by Chandra Ryan
The air in the bunker was humid and stale as they entered. They didn’t let the apparent lack of life lull them into a false sense of security though. It was dark in the building, so they had to wear their night-vision visors as they swept the facility and every soldier kept his weapon aimed in front of him with a finger on the trigger at all times. They didn’t let down their guard until every room had been cleared.
When they were finished with the sweep, they followed Gates back to the main lab. “Let’s get some lights turned on and see what we’re dealing with.”
Kam moved to a computer console and soon the room was flooded with light. He hadn’t been in many labs but even with his limited experience, this one looked pretty state-of-the-art to Julian. Not horribly surprising, given the last occupant’s profession.
Gates crossed the room to stand in front of a panel on the back wall. After he punched a code into the keypad, the wall moved and a room filled with row after row of stasis chambers came into view. “What do you think is in them?” Haddisher asked as he came up behind Julian.
“No idea.” They moved forward as a group. There were hundreds of chambers crowded into the space. Each had a number on one end of the container and a person asleep inside it but there were no other clues as to who these people were. “But it’s going to take forever to move them all.”
“I’m betting we can get it done in three days,” Gates announced.
Twelve walked into the room trailed by the other two hostages and their guards. “Looks like an army.”
“Maybe a squadron, but there aren’t enough of them to be an army. And look, there are females.” Kam pointed to one of the chambers that housed a woman. Females had been excluded from the genetic manipulation because of the possible adverse effects to their offspring. All modified soldiers were males and supposedly sterile males at that. Recent rumors about a manipulated soldier having a child made Julian wonder about that last part however.
“Don’t underestimate them because they are few in number,” Twelve said. “Your people risked your lives just to move them.”
Julian could see the wisdom in risking twenty people in the hopes of saving two hundred. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something behind Twelve’s words. They weren’t the first group the government had sent after these chambers and, if they failed, they wouldn’t be the last.
But they wouldn’t fail. How could they? There were still fifteen of them left and they were almost done with this mission.
Chapter Eight
Three days was what he’d said and damn if they weren’t going to make that timeline. It was the close of the third day and only a handful of the stasis chambers remained. Of course it helped that he and Twelve had reached an agreement. Gates had freed the hostages from their restraints and they’d assisted in the move. Which had been a very good thing. The chambers had to be moved into a vault-like room in the basement of the facility. It took a good half an hour just to move one. And since each chamber took two soldiers to carry, that meant they could only do about seven per trip. But the three extra men meant they could carry nine. With breaks and time to sleep they ended up needing those three men to make the deadline—self-imposed as it was.
“One more trip and we can call in this mission as a success.” The men cheered at Gates’ words but Twelve didn’t seem as excited. He’d been happy enough when Gates had released him but as the days progressed he’d become more and more agitated. “Come on, Twelve. One last trip and we can set up the diplomatic meeting you were wanting.”
Twelve nodded but didn’t seem any happier. “Let’s get this done.”
He couldn’t imagine why Twelve was being so moody. The last couple of days had gone smoothly. It was hard work to carry the chambers but with the security field back up they didn’t have to worry about crazy-ass mutants or the egg-burying spiders. Gates considered that a mini victory in and of itself. But the success of the days didn’t compare to the erotic nights. It was pretty common knowledge that he and Julian were together but, just as he suspected, no one said anything. Yeah, everything was finally going right with this mission.
He and Twelve picked up the last container and started to walk down the long corridors. “These people should be safe. Not even Death will reach them in their new location.”
That was an odd observation. “That’s kind of the whole point of the stasis chambers.”
“Not that death.”
“Right. The other one.” So that was what had Twelve so upset. “The military has no plans on bombing the planet’s surface.” Though he had to admit, there were only a handful of reasons other than surface warfare that would make the military decide to move the chambers. He shook his head at the thought. Twelve’s conspiracies were getting to him.
“Not bomb,” the man growled at him.
Gates decided ignoring him would probably be the best course of action. They’d had this conversation too many times to count over the last four days. There was always the threat of some death but never the death Gates guessed. Until he knew what Twelve was worried about there was no way for him to reassure the man. The best thing for everyone was for them to finish this mission and then schedule that diplomatic meeting. As soon as Twelve realized his people would be safe he’d calm down.
They put the chamber in its spot at the end of the line and then Gates took a moment to stretch and look around. Whoever these people were, they were now in the exact same layout only two floors down. He’d completed his mission. “That’s everyone. We should probably go grab some dinner and get things cleaned up around here. Tomorrow we start our hike back to the shuttle.”
He thought he heard a couple of groans but chose to ignore them. No one understood his men’s displeasure more than he. The idea of a week-and-a-half hike back through the hostile jungle wasn’t his idea of a good time either. But it had to be done.
Once back on the main floor he pulled his reader out and signed in to the secure message service. In no time his commander knew the chambers had all been moved and he’d set up a visitor’s visa so the reptiles could send an ambassador to speak to the government about diplomatic relations. It’d been a very successful communication. Twelve didn’t seem any happier when he told him though.
“Don’t be too hard on him,” Twenty-Four said as she sat down next to Gates.
“He’s cranky and you like cranky, I know.” He took a bite of his food and then grimaced. He was getting cranky too. He needed real food. And more than fifteen minutes alone with Julian before they both passed out from exhaustion. He couldn’t wait to be back on the base.
But what then?
The question made his stomach cramp and suddenly his rations were even less tempting. He hadn’t given it much thought but when they were back on base they’d be given new missions. Missions that might send them to opposite ends of the universe.
“You look sick.”
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “It’s nothing. You were defending Twelve’s cranky ass.”
Twenty-Four giggled softly. “He worries about the Death.”
“I know. He’s talked to me about it extensively. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what death specifically he’s concerned about. Maybe if I could, I could reassure him that the military has no plans of using it on this planet.”
“The last shuttle had many containers of it. We found it by accident when we were examining the remains.”
“Containers?”
“Big shiny ones.” She held her arms out in a circle in front of her to give a description of the size. “Two of our men opened them. They died instantly.”
It sounded like some sort of chemical weapon. There were too many for Gates to recognize any particular one just by her description however. Maybe if he and his men could see it and run some tests he’d be able to figure it out. And they had a week-and-a-half hike ahead of them. If it wasn’t too far off their course they could stop and take a look. “What did you do with it?”
&
nbsp; “We sent five of our best men to take it to the mountains of sand.”
He’d seen the massive desert on the maps. They weren’t too far away from the shuttle. It was maybe a three-day hike. But he didn’t envy a trip into the scorching-hot environment.
“None of them returned,” she continued softly.
“Did you learn anything else about this Death before the men left with it?”
“Everything that comes into contact with it dies. It is as cool as the air around it but it burns to the touch. And even after you wash it off it continues to suck the life out of you like the hunting moss.”
“It does sound pretty nasty.” And it sounded like something he would have to investigate. If these people were going to have any success in their petition for a diplomatic relationship they’d need to have all the facts at their disposal. They might have gotten off to a horrible start but at some point over the last couple of days Gates had started caring about the future of this life form. They’d become part of his team. “If your men have any idea where the Death is I’d be happy to run some tests on it.”
She shook her head. “We have no idea. And no one wants to search. To find it is to die.”
“I understand.”
“We only want to know why they would bring this to our home.”
“I don’t know. I guess your people can ask that when you meet with the government. My best guess is they didn’t know this planet was inhabited.” Which presented a whole new group of possibilities. “Maybe it isn’t a weapon at all. They might have been looking for a place to store chemical waste.”
Twenty-Four’s back went ramrod straight. “We are not a trash pile.”
“I agree.” He really liked Twenty-four. She had spunk. “You should go with the group of delegates. Help them present your side of the case.”
She blushed. “They don’t need me.”
“Sure they do. They might benefit from having someone less cranky in the group.”
She laughed again and this time she put a dainty hand on his arm. He instantly pulled away from her but one glance over at Twelve told him that the man hadn’t even noticed. Probably had something to do with Gates’ relationship with Julian. Ever since Twelve saw him coming out of Julian’s tent that first morning he’d stopped growling and snapping every time Gates or Julian got close to Twenty-Four. It had made talking to the woman a lot easier.
As soon as they were done eating they cleaned up their mess and packed up their stuff. They’d be leaving first thing in the morning. That meant only one more night with a real roof over their heads and a bed under them. “Get a good night’s sleep.” He directed the order to the men sitting around him. “This might very well be your last until we get back to the shuttle.”
Gates waited for everyone else to shuffle off before he made his way to his temporary quarters. When he opened the door he smiled at Julian’s body sprawled out under a military-grade blanket on the cot. His lover had apparently gotten sleepy while waiting for him. It would’ve irritated some men but it actually warmed Gates’ heart to see him asleep like that. He could almost pretend that this was his life and that they were just like any other couple.
Gates stripped down and took a quick shower before approaching Julian. One peek under the blanket told Gates that Julian was every bit as naked as he was. He definitely liked coming home to that.
He carefully pulled the blanket back and then knelt on the foot of the bed. When he leaned forward and supported his weight on his hands he was in the perfect position to take Julian’s cock into his mouth. Julian moaned deep in his throat as his eyes opened slowly. Gates released his cock and smiled. “Did you get bored waiting for me?” He lowered his head so he could swirl his tongue against the tip of Julian’s dick.
“Of course not. But I’ve got this hard-ass boss who’s a real taskmaster. Sometimes I think he works me harder than the others just because he likes to see my body glistening with sweat.”
Gates couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him. “You do look damn good when you glisten. Can’t say I blame him.”
He sucked Julian’s cock back into his mouth and moaned. He tasted like soap and musk. Gates’ favorite.
“Dear god!” Julian’s fingers scraped along Gates’ scalp as he buried his hands in Gates’ short hair. “That’s some wakeup call.”
He probably should come up with some quick retort but his mouth was currently full. And that was exactly the way he wanted it. He slid his knees forward so he could balance his weight on them and then cupped Julian’s balls. Julian’s hips bucked, pushing his cock farther into Gates’ mouth. Julian was so hard against his tongue that he suspected it wouldn’t be long before he was coming down Gates’ throat. He moved his fingers from Julian’s balls back along his perineum in a slow caress.
Surrounded by Julian’s smell and taste as he was, his own cock was so hard it was painful. He wanted release as well but first he wanted to bring Julian to a screaming climax. He continued rubbing his fingers against Julian’s skin until he’d made it back to the man’s anus. He slid the tip of one of his fingers into the tight bundle of muscles and that was enough to push Julian over. The other man’s essence spilled onto his tongue and filled his mouth. He swallowed and then ran his tongue along the length of Julian’s dick before he released it.
As he sat up he couldn’t help but smile at Julian. “He may work you hard, but I’m sure there are perks.”
Julian pulled Gates down on top of him and then kissed him deeply. He could still taste Julian in his mouth even as he teased Julian’s tongue with his own. He was immersed in the man’s scent and touch. Even more so when Julian rolled him over so Gates lay under his strong body. Julian finished the languid kiss before lifting himself off Gates. “Roll over.”
That was an interesting change of roles. One that intrigued him. Without argument or question he followed Julian’s order. Lying on his stomach, he closed his eyes and relaxed into the sensation of Julian’s hands and mouth exploring his body. Julian started at Gates’ shoulders and worked his way down until his teeth gently grazed one of the globes of Gates’ ass. Gates jerked at the sharp wave of pleasure that swept through his body and made his pulse race. He would turn and ask Julian what his plan was but, just at that moment, the firm tip of Julian’s tongue ran through the cleft of his ass.
He fisted the thin sheets as he clenched his teeth to keep from moaning. Julian had a very talented tongue. And when that tongue rimmed his anus he nearly lost it. “Damn, man.” A shiver of desire ran up his spine, and his balls tightened at the touch. “I’m going to come.”
Julian pulled back just an inch and chuckled softly. “That’s kind of the idea.”
He slid a hand under Gates and wrapped a hand around his cock as he moved back to run his tongue against Gates’ ass. With Julian stroking his cock and licking his ass it didn’t take long for the climax building inside Gates to grow to a solid knot in the pit of his stomach. When he finally came it was with a shout of contentment. Everything was perfect in that moment. He was perfect.
Julian hummed softly and then worked his way up Gates’ body, leaving kisses along his back as he went. Gates wanted to say something. He should say something. But he was having a hard time catching his breath. Even if he wasn’t, he didn’t know what he should say.
“Sleepy?” Julian nuzzled his ear before stretching out next to him.
“Content.” Gates yawned despite himself. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Gates rolled over so he could spoon Julian. He wanted to stay in this lethargic moment for an eternity but already the reality of their situation was returning to him. “When we return to base…” He let the sentence die off as Julian’s body stiffened in his arms.
“Yes?”
Gates’ heart beat so fast it was almost painful and his stomach now knotted with anxiety. He shouldn’t have said anything. He hadn’t planned to. He didn’t know why he had. But now that he’d started he had
to say something. He took a deep breath and tried to force his body to calm down. “I’d like to continue seeing you.” There. It was out in the open. There was no taking it back now.
Almost immediately Julian’s body started to relax. “You mean you’d like to keep seeing my cock.”
Gates smiled at the teasing words. “I’d like to keep seeing your tongue as well.”
Julian’s body shook with laughter. “I bet you would.”
He couldn’t resist a smile. “It’d be mutual.”
Julian rocked his ass against Gates’ cock. “So I keep showing you mine and you’d keep showing me yours?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah.” The word was heavy and slurred with sleep. “That’s what I want.”
The last of the tension faded from Gates as Julian’s breathing became rhythmic. They still had to make it back to the shuttle but even that obstacle seemed somehow more possible now. They had to make it back if he was going to continue seeing Julian’s cock. And he had every intention of continuing that.
As the world dropped away and he relaxed into sleep Gates knew everything was going to work out. It had to.
The next morning he woke with the same sense of well-being. They were finally done with this mission. Now they could put this planet behind them.
“We’re going to be moving out in an hour.” He pulled the map up on his reader and placed it on the table and motioned to Twelve. “But before we go I’m going to need you to outline the path your men took with the Death.”
They actually should’ve already left. He’d messaged his commander and told him they’d departed from the compound at first light. That was the protocol and he needed everyone to think he’d followed protocol. And it wasn’t as though he had to worry about the missing time. They expected him to lose an hour or two on the trail. Things happened. Men got sick. But he needed to make a plan while he still had the safety of the compound to protect them. In an hour they’d leave the shields behind and he’d be looking over his shoulder until they were in the shuttle on their way back home.