Dyer launched the racecar through a small forest. The engine blasted and swiftly made a U-turn to the main route meandering uphill. He saw an opportunity to shift to the third gear when the road cleared.
“Ever since we started tracking these things, they are more aggressive than before. Taking down numbers makes no difference.”
He checked his phone. “We have three. If Jeff and Cassie pull off their kills, we’ll be heroes. They’ll never forget our names on this island. The locals had no idea how to deal with them before we landed.”
“We may not have the capacity…”
“Lana, relax, no room for your pessimism now. We have bagged some bodies. Do you know how much we get just for a single beast delivered to Armor, the governments monitoring the situation? We are their lifeline and everyone is watching us.”
Dyer had always been a self-assured young man. I worried about his impulsiveness. Upgraded military vehicles lined the parking area in front of Armor headquarters. We entered the living room and found Cassie typing rapidly at her station. Shortly after announcing the mission, she had her blonde hair trimmed. The cut accentuated subtle features. A striking woman and I found myself simply admiring her athletic physique. As she came closer, my nerves spiraled out of control. I noticed her eyes were an olive shade under thick lashes. She had a demeanor about her that intimidated me. She regarded my condition.
“You look like you barely escaped with your life,” she said.
“I don’t know how we’ll find the rest,” I muttered.
“I found the lair.” Cassie met my intrusive gaze. “Not too far from the spaceship.”
“What did you see?” Dyer asked.
“A pit near the creek, they breed underground,” she said. “We have to pay them a visit and incinerate the newborns crawling there. Drone two captured the nest and there are probably hundreds of those things.”
Jeffrey barged in with an unusual weapon in his right arm. “Joel is a genius.”
“What is that?” Dyer was instantly entranced by the innovation. He took it from Jeffrey and held it like a precious baby.
“Crafted to perfection. These babies are not for the faint-hearted.” He turned to glance at me.
“Is it more powerful than the ones we’re using now?” I asked and he smirked.
“Can’t handle the pressure?”
“She can. We took down three.” Dyer folded his arms.
“Jeff doesn’t care. He doesn’t think I’ll last long.”
“I don’t mean to underestimate your abilities. But I can tell when one is not fit for the challenge.”
“Go to hell.”
“Easy.” Jeffrey aimed the scope at me, then dropped the gun with a smile. “We’ll have to put our differences aside, Lana.”
“I’ll give you guys time to eat and then we’re off.”
Cassie was indifferent to our little spats. She preferred to manipulate computer programs and drones. She unlocked the door with an ID card, she waited for me to walk ahead. We followed her to a military truck. She started the engine. I clipped my seatbelt when she raced too close to other vehicles.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“We’re allowed to cut through traffic. It’s urgent.”
She reached the single abandoned route heading to the spaceship site. A massive square print flattened the grass. NASA transported the foreign machine to a secret location. The forest grew thicker. Panic rattled my frame and the car speeding through dense wilderness. She swerved onto gravel, uneven terrain. The truck entered a small opening extending to a giant hole in the ground.