“Mornin’ Frank,” Taylor whispered. “Rumor has it you called for a cab?”
The Buma let out a long exhale as a tidal wave of relief poured past his feathery expression.
“Get in,” Taylor said.
Frank needed no further incentive. He climbed into the truck under the tarp and found a seat beside his CO, while his cellmates did likewise, each of them looking every bit as stunned as their companion had been upon realizing what was happening. There was House and Paulie, of course, plus a handful of other River Hawk troopers Taylor didn’t recognize. By the time the last refugee had climbed aboard, the crew inside the cargo hold had ballooned to nine including Haju, when its final addition put a boot on the tailgate to get in.
“It’s good to see you again, Commander,” Taylor whispered.
The exhaustion on Jack’s face was palpable. He was beaten, bruised, and covered in grime. Despite it all, though, the faintest of smiles soon found its way to the corners of the old man’s mouth. “It’s good to see you, too, Chief. I reckon this means we’re goin’ home?”
“As soon as you’re aboard, brother.” Taylor offered his friend a hand and pulled him into the cargo hold. A few seconds later, the Aysep shifted the truck into gear, and the group was on their way.
“How’d you manage to pull off this little jailbreak, anyway?” Jack asked.
Taylor recounted the story of his fight with the KzSha in the mine, resulting in his banishment to solitary confinement with Haju. “That’s where we met—”
The lights outside the tarp glared red as a klaxon sounded.
Shit.
* * * * *
Chapter 21: Break Out
“Heads down!” Aysep shouted to the people in the back.
“We gotta ditch—”
“Heads down!” Aysep interrupted Taylor. “Not stop us. Probably found dead KzSha.”
Taylor decided to trust that Aysep knew what he was doing. Not only was no one actually shooting at them—at the moment, anyway—he couldn’t see that well from the back of the truck, so his decision making would be flawed.
“Worst jail break ever,” Torrio said. “We didn’t even make it 50 meters before you got us caught!”
“We ain’t caught yet,” Taylor said. “Unless you want to get out and walk, how about you keep your head down and your mouth shut?”
Torrio opened his mouth, but then shut it again.
Atta boy. Taylor nodded.
The lights in the ceiling seemed to crawl past, although subjectively Taylor knew the Caroon was driving as fast as he could without raising the KzSha’s suspicions. He could see the flashing light displays as the various patrols talked with each other, but no one stopped the truck as it headed for the exit.
“What’s the play?” Jack asked. “How are we gonna get out of the tunnel if they sealed the exit?”
“Don’t know yet,” Taylor said. “We’ll think of something. We’re kinda makin’ this up as we go.”
“Great,” Torrio muttered. “No plan.”
“Remember that walk we discussed just now?” Taylor shot back. “It’s still on the table.”
Once again, the merc commander hushed.
If anything, the flashing lights of KzSha communication increased as they drove. Aysep made the last turn toward the exit, but then slowed.
“Trouble,” the Caroon said.
“Whatcha got?” Taylor raised his head for a look.
“Exit blocked,” Aysep said. “Way back blocked.”
Taylor opened his mouth, but then grabbed hold of the truck’s side as the Caroon slammed the throttle to the stops.
“Must get out!” Aysep said. “I open way through. Kill many KzSha for my mate. Then you pass.”
“Oh, hell no,” Taylor protested. “I told you before, we all go, or none of us do. That’s the deal.”
The translated voices of KzSha boomed, “Stop! Stop the truck, or we’ll fire!”
Aysep didn’t stop, and several rounds slamming into the truck. Without warning, the truck decelerated sharply as it crashed through the barrier, tossing Taylor from the bed of the truck.
With a sudden lunge, Jack grabbed his CO’s arm, keeping his other hand attached to a tie-down point, and pulled Taylor back inside.
The truck accelerated again as it roared up the ramp out of the mine, but in a jerky motion, as something in the engine caught and sputtered.
That’s not good. Taylor focused on the positive. “Nice work, Aysep. Even Frank here couldn’t have driven it any better.”
The Caroon glanced back at Taylor, then returned his attention to the dark road ahead. “Two problems. Engine dying.”
Whether Aysep had turned it off or it died on its own, Taylor didn’t know, but the engine shut down a couple of seconds after he made his pronouncement. The truck swerved slightly and coasted into one of the buildings to the right of the road, where it slammed to a stop.
“Okay, the engine’s dead,” Taylor said. “What’s the other problem?”
“Need new…driver.” The Caroon slumped over in the driver’s compartment.
“Aww, crap.” Taylor pulled himself forward. There wasn’t a lot of light, but there was enough to see the blood pooling on the seat. A laser had caught the alien in the chest.
Taylor patted him on the shoulder. Godspeed, my friend. Wherever you are, I hope your mate is waitin’ for you.
“Time’s up, Chief,” Jack said from the back. “Those wasps are gonna be on us in droves any minute now. We need to get the hell out of here.”
Taylor said a final goodbye to his fallen companion, then gave the compartment a quick look. The former truck owners had left two laser rifles in a rack. He pulled out the first and handed it to Jack. “This oughta help.”
The cowboy snatched up the weapon and racked in a charge. “Damn straight it will.”
Taylor pulled out the second rifle for himself, along with a pair
