“Why?” She whispered as she ran her fingers over the scar on her wrist. “How could he do this? To us? To our own people?”
She shook her head and blinked back the tears of anger. It had been almost two years since Colbert had turned on them. Destin hadn’t believed her at first when she expressed her concern over Colbert’s increasingly irrational behavior. He thought it was the stress they were all under. He often told her it wasn’t easy trying to rebuild a world amid all the destruction and uncertainty of their future, that some people handled it differently than others. Destin had embraced the chance. He was determined to use the skills he had been learning as a mechanical engineer before the world went crazy to build a city like the ones they saw in the Sci-Fi movies they used to sneak into.
Colbert… Colbert saw a chance to rule through power and he wanted Destin by his side. Colbert saw what he thought was a chance to rise above the street kids they had been and become the absolute leader. Only one person stood in his way. One person who knew his weakness. One person who knew who he really was inside and what he desired most next to power.
Destin had almost died because she had been afraid to speak up. She had always known that Colbert loved her brother. When she was younger, she thought he loved Destin like she did, as a brother. When she was sixteen, she caught Colbert looking at Destin with a silent hunger that she recognized as anything but brotherly. Colbert had been eighteen to Destin’s twenty at the time and was the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in their neighborhood. He didn’t like that she and Destin chose a different path. Kali knew Colbert blamed her for that. Destin would never have allowed that type of danger to come near her and he told Colbert as much. Both she and Destin had other dreams they wanted to follow.
Colbert’s obsession with Destin remained hidden from her brother, but once Kali had glimpsed the hunger in his eyes that day, she had quietly watched Colbert from a distance. Two years ago, she caught Colbert spying on her brother when he was with one of the women who had joined up with them. Kali finally broke down and told her brother about her suspicions.
Two days after her meeting with Destin, the woman was found dead. The woman, Maria, had broken her neck when she supposedly fell through a weak spot while on patrol with Colbert and Johnson, Colbert’s second-in-command. Colbert swore that he tried to save Maria but Kali had been suspicious and asked Doc do an autopsy on Maria. Doc said that the bruising around Maria’s neck indicated she had been strangled and that additional bruising and blood under her nails showed she had fought against her attacker.
Colbert overheard Kali telling Destin the results. At first, Colbert had denied it, claiming the cuts on his arms and face were the result of retrieving Maria’s body from the building. When Kali presented the evidence from Doc and asked for a blood sample to see if it matched the blood under Maria’s fingernails, Colbert exploded into a desperate, jealous rage. The knife aimed for her brother’s heart had cut a deep path across her wrist as she stepped between them to protect Destin.
Destin’s call for help was answered by Jason and Tim. They had subdued Colbert, but his treachery ran deeper than either she or Destin knew. His followers helped him escape the makeshift jail they had constructed. Several good men died that night. Men that had families. All because Destin didn’t love Colbert the way Colbert loved Destin and refused to join him in ruling Chicago.
“What a screwed up world we live in,” she murmured as she leaned back and stared up into the night sky again. “Why can’t people just learn to live together?”
She gasped as the dark lit up when someone from the southern half of the city launched a ground-to-air missile. Her eyes followed the path as it streaked across the night sky. Her low cry of denial was carried away on the wind as she saw the target. A Black Hawk helicopter flying low dipped to the left, heading toward her.
Kali watched as the helicopter approached in slow motion. It took a moment for her to register that it was heading straight toward her. She rolled backwards and flipped over the side of the sign. She scrambled down the metal frame, jumping or sliding as fast as she could. She was almost to the bottom of it when the sound of the helicopter grew louder and she swung around to look. A hoarse curse burst from her lips and her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the shapes of two men in the cockpit.
Time appeared to stand still as the pilot swerved again. It was obvious he didn’t see the outline of the large rooftop crane sticking up like a greedy hand. Kali jumped off the sign’s metal frame as the tail rotor caught in the thick metal cables of the nearby crane. The horrific sound of screeching metal echoed above the wind. She hit the ground and rolled as another sound mixed with the doomed aircraft. The whistle of the missile ended with an ear-shattering explosion.
Kali continued to roll until she was under the metal overhang of a fresh air intake duct mounted on the roof. She curled into a ball and covered her head as flaming shards of hot metal rained down around her. Fear threatened to engulf her as a part of the helicopter’s main rotor blade snapped and several large sections flew wildly through the air. One long piece, approximately six feet long, pierced the metal duct inches above her head.
She lay breathing heavily as the sounds of creaking metal and the snapping and popping of flames continued to fill the air. Cautiously raising her head, she looked around at the wreckage. She was amazed that she was still alive. Rolling until she was on her hands and knees, she slowly crawled out from under the impaled duct. She knelt on the gravel and tar-papered roof staring in shock and horror at the destruction.
The crane that had been installed to replace some of the lettering before the alien invasion now stood twisted and disfigured, as if it had been made out of papier-mâché instead of steel. The ‘H’ was broken in half. The section that was missing had taken out a good ten feet or more of the short wall surrounding the roof. Long ropes of steel cabling hung like the remains of a spider’s web blowing in the breeze. Sparks and small fires continued to burn, lighting the darkness so she could see the hideous outline of what remained of the helicopter.
Kali walked slowly toward the edge. There was no way anyone could have survived such a crash. The tail boom was shredded with large chunks missing from it. The tail rotor was completely gone. She glanced around and saw what she thought were pieces of it sticking out of the building across from her. Climbing over the rubble, she raised a trembling hand to push the hair that blew into her eyes back behind her ear and looked over the edge of the building to see if the helicopter had fallen all the way to the ground.
She drew in a surprised breath when she saw that it hung suspended two floors below her. Her eyes followed the tangle of steel cables that barely held it. She jerked back when the whole thing shifted as the crane tilted and bent under the weight of the helicopter. Scrambling backwards over the broken brick and mortar from the building, she turned and headed for the back corner where the metal fire escape was attached to the side of the building. She doubted that the two men were still alive, but she needed to confirm it. She couldn’t leave them if they were hurt.
One thing is for sure, she thought as she climbed over the edge and began working her way down through the narrow caged ladder to the floor below. If those men did survive the crash I have to help get them out because that crane sure as hell isn’t going to be able to hold them for long.
Chapter 3
Razor blinked several times in an effort to clear his vision. He remained perfectly still as he ran an assessment over his body. Every part of him felt bruised and beaten. He ignored the throbbing in an effort to assess what was minor damage and what could be life-threatening. A low curse echoed through the cockpit when he realized that he was still face down. The only thing holding him in place was the seat harness. There was nothing else between him and the ground far below. The windshield of the helicopter was missing on his side.
He slowly raised his hand to wipe at the blood that kept blurring his vision. A deep cut ran just above his right brow. His
arms were fine, but excruciating pain in his left leg hazed his vision when he tried to move it.
Drawing in a deep breath, he lowered his chin until he could look down at it. A shaft of metal, over six inches long, was embedded in his upper thigh. He turned his head so he could look at the pilot. The male hung lifelessly from his harness. A thick metal rod protruded from his chest.
“Hey, is anyone alive in there?” A soft voice called out from behind him. “Oh God!”
Razor turned his head as far as he could, but from the position he was in he couldn’t see who had called out. He could only feel it. A deep heat mixed with the pain running through him. Frustrated, he closed his eyes and wrapped his hand around the top of the metal in his leg and pulled in another deep breath in preparation for the pain that would come with removing it.
His eyes jerked open when he felt slender fingers close around his wrist. “Wait,” the husky voice whispered next to his ear. “Let me make sure it didn’t hit an artery. If it did, you’ll be dead before I can get you to safety.”
Razor turned his head and breathed in the sweet scent of wildflowers. A low moan escaped before he could contain it. The heat inside him flared again, rushing through him at such a speed that he had to close his eyes again to calm the dizziness.
“I am dead either way,” he murmured as the metal around them creaked and shifted again.
“Not on my watch you aren’t,” the voice replied with a trace of amusement. “Now, keep your pantyhose on. I’m going to reach around you and attach a strap to you so I can release the harness and free you. Is your other leg good?”
Razor’s eyes jerked open and his breath hissed out when the most beautiful almond-shaped brown eyes, mere inches from his face, looked back at him with a combination of humor and fear. The first thought that went through his mind was that this was the female from the image he had been studying right before the crash. The second and most disturbing was that she was in imminent danger.
“Leave me,” he ordered with a dark growl. “It is too dangerous. The whole thing could collapse at any moment. Get out now. I will get myself out if I can.”
*.*.*
Kali ignored everything around her, but what she was doing. If she thought about it, she would do exactly like the alien demanded. Hell, if she had known that there was an alien on board the damn ‘human’ helicopter, she would have left his ass to die instead of risking her neck to save him.
No, you wouldn’t have, her good side argued silently with her bad side. You would have helped anyway because you are a sucker for those in need.
“Yeah, and look where it has gotten me,” she muttered under her breath.
“What?” The alien male demanded before he let out a curse as the helicopter shifted again. “Get out!”
“Shut up!” She snapped back, quickly tying the thick cloth of a rolled up fire hose around his waist.
“You…” Razor’s voice died as the helicopter shifted violently.
This time the entire thing dropped several feet. A large section of the tail boom opened up and fell to the ground far below. The shift caught Kali off-guard as she adjusted her feet to get into a better position to unhook the straps holding him to his seat.
She screamed as the footholds she was using dropped from under her feet. She tilted and would have fallen through the opened windshield if his hand hadn’t shot out as she fell and wrapped around her arm. She slid down until his fingers clamped down with an iron grip around her wrist. Looking down, she stared at the ground wondering briefly if this was the way she would die.
“No,” the voice growled out.
Kali looked up at the face of the male who held her life in the palm of his hand. Dropping her gaze to his thigh, she studied the metal for a moment before deciding that unless they were built vastly different, the metal should have missed all the main arteries. She looked back up to see sweat glistening on his brow and his eyes glazed with pain, determination and anger.
“Well, I think the metal in your leg missed your artery. It’s still going to hurt like a bitch when I remove it,” she replied grimly. “You can’t pass out on me when I do, you hear me? I need you to keep it together until we are out of this mess.”
“Are you crazy, female?” His deep, rich voice asked in disbelief as he stared at her hanging from one hand over certain death. “You are going to get yourself killed!”
“Not tonight, I’m not,” Kali replied in a husky voice. “Just… don’t let go of me yet. I’d hate for you to prove me wrong.”
Lifting her legs up, she found a good foothold and reached up to grab the back of his seat. The move had her straddling his legs and her forehead pressed firmly against his. She knew that he was going to be pissed with what she was about to do, but there was no time for making the task at hand any easier. The moment he released her hand, she gripped the metal shard in his leg and pulled it out as quickly as possible.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring into his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
She dropped the blade of metal, letting it fall through the shattered glass to the ground below. Readjusting her position, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out the bandana that she sometimes used to hold her hair back. It was barely long enough when folded diagonally to wrap around his thigh.
She hated having to hurt him, but some instinct told her that they were running out of time if they were going to get out of this alive. She needed him to be able to move and he wouldn’t be able to with a spear of metal in his leg. She glanced up as she finished tying the strip of cloth.
His head was pressed back against the seat, not an easy thing to do considering he was hanging by a few straps. His face was pale and his lips were pressed together so tightly they were almost white. His eyes had turned to a darker gold. It was the look of pain, anger and exhaustion shining in them that pulled at her sympathetic heart. She knew all too well what those feelings felt like.
She reached up and touched his cheek before pressing her lips lightly against his. It was the only thing she could think of to give him a moment of comfort. Resting her forehead against his again, she reached down and grasped the buckle holding the straps together.
“Are you ready for this?” She asked softly. “I’ll help balance you. Use your good leg to brace against the dash. I’ll act as your left leg. Try not to put too much weight on it if you can. We don’t want it to give out and have you collapse. The shift might take the whole thing down. Once we get on the back side of the seats the side door is open. If we get to the opening and the crane gives way, don’t worry about falling. I have the hose around you and it will hold you. Let it swing you down to the lower floor. The windows are all gone and I’ve kicked out the rest of the glass so just let the momentum take you to safety.”
“What…” he started to say hoarsely as the buckle opened and he gripped her as she wrapped her arms around him to keep him from falling. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Kali whispered in his ear. “Tonight isn’t my time to die.”
Chapter 4
Razor’s mind rebelled at the thought that any night would be her time to die. Gritting his teeth, he braced his good leg against the instrument panel. He kept one hand wrapped around the strap tied to his waist to help steady him and his other arm around the waist of the slender female.
They moved in a slow, painful synchronized dance over the seats toward the open door. He tightened his arm around her when the helicopter shifted again under their weight. He could feel it as it began to tilt. The sudden knowledge that things were about to change quickly hit him at the same time as it must have hit her.
“Hold on,” he ordered as he bent both legs and pushed off, ignoring the burning pain as he pulled on the jagged cut on his leg.
For a moment, time stood still as they were suspended in the air. Razor felt the female’s warm breath against his neck as she buried her face against it. Her arms had moved from around his waist to around his neck. He turned at
the last minute so his body could take the force of them hitting the brick building. They briefly bounced outward, but her hold on him never loosened. He rolled as they came back against the side so his back was to the falling debris that was dragged down under the weight of the helicopter.
He bent his head forward as she splayed her hands protectively over the back of it. It took several seconds before he realized that she had wrapped her legs around his waist and was pulling him closer to the building. He groaned against her shoulder as she held him tightly against her.
“I think… we… made it out of the helicopter,” her trembling voice whispered against his ear.
“Yes,” he muttered, pulling back.
He watched as she tilted her head upwards before looking down, then returning to look into his eyes with a small grin on her lips. He felt her body relax against his as she stared at him in curiosity. He saw her frown as she studied the cut above his eye.
“You’re going to need stitches for that one as well,” she murmured before meeting his eyes again. She tightened her legs around him as she raised one hand to gently push his hair back from his face. Her expression changed as she rubbed it between her fingers. “It’s soft.”
“Can we discuss the softness of my hair when we are not hanging almost sixty meters above the ground,” he muttered through his teeth.
He didn’t know if it was pain or exhaustion causing the confusion swirling through his mind, but he was finding it almost impossible to concentrate on anything but the female wrapped around him. It wasn’t like him to allow anyone, much less an alien female, to distract him from his mission.
“Sorry,” she muttered, releasing his hair.
If it wasn’t for the fact that she was still in danger, he would have demanded that she continue her exploration. His arm tightened around her waist when she slowly lowered her legs. Fear that she was about to fall swept through him.