Page 83 of Marc
“It looked a little like a threader, but different,” Jess said. “And Colbie said she thought it was communicating with the other monsters. Add in the fact that it can speak our language…” Jess looked troubled.
“It felt…evil.” I shook my head. “That sounds crazy?—”
“Whatever the fuck it is, we’ll deal with it.” Jameson’s voice was threaded with steel. “Whatever it tries, whatever monsters it can command, I don’t give a fuck. Hunter Squad will kill it. It’s what we do.”
We all traded glances, then I smiled. “Hell yeah.”
An alarm started blaring from the cockpit. I shot to my feet.What now?
“Colbie?” I called out.
She was bent over the console. “Swarm of those avian monsters that took down my Talon are on an intercept course.”
“Kai,” Jameson bellowed.
“On it.” The turret whined as it fired.
I pushed forward and gripped the back of Colbie’s seat. When I saw the dark cloud of incoming monsters, my gut clenched. “Jameson, there are hundreds of them.”
“Fuck.” Our squad leader snatched up his carbine. “Everyone grab your weapons, let’s?—”
“Brace,” Colbie yelled. “There are too many!”
Suddenly, two dark shapes, far larger than the monster birds, whizzed past, firing at the incoming monsters.
I blinked and heard Colbie gasp.
“Darkswifts,” she said.
They were sleek, powered, two-person gliders. I’d used them a few times. The occupants inside lay on their stomachs, with a heads-up display, and canopy over them. The darkswifts were fast, maneuverable, and deadly in the right hands.
“Hunter Squad, looks like you need a hand,” a deep voice said over the comm line.
“Dad?” Kai replied.
Tane Rahia was in one of the darkswifts.
“Yeah, you can’t hog all the action,” another voice drawled.
I straightened, then grinned. “We had it under control, Dad.”
My father’s grunt came clearly across the line.
“Woo hoo,” another deep voice cut through. “Tane, let’s show these young’uns how it’s done.”
“Dad, I told you, no crazy heroics,” Sasha said in exasperation.
“Baby girl, just watch and learn,” Hemi replied.
“Sit tight, Hunter Squad,” a gravelly voice added. “We’ll take care of these monsters so you can get home.”
It was Marcus Steele. Tane and Hemi were in one darkswift, while my dad and Marcus were in the other.
Across from me, Jameson shook his head, but he was smiling.
“Don’t forget us,” Finn said.
Through the cockpit window, two Talons swung into view on the far side of the cloud of avian monsters. They opened fire.
