"Should we save them?" Nikki asked. She turned to me. So did the others.
I glanced around. "What? Why's everyone looking at me? We're not supposed to interfere."
Mia nodded. "I'll contact headquarters." She reached over to her turtle, Koopie, which had a small phone strapped to its back. After a few moments of tapping on the phone, she frowned.
"There's no signal," Mia said.
Stella stepped next to Mia, peering at her phone. "These are part of the military network. We should get a signal anywhere."
"Something's happening," Kayla said suddenly. The thick green snake looped around her waist raised its head high and hissed.
"Squeeze is annoyed." Kayla touched the side of the building. "Vibrations."
I looked out to Drake's fight in the distance. He was dancing in and out, trading blows with the Mekanics on the ground below him. Something exploded.
Zoe jumped off the wall and towards me. A digger!
What?
An underground Mekanic. That would explain the vibrations.
I leaned over the wall, ignoring the brief wave of dizziness from that height, and searched for any signs of moving ground.
Then, the ground about fifty yards from the three civilians collapsed into a sinkhole. Something metallic crawled out of the hole.
A Mekanic. A big fucking Mekanic.
CHAPTER 2
The entire Mekanic had emerged from the ground. It had a long, serpentine body, larger than Kayla's Beastform. The front of the Mekanic had some kind of glowing shell where the head should have been, similar to the plasma fists some Mekanics used.
There was a light rustling sound to my left. Julie had melded. The others looked around uncertainly.
"Wait!" I hissed. We had strict orders to observe and not interfere.
Down below, someone screamed.
"It's going after them!" Claire cried.
The Mekanic slowly slithered towards the fleeing civilians.
What Grade is that, Zoe?
At least Grade C.
Shit. We couldn't just sit here and watch a Mekanic slaughter people. Mia seemed to sense my mood. She took a step towards me.
"We're not supposed to do anything," Mia said. "No matter what. Those were the rules for bringing us into the field."
"We're Beastmasters. Saving people is our job," Julie growled with a click of her Beastform's pincer mouth. I shivered at the sight of the giant spider.
"Our job isn't to save people," Stella said. "It's to win the War."
"It's a Grade C or higher," I said.
"I…I'm not afraid," Nikki squeaked. "I'm not."
There were more screams. The Mekanic was moving slowly, almost leisurely, towards the frantically running people, but it was clear that it would catch them soon. If we were going to do something, we had to do it quickly.
"What's the call?" Kayla looked straight at me as she spoke.
Zoe? We don't stand a chance against a Grade C. What about Drake?
At best, he could fight a Grade C to a standstill on his own. This is a bad matchup, though. Flyer versus digger.
I couldn't let the people die while I watched, but I wasn't about to risk the lives of the squad, either.
"We're allowed to do one thing," I said to Mia. "Run." I pointed to the fleeing figures. "We'll grab the civilians and run." I looked around at the others. We needed to all be on board.
Nikki nodded, as did Claire. Julie didn't say anything, but I knew where she stood. Kayla would follow me. That left Stella and Mia.
Mia shook her head. "It's too risky."
Stella simply sighed.
"Stella, Mia," I said. "We grab them and run. No fighting."
"Okay, hero," Stella said with a roll of her eyes.
"Mia?"
"I'm with the team," she said, her mouth tight.
I nodded. I turned to Claire. She was the best for evacuation, but I needed her to get Drake's attention.
"Claire, can you signal Drake?" I glanced quickly into the distance. Drake was taking his time dealing with his two Mekanics, like some of the others had predicted. He hadn't noticed the new source of trouble yet.
"Got it," Claire said.
"Stella, Nikki, and I will each grab one civilian. Split and meet up at the evac zone. Julie, use your webbing to slow down any pursuit."
I looked at Kayla, then Mia. They were the slowest, and we wanted to avoid any direct engagement with the Mekanic.
"You two, stay together and stay out of trouble. Claire can pick you both up on her way back."
Mia caught my eye. She understood. "Got it."
Kayla opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it. I nodded at her.
There was a loud rumbling sound.
"It's diving into the ground," Stella said.
The worm-like Mekanic had begun to burrow head first into the ground. A bulging seam of broken concrete followed after the fleeing trio as the Mekanic continued its hunt just beneath the surface.
Anything else, Zoe?
Avoid contact with the plasma head.
Yeah, that's a given.
And don't get stuck on top of a building. Stay close to the ground.
What? Sticking to rooftops seemed safer to me.
Trust me.
I shrugged. Zoe hadn't let me down before.
"And stay close to the ground. Don't go climbing," I said.
"Huh?" Julie asked.
"Just trust me," I said.
The others gave me questioning glances. It wasn't quite as effective when I said it.
There were more screams.
"We don't have time. Go, go!" I said as I melded and bounded over the short wall on the roof's edge.
My claws dug into the wall as I ran vertically down the side of the building. I caught a red flash in the sky out of the corner of my eye. That would be Claire.
By the time I had leaped the rest of the way to the ground, Nikki and Stella's white and blue glowing forms had joined me.
The three of us raced towards the civilian troublemakers. It didn't take us long to reach the people, but when they spotted us, they froze in terror. The woman pointed at us, screaming. The brunette was well-dressed and had a somewhat familiar look, but I couldn't place her face at the moment.
"We're here to help!" I shouted.
One of the men, a young guy around our age, turned to point at the Mekanic emerging from the ground again.
"Grab them!" I yelled to the others.
The woman started running to the side, but I scooped her up with my jaws gently and dashed away. Stella and Nikki picked up their packages, then ran off in opposite directions. The Mekanic would only be able to chase one of us.
I glanced backward while running. The Mekanic raised its bright plasma head into the air, twisting back and forth as if trying to decide where to go.
Please, not her. Not her.
Shit. The Mekanic turned to follow Stella's path.
I skidded to a stop.
Uh, Dustin? She can take care of herself.
I know. I'm just slowing it down.
I lowered the woman carefully to the ground. I turned, ready to send a Sonic Screech at the Mekanic. I double-checked my energy for any damage.
ENERGY: 600/600
Nope, I was good. Before I could act, though, sticky webbing shot out, covering the front of the Mekanic.
Julie.
Yes, trust your team.
Zoe was right, as usual. I turned back to pick up the woman, but she was running towards a nearby building. She slipped into its broken doorway before I could reach her.
Damn it!
I ran to the entrance. I couldn't fit past the doorway in my melded state.
"We're saving you! We're Beastmasters. Get back here!" I shouted into the doorway.