Lightning Bringer: (Lighting Seeker Book 2)

Shake Em Off

Dash's voice was far away, muffled behind the roar of blood rushing through Vale's ears. Her heart slammed loudly into her rib cage, a wild and chaotic rhythm that grew so loud that she felt the pulse in her extremities. She blinked, trying to keep the room in focus. Trying to understand something that seemed impossible. Dash and Sky are chosen elite, heirs of the families that created the original AI's and descendants of the rulers that turned humanity into slaves of the AI rule.

"Yes." Dash's voice broke through the chaos of her mind. "My family and Sky's are the reason for all of this. For why all of this happened." She felt Dash place his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks to get her attention, pulling her back to the present conversation. "And it's time that the Devinus family made things right. That we fix what we have broken."

Vale blinked, trying to focus on his face. His eyes. But she couldn't get her brain to stop roaring with questions, making it hard to concentrate. "Vale?" Dashed cut through her thoughts again. "Please say something?"

A sudden jolt threw Vale and Dash across the vehicle, slamming them into the side of the metal surface with a crack. "We've got company!" Mortem barked, throwing the door to the driver's room open. He walked with an easy precision that came with years of rough sea travel as he moved to stand above Vale.

Vale rubbed her head, sore from the jarring toss. "How many?" she asked, tumbling to her feet.

"Ten. Two Hover Bikes on our tail. Shake 'em off." Vale nodded, suddenly surging with adrenaline. She welcomed the change, pushing Dash's realizations to the back of her mind.

She nodded, itching to move. "On it." Vale bolted out of the room, down the hall, surprised by how large the space was, and reached the back doors of the hover vehicle. She threw them open and instantly ducked as a set of bullets ripped through the air over her head.

Two hoverbikes were closing in on their hover vehicle. Five AI's stood in each one, holding large glittering guns. Vale couldn't help but grin. "We've got them nervous, Mortem. There using shooters."

She could hear the smile in Mortem's response over her earpiece. "They should be afraid. We took somethin' they wanted."

Vale scanned the hoverbikes, setting her eyes on the closest one. The bike was shaped like a large triangle. The driver sat at the front, a thick class wall surrounding it in protection. The other four AI stood at the back, arms cocked, holding two twin weapons aimed at their getaway ride.

She stood up and fired a bolt of lightning, watching the hoverbike swerve wildly, narrowly avoiding her attack. They shot again and Vale transformed her metal arm into a shield, ignoring the sharp vibrations that moved up her shoulder and across her ribs. I need to get on that thing before they do too much damage.

She suddenly sensed Dash's presence next to her. Vale spoke into her earpiece, doing her best to hear herself over the bullets. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point." She heard Mortem's growl of displeasure but didn't protest.

Turning, she shot Dash an unspoken request. "I need a boost." He nodded, needing no further encouragement. Grabbing her wrist, he moved to the edge of the door and jumped, boosting into the air, pulling Vale up behind him. His jet boots shot them high into the air. Dash pulled Vale against him, tucking his arms under her knees.

"Where am I dropping you?" he asked over the howl of the wind. Vale, fighting back her instinct to scrunch her eyes shut, motioned to the first hoverbike.

"Right in the middle there."

There was a slight pause and Vale heard Dash laugh. She shot him a glare. "Sorry. It's just funny. You've taken down airships, destroyed ballrooms, ripped through AI armies. I guess I just forget that you still freak out when you are up here."

"You mean when I'm in your arms, flying through the air at unhealthy altitudes? Yeah. Not my favorite."

Dash rolled his eyes, a mischievous glint filling his eyes. "You love it," he replied with a raise of his brows. Then he dropped her, not waiting to see if she was ready. Vale bit back a scream of terror as the hoverbike grew larger and larger as she fell. She landed in a crouch, behind the AI's. She transformed her arm into a sword. The AI's all turned in unison, their purple glistening eyes menacing as they took in the intruder.

"You were looking for me?" Vale asked dryly. She raised her sword and smiled, eyes dangerous. "Well, you found me." Then she jumped, plunging her sword into the closest AI, and filling it with lightning. It lit up and buckled, falling to the ground.

The other AI's looked down at the fallen AI and then back at her. "Stop now, or be taken by force," the AI's all responded in a cold, calculated unison. They moved into a circle around her, blocking her exit. Like I was planning on running, she thought sarcastically.

"I'll go with the forced route. Much more fun!" Vale replied jumping back as the first AI lunged for her. Turning, she brought her arm up and shoved her sword through another AI's face. She kept her sword inside and swung her body around, pulling the AI into another one, sending them both to the ground.

"Who wants to go next?" Vale grinned.