Welcome back! I'm sorry this one took a while, I know I said that I would have it up last week but I was bombarded with so much work that I just couldn't devote any time to the book. Interestingly enough, changing the story is a habit for me. Ever since Crossed Paths Book 2 I have been changing things even when I think I have it set in stone. This is partly also why I have taken so long with this chapter. Anyway, I don't have much else to say other than…

On with the story!

The Trap? Pt: 2

The risk I'm taking for this mission is unbelievable. My stomach felt like it had turned over completely and my heart was racing at the thought of what I was flying into. I knew I could fight, I knew I could shoot, and I sure as hell knew I could be deadly, but with Austin possibly being on the island, I feared that neither I nor Delta Squad would be returning to the Great Fox.

I broke atmosphere about 20 miles off shore. The island was small, so it wouldn't be a good idea to land there on the spot. I couldn't sense anyone else other than the single being on the island, so I figured that a sneak approach would be the best thing to do, especially if it was Austin hiding the minds of his own gang.

Thankfully, the Arwing that I had was equipped with something the others were not. Since I was the most recent to destroy one, I was given one with some added features. Fox and the others hadn't been in a wreck in so long that the development for new tech had gone far, what with Space Dynamics not having to issue replacements for them. I kind of felt bad, but I knew that the odd feature would come in handy one day, afterall we were a mercenary team, so anything could happen.

I leveled out with the ocean and zoomed across the sea towards the island. I was closing in fast, already at 8 miles. I looked over at my controls and activated the new feature on my Arwing: a submerging function. The wings on the Arwing folded backwards to their pre-launch position, though the engine continued to run. Slowly the Arwing began to dip down, diving straight into the sea, continuing to move as if it were flying. The G-Diffusers still had functionality, so the Arwing was maneuverable but at 40 percent what it could in the air. Basically, this new function had turned the Arwing into a Blue Marine without the struggle of having to deploy the submarine that hadn't been used since the Aquas Bioweapon fiasco back during the Lylat War. Quick frankly I was glad that I didn't have to use the Blue Marine; with it being so old, I didn't quite trust it enough to pilot it.

I opened a comm channel with Delta Squad as I deactivated the cloak and rushed towards the island.

"Delta Squad… Jayce, do you read me?" I said as I looked down at the team feed show static.

Jayce and the rest of Delta Squad then appeared on the HUD.

"Loud and clear boss."

I smiled, "Good, I'm closing in on the island right now. Stay in orbit until I am able to clear you guys an LZ."

"You don't want to take this as a full frontal assault? I mean it is only one person on the island." Jayce asked with confusion on his face.

I shook my head slowly, "No, that wouldn't be suitable for this. I've been thinking about it and realized that Austin is one powerful motherfucker. So, i've come to the assumption that there is more than just that one being on the island. If Austin is really there, then he is simply hiding the minds of his gang from Krystal and I, if we just go in guns blazing we will surely be killed. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Jayce chuckled slightly, "Yeah, I hear ya." the tan vulpine said with a smile. Jayce was an excellent fighter, though he wasn't necessarily a great pilot. Jayce was a fun guy and was always on top of what it was he was told during missions and small oddjobs. He would get what was needed to be done done, but while having fun and acting berzerk.

Ryleigh Hope, Delta Squads frontline man, sighed slightly, "So you're saying you figured out a trap? That we would have died? Fantastic, now I know something's gonna happen."

Delta squad chuckled in unison at their nervous comrade's behavior. The young blue and grey avian was extremely nervous and was always cautious regardless of what it was he was doing. I don't blame him one bit, he has only been with the team for a short amount of time and before that he had been enlisted into the CDF months before the Yuthan invasion. I had a good amount in common with Ryleigh, he and I are cautious people and we always question the situation, though in battle we excel and work as if these feeling are non existent.

"Just remember the training you were given and don't have a nervous breakdown." Myla said in a calm and demanding voice.

Myla Hartfield was someone I looked at with respect. The white murine was a goddess when in battle and had reflexes unlike anything I had ever seen, in fact I thought that it was science fiction to be as fast as she was. Myla was the sweetest girl you could ever meet, but she was beyond deadly in combat, especially hand to hand. I remember sparring off with her during our down time to keep our skills in tact when not on missions and losing every single time to her. I admit that I had cheated on several instances by using my telepathy to pinpoint her moves, but even then she was so much faster than me that I couldn't react in time. It was weird, she was so nice and sweet, yet serious and deadly.

"Yeah, besides, I'm the one that draws the most attention, especially when I have my favorite toy with me." Zion mused as he nodded his head slowly.

The rather muscular black canine was somewhat of a gentleman. Zion Blackwood was a nice guy and rarely fought with anyone, unless his life was at stake. As one would expect, he isn't one for flying or hand to hand combat, but damn does he love his guns and his tactics. Honestly, having Zion on the team was fun, in an odd way really. He was the stereotypical large gun wielding brute that loved to just shoot things with whatever he can get his hands on; it really was awesome seeing him work his shooting magic.

I was now less than a mile from shore. I slowed to a stop almost instantly and readied myself to go out into the water. It was so clear that I could see for miles I even saw how the land inclined up to the surface, giving me the edge to plan how I was going to get up there. It was really a sight to behold seeing all the indigenous life in the water swimming about, they were so exotic and looked like nothing I had ever seen. The fish were colorful, the sea floor was riddled with vibrant coral, and the water was so clear that it almost looked as though it wasn't even there. However I had a dangerous mission on my hands and the safety of Delta squad to handle; I grabbed my XSD-1 and activated my suits helmet, giving me oxygen supplies for when I was in the water. With the large rifle in my hands, I opened the canopy and felt the water very slowly rush in. Once the canopy was wide enough for me to slip through, I began to swim towards the shore, using my bio scanner built into my viso to see if anyone was patrolling the shoreline. Luckily there wasn't so I emerged from the water slowly with my XSD drawn.

"This is Kevin, I've made it to the shoreline. I don't see anyone… yet. Stay in orbit until I can confirm or need backup." I said over the comms as I slowly looked up and down the shoreline while moving towards the tree cover. As I moved, I pressed a button on the side of the XSD. Two metallic pieces then protruded from the weapons main body, extending all the way to the end of the barrel and attaching itself: this was a very handy silencer.

I reached the treeline and broke into a full on sprint through the woods towards where I was sensing the being. The island was small from the sky, but was rather large up close.

The trees weren't too close to each other, in fact the trees were rather open and there were hardly any bushes or tall grass around, only tall trees and some sunlight seeping through the tops of the trees. They were so tall that it felt like I was in a jungle, and quite frankly it soothed me a bit. The sheer silence of the nature surrounding me, the distant sound of the ocean waves crashing into the shore, and the sound of my feet hitting the grassy floor covered in leaves was somewhat peaceful. Oddly enough I liked it, regardless of the fact that I was in an incredibly deadly mission, but as a mercenary I was more than used to it, especially after staring death in the face and telling it to fuck off on numerous occasions.

As I ran, I continued to scan the area around me with the bioscanner, hoping to see some blue figure pop up on my HUD, giving me a target and confirming my suspicion of Austin hiding the minds of his men.

Continuing my run, I quickly found a perfect spot for Delta Squad to land. It was a large opening surrounded by the trees and with perfect visibility of the sky. I kneeled behind a tree and activated the thermal scope on my XSD; who knows if they have some armor that hides bio signatures. Scanning the tree line for anything noticed something a little strange, the being that I had sensed began to show signs of rapid activity. The brain waves increased and the movement of the being startled me, it was moving fast and it was coming closer.

I gasped as I jumped behind the tree I was at.

"Oh shit, Delta Squad, be advised, target is on the move. It's moving fast so get your asses ready!" I said as I deactivated my helmet, able to use my telepathy a bit more effectively. The armor I was in was specially crafted to me. Even since I first encountered Austin and stole his prototype armor, my suits have all been equipped with the same technology to block out telepathy and keep it concealed.

The movement of whatever it was I was sensing was incredibly fast. I had no idea why it doing so and no idea it was drawn towards an area near me. But, as I focused on the being, I felt another movement, turning right towards me. Just as soon as I felt it, a faint whir of an engine zooming past was heard over my head.

"Oh shit" I said to myself as I looked up trying to find the ship that passed over. I couldn't find it nor could I see the sky. The trees were thick and I could hardly see anything above them; to make matters worse, I sensed the being was looking for something and that it was near where I was.

"Delta Squad! Get your asses down here, now!" I yelled over the comms as I reactivated my helmet and made a run back for the shore.

Zion was quick to respond, "Damn, one second you were looking for the the thing and the next second the thing is after you?"

Jayce barked at Zion, "That's enough, lets get moving!"

I kept my eyes glued to the tree tops, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fighter. But what I caught was something even worse.

Time seemed to slow around me as I saw two bright green beams of light tear through the tree tops just to the left of me. The ship that was above had found me and began to fire blindly into the trees. The beams hit the ground, exploding and nearly knocking me off of my feet. I continued running, slinging my XSD onto my back and making a sharp turn away from the shore line; hopefully I'd be able to throw it off a little until Delta squad arrived.

I jumped over a rather large tree log and continued running until I stopped at the edge of a two story high cliff. I readied myself to jump, only to be pushed forward by the explosions from laser fire directly behind me.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I was thrown into the air and down to the ground below. I landed hard on my back and was barely able to get up. "God damnit Delta where the fuck are you guys!?" I yelled as I rolled over onto my knees. I got back to up to my feet and continued my run, listening as the ship above zoomed over my head to and fro. The trees in the area were so close together and condensed that I feared I had made the wrong decision in running this way. I was hardly able to sprint and was constantly tripping over roots and ducking below branches.

"Kevin" Jayce said over the comms, "We have a visual on the target, we'll distract it while you get back to your ship."

"Arriba mother fucker!" Jayce suddenly yelled over the comms.

I was somewhat startled by the sudden shift in Jayce's attitude, and I wasn't the only one. I could hear Ryleigh speak under his breath, saying 'dear god'.

I nodded to myself. Turning back towards the shore line, I started to run a little faster focusing on the things around me; thankfully I made it out of the thick part of the trees and was in a more open area. Breaking into a full sprint, the laser fire that was bombarding my surrounding area were now being fired elsewhere in the air. I looked up and saw more ships zooming to and fro, firing at each other and trying to hit the enemy ship. From where I was it seemed that Delta Squad had trouble even landing shots near the enemy ship let alone hit it.

I shook my head and continued running as I hit the beach. I dove into the water and swam quickly to my Arwing. Grabbing onto the edge of the cockpit, I pulled myself down and into the seat, closing the canopy and activating the draining sequence. The water very quickly seeped out of the cockpit and the main systems started up.

"I've made it to the Arwing. How are you guys holding up?" I asked as the ship whirred to life.

Ryleigh yelled slightly as he was nearly hit, "Uh, we're doing great! But could you hurry and get up here?"

I nodded and started the engines. Lifting up from the sea floor, I turned the ship around and blasted off through the water. I need to gain enough speed to launch into the air and convert back into a ship. The engines launched me through the water and I instantly reached the speed I required. I started the sequence and launched into the air; the wings spread back out and the G-Diffuser was set back to maximum power along with the engines.

"Alright" I said as I banked around, facing towards the fight and stopping, "Let's dance!" The engines then burst with power, shooting me forward toward the fray.

I deactivated my helmet so I could get a better grip on the mind of whoever was piloting the ship. I flew right into the fray and saw the fighters next move. Time slowed around me as I felt the thoughts of the pilot. His ship flew right over mine, I closed my eyes and saw his move. Instantly, I banked left, seeing as how he was going to bank right, and opened fire. I landed several hits on the craft, damaging it's shields significantly.

"Nice shot!" Ryleigh yelled as he watched the whole thing unravel in a matter of seconds.

The teachings Krystal gave me were like a miracle. Although I can't really slow time down, it seems as though it is like this. Her father's ways gave me full control of my instincts and reflexes, letting me react to anything thrown at me with such accuracy that it's considered humanly impossible.

"Gotcha ya little prick!" I said as I banked back around. The ship was so much faster than ours that I had a hard time keeping my eye on it, but I had my telepathy with me to turn the tides of this battle.

Feeling the thoughts once more, I sensed the pilots next maneuver. I rolled over and felt time once again slow around me. His ship was headed right for me. He was to pull up to avoid collision and attempt a maximum velocity evacuation. I was ready for it and and reacted in time, rolling back over and pulling up after him. I fired more shots, but this time missed. To my surprise, the pilot dodged them as if he knew they were coming.

As if this pilot was telepathic as well, I felt he was to turn back and head down. I sensed this and followed after him, only to see him turn back and fire right at me. I barely had time to react and barrel rolled just in time to deflect the laser fire.

"Shit!" I yelled as I broke off from the attack.

"Get him!" Myla yelled as the four Arwings converged to chase after the enemy pilot.

I pulled back up and watched as the enemy sped up beyond what I've seen anyone do in atmosphere.

"Fall back" I said with a sigh, "Don't chase him, it's no use!"

Jayce rebuttled quickly, "But we can catch him!"

I shook my head, "He's in maximum velocity, do you really think you're going to catch him?"

I looked up and saw his ship grow smaller and smaller in the sky. I shook my head once more and sighed yet again at the failure of our mission. We were to investigate and eliminate any threat, but the threat has escaped.

"Fox, ya might want contact General Pepper; whatever it was that was down here is gone." I sighed and rubbed my eyes from exhaustion; stretching my telepathy to such an extent wasn't easy, especially for me. "For once, mission is a failure- but this sure as hell isn't the start of more."

Fox nodded, "Don't worry about it, we'll get to the bottom of this."

I shook my head once more as the comm line with Great Fox was cut, "Austin isn't that stupid… is he?" I asked.

Zion mused in on my thought train, "What do ya mean?"

I scratched my head, "He wouldn't use one fighter as a trap… what the hell was he thinking?"

"Maybe Austin was simply lying to you? He probably knew that you would go against him and find a way to completely block out his power." Myla insisted.

I simply shrugged at the thought, "That definitely sounds like what he may have been thinking, but still why send only one fighter? Surely if he has access to such a fast ship he'd send more to easily overwhelm us."

It didn't make sense to me at all. That ship was beyond fast and proved to be an issue even for me, the one with a way of knowing the exact thoughts of the enemy pilot. I knew that Austin had something planned and I wasn't too keen on seeing what it truly was, especially since it has to include Penny one way or another, be it her life at stake or her life already being taken.

It didn't matter to me… we needed to save her.

To Be Continued…

I really hope you guys liked this chapter. Lately I haven't been getting as many ideas and haven't been writing as much. Because of this I have one thing to ask you all…

Please… leave a review and tell me what you thought. The constructive criticism helps me so much, so just drop by and tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, or simply give your thoughts on the book so far. Thanks!

Until next time…