Liberator of Metalhaven (Metal and Blood Book 3) by G J Ogden

Author:G J Ogden [Ogden, G J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ogden Media Ltd
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

15

THE RETURN

The skycar’s rotors spun up and Finn had to shield his face against the downdraught as he struggled toward the craft with General Riley at his side. The Haven skycars were older and more utilitarian than the sleek vessels the special prefects flew, but it was sturdy and with its jet-black livery, Finn felt confident they could slip by in the night without being noticed. He was about to climb inside the rear compartment when a troubling thought entered his mind. Black was ideal for hiding in the darkness but the barren terrain surrounding Zavetgrad was covered in a thick blanket of blinding white snow.

“Won’t this thing stand out like a prefect in a recovery center bar once we reach the other side of the Davis Strait?” Finn asked the general, who was working through a checklist on a clipboard.

“You’d think so, but this old skycar has a few new tricks up its sleeve.” Riley held the clipboard against the hull of the craft and a patch of metal immediately surrounding it changed to blend in with the bleached white paper Riley had been working on. “It’s a new type of reactive armor. Well, it’s new to us, anyway. I understand that your old mentor already had something similar.”

“She did!” Finn said, then he laughed remembering how Elara was always able to sneak up on him even without her chameleonic armor. “It freaked me out how she always followed me wherever I went, like a literal shadow, but now that she’s not there, it’s like a part of me is missing.”

“We’ll get her back, Major,” Riley grunted, returning to ticking items off his checklist. The skycar’s armor turned black again. “Then we just have to hope the people of Metalhaven are willing to fight for her, and for you.”

“They will,” Finn said.

Riley paused his pen-stroke mid-tick then narrowed his eyes at Finn. “How can you be so certain?”

Finn laughed again. “Because there’s nothing that the people of Metalhaven love more than a good fight. We just need to give them a reason.”

“Pre-flight is done, General, we’re ready to lift off when you are,” Ensign Thorne shouted from the cockpit.

“Then clear us for immediate take-off,” Riley called back. He made one final tick on his piece of paper then stowed the clipboard inside the skycar’s cabin and grabbed the handrail. “Last chance to back out of this,” the general said.

Finn shook his head. “I never thought I’d be going back to Zavetgrad so soon, but I know this is the right thing to do.”

Riley nodded then pulled himself into the rear cabin alongside Sergeant Kellen and Private Reyes. Finn was about to climb in alongside him when Ensign Thorne leaned over and pushed open the passenger side door.

“You want to ride shotgun, hero?” Thorne said. She was wearing classic aviator sunglasses, despite the garage being pitch black. He recognized the design from his studies of popular culture on his now long-gone data device. “I could use the company.”

Finn saw no reason to refuse, so climbed into the cockpit alongside the pilot and pulled the door shut.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
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.