Defying the Skies (Searching the Skies Book 2) by Thea Landen
Author:Thea Landen [Landen, Thea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Decadent Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-06-08T16:00:00+00:00
Chapter Nine
A low, flat building stood in the center of a dusty field. Thin weeds swayed in the breeze, their narrow blades rustling together. Geneva crouched behind a line of dense bushes. Three other soldiers hid in the shadows alongside her, Ash included. Though the rest of the unit surrounded the deserted warehouse in a wide circle, she couldnât see any signs of life from her vantage point.
A soft voice spoke in her earpiece. âCaptain, something doesnât seem right here.â
Chaseâs authoritative tones followed along the same channel. âWhatâs the problem?â
âThe results from the thermodynamic scanner are incongruous with the number of people we were expecting to find inside. Unless the machine is malfunctioning, thereâs no way over a hundred people are in the building.â
Geneva groaned, an exasperated sound that was matched and transmitted by their leader. âWeâll proceed with caution,â Chase said. âIf this is a trap, weâre going to find out before we lose any soldiers to it.â
At the captainâs command, she relaxed and sat back in the soft dirt, making sure she could view their destination through the brush. She kept her gun in her hands, ready to spring into action at a momentâs notice. Beside her, Ash adopted a similar stance, weapon lowered but prepared for the next move.
A small robotic sphere whizzed toward the buildingâs front entrance. It skimmed over the dry terrain, coming to a halt at the base of the door. Even from a distance, she saw a series of flashing lights and glowing beams radiating from the machineâs hub.
Several minutes passed before the broadcast conversation resumed. âScans are clear, Captain. Nothingâs going to blow us to bits if we set foot inside the door, though thereâs no telling whatâs further inside.â
âWeâll remain alert,â Chase responded. âEveryone goes in.â
Armed troops hurried across the field. Geneva hoped no one plotted to attack them while they were unable to take cover. Dry grass crunched beneath her feet, and she kicked a clump of weeds out of her way.
Chase led the way toward the entrance and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. âTheyâre going to realize weâre here sooner rather than later,â he said, kicking the door open with his heavy boot.
The interior of the building was comprised of a single room. Disintegrating dividers separated the space into different areas, and the remains of old, defunct machinery littered the floor. Weapons drawn, the soldiers fanned out to search the warehouse for signs of the hostages. They came up empty-handed.
As Geneva was about to punch the wall in frustration, the same low voice belonging to the operator of the scanner spoke through her earpiece. âThereâs someone below us.â
âHow do we get down there?â
âYour guess is as good as mine.â
âSearch this place,â Chase ordered. âWhatever theyâre up to, weâre going to find out.â
Geneva inspected the wall that had almost been the victim of her angry fist. Her visual scan of the dilapidated brick and chipped cement in her immediate area turned up nothing. She ran her gloved hands along the walls and floor to ensure any trace signs hadnât escaped her notice.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Sita - Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) by Amish(53745)
The Crystal Crypt by Dick Philip K(36389)
Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut(14721)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14433)
Ready Player One by Cline Ernest(13925)
The Last by Hanna Jameson(9774)
Year One by Nora Roberts(9274)
Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey(8919)
The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro(8348)
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro(8260)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8211)
Dark Space: The Second Trilogy (Books 4-6) (Dark Space Trilogies Book 2) by Jasper T. Scott(7883)
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood(7414)
The Circle by Dave Eggers(6814)
Frank Herbert's Dune Saga Collection: Books 1 - 6 by Frank Herbert(6670)
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood(6450)
Legacy by Ellery Kane(6371)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6156)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(5791)
