genesis Facility?” She held her breath.
“I think I’ve found it. I rigged a hand scanner to find this alien liquid. I found a lot of traces of it heading north out of the city. Lot of raptor patrols heading north, too.”
“Looks like the tanks in North Sydney were just a holding area,” Santha said.
Emerson’s scanner beeped. She studied the results. Nothing major. He didn’t even need nano-meds. She showed him a tube of med-gel, then squeezed it onto his wound.
“Today, I took a Darkswift north,” Devlin continued.
“Stole a Darkswift,” Marcus interrupted darkly.
Devlin shrugged. “Borrowed.” He appeared unconcerned at the bark of Hell Squad’s sergeant. “An hour or so north of here, I found something. Up in the Hunter Valley.”
“Wine region, right?” Shaw said. “Vineyards everywhere.”
Devlin nodded. “Yeah. It was a former coal mining area way back. But once the mines were played out, the mining companies rehabilitated the area. Their methods got so good, you can hardly tell the area’s been touched. There were also a couple of coal-fired powers stations and they fell into disuse and disrepair. At one of the stations, I found this.” He nodded at Santha, who tapped the comp screen.
An image filled the large screen on the wall.
Gasps filled the room.
Emerson looked up, her hands freezing over the cut on Devlin’s head. “What the hell is that?”
Chapter Fifteen
Emerson stared at the giant orange dome that was easily visible from the air. It was huge, and slightly translucent. Enough to see there was something inside of it.
“The readings for the alien fluid are off the charts,” Devlin said.
“The Genesis Facility.” It had to be. “It’s enormous.” Emerson felt dismay fill her. So many people had to be trapped in there.
“It is, but—” Devlin’s dark gaze moved around the room “—it isn’t well guarded. Two raptor patrols, that’s it.”
“They think we’re too far away.” Gabe was scowling.
Marcus stepped forward. “But we’re not.” He glanced at the general. “When do we go in?”
General Holmes stared at the orange dome, his jaw tight. “As soon as possible. Take Squad Nine and Three with you.”
“Three?” Marcus grimaced. “Devlin said the dome isn’t well guarded, so we shouldn’t need—”
“Take them.” Holmes’ tone said he wasn’t going to argue. “If we’re lucky, we’ll have some survivors to bring home, so the extra hands will help.”
Marcus gave a short nod. “Fine.”
Emerson hid her smile. Squad Three was…unique. While Hell Squad were heroes and deadly fighters, Squad Three were known as the Berserkers. They were all a little…crazy. Dangerous and crazy.
The next few hours were a whirl. Emerson barely saw Gabe. She was too busy getting her small team of med technicians ready to head into the field. She’d selected Phillip and his boyfriend, Rick. They were steady and worked well together. The final member was a female paramedic who’d been in the field once or twice. It was clear Molly was nervous but also determined. They were all finishing fastening their armor.
“Double check your supplies.” Emerson worked through her field backpack. “We’ll need to treat any survivors.” If there were survivors. She hadn’t forgotten that the three people they’d removed from the tanks at the Luna Park lab had died. “And drugs to euthanize those we can’t help.”
It was a grim reality. The doctor in her wanted to save everyone, but they just didn’t have the resources or understanding to care for those too far along in the raptor transformation.
“Ready?” she asked.
The three of them straightened, and nodded.
The landing pads were alive with frantic activity. Four Hawks were waiting, their rotors spinning.
Hell Squad stood near one, checking their gear. Elle and Santha were there saying good bye to their men. Roth Masters, the leader of Squad Nine, stood talking with his mostly female squad by the second Hawk. He was another big soldier with muscular, broad shoulders, a rugged face, and sandy hair cut short. The third Hawk would remain empty. The pilot would stay back from the dome on standby, ready to be called in if there were more survivors than they’d estimated.
In front of the final Hawk stood Squad Three—the Berserkers.
All men, all really large men. Most of them had beards or at least some heavy scruff on their faces. Three of them were brothers with Maori heritage, evident in their strong faces, dark skin and tough bodies. The leader of the squad, Tane Rahia, stood a little taller and leaner than his brothers, his long dark hair in dreadlocks that he pulled back and tied at the base of his neck. Most of them didn’t wear armor on their arms, so lots of biceps bulged, covered in black ink.
She’d heard not all of them had military backgrounds, but that they were vicious fighters and famed for their wild, berserker fighting on the battlefield. And they couldn’t always be trusted to follow orders. She’d patched them up…a lot…and knew they were just as tough as Hell Squad.
Emerson led her team over to Hell Squad. Marcus and the others called out hellos. Gabe yanked her to his side.
“Before we take off, I have something for you.” He held out his hand.
Emerson saw a silver chain resting on his palm. A polished stone pendan
t in a brilliant blue dangled from it.
“It’s the same color as your eyes,” he said.
God, how could she have ever believed the man wasn’t able to express himself? She took the necklace and fingered the pretty stone. “It’s beautiful. Help me put it on?”
He secured it around her neck and Emerson was sorry when she had to tuck it under her armor.
“I’ve never asked you, why polished stones?”
He shrugged. “They make me think of you.”
“Oh?”
“They’re pretty and people in the past used to believe different stones had healing properties. You’re a healer.”
She pressed her palms to his chest. “I love you.”
He dropped his forehead to hers. “Doc, I’m still not sure being with me is the best thing for you, but I think I’d like you to show me what this love thing is all about.”
She smiled. “You got it, big guy.”
A clearing throat interrupted them.
Marcus was aboard the Hawk and was leaning out the door. The others had boarded. “We have some alien butt to kick.”
She nodded and glanced up at Gabe. “Talk after?”
“After.” His voice lowered. “And we’ll do more than talk. Stay safe.” He lifted her up and boosted her into the quadcopter.
The flight north was tense. The Hawk had an electrified air, everyone edgy and twitchy. Emerson’s team watched Hell Squad prepare. Triple-checking weapons, going over battle plans. Reed was sorting through an obscenely large supply of explosives. Out the side window, Emerson could just make out the shimmers of the other Hawks. With their illusion systems up, they were just blurs in the sky.
“We have a visual.” Finn called out from the cockpit. “Damn. Never seen anything like it.”
They all moved, shifting or arching necks to see out of the windows.
Holy cow. It was even bigger than she’d imagined from the image. The dome looked like a perfect hemisphere of amber. It was darker at the base, where black vein-like growths were visible in it. At the top, it was a clearer orange. It was almost as high as the old cooling towers of the abandoned power station beside it.
Marcus, one arm above his head gripping a handhold on the roof, swiveled to face them. “We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
Emerson already felt the quadcopter starting its descent.
“Hell Squad? Ready to go to hell?” Marcus asked.
“Hell, yeah.” The squad yelled. Emerson raised her voice to join them. “The devil needs an ass-kicking!”
The Hawks touched down.
Emerson turned to Molly, Rick and Phillip. “Stay close to Hell Squad. Don’t get separated.” She tapped her ear. “You need anything, ask Elle.”
They nodded, all of them securing their medical packs on their backs.
Gabe helped Emerson down. He touched her cheek for a fleeting second, a huge flash of emotion swimming in his gray eyes, then he turned and lifted his carbine.
They’d landed a short distance away from the dome, but it still dominated the landscape, rising up like a giant orange sun.
The grass in the field was long and wading through it was hard work. Ahead of her, Hell Squad didn’t seem fazed. To the right, Roth and his team were moving ahead. To the left, the Berserkers charged forward, intent on reaching the dome.
As they neared the structure, Emerson heard deep-throated yells from the Berserkers. She slowed and glanced back. The grass near them was waving madly, and an animal’s scream filled the air. It raised the hairs on her arms. What the hell? Squad Three started firing their carbines.
Suddenly, a large creature leaped out of the grass and crashed into one of the Berserkers. Emerson saw a flash of feathers, and wicked clawed feet. The animal looked like the velociraptors she’d seen in the history databases.
The fallen man’s teammates rushed to help him. Emerson’s heart was beating so fast she felt like it might burst from her chest.
“Velox,” Gabe murmured. “Fast, smart bastards.”
“Keep moving,” Marcus called out.
“He might need medical help,” Emerson said.
Marcus’s smile was a tiny lift of his lips. “Don’t think so.”
She turned back. The Berserker had taken down the velox. The man was standing, blood all over him, laughing like a lunatic.
“Right,” Emerson said with a shake of her head.
Ahead, she heard more carbine fire. Squad Nine had engaged a raptor patrol.
Gabe moved in closer to Emerson. They rushed ahead, and she could tell Hell Squad were itching to help Nine.
Which, apparently, the other squad didn’t need it. Moments, later, Roth and his team had finished wiping out the patrol. Large raptor bodies littered the ground.
A deep voice with a New Zealand accent came through the earpiece. “Steele, we’ve spotted the other raptor patrol. Heading to engage.”
“Roger that, Tane,” Marcus answered. “Good hunting.” He faced Hell Squad with a frown. “All right, there’s a chance the aliens will send back up. Let’s head inside and get this done.”
As a group, they moved toward the strange, large doorway into the dome. Marcus nodded to Reed.
The tall man moved forward and fixed a tiny metal object to the door. He pressed a button on it and stepped back.
Nothing happened.
Emerson eyed the others, but they were still watching the door. She looked back…and saw the metal object was moving. A bright-orange glow appeared below it.
A laser cutter.
It moved in a large arch. When it clicked off, Reed stepped forward again and snatched it up. Then he pressed one boot to the dome and kicked.
The door fell inward.
Emerson sucked in a deep breath and followed Hell Squad inside.
***
Gabe stepped inside the dome. Damn, he didn’t like this place.
There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of tanks lined up in rows. The filtered light shining through the dome cast a strange orange glow over everything, and the atmosphere felt wrong. It was more humid inside than outside, and it left his chest a little tight.
Emerson had her scanner out. “The oxygen level in the air is a little low, but still in tolerable range.” She frowned. “It must help promote the transformation.”
“All right, Doc, this is your show,” Marcus said. “Tell us what you need us to do.”
She nodded, pulling small rolls from her backpack. “Everyone take a roll of stickers. Take a row of tanks and mark a tank red if the occupant shows obvious raptor traits. Anyone who still looks completely human gets a green sticker. Orange for any you’re not sure about. My team and I will come along and scan them all to double-check and set any oranges to green or red.”
“Then what?” Claudia asked.
“Green, we’ll pull out and see if we can save them.”
“And red?” Reed asked.
“We’ve brought drugs to euthanize them. There are ports in the tanks, so we’ll inject the drug directly into the tank fluid.”
Gabe admired her steady, non-nonsense tone. But he knew her well enough now to hear the pain under her words. He knew that being unable to save them all cut her deep.
They all got to work. Roth and his team joined them to help. Tane and his squad were outside on patrol.
Soon, all the tanks were marked with colored stickers. Hell Squad began the grim task of hauling bodies out of the green tanks.
Gabe waited as Reed passed him body, after body. Most of them never moved.
Those who dragged in rasping breaths, he carried over to Emerson or one of her paramedics for them to tend to. Soon, there was a small, drenched, and shivering group of survivors. They huddled together, confused and upset. One of Emerson’s paramedics spoke to them in a soothing voice, reassuring them as he checked their vital signs.
Emerson took on the task of administering the drugs to those patients in the tanks who they couldn’t help.
It was clear to
Gabe that those people were suffering. Inside the tanks, he saw faces caught in grimaces of pain, and others jerking spasmodically.
But it didn’t make Emerson’s task any easier. He saw the way her shoulders slumped and the way she braced herself before she injected each tank.
He watched her approach another tank. The occupant inside clearly sensed her and attacked the glass, kicking and hitting. The female face behind the orange-tinted glass was a mask of rage and pain.
Emerson flinched, but her hands were rock steady as she injected the drug.
Soon the tank’s occupant stopped fighting. The woman’s movements slowed until she hung in the fluid, still and silent.
Emerson pulled in a breath and moved to the next tank.
Tonight, Gabe would be Emerson’s safe haven from the darkness. He’d hold her, make love to her, and make sure she was too tired to have nightmares.
Suddenly, gunfire echoed through the dome. Gabe spun. Raptor gunfire. A second later, he heard carbines returning fire.
“Hell Squad, western side of the dome,” Elle’s voice came through the comm. “Raptors must have been lying in wait and hiding their signatures. There are fifteen of them.”
Fuck, an ambush. He glanced at Emerson. She was shouting at her med techs who were moving to surround the survivors. She had her laser pistol clutched in her hand. With a final look at her, Gabe stormed through the tanks, catching up with Marcus and Reed.
Then Hell Squad did what they did best.
Working together, they weeded out the raptors. Gabe, Reed and Marcus switched to combat knives, fighting up close. Shaw stayed back, picking off raptors who dared pop their heads out from their hiding places. Claudia and Cruz were flanking the raptors, pushing them toward the rest of Hell Squad.
They’d just taken down the last raptor, all of them breathing heavily, when Emerson’s scream cut across the comm.
Gabe froze in the act of wiping his knife clean. When she screamed again and he heard the grunts of the raptor language, he spun and ran in her direction.
“Gabe!”
