Taunting Krell Read online

  “Either way, I’m so screwed,” she whispered. She needed to return to her shuttle if they hadn’t already entered it. She cursed the age of the Blarney again. No way would she be able to outrun one of the newer shuttles the androids had stolen when they’d fled Earth. She rubbed her leg, the energy shots a bumpy mass inside her pocket, to assure herself she wouldn’t run out if it came down to a battle. Dread twisted inside her belly, knowing she’d have to retrace her steps to reach her shuttle.

  She eased into the main hall, kept close to the wall, and her gaze darted around, watching for any sign of movement. She inspected each body on the floor before she passed it. She didn’t want one to rise up—an android using the dead to fool her—and continued to head for the section her shuttle had docked to. Hope flared that she might make it out of this mess alive.

  She reached the final corridor and glanced around the corner where her shuttle awaited. One look made her teeth clench. The door to her shuttle was closed. She’d left it open.

  Screwed, she mouthed silently.

  Scenarios formed inside her mind. They were either waiting on her shuttle to kill her there or they’d sealed it from the outside to trap her when she tried to enter. She glanced behind her to make sure nothing sneaked up. The corridor remained clear of movement.

  She took deep breaths, hated the way her mask fogged under her nose, and knew she had to do something. She peeked around the corner again. Large crates were stacked near the far wall. They could be hiding behind them.

  She glanced back and knew she was trapped either way. They could come at her from both directions if they’d split up. She decided to do something nuts. It might work. She knew they’d tried to negotiate with Earth Government to have their line of android Models released. They called each other brothers, as if that made them more real.

  “Earth Government sent me,” she called out loudly. “We want to negotiate.”

  Silence greeted that statement. “I’m their ambassador,” she lied. “That’s why I came alone if you checked my shuttle. I’m here to talk about settling our differences peacefully.” She paused, trying to think up something they might want to hear. General Vargus would have a heart attack if he knew she’d stated this bullshit but he’d sent her on the mission alone. She wanted to save her own ass since he’d been determined to get her killed. “I have the authority to make a deal with you.”

  They didn’t respond. So much for that plan. It was crazy, she admitted.

  “Throw down your weapons,” a deep male voice commanded. “We will negotiate.”

  She hesitated. “Okay. I’m just a woman. That’s why they sent me. I’m only five foot three.” For once it seemed a good thing she’d ended up so short. “I’m no threat,” she lied.

  It hurt her to toss her weapons. Both of them slid on the metal floor before she took a deep breath, blew it out and lifted her hands over her head. She made sure they could see her palms and spread fingers. She stepped out slowly, her gaze darting around the docking bay.

  Two of them stood from behind the crates and the door to her shuttle opened. They’d been waiting in both places. She didn’t even flinch when she heard boots strike the floor behind her. They’d even managed to creep up behind her. She’d had no chance whatsoever. She did frown as she stared at the full pressure suits they wore that shielded their faces with reflective glass. Markus Models wouldn’t need space suits yet they wore them.

  One of the men approached her and she knew she paled when she got a bead on his height. He wasn’t just a hair under six feet tall the way Markus Models had been designed. He had to be six foot three, at least. She lowered her attention to his feet, hoping for a platform heel under his boots, but they seemed standard. She jerked her gaze to the tinted, mirrored shield covering his features. She saw her reflection staring back at her.

  “Wow. I look pale, don’t I?” She knew the humor would be lost on whoever they were but they weren’t her missing Markus Models. She wasn’t sure how much trouble she’d just landed in but whoever they were, it boded well for her. She could fight pirates hand to hand. “And this mask isn’t too attractive, is it?”

  The suited-up male stopped just short of walking into her. “You’re from Earth Government?”

  “Yes.”

  She’d already stated that and her assumption they were pirates grew. The uniform she wore should have told him she was a soldier if he was familiar with Earth. Most pirates had left the planet decades before to live on ships that leaked radiation and made them breathe stale recycled air. It mutated them in a matter of years. Insanity also ravaged their kind. She decided to speak slower since the guy had asked her what she’d already told them. His memory obviously wasn’t good.

  “You came to negotiate with us?”

  “Sure.” She forced a smile. Her clear mask showed her every facial expression and gave her a bit of a blurry view of what was going on behind her. She envied him the mirrored shield. “That’s what I said. What are your demands? Do you want a puppy?”

  He turned his head to glance at another suited-up person. The sound of boots on the deck stopped behind her. She had been aware that two of them flanked her. Five in all surrounded her. He looked back at her.

  “A what?”

  “A puppy. You know. They are cute little animals and are good company. Real loyal. Speaking of which, is this all of you? You didn’t, by any chance, take the only survivor off the station, did you? Is she with you?”

  “Perhaps the sight of the horror here has traumatized her,” the guy from her shuttle muttered as he drew closer. “Or her mask is low on oxygen. The smells are too overpowering from the dead for her to have removed it. She could be suffering confusion from hypoxia.” He paused. “You are the only female we found. We just arrived here.”

  The male who seemed to be in charge answered Cyan. “No, we don’t want a puppy. What is your purpose here?”

  She kept her smile in place while she glanced at the three in front of her. They weren’t carrying weapons. That left the two behind her who could be armed. She didn’t dare glance at them.

  “Well, Belta Station sent out a distress signal and we knew how scary and super impressive you guys are. Earth wants to surrender to you. We give up. You win.” Her body tensed. “We’re waving a white flag.”

  The second the words were out, she blindly threw her leg back where she knew one of them stood—from the sound of their breathing—and plowed into the crotch of the suited man in a lucky estimation that he stood the same height as the others. Her hand shot forward when she kicked back, shoving hard at the guy in front of her. He stumbled, clearly caught off guard, and Cyan spun. She barely registered where the second man who’d been behind her was located before she leapt at him, did a roundhouse kick, and her booted heel connected hard with his chest. He roared out and flew backward.

  Cyan dived for her weapons on the floor. Her fingers curled around the handles but a massive weight crushed down over her. The breath exploded from her lungs as it was knocked out of her and two gloved hands tore at hers. The weapons were ripped away.

  It shocked her that one of them had gotten the drop on her. They moved super fast to do that.

  “Did you see that?” Another male voice gasped. “That was nearly beautiful. She’s quick and effective.”

  “Tell that to Onyx. Are you well? It appears she didn’t miss your scrotum.”

  Someone wheezed. “No. She did not. That hurts.”

  The crushing weight on top of her sighed. “She’s an accurate fighter without even having to see her target. Earth is training humans much better these days.”

  He shifted enough for Cyan to breathe and her starved lungs appreciated it. She pushed suddenly, knocked him off her back and rolled away. She flipped to her feet and spun, her fists going up. She glared at the five men.

  “I don’t suppose you guys are into fair, are you? You know, just fight me one at a time?”

  They stared at her silently. At least she assumed t