That seemed to enrage it even more.
Reaching over its shoulder, it pulled out a sharp-ended bone nearly two feet long and hurled it at her. She rolled again and took cover while Michael fired bolts at the humanoid face, trying for the other eyeball.
A laser punched through the armored biceps, and blood sloshed out. The creature staggered, gripping the injury with its other hand. It looked his way, and as the black maw opened to let out a roar, Michael fired a bolt.
The laser went through its mouth and out the back of its head, slinging hunks of bone and gore onto the wall. The beast slumped over, crashing against another table and onto the floor.
The divers turned their attention to the remaining creature, which had pulled several of the bony darts from its back. One after another, the spears whistled through the air.
Michael shot a rapid-fire stream of laser bolts, which tunneled through the thick chest armor on the right side, punching out the other side. The creature fell to the floor but pushed itself back up.
A roar nearly brought Michael to his knees. He needed just one lucky shot. The creature threw another bone arrow just as Michael fired a flurry of bolts into the center of its skull.
The weapon sizzled and locked up, overheated. But the lasers had burned through the monster’s bony face, melting away the hideous features. It slashed at the air before finally falling backward onto its double-jointed knees, then rolled facedown on the floor.
The entire building trembled from the impact.
Michael let the smoking rifle hang from its strap and pulled out the pistol X had given him. Heart thumping, he waited and listened. For the moment, it seemed, they had avoided death.
But then he heard a new sound over the patter of rain and the booming thunder. Many feet pounded the ground outside, sounding like a stampede of wild animals.
“What in the wastes is that?” Arlo said.
“Get to the bathroom,” Michael said. He turned with the kid to find Sofia and Edgar at the back of the room, kneeling over Alexander.
Michael ran over as fast as he could, hoping the wound wasn’t as bad as it looked. It was worse. The diver had taken a bone dart right through his stomach armor.
The pounding feet grew louder, shaking the floor.
Michael knelt beside Alexander, ignoring the sounds. The injured diver writhed in pain as Sofia rummaged through her med pack.
“We pull it out, patch the wound, and then patch the armor,” Michael said. “Come help us hold him.”
Edgar moved over, but Arlo stood staring in the other direction, trembling.
“We’ll pull it out on three, okay?” Michael said.
Alexander nodded.
“One…” Michael pulled the shaft on two, and out it came. Alexander let out a long scream and then clamped his jaw shut.
As Sofia went to work on the bleeding wound, Michael gripped Alexander’s hand.
“Hold on, man,” he said. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
Edgar rejoined Arlo to provide cover. They aimed their rifles at the gap in the brick wall, and the hole in the ceiling left by the bone beasts. Rain sluiced in through the opening in the roof, pooling across the floor.
“Those things are almost here,” Arlo said. He took a step back, his rifle shaking in his hands.
Choking noises pulled Michael’s gaze back to Alexander.
Sofia worked faster, but the blood was everywhere.
“Commander…” Alexander coughed and then said, “Tell Eevi she is my rock and I will always love her.”
He let go of Michael’s arm and reached toward his vest, pulling up the leather flap to expose his battery unit.
“Get out of here,” he grunted. “I’ll hold them back while I can, and then I’ll blow my battery unit.”
Michael looked over his shoulder. The entire building seemed to shake from the approaching beasts. It sounded like an entire herd.
Alexander choked, and Sofia continued to work.
“I can save you,” she said. “Just hold on.”
“There’s no more time,” Alexander said, trying to sit up. He choked again and broke into a deep cough.
“Please,” Sofia begged.
Alexander grabbed Michael’s hand. “Save the rest of them, Commander.”
“I will,” Michael said. “I’ll tell Eevi what you did.”
Alexander nodded again.
Sofia finished taping a blood-soaked bandage, sobbing. Edgar helped Michael drag Alexander to a wall, and Arlo handed Alexander his dropped rifle.
“It’s been an honor diving with you,” Edgar said, squeezing Alexander’s hand.
“I’m so sorry,” Sofia said.
“Sorry, man,” Arlo said. “You’re my definition of bravery.”
Michael led the divers back to the bathroom, leaving Alexander to face the beasts alone. He hated doing it, but it was either leave now, or they all would die.
A roar sounded as soon as they entered the room. Dust sifted down from the ceiling. Arlo, Sofia, and Edgar made their way around the corner, but Michael hesitated.
Gunfire cracked on the open factory floor, echoing over the first screech. Seemingly all at once, a dozen roars came from outside and above the structure. More thuds on the rooftop.
The divers ducked into the sewer tunnel, but Michael backtracked around the corner, keeping his laser rifle up to cover them.
The gunfire echoed in the other room, then went silent. He finally turned and climbed down into the narrow passage.
The divers moved in a crouch, their helmets scratching against the low ceiling. Michael turned and aimed his laser rifle at the entrance they had left behind. Destroying it would seal that side, so if they didn’t find a way out, they were trapped.
He didn’t get the chance to decide.
A thunderous boom came from inside the factory, bringing part of the bathroom ceiling down on the floor and crushing the tunnel entrance.
Michael flicked on his night-vision goggles and looked at his HUD. One of the beacons was offline.
Team Raptor was down to four members.
It was almost 2 a.m., but Rhino couldn’t sleep. Apparently, neither could King Xavier. They stood at the southern rail on the capitol tower, looking out over the rigs. Unlike on the boat ride earlier, Miles didn’t seem to have any trouble dozing off now.
He lay at their feet, snoring loudly.
Rhino tried to keep his mind off Sofia. She was risking her life in the wastes to find people just like herself and Rhino—survivors trying to scrape out a living belowground.
He should have been by her side, but he wasn’t. He was here on the Vanguard Islands, and now it was time to fight for their future so that when she returned home, she wouldn’t have to live in fear of another war.
X broke the silence.
“I really don’t know about this plan,” he said. “You’re sure you can trust these men?”
“Mac will never betray me, and Felipe has sworn his loyalty.”
“And Isaiah?”
“As long as he gets paid, we don’t have to worry,” Rhino said with all the confidence he could project.
“I’ve got a lot of other things than this to worry about, Rhino. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
“And we won’t, sir. Mac will arrange everything at the trading post. They are his stomping grounds. No one on the islands is better for this mission.”
“All right, General.” X drew in a breath of cool morning air. “Much as I don’t want to, I’d better tell Lieutenant Sloan of the plan now that it’s set. I can’t keep this from her.”
He pulled out his radio, and a few minutes later, Sloan came jogging around the rooftop’s plot of tropical forest. Rubbing her eyes, she joined them on the platform.
“Sir, you called for me?” she said.
X nodded. “We need to chat.”