Desperado (Murphy's Lawless: Watch the Skies Book 2), Kevin Ikenberry [reading the story of the txt] 📗

Morton and the others could hold off the outlying militia and reinforcements that might arise from any undiscovered tunnels for even two or three more minutes, Cook and Stewart could pincer them. Once they felt they were surrounded, the militia would almost surely surrender. Bo checked his weapon, moved the firing switch from safe to semi, and prepared to follow Cook’s squad.

A staccato burst of weapons fire from the east got his attention. Bo stared down the narrow thoroughfare and saw a woman running hard to the south. In the space of a millisecond, he recognized the unmistakable form and face of Aliza Turan. She ducked around the corner of a building just before it exploded in a cloud of dust and debris. Aliza was now behind his line and there was no one from his forces who could help her without disengaging from their attack.

Bo was stuck. Everything he knew about leadership said he needed to stay with his team and lead them. But a vital part of that team was cut off and alone. She might be unarmed or injured. Given the intelligence she likely possessed, and if the enemy suspected she had it, they would be trying to kill or capture her. There just wasn’t another choice. Besides, Stewart and Cook had the situation in hand. All he was going to do was get in the way.

Or so he told himself.

Bo ran east toward Aliza.

* * * * *

Chapter Ten

Imsurmik

Injured and unable to return fire, Aliza frantically searched for cover. Morton and the others had called in her position and then pressed west toward the fight. Not a minute later, four rough men appeared, searching the eastern edge of town for Waornaak. When they saw her, they opened fire. As the rounds slammed into the wall behind and above her, she dove behind a stone watering trough and crawled up to the junction between it and a ramshackle building. They called for him by name and went toward the storage room where they would be sure to find him.

She’d left the water trough and ducked into an evacuated shop as the men began their search. Immediately, the whinnies roared and stomped, and she heard the gunfire add to the general cacophony. Thinking she had an opportunity to flee, she’d run from the shop toward the south, but they’d seen her. After undoubtedly seeing Waornaak’s dead body and having been confronted by Athena and Scout and any other whinnies remaining behind, they’d withdrawn and taken up the pursuit.

But they haven’t got me yet.

Aliza could see the wall, but there was no one atop it, neither friend nor foe. She pressed herself low against the building as more rounds tore into its mud-and-stone sides. Aliza pulled her knees to her chest and pressed her back against the rough surface. Dust rained down on her. A sharp piece of stone sliced into the skin of her forearm. Another round of weapons fire tore through the air around her and more fragments pelted her scalp. The near-continual shower of debris frightened her more and more. The memory of Operation Markolet’s end, losing Ben Mazza, and the sound of enemy fire coming closer washed over her. Aliza squeezed her eyes closed. Cradling her injured arm and sobbing with pain, her mind raced to gain control of her emotions. This was not the time to give up. This was the time to fight back.

From the opposite direction of the oncoming men there was a new sound. Aliza opened her eyes and looked west, down a nearby street, and gasped. Moving her way along the next row of buildings came a lone figure. Carrying an M-16 rifle, Aliza knew it was one of the Lost Soldiers, but she couldn’t see who it was through all the dust and debris. The figure moved at a run, stopped at the corner of the building, and fired several rounds at the attackers nearing Aliza. At that moment, she recognized him.

“Bo!”

He glanced her way and brought the rifle up again. She saw him squeeze the trigger quickly, firing several shots at her pursuers before lowering the rifle.

“Can you move?” he yelled from across the street, maybe twenty meters away.

Aliza shook her head. She hoped the way she was cradling her arm was enough to show him that rolling to a standing position and running would take far too much time.

“Stay down. I’m coming to you.”

He fired again. There was a muffled scream from the end of the street. Bo fired another four shots quickly before lowering the rifle and dodging across to her. He had just reached the middle of the street when the men opened fire again.

A round tugged at Bo’s pant leg and Aliza saw a spray of blood as the round exited his left calf. Teeth bared in pain, he managed another step at full speed and dove toward the cover of Aliza’s position.

He almost made it.

* * *

Stewart led Alpha Section into the bazaar and stopped. To his right, under the stony overhang, a gaggle of militia were crowded against the rocks that surrounded the entry to the tunnel complex. Eyes wide with fear, they tossed their weapons onto the dusty soil. Whinnies pranced around and growled at the frightened men. Young and old stared in shock, whispering intently to each other while pointing at the men riding the whinaalani. He knew they probably had never seen anyone ride the lizard-like creatures, despite having used the more docile ones as beasts of burden. Given the shock in the eyes of the natives, Stewart wondered if they’d surrendered because of the attack itself or the mounted riders.

Probably a bit of both. He grinned to himself. Wait ’til they see this shit.

He grabbed the handset for his radio off his load-bearing strap. “California, this is Fastlane. The