The Zahkx Alliance: A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure (Dominion Rising Book 2)

by Katherine Bogle

  The other two dropped as Selene leapt behind the broken half of a boulder. Her heart raced as another flash of light passed her hiding place. Shit. None of the inner security guards were supposed to have guns. Did that mean there were others? Or had this one slipped inside when they arrived? She ground her teeth. They had to get to the top of that pile. Where the hell were Darius and Flik?

  “Do you have another weapon?” Rikkard asked.

  Selene looked at him, biting back whatever unfamiliar feelings swelled at the sight of him. “Yes.” She pulled a black laser pistol from her hip and handed it to him. She always kept an extra weapon around, just in case. Now more than ever she was glad she had. She’d need someone to cover her while she found out where the shots were coming from.

  “I’ll cover you,” Rikkard said.

  Selene smiled. She loved that he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Okay.”

  Rikkard slipped to the edge of the boulder, crouching with his pistol at the ready. Selene waited at the other end of the rock, ready to lean out and assess the situation.

  “Now!” Rikkard leapt up and shot in the general direction the laser fire had come from. His blue laser fire crashed into rock and sand as Selene leaned out.

  Further down the path, a guard kneeled behind a rock, his boot sticking out from the corner, and his head barely covered. He looked young, probably new to the work camp security team. It was just her luck they’d run into someone that actually gave a shit.

  “Only one guy,” Selene reported. She leaned back behind the boulder. “Thirty feet north behind a large rock, directly at the end of the path.”

  Rikkard stopped his fire and crouched. “Okay, I’ll cover you while you get him in your crosshair.” He glanced down as she nodded.

  “Right,” she said. “Give him time to fire back so he’ll be exposed. I’ll catch him as soon as he leans out.”

  “Got it.”

  Selene flashed a wicked smile, her heart racing. She couldn’t believe how good it felt to finally have Rikkard back, to stand beside him while under fire and plan their way out of a sticky situation.

  “What?” he asked, confusion wrinkling his forehead.

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  The corner of his lips twitched, and Selene had the feeling he felt the same way. “Let’s take him out and go home.”

  Selene nodded, her chest warming. Though they didn’t exactly have a home to go back to, and things were far more complicated than he realized, their home wasn’t a place. It wasn’t their old cargo ship, or Bakura. Home was with their crew—with all of them together as a family.

  Her heart sank. Only with Kayl gone and Sarah dead, they were two members short. The smugglers’ numbers were dwindling, even if she did plan on pilfering Sav, Flik and Lanny from the resistance.

  “Ready?” Rikkard looked down, half standing, ready to provide her cover fire.

  Selene took a deep breath. “Yep.”

  Rikkard stood, squeezing off shots as Selene ducked and rolled from cover to another shorter rock directly at the end of the path. Pulling her rifle up to her shoulder, she balanced the neck on the top of the rock and aimed for the guard’s hiding place.

  His boot continued to stick out, but he made no move to lean out and fire at Rikkard. Damn. If they couldn’t get him to look out, she’d never get a shot.

  “More time between shots,” Selene yell-whispered across the space between cover.

  Eria met her eyes, a mix of confusion, determination, and some sort of inner fire Selene didn’t quite understand. The woman turned back to Rikkard and relayed Selene’s message.

  Rikkard slowed his shots, firing near the guard’s hiding place instead of at it. He left five seconds between shots, then ten.

  Selene sighed with exasperation. Come on. Lean out. Staring down her sight, Selene aimed the crosshairs right at where she assumed he’d peek out. His foot shifted at the corner of her vision and a smile flashed across her face.

  “Got him.”

  The guard spun and half stood, pulling his pistol up and getting a shot off just as Selene put a hole through his forehead.

  “Rikkard!” Eria cried.

  Selene’s heart dropped as she lowered her gun and spun back to face the other two. Rikkard held his arm and gritted his teeth, his face contorting in pain.

  “Rik!” Selene raced across the path and kneeled beside him. “Let me see it, dammit!” She pulled at his fingers until they finally gave way.

  A slice of his bicep was missing, the wound black and singed where it had sealed. He’d lost a decent chunk of his arm, but his fist was still clenched, so he could move his fingers. Good. She wasn’t sure Erock would give her another cloning free pass, but they could take care of a flesh wound on their own.

  “It’s not even that bad!” Selene swatted his arm. “You scared the hell out of me!”

  Rikkard chuckled and shook his head. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was in a lot of pain, but he’d live.

  “Come on!” Selene stood, and scanned the yard for other guards. None were in range, and from what she could see, none had handguns.

  “Selene, where the hell are you guys?” Flik barked over coms.

  “We’re coming!” she snapped. Keeping her gun at her shoulder, Selene slipped from their hiding place and back up the path.

  The three of them raced up the rock mound as the cruiser Rem commanded slowed above, four cords dropping down to pull them up, each with a foothold on the bottom.

  Flik and Darius waited at the top, crouched in the sand, watching the yard. When Selene, Rik, and Eria finally came over the hill, the men’s faces lit with relief, and then confusion as they spied Eria.

  “Who is that?” Flik asked.

  “I think you mean, who is that?” Darius repeated, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Selene slapped Darius’s arm. “Hey!”

  “You know you deserved it.” She narrowed her eyes.

  Darius grinned devilishly. “True.”

  Rolling her eyes, Selene took up one of the cords, resting her boot in the foothold, and wrapping her hand around the thick fibre rope. The others did the same, except they didn’t have a fifth for Eria. Each of them glanced at one another until Eria stepped up to join Rikkard, wrapping her arms around his waist. She shoved her foot into the strap beside his and gave a quick nod noting she was ready.

  Fire lanced through Selene’s chest, and her nostrils flared.

  Rikkard glanced at her quickly, mild shock registering in his eyes. “Selene–”

  “Bring us up, Rem!” Selene snapped loudly into coms.

  “Damn, okay!” Rem said. The cords pulled taught and quickly lifted them up into the sky.

  The work camp grew smaller as the cruiser lifted up and away. Then it disappeared altogether as the cargo hold encircled them, and the airlock closed beneath their feet. They’d made it with everyone intact, and an unexpected leech clinging to their boss.

  Selene sighed, unhooked her harness, and tossed it across the cargo hold. Her blood continued to boil with questions as she marched across the room to the door. It whooshed into the wall as she reached it, and Selene stepped through.

  “Selene,” Rikkard said. He untangled himself from Eria and marched across the hold, taking her face in his hands and kissing her.

  Warmth flooded every inch of her as Rikkard’s fingers slipped into her hair, and her lips pressed eagerly back against his. It might have only been a couple weeks since they’d seen one another, but after being part of the same team and working closely for more than three years, it felt like an eternity.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, Selene held Rikkard closely and kissed him until she was sure he understood how much she’d missed him.

  The ship shook below their feet, and Selene stumbled. Rikkard’s arms wrapped around her, one hand braced on the wall to hold them up. They stared wide-eyed into each other’s eyes.

  Right. They might not have escaped the work camp yet after all.


  “I hate to break up the reunion…” Flik raised an eyebrow at both of them. “But I’m guessing we have some security in pursuit and you’re both kind of blocking the door.”

  Selene looked back into the cargo hold, her cheeks heating as she realized the three of them had just been standing there watching them kiss. While Flik looked concerned, Darius grinned cheekily, and Eria had the look of an angry tiger ready to strike. Selene couldn’t help but smile, deriving some pleasure from Eria’s envious gaze.

  “Right.” Selene lowered her arms, and Rikkard made sure she was upright before he stepped back. His gaze met hers again, warm with hunger. Biting her lip, Selene pushed away all thoughts of ripping off Rikkard’s clothes—easier said than done. She cleared her throat and turned toward the cockpit. “Rem, what the hell are you doing to my ship?” she called.

  “It’s not my fault!” he shouted back.

  Selene led the way back to the cockpit where several screens hovered above the console wrapping the nose of the cruiser. Rem glanced between the three-dimensional screens and the window, sweat dripping down his temples.

  Lanny’s eyes were narrowed in concentration as he held onto the gun system command controls, his thumbs hovering above the red buttons atop the handles. His screen was far wider; giving him a one-eighty view of the landscape in whichever direction he turned the guns.

  Six sleek silver speeders flashed across the screen, flying erratically to avoid Lanny’s shots. Laser fire flared from the gun, straight passed the coming speeders.

  “Dammit, Lanny. It’s my turn.” Selene spun his chair away from the console.

  His eyes flew wide as he quickly unbuckled himself and leapt from the seat. Selene took his place, spinning back to face the screen.

  The handles were warm, and her hands became instantly clammy. She took a deep breath, and turned the gun left and right, getting a feel for the sensitivity of the sticks. Once she had it down, she aimed at the closest pursuing speeder. The windshield was dark, and no glow flashed within. It had to be manned by work camp security. It was bad luck for him, as Selene was about to blow him out of the sky.

  “How are shield reserves?” Selene asked as she fired at the first speeder.

  The silver machine bobbed and weaved out of her path, her red lasers scratching a long black line on the seamless surface.

  “Damn that was a close one,” Lanny said.

  “They’re about to run out,” Rem said. “Maybe thirty seconds before they switch off to charge.”

  “Shit.” Selene’s fingers tightened on the handles. Taking aim, she squeezed off a shot.

  The speeder burst into flames, and tumbled from the sky, a plume of smoke blossoming behind it. She grinned, and turned her gun on the next. Thirty seconds wasn’t much to take down six speeders, especially when they had the advantage of mobility.

  Selene shot again, and the others cheered as the second speeder fell from the sky. Her heart raced, and sweat collected on her forehead as she aimed at the third. She shot, and the speeder flew to the left, narrowly avoiding her shot. “Damn.”

  “Fifteen seconds!” Rem called.

  Not enough time. Selene narrowed her eyes and shot again. For the second time, the speeder leapt from her laser’s path.

  “Ten seconds!”

  “Not helping, Rem!” Selene snapped. Her thumbs slammed down on the triggers again. Lasers burned through the right side of the speeder, sending it spinning mid-air before it careened into a sand dune.

  “Nice!” Darius clapped her on the shoulder.

  “Five! Four!” Rem counted.

  “Rem!” she growled.

  “Three! Two!”

  Selene shot at the fourth speeder, but the final three stayed much further back than the first three. Smart. The closer they got, the easier it’d be for her to hit them.

  “Shields are down,” Rem announced.

  Lasers shot from the speeders, and the cruiser rumbled at the impact. “Damn!” Selene slammed her fist on the console.

  “Rem, take evasive maneuvers,” Rikkard commanded.

  “Yes, sir!” Rem flashed a grin over his shoulder, just as happy as Selene to hear their boss giving orders again.

  “Selene, you can do this.” Rikkard crouched beside her chair, watching her screen intently. “Miss a few shots to draw them closer. It’ll be easier for them to hit us once they’re closer too.”

  Selene smiled. She’d been thinking the same thing. Aiming to the left and right of the remaining enemy speeders, Selene shot a few times, aiming closer at least a couple times to seem like she was actually trying to hit something.

  With every missed shot, the speeders were emboldened, flying closer, and spreading out to flank their cruiser.

  “Now!” Rikkard said.

  Selene turned her aim on the closest, her lasers blazing through the hull. It burst into flames, the wreckage crashing into the desert. She turned her guns on the next.

  Another shudder rocked the ship. She squeezed down on the triggers. Nothing. No light flashed from her guns. Her eyebrows furrowed as she squeezed again. Nothing.

  “Shit.” Selene pressed down again and again. “They took out the gun.”

  “What?” Rem cast a terrified look her way.

  “This cruiser doesn’t have any other gun systems, does it?” Selene pulled the three-dimensional screen closer, and flicked the screen to bring up the weapons roster.

  “Only front facing,” Lanny said.

  Her skin chilled. “So basically we’re sitting ducks.”

  “Basically.” Rem gulped.

  Selene looked up over the console to the desert ahead. There had to be a way out of this mess, some place they could go or hide. The nearest city was New Manhattan, but without any gun systems for her to operate they’d only get more security on their tail, and that’s the last thing they wanted.

  But they needed to do something, and fast.

  “The Old Boston Ruins.” Rikkard pointed east.

  She started. It was as if he read her mind, only he was one step ahead. She’d completely forgotten the old ruins were north of New Manhattan. That just might be enough to evade capture.

  “You got it.” Rem banked left, heading due east.

  “Can you lose them in the Ruins?” Rikkard asked.

  They all looked at Rem, who glanced sheepishly at the rest of them. “That’s a lot of pressure, guys.”

  Selene raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

  “I can try.” Rem pushed the cruiser faster, until dark shapes appeared on the horizon.

  Rikkard frowned as he eyed the land below. A settlement dotted the sand outside the Ruins with a few speeders, and gas-guzzling twenty-first century cars rolling over the cracked streets. A large warehouse sat on one side of town, and there were maybe thirty buildings within town limits.

  Selene glanced between it and her boss. His brow lowered over his eyes and his lips pressed into a firm line. Did Rikkard know this place?

  Another shot to the hull shook the ship. Selene flicked away the weapons roster to see the gun camera still operational. Two speeders flew in fast, approaching on either side of the ship.

  “How long until shields are operational?” Rikkard asked.

  “At least five minutes,” Rem said. He pointed the nose of the ship down toward the sand, dipping them out of the sky and down to street level with the ruins just beyond the small outer town.

  “Remind me to ask how the hell you got shields on this thing.” Rikkard shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, and Selene shrugged. They had a lot more than shields to discuss when they got out of this mess.

  “They’re coming in on either side, Rem,” Selene said.

  The tech whizz nodded and made a sharp left onto a narrow street. The sides of the cruiser ground against the old brick, the sound of metal on stone screeching through the cockpit. Selene slapped her hands over her ears as the sound burrowed into her skull.

  “Rem!” Darius shouted.

 
“Sorry!” Rem turned, putting them on a main street headed directly between a dozen skyscrapers. Though none were quite the height of those in New Manhattan, they’d be tall enough to create some barriers between them and their enemies.

  “Bring up an aerial view.” Rikkard tapped Selene’s shoulder.

  She nodded and flicked the gun screen to the side, so it sat on the middle of the console. Pulling up another screen, she switched it to an aerial view of the city. There were dozens upon dozens of streets for them to get lost in, but not much cover outside the main downtown area.

  “Take a left,” Rikkard instructed.

  Rem swung a hard left. The speeders in pursuit fell behind, and had to double back to shoot down the same street. Another rumble shook the hull.

  “Right.”

  Rem turned right.

  “Again.”

  Sweat dripped down Rem’s face as he swung into an alley. His eyes widened and he yanked the controls so they went in sideways.

  Selene sucked in a startled breath, thanking Aldar for the artificial gravity keeping them all from spilling out of their seats.

  “Left into the parking garage!”

  Rem swung the steering and the side of the cruiser slammed against the entrance of the garage. They narrowly slipped through, and continued up the ramp, banking sharply to continue to the second level, then the third.

  “Get to the roof, and dive off on the West side.” Rikkard narrowed his eyes as he scanned the map on Selene’s screen. She glanced between them, her heart pounding hard as Rem obeyed.

  Rikkard should be the one flying. He was far more experienced, and always good at getting them out of these types of situations. He could outfly New Manhattan police, Dominion soldiers, and private security—some work camp lackeys should be no problem. But instead he left Rem to it, trusting in his abilities far more than Selene had.

  Rem pushed them up and up, their pursuit growing further and further behind until the smugglers emerged on the open roof, a slab of barely standing pavement with metal beams poking out on every side.

  Pushing the controls harder, Rem flew them directly over the side, nose diving for the street.