The Secret War - 1st novel in the Shadow Series

Chapter 31 .

Vai

There was a wide corridor in front of us and two smaller corridors off to the sides - one to the right and one to the left. I listened, but couldn't hear anything other than my own breathing and the occasional mechanical sounds that came from Warpaint.

"Do your sensors pick up the girl, Warpaint?" I whispered.

"Yes, sir." Warpaint wasn't quiet.

I scowled at him, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

"Where is she? Is she on this level?" I asked quietly. I couldn't hear any signs of Owen yet. He was traveling through the maintenance shafts 3 levels though. It might take him a little while.

"Yes. She's behind you in the maintenance shaft."

I heard the hard sigh behind me and to the side of the elevator. The maintenance hatch burst open and out she came - almost flying. She sprung at me. I saw it, but it was too fast and unexpected for me to actually register and prepare that she was attacking me.

Warpaint was suddenly there in front of me. He knocked her back with his oversized right arm. She crashed backwards into the wall. She paused a moment as she sat on the floor watching Warpaint. Like what happened on Brist, the red lines on Warpaint began to seep and spread into the white until he was mostly red instead of white.

She leaped up like a great cat and kicked both feet into Warpaint's chestplate. His 3 arms tried to grab her, but were just slightly too slow. The force of her kick knocked him backwards. His large, mechanical feet slid across the floor until he hit the wall of the corridor.

I swallowed as she turned to me. There was no way a human could knock Warpaint with such force. Maybe a K'thaktra could, but definitely not a human. We had made a mistake. If there was a dangerous alien species we had never heard about, she was it despite her human appearance.

She took a step towards me. Her brown eyes beamed with hatred and violence. I took up my boxing position, but I knew if she could knock back Warpaint like that, I didn't have a chance. It would be like with Thrissko all over again.

A force - like a strong wind or gale - burst out of Warpaint's large hand. The girl - Esther I remembered a little late - was knocked backwards and away from me again.

Warpaint didn't wait. As soon as he shot out the wind, he ran towards her - all 3 arms raised to bring down on top of her.

She didn't touch him. I saw it and knew she didn't touch him. And yet when she stretched both her arms out towards him, he flew backwards as if she had her own gale that flew out of her hands. I had felt the residual wind from Warpaint's attack, but I felt nothing from hers. I didn't know how she did it.

They stood up almost at the same time. Neither of them looked at me. It was as if they had both forgotten I was there.

They rushed each other. She jumped and kicked at his head. His top left arm grabbed her right foot just as both her feet wrapped around his mechatronic head. She was tall. Not as tall as me or Warpaint, but with strength I knew wasn't possible in a human, she used her momentum to carry herself so her hands met the floor. She flipped with Warpaint's head still between her feet and brought him to the floor. She tried to stand, but his hand was still wrapped around her foot.

She tripped, but caught herself with her hands. There was only a slight pop in Warpaint's left top hand before tendrils of electricity shot out and encompassed her leg.

"Don't kill her!" I wasn't sure at that moment what made me say that. I wasn't thinking straight. It wasn't because I wanted to talk to her to get information - though it should have been.