From Hatya’s annoyingly breezy comment, he’d bet it had something to do with the basement data center filled with explosives that Taz had “taken care of.”
“Hello,” boomed the rich voice he’d know anywhere. “Subcaptain Correa from Galactic Search and Rescue. Do you need assistance?”
Po stood up. His startled expression morphed into craftiness.
Pointing the stunner at Rylando, he pointed toward the almost-excavated exit. “Tell her ‘yes,’ and to hurry, because Stramlo is bleeding.”
Rylando lifted his mask up long enough to shout, “Good to hear you again, Subcaptain. Yes, we need assistance. Three plus me. One is bleeding.”
“Copy.” Her tone was the model of professionalism. “In that case, I’ll clear the exit fast. Please step as far away as you can.”
Po frowned and motioned them all back.
Rylando moved with alacrity. He knew what Taz’s suit could do when she was motivated.
Stramlo crossed toward the airsled, but Pelvannor herded him toward Po instead.
Rylando edged farther back and left. Reaching out with his talent, he discovered his whole team was just on the other side. He sent them a warm greeting, then subvocalized a warning to Taz. “Po has a stunner. Pelvannor has the beamer.”
“Copy. Bang-flash in three.”
Even though he knew it was coming, the bright explosive boom made his shoulders hunch. Stramlo crouched and covered his head. Po stumbled back and would have fallen over the block he’d been sitting on if Pelvannor hadn’t grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.
A blinding searchlight strobed through the now-wide gap, highlighting the new swirls of dust.
Stramlo launched himself toward the airsled and grabbed his messenger bag to sling across his shoulder.
Po snarled curses in Mandarin and pointed the stunner at Stramlo. “Set them now.”
Stramlo shook his head. “We’re too close.”
“We’ll be free in minutes. Pelvannor, motivate him.” The beam from Pelvannor’s weapon was close enough to char Stramlo’s pant leg. “The next one makes your kid an orphan.”
Rylando sent a request to Moyo. A loud, chill-raising howl echoed in the room, startling Po.
A moment later, a large, back-lit form appeared in the new opening. Hatya stepped into the room wearing the ship-loader assist frame over her Jumper uniform. Her loose, wild hair went perfectly with the berserker-crazy smile on her face. “Oh, target practice! Can I play?” Twin beamer arrays rose up over her shoulders.
Pelvannor lowered her weapon.
Quicker than Rylando had thought possible, Po closed the distance and caught Stramlo by the neck, stunner pressed hard into the man’s temple. “Sure, right after Engineer Stramlo here does what I told him. I mean, what’s the point of using professionals if they aren’t going to do their fucking jobs? And you know what? I hate this fucking mask.” He pulled the mask off, half-strangling Stramlo in the crook of his elbow as he did so.
“Rylando,” said Taz in his earwire. “Po’s a low-level ramper and a haze of violence, but Pelvannor is calm. She has a soft spot for animals. Moyo and Shen are armored up. Might distract her.”
“Okay,” he subvocalized. Sending a prayer to the universe to protect them, he asked both dogs to come to him. Rescue work sometimes meant hard choices — and trusting his partner’s judgment.
Moments later, Shen trotted in and made a beeline for him. Moyo followed more sedately, looking more like a working hellhound in her GSAR protective gear.
Pelvannor’s eyes flickered to the dogs, lingering longer on Moyo.
Rylando asked Moyo to see if the woman wanted a friend. Hopefully, the dog had forgotten her long-ago military training that told her to bite and shake people holding weapons.
“Tell you what,” said Po conversationally. “Since we all want out of this goddamn cave, Engineer Stramlo, Pelvannor, and I are going for a stroll.” He shoved the man forward into a stumbling walk, keeping the chokehold tight. “Give us a few minutes to get out of the building by ourselves and no one will get hurt.”
“He’s lying,” said Taz with certainty.
“Pelvannor!” yelled Po. “Leave the stinking dog alone and come do what Zumu told you. Cover my ass.”
Moyo’s magic had been working on Pelvannor, but now she stepped around the dog and followed Po and his prisoner.
“Let them go,” said Taz. “More options out here.”
Hatya hesitated, then stepped farther into the dusty lobby to get out of the way.
Though Pelvannor only glanced once at Hatya, the hand holding the beamer tightened as she passed by.
The second they were out of sight, Rylando asked the dogs to follow as he crossed to Hatya. “What’s the plan?”
Hatya smiled. “Our plan is to let them self-rescue their merry way out of the building.” She tilted her head toward the exit. “Yanoshi’s plan is to detain and restrain them for ques–”
Taz’s voice interrupted. “Frelling hell. Po just stunned Pelvannor, grabbed the beamer, and took off dragging Stramlo away from the exit.”
“I can handle Pelvannor,” said Hatya.
“I’m going after Stramlo. I don’t want to have to explain to his kid how he died.”
“I’m sending Moyo and Shen out. Wait for me.” He patted both dogs and shared an image. “Find Taz,” he told them.
As he strode toward the battered and begrimed airsled, he stripped off his mask and hooked it to his belt. Raising his talent, he asked Otak and Mariposa to meet him. The little owl swooped off the top and landed on his shoulder pad. Otak soon appeared in the open doorway, nose working and whiskers quivering. Rylando quickly scooped the rat up and into his chest pocket. “You’ve both been very brave. Triple treats when we get back.”
More carefully this time, he extended his mental invitation to the little kinkajou and held out his forearm as a perch. After a few hesitant steps, the little animal made an astonishing leap from the far corner of the sled onto his arm, then ran up to sit on his other shoulder and cling to his collar. He sensed Jhidelle’s presence encouraging the animal to trust him.
He stepped up into the sled and grabbed the face masks for the animals and the last filter mask. On his way out, he picked up the medical kit and carried it by the strap.
When he joined Hatya at the exit, he handed her the filter mask. “Just in case. The dust in here is bad.”
Hatya took it and led the way out.
Taz tracked Po on her scanner while watching Moyo and Shen greet Lerox and the cats in their shared crate.
Hatya emerged from the lift lobby and went straight to Pelvannor’s unconscious form.
One of the knots in Taz’s stomach loosened when she saw Rylando, a little worse for wear, emerge and cross to her. Mariposa and the kinkajou riding on his shoulders gave his GSAR uniform an eccentric flair.
His eyes flicked to the new dents and scratches on her suit before meeting her gaze. “You okay?”
“Green go. My suit took the damage. You?”
He touched the burn mark on the side of his face. “Nothing a burn patch and a couple of bruise washers can’t fix.” His head circled in a quick neck stretch. That familiar gesture told her he’d been under a lot of stress.