Subdued

by Sara Fields

  “This way,” Tavik whispered to me quietly, rushing us along.

  My men hurried down street after street, until we reached what looked like the old City Hall. Quickly, we hurried up the stairs, rushing through the broken wooden doors hanging off their hinges. Once inside the building, we ran through a nearby door and into the stairwell. The stairs looked rather industrial, but new, as if they’d recently been installed. It was a little dark though and my eyes took some time to adjust.

  Tavik pointed down the stairs and we all followed in silence.

  Once we descended several levels, we approached what looked like an elevator. Tavik led us inside and then, the doors closed us in. He entered a code into a keypad on the wall and the elevator powered on, vibrating quietly to life. It began to move. I looked around nervously as the machinery descended deep into the Earth.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “This is the main underground center of the Resistance,” Tavik explained. “They’ve been building here for some time, using Vakarran technology as well as other alien knowledge to build a safe place for those joining the fight.”

  My mouth dropped open in surprise.

  “My sisters helped build this?”

  “Yes. Alaina began the process with the help of the Second Battalion. Through the use of dark cyber and other network connections, they began gathering humans, Vakarrans, and other alien species that have been wronged by the Vakarran army and Commander Nix. Those that would join the fight.”

  The elevator stopped and then, the door opened. Quietly, we exited, entering a long hallway. It was dark and there were small red lights that lit the way, spaced even throughout the ceiling. Eventually, we reached a single thick steel door all the way at the end. Once again, Tavik typed in a code on the keypad. He then placed his palm over top of an adjacent screen and then I watched as a dim red light scanned his entire hand.

  I heard a deep rumble in the walls, a low vibration echoing around us and then, the door began to slide open. I realized it was galvanized steel, several feet thick.

  “Reinforced with the same steel used to build Vakarran ships. Impermeable to bombs of any kind and strong against any kind of gunfire, laser, or even anti-matter attack. Once this door is closed, no one is getting in unless we want them to,” Zane explained further.

  Or out, I thought nervously. Feeling uneasy, I followed despite my misgivings.

  Now or never, I was going to find out the truth.

  In the next few minutes, I was going to see my sisters or be condemned for the rest of my life. I looked back over my four Vakarrans. I trusted them.

  We entered the door and once inside, it rattled close behind us. Ahead of me was a thick metal rail and I slowly approached it. I looked down, gasping to see at least ten stories descending into the Earth. It was as though I was at the top of a large bowl-shaped amphitheater, and down at the very bottom was a gathering place of sorts, with couches, seats, and lounge chairs of all kinds. I watched as humans, Vakarrans, and other various aliens of every color mingled together.

  As I observed the entirety of the underground bunker, my uneasiness began to fade. Instead, it was replaced with a sense of astonishment. I was impressed.

  Tavik took my hand and led me to a spiral staircase. We descended all the way to the ground floor and exited the sitting room and then headed down a large hallway. At the end was another steel door like the one we’d already passed, only this one was swung wide open. We entered and that’s when I saw them.

  Alaina. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed calm beauty.

  Danika. Wild brunette hair, wavy and untamed.

  Both of them surrounded by eight large Vakarran men.

  Behind me, my men pushed me forward. I cleared my throat. Alaina and Danika both turned toward me. Alaina’s eyes crinkled with relief and glee, remaining stoic and calm as she smiled broadly back at me. Danika, ever the wild one, shrieked with excitement and ran to me, capturing me in a hug that left my ribs begging for mercy.

  “I promised the safe return of your sister, and here she is,” Tavik reported.

  “Good,” a blue-eyed Vakarran stepped forward and responded. Alaina placed her hand on his shoulder and grinned.

  “This is Ryder,” she said, before pointing to three others, “Davon. Morgn and Aarom. These four are the Second Battalion. The five of us founded the Resistance.” I watched her as she gazed back at them, her eyes warm. She seemed stronger, surer of herself than I remembered and that made me happy. The hint of a smile on her lips, the soft pink blush on her cheeks, and the way her body curled toward them made me stop for a moment. The one she’d introduced as Aarom reached for her, tracing his fingers along her arm and I knew then that they weren’t just comrades, they were lovers. All five of them.

  Danika reluctantly let go of me and took a few steps back. She then pointed to the other four Vakarrans.

  “This is the Third Battalion. Roan, Taraik, Zac, and Xandaar,” she replied excitedly as the one called Roan placed a hand on her shoulder. I narrowed my eyes, studying their interactions as well. It didn’t take long for me to conclude that the five of them were more than friends too. Even her wild streak had calmed, and I wondered if her men had something to do with that.

  “This place is incredible,” I murmured, momentarily stunned at my observations.

  “It was an old government nuclear bunker. At least, that’s what it started as. We expanded it and gave it a number of upgrades,” Alaina explained softly.

  “We’ve missed you so much,” Danika whispered, her voice giving way to the emotions she was carefully hiding beneath her tough facade. Her eyes glinted with unshed tears of joy and I smiled in her direction. I saw Tavik look between the three of us and then, he approached Ryder.

  “We should talk somewhere and let our women reconnect with each other,” Tavik said to him. My heart warmed at his words. He’d said our women.

  “Agreed. Let’s head to the strategy room and regroup,” Ryder replied curtly. “Alaina, why don’t you show Kaela around. Give her a proper welcome to the Resistance.” He smiled gently, and she nodded, her lips curling up in a soft smile.

  All of the Vakarrans left the room, leaving me and my sisters to ourselves. At that point, I couldn’t hold it together anymore.

  My sisters were alive, and I’d found them once again. I could hardly contain my joy.

  I ran to them and the three of us grabbed each other in a massive hug. Tears of relief prickled at the corners of my eyes and there was little I could do to fight them as they slowly rolled down my cheeks.

  “I thought I’d never see you again,” I muttered, my voice thick with emotion. I squeezed them tight and their fingers dug into my skin too, almost as if they couldn’t bear to let me go either. “Why didn’t you send for me sooner?” I asked them.

  “I didn’t want to put you in danger until we were secure. Neither did Danika. We didn’t send for you until we were sure it was safe for you here. For all of us. When we were ready, we sent the Fourth Battalion for you, knowing they were strong, loyal men to our cause,” Alaina responded.

  “The only thing missing is Kira,” Danika replied and the three of us were quiet for some time. It was obvious that we all missed our eldest sister, but there was little we could do to get her back, even with all the tools at our disposal here.

  Alaina squeezed our shoulders.

  “All data suggests she’s still safe on the Starrider. Davon has been in intermittent contact with the First Battalion. They’ve been unable to secure a mission or passage off of the main ship, likely because Nix wants to keep Kira where he can keep her under constant watch. Bastard wants her for himself,” Alaina replied.

  “We’ll get her back,” Danika said, her voice strong and resolute. The three of us nodded in agreement. Somehow, we’d figure something out.

  “I’m so happy to be with you two again,” I murmured and the three of us pressed our foreheads together. The sense of relief and joy that passed over me then was
powerful. We remained quiet for a while, just enjoying each other’s company before I pulled back to look at the two of them.

  Alaina, the second oldest of us, with long blonde hair that shone under the light of the sun. Her sapphire blue eyes contained both wisdom and courage, two things I’d always aspired to achieve in my own right. Her rosy lips curved up in a delicate smile and her eyes crinkled softly around the edges. She was truly happy to see me, as I was to see her.

  Danika was just a little bit older than me. She brushed her wild, untamable reddish-brown locks over her shoulder and winked. She’d always been the troublemaker amongst the four of us and her expression now confirmed that she was still the same.

  I sighed happily with relief.

  “Well, now that I’m here, why don’t you show me around? I’d kill for a strong cup of coffee too, if you have that sort of thing,” I said with a grin. I let go of my sisters and wiped away my tears of happiness at finding them alive, unharmed, and safe.

  “I bet we’ve got some tequila around here instead,” Danika offered. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Yeah. That’s good too,” I replied, grinning so hard my face hurt.

  We spent the next several hours catching up on the events of the past year, while my sisters showed me all of the underground facility. Alaina explained how the ceiling of the bunker was protected by a thick reinforced ceiling that was impervious to any type of bomb that the Vakarran cavalry had in their possession. In its inactivated form, it protected a mile radius, but when powered on by the Earth’s core, it expanded to a four-mile diameter. It was a vital aspect of the bunker to survival, especially for when Nix and his army inevitably arrived.

  There was a weapons room stuffed to capacity. In addition, there were vast sleeping quarters and enough supplies to last for a long time in the event of a siege. One of Alaina’s mates, Davon, had begun to cast his net within dark cyber when this place was first founded, and reinforcements had arrived in droves. Since its beginnings, the Resistance had grown from Alaina and her four men to several thousand in size. It seemed that throughout space, the Vakarran army had amassed a number of enemies and they were eager for revenge, including a large number of Vakarran defectors. In order to house all of their numbers, they’d built a second bunker on the outskirts of the city, which strengthened their position, especially if either location became compromised in battle.

  We came to a large cafeteria and I was overjoyed to see a vast quantity of what looked like really good food. Licking my lips, I saw all kinds of meat, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and bread. My mouth watered in excitement.

  As we sat in the cafeteria eating a large plate of spaghetti, I looked around at the diversity gathered around me. Aliens of blue and green, a number of human women as well as men, and large groups of Vakarrans ate together in peace. It was both startling and heartwarming to see. I admired my sisters’ work. I was proud of them for what they had built together. I couldn’t wait to really be a part of it.

  “What you’ve done here is incredible,” I whispered, and Alaina smiled. She demurely shook her head and answered, “I had a lot of help. If it wasn’t for my men, I never would have been able to accomplish any of this.”

  “Yeah. Alaina did a lot before I arrived, but we’ve grown a lot since then,” Danika added, before pulling a flask out of her pocket. “Just like old times?” she asked.

  I grabbed the flask from her hand and took a large swig. Danika laughed loudly, and I passed the bottle to Alaina, who sighed, before taking a sip herself, only a bit more daintily. She grinned and rolled her eyes.

  “You’ve been saving that for when Kaela got back, haven’t you?” Alaina pressed, her voice light with amusement.

  “Yup,” Danika replied, winking in my direction. “Always got to keep on top of corrupting your little sister, ya know? Right, Kaela?”

  “Indeed,” I laughed.

  We finished our meal, and the rest of the contents of the flask, spending what felt like hours talking about our experiences over the past year. I learned that Alaina was captured by her men, who’d abandoned their posts in the military in order to stay with her and keep her alive. Then, Danika explained how her Vakarrans rescued her from a terrible group of evil human men, only to be captured by Nix after that. Her Vakarrans then attacked and freed her from Nix and brought her here, where she’d helped to free a vast number of humans suffering under his custody.

  Eventually, I told them my story and by the time I finished, both Alaina and Danika were vowing revenge on Nix too. My skin buzzed from the alcohol and I knew my sisters were feeling it too, their eyes bright and hopeful.

  “We’ll make sure he dies, together,” Alaina vowed. I nodded in agreement. Apart, we were strong in our own right, but put us together? We would be unstoppable.

  When we were feeling a little less tipsy, the three of us entered a side corridor, which expanded into a large open room.

  “Whoa, this is huge,” I said.

  “This is our training center, where resistance members can battle against holographs, whether it be hand to hand combat or practicing accuracy with knives, laser guns, and bombs,” Danika explained. I looked around in awe. The arena was large, leaving room for plenty of people to practice, but the holograms were what really caught my attention. Bright red spheres came together in the shape of a human form. They were fast, incredibly agile, and strong.

  It was engrossing to watch as human women, men, and aliens alike trained together in a single room, some against each other and some against the holograms. Danika pointed to a series of names and numbers on the stone wall and I began to study them, displayed in a yellow light.

  “The holograms automatically measure and assess each combatant. There are rankings projected over there onto the wall, mostly for assessing improvement over time. The top ten are listed in terms of strength and precision, as well as time. Humans and Vakarrans are kept to separate lists for differences in physical capabilities of course, but it’s proven to be a fun and effective method to train everyone. The top ten contestants get special rewards, like a special dessert or a few extra hours of sleep time. Number one gets a single request. We provide whatever they want, as long as it’s in our power,” Danika explained.

  Wow. This was really cool.

  The longer I stood there and watched, the more I wanted to take part. Ever since last night, after I’d spent some time with my men, my strength had returned. My vision was heightened, as was my hearing. I was feeling stronger than ever, thanks to whatever was happening to my body.

  I was always up for a challenge, but I couldn’t pass this up. I felt like I was ready for battle and I wanted to test my skills. Plus, with my heightened senses and strength, what did I have to lose?

  “I’d like to try,” I said.

  Chapter Twelve

  Caleb

  Time to get down to business. This was war.

  I followed Tavik into the boardroom, along with the Zane, Valdus, and the members of the Second and Third Battalions. We all sat down around the thick cement table and Ryder called the meeting to order.

  We’d left Kaela behind with her sisters, but I missed her already. The two of us had become close and she wasn’t only my lover, she was also my friend. What Nix had done to her had pissed me off more than anything. Given the chance, I’d rip his tongue from his throat, right before I slashed him clean in two.

  The leader of the Second Battalion, Ryder, cleared his throat.

  “What have we missed since we’ve been gone?” Tavik asked.

  Ryder gave us an updated report on the information that Davon had been able to gather on dark cyber since we’d been gone. The Starrider’s location. The numbers we were likely to face, what kind of artillery.

  Roan, the commander of the Third Battalion, updated us on the gathering of supplies and I was impressed at the weaponry at our disposal, including an impressive increase in the number of ships, as well as ultraviolet, laser, and anti-matter bombs. We had enough gun
s and combat gear to outfit the entirety of the Resistance, gathered by shipments garnered by our supporters. Since I’d last been here, our number of allies, both here on the ground and in space, had increased two-fold.

  Next, it was our turn. Tavik debriefed them on the events of our mission to retrieve Kaela. The other battalions were quiet as he spoke, clear evidence of their respect for him. I was proud to serve under him.

  Tavik explained our run-in with Nix and his men. Everyone at the table was concerned when they heard that Nix had landed on Earth already and they pressed Tavik for details on Nix’s arrival.

  But, when he got to the part where Kaela had been taken hostage, he paused for a long moment before starting to speak again. Tavik could hardly contain his fury as he described what had happened to her. Zane, Valdus, and I all gritted our teeth. We had wanted revenge before all that had happened, but now, we wanted to tear him apart, limb by limb. When Tavik was finished, the room was quiet for a long time until the leader of the Third Battalion began to speak.

  “We have to be prepared. Nix could choose to attack any day and we have to be ready,” Roan said and the rest of us nodded in agreement.

  We spent hours strategizing over reports and didn’t leave the room until well after dinnertime. We talked about various attacks plans, be it offensive or defensive depending on Nix’s next move. Finally, we ventured out of the boardroom with a solid battle plan, using all the resources we’d gathered within it.

  Immediate preparations were started, and direct orders were given to commanding soldiers. We’d be ready for battle within hours and we’d remain ready, no matter what happened.

  Already, I missed Kaela and I wanted her back in my arms, better yet bare assed and ready for me to fuck. I licked my lips and grinned, catching Zane’s knowing grin.

  “Alaina and her sisters are in the training room. Apparently, Kaela has decided to enter the tournament,” Ryder said with a smirk.

  I chuckled. Leave it to Kaela to take on a challenge. Tavik, Zane, Valdus, and I went in the direction of the arena, and the others followed. When we arrived, I saw her in the central ring, fighting against a bright red hologram in hand to hand combat.