Return to Dark Earth (23 page)

“What can we do, people?” Avril demanded.
Her face was pale. “Options.”

“We need to repair the cable. I have a
patch.” The driver cleared his throat. “But someone needs to go out
there.”

“Great. Just great,” Nik muttered.

Nera stood. “I’ll go.”

“What? No!” Nik tried to control the
fear-tinged fury running through him.

Nera turned to face him, her face calm.
“Someone competent needs to go out there. I’m volunteering before
you do.”

She was trying to keep him safe…again. “One
of the security team can go. They have experience—”

“I said competent, Niklas.” She lowered her
voice. “The driver can’t go, and the others are petrified to go out
there.”

Nik gritted his teeth. Yeah, he’d seen the
way the young agents were sweating.

“We both know if any of them head out,
they’ll end up zombie fodder, or worse. I want us out of here.” She
let her firm gaze connect with his. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll go,” Galen said.

Nera didn’t even look at the other man.
“You’re injured.”

A muscle ticked in Nik’s jaw. “Fine. But
I’ll provide cover fire from the top hatch.”

Avril stirred. “We can’t leave the top hatch
open. That leaves us all at risk—”

“The windscreen has a damn hole in it,
Avril. We’re at risk anyway.” Nik grabbed a laser rifle that
Solomon held out for him, checked it. “And she is going out there,
taking the biggest risk of all, to save all our butts. I am going
to cover her.”

Avril drew in a shaky breath and fell back
in her seat, silent.

Nera looked on, faintly amused. Galen held
something out to her.

“Think you’ll need these,” the agent
said.

She took the set of gloves with a nod and
yanked them on. Then she held out a hand to the driver. “The repair
patch.”

The reptilian man slapped it into her palm.
“Just wrap it around the damaged area. It’ll turn green when it’s
repaired the damage and the cable is active again.” He held out
another of the slim, black patches. “Here’s a second one, just in
case. And a multi-tool, just—”

“In case. Got it.” She took the patches and
the tool, and shoved them onto her belt. Then she reached up and
opened the top hatch. After she climbed through, Nik followed. He
jammed his boots onto the backs of the chairs below, his upper body
poking up through the hatch. He lifted the rifle and looked through
the scope. The dark walls of the jungle came into focus.

“Nera?”

She paused, perched on the roof.

“Be careful. I have plans that involve those
long legs of yours wrapped around my waist. Come back in one
piece.”

She looked like she was trying not to smile.
“Same goes, Phoenix.” She turned and skidded down the hood.

Nik waited until she was crouched over the
huge burn hole in the metal before turning back to the jungle.

He heard the zombies coming, crashing
through the trees and vines. Their moans raised the hair on the
back of his neck. “Nera. Incoming.”

“I need more time.” She didn’t even lift her
head.

He scanned the trees. As soon as the first
zombie came into view, he blew its head off. He kept working,
taking them down one after another.

But more kept coming. “Nera!”

“Almost…there.” Her hands were still working
inside the engine.

“Phoenix!” Solomon shouted from below. “More
coming from the eastern side.”

Nik swiveled and saw another small mob
pushing out of the trees. He took down as many as he could before
he switched back to the first group. “Nera. You’re out of time. Get
back in here.”

“I’m close, but it isn’t connecting. I need
another minute.”

“You have two seconds to get your butt back
in here.”

“You giving me orders, Phoenix?” She kept
working, her head down, but her voice was edged in danger.

Oh, she was going to make him pay for that.
Well, he didn’t care, as long as she was safe.

The zombies were getting closer, moving into
a shambling run as they spotted her, crouched on the hood, in easy
reach.

Nik’s heart was hammering so hard it hurt
his chest. “Nera,
dammit
.”

Suddenly, the zombies stumbled to a halt.
They milled around, their dark eyes wide. A few backed up, making
strange choking noises in their throats. Then they started back
toward the trees.

Nik picked off a few more, frowning at them.
What the hell were they doing? “Nera, they’re retreating.”

“Finally, some luck.”

Nik didn’t believe in luck.

And a second later, a huge black shadow
slunk out of the trees, toward them. God, in this case, Nik hated
being right.

Everything in him went cold. It looked
similar to the mutant cat in the museum in Mexico, only twice the
size, and it had
two
heads. Both with jaws filled with sharp
teeth.

Its powerful muscles bunched, its glowing
green eyes leveled on Nera.

“Nera!” Nik shouted and pulled the
trigger.

The beast pounced.

***

Oh, hell
. Nera saw it coming.

She slid off the hood, her boots hitting the
muddy ground.

The creature flew over her, its huge,
powerful body outstretched. It landed in front of the Centurion,
skidded in the mud, and spun to face her.

Damn, it made the beast in the museum look
like an expensive, pampered pet. This thing was huge, and those two
heads, each containing teeth the length of her forearm, were the
stuff of nightmares. She slid out her sword and felt like she was
facing off with a giant while holding a butter knife.

Laserfire hit, and the animal twitched as
though it had been bitten by an annoying insect. Its black hide was
too tough for the laser to do much damage. Nera moved slowly. She
wanted the bulk of the Centurion between her and the animal.

But as she moved backward, it walked
forward, its movements slow and measured. It was hunting her.

“Nera. Inside.”

Niklas sounded stressed. She forced his
worry out of her mind and focused on her prey. She still needed
another minute to get the Centurion functioning. If they stayed
stranded here, she was sure this monster would rip the vehicle open
like an old-fashioned tin can.

The creature lunged. She tensed and jumped
backward, her hip hitting metal with a burst of pain. But the
creature hadn’t come far.

It was toying with her.

Nera didn’t enjoy playing games unless she
was the one instigating them.

She pressed her foot to the Centurion’s
footboard, then jumped. She came down on the creature’s back, and
with two swift strokes, opened up the back of its neck. It wasn’t a
bad wound—its skin was just too tough—but the animal let out a
howl. It twisted both of its heads, trying to reach her, but Nera
had already jumped away.

She spun, watching the creature focus on her
again. Its muscles flexed, and its mouths opened, showing off
impressive fangs.

“Get back!” Niklas called out.

Trusting him, she leapt backward.

Flames spewed from the top of the vehicle.
Nera dived and rolled across the ground. The beast’s heads caught
fire and the sound it made was ear-splitting.

Nera raced back to the front of the
Centurion. She reached for the damaged cable and slapped the spare
repair patch over the one that didn’t seem to be working. She shot
a quick glance at Niklas. Her throat tightened. He looked
incredibly fierce, wielding a flamethrower. Beside him, Solomon was
manning the laser rifle.

She connected the patch.
Come on
.
Come on.
It turned green.
Yes!

She turned…just in time to see the heavy
bulk of the flaming, mutant beast smash into her.

Nera slid across the hood and landed flat on
her back on the ground on the other side of the vehicle. The cat
leapt upward, landing on top of her. Three of its paws hit the
ground on either side of her body, but the claws of one sank into
her side, shredding her armor like it was made of paper.

She winced at the pain. The horrid stench of
burning skin engulfed her and those dual jaws snapped close to her
face. She shoved her arm up and managed to toss the multi-tool into
one of the creature’s mouths. It reared back, making a choking
noise and she felt its claws dig deeper.
Damn, that
hurt.

Biting her tongue to keep from crying out,
she fumbled for her sword. It was awkward, but she managed to reach
behind her and yank it out of its scabbard. She jabbed it into the
creature’s soft belly. It howled, the stench of its breath making
Nera’s eyes water.

As it leapt off her, she rolled. She
staggered to her feet and realized the weight of the animal landing
on her had broken something. Just a few ribs, she hoped. Worst of
all, it had really made a mess of her side. Blood was seeping into
her trousers. She stumbled her way around the back of the
Centurion.

And saw a mob of zombies rushing out of the
jungle.

Someone was firing at them. She hoped that
kept them off her. She took another step and her leg went out from
under her. Her knee sank into the mud and she willed herself to
ignore the pain and move. But her body didn’t seem to be obeying
her.

Hands slipped under her arms and jerked her
up. She got a glimpse of Niklas’ set face.

No
. He shouldn’t be out here. “You
shouldn’t have left the vehicle.”

“Shut up.” He hauled her up the side of the
Centurion. Zombie hands reached for them and Niklas paused to kick
out at them, catching the closest one in the face.

Then Solomon was there, hauling her in. Her
chest was tight as she waited for Niklas. A second later, he slid
inside and slammed the hatch closed. “I suggest you get us the hell
out of here,” he yelled at the driver.

“On it.” The engine flared to life and the
driver accelerated. Fast. They were all thrown against the
seats.

Nera blinked. She was feeling a little
dizzy.

Hands tore at her armor and clothing. She
stared at Niklas’ big hands and realized they were shaking a
little.

“How bad?” he asked quietly, his voice
ruthlessly tight.

“Not…sure.”

“Liar.” He lifted up her shirt and hissed.
“Solomon, I need a med kit.”

Seconds later, the young treasure hunter set
the kit down beside her. With a grim face, Nik bent over her and
started tending her wounds. “
Dammit
, Nera, this is
deep.”

Her wounds were bleeding all over the place.
She watched impassively as he pressed some sealers down on her
injuries and they sucked into place. She was feeling a little
nauseated now.

When he lifted the pressure injector, she
shook her head. “No painkillers.”

“You need it—”

“Hate drugs.”

He pushed her hand away, and hesitated for a
second. “I’m sorry.” He jabbed the injector against her neck. She
cursed him as she felt the chems hit her. Ugh, she hated this
feeling.

He leaned down, his lips at her ear. “It’s
okay. You don’t need to be in control here. I’ll take care of
you.”

She glared at him, but couldn’t maintain it
for long. The drugs were kicking in, making her feel high. “It
burns.”

“I know.” He paused and brushed strands of
hair off her face. “You are so damn brave it scares me to
death.”

“Wanted…you safe.”

He stilled, his gaze on her face. “You drive
me crazy.” He checked her side. “Bleeding’s slowing, but we need to
get you to the medbay.”

“We’re approaching the
Drake
,” the
driver called back. “They won’t risk landing, so they’re going to
lower the cargo lift.”

Nera couldn’t lift her head to look, but
when the vehicle stopped, then drove forward, and stopped again,
she guessed they were on the lift. Seconds later, the Centurion
jerked, and they started upward.

Once the Centurion was back on board, Avril
leaned forward, and cleared her throat. “We can’t let Darc onto the
ship. She’s contaminated.”

Nera was feeling so mellow, she couldn’t
summon the energy to raise a brow. She was sure Dr. Perky would
like to toss Nera off something very high and then she could sidle
up to Niklas in peace. She stifled the urge to laugh. Like
that
would ever happen.

Niklas straightened and Nera’s chest went
tight. God, couldn’t Avril sense the dangerous energy in the man?
He might mask it with his smart, scholarly persona, but there was
definitely an alpha male buried underneath.

“What did you just say?” Niklas said in an
icy tone.

“That creature could have infected her—”

“She just saved your life, Doctor. It’s your
fault she had to go out there because you were damn well wasting
time on a myth.”

Avril stiffened. “Nik, I won’t—”

“Shut it. She needs a doctor and the
medbay.”

“I can’t jeopardize everyone on this
ship—”

Galen stepped forward, holding out a small
device. “We have a handheld scanner. Run a prelim scan and see if
she’s carrying anything problematic.”

Niklas snatched it off him and flicked on
the switch. After a second, his shoulders relaxed. “No infectious
zombie disease. There are a few local bugs, but they can be
eradicated by decontamination.”

Avril nodded. “Fine. I must demand that Darc
enters the decontamination chambers. You have to stay in there for
two hours. The Spectra lighting system will destroy any pathogens,
harmful chemicals, or infectious material.”

Niklas’ jaw tightened. “She needs medical
help.”

“We’ll send a medscope with her.”

He looked just about ready to explode.
“Fine. But I’m going with her.”

Nera watched, bemused, as Avril gave a jerky
nod and stalked off the Centurion. “I don’t think she likes
me.”

Then her world tilted as Niklas lifted her
into his arms and carried her off the vehicle.