by Liza Probz
“Negative,” the helpful robot replied. “I am unable to locate Dr. Lakewood within the radius of my scanning capabilities.”
“So what do we do?” Jamie asked.
“You said Lakewood had an office here?”
The robot let out a few beeps. “Correct. He has an office adjacent to the Illinois Tech Robotics Lab.”
Drake tapped at the console in front of him. “Maybe we should check it out.”
Jamie frowned. “But how? We have to find somewhere to hide the ship, then make it to the lab, then figure out how to get inside and we don’t even know if—“
“Parking’s a breeze in this thing, at least for short periods,” Drake said. “As for the rest, we’ll take it as it comes.”
He swiveled around to pierce her with his gaze. “We’ve made a pretty good team so far. What do you say? Ready for another adventure?”
When he put it like that, she couldn’t resist. She gave him a quick nod, and her insides melted when he rewarded her with an easy smile.
Jamie turned her eyes to the view screen. They were fast approaching the city, the blur around them starting to materialize into buildings and roads. The craft slowed as they made their way around the lake and into the city proper. Soon they hovered over a large building that was several stories tall. Its roof was flat, and as she watched, Drake skillfully maneuvered the ship until it was parked high about the city below them.
“How far to the lab?” he asked the robot.
“Approximately three city blocks,” Herman replied, giving specific directions on how to find the building.
Drake unfastened his restraints in a swift, fluid motion and then came over to her seat to help her unbuckle her own. When Jamie stood, she was only inches from him.
She fought the overwhelming desire to lean into his body, to feel his warmth around her. Instead, she placed their robotic companion back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
They exited the craft and she watched as Drake broke open the lock to the door that would lead them down into the building proper. Apparently, they were no longer worried about violating security protocols. Jamie wondered if that meant that they’d reached the stage in their mission where they had no more time to be concerned with caution.
It was a frightening thought. Still, with the strong and capable male at her side, she felt strangely calm.
They took the several flights of stairs at a jog and were soon on the bottom floor. Because they were no longer in a secured building in that nation’s capital, no one was around to question their access. Before long they were out on the street and headed to Lakewood’s lab.
The building housing his office was squat and nondescript. The door was locked, and Drake turned to face her. “I’m going to force it.”
“There might be an alarm,” she said, anxiety at last beginning to bubble up inside her.
There was a series of beeps from within her purse, so Jamie cracked it open and peered inside. “I have the code for the access panel,” Herman said, his voice low in what passed for a robot’s whisper.
Drake entered the code Herman gave him and the door unlocked. Then Jamie pointed out the directions that the robot gave them as they hurried down unremarkable hallways.
“It should be here,” she said, motioning to a gray door that looked like the dozen others they passed.
“The same code will unlock this door as well,” the helpful robot said, and in a moment they were inside.
Drake flipped the light switch to reveal a lab in utter chaos. “I knew this guy was messy, judging by the condition of his lab at NASA, but this is another level.”
Equipment was strewn about, mechanical parts and pieces scattered about on the floor and surfaces. Papers were tossed everywhere, and Jamie had to pick her way around a busted coffee cup, its contents having soaked into the surrounding documents.
“I don’t think this is just messiness,” she said. It looked like there had been a struggle.
Drake nodded, then bent to set the office chair in front of the computer console upright. He plugged in his device and started to work on the console.
A series of beeps sounded within her bag so she pulled out the robot to let him take in the scene.
“Please set me down,” Herman requested.
“I don’t know,” she said, biting her lip. “It’s a wreck in here. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She set him down and the ball began to roll carefully through the debris. As she watched, the little robot made its way to a wall that was dominated by a large shelving unit, the bottom of which had two wooden panels. When Herman reached the unit, he stopped before the panels.
Jamie wandered closer, wondering what the little guy was up to. Suddenly and surprisingly, a small arm-like apparatus sprung from his circular surface. It reached out towards the panel, the thin end of it inserting itself between the wooden panels.
There was a little flash, and then the panel opened. Herman rolled into the entrance, and the panel shut behind him.
“What the heck?” Jamie crouched down, feeling along the panel, but was unable to find the little opening through which Herman had pushed his robot-arm.
Drake came to stand behind her, having finished his upload. “What’s going on?”
“Herman sprouted a little arm, stuck it into this panel somehow, and the panel opened. He rolled inside and it closed behind him.”
Drake squatted next to her. “He’s in there?”
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. Now, what do we do?”
Drake shrugged, then reached out to knock on the panel.
There was a delay, and then the panel opened and out rolled Herman, his lights blinking, his arm nowhere in sight.
“What were you doing?” Jamie asked the robot.
“Dr. Lakewood created a secret storage area for me. I am the most advanced robot of its kind. He worried that I might attract attention.”
“Makes sense,” Drake said.
Jamie knelt to poke her head into the panel. “What’s in here?”
“Spare parts. An extra battery. And a small communications array designed by Dr. Lakewood for emergencies.”
Drake put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. “An array? Did you—?”
“I did attempt to contact Dr. Lakewood, but I received no reply.” The lights on the little robot blinked in a rapid progression, giving Jamie the impression of anxiety.
“What’s the range on the array?”
“Approximately 500 million kilometers.”
Drake’s eyes widened. “How does he receive the signal?”
“It works on the same chip as the GPS.” Herman let out a series of agitated bleeps.
Jamie looked back and forth between the alien and the robot. “Will you two speak English, please? What does that mean?”
Drake’s dark eyes narrowed. “It means Dr. Lakewood is not on Earth.”
Chapter 16
The scout ship sat idling over the expanse of Lake Michigan. Drake strapped himself into the control console but hesitated to put in any coordinates. He had an important decision to make, and there seemed to be no acceptable option.
Jamie came up behind him, placing a tiny hand on his shoulder. “I hope you have some idea of our next step, because I don’t have a clue. I’d say I was in over my head, but that would be a colossal understatement.”
Drake fought against the typhoon of emotion inside him. The mating frenzy put one in turmoil, until the male claimed his mate and consummated their connection.
Unfortunately, the chances of that happening were zero to negative one.
A Zantharian male could not bear any separation from his mate. It was an evolutionary imperative, as a male was only able to release his seed with the one female who’d chosen to breed with him. Zantharian females had only one egg, so once she decided to release it, the male had to mate her immediately.
If he was separated from his mate, it caused excruciating pain. The frenzy was a
ccelerated, and death followed quickly. Even the thought of Jamie being out of touching distance made his hands start to tremble.
The frenzy pushed a Zantharian male to bury himself inside her until he was at last able to release. If the male was not able to breed his chosen mate, the seed became toxic and pushed its way back into the body until it stopped the heart from beating. Broken-heart syndrome on the most serious scale.
“Oh no,” Jamie whispered, and Drake wondered for a second if she’d been privy to his thoughts. “You don’t know where to look either?”
With a sigh, he swiveled around to face her. “I have an idea.”
Jamie eyed him while he hesitated. After a minute, she said, “Well…?”
Drake didn’t want to start down this road, but they were running out of time and options. “Before I departed for Earth, I’d been held prisoner on one of the Hareema’s bases. While I was there, the shape-shifters suddenly figured out how to resist our bioenergy. I realize now that they tested their advancement on me.”
For the first few weeks he’d been imprisoned, the Hareema had kept their distance. He’d only been overcome because his energy had been depleted in a diversion. He’d still fought them with his fists, but there had been too many of them. They’d kept him in his cell and stayed far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to blast them.
But then, something changed. The Hareema had come to his cell, masquerading as his brother, his mother, his friends. He’d taken their taunts for as long as he could until he got angry enough to release his bioweapon. At first, they’d melted under the onslaught. But instead of ending up fried, they’d soon reformed.
After a few trial runs, he’d hit one and it wouldn’t melt. And then he’d registered the shift in power in the quadrant. The Hareema were immune to Zanthar’s most successful weapon.
“But what does this have to do with finding Dr. Lakewood?”
“He studies electrical fields, remember? He’s some kind of genius, and he must have stumbled onto the one thing the Hareema hadn’t found out despite all their technology.”
“You think Dr. Lakewood is responsible for their advancement?” Jamie blinked. “I guess humans aren’t so backwards after all.”
An electronic squeal came from Jamie’s bag and she moved to pull out Herman. The robot weighed in. “This theory has merit. Dr. Lakewood discovered a new application for his work while building the Firstwave Intelligent Defense Operatives, one he’d begun testing before he disappeared.”
“First what?” Jamie asked.
“Defensive robots,” Drake explained. Both the Earhart and your sister’s ship were equipped with these robots. They behaved in an unexpected way, so to speak.” The FIDOs had been able to differentiate the Hareema despite the form it took. And if the FIDOs were Lakewood’s baby, then perhaps the Hareema had decided to take an interest in his research.
Herman let out a series of beeps. “You believe Dr. Lakewood is being held at the same Hareema base where you were a prisoner.”
“You mean you’re thinking of flying into the home turf of those shape-shifting things?” Jamie’s crystal eyes were wide, and she began to slowly shake her head. “You can’t be serious.”
Drake took a deep breath, then charged ahead. “If Lakewood could figure out how to make the Hareema impervious to our bioenergy, he might be able to figure out how to undo his work, and just maybe how to defeat the Hareema once and fall all.”
Jamie took in his words but remained upset. “But surely you need to gather your troops or whatever, before attacking an enemy base?”
“No. A full-scale invasion would take too long to plan, and we might not have that time. Not to mention, Hareema plants could be anywhere. I have to act fast, while I have the element of surprise on our hands.”
“But how do you think we’re going to get past all those shape-shifters to rescue the good doctor?”
“We’re not going to do anything. I’ll be doing it on my own. In my skin suit they won’t be able to tell the difference, and one man can go where an army couldn’t.”
Jamie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh no. You’re crazy. You think I’m just going to sit around twiddling my thumbs while you go off and get yourself killed?”
“This isn’t your decision,” he said, and saying those words out loud helped him to admit them to himself. He turned back to the console and entered the coordinates to return to their original location.
“Now wait just a damn minute,” she stormed behind him.
“I’m not going to argue about this. Sit down and strap in.”
“The hell I will!”
Her defiance sent a wave of anger through him. “You will, or I’ll put you there myself.”
Drake unstrapped himself and stood, staring down at his pint-sized adversary. She’d crossed her arms in front of her, causing her breasts to swell enticingly and peek over the neckline of her sweater.
“I can’t even take you seriously in that get-up,” she said.
His eyes widened. Was she talking about his human disguise? A thrill went through him at the thought that she preferred him in his real form. At that moment he wished he could rip off the suit and take her where she stood.
Getting himself under control, he pointed to the nearest station. “Sit.”
“No.”
“Jamie this isn’t the time for games. I’m taking you home.”
“I’m not leaving!” Jamie grabbed his arm. “You can’t just run off on some mission that will get you killed. You said you were going to help get my sister back. If you leave to invade the enemy base and never come back, then I’ll have lost my only chance to see Sylvie again.”
Drake stiffened. For a moment he’d thought her concern was for him. But, of course, she was worried about getting her sister back.
“Dr. Cohen is safe on Zanthar. My brother would never let anything happen to her.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough. Take me to her.”
The fantasy of taking Jamie to his home world was almost irresistible. To see her among the waves that were the same color as her eyes would be remarkable.
Almost irresistible. Almost.
“I can’t,” he said. “There’s no time.”
Jamie’s eyes burned. “That’s bullshit. I know how fast this ship goes.”
She couldn’t know about his real reason for haste: accomplishing his mission before the frenzy killed him. “Zanthar’s been infiltrated by the Hareema before, and there’s every reason to believe shape-shifters still roam my planet. I can’t risk them getting wind of my plan. You’re going home.”
She shook her head. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
Drake didn’t know how she was able to read him, even through the falseness of his disguise. He chalked it up to his emotional volatility brought on by the frenzy.
Jamie put her hands on his shoulder. “We have to talk about this, and I can’t stand talking to this fake you. Please, take the suit off and explain what’s going on to me.”
Take the suit off. As if it were that easy.
Still, her words had an insane pull on him. He wanted to strip himself, to reveal himself to his mate and have her accept him. All of him.
“Jamie,” he said, couching his voice low, hoping to convey a tone of calm he didn’t feel, “You have to trust me. This is the only chance I have.”
She put her hands over her ears. “I’m not listening until you take that ridiculous thing off.”
Her childishness caused an answering chord to resonate inside him. He grabbed her, pulling her close. “Knock it off.”
“La la la la!” she said, closing her eyes and leaning away from him.
“Jamie!” he shouted, barely resisting the urge to shake her. “Quit screwing around!”
“I’m not the one refusing to reveal himself. Refusing to help after he’d promised me.”
The hurt in her voice was nearly unbearable. The thought of hurting his mate, of anyone causing her
pain, himself included, made him gnash his teeth.
Just show her, an inner voice whispered. Let her see what’s at stake.
Could he do that? Could he inform her about the frenzy? He wouldn’t be the first Zantharian male to have fallen for a human. The other two had beat the odds and ended up with relationships that pleased them beyond their wildest dreams.
But the risks were too great. Even if she accepted him as her mate, he would still have to leave her to attempt to rescue Dr. Lakewood. And, more than likely, he’d never survive to make it back to her.
Could he do that to her? Self-sacrifice was one thing, but expecting such a sacrifice from her was unthinkable.
Drake shook his head. His thoughts were getting ahead of him. She might have accepted him as a one-night stand, but a long term relationship wasn’t exactly likely with someone like Jamie. Especially in their current circumstances.
“Please,” she said, opening her beautiful eyes and imploring him.
That one word ripped his guts open. Before he could think otherwise, he began to remove the Hareema suit. In a moment, he stood before her, completely exposed.
She was immediately in his arms, her mouth seeking his. He gave her what she wanted, unable to do otherwise. The sensation of her soft mouth against him made him instantly hard.
He clutched her to him, his hands under her supple bottom, his mouth exploring hers. She leaned her head back and let out a contented sound. Drake moved lower, kissing her delicate neck, working his way down to lick at the swells of her breasts.
She pulled herself away long enough to dispose of her sweater. Then she was pulling his head to her chest, causing him to lick her through the black lace of her bra.
Things were escalating far too quickly for him to control himself. Another effect of the frenzy. Its only goal was to lead him to mate, and the pressure had him near foaming at the mouth.
A stray thought entered his mind, and he latched onto it as best he could. Jamie’s go-to weapon was seduction, and he was falling into the same trap she had laid for her fiancé. She didn’t want him to drop her off at home and continue his mission. But what she wanted couldn’t matter.