“Roy,” Dexter said.
Porter shook his head. “I’ve never heard of a dweller using another group like this. And the scale of it is unprecedented. How is he controlling the trolls?”
“How is he blocking the signal from the ship?” Dexter’s tone made it clear he wasn’t looking for an answer. “And how did he get his hands on the tech that took out the Boom Room and let him spy on us?”
When Brock had calmed himself, he said, “Those are questions for another time. We know what he can do. Let’s show him what we can do.”
He turned to Jon and Nathan. “We were connected when you first emerged. I know you understand words, even if you’re not talking. The others knew everything I did when they formed, including how to fight. Are you ready for this?”
Jon grinned and pulled one of the grenades from its holster. He looked pointedly at the monitor still showing the elevator-cam’s view of the ship.
“Nice,” Brock said. He wasn’t sure how the link worked, whether his replicants were formed with all of his knowledge or…downloaded it through their link after emerging. With them not talking, he’d been worried. Honestly, he still was.
“This is my fault.” Meg’s voice trembled. “I’m the reason everyone is in danger. I brought the collar. Roy sent me here to destroy you.”
“Meg—” Brock started to speak, but Dexter cut him off.
“You’re right,” Dexter said.
Brock snarled as he stepped toward Dexter. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Meg moved between them, one hand on Brock’s chest, holding him back. “Brock, no.”
“Roy did send Meg here to destroy us.” Dexter looked at Meg as he continued. “And you fought off his brainwashing and the fear of what he’d do to you if you helped us. You trusted us when we took off your collar. Even tried to protect us. And then you had the guts to save Brock.”
Dexter shrugged one shoulder, smirking as always. “And you helped ‘stabilize’ him afterwards. Which couldn’t have been easy, with him being such an annoying prick.”
Meg actually laughed.
“Language,” Dad said.
Dexter’s grin widened. Brock was going to have to thank Dexter later—after they’d all made it out of this. And after Brock kicked Dexter’s ass for that “annoying” crack.
Dad walked over to them and put his good hand on Meg’s shoulder. “Brock’s vitals were fading and we were scared to death of what the shock of going into stasis would do to him. They were slipping away from me, my sons. And you brought them back.”
Meg let out a choked laugh, her eyes filled with tears. She rested her hand on Dad’s, smiling.
“You’re all so sweet,” she said. “But I wasn’t looking to be reassured.”
Jon and Nathan both took a step away from the wall, eyes locked on her. She nodded toward them.
“I led Roy here,” she said. “He used me to learn what he needed to attack you. To destroy part of your—of our—home.”
“And?” Dexter said.
Her lips curled back from her sharpening teeth, her eyes glowing bright. “And now I’m going to make him pay.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Standing behind Nathan at the base of the emergency access shaft for the cave, Meg had trouble believing how much her life had changed. She was part of a pack that was unlike anything she’d imagined, yet was everything she’d ever wished for—and she was mated to the leader of the Blades.
She glanced over at Brock in his full uniform. His clothing smelled faintly of Marcus, but Brock’s scent was already working into the fabric.
The black material clung to Brock’s form, showing off his physique. He wore a pair of swords strapped to his back and the pockets of his cargo pants looked like they all held surprises.
Her outfit was similar, and had a bit of Tessa’s scent. They hadn’t given Meg equipment, though. From what she’d seen of the gadgets they had geared up with, she wouldn’t know how to use them anyway.
She would learn.
The life she wanted was within reach. She just had to survive fighting off a couple thousand trolls to have it.
Dexter tapped his watch a few times, then held up his arm so everyone could see the holographic display coming out of it. The image showed the other side of the door, highlighting the trolls’ heat signatures. Most of the cave was red.
The others had been vague about the plan before heading out. Even without their link, they all seemed to operate on the same wavelength. It was probably a side effect of sharing their thoughts for so long.
Brock had insisted that Porter stay in ops with Eli to protect him and to monitor the situation. Meg had worried that Brock would try to get her to stay behind as well, but he hadn’t mentioned it. She was glad he was taking her bloodthirsty promise of retribution seriously.
Now that she was moments away from her first real fight, she wondered if she’d done the right thing. Not because she was scared, even though she was. She was inexperienced. She didn’t want anyone getting hurt trying to protect her or because she messed up.
“How are we going to get past them?” Meg asked.
“We’re not getting past them,” Dexter said. “We’re taking them out.”
“All of them?” Her voice rose higher than she wanted. She worried that the trolls might have heard her, but the others didn’t seem concerned. The small stairwell they were in was probably soundproofed.
“Yes, all of them.” Dexter pulled off the grenade belt he was wearing. When he nodded to the others, Jon and Nathan did the same, then handed theirs to Dexter.
“You didn’t think we’d only bring swords to a bomb-fight, did you?” Dexter asked.
Meg arched an eyebrow at him.
“Like bringing a knife to a gunfight?” Dexter sighed. “Nevermind. I blame any lame banter on my not having access to all those extra brains.”
Meg patted Dexter’s back. “It’s okay. At least you’re still pretty.”
Brock snorted loudly. Huge grins spread across the new twins’ faces. Even Dexter laughed.
It was strange to her that they could be laughing before going into a situation that was likely to get them all killed. Meg felt a sort of giddy anticipation, along with the strongest sense of camaraderie she’d ever experienced.
Even if they didn’t survive, she’d go down fighting, with her pack at her side. Which reminded her…
“Shouldn’t I have a weapon?” Meg asked.
Brock shook his head. “You’re not trained. It’s best for you to use your natural weapons and trust your dweller instincts.”
“You want me to change,” she said.
“That’s the best option,” Brock said. “But only if you need to. I’m hoping we can get into the ship without that happening.”
“What about you?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “Whoever is behind this can’t know that I’ve been colonized. I’m going to do my best to keep that as a surprise.” He stepped closer to her, cupping her elbows gently.
“If this is the point where you tell me I don’t have to go out there—” she began.
Brock laughed. “I have a feeling insulting you like that would be more dangerous than stepping out into the cave alone and unarmed. No, I just wanted to do this.”
He leaned in and kissed her.
Heat pooled in her belly, fire racing along her limbs. She buried her fingers in his hair and held him close. Before things could escalate, someone cleared their throat. Loudly.
They broke off the kiss. Dexter was staring at them.
“Actually, this is the point when we chuck a couple dozen of Vaughn’s little toys into the cave and let them incinerate every bit of organic matter outside of the ship.” He held up the belts of grenades and jiggled them.
“How are they going to clear out the whole cave?” she asked.
“They’ve been programmed to detonate on split-second delays,” Dexter said. “The first one to go will distribute the others throu
gh the cave.”
“Will we be safe in here?” The door looked sturdy, but she still wondered.
Dexter smirked at her. “As long as the seals hold.”
“Great,” she said. “What about the others? We don’t know for sure where Vaughn, Tessa, and Marcus are.”
“We still haven’t heard from them.” Porter’s voice sounded through her earpiece. “But I’m sure they’re in the ship. It would’ve been too risky for Vaughn to wake them up from stasis. And if he left the ship…”
She didn’t need Porter to finish his sentence to know what he was thinking. If Vaughn had left the ship, he was already dead.
From everything they’d told her, the ship was the safest place to be. There was no way anyone could have made it inside. Somehow, the thought didn’t comfort her.
Brock stepped away from her and took the belts. “I’ll get them as close to the ship as I can.”
“We’ll be monitoring the results and let you know when it’s clear…er,” Porter said.
Dexter gripped Meg’s elbow a hell of a lot more gently than he had the first night she’d arrived. He steered her to one of the corners of the room along the same wall that held the door. It seemed like they didn’t have as much faith in the seals holding as they were letting on.
“Brock,” she said.
Brock smiled at her. “Just a precaution. But, if you don’t mind…”
He looked at Jon and Nathan and spun his finger in a circle. The pair headed toward Meg and Dexter.
“One more thing,” Brock said. “We don’t know if any of you will still split so…nobody die, okay?”
“Let’s hear it for our fearless leader,” Porter said.
Dexter laughed. “A rousing speech if ever I’ve heard one.”
Meg’s nerves skyrocketed. “This is going to work, right?”
“It should take out most of them,” Dexter said. “We’ll be able to handle the rest.”
She would have been more reassured if he didn’t push her back against the wall and then stand close right in front of her. Jon and Nathan put their arms on either side of Meg and Dexter, further shielding her—with their bodies.
“Brock,” she growled his name through gritted teeth.
“Everything will be fine,” Brock said. She heard a click, then he said, “Grenades are active.”
“Three,” Porter said.
She felt the air shift as the door opened, but couldn’t see past the wall of man-flesh trapping her against the wall.
“Two.” Porter’s count continued.
The door slammed shut. Brock’s scent was closer suddenly. She glanced up to see a look of surprise on both Jon and Nathan’s faces as Brock shielded their bodies with his as best he could.
“One.”
Dexter smiled at her and said, “Boom.”
The noise reached her first—a string of explosions that made her ears sting. Then the shockwave arrived, thumping against her internal organs.
She staggered forward as the wall shook behind her. She and Dexter held on to each other, struggling to keep their balance. Brock, Jon, and Nathan were clustered close by, holding each other upright.
“What the hell was that?” Brock said. “I thought those were all thermal grenades.”
Dexter smirked. “I threw in a couple of concussive grenades, just in case. You’re not the only one who likes surprises.”
Brock’s eyes glowed brighter, his lips curling back from his teeth. He took a step toward Dexter, but Meg intercepted him.
“Save it for out there,” she said.
Brock drew the two swords strapped to his back. Dexter released the wand for his flamethrower into his left hand, drawing one of his swords with his right.
“You planning on joining us?” Dexter asked, looking at Jon and Nathan.
They glanced at each other, then drew their weapons.
“Swords are best against trolls,” Brock said. “Cut off their limbs if they grab you from the ground and leave Dexter to burn whatever’s left in their tunnels. For kills, decapitation only. Last thing we need is some flaming trolls running around trying to set us on fire. Meg, stay near me.”
She nodded, feeling helpless. Again. She was sick of it.
“Hang on a minute.” She shook her hands, then took a deep breath and let it out, focusing her attention.
Just my hands. Just my fingers.
She willed her claws to push out of her fingers, her nails lengthening, sharpening. Her fingertips tingled. She held them up to see, smiling at the result.
“That’s my girl.” Brock was smiling at her, a feral gleam adding to the gold and blue glow of his eyes. She smiled back.
“FYI, most of the trolls were incinerated by the blasts,” Porter said. “I’m still reading several dozen heat signatures, though. They must have been shielded by the ship.”
“Can’t you see them?” Brock asked.
“The topography of the cave has changed,” Porter said. “And before you blame Dexter, it wasn’t the concussion grenades. The trolls have been redecorating. The camera angle from the elevator is low and can’t see over their rubble piles.”
“Great,” Brock said.
Porter went on. “They’ll pick up on your location quickly once you’re in the cave. You’re going to have to fight your way through.”
“Vaughn told me Blades always have to be ready to fight,” Meg said. “I’m ready.”
“Then let’s not keep the trolls waiting.” Dexter opened the door.
They hurried out into the cave. Meg was surprised at how well-lit the area was.
“Why didn’t they take out the lights?” she whispered. “Trolls hate light.”
“I think it’s coming from the ship,” Brock said. “Vaughn had it set up so the running lights were on. I don’t remember them being this bright before, though.”
Dexter reached the top of the nearest pile of loose rocks and dirt in front of them and stopped short.
“What the fuck?” He turned back to them. “The lights are brighter now because most of them were blocked.”
Meg scrambled to his side, along with Brock and the others. They all stood still, staring down at the cave before them—at the ship that filled it.
The tailpiece she’d seen on the monitors was only one of three. An identical section of thrusters was just opposite it, and an even bigger section sat centered above those two.
The ship stretched on, at least as long as two football fields and twice as wide. Blue, green, and gold lights pulsed along its every surface like fireflies on crack, along with steady white lights that illuminated the cave as well as if the sun was shining overhead.
“I thought you said it was buried,” she said.
“It was.” Brock’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Our uninvited guests have been busy,” Dexter said.
Jon pointed toward the side of the ship with his sword. At the very front, a jagged tear cut through the bottom of the ship.
“Oh shit,” Brock said. “The hull has a breach.”
It only took Meg a moment to realize why he was so panicked.
“They can get inside,” she yelled.
Brock was already moving. He leapt down from the hill, breaking into a run the moment his feet hit the ground.
Meg tried to follow after, but the loose rocks made her stumble. Nathan caught her flailing arm and righted her. They slid down the side of the rubble together.
As soon as she was on stable ground, she tore after Brock, letting herself run as fast as she could. She’d never cut loose before. The rocks blurred around her.
She skidded to a stop beside Brock, reaching the breach right when he did. They both looked back to see Dexter, Jon, and Nathan far behind. Dozens of trolls started pouring out from under the ship.
“We’ve got this,” Dexter yelled. “Go on.” He lit a flare and waved it over his head, screaming, “Come on and get us.”
“Brock,” Meg said.
Brock looke
d torn. He glanced between the opening above them that led into the ship and back to his brothers, then shook his head sharply.
The trolls had surrounded the others. Bursts of flame and flashes of gleaming metal were all Meg could see of the trio.
“Porter, monitor heat signatures in the cave and let me know if they’re in trouble,” Brock said.
“It won’t be easy to tell them apart from the trolls, but I’ll do my best.” Porter’s honesty was hardly reassuring.
Brock reached out to Meg. “Come on.”
She took his hand and nodded. They leapt up to the opening together, landing inside the belly of the ship.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Brock had never been in this section of the ship. No one had walked these halls in thousands of years—except for Roy, probably.
Vaughn’s diagrams barely covered an eighth of the actual ship’s size. He’d said he had to extrapolate based on the parts he could reach, but this…
He’d be so excited to see this.
Brock’s jaw felt like it was about to cramp with how hard he was grinding his teeth together. Vaughn would be excited to see this. They were going to find him, and he would be fine when they did.
“Where are the stasis chambers?” Meg asked.
“Other end of the ship.”
Brock took her hand in his to lead her deeper into the ship, but she froze in place, pulling him to a stop.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The scent. You were right. It’s Roy.”
Brock took a few short breaths through his nose. It took him a moment, but he finally picked out what must be Roy’s scent, acrid and musky.
Brock wanted to shake his head to get the smell out—as if that would work—but they needed to be able to track Roy through the ship.
“Then let’s go kick his ass,” Brock said.
Meg nodded, but her lips were pulled in a thin line and her brow was furrowed.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“I am. I just… Roy scares me.”
Brock leaned in, smiling in a way that showed all his teeth. “And I scare Roy.”
Progenitor Page 24
