I shifted backward.
Gunfire rang out. Air rushed past my cheek.
Ducking my head, I retraced my steps, hot on Beverly’s trail. As we neared the corner, the air swished again. Metal blasted against concrete.
Cursing, I hung a right. I saw the loading bay, shrouded with a blinding cloak of light. The large doors were open, revealing a pitch-black interior. Numerous trucks and SUVs sat around the area.
I ran behind an SUV. Beverly took up position behind another one. Together, we aimed our pistols at the station’s corner.
Distant footsteps echoed in my ears.
“They’re circling around,” Beverly said. “Looks like they’re going to take us head-on.”
“Got any ideas?”
“Yeah. Retreat.”
I sprinted up the ramp, aiming for the open doors. My eyes opened wide. I slid to a halt and stared, dumbfounded, at the interior.
It was so bright, I could hardly see anything. But I managed to catch a glimpse of various shadows. I couldn’t make out all the details, but I knew what was causing the shadows.
More Guards. Lots more.
Chapter 92
I twisted as gunfire blasted in my direction. Pushing Beverly ahead of me, I veered toward the far side of the doors.
More gunfire rang out. Caught in the crossfire, I threw Beverly to the ground, just outside the hangar. Covering my head, I jumped on top of her, bracing myself for the inevitable.
An anguished cry rang out. In the near blinding spotlights, I saw a guard fall to the ground, clutching his ear.
The gunfire continued, unabated. Then a second guard crumpled over and fell to the ground.
I shifted my gaze. Eco-Trek guards were lined up along both sides of the loading bay doors. The interior, pitch black, was a stark contrast to the blinding exterior.
I heard a shriek. Flesh smacked against concrete. Moments later, a body materialized. It tumbled out of the dark interior and rolled onto the ramp, arms splayed to one side.
My brain raced. The guards couldn’t see each other. It was too dark inside the station, too bright outside of it. And the swirling dust further obscured their vision. So, each side thought it was fighting us.
But in reality, they were fighting each other.
For twenty seconds, I listened to gunfire. A few cries rang out. Soft shouts stung my ears. And then the shooting stopped. All sounds of life drifted away.
I lifted my head. Cautiously, I looked at the ramp and the area beyond it. Corpses lay everywhere, perfectly still as dust swirled around them.
Inside the station, bodies lay on the ground. Ever so slowly, blood seeped across the floor.
Is it over?
I caught Beverly’s eye. She gave me a look of pure disbelief.
Cautiously, I stood up. I studied the area for movement. Seeing nothing, I ventured to the nearest body. I checked for a pulse and found nothing.
For the next minute, Beverly and I checked for signs of life. Then we regrouped near the ramp.
“I can’t believe it,” she said. “They’re dead. The two sides … they killed each other.”
“Yup.” A grim smile crossed my visage. “I guess we’ll call that one a draw.”
Chapter 93
Footsteps pounded toward us. Beverly and I raised our guns.
Three people raced into view. Seeing us, they skidded to a halt.
“Dutch?” I lowered my gun. “Carrie?”
“In the flesh.” Graham cast a glance at the floor. Then he looked toward the ramp. “I see you’ve been busy.”
“They got into a firefight,” Beverly explained. “With each other.”
A third person, a tall man, appeared at Graham’s side. Instantly, I lifted my gun.
“It’s okay,” Carrie said. “He’s with us.”
I studied the man. “Are you sure?”
“He’s with the Secret Service.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“It’s a long story,” Graham said. “But his name is Ed Hooper. And he’s trying to help us stop Eco-Trek.”
Beverly’s face grew tense. “Trying to?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “It didn’t work. Simona blocked me.”
“So, the drones …?”
“… are still under her control,” Graham said, finishing her thought.
Engines roared. A wave of heat rolled over me followed by a sense of utter helplessness.
We were out of time, out of moves.
We raced back to the hangar portion of the station. Another engine roared. A drone nosed out of the hangar and wheeled onto the runway. I searched my brain for a way to stop it. But my pistol was no match for it.
A second plane, the small business jet, rolled out of the hangar. I caught a glimpse of Simona’s face in the cockpit.
My gaze flew to Beverly. “Think you can block the drone?”
Her eyes tightened. “You’re not coming with me?”
“Not this time.” I stared hard at the jet. “I’m going after Simona.”
Chapter 94
Stop Simona. Stop the drones.
I ran back to the loading bay. My feet pounded against the soil. My breaths came hot and fast.
I didn’t think about the reliquary or the old tunnel system. I didn’t think about the Grueler or the research station. All I could think about was stopping Simona.
I figured she was controlling the model from the cockpit. If I could capture her, we might still have time to reprogram her drones.
As I rounded the bend, spotlights blinded me. They were even brighter than I remembered. Shielding my eyes from the glare, I studied the SUVs.
The vehicles remained in the same positions. The corpses hadn’t moved either. The only thing that had changed was the dust, which seemed to be in the process of easing a bit.
My brain registered two shadowy figures. Without hesitation, I darted toward the nearest one. His eyes opened wide with terror. Swiftly, he raised his rifle.
I ducked under the muzzle and grabbed my machete. With a flick of the wrist, I slashed the blade deep into his hip. He collapsed to the ground.
Leaping to the side, I shifted my blade. It swept toward the second guard, slicing easily through his thigh. Dropping his rifle, he fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding limb.
More guards raced out of the station. A single glance told me I couldn’t take them all.
Loud blasts rang out. A guard took two to the chest. He tripped over his feet and rolled down the ramp.
“Go,” Grimly, Hooper took aim at the other guards. “I’ll cover you.”
Wrenching open a door, I dove into an SUV, landing on the soft fabric seat. I slid behind the steering wheel and fired up the engine. I shot the others a salute.
A split second later, the vehicle launched down the access road. My hands gripped the steering wheel, unflinching.
Deep down, I had an alternative reason for going after Simona. Regardless of what happened to the drones, I knew she couldn’t let anyone live, not if she wanted to keep the authorities from figuring out her plans.
Unfortunately, my chances of stopping her were one in a million. The safer bet was to get to a boat, to evacuate the island.
But I knew it wasn’t that simple. There was little to no chance of us escaping the deadly aerosols. That left just two choices. Stop her or die.
And I wasn’t ready to die.
Chapter 95
“Can you handle this?” Beverly ran around the vehicle. She opened a door and climbed into the front seat.
Graham opened the driver’s side door. He slid into the seat and turned the ignition. “You’d better believe it.”
The vehicle jerked forward. Beverly braced herself against the dashboard. “Just don’t kill us.”