by Mikayla Lane
“That’s pretty cool,” Traze said with an impressed nod at Mikey.
The praise made Mikey feel almost proud of what he’d recently thought of as a life-wrecking horror.
“Thanks, beast, none of it would be pretty cool without you,” Mikey whispered in his mind, not expecting a response. It still hurt when he didn’t get one.
“What’s the range of your vision?” Grai asked.
Mikey thought about it for a moment.
“Probably 30 or 40 yards,” he said, looking to Blade to see if he agreed.
“Yeah, that’s about right,” Blade said.
Grai looked at the aerial view on the comm again. There really was no decision to make. The longer they stayed out there, the greater the risk of someone getting killed or captured. The teams might have taken their chances if they didn’t have Lauren with them. She was completely untrained in any kind of combat, and Grai wasn’t even sure if she knew how to use the gun Simya had forced on her earlier. He turned to Mikey.
“You can lead us through?” Grai asked.
Mikey studied the map to make sure he had the route memorized and nodded his head.
“Yeah, I can,” he said, pretty sure that his beast would continue to help even though he still wasn’t speaking to him.
“Blade, Traze, and I will stay up with you. When you see something, show it to Blade; he’ll share it with me and Traze. Are we clear?” Grai asked Mikey, hoping like hell the kid could do it.
Mikey stole a glance at Lauren, noticed how tired she looked, and knew he had to do something right where she was concerned.
Getting her out of here would be a good start, he thought.
He looked up at Grai with conviction and nodded before he started off in the direction of the road.
Grai relayed the plan to the others through the Shengari’ as Traze moved up to walk behind Mikey. Blade followed and Grai took up the rear.
They walked for a good half hour when Mikey stopped short and held a hand up for the others to stop as well. He saw a dark spot up ahead, but he wasn’t sure if it was a denseness in the foliage or an armed person. He knew he needed a closer look and turned to tell Traze through the Shengari’.
“I follow. No arguments,” Traze said, urging Mikey to go forward until he could make out what was up ahead.
Mikey moved as quietly as he could to get a closer look with Traze on his heels until he stopped and ducked down. He turned in time to see Traze had followed his lead and was hunched down as well. Both could hear the voices and loud crashing through the trees ahead.
Mikey peered over the bush they’d ducked behind and could see a cave entrance up ahead. They were hearing the voices of the people inside. Traze cocked his head to the side to try and catch the words and tapped Mikey on the shoulder to get his attention.
“They’re cartel. They use the cave to store their drugs before they’re taken to the airfield and the planes. They’re on alert for us,” Traze said, translating what he’d heard.
“Either the cave is messing with my eyes, or they are so far inside that I can’t see them,” Mikey admitted, hoping it was the latter.
“Let’s try going farther and see what happens,” Traze suggested as he stood.
Mikey stood, feeling a little stupid for having ducked. He kept forgetting that just because he could see people through the foliage and obstacles didn’t mean they could see him too.
He led them a few yards farther, and he could clearly see the cave entrance and hear the voices within. He pictured the map from the comm in his mind and looked to their right before turning to Traze.
“There’s nothing this way. It should take us around the cave and to the road,” Mikey advised.
Traze nodded and relayed the information to Grai and Blade who were still waiting behind them for the all clear.
“Go,” Grai said.
Mikey turned and led them away from the cave to the road, hoping like hell that they could get the airfield secured quickly. He was pretty sure that Grai had his people waiting on standby somewhere nearby just waiting for the word to pick them up. From what he’d seen, the man didn’t leave much to chance and had plans for plans. Mikey hoped this was one of those times.
He turned and stole another glance at Lauren and smiled broadly when he saw her looking at him. Even though she quickly looked away from him, it wasn’t enough to wipe the smile from his face and the hope from swelling inside of him.
Maybe there’s still a chance to fix things, he thought.
Chapter Ten
Mikey wiped the sweat from his forehead as he scanned the area of the airfield closest to them. He and Traze had taken out the first two guards they’d seen near the edge of the field and were trying to figure out where the others were.
“There,” Mikey whispered in Traze’s mind as he pointed to their left.
They’d come in near the southeastern side of the airfield and were trying to figure out if they could just clear the one corner or if they had to clear more before they called in the evacuation teams for pick up.
In perfect conditions it would take at least a minute and a half to get them all inside the ships—which was more than enough time for a sniper to take one of them out or for someone to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at them. Since the shields had to be down for transport to occur, they would be taking a big risk on having another one of their craft downed.
Right then, Grai had the ships cloaked high above them, waiting to drop down the moment they got the all clear signal. Mikey led Traze towards the next target, saw it was another young boy, and pulled out the pre-programmed medibands that Lauren had given to Grai earlier while Traze readied himself to distract the kid.
Seconds later, they were calling for one of the others to take the passed out child to an empty bunker they’d found not far from the airfield. If anything did go wrong and they ended up in a firefight, the kids would at least be safe in the bunker. Thankfully, the children they’d stashed in the hut earlier, miles away, would be waking up soon and would be too far away to be in danger.
Mikey was scanning the area for the next target when warning shouts erupted around them. Mikey and Traze ran low through the trees and foliage around the airfield to where Grai was waiting with most of the others.
They reached the others just as they heard through the Shengari’ that the Mexican military had arrived with a group of Americans.
“What the hell now?” Traze asked his brother sarcastically.
Grai shook his head, his frustration level getting higher by the second as the situation worsened for them and their options diminished.
“It’s time to stop playing nice,” Traze growled at Grai, anger flashing through his eyes as his fists clenched. He was tired of running, tired of being hunted. It was time the prey turned the tables on the hunters.
David snorted and patted his rifle.
“This is one case where no one is innocent, but the kids are safe in the bunker. It’s our only way out,” he said, sure that there were no more children inside the main buildings.
Crator and Simya shrugged.
“Two corrupt militaries and a parasite causing an epidemic of drug addiction, street wars, and human trafficking . . . seems like a good time to send our own message,” Simya said.
Grai looked out towards the airfield and knew it wouldn’t be long before the American helicopters arrived. The US military planned to jointly use the place with a cartel boss and corrupt Mexican military personnel. He shook his head at the lengths the US government would go to in order to capture or kill them when they would be better served fighting the true epidemic of terrorists in the world.
Grai looked up at his teams.
“I want Lauren under guard in the bunker with the kids. The rest of you will be divided around the perimeter here,” Grai said as he held up the map on his comm and pointed out where he wanted them. “Stay far away from the main building area. Engage only those who come your way.”
“How is that
going to help?” Traze asked, angry that his brother wasn’t going to do anything.
Grai glared at his brother in warning before he looked at the others.
“I’m calling in air support, we’re going to level the place, wait for the choppers to show up to help, and then take them out,” Grai explained.
“We’re to take out anyone left trying to leave the area,” Traze said as it dawned on him what Grai was going to do.
Grai nodded sharply, not happy with what they were going to do, but he knew they were backed into a corner.
Grai quickly assigned everyone to sectors around the perimeter until only Blade, David, Traze, and Mikey were left.
“Traze, you and Mikey protect Lauren in the bunker,” Grai ordered, expecting his brother to explode. He was right.
Traze stepped up to get in Grai’s face and was getting ready to scream when Grai caught him by the throat and picked him off the ground.
“You’re going there because it’s the only damn bunker here. Where the hell do you think everyone is going to run to? Lauren and those kids need you there. You understand?” Grai growled at his brother.
Traze nodded his head while Grai lowered him back to his feet.
“We’re going to talk later, brother,” Traze growled before he stormed off in the direction of the bunker.
Grai closed his eyes and sighed heavily before he looked at Mikey.
“Get over there and help. If my brother becomes a problem, contact me immediately,” Grai told Mikey.
Mikey looked at Grai carefully before nodding his head and taking off at a run to catch up to Traze. He had no idea what was going on between the brothers, and he didn’t really care as long as neither started shooting at the wrong people.
He didn’t really know what Grai’s idea of air support was, but if it was anything like he’d seen in the national forest when he was hit by Koda’s pod, then he wanted to make sure Lauren was going to be safe.
He walked past Traze, who was pacing outside of the opening to the bunker, and he ducked inside and headed down the short hallway to where Lauren was with the unconscious children.
“Grai’s bringing in air support. Are you OK in here?” Mikey asked, looking at the children to avoid her eyes. Not that he needed to worry about that—Lauren refused to turn and look at him.
“I heard through the Shengari’. Yes, we’re fine. Thank you,” Lauren whispered.
She waited until she heard his footsteps going back outside before letting out the breath she’d been holding. It was getting harder and harder to avoid the pull towards him when he was near, but she wasn’t one of those people who tried to push themselves where they weren’t wanted.
Lauren knew that Mikey wasn’t accepting them. He was fighting their world every step of the way, and just because she’d never known of a hybrid who rejected who they were didn’t mean that Mikey wouldn’t be the first. They couldn’t force him to stay, and she didn’t want him to if he didn’t want to be with them willingly.
Lauren looked back down at her scanner and returned to trying to correct the miscellaneous problems affecting the children. There wasn’t anything serious wrong with them other than basic nutritional deficiencies and some nasty parasites that were definitely not the beast kind. It made her feel better to know that she could help them in some way, and it kept her mind off of Mikey.
When Mikey was with Traze clearing the area around the airfield, Blade had told her Mikey was really a good guy. He was just having a hard time accepting the fact that his whole life had basically been a lie. Blade said he saw honor and loyalty when he was in Mikey’s mind and felt like he just needed time to adjust.
Lauren wasn’t a fool. She knew how hard it must be for him. It wasn’t every day you found out you’re half alien and have a sentient parasite in your brain. It was why she’d been hesitant to throw their mate status at him so quickly, but she could see how he could interpret it as a betrayal.
Damn, so much for not thinking about him, Lauren thought as she stood and stretched her arms above her head.
Seconds later the area was rocked with blasts that shook the interior of the bunker, and Lauren looked around carefully to make sure the place wasn’t coming down around her and the kids. She turned to check on the children and sucked in a breath before she held her hands above her head, praying someone would come and check on them soon.
*****
Mikey and Traze took positions around the entrance to the underground concrete bunker and waited for the aerial assault to begin. They didn’t have to wait long. Mikey looked up through the trees in time to see a small craft—like the ones in the forest that day—come out of nowhere before firing what looked like lasers at the main building.
He sent a mental warning to Traze right before the forest exploded with gunfire and chaos as chunks of debris and stone rained down around them. Mikey looked through the smoke towards the main building and saw almost half of it was completely levelled.
Mikey could see the armed, dark shadows pouring out of the undamaged part of the building and firing as they ran for cover. Their immediate area was still clear, and he looked up as the alien aircraft came in flying in low.
The next laser hits took out the remainder of the main building and one of the outlying ones as well. Mikey knew it wasn’t over yet when he heard the helicopters and jets heading their way and the almost constant gunfire echoing through the jungle.
He scanned their immediate area and sent a warning to Traze as he lifted his rifle and began firing on the trio of dark shadows heading their way through the smoky haze. When the trio fell, he called to Traze to cease fire.
“No point wasting bullets when we had no idea how many we may still have to deal with,” Mikey told him through the Shengari’.
Seeing nothing else coming towards them, Mikey looked to the sky again. Although he could clearly see the aircraft, he assumed that they must be cloaked because the helicopters were firing blindly around them, apparently unable to see the UFO flying right at them.
Moments later, the helicopters exploded in twin fireballs, and he warned Traze again before they impacted the ground. One crashed on the already demolished main building, and the other came to rest in the middle of the airfield.
Both men relaxed into the violent trembling of the earth beneath their feet so they wouldn’t lose their balance while Mikey scanned the area around them to see if anyone was heading their way.
“The jets are waving off,” Mikey told Traze through the Shengari’.
Mikey figured they would. The heavy losses already sustained by both militaries and the cartel would force the remainder of their forces—including the jets—to fall back and regroup before attacking them again.
He wasn’t the least bit surprised that the gunfire outside had slowed to only a few short bursts every once in a while, and the smoke was beginning to clear. Whatever was fired from the UFO aircraft had most likely killed the majority of the military and cartel members inside the main building.
Mikey heard Grai’s call through the Shengari’ to head towards the airfield near the bunker and he nodded at Traze that he’d heard it. Neither one of them wanted to shoot one of their own by accident, so they waited behind the trees as each person called out that they were coming through the Shengari’ so Traze and Mikey could expect them as they came towards the bunker.
When all but Grai was assembled near the bunker, Mikey looked around for Lauren. He had expected her to come out of the bunker once the chaos was replaced by silence, but she hadn’t.
“Have you seen Lauren?” Mikey asked Traze through the Shengari’.
Traze looked around curiously for a moment before he shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked behind Mikey to the bunker where Lauren was with the kids.
Mikey’s head grew cool, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up as he slowly turned around to see one of the teenagers they’d put in the bunker holding a machete to Lauren’s neck.
Mikey automatic
ally pulled his rifle to his shoulder and took aim at the boy’s head. He barely registered the sound of the other aliens behind him doing the same as he looked into Lauren’s fear-filled eyes.
Mikey barely contained the roar of rage that threatened to come from his throat and instead he focused on the threat to Lauren. The teen was spewing a rapid fire Spanish at them that Mikey couldn’t understand.
“He says he’ll kill her if you don’t back off and let him out of here.”
No one turned their attention from Lauren and the teen as Grai and a mercenary walked right up to where Mikey was standing in front of Lauren.
“Brandon, can you explain to him that we don’t want to hurt him and him and the other kids can leave when they want?” Grai asked the mercenary, to everyone’s surprise.
Brandon looked calmly at the teen as he explained to him that they weren’t there to harm the children. That they had liberated the area of the cartel and the corrupt military in the area and just wanted to leave. The news was not taken well.
The teen’s arm around Lauren’s neck tightened and Mikey could see the startled pain cross her face as she was yanked backwards, the sharp blade of the machete drawing a thin line of blood.
Mikey fought against the urge to pull the trigger and put a bullet between the teen’s eyes for hurting Lauren. The internal struggle was taking his full attention as a part of him that he assumed was the beast showed an extraordinary determination to kill the threat to his mate.
“Blade, get me something to go on. Brandon?” Grai growled lowly as he held his own rifle at the teen’s head.
Brandon Thomas shook his head slowly as he raised his own rifle and drew a bead on the kid.
“Grai, he’s the cartel leader’s son, and he’s pretty pissed,” Brandon warned.
“What the hell is he saying? He’s talking too fast for the translators,” Crator complained, keeping his eyes trained on the teen.
Mikey gripped his rifle tighter as he watched the thin line of blood trickle down Lauren’s neck to the edge of her blouse. The roaring sound in his head became louder as his head became colder. His hands steadied on his weapon and his vision became laser-like as he trained his eyes on where to shoot the kid to end the threat to Lauren.