by R. D. Brady
“He is now,” Norah said. “When I first heard about him, I looked him up, and he wasn’t in the files. But then a few days later, he was. Normally the creatures in the file all had the same order attached to them: kill on sight. He was the only one that had something different.”
“What was the order for him?” Greg asked.
“If he was sighted, you were supposed to call a number and then just keep him in sight, making no move to interfere.”
“Well, that sounds like Martin,” Greg muttered.
“Who’s this Martin guy? You guys keep mentioning him. Is he someone with D.E.A.D.?” Sandra asked.
Greg shook his head. “To put it bluntly, Martin is the bad guy. He’s a spook who seems to be behind everything awful that has happened. He’s probably affiliated with D.E.A.D. He was also part of a torture prison camp for aliens. And he’s just an all-around really horrible human being … who is employed by the U.S. government.”
Sandra looked between the two of them. “You’re kidding, right?”
Norah shook her head. “I wish we were. Unfortunately, Martin is one of the deep dark ugly stains that the U.S. government likes to keep in the shadows. He does the things that the U.S. government doesn’t want people to know about.”
“So where is this Martin guy now?”
Greg shrugged. “Last time anyone saw him, he was escaping a secret government base where he conducted experiments on aliens and alien hybrids through an underground train through underground secret tunnels developed by the U.S. government to connect the military bases on the western half of the United States.”
Sandra stared at him, waiting for the punch line. It never came. “Oh.”
“I didn’t have as much interaction with Martin as Greg did, but we do know that he is behind the scenes, pulling strings like a puppet master. And it’s safe to say that whatever he’s up to, it’s not good for the rest of us.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Seattle, Washington
Martin slammed his phone down on his desk. They had failed to capture the Gillibrands again. He flung himself back in his chair. Most of his men required hospitalization. And who was reported among the group that had absconded with the Gillibrands?
A winged creature and an extremely blond man with dark sunglasses.
Damn you, Joseph.
Martin wasn’t sure who he was angrier at: the creature or Joseph. But then he realized it was neither of them, nor any of the others who’d joined the little ragtag rescue mission. It was Tilda. It was always Tilda.
A cold sweat broke out along his body when he thought of “Sammy” showing up in Montana. There’d been no reports of him in any areas nearby. Which left only one other way of traveling.
He gripped the edge of the desk. But it couldn’t be. He never demonstrated those abilities while in captivity.
Then again, many of the other creatures that escaped Area 51 had demonstrated unknown abilities once they were free. Apparently the behaviors of the creatures observed while in captivity were only the tip of the iceberg.
Martin’s phone rang, and he growled at it before he yanked it up. The number on the screen sent another shiver through him. He took a deep breath and answered. “Hello?”
Tatiana’s voice was quiet with suppressed rage. “Your son has been causing us some problems.”
Ice cold fear flashed through Martin. “He’s not my son. I don’t understand why you would—”
Tatiana cut him off. “You and your government are responsible for his creation, therefore you are his father.”
The tension that had coiled up in Martin eased at her words. “I assure you, he is not a creation I am proud of. He was never supposed to be released. I am not responsible for that.”
“Yes, I know. Your little hacker girl let him out.”
Martin’s mind raced. Tatiana should not have that knowledge. She had someone inside, someone who was feeding her information. He’d have to flush out the rat but do it in a way that didn’t tip Tatiana off.
“But apparently your information panned out. The Sentinel is attached to the boy.”
“I thought you would find that of interest.”
“He was of interest, but another member of the rescue team proved even more intriguing.”
Martin didn’t need to ask of whom she was speaking.
“What can you tell me about him?”
“He goes by the name Adam. He has been with R.I.S.E. for decades. He is very … close … to the leader. He has been aiding R.I.S.E. in the protection of the abominations and their support team.”
“He always was a do-gooder,” Tatiana growled. “I am not happy with you, Martin. But the revelation of ‘Adam’ has taken some of the sting from that anger. But I would strongly suggest you do not disappoint me again.” Tatiana disconnected the call.
Martin glared at the phone before tossing it on his desk. He needed to be rid of Tatiana and her followers.
But soon, he would have help in that endeavor. His anger dwindled as he imagined how Tilda was going to respond to the information about Tatiana’s presence in Montana. In fact, if he played his cards right, soon Tilda would make sure Tatiana never bothered Martin again.
Chapter Forty
Hy-Brasil
Time felt like it was standing still. Maeve had been climbing the walls all day. Now she’d stopped inside the barracks to stare out the window. The sun had dipped below the horizon. Greg had told her about the trip to find the Gillibrands before he left. Maeve had of course plead ignorance when Jasper had asked where everyone was.
But now as the hours wore on, she was rethinking that approach. What if they were in trouble? What if they needed help? Should she tell Tilda what the rest of them were up to?
“Stop worrying,” Chris said as he joined her, slipping his arm around her waist.
“Should we tell someone? It’s been hours.”
“Let’s give them a little more time, and then we can raise the alarm. Norah and Adam know what they’re doing.”
“You didn’t mention Greg.”
Chris grinned at her. “Greg is incredibly intelligent. But not exactly Rambo.”
“Hey, he can hold his own when he has to.”
He kissed her on the forehead, and his eyes lit up. He nodded beyond her. “Yes, he can. And here come the conquering heroes now.”
Maeve’s head whipped back to the window. Iggy loped along the path with Adam and Greg right behind him. Maeve looked up at Chris, who nodded. “Go on.”
Maeve needed no further urging. She hustled out of the barracks. Greg caught sight of her and jogged over. Maeve threw her arms around him. “You guys had me worried.”
“What? Worried? Nah.”
“We’re good,” Norah said.
Maeve noted the new bandage on her cheek. “I’m guessing it wasn’t a simple pickup.”
“Not exactly. I’m going to get Sandra and Luke settled. Greg can tell you about it.”
Maeve met the gaze of Sandra, who was standing a short distance away, her son next to her but not touching. “Hi.”
Sandra gave her a small nod, her gaze straying to the barracks. Luke just stared at the ground. Norah led them away.
Maeve watched them go, waiting until they were out of earshot.
“So what happened?”
“D.E.A.D. was there. And so was Sammy.”
Maeve jolted. “Really?”
Greg nodded. “He’s the reason we made it. A second group tried to stop us on the way to the plane.”
“A second group? Who were they?”
Greg gave Maeve a quick rundown of the junkyard and the attack afterward.
“Rolls-Royce SUVs? Who would bring that to a gunfight?”
“I don’t know, but I bet Tilda does.”
Maeve grunted. “I think Tilda’s keeping a lot of things from us.”
Greg’s voice was grim. “So let’s go get some answers.”
Chapter Forty-One
Answers had to w
ait until the next morning, however. According to Pearl, Tilda was unavailable until then. She showed up when everyone was finishing up breakfast. Sandra and Luke had already stepped away from the cafeteria with Norah. Chris had taken the triplets and Alvie for a walk, so it was only Greg and Maeve left.
Tilda walked in and headed straight over. She paused halfway to them and switched directions, pouring herself a cup of coffee before sitting down across from them. “I believe we need to talk.”
“Adam filled you in?” Maeve asked.
Tilda nodded.
“So who the heck were those other guys? Why didn’t you tell us about them?” Greg asked.
Tilda sighed. “I had foolishly hoped that you would not have to deal with them. But apparently Luke Gillibrand and his connection to the Sentinel has pulled them out of the shadows.”
Maeve tried to tamp down her frustration. “Who are they?”
“The Draco.”
Greg faltered, nearly spilling his coffee as he replaced the mug back on the table. “The Draco? You can’t be serious.”
Maeve looked between the two of them. “Who are the Draco?”
“There have been two groups who have been responsible for the majority of human UFO abductions. The first are referred to as the Grays. They tended to take humans, much like animals are tagged in the wild. Their goal is to understand the physiology, to record changes, and then to release them.”
“And the Draco?”
“They aren’t looking to study them. The Draco are looking for ways to involve themselves in human society. To that effort, they try to impregnate human females to allow for hybrids that could be a way in.”
Maeve gasped. “That’s barbaric.”
Tilda gripped her mug a little more tightly. “And so are they. I mentioned them when we discussed the creation of humanity. I mentioned there were different groups, more aggressive groups, that were included in your DNA. That was the Draco.”
“They’re on the planet?” Maeve asked.
Greg shook his head. “No, no. I mean, I didn’t get a good look at them with all the gunfire and fear and all, but they were human looking.”
“It has taken them a long time to achieve that.” Tilda took a sip of coffee as if to steel herself and then began to speak. “The Solar system, as we know it today, is not how it always was. Not even our position is the same as it once was. Earth, at one point, was the second planet from the sun.”
Maeve frowned. She knew about planetary movement, of course, that the order of the planets in the galaxy was not how it had always been. But she also knew that movement would have happened an incredibly long time ago. Why would that be relevant now?
“The Draco were a race of aliens whose only goal was destruction and submission of worlds.” Tilda took a breath. “They’re a reptilian race that ran over life across the galaxy. A group of refugees escaped from the Draco to our galaxy and took refuge on two planets: Mars and Maldek. They were called the Lyrans.”
“Maldek? Like Iggy?” Greg asked.
Tilda nodded. “He’s from the planet of Maldek. It no longer exits. It is now the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.”
Maeve was familiar with the arguments that the asteroid belt had once been a planet. Individuals had argued that there was a symmetry to the Solar system and the planets located within it. And it was true that there was a huge asteroid belt instead of a planet between Jupiter and Mars. But she was also equally familiar with the arguments against it. The most compelling being that the mass of the asteroid belt would make the planet less than half the size of Mars, although that argument often relied on the spurious argument that Mars was a moon of the destroyed planet.
“What happened?” Maeve asked.
“The Draco followed the Lyran refugees. They were a race skilled in the art of war. They hollowed out asteroids to use as ships, even some as large as planets. They sent one of these planet-sized asteroids through our system. It destroyed Maldek. As it passed close to Mars, it siphoned off Mars’s environment and shifted its axis.”
“Did anyone survive?” Greg asked.
“Some Martians, and even a few Maldekians, managed to retreat underground on Mars. They sustained themselves there for generations.” She nodded toward the doors. “Your young friend Iggy was one of their species. The comet eventually reached Earth, pulling Earth into its orbit and siphoning some of its water. Eventually Earth was sent shooting out, launching it farther from the sun.”
“And the comet?” Maeve asked, although she had a feeling she knew.
“It established an orbit around the sun. We call it Venus.”
Greg looked at Tilda. “You can’t be serious.”
Maeve looked into Tilda’s eyes. The woman met her gaze unflinchingly. Every time they learned something new about the universe, it threw other things they knew into question. In 2018, NASA had discovered that the moons of both Saturn and Jupiter may actually contain small organic molecules. Organic matter and methane were also found on Mars by the Red Planet rovers. Harvard researchers even suggested there was a chance that the cigar-shaped asteroid named Oumuamua may be an alien probe from an ancient civilization. So was it possible? Maeve supposed it was.
“And then humanity developed on Earth?” Maeve asked.
“Not exactly. The Draco were stranded here. They were isolated from the rest of their empire. And the empire was not known for coming to its people’s aid. The refugees from both civilizations claimed parts of the earth for themselves.”
Chris frowned. “Why? If the Draco were there …”
“They were also looking for payback for what the Draco had done. The two civilizations fought the Draco and sent them underground.”
“They won,” Greg said.
“In a way. A peace council was convened, and it was determined that the only way to ensure peace was to allow a new species, a species with a mix of all species DNA, to flourish on Earth. It took many iterations to get the mix right. There were twenty-two versions, but eventually Homo sapiens were created.”
“If the Draco were so warlike, why would they agree to that? Why would they stop fighting?”
“Because they could not risk their people. They were cut off and reproducing, but it was becoming beyond their ability.”
“Why?” Maeve asked.
“Without the benefit of their home environment, they struggled to reproduce. They needed intervention oftentimes. So they agreed, believing that the reptilian DNA would allow them to control the newly created species. They believed they would eventually conquer us.”
“Why didn’t they?” Greg asked.
“Apparently we humans are a bit stubborn and not fans of being controlled by others. But allowing their DNA into humanity’s was a mistake. It doomed humans to be warlike and perpetually fighting. But that was the deal the Council agreed to, and as long as they continued to abide by it, no one could interfere.”
“But then they didn’t abide by it,” Maeve said.
“No. The Council did not realize that they were continuing their genetic manipulations. Over time, they created human-reptilian hybrids. They looked human, but they were reptilian in their mindset. The reptilians seeded them throughout the world. When the Council learned what they were up to, they knew that once again they needed to intercede.” Her gaze strayed to the doors where Maeve’s gang had disappeared a few minutes earlier. And it clicked.
“They created Alvie. He doesn’t have any reptilian DNA.”
“None. He is pure human and Gray. He is the answer.”
Greg frowned. “But he’s fought. He’s defended himself.”
Tilda nodded. “When the Lyrans flourished, they did not have a military or an army. But they did not have the instinct to protect themselves. It was why they were so easily defeated. We could not create a species who would suffer the same fate. So yes, he will defend himself and those he loves when necessary. But he will not let aggression rule him. He does not possess that capability.”
> Maeve had always wondered why certain people were more aggressive than others. Environment played a role, but the same environment could result in two different responses. And even peaceful environments could create an aggressive individual. Yet there were others who were the antithesis of the aggressive individual. What made two of the same species so very different?
Greg interrupted her line of thought. “But what is he the answer to?”
“The problem of humans,” Tilda said softly. “Without the aid of greedy humans, the Draco would never have flourished. They would not have even survived to this point. The Council created Alvie as the next step in human evolution, should Homo sapiens fail to combat the Draco threat, or worse, be influenced to work against their species’ best interest.”
“We were created as a weapon, though,” Greg said.
Tilda inclined her head. “It’s true. They did hope we would defeat them. But they soon realized how wrong their approach was. They had hoped that by interceding, they could help the primitive species of this planet realize its true potential. And at the same time, they have made sure that Earth is not touched by other alien species.”
“But that’s not everything, is it?” Maeve asked, thinking of all the other human species that had once existed. “Because if the Council has created a new hybrid of alien-human DNA without Draco, then they would need to remove the other version from the planet, wouldn’t they?”
Tilda met her gaze for a long moment before speaking. “Our ability to keep the Draco in check has stayed the Council’s hand. As long as the Draco are not seen as a full-fledged threat to human rule, the Council will not act. And having the hybrids here, it allows the Council to observe our interaction with them. They have been heartened by the lengths you, Maeve, in particular, have taken to keep them safe.”
“Way to go, champ.” Greg punched Maeve lightly on the shoulder.
Maeve didn’t take her gaze from Tilda. “But if the Draco rise up …”