dine on her liver?
The chilling voice was somehow inside Colt’s head, like the creature was using telepathy.
“Let her go,” Colt said, his gun held high.
Danielle gasped as the Thule tore her helmet away.
“I have the shot,” Oz said, the barrel of the weapon pointed at the Thule’s right eye.
Colt felt something like adrenaline surge through him as his thoughts gave way to instinct. He dropped the handgun and sprang forward, his lip curled back as he grabbed the Thule by its wrist and twisted. Bone snapped, and the alien dropped Danielle.
The Thule lashed out, but Colt ducked out of the way. A second strike from the Thule was followed by a third and then a fourth, but somehow Colt was too fast. He stepped to the left and then the right, countering each blow, first to its throat, then its ear, and twice to the cluster of nerves beneath its arms.
I’ll suck the marrow from your bones!
The Thule spoke into his mind as Colt jumped up and brought his elbow down on its skull. Bone shattered and its eyes rolled back in its head as it crumpled to the ground, but Colt wasn’t finished. He jumped on its chest, pinning two of its shoulders beneath his knees. Fury erupted as he rained down blow after blow on the alien’s face. Its jaw went slack, its tongue lolled, and green blood oozed from deep cuts.
“That’s enough,” someone said, but the voice was far away.
Colt’s nostrils flared as the fear of seeing Danielle in its clutches was replaced by hatred for the warmongering Thule who had already taken his parents. He knew they wouldn’t stop until everyone he loved was eradicated.
“It’s over.”
The voice was closer now, but Colt ignored it. He brought his fist against the Thule’s jaw, and it snapped to hang at an odd angle. Another blow, and bone tore through skin as scales and blood sprayed the floor.
“You’re freaking her out.”
Colt turned and saw Danielle standing with her back against the wall, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide with fear. Oz walked over and brushed the hair from her cheek. His fingers lightly caressed her skin. He smiled gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.
“I know,” he said as he stroked her hair. “I know.”
Colt’s hands shook uncontrollably. His knuckles were covered with the same green blood that was splattered on the walls and the floor. He looked over at the Thule’s broken body, and he knew why Danielle was crying. She wasn’t afraid of the Thule. She was afraid of him.
: :
CHAPTER 5 : :
Superintendent Thorne has changed the name of the academy,” Colt said as they stood on the lawn outside the apartment building. “She’s calling it the Intergalactic Defense Academy.”
“As in IDA?” Oz said. “Isn’t that an old lady’s name?”
“Exactly,” Colt said. He hesitated, knowing that they were about to part ways but wishing they didn’t have to. “Look, I think you should come back with us.”
“Yeah, right.”
“We’ll tell the superintendent what you did—that you helped save our lives.”
Oz shook his head. “She thinks I went back to Arizona with my mom, remember? That was the deal. If she knew I was here, she’d have me thrown into a cell next to my dad. And she’d do the same to you.”
“I’d like to see her try,” Danielle said. “Maybe I’ll erase her identity.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Oz said. “You’re not a criminal. Besides, she’s not worth it. Neither am I.”
“Whatever,” Colt said. Oz couldn’t have been more wrong as far as he was concerned. They needed him in the war against the Thule. Colt needed him. “You’re part of our ECS. You’re part of Phantom Squad.”
“I appreciate it,” Oz said. “I really do, but you can’t worry about me now. You have bigger fish to fry, like your training. How’s everything going with Project Betrayal? Is it still on track?”
“We’re not ready,” Colt said. “We haven’t passed any of our hologram scenarios. I mean, we’re not even close. Jackal, Blizzard, and Lightning have already passed, and I’m supposed to be leading the mission. What does that say about me?”
“You’ll get there,” Oz said. “Besides, your squad is filled with a bunch of brainiacs, not soldiers. Plus, you’re stuck with Pierce. What did they expect?”
“They moved the go date to January 15.”
“What?” Oz asked. “That’s less than three weeks.”
“Exactly,” Colt said. “And it’s going to fail without you.”
Oz smiled as he shook his head.