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The creature looked around it, more curious than afraid. It turned back to her and tilted its head.

Dani flipped several switches then hovered her hand over a large red button that saidBurn.

“See you in hell, you evil sonofabitch!” She slammed her palm down.

Fire engulfed the room, crashing into the glass like a wave. White smoke followed, making it impossible to see.

She couldn’t bring herself to watch. As terrible as the monster had been, she didn’t want to see it burning. She just wanted to get back to the others and be gone as quickly as possible. She found the mechanic’s exit and slipped inside, shutting the door firmly behind her.

CHAPTER SIX

Dani

The passageways were small as she crawled her way back, pausing every so often to check the map to make sure she was going the right way. When she finally slid out of one door near the warehouse, she struggled to her feet, knees aching from the cold metal ground.

She wished she felt victorious or proud, but she didn’t. She only felt a small sense of relief that they could finally move on with the mission as planned.

She returned to the generator room first. Ryatt was sitting against the wall now, helmet in his lap, damp blond hair in his face, bright-green eyes looking up at her, dazed.

“Fucker threw me,” he said as she went to the door.

As the door slid open, Myrell stumbled out and hugged her.

“You crazy woman.” She squeezed her then pulled away. “I thought you were done for. Is it...?”

“Yeah, it’s gone.”

“I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Dani arched a brow. “You doubted me?”

Myrell laughed. “Well, I didn’t think we were dealing with something out of a cosmic horror. I’ve seen some shit in my day but nothing like…that.”

Dani glanced back down the way she came. No, she’d never encountered anything like it either. “Let’s get back to the others.”

Helping Ryatt walk, they returned to the warehouse. Garret got to them first as they made it inside.

“What happened?” he asked, taking hold of his teammate.

“Dani took care of it,” Myrell answered plainly. “You should make her a head of security at this point. She got rid of that thing you and your team said you killed, and she did it without a gun.”

Garret stared at her. “You took it out?”

Dani shrugged as her crew crowded around her, a few coming in for a hug, grinning at her and patting her on the back.

“Dani, you are a badass!”

“You’re amazing, Dani!”

“How did you kill it?”

Her smile faltered a little. “I trapped it in the incinerator.”

Lex whistled. “Hot damn.”

Their laughter rang across the wide space.

“Wish we could have gotten a good look at it like you did,” said Tom, adjusting his goggles.