I wipe sweat running down the side of my face. I need a better hat. Or a towel because my current hat is already sweat-soaked.

I take a drink of my "infused" water. Due to the extreme temperature during the day on this part of the planet, Syndicate had insisted we bring this special infused water to keep us hydrated.

No idea exactly what she had put in it, but I instantly feel a cooling sensation spread through my body, stopping when the top of my head tingles ever so slightly. I let myself enjoy another small drink. Definitely not wasting this stuff.

I glance over at Britt as I put the cap back on and almost spit my water out my nose. Mother of stars males can be so damn obvious.

The way he is staring at me says he just watched me take a drink and is having a hard time not being jealous of my water bottle.

Personally, it's too hot for my brain to travel in that direction. Maybe if he was an ice cube, I could be enticed but not right now as this solar system's sun tries to turn my skin into jerky.

Choking back my water and wiping a small drip that dribbled onto my chin, I finally swallow it. I start to laugh even louder when the realization that I know what he is thinking crosses his face.

"Well, that just ruined a good fantasy," Britt grunts his displeasure, not even a little embarrassed.

I laugh so hard I snort. Holding my sides, I finally look up at Britt, ready to give him a friendly ribbing. Seriously how can he be thinking about doing anything that would make us even hotter?

Yet when I see his face, I stop laughing instantly. Britt is staring at his microband as it lights up his wrist with a silent warning. His neck muscles flex, and his nostrils flare. Checking my own micro, and I see it too. Someone or something is coming.

Cursing in my head, I snap my goggles back on and bring my gun to the ready. We have already sent instructions to the drone to map the building. It's almost done, but Syndicate hasn't gotten back to us about the building's security yet.

We are stuck unless we run and abandon our possible point of entry.

We crouch low against a brick wall. Britt tries to look around the corner to see if he can spot our company. Looking at my microband, I see them approaching quickly. It's big, whatever it is. Then I hear it.

The unmistakable hum of a Zu'Lar Explorer Pod. Their engines have a very distinct hum, low and not quite a rumble but easy to tell it's a machine of some kind.

The explosion must have caught the attention of their drones or satellites. Now they have sent a small unit to check it out. Shit!

Why haven't they left this dying planet yet? All the people to harvest are gone.

Stars. They want the Human too. It makes sense when I think about it. But how had they found out the Human was here on this planet?

However, a more important question right now is, do we let them lead us to our objective and then kill them? Or kill them now and be done with it?

Unfortunately, we have led them right to the door more or less, so the odds they won't discover how to get to the underground tunnels to explore further is pretty small.

This is bad.

"My thoughts exactly!" Right, Britt and I are still connected like a malfunctioning communications unit. Right now, that is probably a good thing. It makes communicating silently highly efficient.

I hear the hum stop. My microband tells me what the sound of booted feet confirms. They are heading into the building. Somehow the lucky bastards haven't activated the security system. Probably Syndicate's doing. Incredible timing on their part.

I look over to Britt, who is peeking around the corner, watching our enemies clear the entrance to the building. He isn't counting men so much as their weapons and ammo. I don't have to see his eyes to know what he is doing.

"Two sonic rifles, six phase guns, eight plasma grenades and one giant veteran thermal cannon. There's no way, Zea."

And that was only three males carrying all that. Who knows what is still in their pod.

I rub a hand over my sweaty, itchy face. I feel the dirt being smeared around on my skin. Delightful.

"I am at a loss on how to proceed, Britt. What are you saying?"

"I am saying, if we try to kill them, we will die."

"Well, that's helpful." I can't help the snort.

"Zea. Be serious. We can't win. If the men in the pod don't shoot us on the way to the entrance, by the time we get inside, the Zu'Lar will have gotten the warning from the pod's A.I. and be waiting to kill us before the door shuts."

"You know, you talk a lot in my head for a man who rarely voices verbal words."

"Zea. You better be listening." He is all but growling in my head.

"I am. But I am thinking, and that is a lot harder to do with you expressing your fears in my head so forcefully."

I physically feel the anger rise in him. It feels like his body temperature just went up ninety degrees, and I would look down to see his skin on fire.

His dark eyes flash at me, his goggles off, nose pressed to mine. Staring hard into my eyes, he whispers out loud, "If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you!"

BOOM! We hear something explode inside the building. Stars almighty. Pretty sure I just jumped out of my skin.

Oh no, the blazing drone. Damn.

Either it blew itself up due to security protocols, or they shot it. Doesn't matter. Now they know someone else is in the area. I palm my face. Well, that settles it then. Thinking time is officially over. Britt's right as usual anyways.

Britt quickly looks around the corner again.

I look down at my microband. They are going to be coming out of the building any minute. I hear my communicator earpiece beep.

Syndicate says, "Zea. I think I have a solution."

"Would love to hear it." Huh, first name basis now. Is she worried?

"Using the software from Britt's Sonic GX-15 Scanner, I have been able to locate a secret entrance to the building in front of you from a different building. But you have to go now."

"Take us there," I command.

"Travel two blocks East from your current location, and when you reach a street called Lansford St. South, turn North. It's the second building on the right. Go in. It is just a plain old building, by the way. No security system at all." She sounds hugely disappointed by this.

I shake my head. So weird. But keeping that to myself, I say, "Sounds good."

We had already started running as she talked, and we're halfway there before she finishes. Rounding the corner, we see the second building on the right isn't just a plain building, more like a supermarket. Damn, that's a lot of square feet to find a hidden entrance in the short time we have.

"Really? Couldn't it have been a house? Mother of stars, I am so done with today."

I hear Britt's mental chuckle.

"Come on, little princess. No slowing us down so you can pout. We have to live to complete your damn mission!"

He is right. I do need to complete this mission. I pick up my pace and almost take the lead.

"That's my girl."

Ok, we are going to need to discuss talking about me like I am his property later. I glare sideways at Britt, who smiles cheekily at me.

We fly through the entrance of the market like it isn't there. We can not get caught or seen entering a secrete passage. And I can hear shouting off in the distance. They may not know which direction to head yet, but there are only so many directions to go.

"Next Syndicate?"

"Far North wall, twenty paces in from the East wall, you will see a window. Go there."

"Here."

"Look directly where the wall and floor meet. Along the edge, there is a button about the size of a small marble. It might look like an outlet or metal latch. Press it."

Damn, that was easier than expected. I step down on the tiny metal disc protruding from the floor. Easy to miss if you weren't looking or didn't have an A.I. mapping all the electrical lines and energy currents in the building.

It looks like a lost piece of metal that the humans had used as currency before killing their planet.

A door slides down into the wall below the floor, and a small three-foot entrance to a tunnel appears.

I want to question how this works, as everything else in the building seems as dead and lifeless as the entire city is. Humans lost the ability to produce power over a decade ago. Yet, it can wait. First, I want to make sure no one is going to follow us.

Ok, so not the most appealing escape route I have ever seen. Nevertheless better than being killed by crazy-ass Zu'Lar before I have a chance to find this frozen human.

Once there's a slight click indicating the opening is as big as it will get (this is a disappointment but tolerable), I don't hesitate, Britt crawling in behind me. After about four feet, we crawl into an open space. A dim light flickers on as we stand, showing us the large platform we are perched on at the top of a twenty-foot ladder. It drops down to an extensive and well-built tunnel.

The room is a cross between structure and cave, half the walls being cut stone and the other half higher up obviously made of the same material the supermarket is made of. Hidden room meets cave, I guess. Very grey and dreary either way. Not exactly giving me the warm fuzzies.

If I had to guess, this room is about twenty feet by twenty feet and tall as the building. At the bottom of the ladder, the tunnel entrance is made of smooth well cut and fitted stone panels. It's well built and looks way too new to be in this place. That's a little unnerving. And again, where is the power coming from?

I hear the wall behind us rise and lock in place. The four feet we had just crawled through is gone as if it had never been there. I refuse to let this situation rattle me. Time to keep moving. Less dwelling on things I can't control.

Britt breaks the silence first.

"Looks clear. Can you reach Syndicate in here?"

Britt is playing with gadgets that are essentially the only thing actually helping us on this mission besides Syndicate.

He asks a good question, though.

"Syndicate?" Nothing. I tap my microband than my communicator. Nope. Well, that sucks. "We are alone."

Britt just nods. He quickly slides down the ladder and, immediately on landing, brings up his fancy scan tool, or as Syndicate had called it, the Sonic GX-15 Scanner, and surveys the tunnel ahead.

A dim light softly glows straight down the middle of the ceiling for as far as I can see. When he's satisfied, Britt brings his weapon to the ready and starts walking at a steady pace, but leaving the scan tool active on his armband. I land softly behind him and quickly follow with my weapon, armed and ready.

"Do you know how far?"

"Not sure."

"Drone?"

He pauses for a moment. I can tell he is trying to decide if it is worth it.

Usually, that is my decision, and I would just do it. However, he has the new scanner and not me. Besides, this is a team effort, not a military march.

The tunnel is slowly being mapped out for him on his microband. As long as we don't go too fast, we will see what's ahead of us before we get there. A drone would probably just warn our enemies that we were coming.

Almost in unison, we both shake our heads. No drone. My mouth twitches. We have worked together too long.

I am not a claustrophobic person, but the tunnel feels small compared to the ample open space we just left.

It is maybe eight feet tall and only wide enough for three, maybe four people to stand side by side. Thankfully it is clean, bright and well lit. It makes it a little less creepy as long as you don't wonder why or how it exists.

Britt stops suddenly.

"We don't have to enter the black glass building. If I am right, we can take this next tunnel coming up on the right, and it should lead us to the first tunnel we discovered."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But it is either that or head straight for the building potentially full of Zu'Lar."

"Good point. We can waste a little time exploring before we tempt fate."

"Always seeing the bright side of things, Princess."

"You need to knock that shit off."

"Says you."

"Shut up, Britt."

"Yes, Marshal Zea."

I roll my eyes. He is enjoying screwing with me a little too much. But considering we aren't in the middle of an epic shoot-out with the Zu'Lar yet, maybe keeping things light is good.

"How far to the next tunnel then?"

"About fifty feet."

I follow Britt checking our rear every few feet. I doubt the Zu'Lar had seen where we went, but you just never know.

The bastards can pretty much teleport anywhere. We still don't understand how they do it. Or why they don't do onto our ships. It's bizarre when you think about it. It isn't like any tech Armada has ever seen. Not even in the Quantum region.

Britt stops abruptly again. I see his brow furrowing as he contemplates something. Whatever his scanner is showing him has him perplexed.

"Fill me in, Britt."

"I am just surprised. Sorry. People ahead. Not sure who. But a large number. Maybe thirty or more."

What the hell. Seriously? They better be fucking humans. I instantly switch to telepathic communication. You can never be too cautious.

"Do we investigate or just go down the tunnel?"

"Maybe it would be best if we explored the tunnel first. Who knows what will happen if we meet humans. If it's humans. Let's face it. It's most likely Zu'Lar or another search party looking for the human. How many are looking for this blazing person anyway?"

"Right. Sica did say there were several interested groups, didn't she? Bloody stars. Well, lead the way."

I can't help but wonder if Britt realizes how much more he speaks when we talk telepathically. He's like a regular chatterbox.

It's only a couple of feet then Britt stops looking over to the wall on our right. I don't see anything, but that doesn't mean there isn't a door somewhere.

Britt scans the wall, and I take a moment to check the floor. No hidden buttons on the floor this time. I look down the tunnel both ways to double-check we are still alone.

Britt gently runs his hand, palm flat, over the wall. He is feeling for something, but I have no idea what. Suddenly the wall falls slightly into itself, then slides to the side. I blink, a little dumbfounded.

"How did you do that?"

"It was a bio-thermal heat sensor. Your hand would have to be right over it to activate it, though."

Clever. The sensor had been high up on the wall. Not likely anyone would accidentally activate it seven feet from the floor. Britt and I are tall enough. There wasn't a lot of room between our heads and the top of the tunnel. It was pretty much eye level for us, but I still can't see what had detected his hand.

Thinking about most of the humans I had met, I have a hard time imagining most of them even being able to reach the sensor.

Britt scans the new tunnel behind the hidden door. He silently nods to me to proceed, letting me lead the way.

I guess he feels the most significant threat is behind us, in the tunnel we are leaving. Britt has a knack for putting himself between me and the largest threat in the area.

Looking back on our military career together, it all starts to make a lot of sense.

"How far?" I decide on some verbal communication now that we are out of danger of accidentally running into a group of people. Still not sure how I feel about all this telepathic communication. Regardless of the benefits.

"Not sure, can't see the end yet."

"Are you confident this is the right direction at least?"

Britt rolls his eyes in disgust at my lack of faith. "Yes."

We walk in silence for a few paces. Finally, I can't take it anymore.

"And now?"

"I think we can pick up the pace. It's pretty quiet down here. Half a click if we run."

Britt takes off at a steady jog. I keep pace beside him. It feels like only a minute or two, and we come to the end of the tunnel.

This time there is no mistaking the large, heavy metal door in front of us. Wherever this leads, we aren't getting in unless we can figure out how to get past the security components.

A security scanner is on the left side of the door. There is a retinal scanner and a DNA scanner. There is no hacking our way into this—bloody stars.

I groan as Britt looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

"What now?"