Chapter 14 #3
She took a steadying breath. However much fun she had with Niklas, this had to end after this hunt.
She wasn’t capable of more. Her fingers curled, her nails biting into her palm.
He deserved more. He deserved to be loved and cherished, and the capacity to love had been beaten out of her.
She touched her chest. All she had left was a dried husk of a heart.
“What the hell are those?” Niklas said.
She shook her head and focused. She spotted what he was talking about.
The vehicles were…brutish looking. Armored, low-slung, and a deep-green color, they looked like any standard armored vehicles. But these had giant chainsaws mounted on the front of them.
“These are the Institute’s newest additions.” Agent Ryant strode up to them. “Centurion armored vehicles. They’re particularly suited to heavy jungle conditions. The saws are laser-enhanced and can cut through even the densest vegetation in a fraction of time.”
Nera circled the nearest vehicle. The chainsaws were impressive. She touched the camouflage-patterned armor. It certainly seemed tough enough to withstand a pack of zombies, or whatever else they might face down there.
Solomon sauntered in and came to an abrupt halt. “Holy stars, those are beauties.”
Nera barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Young men were the same the galaxy over.
Seconds later, Gunn arrived. He, too, spotted the vehicles and whistled. “Nice.”
“Good. Everyone’s here.” Avril strode up.
She was dressed in her light armor. “Gunn, Agent Ryant, and I will be in the lead vehicle. Niklas, Darc, and Solomon in the other. Agent Ryant, can you please split your security team between the two?” After his nod, she looked at the others. “Any questions? All right, let’s go.”
The rear doors of each Centurion were open. Nera climbed in and took a seat near the back. Nik and Solomon sat in front of her. The four members of their security team moved to the front of the vehicle, two settling in the driver’s and navigator’s seats.
“The Drake will land only long enough to offload the Centurions.” Avril’s voice came through the comm system in the vehicle. “We can’t get right on top of the Larco, the jungle is just too dense. We’ve located a clearing closest to the museum’s location, so we’ll have to make a short drive.”
“Exposure time?” Nera asked.
“Two and a half hours.”
Nera watched Solomon and Niklas peering forward like excited boys, peppering the driver with questions. She shook her head. Age or profession had no relevance, men were men and they loved anything with buttons, engines, and wheels.
She sank back in her seat and checked her personal gear.
She’d acquired some sonic grenades. She had a theory about noise affecting the zombies, and she wasn’t letting any of the nasty creatures get too close to her or Niklas on this trip.
“Everyone, please strap in,” their driver—a reptilian agent with brown-scaled skin and elongated eyes—called back.
She felt a jolt.
“The Drake has landed.” This from the female navigator. “Prepare to disembark.”
Through the narrow windshield, Nera saw the large cargo doors open and a ramp slide down to the ground. The first Centurion rolled out.
Moments later, the driver set their vehicle into gear and they followed.
When they drove off the ramp, she got her first good look at the jungle.
The dense, black vegetation they’d seen from above was even more intimidating up close. Vines as thick as her waist choked the trees. Some trees were narrow and twisted, others had huge trunks covered in misshapen knobs. All of them were covered in black foliage that looked almost oily.
“Activating the laser-saw now,” the driver intoned.
There was a deep rumble that made the vehicle vibrate. Through the front window, she saw the flare of an orange laser along the chainsaw and the blades started spinning.
Then the Centurion moved forward. The black tree line reared up above them.
As the chainsaw made contact, Nera watched black vegetation fly in all directions.
The saw ripped into the vines and trees, nothing strong enough to withstand its attack.
She leaned forward, studying the jungle vegetation with interest. She blinked.
It looked like some of it was moving out of the path of the Centurion’s saw.
Her breath caught. Vines were sliding away like giant snakes.
As the vehicle moved deeper under the canopy of the trees, it got darker. The vegetation blocked out most of the sunlight. This wasn’t good. If there were zombies here, it made it likely they could function down here in the daytime.
“Look,” someone called out.
“Ruins.” Niklas gripped the back of the chair in front of him.
The building they passed had been destroyed by time and too choked by vines for them to be able to discern its former purpose. Possibly an office building or apartments. They’d probably never know.
They kept moving, the saws chomping through the plant life. Finally, the lead vehicle pulled to a stop.
“We’re at the coordinates.” Avril’s voice again.
“Any sign of zombies or wildlife?” their driver asked.
“Negative,” Agent Ryant’s voice answered. “Nothing.”
Niklas moved to the back door. “Then I suggest we get in and get out before anything does come looking.”