C HAPTER 1
I NUDGED THE dead man’s body, just to be sure. Another wave of blue blood flowed from his wound, neon in the overhead streetlights as his fluids activated with this world’s air mixture, making me think he might be an alien to this planet, as we’d suspected. Chatter splintered in my earpiece, squealing and forcing one eye closed as I fought through the high pitch of the commander’s voice.
The ambush had come swift and fast, taking out half our team. This guy had underestimated me, seeing a woman and thinking I wouldn’t shoot. It had been a weird reaction but then he’d taken a step closer and said I’d looked like his wife. That was when I’d fired. Nothing about tonight had gone as planned; we’d gone into this exercise unprepared as it was, but the commander had forced us forward, believing the experience would cement our training. He’d been right on that account but it had come at a premium.
The weapon heated my skin where it was imbedded in my forearm, the arm of my suit rolled back to account for the oversized metal canon, eyepiece welded to my temple. I’d been one of the “lucky” ones able to breathe the native air, so I’d forgone the helmet in lieu of the better weapon. For all that it was stupidly accurate, I still hadn’t gotten the hang of its weight and caught myself flinging my arm too hard and having to overcorrect. I hadn’t meant to kill the man who lay at my feet, only wound him; the weapon had sliced through my hesitation and did our job.
I concentrated on the voices in my ear, tried to make out commands between the static and panic. If we didn’t get out of here in the next few minutes, we’d all be on the ground cover in our own blood. Today wasn’t really a good day to die. I had a date tonight.
“Lility!” Fransín’s voice came through clearly and I jumped, searching around for her and wary of another ambush. Steaming piles of metal hulked along the broken street. Above me, crumbling bits of building rained down in the aftermath of the war. In all fairness, nothing could have truly prepared us for today. The stench was overwhelming and every time I tried breathing through my mouth, the stale air lanced through my tastebuds and made me choke. If I’d have had cover I’d have taken a drink from my canteen to wash the taste, but I couldn’t hide until I was back with my unit…if we ever made our way through this desolate terrain alive.
“Fransín, where are you?” I whispered, lowering to a crouch and lifting the weaponized arm like they’d taught me. As a precaution, I surveyed the heat signatures of everything in front of me. Heaps of bodies cooled, their red centers reducing to orange, some already a dull gray of death.
“I’m in the building behind and to your left. I’m coming down—”
“Wait! It’s not safe down here. I’ll come up.”
“Don’t argue with me. This building’s barely standing. It’s no safer in here.”
I rotated slowly, focused on every blip on my screen. The enemy had known everything about our weapons—and how could they not, they’d designed them.
Scanning the building holding Fransín, I noted all the dangerous spots in the foundation and let the computer calculate the structure’s viability. It would hold for another ten minutes, long enough for us to huddle up and make a plan. No surprise that Fransín was still alive; she’d survived everything life had thrown at her and had given it right back. When we were safe and time returned to being a luxury, I’d kick myself for leaving her side. “I’m coming up.”
“Damm—” Static claimed the last half of her curse and I double-timed it to the blasted entrance of the building, scanning everything along the way. Still over nine minutes of structural integrity, plenty of time. I met her on the third flight of stairs and we crashed together, hugging each other tight. Her petite grip was strong, lashing around my arms and pinning them against my suit,
I NUDGED THE dead man’s body, just to be sure. Another wave of blue blood flowed from his wound, neon in the overhead streetlights as his fluids activated with this world’s air mixture, making me think he might be an alien to this planet, as we’d suspected. Chatter splintered in my earpiece, squealing and forcing one eye closed as I fought through the high pitch of the commander’s voice.
The ambush had come swift and fast, taking out half our team. This guy had underestimated me, seeing a woman and thinking I wouldn’t shoot. It had been a weird reaction but then he’d taken a step closer and said I’d looked like his wife. That was when I’d fired. Nothing about tonight had gone as planned; we’d gone into this exercise unprepared as it was, but the commander had forced us forward, believing the experience would cement our training. He’d been right on that account but it had come at a premium.
The weapon heated my skin where it was imbedded in my forearm, the arm of my suit rolled back to account for the oversized metal canon, eyepiece welded to my temple. I’d been one of the “lucky” ones able to breathe the native air, so I’d forgone the helmet in lieu of the better weapon. For all that it was stupidly accurate, I still hadn’t gotten the hang of its weight and caught myself flinging my arm too hard and having to overcorrect. I hadn’t meant to kill the man who lay at my feet, only wound him; the weapon had sliced through my hesitation and did our job.
I concentrated on the voices in my ear, tried to make out commands between the static and panic. If we didn’t get out of here in the next few minutes, we’d all be on the ground cover in our own blood. Today wasn’t really a good day to die. I had a date tonight.
“Lility!” Fransín’s voice came through clearly and I jumped, searching around for her and wary of another ambush. Steaming piles of metal hulked along the broken street. Above me, crumbling bits of building rained down in the aftermath of the war. In all fairness, nothing could have truly prepared us for today. The stench was overwhelming and every time I tried breathing through my mouth, the stale air lanced through my tastebuds and made me choke. If I’d have had cover I’d have taken a drink from my canteen to wash the taste, but I couldn’t hide until I was back with my unit…if we ever made our way through this desolate terrain alive.
“Fransín, where are you?” I whispered, lowering to a crouch and lifting the weaponized arm like they’d taught me. As a precaution, I surveyed the heat signatures of everything in front of me. Heaps of bodies cooled, their red centers reducing to orange, some already a dull gray of death.
“I’m in the building behind and to your left. I’m coming down—”
“Wait! It’s not safe down here. I’ll come up.”
“Don’t argue with me. This building’s barely standing. It’s no safer in here.”
I rotated slowly, focused on every blip on my screen. The enemy had known everything about our weapons—and how could they not, they’d designed them.
Scanning the building holding Fransín, I noted all the dangerous spots in the foundation and let the computer calculate the structure’s viability. It would hold for another ten minutes, long enough for us to huddle up and make a plan. No surprise that Fransín was still alive; she’d survived everything life had thrown at her and had given it right back. When we were safe and time returned to being a luxury, I’d kick myself for leaving her side. “I’m coming up.”
“Damm—” Static claimed the last half of her curse and I double-timed it to the blasted entrance of the building, scanning everything along the way. Still over nine minutes of structural integrity, plenty of time. I met her on the third flight of stairs and we crashed together, hugging each other tight. Her petite grip was strong, lashing around my arms and pinning them against my suit,
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