He smiled. “Now that you’re here, I have a plan for that. A way to cripple them for good.”
“I’m listening.”
He rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger. “How can I explain this in a non-tech way…”
“Just explain it in a tech way,” Helgi said. “Anya is pretty good with tech.”
His brows flicked up. “A Skin who’s comfortable with technology.”
I shrugged. “It’s a skill. Try me.”
“The Draco rely on electrical technology to function. Their city, their weapons systems, and their labs all run on it, and it’s fueled by Gia, a fossil fuel discovered by the Dreki over a hundred years ago. Gia is a regenerative power that does not run out. It’s what allowed the Draco to thrive. But what if their systems could be shut down?”
“How?”
“By an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to fry every piece of tech in their arsenal.”
“A pulse of electric power that can fry their tech?” My brain grasped the concept. “You can do this? Then why haven’t you?”
“Trust me, if we had the materials here, then I would have. Anara and I were working on such a machine. We succeeded in obtaining a small amount of Gia to power it, enough to run it indefinitely once turned on, to disable the Draco, but then she received a message that Gustov wished to parlay. She told me she needed to think, to consider her options. I returned to the Arc and she left with the key to the secret exit. I never saw her again.” He rubbed at his chest. “She must have agreed to meet Gustov, and that bastard must have broken the rules of a parlay.” His lips twisted in anger. “You have to stop him. I’ll give you the map to the bunker where my machine is held, and I’ll give you the technicians you need to complete it.”
Hope unfurled in my chest. With the tech out of the way, the Dreki would have the advantage. This useless war could be stopped, and we could focus on preparing for the real threat.
“Thank you.”
“Thank me by succeeding,” Eamon said. His gaze fell to the walkie at Helgi’s hip. “I have a satellite radio I can give you. You’ll be able to keep in touch with The Warren from outside. There isn’t much time. In less than an hour, there’ll be an explosion and the Arc will be teaming with drones. You need to leave. Now.”
“What will you tell your people?” Helgi asked.
“The truth.”
* * *
Six humans, that’s what we were leaving with. Six technicians and some important tech supplies.
“How long before we run out of time?” Bran asked Helgi.
“Half an hour,” Helgi said after checking the walkie’s digital clock. “Vesper starts blowing shit up in half an hour.”
The technicians led us through the underground tunnels. Apparently, there was an exit close to the bar where we’d started our journey.
We had half an hour to get to the other side of the Obrilian door and tell Vesper we were okay. Would we make it?
I caught up to one of the technicians. “How much farther?”
He shied away a little and then let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I guess I’ll have to get used to being around non-humans.”
“We do have a little human in us, you know?”
“Not really, the Dreki aspect is dominant. You’re a new species.”
“Good to know, but what I need to know is how much farther?”
“We’re here,” another technician up front called.
He pushed open a door into a dark room.
“Basement at Jacks,” he said. “It’s a club. The owner is one of us. Hurry.”
A door led out to a flight of steps taking us up to the streets and the hubbub of the nighttime people traffic.
“Is it always this busy?” Helgi asked.
“It’s a Friday night,” the technician said, as if that explained everything. “Stick close to the buildings and keep your eye out for drones.”
We walked for five minutes, keeping our heads down. The humans flanked us, covering us so that we were hidden as much as possible, and then I spotted the bar across the street. I scanned the sky for sentinels.
Clear.
We made it across the street and into the alley, but it wasn’t until we were locking the hatch above us that I drew a sigh of relief.
Flashlights lit up the tunnel, and then we were jogging down the tunnel toward the door.
Helgi kept pressing the button on the walkie, but nothing happened, and then the door was in front of us.
Helgi went through first and the walkie lit up with static. “Hello? Nile. Hello?”
“Helgi, thank God. Where are you?”
I pulled the door closed and locked it before pocketing the key.
“We’re out. No need to blow shit up,” Helgi replied.
“We’re on our way,” Nile said.
Helgi turned off the radio and turned to me. “How do you want to do this?”
“Do what?” Bran asked.
“Walk and talk.” I picked up the pace and the technicians’ flashlights bounced along with me, lighting our way. “I’m going after my dad. I know where they’re keeping him. I need you to get the humans to safety with the Dreki.”
“Wait, how will you get back?” Bran asked.
Yeah, this part was fuzzy.
“We’ll figure it out,” Helgi said. “We always do.”
Bran grabbed my arm. “Anya, this is too risky.”
“I know. But if I don’t get him out now, then it’ll be too late. Royce will kill him when he realizes I’m not about to give myself up.”
I gently tugged my arm free and broke into a jog before he could try and convince me to change my mind. I was already having doubts; I mean, Azazel was missing, he’d promised to find me and hadn’t turned up, and I wasn’t sure I could find the place, let alone get inside, without him.
The flashlight dimmed, but then I realized the tunnel was actually getting gray because of the moonlight spilling into it. We were almost there. I picked up the pace
