CHAPTER NINE—FINAL COORDINATES

“We’re close!” May said.

Now Kyle was genuinely tired, his throat burning as if he had downed a pint of car fuel. “Gods!”

He stopped, put his hands on his knees as he panted.

“Man-oh-man!”

After he caught his breath, he looked up to find that May had left him there.

Nice.

He looked around. There was more light here, though. He stalked forward and realized the trees thinned until an open meadow revealed itself.

On the other side was May’s shuttle. She was there, talking with someone else. The guy was wearing a white flight suit with a blue strip running across his shoulders and down his legs.

Kyle jogged over, glancing about as if that Strogaus shuttle might break the horizon any moment. But the truth was, he would hear it coming from a long way off.

Nervous.

Like John said.

He thought that was pathetic. When he had left John in the Corvo, he was ready to have some fun and kick ass!

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At least he got to meet May.

The man turned and regarded Kyle as he came up.

“Lancet,” May said. “This is Max.”

Max, huh?

Lancet nodded. “Hey.”

Kyle looked at the shuttle. “This thing is… trash!”

“Well that’s what tends to happen when you get shot out of the sky,” May said. “Lancet’s almost done fixing her.”

“She should be sky worthy in about ten minutes.”

“Wait,” he said. “What about John?”

“We’ll do a scan on our way out. If we spot him, we’ll pick him up. But, Kyle, if those Strogaus guys get up on our tail…”

“I know,” he said, somewhat taken aback. He wasn’t surprised that May was practical—he was shocked at the situation he was now in. “It doesn’t matter. If we have to leave him here, I’ll come back and rescue him myself once we get back to Life City.”

She nodded.

“Uh-oh!” Lancet said.

“What is it?” May asked as she turned around.

“We got bogies! Looks like scout bots. There are at least three—coming from the west. Maybe more.”

“Shit!” Kyle said. “Will this day ever end?”

He pulled out his pistol.

“Forget that little thing,” May said. She stepped into the shuttle and came back out with two assault rifles. “Take one of these. They got thermal optics.”

“Damn,” Kyle said, his eyes going wide. “A nice ass and good with guns to boot.”

“Hey!” Lancet said as he turned his head from the open engine. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Kyle pulled back the slide on his rifle, activating the energy clip inside. It hummed with a quick high-pitched whine. “Why not?”

“Because he’s my husband,” May said.

“What?!” Kyle barked. He glanced between them with wide eyes. “Seriously? I… I didn’t—“

“Just kidding,” May said. Then she slapped his shoulder. “I’m glad you like my backside, Kyle, but if you make a comment about my ass again, we’re going to have words later, okay?”

“I like words.”

With a grin, she chuckled. “Right.”

Kyle laughed.

“Come on!” May said. “Let’s go shoot these things down and then kill the Strogaus fuckers who sent them.”

“Hells yes!” Kyle said.