Weapons of War Read Free Page A

rifle pointed at him. Why didn't it shoot?
    "Surrender," the soldier said, switching to English.  
    Information. That was why it didn't just kill him. The rest of the Dread didn't know everything that had happened on top of the mountain, but they wanted to.
    "Go to hell," Donovan said. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he wasn't going to tell them anything.
    The soldier came at him, faster than Donovan could believe. It grabbed him by his throat, lifting him easily and shoving him against a tree. "Druk'shur. How did you defeat Orik?"
    "He had help," Ehri said, appearing from the brush.  
    She fired, the bolt tearing through the Dread soldier's helmet and head and passing out the other side. Donovan felt the pressure on his throat release, and then he slid down the trunk as the soldier collapsed.  
    "Thanks," he said, looking back to where he had last seen Matteo. He wasn't behind the tree. "Where's Matteo?"
    "I didn't see him," Ehri said.  
    "What about the pilot?"
    "Diaz is with him."
    "The enemy soldiers?"
    "Dead."
    "Your clones, too?"
    "I told you, they couldn't be permitted to leave."
    He watched her face for signs of remorse. There wasn't any. Death didn't have the same meaning to the bek'hai as it did to humans. Not when they reproduced like toys in a factory, instead of unique living, breathing, feeling creatures with hearts and souls. Ehri was starting to see the truth of that perspective, but she wasn't there yet.
    He found his rifle on the ground, picking it up before heading over to the spot where Matteo had been standing. He was half-afraid to find his friend's corpse among the dead clones, half-relieved when he saw it wasn't. Where had he gone?
    "Matteo," he said as loudly as he dared. "Matteo."
    There was no reply.  
    "Did any of them escape?" he asked.
    "I didn't see any fleeing, but their numbers are hard to judge in the cover and the darkness."
    "Did they take him?"
    "It is possible."
    Donovan cursed, leaning against the tree. If the Dread had ordered Matteo to surrender, it was likely that he had. Matteo was smart, creative, resourceful. He wasn't a soldier.
    "What am I going to tell Diaz?" he said. He felt responsible for losing him, and he knew she was going to blame him, too. Even if she didn't admit it. Even if she would never say it. He had been so close. He should have protected him.
    "It isn't your fault," Ehri said. "He may still be out here."
    A soft rumble in the sky caused Donovan to look up. A Dread fighter streaked overhead, momentarily blotting out the stars.  
    "We don't have time to look for him," Donovan said. "They're going to send more soldiers."
    "Mechs," Ehri said. "I can hear them in the distance. We don't want to be near here when they arrive."
    Donovan wasn't going to run away from his responsibility. He led Ehri back to the downed fighter, where Diaz was positioned over the pilot, keeping an eye out for more of the enemy.  
    "Diaz, we have to move," he said, approaching them. He glanced down at the pilot. He was small and thin, with a delicate frame and a kind face. "Can he be carried?" he asked, looking over at Ehri.
    "Do we have a choice?" she replied.
    "Where's Matteo?" Diaz said.  
    He kneeled down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said.
    She kept her expression flat. "Dead?" There was no emotion in the question.
    "I didn't find his body. They may have taken him. I was close. I should have-"
    "Shut up, D. We're not going there. We're all doing our best." She blinked away a tear that found its way to the corner of her eye.  
    "I'm sorry," he said.
    "I told you to shut up," she replied. "We need to get this guy out of here, or we lost him for nothing."
    Donovan nodded and then lifted the pilot over his shoulder. The man was unconscious, but he groaned slightly as he was moved. The Dread fighter passed over a second time. It would be sensing their heat, communicating their position. They had done well so far, but they were nowhere close to being safe.
    How the hell