Chapter 264: The Human Wall

The hatch above them gave way with a loud crack.

Han Zheng climbed out first, landing on a metal walkway with his rifle raised. Su Yun followed, then Lin Qing and Ah Hua. Cold night air rushed through the enormous hangar, a welcome change from the stale underground corridors.

At the far end, an armored aircraft waited beside the open hangar doors. Its engines were already running. And standing on the loading ramp were Commander Lu and Dr. Sterling.

Commander Lu’s injured wrist was wrapped in a bloody bandage. Dr. Sterling held the black drive containing the Apex’s research data close to his chest.

"You’re too late!" Commander Lu’s voice rang through the hangar speakers. "You didn’t think I’d leave without protection, did you?"

Nine armored soldiers stepped out from behind the cargo crates, blocking the way to the aircraft. Their shields rose together. Electricity sparked around two of them, three drew glowing energy blades, and the others aimed their rifles.

Ah Hua swore. "Nine of them? Seriously?"

Su Yun caught Han Zheng’s arm before he could fire.

"Wait. Look at their numbers. Seven through Fifteen." She stared at the tags on their armor. "They’re being controlled, just like I was."

Through the helmet visors, Lin Qing could see their empty expressions. Han Zheng lowered his rifle a fraction. "Then we don’t kill them. Break their weapons, damage their armor, knock them down if you have to. But keep them alive."

"That’s going to make this fun," Ah Hua muttered, switching his rifle to its stun setting.

Su Yun slipped toward the cargo crates on the left. Lin Qing stayed behind Han Zheng, watching for anyone trying to circle around them.

For a moment, no one moved. The aircraft’s engines rumbled in the distance, and the controlled soldiers stood waiting for their orders.

"Can you break their control like you broke free?" Lin Qing asked Su Yun.

"Mine burned out because Lu pushed it too far. We can’t count on that happening again." Su Yun checked her rifle. "If we can damage the receivers without hurting them, we might get some of them back."

Han Zheng nodded. "Try it when you get a clear shot."

Then Lu raised his hand from the ramp.

The nine soldiers charged.

Three rushed forward behind their shields, sending bolts of electricity across the floor. Han Zheng raised his hand, forming a wall of force that stopped the first charge. The impact pushed him back, his boots scraping against the concrete.

"Watch your feet!" he shouted. "Ah Hua, take the right!"

Ah Hua barreled into the line, slamming his metal arm against a shield. One soldier fell. Another stumbled into him, and both went down.

They got back up almost immediately.

"Oh, come on!" Ah Hua growled.

Three more surrounded him. One jabbed a sparking weapon toward his leg while another tried to pin his metal arm. Ah Hua blocked the first blow, but the second knocked him off balance.

Su Yun fired from behind a crate. Her shots struck the power packs on two soldiers’ backs, making their weapons sputter and die.

The fight spread across the hangar. Han Zheng knocked one soldier away, only for him to rise and attack again. Su Yun kept aiming for weapons and armor, while Ah Hua tried to hold the others back without seriously hurting them.

One of the soldiers stumbled near Lin Qing, his shield hanging loose from a damaged strap. She could see a woman behind the visor, not much older than Su Yun. Her eyes were wide, but her face held no expression.

"Please just stay down," Lin Qing murmured, aiming at the shield’s fastening instead of the woman’s chest.

Her shot snapped the strap. The shield fell, and the woman dropped to one knee. Lin Qing almost felt relieved. Then the woman reached for her fallen weapon and stood again.

It wasn’t working fast enough.

"They won’t stay down!" Ah Hua yelled. "We’re going to be here all night!"

"Then keep them busy!" Han Zheng answered. "We just need a way through!"

Lin Qing stood near a concrete pillar, rifle raised, calling out dangers the others couldn’t see.

"Han Zheng, left! Two with blades!"

He turned and blocked them.

"Ah Hua, duck!"

A shot passed over Ah Hua’s head and struck the wall.

Lin Qing shifted behind her pillar as bullets hit the crates around her. One bounced off a metal edge and flew harmlessly into the ceiling. Another missed her just as she bent to pick up a fallen magazine.

Her strange luck was still helping her, even if she didn’t have time to think about it. From the aircraft ramp, Commander Lu watched the battle with a smile.

"Look at them," he said. "They’d rather get themselves killed than hurt my soldiers."

"Commander, we should leave," Dr. Sterling urged. "The aircraft is ready."

"In a moment."

Dr. Sterling glanced at the hangar doors, then at the squad. "If they reach us..."

"They won’t," Commander Lu said. "Their own conscience will keep them occupied."

He watched Han Zheng stop another charging soldier without striking back hard enough to finish the fight. The sight seemed to amuse him more than it should have.

Then Lu noticed who was keeping the squad organized. He lifted his radio. His gaze had settled on Lin Qing.

"Units Eight and Nine. Forget the others. Kill the girl behind the pillar."

Two soldiers broke away from the fight and disappeared behind the cargo crates.

Su Yun noticed them too late.

"Lin Qing! Behind you!"

An attacker lunged at Su Yun, forcing her to turn and block him. Lin Qing spun toward the crates. The first soldier came around the corner with his rifle raised. She fired, her shot caught his shoulder, knocking his aim aside.

For one hopeful second, she thought that would stop him, but then the second soldier appeared from the other direction.

Both opened fire.

Bullets struck the pillar and the crates, throwing chips of concrete and metal into the air. Lin Qing ducked. A round passed so close that she felt the rush of air beside her cheek.

She tried to move left, but one soldier blocked the opening. She turned right, only to find a stack of crates in her way.

There was no clear path out.

Lin Qing looked down at the rifle in her hands. She could shoot the soldiers in front of her, aim for their chests, and maybe create enough room to escape. But she remembered Su Yun standing blank-eyed in the command suite, unable to resist an order to kill her own friends.

These two were no different.

"Don’t make me do this," she whispered.

Neither soldier slowed down.

"Lin Qing!" Han Zheng shouted from across the hangar.

He started toward her, but three soldiers rushed in to stop him. He threw one back with a burst of force, then had to raise his shield against another attack.

"Get out of my way!"

Lin Qing crouched lower. A shot hit the concrete above her, showering her hair with dust. She raised her rifle and fired again, forcing the nearest soldier to stagger.

But the other kept shooting. She shifted her weight, ready to dive past the crates. At that exact moment, a piece of metal knocked loose by the gunfire skidded across her path.

She flinched and lost her chance to move.

A shot rang out.

THWACK!

Something struck the right side of her vest and drove her hard against the pillar. For a moment, Lin Qing felt nothing but the impact, then came the pain.

She touched the place where the bullet had hit. Her vest was torn near the edge, and warmth spread under her fingers. She pressed harder, hoping it was only a shallow wound, but the pain deepened every time she tried to breathe.

She couldn’t tell how badly she’d been hurt. She only knew she was losing strength much too quickly. Her rifle slipped from her hands and clattered onto the floor. She tried to stay standing, but her knees gave way. She slid down the pillar, one hand pressing against her waist.

When she pulled it back, her palm was red.

"Lin Qing!"

Han Zheng’s voice sounded different now. Not commanding, it was frightened. He blasted the soldier in front of him aside and ran toward her, but the others moved to block his path again.

Ah Hua saw her on the ground.

"Damn it! Han Zheng, go! I’ll hold them!"

He charged into the nearest soldier, sending him crashing into a crate. Su Yun broke away from her attacker and fired at the two soldiers approaching Lin Qing.

"Stay away from her!"

They ducked behind cover. Lin Qing tried to call out, but breathing hurt. Blood soaked through her vest and spread beneath her on the cold concrete. She could hear Han Zheng shouting her name, though his voice seemed strangely far away.

She wanted to tell him to go after Lu. They had come too far to let him escape. But when she opened her mouth, all she managed was a weak gasp.

Above them, the aircraft engines grew louder.

"Clear for takeoff!" the pilot announced.

The transport lifted slowly from the ground, blowing dust across the hangar. Commander Lu stood on the ramp long enough to see Lin Qing collapsed beside the pillar. He laughed, then disappeared inside as the ramp began to close.

Han Zheng looked up at the rising aircraft for only a moment. Then he turned back to Lin Qing.

She lay against the pillar, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her hand was still pressed to her wounded side, but blood continued to seep between her fingers.

The lights above her blurred.

She tried to take another breath, and the darkness at the edges of her vision crept closer.