RISE

by R. D. Brady

  So lucrative, in fact, that it had laid the groundwork for the Draco to finally return to their former glory. Attacking the R.I.S.E. base was just the beginning. Now it was time for the next step in their plan.

  Dietrich raised the back door of the truck. Inside, the humans were bound and tied together, their eyes closed. Tatiana could see the rise and fall of their chests. These were the two scientists who had helped create the abominations. But they had gone beyond merely replicating the Council’s betrayal. Her gaze strayed over the man and the woman. They were both incredibly intelligent. They could prove useful. Her gaze lingered on the male. And if not, he could prove useful in other ways.

  Tatiana had learned of the first abomination when she was young. It had been destroyed nearly a thousand years ago.

  As it should have been.

  But then they heard rumblings about a new creation or copy of the original. The humans just couldn’t leave well enough alone. At first she planned on killing them. And she still would, at least for the older one. After, of course, a complete and thorough physical examination. But the fact that there was a female one opened up all sorts of possibilities. Tatiana wanted to give herself some time to decide exactly what to do with both. After all, she’d already waited hundreds of years for this moment. She could give it another few days while she contemplated the best way to make use of these two specimens.

  Dietrich climbed into the back of the truck and then reached back, extending a hand to Tatiana. She grasped it and allowed him to help her into the truck bed.

  Dietrich nodded to a trunk with air holes cut in it. “There was an additional species with them. We think it is a Maldek. Would you like to see it?”

  Tatiana shook her head. It couldn’t be a Maldek. They hadn’t been seen since Mars. It was probably one of the abominations the humans had cooked up in their labs. “No. I’m interested in the other abominations.”

  She ignored the humans and the trunk. She made her way to the three protective chambers that held the important subjects.

  She stopped at the first one. It looked like a human boy. But it was so much more than that. She ran a hand over the top of the glass with a smile. And what will you teach us, my young friend?

  Then she moved on to the next two containers. She stood between them, glancing through the glass tops on each of them in turn. On her left was a smaller one with longer hair. It was the young female. To her right was the larger one. From her report, she knew he’d been alive for close to thirty years, yet he was so small. She curled her lip in disgust. Not a drop of Draco DNA to be found within the two creatures.

  But they would be useful, especially the female. It would be interesting to see what breeding her would create.

  She turned her attention to the larger male. But you, my friend, will be our greatest prize. You will keep the Council at bay. And you will keep me entertained.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

  Chris had disappeared with Adam a few minutes ago. Norah wanted to go with them, but that wasn’t in the cards. She was beginning to understand Adam, and she knew whatever he was up to was not something that was out in the open. More people would only increase the likelihood of them getting caught. And she had a feeling this was the only way they were going to get any information.

  But she still wanted to do something. She felt completely helpless here.

  It felt like a hole had opened up in her chest at the idea of Iggy being in trouble. At the idea of him being held by those creatures.

  She paced up and down the barracks floor, racking her mind for some angle she could play. She considered and discarded a hundred different ideas, from storming into Tilda’s office and demanding answers to hijacking a plane and taking off to find Iggy. The problem with every single idea she came up with was she knew they were doomed to failure. She needed intel. She needed a specific location. Randomly searching would get her nowhere. The Draco could be anywhere.

  She stopped. Penny. Penny would have information. She just needed to find out where Penny had been taken.

  Sandra stepped out of the latrine at the end of the hall, pulling Norah from her thoughts. Sandra’s face was pale, her eyes unfocused.

  Norah stopped a few feet away from her. “Hey, how are you doing?”

  Sandra sank onto the nearest bunk. “I don’t know. I just … it’s hard to wrap my head around everything that’s happened.”

  Norah took a seat on the bunk across from her. “I can understand that. It feels like we’ve been dropped into this alternate universe, where aliens are real and there are secret government projects.”

  Sandra gave her a small smile. “Except that’s the actual reality.”

  “Yeah.”

  They both fell into silence. Norah was replaying meeting Iggy, seeing his little face under that bridge that day and choosing not to raise the alarm. How different her life would be if she had followed the rules and done what she was supposed to do. Iggy in all likelihood would be dead right now, probably by her hand. And she would be the worse for it.

  Sandra let out a shaky breath. “I found out I was pregnant with Luke two weeks after I learned Noah was gone. I was so scared. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to do any of this on my own. But then when Luke was born, I knew I would do whatever was necessary to make a life for him. We didn’t have much. I was always struggling to pay the bills, but every once in a while he would give me this smile, and everything was all right then.”

  Norah wasn’t sure what to say. But apparently she didn’t need to say anything, as Sandra continued.

  “He was two when I realized that he was a little different from other kids. Nothing major, he just took a little longer to figure toys out than they did. I thought maybe he was just a slow learner. But he was just so sweet. He loved everyone and everything. I thought I’d hit the jackpot. And I had. Even with the Asperger’s, or maybe because of it, he’s still the sweetest little boy. Now …” Sandra’s eyes filled with tears.

  Norah reached across the space between them and gripped her hand. “He’s with Maeve and Greg. They’ll look out for him like he’s one of their own. And Alvie, I know you don’t know him, but he’s a pretty incredible little man, as is Iggy. They’ll all do whatever is in their power to keep Luke safe.”

  Sandra’s tear-filled eyes met Norah’s gaze. “You saw those things. They’re out of a nightmare. Even though I know Maeve and the others would protect Luke with everything in them, what can they possibly do to keep him safe when all of R.I.S.E. couldn’t?”

  Norah didn’t have an answer for that. And Sandra’s words opened a door in Norah’s mind to all the possible things that could go wrong. She moved so she was sitting next to Sandra and wrapped her arms around the other woman’s shoulder. There was nothing that she could say that would make this better. The hole in her chest opened up wider when she accepted the fact that despite all her hopes and plans, there was nothing she could do either.

  Both her and Sandra had been relegated to the wait-and-see category. And staying there was going to kill them both.

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  At the sight of Martin Drummond, it took all of Chris’s discipline and willpower to keep himself from bolting into the room. But he knew the temporary satisfaction of taking a swing at Martin would result in immediate removal of Chris from any chance of helping Maeve. And he simply couldn’t risk it.

  Instead, he dug his fingernails into his palms so hard that he drew blood, pain flaring up as it dribbled down his fingers.

  In the room, Martin took a seat at the other end of the table. Chris narrowed his eyes at the positioning, almost as if Martin was the yin to Tilda’s yang.

  Tilda gave Martin a cool nod. “Martin.”

  Martin’s response was just as cool. “Tilda. It’s about time.”

  She ignored the comment. Her gaze roamed over the rest of the gathered individuals as she spoke. “As you know, military protocols are put into p
lace so that long-winded explanations are not necessary during crucial times. MAURC is one such protocol.”

  Her comment did not go over well with the rest of the individuals at the table.

  Tilda continued. “However, I will concede that MAURC is a rather unusual protocol.”

  “Unusual? It’s extreme. You cannot subsume the entire U.S. military under one individual’s command. Unless that individual is the president. Does he even know what’s going on?”

  A woman stood up three down from Martin. “He does.”

  All heads swiveled toward the woman, and Chris recognized her. He hadn’t noticed her in the crowd of others in the room. She was Leslie Caruthers, the chief of staff for the President of the United States.

  “And he’s okay with this?” the Marine Corps rep demanded.

  Caruthers’s voice was the voice of command. “Dr. Watson is the individual with the largest grasp on the situation and therefore the one most capable of making these decisions. She has his complete support.”

  “This will be a multi-agency, multi-force initiative,” said Tilda. “The packets in front of you detail what will be needed from each of you. Make no mistake, this is the greatest threat that has faced the United States in its history.” Tilda paused. “Actually, it’s the greatest threat that has faced the world in its history.”

  The individuals at the table began to comb through the directive in front of them. Chris, more than anything, wanted to get a look at that packet, but he supposed he was just going to have to wait until they started to talk.

  It didn’t take long.

  “What the hell is this? Is this some sort of joke?” the representative from the Army demanded.

  “I assure you it is no joke. The Draco have been on this planet for centuries. They have been hidden and contained for the majority of that time, although we do know that in recent years, they began to expand into the human populations. Some of them can mask themselves as humans, but most are unable to achieve this. If you turn to page twenty-eight, you will see a photo of a Draco in action. It was taken less than fourteen hours ago at the R.I.S.E. base.”

  An audible gasp went through the individuals at the table. Chris understood the response. His first sight of the Draco had been difficult, and that was even after he’d seen Hank in action.

  “What do they want?” the DNI director asked.

  “Everything. They want to be in charge of the planet. Their attempts at destroying R.I.S.E. were the first gambit in an all-out assault on the human race. We must strike back before they can respond.”

  Tilda turned to the Army representative. “We need MOABs. They will be striking Antarctica as soon as we get them into position.”

  “Antarctica?” she asked.

  Tilda nodded. “That is where their main base is. It needs to be destroyed.”

  “If you know where their base is, why haven’t they already been destroyed? Why wait?” the Marine Corps rep asked.

  “I’m afraid none of you have the correct clearance to be given that answer. But what you do need to know is that we have now been cleared to remove that base. There will also be a second strike on a target within the United States mainland.”

  “You’re setting off a MOAB in the United States?” the Army representative asked.

  Tilda shook her head. “No. Not a MOAB. We’ll be utilizing bunker busters. Once you have reviewed the targets, I want your recommendations for the most effective munitions for the job.”

  “What level of destruction?” the Army rep asked.

  “Complete.”

  Tilda’s answer caused a stir around the table.

  “What about civilian casualties?” the Marine Corps rep asked.

  “The areas should be relatively isolated, but we cannot rule out casualties. You each have your marching orders. From this point forward, there will be no more questions. There will be orders, and they will be followed. Is that clear?”

  Tilda met everyone’s gaze at the table, not moving until everyone gave her a nod of acceptance. Finally, she stood. “This meeting is dismissed. We all have work to do.”

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  After Tilda’s statement, she left the room, leaving Pearl to handle the details. Chris couldn’t see it in her walk, but she must be exhausted. She shouldn’t even be out of bed. But man, she was impressive.

  The meeting continued without her as each of the representatives conferred with colleagues on the phone, computer, and across the table.

  Staying quiet during it was the hardest thing Chris had ever done. He listened as they made plans, arranging for the different branches of the U.S. military and intelligence community to work together.

  Drummond was right in the middle of it, providing intel on the Draco and their base in Antarctica as well as information on other locations where they might be.

  In fact, Drummond seemed to be the Draco expert.

  Chris narrowed his eyes. Had Martin known about the attack in advance? Was that possible? Why would he keep it a secret?

  Chris had to hold in a scoff. Of course he kept it a secret. His job was secrets. And Drummond seemed a little too happy about the plan to take out the Draco.

  Which never would have happened without the attack on the base.

  Chris narrowed his gaze. But would Martin really have let that happen? Was anybody truly that evil, even him?

  More disturbing was that no one mentioned the fact that the Draco had taken hostages during their attack. The meeting lasted about an hour before Pearl ordered everyone to get to work and to await Tilda’s instructions. Adam stood at the front door, ensuring everyone left. Chris leaned back heavily against the wall. No mention had been made about Maeve and the others. No plans were made to rescue them.

  The wall in front of him slid open. Adam stood in the opening and beckoned for Chris to come out. Chris stepped out, stretching out his limbs as he did so. His whole body felt cramped, and there was an ache in his lower back. “Why did you let me see that?”

  “So that you would understand that they won’t help your family.”

  “Yeah, their goal is containing the threat. But why would they risk Alvie?”

  Even with the sunglasses on, Chris could feel his heavy stare. “Because they have two others.”

  Chris felt sick. “They’re not interchangeable.”

  “To the U.S. government they are.”

  “They’re not even on the planet.”

  “But they exist. That is good enough for now.”

  Chris sucked in a breath. “And Maeve, Snap, Luke, Iggy, and Greg?”

  “Acceptable casualties to eliminate the Draco threat.”

  Chris closed his eyes, knowing that Adam was speaking the truth. As far as the U.S. government was concerned, the lives of three humans, two half humans, and one full-blooded alien would mean nothing when compared to the threat the Draco offered.

  “We need to get moving.”

  Chris shook his head. “I’m not going back to the barracks. The U.S. government might think they’re expendable, but I don’t.”

  “I don’t either. So let’s go get them back.”

  Chapter Eighty

  Edmonds, Washington

  It was dark. There wasn’t even a sliver of light with which to see. Maeve wasn’t sure at first if her eyes were even open, the darkness was so complete. She reached up and touched her face, checking to make sure there wasn’t a blindfold covering her eyes.

  No blindfold, just total darkness. Her body began to shake, the fears from the attack working their way through her. Where was she? What was going on?

  She struggled through the murkiness of her memories. She could remember the attack. It had come out of nowhere. And then the Draco had appeared. They looked like walking crocodiles. They were similar to Hank, but the skin wasn’t quite as rough as Hank’s. The snouts weren’t as developed as his either. But they moved just as fast.

  She had been with the group. And then they’d been separated. Adam had
been there, and then … She shook her head, trying to wipe away the thoughts of the Draco on the base and the plane.

  She swallowed a few times, trying to get moisture into her mouth. “Is anyone here?” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper, making her wonder how long it had been since she’d used it.

  Here.

  Her heart plunged. She’d hoped she was alone, as terrifying as that would’ve been. She didn’t want Alvie here too.

  Is there anyone else here?

  She sensed movement, and then a small hand reached for hers while she felt the presence in her mind.

  Oh no. Snap. She reached down and pulled Snap into her lap. Snap was trembling so hard that Maeve worried that she would break in two.

  Somewhere to her left, Greg’s voice came out of the darkness. “Yeah, I’m okay, Alvie. I’ve got Iggy.”

  A small whimper came from somewhere right in front of her. Maeve didn’t recognize the noise. It wasn’t Pop or Crackle. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. Alvie, who else is here?

  Luke.

  Oh my God. Maeve scrambled forward, keeping Snap curled to her. On her hands and knees, she reached out, trying to find him in the darkness. “Luke? Luke, it’s Maeve. Where are you?”

  The only sound was a small cry. He sounded like a wounded animal. She reached out and touched his sneaker. “I’m here, Luke. I’m here.”

  But his cries didn’t diminish. Maeve wasn’t sure what to do. She knew he didn’t like to be touched. And she worried that doing so would only make it worse. But everything in her screamed that this poor boy needed to be comforted.

  Let Iggy. The words appeared in her mind just as she felt a figure brush past her. She gasped, her heart racing. He’d come out of nowhere.

  Her eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to vaguely make out Iggy reaching Luke’s side. Iggy stood up, placing his hands on the side of Luke’s head. Luke’s crying cut off, and he leaned his head into Iggy’s.