The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(117)

As she was about to clear the side of the carrier, she saw the last of the Inferi Boon Special Ops waving frantically at the approaching fleet of tiltrotors. They were cheering and leaping, overjoyed at the sight of the lead tiltrotor moving steadily toward them.

Denman yanked her backward.

“Omondi!” Maria screamed.

The big, beautiful black man with the wonderful smile threw out his arms to welcome the tiltrotor crew. It was the last she ever saw of him as the crew on the aircraft unleashed their arsenal and the Boon was engulfed in a firestorm. The tiny form of Cruz disappeared in a wash of fire. McKinney and Holm staggered briefly out of the blaze before being engulfed again.

Denman dragged Maria around and pulled her after him. She instinctively ran with him in the shadow of the carrier, then bolted around a low wall that encircled the station. Hunched over, they scurried along the wall, waiting for the blast of fire that would engulf them. The tiltrotors continued to hover as they fired at the carrier and the building. Flaming debris filled the scorching hot air and Maria choked as they fled. Reaching the side of the building, they broke into full sprints now that they were out view of the tiltrotors.

“Keep running!” Denman shouted. “Aim for the lake!”

The massive building next to them shuddered as eruptions within the concrete walls resounded through the dying day. In the distance, the Maelstrom Platforms roared to life. This was it. The final push. The day the Inferi Scourge would be completely wiped from the valley.

As they arrived at the rear of the building, Maria saw that the ground sloped straight into the dark waters of the lake. More explosions rent the air, hot wind and ash swirling around her. Denman ran straight into the waves lapping up on shore.

Casting a hasty look over her shoulder, Maria saw that some of the tiltrotors were moving on to attack other locations, but the ones remaining to destroy the station were drifting their way. She wasn’t sure they had been seen.

Wading into the water, she felt her armor pulling her down. Gasping, she pressed on into the shadow of the dam. Denman vanished beneath the waves, then reappeared further away. He didn’t have to breathe anymore, but her lungs were functional again.

She dove under and tried to swim through the murky water, fish and underwater plants flowing around her. The armor kept dragging her into the deeper depths of the blue lake. Kicking furiously, she held her breath. Finally, afraid at how deep she was sinking, she swam toward the surface. It took many hard, fast kicks to get her even near the top. Denman emerged from the murk, gripped her under the arms and helped her swim upward.

They crested the waves halfway along the dam. Maria’s lungs ached, but she was surprised at how far she had managed to swim. Denman’s hands tugged at her armor, unclasping it. In the shadow of the dam, they bobbed on the choppy waves as more fireballs erupted out of the station.

The Maelstrom Platforms growled to life again in the distance and the world was full of smoke.

They managed to disconnect the top of Maria’s armor from the bottom half and let it sink away.

“Better?” Denman asked.

She nodded, feeling more buoyant. Her undershirt stuck to her skin, but the water felt wonderful.

“Okay, we keep along the dam until we can get to those trees over there.” He pointed to a thin line of pines growing up against a steep incline. “We need to get into the foothills.”

“Do you think they know we’re alive?” Maria asked.

Denman lifted his wrist out of the water and stared at his wristlet. Maria followed suit. They were water resistant devices and the shiny surfaces reflected their frightened faces.

“I saw you talking to someone. Can they help us?”

Maria hesitated, then nodded. Sliding her finger over the surface, the screen activated. She quickly accessed the hidden program.

“Maria, it’s Linds. I have your feed redirected to me now, not Dwayne.” Lindsey appeared to be at a workstation in the Constabulary. “I am jamming the feed from all the Inferi Boon wristlets right now. How many of you are alive?”

“Me and Denman. That’s it.”

Denman sank into the water so just his eyes were visible above the waves. He was watching the tiltrotors moving over the station. So far, they had not been spotted.

Lindsey’s shocked expression transformed swiftly into one that was all business. “Okay. That’ll make it easier. They’re attempting to confirm that all of you are dead using the wristlets. I’m trying to come up with a false transmission that will make them think you were inside the building. Meanwhile, you two have got to get away from that area. It’s f*ckin’ ground zero.”

The Maelstrom Platforms continued to roar. Somewhere in the distance, more explosions filled the air with fire.

“Is Dwayne there?” Maria asked.

“I’m here,” her lover’s voice said from off camera.

“I love you,” she sobbed.

“Keep going, Maria. You can do this. You and Denman need to find a safe place to hide. We’re going to get you out of this.” Dwayne’s voice was calming. He bent over Lindsey’s shoulder to peer into the camera. “I love you. Keep going. This isn’t over.”

Maria nodded.

“I’m killing this connection. We’ll be in contact,” Lindsey said, then vanished.

The screen dissolved into the shiny silver of her wristlet.