Cyberlink Cove

Chapter 12

CYBERLINK COVE (CORAL ATOLL)-2078

((Big thank-you to MaskedManie for the cover on the right!))

 

Mina stumbled along the rocky shore, flinching as her leg jolted and sent red-hot firebolts leaping through her veins. “Fucking hell,” she muttered violently under her breath. The bullet wound she had taken to the thigh a week or so ago had gotten infected. Just walking was an agony for Mina.

 

She was on Coral Atoll purchasing and stealing a few rudiments of the treatment that would be needed for her wound and any of the near-fatal wounds various other pirates had acquired. A lesser-known establishment of Coral Atoll was a huge superstore that sold medical equipment. It was one of the only places that had those materials available for sale, other than the hospital, and no one had been up for another hospital robbery. Security was generally less tight in privately owned buildings.

 

She had stolen about three hundred credits’ worth of creams, gauzes, and antibiotics. Earlier in the morning Mina had taken a numbing pill to staunch the pain, but it had long since worn off.

 

Sucking in a determined breath, shadows creeping into the edge of her vision under the starry, starry sky, Mina stubbornly walked on. She had moored a motorboat on the opposite side of the beach, hiding it in a dense outcrop of underbrush. She was so focused on making progress towards the boat that she didn’t notice when she crashed into two people locked in an intense embrace.

 

Marissa pulled away from Thomas, startled. Her eyes turned round as she took notice of Mina, standing dazedly in front of her. Thomas took a moment to regain his bearings, his lips tingling with a ghost of the kiss. However, once he recognized Mina, he instantly reacted. Thomas pinned her to the ground, bashing her head against a sharp rock. Mina let out a cry, and her eyes turned to steel as she took in Thomas’s features, though they were tinged with fear.

 

She began to struggle vigorously, thrashing under his strong grip. Her terrified eyes met Marissa’s as a recollection of President Ross’s methods of interrogation rose up to the front of her mind. Mina screamed as Thomas jarred her lame leg, blood starting to ooze sluggishly out of her wound and dyeing the once-white bandages a brilliant shade of maroon. General Thomas immediately threw a hand over her mouth to keep her from attracting any attention.

 

Panic mixed with adrenaline and pain as Mina shrieked into Thomas's palm, gritting her teeth and doubling her efforts. Mina refused to be tossed in an isolated jail cell and beaten to a pulp again. She loathed the idea of being at the mercy of the ruthless president and his cronies. She bit down hard into his palm, and she heard Thomas emit a quiet curse.

 

General Thomas was having a hell of a time subduing Mina. She kicked and lashed out, even resorting to viciously biting his exposed flesh. Hissing in surprise as her teeth sank into his hand, Thomas tightened his hold on her frail shoulders. He stared straight into her anger-filled eyes, narrowing his icy sea blue ones.

 

“Stop!” Marissa’s voice took on a desperate quality. She tried to pull Thomas off Mina, though all her attempts were futile. Finally, Thomas slightly slackened his grip and faced Marissa, Mina still struggling to free herself from his iron clamp.