“Mica,” Alisa said, but she didn’t know what else to say after that. What could her engineer do to unbury Abelardus? Was he even still alive down there?
Of course I’m alive. Do you think it’s easy to kill a Starseer?
How are you not utterly smashed like a skirt steak under Beck’s tenderizing mallet?
I’ve armored myself, in a manner of speaking, but it’s taking a lot of my concentration to maintain it and keep from being crushed. Also this stupid guard is still alive, gouging me in the stomach with his knees as he tries to push up out of the rocks. I’d appreciate it if you would do something.
I’m not sure what I can do about the guard’s knees.
Shave them off as soon as you see him.
Mica was considering the rubble pile from different angles. “Should have brought the hand tractor.”
Alisa glanced down the corridor, worried more enemies would charge out of the smoke at them while they were distracted by Abelardus's predicament. For now, the passage was quiet.
She bent and moved rocks away from the staff, assuming Abelardus still had a hold on it.
“Or grease,” Mica said, “so we could lather him up and slide him out.”
“I’m sure if you want to lather him up, he’ll allow you to do that later.”
Mica will not give me Starseer babies, Abelardus informed her.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have sex with her. Nobody else on the ship is interested in lathering you.
If that’s true, it’s quite disappointing.
Alisa grunted as she heaved a slab of cement aside. “I see his hand.”
Mica joined her, and they hurried to clear bricks from around the staff, revealing more of his arm and a few dusty braids of hair lying across it.
Another explosion sounded in the depths of the compound, and the walls shook. More rubble came down onto the big pile.
“Just what we need,” Mica said.
“That came from above,” Alisa said. The previous explosions had all seemed to originate in the basement.
There are ships flying over the compound, Abelardus informed her. One dropped a bomb that missed the building and blew a giant crater in the street.
That bomb had missed? Alisa grimaced. She didn’t want to be there when one landed on the roof.
The ships dropping bombs are being chased by other ships. The local law enforcement, I believe. More ships are outside of the dome, firing on the forcefield and trying to get in. I believe all of Terra Dhwan may be under attack soon.
Solstice’s people?
The woman had implied that she hadn’t wanted to get involved, but maybe that had been a lie, or maybe Leonidas had commed her and asked for help.
I don’t—look out!
Rocks flew as the armored guard rose up out of the pile, sloughing bricks. A black-robed torso was visible beneath him, smothered with dust and still half-buried in rock.
Alisa kneeled back, shooting the guard before he got his bearings, a sustained burst that she hoped might melt through his armor. It should have already been damaged by the rust bang. He was facing the wall, probably disoriented from being under the rocks, but his alarms must have lit up, warning him of the attack. He whirled toward her, lifting his arm to fire.
Alisa sprang toward the side corridor again, but he never shot. Abelardus roared, his staff coming up between the guard’s legs. A regular stick striking his armored crotch would not have bothered the man, but that lightning streaked out, dancing as it spread all across his armor. An acrid scent filled the tunnel, and the guard screamed, the electrical currents finding damaged seams. His armor stiffened, and he pitched backward onto the rubble.
Abelardus shoved aside rocks and pushed himself to his feet, leaning on his staff for support. Despite the armor he had supposedly protected himself with, dust caked his sweaty skin, and several cuts dribbled blood down the side of his face.
Alisa stepped forward to offer him an arm for more support.
“Someone’s coming,” Mica said, pointing down the corridor.
Alisa groaned as the smoke stirred once again. Now what?
Chapter 17
Alisa stepped back into the side corridor, raising her pistol once again and praying to Solis-de that whoever was running toward them was not wearing combat armor. That was too hard to deal with without Leonidas with them. She also prayed that he was all right up there with that android. She hadn’t had a chance to comm him to check.
A person came into view, running. A naked person.
“Beck,” Mica blurted, recognizing him first.
“Beck?” Alisa gaped, both because of his unexpected nudity and because bumps and bruises mottled his chest and face, with cuts and burn marks appearing between them. It was amazing that he could walk, much less run. Nonetheless, he carried a rifle, and judging by the grim and determined expression on his face, it looked like he had used it recently.
“Captain! Mica!” Beck cried, his tone more relieved and delighted than Alisa had ever heard it. A toothy smile replaced his grim visage as he took them in.
“I’m here too,” Abelardus said, leaning heavily on his staff, looking like he would need to be carried if they had to go farther.
Beck didn’t look at Abelardus, instead racing up and throwing his arms around Alisa and Mica, ignoring the wounds that had to hurt with every movement.
“Thank you so much for coming,” he said, dropping his rifle and crushing them to him.
“You’re welcome, glad to help with your rescue,” Abelardus said, sounding bitter that Beck wasn’t acknowledging him.
You don’t want him pressing his naked body to yours in a hug, do you? Alisa asked silently, not sure whether Abelardus would be monitoring her.
No, but some gratitude might be nice. After all, I might miss catching Ostberg in his race because of this. Also, I was crushed under rocks. I’ll probably need a massage later. He raised his eyebrows at her. I understand you like to give men massages.
I think Alejandro’s nanobots would do more for you after being crushed.
And yet, I do not find that prospect as alluring.
Someone else came trotting out of the smoke, and Abelardus wearily lifted his staff. Alisa, though she was pleased to have found Beck, shifted his arm away so she could see better. She pointed her blazer toward the smoke.
A rotund man approached, huffing and cursing.
“No,” Beck said, pushing her weapon down. “That’s Chef Leblanc. We were in the same cell and plotted and schemed all day to come up with a way to outsmart our guards.”
Leblanc faltered when he spotted Abelardus. “Beck? Are these your… friends?”
He had ruddy cheeks and a thick white mustache and wore a green beret with a feather sticking out of it. Unlike Beck, he was fully clothed, and he even held a blazer pistol and a bandolier of sphere-shaped grenades. Items taken from a guard? Had he been responsible for the explosions?
“Yes,” Beck said, squeezing Alisa and Mica again before he let them go. “I told you they’d come.”
Leblanc tore his gaze from Abelardus's dusty Starseer robe. “But let us continue, yes? The building could collapse, and we still need to find a ship if we are to escape.”
“Escape sounds excellent,” Beck said, “but I was hoping I’d stumble across my armor on the way out. Or at least my underwear.”
“We have it back on the Nomad,” Alisa said.
“My underwear?”
“Your armor. It needs repairs. I have no idea as to the state of your underwear.”
“It probably needs repairs too.” He grimaced and gingerly touched his battered chest. “I know I do.”
“This way,” someone shouted from deeper within the basement. “The prisoners are escaping.”
Beck groaned. “Not more of them. How many people are in this building?”
Another explosion went off, and the floor heaved, pitching Beck into Alisa. She tried to stop him, gripping his shoulder with one hand, but he stum
bled, and his weight flattened her to the wall. She was momentarily smothered by naked flesh as more bricks clunked down from the ceiling.
“Really, Beck,” Alisa said, “this isn’t appropriate.”
He managed to grunt and push himself away. “Don’t tell Leonidas. I know he gets crabby when other men touch you.”
“Touching is allowed, but nakedly slinging your forceballs into me might make him raise an eyebrow. Or a fist.”
“I don’t mind the eyebrows.” Beck dusted off her shoulders and picked up his purloined rifle. “The fists hurt, even when I’m wearing my armor. I would especially hate to experience a fist to my, er, forceballs.”
“That last bomb hit the building,” Abelardus said, his gaze upward as dust continued to sift down. A light fixture and a ceiling panel had crashed to the floor farther up the corridor, deepening the gloom of the basement. “I don’t think we want to stay down here.”
“I could have told you that six hours ago,” Beck said.
“Do you know which way is out, Beck? Chef?” Alisa asked.
“Besides that way?” Beck pointed to the rubble-filled stairwell.
“Yes, unless we want to set another explosive and hope to blow away enough rubble to go out that way.”
“I wouldn’t,” Mica said, pointing upward. “It could collapse the rest of the basement onto our heads.”
“Clear that beam,” someone shouted from down the corridor and around a corner. The voice sounded muffled. By distance? Or by the faceplate of a helmet? “They’re up ahead. Boss’ll have our asses if we let his special prisoner go.”
“Which one of us is that?” Leblanc whispered.
“You’re the one who cooked for him,” Beck replied.
“Only so I could pickpocket one of his bodyguards and get a key fob.”
“Which I’m thankful for. I’m amazed you got your start as a thieving street urchin and cooked your way up to such fame and wealth.” Judging by the look of adoration Beck sent Leblanc’s way, the chef might be in danger of getting a naked hug too.
“All it takes is one person giving you a chance.” Leblanc gave Beck a surprisingly fond smile, and Alisa wondered how much they had been through in the last day. She also wondered if she was going to lose her security officer to a job in one of Leblanc’s kitchens. Assuming they survived and got out of this place.
A wrenching sound from down the corridor made her wince. “Mica? I think we’re going to have to risk it.” They would likely have company any minute, possibly armored company. “You better try those explosives.”
“Me?”
“You’re the engineer. You know all about structural integrity.”
“Please, you just want someone to blame when more of the ceiling falls.” Fortunately, Mica worked as she grumbled and complained.
Abelardus stepped past Beck and Leblanc, holding up his staff and facing the distant intersection.
“Are they coming?” Alisa whispered.
“Any second,” he said.
“Thanks for watching out for us, Abelardus,” Beck said. “Chef, why don’t you hide in that corridor there?” He pointed around the smoking and gouged corner Alisa had been using for cover.
“Hide?” Leblanc’s eyebrows jumped upward.
“Just want to keep you alive, sir.”
“Is it hard to do that when you’re naked?” Alisa asked.
“Not when I can hide behind Abelardus's robe to shoot,” Beck said.
“Mica, you need any help?” Alisa asked.
Mica continued to grumble as she clambered over the rubble, selecting spots to set grenades that had been meant for throwing. She dug into her satchel and pulled out a fuse roll. Alisa thanked Mica’s pessimistic streak that she brought tools for every contingency. Though next time, she would ask Mica to pack the hand tractor too. That would have been a safer way to move rubble.
“I’ll give you a raise if we get out of here,” Alisa said.
“From your huge dinosaur-hunting earnings?” Mica asked, backing away from the rubble pile, rolling out her fuse as she did so.
“I’ll find the money somewhere.”
“Promises, promises. Get behind that corner.” Mica pointed toward the corridor that Beck had convinced Leblanc to hide in. “Everyone.”
“They’re coming,” Abelardus said, his back to her.
Beck cursed and jumped up beside him as three men in combat armor charged into view. Beck unloaded his rifle, spraying the corridor with blazer fire. Numerous bolts slammed into the men’s chest plates, as Abelardus also did something, hurling power at the group. Alisa grabbed Mica and tugged her toward the corridor where Leblanc crouched, while wishing it weren’t a dead end. There was nowhere for them to run except into those cells.
The armored men ignored Beck’s rifle fire, but they did stumble back under Abelardus's assault, as if an ocean wave had struck them. One man stumbled back into a corner. The other two dropped to one knee, bracing themselves and raising their rifles.
“Move, Beck,” Alisa barked as she dove behind the corner. Abelardus might be able to protect himself with Starseer talents, but Beck’s nudity, as alarming as it was, wasn’t likely to make those men pause for long.
“Everybody move,” Mica yelled. “Get around the corner. Beck, Abelardus, you too.”
She held up a detonator, her thumb on the button.
“Wait,” Alisa said. “If we let the guards get closer, maybe we can bury them in the explosion.”
“I planted the explosives so that people hopefully won’t get buried,” Mica said as Beck leaped into the corridor with them, amazingly spry for someone with so many wounds. Once his adrenaline left him, he probably wouldn’t be able to move for days. “Besides, we’d be in a lot more trouble if—”
“Now,” Abelardus cried, the last one to fling himself around the corner. Blazer fire filled the corridor behind him.
Mica pressed the button as she skittered backward. “Get back farther—hurry!”
Footsteps thundered in the corridor. As the first armored guard came into view, his rifle pointing around the corner toward Abelardus, the explosion erupted.
Alisa covered her ears, wincing as white light filled the corridor. The guard flew sideways, combat armor and all. One of his comrades might have yelled, but it was hard to tell over the roar of the explosion. The floor quaked, and Alisa tottered, catching herself on the wall. Ceiling panels smashed down behind her. She didn’t know which way to turn.
Abelardus turned and scrambled farther away from the intersection as rubble flew past with as much velocity as blazer fire. A snap came from the ceiling above Alisa, and she lifted her hands, as if that would do anything if it fell. Abelardus grabbed her and Mica, startling her by pulling them close.
“Shielding you,” he explained.
Beck and Leblanc, several paces away, did not get the same protection. Maybe they were too far away.
From the roar of the explosion, one grenade going off after another, Alisa thought the entire building might fall atop them. Dust filled the corridor, and she couldn’t see anything. Someone screamed in the distance.
Finally, the crashes of debris smashing to the ground slowed down. A man groaned nearby. A thump sounded, and a rock skittered across the intersection.
One of the armored guards sprang into sight again, aiming his rifle at Alisa. She tried to jump back, but Abelardus held her tight with one arm. He released Mica with his other and pointed his staff at the guard.
The other two guards stomped into view, their armor dusty but undamaged, and Alisa groaned. Even Abelardus would not be able to handle all three. And there was nowhere left to run.
As the lead guard squeezed off his first round, a red blur slammed into him from the side. Leonidas.
The man’s shot flew wild as Leonidas bowled him over. He clipped one of the others, too, and the man stumbled back against the wall. Leonidas lashed into them, his limbs moving too quickly to follow. Soon, all of the guards were focused o
n him instead of Alisa and the others, trying their best to deal with the red tornado that had landed in their midst.
Abelardus released Alisa and ran toward the intersection to help. Beck sprinted after him.
Leblanc had fallen down, and Alisa offered him a hand as the pounding of blows and firing of blazers came from around the corner. She kept an eye out, in case one of the men decided to flee from Leonidas and look for more vulnerable targets. Though Beck would probably get whoever did first. He stood in the mouth of the corridor, holding a steady stream of rifle fire on someone.
“If he cooks with as much determination as he fights,” Leblanc said, accepting Alisa’s help up, “I look forward to trying his sauces.”
“His food is good.” Alisa kept herself from saying that Beck was better at cooking than fighting; that seemed an ungrateful thing to say of someone who was bravely—and nakedly—defending their corridor from threats.
An armored man, his helmet somehow ripped off, flew across the intersection and toward the stairwell. He did not look to be alive. A few more thumps sounded before the sounds of battle died down. Alarms still blared from the upper levels of the building.
Leonidas strode into view, gesturing for them to come his way. “We need to get out quickly. The building is being bombed. One of the ships on the landing pad took a direct hit.”
“Not ours, I hope,” Alisa said.
“Not yet.”
“Who’s attacking?” Leblanc asked.
“There are several ships with food murals on their sides that are dropping bombs while avoiding the mafia and police ships. It’s not clear how they got into the dome to start with, but they’re making a mess.”
“My people!” Leblanc clenched a fist.
“Do they know you’re in the basement?” Mica rubbed her head—something must have fallen on it.
“Maybe that’s why there haven’t been any direct hits yet. I must contact them. To the exit.” Leblanc pointed and strode past Leonidas.