***
Upon entering Nait’s lab, Alyssa rushed over to where Ela, Nait, and Kelly crowded around a microscope. Ela scowled, Nait smiled, and Kelly grinned, giving her a side-hug as she scooted over to let Alyssa into the huddle. Sebastian stood behind her, peering over her shoulder.
“Alyssa dear,” Nait said with an excited tone, “I am happy you joined us.”
“Thanks, Nait.” She smiled and gently bumped shoulders with him. “What’s the word?”
“The word?” He squinted at her, then glanced at Kelly for clarification.
Alyssa and Kelly snickered, peeking at each other out of the corners of their eyes. “Uh, what did you find out?”
“Ah, yes,” he said, looking into the microscope again, “it seems Ela is correct. You have retained Valene in your circulatory system. It appears unchanged from the sample we took during your pregnancy, which is quite exciting.” He turned his head to smile at Alyssa again.
“Why is that?” she asked, scowling at his wide-eyed expression.
“I will be able to run more experiments now that I can take more samples of your blood. I can also send some samples along with samples of the Valene compound you retrieved from your mother’s office to our secondary lab in New York when Sebastian goes to the coalition conference.”
“Huh.” Alyssa blinked, dread returning at the idea of Sebastian traveling across the country. “I suppose that’ll be all right, especially now that we have an extractor and you won’t have to keep poking me with needles.”
“That’s the spirit,” Kelly said, squeezing Alyssa’s hand. “Hopefully this will let them find a vaccine sooner. Who knows what that commander is up to. He could have a new lab set up in the sublevels of the Kara, making more poison, and we’d never know it.”
The Kara was the command ship for the Szu’Kara fleet. Centered on the compound grounds, the Kara loomed ninety floors over the surrounding space shuttles that had been converted into housing and office space. Kayn lived and worked in the Kara, and was actually named after it, or it after him, as well as all previous commanders.
As all commanders before him, Kayn’Kara came from a bloodline that made him more powerful than the rest of the Szu’Kara race. The word, kara, meant superior or elite, depending on the context, and the commander lived up to his name. Alyssa had witnessed his superior attitude more times than she could count, astonished at herself for ever thinking his behavior appeared distinguished.
“So, what now, Nait?”
“Now I will run more tests to verify that your blood and your physiology are identical to what they were while you were pregnant with the commander’s child.”
Glancing at Ela and Kelly, Alyssa blushed. “What does this mean for us, and our, uh, intimacy? Is this going to happen every time? Why doesn’t it affect him when we kiss? Will I be able to touch him—or anyone else? I don’t understand.”
“Relax, darlin’.” Sebastian rubbed little circles on her lower back.
“This is new territory, Alyssa dear.” Nait softened his tone as if he were speaking to a skittish animal. Alyssa blushed, hugging her arms across her flat belly. “Yken’Sa healed your wound.”
“You mean my disembowelment?” She scoffed, pinching her lips between her teeth to hold off an angry rant.
“The rest of your body had to adjust to the sudden loss of your child. You were full of hormones, and as we now know, Valene as well. Even if you had not waited this past month to be intimate, you probably would not have had this reaction yet. Your physiology had to work itself out and find common ground. Valene is not natural to humans, yet your body has found a way to adapt.” He grinned, which was not a regular occurrence for a Szu’Kara. “As I said… fascinating.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes, smirking at Sebastian when he caught her and smiled.
“What can we do for her, Nait?” Sebastian asked. “Is there any harm in this? I haven’t experienced Asen’Sha before. That was my first time.”
“Again, this is all new,” Nait said. “Moderation is my best advice. You will need to self-monitor, Alyssa. Maybe keep a journal of how you feel and any affects you have on Sebastian, or anyone else you might touch. Also, I would like to know how you react when touching Lyssa’s skin. If she does not affect you as she did her parents, then I would say you are more like the Karans than either human or Szu’Kara.”
“Karans?” Alyssa frowned, tilting her head in confusion. “Who are they?”
“We have recently been informed,” Ela said in her monotonous tone, “there are adult hybrids at the New York coalition headquarters. They were rescued during a raid on another slave encampment.”
“That is fascinating!” Alyssa turned to grin at Kelly. “And they call themselves Karans? Oh, I wish I could go with Sebastian to New York now.” She bounced on the balls of her feet, excitement welling up in her chest.
“Yes, well, that would not be safe.” Ela’s face darkened, making Alyssa wonder if she might care for her in some way. Not that she would ever admit to caring for a human.
“No, I am afraid we cannot allow you to travel such a distance. Too many possibilities for General Ras to capture you… again. You are too valuable to our cause.” Nait patted her hand with his midnight blue hand, the light glinting off the glittery sparkles in his skin.
“It’s a good thing I know you like me, Nait.” She grinned and poked his shoulder. “I might think you only want me around for my blood.”
“Do not be silly, Alyssa,” Nait said, his dark cheeks blushing a purplish hue. “You are one of my favorite humans.” His mouth widened in a smile, exposing teeth that shined against his skin, his pale-gray eyes twinkling with mirth.
Chapter 8
“Lorn, you ready for this?” Sebastian twisted around in the driver’s seat of his black SUV to check on the kind-hearted alien.
“Yes.” Lorn stared out at the ruins of what used to be a neighborhood before the war. “Alexander said there would be Szu’Kara that could be convinced to join the coalition. I only wish to prevent unnecessary Szu’Kara deaths.”
“We’ll do everything we can to minimize the casualties,” Sebastian said, glancing around the dark, rubble-strewn street. “There’s Alex now.” He jumped out to meet the leader of the Northern Oregon coalition group, while Lorn, Alyssa, and Jess waited. Three vans were parked behind them, each carrying coalition members from their headquarters, as well as members from the Spokane settlement.
“You’re going to keep your gun in your hand this time, right?” Jess smirked at Alyssa.
Spinning around in her seat, Alyssa playfully glared at her best friend. “Yes!” She rolled her eyes and eased back around to watch Sebastian. “I hope…”
“Aly!”
“Jess!” She giggled. “I’ll do my best. It’s not like we’re trained soldiers. We’ve only been on a couple raids.”
“I am sure you will do fine, Aly,” Lorn muttered as he watched the two men in the street.
“Thanks, Lorn. At least someone has faith in me.” She snorted as Jess jabbed her with a finger.
“Alex has been scouting this camp for a while now, hasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Lorn said, finally looking at Alyssa. “This is the original Oregon encampment my people created after arrival. They gathered many humans here and forced them to live in tents for many long months before moving them to various compounds and settlements along the west coast.”
“That’s awful,” Jess whispered.
“Sebastian said he came here once when he was searching for Jordan and their mom.”
Alyssa smiled at Sebastian as he climbed back in the SUV. He had a serious face, his scar puckering slightly as his eyebrows scrunched downward.
“Looks like they’re still keeping the slaves in tents. Should be easy enough to get them out since we don’t have to break into any buildings or cellars.”
“That’s good,” Alyssa said, Jess and Lorn nodding their agreement.
“Yeah, so Alex is going
to take us to the rendezvous point, where we’ll organize into teams.”
Sebastian drove behind Alex’s black panel van, following him for several blocks, bouncing over rubble and skirting enormous potholes in the worn asphalt. Five turns and too many bone-jarring bumps in the road later, they pulled up behind a long convoy of vehicles. Three green school buses waited, their engines rumbling.
The gang scurried out of the SUV, joining a large, quiet crowd. Alex stepped up onto a large pile of sidewalk chunks lit by headlights, his face and light-brown hair the only visible parts of him, with the rest of his body covered in black tactical clothing and gear.
Most of the crowd wore similar gear. Alyssa and Jess had opted for black jeans and coalition hoodies over tactical vests, while Sebastian wore his usual black t-shirt, camouflage pants, and black combat boots. A black jacket covered his vest and muscular arms, one of which he wrapped around Alyssa’s waist, pulling her close. She savored the heat radiating from his lean, sexy body.
Now is not the time to get all hot and bothered, girl.
“The goal here is to get the guards away from the tents.” Alex’s voice traveled easily through the still night air. Two burly men with AR15 rifles flanked him, glaring out at the crowd. “We’re going to split up into teams. We need two strike teams per one retrieval team. One strike team will lead the guards away from the tents, while the other covers the retrieval team as they round up the slaves. The ultimate goal, of course, is to rescue the slaves, but our secondary goal is to capture as many Zooks as possible. We’ve monitored this encampment for several weeks, and we’ve witnessed dissent in the ranks. We’re all aware that not every alien agrees with the commander’s genocidal plans, so let’s try to give them a chance at a better life. The rest will be interrogated. Protect yourself and your fellow coalition members; no one needs to die trying to turn a Zook to our side. Aim to injure as we have plenty of medics awaiting our return; only kill if you must. It’s us or them. Let’s get this done!”
“I love you, Sebastian.” Alyssa hugged him as the crowd split into the necessary teams. “Please, be safe.”
“You too, darlin’.” He kissed her nose, giving her a lopsided grin. “Stay with your teams. Don’t get separated. I don’t want my beautiful future-mother-of-my-children to get hurt, or killed.”
Alyssa blushed, breaking out in the biggest smile. “Aww, you like my dream?”
“I do,” he said, smiling back. “I really do.”
***
“Stay behind us until it’s clear,” Alex whispered loudly to the three teams he’d positioned at the northeast corner of the slave camp. A tall, cyclone fence stood several hundred feet away from them. Each group had been armed with wire cutters, and they waited for a team member in all black to cut through the fence, occasionally dropping to the tall, reedy grass when a Zook guard passed by.
The tent line started two or three hundred yards inside the fence line, with guards patrolling along the tents. So far, they’d been lucky enough that none of the guards noticed the cut fencing. Each team was given twenty minutes to get in position and get the fence cut, and Alex whispered out the minute count when they’d reached the five-minute mark.
“Everyone ready?” he asked as they heard the last snap of the wire cutters.
Alyssa squeezed Jess’ hand and murmured her readiness. Her breathing picked up as her pulse raced in anticipation. The sound of grass rustling put her heart in her throat. Jess turned to her with big eyes, the sweat of her palms mingling with Alyssa’s.
Staring into each other’s eyes, they took a deep, steadying breath together. On Alex’s signal, the first team filed through the fence, spreading out and running to the tent line. They stooped low enough to avoid the occasional beam of a guard’s flashlight.
“Here we go,” Alyssa said as the leading team disappeared between the rows of ragged tents.
Gunfire to the west startled Alyssa. She steeled herself as more shots rang out nearby, signaling the remaining two teams to move in. Alex led the cover team through the fence, waving each member through until Alyssa’s team started forward.
“Wait,” he whispered. “Let them get into position.”
Vibrating with adrenaline, she crouched down and huddled with Jess. Seconds later, Alex hissed and ushered them through. Alyssa and Jess followed on the heels of their bigger team members, reaching the tent line as scared faces peered between the dirty flaps.
“Get ready to run,” she said in a hushed voice, turning to the nearest face of a gaunt slave. “Wait for the whistle, then head for the hole in the fence. If you can’t find it, there are more farther down the fence line; look for a human or alien wearing something with this symbol on it.” Alyssa pointed at the coalition emblem on her hoodie, waiting for a nod of understanding before running to the next row in.
Jess moved from tent to tent of the outermost row while Alyssa mirrored her along the next row. Another team member worked along the row beyond as three others went the opposite direction. The cover team hovered nearby, two per three retrievers.
Each time a cover team member shot their guns, Alyssa squeaked, ducking her head reflexively. The dirty faces of slaves pierced her heart as she held back tears. Every time she found children in a tent, a well of rage pooled in her mind.
A whistle echoed through the air as she made it halfway down the row. She popped up to check on the progress she’d made, watching emaciated bodies dash for the fence. Glancing over at Jess, she waved for her to keep going and turned to run to the next tent.
A loud gasp flew from her mouth as she jumped and screamed, blocked by an evil sight. Towering over Alyssa, Kora’s Szu’Kara mate, Sen’Tasi, glowered down at her, a bone-chilling smirk on his ghostly face. His bony, sallow appearance hadn’t changed since she’d last faced off with him.
“Hello, whore.” His scratchy, ominous voice sent icicles racing through her veins. “What have you done with my child?”
“I, uh, don’t know what you mean.” Alyssa shuddered, her eyes searching for an escape or rescuer.
“Yes.” His tone snapped in her ears. “You know exactly what I mean. You have stolen my mate and my child, but you will return them to me immediately.”
“For all I know, your baby is dead and Kora is long gone. You don’t deserve to have her back. You are an abuser and a monster, just like Kayn.” This is bad… real bad.
“Do not speak his name!” He took a menacing step closer, and Alyssa jumped back, away from his haunting form. “He is an unfit commander, unable to fulfill his duties because he became soft, desiring only to procreate with the vermin that swarm and destroy their own planet. Once I take you back—” His hand snaked out and gripped Alyssa’s wrist, squeezing until she yelped.
Red filled her sight, followed by utter black as her head flung back. Her wrist burned under Sen’s hold, spikes of pain shooting up her arm and into her brain. Rage at the abuse flooded her mind, flowing like water down to where she connected with him, spilling over.
Visions of Sen flailing in the center of an enormous raging fire flashed before Alyssa’s blind eyes. A screeching wail sounded in the distance as the roar of the flames filled her ears, the scent of scorched flesh clogged her nose. Sen’s grip on her wrist jerked around, yanking on her arm, making her mind focus beyond the burning image.
Memories of Kora floated around in Alyssa’s mind’s eye, and muttered words in Sen’s vile voice fluttered through her thoughts.
“Should be me…”
“He never deserved…”
“…has my child…”
“She has the bloodline…”
“…will make me commander.”
Disgusted by these words and images, Alyssa imagined Sen in the fire again, forcing the flames higher and higher until they engulfed him, searing his sickly gray skin. Jess’ sweet voice whispered through her mind, but she refused to stop, wanting only to watch Sen burn to a crisp and die an agonizing death. It’s what he deserves for what he did to Kora!<
br />
“Aly! Aly, stop!”
The images faded until Alyssa’s eyes cleared enough to see Sen on the ground convulsing, his hand still wrapped around her aching wrist.
“What the hell?” She blinked away the visions and focused on her surroundings. Jess helped her pry Sen’s fingers away as he lay unconscious at her feet. Alex stood over his prone form, his rifle aimed squarely at Sen’s head.
“The fuck’d you do to ‘im?” Alex yelled, glancing between Alyssa and Sen.
“I… I’m not sure.” Alyssa rubbed her bruised wrist as Alex waved over a cover team member.
“Take her back to the vehicles,” he said, pointing at Alyssa, “and have a medic look at her.”
“I’m going with her,” Jess said, glaring when Alex opened his mouth to argue. “She’s not going anywhere without me. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Sebastian.”
“Whoa, Jess!” Alyssa grinned at her best friend. “I’ve never heard you talk like that before.”
“Well,” she said, spinning on her heel and pulling Alyssa along behind their escort, “wherever you go, I go. Bas and Granny would have my hide if I let anything happen to you.”
“Thanks,” Alyssa said, sighing with relief. “That was scary. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
***
Following the steady line of escaping slaves, Alyssa and Jess, along with their escort, ran crouched most of the way. The camp sounded like a war zone, with the constant exchange of gunfire and screams chilling Alyssa to the bone. The occasional stray bullet kicked up dirt as they scrambled away.
Their escort urged them to move faster, but Alyssa stumbled with dizziness, smiling weakly when Jess steadied her. When they’d gotten far enough away from the fence line, Jess grabbed Alyssa’s arm, threw it over her shoulder, and broke out in a light jog. Alyssa’s feet tangled several times, but Jess pulled her along, all the while muttering encouraging words.
Unchained: The Discordant Earth Series Book Two Page 6