Depths Of Desire XW5

by Ruth D. Kerce

“Dead?” she questioned. “A dead prize has no value.” Her stomach churned, thinking about this man fucking her.

  The other man stood and strolled toward her. He sat across from her. A low fire burned between them. “Sit. We wait for Belkor.”

  “Belkor?” The more she knew the better, so she intended to ask as many questions as she could without angering them.

  “He is the other who helped me take care of you. He searches for more Xylons.”

  Tara felt relief and concern at the same time. The unpleasant male scowling at her hadn’t been one of her original captors after all. But now she worried about the others, knowing that someone was still looking for them. Though she’d never indicated the presence of other Xylons, the Def’mal were smarter than she’d anticipated and they knew someone else was down here and had been with her.

  “You waste your time,” she said, hoping to convince them.

  “Time will tell.” He handed her a water bottle and a chunk of bread. “Eat and drink. You must keep up your strength. You still are not completely healed.”

  “Maybe we should fuck her,” the other one said.

  “Fuck yourself,” she whispered under her breath.

  The Def’mal lunged forward and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet. The first man shot to his feet and pulled the other one away from her. Tara stumbled backward. He’d reacted so quickly that she hadn’t had time to react herself.

  “Touch her again and I shall kill you.” He pushed the man away. “Go. Find Belkor and tell him to stop searching for now. I wish to speak with him and make plans.”

  “You believe the Xylon bitch’s words? If so, you are a fool.”

  “Follow my orders!”

  “The elders will hear of this. You and Belkor overstep your boundaries. I will follow your orders. But you must also follow theirs or you will face banishment. Remember my words.” He turned and stomped off, disappearing into the darkness.

  The Def’mal sighed and sat back down.

  Tara sat also and studied the man in front of her. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of compassion for him. Deserving or not, she wasn’t sure. He continued to help her though and that was something she couldn’t ignore. “What did he mean? Banishment?”

  “The elders are aware of your presence. The woman we sent to you was untrustworthy. It was my mistake. She reported that we had found you. When she led the elders to your location, you had already gone. They also know that you are of the Koll family line and thus a good prisoner that they can use to bargain with to get the clan what we need to better survive. If they discover that I found you again and am purposely hiding you, they will banish me from here and from the clan.”

  “Bargain with who? Nobody is left.” No one could possibly know that Laszlo and her family still lived.

  “We have seen the Xylon rescue ships. Soon they will be able to land. We fight the Egesa alone until the warriors arrive. As a surviving Koll, you will be a commodity to whoever is left. One of their last high-ranking commanders. I do not know how long I can protect you.”

  “Just because I’m a Koll, it doesn’t mean that I’m valuable to the cause. And I’m not a commander. Not even close anymore.”

  He cocked a heavy eyebrow at her. “Not anymore? What does that mean, Tara?”

  “I tend not to listen to authority. I like to do things my own way. I was punished for it and my authority was downgraded.”

  He chuckled. “In that, we are similar, my feisty one.”

  His easy manner relaxed her. “Why are you protecting me and risking banishment from your kind?”

  A man stepped out of the darkness. “I found no Xylons.”

  Tara jumped in surprise. She hadn’t even heard him approach. The Def’mal moved so stealthily, like wild animals. It was unnerving. She recognized his voice though. Yes, this definitely was the other man who’d been kind to her. Belkor.

  “Where is Genok? He went looking for you.”

  “I did not see him. But I knew you would camp here.”

  “As I hoped you would look here for us. It is a familiar place with supplies.”

  Belkor looked down at her. “I see you found our little yunep in health. This is good. She should not have left our care.”

  “She understands us now, so heed your words. And, in truth, it was we who left her.”

  “Only temporarily. How does she understand us?”

  “My translator came back online.” That was as much as she wanted to say.

  “Someone has been helping her as we suspected, but she refuses to acknowledge such. I fear Genok will go to the elders and tell them that she has been found.”

  Belkor nodded. “Then we should move her now. We do not mean your people harm, Tara. But if they are caught by the others, it will not go well for them.”

  She thought on his words. Would they be better off if she told them everything? She didn’t know. One thing that Braden had taught her was when unsure of what to do, then don’t do anything. Wait and the correct path will reveal itself. So, for now, she said nothing.

  * * * * *

  Planet Earth, State of Colorado, U.S.A.

  Underground Tracking Facility

  Someone cleared his throat and Jaeda looked toward the door.

  Torque turned his head, following her gaze. “What do you want, Grady?” he asked.

  “We’re ready to go.”

  Jaeda looked over Torque’s shoulder. “Give us a few minutes.”

  He nodded and disappeared.

  They both sat up on the side of the bed. They’d cleaned up earlier and opened the door but had then lay back down just to be close and hold each other. She never would have thought of Torque as the type to cuddle. She gave out a little snort of laughter.

  “What?” he asked as he adjusted his clothing.

  “Nothing. I was just thinking what an odd situation we’re in.” Which was the truth. She felt better now that they had a plan. But working away from her crew, both the shifters and her Earth coworkers made her uneasy. At least Kirk was here. And it had probably saved his life. She hoped the others—the ones who helped her run the control room and this facility—weren’t dead. Even if enslaved, as long as they lived, there was a chance to free them.

  Once they penetrated the armory, there would be more of them and they’d be better able to protect themselves from harm and a complete takeover. If they could also help the warriors defeat the Egesa, all the better.

  She got herself prepared and followed Torque out to the control room to join the others. “So, let’s go over it and make sure we’re all in agreement,” she said.

  Kirk nodded. “You and Torque will climb up to the armory level here.” He pointed to a spot on the blueprint.

  “Wait,” she interrupted. “I thought I was going up alone. Then the rest of you would follow after it’s clear.”

  “You’re not going alone,” Torque said. “If we didn’t need you to identify us, you wouldn’t be going at all.”

  “Don’t get all male protective on me, Torque. I’m the only one whom those guys up there know, except for Kirk, and he needs to stay here to engage the explosives. If the soldiers see you, they’ll shoot first and listen later.”

  “They’re not going to see me until after you tell them we’re clear. Go ahead, Kirk.”

  “Okay. When you reach the level, you’ll signal Grady, who will signal me. I’ll set off a series of three explosions. You’ll blow the sealed door after you hear the second explosion. The Egesa will think all the explosions are from the external charges or the facility crumbling due to them. It should also distract the armory soldiers for the few seconds that you’ll need to identify yourself.”

  “Or it’ll get them so worked up that they’ll fire at will.” Grady grumbled a curse under his breath. “But provided this plan somehow does work, once it’s clear, I’ll follow you up. Then Kirk.”

  Torque’s brow furrowed. “When we blow that door, if there’s anyone too close on the other
side—”

  “Doubtful,” Kirk interrupted. “It’s located in their storage area, like ours.”

  “It’ll work,” Jaeda said. “The priority is making sure that the Egesa don’t know what we’re doing. Anything else, we can handle. We’ll let you know when it’s safe. But, Kirk, you and Grady need to stay down here, at least initially, in case we need added support from control. Grady can be the go-between.”

  “I’m not an errand boy. I’m higher in grade than Torque. Let him stay down here.”

  Torque clapped his shoulder. “My rank has been temporarily reinstated and I carry Laszlo’s command insignia. You’re a Class 1, not a commander. That means I’m making the decisions. Now follow orders or I’ll beat the shit out of you. Again.” His fingers visibly tightening.

  Grady pulled away and rubbed his jaw. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”

  “Noted. Let’s go, Jaeda.”

  She followed Torque back to the supply room. Grady followed on their heels.

  Once there, Torque grabbed one of the Egesa weapons and set it on high. Then he stepped over to the hole in the wall and looked down. “Don’t look down.” He looked up the shaft, then held out his arm. “You first.”

  “Good luck,” Grady said and the sincerity shone in his eyes.

  “Thanks.” She stepped over to the hole and climbed through, grabbing onto the side ladder. She wrapped one arm around the back. If her front hand slipped, she could hopefully prevent herself from falling. Torque followed after her and they slowly ascended.

  Without the direct light from the supply room, the shaft grew darker as they climbed higher. A few emergency lights were still functional, just enough to keep her from feeling completely engulfed by darkness.

  “You’re slowing down,” Torque said from beneath her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, just being careful. If I fall, it’s both our asses because I’d probably knock you off too.”

  “You’re not going to fall. And if you did, I’d catch you.”

  Right. Not likely possible, but his words held some comfort for her. “What if your people don’t arrive to help? Our plan kind of hinges on that.”

  “They’ll be here. We’ve already gotten partial grid comm signals, which means they’re alive and well. Besides, Leila said that she sensed they were headed this way.”

  “Sensed?”

  “Through the branded connection with her mate. He’s a fleet leader.”

  “I hope she’s right. Get ready. It’s only a couple of more floors.” She felt Torque climbing closer to her now. Her heart began to thud in her chest. She didn’t know how much time had elapsed. It couldn’t have been too long, but somehow it felt forever. Then, in the shadows, she saw the reflective number on the sealed door. “We’re here.”

  “All right. I’m coming up behind you. Don’t move.” Torque climbed up behind her, secured himself and took out the disruptor. He looked down the shaft. “Grady, we’re ready! Keep your head down,” he told her. “When I blow the door, shit is going to fly everywhere.”

  “Kirk, set off the charges!”

  Jaeda barely heard Grady’s order. Torque pushed himself tighter against her. The first blast went off and the shaft rattled. Torque aimed the gun and as the second blast rocked the building, he fired on the door. It exploded inward but quite a bit of debris also flew into the shaft. A large chunk hit Torque on the shoulder.

  “Ow!” The force of the hit rocked him off balance. He slipped and dropped his weapon. “Shit.”

  Jaeda grabbed the shoulder of his jacket as he grabbed one of the rungs to stop himself from falling. His weight about pulled her arm out of its socket. The disruptor clanked down the shaft, firing as it descended.

  “Damn, the lock must have jammed,” Torque replied. “It shouldn’t fire at will like that.”

  She heard Grady yell something—a curse, she thought. She hoped he hadn’t been hit. Then a third blast jarred them, not as strongly as the other two, but enough to rattle her teeth.

  “Get out of there!” Grady shouted.

  Jaeda looked down, hearing him clearly this time. Beyond Torque, she saw a large fireball coming at them. “Oh hell.” She climbed as fast as she could, with Torque close behind. She heard yelling above them.

  “Stop right there or we’ll shoot!”

  The soldiers. “It’s Jaeda Spargo. Commander Koll is with me. He’s an ally. Don’t fire!”

  “Go, Jaeda, go!” Torque shouted.

  “Stand down,” one of the soldiers ordered. “You’re clear,” he said into the shaft, reaching for her hand. His eyes widened as he looked past her. “Oh shit. Fire in the hull!” He yanked her onto the floor.

  Torque followed behind and they all rolled to the side as the fireball shot up and through the door. Other soldiers ducked just in time. The fire seared the walls around them. The automatic sprinkler system clicked on and doused them all with water. Then as quickly as it all happened, the event was over and they all simply lay there breathing heavily.

  Torque stood up first. He slipped slightly on the wet floor then rebalanced himself and pulled up Jaeda. The remaining soldiers stood and steadied themselves then turned to stare at them.

  Jaeda looked at the bedraggled men. Five of them that she could see. “Is this all of you?”

  One of the men stepped forward. “I’m ranking soldier here, ma’am. Most were caught outside the door when the attack occurred, including the chief. When those creatures showed up, the alarms sounded and everything shut down automatically. We’re still functional for the most part but we’re all grunts here and aren’t trained, beyond the basics, on the heavy equipment. So we’re really glad to see you.” He eyed Torque suspiciously as if not sure about trusting him. “The facility is being bombed. What do we do?”

  “It was just a diversion, so we could blast through to the armory without the Egesa knowing that we’re here or figuring out what we’re doing. Commander Koll can operate the heavy guns. Isn’t that right, Torque?”

  “No doubt. Show me what you’ve got.”

  The soldier seemed to relax and nodded. “This way.” He led them through a door and into a large, open area with various sections that housed the different onsite weapons.

  After Torque toured the cache, he frowned. “Is this all?”

  “We’ve been trying to pick off those small fighters with the IDM missiles. Little to no luck with those,” the soldier told him. “We’ve had slightly more success with the surface-to-air, rapid-firing rockets. But there are too many ships and we’ve hardly made a dent.”

  Torque looked around. He walked over to a super-large firing tube. He touched the metal and studied the controls. “What about this?”

  “That’s not a weapon. Well, not an attack weapon. It’s a laser used to push asteroids into a new orbit. It’s slow to aim and maneuver, so not much use on those fighters.”

  “I’m not interested in the fighters. I want to shoot down the fucking mother ship.”

  “You’d need exact coordinates, Sir. Unfortunately, our tracking computer is offline. And you’d need an additional energy supply. Our main source is almost tapped out. There’s not enough power left to feed into that system.”

  “Jaeda! Find out if Kirk located an alternate energy source. And can your people get us the coordinates of Daegal’s ship? I’ll need to hit the power core in their engineering section for this to work.” It was hell of a bad luck that the shifter’s splitter ship wasn’t powerful enough to take down Daegal. But this monstrosity might just do the job. If they could take out Daegal’s ship, the Egesa would be plunged into chaos just as he’d planned. While vulnerable, and before they could reorganize, the Xylon fleets, along with Jaeda’s ships, could attack in force and destroy them all.

  Jaeda looked at the laser weapon. “Once you redirect energy into this thing, and if Daegal is scanning for concentrated power sources, it will register big-time.”

  “Can your people provide a diversion?”

 
; Jaeda took the comm device off her belt. “We’ll see.” She stepped away and spoke to her contact. A few minutes later she returned and handed him the coordinates he needed. “When we’re ready, they’ll send down some pre-programmed drones to shoot out the oil refineries recently established at both poles.”

  “Daegal’s not going to fucking care about oil refineries.”

  “All we need is a small window of confusion. The explosions will register and draw the Egesa’s resources and attention in opposite directions, even if just for a brief moment. You’ll have one shot at this, Torque. If you miss or if it doesn’t work, they’ll most likely destroy this facility, regardless of the information and technology it holds. I’m headed down to talk to Kirk about the additional power source.”

  “Shit. This better work.” He turned toward the soldier. “Help me get this fucker set up and ready to fire.”

  * * * * *

  Leila had ducked behind some rocks near the tracking facility when the explosions started. It was currently surrounded by Egesa who now looked in a panic as they ran back and forth. From their reaction, she got the feeling that they hadn’t been the ones who set off the charges.

  She feared a lot was going on inside the facility. And it couldn’t be good. But there was no way she would be able to get back inside. “Now what?” She didn’t know the location of the warrior substation in the area and her vid-cell wasn’t working. At least she’d gotten away from Daegal and she was alive. But she didn’t know how to get in contact with anyone who could help.

  “Leila!” a voice whispered urgently.

  Shocked to hear her name, she spun around. A familiar face. “Halah?” She rushed over to the woman and they hugged. As if realizing their actions odd, since they were far from friends, they separated quickly and stepped back. “Sorry. I was just surprised to see you. Daegal said the ship was destroyed. I thought you were dead.”

  “Daegal? You spoke to him? Are the others still inside the facility? What the hell is going on?”

  “I was captured and transported up to Daegal’s ship but I managed to get away. I think Torque is still in the facility from what Daegal said. He told me our ship had been destroyed.”