“Teams, begin shielding,” Torran said. I relayed the command so the cool feeling of the Valoffs shielding our minds wouldn’t startle my team.
“I’m never going to fucking get used to that,” Lexi muttered loud enough for the comm to pick up. “If that asshole reads my thoughts, I’m going to gut him.”
“Just don’t think loud thoughts,” Kee said with a snicker. “Shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”
We’d practiced the shielding, and while Lexi didn’t love it, she tolerated it because it was necessary. But she always warned Nilo that his life was over the moment he dipped into her thoughts. I had a feeling I knew exactly what she was so desperate to keep secret.
The transport lifted from the ground, and we were on our way. I said the same prayer that had gotten me through the war: I prayed for strength and guidance and safety.
The ride was quiet. We were all focused on the upcoming operation. I could still feel Torran’s presence in my mind, but it was distant.
When the transport settled to the ground in the forest just outside view of the monitoring station, I touched each person in my squad. My team, used to the tradition, raised their hands for high fives as I came by. It was a ritual that I’d done countless times. After a moment’s hesitation, I turned to the Valoffs. We were all teammates now, so I clapped them on the shoulders or gave them high fives, too.
I saved Torran for last. He took my hand in his, then his voice whispered into my head. “We have a plan. We’ve trained. We’re ready.”
“Let’s get your nephew,” I responded mentally. I was getting better about projecting my thoughts at him without having to verbalize them.
We piled out of the transport and took up our positions within the group. Kee would loop the surveillance footage while Lexi got the floor hatch open. Then we needed speed to carry us into the main part of the bunker before the kidnappers could mount a defense and trap us in the entryway.
Eli and Chira carried the heavy rope and floor anchor that would allow us to bypass the ladder. This afternoon we’d practiced fast roping off Torran’s roof just to refresh our muscle memory.
We crept through the trees, sticking to the darkest shadows. The heavy red moon was barely a sliver in the sky, so we didn’t have to worry about moonlight giving us away, but we were careful anyway.
Torran called us to a halt at the edge of the forest, and I relayed the signal to my team. “Kee, you’re up,” I said over the comm. “Lexi, you’re on deck.”
“On it,” Kee confirmed.
She pulled a slate from its attachment point on her thigh. A few minutes later, she said, “Surveillance is looped. I didn’t see anyone on the cameras below.”
A moment of doubt struck. Was the person we’d seen before just a palace guard on a random sweep? If not, where was everyone? I shoved the doubt aside and tapped Torran’s shoulder. “We’re good to go,” I said aloud so the comm would pick it up for my team.
Torran led us to the gate and it took Lexi less than ten seconds to slide it open. Torran could’ve gotten us in with his access, but we’d decided to be as stealthy as possible in case someone was watching for him.
The door to the building opened just as easily, then Lexi moved to one of the machines along the wall that looked exactly like every other machine. Rather than tapping on the screen, she flipped a manual switch, one of ten seemingly identical switches. How long had it taken her to find the right one? No wonder they’d been gone for hours last night.
The floor split along what I had thought were natural cracks, revealing a square about a meter wide. Thanks to the night vision in my helmet, I could see the ladder leading down, but the slightly off color made me think it was pitch-black.
Chira and Eli set up the rope while the rest of us kept an eye on our surroundings. After Chira placed the anchor, Eli gave the rope a hard yank, then dropped the rest of the coil into the hole. I heard a soft sound as the end hit the ground.
Torran moved to the rope and disappeared. As our strongest fighter, he would go first to secure the room. And as a telekinetic, if anyone fell too fast, he could catch them. Eli and Chira swung their rifles up and watched the door. They would come down last.
“It’s clear,” Torran’s voice whispered in my head.
“Room is clear,” I relayed. “I’m going down. Follow like we practiced.”
I wrapped my legs in the rope, got a good grip, and then swung into space. Once my head cleared the floor, the night vision adjusted and I could see the floor, twelve meters down. I loosened my legs and slid down the rope, thankful for the gloves that covered my hands.
Once I was on the ground, I moved away and pulled my rifle up into a low ready position. The room was small and roughly square, with a single door I could see. So far, this was exactly what we’d expected.
Eli was the last one down. As soon as his boots hit the ground, Torran led us to the door. It was weird, following someone else’s lead after leading my own squad for so long, but it absolutely made sense for Torran to go first. Not only could he incapacitate the enemy with just his mind, he could protect the rest of us as well.
The door was hinged rather than sliding and had a manual doorknob. On Torran’s signal, I swung it open and he swept into the corridor. I followed on his heels, my rifle covering the left half of the hallway. Nothing moved and it was still and dark.
We cleared the short hall and came to a second doorway that opened into the main part of the bunker. I tapped Torran’s shoulder. “Can you sense anyone?”
“No.”
I moved to the door control panel. This one slid open and as soon as it did, we wouldn’t have any cover. “Ready when you are,” I said.
Torran glanced behind us, then returned his attention to the door. A flat, black disk about a half meter across lifted from its attachment point on his back and moved around to hover in front of him. I hadn’t noticed it against the black of his armor, and he hadn’t had it in training. I flinched at the sight.
The solid, armored disk was part shield and part weapon, and in the hands of a telekinetic, it was lethal as either. The spiked edges had been sharpened into deadly points, and the thick metal body could block plas pulses.
I’d wondered at his lack of weapons—he carried only a plas pistol and blade—but now I knew why. The disk was plenty. I’d only ever seen it wielded in a training video, but the horror had stuck with me.
“Are you okay?” Torran asked, concern in his mental voice. My emotions must have bled through our connection.
I swallowed. “I didn’t expect the . . .” I trailed off and waved at the disk.
“The nimtowiadwu? It is the traditional weapon of telekinetics.”
I nodded. “I’m aware.” I swallowed again as bile tried to climb up my throat. If Torran used it anything like in the training video, I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from vomiting in my helmet. The telekinetic in the video had taken unholy pleasure in ripping his opponents to shreds.
Literally.