Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Nik didn’t know whether to be amused or pissed that Nera was putting herself between him and whatever the hell was making that deep growling in the darkness.
He could hold his own in a fight, but Nera…hell, she was amazing. But he was hardly helpless. He pulled out his laser pistol and stepped up beside her. “Can you see it?”
She shook her head, every part of her focused on the shadows. “It’s coming from over there.” She tilted her head.
Suddenly, a huge, black shape leaped out of the shadows at them.
Fuck. Nik fired and dodged to the side. He hit the floor hard, the impact rattling his bones. When he rolled, he caught a glimpse of the thing. His eyes widened. Holy hell, it was huge.
Nera circled the creature, her sword held in front of her.
The beast was almost as tall as her shoulders, with a powerful body and a long tail that whipped back and forth.
It growled again. It looked almost like…
a giant mutant cat. Maybe that was what it was.
At best guess, it was some species of a former Earth creature, mutated by the radiation and years of breeding.
Its muscles bunched again and it bounded at Nera. Nik’s heart beat double-time. He couldn’t get a clear shot.
But Nera was fast, too. She ducked, and slashed at the creature’s black hide.
Her sword didn’t penetrate.
She jumped back, and he saw the flash of large claws.
Its hide was tough, thick, and gnarled, almost reptilian. He aimed his laser pistol and fired.
The beast spun around, and glowing, green eyes leveled on him. Its head was huge, with large jaws that were filled with giant teeth. Nice.
“Distract it,” Nera yelled.
Right. Nik saw her move, but kept his gaze on the beast. It took a step toward him.
He fired, aiming for its eyes. It shook its head, then swiped out with one giant paw. Nik dived and rolled.
The creature swiped at him again, and this time, Nera appeared from the darkness and a barrage of throwing stars slammed into the creature. Paw, arm, cheek, three across its side—they clung to it like burrs. Thick, black blood oozed from the wounds.
The creature screeched, an ear-splitting sound that made Nik wince. The cat spun again, and unable to find Nera, settled on Nik.
“Come on, kitty.” He lifted his laser pistol again. The beast started stalking him, its belly low to the ground. “Nera, whatever you have planned, do it fast.”
Suddenly, she leaped into the air, and onto the creature’s back.
Nik fired at its head. The creature reared, trying to dislodge Nera. She raised her sword up, and with a lightning-fast move, slammed it down into the back of its neck.
Nik kept firing until the charge ran out on his pistol. As it recharged, he staggered backward. The creature kept coming, snarling and hissing. Nera’s sword hadn’t penetrated far and she was working it in with heavy thrusts.
The creature was so close now that Nik smelled its rank, rotten breath. It smelled of blood and dead things. His back hit the wall. Shit.
He lifted the pistol again. Just as the beast raised its giant paw once more, it let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Then it collapsed to the floor, its long claws brushing the tips of Nik’s boots.
He let out a huge breath. Nera jumped off the monster and landed in a crouch beside Nik.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He leaned over, hands on his knees, and drew in some deep breaths. “Never better.”
“You make an excellent distraction. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
Running footsteps sounded out in the corridor outside.
“Nik? Dr. Phoenix?” Avril’s concerned voice in his earpiece.
“Yeah. We’re in here. It’s clear.”
Soon Avril, Galen, and the others crawled through the opening in the door. Avril stood just inside the entryway, her jaw falling open. “Oh, my stars.”
The others had equally shocked looks on their faces, their gazes moving between the artifacts and the body of the creature. Except for Gunn, who looked like he’d sucked on something acidic.
“That dead?” Solomon nodded toward the mutant cat.
“Yes,” Nik said. “But it wasn’t a minute ago.”
Galen moved closer, snapping images. “Some sort of mutated creature. We need to stay on the lookout for more.”
“I’ll arrange for a second team from the Drake,” Avril said.
“I want a team in here to prepare for loading the artifacts. And more security.” She beamed.
“Well done, Nik.” Her gaze shifted to the Sun Stone.
“I’d hoped we’d find the Sun Stone, but I guess I never really believed we would.
These finds are simply—” her voice cracked and she cleared her throat.
“You’ll go down in history as the discoverer of some of the most important Terran artifacts in the galaxy. ”
“And Nera, too,” he said dryly.
Avril’s eyes flickered. “Of course.”
“I’m sure you’d like to see what Gunn and Solomon found.” She glanced at her timepiece. “We still have time. We can check on the team loading up their find on the way out. Agent Ryant, please have some of your team secure this room until the secondary extraction team arrives from the ship.”
“Sure,” Galen answered.
The rest of them headed out into the corridor.
“You are going to be amazed by the artifacts we found.” Avril’s boots echoed on the floor. “There’s an Olmec head, a crystal skull of some kind, and a collection of Aztec jewelry—armbands, ear plugs, and rings.” Her cheeks were flushed.
Nik couldn’t fault her for her love of history and artifacts.
In fact, she was starting to make him believe that not everyone in the Institute was rotten.
They stepped back into the domed entry, and she waved them toward the wing where Gunn and Solomon had searched.
The doorway to the hall was ahead, wedged open by a rock.
Suddenly Nera reached back and pulled her sword out of its scabbard. It made a distinctive sound as the metal slid against leather.
Avril’s eyes went wild. “Darc, I don’t think—”
Nik waved a hand to silence her and focused on Nera. “What is it?”
“I smell blood.”
Blood? Nik swiveled and eyed the doorway. He didn’t smell anything. He strode forward, heard Nera curse and then jogged a few steps to keep up with him.
The stench hit him at the doorway.
“Damn.” He took the room in with a single glance and his stomach hardened.
Beside him, Nera stared impassively, but her gaze swept the room.
“By the gods.” Avril pressed a hand to her mouth, her face pale.
The team she’d left behind to start preparing the artifacts had been slaughtered.
“They’re all dead,” she whispered.
Nik and Nera moved inside, cautiously.
“I don’t sense anyone,” she said quietly.
Nor did he. His grip tightened on his laser pistol as he knelt beside the first body. The kid was young, maybe twenty-one. His throat had been practically torn out and blood had soaked into his uniform.
Nera checked the next one. “Slashes. Looks like claw marks. Whatever it was, it went for the throat.”
Five of them. Dead. Nik stood. “The creature that attacked us?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It was huge, it would have made more of a mess and left larger wounds. These wounds are smaller, more precise.”
Avril moved forward with shaky steps, but her chin was up.
She touched her ear. “Agent Ryant. Recovery Team One is dead. I repeat, Team One is dead. I need you back here.” She took a deep breath and looked at the two agents who’d accompanied them.
“Cover the room. No one in or out until we know what the hell did this.”
The two grim-faced agents nodded and moved to the door.
“They left the artifacts,” Avril noted.
Nik looked, and took a second to admire the amazing clear crystal skull and the gold jewelry partly nestled into boxes. “I don’t think they were after the artifacts.”
Avril frowned. “No?”
Nera turned. “Whatever killed them, it fed on the bodies. It drank their blood and ate some of their flesh.”
If it was possible, Avril’s already-pale face turned a shade whiter and she pressed a fist to her mouth. She looked at the closest body briefly before glancing away. “How do you know it drank their blood?”
“Because there isn’t a huge pool on the floor, despite the massive wounds,” Nera answered.
Avril gave a jerky nod. “Right. What would do that?”
“I’m sure we’ll be lucky enough to find out.”
Nik knew Nera was right. Whatever had attacked these people, it would be back. Hungry for more.
Suddenly, one of the security agents shouted. They all spun.
The man was standing beside one of the bodies. He was kicking his leg, trying to get free…of the hand of the dead body grasping at his ankle.
What the fuck? Nik took a second to process. As he watched, the dead body—this one a woman—rolled onto its stomach, hands grasping at the security agent. She let out a low, drawn-out wail.
“Jesus.” Nik lifted his pistol and started forward.
The security agent aimed his own shaking laser pistol at the woman. The skin on her face had changed; it was now covered in mottled shades of brown, like she was badly bruised. She made another sound, this one more like a growl. The agent shot her in the face.
Even as a wound opened up on her face, the woman didn’t stop. She didn’t even flinch. She was tearing at the man’s boots, her nails ripping until his boot came loose. She sank her nails into the man’s ankle. He yelled and shot her again.
Nik quickened his pace. He fired at the woman, and kept firing until she let the guard go. She dragged herself along the floor, leaving a smear of blood, and hissed at Nik. Her eyes were entirely black, with no white visible. He fired again, and finally the woman’s body slumped to the floor.
The security agent, his chest heaving, staggered away from the woman. Frantically, he eyed the other bodies, but they were all still. Their small group converged, pulling in close together.
“We need assistance,” Avril yelled into her earpiece. “And Agent Datarr needs a medic. Hurry!” Avril urged Datarr to sit down. “Just take it easy. Agent Ryant and the others are coming.”
The man swallowed. “Damn, it hurts. What the hell happened to them? How could she…come back to life?”