Noah: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 6) (17 page)

The convoy vehicles sat parked in a row, most with doors open and people moving in and out of them. Some people were in their assigned vehicles, while squad members in their armor were directing people to load up and get ready to leave. Near the medical vehicles, Noah spotted Emerson’s blonde head and her team as they worked frantically to help the injured.

General Holmes strode toward them. His face was set like stone. “Hell Squad, Noah, Laura, I am so glad to see you.”

“General,” Marcus said.

His gaze tracked over them, then he frowned. “Where’s Claudia?”

Marcus shook his head. “Raptors took her. But she’s alive. As soon as the convoy is out of here safely, the squad and I are going back to get her.”

The general looked like he wanted to argue, but finally he nodded.

“How is everyone?” Cruz asked.

“About as good as they look.” The general’s uniform was rumpled, black smoke stains smudged his chest, and there was blood on his hands. “But they’re alive, and as long as we’re alive and we have options, then we have hope.” Something swam in the general’s eyes. “We have lost a lot of people, though.”

“What’s the plan?” Noah asked.

“We need to get everyone loaded up. The raptors will figure we’ve gone somewhere, and soon they’ll start searching. At least they dislike being in the trees.” The general’s blue gaze bored into Noah. “I know you haven’t tested the illusion system, but what are the odds it’ll work?”

Noah swallowed, his throat feeling like he’d swallowed barbed wire. “It’s fifty-fifty.”

The general sighed. “All right, then we’ll risk staying put a little longer and leave at night. At least then we’ll have the cover of darkness.”

But they all knew the dark wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t scare the raptors away.

“Laura needs to see the medical team,” Noah said.

“Go,” the general said.

Gabe nodded and headed in the direction of the medical truck. Noah followed.

“Noah, we need to move soon,” the general added. “I need you on the illusion system.”

All he wanted was to be by Laura’s side, but he nodded. “I’ll be there.”

He hurried over to where Gabe set Laura down. She sat on the concrete floor, her back against the medical truck. There just weren’t enough stretchers and beds for all the injured.

A second later the doc appeared and crouched next to Laura. She looked harried, but focused. She took one look at Laura’s stomach and hissed. “That has to hurt.”

Laura managed a nod.

Noah slid down beside her and grabbed her hand. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

The doc gave a firm nod. “Norah?” she called out. “Can you bring a shot of nanomeds? And we’ll need some blood as well, please.” Emerson cleaned the blood off Laura’s stomach. “My nurse will give you the shots and bandage you up.” The doctor pressed a hand over their joined ones. “I’m really happy you guys made it out.”

“Noah…came back for me.”

Laura’s voice was husky. He tugged her into his side.

Emerson smiled. “I never doubted it.”

After Norah, a round-faced woman with kind brown eyes and dark skin, had given Laura nanomeds and blood, she dressed the wounds. She handed a mini-tablet to Noah. “We’re understaffed right now, so you’ll need to monitor her nanomeds.”

“Do we need to stay here?”

“No. But if there are any problems, call us. And take this.” The nurse slapped an injector into Noah’s hand.

“What is it?”

“The stim you’ll need if the nanos go into cascade.” The woman smiled and patted Laura on the shoulder. “Shouldn’t need it, though. Nanos rarely go crazy and kill people anymore.”

“Oh, good,” Laura said.

Noah helped her to her feet, then he slid an arm behind her back. Before she realized his intent, he picked her up.

“Noah, you don’t have exoskeleton armor that makes me easy to lift!”

He headed toward the tech truck. “I can manage.”

He called out to many of his team. He was pleased to see most of them there, although a few were missing. He hoped grimly that they were simply with their families. A couple of techs were manning the comps inside the truck.

“Noah.” Marin Mitchell shot to her feet. She was a tiny, curvy thing with a cute face and blonde curly hair. She didn’t look like the expert comp hacker that she was.

“Hey, Marin. I need to get Laura lying down. You okay out here?”

The woman nodded. “No probs. I’ve worked with some of the drone operators, and we have a few drones peeping on the raptors.”

“Nice work. I’ll check in soon.” Noah opened the door to his quarters and then closed it behind them, muffling all the external sound.

He set her down on the bed, flicked on a lamp built into the wall, and then urged her to sit.

Relief spread over her face instantly. “I should be helping.”

“With what?” He pulled her boots off and nudged her to lie down.

“The prison bus. Check on my people. Something.”

Noah checked the tablet, saw her nanomeds were working perfectly. He let out a breath. She’d be fixed up soon. “I’ll check in on them for you. For now, all you need to do is rest and get your strength back.”

“Noah…thanks for coming for me.”

He leaned over her and cupped her face. Emotion was a tangled knot inside him. “I was an idiot for making demands of you before.”

“No, you weren’t. You were right. I was petrified and protecting myself.” Her hand pressed over his. “Jake would have been disappointed in me. He would have been the first person to want me to live and find love again.” She swallowed. “I love you, Noah.”

Warmth spread through his chest. “I love you, too, Laura. No matter what we face. No matter how this ends up, I want to spend however many minutes, hours, days we have together.”

Her eyes glistened. “I’m all yours.”

He stroked a hand down her arm. “Once you’re better, we’ll celebrate in style.”

She raised a brow. “Champagne and a candlelit dinner?”

“I was thinking naked, and christening this new bunk of mine.”

She laughed, but her eyelids drooped. “You’re on, Kim. Shame you lost your dice collection. We could have played our game.”

“Well…” He pulled open a drawer built in under the bed. He held up his hand and the lamplight glittered off a handful of dice.

“You stashed some in here?”

“Yep.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “Let’s get you out of those bloody clothes. You can shower later after you rest.”

He helped her into one of his T-shirts and some sweatpants he had to cinch in tight at the waist on her. He’d just wadded up her bloody clothes and shoved them in the trash when the door slammed open. Noah looked over his shoulder. Marcus stood in the doorway.

“Raptors. Heading this way.”

Noah shot to his feet. “What?”

“They must have tracked some survivors as they evacuated. They have some huge saws, and they’re chopping down the trees to make pathways for their troops to move through. General’s ordered us to leave. Now.”

***

Laura sat up and then pushed to her feet. She was a little wobbly, but surprisingly, she felt much better already.

Noah scowled at her. “Back in that bed. Now.”

She shot Marcus a look. “He’s starting to sound a lot like you.” She looked back at the man she’d fallen in love with. “No. I’m feeling better. You need to be in that illusion vehicle and I’m coming with you.”

He swore and she ignored him.

“Is Hell Squad providing cover for the illusion system?” she asked.

Marcus nodded. “We’ll be in one of the Hunters. Squad Nine will be in another.”

“Excellent.” She linked her arm through Noah’s. “Come on. No time to argue.”

He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but he went with her as they hurried to the illusion system vehicle. She saw the last of the residents climbing into vehicles. Some were still crying or looking confused, but others who were tasked with certain jobs were focused on firing up engines and manning weapons.

As the convoy’s engines all started, the noise in the small space was deafening.

Noah yanked open the door on the illusion system truck. Laura climbed in the back seat and Noah got in with her. From here, they had access to the entire illusion system in the very back of the vehicle. She studied it and her eyes widened.

With all the alien tech spliced into it, the system now glowed with alternating red and orange colors. She couldn’t begin to understand what he’d done, but it was amazing. The man was amazing.

“Austin, ready to go?” Noah called out.

Laura swiveled and saw a young man sitting in the driver’s seat. She hadn’t even noticed him. “Hi.”

“Howdy,” Austin said. “Everyone buckle up.” He was maybe in his twenties, if he was lucky. He grinned. “I like to drive fast.”

“He’s the best driver on the tech team, so he volunteered to be driver for this vehicle,” Noah said.

“And I haven’t driven for a really long time.” Austin patted the steering wheel. “Can’t wait to get this baby going.”

A blare of noise, like a fog horn, came over the vehicle’s comm system. It cut off and then the general’s voice followed.

“Today is a hard day for all of us. Again, we’ve lost friends, loved ones, our home. But we’ve prevailed before. We have survived everything the aliens have thrown at us, and we will prevail again today.”

Laura reached for Noah’s hand. His fingers clamped on hers, squeezed.

General Holmes continued. “We have a plan and now we will execute it. We can all get through this if we work together, and look out for each other. That is what the Gizzida keep underestimating. Humanity’s will to survive, to be free, and the innate strengths that make us human. We care, and we love, and we will fight to protect that.” A pause. “Time to move out.”

The lead vehicle started rumbling up the ramp. Laura knew the ramp led into a tunnel that would lead them away from the base. Not far, but hopefully it was far enough to escape the notice of the raptors.

Then it was their turn. Austin gunned the engine and they pulled forward. Noah squeezed Laura’s hand one more time, then opened the window to the back of the truck. He climbed through.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I want to check everything again. Before I fire it up.”

She nodded. He was so tense, the lines etched into his face appearing deeper, more permanent. She watched his long, clever fingers move over the illusion system.

He sat back and hunched his shoulders. “Well, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”

“Tunnel exit coming up,” Austin called back.

Laura’s and Noah’s gazes locked. This was another part of what being together meant. Not just the good times and the sexy times, it was being there for each other in the hard times as well.

The vehicle drove out into the dying day’s light. Ahead, the lead vehicles were idling, waiting.

“Noah?” The general’s voice on the comm. “Ready?”

“No,” Noah muttered. He flicked some switches, dragged in a deep breath. “Here we go.”

Laura heard a hum from the machine. She felt energy fill the air, the hairs on her arms rising. She looked out the windshield, staring at the trucks ahead.

“Everything still visible,” the general said, his voice harsh. “No illusion.”

“Dammit.” Noah pressed his hands to his knees. “It’s not working.”

“Noah—” Laura tried to think of something to comfort him. Then the illusion system’s hum changed, became a little more high-pitched.

“Goddamn thing will probably blow up now,” Noah said.

“Get back in here.” She waved to the seat beside her. She didn’t want him sitting on the damn thing if it caught fire.

He climbed back in beside her.

“The rest of the convoy is coming out through the tunnel now,” Austin said.

“You tried your best, Noah,” she said quietly. “You couldn’t have done anything more.”

The whine of the illusion system increased to another, higher, pitch.

Excited voices came through the comm. A black vehicle roared up beside them, and through the windshield, she saw Hell Squad’s armored Hunter.

“Kim, you are a genius,” Marcus said on the comm. “We couldn’t see you at all as we drove up. The illusion’s working!”

Laura’s breath caught in her lungs.

Noah leaned forward between the front seats and tapped the comm screen. “General?”

“It’s working, Noah. You did it! Everyone, we’re moving out. Stick together and stay in the illusion field.”

Noah punched the back of the empty passenger seat, grinning. The general’s command vehicle pulled out first, and the rest of the convoy fell into place. Austin maneuvered them into the center of the convoy, and they were flanked by two Hunters.

Laura nudged Noah. “Nice work.”

He leaned back in the seat. “I knew it would work.”

The arrogance forced a laugh from her. She decided not to mention his tense muscles and earlier frustration.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, concern darkening his eyes.

She’d been injured, the base had been destroyed, and they were on the run. She should be a wreck.

Instead… “I’m feeling pretty darn lucky.”

He grinned at her. “Me, too, honey. Me, too. I’m a genius, I have one hell of a beautiful woman, and we’re alive. Not too bad.”

She couldn’t resist the grin on his face, and she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and she sank into him.

Yes, despite all the bad, she was feeling like one lucky lady.

Chapter Sixteen

Shaw

Shaw Baird’s hands clenched on the controls of the autocannon. Cruz was driving the Hunter and they were flanking the illusion system vehicle. There was a tense, charged silence in the Hunter.

The convoy had escaped the aliens. Shaw figured he should be jubilant. Instead, inside he was a fucking chaotic mess.

They’d left Claudia behind.

He wanted to yell, shout and pound on something. Preferably a fucking alien raptor.

Instead, he manned the cannon, and counted each kilometer they put between them and the smoking remains of the base…and Claudia.

It reminded him of another time he’d abandoned someone who mattered. Someone who hadn’t survived long enough for him to return to get her.