Page 48 of The Last Aquarius
Puddles of fluid and glass spread over the floor, but he didn’t see any blood or a body.
Had Ishtar managed to revive?
Before he could allow himself a spurt of joy, a slight noise caught his attention.
He whirled, drawing his weapon, only to let it drop.
The good news? He’d found the Kukakk.
The bad? The fucker held an alien-looking weapon to Ishtar’s head!
CHAPTER 16
Ishtar lived!Aquarius wanted to yodel with joy but held back lest the Kukakk kill her out of spite. The broken tank meant she no longer had a spare clone.
“Reece, you weren’t supposed to come,” she chided, proving her memories recent since she remembered him. But how up to date were her recollections? Did they go back as far as their last night together?
Probably not the time to be thinking about that.
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t let you have all the fun,” he quipped, keeping his tone light and non-threatening as he holstered his weapon. He didn’t want to spook the Kukakk, who kept his weapon pointed at her head.
“Who are you?” the alien snarled.
“Your worst nightmare?” Yeah, he didn’t mean for it to come out questioning.
“You are a star warrior, yes?” it hissed.
“Aquarius here to end your reign of terror.” Okay, that sounded a bit more heroic.
It left the Kukakk unimpressed. “Doubtful, for I am eternal.”
“Really, because my understanding is the last time your kind invaded our solar system, they got their asses whooped.”
“Which destroyed the Martian civilization in the process.” The Kukakk smirked. “And the humans have yet to achieve their level of technical proficiency. Not that it would matter. Now that I’ve acquired a goodly number of power stones, there is nothing that can stop me.” A comment that drew Reece’s attention to the bulging sack slung over its shoulder.
Ishtar’s lips pursed. “It ripped them out of some of the still-functioning systems.” Her gaze went to the machine that used to keep her tank running, the panel on its side torn open.
“Power stones won’t do you much good without a ship. I hear yours went kaboom.” Aquarius had no plan other than to keep the alien off balance until an idea hit. One that wouldn’t see Ishtar killed.
The Kukakk scowled. “The tricky female might have destroyed that vessel, but I’m sure there are more around here somewhere.”
“I already told you. There are no more ships left,” Ishtar snapped in a tone the alien didn’t like. The fucker cuffed her.
“Lies,” it hissed. “Where are they hidden?”
“Nowhere, because, one by one, they got used and broke down past the point of repair,” Ishtar spat. “Say hello to your forever home, asshole.”
“Argh.” As the Kukakk pulled back his arm to strike, Aquarius acted, moving lightning fast, yanking the knife from his sheath and flinging it. It spun end over end, before piercing the Kukakk’s wrist.
It uttered a screech as it dropped its gun, and Ishtar took that moment to dart away, toward Aquarius.
“Insolent vermin!” The Kukakk’s eyes blazed, and it flung its hands outward. The air in the room suddenly crackled ominously, and the hair on Aquarius’s head, hell all over his body, lifted.
Ishtar barely had a chance to yell, “Take cover,” before the shards of glass from the shattered tank rose from the puddles of fluid and arrowed at him and Ishtar.
Oh fuck.
Rather than hit the floor and tuck like a turtle, he hurtled himself at Ishtar, planning to protect her with his body. He wasn’t quite fast enough. Her eyes suddenly widened, and her body jerked. Hit!
