doors open as fast as you can and get inside.”
“What if they bring the whole pod down with us in it?”
“They won’t,” Jarapin answered through gritted teeth as another explosion rocked our car to the side. “They destroy that pod, and they destroy every hope they have of winning this war. They suspect a Drixonian has breached the city, and they expect an attack to follow.”
Nero had begun assembling a weapon from his pack—a modified laser gun I’d seen him use a few times. He had a regular pistol-looking laser gun attached to his hip we well.
He clicked the last part of what looked like the muzzle in place before looping it through the back straps on his pack so that the grip jutted at an angle past his right shoulder.
“There will be guards at the pod,” Jarapin said.
“I know.” Nero hauled me into his lap. “Just get us there, Uldani.”
“You got it, Drix,” he answered.
Nero glanced out the window and his eyes went wide. He wrapped one arm around me and with the other reached for the door latch. I wrapped myself around him. “Hold on,” he said.
“Always,” I answered breathlessly, trying to get my wits about me.
“Door’s opening in 3…2…”
I stared into Nero’s eyes.
“1.”
The door flew open and together as one, we jumped.
Eleven
Nero
For a moment, we were weightless. It was as if time slowed to a crawl. Justine’s hair fluttered in the night air while vehicle lights and laser fire dotted the sky below us like exploding stars. The smell of smoke hung thick in the air as Jarapin returned fire from his vehicle to protect us. He let out a shrill war cry as Uldani generals snapped orders in the city below.
Yet all I felt was Justine’s arms around me and the beat of her cora strong and determined against my own chest. Airborne as we sailed toward the pod platform, I prepared for what was to come—protecting her and taking down this city.
An orange ball of flames burst in front of us, singing my hair and skin as fire erupted from the vehicle where we’d been sitting in moments ago. Justine’s head whipped to the side, and she screamed. “Jarapin!”
I couldn’t spend more than a moment grieving the Uldani, whose vehicle plummeted to the ground in a ball of fire. He’d played his part, and he’d had a purpose that he remembered to the end. I’d make sure Gram told his sister of his sacrifice.
A few laser shots flew past us. Pain streaked up my left leg, momentarily stealing my breath. I shoved down the agony coursing up into my torso.
We landed on the platform with a thud, me on my back with Justine on my chest. Her breath left her body with an oomph, and I felt a drop of her tears hit my face before I was on my feet. Running down the small railed deck along one length of the pod were Kulks, maybe half a dozen, with their laser guns aimed at me.
Shoving Justine toward the door, I made to stand, except my left leg buckled beneath me.
“Nero, you’re hurt!” Justine’s voice rang out.
I shook my head and stumbled to brace my body on my one good leg. I surrounded her with my bulk, withdrawing my short-range laser gun from my vest. Opening fire, I took out two Kulks with two carefully aimed shots through the eye slits of their armor. The next two, I sent sailing over the railing to the ground below with a whip of my tail, nearly losing my own balance in the process. The last two, I took out with my machets and zero finesse, making a bloody mess on the slatted railing floor.
I collapsed on my last swing, the agony in my leg nearly blinding me. I glanced down to see my pants torn and my whole thigh exposed. Black blood pulsed from the shredded muscle, running down my calf in ringlets to drip onto the platform
Hands grabbed my shoulders, tugging me backward, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Justine working valiantly to get me inside the pod. The door, thank Fatas, was open.
“You got the door open,” I said unnecessarily.
“That was my job,” she huffed as she pulled at me. Between the two of us, we managed to get my body inside the door. Pulling my legs clear, Justine slammed a button on the wall, and the doors slid shut. A moment later, laser fire slammed into the metal paneling, denting it. The