“Hit me with an electrolyte booster,” I order, my mind already making lists of what we need to do.
Zoe, for once, obeys without question. I can sense her fear, which only makes me want to succeed that much more. She’s looking at me to protect her. My brave, fierce mate needs me to keep her safe.
I won’t let her down.
Or anyone else here.
She finds the electrolyte tabs and tosses me a handful. I down them in one swallow, quickly shedding out of my lab coat.
“We need to get down to the vehicles in the caves,” I tell her. “Suit up and grab a zonnoblaster.”
After we put on our zu-gear, it isn’t until we’re trotting through the dark tunnels that I realize we don’t even need the zu-gear if my hypothesis about exposure is correct. However, at the very least, the suits and masks will keep our face free of dust and debris. It’s a long trek and I’m winded, but we eventually make our way down to the giant underground bay where several vehicles await.
I rush over to the doors and open one. The geostorm is intensifying, which has the two ships circling lower. They’ve yet to land. I need them to. With the big weapons mounted on the front, I have no doubt they can blast the prison to bits if they so choose. We need a distraction.
Unfortunately, I know the risk we must take.
It won’t fail.
I won’t allow it.
“You know how to operate one of these vehicles?” I ask Zoe. “It’s Earth II technology, so I—”
“I can drive it,” she interrupts. “Where am I driving it to?”
I gesture to a clearing. “There. Circle around a few times and then drive through that narrow valley. Our goal is to force them to land.”
“Then what?”
“Then we do what’s necessary.” I grab her shoulder and press my mask against hers, meeting her worried gray eyes. “Shoot if anyone gets close. Do not under any circumstances allow them to capture you.”
“O-Okay,” she stammers.
“You can do this, stormy one.”
She nods and then scurries over to the brightest vehicle. After a moment, its engine fires up. She maneuvers the machine out of the garage and then accelerates, quickly zooming to the clearing.
I rush out of the bay, my eyes on the two ships. They begin circling like predators, hungry for my mate. The ground vibrates beneath my feet as they angle their ships, the weapons attached homing in on my mate.
“Go, Zoe!” I yell even though she’s out of reach on the comms.
Pakow!
I’m knocked on my rump as the side of part of the mountain explodes. My heart stops inside my chest until Zoe’s vehicle flies out of the debris cloud. She guns it toward the valley. Another explosion has her vehicle rocking from side to side, but she manages to evade them. One of the ships pulls back, but the other zooms after her.
“Come on, come on,” I growl.
At the last second, the ship pulls back. From my vantage point, I can see Zoe has stopped the vehicle. The ships seem to notice and they start lowering, sending dust swirling everywhere.
“Let’s get those motherfuckers,” Julie says, appearing beside me like a shadow come to life. Her zonnoblaster isn’t like mine. It’s bigger and more complicated. I’ve never seen anything like it. I sure hope she knows how to use it.
“Did you reach anyone on the comms?”
“Nope. Looks like we’re on our own, Doc. Ready to kick some Kevin ass?”
“The sooner we do, the sooner we can get rekking back to saving our people in there. Let’s go!”
Julie darts out in front of me. “Stay behind me. We’ll run along the mountainside, not in the open. Their focus is on Zoe.”
As soon as the engines cease their roaring, Kevins spill from both ships. At least fifteen or twenty from each ship come running out, weapons drawn. We’re completely outnumbered.
The Kevins are all charging toward Zoe’s stopped vehicle. We have to stop them.
“Get to Zoe,” Julie hisses. “I have an idea. Don’t wait for me.”
My body is still weak from The Rades’ hold on me, but I don’t let it deter me from rescuing my mate. I put her in harm’s way so that we could lure them to the ground. So far, we’ve succeeded in doing just that. Now, all we have to do is eliminate the Kevins.
As soon as I reach the mouth of the valley where the Kevins have started running, my comms crackle, allowing me to hear my mate’s heavy, terrified breathing.
“Zoe!” I rumble. “Are you okay?”
“These…therfuckers…gonna kill…oh shit!”
“Drive through them!” I yell. “Now, Zoe!”
My noise alerts a few Kevins in the back. As soon as they see me charging, they point their weapons at me. I’m a healer, not a fighter, but when my mate’s life is at stake, I can’t take any chances. I begin firing my zonnoblaster. I manage to take down three of the five running my way. The other two charge too quickly. A loud sound rumbles the earth, but I can’t make out the source because a Kevin launches himself on me, knocking me on my back.