Page 7 of Under the Iron Sky

Because the old gleaming white and gold stuck out like a star in the night in this new dark world, what little remained of humanity had forgone traditional Vordellian armor long ago.

Soraya preferred dark flight leathers, much easier to move in. Rusting armored plates were secured to her knees and shins, and she’d made sure to weld similar pieces onto the shoulders, chest, and back of the matching leather jacket for extra protection.

Noah’s uniform was almost identical, but the same scratched plates were far too big for his small frame, making him look like a scared little boy wearing his father’s armor.

Noah’s wide eyes were fixed on the entrance of the nest. “Will …” he started, only for the words to wink out. He swallowed and tried again. “Will the queen be in there?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think we could lure her away?”

“No. The queens never leave their eggs, and destroying the nest is pointless unless we take her out. Only four female stalkers crawled out of the cracks on Invasion Day, and they only ever lay male eggs. If we kill all the queens, we’ll eventually kill all the stalkers.”

“I know, but … don’t they build their nests with children’s bodies?”

A frown pinched Soraya’s brow. “Who told you that?”

“Vander.”

Soraya ground her teeth. Oh, she was going to wring Vander’s neck when she got back to base. “Why are you listening to anything he says? He’s a Sunrunner.” Meaning that the only time he ever left base was to get more power when the sun panels needed charging and had therefore never been anywhere near a nest. Still a prick, even all these years later.

When Noah still refused to look at her, Soraya squeezed his arms. “How many nests has Vander destroyed?”

Noah’s throat bobbed. “None.”

“And how many have I destroyed?”

A moment’s hesitation, then, “Two.”

“Exactly—and both times the queens have been so busy tending to their eggs they didn’t realize I was there until it was too late. As long as we keep out of her sight, we’ll be fine.” She made a point of glancing at the ring of small, circular balls of bronze-and-green metal strapped across his chest. “And if she really pisses you off, just throw one of these at her.”

“But I have to be close,” Noah argued. “The bombs only have a ten-foot range.”

“Yes, but you have this as well.” Soraya eyed the bracer on his left wrist. “You remember how to shield?”

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

If they’d been anywhere else, the wide flare of Noah’s eyes would have been comical. “We’re not supposed to waste Light like that!”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” She gave his arm another squeeze and stepped back. “Shield.” And when he made no move to start, “Unless you need some motivation?”

He took one look at the slight cock of her brow, saw that she was indeed not joking, and his hands fell to his sides. Loosening a low breath, Noah jerked his left arm, and a shield of Light so pale it was nearly white lit up the dark station. It wasn’t nearly as strong as it should’ve been—they’d had to scale back to preserve as much Light as possible—but it did bring some color back to Noah’s face, and not a minute too soon.

A soft buzzing pulled Soraya’s attention to her own bracer. She tapped a panel on the side just as Noah jerked his wrist again to deactivate his shield, plunging them back into that now horribly familiar darkness, and opened the communication line.

“Beta in position,” a deep masculine voice said.

“Charlie too,” another added.

“And Delta,” a woman confirmed.

“Echo here. Alpha, is everything set?”

Soraya pulled up the scanner again—finally finished. Halle-fucking-lujah.

Seven dots flashed back at her, indicating the seven bodies below guarding the nest. Seven bodies that turned to six at ten minutes past the hour. Then five. Four. Three. Just as their informant said it would.