He gave her a quick kiss then nipped her bottom lip. “You’ll pay for that gibe. Later.”
“Later.” She slid out from under him and cautiously headed to where the net had come from.
She found the launching device set up on the side of an old starfreighter. “Triggered by a motion sensor. We’re getting closer.”
They kept going, more cautiously this time. She scanned ahead to detect any signs of more booby traps. But the wrecks were the perfect hiding places. Covered in bits of metal and old rusted devices, it was hard to tell what was a trap and what was supposed to be there.
They stepped into a junction between the wrecks. Three other pathways led off in different directions.
“We need to go straight ahead.” She pointed, all the while studying the surroundings.
Axton took one step away from her and a faint clicking sound filled the air.
They both froze.
“Do you see anything?” he asked.
“No—” Then she sensed movement.
Xenia’s tactical overlay flared to life, highlighting the incoming projectiles. She exploded into action. Four long, metal projectiles were flying through the air, headed straight at Axton.
She leaped and knocked the first projectile from the air. Spinning, she grabbed the next one in one hand and the third in her other hand.
The fourth hit her in the stomach.
She fell to the dirt, panting from the pain.
“Xenia.Fuck.” Axton gripped the projectile stuck in her stomach and yanked it out. He pushed his hands over the wound. “Can you stem the bleeding?”
“Already doing it.” She slowed down the blood flow to that area and stimulated her body to heal. She also fired up her pain filters. “I’ll be okay. It didn’t hit anything vital.”
He released a breath and pressed his forehead to hers. “Maybe we should call in a team, have them clear the area.”
“We’re only a few meters away from the location, Axton. What happened to that sense of adventure?”
“It died when I saw you bleeding.”
She patted his cheek. “CenSec, remember? Come on, Prime Saros. Let’s get that Codex back.”
He helped her up and they continued the last few steps.
“This is it.” Xenia lowered the Sync. “X marks the spot.”
She stood in the small clearing between several wrecks.
There was nothing but dirt under their feet.
“There’s nothing here,” he said in a careful tone.
“It’s here. Somewhere.” She eyed the wrecks before staring at the ground. She ran scans. “There’s metal here.”
“Xenia, we’re surrounded by the stuff.”
“No, beneath us.”
“What?” He kicked at the dirt.
And uncovered metal.
