“I don’t have time to explain everything that happened.”
“It’d have to be a hell of a story. You’re different, Allison.”
“No shit, Tory!” she yelled. “No shit, I’m different. My entire world has been turned upside down.”
“You don’t have to yell at me,” Tory replied. Her tone was aggressive, but her mannerisms still muted.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. This isn’t your fault. But it’s not the Samou’s fault either. They’re not the ones who lied to me.”
“You mean about what Dr. Cooper said before?” Tory asked, taking a seat in the chair across from her.
“Please be honest with me, Tory. Did you know?”
“No,” she said shaking her head vehemently.
“They haven’t mentioned anything about the Samou since I’ve been gone?”
“They just said that you were taken by the native people. They didn’t say if they knew anything about them, or that they had even known they existed before that day.”
“So only a few people know, then,” Allison said, more to herself than to Tory.
“What’s going to happen, Allison? They’re acting like we’re going to war. The things they unloaded from that ship that arrived today. I’ve never seen guns and artillery like that before. I’m scared.”
“You should be,” Allison said bluntly.
“What does that mean?”
“I came here, I came back, to warn you—to try to convince everyone to leave. To get off this planet—now.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Clearly,” Allison agreed. “Tory, you need to leave.”
“What? And go where?”
“I don’t know. But you need to get out of here—as soon as possible. Five minutes ago would be ideal.”
“They’re coming, aren’t they? The blue people—they’re on their way here?”
“You can’t tell anyone,” Allison whispered.
“We have to warn everyone!”
“If we do, they’ll kill all of them.”
“They should. They’re going to attack us!”
“We were going to attack them. Don’t you get that? Don’t you see it? We, or some of us at least, knew they were here all along. This whole mission was some sort of scheme to take the planet from the Samou.”
“Whose side are you on?” Tory asked, leaning back in her chair and eyeing her with heavy suspicion.
“I don’t know anymore,” Allison answered softly. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“What did they do to you?”
“They opened my eyes, Tory. They explained things to me—sort of. They’re not bad. They’re really not. They’re just different. They’re trying to protect themselves.”
“You are on their side.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’m just trying to prevent whatever I can.”
“And you want me to just abandon everyone? To run off into the jungle and hide?”
“I don’t know, Tory. But, I had to warn you. I had to tell you. You’re the only one here that I can still trust.”
“You think there are others in on all of this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore, Tory. I just know that I had to risk a lot just to come back and warn you.”
“What…?”
“We don’t have time for that,” Allison cut her off.
More than anything, she just didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about Hakona. She found herself wishing she had stayed back. At least in her cell, she could live in blissful ignorance. She regretted leaving—very deeply. But, if she could at least save Tory, maybe it would all be worth it.
“Just promise me you’ll go somewhere safe.”
“You realize what you’re asking me to do?”
“Just think about it. But, think quickly.”
They didn't have the chance to say anything else to each other because Commander Peterson appeared suddenly at the entrance to the tent.
“Time’s up,” he said walking towards them. His steps were heavy, and every time his foot hit the ground, Allison felt like it sent her heart beating harder in her chest.
“Dr. Cooper said five minutes!” she objected. “That wasn’t five minutes.”
“It was long enough. Tory, get out.”
Tory stood quickly and lowered her head, running out quickly. She didn’t look back at Allison; she didn’t give any sign of agreement. She simply ran out as fast as her feet would take her.
“Now that I have you to myself,” Peterson said as he pulled the chair out and sat down, “you better start talking.”
“Where’s Dr. Cooper?”
“He’ll be in soon. I wanted a chance to speak to you alone.”
“Then speak.”
He let out a soft, but haunting laugh. “You misunderstood. I meant I was going to give you the chance to explain yourself to me.”
“Why would I need to do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll have the man standing outside of this tent, holding a gun nearly as big as you are, come in here and make you.”
“Go ahead.”
“You don’t want that.”
“It doesn’t really matter what I want, does it?”
“That depends. What is it you want, Allison?”
“I want you to get on that ship and leave—right now.”
He leaned back and crossed his ankle at his knee. "You're right. It doesn't matter what you want because that's not going to happen."
“Suit yourself.”
In a flash, he was leaning across the desk. Allison didn’t even have time to process how quickly he moved. The next thing she knew he had grabbed hold of her shoulders and began to shake her violently.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
She just let out a mocking laugh, which only served to infuriate him even more. He pulled back his right hand, balled it tightly into a fist and let it fly, landing squarely on her jaw. She tasted blood in her mouth, but the adrenaline rushing through her pushed the pain of the blow quickly from her mind.
“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Allison,” he said as he cocked his fist back again.
“It’s funny, though. Because it’s your life I’m playing with,” she replied coldly.
He let his hand fly again. This time, she heard a soft crack as his fist made contact with her face. Her mouth filled with blood, but she didn’t care. It was true. She didn’t have anything to lose anymore. The only thing she wanted was Hakona, and there was no chance of them ever being together.
“Peterson! Damn it! What the hell are you doing?” Dr. Cooper exclaimed as he entered the tent and saw the events unfolding.
He rushed over and pulled the commander back, throwing him down into the chair.
“She’s fucking with us, Gary. She’s fucking with us!”
Dr. Cooper turned to look at her. She could only imagine what she looked like—mouth bloodied and a crazed look in her eye. She didn’t have to imagine very hard, though. The expression on her long-time mentor’s face told her everything.
“It’s true, Gary,” she said, a desperate laugh bubbling up in her stomach. “I’m fucking with you.”
Chapter 18: What We’re Capable Of
The exchange between Allison and the two men was heated. There was a lot of yelling, a lot of cursing, and no progress made. When she eventually calmed down, slightly, she reiterated her desire for them to leave.
“They know what we’re doing,” Dr. Cooper surmised.
“If you’re just now figuring that out, you’re not only heartless, you’re a complete idiot as well,” Allison replied.
“What does it matter? We’re ready for them this time.”
“You saw what that woman could do,” Dr. Cooper said quietly, leaning in and speaking only to Peterson. “The others don’t know, but you do. You’re going to send our men up against an entire fleet of those things?”
“Like I said,” Peterson said standing up quickly, “we’re ready for them.”
“Where are you going?” Allison asked as he turned to walk out of the tent.
“I’ve wasted enough time with you,” he said over his shoulder. “I’m going to prepare my men.”
Allison wanted to stop him, but she knew there was no use trying. Whatever happened moving forward, she had done everything she could. She warned Tory, although she wasn’t even sure warning her did any good. One thing was for sure, though. She had learned the truth. She had finally gotten the answers she had been searching for.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth sooner,” Dr. Cooper said, turning his attention to her.
“How many others know?” she asked.
“Just Peterson’s men. The mission may not have been solely for the purposes we told you, but that was still a very pressing matter. We do want to find a safe place for everyone to live. Earth needs it.”
“You put us all in danger,” she said quietly. “You didn’t care about our safety, or protecting us. You should have told us about the Samou. At least let us make an informed decision for ourselves.”
“Would it have changed your mind?” he asked.
She thought hard about his question. The truth was, that it probably wouldn’t have. A few weeks before, she wouldn’t have cared about the indigenous people. She wouldn’t have cared about the planet itself. She did believe in their mission, and she would have stood behind any measures they felt necessary to take to save humanity.
“Believe me, Allison,” he continued, “if there were some way for us to live in peace with them, we would do it. But, there’s not.”
“You didn’t even try.”
“We did. We really did. We wanted to make it work between the two groups. But, they won’t accept the way we live.”
“Then we change the way we live.”
“Live like them? Out in the forest somewhere? Do you really think that everyone who is used to the life we have on Earth would be willing to do that?”
“If it were the only choice, I think they would.”
“Their way of life wouldn’t support the amount of people we need to bring here. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of lives that would need to be established here. We would have to populate the planet almost entirely to even make the mission worth it.”
"And looking at other planets isn't an option because you want to capitalize on the vegetation here—that secret chemical you want to manufacture?"
“It’s a gold mine, Allison.”
“It’s their home!”
“We’re talking about the future of your people, not theirs. How is it that you’re siding with them on this? How can you not see how important this is for us?”
“Because I have to believe that killing is not the best way to save life.”
In the instant the last word left her mouth, a loud, roaring boom shook the ground under their feet. They were both up and out of their chairs in a flash. Allison rushed around the side of the desk and bolted towards the exit. Dr. Cooper grabbed onto her hand, pulling her back.
“Don’t go out there. You don’t know what they’re capable of!”
She turned and glared at him. “I know better than you. Besides, it’s what we’re capable of that scares me.”
She ripped her hand from his and continued to make her way for the outside. In the not too far distance, she saw a dark, black cloud of smoke streaming slowly up from the line of trees on the opposite side of the camp.
The air was still. There was no movement in the sky or on the ground. The people around her were standing, motionless, staring off in the same direction she was looking.
They were waiting—waiting to see what would happen next. “What was that?” Allison asked, running over to one of the scientists she had worked with for years.
“Allison!” he exclaimed, turning to face her. His face was pale and his eyes wide. “They’re here.”
“You saw them? You’re sure?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, his words rushed and bunched together. “There was something, out there—in the sky! We shot at it. I don’t know if we got it, but it’s gone.”
“What was it?”
“I have no idea. It looked like a—a dragon! Can that be? Can there really be dragons here? Why haven’t we seen them before? Why did we not know that? That can’t be right, can it?”
Allison turned her attention back to the forest. She wasn’t listening to him anymore. He continued to mutter quickly under his breath.
She saw a thick cloud of smoke appearing where the steady black stream had been previously. It grew larger, and she felt a nervous turning start in her stomach.
“What is that?” her colleague asked.
She didn’t answer. She walked forward, watching the air, waiting to see them. He said they had shot at one of them. Did they hit them? Who was it? She felt scared and apprehensive. She prayed that they didn’t actually reach their target. She had seen the Samou move when in their dragon form. They were swift and very quick. Maybe the dragon was able to dive out of range before the projectile made contact.
“Oh my God,” she heard the man behind her whisper.
She continued to search the air. In the blink of an eye, the sky became filled with the massively sized, scale-covered, winged beasts. Their skin reflected the sun, shining with an array of colors as they quickly swooped in on them.
Another boom rang out. Allison didn’t see what caused the terrifying sound, but she could feel the explosion in her chest. She took another step forward, then another.
The projectile didn’t seem to hit any of them, and they continued to move towards them, their speed almost alarming.
The men around her quickly sprang into action. One second they were statues, the next they were fully armed, perfectly trained soldiers. They lined up, forming a firing line at the edge of the electric fence. Their guns were trained on the dragons as they continued their advance.
The ground under her feet started to shake, and she heard a loud, whining metallic sound come rumbling through the forest behind her. She turned just in time to see the large tank moving slowly forward, knocking down trees, running over bushes, destroying any and everything in its path.
Allison then broke into a run. She didn’t know where she was going, or what she would do when she got there, but she had to move. Standing still was not an option in that moment.
She charged her way through the small crowd of people that had gathered in the center of the camp. They all had their eyes turned up to the sky. She heard mutters of confusion, concern, and fear. They had no idea what was happening. They were completely confused and innocent.
She shouldered her way past them, yelling as she went. “You have to get back!” she demanded.
One, frightened, shaking woman grabbed her arm. “What’s happening?”
“We’re being attacked—we’re attacking.” Both were true.
“What are those things?” someone else asked.
Another explosion filled the air.
“We don’t have time,” she said quickly. “Just get back—get to safety!” she ordered.
She turned to face the scene unfolding around them. The questions continued, but she ignored them. The Samou were close—very close. The firing line at the fence unleashed a rain of bullets into the sky. The tank was rounding the corner and aiming its gun up at the cluster of flying beasts above them. It was clear that the bullets had hit some of them. There were bright red spots, quickly getting larger, splattered across some of their large bodies.
They didn’t seem detoured, however. In a fury, flames poured out of their mouths. The men in the firing line fell back quickly, only half of them making it out of their range. The bodies that were left, littering the ground, were charred and black.
The air filled with cries and screams. People were still running about wildly, trying to find cover. The dragons split into two groups, each going in a dif
ferent direction. One fleet flew over her head, their eyes fixed on the fleshy humans running around below them.
Simultaneously they unleashed another rain of fire. Not more than ten feet to her right, a small group of people fell to the ground, burnt and dead before they even hit.
Something that she could only imagine was cannon fire from the tank rang out. She heard one of the dragons let out a loud wail as it went crashing to the ground. The heavy bloodied body fell behind her hard, shaking the ground upon impact. She turned, a feeling of fear gripping her. When she saw that it wasn't Hakona, she felt a slight wave of relief, which was only short lived.
Allison continued to move as quickly as she could, trying to make sense of the massacre happening around her. Another cannon fire rang out—another dragon fell to the ground, knocking down two of the electronic fence sensors as it did.
She scanned the dragons until she found the one she knew was Hakona. He was at the head of one of the fleets preparing to swoop down and unleash another rain of fury on a group of her colleagues, huddled tightly together as they ran desperately towards one of the tents.
She knew what would happen next, so she burst into a sprint and planted herself in front of the group. “No!” she yelled.
Hakona’s eyes met hers, and he pulled back quickly. The dragons behind him followed him up into the air. She ordered the group to take cover in the tent, even though it was clear the flimsy fabric would do little to protect them if Hakona and his fleet returned.
She watched as they swarmed in again, their sights set on the remaining men in the firing line. A quick succession of pops rang out, and two of the dragons behind Hakona fell lower than the rest. It was clear they were injured. They could only take so much before their wounds overwhelmed them.
Still, the entire fleet released pillars of fire in the direction of their attackers. This time, only a handful of men escaped with their lives. They ran wildly in her direction, their screams and cries ringing loudly in her ears.
The grinding of gears distracted her. She turned just in time to see the tank train its cannon on Hakona.
“Hakona!” she yelled out. He didn’t hear her. She yelled again, her lungs aching from the effort to scream as loudly as she could. “Look out!”
Hakona: Dragon Warrior (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance) Page 14