Cynetic Wolf

“Henk, what’s going!” Zedda yelled.

“Shut up, shut up!” The VTOL pitched forward, dropping. “Behind us!” Henk yelled.

A missile streaked toward us. Another flash two hundred meters back, another.

Zedda grabbed my hand. I squeezed back.

“Must have been following us,” Henk said. “This is gonna be tight!”

The craft slammed left, rocketing toward the east of the city as we dove again. “It’s right on us!”

“Don’t head back to base!” I snapped. That’s what Calter wanted, but his guy got jumpy.

“INCOMING, INCOMING. BRACE FOR IMPACT.”

“Hold on!” Henk white knuckled the controls as we shot through two tall buildings. The missile smashed a brick behemoth to our right. We shot out, five meters up and doing two hundred as we zipped over sparse traffic.

“I can’t shake him,” Henk said.

“Emergency landing?” Paer’s voice was tense.

Henk shook his head. “Too dangerous. They’d shoot—”

“INCOMING, INCOMING. BRACE FOR IMPACT.”

We missed the enclosed skyway by meters and it erupted in a sea of glittering glass, fragments showering the street below.

The other VTOL blasted through the falling glass and pirouetted upward. He was good.

“Don’t we have any weapons?” Lars asked.

Henk shook his head, eyes fixed on the bridge ahead.

There was no other way. She’d die otherwise, they all would. “Can you open the doors?” I asked through gritted teeth. “I might be able to—”

“No!” Zedda grabbed my arm. “It’s too dangerous.”

“What choice do we have? Henk, do it!” I ordered.

He did, and the black butterfly doors folded inward. I unhooked my belt and pushed Zedda to safety as icy wind shot in. She glared from the rear but said nothing.

The aircraft jerked and I grabbed a harness, feet slamming as I righted myself. My stomach was in knots. Soooo high!

“INCOMING, INCOMING. BRACE FOR IMPACT.”

Another missile rocketed toward us. I fired twice but Henk swerved, diving again. The missile zinged past, locking on a car and annihilating the street below. Windows shattered and a pair of scooters burst into flame.

I fired again, missing badly. It was impossible to aim.

“Hold us level, Henk!” I said.

“Sure, if you want him to hit us,” Henk retorted.

Three more shots. Nothing. This wasn’t working. I swore under my breath. “I need you to drop me off.”

“What?” Henk yelled. “You’re crazy.”

“Over there! See that building. If you can get me there, I’ll jump and be able to shoot.”

“Raek!” Zedda gasped.

“Do it!” I snapped. Before I lost my nerve.

We ripped around a corner, leveling. The military ship had fallen back. “Ready?” Henk asked. “Sure about this?”

No… I clenched my fists, stomach already skydiving. “Yeah!”

“Ten seconds!” We shot up and floored it for the tower. “Three, two, one. Now!” Henk screamed.

I leaped. There was no building.

I wasn’t going to make it.