“We have to leave.” Eogan tried to soften the tone of his refusal. “It’s risky for you to be with me.”
Hester frowned. “Maybe I should stay here and let you continue on your own. I’ve delayed you long enough, especially if people are chasing you.”
“I can’t abandoned you here.”
Honor demanded he protect her until she was safe. Being with him had endangered her life. If the general’s men knew she had even seen him, she would be at risk. It had been crazy to take her with him, but there had been no other options. When she’d pleaded to stay with him, he couldn’t deny her.
“I’ve come this far on my own.”
He touched her arm and almost jumped back as a shock raced up his fingers. He had contact with numerous humans in the past thirty years and none of them had affected him in this manner. Perhaps there was a residual power flowing from these ruins after all. They needed to leave this area.
“The men pursuing me will kill you if they find us together,” he said.
Hester put her camera in her backpack. “You sound paranoid.”
“It is my reality.” Eogan’s tone was serious. He realized it was hard for her to believe him, yet he had to make her appreciate how precarious her situation was. Her chances of being harmed increased the longer she stayed with him.
“What kind of place did you escape from?” There was doubt in her voice.
“I am a military weapon.” Eogan stated the truth. “The people who control me, do not work within your rules.”
“Do you mean the laws of Turkey?”
“Earth.” His voice was low. “These men do not answer to other humans.”
There was a few seconds of silence. “When you said you’d seen records from other planets did these people show them to you?”
“I saw them before I crashed here.” Eogan kept his voice calm.
“Are you saying that you’re from another planet?”
“Yes.” Eogan needed her to understand the danger she was in by being with him. “We have to keep moving before I’m caught.”
“So you weren’t joking earlier.”
Eogan shook his head. “It is important for me to remove the implant in my neck.”
Hester exhaled a deep breath. “Promise I’ll be able to come back here one day.”
“Once you are safe, you can go anywhere you want.” Eogan took her hand. He ignored the shock of awareness that coursed through him and led her away from the circle of pillars. “You must never let anyone know you were with me. That knowledge would put your life in danger. Next time, I might not be able to save you.”
“Great.” Hester ran beside him. “I finally get to meet an alien and I can’t talk about it.”
“Aren’t you concerned about what I told you?”
“I’ve been dreaming of proving that UFO’s are real for years.” Hester’s breathing was ragged. “I’ve studied everything I could find and it all leads to a brick wall. It’s as if the government doesn’t want us to know.”
“They don’t.” Eogan slowed so that Hester could catch her breath. “They are using the data that they get from other aliens to try and improve their own technology. It is not something they want to make public to the whole populace.”
“Why not?” Hester’s voice held frustration. “We’re not stupid. We have a right to know what is happening on our planet.”
Eogan couldn’t argue with her. He agreed. Unfortunately, there were too many interested groups involved in covering up the real extent of the corruption and secrecy on this planet. He’d heard of such things on other worlds during his training, but he had never expected to spend thirty years of his life subjugated to concealed supremacies.
“Those who are in power do not want others to interfere with their plans.”
“Secrets are never good.” Hester stopped and bent over to catch her breath. “How can you run so fast?”
“It is easy on this planet.” Eogan tried to control his impatience. In the distance he thought he caught the sound of a vehicle. “You are out of shape.”
“True.” Hester stood. “I spend all my time slouched over a computer or in the library doing research. Moving books is the most cardio activity I get.”
“We need to go. Can you run?”
“I’ll be fine.” Hester took off ahead, the light from her flashlight showing the way. In the distance, Eogan saw the outline of a tented structure. He pointed toward it and redirected Hester. They ran for a few more minutes in silence until they reach the shelter.
It was tiny and leaned against a dirt mound.
“This will do.” Eogan pulled the flap open and let Hester enter first. “The hill should keep our light out of view.”
“Whatever you think is best.” Hester flopped down on the ground. “I need a break. My lungs can’t stand anymore.”
“What do your lungs have to do with hiding?”
“Nothing.” Hester dug out a bit of earth and put her flashlight in it. The beam shone up onto the tarp roof of their hiding spot. “They make it easier to breathe though. I’d hate to collapse on you.”
“I would carry you.”
“Nice to know.”
Hester’s mouth tilted into a grin and Eogan’s stomach did a flip at the sight. He frowned. Never in his life, not even on the most treacherous missions, had his body ever reacted like this. He hoped he hadn’t been poisoned. He’d been careful not to take any food that had been offered to him on his journey out to this country. Still, they might have found a way to inject him without his knowing. The other option was his implant was controlling him in a way he wasn’t aware of.
The sooner he got rid of the device, and got Hester to safety, the better. He plopped the first aid kit he’d brought from the car down on the ground. He flipped it open and rummaged through its contents. It was a basic set, but it had what he needed. He pulled out a pair of scissors and a blade.
“What do you need those for?”
“It is necessary to dig out the implant.” Eogan shrugged off his jacket. “I may need your help.”
He heard the whirr of an engine.
It was near.
“Turn off the flashlight.”
Hester shut off the light. “Are they close?”
“They have reached the site. If they find the vehicle we hid, then they’ll know we’re here.”
Brakes screeched to a stop and the slam of a car door echoed through the still night air. In minutes they would be found. Hiding wasn’t the answer. The only other option was to run and they were too far away from the jeep to do that.
He had to take the offensive and surprise them.
He pulled his gun out of his waistband, released the cartridge and checked the bullets. He inhaled and eased his breathing.
“I won’t be long.”
Chapter 6
“You can’t leave me here alone.” Hester’s heart started pounding at a frantic pace. “Let me come with you.”
“No.” He handed her the flashlight. “I don’t know how many men there are. It will be best if you stay here.”
The horror of what had happened at the roadside came flooding back. She remembered the ease with which Eogan had destroyed her attackers. There was no hesitation or emotion behind his actions. He’d called himself a military weapon, and he was right. He’d walked into a group of armed men and decimated them within seconds.
“You’re going to kill them.”
Eogan’s silence was confirmation enough.
Somehow, she wasn’t surprised by that fact. It made sense in a macabre sort of way. It was survival at its most basic level. These men wouldn’t stop following them and if the ones that had shot her friends were any indication, death was the only solution. They were a ruthless lot and strangely enough, she didn’t feel any horror at the fact that they might lose their lives. It was as if she were distanced from the whole situation.
She gave herself a mental shake.
It must be the aftereffects of shock.
When had she gone from a peace-loving archaeology professor to someone who could understand the need to take a life? It was true that they were ruthless men, who taunted and then murdered her companions without hesitation. They had been cruel and brutal, and the logical part of her knew that before they had attacked her, they’d left many victims in their wake.
That didn’t excuse her condoning murder.
Self-defense was another thing, though.
“Promise you’ll only execute them if they’re the ones following you.”
“There would be no honor in harming an innocent man.” He frowned.
Hester wasn’t reassured. “I’m going with you. I have to be certain that these people are part of the same group before you harm them.”
“A warrior doesn’t lie. It is safer for you to stay here.” Eogan’s voice was insistent. “There is only one vehicle, so I will have no problem.”
“It’s my fault they found you.” Hester lifted her chin. “I should have listened and left when you wanted to go.”
“They would have located me anyways.” His tone softened. “I have endangered your life. I will take care of this threat, and then we’ll remove the device in my neck.”
Hester bit her lip. “What if you need help?”
“I would worry about your safety if you accompanied me.” He opened the tent flap. “Stay here until I come back.”
Eogan left and Hester shivered in the silence. It was just her luck that she’d finally met an alien and he was determined to kill people. Still, he’d saved her life and for that, she’d be forever grateful. She’d have to trust him.
If Eogan was truly an extraterrestrial, he was different than she’d envisioned. He didn’t look anything like the pictures she saw on the internet. They were all bizarre beings with either grey or scaly skin. They had large eyes and no mouths. There had been one site that showed human-like creatures with blonde hair, though. Maybe Eogan came from their homeland.
He appeared to be human.
That presented a problem.
Logic and reason dictated that he was as human as she was, and that meant he wasn’t from another planet. What a fool she was. She wanted to meet someone from outer space so desperately that she was willing to accept whatever she was told. She was a trained archaeologist. She knew that the scientific method should be applied whenever she was looking at something new. She’d thrown all of her training out the window the minute she’d started looking at these ancient sites. She’d allowed herself to be hoodwinked into believing the most outlandish story.
Of course Eogan was from Earth.
He was probably an escapee from a mental hospital.
Hester’s fingers gripped her flashlight tighter. If that were the case, then she was in danger. She couldn’t remain with him. So far the only people he’d been violent with had deserved it, but what if he turned on her? Dare she risk going out in the night by herself? She tried to remember where they’d parked the jeep. All she had to do was find it and then she could take off back to town.
At least she thought she could.
She hadn’t been paying attention to the direction they’d been traveling in when they left Sanliurfa. She’d blindly trusted the men she’d accepted a ride with and let them take control of the excursion. Why had she allowed herself to be talked into going with Steve and Franklin in the first place? The only contact she’d ever had with them had been on the internet.
She’d met Steve on an alternative history chatroom, and when he’d introduced her to Franklin, they’d seemed like great companions. They’d been to Gobekli Tepe many times and they’d assured her there were no risks. Her initial plan had been to scope the city out and book a daytime tour of the site. A lot of tourists visited the ruins, so it had seemed safe.
She’d left a quick note for her mother and father, and then took off. Her parents considered the Middle East too dangerous for a woman alone, and had used all their influence in the past to convince her to stay away. Hindsight proved them right. She’d almost died, and now she was partnered with a lunatic.
At least life wasn’t boring.
She was on an honest to goodness adventure.
She had to risk leaving on her own, and getting to the city. Who knew what would happen to her if she stayed with Eogan? He seemed a nice guy, but psychopaths were manipulative. Men never paid attention to her, so she knew he didn’t have any ulterior motives for keeping her with him. Besides, she was the one who had begged him to let her come.
Still, she hesitated.
Why was she so reluctant to leave?
She was comfortable with Eogan. There was a sense of security and acceptance with him. He hadn’t made fun of her desire to see the ruins. He’d even held the flashlight and let her take pictures despite his urgency to get some microchip removed from his body. Having an implant sounded like the stories told by humans who claimed they’d been abducted by beings from outer space.
There was always the possibility he was an alien shapeshifter.
Now she was letting her imagination run wild. It was ludicrous, and her logical brain said they didn’t exist. Still, she believed that extraterrestrials were visiting Earth, so why couldn’t they have unusual abilities. The possibilities were endless.
The only thing she could trust, was that she was human and needed to get to safety. Hester straightened her shoulders. She lifted the flap of the tent, but before she could leave, Eogan stumbled inside.
He threw some guns on the floor beside her.
She’d never seen so many rifles before. There was a hand grenade or two in the cache also. She glanced up at him. He was as calm as if he’d been out shopping.
“Are these real?” Hester’s voice shook.
“Pretend weapons wouldn’t help us.”
“Did you hurt them?”
“They are dead.” He sat on the ground and reached for the flashlight. He buried it in the dirt. “There were six of them. I didn’t hesitate once I realized that they were looking for me.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Doesn’t it bother you to kill people?”
“Death is never easy.” He grabbed the first aid supplies. “It’s what I’ve been trained to do since I was ten years old.”
“That’s awfully young to start fighting.” Hester kept her voice steady. The tiny voice of self-preservation inside her head was telling her to humor him. “Were you a child soldier?”
“What is that?”
“Children in areas of conflict are often forced to join armies.”
“I fight because that’s what I’ve been created to do. I am clan Rioge, and bred to command.”
“That must have been a difficult childhood.” Hester’s voice drifted away as she watched him. He rolled the sleeve up on his left arm, removed a strip of material, and held his arm out to her. There was a cut about an inch long on his forearm and fresh blood on his skin.
“This is where the other implant was.”
“You did that to yourself?” Disbelief and horror filled Hester. She couldn’t imagine deliberately slicing her arm open.
“There was no other way.”
“How long ago?”
“Before I met you.” He rummaged in the first aid kit. “This is the first chance I’ve had to attend to it.”
Hester shuddered and forced back nausea as she saw the blood that was still oozing from his wound. He acted as if there were no pain. He wiped the cut with a clean gauze and then used a couple of steri-strips to close the incision.
“Will that hold?”
“I heal quickly.” He passed her a blade from the first aid kit. “I am going to need your help for the last device.”
“You can’t expect me to cut you open!”
Hester didn’t hide her disbelief. Eogan had told her about the device he needed removed, but it hadn’t seemed real. She’d read about these things being in people who claimed that they’d been abducted by aliens. She didn’t really believe it though. It seemed a lot
of trouble just to keep track of someone. If a superior being was watching humans, wouldn’t they have something more sophisticated to locate people?
“It does more than find people. That one was for enhancements and modifications. The chips in my clothing were for tracking.”
For a brief second Hester had the uncanny sensation that Eogan had read her thoughts.
That was impossible.
He pulled out an alcohol swab and cleaned the blade. “The next one is more complicated. It is attached to my spinal cord.”
He felt behind his neck and she watched his fingers trace his cervical vertebrae.
“I can’t do that.” Hester shook her head. “The sight of blood makes me sick.”
“You must.” His tone was serious. “If you want I will do the initial cut, but you have to detach it and pull it out.”
“Are you kidding?” Hester swallowed her hysteria. “A surgeon should do something like that. This place isn’t sterile.”
He held the blade out to her. “There is no other choice.”
“There are always options.” She leaned away from him.
“If you don’t remove it, I will die.”
Chapter 7
A myriad of emotions passed over Hester’s face.
The light in the tent was too dim for him to see her face clearly. Somehow, he was sensing her reactions. Her fingers shook. He clasped them in his hand and held them steady. He had to convince her to conqueror her fear and aid him. If he removed the implant himself, there was no guarantee that he’d be successful. His best course of action was to have Hester help him.
“You won’t hurt me.”
“You can’t ask someone to dig something out of your body.” Her voice trembled. “What if I do something wrong and you die?”
“I have been in their control for too many years.” Eogan kept his voice calm. “Death would be welcomed.”
“It could be worse.” Hester’s fingers fluttered in his hand. “I could hit a nerve and you’d be paralyzed. If my hands shake and I damage something, you might be in agony for the rest of your life.”
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