The mutated flyers noticed us the moment we dropped down low enough.
“I think they can see us,” I said nervously as one of them turned our way. One of the creatures let out a shrill cry, and the other two flying in formation with it replied with similar cries of their own.
They all turned in unison like they were controlled by a hivemind. It was creepy as fuck.
My stomach dropped to the floor. “I thought we were cloaked.”
“We are. The regular flyers have a way of spotting us even through cloaking technology. These seem to do so from even farther away.”
“Wonderful. They’ve gotten stronger.”
They called out again, and it seemed like they were communicating with something behind us. I looked at the new blinking bogeys on the screen and gasped.
“Reinforcements!” I exclaimed. “They called in reinforcements!”
More of the mutated flyers appeared on the screen in the form of little red bogeys, coming from several directions. These weren’t coming from one nest; they were coming from all over. And they were going to converge on New Franklin on yet another planting day when everyone was out in the fields.
“We need to warn them!” I fumbled the cell phone out of my jacket pocket, cursing at the zipper as it caught.
I was glad I’d kept the phone for personal use. The screen was smaller than I was used to, but right now it was going to save lives.
It only took two rings for Roger to pick up.
“Mutated flyers incoming. Several groups, from multiple nests. All heading toward us,” I shouted into the communicator, which was still in my hands. The words poured out of my mouth in rapid succession. It suddenly felt like the early days again, and we were scrambling to stay alive.
“Shit. I’ll get the hunters in the air,” Roger said.
“We will engage and give them time to get ready,” Ror’k said.
“Thank you. Fly safe, Overseer.”
I suddenly found myself pulled into Ror’k’s lap. “But I’m going to be in your way.”
“I can pilot fine in this position. You are small, and I can see over your head.”
He had a point. I was never a tall woman, but Ror’k was huge, at least seven feet tall. He towered over me, and his arms reached around me to pick up a controller that reminded me very much of one from a video game console.
“Wait! What about Her Highness and her nuggets?” They’d already survived being jostled around in a freaking tornado; thepoor things didn’t need to be bounced around like marbles in here as well.
“The sleeping nook. Release them in there and engage the barrier.”
It was probably the best solution. Ror’k released me, and I did just that as he kept his eyes on the flyers. The moment the barrier was up, Ror’k pulled me into his lap and snapped the harness down over us both.
As the creatures neared, a low, droning buzz filled the air.
Shit. I hadn’t realized the external feed included sound until now. That had me imagining an entire swarm of hornets flying at my face.
“Shuttle, disengage cloak.”
I held my breath as the closest one flew in. I didn’t get any warning as Ror’k flew directly toward it and opened fire. It dodged the shot, moving so quickly it was creepily unnatural. It reminded me of when Earth bugs would hover in one place and then reappear, hovering a few inches away, without ever seeming like they had moved at all.
It lashed its tail in an arc, and Ror’k swerved to the left to avoid it.
Instead of directly engaging, Ror’k flew off, forcing the mutant scourge to chase it. He flew us directly into the path of another of these creatures, and the winged beasts almost collided with each other behind the shuttle. That was a smart ploy and would have been spectacular if it had worked.
We dove through the buzz of wings, keeping them chasing us. I held my breath every time we passed too close to one of the creatures. But Ror’k was a good pilot. Exceptional, in fact. Heled the bloody creatures on a merry chase as the shuttle danced through the clouds like it was an extension of his body. I couldn’t help but grow aware of firm muscles behind my back and under my legs.
There was a sudden jerking motion as one of the creatures’ whip-like tails caught the side of the ship when Ror’k misjudged by a hair’s breadth. I gasped, holding onto whatever I could, which just happened to be his thick thighs under my hips.
