Out of the Black (Odyssey One, Book 4) by Evan Currie Read Free Book Online

facial recognition.
    Well, well, well. Melyssa Sirenne Myriano, lieutenant in the Corps. Communications specialist
. Her service record flitted by, but he mostly ignored it once he’d determined that she had no significant red flags. He could use a good comm link, actually, and someone who knew the city for that matter, but without some decent equipment she wasn’t much more than a meat target.
    Eric looked her over. “Alright then, Lieutenant. You want to hang around, that’s fine with me. We’ll have to get you some proper kit, however.”
    Lyssa snorted, holding up her empty hands. “Twist my arm.”
    He turned back to the others in the alley, speaking to them all, but looking at the big man in SWAT gear. “Get these people out of here. Stay near the waterfront and head down toward the Lincoln Tunnel. The Guard has a command post setup at the USS
Intrepid
. They’ll have an evacuation plan and weapons for you. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”
    Lyssa slapped Alex on his armored chest, nodding to the spotter’s scope he was still holding. “I’ll take that, man.”
    He shrugged and nodded, dropping it into her palm. “Be careful.”
    She jerked her head in Eric’s direction. “The man just face planted his whole fucking starship into New York City. I think he’s used up his bad luck for this year.”
    She pointedly ignored Eric snorting in the background as he mumbled, “I wish.”
    “Time to go,” Eric spoke up. “Movement converging on this area from three sides.”
    “The Guard?” Lyssa asked, hopefully but not expectedly.
    “No such luck. Guard transponders are still showing ten blocks south,” Eric said. “Heat signatures match Drasin.”
    “Great.”
    Eric pointed at the others. “The shoreline is clear. Head south to the
Intrepid
.”
    “Right, come on, you lot. This way.”
    Eric watched them head out, cutting down a side street that headed west to the shore. Then he turned to Lyssa. “You scared of heights?”
    “Not even slightly.”
    “Good.” He stepped in, hooking an arm around her waist. “Step on my toes.”
    She grinned. “I’m not that bad a dancer.”
    She put her feet on his, however, and Eric sent the lift command to the chute. The system whirred a little louder than normal but easily hefted the two of them straight up the side of the skyscraper to the roof. Lyssa stepped off his toes, dropping to the roof as Eric landed and cut his chute loose, sending it on overwatch recon.
    “Check the southeast,” he told her. “I’ve got enemy combat drones covering the park. Call out if you spot anything.”
    “Right. What are you going to do?”
    Eric planted a foot on the edge of the building, looking down at the battleground they’d just left. “I’m going to see about scaring up some assets. Weston to Command, come in Command.”
    “Go for Command, Captain.”
    “I’m transmitting new data on enemy movements via my drones. Collate and prioritize for strikes.”
    “Roger, Captain. We have your feed.”
    “I’m going to need an equipment drop.”
    There was a pause before the voice came back. “No can do, Captain. We are tapped out in this area.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me, Command.”
    “Captain, every SOCOM unit is in the field and they’ve drawn every supply drone we have available to fly. Even if we had the gear to dispatch, there’s nothing to deliver it, Captain. Every piece of equipment in the Confederacy has been tagged for deployment already.”
    Weston scowled, shaking his head, but there was little he could say about it. “Roger that. Weston out.”

    The entity who self-identified as Gaia watched over the events transpiring, concern rising as the intruders began their invasive assault on
her
world. The intruders were beginning their multiplication process, converting elements of the Earth into more of the vile filth like themselves
.
    For the moment the threat was minimal, however
.
    Unlike what she had learned of her counterpart on