corridor as if he had every right to be there. One of Velmar’s guards spoke to Jaron, sounding agitated. Jaron glanced at him but didn’t reply. His voice might sound like the guard’s, but Jaron didn’t know their language. The guard reached for his weapon. Jaron walked just passed him then swung back around. Hitting one guard with the butt of his rifle, Jaron then flipped the gun around and smacked the other with the side of the stock. Both collapsed to the floor with barely a sound.
Jaron motioned for Nikki to join him as he bent and disarmed the guards. He used the restraints hanging from their utility belts to bind their wrists, then straightened and looked both ways to ensure no one had sounded an alarm.
“How do we disable the energy field?” she asked Velmar.
“Biometric scanner,” he motioned to one side of the opening.
Jaron pressed his hand against the scanner, but his palm didn’t deactivate the field.
“Does that usually work?” she asked. “How detailed are your shifts?”
“When I expand or compress my natural form, the result is less accurate,” he admitted, then dragged one of the real guards closer to the scanner.
“You could just hack off his hand,” she suggested bitterly. It was likely they were just following orders, but their actions were still wrong.
“That has my vote,” Velmar said with a humorless smile.
Jaron freed one of the guard’s wrists, used his still attached hand to turn off the containment field then quickly refastened the wrist restraint.
As soon as the buzz of energy stopped, Velmar joined them in the corridor. “We need to run,” he said in English, obviously meaning the warning for both of them. “The guards are lazy dogs, but someone is supposed to be watching the surveillance feed at all times.” Snatching the pistol out of her hand, Velmar took off down the corridor. He was headed back the way they’d come, so Nikki fell in behind him. Jaron brought up the rear.
They reached the staircase without incident but had only ascended one flight when a shrill alarm warned that their escape had been discovered.
“Hurry,” Velmar urged.
She tried to run faster, but she was exhausted, sleep-deprived and malnourished. Jaron grasped her arm as they reached the ground level and half-supported half-dragged her along beside him. Velmar looked even worse than she felt. How the hell was he moving so fast?
Energy pulses arced over their heads, and Jaron shoved her into a deep doorway. She collided with the door with a grunt but stayed back. She no longer had a weapon, so she’d only be in their way. Velmar fired in one direction, Jaron in the other. She couldn’t see their targets, but it sounded like they were seriously outnumbered.
“What are you waiting for? Pulse them,” Jaron urged impatiently.
“I can’t!” Velmar snarled, yanking on the metal ring encircling his neck. “Suppression collar.”
Jaron responded with a string of words in their language, but Nikki knew profanity when she heard it.
“My thoughts exactly,” Velmar muttered.
The males continued to fire. They seemed to be keeping the Cretzians back, but reinforcements had to be on their way.
Refusing to surrender, Nikki tried the handle on the door. It rotated, so she eased the door inward. The room was large and empty. Tables and chairs were arranged more or less like a classroom. This door was the only way in or out, so she crept across the room and looked out one of two large windows. Beyond a small field, she could see a thick forest barely visible in the moonlight. Could they run across the field and get lost in the trees before the Cretzians shot them dead? The elves, maybe, but she was doing good to stay on her feet.
The males followed her into the classroom and quickly barricaded the door. “That won’t hold for long,” Velmar predicted, but Jaron had already moved on to solutions.
Standing behind Nikki, Jaron looked out the window and quickly assessed the scene. Ayran set down in the field on the southeast corner of the—
Already on my way!
That’s right. If Ayran had activated Jaron’s tracker as planned, he would have been following every move they made.
Jaron released his shift, apparently finished with the guard’s likeness. Jaron’s true appearance revealed itself and Nikki’s heart fluttered giddily. She gave herself a firm mental shake. This was not the time for crushing on a stranger. They were literally fighting for their lives!
He opened the window and kicked out the screen. Her gaze searched the dimness for the ship,