Page 63 of Red Zone Awakened

CHAPTER25

Mace spun,clamped one hand over Keiko’s mouth, lifted her with his other arm, and ran up the stairs to the floor above the security hub.He barreled through the door and sprinted across the open area with its low tables and informal seating.This floor was mainly for admin, which meant security wasn’t as tight as on other floors.Still, most doors had biolocks on them, and he didn’t want to blast his way into a room—that was a sure way to let Freedom know their exact location.

Using his elbow, he turned the handle on the first door he found that wasn’t biolock.It was a private communications room with a wall of screens and two armchairs facing them.Along another wall was a refreshment bar.Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.Mace shut the door behind him and flicked the lock with the toe of his shoe.The lock wouldn’t keep Freedom out for long, and there was nowhere in the room to hide.If they stayed quiet, hopefully, the terrorists would assume the room had been locked while it was empty.It was the best he could do under the circumstances, and it wasn’t much.

There was also one massive hole in his hastily constructed plan—Keiko was still screaming.He felt the huffs of air against his hand and heard the dull humming sound of the trapped noise.If she didn’t calm down soon, she’d lead Freedom straight to them.He needed a distraction.Something to keep Freedom busy while he dealt with the hysterical woman in his arms.

He needed the help of the animal who shared his DNA.

The animal Keiko never should have found out about.

Pull the fire alarm!Mace silently shouted to his other half, showing it an image of the alarm.

There was silence and then,Hungry.He got the distinct impression his bat was trying to find a way out of the building so it could track down some food.

You just ate!Mace barked at the bat.It had been a fight to get it to stop hunting and return to him in the first place.Then the little shit had shared the experience with him, and all Mace had been able to taste was moth.I need you to set off the alarm.

No.Hungry.

He didn’t have time for this.Freedom was coming their way.Keiko was scr… He looked down at her.The screaming had stopped.Her eyes met his, and he noted it wasn’t fear that filled them but rage.She glared at him as she opened her mouth again—and bit him.Hard.He dropped her and stared at his palm.There were teeth marks and a tiny spot of blood.

He held it up to her.“You bit me.”It was hard to believe, even with the evidence in front of him.

“Don’t come near me.”She held up her hands to ward him off, as if that would stop him.How many times did he have to point out the difference in their sizes for her to get it?

“Keep your voice down,” he hissed at her.“The last thing we need is for you to lead the terrorists straight here.”

She looked around for the first time.“This is a comms room.It’s soundproofed.”Her voice rose with each word.“You have a bat.”She pointed an accusatory finger at him.“Living under your skin.”

He made a calm-down gesture with his hands.“We’ll talk about it in a minute.First, I need to deal with rat face.”

Press the button,he commanded the bat.Now.

“You’re talking to it?”she screeched.“In your head?”

“I swear, if you don’t calm down right now, Iwillgag you.”

“Try it.”Her eyes blazed as she paced.“How can you talk to it?They’ve jammed all communication frequencies.It is an implant, right?I mean, it has to be some kind of new tech.What else could it be?It can’t be an actual bat.That would be crazy.Oh my word, I’m going insane!I’ve snapped from the stress.I’ve crossed the line, and this is what it looks like on the other side.”

Press the damn button,he told the flying rat while watching Keiko pace and rant.

Of course, his other half wanted to argue.No!Hungry.

“I mean, I work in the industry,” Keiko said to herself.“At least I used to, before the guy I had sex with showed me that everything I believed was a lie.But when I was still a press secretary, I’d have heard about a programmable bat that lives under your skin.You can’t keep that kind of tech secret.”Her hands shook as she threaded them through her hair.“It has to be tech.It has to.What other explanation is there?”

Mace could barely hear himself think over all the noise she was making.“Please, Keiko, can you stop it for one minute so I can deal with the bat?”

It was the wrong thing to say.It just set her off on a rant about mutant Vikings.Mace couldn’t take any more.So he shouted the one thing he could think of that was guaranteed to get his bat’s attention,Do it for Keiko.

Save mine?the bat answered.

Yeah, save mine.

There was silence for a beat, and then the bat answered,Save mine.

And flew off to follow instructions—finally.

As Mace breathed a sigh of relief, a coffee mug came flying at his head.