Page 86 of Over the Edge

“Jesus,” I gasped, back pressed against the rock. “Thanks for that.”

She nodded, her face pale but determined as she checked her empty weapon. “We’re out of ammo. And Moreau’s almost at the dock.”

I glanced at my rifle. Maybe five rounds left. Not enough to fight our way through three armored drones. And we’d be completely fucked if the rest of the swam stopped chasing Nolan and came for us.

“Oz,” I barked into my comm. “We need some fucking options here!”

“I’m working on it!” His voice was strained, the sound of furious typing audible in the background. “Their shielding uses a quantum matrix that—you know what, never mind the tech talk. I’m close to cracking it. Just stay alive a few minutes longer.”

“Easy for him to say,” Lyric muttered and swore as bullets peppered the ridge above us, raining rock fragments down on our heads.

“I’ve got it!” Oz shouted. “Frequency match on their quantum shielding—firing solution uploaded to your weapons systems!”

A sharp electronic ping sounded from both our weapons, and the targeting displays flickered with new data.

“What the hell?” I stared at the rifle’s suddenly illuminated scope.

“Edge Ops special,” Oz explained, breathless with excitement. “Your ammo is now calibrated to the exact frequency needed to penetrate their shields. You’re welcome, by the way.”

I didn’t waste time asking questions. I leaned out from cover, sighted the nearest drone, and squeezed the trigger. The round punched through its armor like it was tissue paper, tearing into the delicate electronics beneath. The machine jerked, sparked, and spiraled into the canyon wall in a fiery burst.

“Holy shit,” Lyric breathed, her eyes wide. “It worked.”

“Of course it worked.” Oz sniffed. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

I tossed Lyric the rifle. “Two rounds left. Make them count.”

She caught it smoothly, already lining up her shot as the remaining drones adjusted their attack pattern. Her first round caught the second drone dead center, the bullet tearing through its core processor. It dropped like a stone.

“One left,” I said, eyeing the final drone as it hovered just out of our line of sight.

“And a lot more drones,” Lyric replied grimly as the swarm filled the sky over our heads.

“Nolan,” I called into my comm. “We need an air strike on my position, now!”

“About bloody time!” Nolan’s voice came back just as cheerful as before. “Been waitin’ for the invitation. Inbound hot, thirty seconds. Papa’s bringing the rain!”

CHAPTER27

LYRIC

Explosions litup the night sky in a deadly fireworks display as Nolan’s missions found their targets. The drones disintegrated in brilliant flashes, raining fragments of scorched metal and circuitry onto our position. My knees gave out, and I sank to the dirt to watch the show.

We were alive.

We had survived the unsurvivable.

I turned to Flynn, intending to throw my arms around him and kiss him?—

But he wasn’t beside me.

Where the hell had he gone?

I glanced around the canyon in shock and spotted him already charging down the stairs, dodging flaming debris, his attention missile-locked on Moreau.

Oh, fuck.

“Flynn, wait!” I called, but my voice was lost in the rotor noise as Nolan swooped by overhead. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted after him, weaving through the smoldering wreckage of Sentinel. The acrid stench of burnt electronics and melted composites filled my lungs as I ran.

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