Page 64 of Trigger Discipline

Muttering about how he would never understand that train of thought, Judd picked up his gun to watch for more Monkey Cats.

Sliding his fingers into the handles of the gray propane tank, he took another breath. And another. There was so much chaos. The ground was shaking from the vibrations of the Handler’s guns, buildings, and road melting beneath their red-hot ammunition. FUDs and Monkey Cats were meeting in the middle, fighting with tooth and claw in a show of violence that made Blake’s hands shake.

He clutched the tank until the metal bit into his palm.

It wasn’t complicated—all he had to do was run out in the middle of all of that, dodge getting killed, and toss the tank into the flames. He was hedging his bets that the aliens wouldn’t notice him amongst all the violence, and even if they did, they wouldn’t register him as a threat.

At least, that’s what he hoped.

Judd was shouting at him, but he was easy to tune out in the cacophony. Victoria was just staring at him, her face pinched. She looked like she wanted to protest, but they both knew she couldn’t. She had a broken leg; there was no way she could make the run. And Judd was the best shot out of either of them.

Blake squared his shoulders. “Cover me.”

“If we survive this, Gabriel is going tokillme,” Judd grumbled, lifting his gun.

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just ran. Hugging the tank to his chest, he ducked his head and dug his boots into the asphalt. Launching over the cracked curb, he hit the asphalt so hard his knees threatened to buckle. He nearly screamed as his knee struck the ground, but he managed to stay upright.

Blake ran faster than he ever had before. Like a football player making a run for a field goal with the world’s largest football tucked to his chest, he kept his eyes on the prize. Hedidn’t think about the painful sound of metal being torn apart, or Monkey Cat claws, or the teeth rattling boom of rail guns from the Handler’s shoulder mounts. Even when the asphalt threatened to cave beneath his feet and send him tumbling forward, he just held onto the tank tighter, holding his breath as he rolled into a sedan’s shredded chassis.

Before he got his breath back, he looked up to see two Monkey Cats launching over him. Their sharp four claws held close to their bellies as they soared, landing with a thump a few feet away. The first was hit with a rail gun. It didn’t even scream as it was knocked back, flipping end over end. It pushed itself up to its feet, baring its bifurcated jaw even as its skin sizzled and smoked.

Blake watched it launch at a Handler, snapping at its head. He didn’t stick around to see how it ended, rolling back to his feet and sprinting again.I’m close,he told himself, repeating it over and over. The tank slipped in his sweat-soaked arms, and his blood rushed in his ears, spots danced in his vision, but the Handlers were looming closer. All three had their backs to him; they didn’t even notice him approaching.

Loosening his death grip on the propane tank, he took two more long strides before chucking the tank. It flew from his fingers, soaring in a satisfying arc to land with a muted clang in the middle of the flames.

Just as he was about to turn, lifting his hand in victory, he heard the boom of a rail gun far too close. Blake never saw it coming. One moment he was on his feet, and the next, he was on the ground, the breath knocked from his lungs.

Gasping, he blinked the sweat and dirt from his eyes. Blurrily, he saw the Monkey Cat that had pounced on the Handler had managed to partially rip its head off. The Handler was panicking, its arms swinging, gun going wide. The shot had taken off the Monkey Cat’s rear leg. Viscous fluid that was similar in texture and color to honey sprayed from the amputated limb.

The other Handlers turned to their injured comrade. They made to move forward. Blinking, Blake shook his head to clear it.No. They can’t leave the area!Pushing himself up, he got to his knees.

Flames sluggishly licked at the propane tank. The label had burned off, crumbling to a little black ball amongst the other charred debris. The tank looked hot, but intact.

Twisting, Blake looked across the battlefield to catch Judd’s wide eyes. Through the heat haze, the soldier looked distorted.

“Sh-shoot it!” Blake tried to scream, his voice ragged. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet, waving the one arm he could lift to get Judd’s attention. “Shoot!”

Victoria shouted something, but Judd ignored her. He was looking at Blake. His mouth moved, but he was too far away.They didn’t have time for this!Blake tucked three fingers against his palm, pointer and thumb extended. Universal sign for a gun. He pointed it at Judd and then straight at the tank.

A FUD leapt across the flames, narrowly missing Blake. It didn’t notice him, pouncing on the Monkey Cat that was trying to rip the head off a Handler. More aliens were congregating in the area.

Blake didn’t see the decision cross Judd’s face. He didn’t see the bullet, either. But he felt the heat of the explosion as it knocked him back. And then he didn’t feel anything else.

CHAPTER 19

SANDY

One moment Gabriel was with Tommy, desperately holding a hand to Phin’s bleeding knee while Tommy shouted at him to stop moving, and the next, he was looking up to seeBlakestreaking through a warzone.

For an insane moment, he thought he was hallucinating. That the haze of heat and the knocks to the head had finally gotten to him, and the thing he desired the most was coming for him. But then he blinked and realized it was no hallucination, and Blake wasn’t running toward him at all.

And in his arms was a propane tank.

“Blake!” Gabriel screamed, but it was too late. The medic had thrown the tank into the fire, and then he’d vanished, hidden behind a rush of fighting aliens. He lurched to his feet; only Phin grabbing him by the back of his plate armor had kept him from rushing to him.

“Ga—Commander! You can’t!” he groaned as he leaned over his bad knee to keep his oldest friend from leaping into the fray.

Gabriel didn’t care. He slapped Phin’s hand away, but then Tommy grabbed his arm, tugging him down with his body weight. “Wait! Look!”