High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,90

friend's armpits and dragged him back out.

Hana forced her gaze away from the vines, and she and Iver stared at each other for a long beat. He looked as shocked as she was.

He turned the weapon over in his hand, and realizing she was wasting time, she forced herself to move.

There was one runner left that blocked the way, the one she'd gotten into the first time. It was close to the vines, but the soldiers were gone for now.

She climbed the stairs and hesitated for a moment in the doorway, just as she had done before.

There were more bodies in this one than the others. It was obviously the first one ready to go and they must have loaded it up with their most vulnerable. There were very small bones in here. Babies. Children. She shuddered and forced herself to the pilot's seat and started the engine.

The proximity of the runner to the vines must have galvanized their attackers, because two ran through the vines as soon as she started it up.

Her reaction was automatic, her hand reaching out and pressing a button that lit both of them up in a strong light beam.

They had to lift their arms to protect their eyes, and while they were blinded, she moved the runner out of the way, careful to keep the nose pointed in their direction, lights on full.

She was sorry to shut things down when she was done, but she didn't want them to try and use this runner themselves, and when she cut the engine, the sudden disappearance of the beams plunged the whole deck into darkness as her eyes struggled to adjust.

Iver stood below, arms extended, slowly sweeping left to right.

“They're in here somewhere.” He spoke very low, and she only just heard him over the sound of the runner at the back.

“What is that thing?” she asked, looking at the dark metal object in his hands.

“Projectile weapon. Not sure what it's projecting, but it made that strange noise, and it definitely wounded one of them.”

He gestured with the weapon for her to move toward the runner, and then he shielded her as they went, putting his body between her and the now open flight deck.

She moved slowly, cautiously in the green-tinged gloom.

The soldiers wouldn't be able to hear their footsteps over the roar of the runner and the swirl of leaves and dust, but she and Iver wouldn't be able to hear theirs, either, although she felt her upgrade straining to do just that.

When they had almost reached the runner, a man leaped out at them, SAL raised in front of him.

Iver activated the weapon in his hands again, and the man fell back with a scream. His SAL landed on the ground and skittered away, and Hana crouched down and lunged for it.

There was still one more soldier in here at least, so she went back to back with Iver, shuffling with him to the steps, and then climbing them with the SAL at the ready.

The man on the ground wasn't moving, and she had a sick suspicion he was dead.

She bumped into Iver at the top of the steps, turned her head quickly to check what made him stop, and then froze.

A soldier stood in the open area behind the pilot and co-pilot seats, SAL pointed at Iver.

“Serra! You there?” His shout was obviously to his fallen companion.

Hana moved a little way back from Iver, to give herself room to move. She was in a high-level magfield, but she was still faster than she would be otherwise.

“Stay still,” the soldier barked at her. “I don't want you falling down the stairs when I tranq you, but I will if I have to.”

“Sure.” She moved in one fast, fluid motion, lifting her hands to rest the SAL on Iver's shoulder, and shot.

Iver turned, grabbed her, and fell into the runner, twisting so she landed on top of him. She sensed rather than saw the dart the soldier had managed to get off flying over her head.

“You all right?” she asked as she scrambled off him. His ribs must be hurting, but he didn't even flinch.

He nodded as he got to his feet.

The soldier was out, the SAL dart in his chest.

“There's still one out there, but he can stay out there, as far as I'm concerned.”

She nodded. “We want to bring this one along, right?”

Iver nodded, reached out and retracted the steps, and she sat in the pilot's chair again.

She carefully maneuvered the runner through