Survivors (Hell Squad #19)

by Anna Hackett

  Naomi stifled a moan. “We can’t do this here.”

  “The aliens can’t hear us from here, and the sentry bot will alert us if anyone gets close.”

  He stroked again, sensation arrowing through her. The tiniest moan escaped her lips.

  “You have to be quiet, Silver.” He pinched her clit, and then he slid lower. “Damn, you’re soaked.”

  “All for you,” she whispered.

  His groan made her smile, but as he kept caressing her, she couldn’t stop a husky cry escaping.

  He raised his other hand and pressed it to her mouth. She bit into the fleshy part of his palm. He kept working her, electricity zinging through her body. It wasn’t long before she bucked against his hand and started coming.

  His mouth came down on hers, swallowing her cries. She slumped against him. It took a few minutes, but finally her racing heartbeat slowed.

  “Rest up.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

  Surprisingly, Naomi started to drift off. It was easy when she knew he was watching over her.

  “Funny that with you, I feel safe,” she said. “Even in the middle of alien territory.”

  She felt him go still, then he stroked her hair. Moments later, she fell asleep.

  Dak was dreaming of Naomi.

  They’d switched places, her keeping watch while he grabbed some shut-eye. But having a super sexy dream about her using her mouth on him wasn’t very restful.

  His eyes snapped open, and he saw the rock walls of their hiding place. And felt a hot mouth on his cock.

  Fuck.

  He looked down. Naomi’s dark head bobbed over his lap, and when she looked up, he had the perfect view of her mouth wrapped around his cock.

  “Naomi,” he groaned.

  She sucked harder, taking him deep. Her hands were clamped on his thighs. He thrust up into her mouth.

  “Gonna come.” How could he not with this woman driving him to the edge?

  Her tongue swirled around the swollen head of his cock and she sucked again. A second later, Dak bit down on his tongue to stifle his groan as he spilled into her mouth.

  She slid off him with a pop. “Hello, Captain.”

  He yanked her closer and kissed her. He tasted himself on her lips. “Say my name.”

  “Dak.” This time the kiss was slower, deeper. “Dak.”

  He wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. “We’d better get cleaned up, it’s time to go.”

  With a nod, she pulled away. He watched her eat an energy bar and pack up her gear.

  Dak wanted this mission done. He wanted to be back at base—and for the first time ever since the invasion, he was going to ask for a few days off. He planned to hole up with his woman and not get out of bed the entire time.

  But right now, he needed his head in the game. He had to be focused on this mission.

  He packed up the last of his gear and recalled the sentry bot. A few minutes later, it skittered in and he packed it away.

  Together, he and Naomi headed out. They moved down a narrow, dusty road toward the dam. They stuck to the shadows, moving cautiously. Naomi moved like a pro, keeping her steps quiet. Damn, she was going to be one hell of a security officer.

  He held up his hand.

  They were close to the dam and he heard the hum of equipment and engines. They rounded some rocks, crouching low.

  The Hoover Dam Visitor Center was right in front of them.

  The raptor patrols had lessened, but there were still plenty of aliens marching around the area. Dak spotted the doorway to the stairs. There was a lot of ground between them and the door.

  Naomi tapped his shoulder and pointed out a route. The place was littered with alien equipment parts and crates, some of them glowing and blinking with red lights. Brow creased, he studied the space and nodded. She was right. If they were careful, they could use the gear for cover and make it to the doorway.

  A raptor patrol marched close to them—two big raptors and a canid. Dak and Naomi pulled back, holding their breath until the aliens passed. He waited for them to get a little farther away, then he nodded.

  He and Naomi sprinted out, staying low. They ran in a straight line and ducked down behind a stack of alien boxes. With his back pressed to the boxes, he looked down at her. She was bathed in a red glow but gave him a thumbs up.

  Such a courageous woman. He knew her life couldn’t have been easy with the family she’d had, but she’d forged her own path and she’d made herself into one hell of a woman.

  Now they waited until they could move again. They needed patience and nerves of steel to make their way across to the door.

  They waited for the raptors to stomp past them again, and a second patrol that he could see not far away. He lifted his hand and pointed. Together, they darted out, sprinting fast, and slid in behind an overturned vehicle that had been left in the parking area.

  They crouched beside the truck. It had a UC Department of Parks logo on the side of the door.

  Naomi peered through the cracked window and hissed. “Shit.”

  Dak spotted the skeleton still strapped into the driver’s seat. He gripped Naomi’s shoulder and squeezed. He hoped to hell the person had found a better place.

  Naomi pressed into his side.

  He breathed her in. He wanted to live. It didn’t matter that the world had gone to hell, he had no plans to find the next life just yet.

  And now, he had an excellent incentive sitting right beside him. He definitely wanted more time with Naomi Silver.

  The raptor patrols were finally out of sight, and they darted out, running toward a stack of black crates. They hunkered down deep in the shadows and waited.

  Suddenly, there was a noise—something sharp scraping on concrete—and they both tensed. A canid stepped into view.

  Damn, the hunting dogs had a good sense of smell. If it caught their scent…

  Drool dripped from the creature’s jaws. Dak pulled a grenade off his belt. The Australian survivors at the Enclave just south of Sydney had discovered that the canids didn’t like cedar oil and the raptors didn’t like cineole, a component of eucalyptus oil. They’d developed several grenades and shared the designs with Groom Lake.

  He fingered a cedar oil grenade. If he had to use it, this mission was over. The aliens would know they were here, and the bomb would slip through their hands.

  Naomi reached for the grenade, taking it from him. She started pulling it apart. What was she doing?

  She cracked the device open and he smelled the sharp scent of cedar.

  The canid sniffed. It’s spike-and-scale-covered body tensed, then it moved away from them.

  Genius. He stroked a hand down her back.

  She tucked the ruined grenade in under a crate, and rubbed her hands on her pants.

  Dak saw the time was right to move. They darted out and in behind their next point of cover. Slowly, they played their game of run, hide, and wait.

  The door to the maintenance stairs came into view right ahead of them. When the closest raptors had turned their backs, he and Naomi raced toward it.

  She touched the electronic lock, then shook her head. “No power.” She pulled out a small tool and went to work on the lock.

  Dak scanned their surroundings. He saw one raptor patrol nearing the end of their patrol route. In just a few seconds, they would turn around. “Hurry.”

  “Nearly got it.”

  He saw the first raptor pause and start to turn. He tensed. “Naomi.”

  “Almost there.”

  Dak lifted his carbine. Shit. They were out of time.

  Click.

  “Got it.” The door opened and Naomi slipped through it.

  He followed quickly and shut the door behind them.

  They were in.

  Chapter Seven

  Naomi jogged down the stairs. “The dam has two powerhouses, one on the Nevada side of the river, and one on the Arizona side.”

  They rounded another landing. Th
e walls were all raw rock from where the tunnels and stairwells had been cut.

  “We’ll reach the Nevada powerhouse first. The main turbine room will be the most likely place they’d store the bomb.”

  “Got it,” Dak said.

  The stairs ended and she carefully pushed open the door. They stepped onto a mezzanine level, looking down over the huge Nevada powerhouse.

  Sticking to the shadows, Dak grabbed the railing. “Impressive.”

  “Amazing, huh?” The workers who’d constructed the place had done one hell of a job. Naomi had been in awe of the huge structure when she’d first visited. The old turbines—huge, circular structures—rested in a row in the cavernous space. They’d been decommissioned a few decades back, and the new technology had been installed beside the old turbines. But most of that was lost among the Gizzida tech. Organic, sinewy cables ran along the concrete floor. Boxy bits of equipment hummed, lights blinking on them.

  Assholes.

  “I don’t see the bomb,” Dak said quietly.

  “This way,” she whispered. “We need to head down to the turbine floor.”

  They took a side tunnel, listening for any unwanted company. Naomi led him down another set of stairs and they pushed through another door. She peered onto the turbine floor. She didn’t see any aliens, but right ahead, she saw the metal body of one of the turbines.

  They darted out, ducking down behind the turbine casing.

  Dak scanned the area, his brow creased. “No sign of the bomb.”

  She nodded, and then they snuck out of their hiding spot, sticking close to the wall as they headed toward the next turbine.

  They heard some deep grunts, followed by the guttural voice of a raptor. Naomi and Dak froze. The raptors were close.

  Dak grabbed her arm and they sprinted in behind some Gizzida equipment. Crouching, they waited.

  Two raptors marched by, their boots thumping on the concrete floor.

  Naomi bit her lip, fighting a flood of anger. They were so close, so easy to attack. These beings had destroyed the Earth and killed so many people.

  Warm lips pressed to her ear. “Focus. We need to keep searching.”

  Dragging in a breath, she did as he ordered. They reached the end of the powerhouse.

  No bomb. Shit.

  Lines bracketed Dak’s mouth.

  “There’s the other powerhouse on the other side of the river,” she said.

  He nodded. “Let’s move.”

  They turned the corner, and she knew they’d be right at the base of the dam wall. They carefully snuck through the adjoining space, heading toward the Arizona side of the structure.

  A horrible smell reached her nose and she switched to breathing through her mouth. “What the—?”

  Ahead, the rock-cut walls were covered in cocoons and pods. Holy shit. Naomi’s heart skipped a beat. There were so many of them. Several of the pods were pulsing, and she saw fleshy cables connecting them and crisscrossing the space.

  Ugh. To her, they looked like organs just pulled out of someone’s body.

  She pressed the tips of her fingers against one cocoon. It was tough to the touch. A shadow moved inside, and she snatched her hand back.

  “Don’t touch them,” Dak warned.

  They continued on their way, picking a path through the foul-looking pods, and eventually, they reached the Arizona powerhouse. The space was almost identical to the one on the Nevada side.

  “This place is huge,” Dak said.

  Once again, they moved from turbine to turbine, checking for any sign of the octagonal bomb. A few raptors patrolled through the space, but far fewer than on the surface. They clearly weren’t expecting any humans down here. She and Dak easily dodged and avoided the aliens.

  They reached the back of the powerhouse.

  No bomb.

  “Fuck,” Dak muttered. “Where else could it be?”

  Naomi chewed on her lip. What if it wasn’t even here? Her chest tightened, and she forced herself to relax.

  Think, Naomi, think. The time she’d spent here had been providing security for the dam, and dealing with tourists.

  “Wait,” she said softly. “There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes stuff they don’t show the public anymore, except for the odd VIP guest. We should check the penstocks.”

  “The what?”

  “The huge metal intake pipes. The water comes from the intake towers in the lake, then into the penstocks.” She turned and pointed at a door. “We need to go that way. But the tunnels are a bit of a maze, and there’s nowhere to hide if we run into company.”

  Dak nodded. “Noted, but we need to take the risk.”

  They moved along the wall and reached the heavy, steel door. Naomi quickly hacked the lock.

  They entered a curving walkway cut into the rock, moving quickly. They were halfway along, when a lone raptor came around the other curve.

  The alien’s red eyes widened, and he bared his teeth.

  Shit, they couldn’t fire their weapons and alert the other Gizzida to their presence. Dak launched himself at the raptor like a football player. He and the alien smacked together, and grunts filled the air.

  Naomi came in from the side, ramming her fist into the alien’s torso. The force of the blow vibrated up her arm, but she kept attacking. The raptors were all densely-packed muscle.

  She and Dak worked together, raining blows on the alien and not letting him attack. Soon, the raptor dropped to his knees, breathing harshly. Dak gripped the alien’s head, and, using the enhanced strength from the exoskeleton in his armor, he broke the raptor’s neck.

  “Shit.” Naomi pressed a hand to her chest, staring at the unmoving body. Her heart was hammering, and adrenaline rushed through her body.

  “We’ll bring it with us and hide the body,” Dak said. “Can’t leave it here.”

  It took the two of them to drag the raptor’s heavy body out of the tunnel. Right at the end, Naomi spotted a door. “Maintenance closet.” She shoved open the door, and together, she and Dak pushed the raptor’s body inside.

  After catching their breath, they moved through the heavy door and into another area of the dam.

  “There’s the first penstock,” she said.

  They looked through the reinforced-glass window. A huge pipe was visible.

  Walkways traversed either side of the pipe, and Naomi spotted several raptors walking along them.

  Dak peered through the glass, frowning. “There isn’t much space down there. I don’t think there’s any room for the bomb.”

  She snapped her fingers. “I know. There’s another off-limits area below the turbines. Where the rest of the turbine operates. What we saw in the main powerhouse is just the top of it.”

  “Let’s check it out.”

  They headed away from the penstocks, moving through the tunnels at a jog. They went down some more stairs and kept going lower until they reached a door marked “Restricted.” They peered through the reinforced glass panel in the center of it.

  Naomi sucked in a breath.

  The bomb rested in the center of the space, not far from the long, cylindrical metal shaft of one of the turbines. Several raptors were working on the octagonal-shaped device, and the top of the bomb was open. They were just high enough that she could glimpse some sort of fluid inside it.

  Dak pulled out his camera and started taking some pictures, zooming in to get as much detail as he could.

  “All right, now we get out of here,” he said.

  She nodded.

  They crept out of the area. They needed to avoid the aliens and get topside.

  They worked their way back through the tunnels and past the pods and cocoons. Naomi’s nerves were strung tight. She expected a raptor to spot them at any second.

  Voices echoed ahead, and they pressed against the wall. She glanced around and cursed.

  “There’s a big group of aliens between us and the stairs we used to get down here.”

  Dak’s mouth pressed
into a firm line. “Is there another set of stairs we can use?”

  She nodded. “But it’ll bring us out on the dam wall.”

  He was silent a moment, weighing the odds. “Better to be outside, with more room to maneuver.”

  She nodded and headed to the secondary stairwell. When they reached the stairs, she let out a long breath. Almost there.

  “Move it, Silver.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and started upward. Just a few flights, and they could get outside.

  They wound their way up and were roughly halfway, when she heard the heavy thud of boots above.

  “Raptors,” she hissed.

  “Fuck.”

  She met Dak’s gaze. Then he grabbed her arm and they jogged back down the stairs. They’d passed a few doors into other levels and when they reached one door, Dak pressed his shoulder against it. It swung open.

  It was pitch-black inside and they slipped in, closing the door quietly behind them.

  There were no sounds in the room and Dak flicked on a small light.

  In response, several red lights flared to life.

  Naomi’s belly turned over. Shit. The entire room was filled with glowing, red pods.

  “We need to get away from the door,” Dak said. “In case those raptors come in here.”

  Wincing, she moved deeper into the room, carefully maneuvering through the pods.

  “Have you ever seen that old, classic movie Alien?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “Let’s not bring that up right now.”

  They ducked down behind some pods, and Naomi’s hand landed in something sticky. Gross. The place smelled horrible, so she breathed through her mouth.

  Once again, she was close enough to see a shadow of something moving inside the nearest pod. She peered closer and suddenly, a creature slammed against the pod’s side, like it could sense her.

  She jerked back, slamming into Dak. He steadied her.

  “I think we can go now,” he said. “The raptors should have passed by.”

  She couldn’t wait to get out of this room. They moved back to the door and she stepped back into the stairwell. It was silent.

  They started back up the stairs, and when she cracked open the door, a gust of wind hit her face.