Page 65

Dallin scowled, but lowered his fist. A glance over his shoulder showed he was surrounded by Siblet.

“What are you doing in here?” A Siblet stepped forward, his weapon raised.

“I got lost. How about you?” A painful blow to the side of his head made him wince.

“Take him to Captain Ghal. He’ll want to know how an Apexian got in here.”

Dallin was dragged to his feet and shoved at gunpoint out of the chamber. He discreetly checked the time left before the first grenade detonated. There was less than five minutes. All he needed to do was keep the Siblet distracted for that long, and this would all be over.

He was led along a corridor, away from the mining area. He could still hear the dull roar of machinery, but this corridor had a proper floor, heating, and lighting.

He was shoved into a small room. The door slammed behind him and was locked.

Dallin explored the room, but quickly realized there were no windows, and the only way out was through the door he’d been shoved through.

He checked the time again. Four minutes to go. He doubted he was far enough away from the blast zone to survive this, but that didn’t matter. This mine would be brought to its knees, and there’d be no more poisonous mineral for the Siblet to exploit. His crew and his mate would be safe.

The door opened, and two armed Siblet entered. Behind them was a tall Siblet dressed in a black military uniform with a red stripe running down one arm. He removed his helmet, but kept his breathing mask on.

“Restrain him,” he said to the armed guards.

“Try, assholes,” Dallin growled.

One guard ripped off his breathing mask, and a sour taste filled Dallin’s mouth. He shoved the guard away, but they both kept coming for him.

His limbs were heavy with exhaustion, but he had to keep on fighting. He wanted to live, but in the back of his mind doubt filled him. He wasn’t getting out of this mine, and he’d never see Sloane again. The thought hit him harder than the Siblet’s fist that had just connected with his stomach.

Dallin growled and barreled into the closest guard, taking him to the floor. He yanked off the guard’s breathing mask and tossed it away, before slamming a fist into his narrow face.

The Siblet yelled and fought back. Dallin was pulled off him before he could get another punch in, and his arms were pinned behind his back. He was forced to his knees, and a gun held to the side of his head. His head was throbbing every time he took a breath. Whatever was in the air made him dizzy.

“He’s restrained, Captain Ghal,” one of the Siblet guards said.

Captain Ghal nodded, his sharp attention on Dallin. “Who are you?”

Dallin lifted his head and snarled at him. “The Apexian who’s just ruined your plans.”

Captain Ghal lifted his chin. “Is that so? And how have you done that?”

“I’m not explaining a fucking thing to you. You’ll find out soon enough. But I’ll tell you one thing. You’re gonna hate it.”

Captain Ghal’s eyes narrowed. “How did you find this place?”

“You’re bad at hiding your tracks, and you’re getting sloppy. Pretty soon, everyone will know what you bastards have been planning.”

“You followed us here?”

“I didn’t need to. Your poison led me straight to you. This is the only place with an active salnite mine.”

“Poison?” Captain Ghal smirked. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“We’re on to you. And this is about to end,” Dallin said. In about three tiny minutes, when everything exploded.

“It’s just the beginning. We have everything in place. And as you might already be aware, the first phase of our attack is underway.”

“If you mean those poorly executed attempts at chaos, they’re not going so well. You’ll have a lot to answer for when this blows up in your face.”

“Show some respect to the Captain,” one of the Siblet guards growled.