Nera was surprised they’d been uninterrupted this long.
He touched his ear. “Avril? Galen? Zombies headed this way.”
No response.
He frowned and tried again. “Dammit.”
She looked at the security agents. “You know where they are?”
They shook their heads, but their faces seemed purposely blank.
Niklas’ jaw tightened. “Nera, let’s go find Avril and then get the hell out of here. The rest of you get back to the vehicle andget these artifacts loaded.” He pulled out his laser pistol and charged out the door.
Nera followed one step behind him. “They were coming in from the back of the site. You think they were after something specific?”
“Yes.” His face was hard. “Yes, I think they were.”
Nik and Nerajogged through empty rooms. He could hear the moans and grunts of the zombies now. They were close.
“Solomon?” Nik said into his earpiece.
“Everything’s loaded, Phoenix. We’re inside the Centurion and the zombies have us surrounded.”
Dammit. “The other vehicle?”
“They’re here, too. Gunn said that Dr. Luma-Smythe and Agent Ryant are still inside and not answering comms.”
“Could be dead.” Nera’s tone implied she wasn’t too concerned, if that were the case.
“We need to leave.” Gunn’s voice blasted across the line. “The doc and the agent can look after themselves.”
Typical Gunn. Looking out for himself. “No,” Nik said.
“No one died and made you boss, Phoenix. We’ll come back for them.”
But Nik never left anyone behind. He’d abandoned friends and colleagues at the Institute once. Galen might be rotten, but he’d once been a friend. Nik also didn’t believe that Avril was a part of the Institute’s darker dealings, and he respected her love of history.
“We’re going after them.” He checked his mini-Sync. The only other place to look was what had been the offices and staff areas. “Come on. This way.”
They headed down another ruined corridor, patches of paint still visible on the walls. Suddenly, two zombies shambled out in front of them.
Nik aimed and fired, but Nera was already exploding into action. Two fast slashes of her sword and the creatures’ heads rolled across the floor.
“I suggest we make this quick and then get out of here,” she said.
He nodded. They pushed on, and ahead he heard the low and urgent murmur of voices.
They charged through a doorway and Avril’s head snapped up, guilt stamped over her face. Galen stood next to her, and between them, an old metal safe stood open.
“You two picked a shitty time to go radio silent,” Nik bit out. “Zombies are here. The Centurions are surrounded and the creatures are in the building.”
Galen cursed. Avril bit her lip, but the astro-archeologist finished rifling around in the safe. “It was important.”
A muscle in Nik’s jaw worked. “Well, you might pay with your life—with all our lives—so I damn well hope it was worth it.”
She pulled out a piece of paper, covered in a film of protective plas. “It is.” She turned it and he saw a hand-drawn map.
He frowned. “What the hell is that?”
