“That is all! Keon, open a communication channel the Faylins can intercept.”
“Open, sir.”
“Commander Sinjin, recall the pods. Five support patrols have arrived under the cloak of invisibility and will begin destroying the Faylin vessels. They have orders to annihilate the entire fleet.”
“Thank you, sir. I just spoke with them. We are engaging.”
“Don’t let a single vessel escape. That is all.”
“Channel closed, sir.”
“Open a secure channel to the three vessels on the way.”
“Open, sir.”
“Commanders, you are aware of the havoc the Faylins are causing above Earth. These are your orders. Enable the cloak of invisibility and make a broad approach to Earth. I know it will take longer, but the direct path to the alliance headquarters and past Mars must be kept clear to avoid the possibility of a collision as the Faylins flee. Be ready for evasive maneuvers. A few may stray where you’ll be traveling. Contact Commander Sinjin on an open channel and tell him you have engaged the cloak of invisibility, and are engaging the Faylins above Earth. Any questions?”
“No, sir,” all three commanders replied in unison.
“That is all.”
“Keon, open the secure channel to Commander Sinjin.”
“Open, sir.”
“Sinjin, have the pods returned?”
“Yes, sir, and the other patrols are sending the false messages to us.”
“Good. Stand by. Keon, I want a direct channel to the Faylin vessels.”
“Open, sir.”
“I am speaking to you with the authority of the Universal Alliance. The patrol pods have been recalled. There are now six warships surrounding Earth under the cloak of invisibility. If you do not leave the vicinity immediately they will wipe out your entire fleet. You have ten Earth seconds from the end of this broadcast to comply. There will be no further communication. That is all.”
“Channel closed, sir.”
“Now, Kander,” Zaroff said solemnly, looking toward the officer on the monitor, “we wait.”
“Wait and pray to the Universal Gods,” Kander muttered.
“They’re leaving, sir,” Keon suddenly exclaimed. “They’re all leaving!”
“Alert the three battleships. Make sure they’re cloaked and out of the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sinjin?”
“Here, sir. They’re leaving.”
“I know. Are there any remaining in Earth’s atmosphere?”
“Nothing on our scanners, sir, and they don’t possess any kind of cloaking technology. Thank you, sir. May I say, that was brilliant.”
“You must have maneuvered with conviction. How many did you destroy?”
“At least fifteen, sir.”
“Good work. Stand by. I need to speak with you further. Kander, as you just heard, you can breathe again.”
“What are your thoughts about the vessels on our perimeter, sir?”
“To quote an Earth phrase, that hand is yet to be played, but I believe it will be very soon. That is all.”
“That is all,” Kander replied.
“Sinjin?”
“Here, sir.”
“When the three support ships arrive, I’m going to have one of them take your place in the solar system. I want you heading to Fay. We need a strong presence near that planet.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please report in during your journey, and make it a quick one.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Safe travels. That is all.”
“Sir, may I ask, why did you want the approaching battleships to remain invisible?”
“Why do you think?”
“You wanted to confound them somehow?”
“In a way. Whenever you bluff, Keon, never let your opponent know, even after it’s over. Keep your enemy guessing, and you’ll always have the upper hand. I’m going to meet up with Minerva and Abby on the observation deck. Keep me informed of any developments.”
* * *
Walking down the passage with Minerva on one side, Cosmo trotting along beside her on the other, and the additional guard following behind, Abby was overjoyed to be out of the chamber. Though she knew there was a quicker route, she had asked to take the long, curving corridor. She needed a decent walk, and Minerva had agreed.
“Why is the light blue? I remember this passage being brightly lit?”
“Security. When the lights are white we can be seen in deep space.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not generally, but being a diplomatic ship we must maintain high security, and we’re more of a target for mavericks than a battleship.”
“Because?”
“Because we often carry important passengers, like you, Abby,” Minerva replied with a smile. “We do our best to keep our missions secret, but even the best kept secrets can be compromised.”
“But this passage has no windows. How could it be seen?”
“Ah, excellent question. When I say seen, I mean physically spotted. We don’t use the same form of lighting that you do on Earth. You have those antiquated objects called bulbs. Our light source is a transmission of energy, and white energy emits a signal that can be picked up by passing ships. This blue energy has a very low output. It’s only discernible a few miles away.”
“That’s so fascinating,” Abby remarked, but Cosmo had started making a strange, high-pitched whining sound. “Cosmo, what’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“That’s like a dog barking,” Minerva declared, pausing her step. “He’s warning us, but I don’t see anything.”
“What’s up, little guy?” Abby asked, crouching down to pet him. “Do you hear something? Have you picked up a scent?” The white furrbit’s response was a high-pierced shriek. “Minerva? What’s wrong with him? What’s happening?”
“That,” the guard behind them exclaimed, marching past and pointing to the floor a few feet ahead. “That’s the Faylin substance.”
“You’re right!” Minerva breathed, crouching down to study the splatter. “Abby, perhaps we should—Abby! Abby, where are you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Hoping to run into Abby on her walk to the observation deck, Zaroff marched at a fast clip down the curving corridor. He had just passed the chamber when he heard the furrbit’s screech and Minerva’s panicked cry. Breaking into a run, he suddenly found himself in chaos. Cosmo was jumping up and down as he shrieked at the wall, while Minerva and Seran, the second escort officer, darted around the passage in a frantic search, their faces anxious and confused.
“Minerva, Seran, calm yourselves and tell me what happened,” he demanded, having to shout to be heard above the screeching furrbit. “Where’s Abby?”
“I don’t know,” Minerva exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air completely beside herself. “She was here, then she wasn’t.”
“Pick up the furrbit. I can’t think with that racket going on.”
“Sir, I spied a Faylin substance,” Seran said, hurrying over to him. “I went to check it and Minerva bent down next to me. That’s when we heard Cosmo screech. We knew something was wrong, and when we turned around Abby had disappeared.”
“She can’t have vanished into thin air!”
“But she did,” Minerva insisted, still trying to pick up Cosmo who squirmed out of her hold every time she managed to grab him. “Cosmo, please stop that awful racket and sit still!”
“Seran, you said she was gone in an instant.”
“An instant, sir.”
Zaroff glanced at Cosmo and his desperate behavior.
“Minerva, leave him,” Zaroff said abruptly. “Both of you, step back and stay quiet.”
Though surprised by his command the two officers moved quickly away, and Zaroff focused his attention on the hysterical furrbit. The little creature’s gaze was fixated on the blank wall, and his screeches were interspersed with a surprisingly deep, threatening noise. Crouching
down, Zaroff saw exposed fangs. A furrbit’s precursor to an attack.
“You’re not ready to charge at nothing. You can see what we can’t,” Zaroff murmured, then slowly rising to his feet, he turned away and raised the cuff of his shirt to his lips. “Keon, I’m in sector X14,” he said softly. “Tune in the monitor, record what’s happening, and lock down any openings along this passage.”
“Done, sir.”
“When I end this transmission, flood this passage with white light, as bright as you can manage.”
“For how long, sir?”
“Five Earth seconds. Ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
Turning back around, Zaroff glanced at the furrbit. Though now completely still, his long fur was spiked along his back like a wide serrated knife, and his shriek had changed to a constant, threatening snarl. Following the furrbit’s gaze up the wall, for a moment Zaroff thought he saw an odd shape.
A chill pricked his skin.
He brought his sleeve to his lips.
“That is all!”
Bright light flooded the passage.
A horrifying squeal exploded through the air.
It hadn’t come from Cosmo.
Zaroff gaped as the reptilian abruptly emerged, its huge eyes protruding from its egg-shaped head, but it was the long, thin arms that caused Zaroff to catch his breath. Wide appendages resembling fanned wings had been wrapped around itself, and when the creature raised one of them to shield his face, Zaroff glimpsed Abby. She’d been completely shrouded.
“You can’t escape! Release her now,” Zaroff ordered, gathering his wits as the lights dimmed to blue. “If you don’t, you’ll die right here, right now!”
Seran and Minerva, both frozen in shock, broke from their stupor, and producing their weapons they hastily took up positions on either side of the bizarre alien.
“Release her now!” Zaroff repeated sharply, but when the creature didn’t respond, Zaroff noticed its bulbous eyes frenetically rolling in their sockets. “Minerva, your laser light, quickly.”
“Kill me, she dies too,” the Faylin suddenly hissed. “She will suffocate held prisoner in my wings.”
At the sound of the reptile’s voice, Cosmo, who had momentarily fallen quiet, burst into a fresh series of screeches and snarls.
“Sir, the Faylin must have a translator implanted in its voice box,” Minerva muttered as she handed Zaroff the laser. “It must have been chosen for this mission.”
“You hear me?” the reptile continued. “Hurt me and I’ll kill her.”
Lifting the laser light beam, Zaroff’s thumb hovered over the power icon.
“I’m being smothered. Help me.”
Abby’s unexpected muffled cry made Zaroff momentarily pause, but it sent Cosmo into action. With a feral scream the furrbit leapt on the Faylin’s lower leg, honing in on a small, round patch not covered by tough scaly skin. Biting down, Cosmo sent his razor-sharp fangs through the alien’s hide. As the Faylin let out a high-pitched squawk, the bat-like wings holding Abby dropped away, and with a wild cry she spun around and raced into Zaroff’s arms.
“I thought I was going to die,” she whimpered, desperately clinging to him. “Thank God you came.”
“It’s okay,” he said quickly, gripping her tightly as he watched clear liquid spew from the Faylin’s deep wound.
“Get the beast off my leg, get the beast off my leg,” the reptile begged, his voice a wheezing squeal. “Get it off, get it off.”
Quickly moving Abby to his side and holding her with one arm, Zaroff flashed the laser light into the Faylin’s face.
“Aaah, my eyes, my eyes. Make it stop. My leg, you’re torturing me.”
“Why do you want the human female?” Zaroff demanded. “Tell me and the torture will stop.”
“The light, turn off the light. Get the beast away, get the beast away.”
“Why did you want the human? Tell me!”
“Stop, stop, please, it burns, it burns.”
“Answer my question!”
“To negotiate, keep you busy, distract you. My leg, please, ooh, I grow dizzy.”
“Why did your ships gather above Earth?”
“The same. Distract to conquer.”
“Conquer Earth?”
“The alliance.”
“Sir, the reptile—it’s dying,” Minerva declared. “The fluid, it’s spurting.”
“How can you conquer the alliance?” Zaroff pressed, ignoring Minerva’s urgent warning. “Your weapons are weak.”
“Your battleships, we have—we have—been able to—”
“Been able to what?”
But the Faylin slumped to the floor.
“Please get Cosmo away from that horrible, winged thing,” Abby begged. “Get him off and get me out of here.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll fetch him,” Minerva said quickly, cautiously stepping around the mess on the floor and swooping him up.
“Keon, continue recording and send the lab here,” Zaroff ordered. “Seran, stay here until the lab techs show up. Make sure they preserve the body. Minerva, take Abby back to the chamber, I need to—”
“No, Zaroff, please come with me,” Abby begged, cutting him off and staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Just for a few minutes? Please?”
“Abby, I—” he began, but as he looked at her, unexpected emotion flooded his heart, and he suddenly found it difficult to find his voice.
“Zaroff, are you all right?”
“Yes,” he managed, overcome with a need to never let her go. “I, uh, I’m greatly relieved you’re safe.”
“Will you come with me? Please?”
As she spoke, his eyes fell on her lips. He ached to taste them, to glide his mouth over hers in an all-consuming kiss.
“I have Cosmo,” Minerva announced, snapping him from the startling moment. “Do you want to hold him, Abby?”
“Absolutely, I do,” she replied, taking him and stroking his fur, once again soft and falling around his body. “Such a brave little thing.”
“Keon,” Zaroff said briskly, both grateful and sorry the spell had been broken. “Unlock the area, and send Kander the recording of what happened, with the message that I’ll be in touch to discuss the matter shortly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Minerva, return to the keeper and have him bring tea to the chamber. Come, Abby,” he declared, and abruptly sweeping her into his arms, he marched down the passage.
“I can walk. You don’t need to carry me.”
“Your legs will be weak from the fright, and even when you’re at full strength I travel faster. There is much to discuss with the alliance.”
“Will you do that calming thing when we get to the chamber? My heart is racing and I feel weird.”
“You’re probably in shock, but even so I’m surprised. I never thought I’d hear you ask for that.”
“I never thought some reptilian alien would grab me and try to smother me with its body. Zaroff, I’m freaking out. It was horrible. It was so, so horrible.”
“I wish it was still alive so I could kill it,” Zaroff muttered, uncharacteristic fury moving through him as he entered the chamber.
Moving quickly to the bed, he laid her down and gently grasped her breasts. The flow of calming energy tingled through his fingertips, but when it passed he didn’t want to move his hands. He wanted to stretch out next to her, peel off her clothes, and devour her body inch by inch, but his salacious fantasy was interrupted as her arms wrapped around his neck. Meeting her hungry gaze, a surge of erotic sparks fired down his spine.
“Kiss me. Please, Zaroff, kiss me?”
The longing in her eyes matched his feverish need, and he could smell her carnal hunger, but he felt more than her physical desire. Her heart cried out for him, as his cried out for her.
Her lips were perilously close.
They touched.
Sparks crackled, numbing his brain.
There was only her, and him, and
their ferocious craving.
Unable to stop himself, he clutched her hair, but just as he was about to press his lips on hers, Keon’s voice echoed in his ear.
“Sir, Kander has seen the recording and is anxious to speak with you.”
Zaroff needed to respond.
He tried to fight the burning desire, but the erotic fever had seized him.
“Sir, are you there?”
Ignoring Keon’s badgering voice, Zaroff dropped his mouth against hers, sucking on her lips and darting his tongue between her teeth. Her mews of pleasure sent a rush of energy to his cock, and pushing her back on the bed, he climbed on top of her, pressing his stiffened member against her thigh.
“Sir, if I don’t receive confirmation in five Earth seconds that you’re safe I’ll issue the alert.”
Letting out a low, agonizing growl, Zaroff slowly raised himself up.
“Zaroff? What’s wrong?” Abby whispered breathlessly, oblivious to Keon’s urgent request. “Please, I’m aching for you.”
“Keon, I’m here,” Zaroff said huskily.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Tell Kander I’m on my way. That is all.”
“Must you go?” Abby muttered. “I’ve never felt anything like this. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.”
“Abby, I must be honest,” he murmured, trying to control the heavy pounding of his heart. “I feel the same, and I am deeply, deeply sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“My impulses, they overwhelmed me. You overwhelmed me. There is much I have to think about, but for now I must go,” he said hastily, climbing off the bed. “There are life and death matters at hand.”
“I understand,” she said solemnly, “but before you leave something occurred to me. It’s about the Faylin.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zaroff took a long, deep breath, then reached for her hand.
“How odd,” he remarked, tilting his head to the side. “I just realized. Your clothes and your hands. There’s no substance. There’s no trace of anything on you. I should have noticed.”
“There was so much going on.”
“Yes, I suppose, but what do you have to tell me, Abby?”
“He’s like the chameleon.”
“Chameleon? Yes, I remember this lizard from Earth, but explain.”
Trained by the Alien Page 12