by Bianca D'Arc
“You are more astute than I was led to believe. This is a good thing if we are to be allies.”
“I don’t really see how we can help each other.” Davin sat down again, inviting the others to do the same. “But I’m willing to listen.”
Rick was curious as hell. He, like Davin, didn’t know what this alien had in mind, but he was intrigued. The show of force had convinced him of this man’s power. The undeniable humanity and good condition of the two operatives also spoke well for this so-called Patriarch. Rick still wondered what that title meant in relation to this guy and his band of pseudo-ninjas. He’d try to get a full explanation from Davin as soon as they were finished here.
Ronin, the Patriarch, sat and so did his two operatives, flanking him, relaxed but alert. Rick watched the two humans closely, looking for any sign they had been treated badly or were under some kind of compulsion. He couldn’t sense any visible traces of anything like that, which was reassuring.
“There are hidden enclaves of humans all over the northern continent and other places on this planet,” Ronin announced, shocking Rick’s attention back to him. “They gather in deep caverns—old facilities of your military. I am told many of the locations were once part of the defense agency known as NORAD. There is a large base in what used to be Colorado. I have already dispatched one of my people to make contact with the leader of that group.”
“To what end?” Davin voiced the question on Rick’s mind too.
“I believe the separate groups should be made aware of each other. Among my people there are a few with foresight abilities. I believe you are familiar with such gifts, aren’t you?” Ronin sent a knowing look toward Callie. “My adopted clan members with such gifts all foretell of the need for the human enclaves to work together in the coming struggle. The Alvian people will not be changed easily, but they must embrace the change. I have been told, and I believe, that humans will lead the way and help both our peoples heal and eventually become one.”
“That’s a tall order.” Rick found himself unable to keep silent on such an important issue. “There’s a lot of bad blood between your folks and mine. Your small group of ninjas might be able to live together in harmony, but the vast majority of humans who’ve had any contact with Alvians can tell a very different story.”
“No one regrets that more than I.” Ronin spoke with enough power that Rick actually believed he felt true regret, or at least the echoes of it.
“Perhaps,” Rick allowed. “But the question remains, how do you think we can help you achieve your goal?”
“As I said, I have already dispatched someone to make contact with the group in Colorado. I have suspicions, and a few confirmed sightings, of other locations scattered around the northern continent. What I need is someone willing to assist in their communication. The old facilities were damaged in the bombardment. Some still work, but communication is a problem.”
“You want secure crystals,” Davin surmised. “I’d be willing to provide a few, on a trial basis. Trust builds slowly, Patriarch.”
“A wise precaution,” Ronin agreed. “For now, I’ll take you up on your generous offer. Perhaps as we work together, we’ll learn to trust one another more readily. If you permit, I’d like to leave one or both of these Brethren here with you as points of contact. I will not spy on you anymore. Either my people are welcome here, or they will leave, as you desire.”
“They can stay,” Davin said quickly. “Humans have a saying. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Either way, I’ll be happy to host them while we discover which you truly are.”
Callie moved a step farther into the room, drawing all eyes. “My brother told me something last week that now makes sense.” She looked at Rick, then Davin, releasing a held breath as if for courage. “I think either he or Papa Caleb foresaw something meant for you. I don’t know which one of them saw it, but Harry relayed it sort of off-handedly while we were talking. That happens sometimes. They don’t always know which visions are more important than others, but the sleepers have a way of making themselves known.” She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with what she was about to say.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Rick sent her a private telepathic message.
“Yes. I think this has to be said.”
“What is it?”
“He needs to know where to find Jaci.”
“Shit! Are you sure? That could put a lot of people at risk if we’re wrong about these guys.”
“I know. But have you ever known Papa Caleb or Harry to be wrong in one of their visions?”
Rick knew both of them were close to one hundred percent accurate in what they foresaw.
“I see your point. Just be as vague as you can. If they’re meant to know, they’ll figure it out. Don’t tell them flat out. Take a page out of Caleb’s book and be vague.”
He felt the smile she fought to suppress in their minds.
“The idea has some merit, though I’ve never been much of a Nostradamus.”
“Give it a shot, sweetheart. I bet you’ll do fine.”
She edged farther into the room. “There is someone with the knowledge you’ll need to begin your people’s transformation, if you have the courage. She’ll give you the tool. You must decide when and how to wield it.”
“The tool?” One of Ronin’s eyebrows rose in question.
“The drug. One of the lab techs is now a fugitive. Didn’t you know?”
“I have heard rumors but nothing concrete, as you humans say.”
“Consider this solid as rock,” Rick put in, nodding in affirmation.
Callie reclaimed Ronin’s attention. “She is in hiding with her mates. You or those you trust will come into contact with her shortly, if you haven’t already. From what Harry said, this is happening now.”
Silence greeted her words as all three strangers regarded her with narrowed eyes. Ronin recovered first.
“I put plans in motion before I sought you out. Some of my operatives are making contact with enclaves of humans. If she is hiding among them—”
“Then one of your people will no doubt be reporting back to you shortly,” Davin supplied. “They may not realize the Alvian woman is a former lab tech.”
“Or the value of what she knows,” Ronin agreed. “I will take action based on your words and you have my assurances that the woman and the people with her will come to no harm from the Zxerah. Please give my thanks to your brother and accept my thanks to you as well. I did not fully understand why the foreseers in my clan advocated so strongly for my trip here. It was hard to get away unnoticed but worth every deception to have met you all in person.”
“Meeting you, Patriarch, is something I will never forget,” Davin added, his voice tinged with awe. Rick saw the very real respect in his friend’s eyes. He’d have to find out more about this Patriarch business from Davin as soon as possible.
“You’re welcome,” Callie added quietly as she stepped right up to the table and stared the man down. “Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
The Patriarch stood and bowed, holding her gaze. “You have my word. My bond as Patriarch and my promise as a Zxerah master.”
“I don’t know what half of that means.” Callie’s eyes glimmered with amusement though she was still giving off waves of her own special brand of power. “But I sense something in you that isn’t in most of the Alvians I’ve met.”
“Now you’re getting it, girl,” the male operative spoke up, a smile in his voice as he grinned, his gaze traveling from the Patriarch to Callie. “He protected us like Davin protects you. Y’all have nothing to fear from the Zxerah.”
“You truly believe that,” Callie stated, watching the man, clearly measuring his emotional responses.
“I do.” The man was firm, his eyes serious.
“As do I,” the woman piped up, drawing Callie’s gaze. “The Patriarch and the Brotherhood saved me when I thought I was destined to keep running through the woods fighting off roving ban
ds of men. Once they found me and I proved myself among them, I was adopted into the clan and welcomed.”
“Proved yourself how?” Rick asked.
“By fighting. Sparring. Being tested by the teachers among them. We weren’t kidding when we said we’re like ninjas. I was a kung fu student in the old world. I was a nurse too, but I studied kung fu for fun and fitness. It stood me in good stead when everything changed. I was able to defend myself when necessary, and able to join the Zxerah Brotherhood fully. Most women come to the Zxerah with little or no self-defense skills, but they’re taught right along with everyone else in the clan. They are trained to the best of their abilities. Since I came in with some skill, I’ve been able to add to that knowledge to the point where I’m now an operative.”
“Lin is modest. She is one of our best,” the Patriarch added. “She, and others like her, convinced me that emotion—in certain circumstances—can make a good fighter great.”
The woman blushed, her high cheekbones flushing a dark red under her dusky skin. She was a lovely creature, exotic and skilled, and obviously in love with her partner. Rick saw the little looks, the unspoken communication between them. It was obvious to him that the human pair who’d been spying on them were a couple.
“She telling the truth?” Rick asked Callie privately.
“Oh, yeah. She’s really passionate about the Zxerah.”
“And about her partner if I’m not mistaken.”
Callie’s mental chuckle warmed his mind. “Good observation, Rick. Those two are putting out waves of heat that are downright combustible.”
“You are welcome among us,” Callie said out loud to the woman and her partner. “I look forward to learning more now that you’re out in the open.”
The woman inclined her head. “The way of the Zxerah is the way of the shadow. We have been watching you for a long time. Everything we’ve seen leads me to believe we can be friends. The work you’ve been doing here with humans isn’t very different from what the Patriarch has been doing for many years.”
“Well.” Callie shifted uncomfortably. “We don’t turn them into assassins.”
Her tone was laced with steel but was still respectful, which Rick knew had to be a hard thing for her in this particular company. Assassins scared everyone, and these people had undeniable skills. They even gave Rick a creepy feeling.
“For the record,” Lin said, laying her hand on the table and leaning forward to emphasize her point, “human members of the Brotherhood are not sent on assassination missions. In fact, any Zxerah can refuse a mission if it goes against their personal beliefs. The human Brethren talked about this early on and we all agreed we wouldn’t participate in murder. Certain Alvian members of the clan feel differently—or perhaps I should say, they don’t feel anything really. Maybe that’s why they can still fulfill the rare requests of the Council.”
Rick, Callie and Davin met her declaration with surprised silence.
“I didn’t want you to operate under the wrong assumptions,” Lin concluded, clearly done saying what she’d wanted to say.
The conversation turned to different things, but the specter of assassins remained, along with the choices made—and allowed to be made, if these people were to be believed—by the human members of the Brotherhood.
Davin sent the Patriarch on his way shortly thereafter, with a satchel of untraceable communication crystals. They were simple crystals that communicated only with each other and could be used by whatever groups of humans they managed to find. Davin also gave the Patriarch a special code for a direct channel so they could talk freely without monitoring. A small amount of trust had already formed. A true alliance might not be very far behind. And where that would lead, Rick had no idea.
Chapter Three
When Ronin got back to his base in what had once been called California, a report from the operative he’d sent to check the old NORAD site in Colorado was waiting for him. Gina was a human adoptee of the Zxerah clan and one of their most gifted martial artists. She’d been trained by her father—an Olympic Gold Medalist—before the cataclysm and had proven herself many times over among the Brotherhood.
Ronin had sent her out a few weeks before to make contact with the enclave of human survivors holed up in an old military base inside a mountain. She’d been out of contact since then, but he trusted her abilities and her judgment. This first contact was key. He read through the communication as quickly as possible, intrigued with her words.
Not only had she made successful contact with the base leaders in Colorado, but she had traveled north to another installation in what had been the Canadian Rockies to meet the leaders of another human enclave. This one, though, also housed two Alvian refugees—the former Sinclair Prime, who now called himself Bill Sinclair, and a woman named Jaci, who was now mated to two human males. Both had emotions and both were fugitives.
Ronin placed a call to Gina, though there was no guarantee she’d be free to answer or even that she’d still be in the location from which she’d made her report. As luck would have it, the call was answered by Bill, the first Alvian to try the experimental treatment. He was now a fugitive, though he’d been highly placed in both Alvian society and the Zxerah Brotherhood before he’d been forced to run. Ronin hadn’t spoken with him since and had missed him, as much as an Alvian with no emotions could miss someone.
“Patriarch,” Bill’s voice sounded constricted with emotion to Ronin’s ears. “I have missed your counsel these many months.”
“As I have missed your presence. It is good to hear your voice. I understand you are called Bill now.” Ronin began the conversation on careful footing.
“It is the name I have chosen.”
“It is a strong name. I was pleased to read Gina’s report that said you are doing well. Am I to understand you are now in Colorado?”
“Yes, Patriarch, but not for much longer. I am finishing installation of this crystal array today and will be departing for the north tomorrow. I make my home there now.”
“Gina reports that Grady Prime has found his way to Colorado as well.”
“He is here and will no doubt try to remain here. Gina is his Resonance Mate.”
“I thought that might prove to be the case.” Ronin felt an echo of satisfaction with the idea that they had found each other.
“She is also mate to Jim, the human leader of this facility. It will be tricky, but I have hope things will work out for them.”
Ronin could hear the earnest note in Bill’s voice but couldn’t grasp the emotion. It was as if it was just out of his reach. He hadn’t yet taken the cure for his lack of emotion. It wasn’t yet time for him, according to the human seers who lived in his enclave. He had learned over the years to trust in their visions of the future and often consulted them before he made big decisions.
“Gina reports another Alvian fugitive.” Ronin noted Bill’s significant silence on the matter. “You should know I have spoken with the Chief Engineer’s mate, Callie O’Hara. Seers say there is a lab tech on the run. Bill, that lab tech holds the knowledge of how to make the experimental drug that gave you emotions. They say she is the key.”
“The key to what?”
“To returning emotion to the Brotherhood.”
“You can’t be serious. The Council would never—”
“I’m not proposing to seek Council approval,” Ronin broke in. “If I could get a supply of the drug, I would make it available on a voluntary basis to the Brotherhood. You know how many would take the chance to feel—as you did. I propose to give them the choice.”
“Ronin…that’s a big step.” Bill seemed to be considering the idea, but there was a tremor of uncertainty in his voice.
“They should have the choice.” Ronin spoke in a low, persuasive tone. “It’s only fair. Don’t you agree?”
Bill hesitated. “I suppose, but there is no guarantee Jaci would agree to help you. She was exposed accidentally in the course of her duties. Though things tur
ned out well for her in the end, I do not know her feelings on the subject of making the treatment available to others. She may object.”
“As is her right,” Ronin agreed. “But I would like to at least ask her. When will you be back in your home facility and can you communicate securely from there?”
“Travel will take approximately half a day, and yes, we have a secure crystal at our installation.”
“Only half a day?” Ronin was surprised.
“The human military equipped these facilities with all kinds of surprises.”
Ronin noted Bill’s lack of explanation but did not pursue the topic. Bill had a right to keep the humans’ secrets. He was living among them now and with his capacity for emotion, probably felt more of a bond with them than with his former Alvian Brethren.
“Will you contact me upon your return so I may speak with your friend and present my request?”
“I will, Patriarch. But it will be her decision. I will not try to influence her either way.”
“Understood.”
Days later, Ronin had a very satisfactory discussion with Jaci. She readily agreed to prepare the dosages if Ronin could get the materials she’d need to her. Ronin dispatched his operatives to covertly gather the samples, reagents and equipment she needed.
It was delivered to a neutral spot in the forest. Ronin wished he could’ve gone to meet the young lab tech, but he had to maintain the public appearance of going about his normal routine so as to keep the Council unaware of his behind-the-scenes machinations. This project was critical. Perhaps the most important thing he’d done yet. It could not fail. And discovery by the Council would be disastrous. So Ronin allowed his operatives to deliver the precious lab equipment and ingredients that would hopefully turn into the promise of a new existence for those of his Brotherhood who chose to take the ultimate chance.
A week later, the skin patches holding doses of the experimental agent were ready. Delivery was accomplished by one of the winged Brethren. Bill arranged to meet the winged soldier and transfer the precious cargo. With any luck, this would be the first shipment of many.