her. Had to get to where she was and put his hands on her, touch her, make sure she was safe.
“You won’t see your beautiful sergeant for quite some time, Pilot Reyes,” came the voice through the comm’s speaker.
Zander scowled, his teeth clenched tight. “Who the hell is this?” The comm fell silent. He didn’t like any of this. Where was she? Something had gone horribly sideways. He squatted down to his discarded clothes and quickly dressed. He picked up his holster and tightened it in fast jerks around his waist.
Sliding his stunner out of its holster, Zander crept slowly out of Shardae’s quarters into the hushed silence of the corridor. He inched further into the hall. Where the hell was everyone else?
He took off his earpiece and placed it on the ground because the A.I. could track him. Stalking down the hallway, his stunner out, his heart pounded in his ears.
Boom !
Zander dove to the rubber reinforced floor, rolling into the archway of one of the quarters.
“Pilot Reyes, please come with us,” commanded a man in an ebony uniform. “Now.”
“Fuck you!” he shouted. “You tried to shoot me!” He climbed slowly to his feet. Elbow singing in stinging anguish, Zander tried to swallow but his throat had gone dry. “Who the hell are you?”
The helmet clad person spoke in a tone stripped of its humanity. “Come with me. Yu Lee commands it.”
“I don’t answer to Lee,” Zander shouted back and fired a few more random shots.
A gurgled “fuck” lit up the hall. Zander risked peering into the hall. The man lay sprawled onto the floor. He crept around before quickly dropping to his knees. With his anger boiling, he shoved off the helmet. “Berg,” he growled.
He knew it! Shardae’s security team had been infiltrated by rats. Lee. It all came back to Lee. Zander knew where he had to go -- the brig. There might not be any survivors, but he had to see it for himself.
Carefully, he moved down the hall, leaving Berg to meet his fate. He didn’t give a damn. The sole person he cared for had gone missing. He was an IGO soldier, yes, but his heart, his core being, cried out for Shardae.
He couldn’t trust the turbo lifts so he ran down the stairs that snaked through the entire craft. The brig lay in the belly of the craft. Zander had wondered if its location meant the craft could eject the bastards if they needed to in an emergency.
Zander swallowed the acid mix of adrenaline and rage on his tongue. If anyone had hurt his baby, his Shardae, he would make them pay.
He didn’t dare use the comms unit. Whoever had taken over the comms knew Zander hadn’t been rounded up in whatever horseshit they’d concocted. If they’d gotten to the comms that meant they’d gotten to the command floor too. He’d read about the mutiny on The Inquiry . Lee had taken control of that craft’s command floor also.
There hadn’t been any Scarlet Burn, but maybe Lee wanted guarantees. Besides, The Explorer wasn’t some small research vessel.
And Zander wasn’t a good little soldier who played by the rules.
Something Yu Lee was about to find out.
Chapter 15
The gash above Shardae’s eyebrow kept dripping blood into her eye. Using the back of her hand, she rubbed it clear of her vision. She promised herself to pay O’Leery back. He’d pounced out of the shadows and slammed his fist into her. She’d barely gotten her arm up to partially block his strike.
“I’m going to kill that sonofabitch,” Commander Ashe grunted, her lips swollen black and blue muffling the words. Locked inside one of the numerous holding cells, she sat with her back against the wall, glaring out at the traitorous crewmates. “I can’t believe I let him sucker punch me!”
Tousled blonde hair hung down. Scrapes and abrasions littered Commander Ashe’s face. The swollen red knuckles of her hands stood out starkly against the white of her skin. “Damn it!” she growled. “I’m going to kill Lee. Snow
“You won’t see your beautiful sergeant for quite some time, Pilot Reyes,” came the voice through the comm’s speaker.
Zander scowled, his teeth clenched tight. “Who the hell is this?” The comm fell silent. He didn’t like any of this. Where was she? Something had gone horribly sideways. He squatted down to his discarded clothes and quickly dressed. He picked up his holster and tightened it in fast jerks around his waist.
Sliding his stunner out of its holster, Zander crept slowly out of Shardae’s quarters into the hushed silence of the corridor. He inched further into the hall. Where the hell was everyone else?
He took off his earpiece and placed it on the ground because the A.I. could track him. Stalking down the hallway, his stunner out, his heart pounded in his ears.
Boom !
Zander dove to the rubber reinforced floor, rolling into the archway of one of the quarters.
“Pilot Reyes, please come with us,” commanded a man in an ebony uniform. “Now.”
“Fuck you!” he shouted. “You tried to shoot me!” He climbed slowly to his feet. Elbow singing in stinging anguish, Zander tried to swallow but his throat had gone dry. “Who the hell are you?”
The helmet clad person spoke in a tone stripped of its humanity. “Come with me. Yu Lee commands it.”
“I don’t answer to Lee,” Zander shouted back and fired a few more random shots.
A gurgled “fuck” lit up the hall. Zander risked peering into the hall. The man lay sprawled onto the floor. He crept around before quickly dropping to his knees. With his anger boiling, he shoved off the helmet. “Berg,” he growled.
He knew it! Shardae’s security team had been infiltrated by rats. Lee. It all came back to Lee. Zander knew where he had to go -- the brig. There might not be any survivors, but he had to see it for himself.
Carefully, he moved down the hall, leaving Berg to meet his fate. He didn’t give a damn. The sole person he cared for had gone missing. He was an IGO soldier, yes, but his heart, his core being, cried out for Shardae.
He couldn’t trust the turbo lifts so he ran down the stairs that snaked through the entire craft. The brig lay in the belly of the craft. Zander had wondered if its location meant the craft could eject the bastards if they needed to in an emergency.
Zander swallowed the acid mix of adrenaline and rage on his tongue. If anyone had hurt his baby, his Shardae, he would make them pay.
He didn’t dare use the comms unit. Whoever had taken over the comms knew Zander hadn’t been rounded up in whatever horseshit they’d concocted. If they’d gotten to the comms that meant they’d gotten to the command floor too. He’d read about the mutiny on The Inquiry . Lee had taken control of that craft’s command floor also.
There hadn’t been any Scarlet Burn, but maybe Lee wanted guarantees. Besides, The Explorer wasn’t some small research vessel.
And Zander wasn’t a good little soldier who played by the rules.
Something Yu Lee was about to find out.
Chapter 15
The gash above Shardae’s eyebrow kept dripping blood into her eye. Using the back of her hand, she rubbed it clear of her vision. She promised herself to pay O’Leery back. He’d pounced out of the shadows and slammed his fist into her. She’d barely gotten her arm up to partially block his strike.
“I’m going to kill that sonofabitch,” Commander Ashe grunted, her lips swollen black and blue muffling the words. Locked inside one of the numerous holding cells, she sat with her back against the wall, glaring out at the traitorous crewmates. “I can’t believe I let him sucker punch me!”
Tousled blonde hair hung down. Scrapes and abrasions littered Commander Ashe’s face. The swollen red knuckles of her hands stood out starkly against the white of her skin. “Damn it!” she growled. “I’m going to kill Lee. Snow
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