by Anna Hackett
Alexander looked down and saw the tears on Liv’s cheeks.
“Go, Freyja.” Her voice was thick. “Go, be free.”
Not understanding what her best friend was telling her, Freyja merely sniffed the ground nearby.
“Damn you, Alexander.” Liv pressed her face to his chest. “I was fine alone, then you made me fall in love with you. I don’t want to lose you.”
He tipped her face up and kissed her.
They clung to each other, and pain blossomed under his skin. The scales were multiplying fast.
“It hurts,” she whispered.
He held her tighter and looked up. The early-morning sky was covered in a cloud of brown—the deadly, alien material that was turning them all into the enemy they’d fought so hard against.
Suddenly, a pulse of energy hit him. Like some sort of shockwave. Gasping for breath, he felt Liv jerk in his arms.
“What was that?” she whispered, her voice breathless.
A woman rushed out of the base behind them, tearing at her body. “It burns!”
A strange, tingling feeling moved over the scales on his arm. He stared at the woman, and as she screamed again, he saw that the scales on her body were receding.
What the hell?
He looked at Liv. The scales on her face were dissolving.
“Liv?” The burning sensation was already fading, along with the scales on his arm.
“Alexander, look,” she breathed.
They looked up at the sky. He tilted his head back and saw that the cloud was turning silver-white with a heart of green, the morning sun streaking through it.
Dak
In the dark of night, Captain Dak Vaughn fired on the incoming raptors. They were too damn close to the Groom Lake Base, and it wouldn’t be long before they overran his security team and got inside.
Around him, his team fired their carbines.
“Oh, God, Dak.”
The love of his life, Naomi, was fighting beside him. But her gaze was on the horizon, on the huge, brown cloud just visible in the moonlit sky. It was heading their way, spreading fast.
His gut tightened. He knew it would change them, steal their free will, and turn them into Gizzida.
He looked at Naomi’s face—beautiful and fierce. She’d blown into his life and become his everything.
Lowering his carbine, he grabbed her and kissed her. She kissed him back, as always, so passionate and loving.
In his earpiece, he heard the voice of his recon team leader, Marlon, at Hoover Dam. They’d been monitoring the aliens and the bomb.
“Captain—” wild screams came across the comm line “—sorry, we’re all changing.”
More screams.
Dak pressed his forehead to Naomi’s. “Fuck, Naomi.”
“We’ll go down fighting, Dak. It isn’t over yet.”
He cupped her cheek. “My optimist.”
Together, they turned and lifted their carbines, firing on the incoming raptors.
Suddenly, Dak felt a punch of energy through the air. Beside him, Naomi gasped. Was this some other weapon?
Then, white light speared through the brown cloud.
Dak froze.
“What’s happening?” Naomi said.
“I’m not sure…”
The cloud continued to move closer, turning silver-white, with a touch of green. Tensing, he watched the edge of the cloud reach the raptors in the desert below. He saw the aliens stop fighting. They were agitated.
He waited to see if he, Naomi, and the rest of his team would start changing.
“Dak!” It was Marlon from the recon team again. The man’s voice was strained. “The change has stopped. We’re okay.”
Dak looked down into Naomi’s wide eyes.
All of a sudden, the raptor fighters dropped to the ground. They writhed in the sand, their guttural screams filling the air.
“They’re dying,” she breathed. “What the hell is going on?”
He slid an arm around her, disbelief coiled with a thread of hope. “I think we won.”
Elle
“Marcus.” Elle’s fingers clenched on the edge of her desk. It never got easier knowing her squad was out there, fighting for their lives, while she sat deep inside the Enclave and listened. “Do you copy?”
“Here, Elle. We’re almost at Blue Mountain Base.”
His gravelly voice filled her with love. On the screen, she saw the blip of their Hawk.
“Do you have a visual on the explosion?” she asked.
She sensed General Holmes hovering behind her. Niko had left hours ago to join the fighters in the field.
“Yes,” Marcus replied. “There’s a white cloud in the sky. Whatever the berserkers did, they outdid themselves this time.”
She glanced at Indy’s desk. The berserkers’ comms officer was holding her head in her hands. Elle’s belly clenched. The woman didn’t look happy. Elle prayed the berserkers were okay.
“Fuck,” Marcus suddenly barked.
On screen, she saw the Hawk veering wildly.
“Marcus?” she cried.
“It’s okay, the Hawk just had to take evasive maneuvers. There are damn Gizzida birds falling out of the damn sky. We’re coming in to land.”
“Hang on, Marcus.” Elle shifted her headset and looked at Indy. “Indy?”
The comms officer lifted her head, tears streaming down her face.
Air locked in Elle’s lungs. “Indy, what’s wrong?”
Beside them, Arden leaped up. “Roth and Squad Nine just reported in! They said the Gizzida are dying.” The woman beamed. “The giant alien creature dropped out of the sky. It crashed into the ground and isn’t moving. The raptors are falling down right where they stand.”
“Really?” Holmes said.
Arden nodded.
The general turned and raised his voice. “The Gizzida are dying.”
Cheers broke out across the Command Center.
Elle grabbed Indy’s hand. “The berserkers?”
Arden stiffened, her gaze locked on Indy. “Dom? The others?”
“Griff and Dom are okay,” Indy said.
Arden’s shoulders sagged. “Thank God.”
“The bomb detonated,” Indy said carefully.
Elle frowned. “But the Gizzida are dying and we aren’t growing scales. The berserkers got the antidote in. It worked.”
Indy gave a nod, fresh tears falling, struggling to get the words out. “Tane and Selena leaped into the bomb to deliver the antidote.”
“What?” Elle’s chest compressed.
“They were in the bomb when it detonated.”
“Oh, no.” Arden pressed a hand to her throat.
Sadness swamped Elle.
“Elle?” Marcus’ voice in her ear. “What’s going on?”
“Marcus, Squad Nine reported that the Gizzida are dying on the battlefield,” she said.
“What? That’s fucking brilliant.” She listened as he relayed the news to the rest of Hell Squad. Elle heard their cheers.
“Marcus, there’s more.”
He paused. “What’s wrong, Elle?”
“In order to deliver the antidote, Tane and Selena dived into the bomb before it exploded.”
“Fuck.”
Elle fought back a sob. “Go and find the berserkers. Bring them home.”
They’d won, but right now, Elle couldn’t help but feel like they’d also lost, as well.
Roth
Roth Masters lowered his carbine.
His squad had landed the Darkswifts and had joined the ground fighters. He was covered in sweat, blood, and gore.
But now his enemy was on the ground, writhing and screaming. He glanced over to where a rex lay on its side. It let out a pained bellow. In the distance, the giant alien monster that had been incinerating everything below it, was now still on the ground.
He couldn’t quite believe it. He turned to the west where a huge, silver-white cloud with a tinge of green dominated the hori
zon of the darkening sky.
Roth sucked in a breath. Fucking hell, they’d done it.
He toed a dead raptor in front of him. Its face was shriveled and desiccated.
Mac and Cam jogged over to him.
“Best damn day of my life,” Mac said. “Except for when Niko told me that he loved me.”
Cam cast a worried glance to the west. “Any news on the berserkers?”
Roth shook his head. “Not yet. But they’re tough bastards. They’ll be fine.”
He hoped to hell he wasn’t lying.
Theron and Sienna finished taking down a canid that was still trying to fight, even though it was clearly dying.
Taylor lifted her carbine to her shoulder. “I can’t believe the Gizzida are dying.”
“Roth, this is Arden.” Arden’s cool, modulated voice came through the comm line.
“Hey, Arden. The raptors are still dropping like flies.” Roth smiled, starting to let himself believe.
Across the field, he saw the rest of the Enclave fighters cheering and hugging each other.
“The berserkers did it,” he said.
“They did.”
Arden’s tone made something spike in his chest. “Arden?”
“To stop it, Tane and Selena jumped into the bomb before it exploded.”
“Ah, fuck.” Roth pressed a hand to his forehead.
Cam stepped in front of him, her mouth tight.
“The rest of the berserkers?” he asked, not looking away from Cam.
“They’re alive,” Arden answered.
Roth released a breath. “Okay, we’ll clean up here and be back soon.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Roth—” Cam started.
He gripped her lean shoulder.
“Please,” she whispered, her eyes imploring.
“Hemi’s alive.”
She released a shaky breath. Then she tilted her head. “What aren’t you saying?”
Roth sighed. “Tane and Selena didn’t make it.”
Cam’s face spasmed. “No.”
Emerson
In the infirmary, Emerson hugged her friend, Norah. “Oh, God. We did it!” The medical team was all grinning and cheering. “The bomb was neutralized and even better, the Gizzida are dying.”
She’d already had confirmation that her baby daddy was safe. She pressed her palm to her belly. We’re going to all be okay, my babies.
Noah appeared in the doorway. One look at his face had Emerson’s happiness shriveling. She hurried over to him. “What?”
“I just got off the comm with Laura.”
“And?”
“Tane and Selena…”
Emerson’s chest locked. “No, don’t say it.”
“I’m sorry, Emerson.”
She shook her head. “No.”
He pulled her close. “Damn, I’m so sorry.”
She clung to him and the tears fell. “They’d just found each other. She was so damn happy. She’d survived so much, and deserved to live.” Emerson sobbed quietly.
“There’s good news,” he whispered. “Word’s coming in from Setermoen.” Noah patted her back. “Their people had already started to change, but the change was reversed. They’re okay.”
Emerson swiped a shaky hand under her eyes. “That’s good.”
“And the Gizzida are dying, Emerson. They started dropping mid-battle, along with several of their hybrid creatures. We won.”
Emerson stiffened, pushing through her grief. A horrible thought hit her. “Gaz’da.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “Shit.”
Together, they broke into a run and pushed into the corridor. Emerson tried to keep up as they headed toward the alien’s quarters.
He lived slightly separate from the main area, both for privacy, and because some people still felt nervous around him. Noah thumped his fist against the man’s door. There was no response.
It took Noah seconds to get the electronic lock open.
They raced inside. Gaz’da was on the floor, a panicked Alyssa beside him. Tears streaked the woman’s face.
Gaz’da groaned in pain.
“Help him,” Alyssa pleaded.
Emerson carefully knelt down beside her alien friend and checked him over. “We’re here, Gaz’da.” His pulse was racing. His red eyes were filled with agony as he looked at her.
She saw the scales on his skin were receding in places, leaving raw, angry wounds, and she hissed out a breath. In some spots, however, smooth, blue-gray skin appeared from beneath the scales.
“What can we do for him?” Noah asked.
Emerson bit her lip. “I don’t know. It looks like his Gizzida DNA is dying.” She brushed her hand over Gaz’da’s scaled head.
“You have to help him.” Alyssa clutched his clawed hand. “Gaz’da, don’t leave me.”
“I’m sorry…” He managed to push the words through his lips.
“Let’s get him to the infirmary,” Emerson ordered. “Noah, get some of the paramedics down here with an iono-stretcher.”
With a nod, Noah rose and pulled out his communicator.
Emerson fought back her grief. So much loss in order for them to win.
Chapter Nineteen
Marcus
With his carbine up, and his squad behind him, Marcus moved into the ruins of Blue Mountain Base.
The center of the base had been blown completely out. Above, the white-silver cloud was starting to disperse in the evening sky.
They stepped into the open area, littered with overturned Gizzida gear and dying raptors—and spotted the berserkers. Hemi was on his knees, distraught, his squad mates close beside him.
Ahead, a crater marked the spot where Marcus assumed the bomb had sat.
The place where Tane and Selena had sacrificed themselves, so humanity could live.
“Squad Three,” Marcus said.
The men’s heads whipped around. They were all covered in dirt and blood. They’d fought hard.
They were wild, but Marcus knew each berserker had a core of strength and honor.
But right now, they looked broken.
“Cam?” Hemi asked.
“Fine. Worried about you.”
“Tane…” Hemi swallowed, his hands clenched into fists. “Selena. Fuck, they needed to get the antidote in from above. The bomb was about to blow. She jumped…he followed.”
“He loved her,” Marcus said quietly.
Hemi gave one short nod. “She made him smile, brought him out of the shadows.”
Marcus understood that so well. Elle was his light in the darkness.
“It’s not fair!” Hemi slammed his fist into the ground. “They deserved to live, to find their happiness.”
It was true of so many people who had lost their lives in this alien invasion. “They died protecting the people they loved. And they were with each other.” Marcus knew that the words wouldn’t help, wouldn’t take the pain away. At least, not right now. “You guys beat the Gizzida. The raptors and their creatures are dying. You won.”
Hemi nodded tiredly.
Something fluttered on Marcus’ face. With a frown, he swatted it. He felt another flutter, and another.
He saw Hemi blinking and waving his arm in front of his face as well.
“What the hell?” Cruz murmured.
A butterfly landed on Marcus’ gloved finger. He looked up, and the air stuck in his lungs. There were thousands of them fluttering in the air above.
“Oh, my God,” Claudia murmured.
The small creatures filled the space, fluttering through the dispersing cloud.
Several fluttered over to the detonation crater.
Marcus took a step forward. Hemi rose, his brow creased.
As a group, they moved toward the crater.
“Fucking…fuck,” Hemi bit out.
Tane and Selena were lying on their sides in the bottom of the crater. They were naked, and not moving. Tane’s bigger body was curled protectively around Sele
na. Her skin was glowing.
“Ash,” Hemi barked.
Marcus nodded at Cruz.
The two men skidded down the steep side of the crater, and Marcus saw Griff grip Hemi’s shoulder in silent support.
The stocky berserker’s face twisted as they waited.
Ash bent over the couple and then looked up. “They’re alive!”
Holmes
Adam paced the Command Center, waiting for Hell Squad to report in. Around him, so many of the base residents were happy, ecstatic at beating the Gizzida.
Others were not so happy. All the comms officers were subdued, and Indy’s face was streaked with tears.
They were mourning those who hadn’t made it. For the soldiers who’d fallen, defending the Enclave. For Tane and Selena.
War demanded great sacrifice. His hand curled into his palm. Adam would make sure that none of them were forgotten.
A hand stroked down his back and he turned to look at Liberty. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled as always, gorgeous, loose curls falling over her shoulders and framing her beautiful face. She’d stayed beside him through the entire fight—brought him coffee, held his hand, been his silent support.
He couldn’t remember how he’d survived without her. His woman had a radar for when he was stressed and pushed to the limit.
He lowered his head and touched his mouth to hers.
She smiled, then a tiny grimace crossed her face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She smoothed her hand down his arm. “It’s nothing.”
“I read you, Marcus.” Elle shifted, then shot straight up in her chair, her eyes going wide. “What? You’re sure? Oh my God!”
Adam frowned.
Elle swiveled, a wide smile lighting up her face. “They found Tane and Selena! They’re unconscious, but alive.”
Adam closed his eyes, relief sweeping through him.
Cheers erupted and Indy leaped onto her desk, threw her head back, and screamed with joy.
Damn. Elation swamped him. He swiveled and lifted Liberty off her feet, careful of the round belly that held their child.
