by R. D. Brady
Chapter Eighty-Six
Between Jasper, Mike, and Adam’s credentials, they made it to the airfield without any problem. As promised, a Cessna Citation X sat on the tarmac, fully fueled and ready to go. They wasted no time boarding.
“That is not a military jet,” Sandra said, eyeing the large plane.
“Nope. But it is R.I.S.E. property for when we need to move quickly and in style. The Aerion was destroyed in the attack. Damned shame. That was an incredible plane.”
Adam carried Martin, who was still out, over his shoulder. As soon as they were inside, Jasper turned toward the cockpit.
Chris reached out a hand. “No. Adam’s flying.”
Adam paused, raising an eyebrow above his sunglasses.
“You can fly this thing, right?” Chris asked.
Adam nodded.
“I’ll get Martin settled. You get us up and running.”
Adam unceremoniously dropped Martin into the nearest chair and then headed for the cockpit.
Jasper put a hand to his heart. “Where’s the trust, Chris? You’re really beginning to hurt my feelings.”
Chris ignored the man. On many levels, he really liked Jasper. But the fact was, Jasper was really good at lying. And in this situation, Chris wasn’t taking any chances. Adam had taken Chris to that meeting. It’s possible he, too, was playing some sort of game, but nothing about the reticent man indicated that he was anything but straightforward. He didn’t think lying was in Adam’s bag of tricks.
Chris grabbed the zip ties from his pocket and quickly attached Martin’s arms to the armrest. He grabbed some zip cords from his other pocket and secured them to the chair. Norah and Sandra had picked them up on their little shopping spree at the base.
Jasper handed him a strip of fabric. Chris looked up at him. Jasper shrugged. “Thought you might want to gag him.”
Chris accepted the fabric and quickly tied it around Martin’s mouth. Jasper was right. He didn’t want to hear anything from this man except for answers to his questions. The engines rumbled, springing to life.
Chris took a seat. Sandra and Norah entered the cabin and took seats close to the cockpit. Chris studied Sandra. She looked better. She had a little color in her cheeks. Having a plan helped make some of the ache go away. He knew from personal experience.
Jasper sat down across from him. Chris met his gaze., unflinching. “So what is your deal, Jasper? Who are you loyal to?”
“Well, who are you loyal to?”
Chris didn’t hesitate. “Maeve and the kids.”
“Kids? An interesting choice of words.”
“An accurate choice of words,” Chris replied. “And you haven’t answered me.”
Jasper stretched his legs out as the plane started to move. “I find loyalty to be a strange word. I would say I’m not loyal to any one person. But I am loyal to an ideal.”
“And what’s that ideal?”
Jasper looked him right in the eyes. “Doing the right thing. It often coincides with the goals of protecting my country. And that works out just fine.”
“And saving Maeve and the others? Does that align with the goals of your country?”
“That’s an interesting question. Because you see, before that was my focus, protecting my country. But recent events have made me realize that sometimes there’s something that has to come above protection of one’s country.”
“And what’s that?”
“Protecting my world.”
Chris tensed. “So you think we should destroy the Draco.”
“Of course. But … I also wonder about all this that has come about. The Council has known about the Draco for eons. The U.S. government has known about them for a long time as well. But now we are forced into a position where the creation of the Council is in danger by the Draco. Yet the U.S. government is rushing to destroy the Draco, creations be damned.” Jasper fell silent.
“And?”
“And I think that is a mistake. The Draco were banished for their warlike nature. I don’t think blindly killing will endear us to the Council. So I think this is a test. A test to see who has more sway on humanity: the forces of good or the forces of evil?”
“So you want to save them.”
“No, I need to save them. Because if we don’t, it doesn’t matter if we wipe out every last Draco. Humanity will be lost.”
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Edmonds, Washington
The dripping was getting to him. Greg wasn’t sure what it was that was dripping, but it was a constant drip. Drip, drip, drip.
It was making him insane.
He clenched his fists as the drip sounded again. Iggy stirred from where he was playing on top of Luke. Maeve had her eyes closed with Snap curled up in her lap. Alvie was sitting between her and Greg, his head resting on Greg’s arm. Luke was sitting on Greg’s other side, a few inches separating them so they weren’t touching.
Greg had to give the kid credit for not completely losing it. He’d been upset when he’d come to. He’d let out this little tiny mewling sound. Like a rabbit caught in a trap. Iggy had acted instantly. He’d hurried over to Luke and crawled into his lap. Luke had gone still for a moment and then wrapped his arms tightly around Iggy. Iggy made some soft purring noises similar to a cat. Luke closed his eyes, a tear rolling down his cheeks.
Greg had felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do for Luke. He couldn’t even hug him and offer at least a small amount of connection to help him feel as if he wasn’t alone.
Thank God for Iggy.
Drip, drip, drip.
Greg stood up slowly. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, so he could at least make out where the walls were and where the door was. He stepped away from the wall and moved to the other side of the cell, pacing from one wall to the other but careful to keep his footsteps quiet so as not wake any of the others. If they could sleep through this at least a little bit, that’s what he wanted for them. God knew he wished he could sleep. He wished he could disappear into a dreamland and pretend none of this was happening.
But apparently that wasn’t for him. How was it possible that this was the place he’d ended up? He was Greg Schorn, for God’s sake. Growing up, he was the last picked for any sort of sports team. He’d had braces and glasses starting in high school and still had them when he finished. Acne had been his most faithful friend during his teenage years. And he hadn’t even grown to his full height until he was a senior in college.
He was not the type who was supposed to be in the middle of some sort of crazy intergalactic conspiracy. He was the type who was supposed to be an accountant, getting stressed during tax time and more relaxed during the rest of the year.
But Greg had been fascinated by biology since he was young. He’d read every book he could on anatomy and creatures of all sorts. In college, a whole new world had opened to him when he’d started taking biochemistry courses. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that one day he would be working on alien hybrid experiments for the U.S. government.
His gaze strayed back to where Maeve sat on the floor. And never could he have imagined that Maeve had grown up with an alien. He’d met Maeve in college. They had lived in the same dorm. Bonded over their love of science. And he’d had a huge crush on her for freshman and sophomore year before he realized that it was never going to happen.
Luckily he was smart enough to realize that he could either have Maeve as a friend or completely ruin everything by trying to make it more than that. And Maeve’s friendship had meant the world to him. She was his best friend.
Even with all of the crazy she had in her life, she’d always made time for him. He couldn’t imagine how difficult her life had been, keeping the knowledge of Alvie hidden from everyone she knew. It must’ve been incredibly hard … And lonely. But he supposed she had her mother to share Alvie with.
Greg had never been very close with his family. They were accountants. They simply did not understand why Greg didn’t want to go i
nto the family business. But Greg had known his curiosity was leading him somewhere else. And he also knew that if he spent his life sitting in an office running numbers, it would be the death of him.
He glanced around the cell he currently found himself in. Of course, if I’d known my life choices would’ve taken me here, perhaps I would’ve chosen differently.
But even as he thought it, he knew that wasn’t the case. He was meant to be here. He’d done some good. He’d helped people. And he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Of course, he would be deliriously happy if Adam showed up, kicked in the door, and rescued them all. He looked at the door, holding his breath for a few seconds before releasing it. Nope.
Drip, drip, drip.
Greg pulled at his hair, feeling the tension and fear crawl over him. He’d seen what those creatures had done on the base. He had no illusions that he would be able to fight them off in any meaningful way.
Chris would be trying to find them. Of course, being they’d been flown to God knew where, he wasn’t sure Chris would have the resources to track them down. Would getting them back even be a priority for R.I.S.E. right now? He knew Chris would move heaven and earth to get his family back, but that will to get them back might not be enough without the resources to find them.
Agaren seemed to be completely focused on Alvie and the triplets. But he’d been missing in action ever since he’d been released from New Mexico, so who knew if he’d be any help?
His gaze roamed over Maeve, Snap, Alvie, Luke, and Iggy. None of them deserved this. They were all so young. Snap and Iggy were only a few years old. It was hard to keep that in mind when you interacted with them, but they were basically toddler aged. He couldn’t imagine a human three-year-old being thrown into this life. They deserved to have a childhood, one free from all of this violence.
And Luke, he hadn’t had an easy childhood himself. Kids could be cruel. Greg could still remember some of the bullies from his childhood. They still made him shiver. And from what Sandra had said, kids were no more understanding these days, especially for a kid on the autism spectrum.
At the same time, Greg had to wonder what the Draco knew about Luke. They had to know about his connection to Sammy. Norah had explained to him about Project Antaeus and Luke’s dad. Greg knew there had to be a connection between Sammy and the project, which was why the creature was so protective of him. Anger welled up in Greg. They had treated American soldiers like guinea pigs. They hadn’t given any thought to the repercussions for the next generation. Luke was basically collateral damage of a U.S. government experiment run amok. But that experiment had brought all of this misery into Luke and Sandra’s life.
They deserved better than this. They deserved a normal life.
But that wasn’t in his power. Right now there was a lot that wasn’t within his power. He wasn’t a religious man. He’d been raised Protestant, and his family had gone to church every weekend, but it never really took. He’d just gone through the motions.
Greg looked up at the ceiling. I don’t know if you exist or not, but if you do, please help us all get out of here. And if you can’t do that, please help me find a way to at least keep them safe for as long as I can.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Somewhere over the United States
They didn’t have a firm destination in mind, so Adam aimed for the West Coast of the United States. They knew that the Draco base was somewhere in that vicinity, but they had nothing more specific. Martin was still out as Mike stepped back into the fuselage. Chris looked up.
“Adam’s setting the autopilot. He said we can get started,” Mike said.
Sandra and Norah joined Chris and Jasper. All four of them sat in front of Martin as his eyes blinked open before closing again.
Mike stood one row away from him, leaning against the top of a chair.
Chris grabbed a glass of water and threw its contents into Martin’s face. Martin’s eyes flung open.
“Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakens,” Jasper said.
Martin spluttered, water dripping down his face and onto his shirt. He coughed and then glared at the people surrounding him. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?”
Jasper snorted. “Yes, and no one’s interested in your abduction. They have bigger issues to worry about right now.”
Martin narrowed his eyes. “When my people learn—”
Chris cut him off. “No one’s interested in your threats. Where did the Draco take Maeve and the others?”
Martin shrugged, trying to look nonchalant in his water-stained silk shirt. “I have no idea. They don’t include me in their plans.”
Jasper leaned forward. “Oh, I get it. We’re going to have to ask the correct series of questions to get an answer. All right, I’ll play: What properties do the Draco own on the western seaboard of North America?”
Martin closed his mouth and just stared at the man.
Norah moved closer. “Let me make this clear: You are either helping or you are dead weight. And we do not need dead weight. So start talking.”
Martin smirked. “Oh yeah? And what exactly are you going to do?”
Sandra’s voice was deadly when she spoke. “I vote for dropping him out the plane door.”
Martin’s eyes flared. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Jasper nodded thoughtfully. “Actually, I like that idea. I mean, he won’t survive the fall, but the body will be eaten by something in the ocean, or lots of somethings. Maybe it’ll eventually catch a current and wash up on some shore somewhere. Of course, depending on the current, that could take months, and even then, none of your prints or DNA are on file, I’m sure. Which means you’ll just be another body that washed up on shore, no name, no grave, no one to mourn. Not that anyone would mourn you anyway.”
Martin’s jaw clenched, the only indication that he was bothered by the scenario Jasper described.
“Why are you protecting them? You know what they are,” Chris said.
“Yes, I know what they are. And I know they all deserve to die. And if you go storming in there, you’ll tip them off to what’s coming. They’ll escape, and then this little adventure continues.”
“Not a single one of them is getting out of there,” Chris said.
Martin laughed. “You have no idea what you’re going up against. Didn’t you learn anything? The Draco have two weaknesses: their eyes and the back of their mouth. That’s it. Their skin is the equivalent of body armor. You think this little ragtag group is going to be able to put a dent in their forces? Please. You’ll be their evening snack.”
Adam stepped out of the cockpit. “We don’t need him. Penny broke through his files. She has the base. It’s in Washington State. A place called Edmonds.”
Martin’s eyes narrowed to slits. Venom dripped off his words. “Hello, Joseph.”
Chris looked between Martin and Adam, not sure what that Joseph thing was about. But Martin kept making these little jabs at Adam. And Jasper had a guilty look on his face.
Norah looked between Adam and Martin. “What’s going on?”
Martin turned his head, spearing each of them before he spoke. “Oh, you want to know about the Draco? Why don’t you ask Joseph? I mean, Adam, about them. After all, he is one.”
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Edmonds, Washington
Maeve’s eyes had grown used to the dark, but there was still precious little to be seen. She and Greg had searched their cell. They’d walked its entirety. It was ten by twelve feet. There was no one else in there with them except for Alvie, Snap, Iggy, and Luke. The walls were made of rock and were damp. In fact, the whole area had a damp, humid feel to it.
Maeve knew that all of them would get sick if they spent too long in here, especially Alvie and Snap. But she had no idea how they were going to get out. There was a drain in the floor, but it was only a few inches across. She didn’t like to think of what it had been installed for. The door itself was steel. They wouldn’t be able to get through
that either.
And the rock walls were rough, almost unfinished. Without a jackhammer, they wouldn’t even be able to make a dent in them. No, they weren’t getting out of this room until someone let them out.
There was a small window at the top of the door with four slats across, its metal bars reminding her of an old-fashioned jail-cell door. It allowed them to hear what was happening in the hall. But other than the drip of water, it was silent.
No one had come by. In fact, there hadn’t been another sound outside of the door in the hours they’d been there.
Now the five of them sat close together in the corner opposite the door. Alvie sat on one side of Luke while Iggy sat in Luke’s lap, with Snap on his other side. Apparently he didn’t mind any of them touching him. Maeve could just make out the boy’s face. He was terrified. It was a familiar emotion. But she couldn’t think of a single comforting thing to say. Because everything that came to mind was a lie.
Everything will be all right.
There’s nothing to worry about.
Help is on the way.
It was that last one that she hoped there was a chance was true. Chris was no doubt searching for them. But how would he even know where to start?
And besides, the Draco had proven to be an insidious enemy. They had planned to take over the R.I.S.E. base for decades. And they had done so with brutal efficiency. She had no doubt that they had planned this particular hiding space just as efficiently. So what chance did any of them have of being found?
Greg whispered over to her. “They’re going to find us, right? I mean, they have to, right?”
Maeve nodded, aware of the other ears listening in. “Of course. It’s just a matter of time.”
Footsteps echoed down the hall, heading toward them. Maeve tensed, shooting a look at Greg before the two of them shot to their feet, placing themselves between the door and the kids. Maeve knew it was a futile gesture. The Draco were so much more physically enhanced than they were. And between them, Maeve and Greg had zero training and weapons. But Maeve couldn’t simply allow the kids to be hurt without a fight.