Page 50 of Capture of Capricorn

A mistake.

Aries leaped, moving fast, faster than the guy could react. He grabbed him by the ankle and yanked, dragging the fellow down to the ground, where a few quick pops to the face knocked him out.

Only then did Aries grin at Capricorn over his shoulder. “Here’s hoping there’s another one for you.”

“Heads up!” Capricorn shouted as a second fellow emerged from the tank, aiming his gun. Capricorn quickly ducked and snagged a rock, his arm moving forward before he’d even thought of throwing.

Bonk.

It hit the guy between the eyes, and he toppled off the tank with a thump.

Given the noise it made, they both waited to see if anyone else would pop out of hiding.

Nope.

In minutes, they’d stripped the guys—and trussed them—as well as dressed and armed themselves. The pants were too snug, the shirt couldn’t be buttoned, and given the way it flapped when left open, Capricorn elected to go bare-chested like Aries. The boots weren’t even close to a fit either, but the soles of his feet would recover.

“Ready?” Aries asked, a knife tucked in the waistband of the snug pants while he held a rifle.

“Let’s go kick some Cetus ass.”

As they approached the moat, he noticed how it appeared dull and lifeless. Aries knelt and dragged a finger through it. “Seems like just plain water.”

“How the fuck did they neutralize the poison?”

“How the fuck did they manage to even get this far?” Aries grumbled. “Come on.”

They crossed the moat using the ladder bridge that spanned it. The fog on the other side hit them but not with expected moisture.

Aries spat. “It’s dust.”

Indeed, the air was chokingly full of it. What had happened? As if to reply to his inner query, the dull boom of an explosion had them both dropping to their haunches.

“Sounds like it came from inside,” Aries stated.

Adam must be trying to get inside the sealed rooms.

They moved slowly, guns swinging left and right, ready to shoot anything that jumped at them. Nothing did. They heard and saw nothing. Aries stumbled slightly when his foot encountered the edge of their beaming sandbox. He stepped through it, and Capricorn followed, knowing Tower lay just ahead.

The dust fog remained thick until they were only paces from the building. Then a clear spot appeared, and sitting in it, a box with its lid flipped open.

A box that made him sick to his stomach.

“What is that?” Capricorn murmured, peeking inside and shivering at the strange swirling blackness being held within.

“Dunno, but I don’t like it. Feels wrong,” Aries replied, kneeling by it. He gritted his jaw as he reached his hand for it.

“I don’t think you should touch that.”

“Wasn’t planning to.” Instead, Aries flipped its lid shut.

The nausea dissipated immediately, and Capricorn let loose a breath. “That was unpleasant.”

“I do believe Cetus discovered our version of Kryptonite.” Aries stood and glanced in the direction of Tower as if he could see it.

“What should we do with it?”

“Nothing for now. We’ll deal with it after we free Sage and Zora. Ready to take back our tower?”

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