guardianofparadise_260-1e3.htm

by Guardian Of Paradise (lit)

  Through the blood pounding in his ears he heard Sonya mutter, “This is not over, Kai. I have a little surprise up my sleeve. Let’s just say that Freelancer should have looked over his ship very carefully before he launched into space.”

  “What did she mean by that?” Kai asked Prix with a pain filled voice as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at his friend.

  “I’m not sure, but I don’t like that sound of it.”

  “Prepare my ship. She has two days on us. I hope that I reach her before it’s too late,” Kai said as he closed his eyes against another wave of pain that filled his entire being.

  ~ * ~

  “What do you mean that we have been traveling in space for two days?” Shana cried out as she jumped from the seat in the galley. Her hands braced on her hips as she stared down at the Freelancer who continued to sit in his chair looking up at her with mischievous eyes. “This is not funny,” she told in him in a huffy voice.

  He couldn’t help but to laugh out loud. Shana stood there tapping her foot on the floor while her hands continued to brace her hips as she glared at him.

  “I am sorry to laugh, I couldn’t help it. Just seeing the look on your face,” he said as soon as he sobered up from his laughing spell.

  “I’m glad I could help to amuse you like this,” Shana said as she turned away from him and stormed out of the galley.

  “Well I thought it was funny,” he told the empty room as he stood up from the chair and walked away from the table. He placed his hands into his pockets and walked out of the galley while he whistled a merry tune.

  He passed a still steaming Shana along the hallway as he made way to the front of the ship. He sat down in the pilot’s seat and scanned the readout reports that he had continuously run from the ship’s computer. In his line of work he needed the continuous scanning of the ship’s functions for anything unusual. He felt Shana enter the bridge and she took a seat next to him. His eyes continued to scan the readout until they landed on something that caught his eye.

  The Freelancer’s spine stiffened as he reread the printout from the computer. He straightened in his chair and his face grew serious.

  Shana turned in her seat to look at him. “What is it?” she asked him as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the main computer terminal, then began to punch in a series of codes. “Computer, what is the compound on the ship’s exterior hull?” the Freelancer asked as he braced a hand on the console.

  “The compound on the ship’s exterior hull is of an explosive matter. I detect that the explosive matter will discharge in six hours and thirty point seven minutes.” The ship’s computer generated voice answered his question. He looked over at Shana with an expression of grief that matched her own.

  “My God, Freelancer, what are we going to do? Why didn’t the computer detect this sooner? We need to get the explosives off the ship.” Shana stood up and began pacing the bridge.

  “I need to suit up and take a walk in space,” he said as he pushed himself away from the ship. He started to walk toward the door of the bridge when he stopped and turned back to Shana. “If I don’t make it back, keep the ship and go on to Earth. You need to stop the President before it’s too late.”

  “Freelancer, I have faith in you,” Shana stated as she walked up to him, placed her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I have faith that you will make it back”

  He returned her hug, then pulled away from her, “Very few people know what my name is. My name is Blade,” he said before he turned and walked away from her.

  ~ * ~

  It took Blade over an hour to suit up, which left him five hours to get the explosives off his ship. He pulled the thermal gloves over his hands after he turned on the suit’s heating unit. It heated the interior of the suit in less then five minutes, since space is colder then any arctic planet in the universe. He was about to step into the ship’s air lock when Shana called out to him.

  “Blade. I wanted to wish you the best of luck before you step outside. I’ll have the communications on at all times in case you need any help.” Shana spoke in a fast and shaky voice.

  “That means a lot to me, Shana. And I thank you.” He reached out with a gloved hand and cupped her cheek, “I am glad to call you friend, and Kai is one lucky man to have you as a mate.”

  Shana smiled at the kind words--in her line of work, there was little room for friends in her life. “You are a kind friend. When you make it back, you will find your own mate.”

  Blade shook his head, sadly. “Not with what I do for a living, Shana. I smuggle contraband throughout the universe and I am also a hired killer. I am a borderline pirate, there is no room for a mate in my life.” With that said, Blade turned and walked into the air lock. Shana watched the door slide shut. “I feel for you, Blade. I truly feel for you. Never say never until love finds you. Just as it did me and I changed. I can no longer be an agent for our government. Your turn will come,” she said to the door of the air lock. Shana turned on her heels and walked down the hallway to the bridge. “It’s going to take a strong woman to change the man that you are today,” she added as an after thought.

  Blade checked the line cable to make sure that it was anchored to the ship and his space suit. He also checked the line to make sure that there were no cuts or breaks, which took another hour. That left him with four hours to get to the explosives.

  “Shana, are you there?” he asked before he opened the door to the outside of the ship.

  “I’m here,” Shana responded.

  “I am stepping outside now,” he told her as the door slid opened. He could feel the air as the space sucked it out of the ship.

  Blade closed his hand over a handlebar that was located outside the ship. He could hear his fast, harsh breathing through his mask. He closed his eyes briefly when a drop of sweat fell into them. He searched for the second handle bar a mere foot away from him. He pushed himself to the second handlebar. His hand closed over the steel bar.

  His hand slipped and he drifted two feet above the bar. He bit back a shout as he pushed himself down and grasped the bar in his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about almost drifting off into space, forever. At least he had the cable, he thought to himself.

  Blade could feel the sweat on his face as he carefully made his way to where the explosive compound was located. He looked at the small timer and noticed that the timer read mere minutes were left. What? he asked himself. The computer read the timer wrong! He took out the flashlight and shone the beam of light on the compound. He pressed his face closer to the green putty type compound. He wasn’t sure how to take the compound off his ship without setting off an explosion. The compound was tightly sealed onto the ship.

  Blade muttered a few choice words as he pressed a screwdriver around the compound removing a section of the ship’s exterior hull that was holding the explosive and yanked it off the best that he could. He threw the compound as hard as he could into space and watched it spiral away from him and his ship. He looked down at the quarter-sized hole that he had made and pulled a small piece of heavy sheet metal from a pocket to place over the hole. He quickly screwed a few screws into the metal and his ship. Just as he was done, the compound exploded several feet away from him. The impact of the explosion pushed him into the side of the ship, knocking him unconscious.

  Sixteen

  Shana jumped in her seat at the sound of the explosion. She blinked her eyes open and took a quick glance around the bridge. As soon as she got her bearings she realized what had woken her. She ran to the portal window and looked out through the glass. She searched the space and saw Blade’s inert body was still attached to the rope and the ship. And he wasn’t moving at all.

  She gulped down several deep breaths as she pushed herself away from the window and ran down the corridor then stopped when she reached the air lock. She tugged on a space suit and palmed the lock to open the air lock door. She stepped into the air lock and began to pull on the rope.r />
  Her arms grew heavy as she finally pulled Blade’s body into the airlock. Shana reached up and palmed the door closed. She tugged her space helmet off and reached for Blade’s. With slow arms, Blade helped her tug off his helmet.

  Blade slowly opened his eyes and saw Shana kneeling before him. “Thank you,” he said in a raspy voice.

  “I couldn’t just leave you out there,” Shana answered as she tugged off her space suit and helped Blade out of his with slow and measured movements.

  “What happened out there?” Shana finally asked as she helped him to stand.

  “The compound was stuck to the ship. I had to wedge it off. The computer had read the timer wrong and I thought that I had plenty of time, but I didn’t. I threw the explosive as far as I could, but since there is no gravity in space it didn’t go very far before it exploded. I was thrown against the ship,” Blade said as he wrapped his arm around Shana’s shoulder and she helped him walk down the corridor with slow steps.

  “I just wonder who put that compound there in the first place?” Shana asked as she helped in his seat in the bridge.

  “I don’t know. My senses are in a jumble right now. I just can’t seem to think straight,” Blade whispered as he closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat.

  “Maybe you should go lie down on the bunk and get some rest. I can take over running the ship,” Shana said in a low voice.

  Blade didn’t hear what she said, he was fast asleep.

  ~ * ~

  Kai couldn’t sleep. He paced his ship’s bridge back and forth while he searched for his mate. “I hope that I get to her before it’s too late,” he mumbled under his breath. He sat down in the chair when his legs grew too weary from his pacing. He stared out the port window with weary eyes that grew heavy and sleepy. He tried to blink them open to stay awake, but he soon fell asleep at the ship’s console.

  “He’s finally asleep,” Prix said to Sira.

  “How long was he awake for?” Sira asked as she laid Michael down in the cradle that she brought with her.

  “He has been awake for two days straight. I wish that you would have stayed home. It’s too dangerous for you and the baby to travel,” Prix said as he tugged a blue soft blanket over Michael.

  “I wanted to come with you. It has been too long since I have been off Paradise and wanted to see what Earth looks like,” Sira said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “As much as I hate to be away from you for any time period, I am glad that you came with me,” Prix said in a low, husky voice that sent chills down her spine. “But I need to get Kai to a bed before he falls out of the chair.”

  ~ * ~

  It was a day later when Kai finally awoke from a deep sleep. “Why did you let me sleep so long?” Kai demanded from Prix as he stumbled onto the bridge with bleary eyes and he scanned a printout from the ship’s computer.

  “You needed the sleep, my friend. You have been awake for two whole days. It’s not healthy to go without having any sleep for that long period of time,” Prix said in an easy manner.

  Kai nodded his head as he went back to his reading the printout from the ship’s computer. His thoughts weren’t on what he was reading, they were on Shana.

  ~ * ~

  “I can’t believe that you are really here,” Mikla whispered in Shana’s ear as she embraced Shana tight against her.

  “I missed you so much,” Shana said as she pulled away from Mikla. “What did you have? A boy? Or a girl?” Shana glanced down at Mikla’s thin form.

  “A boy. We named him Dayton,” Mikla said as she pulled Shana down the hallway in her housing unit. Shana stepped into the nursery and with quiet steps walked over to the crib and gazed down at the sleeping infant.

  “He’s gorgeous,” Shana whispered as she turned to look at her friend.

  “He is, isn’t he?” Mikla eyes shone with pride. She placed a gentle hand on her son’s back and smoothed her hand up and down his sleeping form.

  Dayton let out a shaky breath and continued to sleep. “I wish that you had been there when he was born. But, I do understand why you weren’t there,” Mikla said as she lifted her hand from the sleeping baby and turned to look at Shana.

  “I am sorry,” Shana said as she let Mikla lead her out of the nursery.

  “They said that you were dead. I couldn’t and didn’t believe them. That is why I hired the Freelancer. To find you.”

  “I’m dead?” Shana gasped out loud and stepped away from her friend. “But... but... how can that be?” Shana turned away from Mikla and took a few steps away from her.

  “Remember before we left we had wondered how the President always wins his elections when he is the most hated President that we ever had?” Shana asked as she turned to look at Mikla once more.

  Mikla nodded her head as Shana continued.

  “Do you also remember in our history about The Hunted and their clairvoyance? How they were hunted by the Enforcers?”

  “What are you saying, Shana? That they were never eliminated as we thought they were?” Mikla asked as she sat down on the couch and stared up at Shana.

  “That is what I am saying. The Freelancer, he is one of them. He told me that over the last hundred years, they hid who and what they are since only a handful of them survived being hunted. The President is one of them,” Shana said as she sat down next to Mikla on the couch and took her friend’s hands in hers. “There is more, Mikla. I was never supposed to arrive on Paradise. He made sure of that when my ship contracted a virus and crashed landed on Paradise. The man that I was sent to kill rescued me from the burning inferno. I lost my memory and couldn’t remember who I was or where I was from.”

  “Shana,” Mikla said her friend’s name and her eyes looked sad for what her friend had gone through as Shana told her about Kai and how he had lied to her about them being mated. And how she fell in love with him.

  “All that I can say is that you had an experience of a lifetime,” Mikla said as she continued to sit on the couch in awe.

  “Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I did,” Shana said. “But as soon as I confront the President, I am going back to Paradise.”

  “What? But you just got here. I cannot loose you again so soon,” Mikla said as she stood up and whirled to face her friend.

  “We can still visit each other. It’s only a week’s flight in space.” Shana stood up a little too fast. Dizziness overwhelmed her, and Shana pressed a hand to her forehead and sank back down on the couch with her eyes closed.

  “Shana, what is it?” Mikla sank down on her knees in front of her and braced her hands on Shana’s legs.

  “I don’t know.” Shana’s stomach heaved and she pressed her hand over her mouth and ran quickly to the bathroom.

  Mikla waited outside the bathroom until Shana was done. The door opened slowly and Mikla placed her hand on Shana’s arm. “Come on,” Mikla said.

  “Where are we going?” Shana asked as she let Mikla lead her down the hallway.

  “We are going to see the Medic. And to find out what is going on with you,” Mikla said. If she was guessing correctly, Mikla knew exactly what was going on with Shana.

  ~ * ~

  “Everything is ready, Kai. I got us rooms at the local housing unit in the Capitol. The Freelancer is waiting outside to escort us to the units,” Prix said as he pulled the strap of a duffle bag over his shoulder. Excitement showed in his face about this being his first time on Earth.

  “Let’s do it then,” Kai said as he turned on his heels and out of the bridge.

  ~ * ~

  “It’s good to see you again, Kai,” Blade said as he slapped Kai on the back, falling into step beside him.

  “Where is Shana?” Kai asked as he walked over to a hovercraft in a model Kai had never before seen.

  Blade remained silent with a grim face.

  “What is it? If something has happened to Shana...” Kai didn’t need to mention the threat as he stood in front of Blade, his face within inches of the
other man’s.

  “You need to understand something about Earth’s customs, Kai. When Earth became so overpopulated, a law was passed concerning breeding. A woman cannot breed without special permit. If she does, she will be publicly executed. The last time that a woman was executed in public was over a hundred years ago. Until now.” Blade didn’t need to say more as he let what he had just said sink into Kai.

  The man began to grin, a wide grin that matched the one in his eyes. Kai turned to Blade. “She’s having my baby.” The smile then quickly turned to a frown. “And she’s about to get executed.” Kai turned and climbed into the hovercraft, determined that he wanted to get to his mate before it was too late.

  “I need to see her. I need to be sure that she is okay,” Kai said with a grim voice as he stared out the window with unseeing eyes.

  “I am sorry, Kai, but you can’t see her. She has been placed in a special security cell. It is impossible for anyone to see her. Except for the guards, that is.” Blade spoke with a knowing smile.

  ~ * ~

  “You can’t do this to me,” Shana said in a hard voice as she wrapped her hands around the metal bars to her cell. She shook the bars to make her point.

  “I am sorry, Shana. I have orders from the President,” her guard, Jackie, said with a somber voice as she looked at Shana with eyes that held strong pity. “You were such a good agent. We all know that. I can’t believe that he would this to you.”

  “Then let me out. I’ll go somewhere that he will never find me,” Shana said with determination in her voice . Her eyes pleaded with Jackie’s.

  “And have me take your place? I don’t think so. I am sorry, Shana, that you are going through this.” Jackie shook her head as she turned her back on Shana.

  Shana let out a heartfelt sigh and hung her head down against the metal bars in defeat. Her eyes were closed as she felt tears fill her eyes. She could feel them slip down her cheeks. She blinked her eyes open and glared at Jackie’s back before she turned and walked with hesitant steps to her narrow bunk.