Becoming the Talon by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2022-01-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Whose dumb-ass idea was this?” Frog’s voice shook as the team fell.

“Who are you calling a dumbass?” Stephanie challenged and glanced at Vishlog to see how the cats were coping.

Both animals had twisted in the Dreth’s grip and wrapped their paws around him to dig their claws into his armor as they hung on. Their ears were flat against their skulls and their tails were coiled around his legs.

It’s a good thing he’s armored, she thought and made a mental note to pay for repairs.

“Steph, we’re falling too fast.” She was sure Lars had meant that to come out in calm, measured tones, but he sounded worried.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’ve got this,” she reassured them and drew several disbelieving snorts as she pulled a platform of eMU beneath them.

“Oh, sure,” Frog snarked, “because no one will notice a glowing blue circle highlighting our asses.”

She dropped the magic and they began to plummet again.

“Nice one, Frog!” Johnny yelled, while she flicked through the mission brief and fixed on a picture of a small park half a block from the consulate grounds.

“Be quiet!” she commanded. “We’re coming in to land!”

“Land? At this rate, I’m not gonna have any fingers left to flip you,” Frog protested.

“Remind me to get a less whiny dance partner next—” Marcus’s voice was cut off when the team vanished out of the air. “Oof—”

They landed hard but not as hard as they would have if Stephanie hadn’t dropped them into something thick and sticky and black.

“What was that?” Lars asked, his soft query coming loud and clear through the helmet.

Whatever it was, it dissipated as they sank chest-deep into it.

“This stuff had better come out in the wash,” Frog grumbled and wiped an imaginary stain on his armor.

“As if you ever wash,” Marcus sniped in response, keeping his voice low.

“Ssshh, guys, or they’ll hear us.”

They? At her warning, they all froze, dropped into crouches, and surveyed the area around them. Their HUDs displayed where she had dropped them.

“What are we doing here?” Frog asked, his voice subdued.

“I didn’t know where they were watching at the consulate,” she replied. “Now, shsssh.”

She raised her head cautiously to look past a children’s playground to a bench nestled in the middle of a rose garden.

“Man, the dude sure knows how to pick his location,” Marcus murmured.

“In full view of a kids’ playground?” Johnny argued. “That’s tacky.”

“In the middle of a rose garden in full bloom.” Avery sighed. “Even I might ignore the playground for that.”

“Besides, it’s nighttime. The little menaces are all in bed. It’s not like they’ actually see...anyth— Oh, dude!”

“There’s no way one of them won’t notice us going past,” Brendan added. “It’s a nice little courtyard of flowers and a good place to cast a blanket. With enough cover, we won’t be seen in the shadows, but each of those exits follows a path to a lamp post.”

“Who says we’re taking the paths?”

Marcus waved a hand at the garden beds. “We don’t have much choice. Brendan has a point.

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