Hivemind (Gene Soldiers Book 9) by James David Victor

Author:James David Victor [Victor, James David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fairfield Publishing
Published: 2023-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

12

The UTA Kraken, Frontier System 20

“Ready—go!” Abrams was the first to lead the charge, and Carl could think of no better word for it than a charge as he released his boot clamps and took a lunging run along the front quarter of the RRC.

The captain was ahead of him and to the left, Archer further left and behind Carl. The giant platform was ahead of them, and from where they were, it looked like an awfully long way between there and here.

An entire gulf of space separated the dead-in-the-void RRC and the Kraken. It had to be easily half a mile.

But as far as the pirates were concerned, their would-be prize was immobilized thanks to the grab missiles. The pirates must have known that their initial team of scavengers was dead, and would be preparing a bigger, larger party to get the job done, to kill everyone inside or take them hostage, and then strip the UTA vessel for all that it was worth.

But they wouldn’t see the three highly trained marines making their way directly for them. The three combat soldiers who had fought off worse enemies than this many times over.

“Keep distance! Control your burn!” Abrams said as he reached just above the gunports on the nose of the RRC and was kicking off, firing his positional microthrusters and flinging his arms out so that he could fly straight ahead, moving like a released arrow or a missile towards the enemy.

Despite himself, Carl could feel the excitement rolling through his blood like a bright stream. Even as much as he hated the alien serum inside of his body, he could not control its siren song of exultation and destruction. The xenovirus didn’t care what he thought of what their symbiote life form could do. It cared not about morality or ethics or strategy. It still lent its strength and feral joy to his body as his first metal boot hammered on the RRC’s outer hull, lunging forward to take the next step, the next . . .

The gulf was right there underneath him, and Carl’s body reacted perfectly as it had been trained to do. He kicked out and engaged his microthrusters as he slapped his legs together and threw his arms out like wings.

The result was a shove of force that threw his body forward as he took to the stars, becoming a human space vessel himself.

Carl heard a barely suppressed whoop behind him as Archer took to the void, and he felt his lips twist in a savage, appreciative snarl in return. He knew that feeling. It wasn’t unique to the xenovirus. Any living creature felt intense joy at pushing and extending their limits, at the near possibility of death, and at the unshakeable confidence in their own life.

But that was how the virus got in, wasn’t it? Those were the feelings that it attached itself to—

“Sebastian! Coming up!”

His thoughts were dashed by Abrams’ stern voice as he saw the captain twisting his arms, veering out of the way of .

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