Chapter Nine

I skidded to a stop and scanned the wall. Huh? I didn't see a sensor pad.

Meow. Meow. Meow.

"Hold you up to the wall?"

Meow.

"Okay." I lifted him up.

Hitch reached out with a paw and tapped the wall. The panel slid back.

"Good job, little dude." I grimaced as the stench of death hit me.

Meow .

"Yeah, smells worse than the insides of a Tai-Kok slaughter ship." I scanned the area ahead of us. All I could sense were lots and lots of dead things. The only signs of life were Aphrodite and her captor. A door opened and bright sunlight suddenly flooded the corridor. My helmet adjusted and I watched the clone run toward a shuttle. Crap! I reached out mentally. "Stop! Drop the witch."

He kept running.

I upped my power and tried again. Nothing happened. Wazzock's piss. He had to be wearing one of those high-tech discs that blocked mind control. I sprinted after them.

Aphrodite's head jerked up and she looked around wildly.

I linked with her. " C'mon fight him. Bite his ear. Zap his butt. Just do something to stop him from getting you in that shuttle. C'mon, you can do it. I know you can."

"Bite his ear? Ewww, gross."

"It's better than him biting you." I flashed her an image of his serrated teeth.

She wriggled frantically. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"

The clone growled at her.

Aphrodite fainted.

I rolled my eyes. How had she survived this long? You'd think the Askole DNA Bodhi had injected her with would give her a spine, but it hadn't.

Meow? Meow?

"What's my plan? I'm gonna whack the hell out of him with my telekinesis."

Meow.

"Yeah, you can bite him too."

Hitch purred loudly.

I increased my speed as Mallox's clone reached the shuttle. "Wake up and fight Aphrodite."

"Huh? What happened?"

The witch had a mind like a sieve. "You were captured by a Rodan. Fight or die," I bellowed.

Her entire body went stiff. "I don't know how to fight. I'm a dancer."

"Use your magic or prepare to be eaten alive or turned into a monster," I spat.

"But I'm wearing armor."

"He can easily remove your armor." I knocked her captor's legs out from under him with my telekinesis. He fell backward and somehow Aphrodite ended up straddling him.

Shrieking like a crazed banshee, Aphrodite bitch-slapped the clone repeatedly.

Oh, dear God. Like that was going to work.

Meow?

"No, you can't bite Aphrodite."

Meow?

"Because we are supposed to protect idiots like her, not kill them."

Meow.

"I agree, it is a stupid rule."

The clone used his arms and legs to flip Aphrodite over his head.

Aphrodite did a spectacular somersault, rolled to her feet, and took off running.

Color me surprised.

Mallox's clone tackled her.

Aphrodite shrieked.

"Use your friggin' magic," I yelled.

"I don't know how to fight. I'm a dancer," she cried.

If she said that one more time, I was going to shoot her myself.

Meow?

I nodded. "He's all yours."

Still invisible, Hitch attacked Mallox's clone.

The witch scrambled out of the way.

The clone's shrieks were louder than Aphrodite's as he tried to pry Hitch off his face.

Aphrodite boogied across the sand, singing, "Earth girls' rule! Mallox drools. Oh, yes, he does! Oh, yes, he does! Earth girls are the best. Oh, yes, we are. Oh, yes, we are."

Hitch scampered up my body and let out a confused meow.

"I think it's her battle cry."

Meow.

"Yeah, it's lame alright. She needs to shut the hell up before…."

Three Rodan soldiers rushed out of the shuttle just in time to see the clone convulse and die. Roaring furiously, they started shooting at Aphrodite.

The witch ran this way and that, waving her arms like a crazy woman, trying to avoid getting vaporized.

To my utter amazement, not one of their shots even came close to hitting her.

"I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home," Aphrodite wailed.

"Don't we all?" Unleashing my telekinesis, I bounced the soldiers off the shuttle until they stopped moving.

"Where is Bodhi?" Aphrodite demanded. "He should be here, keeping me safe."

"You're a witch. Maybe he thought you can defend yourself."

Aphrodite let out an indignant huff. "Me? Fight?"

"Yeah, what was I thinking? Bodhi is a little busy killing the Rodan right now." I frowned at the sound of a laser cannon being powered up. Crap. There was a pilot, and he was getting ready to shoot us.

The cannon moved toward us.

"Duck!" I knocked Aphrodite to the ground.

She wiggled wildly. "Get off me."

"No. Stay down."

"Why?"

The shuttle pilot unleashed a barrage of laser fire, but the only thing he hit was sand and the three Rodan soldiers running for their lives.

Hitch clung to my helmet. Meow! Meow!

"Yes, it is a good thing he's a piss-poor shot." I jerked Aphrodite to her feet. "Get in the shuttle."

"What? Why?"

A laser cannon bolt zinged over our heads. "That's why. Now move it, move it, move it."

Aphrodite bolted up the landing ramp.

I was right on her heels when the ramp rose abruptly, knocking me off balance and sending me tumbling into the witch.

Aphrodite squawked as the pilot did a vertical launch.

The G-forces slammed us to the floor.

Aphrodite gasped, "Where is he taking us?"

"Somewhere awful." I caught a glimpse of the viewscreen. Mallox spat a bunch of gobbledygook at the pilot.

"Is that another clone?"

"Good question." Since I was invisible, I snuck up behind the pilot and bashed his head against the console.

Instead of knocking him out, it only pissed him off. With an enraged roar, he jumped up and pulled his laser pistol.

I kicked the pistol out of his hand. "Are you nuts?! You could hit the engines."

The shuttle went into a sudden nosedive.

"Wazzock's piss!"

The pilot and I jumped for the controls at the same time. I bounced off him and landed on the floor.

He leveled out the shuttle, grabbed his pistol and fired at Aphrodite.

Her armor dissipated the energy blast. Aphrodite stared in disbelief at the glowing red metal on her chest.

"Don't you dare faint. Do you hear me? Don't you faint," I yelled.

The pilot spun around and fired again.

The blast missed me by a good foot but punctured the hull. A cry of horror broke from me as a piece of the fuselage tore away, leaving a ragged hole edged with twisted metal and torn cabling. The shuttle rapidly depressurized. The rushing air sucked me against the hole. "Are you that stupid or do you have a death wish?" Using my telekinesis, I managed to stop the air from escaping and started for the pilot.

The idiot raised his laser pistol.

"Sic 'em Hitch."

With a shriek of agony, the pilot grabbed his face, made a gurgling noise, and dropped dead.

"Good boy, Hitch."

Hitch let out a worried yowl as the shuttle abruptly plunged toward the surface at terminal velocity. The shriek of overstressed metal became horrific. Acid smoke fumes filled the air, searing my eyes and lungs.

"We are not going to die . Nothing is going to stop me from having hot, monkey sex with Hothar." Somehow, I managed to pull myself into the pilot's seat, and fasten the battle harness. I took one look at the red warning lights blinking frantically on the console and groaned in dismay. The power relays were damaged. I had about ten minutes to land before they stopped working altogether. Then it would be a fast ride to eternity.

Hitch let out a demanding meow.

"Give me a break, my Rodan is not that good." My hands flew across the control console. "C'mon. C'mon, level out."

Hothar linked with me, and I could feel his startled horror. "How did you end up on a badly damaged shuttle?"

"Long story. I've never flown a Rodan shuttle before. How do I keep from crashing this damn thing?"

"Use the braking thrusters to slow your speed," Hothar instructed calmly.

I studied the console. "Which one is the breaking thrusters?"

"Second icon on the left."

"Gotcha." I brought the thrusters online and the roar of the engines became deafening. G forces slammed me back against the seat. My teeth slammed together as the shaking grew worse.

Aphrodite started screaming, "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!"

"Shut the hell up. You're messing with my concentration." The shuttle's violent vertical descent slowed and began to level off.

Aphrodite kept screaming.

"Quiet female," Hothar commanded.

"I don't want to die."

I snapped, "The only ones dying today are the Rodan." I let out a sigh of relief when the stabilizers came online, and the crushing centrifugal force eased. Stunning candy-colored sandstone mountains rose to greet me.

"Alter your flight path fifteen right."

I did as he instructed and blew out a long breath. I would clear the mountains.

"Is Aphrodite with you?" Tihar suddenly demanded.

"Yes."

"Is she damaged?" Bodhi asked.

"Not yet, but that depends on if I can land this shuttle in one piece."

"What?" Bodhi bellowed.

Hothar growled, "Aphrodite allowed herself to be captured by a clone. Casey rescued her and is now trying to pilot a damaged Rodan shuttle."

"What are they doing on a Rodan shuttle?" Tihar wanted to know.

Like I had time for all these questions. "The power relays will fail in sixty seconds."

"Bring the nose up. It will increase your glide path," Hothar directed.

Tihar interjected, "I will beam them onboard my ship."

"Whatever." Burning blue sparks spewed in every direction as systems blew. Rocks clawed at the bottom of the hull as I skimmed over a mountain ridge. "C'mon, c'mon, just another hundred feet and we're home free."

"The iridium in the mountains is making it difficult to get a lock on them," Tihar advised.

"You're gonna get us killed," Aphrodite shrieked.

"If you think you can do a better job, get your ass up here and fly this thing."

"I'm not a pilot. I'm a dancer."

"Then shut the hell up." I eased the shuttle down. It bounced several times, skidded wildly across the sand and slowly came to a stop. "God, do I need some chocolate."

"I will bring you some." Hothar's mental kiss had my toes curling. God, he was a great kisser.

"This is not the time to be making out," Uncle Saul snarled in my head. "There are eighteen Rodan soldiers ten klicks from your location."

"Yes, sir." I unbuckled my harness. "They won't be a problem. I really need to kill something."

"Hothar and Tihar will handle the soldiers. Your job is to keep Aphrodite safe," Uncle Saul added.

Hitch hissed.

"Seriously?"

"According to Yan, Tihar's medic, Aphrodite is pregnant," Uncle Saul replied.

"I can't say I'm surprised. They've been going at it like rabbits."

"The mountains are full of iridium which will make it difficult for the soldiers to find you. I located a small cave about eighty feet up the ridge. Hide there until we come for you," Hothar instructed, and the coordinates appeared on my warrior's bracelet.

"Will do."

"Do not remove your armor under any circumstance," Uncle Saul inserted. "The area is infested with sand hoppers."

"Yes, sir." I looked over at Aphrodite. "Did you get that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sand hoppers. Whatever they are."

Hothar shoved the mental image of a desiccated corpse into Aphrodite's mind. "Think of sand hoppers as a type of Earth vampire. In a very short time, they can drain every ounce of blood in your body."

"Vampires? Take a chill pill, for Christ's sake."

My blood pressure shot up and I snapped, "Do it for your baby then."

"Baby? What baby? I don't have any kids."

"You're pregnant," I shot back.

"Pregnant!" Aphrodite screeched . "No friggin' way. I'm on the pill."

"Askole sperm negates Earth birth control," Hothar replied.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Why is this happening to me?"

"Because you had sex with Commander Bodhi." I lowered the landing ramp. "C'mon Aphrodite. We need to get to our hiding place."

"I'm not going out there."

Hitch hissed at her.

"I see. How are you gonna feel when Mallox turns you and your baby into tentacled monsters?"

"You're sure I'm pregnant?" Aphrodite's voice wavered.

"Yes."

"Get your ass up to that cave," Uncle Saul thundered.

Aphrodite huffed, "He can't talk to me like that."

"I'm done." I threw my hands up in disgust. "You wanna stay here and die. Go for it, but I'm leaving. When Mallox cuts the baby from your womb, remember it was your choice." I handed her a laser pistol and walked down the ramp.

"You can't leave me here alone!"

I kept walking. "Yeah, I can."

"Wait! Wait for me," Aphrodite trotted after me.

Uncle Saul announced, "Eight of the Rodan soldiers are on speeders and closing fast."

"Hurry up, the Rodan soldiers are getting closer." I jogged up the mountain side.

"Where's the cave?"

"See that ledge up there?" I pointed at it.

"Yeah."

"That's where we're going."

"Way up there? That's too far. I'm already getting hot and sweaty," Aphrodite whined.

I won't shoot her. I won't shoot her. I won't shoot her.

"I need to rest." She plopped down on a boulder.

One hundred yards and she was tired? My right hand dropped to the butt of my pistol. I could shoot her. I'd be doing the universe a favor.

Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow.

I sighed. "You're right. I could never let anything happen to the baby."

Meow.

"I know. I know. I shouldn't let her push my buttons."

Meow. Meow. Meow.

"You think she's not as helpless as she acts?"

Meow.

"Huh? You might be right. How she's still breathing is a mystery."

Eight Askole fighters streaked toward us.

I grabbed Aphrodite's arm and dragged her off the boulder. "Move it. All hell is about to break loose."

"You're sure?"

The fighters strafed the Rodan soldiers.

The Rodan soldiers shot back, and a vicious crossfire erupted around us.

"Move it. Move it. Move it." Pulling my laser pistol, I scrambled up the rocky hillside and to my surprise, Aphrodite kept up with me.

Meow!

"What?" I looked over my shoulder. Three Rodan soldiers were running after us. "Wazzock's piss."

Meow. Meow. Meow.

"The soldiers aren't wearing armor?" I took another look at them. Dang, they weren't. "Any sand hoppers in the area?"

Meow.

"Good."

"What's wrong?"

"Keep moving," I ordered. The last thing I needed was for her to faint again.

An energy beam zinged by us.

I turned and fired.

A soldier dove for cover behind a boulder. A few seconds later, he jumped to his feet and frantically batted at the sand hoppers swarming over him.

His buddies watched in horror and didn't notice the hundreds of egg-shaped crab critters erupting from the sand.

"Get in the cave," I shouted.

Aphrodite took one look at the sand hoppers and skedaddled up the ridge.

Color me surprised. I followed her.

"A squadron of Marauders are closing on your location," Hothar advised.

"Copy that." Using my telekinesis, I heaved Aphrodite up the mountain and into the cave. I scrambled after her.

"Well, that was rude," Aphrodite grumbled. "Did you forget I'm pregnant?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying to keep you from being vaporized."

On cue, dogfights erupted between the Askole fighters and the Rodan Marauders. The Askole were the better pilots and fireballs mushroomed in the sky. Pieces of flaming debris rained down over the endless sand.

Several damaged Marauders began spinning and twisting violently in a rapid vertical descent. They hit the mountain and exploded in brilliant balls of orange flames.

The ground shuddered beneath our feet.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God! We're gonna die!" Aphrodite shrieked and pointed at ten Rodan soldiers climbing up the ridge.

I scanned the area. We couldn't outshoot them but there was a shitload of boulders and rocks perched on top of the ridge. Drawing on my telekinesis, I gave them a nudge and triggered an avalanche.

Aphrodite did a happy dance as the rocky landslide quickly buried the soldiers. "Earth girls' rule. Yes, we do."

A huge boulder crashed down on the ledge, blocking the cave's entrance.

Dang.

A shriek erupted from Aphrodite. "We're trapped!"

"The War Commander knows where we are. When the fight is over, he'll come for us."

Aphrodite paced the small cave. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I am." In my heart, I knew Hothar would never abandon me.

"Is it me or is it getting stuffy in here?"

I sighed loudly. "Your battle armor provides breathable air for up to two weeks."

"Oh."

Glittering blue lights formed around us.

"Ha. Bodhi is rescuing us first."

Meow!

"Maybe, but Tihar said they couldn't get a transporter lock on us." I watched my molecules whizz about. The cave vanished.