Blink: Phantom (Book 3)

20

Amber tried to regulate her breathing, counting in and out in her head, doing her best to ignore the fact that her heart was pounding. No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't forget the heavy cannon clutched in her hands or the bulk of their new body armour. The Compac felt strange in her grip; a heavy, brutish instrument that lacked the speed and grace she'd come to associate with Blink. Glancing at her companions, seeing their bodies encased in the thick hybrid polymer plates filled her with unease. She'd adjusted for a lot when she became an operative, but now, barely a year later everything seemed to be spiralling out of control again.

Nothing about what they were about to do felt normal to her.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she instead turned her attention to the glitter of stars beyond the bridge window. Maybe for the next few minutes she could lose herself in the vastness of space.

It had been a long, drawn out wait before the operatives struck lucky again, catching the enemy ship in a system where Blink could dispatch a ship in close enough proximity to intercept them. They couldn't afford to chase every reading; if tried to catch the other ship every single time then their adversaries would quickly realise they were being tracked. One encounter could be dismissed as luck. Beyond that the advantage they had with Brock's bio-trace agent would quickly be squandered.

While it had given them added time to train with their new equipment, it also meant letting their enemies get away with half a dozen kidnappings unchallenged. Her jaw clenched tight at the memory, having to sit idly by, knowing that innocent children were being snatched from their homes and families. She understood the cold logic of it, but the human part of her still felt ashamed; frustrated by the necessity of the waiting game.

But now that wait was over and the operatives of Hammerhead Squad were rushing into what would be – if everything went to plan – the encounter that would finally end this mission. Once again the sleek, blade-like hull of the Mattock streamed through the emptiness of space, its hull gleaming under the tiny light of the stars.

Breathe.

"Are you okay?" Hekket whispered to her.

Amber nodded, pressing her lips tightly together, unwilling to trust her voice.

"You look a little tense." He gave her an apologetic smile.

"It's just the waiting," she lied. "I'll be okay once we, you know, get over there."

Hekket nodded and didn't press her any further. Despite his attempts to reassure her she could see that he was nervous too. He cradled the Compac in one hand while the other drummed restless fingers against his thigh, his eyes flickering from station to station on the bridge. She looked at him; forced a smile across her face.

Around her the others didn't seem overly concerned. She could tell from his face that Darien was neither excited nor worried. He stared at the main screen, his brow furrowed, deep in thought. His mind was focused on one thing: what the operatives would do once they boarded that ship.

Niamh lounged by his side, the bulky Compac hanging loosely in her hands. Her mechanical eye gleamed, its emerald light scanning the room, ever-impassive. Idas had a hand locked around one of the support handles built into the wall, clearly more concerned about the impact of fast manoeuvring than what might happen to them if they made it onto the enemy ship. Uther didn't seem interested in any of it. He was tinkering with the sight of his assault cannon, making some minute adjustment that Amber doubted she would even notice. The transmission beacon was safely stored in his backpack.