Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,63

shouldered an assault rifle, but Colt could tell by the weakness in his voice, not to mention his chalky complexion, that he was lying.

Rhane drove Pierce in the Walker while Colt, Danielle, and Oz followed on armored ultralights. Though it was early, the temperature was already sweltering. The aviator goggles that Colt wore kept steaming over, and he had to stop more than once to clean them off.

The Twilek were already out, plucking insects from their fur and feeding on bright red fruit with green flesh. The juice ran down their lips and onto their coats, but they didn’t seem to mind. A flock of Ryax took to the sky as the vehicles rushed past their nesting area, and Colt thought he caught a glimpse of a Riek before it disappeared into the shadows.

They parked half a click outside Dresh in the middle of a swamp teeming with wildlife. Rhane led them the rest of the way by foot, fighting through the thick vegetation and steamy air. Half an hour later they had reached the outskirts of Dresh, but they stopped when Rhane raised his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Colt asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Rhane nodded toward the distance. “Soldiers from the Dagon Alliance,” he said. “You can tell by their markings. See those squid-looking things on their arms?”

“We’re going to take them out, right?” Oz said, sliding the strap of his assault rifle off his shoulder so he could hold it at the ready.

“No,” Rhane said. “We can’t afford the distraction.”

“I can hit a fly on top of a soda can from a hundred yards away,” Oz said.

“It has nothing to do with your marksmanship,” Rhane said. “We don’t want to lose track of our primary mission, and we definitely don’t want them sounding the alarm and alerting their friends. Besides, I can guarantee you that there are hovercraft scanning the jungle, not to mention the Trackers that our scouts spotted earlier this morning.”

Oz shouldered his assault rifle with obvious reluctance, eyeing the soldiers of the Dagon Alliance until there was too much vegetation and too many shadows between them.

Soon they stepped foot on the first crumbling street of Dresh. All around them flowering vines choked the dilapidated buildings. A lizard the length of a broomstick jumped from its perch with arms and legs spread, relying on parachute-like membranes that attached from its front to back ankles as it glided from building to building.

“Where is everybody?” Danielle asked as they walked down an empty street.

“Most citizens have fled to the jungle,” Rhane said. “Those who remain stay locked inside their homes, fearful to come out and face the wrath of Koenig’s Defense Corps.”

No sooner had the words left Rhane’s lips than Colt spotted two figures at the other end of the street, heading toward them. One was a Thule in its native reptilian form with a red armband; the other looked human and was dressed in a crisp gray military uniform.

“This way,” Rhane said as he ducked down an alley.

They heard the sound of marching feet, and soon hundreds of soldiers marched past, many carrying red banners with the symbol of the Defense Corps. Colt also noticed flags from the Dagon Alliance and the Vril, but there were no signs of the Black Sun Militia or the Soldiers of the Grail among the troops.

Just then Colt spotted movement in a window high overhead. Then he saw a spark, as if someone had lit a candle. The flame burned hotter and then arced out the window.

“Molotov cocktails!” Oz shouted as glass shattered on the pavement below. Fire erupted, and more bottles followed at once. The soldiers scattered. Some started shooting up at the windows while others took cover.

Two hovercraft lowered from the sky and opened fire at the empty windows. Cement and glass exploded. One of the hovercraft unleashed a series of sidewinder missiles that blasted a hole in the wall. A soldier fell, arms flailing and legs kicking. He changed from human to Thule in midair, but when he struck the ground he stopped moving.

“That’s our cue,” Rhane said, slipping out of their hiding spot and taking off down the street at a sprint.

Colt looked back at Pierce. “Can you keep up?”

“I’ll be fine,” Pierce said.

As Colt ran down the street, away from the fray, he caught sight of three animals that looked like a cross between a hyena and a wild pig, all feasting on some kind of roadkill.

“What are those things?” he asked as he ran alongside Rhane.

“Blurg,”