Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 26 - Monsters - I

  "You shoot me, Rook shoots you," Viper said quickly. "And she won't miss. Now what the hell just happened?"

  "We tried to kill Omega," said Rika, not lowering her hand.

  "Did you?"

  "What the fuck do you think?" Rika snapped, lifting her hand an inch. Viper took a step back, his hand still raised. "You know that gesture means fuck-all when you have magic, right?"

  He shrugged, and put his hand in his pocket instead. "It's traditional. Calm down."

  "We're a really long way from calm." Rika's eyes narrowed. "How did you find us?"

  "We saw pink fire coming out of the trees and figured that was worth investigatin'."

  "So you could take them instead," Alden added. "Rika. They tried to fly me out in a helicopter. He just wants someone for his boss to cut open."

  "Fucking hell," she muttered.

  Viper shrugged. "Look, there's some bad blood here, so let's just clear it up. Won't touch either of you again, you got my word. We just want to know what's going on."

  "New plan," said Rika. "You work for Malton directly right? Cornelius Malton?"

  He nodded slowly. "So what?"

  "So my father's the founder of NishiSoft and has access to every single goddamn Laushire database—and so do I. I have all the encryption keys they've ever used and root logins on their network." Rika lowered her hand a few inches. "You've got a helicopter, and I need a ride. Get me the fuck out of town and your boss gets the whole Laushire backend."

  Viper frowned. "There's no way I'm getting out of here without someone who can use magic."

  "Holy shit, bakayarō, are you not seeing this?" She gestured over her shoulder. As if on cue, another, smaller explosion rippled into the sky with a low roll of thunder. "If you don't leave now, you're not getting out of here alive period. Do you see what's happening back there?" Rika shook her head. "I want safe passage to somewhere in the United States or Canada of my choosing. Malton never learns my name or who gave him the info. And you get to deliver your boss a massive prize on a platter. Everyone's happy, none of us die. Magic can wait."

  "Rika..." Alden started. Rika ignored him.

  "Omega can't keep winning. Magic's already gotten out of Rallsburg. Sooner or later he'll bite it, but magic won't, 'cause he can't beat Grey-eyes. So you'll have another chance—but only if we get out of here. Right now." Rika flipped her hand over, offering it to Viper to shake. "Deal?"

  Viper took a minute to consider it. Alden stepped closer to Rika and dropped to a whisper. "What about Rachel?"

  "She'll make it," Rika said, though he could hear the unease in her voice. "She always does in the end."

  "Even up against a god?"

  "They aren't gods, Alden. They're just more stupid college kids in over their heads."

  Alden frowned. "If you leave, we can't hold him down anymore."

  Rika hesitated. "I can't stay here. I can't die here."

  "Tell me how to do it," Alden said, though he could feel intense anxiety weighing on him as he realized what that would mean. "I'll hold him."

  "There's no way I could explain it in time," Rika said. "And it's still too dangerous."

  "More dangerous than letting something like him stay alive?" Alden pointed out.