The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(88)

“I got about thirty seconds of oxygen left,” Franklin’s voice said through the exterior speaker of her suit.

“I almost got her free. Grab any weapon you can and head toward the flight deck. The ship is in half. You can get out that way,” Torran ordered.

Franklin’s body disappeared into the darkness.

“Torran,” Lindsey whispered.

“Don’t talk. Save your oxygen.” He was almost out of air.

“Did you really come back for me? Alone?”

“Yes.” His words were clipped. He was almost through another strap. Just one more across her waist and she’d be free. The muscles in his arm were burning, but he didn’t care.

“You’re amazing, you know,” she said, gasping for breath.

“Stop talking,” he commanded.

“Warning. You are now out of oxygen,” his suit informed him.

The last strap was digging into her armor, so Torran adjusted his stance and sawed at the section connecting to the chair. Holding his breath, he fought against the oncoming dizziness and ignored the black flecks in his eyesight.

“Give me the knife. I’ll finish. Get out,” she rasped. “I’ve got thirty seconds.”

Shaking his head, he kept up his assault. There was no way he’d leave her. Even as his vision started to tunnel, he hacked at the strap until it came loose. Lindsey tumbled into his arms, sending them both careening into the silent, swaying bodies still harnessed to their seats. Lungs burning and unconsciousness looming, Torran fought to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs, weapons, and debris.

Lindsey tugged on his arm and jerked him free. Grabbing onto anything that was sturdy, including their dead squad members, she dragged them both through the water to the small air pocket looming above them. The second Torran’s helmet broke the surface, the air filters gobbled up the oxygen.

“Franklin, this is Rooney,” Lindsey said over the open comm. “I’m free. We’re about to come out. What’s the status?”

There was a small pause, then Franklin’s voice said, “You need to get out here fast. They haven’t spotted me yet, but there are several herds of Scrags rushing up and down the banks. They saw us go down.”

“On our way,” Lindsey answered.

It took every ounce of willpower for Torran not to pull off their helmets so he could kiss her. Despite the blue tinge around her eyes and lips, she was beautiful. He’d never regret coming back for her. Never.

“Ready?” she asked.

“No, but let’s go.” Torran took her hand and together they sank beneath the waves.





Chapter 26


The banks of the river were lined with wide, overgrown boulevards filled with crashed ground vehicles covered in vines and rubble. Crumbling shops and multi-storied houses loomed over the hulking wrecks. The architectural style indicated that the buildings were hundreds of years old, maybe even a thousand. At one point, the structures had probably been quite lovely, but the elements and time had taken their toll. Broken windows and crumbling facades stole the last of their elegant beauty.

Lindsey glanced down into the dark waters, unnerved that she couldn’t see what lay beneath. Most likely, the riverbed was home to debris, long dead bodies, and submerged vehicles. Hopefully, nothing moved through the water except fish. She didn’t even want to think about Scrags lurking beneath her feet.

Floating behind the tip of the tiltrotor wing that was poking out of the water, Lindsey had a firm grip on the edge to maintain her position. The screeching of the Scrags hunting nearby continually sent shivers of fear through her body and sliced through her brain like a razor. She was muddled by the crash, her earlier headache flaring into something akin to a low-grade migraine. Already, she’d had her suit administer painkillers to dull the worst of the discomfort.

Torran pressed against her back, his arm about her waist to keep himself close. His presence helped steady her nerves. She could feel his protectiveness in the grip he had about her waist. Even if their superiors had set them against each other, they were now unified in their quest to survive. That he had risked his life to save her was so immeasurably touching, it rocked her to the core of her soul. There was no doubt that he loved her, and she knew she loved him. Yet, neither one of them had said the actual words yet. Maybe the words didn’t need to be said when they were willing to lay down their lives for one another. If not for his bravery, there was a solid possibility she wouldn’t have survived the crash. And if she had made it out of the wreckage, it would’ve been just her and Franklin against a city filled with Scrags. Though she trusted Franklin’s abilities, Torran being at her side was reassuring. They’d already faced death together before and lived. Therefore, Torran’s presence made her feel like the odds of their survival had increased drastically.

Nearby, Franklin was sprawled along the top of a piece of the cockpit floating on the waves. With her stealth suit activated, she was invisible to the Scrags rampaging along the banks while she examined the area with the binoculars she’d managed to rescue from the crashed aircraft. The bulky pack on Franklin’s back was filled with weapons she’d confiscated from the wreck, and it too was invisible. Despite the stealth, Lindsey could make out the somewhat unsteady outline of the soldier if she stared hard enough.

Franklin opened the comm line. “Vanguard, we can’t get out of the water here. We’re surrounded by several large herds of Scrags. Further up the river is a stairwell tube to the upper city. I’m not seeing any activity up there.”