by Fiona Roarke
Gage straightened from his hunch over a computer terminal a few feet away. “Hey! I just figured out a way to track the remaining prisoners.”
“How?” Cam said, already moving toward Gage.
They all crowded around his terminal. “The chemical drugs they use in the process to prep the cryo-pods are alien to Earth.” Valene heard someone snicker, probably Axel.
“Meaning what?” Diesel asked.
“Meaning that the substance doesn’t occur here on Earth, so it’s easy to spot.”
“Say it again in English,” Axel said.
Gage took a deep breath and seemed to center himself. “Once out of the cryo-pods the prisoners’ bodies will all emit this particular chemical, like a scent. It’s a very unique signature. One we can track using regular satellite imagery of the area.”
“Secret government satellites that you’ll have to hack into at great peril?” Axel asked.
“No. Regular ones anyone can use, but I can add my own filter and search overhead for wisps of the alien chemical.”
“How long will it take to set up the tracking?”
Gage shrugged. “Eight or ten hours to run it after I make some changes to my software, say another hour or two. The bad news—”
“Why is there always bad news?” Axel asked the question Valene suspected they were all thinking.
Diesel crossed his arms. “What’s the bad news, Gage?”
Gage cleared his throat. “Eventually the unique signature trail will no longer be in their systems.”
“What you’re saying is that we have a time limit?”
“Yes.”
“How long?” Axel asked.
Gage studied his computer screen as if for clarification and said, “Depending on absorption rate and the degree to which they are expending the chemical during any physical activity with the added complexity of the Earth’s atmosphere…” He stopped talking as everyone’s eyes glazed over. He liked to explain things, but his sister was sure she wasn’t the only one who thought he often he sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. “Waa, wanh, wanh, waa, waa, wanh, wanh.”
“How long? And this time say it in ten regular English words or less.”
Gage pushed out another long sigh, looked skyward and said, “I’d say a day at the most, but probably less. I won’t know until I make my changes and let the program run. Ask me again at high noon tomorrow.”
Diesel looked at his watch. It was just after midnight. “Let’s meet here in twelve hours or rather high noon, not to be dramatic.” Gage made an uncharacteristic snort as Diesel continued, “It will be daylight by then. Our search should be much easier once we find the area Gage will provide after he does his magic.
“Listen up, folks. We will get these last five criminals back in their pods and headed for their gulag destination well before the time the ship needs to depart.” Diesel sounded as if his decree was written in stone. Valene didn’t think it would be that easy, but kept her private thoughts to herself. She probably wasn’t the only person in the room with the same idea.
Valene squeezed Wyatt’s hand. Twelve hours to bask in his knowledge of what she’d been unable to share with him for a year. There would be kissing. And lots of it, if she had any input for the next twelve hours.
“Let’s go to your place,” Valene whispered.
Wyatt looked deeply into her eyes and nodded slightly. He released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pressing her to his side. Valene melted into him, slipping her arm around his waist.
They started to leave. Diesel moved to block them.
“Where are you two going?”
“None of your business.” Valene wasn’t going to be thwarted. She and Wyatt deserved time alone to discuss the revelations of this evening.
“Why don’t you both stay in Alienn?”
Wyatt opened his mouth, but Valene spoke first. “No. Thanks, Diesel. We’ll be back at noon tomorrow ready to hunt down the remaining criminals.”
Diesel pushed out a tired-sounding sigh. “Fine.” He looked at Wyatt. “It goes without saying that you will not discuss any of what you learned tonight with anyone else. Not family, not Hunter, not your mama in a weak moment, no one. Got it?”
Wyatt nodded. “I won’t even tell Valene.”
“Good.” Diesel stepped aside to let them pass, but not before giving her a stern look that seemed to say, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, that exposes us to the humans or that your brothers will then be forced to seek retribution for.”
Valene rolled her eyes at him, knowing he hated it. He harrumphed as they left.
Valene got behind the wheel of her parents’ sedan and Wyatt took the passenger seat. She drove quickly to Wyatt’s home, passed his driveway and parked on the dead-end street.
Wyatt looked amused. “So we’re going to sneak into my backyard, are we?”
“Yep.” Valene grinned.
“I do have a key, you know. We could enter through the front door like regular people.”
Valene shook her head. “I’m not regular people, I’m alien.”
Wyatt only smiled.
“Besides, it’s a force of habit. And sneaking in the back way will be fun.”
“Awesome. Lead the way, my alien warrior princess.” He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of her parents’ sedate gray sedan, the total opposite of Valene’s flashy sports car.
They made it all the way to Wyatt’s back porch before the two Siberian huskies next door were unexpectedly let out into their fenced yard.
Wyatt was fiddling with the key in the dead bolt as the two dogs raced to the fence line. They jumped in the air, throwing themselves against the fence, barking furiously at something beyond the fence she and Wyatt had just crossed without incident.
“Boris! Natasha!” Wyatt called out sternly. “Hush.”
The dogs stopped barking and hurling themselves against the fence, but kept moving, clearly agitated. They sniffed the ground, huffing and ruffing here and there. They paced the rear fence line, whining as if to convey their unhappiness or perhaps alert someone a squirrel was loose in the neighborhood.
“Boris and Natasha? Are your next-door neighbors spies with a sense of humor or something?”
“Nope. Cartoon Network fanatics.”
Valene laughed. “Even better.”
The lock finally clicked and Wyatt opened his back door. He gestured her into the kitchen. Before entering, he gazed out at the darkness toward where the whining dogs still paced the fence.
“Do you see anything suspicious out there? Or anyone?” she asked.
“Nope. Probably a rabbit or something they want to chase to the ground, rip to shreds and devour.”
“Ew.”
“Despite their cute names, they are security protection dogs.” Wyatt closed the back door tight, turned the deadlock to secure it and faced her with an odd expression.
“What?”
He took both of her hands in his and squeezed. “I’m sorry I’ve been so determined to bend you to my will regarding my proposal and—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Wyatt,” Valene interrupted his heartfelt apology. One he didn’t need to give her. “I’m at fault. I shouldn’t have been following you around like a lovesick puppy in the first place. I knew we couldn’t be together, but I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve loved you for so long.”
“How long did you follow me like a lovesick puppy?” Wyatt asked quietly.
Heat crept in her face. “Quite a while.”
“Two years before we met?”
“Maybe.” They stared at each other. A half smile quirked Wyatt’s sexy mouth. “Fine. Okay. Yes. It was two years. Since the day I saw you shoot in that competition. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from finding out everything there was to know about you.”
“I’m flattered. And also stunned that I had no idea you’d been stalking me for two years before shamelessly running into me.”
“That really was an ac
cident.”
“Oh?”
She nodded. “You went into the restaurant and I shifted position to get a better place to watch you inside the place, but you came back out so fast that, boom, I slammed right into you.”
“I remember.”
“So do I.”
“Now what?” he asked softly.
Valene inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “I want to play the what if game.”
His brows quirked. “I’m not familiar with that game.”
“Sure you are. Here’s an example: What if I wasn’t an alien only allowed to marry another alien, even though I’m in love with an earthling?”
“I see. What if I don’t care that you’re an alien? What if I was willing to move to another planet so we could be together?”
Valene inhaled again and let the breath out. “I’d say you really need to think it through. I haven’t been able to get past the part where you leave your family behind without so much as a word. How long before you resent me for making you change your entire existence and, worse, from taking you away from your family forever?”
Wyatt put an arm around her shoulders and led her to his living room. They eased down onto the well-worn sofa, a hand-me-down from his folks that had already endured a decade of five active children on its solid frame, according to a story he’d told her when she visited his home the first time.
Seated side by side with the length of their bodies connected, Wyatt said, “I haven’t been thinking about anything else since I found out why you think we can’t be together, but resentment won’t ever be a factor.”
“Really? I don’t know about that. I also have to give up my family, but at least they can visit.”
“What makes you think I’ll grow resentful?”
“Because of all the past failures of those who thought they could leave everything behind, but ultimately couldn’t.”
“I am my own man. Once I make a decision, I stick with it.”
“You say that now, but the odds are not in my favor. Don’t you agree the possibility of eventual resentment exists?”
He shrugged. “Once I got past the part where I was sure I’d fallen asleep watching science fiction theater, future resentment still wasn’t a part of my thought process.”
“Be serious.”
“Okay. You’re right. It would be hard, I get it. However, I love you. I don’t want anyone else. Even if my memory is erased, I can’t imagine myself loving anyone except you for the rest of my life. Without you, I will never marry, never have children and die alone one day slumped over in my wheelchair when I’m 108 years old.”
“What if Daphne Charlene comes after you?”
“Oh, trust me on this one, she’s already after me.”
“What if she catches you?”
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “She won’t. I won’t let her because I don’t like her in that way. Even if you and I had never met, I would not have any romantic feelings for that woman.”
Valene moved closer. “What I’m hearing is that you have romantic feelings for me?”
“I have asked you to marry me twice.”
She shrugged. “Marriage proposals don’t necessarily mean romance.”
“Well, they do in my book.” Wyatt reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he’d shown her at the Smokin’ Hog Saloon. It was just the ring without its box. He grabbed her hand, slipped the amazing diamond ring on her third finger and said, “Pretend I’m an alien and answer a question for me.”
“Yes.”
“I love you. Will you marry me, Vee?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“I’ve loved you for three years, Wyatt. Of course I want to marry you, if only I could.”
“We’re pretending and I’m an alien now, remember.”
“Oh. Right. Wyatt the alien.” She giggled.
“Wait a minute. Can you read my mind?”
Valene shook her head. “Not everyone is as talented as Cam. Axel can only see vague images, which he regards as useless. I can see colors and…” She paused as if considering whether to continue. “And I can also occasionally sense a person’s feelings, but only in short bursts. Also fairly useless as mind reading abilities go.”
“Feelings?”
“You know, like extreme anger, hurt, love.”
“Can you read my feelings right now?”
Valene closed her eyes and concentrated. “You love me. I already knew that.” She moved close, kissed Wyatt and whispered, “Are you going to let me sleep here tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Really?” Valene figured he would insist on separate bedrooms or something.
“Of course. We’re engaged. We should sleep together, don’t you think?”
“I do. I figured you’d nix any hanky-panky.”
Wyatt’s brows furrowed. “I never agreed to any hanky-panky.”
“But we’re sleeping together?”
“Yes. And that’s it. I’ll give you one side of my king-size bed. I’ll take the other.”
Valene’s eyes narrowed. “How about snuggling?”
“Okay. Snuggling is fine.”
“And kissing.”
“Sure. Kissing is the best.”
“What if I curl up next to you during the night?”
Wyatt smiled. “I will wrap my arms around you and protect you with my life.”
“What if our clothes accidentally fall off while we sleep?” She batted her eyes as he crossed his arms and gave her a resolute expression.
“Not a chance.”
“It could happen.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “Don’t tempt me, Vee. My wish is to remain honorable.”
“You already are, but what if this is the only chance we’ll ever have to be together?”
“What if I don’t want to play the what if game anymore?”
“Wyatt.”
“Valene.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “What if we go get some much-needed sleep, because tomorrow we’ll be hunting down dangerous alien criminals through the woods all afternoon?”
Valene nodded. “You’re right. I am pretty tired.”
“Let’s go.” They stood.
Valene wanted to let Wyatt be honorable. If only I could get the butterflies in my tummy to settle down and my heart to stop beating so fast at the mere thought of some hanky-panky.
Chapter Eight
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Noon – the Big Bang Truck Stop – basement conference room
“Settle down everyone. Let’s get started,” Diesel said, taking the seat at the head of the large oval table. The cacophony of voices lowered dramatically and everyone in the room turned to the man they called their Fearless Leader. Wyatt cracked a wide smile the first time he’d heard it years ago and still found the title amusing now that he knew Diesel was in fact an alien from another planet, just like their mascot, Maxwell the Martian.
Wyatt sat next to Valene in the assembled group that included all six of her brothers, plus lots of folks he would never have guessed were aliens. They held hands under the table. In his left pocket rested the ring she’d taken off right before they got out of her parents’ sedan to come inside the truck stop’s super-secret alien basement. Wyatt had wanted to bring his own vehicle, but Valene wisely decreed that needing to give him a ride home later not only saved on gas, but made it easier for them to be together by the end of the day.
“First of all, thank you for volunteering. I know this task won’t be easy. Traipsing through the woods to the north will be taxing. To that end, I’ve invited some help from out of town.” Diesel turned to the two men seated on either side of him at the head of the table. “To my left, many of you already know Royal Magistrate Guardsman Bubba Thorne. He’s the best tracker I’ve ever met from Alpha-Prime. To my right, I’d like to introduce Luther Boudreaux. He’s a top-notch bounty hunter and tracker from Ichor-Delta. Like Wyatt, he can also hit anything he shoo
ts at.”
Wyatt glanced down the table at Boudreaux. They nodded at each other once. The other man looked oddly out of place even given the fact this meeting was being held in a secret room below stairs at an alien way station. While he was tall and fairly well muscled like the others from Alpha-Prime, his skin tone was pale compared to theirs. Not ghost-sheet white, exactly, but like he’d been tucked away out of the sunshine while he recuperated from a long illness. His hair was dark, so perhaps that made his skin tone seem extra light.
Boudreaux wore stylish sunglasses, even inside this windowless conference room. Again odd, but Wyatt would save his opinions for once he had more information.
Diesel continued the briefing. “Ten minutes ago, Gage was able to get his computer program to start tracking the cryo-pod signature of the escapees.” He clicked a remote and the interactive whiteboard behind him lit up like an overhead projector display. A simplistic map showed the southern edge of the Big Bang Truck Stop. Two areas circled in red appeared on the map’s northern edge, one to the right, one to the left, with gray dots inside the red circles. “It looks like we’ll have to split up into two groups to go after them.
“Bubba and Luther will take half of the assembled team and head to the northeast. Wyatt and I will take our team to the northwest.”
Axel put his hand in the air.
Diesel sighed loudly. “You can just talk, Axel.”
“Why are there only four wispy gray dots on the map and not five?”
“We aren’t quite sure. The three to the northeast are the strongest. The one in the northwest is very light. Gage speculates that perhaps the lone entity was the first to depart his cryo-pod. It’s possible that the fifth was also released earlier than the others and his trail might have already dissipated.”
Axel raised his hand again.
“Speak, Axel.”
“I’m not a dog.”
Diesel glared and didn’t say a word.
Axel cleared his throat as if to keep his amusement in check. “I thought all the pods opened at the exact same time when the system rebooted after the solar flares. Why would some pods have opened earlier?”