Tazhr
TAZHR
I prowled through the cramped maintenance tunnels beneath Conii's compound, following the twisting path the Arkani mapped out. Emma's sweet scent lingered in the stale air, guiding me onward. She had been this way recently. I was closing in.
The tunnels were a maze, but I navigated unerringly, alert for the traps and decoys the Arkani had warned of. A false turn could mean becoming lost in this labyrinth forever, but Emma's fading fragrance drew me like a beacon through the gloom.
Up ahead, the tunnel branched. One path sloped downward into impenetrable darkness. The other ended in a solid metal wall. Emma's scent was stronger from that direction. I pressed my hand against the cold metal, reaching out with my senses. She was near, so tantalizingly near.
With a savage roar, I unleashed my fury upon the obstacle, claws and fists tearing relentlessly at the alloy. The metal warped and buckled under my onslaught. Agonizingly slowly, a gap widened. I wedged my fingers into the tear, muscles straining as I ripped the hole wider.
Beyond was only sterile silence. Was I wrong? Panic rose in my chest. Then a thunderous pounding echoed through the wall, the blessed rhythm of Emma's heartbeat. I bellowed her name, straining with renewed desperation until finally the gap was large enough to slip through.
I emerged into a harshly lit corridor. Emma's fragrance enveloped me, overpowering now. She came this way recently, and not alone. I inhaled deeply, sorting through the other scents. Guards—at least two of them. My lips peeled back, baring my fangs. They would pay for laying their filthy hands on my mate.
Creeping silently onward, I tracked the group's path through a maze of turns and passages until it came to a dead end once again.
But it didn't matter. On the other side, I heard Conii's voice, cruel and taunting.
With a roar, I ripped open the metal, fury bubbling through me at the sight of Emma's slender form forced to her knees before Conii.
No more.
I charged, barreling into the nearest guard and crushing his spine before he could react. The sickening crunch of shattering vertebrae echoed off the walls of the room. The other guard that dared to lay hand on Emma scrambled backwards, but it was too late for him.
Before his limp body finished its descent, two more brutish guards rushed through the open door. The first swung a metal club studded with wicked spikes. I spun out of its path then grabbed his overextended arm and wrenched upwards, feeling the pop of a dislocated shoulder. Howling, he dropped the club which I scooped up and rammed viciously into his gut, doubling him over before a strike to his temple put him down.
The second guard came at me with a crackling stun prod, its tip giving off an ominous hum. He jabbed it toward my chest but I side-stepped the attack and wrapped one hand around his thick wrist, squeezing until I felt the delicate bones fracture. The guard shrieked, fingers spasming open to drop the weapon.
In the same motion, I yanked him off balance and delivered a devastating clothesline blow to his throat. He collapsed choking and gagging, helpless now. A stomp of my boot crushed his larynx, ending his miserable existence.
Yet more brutish forms crowded through the doorway, these wielding menacing vibro-axes. The first hacked down at my skull. I flipped backwards out of reach, the vicious blade splitting empty air with an angry whine. As he struggled to free it from the floor, I vaulted into a flying kick that crushed his sternum and hurled him limply against the far wall.
The second swung for my legs with a sweeping blow. I leapt over the scything arc then dropsaulted him straight in the face on my way down. Cartilage crunched wetly under my boots and he sagged moaning. A vicious stomp exploded his nose into a bloody ruin, silencing his cries.
The largest attacker yet stalked through the door, a hulking Mondian, easily nine feet tall. Muscles rippled beneath his black battle armor as he hefted a massive two-handed maul. His first colossal swing vaporized Conii's ostentatious kauri desk in an explosion of shrapnel.
Circling warily, I delivered a rapid barrage of blows to his torso but the armor absorbed them with minimal effect. The giant swung again, slower this time. I rolled under the ponderous swing and came up behind him. Gripping his armored head between my hands, I twisted violently until a resounding crack signaled the end. The mammoth body slumped face-first to the floor with a resounding boom.
Glancing around for more foes, my gaze fell upon Emma, eyes wide with shock yet fierce determination still blazing behind her fear. My brave, unbreakable mate. But she was unarmed and vulnerable, unable to aid in the melee.
I spotted one of the fallen guard's discarded stun prods laying nearby. Snatching it up, I tossed the weapon toward her. "Emma, catch!"
She deftly caught the prod and whirled to confront the next wave of attackers. A towering Astran charged swinging a meter long shock-whip which Emma narrowly ducked. Before he recovered, she jammed the stun prod into his gut and triggered it.
50,000 volts of electricity dropped the giant Astran instantly, convulsing helplessly on the polished floor. Emma braced over his prone form, facing the door defiantly.
My courageous mate, standing strong at my side even amidst the chaos. Heart swelling with pride, I spun to confront the next attackers, but none came.
"It's over, Conii," I rumbled. "Your guards aren't fools, and all your secrets have come to light. The evidence of your crimes is irrefutable now."
Conii's eyes narrowed, her expression venomous. "You know nothing, fool. I am untouchable on this station."
In answer, I tossed my percomm onto her desk. "See for yourself."
With trembling hands, she scanned the news headlines and frantic chatter over the coms. As she took in the scope of the revelations, all color leached from her elegant features.
"No...impossible...I'll kill you for this!" she hissed. But beneath the bravado, I sensed her desperation. Her house of cards was crumbling.
I bared my fangs in a cold smile. "Your reign ends today. The hunters are coming for you now." As if on cue, the thunder of the outer walls of the compound being breached thundered through the room.
"Who do you think will get to you first?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowed. "I imagine there's quite a list of sentients who would like to talk to you now."
Blaster fire from outside only underscored her words.
With a shriek of rage, Conii dove for a hidden panel and scrambled into an escape hatch just before the office door burst inward once again.
Alkard and the rest of my brothers strode through, taking positions through the room.
But that didn't matter, not now.
I lifted Emma gently to her feet and into my embrace. Relief flooded me, having her back safe in my arms. Cupping her face in my hands, I tenderly kissed her, heedless of any observers. Against all odds, we survived.
A purposeful cough interrupted us. I turned to glare at Alkard. There would be much to discuss about the downfall of his nemesis and plans for the future. But for now, my universe narrowed to just myself and Emma.
The rest could wait.