Carter’s eyebrow rose. “They pay me well. Besides, they’ll give me and my family protection.”
“So you’d sellout the human race for your own skin?” Hester didn’t hide her contempt.
“What’s so great about humans?” The general spoke in a casual voice. “We fight and kill each other, and we’d throw our neighbor under the bus if it meant saving ourselves.”
“You might do that.” Hester shook her head. “I believe most people are good.”
The general shrugged. “Have it your way. It doesn’t make a difference. The Albireons are too strong for us to fight, so it’s better to be on the winner’s side rather than the losers.”
“How can you sleep at night?” Hester struggled against the man who was holding her.
“Better than you will.” The general motioned to his soldiers. “Round them up. I want them all transported to the base.”
There was no fighting the strength of the force that had come to capture them. One by one, they were all marched to the entry of the tunnel system and pushed up the ladder. The bright headlights of open-aired transport trucks split through the night. Hester was pushed and pulled until she was forced into one of the trucks.
The others were loaded too. She clung to the side rails, and even in the darkness, she knew there was no hope for escape. Guns were pointed at them by men with cold, wooden expressions. They looked as if they’d lost the will to fight, and following orders was the only life left in them.
Lena touched her arm. “We can still hope that the others were successful.”
Hester nodded. She didn’t want to let Lena know that she feared the worst. No contact with Eogan and now these men were rounding them up like they were cattle. A brave face was better than dwelling on what might be their fate once the trucks reached their destination.
General Carter stood in the beam of one of the headlights with his arms crossed. The man was a monster and to think that Eogan had spent ten years imprisoned by him sent a shiver of revulsion through her. How had Eogan survived?
Just then, the general reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. There was too much noise to hear what was being said, but Hester watched as the general’s face went from boredom to tight anger. He’d received bad news. There was no mistaking the taut clenching of his fingers on his phone or the snap of its lid as he swirled around on his feet.
“Where is the woman?” His voice rang out above the noise.
A flashlight was shone on Hester. She blinked against the brightness that hurt her eyes.
“You think you’ve been clever?” The general motioned for her to be brought off the truck.
Hester was pushed through the others until she was at the edge of the truck and then she was pulled off the wooden platform and shoved at the general. His eyes were narrow and his mouth was twisted into an ugly snarl.
“You may think you’ve won, but I’ll have the last word.” The general waved up at the others still standing in the truck. “All of you thought that attacking the base was a good idea, but you’re wrong. So what if you’ve killed a few aliens.”
There was a murmur of pleasure throughout those standing on the truck. Hester felt a joy race through her too. Their mission had been a success. That was the only explanation for the general’s attitude. The H.R.F. had invaded the base and killed the Albireons that were there.
The general glared down at her. “I will have Eogan back in my control and you’re going to be the one who brings him to me.”
Hester shook her head. “I would never betray him.”
“Knowing that I have you in my clutches will be enough.” The general’s lips thinned. “There’s one peculiar trait that a Hunter has. They will not let a woman be hurt. All I have to do is threaten to hurt you, and he’ll surrender.”
“I won’t let him.”
The general pulled her close to him.
She could smell the sickening scent of his aftershave and her stomach rolled with nausea. This man was evil, and he’d have to kill her before she let him use her to capture Eogan.
“Round them up boys. I’ll meet you back at the base.”
The general kept her close as he marched her to a jeep that stood beside the two transport trucks. He reached into the front seat and pulled out a pair of handcuffs before pulling her arms behind her back and shackling her.
“We’ll see who wins this game.” The general muttered under his breath. “I won’t be bested by an alien.”
“I think that’s already happened.” Hester’s voice was nonchalant. She wasn’t going to let this man know that she was frightened.
The general pulled her up by the collar of her jacket. “He’s my weapon. I know everything about him. I know what makes him tick and what buttons to push. He will be in my control by the end of this night.”
Chapter 22
The electro-laser was efficient.
It burnt through the Albireon resistance with ease.
Eogan was in the lead as they swept through each room on Level Seven. The Albireons were unprepared for the attack. Eogan and the H.R.F. struck so deep in the alien nest that the Albireons had no escape options. Room by room, Eogan went in and destroyed any extraterrestrial he found.
Thankfully, this base was different from Pine Gap. No humans were being experimented on here. Instead, this was a technological center, where weapons and computers were being developed and tested. Destroying the enemy would not have gone so smoothly if they had to rescue humans also.
Hank came up beside him and shouted over the hum of the weapon-generated plasma channel. “Are they at any other levels?”
“They don’t mingle with the humans.” Eogan frowned. “There may be a couple who are a few levels above, but we will never get to them without injuring humans.”
“So let them live?” Hank paused for a few seconds. “There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“You can send a couple of people up a level to check.”
“It’s pretty risky.”
Eogan nodded. “There is one area left to clear, and then you can decided what to do next.”
Eogan went to the far end of the corridor and entered the last room. It was a big meeting area and there were sleeping quarters that branched off from it. Incirlik did not hold a lot of Albireons, so the living quarters were tiny. He did a room to room search. Empty. Either they had killed all of them or they were hiding somewhere else.
“They’re all dead.” Hank lowered his weapon.
“We must be certain.” Eogan shifted the weapon on his shoulder. It was out of charge now, but it had done a thorough job of slaying most of the Albireons they had come across. Only a few had escaped the heat of its plasma channel and those had been killed by the H.R.F. A feeling of unease knotted his stomach. He reached out to find Hester and all that came back was fear.
He’d been so focused on the battle that he’d closed his senses to everything but the fight at hand. He was used to working alone and he was out of the habit of connecting with other Hunters during a combat. He’d lived as long as he had by sheer concentration and awareness of his surroundings. Only now did he realize that something was wrong.
“Are you in communication with the others in the tunnels?”
Hank tilted his head. “We have radio contact. Why?”
“Something is not right.”
Eogan left the room and started toward the elevator.
The knot in his stomach tightened.
This time when he reached out for Hester, he connected. “Don’t come up. They’ve taken us and are waiting for you.”
It was a mantra that she was repeating over and over in her head. He tried to break through without success. Her fear was too great.
“They have been taken at the tunnels.” Eogan ran to the elevator.
Hank followed. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Try and reach them.” Eogan wasn’t going to waste time explaining how he knew. He’d done what he’d set out to do
and that was to kill the Albireons that were nesting in this underground base. Now he needed to do what was necessary to keep his mate safe.
Hester was a captive.
She needed rescuing.
Those were the only things that concerned him now. He pushed the button on the elevator and lowered his weapon. Hank was on a radio trying to connect with the others. He kept sending out a request. There was no return answer.
“They’re not picking up.” Hank looked up with a confused look. “We’re the ones who should be in danger, not them.”
“It makes no difference…” Eogan didn’t have a chance to finish. Just then three Albireons rushed out of one of the rooms beside Hank. They had weapons aimed at the leader of the H.R.F.
Eogan reacted.
He threw himself at the aliens, wrestling the weapon out of the hands of the first one, turning and firing it on the other two. Then he broke the neck of the one that he was holding. He threw the body to the ground and looked up at Hank.
“Are you injured?”
Hank shook his head. “Your reaction time and speed is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“This planet has benefits for Hunters.”
“I’m glad of it.” Hank rubbed his neck. “Thanks.”
Eogan turned back to the elevator. “Make certain the floor is clear of Albireons. We need to get to the others.”
There was a scuffle of activity behind him and then Hank ran back to the elevator. “The others will take care of the sweep and meet us above ground. How do you think they found the tunnels?”
“You have a traitor.”
That was the only explanation that Eogan had for the breach. Nothing could be seen from above, so no satellite, or drone surveillance had spotted them. Even if they’d monitored a truck driving into the outbuildings and leaving, there should have been no reason to suspect the farm.
“Most of our members have come to us because they have had direct experience with the aliens, or they know someone who has.”
“They could be lying.” Eogan’s voice was dry. “Humans seem very experienced with deception.”
“Not all humans.” Hank straightened his back. “I can personally vouch for most of the members.”
“Which ones don’t you know?”
“I haven’t met Franklin Doan, but he’s locked up here. He’s never been to the tunnels.”
Eogan considered the possibility that Franklin might have done surveillance on the group and rejected it. The man wasn’t capable of it.
“You had met Steve Jackson also?”
“Only online. He’s the one who suggested Simon and Robert. They were part of the UFO Surveillance group that he’d established a year ago.”
“How long have they been with you?”
“Four months.” Hank frowned. “You don’t suspect them do you? Simon is outside manning the gates. If he had anything to do with this, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”
“That leaves Robert.” A picture of the thin-faced youth came into Eogan’s mind. “The last time we saw him, he was driving away from the tunnels. Did he return?”
Hank’s eyes widened. “No. He should have parked the truck and hiked back to us. I was so busy with organizing the raid that I didn’t notice if he returned or not.”
“He isn’t with us.”
The elevator door opened. Eogan entered and went to stop Hank, but he pushed past and leaned against the far wall.
“If we’ve been betrayed, then I want to look the traitor in the eye.”
Eogan understood the man’s anger. It wasn’t useful in battle, though. It led to mistakes, and right now if there was a contingent of soldiers waiting for them above ground, they needed all of their skills. Anger clouded both judgement and ability.
Two other men joined them before the elevator door closed.
Four against a possible army seemed like bad odds.
Eogan took a deep breath and readied himself. He’d dealt with worse before, but none of those combats had been as important at this. Hester was a captive and everything in his being wanted to roar and battle against that. He forced his breathing to a steady rhythm and pulled his assault rifle from behind his back. The direct energy weapon was useless without a charge. This would have to be done with the weapons of this planet.
The elevator stopped.
Eogan moved away from the door and pushed his back flat against the elevator wall. The rest did the same. They all had their weapons aimed and ready to kill anyone that stopped them. The door opened with a soft ding and a blast of gunfire met them before they could exit.
Eogan crouched and started to shoot. He killed ten soldiers and Hank and his men shot the rest. A total of eighteen had been sent to meet them. Their raid on the Albireons was no longer a secret. Eogan pushed away from the door and shot another three men who were waiting. He moved for cover behind a concrete divider. Hank and the others came out of the elevator firing and rushed to the divider opposite him.
“We’ll take them all down, or die trying.” Hank’s eyes were wide with the adrenaline rush from the skirmish. “That’s the only way the others have any hope of surviving.”
Eogan didn’t disagree. He was more concerned about Hester. She was almost screaming in his head to run and that made no sense unless she was here and could see the battle.
“Enough.” A familiar voice shouted. “You have no hope of leaving here alive.”
General Carter’s voice sent a surge of determination through Eogan. Finally, he was in a position to fulfill his vow to destroy the man who had held him prisoner, and treated him with contempt for the past ten years. No longer was Eogan a captive. His implants had all been removed. He could not be controlled or used as a weapon.
Eogan stood up from behind the concrete divider with his rifle aimed at the general. There were at least twenty-five armed soldiers surrounding the general. They all had their weapons directed at him. Eogan’s eyes narrowed. Carter might think he had the upper hand, but he was determined to see the man die.
“We have destroyed your aliens. Now it is time to kill you.”
General Carter raised an eyebrow and made a waving motion behind him. “I was never very fond of the little guys. Always experimenting and ordering us around. Still, there are plenty more throughout the world. It will take more than eradicating them from one base to wipe them off the planet.”
A soldier dragged a woman out of a jeep.
It was Hester.
Eogan’s hands tightened around his rifle as he watched Hester being marched up to General Carter. Her eyes were pleading with him to stay put. Every nerve in his body wanted to jump at the general and throttle him. He forced his anger and disdain back. He would kill the man when the time was right. Right now, he needed to remain calm. It was the only hope he had of freeing Hester.
“I know how sensitive you Hunters are to women. Over the years, even under the pain of torture and death, that’s the one thing you’ve refused to do. You will not harm a woman, so I’ve brought along your companion to help persuade you to surrender.”
Eogan tightened his jaw. “You will not survive this.”
“Neither will Dr. Adams.” The general’s voice was a sneer as he raised a pistol and put it against Hester’s temple. “Drop your weapons, or the woman dies.”
Chapter 23
There was no hesitation.
Eogan took a step forward.
Hester shook her head and he could feel her willing him to stop. She didn’t understand that there was no choice for him. He couldn’t tolerate her being held by that monster. Death was preferable to allowing anything to harm her, and Carter would make certain that she suffered. His eyes held hers as he sent her a wave of peace. He wasn’t worried about putting himself in the hands of this monster again. He was asking her to trust.
Hester took a deep breath and he sensed her releasing her opposition and relaxing.
Eogan motioned behind him. “Let them go free.”
“
They just shot up this base.” The general snorted. “I’m not about to let them waltz out of here.”
“Then we have no deal.” Eogan tightened his grip on the rifle.
Hester’s eyes widened, and she straightened her shoulders. The soldier holding her captive, pulled her closer. Tension ripped through the hangar and for a few seconds, Eogan thought that the general was going to order an assault. Hester glanced at the pistol in the hands of the man holding her, and he knew she was planning to grab it.
Eogan willed her to stop.
She ignored him.
Carter raised his hand. “I’ll let some of the people go.”
Hank Davis took a step closer to Eogan. “We’ll stay and fight to the last man. I won’t leave Eogan here alone.”
“It’s your choice.” The general shrugged. “I just want the Hunter. Why don’t you give him to me, and you can all go free.”
Hank clenched his jaw.
Eogan knew the man’s sense of honor and duty rebelled at leaving another warrior behind. Eogan could handle these men, though. His only concern was keeping Hester safe. Hank and his men were trained fighters, but this was not their battle. They’d killed the Albireons and succeeded in their goal. This was between him and Carter. He didn’t want to see anyone else injured or killed over this.
If he had to insist the others leave, then he would. Just as he was about to send the men away, words sounded in his head.
“We are here.”
Eogan recognized the voice of Partlan, the Hunter that he had helped escape from Pine Gap.
“We are waiting to attack. Have your men take cover.”
It was imperative that the H.R.F. leave the hangar before the fighting began.
“I’m sending out the humans who helped me,” Eogan advised through mind connect.
Eogan glanced at Hank. “You and your men must go.” In a lower voice he added, “Everything is under control.”
Hank gave him an intense look before nodding.
“Let them leave.” Eogan waved the H.R.F. people out of the hangar. “When I know they are safe, we will talk.”
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