Proficiently and quietly, Desohta tended to the hole in his alpha’s shoulder. He knew she hated being weak. No one wanted to be weak, but the line between weakness and wounded was too often blurry. There would have been no argument had it been one of the other members of the team, but she held less value on herself. With the last stich in place, Desohta closed his kit, “Done, but it won’t take much abuse…”

  Micha nodded as Desohta assisted in re-attaching the chest and arm. When Desohta slipped in a little extra padding she huffed. Why was everyone fussing over her? “Did you find a way in? The boy is carrying a camera. Care to tell me what’s on it?”

  She watched as Ni’yell scooped the camera off the ground and passed it to her. “Oh,” he grinned mischievously. “I think you’ll want to see for yourself.”

  Micha arched a brow as she accepted the recoding device. Flipping the view screen up she hit the play-back and watched as the view panned over an impressive compound. Their target had been there a while. Then the view zoomed in on the shuttle field. She almost missed it. Hitting rewind she paid extra attention to each shuttle. Her eyes went wide. Oh, it was going to be a glorious day.

  Flat on her belly near the edge of the foliage, Micha examined the compound with fresh eyes. She had to agree with Ni’yell getting in would be the easy part. The trick would be getting out with the targets in one piece. Frowning Micha zoomed her binoculars in on the small landing field. Without taking her eyes off the small field, she radioed Mitah.

  “See the landing field?”

  “I see it,” Mitah replied. “There is one of those that can get all of us off the ground and out of here if we can get there.”

  “I agree. Its awfully kind of the general to give us a lift. Think you can bypass the security?”

  “Gene….? Well, I’ll be. Is that what Ni showed you on the vid?”

  “Yep, guess we found part of our leak.”

  Mitah grunted. “If I can use Max, we won’t have a problem slipping passed the security. I know that model inside-out.”

  Opening her radio she continued. “Ni’yell, how long will it take to get Max and Mitah to the general’s shuttle?”

  “Unseen? Thirty minutes.”

  "How long to get into the shuttle?"

  "That depends on his level of paranoia." Max grimaced.

  "Lets...?"

  "Assume the worse," the gentle giant finished. "We will likely need at least one bio-print."

  “We need General Commander A'Kiihagi Kagiris alive. Ipino, how much time do you need to secure an escape route to the shuttle? Mitah, we need a route off-Planet.”

  “Fifteen.” Ipino pipped in. “Twenty to overload the generators.”

  “Do it.” Micha gave a feral smile. Without checking to see who had moved Micha watched the compound. She knew who she was up against and knew that he would not come willingly. She had left too many scars for that. “We move at dusk,” she pushed back under that foliage. “We need a place to hunker down.”

  Next to Desohta, the boy patted his chest and made some grunting noises in an attempt to say something. Frustrated, he pointed at Micha then mimed going under his hand. He repeated the action.

  Micha laughed softly. “Looks like we have a guide people. Let’s move.”

  As they started away from the compound, Desohta tussled the boy’s hair. “Alpha, I have given thought to the boy’s name, if you both approve?”

  Micha slowed and turned to face Desohta. The lycantor looked nervous as his eyes went from her to Desohta and back.

  “I chose Neicha,” Desohta smiled wryly. “It loosely translates as ‘heart of a thriving storm’ or ‘descending thunder’ depending how it is used. I thought a fierce name for a fierce survivor.”

  Micha cocked a hip and nodded once. Looking at the bboy she asked. “What do you think?”

  The boy looked confused.

  She knelt down. “Do you want to be that heart of our storm? Shall we call you Neicha?”

  A tiny flicker of hope flaired in the boy’s eyes. He tapped his chest.

  With a grin she agreed. “Neicha, lead us to your shelter.”

  Micha kept track of the distance they went from the compound and considered if they should find something closer, but chose to trust Neicha. She noted on the map that they were quickly approaching a clearing, when the boy veered to the right and made motions for silence. Quickly she gave the command and the team dropped into stealth.

  Just in front of her, Neicha pressed his back to a tree and carefully looked around it. Micha halted close; her boyz following suit. Suddenly Neicha wipped his head out of sight. Fear evident on his face. With great care, Micha joined Neicha beside the tree and on impulse removed her helment before she looked around the trunk of the tree.

  In the clearing there was a beast Micha did

  not recognize. It was twice as large as a grizzly that had mated with a gorilla. Its body was covered in thick fur with a frosted streak down its back. When it stood on its hind legs, Micha knew it was likely female because of the small bundles she had mistaken for part of its front legs.

  There was no way they were going to tangle with that beast without announcing their location to anyone within hearing distance. Retracting her head she closed her eyes and considered their options. She was not going to kill the cubs only protection if there was another option. Their best chance was to go around the clearing.

  She looked at Neicha. “The place we are going is on the other side of this clearing?”

  The boy considered, than nodded.

  “Okay,” she sighed. “We will have to take the long way around the clearing and hope we don’t get spotted.”

  Neicha bobbed his head once and backtracked a short distance and turned right. The distance was clear as it provided a buffer between them and the clearing. He might be undernourished and poorly treated, but he seemed to be mentally stable. That meant there was an opportunity to train him and give him a chance at a better life.

  Micha stayed a few steps behind the lycantor and knew that the rest of the team was keeping up. She knew the slower pace was necessary, but something made her want to go faster. It was as though something bad was coming. Still, she maintained the slow pace so as to not alert the mama in the clearing.

  Out of nowhere came a roar fit to shatter mountains. In one smooth action, Micha drew her rifle, changed the clip and swung to face the rear. Instinct had her ducking as Max flew past her like he had been thrown. Her eye automatically tracked his flight and her breath caught as he slammed back first into a massive rock that was jutting from that ground like the last fang of a massive maw. When Max hit the ground, he was not moving.

  Turning back around she found Mitah caught in a grapple with another one of the furry beasts they had been trying to avoid. The rage on Mitah’s face was evident as he attempted to take down the wild animal that had attacked Max.

  The rest of the team reacted just as quickly. Ni’yell was giving orders and Desohta was making his way to the downed fox.

  “Neicha, go with Desohta and give him a hand,” Micha spoke firmly.

  Not looking to see if he obeyed, she dashed forward. Just as she got close two more of the beast showed up. Biting her lip she reassessed the situation. Preserving a species that was just protecting its own was not going to rank higher than protecting the team. She refused to lose anyone else.

  “Fire at will,” Micha ordered.

  Before she even finished her command bullets were flying. The team moved fluidly around each other like a synchronized choreography. Weapons and bodies dipping and weaving to avoid hitting each other. The beast seemed to come endlessly. If it persisted much longer there was the distinct chance they might run out of bullets. Even then she refused to hesitate. When she ran out of bullet, she withdrew her knife and engaged in hand to hand attacks. She was like a gymnast with aggressive tendencies; leaping, twisting and sliding as her blade continued to slice anything it came in contact with.

  Suddenly there was silence.

  Micha froze even as the instinct was to lung at the already downed beast in front of her. Looking around she commanded. “Report.”

  “All enemies secured,” Ni’yell stated. “Minor wounds on Mitah’s right thigh and a few broken fingers on his left hand.”

  “Comms unit was crushed,” Holten whined.

  “Better it than you,” Rennick pointed out. “Other then Mita I believe Max took the brunt of the damage.”

  Micha made her way over to where Desohta had been working on Max. “How is he?”

  Desohta shook his head. “He’s in a lot of pain. I just put him under, but from the looks of things its not good. I am worried about spinal damage; which I can’t check for at the moment. I know we can’t stay here, but moving him is a risk; a dangerous one.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Are we close to your shelter?” she wondered.

  Neicha nodded excitedly. He motioned for her to stay where she was and raced away. Not sure what he was doing she turned to Ni’yell and sighed we need to find a way to move him without making it worse. I need you to gather two trees that are yea-thick. They can’t be too thick or it will be too hard to carry. We need five or six of them longer than Max.” she turned to Holten. “Since the comms no good remove the strap. Keep them as whole as you can we will use them to secure Max to the stretcher. Desohta, I know he is in pain, but there is also risk to internal organs. We need him awake to monitor that.”

  “I’ll remove his armour and do a better check.”

  Micha shook her head. “That can wait until we get to the shelter. For now do your best.”

  With speed she emptied her pack and turned It inside out to get at the soft lining. Making used of her knife she made strips. Ni’yell and Rennick returned with the requested trees and she ordered them to remove the branches. Once they were stripped bare, she used the strips to lash them together. It was not going to be the most comfortable ride, but it was going to allow them to move him.

  Just as Micha was attaching the straps, Neicha returned. In his hands was a pod that he was dragging along. She tilted her head as he made his way over to Desohta and Max. he lay the pod on Max and pushed a button.

  Micha had to blink to clear her eyes, it appeared that the pod was melting like hot wax around the were-fox. She approached slowly as she attempted to comprehend what she was seeing. In seconds Max was covered in a metal that seemed to be liquid, but was solid to the touch. She might have had a more strenuous reaction if it were not for the fact that Max’ chest continued to rise and fall with ease.

  “What the...” Desohta whispered.

  “No idea,” Micha replied. “Neicha, did you know it would do that?”

  The boy nodded. He mimed following him as he touched the pod and stood. The pod floated as though it was as light as a feather. He made his way through the clearing quickly. The team following him.

  Micha paused to look at the cubs sitting in the clearing alone. Her heart ached. The mother was alive, barely, and curled around the cubs. She doubted either of the cubs were going to survive. She clenched her fist. She knew she had to let it go, knew that there was little to be done, yet something in her told her to save them.

  “Tsk,” she hissed. “Grab the cubs. It’s not our fault they are without a parent, but I cannot justify leaving them to die. If you think we can save the mother, Mitah, bring her too.”

  Without a second look she started after the rest of the team.

  Markus Hannabur

  Markus Hannabur stood at the window and watched the compound. From the silence that surrounded the compund, he assumed that his patrols had failed to find the bane of his existence. She was coming. He was able to feel her out there. Rubbing his shoulder unconsciously, he stared into the distance. It had taken him nearly two years of blood, sweat, and fury to get back the use of his arms and another agonizing year of pompous nobles to build his compound. It was no surprise to discover that the council now had a contract out on him. They thought they ruled the galaxy, which made him laugh. He had no intention of allowing any team to take him back.

  So a team had been dropped to hunt him down. Markus sneered; he would be the one hunting now. He knew how they worked and all their little tricks like the back of his bionic arms. It had been a while since he had gone hunting. For him, hunting was only half the fun. The thought of breaking the whore sent to collect him, put a smile on his face that made the guards around him cringe.

  Micha

  Micha stayed crouched at the edge of the field and waited for her team to take their places. Each member knew what they had to do and she trusted them to succeed. Fortunately, Holten had been able to hack into their network security protocols; which meant they had access to far more information then expected. Neicha, the lycantor, had led them to an underground network of passages and rooms, creating a massive hidden compound, that he had used to hide from the people aboveground compound. Inside was an array of alien technology that no one on her team had heard of or seen before.

  Neicha had raced over to a tube and slid the sliver panel back. Tapping the padded surface he had motioned for Mitah to lay Max down. With no other choice they lay him down and the tube instantly lit up. The panel slid shut with a sigh and came to life. The liquid metal poured off him and out a hole that seemed designed for just that. Once Max was free, the strange device appeared to scan Max. It then displayed two images: one of the wounded were-fox and one as he would have been before the damage. Glyph like images appeared and at the end of the line a set of glyphs flashed. Obviously, the machine was requesting confirmation before it did whatever it was programmed to do.

  Max groaned. Clenching her fist she stated. “Confirm.”

  Lights flashed and gizmos whirred as a needled punctured Max’s neck. In seconds he was asleep.

  Finding the underground sanctuary had been a blessing. Along with the medical tube there was other technology. Of which a security system ran the length of the compound. As far as Micha was concerned it failed to explain why the compound had grown as large as it was. Much less where all the unknown technology came from. Unfortunately, Max would have been able to adapt the system to their needs better then Holten, but he managed to activate it enough to find out what was going on and even eavesdrop on particular conversations.

  While Mitah and Ni’yell scanned for their targets, Micha explored the underground space and found there was much to investigate. She had to wonder if Neicha was the only one who knew about the devices.

  Mitah found schematics of the compound and a way to lock down the above shuttles so that no one was leaving without authorisation. The underground bunker meant that they had to rework their intended plan for infiltration. Since there was no longer any need to worry about Markus or the good general taking off, they could break into three teams. Alpha team consisted of Micha and Ni’yell, who were going after Markus. Beta team included Desohta and Mitah; who were to capture the general when he attempted to escape. Charlie team was Rennick and Ipino and their task was to take out the radio tower. Micha could still see Nicha’s face when she had told him that he and Holten had the most important job: protecting Max while they were gone.

  Clenching her jaw, she focused on the task at hand; trusting that Max was going to be alright.

  Max

  capable of heaven only knew what, he was afraid of the giant tube he was in. Max groggily gritted his teeth against the pain as he floated in and out. He had managed to protect Micha but the strike was more than his suit was made for. At times he was able to make out the faces of Neicha and Holten next to the container. Light flashed a soft glow that seemed to scan him from time to time. At one point it felt as though his nerves had had a current passed through them. Tsking, Max tried to breathe. Knowing nothing about the strange device was not helping to ease his mounting distress at the loss of feeling in his legs. He would rather die than be pitied. There was little they could have done about the creatures in the clearing.

  The size of the beast had been unbelievable and meant that Mitah was the only one capable of dealing with their incredible strength in a full on melee. Instinctively shielding Micha, Max took a blow to his torso, leaving him unable to move or feel anything bellow his ribs. Tossed to the ground by Mitah’s furry, the beast had fought back; but the damage was done. Desohta’s lazier-faire attitude vanished; in its place was the dedicated healer. It was also thanks to the lycantor, who was able to lead them to shelter.

  Max was told he was move through the use of another strange device. Moving him had taken part of the afternoon and had them hiding directly beneath their targets.

  In a desperate bid to save the wounded were-fox, they had had to rely an alien device. Recognizing sensors similar to those used by medical technicians, they took a risk on the dusty device hoping for a miracle. The machine flashed a 3-D image of the were-shifter laying still. It showed the function level of each limb and flashed red for the waist, hips and legs.

  Unable to understand the language Micha was forced to leave a member of her family in the hands of the unknown. When the device closed, they assumed it was doing what it needed to do. He had seen Micha pray for him, that nothing serious would go wrong. The Lycantor agreed to stay behind with Holten and guard Max.

  Coming to grips with an alien machine was more than the wounded vulpine was willing to deal with; but there was no other option. Either the device could repair him or it might keep him from getting worse. He needed his legs or Micha would have no use for him. Max licked his lips. He needed her more than she needed him. It had always been that way. He scrunched his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. The first needle to pierce his furry hide left him floating as the pain faded almost immediately. The second needle brought a sense of pressure just above his hips. With the second need came the scent of blood.

  Realizing he was completely paralyzed, Max lost his mind as the numbing silence of sleep overcame him. Please, God, don’t take Micha away. He did not think he would survive the loss.

  Rennick

  Down a man, they had to improvise. Rennick had advised his alpha that he might better serve as a sniper; that way he was able to cover each team. Micha considered before looking at her second in command. When he nodded his agreement. She gnawed the inside of her cheek. With a sigh gave the order to take the ridge above the compound where he had the clearest sight of the layout; his duties included protecting Mitah, who would take the general.

  Once he had the general, he was to radio Ni’yell who would use shadow-step to collect him and bring them to the underground bunker. Micha’s job was to apprehend Markus. As soon as she had him taken down Ni’yell was to use shadow-step to fetch her and Markus. Ipino was to lock out or eliminate their munitions depot and Desohta was tasked to eliminate the radio tower. It was not an ideal division of the team.

  That meant that the team needed her to buy as much time as possible. It was up to her to draw out their original target, Markus Hannabur. While she was dancing with the sadist her team would be vulnerable. There was no longer any margin of error.

  She had not been surprised when he went missing the night she beat him at his own game. What did surprise her was the level of involvement required to build his little hideaway and finding out just who it was that was funding it. Now Micha needed to know if this unexpected encounter held something more sinister for her team and if not than what was the general doing slumming with the poor folk of the battleground. Hissing, Micha scanned for signs that her team was in position. Catching three light signals flashing, she lifted herself over the hedge and moved toward the compound.

  Markus was a coward and a bully. Remembering what he had done to her and what he tried to do only caused her eyes to flash in anger. Unarmed, Micha sauntered forward brazenly.

  She was not afraid of fighting him again. It was the least of her worries. What worried her was the sigil of the general. She was not stupid enough to think a general was in the wrong spot at the right time. Micha clenched her jaw. The sigil denoted power that was only possible for only one man to give. The sigil was not only the mark of the imperial family, but represented the person wearing it as intimately close to the emperor; which made the situation insanely dangerous. General commander Kaggiris was one of the emperor’s most trusted inner circle. Well, she was going to haul both their sorry arses in. Only this time there would be nowhere for them to run.

  Standing at the entrance Micha placed her hands in her pockets and hollered for Markus, “Come on you waste of space! I know you are in there! You can come to me or I can come and get you. Either way, I will find you!” staying where she was, she waited for a response.

  Markus

  When the familiar burn of the whiskey and smoke of her voice slid down his back, Markus Hannabur gnashed his teeth. Standing he took his time exiting the building he was in and walking towards the entrance of the compound and to the woman who haunted his dreams. His left hand was midway to his shoulder when he realized what he was doing. Dropping his hand, he snarled.

  The bitch had ruined any chance he’d had at becoming a part of the AlphaOne protocol. All he had wanted was a place among the elite. Fists clenched at his side he worked to relax. She had been a nothing female when she had been given to him. She was small and weak. He had enjoyed teaching the weak their place. There was something about making those under him understand where they stood and the hopelessness of escape. It had worked, except that tramp did not learn.

  Markus had lost count of the number of times he had beaten her for her insolence. After failing to learn the basics of stealth, he had been about to give up on her. It was what he should have done, but he wanted some sort of payoff for his hard work; and he figured she owed him. When she had entered his tent, she had stayed near the flap. Going to her he had escorted her to the table and offered her food. He knew it had been a while since she had had more than the scraps she could scavenge. Yet she touched none of it. It had made him angry. Like the food, she avoided any advances and blatantly dodged any attempt he made to touch her. It still made him enraged.