The silence from Sorr behind him was a small win in Aarik’s book, but as he lead them to the Terra Lock he contemplated what he would do, in order to stay an invaluable part of the team.
Aarik was disappointed when they entered Vos’rok to find it dark once again, the lack of lighting was a stark reminder of the power and technology Th’ael had at his fingertips. He grabbed a flashlight from the floor and used the beam to direct him to the generator. After he powered it up and the lights flipped on one after another he led them to the hallway entrance, stopped and turned to face the director. “This is the hallway that we were in earlier, you will see the cave-in from this side past the hangar bay. Kiya discovered a secret tone that levitated the door open our first day here. Not much was left behind, besides the crafts. They are located behind the first archway on the right,” he finished blandly.
“Interesting. Ms. Brown could prove to be useful after all,” Sorr replied in a bored tone.
“Useful for what?” Kiya piped up.
“That is yet to be determined,” Sorr replied, flipping through a small spiral notebook she pulled from inside her suit jacket pocket. She stopped on a page and looked up at Kiya. “In fact, you are employed by S&S Enterprises are you not, Ms. Brown?” she finished in a taunting voice.
“I am. I mean I was. I can’t imagine the owner, who I might add was the guy who shot and killed a young kid a short while ago, would keep me on the payroll. Better yet, I can’t imagine the government letting his company stay in business so, I think it’s safe to say, I was employed by them,” Kiya stammered out in anger.
“No need to get defensive, Ms. Brown. A simple yes or no will do,” Sorr replied with indifference before she addressed Aarik with misplaced authority, “Carry on.”
Aarik clamped his mouth shut and, grinding his molars together, fought the urge to lash out at the director’s lack of leadership skills. Instead he took a deep breath and released it as he turned around slowly and stomped toward the Terra Lock with determination. For a moment he wished Th’ael was still around so the Director could witness for herself the power he wielded but quickly changed his mind when he felt Kiya shiver next to him as they entered the large Terra Lock room. Mark looked up when they entered and positively beamed when he noticed the director was also in attendance. It took him a moment before he seemed to remember the additional audience members around them and he adopted a more professional demeanor. “Director Sorr, so glad you were able to make it,” Mark said with reverence. Aarik was positive the man was in love with the cold-hearted bitch and decided what little respect he had left was gone.
“Thank you for calling me. Reading a report after the fact, compiled by someone who, I might add, was given specific orders to report directly to me immediately when absolutely anything was found would have been a huge disappointment to say the least. Dr. Landon if you wouldn’t mind going over what happened when you caught up with them, please,” Sorr announced to the group, putting Jones on the spot purposely.
“The lights were on when we got here,” Aarik replied, pointing to the sconces on the walls. “Diego was still out and slumped over in the craft they escaped on, while Th’ael was over at the podium next to the craft. He jumped in when we approached and inserted his medallion into the dashboard of the craft. It wavered in the air after it detached from the clamps and vanished in thin air. The power was still on after he left, but obviously it didn’t stay,” Aarik finished, when he reached the podium next to the remaining craft further down the walkway.
“Well, how do you propose a large metal craft just up and disappeared, Dr. Landon?” Sorr countered sarcastically.
“Well if I told you that, it would be my opinion,” Aarik said with a lilt to his voice, then added, “Ma’am,” for good measure.
“Jones, contact the agency and have them send a team to lock this place down. I want everyone detained until we have questioned them and can decide how many more terrorists we have on our hands,” Sorr growled in response.
“Terrorists, ma’am? Is that the cover story we are using?” Jones asked in confusion.
“Sometimes I question your mental capacity to lead this mission, Jones,” Sorr replied shaking her head. “Yes. That is the story we will use on the public for why this place will be on lockdown over the next couple of weeks. I want this place scrubbed and taken to Area T for further research,” Sorr snapped in disgust.
“Are we considered terrorists, Director?” Kiya asked in confusion.
“I like to consider myself impartial. I never make a decision before I have heard both sides. Seeing as I don’t have anyone from the other side to make that conclusion I am going to have to rely on the words of others and my own woman’s intuition of course. I’ll interview the others and make a decision before morning,” Sorr said in an assuring tone.
“Director, may I ask you something?” Aarik asked politely.
“You may,” Sorr replied, in a cautious tone.
“Does Area T have a docking station like this place, or a podium to operate it?” Aarik inquired cautiously.
“I don’t see how that is of importance since we are not in possession of a medallion. But to answer your question, no Area T does not contain it now. It has many other attributes though and one of them is that it’s impenetrable, another would be its fully operational, undisclosed location,” Sorr answered annoyingly. “Thomas escort our friends to their tents. Once you have assigned competent guards you may call your family and give them the sad news of how their son was killed in a terrorist attack. Give them my sympathy.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kiya
Kiya stewed in silence as she walked next to Aarik back to their tents. She thought that once the authorities were made aware of the threat, they would put out an ABP or something similar to help her find and stop the bad guys, but after meeting the director, it was a wake up call that she would be on her own. She looked over at Aarik and corrected herself, she wasn’t alone, she had Aarik and, after what she witnessed, she had a feeling Aarik was the one in the prophecy that would help her defeat Th’ael.
“I’m not going to have any trouble with you two, am I?” Thomas grunted from behind.
Kiya turned around slowly and spoke in a tired voice, “Trouble is miles away from here, Thomas. I’m not a terrorist or anyone you have to worry about, far from it in fact but, may I ask you a question?”
“You may,” Thomas replied, shifting his feet and nodding his head.
“May I stay in Aarik’s tent? I really don’t want to be alone right now,” Kiya pleaded in a quiet voice, trying to sound as defeated as possible. Thomas looked conflicted as he contemplated her request and just when she thought he would was going to deny her, he sighed loudly and conceded with a slight nod.
“Go ahead, I’ll let the guards know I authorized it. You shouldn’t be held long. The director is known for making quick decisions. Please don’t do anything rash. My job is on the line and I have enough to worry about tonight,” Thomas said imploringly.
Aarik spoke up, “You have my word, Thomas. We have no plans to do anything rash. We’ll be right here until we are released.”
“Alright,” responded Thomas, before he spoke into his walkie talkie, “Merrill report to the tents. Dr. Landon and Ms. Brown will be in the first one. The director will be conducting interviews throughout the night, and when they are done the crew will be released to their tents. I’ll send more men to escort them back and assist you in guarding until Sorr is finished.”
Kiya grabbed Aarik’s hand and huddled next to him, hoping he would take the hint and pull them into his tent. It didn’t take long before he wrapped his arm around her and crushed her to his side. “Thank you, Thomas. I’m taking her inside now,” Aarik croaked out and pulled her inside.
Instead of letting go when they entered the tent Kiya embraced Aarik with both arms and breathed in deeply as she clung to him like he was her own personal life preserver. Aarik obliged her need by enveloping her f
ully as he rested his chin on her head and sighed loudly. She didn’t want to let go, but time was of the essence, so she lifted her head and, before she changed her mind, she leaned forward and planted her lips to Aarik’s in a stolen kiss. She meant it to be brief but the second she pulled away, Aarik closed the distance and kissed her with fervor. She was lost in his touch and taste and when he ended the kiss he didn’t pull away, instead he rested his forehead against hers and said, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. I know it’s not the time or place, but I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.”
Kiya’s lips were swollen from his attention and as she licked them she was once again reminded of his taste and of the fire that burned with intensity for the man standing before her. Not wanting to leave him hanging any longer she said, “I started it but, boy am I glad you ended it the way you did. Just know I’m kicking myself right now for what I’m about to say, because believe me I would rather continue where we left off, but we really need to talk.”
“To be continued then at a later date, hopefully not too much later,” Aarik replied sheepishly before he stepped back and dropped his arms. “I really wanted Taylor here, but we’ll have to fill him in later. Before we were interrupted you were telling me about the prophecy. Do you have it with you?”
Kiya recited the prophecy from memory and when she finished she looked up at Aarik to see his reaction before she added, “We haven’t talked about it yet, but after Luke was shot your voice changed. I watched as your voice crippled everyone standing in front of you, everyone that is but Th’ael. I think you are the descendant the prophecy talks about, the one from the royal race and without your help, I have no chance against him.”
“Wow. I want to deny it, but I was there as well. I’ve never experienced anything like it, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge. I don’t know how I did it, nor do I know if I am capable of doing it again, but I feel it in my soul that everything happens for a reason. When I found this the day of my parents funeral I knew it would forever shape my future. I never anticipated that it would lead me to you. I know whatever we face in the future we will face it together and be victorious because I will rip anyone to shreds to protect you,” Aarik said with conviction as he gripped the medallion under his shirt for emphasis.
Kiya swallowed hard around the lump in her throat and squeaked out, “Together. I like the sound of that.” She cleared her throat before she added, “What are we going to do about the director? She doesn’t really put off a vibe of being helpful. If she has everything taken away how will we follow after them? They could be anywhere right now.”
“She does throw a wrench in the plans, doesn’t she. When Taylor and I did our reconnaissance mission, the medallion fit like a glove but it lacked a power source. If we could figure out how he powered the craft we would have a bargaining chip with Director Sorr. Taylor was able to translate the hieroglyphs on the archways but there was no mention of a power source,” Aarik said in contemplation.
Kiya who had been pacing swirled around walked up to Aarik and grabbed his medallion from under his shirt. Scrolling her eyes over the etchings on the side she asked, “What does this say?”
“Taylor seems to think it says Terra Jump,” responded Aarik, staring down at her hands.
“Okay. That makes sense, they use this to help them teleport across the globe. I think I know how to turn it on,” Kiya said with a smile.
“Don’t keep me waiting woman. How?” Aarik demanded in curiosity.
“Sound. There must be some kind of frequency that he emitted when he passed through the chambers that turned the power on. I wasn’t really paying attention; when he used the medallion was it glowing or did it show any type of reaction?” Kiya asked as she started to pace again.
Aarik closed his eyes and when he opened them he nodded and said, “Yes. The gem was pulsating light.” He picked up the medallion and turned it back and forth in his hands before he said, “It was glowing intermittently.”
“We could use my canon and run a gamut of frequencies by it to find the tone but I doubt Merrill would let me get it. Or...you could try that voice thing again,” Kiya suggested as an afterthought.
Aarik shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I’ll probably look like a fool trying but I’m willing to give it a shot if you promise not to laugh,” he finished with a wink.
“I won’t laugh. I can turn around if you want me to?” Kiya said honestly.
“You don’t have to turn around but try not to stare at me. I might freeze under pressure,” he joked.
“Before you start, let me check up on our guard, Merrill,” she whispered, as she crept up to the flap and peeked out. The guard had his back to the tent and was motioning over a new suit who was escorting a distraught Larissa to her tent. Kiya ducked back into the tent and was thankful they never turned on the lights. She motioned Aarik to his cot and followed him over. She pulled him down to sit next to her and whispered, “There are two out there now. Larissa was just brought back but they aren’t very close. I think if we get under the covers it will help block out any light. That is, if our little experiment pays off.” When Aarik smiled and wiggled his eyebrows Kiya said, “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I knew you wanted to get me in bed but we both agreed that now wasn’t the time,” Aarik jested quietly, and leaned out of the way of her backhand as he scrambled to get under the covers. “I couldn’t help myself, you walked right into that one. Come on, you’re letting the cold air in,” Aarik said, as he held the sleeping bag open and waited for her to join him.
“I should’ve known, and next time I’ll remember where your brain is permanently stuck and make sure I don’t leave an opening,” she said mockingly, as she climbed into the cot and rolled on her side to face him. “No more kidding around. Time to put up or shut up,” she hissed out.
“How would you suggest I go about starting?” Aarik inquired in hushed tones.
“Well when you did it in the cave you were under duress and it seemed to erupt out of you in waves. Not sure how much that helps but maybe start chanting in low volumes as if you’re meditating,” Kiya offered.
“Meditating. Easy for you to say. I’m lying next to the woman I currently want to ravish and she wants me to meditate. Clear my mind type of thing. Alright scoot back a bit, I won’t be able to clear a thing if I can feel you touching me,” Aarik grumbled quietly before he closed his eyes in concentration.
Kiya watched while Aarik’s facial features slowly relaxed as he worked on clearing his mind. She had no idea if it would work, but lying next to him and being able to openly take in her share of his perfection was an added bonus. The moment Aarik began chanting the hair on her skin stood at attention to the point she held her breath as she waited for a spark of life from the medallion to let them know they were on the right track. Just as she was about to release her breath the purple gem flared for a fraction of a second and she gasped in surprise. Aarik startled by her gasp stopped chanting when he opened his eyes and smiled as he observed the gems inner glow dim slowly.
“I think we’ve found our bargaining chip,” she whispered in awe.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aarik
Aarik watched the gem’s inner glow dim and looked up at Kiya to gauge her reaction to his unusual abilities. The infectious grin on her face appeared to be an excellent indication she had no problem with his freaky talent. The thought of having superpowers was an unusual feeling. Growing up, Aarik had no clue that he was any different from the humans around him, besides the fact that he was larger and smarter than the average male and he found himself searching for other cues that would have clued him into his origins and came up empty.
The process of meditation was easier than he thought it would be, having never attempted to clear his mind, the moment he closed his eyes and looked deep inside he found a large central zone, that welcomed him in, that felt calm, safe, and full of knowledge. The chant Th’ael used to power the stone pres
ented itself within his mind telepathically, and the moment he started the chant he could feel the tones of his voice take on a layered effect that was calming to his senses. It wasn’t until he heard Kiya gasp faintly, like she was miles away instead of two feet, that Aarik snapped back to reality and severed the connection to what felt like another dimension.
Now, more than ever, he wished his parents were alive so that he could get to the bottom of his ancestry but he had a feeling they wouldn’t know any more than he did. He was half tempted to contact his uncle to see if he had any knowledge about his family, but rejected the idea just as quickly when he realized bringing his uncle into the mess would only put him in further danger.
Aarik realized he was still staring at Kiya and averted his eyes back to the medallion. When he first found it, he knew it was a part of ancient times, he just didn't realize when he set out to find its origins that it would be his own history he uncovered. Turning it over in his hand, he palmed it and said, “I will only bargain this if it is our last resource. I’m rather attached to it at this point and I think it’s fair to say that it’s technically mine by birth rite.”
“I have no plans on showing mine either so I don’t blame you. I guess we’ll play it by ear and wait to see what Director Sorr has up her sleeve,” Kiya said adamantly.
“Alright. We should try and get some sleep. I have a feeling it will be a long wait,” Aarik said quietly.
“Not sure I can sleep right now,” Kiya replied.
“It won’t hurt to try. Are you a side sleeper?” Aarik asked.
“Sometimes. I sleep on all sides, actually I should warn you that I’m a bed and cover hog,” admitted Kiya sheepishly as she rolled onto her back and peeked over the covers.
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