his large gladius combat knife. The knife all the squad
members carried.
Marcus nodded. Gabe was a spooky-good
soldier. When Marcus had accepted the man onto Squad Six, he’d
heard the rumors. That Gabe had come from some secret military
super-soldier program. Marcus had certainly seen the man do some
things that didn’t seem humanly possible.
The unknown and unexplainable tended to
scare people, but Marcus didn’t care because Gabe was damned good
at his job. Marcus figured everything that had come before the
invasion could stay there. None of them were the same people they’d
been before.
Elle glanced from Gabe, to the knife, and
then to the raptor.
Yeah, the realities of this ugly war of
survival were what he’d wanted to protect her from. He gripped her
chin and forced her to look at him. Her blue eyes were wide, but
steady.
Gabe didn’t make a single noise, nor did the
raptor as he died.
Marcus waited until Gabe had dragged the
body away before he urged Elle forward.
She hurried to the comp screens, grabbed the
chair, then paused. Blood stained the edge of the seat. She stared
at it for a second before she stiffened her spine and sat. As she
studied the raptor symbols on the screen, her brow scrunched. Then
she tapped some of them. Data filled the far right screen. Most if
it was in English.
“Looks like they’re copying ebooks and any
other relevant data from the library’s databases.” She tapped
again, scanning the screens. “They’re focusing on anything
referencing resources, power generation, computer technology and
medical science.” She shook her head. “No raptor language on this
crystal.”
She reached over, her hand hovering over the
scale-covered holder where the crystal was lodged. She yanked it
out.
“Hand me another.” She waved her
fingers.
Marcus grabbed one off the table and set it
on her hand.
She jammed it into the holder. More data
flashed up. More English.
“Another one,” she said.
As they worked through the crystals, Elle
muttered to herself. She discarded crystal after crystal in rapid
succession.
“Dammit.” She yanked another crystal out.
“Still only English.”
She kept working as Marcus’ team prowled
around the space. They were getting edgy and so was he.
They’d been here too long.
Their missions were always quick in-out
incursions. The raptors knew they were here, somewhere. With a pack
of hungry canids out front, it wouldn’t take much to find them.
“Come on, Elle,” Marcus growled.
“I’m working as fast as I can,” she
snapped.
He heard the tremor buried under the snark
and he gripped her shoulder. “I know you are. You can do this.”
She sucked in a deep breath, nodded. “Put in
another one, please.”
Only Elle would still be using her manners
in the middle of a post-apocalyptic warzone. He shoved another
crystal in. A few seconds later, she shook her head.
Thumps echoed from the front of the library.
They all swiveled to look in that direction. The distant howls of
the canids reached them.
“Marcus, we need to go, amigo, ” Cruz
said, shifting his grip on his carbine.
“We aren’t leaving without the damn
crystal.” He put another one into the system, then tapped his
earpiece. “Noah?”
Still nothing.
“Get some cover between us and them. Gabe,
scout for a secondary exit.”
Gabe gave a brief nod before he disappeared
into the shadows. The others tipped over some tables and dragged
them over.
Marcus and Elle worked through three more
crystals before she gasped. “Yes!”
Raptor language filled the screen with its
distinctive letters that looked like claw marks and scratches.
Elle’s eyes moved back and forth as she scanned it.
“Is it enough?” he asked.
She nodded. “I think so.”
A crash sounded from the front of the
library. The excited yips of the canids sounded—loud and getting
louder.
“Time to go.” Marcus helped Elle shove the
crystal into her backpack. Gripping her bicep, he tugged her
members carried.
Marcus nodded. Gabe was a spooky-good
soldier. When Marcus had accepted the man onto Squad Six, he’d
heard the rumors. That Gabe had come from some secret military
super-soldier program. Marcus had certainly seen the man do some
things that didn’t seem humanly possible.
The unknown and unexplainable tended to
scare people, but Marcus didn’t care because Gabe was damned good
at his job. Marcus figured everything that had come before the
invasion could stay there. None of them were the same people they’d
been before.
Elle glanced from Gabe, to the knife, and
then to the raptor.
Yeah, the realities of this ugly war of
survival were what he’d wanted to protect her from. He gripped her
chin and forced her to look at him. Her blue eyes were wide, but
steady.
Gabe didn’t make a single noise, nor did the
raptor as he died.
Marcus waited until Gabe had dragged the
body away before he urged Elle forward.
She hurried to the comp screens, grabbed the
chair, then paused. Blood stained the edge of the seat. She stared
at it for a second before she stiffened her spine and sat. As she
studied the raptor symbols on the screen, her brow scrunched. Then
she tapped some of them. Data filled the far right screen. Most if
it was in English.
“Looks like they’re copying ebooks and any
other relevant data from the library’s databases.” She tapped
again, scanning the screens. “They’re focusing on anything
referencing resources, power generation, computer technology and
medical science.” She shook her head. “No raptor language on this
crystal.”
She reached over, her hand hovering over the
scale-covered holder where the crystal was lodged. She yanked it
out.
“Hand me another.” She waved her
fingers.
Marcus grabbed one off the table and set it
on her hand.
She jammed it into the holder. More data
flashed up. More English.
“Another one,” she said.
As they worked through the crystals, Elle
muttered to herself. She discarded crystal after crystal in rapid
succession.
“Dammit.” She yanked another crystal out.
“Still only English.”
She kept working as Marcus’ team prowled
around the space. They were getting edgy and so was he.
They’d been here too long.
Their missions were always quick in-out
incursions. The raptors knew they were here, somewhere. With a pack
of hungry canids out front, it wouldn’t take much to find them.
“Come on, Elle,” Marcus growled.
“I’m working as fast as I can,” she
snapped.
He heard the tremor buried under the snark
and he gripped her shoulder. “I know you are. You can do this.”
She sucked in a deep breath, nodded. “Put in
another one, please.”
Only Elle would still be using her manners
in the middle of a post-apocalyptic warzone. He shoved another
crystal in. A few seconds later, she shook her head.
Thumps echoed from the front of the library.
They all swiveled to look in that direction. The distant howls of
the canids reached them.
“Marcus, we need to go, amigo, ” Cruz
said, shifting his grip on his carbine.
“We aren’t leaving without the damn
crystal.” He put another one into the system, then tapped his
earpiece. “Noah?”
Still nothing.
“Get some cover between us and them. Gabe,
scout for a secondary exit.”
Gabe gave a brief nod before he disappeared
into the shadows. The others tipped over some tables and dragged
them over.
Marcus and Elle worked through three more
crystals before she gasped. “Yes!”
Raptor language filled the screen with its
distinctive letters that looked like claw marks and scratches.
Elle’s eyes moved back and forth as she scanned it.
“Is it enough?” he asked.
She nodded. “I think so.”
A crash sounded from the front of the
library. The excited yips of the canids sounded—loud and getting
louder.
“Time to go.” Marcus helped Elle shove the
crystal into her backpack. Gripping her bicep, he tugged her
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