Page 68 of The Lost Empress

That worked, Emperor said, a proud quality to his voice.

Gen stared in amazement for a moment, wondering if what she’d done was real and had actually happened. She dropped down, carefully checking the passed out man. His breath was shallow but his pulse steady.

Don’t worry, he’s out, the dragon assured her.

Gen smiled at the nunchucks in her hands, proud that they’d worked. Then, since they were no longer needed, they shrank back down, disappearing and taking the form of the small, unassuming black cube once more. Holding it up, appreciatively, Gen smiled at Bellumferrum, believing she’d fixed her problem and felt like she belonged in her role as a Rogue Rider. “Thanks.”

The black cube didn’t whisper back a reply, but in her heart, she thought she felt it say, “You’re welcome.”

Realizing that she didn’t have long to get out of there, Gen turned back on her comm, having severed the connection when in the underground, to minimize distractions.

“Captain, are you ready?” she asked over the device.

“Yes,” Captain Neal replied at once. “Everyone is in position.”

“Go ahead and make the call,” she replied. “The Chief of Police is on his way.”

“Good work,” the captain replied.

“Thanks,” Gen said, grateful that even with some unexpected hiccups, things were going according to plan. “Now, it’s your turn, Jack. Have you taken out the getaway vehicles?”

“We are ready to,” he replied after a moment of noise. “We were waiting on your signal. We wanted to make these guys think they had an option up until they didn’t.”

Gen grinned, realizing that Barry Fer would think that he still had getaway cars. He would think that he had a backup team and a way into the vault. And while some of that might be true, what was waiting for him would be something he never expected.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

THE UNMAKING OF THE UNBREAKABLE

Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States

A groaning crunch sounded from the tops of the two armored trucks, making them suddenly weigh down significantly. Officer Taylor and the man in the other vehicle scrambled out of them at once, nearly falling onto the pavement. They both backed up, taking in the sight that was all too satisfactory for Jack and Sully to watch.

Their dragons, Voltar and Blaze, had descended from the night sky, their powerful wings beating against the cool air as they landed atop the armored trucks with a resounding thud. The vehicles, designed to withstand bullets and brute force, whimpered under the weight of the dragons. The tires deflated and the sound of metal crunching was like nails on a chalkboard for Officer Taylor. For Jack, it was music to his ears.

“What the hell, man?” Taylor yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

The other officer didn’t appear as angry as much as fearful for his life as Voltar opened his mouth and let out a roar that shook the ground under their feet. The guy shuffled back to the nearest corner, watching the scene from a safer distance..

“Oh, it appears that our dragons don’t think you should have stolen those parts from Tesla,” Jack said, shaking his head, clicking his tongue with a sly smile.

“Yeah, Blaze has a real soft spot for that guy,” Sully added. “Probably because he always has a nice rack of ribs for her when we stop by.”

Voltar, her scales crackling with electric energy, dug her claws into the reinforced metal of the truck. Throwing her head back, like an excited dog about to enjoy a treat, she dove forward, tearing at the roof with a ferocity that sent sparks flying. The truck shuddered beneath her massive size. Its still-running engine made a sound of protest, popping and shuddering from the forces brought on by the unwelcome passenger. Undeterred, Voltar continued her assault, her talons ripping through layers of steel and insulation.

On the other truck, Blaze unleashed a torrent of flames, the intense heat causing the metal to warp and bubble. The acrid scent of melting rubber filled the air as the tires began to disintegrate under the onslaught. Blaze’s eyes glowed with a fiery determination as she focused her energy on the vehicle’s weak points, seeking to reduce it to a smoldering heap. The fire wasn’t a normal red and orange, but carried hints of blue and white—it was so insanely hot.

Taylor shielded his face from the onslaught of intense heat, spinning around to Jack who had been joined by Sully, next to him. “You can’t do this, man! I’ve got a place to be! I’ve got orders.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that he had orders,” Jack said playfully to Sully. “That changes everything.”

“Definitely.” Sully nodded, agreeably and looked out to the trucks where one was in the process of being fried and shredded and the other one roasted. “Stop it, gals. These fine officers have some place to be.”

When the dragons didn’t make a show of listening and definitely weren’t stopping, Jack waved his hands with little enthusiasm. “No. Stop. Don’t,” he said, with zero inflection, drawing out the commands.

He sighed. Shrugged. Turned to face Officer Taylor. “Well, what are we going to do? I tried. They seem to have found new toys and don’t want to give them up.”

“Man, you guys are going to pay for this,” Taylor said, narrowing his eyes at the other men, flexing his hand by his gun.

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