False Gods | The Prime Archives #3 ✓

one

Even the newbies who they rescued from Atlas convoys contributed however they could.

They had a good system going. Chase just hoped it would be enough to keep them out of harm's reach.

"Alright, Goldilocks, let's wrap this up," a gruff voice crackled through the walkie-talkie in the pocket of his winter coat.

He pulled it out and pressed the button on the side. "Copy that, Andre." Pausing, he took a look around him. None of the trip wires had been tampered with and the cameras were still in position. Patrol had gone relatively well. "You see anything out of the ordinary?"

"Negative, boss. All's good over here. How 'bout you?"

"Everything's good—"

A low, rumbling noise sounded in the distance. Snow shook from the pine needles before falling to the ground. Scrunching his features together, Chase whipped his head around in search of the sound.

"You hear that too right, boss?"

"What the hell is it?"

"No clue. But I've got a bad feeling."

"Get back to base. I'll be right behind you."

"Copy."

Andre's line clicked off. Nodding, Chase stuffed his walkie-talkie back into his jacket and continued searching for the source of the noise.

It grew louder with every passing second. The ground shook slightly, almost as if an earthquake was rippling beneath the snow-covered surface.

Then everything around him went dark. All the light in the air had been extinguished like a finger pressing against the wick of a candle. The little bit of warmth coming from the sun above vanished. As he lifted his head to the sky, his blue eyes widened with horror.

Passing above him like a tanker cutting through the ocean was a massive aircraft. Artillery cannons stuck out from the metal hull like the arms of a titan. The American flag, along with the United Nations logo, was emblazoned on the side. A vicious roar emitted from the aircraft's twin-engines as it ripped through the sky.

Cursing under his breath, Chase dashed beneath the leafy canopy of a pine tree. His heart leaped into his throat as he desperately hoped he hadn't been spotted. Despite the cold, his entire body felt like it was full of molten lava. Blood rushed to his cheeks, quickly turning his skin red.

Shit. Andre.

The guy had been out on patrol as well. Had he managed to hide as well? Or did the ship see him?

Fortunately, it didn't seem like any were true, as the aircraft continued going. Was it just on a routine scout of the area?

He shook his head. Why would Atlas be in North Dakota? The Exiles had lost them somewhere in Wyoming. They could've been anywhere in the country by now.

Hands trembling, he retrieved his walkie-talkie and pressed the button.

"Andre, you there?"

A painful second passed. His heart stopped.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm here. You saw that right?"

"Yep. Did it see you?"

"I don't think so. Hid under a fallen log."

The image of the guy's massive frame hiding underneath a log would've been hilarious under different circumstances. But the situation was too serious to laugh.

Chase released a breath that had been building in the pit of his chest.

"Alright, good."

"What do you think it was doing out here?"