She searched his jacket and found a trans-conn. It was useless to her. She didn’t know how to reprogram it for her genetics. Before she could find his access card, the sound of heavy boots caught her attention. She jumped up and ducked around the corner, her heart pounding in her chest. Quickly, she pulled the Xylon insignias off her uniform, then strapped on the weapon. With luck, she’d appear to be a highbred assassin, which should buy her some time if anyone came across her.
A pain master passed her in the hall. She recognized the markings on his jacket. Luckily he never looked to the side as he passed the joining corridors, so he didn’t see the downed Egesa. She glanced around. No one else nearby. She followed behind him, careful not to make any noise. He headed straight to the holding area. He might even have been there for her. She squeezed through the door before it closed and blocked her access.
They must not have other prisoners in this particular area because she didn’t see any guards. He entered the processing station, removed his jacket and took a case out of a locker. She shuddered, knowing the case contained torture equipment. When he moved toward the actual holding area, she crept into the processing station and searched his jacket. Yes! She switched the Egesa trans-conn device with the pain master’s device. His would be compatible with her genetics. She could materialize down to the planet now and find the others.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around at the sound of a man’s voice. The pain master had returned. If she made a run for it, she’d be done with. He looked at her curiously, which gave her hope. He didn’t know who she was. “I, um, left my trans-conn in here.” She held it up. One looked like any other from a distance. He wouldn’t know the difference until he saw the small control panel up close. She moved her fingers below the genetic stamp to cover his unit number. “Sorry, I need to report elsewhere.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you have an insignia on your jacket?”
“I’m materializing down to the planet to do some surveillance for Daegal. Undercover.”
He nodded but didn’t quite look convinced. Before he questioned her further, she decided to get out while she could. Without another word, she turned and hurried through the door. Luckily she didn’t need an access card to exit.
Her pulse raced so fast that she thought she might faint but she rushed around the corner and ducked into a self-contained engineering post that was filled with machines. No personnel were needed and she briefly thought about trying to sabotage the ship from here but she didn’t really have the needed knowledge to ensure success. Better she get down to the planet and go from there.
* * * * *
Planet Earth, State of Colorado, U.S.A.
Underground Tracking Facility
On her back, Jaeda lay in Torque’s arms with her limbs wrapped loosely around his. Now that the initiation was over, it was just the two of them and she sensed the change in him—a softer side that he hadn’t exposed in front of the other two men.
He grazed her neck with his lips in a tender kiss. She sighed at the small tingle that traveled down her body. He eased his cock into her pussy, moving one inch at a time, until he was completely encased inside her. When he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, it felt to her as if they’d been together forever.
She lightly stroked his cheek with her fingertips. “Somehow, when we’re together, I feel like anything is possible.” Before he could respond, she pulled him closer and kissed him deeply. She needed him like no other.
Their tongues touched as they each began to move in rhythm. A slow heat built between them. She’d always felt a sense of superiority with men—for lack of a better term. Probably due to her command status. But with Torque, she felt completely comfortable with him in the lead. Something about that gave her a sense of relief, an opportunity to let go. Torque pressed even deeper and she gasped at the sensation.
When she raked her fingernails down his back, he moved his hips faster. Harder. He broke their kiss and buried his face against the side of her neck. She felt his heavy breath against her flesh. Heard it below her ear. Her own breathing increased as her sexual need grew.
“Look at me,” she whispered. She needed to see his emotions when they climaxed.
Torque raised his head and looked into her eyes. She held back the gasp that almost escaped her lips. She saw need in his gaze, but also caring and a level of tenderness she’d never witnessed before in a man’s eyes.
At that instance, her body orgasmed, sending waves of pleasure through her. She refused to break eye contact and Torque came right along with her. No words, no sounds were exchanged, only exquisite pleasure that seemed to send them adrift into another world. The climax wasn’t as explosive as some that she’d had with him. But the feeling was a binding depth of desire that she hadn’t known could exist between lovers.
When the pleasure began to subside, they both relaxed and lay together, still intertwined. For a long time, they simply enjoyed the quietness between them. Gradually Torque moved off her and turned onto his back.
Jaeda brushed a tear from her cheek. “I don’t understand this connection,” she said in a low, shaky voice. She’d had many sexual relationships. With Torque, it was more than that. It went beyond the sex. Eons beyond.
Torque reached between them and found her hand. He laced his fingers through hers. “Maybe it’s destiny.” After he said the words, he grunted as if thinking that sounded stupid.
She turned her head to look at him. “Don’t make light.”
“I’m not.” He squeezed her hand but kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling.
A groan drew their attention. Jaeda sat up and Torque followed. “I think Grady’s finally awake,” she said.
“Good. We need to get cleaned up and work out the details of the plan,” Torque said, his voice once more all business.
Jaeda nodded and headed toward the bathroom. She didn’t know what the future held but she believed in her people and Xylon’s people and the people of Earth. And she especially believed in Torque to keep them safe. Somehow they’d make it out. Somehow they’d defeat Daegal and the Egesa. They had to.
* * * * *
Nav-Control Ship FSMF-36, Earth’s Orbit
First she’d found out that Daegal had spies posted on her ship. They’d been promptly executed. Now this. Frost paced back and forth. “What do you mean Halah’s escaped? How did that happen?”
The guard looked uncomfortable as he stood before her. “A miscalculation on our part. She was more ingenious than we thought.”
“She’ll try to get down to the planet.”
“We fear she’s already done that for we can’t find her anywhere on the ship.”
Halah’s presence wasn’t required for her plans to work but Frost was not happy nevertheless. “Contact Daegal. He won’t expect to hear from me and it might shake him up enough to make him careless. It’s time to put the next phase into play. I want him dead.”
* * * * *
Earth’s Orbit
First he’d been informed of possible shifters spotted on the planet. Now this. Daegal paced back and forth. “What do you mean, Leila’s escaped? How did that happen?”
The guard looked uncomfortable as he stood before him. “A miscalculation on our part. She was more ingenious than we thought.”
“She’ll try to get down to the planet.”
“We fear she’s already done that for we can’t find her anywhere on the ship.”
Leila’s presence wasn’t required for his plans to work but Daegal was not happy nevertheless. “Contact Frost. She won’t expect to hear from me and it might shake her up enough to make her careless. It’s time to put the next phase into play. I want her dead.”
As the guard left, Daegal shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his brain. Something wasn’t right. He felt manipulated, controlled almost, which made no sense.
For the first time since Xylon’s destruction, an uneasiness crept into his thoughts. “Laszlo? Wha
t are you doing, brother?” he whispered, looking inward to try to find answers. Certainly Laszlo was too weak to use his visionary powers. It had to be something else. Someone else. “Who are you?”
After a few more injections, his strength would be completely restored and no one would ever be able to manipulate him again. Not even Laszlo, should his brother somehow survive.
But he needed to see it done before it was too late.
* * * * *
Planet Earth, State of Colorado, U.S.A.
Underground Tracking Facility
Jaeda moved around the main control room, checking monitors. They had power but the outside feeds didn’t, so all remained quiet. Suddenly, in the silence, her comm device beeped. She jumped. She, Torque and Kirk all looked at it at the same time. Grady sat in a chair across from them, holding his head, not quite recovered yet. She grabbed the unit off her belt. “I thought all communications were still down,” she said to Kirk.
He checked the system. “They are.”
She looked at the readout and recognized the channel. Her people. She clicked a button. “Tá.”
They spoke in their native language, which she doubted anyone in the room understood. The Xylon’s auto-translator system would normally convert the language but they’d created a modified version for security purposes. She glanced at Torque as she listened and noticed a frown cross his face as he tried to decipher the words.
“How are you transmitting when all communications are down?” she asked the commander, still speaking in their modified code.
“Some of our people have taken control of an interferometer on the planet. We made some modifications to it and added our own external power source, which has allowed us to transmit over this channel. Are you well, Cuini?”
“Tá. But we are trapped in the control area of the tracking facility. Can you get us out if we turn off the facility’s shield?”
“Not at this time. After we materialized the crew down to the location of the interferometer, we suffered a circuitry burn and stabilizer breakdown. We’re working on a fix now. However, we have news. We are scanning Xylon Warriors on the ground. They are headed to your location but have repeatedly been beaten back by Egesa troops.”
Grady’s people, she was certain. Torque’s sister might even be among them by now. “What is the status of the planet?”
“Earth’s military has scored some minor victories, but have also sustained major casualties.”
“Any sign of Xylon Warrior fleets on the way?”
“Not yet. But we are monitoring the space channels for transmissions the best we can. One Xylon ship that was already in orbit has been destroyed. We have also detected another set of fighters, several of which are masquerading as supply ships. Their actions have been erratic. They destroyed the d-orbs sent to Earth. They may have also destroyed the Xylon ship. Or perhaps it was one of the sting fighters that obliterated it. We are unsure at the moment and I am waiting for confirmation.”
Jaeda’s stomached clenched. Her gaze briefly met Torque’s.
“What?” he asked, apparently reading her distress.
She waved her hand, not wanting to answer. Not now.
“What are your orders, Cuini? Do we engage?”
“Take no action at this time. We do not have the firepower to take on an orbital battle on our own. Wait and hope for Xylon Warrior fleets to arrive. Continue to monitor through this channel. Once the system is fixed and we are cleared for transport, signal me. I’ll want you to materialize myself and all Xylon markers within my immediate range to the ship.” That would get her, Torque, and Grady to safety. She glanced at Kirk. “One human male is among us. Include him also. I will check in when I can.”
“Understood.”
She clicked off the transmit button but left the scan-function on the channel open for monitoring. She turned toward the group, who was staring at her. Even Grady.
“What the hell happened to me?” Grady asked. “I didn’t understand one word of what you were saying.” He tapped his ear.
“Neither did I,” Torque said. He laid a hand on Grady’s shoulder. “You’re fine. You had a reaction to the serum and I had to knock you out. That’s all. There seems to be a few side effects to it that we didn’t know about.”
“Did I miss the initiation?”
Torque smiled. “Yeah. Too bad.” He turned to Jaeda. “Want to explain things to him? Kirk too.”
She nodded. “I, um, have a few ships orbiting Earth right now. Rebel warships. Anti-government. Just a small force. No match for the Egesa on our own.”
“What the hell is she talking about?” Grady asked, looking at Torque.
“I’m a shifter,” Jaeda answered.
Grady’s gaze snapped back to her and his brow furrowed. “A shifter? Fuck.”
“Like a shapeshifter?” Kirk asked with wide eyes.
“Yes,” she answered. “I’m fighting against the oppression of the shifter government, their control over the people. With my diverse background and resources, Laszlo knew that I could help save Earth from the Egesa and help to destroy Daegal by filtering needed information to the proper sources and by manipulating certain military forces. In return for me being part of Project ACE, he promised help to my rebel alliance.”
“What did they say to you?” Torque asked. “Can they get us out of here?”
“Not at this time. The stabilizer on the transport is down. They’ll remain cloaked and in contact until your Xylon Warriors arrive.”
“Warriors are confirmed on the way?” Torque questioned.
“They haven’t detected any yet, but they’re watching for them. They did say that Grady’s warriors are headed this way but are encountering interference from Egesa troops. Probably when he didn’t check in with them, they realized that something was wrong. They also said that Earth has scored some victories against the Egesa. There’s hope.” Just like Torque had said.
“So what’s our next move?” Grady asked.
“Though we’re trapped in here, we’re not useless. We’re going to help in the fight.” Torque paced, obviously gathering his thoughts. “How much and what kind of weaponry is in the armory? When I was in there, I wasn’t allowed complete access. Is there anything other than hand weapons?”
“Like what?” Kirk asked.
“Like a space laser or anything that can penetrate into the outer atmosphere.”
“Sure,” Jaeda said. “But we can’t get to it.”
“What are you thinking, Torque?” Grady asked, his eyes clearing.
“If we can destroy Daegal’s base ship, the Egesa will be on their own. No leader. No orders. They won’t know what to do.”
Grady shook his head. “Some highbred assassin or Egesa Commander will just take over.”
“But they’ll be in chaos, in the interim, while they’re trying to regroup. If we can coordinate the destruction with the ground attacks and the support from Xylon and Jaeda’s shifters, it will squash their masses. Daegal needs the humans for their spinal fluid so that he and his brother can continue to rule. The Egesa don’t need the humans. The assassins don’t. Without Daegal, whoever is left will most likely bug out.”
“There’s something I found out when I was talking to my people.” Jaeda hesitated as she looked at Torque. “You need to know.” She couldn’t keep the information from him. “The ship you arrived in has been destroyed.”
She noted the slight change in his eyes then he turned and slammed his fist against the wall. Everyone jumped but said nothing. She approached him and laid a hand on his back. “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even acknowledge that she’d spoken. After a moment, he drew in an audible breath and turned. “We need to get to the armory. Once tracking and communications are restored, we’ll coordinate the attack. Kirk! We need the internal videos functional to see what the Egesa are doing and where they’re at. And find an additional power source however you can. We may need it.”
; “I’ll get you what you need.”
He stepped around Jaeda. “Grady, how much handheld firepower do we have with us?”
“Two disruptors. But they’re spent.”
“What about your weapon, Jaeda?” Torque asked.
“Unfortunately when I checked it, I saw that it had been damaged. Probably in the duct. It’s useless.”
Torque thought a moment. “The two dead Egesa. They were armed, right?”
“Yeah,” Grady said. “But it’s Marid technology. Their weapons don’t work for us.”
“Thank you, Halah,” Torque said, walking toward the back.
Grady and Jaeda followed. “What does that mean?” Jaeda asked. “Where are you going?”
“We learned how to work the Marid weapons on a recent mission. Their new models. My own disruptor is one of those, taken from a downed soldier. They just have a hidden safety. It has nothing to do with genetics.”
“Since when?” Grady asked.
“I don’t know exactly. Like I said, it’s a new model.”
Grady rushed over beside Torque and helped him clear the containers in front of the tube. They’d uncovered the duct and stuffed the bodies back into the heating line to try to control the smell.
“Oh, that’s rank!” Jaeda complained, covering her nose.
“They smell bad alive, worse dead, and even worse the deader they get.” Grady pulled out one body.
Torque pulled out the next then checked the creature’s belt. He grabbed the disruptor from the minion’s holster. “Yep. It’s a new model.”
Grady checked the other body. “Here’s another one. Is it a new model too? They look just like they always did. Identical to ours.”
Depths Of Desire XW5 Page 18