Page 34

She goes limp in my arms, the fight draining out of her. I set her down gently, my hand lingering on her arm. Our eyes meet, and I try to convey everything I can’t say aloud.
“I promise,” I say, voice low and fierce. “They will find her.”
A crackle of static cuts through the moment. Jenny’s voice is tiny but unmistakable.“We’ve got the primary. Repeat, we have Aria Holbrook. Fall back to extraction point Alpha.”
I turn to Ember, relief evident in my voice. “They’ve got Aria. She’s safe.” But the relief is short-lived as I realize our predicament. We’re cut off.
Ember’s eyes widen, a mix of relief and frustration crossing her face.
“Incoming!” Jon shouts.
The air erupts in a hail of gunfire. I shove Ember behind a stack of crates, shielding her with my body. The children huddle close, faces buried against her side.
I pop up, returning fire. The Rufi unit mirrors my movements, creating a deadly crossfire. Two tangos drop, but more pour in. We’re outnumbered and outgunned.
“Delta-One, requesting immediate backup,”I bark into my comm.
Jenny’s voice comes back, tight with strain.“Negative, Delta-Five. We’re pinned down ourselves. Heavy resistance. You’re on your own.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. No backup. No extraction. We’re completely cut off.
Fuck.
“There’s too many,” Jon calls out from behind a derelict forklift.
I swear, my mind racing through options. We’re running out of time and ammo.
“Options?”
Ember’s voice cuts through the chaos. “There’s a network of old maintenance tunnels. They run under the whole complex.”
I turn to her, eyebrow raised. “How do you know about these?”
Ember gives me a look that could freeze hell itself. It’s a mix of ‘are you kidding me?’ and ‘do you really want to waste time on stupid questions?’ that leaves me feeling like an idiot for even asking. The intensity in her eyes speaks volumes about her past, making her even more intriguing.
Pushing aside my curiosity, I refocus on the matter at hand.
“You’re sure about these tunnels?”
She nods, determination replacing fear in her eyes. “I used them to hide back when… They’re our only shot.”
It’s a risk, but what choice do we have? “Lead the way.”
The warehouse erupts into a hellish cacophony. The air fills with the stench of gun powder. Bullets whiz past, pinging off metal surfaces with ear-splitting clangs. The Rufi unit chirps frantically, its sensors overwhelmed by the chaos.
We move as one, a desperate, scrambling mass. Jon grunts with effort as he hefts Daniel onto his back, sweat pouring down his face. The unconscious man’s dead weight threatens to throw Jon off balance with every step.
“Stay low, keep moving. We’re almost there.” Ember guides the children, her voice a soothing counterpoint to the mayhem around us.
The kids cling to her like a lifeline, their eyes wide with terror, faces streaked with tears and grime. The youngest one stumbles, a choked sob escaping his lips. Ember scoops him up without breaking stride, her determination palpable.
I provide covering fire with the Rufi, the robot’s precise shots complementing my own. The kickback of my rifle sends shockwaves through my arms, but I ignore the growing ache. Every second we buy is precious.
“There.” Ember’s voice cuts through the chaos, barely audible over the gunfire. She points toward a massive, rusted machine, its purpose long forgotten. “Behind that, there’s a hatch. You can’t see it from here, but trust me, it’s there.”
I nod, signaling the others to follow. We dash toward the hulking metal beast, bullets pinging off its corroded surface.
We reach the machine, and Ember immediately feels along its base. Her fingers move with desperate urgency, leaving streaks of blood and grime on the oxidized metal.