by Lisa Lace
Synic lowered himself until he was at the attendant's eye level and grabbed the man's chin in his hand. The poor attendant's bruised face looked lopsided from the blow. I winced, unable to imagine his unbearable pain.
"Would you like to try again?"
"Up yours."
The attendant leaned close to Synic and spat in his face. A bloody tooth bounced off his steel mask. Satisfied with himself, the attendant pulled back.
I was astonished that Synic barely reacted. He calmly wiped the spit from his mask with the back of his sleeve and rose to his feet. Synic motioned to his guards. At a flick of their commander's wrist, four sprung into action. Two mindless musclemen stood on the attendant's legs and held his hands behind his back. The other two dropped to his sides. One held the attendant's trembling head in place while the other pried open his jaws.
"I think you must have mistaken my patience for kindness. I will dispose of you like a worthless piece of Earth garbage if you don't tell me the information I'm seeking."
"Never."
The attendant smiled bitterly. His gurgling voice oozed hatred. Synic took a step forward. He pinched his fingers and drew them back slowly. The attendant gagged as his tongue rolled out of his mouth.
"Very well. I suppose you won't be needing your tongue if you're not interested in talking."
I thrust my wrists forward, my fingers wrapping around the cold bars of my cage. Bile rose in my throat. Synic reached inside his cloak and pulled out a knife.
I would never forget the guttural howls of pain that echoed through the room. At that moment, the brides were all silent, pale-faced, and scared to breathe.
Against my better judgment, I opened my eyes slowly, wanting to look at the gruesome scene. Synic blocked the attendant from my view. He wielded his weapon, swiping his blade from left to right. As Cheyenne mourned soundlessly next to me, Synic stepped aside to admire his handiwork.
Blood gushed out of the straight red slit that appeared on the attendant's neck. He gasped for air desperately. Bubbles formed at the opening in his throat. I watched the life slowly drain from his eyes. His body keeled over, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
I hadn't realized my mouth was hanging open. I wanted to go home. The needlessly cruel death sparked a memory in my mind.
I could never find out any information about Dad's shuttle crash. Could these same assholes be responsible for shooting down his passenger craft? If that was the case, and I was retracing his footsteps, I wholeheartedly hoped he died instantly. I didn't want to imagine Dad dying at the hands of these savages.
"Why did you do that, you fucking monster?" Was that me talking?
"Gabriella, no!" Cheyenne whispered urgently.
Cheyenne's voice snapped me out of my daze, but it was too late for me to stay unnoticed. Synic's tinted lenses flashed in my direction. He casually trampled over the attendant's dead body, the back of his cloak dragging against the floor as he approached me. The guards showed their rotten, black teeth and pointed their weapons in my direction. The pointlessness of speaking hit home. I shied away from all the aliens and flattened myself against the back of my cage.
Synic's hand hovered over the lock of my cage. The heavy chains around the door fell to the ground by themselves. The padlock clicked, and the door to my cage screeched open. I felt the soles of my feet float off the ground. My body somersaulted as an invisible force pulled me forward. I crashed hard onto the ground on all fours.
"Please don't hurt her!" begged Cheyenne. Be quiet! I silently cried.
Ignoring Cheyenne's pleas, the guards hauled me to my feet. The sharp beak of Synic's mask was unnervingly close to my nose. I closed my eyes, hoping that if I couldn't see him, the situation would resolve itself. It didn't help. I felt like the penetrative eyes of his mask could see right through me and read my thoughts.
"What did you say to me, Earth whore?"
"I – I –"
An earsplitting explosion went off on the left of the dungeon. In place of the wall, there was now a massive hole. Plumes of gray smoke rose from the unexpected explosion. Concrete and steel debris covered the floor. A squad of soldiers burst through the crevice, dressed in identical gray uniforms and military-issued gas masks.
Synic released me at once, charging toward the intruders. I fell back on the floor. I couldn't stop myself from moaning in relief. My movement was restricted, and I could only watch the scene unfold around me.
The masked fighters split into two groups. Half of them battled Synic's guards and kept them at bay. The others wielded laser-edged cutting tools. They snipped open the padlocks and chains on all the cages, freeing the hostages. I crawled back toward my cage, clearing a path for our rescuers.
Synic's guards toppled to the ground one at a time. Sensing imminent danger, Synic moved away from the chaos and vanished. I growled under my breath, but I could only watch as they got away.
"Gabriella! Help!"
One of the intruders had scooped up Cheyenne and flung her over his back. She flailed her arms and legs, wiggling her fingers as she reached out to me. I tried hobbling after her, but my legs weren't working properly. It was hard to move.
"Cheyenne!"
My voice was cut off when a soldier grabbed hold of me and draped me over his shoulder.
"Who are you? Where the hell are you taking me?"
The soldier didn't even acknowledge me. Instead, he moved toward his entry point and kept his weapon aimed in front of him.
We spilled out of a dark maze of tunnels, emerging into open air. The planet looked dead. Overhead was a gloomy gray sky and around me was barren foliage. The soldier took off away from the cages. I peered over my shoulder, marveling at the enormous military-grade space shuttle parked in front of us.
"What is going on? Please answer me!"
I didn't want to find myself in a worse situation. Fed up, I pressed my fingers underneath the edge of his mask and flipped it off his head. I saw dark waves of brown hair pulled back into a man-bun. Sweat drenched his bronzed skin and beard.
I had only seen him once before, but I immediately knew who it was. I couldn't believe it.
"Laz?"
There was no time for him to reply. I watched a missile soar over his head, headed straight for the military shuttle. The missile hit its target.
Roaring flames and suffocating black smoke engulfed the shuttle. A wave of force pulsed through the earth, sweeping us off our feet and hurtling us through the air.
Chapter Five
LAZ
We were fucked.
A dull buzz rang in my head as I staggered off the ground. Chunks of burnt metal and seat upholstery covered the dirt around me. Some of the seats were still ablaze. I dusted off the dirt from my clothes and looked around for Gabriella. She wasn't on her feet yet, but she was still alive.
I took a quick head count of my men. They were slowly getting to their feet, appearing dazed but otherwise unhurt. I hadn't been the only one to carry out one of the Earth women; we had tried to save as many as we could. A few of the brides were unconscious. My men picked up the women who were incapacitated and carried them over their shoulders, heading into the woods where they could find cover.
A few Xylo guards still surrounded us. I signaled to Dallas, Kraig, and Maxwell, who pulled out their firearms and created a hail of laser fire, making the Xylo flee. They ushered the remaining brides to safety.
They left the Xylo prick who had destroyed my favorite shuttlecraft for me. I didn't need anyone endangering the lives of Gabriella or my men. The bumbling bastard was still struggling with a missile launcher. He was dragging it along with him when he caught me looking at him. He ditched the shell launcher, which was still leaking smoke from its ashen mouth. I didn't want to chase him down. I pulled out my weapon and shot him twice in the head.
Gabriella started coughing violently behind me. I turned away from the guard's twitching body to face her. She clapped a hand over her mouth and fanned at her face. The b
lack smoke and fumes made her eyes red. One of the sleeves of her dress had ripped and was falling off her shoulder. Apart from the bruises on her arms and legs, she looked like she would survive.
I adjusted the satchel on my back, searching through the wreckage for my gas mask, which had somehow detached from my face in the explosion. Pushing aside several pieces of rubble, I located the mask lodged under a broken headrest. I jogged back to Gabriella and carefully placed it on her head before lifting her off the ground. As she whirled around, swinging her arms behind me, I removed a rag from my satchel and tied it over my mouth.
"Thank goodness I can breathe again, but I can't see anything now! Laz? Are you still there?"
I wanted to respond, but I couldn't say much with a rag in my mouth. Instead, I put my hands on her waist and positioned her behind me, trying to shield her with my body.
My eyes flickered to the region where we had created an entry point in the Xylo outpost. A steady stream of black and red Xylo uniforms moved toward us. In fact, they were coming quickly and appeared to be well-armed. We needed to leave before they overtook us.
Gabriella had seen them as well. "Heaven have mercy..." she muttered. She began to back away slowly.
I pulled my makeshift mask down for a moment. "We're going to have to run for it. Keep your head down and don't look back!" I hollered over my shoulder.
I positioned my weapons on my hips and moved backward. The doomed Xylo in the front absorbed the initial volley. Most of them crashed to the ground. The ones who survived started to panic, shakily raising their weapons. The guards in the back tripped over their fallen comrades, tumbling over in quick succession. I glanced over my shoulder, moving toward the sounds of Gabriella's slow-moving footsteps.
I quickly caught up with Gabriella. Hooking my arm under her legs, I tossed her over my shoulder once again. With my brows furrowed in concentration, I raced up a dismal trail and dove into a dark wooded region. I opened a mirror attached to the rear sight of my weapon and checked behind me. I only slowed down when I was satisfied we had lost our pursuers.
"Damn it! I said, let me down!"
Gabriella banged her fists against my shoulders. Granting her wish, I gently placed her on the ground. I massaged my shoulders and stretched out my arms repeatedly, trying to crack the soreness out of my back. The human woman was heavier than I had anticipated. She alternated crossing and uncrossing her arms, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. With the oversized gas mask over her petite frame, she looked like a giant magfly sizing me up for a bite to eat.
"Is everyone on this planet out of their minds? First, my shuttle gets shot down. Then I get taken hostage by those psycho aliens. When you come along, you start throwing me around like a beanbag. What are you even doing here?"
I raised a hand, indicating that she should hold that thought. When I reached into my pocket, I realized why my men hadn't contacted me. My hand emerged from my pocket holding fragmented pieces of my communicator. The damn thing must have broken when the shuttle explosion tossed me through the air.
I narrowed my eyes and carefully examined the parts of the device up close. Although it was in fragments, I thought I could repair it, given tools and time. The problem was the damaged Morse board. I would have to get a new one if I wanted to fix it.
"Son of a bitch."
My angry words echoed through the stale air around us. I growled, pocketing the useless parts of my communicator. What were we going to do now? I looked around me, trying to analyze my surroundings.
"Laz? What's wrong?" Gabriella demanded. She removed her mask and held it against her hip. "It's like I'm talking to a wall here. I swear, I'd have a more productive chat with my reflection!"
"Put your mask back on," I snapped at Gabriella impatiently, still facing away from her. "Stand down. Let me think."
My nostrils flared as I started to pace. I unconsciously adjusted the knot on the rag, tightening its hold on my face. Even with the makeshift mask, I made sure to breathe out of my mouth. Centuries of chemical warfare had turned the air of Xylox poisonous and chemical-ridden. In the worst parts of the planet, breathing the toxic air could cause severe respiratory problems. Native Xylo developed an immunity to the fumes but were becoming disfigured over every generation.
The uneven terrain barely concealed caves of varying sizes. Although I knew there were animals here, moss and disturbing patches of fungi were the only visible sources of life. All the trees in our spot of the woods looked like they had died a long time ago. Their trunks were thin and sickly, and the few that had managed to stay alive had black, moldy fruit hanging off their gray leaves.
I needed to figure out a way to communicate with my crew so we could all get out of here alive. We only had the supplies and ammunition we carried and it was starting to get dark. I didn't know much about this planet; Xylox was the furthest thing from a tourist attraction.
Mapping out the land would have been my first objective, but all the tracking tools I relied on had been stored on the shuttle. I would have to go back to the roots of my training.
"Laz! Will you please say something before I lose my mind over here?"
I usually worked with military men, and wasn't used to being in a combat situation with a civilian. "I said, stand down!" I roared.
Gabriella tripped over her own feet, toppling backward. The look of terror in her beautiful blue eyes made me calm down at once. She had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling. I sucked in my breath roughly and relaxed my stiff shoulders. I took a few steps back to give us both some room.
I felt like scum. Up until now, I had been subconsciously treating her like a soldier under my command. The situation was complex. I suspected that if I tried to put myself in her shoes, I would also be woefully unprepared and want to talk about everything. This was likely her first brush with death or violence, and probably the worst day of her life.
So now what? Should I pat her on the head or something? I had never been comfortable sharing my feelings or talking. I was a man of action.
As Gabriella started to push herself off the ground, I extended a hand. She looked away from me, determined to take care of herself.
"Right," I whispered. "Come with me, and put that mask back on."
She hesitated for a moment before she decided she would follow me. I took stock of the caves in front of us. I wondered if they were inhabited. Picking up two rocks from the ground, I leaned in front of the entrance and knocked the stones together. Would anything react?
The sounds of shuffling feet and angry growls came out of the cave. We quickly retreated. I wiped off the sweat trickling down the side of my face with the back of my arm.
"Are you all right back there?"
I peeked at Gabriella from the mirror on my weapon. She made a dismissive noise with her tongue. The rag over my mouth flapped when I let out a frustrated sigh. I shifted my neck to my right and flicked my head toward a northbound trail.
"Let's go this way."
I could hear her wheezing breath behind me as I took the lead. Before night settled across the leaden skies and washed out the faint light, I found an empty cave. It wasn't large, but looked spacious enough and was nicely located behind a small stream and waterfall. We wouldn't be thirsty, at least. I brushed aside the withered vines and fallen branches obstructing the entrance. Several minutes had passed, but Gabriella had still not said another word.
I got down on one knee and moved my satchel in front of me. Rifling through my tools, I pulled an emergency light from the bottom of the bag. I twisted the red cap on the end of the cylinder, revealing a white button. When I touched it twice, a bright light shot out from the end. I held it over my head like a torch and entered the cave.
"You can rest there," I said gruffly, pointing to a dry spot in the back of the cave. Setting the light against the wall, I added, "The emergency light should last until I return. I won't be long."
I unloaded some ammunition to lighten my satchel before heading back
out the cave. Tapping a bronze star pinned to my chest pocket activated a flashlight. It would illuminate my path and reveal boulders and deep fissures in the cracked earth.
I went around the obstacles and made my way to the water source behind the cave. The water looked clear and delicious. I reached out my hands to scoop a drink, and it tasted better than I could have imagined. Satisfied, I took out two empty containers and filled them from the stream. I returned to the cave with the water, setting my satchel on the opposite corner from Gabriella.
Her side of the cave looked empty. I had one jug of water with me as a peace offering. But as I knelt down next to her to hand over the water, she flinched away from me. Her shoulders moved back, and I noticed a momentary look of fear in her eyes once again. Not knowing what to do, I set the jug down beside her and nodded brusquely before retreating.
I lay on the floor and propped my back against the wall. My emergency travel supplies poked out from the side of my satchel. I ripped off the seal and proceeded to inflate a stuffed pillow and unroll a thin blanket. I piled the items behind her before creeping meekly out of the cave again.
This was not how I wanted to start things between us.
Chapter Six
GABRIELLA
Have you ever tried sleeping on a cave floor? It was more comfortable that I had expected, but I barely slept a wink all night. The ultra-thin blanket Laz left me felt about as thick as a sheet of toilet paper, but it was warm. I felt like I had a wool garment wrapped around me.
I found myself trapped in a shitty catch-22 of being exhausted as all hell but unable to get the sleep I desperately needed. Instead, I stared into the dark of my closed eyelids. Frantic memories raced through my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking.
The last time I had these problems was when Ronnie was my neighbor. He was an untalented dirtbag who lived in the upstairs apartment when I used to live with Jake. Getting well-rested before I had to get up for work was impossible when the sounds of a struggling artist playing grating 'music' into the dead of the night filled the apartment.