Nina pulled back. The gap between her shots had been about ten seconds. It possibly took less time than that to recharge, but she couldn’t risk being caught in the open with a useless weapon.

She listened. Footsteps thudded softly against the metal floor: the new arrival joining his comrade. If they advanced on each side of the corridor, she could only target one – and the other would reach the armoury before her weapon recharged.

She didn’t entertain even for a moment the fantasy that she might be able to beat them in close-quarters combat. Instead she continued her mental countdown. Six seconds, muttered discussion audible over the injured man’s fading groans. Three, two—

Movement. Nina couldn’t wait any longer – they were coming. She lunged back out. Both Nephilim ran at her, trikans whirling, widely spaced to make targeting both impossible—

She found a different target.

The wounded Nephilim was at death’s door. Nina ended his agony, blasting him into a gory haze – which hit the charging warriors with explosive force. They both reeled back, blinded by the stinging red spray.

Nina hauled the clumsy baraka with her as she rushed into the corridor. The exit to the fortress’s exterior was ahead. What she would do when she reached it she had no idea, but anything was better than waiting to be carved to pieces.

Behind her, the two warriors recovered, wiping blood from their eyes before pursuing. Their intent had already been murderous; now it was personal.

Chapter 31

31

The first Z-20 took off from the crater, followed by its twin. Both helicopters climbed to follow the fortress towards the city.

Wu Shun watched them go, then resumed her radio exchange. ‘No, Colonel Commandant Wu is dead! I’ve assumed battlefield command. Yes, battlefield – this is a combat situation! There is a UFO heading for Xinengyuan; it’s hostile, and must be destroyed before it reaches the city.’ She paused, listening to the inevitable disbelief and resistance from the airbase’s watch officer. ‘Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true! It killed Colonel Wu! I need gunships and fighter jets, now! This thing has to be taken down before there are civilian casualties!’

‘Uh, yes, ma’am,’ the officer replied. ‘There are two armed transports on their way to you already. Gunships will take fifteen minutes to arm up and get airborne.’

‘Too long! What about jets?’

‘We weren’t expecting combat, so twenty minutes to fuel and load ordnance – but they’ll reach you much faster than the gunships.’

‘Just get them here,’ she snapped. ‘And institute a total communications blackout on Xinengyuan and the surrounding region – my authority. Phones, internet, radio, everything. If a single picture of this thing appears on social media, somebody will be executed for it!’