“Survivors, remain down,” the amplified voice ordered.“Extractionbeam deploying.”
Cassie opened one eye and dared to look.
The platform around them was a horror show.Blackenedbodies lay tangled on the grating and several places in the railing had been blasted clean away.Theladder was gone completely, cut off by the shuttle’s weapons fire, and smoke rose in thin, stinking streams from the metal below.
But theInfectedwere no longer on the platform.
Below them, the herd had scattered or been reduced to twitching pieces across the ravine floor.Somewere still moving, but more red beams swept down and struck them before they could regroup.
Cassie swallowed hard.
“I’m going to have nightmares forever,” she whispered.
“Probably,”Severinsaid from beside her, still breathing hard.
“Thanks but you’re supposed to say, ‘no you won’t,’ or something comforting like that,” she told him.“Notaffirm the fact thatI’mgoing to be seeing freaking lizard-zombies in my dreams for the rest of my natural life.”
“Sorry—it’s hard to be comforting under the circumstances,” he remarked, but one corner of his mouth twitched up.
Ravik shifted off her first, careful despite the urgency.
“Are you hurt?”he asked, his deep voice filled with worry.
Cassie shook her head.
“Not more thanIwas before,” she said, which seemed to be the most honest answer available.
Severin sat up and looked toward the shuttle.Acircular blue-white beam was lowering from its underside, shimmering through the smoke.Herose to his knees and waved one arm, then pointed toCassie.
“Her first!”he shouted.
“Of course me first,”Cassiemuttered.“Theshort human always gets hauled around like luggage.”
Ravik looked at her sharply.
“You are not luggage,” he rumbled.
“I know, big guy.I’mmaking a joke becauseI’mfreaking terrified.Whateven is that?”she asked, nodding at the blue-white beam which was so bright she had to squint when she looked at it.
“A transport beam,”Severinanswered.“Don’tworry—it won’t harm you.It’sjust going to latch onto you and bring you into the ship.”
As he spoke, the beam settled over her and a tingling sensation rushed over her skin.Cassieyelped as her feet lifted off the platform.OhGod—it was exactly like the old sci-fi trope of the person being drawn up into the alien vessel with a bright beam of light!
“Oh!Okay,” she said and her voice came out all thin and high.This… this feels really weird.”
“Don’t struggle,”Severinordered.“Letthe beam take you.”
“I wasn’t planning to fight the alien sky elevator!”she shouted back, clutching the charge baton against her chest even though she had no idea if she was allowed to bring weapons into the rescue ship.
As she rose, she looked down and saw both males below her.
Ravik stood with his shock blade in one hand, broad shoulders covered in black blood, his face turned up toward her.Severinstood beside him, battered and pale, broken oculars gone, one hand pressed to his side where he must have been hurt during the fighting.Theywere bruised, bloody, furious with each other, and still standing together.
Cassie’s heart fisted in her chest.Theywere alive—both of them.
All three of us,she thought and sent another silent prayer of thanks to theKindredGoddess.Ifshe hadn’t believed before, she certainly did now.Therescue shuttle had come in the literal nick of time.
The beam drew her into the shuttle’s open hatch and deposited her onto a metal floor with surprising gentleness.TwoKindredwarriors in protective gear that covered their heads and faces caught her by the arms and pulled her away from the opening.
