I almost sighed with relief when Ander refused Gwen’s request with a raised hand and a very blatant no. I expected her to argue, but she surprised me by bursting with laughter. Next to her, Makarios seemed as confused as Dr. Helion. She set her hand on her hip. “Fine. Just kidding. But man, that would have totally gone viral.”
“Viral? Are you harboring an infectious agent?” Helion pulled a ReGen wand from somewhere in his uniform and took a step toward Gwen. Makarios moved faster, blocking his path.
Gwen wrapped her arm around her mate’s and tugged gently. “It’s okay, Mak. I was messing with them.”
Makarios stopped advancing, but he did not move aside to allow Helion access. Gwen, however, stepped around him. “Okay, Doc. Where is this blue bastard? Let’s go get into his head.”
“Thank you.” Helion put his ReGen wand away and took two steps toward the door. “He is being contained in an electromagnetic cell on the level below us.”
“Blocking his transmissions?”
“Yes,” Helion confirmed.
“Smart.” She reached for Makarios’s hand, and he gently enclosed her much smaller fist within his. It almost seemed as if the female was seeking comfort.
“Does the idea of speaking to this Nexus unit distress you?” Niklas asked for both of us. He’d seen the same action as me.
“Oh yeah,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at us. “You ever been in one of their heads?”
“No.”
“Trust me, they will suck you in like a black hole and you won’t even want to put up a fight.”
Makarios growled, his fangs extended to their full length. He was one scary monster. “He will not touch you, mate.”
Gwen smiled up at him like he was her entire life. “I know. I trust you.”
The Forsian hybrid pulled her to his side and looked at Helion. “Let’s go, Doctor. I do not wish to linger. We are exposed on this ship.”
“Yeah,” Gwen added. “Any Hive within range will be curious and wish to investigate my broadcast signature.”
As if on cue, the ship shuddered beneath our feet, the small cargo ship’s shields perhaps taking a hit from an ion cannon.
I stiffened. So did Ander’s three guards. Gods, all of us did. Immediately Ander hit his comm button. “Captain? This is Ander. Report.”
The ship’s pilot, a respected captain from Viken that we used most often on our IC missions, answered at once. “We are under attack. Two Hive Scout ships.”
The ship shuddered again, and I slapped my hand on the wall for balance.
“Make that three,” he continued. “I have more coming in on scanners. Arrival imminent. Recommend evacuation protocol. Now.”
A loud boom sounded, and the ship rocked onto its side, throwing Makarios into the nearest wall, taking Gwen with him since he’d wrapped his arms around her. I stumbled, caught myself against a support beam and reached for Niklas. He was right there next to me, and I pulled him to the beam as Ander braced himself against the opposite wall, a smear of blood on his cheek where he had hit it. He wiped at it with a sneer.
Dr. Helion hadn’t moved, his feet anchored to the floor by something…
“I want a pair of those boots, Helion.” Niklas’s voice was more order than request. He was so fucking calm, even under attack.
Helion looked annoyed. “Fuck.” He glared at Gwen. “It’s you. They’ve followed you. How long does it take them to track you?”
She shrugged. “On Earth there’s a saying. I told you so. It depends how close they are.”
“You could have warned me about this,” Helion snapped.
“When I said, ‘Any Hive within range will be curious and wish to investigate my broadcast signature,’ that was a warning, you dumbass.”
Makarios growled at him. “You forget, this meeting was at your request, Prillon. They’re here for Gwen, which isn’t happening. We are leaving.” With those words, he reached around Gwen and pressed a transport beacon on her shoulder. His was activated less than one second later, and the two of them disappeared.
“Gods be damned!” Helion pressed his comm. “Captain. Initiate emergency prisoner transport protocol. Get the prisoner back to Core Command now. Evacuate immediately.”