The Pack-Retribution (25 page)

Anger boiled deep in her chest, and pounded on her heart egging her to break free and fight. Shamira refused to give into her fear while watching him lift and weigh tools of torture. “Who…help…you? I’ll k-kil…”

He waved a finger at her. “Tsk. Tsk. I’m the one doing the killing here. Dax, was the one that did the killing…there.” He watched her, his snide grin filled with madness observing her realization of his deceit.

Confusion knitted her features. “Dax?” Air rushed out of her lungs.

Renu’s eyebrow lifted. “And others that you know…others close to you. The one I killed in front of you. Led you here to me.”

She couldn’t say his name. Piercing aches pummeled her chest at the consideration of Anthony’s deceit. Shamira still couldn’t believe it. Something in her told her Anthony wasn’t playing for Renu’s team.

One of his cronies pushed the door open. “Breach detected!”

Renu’s expression closed. Hardness replaced his sick grin. “Find out what it is. Send Gary in to finish her up and send the damn picture.”

Shamira smirked at him. “Scared?”

He backhanded her. “No, but you should be. No one can save you now. If they do—Mars will suffer and I’ll blow up the air filtration system, to kill you all!”

The sting from the blow spiked the level of pain pulsing from the pain emitter and she choked back a sob as her tormentor’s puppet came in the room.

His pale baldhead and grim expression belied the joy she glimpsed in his eyes. She knew he loved torturing others, and she prayed for the day to come in which she could return the favor.

Others followed, guns drawn as someone captured her image by taking her picture and hastened out the room. Sounds of a struggle just beyond the door tickled Shamira’s sensitive hearing. She fought to hold her eyes steady on Renu as Gary picked up the intensity of the pain emitter’s power.

She bit her lip, praying her team was here and continued to fight against her binds.

Shamira heard Renu direct several of his men to be on high alert and assume positions for defense, the corner of her lip turned down when she heard the first attack. Surging power poured through her and she was revived in the fight. Someone was out there…and they were there to save her.

“Ugh…um.” She pushed, pulled against the shackles to her wrist. Her pinched face tilted up toward the commotion at the door of her prison. One man, then another, fell with various silent shots of light.

Renu charged at her, pulled out his knife and tucked the point of it to the apex of her chin and neck. Her head reared back, and her knee jutted up landing a blow to his stomach. He roared and returned the blow by slicing jaggedly down the side of her neck.

He landed another blow to her jaw. “You are lucky I need you alive—for now!”

Her head wrenched to the side, but the sting was distant as she was now positive of an attack on his fortress’ defenses.

With her technosuit on the edge of permanent deactivation, the strength she’d hidden within her for almost a year raged out as the barrier between it and her skin weakened. Shamira let the ball of energy break free as the final effects of the virus injected into her suit. She was ablaze. Power licked from deep within her. It flowed up her chest, down her legs and through her arms.

“You—are—dead!” Shamira yanked her wrist with the metal bindings out of the wall.

Renu’s expression registered shock, but he quickly recovered to stab her in the shoulder. She countered with a block downward and his knife slipped to the floor. He hit her chest with triple the power of an ordinary man. Her body bowed forward and she punched him with both fists in the genitals.

He jabbed her. Then he fell to his knees. “Ugh.”

Shamira’s head hit the wall and she remembered that he’d done a jacked-up enhancement job to himself some time ago.

Renu grabbed a jagged metal pole off the floor, raised his arm and aimed for her heart. “Damn the codes! You die first—then Katherine!”

Shots rang in the seemingly empty room. Startled, Shamira looked down at Renu, whose neck was seeping blood.

His expression was filled with shock, then anger before he let out a wheeze-filled chuckle. “Then everyone dies.” His hand reached in his pocket, shaking he pulled out his hand and squeezed a silver remote in the shape of a bullet.

Shamira reached for it, grabbed it as he fell back.

“Too…late. Die…” Renu’s unblinking eyes stared up at her.

Gunfire flew around her. She dodged them as her hand worked frantically to stop the beeping from the device. It didn’t appear to have any buttons, only a small red blinking light that hummed with each flicker.

“Shamira!”

Frowning at the sound of her name, and the familiar deepness that was Valens, she looked around for him but saw no one. The door closed as if by a ghost, and the exchange of fire outside was shut out.

In a flicker of light, Valens appeared in front of her. “Don’t look surprised. You know me, I had to do a prototype of a suit like the assassins used. I’ve been working on it from the beginning of this.” His brow creased and he studied her bruised features, and her bloody shoulder. “You okay enough to get out of here?” He pulled her into a quick hug, kissing her lips softly. “Let me give you an adrenaline boost. It’ll help you heal faster and take off the edge off your pain.”

“Hurry.”

Valens took the syringe out of his belt and administered it on the side of her neck. “What’s that?” Valens pointed to the device she held.

She groaned. “Renu set off a bomb to the air filtration system. If it blows, everyone on the planet will suffocate—or worse. We’ve got to stop this.”

“You have to go do it. I’ll send a message to Hedi. If it’s connected to this computer system, see if she can hack it. Get to Dion, he’s clearing an exit for us. I’ll hack into the computer system here. I got to find out who’s been working for Renu.”

Shamira nodded, and said a silent prayer that they were not too late. She stepped over Renu’s fallen body to pick up her discarded weapons belt. Rage washed over her at the thought that not only her life was in danger, but her entire family and Mars would die too if they didn’t defuse the bomb.

Chapter 39

Shamira glanced down at her computerized watch she’d retrieved. Then she slid a finger over it as it vibrated Dion’s location in the dark tunnel just outside of her former cell door. A perfunctory look around alerted her that Renu’s gang had converted the underground heating systems tunnels nestled under the Mons into a hideout. Cal’s guess was right. Unfortunately, he underestimated his crazed twin brother’s hate and determination for revenge.

Her gun was raised and ready. Shamira squeezed out the door to spy a tall man in a loosely shaped black shirt running down the hall in front of her. She followed him at a distance while periodically glancing down at her locator.

Noises vibrated around her of men readying for a fight, and various shots and explosions racked the darkness. Adrenaline licked her skin. Unlike the artificial power from her technosuit, this energy was like coming home. It didn’t heal her wounds but it made her forget the pain. Almost electrical, it felt as if it danced joyful on her skin, happy to finally be free of its year-long cage.

Although the hall was dark, her enhanced eyesight gave it a dim glow, while she made her stealth path toward Dion’s location. Her head turned slightly at a minimal sound of movement. Someone pulled her arm. Swiftly twisting, she held an invisible foe plastered to the wall by the neck. Her gun was pointed low into his belly.

“Shamira, it’s me, Dion.” In a flicker of light like a camera coming on, Dion’s body became apparent.

She exhaled, and released him. “Nice suit. We have to get out of here. Renu set off a bomb that will blow up the air-filtration device and suffocate all of Mars if we don’t stop it.”

Dion sneered. “He would, the bastard.” He fumbled with some wire on the side of his black pant and snorted in frustration. “Damn, the suit only has enough charge to work until it’s cut off. I guess we are stuck visible for now. C’mon, Mitch is securing the hall that leads to the exit. He’s waiting for you. I’m covering Valens.”

“Your communication device working?” Shamira followed him with her back slightly turned to cover the space behind them.

“Not down here, something scrambles the signals so we get static and some parts of conversation. Hedi and Kurt are above, the can hear us better than we can hear them.” He aimed and fired at a lone opponent blocking their path.

Within what seemed liked seconds, about fifteen men appeared in the fallen one’s place. She assessed them: some had guns, others didn’t. Shamira crouched, grabbed a knife from her belt and aimed.

Her fallen victim slumped. Another jumped over him to charge at them. As Dion fired, she slid to one knee to dodge her attacker’s kick. Reaching out, she pulled his leg from under him. Then she stood and kicked him in the face as he fell. Her hand around her fallen victim’s neck, she kicked up into the chest of another. Throwing her body in a backhand flip, she kicked the necks of two charging opponents. She landed and crouched, with her gun in her hand.

A sidekick from a tall man on her right jarred the gun from her fingers. She heard Dion’s scream as a bullet connected in the curve where his shoulder met his neck. Shamira’s chest constricted with guilt as blood gushed from his wound.

Another punch connected with her face. And a laser bullet flew passed her, jerking her jaw to the left.

The power beneath her skin surged, burning hot, causing a red haze to form around her. Like a beast set free, she kicked, stabbed, and hit each opponent who charged her.

Jumping up, kicking one, then punching forward at another, electrical currents absorbed within their bodies causing her victims to shake and smoke. The smell of burning flesh filled the corridor as one then another fell dead to the ground.

Silence enveloped her, and as if out of a daze, she shook her head. She raced to Dion.

“How’d you…do…that?” he rasped. “You friggin’ glowed.” Dion’s eyes widened.

Shaking slightly, she covered his wound with her hand while helping him stand. “I don’t know. A side effect from the drugs they gave me when I died before, I guess. I’m going to try to carry you out of here.”

He fought against her and pushed himself up on a nearby wall. “No! Get out of here! Stop the bomb. I’ll try and get this device…to hide…me, so Valens can get out safe.”

“No! I won’t leave you here to die. You’re on my team—you’re my friend.”

He smiled, then coughed. “I know. NOW GO!” He pushed at her. In a flash of light he disappeared. Dion’s replica of the assassin’s suit activated.

Chapter 40

Shamira ran into a rain of gunfire, tears dropping unchecked from her eyes for having to leave the wounded Dion behind. Mitch’s pale skin glowed slightly in the darkness like a beacon for her. He rained fire at the storm of assassins, downing them one by one, before he threw down his gun, disgusted.

She reached for her gun while hanging back unseen. Her breath quickened, her fingers frantically tried to locate it, but it wasn’t there. Fumbling on her waist she grabbed two knives and a cutting star. Twisting her wrist, she aimed at the hands of their opponents. Their guns dropped to the ground. Mitch ran to retrieve them.

“About time you showed up!” he grounded out gruffly. Smoothly, leaning to the side, Mitch kicked a charging opponent in the face.

“I was busy. Dion’s hurt bad. Didn’t want to leave him.” Shamira jerked her elbow back to land on the chest of another assassin. Her palm upchucked the chin of another. Yanking the gun of one free, she back-kicked one more and shot two bulky men who took their place.

“Stop playing nice! Kill these mothers! Valens will take care of him.” Mitch shot two in the chest. He grabbed Shamira’s hand, swung her around to deliver a death kick. The assailant’s neck broke with a crack.

She landed with legs spread and fists high. Taking a hasty look around the tunneled corridor, she nodded. “It’s clear…for now. Let’s go! Got to deactivate a bomb!”

Mitch took a small sphere out of his pocket. With a toss, smoke filled the corridor. “All clear.” He pulled a small plastic nose-plug out of his pocket and handed one to her.

She promptly stuffed the form-fitting pieces up her nostrils. Mitch nudged her and followed her up a metal ladder attached to the wall. Shamira pushed the round, heavy metal lid up, then over, as it locked in place. The moonlight poured into the exit.

Sparks from rapid fire lit the smoke filled darkness below. Shamira turned, looking for Mitch.

“Ugh!” Mitch’s head surged forward, hitting the metal step of the ladder.

“Mitch!” Shamira reached for his hand that held tightly to the step beneath her. Someone tugged at her shirt, and she pulled away to grab Mitch’s hand.

More gunfire lit up the dull smoke-filled exit. A final grunt escaped Mitch’s lips as his hand gave way. She heard a thump as he landed to the floor below.

“NO!!!!!!”

Kurt yanked her up by her jacket. “The bomb! Hedi will get them out. She’s calling backup.”

Shamira’s heart was breaking. She was losing them all, and it was her fault that they were there. “Mitch…he and Dion. Hedi’s…” She choked and wiped a hand down her face.