Page 80 of Sol Survivor

Caah jerked back, and a slow smile formed.“Good idea.Perhaps I will return and help Dez repair this—” The doors glided open amid blaster fire between the growing gap.

Vic bolted forward and pinned herself to the door, firing on those foolish enough to be in her line of sight.Drafe did the same on the other side.

“Like fish in a barrel,” she called.

By the time the doors had tucked into the walls, bodies littered the entryway.Alarms blared, and red lights flickered.The facility was on high alert.More boots thundered closer, as if Carne had endless security.

“Dying for Carne isn’t worth it.Toss out Sebastian Carne, and we’ll spare your lives.”She smiled at Drafe who frowned at her.“Had to try,” she whispered.

When he drew a symbol over his neck, his shield shimmered to black.He strolled into the facility and shot six times.

She gaped, mesmerized by the pale gray circles from where his shield had taken fire.“And you couldn’t share that with me?”

Drafe’s frown knitted his brow.“No, you would use it without thought.Once is all the shield can spare.”

“Once?”She huffed.“We could have ended this a while ago.”

“I would prefer you save yours for when it is necessary,gevatia.”His eyes faded to pale yellow.“I will not lose you.”

“So you don’t believe I can do this?”She huffed.“I need all the information to make informed decisions, Drafe.Look at me, I have survived without your assistance.”

“Fine, but no heroics, Vic.”He captured her hand and drew on her palm a zero with a line slashed through it.

“I promise.”She captured his hand and kissed it through the shield.

A blast of air whipped at the bodies in their suits.Snow eddies spiraled up.She followed them as they twirled until her gaze rested on the sleeping giant of Jupiter looming over them.TheBurro Lentolanded behind the cruiser.The prisoners disembarked, sprinting toward them.The dead soldiers across the doorway kept the doors open.As soon as the last person entered the foyer, Caah kicked aside the bodies and slipped inside before the doors sealed shut.

All gasped, able to breathe again.Snow coated their hair and eyelashes.Many shivered, rubbing their exposed arms.

“Ready?”Dez scanned his people.

Drafe led the way, single file along the passages.Employees in white coats screamed and threw themselves down.Dez made lightwork of capturing and placing them under guard in a large lab.So they went, capture personnel, kill soldiers.When they reached the end of the corridor and an elevator, Vic spun on her heel and grabbed the closest med tech.

“What is under us?How many levels?”

The man squeaked.She tightened her grip on his shoulder until he winced.

“There are six more levels.”

“And what is on them?What should we expect?”Drafe shoved his face into the man’s.The poor thing’s eyes bulged.

“Level two has security and storerooms, living spaces, and entertainment areas.”He swallowed so hard, his Adam’s Apple almost popped out of his throat.“Levels three to six are labs and patients.You want level seven which is for top-secret projects only.That’s where Carne will be.”

Useful.Vic studied his beaded forehead then glanced at the lab Dez guarded.“Any chance we can convince your people to surrender?We’re not after them.”

The med tech nodded, sweat trickling down the side of his face.“Let me…speak to them on the comm system.”He raised a trembling finger to point at a black box behind her.

She released him.He sagged then stumbled across the corridor to lean on the button.“Don’t fight them.They want Carne.We can live, survive this, and return to our families.”

“Thanks, McCarthy,” she read his name off his keycard now in her hand.“Is there another way down?”

Caah strode along the passage, a bright grin on his dark face.His white hair and eyes glowed.“I deactivated the vids.They cannot trace our progress.”

“The stairs.”McCarthy pointed at a door but mere cracks in the paneling.“May I join my people?”At Vic’s nod, he scurried to the door Dez hovered in and slipped past him.

The old man and a few of his people broke off and hurried to join her.“Are we going down?”

“Not in the elevator.”She leaned on the button, summoning it.As soon as the doors opened, she aimed her blaster.It was empty.Dipping her head inside, she pressed all the buttons, going down six floors.

---