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Covert Talents: Age of Expansion, Uprise Saga: Book One
By Amy DuBoff & Michael Anderle
Snippet 1
Lieutenant Ava Landyn raced down the barren concrete corridor. “Retreat!” she shouted into her comm.
Behind her, footsteps echoed from deeper within the underground facility. Too many footsteps.
So much for a quick in and out operation, Ava thought with a grimace, followed by a smirk at the unintended innuendo.
A shout sounded behind her, then a spray of plasma fire lit up the hall. Ava’s HUD politely informed her that enemies had been detected nearby. Really fucking helpful, thanks.
She ducked behind a collection of pipes protruding from the wall. It was terrible cover, but she’d take what she could get.
Glancing toward the exit, she noticed Edwin peeking around a bend in the corridor.
“I thought I ordered a retreat,” Ava said over her comm.
“That was before you got yourself cornered,” Edwin Caites, one of the three massive Were warriors on her team, replied. “No one gets left behind.”
Ava couldn’t help grinning behind the blacked-out faceplate of her helmet. She loved Force de Guerre honor, especially in a time like this. “Lay down some cover fire on my mark. I’m going to try some fancy footwork.”
“You’ve got it.”
“Now!” Steeling her resolve, Ava bolted from behind the pipes.
Her powered armor propelled her down the hall while plasma blasts flew in either direction. She’d only gone three strides when a new warning flashed on her HUD—the concentrated enemy fire was about to overload her armor. Without thinking, she spun in a series of swift circles to diffuse the load on the suit’s electrified skin.
After seven awkward strides of spinning and skipping, Ava made it to the corner where Edwin was hunkered down. She leaped the final step to safety.
“Ma’am, you are a graceful angel,” Edwin said over the comm. His opaque helmet hid his face, but there was no mistaking the amusement in his voice.
“We speak of this to no one.”