Core's Attack

by S. E. Smith

  Core looked back at the house. “She is safe,” he said.

  “Yes, but they don’t know that,” Merrick replied, turning toward the house. “Get Teriff and Hendrik, and meet me at the house.”

  Core nodded and turned on his heel. He took off across the grounds, keeping to the shadows. The hunt was not over.

  12

  Avery paced back and forth outside of the door to the medical room. Terra, Cosmos’ wife/bond mate, was working to save Trudy. Avery glanced up when the door opened.

  “Are they back?” she demanded.

  Cosmos shook his head. His gaze moved to the door, and Avery pursed her lips.

  “She’s still in surgery, or whatever in the hell they do to people here,” she said.

  “Terra is an excellent healer, and the technology they have here is pretty exceptional. I can personally attest to that,” he responded with a rueful smile.

  “Once I know Trudy is out of danger, I’ll return to CRI. If Merrick, Core, and the others don’t find Markham, Wright, and Dolinski, I will,” she stated, waving her hand in aggravation.

  Cosmos reached out and grabbed her hand. She stiffened when he turned her clenched fist over, and pressed his thumb against the tips until she uncurled her fingers. He looked down at her palm, then locked gazes with her, his expression worried.

  “Avery…” he started to say.

  She shook her head. “It won’t make a difference, Cosmos. I warned you, and I warned Core,” she said, pulling her hand free.

  Cosmos gave her an exasperated look. “Avery, this is something that you may not have much say about. This is deep. The science of it is mind boggling,” he said.

  She lifted her chin, and the expression in her eyes became cold. “I should have stayed focused. This....” She waved her hand and looked at the door. “This is what happens when you get distracted.”

  She stiffened when Cosmos wrapped his fingers around her forearms. Turning to look at him, she saw the anger in his eyes. He released her and stepped back with a shake of his head.

  “This is what happens when bad people do bad things. It is not your fault, Avery. You know better than anyone else how much good we have done. We can’t stop all the bad things that will happen. If anyone should feel responsible for what happened, it’s me. It was my decision to get involved, and it was my invention that connected these two worlds,” he said, turning away from her.

  He stared through the glass at Terra as she worked to save Trudy’s life. Avery reached out and squeezed his arm.

  “You left your family’s safety in my hands, Cosmos,” she quietly reminded him. “Despite our best efforts, we are still only human. We can’t protect everyone all the time.”

  He turned his head to look at her. “And I brought the forces of evil to them. I can’t change the past—though I might try if I invent a time machine. We can’t live in the past either, Avery. I know what happened to you. I’ve always known. I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise.” He turned to face her and grabbed her hand again. She looked down at her upturned palm. “I’m asking you to trust me on this. This connection is not something you can ignore—and you shouldn’t. You should give Core a chance,” he murmured.

  Avery blinked and focused on the intricate design on her palm. She could feel Core. Even worlds away, she could feel him in her heart. Her mind and body craved the assurance that he was safe. Cosmos dropped her hand, and they turned when the door opened.

  Terra gave them both a reassuring smile. “She will be fine. I would like her to stay in the medical unit for a few days so that I can monitor her. She lost a lot of blood and some of the damage was difficult to repair, but she is no longer in danger. If you would like to see her, you may go in. I do ask that you keep it short. I have given her medication to help her heal, and it will make her drowsy,” she explained.

  Avery looked at Cosmos. “You go in,” he said. “I’ll be here, and I’ll check in on her later.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  Terra stepped aside so that Avery could go into the medical unit. As she walked toward the door, Avery noticed the tender looks Terra and Cosmos exchanged as Cosmos wrapped his arm around Terra’s waist.

  Avery curled her fingers into a fist. This was not her—the tender expressions, the gentle caresses, the love—she wasn’t even sure she was capable of such deep emotion.

  She took a deep breath and focused on Trudy. This is where her comfort zone was—with her team. She walked across the room to the bed where Trudy was lying.

  Her heart ached for the young woman lying on the silver sheets. A colorful band of lights suddenly scanned Trudy, and Avery turned slightly to look at Terra.

  “It is a monitor. The computer will complete a diagnostic evaluation every five minutes for the first twenty-four hours or until all of her vital signs return to normal,” Terra said from the door.

  “No need to worry, Avery,” RITA2 said, materializing in the chair on the other side of the bed. “I’ll be here with Trudy until she is released.”

  “I love your new programming, RITA2,” Trudy murmured. “Rose is going to be so jealous I saw it first.”

  “Wait until you see DAR. That man’s program has me shorting out my circuits,” RITA2 replied with an exaggerated wink while she fanned herself with her clipboard.

  “Are you talking about me again, love?” DAR teased as he appeared next to RITA2 and dropped a kiss on her upturned lips.

  Trudy giggled. “I see what you mean,” she tiredly replied.

  “DAR?” Avery asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Defense, Armament, and Response System at your service,” DAR replied with a bow.

  RITA2’s eyes glowed—actually glowed—with humor. “I helped tweak his program at first, but the rest is all Prime computer code,” she purred.

  “Just what Earth and Baade need, their own set of horny AI computers messing with our worlds!” Avery dryly replied.

  RITA2 rose from her chair and walked over to the bed. “You might learn a thing or two from us, Avery,” she retorted.

  “Ouch! Score one for the horny AI systems,” Trudy muttered.

  Avery bit her tongue to keep from making a sarcastic comment. She might not be as good as Trudy and Rose when it came to computer coding, but she was damn good at blowing things up. DAR must have recognized the glint in her eyes because he hurried over to RITA2 and wrapped his arm around her waist.

  “Why don’t we let Avery have a moment alone with Trudy, my love? There is a glitch in my program I want you to take a closer look at,” DAR suggested.

  “A glitch? Oh, that sounds like something that I have to take a very close look at,” RITA2 breathed.

  Avery watched as the AI couple shimmered and disappeared through the wall like twin apparitions oblivious to their surroundings. She blinked when she heard Trudy sigh wistfully.

  “What’s wrong?” Avery asked.

  Trudy looked up at her. “I wish I could see his coding, too. I bet it is fabulous,” she answered with another long sigh.

  Avery shook her head. “You geeks are some of the weirdest individuals I’ve ever met,” she replied.

  Avery stepped out of the medical room twenty minutes later. She looked up and down the hallway for a moment before turning to the right and striding in a direction that she hoped would take her to an exit. She passed a series of windows that looked out over a beautiful garden. Even though it was dark outside, the moons and subtle lighting illuminated the area.

  She spied a set of doors and headed for them. She was almost to the exit when she heard someone call her name. Turning, she waited for Cosmos.

  “I’m sorry I missed seeing you leave the medical unit,” he said.

  She shrugged. “There is no need to apologize. I stayed longer than I intended. Trudy was telling me what she found out while I was gone. Have you heard from Core and the others?” she asked.

  Cosmos nodded. “That is why I was pulled away. They’ve returned—with Weston Wright’
s body. Whoever he was with didn’t want to give him the chance to talk to us,” he explained.

  Avery looked over Cosmos’ shoulder as she sensed Core’s presence, and locked eyes with him as he strode down the corridor toward them. It took more effort than it should have to pull her gaze away and look back at Cosmos.

  “I’ll return and locate Markham and Dolinski,” she quietly said.

  Cosmos turned around, saw Core, and then looked back at her. “Remember what I said, Avery, both about Core and what’s happened. I want you to leave Markham and Dolinski to me. I’ll personally handle this mission from here on out. That’s an order, Avery. I know you can be like a starving wolf with a bone when you set your mind on something, but for once, I’d like to see you do something for yourself. I want you to take an extended vacation,” he added.

  Avery’s eyes flashed with anger before she hid her emotions. She forced her pursed lips to relax. This was not the time to get into an argument. It wouldn’t matter anyway. She had seen the same look of determination in Cosmos’ eyes far too often to think he would budge from his decision.

  “As you wish, Cosmos,” she coolly replied.

  Cosmos studied her face for a moment before he nodded in relief. “Terra says Trudy will be here for a few days. It will be nice to know you are here with her. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

  “Good night,” Avery murmured.

  She watched Cosmos turn and bow his head to Core before he picked up speed and disappeared down the corridor. She turned on her heel and pushed through the door. The air outside was cool with a light breeze. It felt good against her heated skin.

  She slid her hands into the pockets of her jacket, and reassured herself by curling her fingers around the pistol in one pocket and the silver cylinder of the Portal device in the other. It was the same device she had used to go from Cosmos’ lab to Core’s bedroom just a couple of days ago. As soon as it had become clear that Trudy was in good hands, Avery had borrowed one of the vehicles here and followed the alien version of GPS to Core’s place to pick up the device, but by the time she was able to go back for Addie, RITA2 was informing her that there was no need.

  Avery turned her head slightly when she heard the door behind her open. She slowly descended the steps to the path below. A moment later, the soft sound of Core’s footsteps fell into rhythm with hers.

  “What happened?” she asked, keeping her voice calm and her gaze focused on the path in front of her.

  “It was Weston Wright, and we suspect Karl Markham. The man who shot Trudy also killed Wright,” he said.

  Avery nodded. “Cosmos said he suspects that Markham didn’t want Wright sharing any information. From the little that I’ve been able to find out about Markham, it would fit his profile,” she commented.

  “They paid some youths to shoot colored balls at the house to draw us away. Wright was in the house, searching for Addie,” he continued.

  Avery paused and looked at him with a concerned expression. “Is she alright? I thought she was behind me, but a bullet shattered the cylinder you had given me. I could have immediately gone back for her if I had remembered to bring my Gateway device, but I didn’t,” she said with a frown. This was the second time she had failed Addie, and Avery fervently hoped she hadn’t caused irreparable damage to the young woman.

  “Addie was safe. She hid in a secret room they used for storage,” he reassured her.

  Avery stiffened when he reached out to enfold her in his arms. She wanted to push him away, but her body had other ideas. Instead of fighting, she stepped closer to him, slid her arms around his waist, and held him.

  “No one was hurt?” she murmured against his shirt.

  “Only the bad one. Merrick is quite upset. He was looking forward to killing the man,” Core chuckled.

  Avery turned her face into his chest and chuckled with him. They were a bloodthirsty lot. Weston Wright didn’t know how lucky the end had turned out to be for him.

  He wasn’t that lucky. Merrick found him before Markham’s bullet finished the job, he silently added.

  “Markham is still out there—and so is Dolinski. They both need to be stopped,” she murmured, tilting her head back to look up at him.

  “They will be. Merrick will not rest until the humans have been found,” Core replied.

  Avery shook her head. “If anything, this should show how dangerous it is for your people to come to my world. This is something that we need to take care of,” she insisted.

  He slid his hands up from her waist and cupped her face, his expression hardening. She could hear his denial before he spoke. Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to the pattern on his palm.

  “You are making me crazy,” he groaned.

  Her lips twitched. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, then wrapped her fingers around his wrist. Rising up on her toes, she pressed a hard kiss to his lips.

  “Can we return to your home?” she murmured against his lips.

  “Yes, I will borrow a transport,” he replied.

  “I’ll wait for you out front,” she said.

  “I won’t be long,” he promised.

  He reluctantly released her. Her fingers slid down his wrists and trailed along his palm to the tips of his fingers before he stepped away. She kept her mind focused on him and the memory of their touch.

  In the darkness, the silver threads connecting their hands glowed again before vanishing. The strands reminded her of a spider’s web. If you looked close enough, you’d swear that some magic had captured a thousand moons and stored them in the dew drops that clung to the web.

  Her heart ached watching him walk back into the medical wing of the complex. He was a good man. Turning away, she looked up at the sky. The stars were different here. Even with two moons, she could see them so much clearer than back on Earth. She watched as a spaceship cut through the atmosphere.

  This was a magical world where people lived by a different code. Humans weren’t advanced enough for this world—not all of them. They would tear all of this down just like they fought to tear down their own if they had the chance.

  She slowly lowered her head and looked around the garden, wondering, for just a moment, what it would be like to let go—to live a life where she could feel loved. Her hand slid down and she touched her stomach to remind herself why she couldn’t.

  “Dreams get you killed, Avery. Remember that,” she whispered.

  13

  “This is Walt,” a gruff voice answered.

  “Have the helicopter ready,” Karl ordered.

  “Already is. Weston called earlier,” Walt stated.

  Karl’s mouth tightened at his dead half-brother’s name. He hadn’t worked often with Weston, and if Karl hadn’t brought him in on this case back when Avilov had hired him to deal with Tansy Bell… well, Karl wouldn’t have had to shoot the weakling, would he? He’d be alive to annoy Karl another day.

  “Destination?” Walt asked.

  Karl’s eyes narrowed. “Cancel the order. I need a jet instead,” he replied.

  “Destination?” Walt repeated, unperturbed by the sudden change in orders.

  “Calais, Maine,” he replied.

  “It’ll be ready at hanger C15,” Walt replied.

  Karl snapped the cell phone shut and placed it in the center console. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he took a curve faster than was recommended. The BMW M760 sports car stayed true to the road like a champ.

  He focused on the next step in his plan. There were more aliens than he’d expected—at least four of them. His eyes narrowed as he took another curve and the headlights of a car flashed by him. The women in Houston had been talking about someone getting close to an alien. Perhaps it was time to catch some new bait to use.

  “Avery Lennox….” he murmured.

  There was little information about her, but there was a photograph and he had a location—if she was still there. He reached for his phone again. He was surprised when an American v
oice answered his call.

  “Name?”

  Karl’s brow creased as he frowned. He was normally patched through to a teen with a thick accent. Apparently he had gotten a receptionist, and she sounded like she was ten years old. For a second, he felt old.

  “I need information on Avery Lennox, Head of Security for Cosmos Raines Industries,” he replied.

  There was a brief pause before the woman replied. “One hundred bitcoins.”

  Greedy little bitch, he thought before he answered.

  “Agreed—if I get the information in one hour,” he coolly responded.

  “Same terms: all information transferred upon full payment,” she said in a voice that sounded almost bored.

  “Account name: Cohiba,” he replied.

  “You know smoking will kill you, right?” the woman-child dryly replied.

  The connection ended before he could reply. He tossed the phone back into the console and accelerated. He hated dealing with hackers, but their expertise was sometimes needed. The last time he’d tried to access information on CRI and Avery Lennox himself, he had failed miserably, and promptly set up a job with this infamous ‘Doughboy’. Karl sneered at the image that name evoked. The first job hadn’t been for what he really wanted, though. Every contact needed to be tested, no matter how highly recommended they came. The hacker had passed with flying colors, and Karl had made a mental note to use him for the real thing if Merrick disappeared again. Karl had been so sure events at the cottage would go his way, but life had taught him to always have a surprise in his back pocket.

  “Trudy is going to be fine, thank goodness,” RITA said.

  Rose almost dissolved in her chair. She laid her forehead on her folded arms and sniffed. Maria stood up from her position on the couch, came over, and hugged her.

  “I remember what it was like when Rico was missing. I’m glad Trudy is okay,” Maria quietly said.

  Rose straightened and brushed her hands across her damp cheeks. Runt remained quiet. They had all been tense ever since they had received word that Trudy had been shot.