Brothers in Arms

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Mai scrambled over to check Hibiki’s vitals. Despite a lot of groaning and coughing, the Japanese agent managed to smile through a mask of blood.

“I knew I could take the fight out of them using just my body.”

Mai laid a hand on his head, her own skin dappled with her enemy’s blood. “I have the most important job for you, Hibiki-san.”

Smyth, over by the doorway, growled low in his throat “C’mon, Maggie, move it.”

Mai waited for Hibiki’s eyes to clear and meet her own. “I need you to go to the comms room. I need you to make a distress call.”

Hibiki struggled to sit up. “SOS? Of course.”

Mai moved away. “We’ll draw them away. I’m depending on you.”

Smyth charged up the corridor, firing as more Korean guards entered the narrow space. His weapon discharged quickly, but he had a second and a third slung over each shoulder. Mai scooped up every gun she could find as she chased him. Behind her, she heard Hibiki struggling to follow. Smyth passed the door that led to the lab and outside to the partially burned comms room, slowing as he saw it standing open. Mai was about to warn him when he switched left and chose a darker room.

Shot out the windows at a dead run…

… and dove through. Smyth landed headfirst, rolled, and came up with a gun nestled against his shoulder. Then the Korean guards opened fire.

A round sent him toppling back among shards of shattered glass. Mai barely missed landing on him, registering the bloom of blood and seeing his eyes close before opening fire with a machine gun in each hand. A lead curtain of fury burst through the soldiers. Within seconds they were dead or twitching.

Mai turned to Smyth.

But at that moment, another group of Koreans came running around the side of the building — the ones who had been lying in wait outside the open door. Good, Mai thought. That will give Hibiki his window to walk or crawl over to the comms room.

And judging by their cautious gait and by the way they huddled around their overweight boss, this was the last of them.

Mai focused hard and all fell into place. She saw the sway of the trees behind them. The way the wind blew little tornadoes of leaves from the brush toward the shorter grass. How the sunlight dappled the killing grounds. She heard the rush of the surf, the deeper pounding of the waves out on the ocean.

Her mind relaxed whilst her body prepared.

The chubby island leader strode forward, unable to contain his curiosity. “And how do you plan to escape from this, Miss Kitano?” His expression betrayed his worst fears.

“I intend to cut the head off the snake.” Mai widened her stance.

The island boss frowned in confusion. “Are you talking about me? My head? Even in death the People’s Republic will be victorious. Even with a thousand—”

Mai sighed. “Do it, Smyth.”

The marine answered even as he fell into motion. “Now I can die happy.” He crawled between her open legs, and shot the boss through the neck. The ground shook and birds took flight as the lifeless body hit the ground. The remaining soldiers froze, then glanced sidelong at each other.

Smyth remained where he was, savoring the moment. Blood seeped from an open wound in his shoulder where the Korean’s bullet had winged him. Mai didn’t move a muscle but she examined every face, looking for their tells.

They were beaten.

“Cover me.” She marched forward and put a foot on the dead Korean’s back. “Drop your weapons, boys. This island belongs to us now.”

And even as the guns started clattering to the ground, her thoughts turned to Drake, wondering where in the world he was, and how they would react to each other when they met once again back in civilization.