Cormac gently placed me behind him as the elevator doors closed in front of us. I was expecting a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach like I experienced on elevators at home. This was ten times worse. We were falling at exactly the speed needed to keep my toes touching the floor, but the stopping was really going to be rough.

“Cormac!”

He grabbed me at once, turning his back to the door and holding me to his chest as the elevator slammed to a stop. He absorbed the shock easily. Had he not been holding me, I would have crumpled into a mess. One, I wasn’t as strong as he was. Two, my balance was far from gymnast level. I would have been on my ass. Probably slammed my head into the wall. Sheesh.

“What kind of stupid elevator is this?”

“Hive. Their limbs have been enhanced to withstand much more than their normal biology would allow.” Cormac released me, using one hand to ensure I was steady enough to stand on my own as he turned back around to face the doors. He completely blocked my view, but I didn’t try to peek around him. Nope. I’d stare at his magnificent ass instead. Not monsters. Damn it.

All I could think about was a stupid movie I’d seen as a kid. One of the science fiction movies that had Star something in the title. They’d had these evil enemies that flew around space in giant cubes. They were half human and half robot, and their queen had a squiggly robot spine that came out of her body and twisted around like a worm. Disgusting.

I’d had nightmares for weeks. Was that what the Hive was? I was beginning to think maybe I should have stayed up top and taken my chances.

Dim light filled the corridor beyond us. Cormac stepped forward, and I followed, staying about three steps behind him. A loud thumping noise came from up ahead, like someone was hitting a mound of dirt with a baseball bat. Every few seconds…thump.

I wanted to ask Cormac what that could be, but he was moving like a ghost, so quiet if I couldn’t see him right in front of me, I wouldn’t believe he was there.

We came to the end of the short corridor, and Cormac turned to his right, blaster raised. I froze, waiting to see what would happen.

Thump…thump…thump.

“Fuck.” Cormac put his blaster back into its holster on the side of his suit and cursed some more. He looked over to me and motioned for me to come closer. I moved to his side as fast as I could manage. I looked down the new corridor and felt my heart sink into my stomach.