Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Each smart weapon was keyed to the heartbeat biometrics of its owner. In a pinch, it could be unlocked by entering a code given only to the assault and escort team members. A new code was issued for every gate dive.
They didn’t give me the code. I was a noncombat Talent. I would never need this code, because I had a big strong blade warden with an invulnerable forcefield to protect me.
“When we get out of here, I’m going to punch that smarmy weasel in the face.”
I flipped the gun over to the code lock. The small screen had space for six digits.
123456
654321
000000
111111…
Nothing. I could sit here for hours and not get anywhere.
“If there are more of those four-armed creatures on the other side of the breaches, guns won’t be much of an advantage for us, Bear. They still need a human to aim and fire. Parrying an attack at that speed requires a top-tier combat Talent, and we don’t have too many of those.”
I went through John’s pockets and came up with two energy bars and a Ka-bar knife. I took the knife, his canteen and the bars and moved on to the next corpse.
Anja’s corpse was next. She wasn’t cut, but there were chunks of rock embedded in her chest. Killed by London’s grenade.
She wore the same shoe size as me, 8 in women’s. I took her boots. They were dry.
“I’ve turned into a ghoul, Bear. I’m now robbing the dead.”
Panic crested inside me, and I shoved it back down again. Don’t think, just do.
Fifteen minutes later I’d worked my way around the cavern back to where I’d passed out. There were fourteen human bodies in the cave. Nine of the twelve miners, four of the escorts, and Elena.
George Payne was the oldest miner on the crew. He was fifty-four, and his years had been hard-won. He’d brought a backpack. Inside I found Motrin, a Chapstick, some tissues, a small towel, a packet of jerky, a Leatherman multitool, a pair of dry socks in a Ziploc bag, and way too many Tiger Balm patches. I dumped the patches and kept everything else.
The rest of my haul consisted of eight energy bars, seven 32 oz canteens, two KitKats, one portable first aid kit, and a pack of THC gummies. I stuffed the candy and energy bars into the pocket of the backpack, shoved the first aid kit in, and pushed as many of the canteens as I could inside. Only four canteens fit. That and the one on my waist made five.
“A Ka-bar.” I showed the knife to Bear. “That’s the weapon we have to work with. This is all of our firepower. Right here in my hand.”
Bear didn’t seem impressed.
If the escort team had melee damage dealers instead of strikers, I would’ve had my pick of edged weapons. Not that it would’ve done me much good.
I hefted the Ka-bar. “We’re going to make it out of here if I have to cut my way through every last monster in this fucking breach.”
Big talk. Whatever killed the assault team was probably still out there. Jace, the assault’s team tank, was protected by over a hundred pounds of adamant, which he wore like sweatpants because he was literally strong enough to bench press a car. Blue Savant shot lightning from his fingertips. Ximena, a pulse carver, had a reaction time of fifty milliseconds and could dice a horde of monsters into pieces with her twin swords.
I had a Ka-bar and needed ibuprofen for my knees after a 100-meter dash.
What was the alternative? Sitting here and dying?
I had gone through all of the human dead. The grey attackers were next. There were four of them, lying in different spots around the cavern. I walked over to the nearest body. The grey shroud wrapping around the four-armed corpse shivered.
I stopped.
The shroud stretched toward me in long strands, like algae swaying with the currents. Behind me, Bear whined.
I flexed. The grey shroud burst into a blazing violent orange. It was plant based and also animal based, an odd hybrid somewhere in-between. A mixotroph like the single-celled Euglena, which used photosynthesis like a plant but moved and ingested food like an animal. And if it touched me, I would be dead. I had no idea how I knew it, but I was absolutely sure. It would kill me.
I backed away. The shroud shivered, as if vibrating in frustration, and settled back onto the corpse.
Orange was yellow and red, and while yellow meant danger, red indicated something useful or valuable. Whatever that tinge of red meant, it wasn’t worth exploring. All four attacker corpses were shrouded. Going near them was out of the question.
I swallowed and turned to the woman in blue.
I’d successfully avoided thinking about her and the gem up to this point. But there was no choice now.