“Shh, it’s okay, don’t be scared,” Kiri heard him muttering. “Shit, shit. Stop screaming, okay?”
“Kai, we’re good. Keep going around to the front. I’m blocking the entrance. Eyes on Mordacity,” Bronc snapped. “They’ve got Mr. Stark out front now.”
“Oh no.” Kiri gazed down at the platform. She caught sight of upturned faces directly below that, staring up, pointing up, straight past the ledge—at her.
“Kiri, they see you,” Kai cried. “Get back. They’ve got launchers down there—a lot bigger than laser weapons.”
“Uh, I can’t,” she said. “The roof sort of ... crumbled under me.”
Then Logan was yanked out and held, his body leaning over the edge of the ledge, and fury fired in Kiri’s chest.
“Look out, you fucking GloJac bastards,” she said through her teeth. “Here comes another spider ... and this one’s really pissed.”
She was on the move, stretching out the spiders front legs out and down … and then letting the spider rock out into the night to stop with a sickening jolt on its front legs. She stopped with s tug of the harness, facing straight down with the body of her spider.
Don’t stop, go. Find Logan, and grab him from Mordacity’s clutches.
Kiri ran her spider down, down and down the front wall of the factory, going as fast as she dared, fierce joy pinging each time one of her vehicle’s feet clamped to the wall under her and then released. One story, two, three. Would she ever reach the fifth story opening where Logan was.
“Turn outer audio on,” Bronc said. “Blue button over on the right. Interfaces with your com.”
Kiri darted her gaze right, found the blue button and pushed it, then put her gaze back before her.
She flinched as an explosion boomed. Something whined past her cockpit, and another explosion sounded above her in midair. Kiri gasped, then gritted her teeth and swallowed the next. Logan, I’m coming.
“Shit, shit, they see her,” a man yelled into her com. “They’ve got a launcher on her.”
“Oh, no, they don’t,” drawled a familiar voice. It was Joran. “Gotcha covered, honey.”
At that moment a big, silver cruiser soared up from behind the roof of the LodeStar building, lights streaming from its belly and nose. It rose just enough to clear the roof and loomed out over the middle of the street. “Firing one,” Joran drawled.
Laser fire streaked from the nose of his cruiser, and an explosion rocked the lower building to the west. Fire and smoked billowed up into the night.
“Got ‘im. See any more? Talk to me.”
Kiri’s com was full of voices, male and female, shrieking, shouting, roaring, calling instructions, warnings and more. It was driving her mad. Reaching up, she hit the audio button and turned it down to a dull whisper. Then it was only the sound of her ragged breathing as she continued on down the wall of the factory. Clunk, clunk, clunk went the spider’s feet, rocking the craft with each contact, but holding, thank God, holding. Four stories down, five, and six.
Logan, where are you?
She had nearly reached the top of the doorway over the fifth story ledge when three aircycles shot up out of the street toward her, laser fire streaking from the riders’ weapons.
With a squeak, Kiri ducked. Then laser fire streaked past her the other way, and she saw Kai’s spider advancing across the wall above her, firing back.
Turning back, Kiri found one of the cycles nose to nose with her spider, the chartreuse jacketed rider’s eyes mouth gaping with astonishment as the other woman saw her inside the spider.
“Hi there,” Kiri said, and pushed the red button. Laser fire shot from the nose of her spider just as the rider lifted her weapon. The air cycle exploded under her, tossing the rider head over heels out into the night. Kiri didn’t see her land, because a hard tapping sounded on her windshield.
Kiri looked over to find Kai at her side, spider leg extended to tap her shield, pointing at his com. She turned her audio back on, and he yelled over the sounds of battle.
“Hey, crazy girl. Tried to warn you about those cycles!”
“Thanks.” Kiri turned back to the ledge below. “Okay, I’m grabbing Logan.”
“Good, I’ll take the Gorglon,” Kai said.
“Have to get below the ledge,” Kiri muttered. “That way, if he falls—” Okay, that didn’t bear thinking about. She squeezed the joystick hard and hurried down level with the doorway, ignoring the lasers shooting at her from the street below, as Kai did the same on the opposite side of the wide opening.
She stopped, looked sideways, straight into the face of the leader of the GloJacs.
Oh, dear God. Mordacity was even creepier this close. He stared at her from only a few meters away, eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat, his snowy apparel gleaming in the night. And beyond him, Logan stood in the grip of the Gorglon, his body arched painfully out over the street, face set with grim determination.
Mordacity raised his hand and curled his stubby finger, beckoning to Kiri. “Come here, spider girl, and perhaps I’ll spare your lover.”
Kiri grimaced at the oily, grating sound of his voice, and his words.
“Yeah, excuse me if I don’t believe you.” She scanned Logan’s position on the edge and the Gorglon’s footing. If she grabbed Logan now, the Gorg would fall, even if Kai didn’t get him.
The ganger showed his teeth, a growl of anger issuing forth. “I won’t give you another chance, stupid female. And it isn’t as if he was faithful to you. I have his other whore.”
Kiri snapped her gaze back to him. “Her, you can keep. And the intel she had for you? In case you haven’t figured it out, that was all lies.”
She glared past him at Liss, who stood just inside the doors, watching the drama. The blonde wore a brief outfit of shimmering white, one of her long scarves wrapped around her throat, this one in chartreuse, emphasizing the deep cleavage below. Great, the traitorous bitch had adopted her new patron’s colors.
When their eyes met, Kiri smiled, showing all her teeth. Liss’ eyes widened, and she took a step back.
“Uh, Kiri,” Joran murmured in her ear, “might wanna stop baiting the monster.”
“Okay,” Kiri said, cocking her head to give Mordacity a glowing smile as two huge black legs reached out from the other side of the doorway, and grabbed the Gorglon.
Kiri squeezed her joystick and leapt onto the edge of the ledge. Then she yelped as her spider’s front feet skidded. Her spider yawed to the left toward the street below.
Kai’s spider lifted the Gorglon off his feet. The alien let out a bellow of shock, and dropped Logan. Logan fell outward toward the street.
Kiri sprang forward, her two back feet clinging to the wall, her front left foot scooping under him. Logan twisted in mid air and grasped the leg with both hands, using his momentum to swing his legs up and wrap them around the thin metal spider limb.
She gasped with relief, only to realize that his weight was swinging them down and out. Kiri fought for control of her spider, but it was too late, the big spider was falling, and carrying Logan with her.
“Logan,” she screamed.
The grappling line. She smacked the lever with all her might. At first it seemed nothing happened. Then her spider lurched to a stop in midair, and smacked down on four legs against the building, facing downward, still holding Logan. Her grappling line had caught.
Logan jerked, his legs slipping free, and with her heart in her throat, Kiri waggled her joystick, crooking her spider’s middle leg on that side underneath him for support. Grimacing fiercely, he hung on, then hauled himself up and wrapped his arms around the limb above.
“Thanks,” he called breathlessly. “Good catch.”
“You’re welcome,” she said faintly. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it. Okay, no fainting, not now.
“Gotta get you inside,” she mumbled.
“Yellow lever,” Bronc bellowed.
Kiri hit that one. The belly of her spider opened, and Kiri found herself gazing down at the top of Logan’s beret-clad head and and broad shoulders as he balanced on the curled up leg below him. All the noise from outside poured in, the sounds of beings shouting, screaming and explosions as the battle raged on below them, and above.
Laser fire streaked past Logan, ricocheting off one leg of the spider.
Logan held up a hand to her, and uttered, not heartfelt and loving thanks for saving his life, but instead barked like a general to a raw recruit, “Drop me your weapon—now!”
She yanked the laser from her belt and held it down to him. Several inches separated their hands.
“Let go, I’ll catch it.”
She let go, and the weapon fell into his outstretched hand.
“Stark,” chided Mordacity from the ledge beside them. “Did you really think it would be so easy?”
Kiri heard a shriek of fear and looked up and back to see Liss hanging out over the ledge this time, her beautiful face contorted with terror as Mordacity held her there, one of her arms twisted up behind her back. Her hair and the ends of her scarf fluttered around her, her breasts bursting from her brief top.
“Lode, help me!” she shrieked. “Save me. I’m yours, baby. You said I was yours.”
Kiri looked down at Logan. She could just see his face set in hard, implacable lines.
Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Mordacity screamed. “No, I studied you. I have something of yours—you must get it back. You crave control. You need it.”
“No, I’ve learned that everyone must make their own,” Logan said. “Liss made hers.”
Laser fire streaked from Logan’s weapon, and Mordacity jerked. Logan fired again and again, every shot jolting the ganger in the body.
But the ganger laughed, that horrible gargling sound that Kiri hated, and raised his arm, a laser pointed back at Logan. “Body armor—is universal—Stark.”
He fired, and Kiri screamed. “No! Hang on, Logan!”
She manipulated the bottom controls again, found the correct one.The middle leg on her spider nearest the ledge swept out to the side, and struck the ganger full in the body. Screaming, he fell to one side, his hat flying off.
Laser fire streaked again, and Mordacity lurched to a stop, straightened, and then toppled slowly forward off the ledge, his face a mass of blood.
Liss staggered back on the ledge. Relief lit her face, and she started to smile. But then the end of her long scarf, still in the gang leader’s death grip, snapped straight and yanked her forward to the edge and over, after Mordacity.
“No!” She fell screaming after him, down into the war zone of the street.
“Kiri,” Logan called. “Help me up.”
“Right,” she managed, her voice cracking. She reached down and he grasped her hand. He dragged himself up into the cockpit, levered his lower legs in and reached past her to press the button to close the belly. It was an extremely tight fit. The spiders were definitely not built to carry two.
“Bronc, we need you to support us down from here,” she said. “We’re heavy.”
“I’ve got you hooked,” Bronc assured her. “You in, sir?”
“Yes,” Logan said, his eyes closed.
“Logan, you’re hurt,” Kiri said. “He shot you, didn’t he?”
He didn’t open his eyes, but his hand closed around her lower leg and gave it a squeeze.
“Just a … bad bruise, kitten.”
“Oh, right, body armor.” She put her hand on his cheek, cupping the side of his face, and drank in the feel of him, warm in her palm. “Logan? I love you. And I am never, ever, wearing a scarf again, so don’t buy them for me.”
“That was ugly. I’m sorry you had to see that, kitten.” He opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Have I mentioned how grateful I am that you and Kai snuck in to play with our tech?”
She smiled down at him. “Me too.” Then she looked out the cockpit, to see GloJacs—only she presumed they were really Bronc’s men in their disguises—loading beings onto hovering platforms from the wide doorway where only seconds ago, Liss and Mordacity had died.
“Oh, hells,” she said. “We still have to get down from here. Have I mentioned how much I hate hanging off the sides of tall things?”
He patted her leg. “You can do it, Tyger.”
Well, she had to. She had precious cargo.
“Madden, you got everyone on the hoverplats?” Bronc asked. One of the jacketed men waved at him. “Okay. Then get all of them the hells away from this building.”
Something dropped past the window, and the wall trembled under them.
“What was that?” Kiri demanded, her heart racing.The loaded hoverplats were sailing away toward LodeStar HQ.
“Building’s starting to go,” Bronc said. “Let’s see how fast we can make ground, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’m right behind you,” he said. “Go.”
They made ground in approximately five secs, nearly flying down the wall. Kiri wasn’t sure they even made contact on the last story, but she was not letting her fear kill the three of them, not when they’d just lived through a battle with the worst ganger in New Seattle’s history.
Her spider landed with a jolt, the legs compressing and then lengthening again.
Kiri grimaced at the sight of the GloJacketed bodies piled on the pavement, many of them with horrible wounds.