to ear, not vertical, as Helion’s captive’s was.
What the fuck was a Nexus unit doing on this worthless asteroid? Inspecting our ship?
Then Makarios’s words returned to me. They fucking track her like Elite Everian Hunters.
The Nexus unit and his team were hunting Gwen, thinking she was here, looking for clues. My breath caught. Rage filled me at the desperation they had to track her. No wonder Gwen and Mak were so uncomfortable and cagey about meeting.
The blue Nexus unit was taller than the Scouts and Soldiers by at least two feet. Large, black bulbous additions ran along the base of his skull and connected to his spine like fingers digging into the flesh of his back. He walked freely, no armor necessary, despite the lack of atmosphere and freezing temperature on the surface of the asteroid. I watched him through my rifle’s scope and shuddered at the pure, lifeless black of his eyes. Walking with him were two more Hive the likes of which I had never seen before. They were huge—not as big as the Nexus unit himself, but larger than the others. Thicker. Taller.
Fuck. Those two were Atlans. Or they used to be. The three moved together, the Nexus unit in the center and the integrated Atlan Hive bodyguards on either side of him for protection. The other six Hive, the Soldiers and Scouts, fanned out along the ground surrounding the wreckage, picking up debris and running scans.
We were fucked. Nine Hive in total. We might have been able to take them out, but not with two integrated Atlan Hive who were beast sized and a Nexus unit. I didn’t say a word, not wanting our comms to alert them to our presence, but I wanted to shout at Sambor to get the fuck out of there and wait—wait for a different batch of Hive to arrive—one without a Nexus unit. Without integrated Atlan Warlords.
Just… wait.
But we had no choice. We were all running low on air, and our suits would last one more day at the most.
What if the Nexus unit left and no Hive ever came back? What if there was not another chance to steal a ship?
We had to fight. An Atlan in full armor was nearly impossible to take down with standard weapons on a good day. These were integrated Atlans who appeared to be permanently frozen in beast mode.
I would have to aim for the head… and not miss.
Fuck.
How did the Nexus unit control the integrated Atlans? And not just one, but two?
There was nothing I could do now. Sambor had, no doubt, seen them as well. Even if I risked warning him about the integrated Altan Hive, I knew my warning would fall on deaf ears. He was doing this, one way or another, no matter the odds. No, he was doing what his training dictated, what he’d been taught, practiced in battle. He was doing his job, despite the odds. If I argued with him, I was being insubordinate, and stupid. Deep down I knew he was correct in his plan. He was determined to get me—all of us—off this planet alive, and I had to respect his command. His honor. Doing anything else would not only undermine his command but show disrespect to my second. I would not dishonor him in such a manner.
Sambor waited until the Nexus unit entered the hull of the wreckage and disappeared from view, taking one fully integrated Atlan bodyguard with him. The other beast stood at the entrance as if guarding the Nexus from his own Hive Scouts and Soldiers.
Interesting.
With a bellow worthy of any Atlan, Sambor leaped from hiding and opened fire, taking down two Scouts closest to him before dashing behind a boulder.
The three heavier Hive Soldiers moved as one to surround him. I could have finished one of them out, but I waited. Sambor had not given me his signal. Stubborn bastard.
Breathing slowly, keeping calm, I kept my rifle aimed at the entrance to the wreckage, hoping the Nexus unit would show himself.
Seconds later he did.
“Now!” Sambor screamed the command, and I pulled the trigger.
The Nexus unit took the hit to his chest and staggered back but did not fall. I fired again. Again.
The integrated Atlan Hive with him bellowed with rage and raced after the Nexus unit, who was moving like… fucking incredible. I’d never seen anything move that fast, especially after being shot with an ion rifle. Not even an Elite Everian Hunter.
He was coming for me, following the