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“I hope so, too.” Her gaze shifted to the weapon. “But at least we got it.”
Both Gabriel and Marius turned their attention to the weapon as well.
Marius let go of Shayna and moved to slide a hand down the angled red roof. “We need to deactivate this thing right now, but you should clear the room. The lower casing has been retrofitted with a battery pack so that it can be fired up anywhere. One flip of the switch”—he rounded the machine and pointed it out—“will send out killing sound waves that would take us all down within seconds. Although the waves can’t penetrate altered flight.”
Gabriel called out, “Disperse to altered flight.”
The response of his team was almost instantaneous. The men levitated as one and shifted to altered flight, each hovering in place. Impressive.
Gabriel, however, remained standing stoically nearby but Marius refused to do anything until his good friend was safe. He remained staring at him resolutely, until Gabriel’s lips quirked and he joined his security force.
Marius carefully tilted the weapon on its side to expose the lower casing. Flipping a compartment with a simple mechanical slide plate exposed a battery pack. He reached in and within a few seconds, he’d disabled the machine, removing eight packs all linked together.
He was about to set it upright again, when Shayna caught his arm. “Join Gabriel and his men and let me test it out. We don’t want an accident because we’ve been tricked.”
He held her gaze, frowning slightly. “What made you say that?”
She narrowed her gaze. “Because Daniel is devious and this would be right up his alley.”
At that, he smiled. “You’re absolutely right. We’ll err on the side of caution.”
“So good ahead, shift.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Shayna grinned, which made her look like she was about sixteen. But he obeyed and shifted to altered flight. When she flipped the switch, the damn thing went off, the vibrations of the weapon shaking the ground and trembling through the air. She hit the switch immediately, shutting it down.
“That bastard,” she shouted.
Marius dropped out of altered flight. He asked for a sledgehammer, intending to pulverize the weapon then and there, but Gabriel, on solid ground once more, intervened. “I’ve got a better idea. Let me get my detonation squad in here. They’ll be fully protected and I think our best course will be to blow this damn thing up.”
Marius thought it was the best idea he’d heard yet. “Let’s do it.”
But he couldn’t leave. In fact, everyone stayed while the team was brought in and the explosives rigged.
Shifting to altered flight with Shayna held tight in his arms, he took her away, moving past a wall of stone to hover in a nearby unimproved cavern as he mentally did the ten-second countdown.
The explosion rattled through the immediate cavern surroundings. After a couple of minutes, the squad gave the all-clear and everyone moved back in.
Marius thought he’d always remember the burnt, chemical stench of the space as one of the best smells in his life since the last remaining weapon lay scattered in smoking ruins.
“Are we sure this is the last one?” Shayna asked.
Gabriel turned toward her. “Why don’t you do a search? From what I understand, now that you’ve had so much contact with this weapon, you’d be able to find even the smallest part of one.”
“I will.” Then she did something that surprised Marius. She moved close and took his hand. Will you support me right now? I mean, with your power? I’m afraid I’m still shaking.
God, yes. Whatever you need.
For some reason, his words caused her lips to part as she stared at him, searching his face.
What? For a moment, he thought he might have offended her somehow, but he wasn’t getting that through the chain-bond they shared.
You have no idea who you are, that’s why I’m amazed right now. You’re one of the most supportive men I’ve ever known.
He was taken aback. Okay. Thank you, I guess. But why wouldn’t I be when you’ve helped us all so much? My God, it seems like such a small thing.
At that, she smiled. Maybe.
