Finn: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 10) Read online

  He wanted to get back to the Enclave as soon as they could, and then drag Lia into his bed. He didn’t plan to let her out of there for days. Hell, maybe a whole week.

  “Dropping out of supersonic speed,” Lia suddenly said.

  Finn frowned, staring at the back of her head. That hadn’t felt like thirty minutes.

  The jet slowed and everything came into focus. The mainland was a vague smudge of blue in the distance. “We aren’t there yet.”

  “No.” Lia’s voice was sharp. “I’ve got a warning light. The aircraft sustained some damage, and the supersonic engines are failing.” She let out a shuddering breath. “And it gets worse.”

  Finn’s gut cramped. “It can’t get worse. This mission has already consisted of bad, fucked, and seriously fucked. It’s time we snagged a break.”

  “Sorry. Whatever damage that creature did, it’s draining our power.” She spun to look at him. “I’m not sure we’ll make it back to the mainland.” Her green eyes were so serious.

  “We’ll make it.” Finn locked his jaw and looked out at the water below. No way he wanted to land in there with Lia. Who knew what other nasty alien surprises were hiding beneath the waves?

  “What can we do to make it?” he asked.

  “Lighten the aircraft. Toss whatever we don’t need overboard.” She stared out through the cockpit. “I’ve set the jet to the optimal speed to take us in as far as possible. I’m aiming straight for the Enclave.”

  Lighten the aircraft. Finn set to work, tearing out unnecessary panels and gear. Lia opened the canopy and he tossed all the stuff out. He saw it hit the ocean below with a splash. He contemplated tearing out his seat, but he decided if they were going to crash land, he’d probably need it.

  He sat back, and looked ahead. The land looked a little closer.

  “Whatever happens, Lia, I would never trade a moment of our time together.”

  She turned and reached out one arm. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

  “I fought so hard to stay alone,” she whispered. “Even when I was lonely. Clearly, I just needed a certain Hawk pilot to show me the error of my ways.”

  The lights on the control console started to flicker and die. Finn heard the engine begin to stutter.

  Lia looked at him. “I wouldn’t change anything, either.”

  As she turned back, turning her focus to guiding the dying plane in, Finn felt helpless. He hated just sitting there, unable to do anything to save the woman he loved.

  Then Lia gasped. “I can see a town.”

  They were descending quite fast now. He saw that the land was tantalizingly close, and he could make out the buildings. There was a cluster of small, high-rise buildings, lining a strip of beach.

  So close. They had to make it.

  He looked at the glow of his tablet and pulled up a map. “It’s Wollongong. That’s pretty close to the Enclave.” He scrutinized the map. “There’s an airport. But it’s a fair way south of the city.”

  He scanned around, looking for pteros in the sky. Thankfully, it was clear.

  “I’m sending a mayday through to the Enclave. I have no idea if we’re close enough for it to get through.”

  He listened as she sent out the distress call. He waited to see if Elle’s voice would come over the comm, but it was silent.

  “We’re dropping,” Lia said.

  They were coming in fast. “You can do it.”

  “We won’t make it to the airport!”

  Shit. Finn frantically looked at the map again. “There’s a highway just west of the city center.” He looked up, trying to spot it out the window. “There!” He leaned forward, pointing. “See it? You can land on that stretch of road.”

  There was a long stretch of pavement—six lanes, separated by an overgrown median. Thankfully, it was mostly free of abandoned cars.

  “Okay.” Lia’s tone was resolute. “Hold on.”

  The plane swooped in. He saw some abandoned cars by the side of the road—some overturned, and others crumpled. But there was one perfect stretch, with no cars.

  The ground rushed up. Finn gritted his teeth. They hit the road, bounced, and slammed back down.

  Finn’s head smacked against the side of the canopy, pain flaring. The plane started sliding, the tires blew, and sparks flew as metal scraped against the asphalt.

  “I…can’t control it,” Lia called from the front.

  They rammed into an abandoned car, and that set the jet spinning. Lia swore, and all around them, the aircraft vibrated.

  Then, they hit something else with a deafening crash. After another wild swing, they lurched to a halt.

  Finn sat there for a second, trying to catch his breath. He looked up and saw the canopy above had cracked into a shattered spider web. It took his brain a moment to understand what was going on. He exhaled loudly. They’d stopped, they were on the ground, and they were alive.

  “You did it, flygirl! We made it.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Lia? Lia, we made it.”

  Still no sound from the front. His chest constricted, and he started yanking at his harness.

  He could see Lia slumped over her controls. “Lia!”

  ***

  Lia could hear a voice calling her name. She groaned. She tried to open her eyes, but pain speared through her head like a rusty knife.

  “Lia? Sweetheart? Open your eyes.”

  She did, and Finn’s handsome face swam into view. “Finn? We landed?”

  “We crashed. And you did an amazing job.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s the first time someone’s told me I crashed well.”

  “It’s a skill, trust me. Can you move?” Finn carefully patted down her arms. Then he lifted his head, scanning around them. “I’m pretty sure the raptors would have seen us coming in. We have to get away from here.”

  She nodded. “I don’t think anything’s broken.” Finn helped her unstrap her harness.

  Together, they pushed and shoved at the shattered canopy and managed to slide it back enough to climb out. Finn dropped over the side and then helped her down.

  “Man, feels nice to have my boots on the ground,” Finn said.

  Lia nodded, and then winced at all her various aches and pains. Still, nothing was broken or bleeding, so she was pretty darn lucky.

  “The center of town is that way.” Finn pointed toward the tall buildings a couple of kilometers away. “We can go down the highway and take the next exit.”

  They set off. It was pretty eerie to be standing in the middle of a six-lane road and have nothing moving around them, and no noise.

  But as they neared the exit, a sound echoed through the still air.

  A long, drawn-out howl.

  “Fuck.” Finn grabbed her hand. “That sounds like a canid. And it’s close.”

  Lia shivered. She really disliked the vicious alien hunting dogs.

  “Up for a jog?” Finn said.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.”

  They set off at a fast pace. Lia’s body lit up with more aches, but she bit her tongue and kept moving.

  “Just one break would be nice,” Finn muttered. “Something could go right for us.”

  “We survived the crash and the alien kraken,” Lia pointed out.

  His hand tightened on hers. “Fair point.”

  The road dipped down a hill and they followed it down. Finn kept glancing back behind them.

  “I hope the Enclave got my message.” Lia prayed her mayday had gotten through.

  “Even if it did, it’ll take some time for them to get here.” He pointed toward the west. “See that escarpment? The Enclave’s on the other side of it.”

  Lia studied the long, table-like hill that surrounded the small, secluded space, where Wollongong nestled beside the ocean. “I heard that there are hidden tunnels leading into the Enclave around here, somewhere.”

  “Really?” Finn shrugged. “If there are, I don�
��t know where they are.”

  Lia didn’t, either.

  “We need a good hiding spot,” Finn said with a frown.

  “What, no harborside, five-star hotels this time?”

  He elbowed her gently. “Not this time, smartass.”

  They exited the highway, and passed through a residential area. Soon, the houses gave way to the city center. Wollongong wasn’t a large city, and the buildings weren’t much over eight to ten stories high.

  “Maybe we could hide out on the top floor of one of these buildings?” she suggested.

  “If any aliens find us, we’d be cornered. I’d like an easy exit.”

  They kept walking down the deserted street. Shop windows were broken, all the doors kicked open. On the street, small piles of goods lay where looters had dropped them. An empty baby pram sat askew on the sidewalk.

  Then Lia heard excited yips from behind them.

  They both froze.

  “Oh, crap,” she said. “Run!”

  They sprinted down the street. She could hear the growls of the excited canids not far behind them.

  They were being hunted.

  Finn pulled Lia around the corner. They glanced back for a second, and she had a perfect view of the dogs stalking down the street, sniffing the ground.

  She gasped. They weren’t canids.

  These dogs had glowing red bellies, filled with corrosive poison.

  “Hellions,” she whispered frantically.

  “Faster!” Finn urged.

  Lia sucked in air as they sprinted, keeping a tight hold on Finn’s hand.

  They dodged around an overturned car and the remains of…something. Lia wrinkled her nose at the pile of unrecognizable goop. She didn’t want to know what it was.

  The sounds of the hellions were getting louder.

  Suddenly, Lia heard the scratch of claws on metal. She looked left and saw a hellion bound onto the roof of the car ahead of them.

  Hellions were like oversized dogs, with scaly, tough hides and rows of sharp spikes along their backs. The one in front of them growled, its belly pulsing with a deep-red glow, and bared jaws full of scalpel-sharp teeth.

  Finn and Lia skidded to a stop, Finn cursing loudly. Lia turned, and spotted three hellions slinking closer from behind them.

  Finn pulled her in close to his side, and she followed his gaze. Two more creatures were closing in from the right, red bellies low. They were growling, a horrible noise that grated along her nerves.

  “Dammit,” Lia whispered. They were surrounded.

  Finn pulled out his laser pistol. But Lia was aware that it was wholly inadequate against a pack of hellions. It was like taking on a ptero with a toothpick.

  “Let’s edge over that way.” She pointed between two cars.

  He nodded and they slowly stepped that way.

  A hellion sprung forward, snarling. Drool dripped from its sharp fangs.

  Lia reared back, slamming into Finn’s chest. He reached around her, and aimed the pistol.

  There was a growl from behind them. Lia spun and saw another coming in close. Oh, God.

  Finn fired, and the first dog sprang away. He aimed at the second one, and took the shot.

  But now all the dogs were moving in, snarling and growling. They clearly weren’t deterred by the laser pistol.

  There were too many of them. Lia’s hands curled into fists, and she wished she had a weapon. She glanced around them, looking for something—anything—she could use. She did not want to die here.

  The lead hellion got confident, and rushed in. Lia kicked at it and Finn fired again. The creature sprang back, but instantly lunged forward again. Its heavy body slammed into Lia’s legs, and she fell.

  “Lia!” Finn was reaching for her.

  The hellion grabbed her leg, fangs sinking into her flight suit. She felt the sharp prick of them on her skin. It started dragging her back.

  Lia slammed her other boot into the hellion’s face.

  Finn fired. “Get off her!”

  The alien dog barely reacted to the laser bouncing off its tough, scaly skin. Finn leaped forward and started kicking the hellion, as well.

  The dog let go, but only took a few steps back, baring its teeth. Lia looked and saw the remainder of the pack was moving in closer.

  Her stomach went hard. There was nothing else they could do. No way out.

  Finn wrapped his arms around her. “Hold on to me.” He covered her with his body.

  “Finn.”

  His blue gaze held hers. “I’m with you. Whatever happens.”

  Lia’s chest hitched, and she felt a tear slide down her face. “I love you.”

  He smiled. “I love you, too.”

  A distant rumble reached Lia’s ears. The hellions paused, lifting their heads. One let out a low growl.

  Then, there was a smash of metal and glass, and the gunning of an engine.

  A large armored vehicle appeared, demolishing an overturned car and slamming it out of the way.

  A flood of adrenaline filled Lia’s veins.

  The vehicle was a Z6-Hunter. Used by the squads.

  Help had arrived!

  The hellions took a few steps back.

  The Hunter pulled to a stop, and its autocannon swiveled around. Another deep rumble sounded from behind the Hunter, and two heavily-armored motorcycles rode into view.

  Laser fire streamed through the air. Finn tackled Lia, pinning her to the ground. The hellions scuttled backward.

  The deafening sound of a shotgun filled Lia’s ears.

  “Take that you ugly, poisonous hell spawn.”

  Lia glanced up to see Hemi ride past on his motorcycle. He was riding with no hands on the handlebars and firing a huge shotgun.

  She watched, as a hellion slammed back into a car, its belly bursting open. There was a sizzle, as the red poison ate through the car and into the pavement.

  Another motorcycle gunned past. Tane Rahia, the leader of Squad Three, rode his bike in, mowing down two more animals with his carbine.

  The Hunter’s autocannon kept firing, taking out the rest of the hellion pack.

  Finn and Lia sat up. She blinked, taking in the carnage. She and Finn sat in the middle of it, untouched.

  Tane’s motorcycle pulled to a stop in front of them, and he looked at them, his face impassive. “Rough day?”

  Finn let out a choked laugh. “Understatement of the century.”

  The corner of Tane’s lips quirked. “Need a ride home?”

  Lia scrambled up. “Yes, please.”

  The leader of the berserkers jerked his head toward the Hunter. A door on the vehicle opened, and a good-looking, tattoo-covered man exited, holding a carbine. Lia didn’t know him well, but knew his name was Ash Connors.

  “Climb aboard,” Tane said. “And good job. Last I heard, the brass at the Enclave were celebrating that the amplifier was in place and functioning. They’re hoping to establish a clear line to the Groom Lake base and several others soon.”

  Finn pulled Lia in for a hug, and she pressed her face against his chest. They’d made it. They were safe. And, apparently, they’d helped save the day, as well.

  “That’s great to hear,” Finn said. “But I don’t really give a shit about that right now.”

  “I just want to go home,” Lia said. “Flying was great, but I want my windowless, underground room right now.” She tipped her head up. “As long as you’re with me.”

  Finn hugged her closer. “Try keeping me away.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Devlin

  Devlin Gray crept around the corner of the alien building. The black wall rose high above him and when he looked up he could see the giant chimneys pumping thick, black smoke into the air. He moved forward, careful to stick to the shadows and avoid the patches of bright sunlight. He was good at sneaking around. He’d spent a lifetime perfecting those skills.

  He wanted to spend a few more hours looking around the alien factories. He really wanted to g
et inside the buildings but he needed the cover of darkness for that. He glanced to the east and wondered how Finn and Lia were faring.

  Focus. For the moment, he had to stay focused on his own mission. Ahead, he saw some domes made of an amber-colored, translucent substance. He wanted to get inside those as well. They needed every scrap of information on the Gizzida if they were ever going to beat them.

  Dev glanced to his side and saw his partner creeping expertly nearby. He didn’t know Taylor Cates very well, but he was well aware of the reputation of Squad Nine. The almost all-female squad of soldiers were very good at their jobs, and what he’d seen of Taylor so far hadn’t disabused him of that notion. She had a beautiful face, a tough body, and was a damn competent soldier.

  He wasn’t used to having a partner and usually disliked having someone who slowed him down. Before Santha had fallen pregnant, he’d spent a little time in the field with her. She’d been easy to work with and after her time spent in the ruins of Sydney messing with the aliens, she’d been damn good at sneaking around.

  But with Taylor, it was even easier. Dev found it a little disconcerting. The soldier seemed to anticipate him and was already where he needed her to be before he asked.

  He raised his hand and gave her a signal. She nodded and turned right, slipping down between two large black buildings. As he followed her, he touched the wall of the closest building. It was made of some black substance that almost looked like thick, tough skin. Dev lifted his camera and snapped some shots.

  Now, they needed to find a way inside so they could sneak in during the night. His plan was to spend the rest of the day snooping around, then find somewhere to hole up and rest. He and Taylor could take turns on watch. Then tonight, under the blanket of darkness, they’d slip inside the factories and see just what the hell the aliens were doing inside.

  They moved farther down the tight alley. Ahead, he saw some large, cylindrical tanks that were made of that amber-like glass. At the base, they were striated with what looked like black veins. Inside the tanks he could see a red, glowing substance. If he had to guess, it was some sort of poison. The raptors liked their poison.