Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

“Like Stacy said,” Hannah chimed in once they were done with my armor, “if you’re not at the crawler by the time Boss Creed has it up and running, we’re going back for you.”

“I’ll be there,” I said.

“Wow, who’s this?” Stacy asked, coming up to us as Tom sliced through my hair with the sharpened blade. “Where did Dean go and who’s this movie star in his place?”

“I guess I never really was that old Dean,” I said, trying to get out of my own head. “Don’t make me think about it too much.”

Boss Creed let out a low whistle as he approached. “You clean up nice, Slade.”

“That’s what I said,” Stacy answered back.

“Enough, you two,” I growled.

We all got a chuckle out of it. I think to some extent or another, everyone there understood what was happening. We were about to set off on a risk that could see us all dead at the hands of alien-infected Transients. Instead of sitting and dwelling on it, we were all trying to do our best to laugh in the face of danger.

Eventually, the moment of mirth passed. When the last chuckle escaped our lips, it was back to staring the grim future in the face.

“I’m about to go above and get the power core from the upper level, but I wanted to show you what we came up with before we do.” Boss Creed motioned to follow him down our level.

I complied, moving in the lightweight armor. Not only was it much lighter than it had any right to be, but it was also maneuverable. It felt like I was wearing no more than an extra twenty pounds dispersed around my body.

I crossed the darkened level to see Elon and Lou grinning down at the modified rifle.

“If I had to guess, you’ll have ten maybe fifteen minutes of use out of it if you use it sparingly,” Boss Creed said as Lou handed me the blaster.

I examined the weapon. Boss Creed had worked a small miracle, using whatever he could find to fit the cylinder of Lestrium to the place where the clip of the blaster’s magazine used to be.

“It’s not a solid job, so you should be careful with it,” Boss Creed warned. “Give me a welding torch and fitting and I’d say it’s a new weapon, but we had to make do.”

I knew what he meant. Securing the Lestrium to the underside of the blaster was stripped cloth and medical tape Doctor Allbright had in her possession for first aid.

“We’ll be right back,” Elon said as he, Lou, and Boss Creed climbed to the upper level to retrieve the power core.

I looked at the tip of the blaster turned flamethrower where the igniter from one of our two flashlights had been secured. It would be a small miracle if this thing lasted even ten minutes, but I was grateful for what we had at the time.

“Here,” Stacy said, bringing the knife Tom used to cut my hair over to me. “You didn’t even get a chance to see what you look like yet.”

She held the knife up to my eyes in the light of the stars. I stared at the man I had been over five years before. Tom hadn’t done a half bad job on the cut. The sides were close with the top a little longer. My beard was still in place but now short and somewhat groomed instead of the wild man look I had before. I recognized the man staring back at me.

“I’m going to leave you with the knife as well,” Stacy said, placing the handle of the blade on the back of my left palm. Next, she secured it there with more of the white first aid tape. “I’ve seen you fight. You have a mean left jab. Now you’ll be cutting with each one of these jabs as well.”

Stacy leaned down to do her work on my hand. I wanted to tell her that I was coming back, that I’d see her again soon, but Stacy wasn’t the type that needed reassurance. She knew the odds just as well as I did.

She wrapped the tape tight around my hand, giving me flashbacks to the many locker rooms I had been in and the way the trainers would tape my hands before a fight. I guess, in many ways, I was preparing for a fight. Except losing this one meant my death.

22

“I know by now you’re not a spiritual man,” Lou said to me as we prepared to embark on my crazy plan. “But I want you to know that I’m praying for you.”

“Doesn’t bother me any,” I said, rolling my neck from side to side. I examined the beach around the curve of the Orion. “Boss, you ready to ignite those canisters of Lestrium and get this party started?”

“We’re ready,” Boss Creed confirmed.

It was clear Lou wanted to talk more about his faith, but he understood there was no time left.

“Care about yourself as much as we care about you,” Lou said, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder. “We’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon, Padre,” I said.

“Remember where the crawler is—”

“I know, I know, I got it,” I interrupted David. “One kilometer east into the jungle and veer left at the rock outcropping that looks like a lightning bolt. I got it.”

I looked down at my gear one last time as Boss Creed and the others began igniting their Lestrium cylinders. They opened the canisters of the gas, quickly stuffing the open end with cloth. The idea was to light the cloth like a Molotov cocktail and send the impromptu bombs to detonate on the beach. It sounded good in my head. But like all good plans, there was bound to be a hitch in the process. We’d have to adjust on the fly. If nothing else, I was good at making things up as I went.

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