“Can’t take the risk,” Gabriel answered through his teeth. “If it fires, it’ll alert every goddamn alien in the quadrant.”
They could hide, wait it out, but time was already ticking. Once the ground team started, there was no stopping. And if Gabriel’s team didn’t have the shock ready, they’d lose their chance. The casualties would be astronomical.
Gabriel swore under his breath.
Just once, I would like a mission where failure didn’t mean death. I would give anything for a stern talking to.
Pushing aside all other thoughts, he took stock of the construction site. It was relatively empty. A forklift and an excavator were parked beside a large mound of earth. Bits of cement, rebar, and broken cinder blocks poked out of the dirt. A retaining wall ran along their right, following the tracks. They could climb the wall, hop onto the tracks, and run like hell. But the Drone was faster. And it would pick them off like a sniper.
It appeared to be alone. And maybe, damaged as it was, they had a chance.
They might be able to get the forklift going. It didn’t have much electronics to it, but he didn’t think a forklift was any faster than their own feet.
His gaze slid over a blue tarp; one corner stuck under a plastic drum. “I’ve got an idea,” Gabriel said, fingers twitching on his gun.
“Please tell me it’s a dumb one,” Judd answered with a grin. “I don’t trust a mission that goes too smooth.”
Gabriel quickly told him his plan. Judd’s grin widened. “Oh, that’s the worst.”
After signaling to Tommy to get back, they slung their guns over their shoulders and crept around the pile of pallets. The tarp was on the other side of the pallets. Getting it wasn’t the issue, but getting itquietlywould be. Judd took point, crawling forward until he could snag the edge of the tarp. With his lip between his teeth, he tugged.
The plastic rustled, dirt and rocks sliding over the slick surface. It sounded like fireworks to Gabriel. Despite the noise, Judd didn’t stop.Steady is fast.The tarp came free after some tugging, and Judd was careful to pull it fully behind the pallets.
Gabriel took one end, and they kept it taut as they moved over toward the excavator. It loomed over them, casting a perfect shadow to disappear into. Gabriel kept one eye on the Drone as they moved. The thing was still flying back and forth, its whine lower than the ones he’d previously encountered. Maybe it was malfunctioning? Had the crack broken its operating system, and it was spazzing out?
Whatever the reason, that thing was between him and his mission.
Judd crawled into place beside the forklift while Gabriel hid behind an excavator tire. The space between them was narrow. Exactly what Gabriel needed.
Judd caught his eye and stood. Lip between his teeth, he let out a piercing whistle. “Come get some, birdie.”
The Drone swerved, wobbling in the air as it zoomed straight toward them. Judd waited on the balls of his feet, hands loose. The moment the Drone passed the front of the excavator, he dropped and grabbed his side of the tarp. They pulled it tight between them a second before the Drone hit with a thump.
The tarp ripped out of his hands, taking him with it. He stumbled forward, falling on his knees. Judd did little better, eating a face full of dirt as the Drone whizzed past them. The blue plastic caught in the crack on the Drone’s surface, fluttering behind it like a ghoul from an old cartoon.
Blind, the Drone began chirping, low and twitchy. Nothing like the high-pitched screams Gabriel had nightmares about. It bobbed and twisted in the air, trying to get the tarp off, but it was stuck on the jagged edges of the crack.
“Don’t let it get away!” Gabriel shouted, rushing forward. He needed to kill that thing before it called for help. Boots beating the ground, he leapt, just missing the Drone as it skittered away. Judd picked up a broken two-by-four and swung at it like a major league baseball player. The wood whizzed through the air, catching the edge of the tarp but missing the Drone.
Judd took another swing, and Gabriel had to duck. That’s when he heard the clacking. His blood froze.
Gabriel turned in time to see a FUD galloping at them. Its ball joints spun as its claws gouged out small craters of earth as it ran. The small pincers on its chest clattered excitedly.
“Move!” Gabriel shouted as the thing dropped its head to ram into Judd. The scout had a single second to throw himself out of the way. The FUD’s shoulder caught him in the hip, sending Judd sprawling.
Gabriel turned and ran. He rounded the pile of pallets when he caught sight of the Drone. It wasn’t flying as erratically now, trying to brush up against the stack of pallets to get the tarp off.
Twisting on his heel, Gabriel changed direction so suddenly the FUD blew past him. It had better traction on the dirt, but in a full charge, it still needed time to get its legs under it. He jumped to the highest one he could reach. It teetered, but he was onto the next before it could fall.
Two more steps and he could feel the stack destabilizing. Pushing off one leg, he launched into the air and caught the Drone around its midsection.
His unexpected weight sent them both careening to the ground. Gabriel didn’t have time to brace himself. The hit hurt, driving the Drone’s smooth metal into his gut. He couldn’t breathe, and his panic spiked, but he refused to let go. Digging his fingers into the crack in the Drone, he wrapped himself around it.
The thing screeched, bobbing and whirring under the tarp. Gabriel almost lost his grip when it spun like a top, but he dug his boots in. If he could just get his hand free, he could drive his knife into the crack, maybe that would?—
Movement caught his attention. The FUD was back. Its pincers clacking agitatedly as it stormed toward him. The ground shook under its weight as it ran. Black spots danced in front of Gabriel’s eyes.
When the FUD was only a step away, he let go, rolling off the Drone taking the tarp with him. It bobbed up, spinning free for a moment before the FUD crashed into it. The Drone got caught in the FUD’s front legs, tripping the big quadruped. It slammed face-first into the ground, both of them rolling into a heap against the cement retaining wall.