We've just got to get there first, of course.
I move quickly, because it's only a matter of time before someone realizes that there are readings on whatever sensors are set up here in the hangar. They're bound to have security of some kind, and we've got to move fast. Once the door is shut, I grab Sterre, who's trying to sniff everything. The carinoux has been fighting Alice's grasp on the harness for too long, and there's no more time for this.
I skip the harness. I haul her into my arms and shuffle as fast as I can toward the belly of the Skimmer, where the doors will be. "Don't eat me, all right? At least not yet. You can chew on my face when we're in space."
The carinoux makes a startled noise and squirms in my grasp. It's like trying to carry a sack of wiggling, indignant mud…with massive teeth. She clamps down on my arm and I grit my teeth, determined not to drop her. If this creature goes scurrying back to the forest, I don't want to risk that Alice would follow.
"What do we do?" Alice trots after me, her weapon in hand. "Do you want me to guard the door? What should I do?"
"Keep moving," I bark out. "Get in the ship. Right now."
"Going," she tells me, and I'm relieved when she falls into line behind me, grabbing Salvotor by the arm and making sure he comes, too.
The auto-extender ramp of the ship begins to whirr, descending automatically once we move behind the wings. As it does, I race up the ramp, squirming, angry carinoux in my arms, and then pause. Shit. The cuff is in my pocket, and my arms are full. "Sunshine—"
"On it," Alice says, and in the next moment, her hand is in my pocket, her hand moving over part of my thigh and brushing my dick before she pulls the cuff back out. She heads to the plate and swipes the cuff, waiting.
Nothing happens.
"Try again," I call out. The alarm continues to blare outside, making me profoundly aware that we don't have much time.
Alice swipes the cuff again. And again.
Nothing happens.
81
ALICE
"The cuff won't work!" I swipe it over and over again. "Am I doing it wrong? What the fuck!" I'm panicking, just a little, but I figure I'm justified. How is it we've come this far to only come this far?
Behind us, a side door opens and a guard steps out, a blaster in hand. "What are you doing?" Get away from that ship!"
I freeze, watching as a second guard comes out after the first one. They're wearing different uniforms than the others, but their clone-red skin is the same. More a'ani, and I'm guessing these are specifically guarding the hangar.
We're fucked. This is how it all goes down, I guess. I stand there, holding the cuff, looking frantically at Kaspar. "What do we do?"
To my surprise, he grins. He turns, hands a squirming Sterre off to Salvotor—who looks ready to shit his pants—and then bounds down the ramp toward the guards.
Toward. the. fucking. guards.
Before I can even scream, they start shooting. One blast hits Kaspar in the arm, knocking him backward a half-step. He staggers, and then keeps on going, heading for the guards. I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood, because I want to scream bloody murder, but if I do, I know I'll just distract Kas.
"Help!" Salvotor hisses at my side. "Help me!"
Kas reaches the guards, grabs one by his uniform, hauls back, and socks him in the face. The other raises his blaster toward Kas, who knocks it out of his hand with a flying elbow, and then grabs the other by the collar. In the next moment, he slams both of them together, their heads crunching.
I let out a breath of relief. Yeah, my guy is going to be just fine. I turn toward Salvotor, who's making whimpering noises at my side. His eyes are wide with terror, and Sterre is still in his arms. The carinoux has latched onto his neck, her teeth sunk into the skin. She's watching me, though, and remaining still.
I sigh, glancing back at Kas, who flings one of the guards against the wall. "Let him go, Sterre. He's not a snack." I put my hand on her jaw and manually try to get her to unlock her death-grip on his neck. "No, Sterre. No. Don't move, Salvotor."
"Not…moving…" he rasps.
My hands slip on Sterre's slobber, and she's not letting go. My back's to Kas, though, and I can only handle one crisis at a time. "Give me a play by play," I tell Salvotor. "Tell me what Kas is doing."
"Hitting," he tells me, swallowing hard. "Lots of hitting."
There's a crunch somewhere behind me.
"Oh, and now there's blood," Salvotor says. "One of them's nose just kinda sunk back in his head. And Killer has him by the hair and…nope, more hitting." He winces, giving me a side glance. "Are you going to be able to get her off of me?"