In the Wreckage: (M/M Sci-Fi Military Romance) (Metahuman Files Book 1)

by Hailey Turner

  “But they’re all right?”

  Gracie followed Jamie out of the medical room he’d been assigned and matched her pace to his as they walked toward the elevator bank. “Yes, they’re fine. Considering what happened to Staff Sergeant Brannigan, I’m shocked he’s even alive. I thought I could heal people quickly, but I have nothing on him.”

  “You heal others. He only heals himself, from what I understand.”

  “Still, he took a bullet to the throat and today it’s like nothing even happened.” Gracie glanced up at Jamie as he called the elevator, her expression firm. “You get an hour for lunch and then your ass better be sitting in Psych.”

  Jamie raised his hands in mock defense, a smile twitching at his mouth. “I know the drill, Gracie.”

  “Better teach it to my boyfriend. If I find out he’s skipped his mandatory Psych appointment again, he’s sleeping on the couch.”

  “I’ll pass on your threat.”

  “See that you do.”

  Jamie stepped into the elevator, Gracie having already turned her back on him in favor of her next patient. He took the elevator down to the ground floor and headed over to the main building via the connecting hallway. The mess was located on Level 3 and the lunch crowd was thick with hungry people as Jamie wove his way through everyone to grab a tray. The food at MDF headquarters was better than the stuff he’d eaten in the field as a Recon Marine, but that still didn’t mean it was great. Generic soups, salads, and sandwiches filled one side of the long lunch counter while a limited selection of hot dishes lined the other. The cost of food was covered by the federal government, so he didn’t have to pay for his lunch.

  Jamie snagged two sandwiches before ordering a hamburger and fries. It didn’t take long, and once he had everything on his tray, he scanned the mess hall for a table. Gracie had overseen the removal and implantation of his new set of embedded nanotech comms as well as the replacement of his RealIdent chip. The new bioware was up and running, which meant he heard Donovan’s voice loud and clear in his ears.

  “Your nine o’clock, Jamie,” Donovan told him.

  Jamie craned his neck around, gaze skimming over the crowd before zeroing in on a corner table claimed by his team. Madison waved cheerfully at him even as she smacked Trevor’s hand away from stealing one of her fries without looking. Jamie headed their way.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in Psych?” Jamie asked the table at large.

  “Was waiting on you, hermano,” Trevor replied.

  Jamie set his tray down and kicked an empty chair away from the table. He took a seat between Katie and Annabelle, the two of them arguing over the outcome of the latest show they were binge-watching. Apparently they’d passed time in Medical by catching up.

  Jamie fixed Donovan with a stern look. “Gracie says you better make it to Psych or you’re sleeping on the couch.”

  Donovan paused mid-bite, his grilled chicken sandwich mere inches from his mouth. “She said that?”

  “She said that, but I’m reinforcing it. You can walk me to my appointment after lunch. In fact, all of you can.”

  Jamie ignored the collective groan from his team in favor of his food. IV nutrients had nothing on tucking into solid food to fill a belly. Jamie munched his way through one whole sandwich and a quarter of his hamburger before he started his usual process of checking in with his team.

  “Everyone all right?” he asked.

  The chorus of “Fine” was nice to hear and he took them at their word.

  They’d been through enough together over the years that everyone knew better than to hide an injury or a problem from him. If they had an issue that Medical or Psych hadn’t seen to yet, they would bring it to Jamie, and he would work with them to fix it. Jamie took his job as their CO seriously and always would.

  “Any news on the other two?” Katie asked.

  “Getting baseline tested today and then claimed by the director after. Not sure when they’ll be released, but if I hear anything, I’ll give you all a heads up,” Jamie replied, trying not to think about how he hadn’t yet spoken to Kyle since their return to base.

  Chances were high he’d be informed about any decision the director made regarding those two soon after it was made. They’d been assigned to Alpha Team, after all, and the director had threatened new team members mere days ago. On one hand, Jamie hoped he would keep his word. On the other, that would complicate things.

  “Can’t believe they were metahumans all this time and hiding it. You realize we could’ve altered our plans if they had?” Madison groused.

  “I’m aware,” Jamie said.

  “Y’all think they’ll get assigned to us?” Annabelle asked. Most of what was left of her lunch consisted of pie slices made with cloned fruit, which always tasted too sweet for Jamie. She was currently eating her way through the apple one.

  “No idea,” Katie answered since Jamie was busy chewing.

  “Well, at least we know why they didn’t have a problem working with us,” Trevor said.

  “Yeah,” Jamie agreed quietly.

  “You think Strike Force knew of their designations and didn’t initiate a transfer?”

  Jamie shrugged, finishing up his hamburger. “If they did, whoever knew broke the law. The MDF has clear-cut jurisdiction of metahumans. My guess is Kyle and Alexei somehow hid their status from their superiors in order to stay with Strike Force. That branch runs more black ops than any other. If they were running dark when they were attacked, who knows when it happened?”

  Katie nodded. “Might be why they didn’t want me to link with them. They had secrets to hide.”

  “Everyone has secrets to hide,” Madison muttered. “At least theirs saved our collective asses.”

  “Rah,” Donovan grunted before shoving the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth.

  Jamie nodded agreement even if he wasn’t completely happy with the situation. In the cold light of day, his daydreams of possibly being with Kyle were just that—daydreams. As much as Jamie wanted Kyle, if he was assigned to Alpha Team as their sniper, then Jamie couldn’t be with him. He couldn’t. As Kyle’s CO, it wouldn’t look good, no matter how good it might feel.

  The questioning touch of Katie in his mind made Jamie hide his thoughts as much as possible before letting her in.

  Are you really okay with bringing Brannigan and Dvorkin onto the team? she asked.

  Out of everyone who’d held the overwatch position in the past few years, Jamie knew Kyle would be the best person to claim it permanently. Even if he’d rather Kyle be assigned to a different team so they could maybe be together, Jamie couldn’t do that to his own team. He couldn’t be that selfish, nor could he ask them to hide such a secret from their superior officers. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

  Yes, Jamie said.

  He was grateful, not for the first time, that Katie wasn’t an empath. His thoughts might be telling the truth, but his heart was beating through a lie.

  9

  Running to Stand Still

  The fallout from the trafficking mission resulted in an epic amount of red tape across two agencies, the DOD, and one branch of the military. Kyle didn’t particularly care about anything outside his current problems. After two days confined to Medical for a battery of tests he didn’t agree to, but which were performed anyway, Kyle found himself with Alexei sitting across the table from two generals and the MDF director, with at least four other high-ranking officers attached to SOCOM and the DOD present via video conferencing. The highly classified meeting was something Kyle wished he didn’t have to go through, but here he was.

  The new service uniform issued to all MDF metahumans was stiff and uncomfortable, a far cry from the Strike Force uniform which he would never wear again. The scientists in R&D had promised him and Alexei upgraded combat uniforms in a few days that would work best with their individual powers, but Kyle knew he’d hate those just as much as the current one he wore. Beside him, Alexei sat ramrod straight, staring at the
wall behind the generals with an angry look on his face he didn’t bother to hide. Neither of them were happy about their change in status, but they were soldiers and would obey their orders because they hadn’t even listened to the spiel about the option to retire.

  “I hate to lose any soldier under my command, but at least I’m not burying you,” General Corrine Epstein said, though she didn’t sound happy.

  Kyle nodded after a moment, but didn’t speak. He’d done enough talking since getting back from the mission that he was tired of hearing his own voice.

  General Epstein was at the top of their direct chain of command, or she used to be. Special Operations Forces was now just another piece of Kyle’s past he hadn’t wanted to give up. He and Alexei had worked damned hard to achieve that rank and now it was being stripped from them. He wondered what the rest of their old Strike Force team would think about their transfer.

  “The transfer paperwork will be finished by the end of the week,” the director said.

  One of the officers on the holoscreen huffed out a sharp laugh. “I bet that makes you real damn happy, doesn’t it? Taking some of our best soldiers for your own.”

  “Staff Sergeants Brannigan and Dvorkin are metahumans. They belong with the MDF.”

  “Those two were some of the finest Strike Force soldiers we were able to deploy. Do you know how hard it’s going to be to fill their slots?”

  “Do you know how many metahumans we gain from the military each year? I can count the total on one hand. Our fight is the same as yours, just on different terrain. We desperately need their skills. You can fill their slots far easier than we can fill our ranks.”

  “Waste of a goddamn good soldier.”

  The officer cut the comms, his opinion echoing loudly in the silence. The director didn’t seem put off by the abrupt severing of the uplink, merely kept the meeting moving forward. It lasted another twenty more minutes before drawing to a close, the last vestiges of Kyle’s life with Strike Force coming to an end, and all he could do was bear silent witness to the loss.

  The generals got to their feet after a last few minutes of conversation with the director. Kyle and Alexei stood when they did, saluting their superior officers. General Epstein came around the table to shake their hands, hiding her displeasure of the current state of affairs with long practice. Kyle could still see it in the twist of her mouth that spoke of a deep reservation to the outcome.

  “While it might be impolitic of me to wish you two could’ve kept your powers hidden for longer so I could keep you under my command, I’m proud that you’ve both agreed to continue to fight. It speaks well of your loyalty and dedication to our country,” she said.

  “Ma’am,” Kyle said, speaking for the both of them.

  “Good luck with the MDF. I’ll expect the amendments to all your after-action reports for the last three years by the end of the month. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with the CIA director about his shitty intelligence gathering and cavalier use of my people.”

  She marched out of the room with her shoulders squared and a hard glint in her eye, the other general following in her wake. Kyle didn’t envy the recipient of her temper at all. Once they were gone, Nazari approached his two newest recruits. Kyle and Alexei stood silently beneath his assessing gaze and didn’t speak.

  “I’m sorry you came to us this way,” Nazari said after a moment. “But I’m glad you’re here. The MDF is always in desperate need of metahumans. For now, you’ll remain assigned to Alpha Team until we get you fully integrated into the way MDF does things around here. I know it’s been a long few days, so take the rest of tonight and Sunday off. Get your thoughts in order. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but you’ll need to make the best of it.”

  Kyle fought back the grimace with effort before saluting, Alexei just a fraction slower than he was. “Sir.”

  The director left the room. The charged atmosphere between Kyle and Alexei was enough to make Kyle wince. “Lyosha?”

  Control had been a hard fought thing for Alexei over the years, ever since the mission in Geneva that ruined their lives. Kyle watched as tiny flickers of flame danced over Alexei’s knuckles before he managed to snuff them out.

  “<>” Alexei snapped.

  Kyle winced, hearing the fear beneath Alexei’s anger clear as day. He knew why the transfer terrified his adopted older brother. When you grew up beneath the terrorization perpetuated by bratva-backed metahumans, well, you had reason to fear them. Becoming one was once unthinkable—until it happened. Hiding what they’d become at the time was the only way to keep Alexei sane, and Kyle didn’t regret their choice. Alexei feared what his parents and younger sisters would think about him becoming the very thing they all used to hide from in the old country. Kyle, not wanting to lose his second family after already burying his first, had kept quiet to keep the peace.

  Now, though, with their official change in status, Kyle wasn’t sure how much longer they could keep this secret from their family.

  “<>” Kyle replied.

  Alexei barked out a laugh and furiously shook his head, beginning to pace. “<>”

  Kyle bit his lip as Alexei gave voice to his fears in a long rant, heedless of whoever was listening in. Kyle didn’t think he had clearance yet to ask Ceres to blackout the room. Instead, after long minutes of Alexei working himself into a temper, Kyle put himself in Alexei’s way, forcing Alexei to pull up short. He glared at Kyle, hands cutting through the air with sharp motions and not a little bit of fire. Not once did the flames come close to burning Kyle, and they never would.

  Kyle had never feared Alexei, even when Alexei feared himself.

  “<>” Alexei snarled.

  “<>”

  “<>”

  Kyle reared back as if he were hit, eyeing Alexei in disbelief. “<>”

  Ten years fighting for their country meant any attempt at assimilating back into civilian life would be rough. This was their job, their life, no matter the wrench thrown into the works of it all. They got the job done despite the nightmares, though Kyle half-wondered if some of those would start being addressed more now that they were obligated to see a shrink once a week for however long the director deemed it necessary. Aside from that, they couldn’t leave their weapons behind in exchange for a private sector job, not when the most dangerous ones were buried in their DNA.

  Alexei seemed to realize that, because he shook his head harder, dragging both hands through his short hair. “<>”

  “<>”

  Alexei let out a wordless growl before spinning on his feet and leaving the room. “<>”

  Kyle took some solace in the fact that Alexei used the diminutive of his name, which meant for all his temper, the other man hadn’t completely shut Kyle out. He got like this sometimes, and while Kyle knew the best course of action would be to leave him the hell alone, Kyle didn’t know if that was a good idea. Not right now, not after another clusterfuck of a mission that had upended their lives yet again.

  Swearing, Kyle hurried after Alexei, but jerked to a hard halt just outside the conference room when he came face-to-face with the last person he wanted to see right now.

  “Captain Callahan,” Kyle said stiffly.

  Jamie eyed Kyle from where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, a frown on his face. “Can we talk?” Jamie asked as he straightened up.

  “I need to find Alexei.”

  “Katie’s on her way to meet with him. She offered to stay late to help him get situated.”

  “You should probably call her off. I think we’re both sick of meetings right now.”

  Jamie
grimaced. “Can you handle one more? Please?”

  Kyle closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath to try to settle his temper. “Fine.”

  They retreated back into the conference room, the door sliding shut behind them. Kyle walked away from Jamie, putting some distance between them.

  “What do you want?” Kyle demanded.

  Jamie looked at him, expression troubled. “How are you holding up?”

  Kyle stared at him incredulously. “That’s what you want to talk about?”

  “What else would we talk about?” Jamie asked after a telling pause.

  “Let’s start with the fact you blew me off during our last conversation.”

  “We were starting a mission.”

  “Yeah, and my offer was for after the goddamn mission was over, Jamie.” Kyle shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “We were technically on different teams. We could’ve made it work. We still can.”

  “But we’re not anymore,” Jamie pointed out tensely. “You’re on my team, under my direct command now.”

  Kyle’s shoulders slumped a little, even if his irrational anger didn’t leave him. He blamed it on the upheaval of his life that he seriously could have done without. “I know. But we started this before we even knew who we worked for. It’s not like I wouldn’t say no to you. Monday night was proof of that.”

  Jamie swallowed thickly before shaking his head. “The team needs you.”

  “What about you? What do you need? Because I know how you made me feel, Jamie. I don’t want to give that up. I don’t think you do, either.”

  Kyle hated that he was begging for this, but he knew, instinctively, that if he didn’t ask here, he’d never get a second chance. Jamie would keep his distance and Kyle would be left with a single night of everything he’d ever wanted only to have lost it forever. Kyle was nothing if not a fighter, but he knew a losing battle when faced with one.

  That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.