Raptor 18 OUTSIDE IN Loner grabbed a rusted sheet of corrugated iron for a shield and charged at the Brute. It wasted barely a second as it stooped to place its eggs on the sand. But that was long enough for Loner to close the distance between them. He slammed the scrap metal against the Brute’s body, knocking it to the ground. Its writhing tail shattered one of the eggs, and Loner stamped on the other two with a savage hiss of satisfaction before running back to the barricade, a blur of red and black—just as three more battle-scarred Brutes came out of the jungle, barking and roaring. “Where’s Chen?” David whispered, staring in horror as the Brutes advanced. “Why hasn’t he come back—what’s waiting for us in there?” Stone took hold of JJ’s good arm. “At least we have a hostage.” “Inside,” Loner rasped to the humans around him. David pushed JJ through the entrance. “C’mon, kids,” said Lisa. She took Harm and Adam by the hand and started hauling them into the wartime building that now served as the Vel camp.
