“The three of us will destroy him together,” I replied.
“And we’ll provide backup,” Zane growled dangerously.
Chapter Fourteen
Kaela
Within an hour, Alaina, Danika, and I were waiting on the grassy fields for Nix. Our men had followed, but they remained underground. We knew that Nix’s body heat scanners wouldn’t pick them up, due to the fact that Vakarran skin was too thick. I’d told them not to come, but Tavik had demanded it. I’d fought him, but he’d threatened to bare my ass and spank me in front of everyone until I relented. Caleb, Zane, and Valdus had all echoed his sentiment, so reluctantly, I had backed down. Tavik placed a hand on the back on my neck, his warm touch a warning and I ducked my head.
“Don’t worry. Both Danika and I have spent some serious time over our men’s knees too,” Alaina had reassured me with a wink. Still blushing heavily, I’d tried to change the subject, and focus on the mission at hand.
Now, standing on the fake grass, I felt electrified, strong, and ready for battle.
The ISS Starrider was just overhead. Large, foreboding, and forever circling, it remained there, a constant reminder of what was waiting should we fail. I knew our chances of success were low and that statistically speaking, beating the Vakarrans in battle would be a miracle, no matter how well prepared we were and how hard we fought. The Vakarran army was a race of conquerors, warmongers that took what they wanted, when they wanted. Here on Earth, the Resistance was a motley crew of humans, Vakarrans, and other various disgruntled aliens, but we had something to fight for that gave me hope. We were fighting for our freedom. For Earth’s freedom.
A quiet whirring sound came from the Starrider as thousands of small ships deployed from their hatches. The Resistance responded in turn and sent out their own from their underground stores all over the city. Eerily, both armies took their formations on either side of the sky. The Resistance took on a triangular shape while the Vakarrans lined up in even, steady lines.
The difference in number was staggering. Nix had so many more men.
One small aircraft emerged from the Vakarran ranks and slowly descended toward us. A number of ships in a convoy followed and I began to feel uneasy, but the one that had come out first was the only one to land on the ground. It wasn’t a large aircraft, oval in shape with triangular wings, only big enough to seat a couple of individuals. I knew that Nix couldn’t have brought much of a force with him. It landed on the ground, alone and I started to feel a bit more confident.
We’d be in and out, according to plan.
A door on the side slid open and the wing tilted down to the ground, providing a ramp for the passengers to walk down. Nix’s tall, overweight form emerged from the vessel. Unable to stop myself, I sneered as he ventured toward us alone. My eyes searched desperately for Kira but found no trace of her. A cold shiver passed over my skin and immediately, a sense of foreboding fell over me.
My sisters and I walked out to the center of the field. Nix did too.
“Where’s Kira,” I began.
Coldly, Nix pointed up at the Starrider.
“Neat little program, isn’t it? Take just a little bit of human DNA and input it into the sequencer and in less than an hour, not only do you have a complete genetic profile, but you can also build an exact replica of how their voice would sound. Just yesterday, I imprisoned the First Battalion and their breeder, Kira Stryke. In the process, I tore out a chunk of her hair and stole the information I needed,” Nix finally answered.
“You promised you’d set her free,” Danika yelled beside me.
“I’m not very good at keeping promises,” he answered with a chuckle, before he raised both of his hands in the air. They flicked forward and the small convoy that had followed him quickly landed all around him.
In a matter of seconds, the ground was crawling with Vakarran soldiers. These men looked much tougher than the regiment he’d had accompany him in the woods. This time, he’d come prepared. But, we did too.
Twelve angry Vakarran mates burst out from the locker room directly behind us. They were fast, and I could hear the almost silent sound of their footsteps on the manufactured grass, but I didn’t turn to face them. A preprogrammed drone flew over Nix’s men and they didn’t pay it any mind. It looked like a typical military camera grade device, only we’d outfitted this one with a fine mist containing the one chemical that the Vakarran species had a weakness for. Diphenhydramine-HCl. It had been Alaina’s suggestion.
When the men ran into formation behind Nix, the drone flew lazily overhead and I watched as it quickly sprayed the contents over the enemy. The piece of equipment worked quickly and efficiently and before Nix and his men could flinch and realize what was happening, they were already breathing in the concentrated mist. The drone flew away then and left the arena and Nix was none the wiser.
I grinned.
Our men stood a fair distance behind us, steering clear from the mist as much as they could. Alaina and Danika had told me that the mist was heavy and wouldn’t be easily picked up by any stray wind, meaning that wherever it was sprayed was where it would take effect.
One man swayed behind Nix and fell. And then another. He swirled his head to the side, watching with wide eyes as a handful of his men’s eyes grew heavy and their bodies sluggish. While he was distracted, Alaina and I moved closer together, while Danika moved behind us. I didn’t have to look, but I already knew she had disappeared. Invisible and untraceable, she was a force to be reckoned with.
Nix whirled back toward us.
“Where the fuck did the other one go?” he roared, looking around. He’d find nothing though, not even with his Vakarran senses.
Alaina and I just smiled, and Nix’s face roiled with anger. What was left of his upper lip
rose in a sneer, his nose crinkling in fury, his arms flew up to either side and he screamed.
“Attack!”