Return to Dark Earth (18 page)

They started out across the vast roof,
skirting around holes made by the passage of time.

“Careful. It doesn’t look very stable.”

He nodded and leapt over a gaping hole. “Got
it.”

They jogged and jumped their way across.
Ahead, she saw four dark shapes up in the sky. “What the hell?”

Niklas paused and lifted an arm to shield
his face from the bright morning sun.

Nera studied the black shadows. They looked
like large birds. They had a huge wingspan and a sleek, compact
shape.

“Gryphon aeropacks,” Niklas said.

“I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’re experimental. The GSS had a secret
project to work on them. It’s a powered flyingpack. The wings
extend out or fold away.”

Nera watched two security agents come in to
land at the far edge of the roof. They looked graceful and really
maneuverable. She really, really wanted to try flying with one of
these aeropacks. But she was sure Agent Ryant would rather drop her
from a great height before letting her touch one.

She took a step, and the roof fell out from
under her feet. She jumped, but her leap was awkward and lacked
power.

“Nera!”

She fumbled for her grappler, but it slipped
and fell down through the hole.
Shit
. Niklas grabbed her arm
and hauled her in. She slammed into his chest and held on. Her
heart thumped hard against her ribs. “Thanks.”

Groans and growls reached them. They looked
down through the hole. It was pitch black inside, the sun casting a
single circle of light below. Everything beyond it consisted of
black shadows, but she could see dim shapes moving.

“Come on.” Nik tugged her onward.

He moved cautiously, testing the roof
panels. Not too far away, Agent Ryant was a dark silhouette against
the sun.

Nera followed the route Niklas had taken.
The roof was really badly decayed here.

She heard a groan of metal and a cracking
sound. She froze.

Niklas spun, and his gaze caught hers. He
was already moving back toward her.

“Stay still,” she hissed. “And stay back. I
don’t want you to fall.”

She could feel the roof bowing beneath her
weight. Her mind raced, trying to think of a way out.

“Nera.” He was getting closer, one arm
outstretched.

But she knew it was too late.

The roof gave way.

She fell.

Strong fingers circled her wrist and she
jerked to a halt. She was dangling over the hole, and below she
could hear the zombies. They were becoming agitated. Anticipating a
feed.

She looked up into Niklas’ strained
face.

“I’ll…get you…back up.”

The edge where he lay flat on his stomach
crumbled a little, and it made her heart leap into her throat. No
way in hell would she let him fall. And definitely not to try and
save her. She’d leap into a chasm full of zombies a hundred times
over to save Niklas’ life.

A lump formed in her throat. He wouldn’t be
able to pull her back up. She was too heavy, and his grip and
purchase on the roof were too awkward. She let herself have a
second to feel the pain, the sorrow, the helpless anger at the
unfairness.

To find everything she’d ever wanted, only
to have to let him go. Life was cruel. That was one truth her
existence had taught her over and over again.

But as long as Niklas was safe, that was all
that mattered.

“Niklas,” she said quietly.

He refused to look at her. “No.”

“Let me go.” She cleared her throat and
found her hardest, coldest voice. “Let me go and get back to the
ship.”

“No!” He roared it.

Below, the zombies roared back.

She slipped a little, her wrist falling
through his clenched hand.

“No, goddammit.” He was looking at her now,
his blue gaze boring into her. “You get turned into a fucking
zombie and I promise I will hunt you down, put you in a cage, and
work to get you back.”

“You are a good man, Niklas. Far too good
for me.” She’d always known that. “Let me go.”

His jaw clenched. “Never.”

When her hand slipped out of his, his pained
bellow echoed in her ears as she fell into the mass of zombies
below.

Nik stared into the darkness, his arm still
outstretched. His frantic heartbeat echoed like a hammer striking
his skull. He couldn’t see her, just heard the frenzied cries of
the zombies as they rampaged below.

No. No.
He didn’t let himself think.
He leapt up and charged across the roof, not even looking to see
where there were holes or weak patches.

He reached Galen and the others. They’d
retracted their aeropacks, so the wings were gone and they just
wore what looked like heavy backpacks over their combat armor.

“She fell?” Galen’s face was grim.

Niklas eyed the man who’d once been his
friend. Galen was a few inches taller and a lot leaner than Nik.
Nik glanced at the other soldiers. A human woman, a slightly-built
Modian, and a young blond man. The blond looked about Nik’s
size.

“I need your armor,” Nik bit out.

The man blinked. “What?”

“Combat armor. Now. Hurry.”

Galen stepped closer. “Nik, it’s too late.
She’ll be one of them—”

Nik felt a muscle in his jaw tick. “Take
your damn armor off!”

The blond agent stood frozen, but when Galen
nodded, the younger man reluctantly stripped his heavy chest armor
off.

Nik slapped it on his own chest.
“Weapon.”

It was the woman who stepped forward and
handed him her plasma shotgun.

Without another word, Nik turned.

“Phoenix, you’ll need this.” Galen held out
a mini zip line and retractor, similar to the grappler Nera had
used.

He took it. “Thanks.” Then he turned and ran
back to where he’d last seen her.

He attached the zip line to the edge of the
roof and clipped the other end to his belt. He lifted the shotgun
and stepped into the hole.

As the zip line lowered him, he aimed up at
the roof. He shot out a larger section of it, the mostly rotted
pieces falling down, letting more sunlight flood into the room
below. The zombies moaned and writhed, scrambling back into the
shadows.

Now he aimed his weapon downward. The
shotgun’s boom was loud in the confines of the room. The zombies
scattered.

The floor was smeared with black blood. He
prayed there wasn’t any red mixed in with it.

His feet touched the floor. He unclipped the
zip line and strode forward. Where was she? All he could see were
zombies hovering in the shadows, trying to work out how to get to
him and at the same time, avoid the sunlight. He shot any that got
too close.

One large zombie reared up in front of him.
Nik swung the shotgun around, but a laser weapon whined, and the
zombie fell under a hail of green laserfire.

Nik looked up and saw Galen lowering himself
down on another zip line above, clutching a laser rifle. He gave
Nik a nod.

Nik nodded back and focused again on the
shadows at the edge of the room. The zombies definitely seemed more
sluggish and uncoordinated. They clearly didn’t function best in
the day.

He spotted a doorway and pushed through,
taking down three more zombies as he went.

Then he heard a high-pitched ringing sound,
followed by the sounds of fighting.

He charged in, afraid of what he was going
to see.

And there she was.

She had her sword out. She was twirling and
slashing in a horrific sort of dance. Zombie body parts were
flying, and some creatures looked like they were trying to retreat.
Others had their hands clamped over their ears, frozen where they
stood.

Nik took down another zombie and reached
her.
God
. She was covered in blood from head to toe.

But she was alive. Gloriously alive.

“Couldn’t let me rescue you, huh?” He
grabbed her and yanked her close for a second. Then he pulled back
and checked her arms, her legs.

“No bites.” She stared at him. “You came
after me.”

“I said I would.” He frowned. “What’s that
annoying ringing sound?”

She pulled out her Sync. “It got damaged
when I fell and started making this noise. The zombies don’t like
it. They must have sensitive hearing.”

The Sync’s screen was cracked. The thought
of her falling made his chest tighten again. “Let’s get out of
here.” Not able to let her go, he tugged her back toward the other
room.

Galen appeared. He eyed Nera with a hard,
assessing gaze. “You’re alive.”

“Yes. Sorry to disappoint.”

He didn’t react to her barb. “You’ll have to
be scanned before we board the ship.”

Nik bristled, but Nera pressed her hand to
his arm. “Of course.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Nik
decided not to punch Galen, since he’d come to help and he was
doing his job. But it was a close call.

They attached themselves to the zip lines
and zoomed upward. Soon, they were navigating across the roof
toward the others. Every step of the way, something dark and
ugly—born in that moment Nera’s hand had slipped out of his—was
growing in his chest. It pumped through his veins like poison.

He thought he’d lost her.

“Ms. Darc?” The female agent stepped
forward. “You’ll ride with me.” Suddenly, the wings on her aeropack
shot outward.

Nera stepped closer, busy eyeing the
aeropack like she’d just been out for a quick bite to eat, not
battling for her life against monstrous zombies.

The agent attached a harness to Nera. “Hold
on.”

Galen appeared, holding up his scanner. He
ran it over Nera’s long form. It beeped. “You’re clean. You won’t
even have to spend any time in the decontamination chamber.”

“Glad to hear that,” she said.

Galen turned to Nik. “You’re with me,
Phoenix.”

Nik watched as Galen expanded his aeropack
wings, then attached the harness to Nik.

“Ready?” Galen asked.

“I was ready ages ago. Let’s just get out of
here,” Nik replied.

“Done.” There was a quiet rumble from the
aeropack and Galen pushed them off the edge of the roof.

They dipped at first, and so did Nik’s
stomach. Then they soared upward, the wind rushing against his
face.

He turned his head and saw Nera and her ride
beside them. She wasn’t smiling, but he got the impression she was
enjoying herself. At any other time, on any other occasion, Nik
would have been interested in the flight. Would have appreciated
the bird’s-eye view of the city ruins below.

But now that feeling inside was choking him
and he couldn’t even speak.
He’d almost lost her.

As they neared the
Drake
, he saw that
it was no longer on the ground, but hovering in the air. A large
cargo door on the side of the hull retracted.

Nera and the female agent went in first. He
watched the woman slow the pack’s engine, then both women touched
down, running a few steps to come to a stop. An electronic capture
field shimmered blue beyond them, a precaution for a bad
landing.

The other two agents went in next.

“Our turn,” Galen said.

They flew through the door and seconds
later, Nik’s feet touched metal. He let out a breath. Safe.

Avril was waiting for them. “Nik, I am so
pleased to see you’re okay. I’ve brought the medics so you can get
your injections straight away.”

Nik nodded. Now the adrenaline of Nera’s
fall was wearing off, he felt the fatigue and nausea of the
radiation poisoning. He bared just enough skin for the medic to jab
him. Nik winced, then redid his trousers. He watched a female medic
doing the same for Nera.

Avril gestured. “We really need to
debrief—”

He brushed past Avril, grabbed Nera’s arm
and strode toward the exit.

“Nik?” Avril called out.

He didn’t bother answering her.

“I believe Phoenix and Darc need some time
to…clean up, rest…recuperate,” Galen said drily.

Nik charged down the corridor toward his
cabin.

“Niklas—”

“Don’t talk.” His voice was low, harsh.

“We’re both alive—”

“Be quiet.” He reached his quarters, opened
the door with a bang of his palm on the lock, and dragged her
inside.

Once the door locked behind them, he spun
her and slammed her against the wall. He moved in, his hands
pressed to the wall on either side of her head. His chest was
heaving, and he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. God, he wasn’t
sure the black, ugly pressure inside would even let him talk.

All he knew was that it needed her, he
needed Nera. He needed to know she was alive, okay, and his.

“You’re upset,” she said.

Upset
. Upset didn’t begin to describe
what he was feeling. He kissed her.

Heat. It was like being swallowed by molten
flames. He deepened the kiss, thrust his tongue into her mouth and
she tangled her tongue with his. God, she tasted so good.

“I thought you were dead.” He tugged her
silver-blonde hair back. “I thought—” his voice broke.

“I’m alive.” Her mouth slid away from his
lips, nipping at his jaw, then down the side of his neck.

Nik suddenly realized he was pawing at her,
after they’d both spent a rough night stuck in a zombie-infested
ruin.

He stumbled back. “God. Sorry, Nera. You
probably want to rest, clean up.” He raked his hands through his
hair. “I’m tearing at you like a jacked-up schoolboy.” He opened
his door. “Go. Rest.”

He led her to her door, felt her watching
him, her gaze intent. He opened her cabin door and gently pushed
her inside. His hands flexed, he wanted to drag her back to
him.

They stared at each other as the door closed
between them.

Suddenly, Niklas was at a loss as to what to
do with himself. He strode back to his room. His hands cried out to
be on her flesh, and that ugly pain inside was still beating at
him.