Jaeda looked at hers and shook her head. “Start searching the room,” she ordered. “Look in all the drawers for a cell phone, wireless comm set, anything with a mic that can transmit.”
“I thought communications was down,” Grady said as he tore open a storage unit next to him.
“It must be an Egesa device.” Torque looked inside a cabinet, moving books and papers aside.
“Which means that a traitor was here. Someone who maybe worked with us and was paid off by Daegal.” Jaeda felt sick to her stomach at the possibility. Torque had said that this war was being fueled by greed and deception. She was starting to believed that he might just be right.
After searching every place possible, they still came up empty. Frustration ate away at Jaeda. She saw Torque staring up at another venting grate. He already knew that she couldn’t get through it. “What are you thinking?” she asked him.
“What if the Egesa dropped a listening device into the venting shaft from the floor above us?”
“That would be a long drop. We would have heard it fall,” Jaeda said.
“Fuck!” Grady dragged a chair over to the wall and hopped up on it. Though he was too low to look in, he was able to pull open the grating and reach inside. “Nothing.” He pulled the chair over to the next one. “Nope.” He tried the next vent. “Oh yeah, I’ve got something here.” He pulled it out. “Shit. You called it, Torque.” He tossed down the tiny unit. “It’s a flyer device.”
Torque caught it and closed the channel. “Check all the other vents.”
“Flyer?” Jaeda asked. “You mean an airborne-controlled bug?”
“You got it,” Grady answered.
“Wonderful.” She wondered how much they’d actually heard. “When it stops transmitting, they’ll know we found it. What if they try again?”
“They won’t,” Torque answered. “They’ll know we’re monitoring the situation now. They’ll try something else.”
After checking the remaining vents, Grady jumped off the chair. “Hey, dumbass,” he called out to Kirk. “If they can get a comm unit into the venting, why can’t they pump gas in here? You said it was contained.”
“I said the air was contained. As long as we leave the vents in place, the grating will scrub out any impurities, even stuff we can’t see or smell. Pure air is pumped in from a separate, contained source. Anything else will be filtered down and out.”
“And what if they drop a bomb?” When everyone just stared wide-eyed at Grady, he shook his head. “Like I thought. No fucking answer. Dumb…Asses.”
Kirk punched some buttons and studied the readout in front of him. “According to this, the grating is designed to absorb minimal blasts as long as the vents are secured. There’s also an explosive detection system in place with an auto suck-and-eject feature in each safe zone venting line. So we should be all right. Oh, and Grady?”
“Yeah?”
“Call me or any of my colleagues a dumbass one more time and I’ll rip out your ugly, alien tongue and stuff it down your fucking throat.”
* * * * *
Deep Space
Braden sat in the control seat of the fighter. Erik had taken the opportunity to get some rest while he could, leaving Braden to his thoughts. He checked their course to Earth and their weapons cache. A squadron of Xylon Warriors surrounded him. They flew a non-military pattern, not wanting to draw too much attention. More warriors had been sent ahead of them. Another squadron was scheduled to follow as soon as possible. When they got closer to their destination, they’d cloak if necessary.
Erik sat up with a start and emitted a sound that Braden had never heard from him before. Something between a moan and a cry. Dread touched him like the cold finger of death. “What’s wrong?” he asked, turning in the control chair.
“They’ve got her!” Erik jumped to his feet. His eyes grew wild. “The Egesa have Leila.” He slid into the seat beside Braden and started checking the readouts—speed, course setting, time to destination. “We have to hurry. We have to—”
“We’re at max.” Braden grabbed his shoulder just for a moment to steady him. He knew what Erik was feeling and he didn’t doubt what the man was saying. His connection to Leila was strong. He feared for his friend who had always been more of a brother to him than even his own.
Erik fisted one hand and squeezed tight, obviously trying to control himself and his emotions. “She’s alive. I feel it. But she’s scared. If they—” He shook his head. “I can’t even say the words. I can barely think straight right now.”
“Daegal won’t kill her, Erik. Or let his soldiers kill her.”
“No, he’ll just have her tortured. He’s always had some sort of morbid fascination with her. She was probably the only woman ever to survive all she’s been through at the hands of his followers without losing her mind.”
“Don’t think about it, Erik.”
“How can I not!” He tried the comm channel.
“It’s not fully functional yet. We have ship to ship now, but only within a certain range. A solar storm is causing interference.”
“I have to do something, Braden.”
Braden nodded. “Reach out to her with your mind. Calm her. She’s going to feel your emotions. Don’t make it harder on her. Let her feel your love. Let her realize that you’re getting closer. It will give her strength.” He wished he’d been able to do the same for Alexa.
Erik took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He visibly relaxed his muscles and sat quietly, within his own thoughts. Braden dimmed the lights in the fighter and remained quiet. Erik and Leila were both full Xylon. Their connection to each other was stronger than any he’d seen before. They would be able to feel each other’s love and take comfort in the bond. He just hoped they got to her in time, otherwise Erik would be the one to lose his mind.
* * * * *
Planet Earth, State of Colorado, U.S.A.
Underground Tracking Facility
Jaeda bit into a cracker as she stared around the break room. She hated this junk food but it was all they had. It certainly did nothing to keep up her strength. She spotted a case on the floor. It looked like the one Leila had with her. She picked it up and set it on a table. Maybe the woman had packed something useful in it besides the serum. She opened it and looked inside. Pretty much empty.
She moved aside a few remaining vials to check the bottom. Her fingers came back moist. “Darn it.” She wiped them against her uniform. One of the vials must have leaked.
“What are you doing?”
She turned to see Torque standing in the doorway. “Looking in Leila’s case to see if there was anything in it that we could use. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Anything there?” He stepped closer.
“No. Nothing but a few remaining vials. They must have been defective. I got some of the serum on my hand.”
Torque’s brow crinkled. He briefly closed his eyes. “Shit.” The word came out low but strong.
“What? I know that it’s not entirely safe for females, but I just got a little on my fingers.”
“It’s not that. It’s specifically for humans. Purebred humans. You have Xylon DNA.”
“So?”
He paced the room, shaking his head and mumbling. Her nerves slowly increased when he didn’t say anything. How bad could it be? It was just a little liquid. It didn’t contain anything lethal and she hadn’t even ingested it.
“You’re going to have to be initiated now, Jaeda.”
It took a moment for his words to register. “What?” She had to have misunderstood him.
“The serum protects humans without them having to go through the process. It works because they don’t have any Xylon genes or blood in them. All Xylons, once exposed to the chemicals—even by touch, have to go through the rite, if not already initiated. Otherwise their mind will snap.”
“Torque, I’ve got such a variety of genes in me, only a small part of which is Xylon. Certainly it can’t be enough to advers
ely affect me.”
“You’ll fare better. But all that will do is extend your ability to tolerate the chemicals. The end result will be the same if you don’t go through the initiation.”
She collapsed into a chair at the table and hung her head.
He stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “It’ll be all right. We can do this. Grady and I know the procedures. And Kirk can help because he has the chemicals inside him now.” When she didn’t say anything, he squeezed her shoulders.
“You’re not a doctor, Torque. Can’t we wait and see what happens?” she finally asked. She didn’t want to bare her body to all these men and do whatever sexual things were required in an initiation. She didn’t know the exact details of the rite, just what she’d heard as rumors.
“I’ll monitor your brainwaves. I have a small medical sensor. I think this is part of what we saw in our visions. They might have been more accurate than we even thought, given what’s happened.”
She nodded, wondering if that were truly possible. But the men she’d seen fucking her in some of the dreams fit—Torque, Grady, Kirk. She looked up at him. “Why do you have a medical sensor?”
“It’s Leila’s. I found it on the ground. She must have lost it as she crawled into the duct. I don’t know how it works completely. But I know enough to read brainwaves and to detect minor medical problems. I need to go talk to the men and fill them in. Try to get some rest on the cot in the supply room.”
“With the dead bodies in there? No thanks. They smell like rotting fish. I think the sofa in here folds out. I’ll use that.”
“I forgot about the minions’ smell. We need to pack those bodies away, I guess.” He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever happens, I’ll be right here. I’ll take care of you and make sure you’re all right.”
The sincerity in his eyes touched her heart. She believed him. But she still wondered if the initiation rite was truly necessary. She wished Leila were here. A wave of guilt washed over her. She glanced toward the supply room. When Torque turned and walked from the room, she stood and headed toward the back.
The weight on her shoulders grew heavier with each step. In addition to losing Leila and having to engage in this sexual ceremony, the Egesa knew she was down here. They knew who she was. Maybe she should just turn herself over to them. She might be able to negotiate a deal for the others’ release. Leila’s release too, if the woman still lived. Or maybe Daegal would simply kill them all.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t concentrate. She looked down at her trembling hand and wondered if her thinking process was already being affected by the serum. Others were depending on her to live and to make it out of here. She had to remember that and not do anything reckless or stupid. Still, there had to be something she could do.
* * * * *
Torque worried about leaving Jaeda alone. But at the same time, she needed the opportunity to think without anyone hovering over her. “I need to talk to you two,” he said as he approached the men. He didn’t want Grady and Kirk touching her but they had little choice now. “There’s been an accident with Jaeda.”
Kirk glanced toward the break room. “Is she all right?”
“What happened?” Grady asked, looking equally concerned.
They cared about her. Torque could see that. It would make things easier. For her. Not so much for him. “She got some of the serum in Leila’s case on her hand.”
“It’s unsafe for women,” Kirk said, his voice lowering. “I remember Brianna saying that.” He locked his gaze with Torque’s. “Even just getting some on her skin? Leila didn’t warn the female techs about that.”
“Human females won’t be affected by merely touching the serum.”
“Human females?” Grady hesitated a heartbeat then shook his head and made a sound of disbelief. “Shit. Now things make more sense. I should have known. The serum’s going to screw with Jaeda’s brainwaves, isn’t it?”
Torque nodded. “I’m afraid so.” Grady had figured it out—that Jaeda had Xylon genetics. “I’ll be able to monitor her. But I’m pretty certain we’re going to have to initiate her to save her sanity.”
Kirk shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“We don’t have the proper equipment.” Grady’s concerned look deepened.
“She won’t be fully protected or prepared for breeding. But she’ll be able to self-heal and it will balance her brainwaves,” Torque explained. “I think.”
“You’re guessing.” A frown crossed Grady’s face.
“Yeah.”
“Breeding?” Kirk asked. “Is someone going to fill me in?”
Torque took Kirk aside and explained the problem to him. The shocked look on Kirk’s face told him that the man truly had no idea about Jaeda’s genetics. He hadn’t mentioned to either man her shifter connection. He considered that information need-to-know only. And they didn’t need to know. When Torque related the steps of the initiation rite to Kirk, he protested strongly until he realized that it would be the only way to save Jaeda’s sanity and ultimately her life.
“I don’t like it either,” Torque told him. “We’ll get it done as quickly and efficiently as we can. We all care about her. It’s going to be our job to make this as easy on her as possible.”
“Will it really take all three of us?”
Grady came up behind them. “Trying to edge me out? Hell, yes, it takes three.”
“Not always.” Torque stepped back and leaned against a desk. “It’s been done with two and even one in the past, with minor help from a second.”
“Bullshit.” Grady peeled off his jacket and set it over a chair.
“I’ve seen it,” Torque continued. “But it’s not advised. And since we don’t have a healer here to monitor the situation, I think we should stick as closely as we can to tradition. I can measure her brainwaves, but not specific brain functions.”
“When do we start?” Grady asked.
Torque pushed away from the desk. “I’ll go check on Jaeda. I’ll let you know. Oh, and I need you two to reopen that heating duct. Stuff those minions in there and then seal it back up. They’re starting to smell—worse than normal.” He walked into the break room. “Jaeda?” Where was she? He headed into the supply area, which was only dimly lit, so he didn’t immediately see her. After a quick search, he found her near the bodies of the minions. “What are you doing?”
She turned. “Thinking that lies and secrets cause nothing but trouble.”
He cocked his head as he studied the look on her face. “What do you mean?” He certainly agreed with the statement but he didn’t know what it meant coming from her—if she was referring to something specific or just making a general observation.
She shook her head then rubbed her temple. “Pain, war, death, destruction of one’s whole way of life. For what? A cause?”
Torque saw her fingers tremble. “What cause? Xylon’s cause? Daegal’s cause? You’re not making a lot of sense, Jaeda.”
She kept shaking her head. But she didn’t say anything further.
He stepped forward and slid his arm across her shoulders. “It’s starting. Come back out to the control area. We’ll prepare the break room for the rite.” As they stepped out of the supply room, he closed the door then led her back to the main room. “Which one is your desk?” Something familiar should calm her.
“There.” She pointed toward a large, padded chair in front of a computer station.
He helped her into the chair then went to talk to the others. She’d said that the sofa in the break room pulled out into a bed. They’d use that instead of the cot in the supply room. He’d try to make this as easy as possible on her. The initiation rite was usually a pleasant experience, sexy and satisfying. He’d participated in more of them than he could count. This one made him nervous as hell.
* * * * *
Earth’s Orbit
Daegal’s head felt as if it were about to explode. “Fro
st? Are you sure?”
The commander in front of him nodded. “Just confirmed. Those supply ships are disguised fighters. An old Sunevian design junked decades ago. All upgraded on the inside according to our spies. And she probably has some cloaked fighters with her too. Apparently she followed us out here. She might even have been the one who destroyed those d-orbs.”
“Why? What’s that bitch want?”
“Revenge maybe?”
“Damn the whole female gender! They’re nothing but trouble.” Daegal sat behind his desk. “What about Jaeda Spargo? Do we have her yet?”
“Not yet. She’s in a secure area of the tracking facility at 38-104 and we can’t get to her or the stash of high-level items housed there. We did capture another female who was with her.”
Daegal waved his hand. “I’m not interest in anyone else. If she’s human, put her on one of the slave ships or send her to one of the slaving camps being set up on Earth. If she’s not human, kill her.”
“You’ll want this female.”
Daegal’s interest peaked and he leaned forward. “Oh?”
“It’s Leila Abdera Rhodes.”
A smile split his face. “Leila.” His smile faded. “What was she doing on Earth?”
“Unknown. But she was with Jaeda.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” He tapped the desk with his fingers while in thought. When he came to a decision, he flattened his palm atop the metal. “Bring her to me. Have our spies incapacitate Frost’s fleet from the inside. Is that Xylon ship still orbiting?”
“No, Sir. It’s been destroyed.”
“Good. Do whatever you can, short of destroying the tracking facility, to get me Jaeda Spargo. I want to use her to negotiate with the shifters.”
“Do they hold her in esteem? She’s not even a pure shifter from what I understand.”
Daegal’s eyes narrowed. “You would do better not to ask questions. Now see to my orders.”
The man stiffened and fear entered his eyes. “Yes, Sir.” He made a quick exit.
Smart man. Daegal rubbed his aching chest. He wasn’t in the habit of explaining his motives to anyone but his brother and not even him some of the time.
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