by Mikayla Lane
“Are you hungry? I’m starving,” Lauren said, tugging on his hand.
Mikey grinned and let her pull him towards the kitchen door.
“I’m always hungry,” Mikey said, turning to look for Emily one more time before they turned the corner.
Mikey tried to shake off the feeling that he should have said something to Lauren about the girl, but the sane part of him refused to willingly tell her he was crazy and talking to ghosts who said they weren’t ghosts and wanted to talk to angels.
They were silent as they entered the kitchen, and Lauren handed him a plate before taking one for herself. Mikey filled his plate with the fresh fruits, cheeses, nuts, and baked goods that were perpetually laid out in the kitchen. With his plate full— even though he wasn’t really hungry—he sat at the table and waited for Lauren to join him.
Lauren looked at Mikey through her lashes as she toyed with random food items. He had lied to her. Maybe not in the strictest sense of the term, but he was keeping something from her. She could feel it. Unsure how to approach it, she decided to let it go for the moment to see if he would tell her who he was speaking to earlier.
“How long are you expected to keep me here?” Mikey suddenly asked.
He had no idea where that question came from—although it was a valid one—and he wanted an answer.
Lauren sighed heavily, hoping he wasn’t becoming combative again. If Blade put another worm in Mikey’s head, she was going to do much more than kick him in groin this time.
“Why do you think there’s a timeframe to keep you here?” she countered.
Mikey shrugged and played with the food on his plate before he looked up at her.
“This is about as far away from civilization as I can get, right?” he said, gesturing around him.
“Yeah,” Lauren agreed. “I guess it is. That really wasn’t my intention though. Would you prefer to go to another location?”
Mikey thought about it for a moment and shook his head. He had no idea why, but he wanted to know if Emily would come back again. Or Indrid.
“No, I was just curious if there was a reason for keeping me this far in the middle of nowhere,” he said with a small smile.
“When you want to leave, we’ll leave,” Lauren assured him as she reached across the table and gently squeezed his hand.
Mikey returned the squeeze and chuckled.
“And what lockdown facility is next on the list to shuffle me off to?” he asked, only a little peeved that was most likely the plan.
Lauren absently rolled a grape around on her plate as she watched his expressions as he spoke.
“I don’t think there is a place on the list that’s next. Here, come with me,” Lauren said as she stood and held out her hand to him.
Mikey didn’t hesitate to take her hand, and he followed her out of the door and back outside. Several minutes later, Lauren pulled him through the portal, and they were greeted by a woman who stumbled to her feet.
“Lauren? I wasn’t told there was to be a port . . .”
“It’s OK, Jane. We’re just here for a quick visit so I can show Mikey how the portals work,” Lauren reassured her before she pulled Mikey outside.
“Where the hell are we?” Mikey asked as he looked around.
Lauren grinned at the startled look on his face.
“This is Australia,” she answered.
Mikey stepped forward a few feet and looked around the area while the heat and humidity hit him like a brick. The too tight shirt was starting to stick to him, and the terrain looked like they were dropped in the middle of the outback. He wasn’t real impressed.
“Isn’t this place like the seventh level of hell? Isn’t just about everything here out to kill you?” he asked as he began to herd her back to the door to the building they just came from.
Lauren laughed and pulled back on him, trying to avoid the door.
“No, silly, although there is good reason to be really cautious. This is a beautiful country with equally wonderful people. Why don’t we look around?” she asked.
Mikey thought she’d lost her damn mind.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere! What’s there to see? The killer crocodiles? Killer spiders big enough to eat birds? Killer snakes? Or wait, let’s go to the ocean and let the great white sharks play ‘pick your half’ with my body. Yeah, no thanks. This place looks like the kind of area where you hide the bodies,” Mikey said, letting go of her hand and staying by the door, unwilling to go inside unless she went with him.
Lauren looked at him in amazement.
“You’ve been to war. You’ve been tortured . . . and you’re afraid of the creatures here?” she asked incredulously.
Mikey sputtered and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s not that I’m afraid of the creatures here!” he argued. “I just don’t like being in a place where nine out of 10 creatures want to kill me!”
“Honey, millions of Australians live here every day, and they thrive among the creatures here. I think it’s safe for us to visit for a few hours,” Lauren said with a grin.
Mikey shook his head. No damn way.
“Those millions of Australians are braver and tougher than I am then. I’m not staying in this place unless you get me a flame thrower and multiple guns. Big guns,” he said, determined he wasn’t budging.
Lauren grinned and pointed above him.
“Isn’t that one of those big spiders,” she asked as he spun around so fast he nearly fell.
Mikey caught himself before he fell and stood staring at the doorway while he kept Lauren behind his back. He didn’t see anything, but he did hear the snorting giggles behind him and turned on his tormentor.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” he asked as he pulled her over his shoulder and headed back inside the building.
Jane looked a little flustered, but turned to Mikey when she realized Lauren wasn’t in danger.
“Where to now?” she asked.
Mikey thought about it a moment and grinned.
“Somewhere warm and tropical, without all the deadly creatures, and where I can get a good beer,” he said.
“Oh please . . .” Lauren giggled before Mikey went through the portal.
“Where are we?” he asked the Tezarian manning the portal.
“Nassau.”
Mikey whooped and spun Lauren around.
“Now this is more like it!” he said as he carried Lauren out of the door and into the Caribbean sunshine.
*****
“Sir, we’ve got the signal again!”
Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Ballard smiled broadly. Unless the kid was dead or they had searched his scrotum, he knew that the signal would come online sooner or later.
“Where the hell is he?” he asked.
“Nassau,” came the surprised reply.
Marcus chuckled.
“Well, I hope he had a nice vacation, but it’s time to come home now. Get the satellites on his location, and get my choppers fired up,” he ordered as he strode from the room towards the tarmac.
Brandon Thomas saw him walking through with a grin on his face and walked into his path.
“Sir, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” Brandon apologized for almost walking into him.
Marcus looked at the guy for a moment trying to remember where he’d seen him before.
“Are you part of the retrieval teams?” Marcus asked.
“Yes, sir, I was the only survivor at Plum Island,” Brandon admitted, hoping to find out why the man was in such a hurry.
“Ahh, that’s where I know you. Get your gear, boy; we’re getting ready to get our alien soldier boy back again,” Marcus said with a grin before he continued to the tarmac.
“Fuck!” Brandon muttered as he ran outside and behind the buildings where he could get some privacy.
He looked around to make sure no one was around before he pulled a cellphone out of his sock and hit the speed dial for the only number in the phone.
*****
Grai hit the portal at Base Beta and immediately sent his senses out to find Mikey and Lauren. When he didn’t feel either of their energies, he sent a call to Lauren through the Shengari’ and was surprised at her response.
“Damn it! What the hell was she thinking!” he growled in anger.
He was heading back to the portal when his private line rang, and he pulled the phone from his pocket.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.
“Grai, we got a problem. Ballard found the kid. He says he’s in Nassau, and we’re headed there now,” Brandon said, not wasting any time.
“How did he find him?” Grai asked, incredulous that the military had found the kid seconds before he knew where he was.
“I don’t know, Grai, but if I were you, I’d be looking for a tracking device or something. I gotta go. Get the kid out of there,” Brandon said and hung up the phone.
He jogged back to the building and ran inside to get his gear while Grai roared in rage as he hit the portal, calling out a warning to Lauren as he activated his standby teams.
Blade, David, and Traze met Grai in the docking bay at Dillon and headed into the craft waiting for them.
“Go, go, go!” Grai called out as soon as they were inside.
“How the hell did they find him?” Traze asked as he strapped himself into his seat.
“Brandon thinks there’s a tracker on him,” Grai growled, still pissed off that he hadn’t called Amun to look at the kid when he found out Mikey was Lauren’s mate.
“Where the hell could it be that Lauren didn’t find it?” Blade asked.
“When she scans you when you’re injured, what place does she usually avoid unless she has to?” Grai asked.
Blade’s mouth made an “O” of surprise.
“Damn, how does he not know something is there?” he asked.
Grai shook his head.
“That’s a good question. One I will have an answer for shortly,” Grai promised.
“Are you sure he’s not a spy?” Traze asked.
Grai turned to Blade to answer that question since he’d been in the kid’s head.
Blade shook his head.
“I didn’t detect anything that would lead me to believe he was being evasive or deceptive. Why he doesn’t know he’s got a tracker in his balls, I don’t know. Maybe he’s got big balls,” Blade said with a shrug.
Grai shook his head as the teams in the craft chuckled at Blade’s comment. He didn’t give a damn if the man had balls of steel, Mikey was going to be fully searched this time. He reached out through the Shengari’.
“Amun, I need you to meet me at Base Beta. It appears the new hybrid, Mikey, may have a tracker implanted in a delicate location, and it needs to be removed,” Grai explained.
“Isn’t Lauren there?” Amun asked, curious why Grai was calling him.
Grai sighed heavily.
“The kid is Lauren’s mate, and she apparently didn’t see the need to check the area when he first arrived and missed it. I need a thorough search of the kid,” Grai said.
He heard Amun’s laughter in his mind before the doctor pulled himself together.
“I’m heading to beta now and will wait for them to get there,” Amun said.
Grai leaned his head back, trying to control his frustration. It wouldn’t be so damn funny if they didn’t get to Lauren and Mikey before the military did.
Chapter Eight
Lauren and Mikey had barely made it to the edge of the beach before she heard Grai in her mind and the warning that the military was on the way. She pulled back on Mikey’s hand, stopping him from pulling her any closer to the shore line.
“What?” he turned and asked with a smile.
“The military put a tracker in you. They’re on their way. We have to go back to beta; the energy there will prevent them from picking up the signal, and we can remove it there,” Lauren said sadly, hating to see the smile fade from his face.
Mikey shook his head in disbelief. There was no way that she could know if anyone was coming, and he couldn’t help but feel like he was being manipulated again. He crossed his hands over his chest.
“Where is this tracker?” he demanded, doubting one existed.
Lauren blushed deeply and looked away.
“They think it might be in a delicate place. One I didn’t check when you came in,” she said, refusing to meet his gaze.
Mikey’s mind ran amok trying to figure out where she meant before it finally dawned on him. He didn’t believe it.
“No way! Oh come on! I would know something like that!” he argued, completely unconvinced.
“You heal so fast . . . it could have been done while you were knocked out or drugged . . .” Lauren said, knowing she had to convince him quickly if they were to get out of there in time.
Mikey thought about it for a moment and shook his head.
“No way. I’m calling bullshit,” he said, digging his feet deeper in the sand.
Lauren looked up at him, her face flaming.
“Please, we don’t have much time. Let’s go to the public restrooms, you can check it out for yourself. Please Mikey,” Lauren begged, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
“Oh come on, Lauren, what the hell is going on? Am I a prisoner of your people now? Did you go off script, and now we have to go back so I can get back on track?” he asked, throwing his hands up as he yelled.
Lauren looked around at the people beginning to stare and took a step closer to him.
“Please keep your voice down. All I’m asking is for a five second check in the bathroom, and if it’s all clear, fine; if not, do you really want to be their guest again?” she asked, trying to remain calm when her whole body was shaking with fear.
Unlike Grai’s people, Fiorn hadn’t encouraged the hybrids at the folly to get basic survival training and battle skills. If she remained with Mikey, she would be completely defenseless against the military personnel and mercenaries she was sure were coming.
Mikey looked around at the staring faces, and with a heavy sigh he pulled Lauren over to the public restrooms. When he got to the door, he let go of her hand and went inside.
Lauren turned her back to the door and was a little startled to see an elderly couple standing in front of her.
“I’m so sorry,” Lauren said as she stepped aside so they could get to the bathrooms.
The couple laughed.
“No, dearie, we’re waiting to see if he has something on his balls or not. I keep telling Herbert that he needs to put paper on the seat in these foreign countries,” the elderly woman whispered loudly to Lauren before stepping closer. “You never know what kind of creatures can crawl in places you don’t want crawlies.”
Lauren stood with her mouth agape as the elderly woman mock shivered along with her elderly husband. She was still speechless when Mikey came out of the bathroom with a thunderous expression.
“Guess we don’t need to ask if he’s infected or not,” Herbert said as he cringed at the look on Mikey’s face.
Mikey took Lauren’s hand and began pulling her back to where the portal was, trying his best to ignore the elderly couple calling out their well wishes for his balls.
“What the hell did you tell them?” he asked, his blush deepening as other people stared.
“Oh! I didn’t tell them anything! You were the one yelling back there, and they heard you! Did you find it?” Lauren asked, trying to keep her voice down.
“Yes . . . no. I don’t know! There may be something there . . .” Mikey admitted.
“We need to hurry—” Lauren began to say when she heard the helicopters in the near distance.
Mikey shielded his eyes from the sun and scanned the sky for the incoming choppers.
“If they got here this quick, they must have sent a team from Guantanamo. We need to run!” Mikey said, recognizing the military choppers in the distance.
Lauren instinctively took the hand that Mikey
held out for her, and they both began to run through the streets towards the small, colorful shack that contained the portal.
They were still at least a mile from the portal when the first helicopter flew right over their heads. Mikey grabbed Lauren and pressed her against the side of a building, his body shielding hers from view.
“I want you to run to the portal while I lead them away . . .” Mikey began before Lauren interrupted.
“No! Grai’s on the way! We stay together,” Lauren protested.
Mikey sighed and ducked his head against hers while another chopper flew above them. He counted to 20, and when he didn’t hear another chopper, he grabbed Lauren’s hand and began running through the streets again, keeping closer to the buildings in an effort to remain hidden from above.
He heard the choppers again and looked up as he rounded the next corner, barely pushing Lauren away as a mercenary aimed a dart gun at him. He saw another mercenary round the corner just as he felt a coolness suffuse his mind as a rush of adrenaline flooded his body.
Mikey closed his eyes for second as a sharp pain struck behind his eyes. When he opened them again and looked at the mercenary they’d just ran into, he saw through his skin to a healed crack in his jawbone, and his fist struck out before he realized what he was doing. Mikey’s hit re-shattered the man’s jaw and knocked him out cold.
Mikey grabbed the mercenary’s gun before he hit the ground and aimed at the healed break he could see in the other mercenary’s upper thigh and left forearm, dropping him to the ground as he clutched his leg in agony, his arm hanging broken at his side. Without thought, Mikey reached behind him and waited for Lauren to place her hand in his before he took off in the other direction, away from the mercenaries.
Mikey ran past the buildings, seeing brief flashes of the people inside as he passed them, each person represented in a myriad of colors. His cold, numb mind refused to question it, and instead he embraced the new ability in order to get Lauren somewhere safe.
They were approaching a building up ahead, and he could see through the flashes of light to the other side of it where two mercenaries were surrounded by an aura of black. He reached the building and held his finger to his lips at Lauren, ensuring her silence and that she’d stay while he moved around to the back side of the building. He quickly looked around the corner before taking aim at the backs of the two mercenaries, dropping them both before he turned back around to get Lauren.