Back in the Saddle

Each steady drip of the damp tunnels were as loud as thunder in my ears. I flexed my fists as we walked, ready at a moment's notice to draw my weapon against unforeseen enemies. I focused on Wolf's back and Devon's heavy footsteps but kept my eyes peeled for an ambush.

One didn't come. No matter how long I waited or anticipated the onslaught of screeches, they never happened. Wherever those monsters were hiding, it was somewhere deeper within the drainage tunnels.

Cold water sloshed at my knees—we'd run out of maintenance platforms—and the darkness in the tunnels closed in, pierced only by our small flashlights. My heartbeat thumped in my head, but I wasn't letting the dark or the silence get to me.

So long as I had Wolf walking in front of me and Devon at my side.

After all, it was just some tunnels. It was muggy like the old nest I'd been trapped in, but there was no immediate danger. The threat hung over us, for sure, but so long as Wolf didn't seem bothered, then I had nothing to worry about.

/You're just going to worry yourself sick for nothing,/ I thought.

It was hard to tell without any source of sunlight how long we were in those tunnels. It could have been hours or minutes. My bet was on hours if the aching in my legs was any indication. There was a weariness in my whole body.

Every few minutes, I had to rub my eyes to force them to focus; my vision kept blurring due to the fatigue weighing me down.

At various intervals, Wolf would pause to pull flat, angular devices from his gear. After arming them, he'd toss them out with a flick of his wrist, attaching one to a wall of the sewer.

The first time he'd done that, I'd asked if anything was coming, but he'd indicated that wasn't the case. However, he also didn't offer up any sort of explanation for his actions. Completely typical of him, but it was still a relief that we hadn't run into them yet.

But also kind of alarming. Where were they? Had they already escaped into the city?

It was just a matter of time before they showed up, though. They always showed up.

Devon tapped me on the shoulder after the third or fourth armed device Wolf tossed out. "Did he tell you what he's doing?" he asked.

"He did not," I replied.

"He hasn't done anything like this before?"

I shook my head. "No. He didn't have much of his gear at the time because of the crash."

"Ah . . . right."

We had taken up whispering to each other, as Wolf didn't seem to mind that so much. He still minded, clearly, because he'd stop sometimes and just stare at us until we quieted. In short bursts, though, he tolerated our idle chatter.

It seemed strange considering how much I ran my mouth back in the day, but then I reminded myself I was bait at the time. He'd wanted me to draw them close. It was a bit different this time, as none of us knew the area whereas Wolf probably knew his ship like the back of his hand and was more confident.

"I'll let you know if he explains, though," I said after a moment.

"Works for me." Devon shrugged.

I glanced at Wolf to see if he had any objections. However, he was pretending not to pay us any attention. Instead, he was casting the small wall-disk-things onto every new tunnel opening we passed.

"You think it's so we don't get lost?" Devon guessed.

"Could be. Who knows. Probably gonna explode," I guessed, half-joking. "Their shit always seems to explode. Wouldn't be the first time today, either."

Devon scoffed. "That does seem to be their solution to a lot of things. Even in the files we read, it said they—"

Wolf cut off any further conversation with a sharp sound that made me wince. Devon and I shared a short glance, then returned to a quiet stroll through the storm drain.

My gait was becoming less even, but I forced myself to keep going. I forced myself to ignore my exhaustion and hunger. If Devon's small noises of distress and heavy breathing was any indication, he wasn't feeling so hot anymore, either.

"Nichole," he whined after several more minutes.

"What?" I huffed.

"Tell the Terminator over there to stop, just for a little bit. Would ya? I've been awake longer than I have been in years," he muttered. "And I gotta take a leak, I'm hungry . . ."

Glancing at Wolf, I caught him with his head tilted in our direction. I scratched my eyebrow and hesitated. A break would be nice, but we had important work.

"I'd like to, but we gotta find these assholes before the whole city does," I said, lacking conviction.

"The town's not going to combust in the time it takes us to catch our breath," he retorted.

Rolling my eyes, I whirled on him and kept walking backward. "You're acting like a grumpy six-year-old, Devon. Rub some dirt in it and keep going."

"Are we there yet?" he whimpered with a cheeky grin.

"Ugh," I grunted, turning back around.

My tired and sore legs tripped over one another in the process. I flailed around to brace my fall into the disgusting water, but Wolf propped me back up before I could go down. He set me on my feet and snorted an admonishment.

"Oh yeah, it's my fault my legs never healed right," I muttered, rubbing my thigh.

He gestured toward a thin ledge following the wall and grumbled the way he always does before disappearing with his cloaking device. I glowered but seated myself all the same. Devon hovered behind me a moment, then went ahead and sat down next to me.

"Guy sure is attentive when it comes to you."

I flushed and averted my gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Devon rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Don't pretend you haven't noticed. He carried you down that hill, he's treating me like a threat, he's constantly looking back here, and then just now—"

Shrugging, I said, "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing," he mumbled. "Where'd he run off to, anyway?"

I leaned until I was resting my head against the wall and I closed my eyes. "He does that. He'll be back, I'm sure."

"He left us in here alone . . . probably gonna detonate those weird things he's been planting around. Bury us in here."

"Oh please, he will not."

Sighing, Devon said, "I suppose not. Ugh, I'll be back."

"Gonna take that leak?" I asked, my eyes still closed.

"Yup. Don't peek."

I grunted in response and listened as he shuffled away, trying to make the most of our reprieve. Somewhere in the back of my head, a voice reminded me to be wary, that I shouldn't become too comfortable. Not when those damn bugs were still missing.

They could come screaming around the corner at any minute and attack us.

But, I couldn't spend the entire time thinking about such things. I needed to rest my mind, too, so it would be sharp and ready. As soon as Wolf returned from whatever he was doing, it would be right back to the grind.

A quick catnap wouldn't be out of place, and it was nice to get off my legs for a few minutes. After Devon returned, he sat and was quiet for some time.

The sword and backpack against my back weren't very comfortable, but I didn't need it to be. I didn't need to fall asleep, just close my eyes for a little bit and recharge some energy.

Devon was flicking pebbles into the murky waters—each one made a small plip as they broke the surface.

It seemed like only seconds later I was opening my eyes, startled. I'd dozed off a bit, but wasn't sure for how long. Devon had fallen still next to me, and when I looked at him he was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.

My stomach rumbled. I could go for a while longer on an empty stomach, but I didn't know if Devon would live without some snacks.

I sighed, sat up, and tried to do some stretches while we waited. There wasn't much room on that ledge, though. It barely fit my ass. Devon stirred next to me and I glanced at him; he was looking at me as if he wanted to say something.

"What's wrong?" I asked, standing up to stretch that way.

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong." I worked through all the stretches I knew by heart that didn't require touching the awful water with my hands.

He shook his head and drew his handgun to check how much ammo he had. Though I wasn't sure what good it would do, at least he wasn't without some kind of protection.

"Nothing," he said after a pause. "I'm just thinking about how crazy all this is."

I smirked. "What do you mean? This is literally our job."

"Yeah but we've never worked with an alien before. We're always chasing the cryptids."

"He's not so bad," I insisted, sitting back down to rub my legs. "A little rough around the edges, but he pulls through where he's needed."

"So you say."

After another bout of silence that spanned a few minutes, I stood once more, bracing myself against the wall to do more exercises. Already they had helped loosen the muscles and relieved some pressure around the metal pins in my knee.

Both of us were standing now, as rested as we were going to be. There were two tunnels Wolf could have gone down, and I hadn't the slightest idea which one it was.

Devon huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, it's been forever. Where'd your boyfriend go?"

He flinched when I punched his arm and I said, "I don't know. Guy's real good at disappearing."

"I'd say let's split up, but that's a terrible idea. You're the one with a sword, and he hates me, so we should stick together."

"So you are somewhat intelligent," I sneered, jabbing him in the ribs. "We'll head this way. I can see the light from one of his exploding wall decorations."

We followed Wolf's high-tech breadcrumbs. I was miffed he'd left us and not returned, but for all I knew he was on his way back and we'd meet up with him halfway.

The thought that he might be injured perished as soon as it came; Wolf was never injured. He'd always seemed like the lone ranger type, so traveling with some shadows was probably just a new thing for him.

It seemed to me he was treating Devon worse than he had me when I was on that ship, though. Maybe it was some sort of alpha male thing, though I wouldn't know how Devon of all people was making him feel threatened.

Unless it really did have to do with me, as Devon suggested.

Did he really just want me all to himself? The idea made my heart beat a little faster.

I was convinced that it would be better for Devon if he could just prove himself as I had. If he could kill an adult drone, he'd have at least an ounce of Wolf's respect. He wasn't going to do that with a handgun, though, and Wolf would never give him a weapon like mine.

I'd have to find a creative way to help Devon earn his place. It was a nice thought, having a human friend with me. He'd come, of course, if I asked him to. I think.

I watched him, trying to decide if I was lying to myself.

"Damn, he sure went far," Devon observed several minutes later, pulling me from my thoughts.

"He does move fast."

"So crazy." He shook his head. "He's so big. How does he move like that?"

"Probably decades of training and hard work."

Again he started grumbling, and I tuned him out.

Without Wolf nearby I was nervous; the drones could be hiding anywhere in the darkness and our human eyes would never know until it was too late. The flashlights we carried only did so much. Our only hope was hearing them before that, but Devon was set on talking throughout the whole trip to find Wolf.

"Shh, quiet," I hissed after he'd complained for the tenth time about something inane. I wasn't paying attention, but I think it was about a blister on his foot.

"What?" he said.

"Shh!"

He crossed his arms and pouted, but kept his mouth shut while I channeled all my senses into the tunnels. I knew I'd heard it. I would recognize the sound on any planet, in any lifetime. It sent chills chasing up and down my spine and stuck my breath in my throat.

The hair-raising sound of the xenomorphs' cry.

"C'mon let's go," I quipped, grabbing Devon by the lapels and dragging him after me toward the sound of their horrendous screeches.

Their cries were faint. They were on the hunt.

I sprinted down the length of the tunnel with Devon in tow. He pulled himself free of my grip and ran alongside me, keeping stride with my limping pace. Something buzzed to life behind us and I glanced back just long enough to see a grid of red laser death fill the tunnel.

We had passed the latest wall device Wolf had placed, but it seemed my prediction had been off. Clearly, not all of their shit exploded.

"We gotta hurry up," I yelled, taking up the sprint again, glad that I'd done those stretches.

"Then let's go, gimpy!" Devon said, grabbing and pulling me at a faster speed. I had to adjust my paces to keep from being yanked off my feet.

Plasma cannon fire echoed toward us and we spun around a corner, skidding through the water. My weapon was in my hands, itching to taste xeno blood again. Devon slid into position next to me, his own handgun drawn and sighted.

Drainage tunnels were set in various positions around the chamber, allowing dim light from outside to filter through, likely from streetlamps above. The hike down the mountain had taken ages without a car, agonizing hours.

We'd arrived at the sewers with some daylight left to spare, but the sun would have set by now.

Wolf was locked in battle with a few drones, and a handful yet scaled the walls, already having slipped in before Wolf had activated his tech. We were outnumbered, but only by a few.

/This is doable!/ I thought. /We'll be fine. Wolf and I can kill these no problem./

"Stay close, Devon!" I shouted, chopping at a drone that dared move within my range. It squealed and retreated, now missing a chunk from one of the spikes on its back.

His answer was the piercing sound of his gun firing into the claustrophobic chamber. I flinched but didn't let down my guard. I couldn't tell if it was working, but I already knew it probably wasn't. He'd need armor-piercing rounds.

Wolf was shooting off his own projectile weapons, and the majority of the drones were going after him, leaving me and Devon—or really just me—to pick off curious stragglers.

I couldn't lock on. My swings were wide and they dodged any lethal blow, but at least I was staving them off. Keeping them at bay. I almost had to relearn how to swing the damn thing right, and my footing was off thanks to the water and ache in my legs.

Despite all of that, I was thrilled.

Adrenaline blazed through my veins, and with it came an exhilaration I hadn't felt in years. I was alive, every nerve alight with electricity. Falling back into the posture he'd taught me was foreign and cumbersome, but it started to feel right.

Another drone tried to slip past us, more interested in Wolf, but it was distracted by Devon's attack and turned on him.

"Why! Why do bullets do nothing!" Devon hissed, backing into me when the snarling creature advanced.

Though the drone had plenty of bullet holes, each dribbling acid blood, it was unperturbed—angrier, even. I shouldered Devon out of the way and swung my weapon in a vicious arc, driving it back.

"Don't worry, I got it," I grunted, squaring off with the drone.

It looked around me, and I used the momentary lapse in focus to cleave a deep gouge in its chest. Staggered, it fell back and I pounced. Three rapid slashes were enough to end its miserable existence once and for all, and it sank into the murky water, sinking beneath the surface.

Panting, I stepped back. My hands were shaking and I forced them to go still.

/Got one. I got one!/

"God damn you're good with that thing," Devon commented while reloading.

If I remembered, I would give him my clips as well.

Then, a new sound rose up, echoing through the tunnels. I swung blindly at a drone that flitted into my field of view, but it dodged around and leaped at Wolf, who grabbed it by the throat. He already had one in his other hand and aimed the two shoulder-mounted cannons at each enemy.

However, another drone landed with a heavy sound behind him, splashing up a halo of dirty water around it. Before I could call out a warning or react, it slammed into Wolf with a powerful shunt, throwing him against the farthest wall.

The drones he'd been holding were sent sprawling and the cannon charges fired off course, one blasting the wall harmlessly and the other sending the ceiling above tumbling over Wolf, burying him beneath debris.