aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (18 page)

Ardal
turned and pointed the weapon. One shot and the Captain was out of his misery.
Fiona’s gasp concerned him, but there was no time to deal with her wishes right
now. Her safety was all that mattered and as long as these men lived, she would
not be safe.

“Come.”

He
grabbed her hand and headed toward the rear door. They reached it just as the
first soldier entered the building. Ardal shot him and then pulled Fiona
outside. It was a large camp, with at least twenty buildings. Men were
streaming out of only three, though. Ardal pushed Fiona behind him and started
toward the first group.

He
raised his gun, but before he had a chance to fire, there was large roaring
from the sky. Dust and gravel were twisted and blown into their faces.

It
was another helicopter.

Ardal
pushed closer to the steel building, ensuring that Fiona was completely covered
by his body. He moved to aim for the incoming aircraft, but its weapons started
spitting bullets all around. Within seconds the first wave of soldiers were
lying on the ground.

A
surge of mind connection hit him like a brick to the head. It was crude but
effective.
We’ve come to help
. Ardal acknowledged the message. He had no
idea who these people were, but their thoughts felt like Hunters. He stayed in
place, keeping Fiona behind him. He could not trust these new warriors. It
might be a trick to lull him into letting his guard down. If so they would be
disappointed. A Hunter never relaxed his guard.

Another
wave of soldiers was gunned down before the helicopter landed. Once on the
ground, six men jumped out with weapons and spread out in a circle. Ardal kept
Fiona behind him as he moved to the aircraft. The newcomers shot any soldier
who obstructed his path. He felt Fiona’s fear. He blocked it as he focused on
their escape. By the time he reached the helicopter, there were no other
soldiers standing.

The
men who had come to their rescue were now checking all of the buildings. There
was the odd report of a bullet being fired, but other than the helicopter
blades, the area was quiet. The bodies of at least fifty soldiers littered the
ground. Ardal waited with his weapons ready. One by one the newcomers walked
back to the aircraft, their guns lowered as they approached.

All
six of them stopped in front of Ardal. They looked to be in their late
twenties, dark hair and dark eyes. There was coldness in those eyes, though.
One of the men raised his gun at Fiona. Ardal pushed her behind him and aimed
his weapon for the kill.

“Who
are you?”

The
man with the gun lowered his arm. “I’d say a thank you was in order. We just
saved your butt. The human needs to die. She is too dangerous as a witness.”

“No.”
Ardal kept his weapon aimed. “She is with me.”

One
of the other men moved his hands as if to surrender, but a weapon dropped down
his sleeve. He whipped it up and pointed it at Ardal’s head.

Ardal
was quicker.

He
grabbed the arm holding the gun and bent it so the pistol was pointing at his
attacker. His other hand still had its weapon pointed at the first man.

“I
am Ardal, elite Hunter and last of the clan Rioge. One move and both of these
men are dead.” Ardal let his gaze focus on each man. “Who are you?”

The
men lowered their weapons, but Ardal continued to hold his captive. Fiona was
still hidden behind him and he could feel her body trembling. By Cygnus and
Warrior, he would rather kill these men than have her upset.

“Answer.”

“Are
you really of the clan Rioge?” the man Ardal was holding asked. His voice held
a hint of awe. “We’ve never met a leader before.”

“So
far all you have done is anger one.” Ardal loosened his hold slightly. “How
long have you been here?”

“Thirty
years.”

“Impossible.”
Ardal tightened his hold on his captive.

“This
atmosphere changes our metabolism.” The man grabbed at Ardal’s hand. “We
crashed here when we were children. Some of our instructors lived, but most
died. We have been here ever since.”

The
planet had strengthened him, but to age slower seemed crazy. He searched each
of the men’s eyes and mind and found no subterfuge. There was sadness,
loneliness, and ruthlessness, but no deception.

“The
woman is to be left unharmed.”

“That
is dangerous.” The man who had first threatened Fiona took a step forward.

“A
true Hunter follows the Sacred Code and does not kill women or children.”

“She
is from earth.” The man motioned to the bodies around him. “They kill Hunters
on this planet.”

“She
is not the same.” Ardal’s voice was a growl. “I need your word as a Hunter and
your allegiance to the Sacred Code that you will obey my order and protect
her.”

Ardal
waited as each man gave his vow and then he released the man he was holding.
The man gave him a grin and rubbed his neck. “You are truly strong.”

Ardal
grunted. “Too many years fighting and training. Did you have a plan when you
came here?”

“We
go by the seat of our pants.” The man held out his hand. “I’m Catal. We’re all
from the clan Saidir.”

Ardal
shook his hand. “You use the customs of this planet.”

“It
is all we’ve known.” Catal pointed to the other men. “This is Gur, Kerm, Turlo,
Ern, and Lorcan our leader.”

Ardal
moved aside so that Fiona could come out from behind him. The men’s eyes
widened when they saw her. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, even by
this planet’s standards. That is not what Ardal saw though. She had a kind and
giving soul that had accepted his men without question.

“Are
you sure you can rely on her.” Lorcan’s voice was doubtful. “Women are seldom
what they seem.”

“I’ve
dealt with the Kaladin and the Holman.” Ardal raised an eyebrow. “This is not
the first woman I have met.”

“True,
but you are secluded from them.”

“That
does not mean that I am ignorant of their ways.”

Ardal
looked down at Fiona who was shifting from foot to foot. These men made her
nervous. It was a risk to trust them, but one he had to take. They were Hunters
like him. He had made his own men aware of the new developments and they were
concerned. They had wanted to send in a recovery team, but he had stopped it.
They must not linger, though.

“We
need to leave.”

“We’ll
take the helicopter. Climb onboard.”

Fiona
hesitated. Ardal sensed her fear. “Where are we going?”

“We
have a hidden spot about an hour away. The military has yet to find it.”

“We
were headed south.” Fiona’s voice sounded hoarse.

“It’s
only a slight detour.” Kern held out his hand for her.

Fiona
took the help and climbed aboard. Ardal followed and sat beside her. She
fidgeted with her hands and he clasped them together in his. The other men were
already seated and looked at Ardal’s actions with raised eyebrows. He ignored
them and pulled her close to his body. She sighed and leaned her head on his
chest.

They
landed in a thickly wooded area that had a small landing pad for the
helicopter. Dense forest was on one side and on the other was a lake of clear,
blue water. It was a paradise. The only thing ruining the image was the
military equipment and weapons.

Ardal
sent the direction and mileage they had covered to his men before climbing down
from the chopper. Then he helped Fiona. They pulled a netting cover over the
aircraft and then headed to a building that was partially covered by the trees.

Once
inside Ardal could see that this was more than a temporary headquarters. There
were maps, electronic equipment, and along one wall, floor to ceiling weapons
on shelves. These men were serious about protecting themselves.

Now
was the time for explanations. Ardal pulled out a chair and let Fiona sit. He
then turned to the men who were taking seats around a large table. He cleared
his throat.

“How
did you know where to find us?”

“Chatter.”
Lorcan started taking off his gun belt. “The military was hot on the trail of
someone.”

“Did
you guys really take apart a group of FD Warriors outside Timmins?” Catal put
his elbows on the table and leaned toward Ardal.

“They
were offensive.” Ardal shrugged. “They attacked first.”

“What
happened to them?”

“They
are dead.”

“Not
a wise move when you’re trying to blend in.” Lorcan sat. “I’m assuming that’s
what you’re doing. The radar suggested that your ship crashed.”

“It
did.” Ardal stood beside the table. “We were being sent here for execution. All
Hunters are dead, except us.”

The
men around the table looked at him with blank expressions before glancing back
at Lorcan. “Why would they do that? If memory serves me correctly, Hunters have
always been needed to fight the battles the Kaladin and their mates were too
squeamish to.”

“The
Kaladin are no more. The high council is in hiding and the Holman have taken
over the planet.” Ardal clenched his hands. “They did not trust us to fight for
them so they ordered us killed. All Hunters obeyed. My men and I were on a
mission when the others were executed. Upon our return, we were herded unto the
craft and flown to this planet to be jettisoned into space.

“You
are alive, though.” Catal eyes glittered with curiosity. “What happened?”

“I
refused to obey.” Ardal straightened away from the table. “My men deserved to
die with honor.”

Lorcan
frowned. “Why were you sent here?”

“I
have no idea.” Ardal crossed his arms across his chest. “You have been here
many years. Perhaps you know why.”

Lorcan
shrugged. “Not a clue.”

“Why
were you here?”

“Our
teachers said it was necessary for training and research. I think they wanted
to see how we reacted in a different atmosphere. After the crash, we scattered
around this planet.”

Kerm
cleared his throat. “The teachers thought we’d be rescued. When that didn’t
happen they became involved in speeding up the technology on this planet in the
hopes of being able to get home.”

“Obviously
they have failed.” Lorcan’s voice was sarcastic. “We learned to survive on our
own. We do quite well for being strangers.”

“Have
none of you married and had children?” Fiona’s question seemed to shock them.

“We
are Hunters.” Lorcan’s voice was harsh. “Besides, why would we want to take a
mate from this godforsaken planet?”

“How
lonely.”
Her voice was full of sadness.

Ardal
agreed. His reason was because they had been denied a brotherhood. Cut off from
their home and other Hunters would have been difficult. As children, they would
not have been provided with the skills or training to survive. Yet, they had.
The question was how and at what price.

Lorcan
shrugged. “We have never had the desire so it’s never been a problem.”

Ardal
frowned. There could only be one answer. “Do you still have your implants?”

“What
implants?” The man called Kerm tilted his head.

“Hold
out your arm.” Ardal felt along the forearm and found the telltale bump. “You
have them. Do you have any unusual skills?”

“Besides
not aging?”
The men all laughed. “No.”

The
implants were put in after birth. If they were active, then the Kaladin had
always known where the boys were. The crash may have interrupted the signal.
The military had taken his scanner so he had no way to check if they were
active. Either way, it would be best to have them removed.

“If
they are deactivated, they may still be used for tracking.” Ardal looked at
Fiona. “Can you remove them?”

She
nodded. “Do you have any medical equipment or a first aid kit?”

Lorcan
got up and searched through a cupboard before throwing a small plastic
container at Fiona. She rummaged through it and found a small scalpel and
bandages. She arranged the materials and disinfected her tools. When she was
done, she glanced at Lorcan.

“You
should go first. It will only take a few minutes.”

“You
can’t be serious.” Lorcan pushed away from the table. “I don’t trust you.”

Ardal
reached out for the knife and then pointed at Kerm. “Come.” The man held his
arm out and Ardal made short work of removing the implant. Fiona put on the
antibiotic cream and bandage. The rest of the men followed with Lorcan being
the last. Then Ardal took a hammer to the implants, beating them until they
were broken apart.

“These
need to be burned, melted down and buried. The Kaladin and Holman have known
your location since you crashed.” Ardal threw the hammer on the table. “They
were coming here not only to execute us, but to track and kill you. That
explains the size of the crew that was onboard.”