by Mikayla Lane
Lanie blushed when the Commander’s dark eyes turned back to her as if studying a bug under a microscope. She felt better when Cin pulled her closer to his side.
“Lanie works exclusively with me,” Cin stated boldly.
“Well,” Commander M’Lakmer looked disappointed but smiled. “Perhaps we should talk about that a little bit?”
Lanie was surprised to see warriors who hadn’t flinched during the thick of battle begin to shift nervously from one foot to the other. She looked worriedly up at Cin, who kept his arm around her, while Bob stayed by her feet.
“The League would like to express their gratitude for what you did here,” Commander M’Lakmer began with a smile.
“The reason we intervened was because of what was discovered in the cargo hold of the ship Lanie was on.” Adamo felt it necessary to clarify that for the Commander.
Commander M’Lakmer looked at Dar in confusion. “What was found?”
“Sacred and magical items.” Dar’s face reflected his disgust. “They had Sand Dragon Blood, iberaria skins, and Thramium Shaman bread, just to name a few.”
“How the hell did the Consortium get any of that?” The Commander was stunned and angry.
“We’re trying to find that out ourselves,” Adamo stated evenly. “It is the only reason we remained on the Moon and destroyed the ship.”
“I understand,” the Commander said with a smile. “I assumed a group such as this wouldn’t have randomly attacked and destroyed the moon base. I suspect you’d like the League to look the other way while you find those responsible for taking the relics and seek justice?”
Adamo and the others looked at one another, grinned, and nodded their heads in agreement.
“That sounds about right,” the Madean admitted. “What we do will in no way affect LAW, nor do you hold any kind of authority over the items discovered on that vessel.”
Commander M’Lakmer held his hands up as if surrendering. “I agree with you completely, as does LAW. I have but one small request, if you’ll allow me to ask?”
Adamo nodded his head, curious what the Commander would want of them.
“Can you notify Major Vacanow of where you will go next?” the Commander saw their curiosity at his request and continued, “We’d like to have more forces available in case you need them. If this base is any indication of what you might do, we’d also like to secure everything under LAW control when you’re finished.”
Linq erupted with laughter. “Yeah, we’ll make sure you know. Someone’s gotta clean up after us.”
“I think you have this under control now,” Cin said, hoping to get them out of there. “We’ll take our leave.”
The elves, elementals, and Madean grunted in agreement while Dar looked at the Commander. “I will return shortly, Sir.”
Cin led them through the crowd of curious LAW officers and back into the maze of homes and businesses the Consortium had built on raider’s moon. When he thought they were far enough away from the soldiers, Cin stopped and turned to his friends.
Knowing they were safe and most likely heading home soon, Lanie sat on a large, flat rock near the door of a home and let Bob lay on her lap.
“Thank you all for coming.” Cin held a hand up when several acted as if they would speak. “You came before you knew of the sacred relics in the possession of the raiders, and for that, I thank you all.”
Niama smiled over at Lanie before her eyes landed on Cin and held his gaze. “She’s a good one, Cindrac. Do not fuck her over, or I may get angry.”
“Gotta agree with the elf on that one,” Linq said with a grin while Tanq nodded his head.
“I couldn’t have chosen better for you myself. Lanie is perfect for you, and I’m happy for you both.” The Madean smiled broadly at Cindrac.
Lanie blushed profusely and looked down at Bob, petting him nervously and hoping someone would change the subject.
“Anytime you need help, you send word to me,” Dar offered to the elves, elementals, and Madean. “I will be there.”
“Can you get away from LAW so easily?” Niama didn’t know much about the inner workings of the league and was truly curious.
Dar laughed. “I have six years and two months of personal time accrued. I can generally leave within a few hours.”
Cin gently squeezed Lanie’s hand and looked at everyone. “I can’t thank any of you enough for helping me rescue Lanie.”
“She was doing very well on her own,” Niama smiled and nodded at Lanie in respect.
“Thank you,” Lanie sniffed back, grateful tears. “Thank you all so much. If I can ever repay any of you, please let me know.”
Niama stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of Lanie. Looking down at her raised hands, Niama created what appeared to be a storm of smoke within her cupped hand.
She leaned over and gently blew the smoke from her palm, and Lanie gasped at the beautiful elven figure pendant and golden chain hanging from Niama’s fingers.
Lanie speechlessly leaned forward and allowed Niama to clasp the beautiful necklace around her neck. A strange buzzing went through Lanie the moment it was on, but it was pleasant, and she didn’t want to offend the elven princess by mentioning it.
“If you need us, call to me, and I will send you aid,” Niama promised.
“Thank you.” Lanie was so overcome by emotion, she threw her arms around Niama, and they hugged briefly.
By the time the women finished talking and hugging, the men had said their goodbyes, and Cin had created portals for them all. Finally, Niama turned to smile at Cin, jumped through the portal, and was gone.
“How about me, you and Bob go home now?” Cindrac asked Lanie, already creating a portal for them.
“I can’t think of anything I want more than a week of sleep,” Lanie agreed with a sigh and followed Cin through the portal. Bob jumped through last.
Their feet had barely hit the living room floor before Cin was taking stock of the house and searching the cameras and security systems.
“Something seems off.” Lanie checked her weapons and was glad to see they were still on her as she moved carefully into the kitchen.
“Feds have been here,” Cin warned and moved closer to Lanie. “Give me a minute.”
Lanie watched as Cin’s eyes flashed in a dizzying display of what appeared to be 1’s and 0’s before they went back to their usual white color.
“We’re good, but I need to go see the sheriff soon,” Cin promised and smiled when Bob meowed. “I’ll get you something right now, Buddy.”
“Are they still here? How long have we been gone?” Lanie went to the fridge and started pulling out sandwich items. She was starving and figured Cin was as well.
Cin thought about lying to her, which was always his first instinct until he remembered that Lanie knew just about everything.
“When I created the portal home, I made sure it would take us only a few hours past the moment I left to get you. In reality, we were gone for several weeks.” Cin finished giving Bob his wet food, a handful of his favorite treats and shook his head at the sandwich meats and cheeses on the kitchen counter.
While Lanie was digging in the cupboard for some bread and chips, Cin put nearly everything back in the refrigerator and placed new things down. By the time Lanie turned to put the bread on the counter, everything else was gone.
“Not in the mood for a sandwich, huh?” Lanie’s stomach growled at the sight of the steaks on the counter.
Cin chuckled. “I think we worked hard enough to deserve a real meal.”
Lanie’s eyes were drawn to her chest when a light flashed and reflected at her. Reaching out, she gently cradled the small elven figure in her hand and wondered at the beauty of the diamond-like perfect stone that made up the entirety of the pendant.
“This is so beautiful,” Lanie mused aloud. “Do you know anything about it? Do the elves make these a lot?”
Cin snorted, opened the french doors to the deck, and lit t
he grill before coming back into the kitchen.
“Honestly, it’s the elven version of spyware.” Cin shrugged and started slicing some onions and mushrooms while the steak marinated.
“You’re kidding, right?” Lanie couldn’t believe Niama would do something mean to her. It didn’t fit with the wonderful woman she’d met and fought beside.
“I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” Cin assured her. “Let me start from the beginning for you. No, a protection amulet is not created and handed out often because it takes a lot of energy for the elf to make one. It also leaves them bound to you like a debt until you use it.”
“Aw, I knew Niama couldn’t be mean.” Lanie smiled down at the pendant.
“The Princess respects you. The amulet Niama made for you is designed to give her the ability to see what happens here on Earth around you. If you are in danger, Niama can send her elven warriors to help.” Cin’s words stunned Lanie, and it took her a moment to think of a response.
“How far away is their planet?” Lanie watched Cin while he chopped vegetables and cooked, hoping to learn how to do it herself.
“Far enough that it would take them a week to get here by space travel, but about seven minutes through the portals they have on their ship, Hy-Brasil. Have you ever heard of Fata Morgana? Ghost cities in the sky? It’s them. They’ve been here observing Earth for millennia.” Cin’s words floored Lanie, and she struggled to process it all.
Lanie dropped the pendant, leaving it lay between her breasts as she walked over to the sink and got a glass of water, trying to understand the information before turning to Cin.
“Can I help with anything? I’d love to learn,” Lanie admitted, needing a break from the fantastic with something more mundane and easily understandable.
“Sure, let’s wash and cut some potatoes to cook on the grill with the steaks.” Cin handed her two medium spuds.
An hour later, Lanie was sitting on the couch with an overstuffed belly and barely able to keep her eyes open. The soft purring of Bob lying beside her wasn’t helping to keep her awake at all.
“Why don’t you go get some sleep,” Cin suggested with a grin. “I’m just going to throw everything into the sink and do the same. I’m exhausted, and I know you have to be as well.”
Cin picked up their plates and put them in the sink. He was surprised to see Lanie standing nervously in front of him when he turned around.
“Cindrac, I can’t even think of how to say thank you,” Lanie admitted with a catch in her voice. “I don’t know many people who’d help me cross the street, much less gather all his magical friends and find me who knows where in the universe.”
Cin ran a hand down Lanie’s arm. “You just did. Besides, you did more to help us than we did you. Because of what you found in the cargo containers, we know that the Consortium is somehow acquiring items they shouldn’t be able to get near.”
“Thank you, Cin.” Lanie threw her arms around him and suppressed a groan at how wonderful it felt to hold him, to hold anyone for that matter.
It had been so long since Lanie had been able to trust anyone and longer than that since she’d felt comfortable enough to hug another person. She slowly pulled back from him and smiled as she stepped away.
Lanie turned and walked to her room with Bob on her heels. She turned at the doorway, and Cin held his breath. He didn’t know why.
“Good night,” Lanie said before going into the bedroom with Bob.
Cin was halfway across the living room, heading to Lanie’s room, when he stopped himself and went back into the kitchen, wondering what the hell he was doing. Cin was more than a little happy for the distraction when Robbie called him.
Looking at the late hour, Cin was wondering what was going on when he answered the phone. He didn’t even get a chance to say anything before the Sheriff began talking.
“They’re heading your way first thing in the morning, Cin!” Robbie warned. “They know Lanie was in the area, and someone at the grocery store mentioned you having a woman over the last couple of days. They’re coming to your place to try to pin the explosion on Lanie.”
Cin was already tapping into the FBI communications to determine what the Feds were doing and where they were. It didn’t surprise him to know they had agents watching his cabin right now.
“Well, Robbie, it’s going to be a shame that they won’t find anyone but the love of my life who only recently arrived. Thanks for the heads up.” Cin had utterly forgotten about the Senator and her family.
“Love of your life? Cin, they got a picture of the girl,” Robbie argued. “Even if you disguise her, they’re running fingerprints on every woman in town that looks remotely close to Lanie. I can’t help you.”
“I appreciate your concern and the warning, Robbie.” Cin cared about his friend and needed to protect him. “You need to leave the rest of this up to me. They should be gone by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. It’ll be talked about for a day or two before the media suppresses the story, the people will forget about it, and it’ll be memory-holed.”
The Sheriff sighed heavily. “I hope you’re right, Cin. I don’t like any of this. Don’t let anything happen to that girl. No one deserves the railroading the damn Feds are trying to give the poor thing.”
“Lanie will be a different woman by the time they get here in the morning. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Cin promised. “After the FBI leaves town.”
Robbie hung up the phone, and Cin held his palm out and released a handful of nanites. He watched them head out the back door before flipping on the TV screen to see what they viewed as they traveled. It didn’t take long to find the two FBI agents, parked in a dark sedan, at the end of his driveway.
Pulling up the FBI communications log, Cin found out where the rest of the government agents were staying and wasn’t surprised to find that the ATF had arrived as well.
Since the FBI spent most of their time committing false flag operations and covering up crimes for their elite overlords, they needed another agency to determine if a bomb was used in the explosion.
The Laurel Springs Fire Department worked closely with the ATF to determine if any accelerants were used and doing a walk-through of what remained of the blown cabin. Both federal agencies had pulled any footage available from the security cameras in the house.
Turning his attention to Lanie, Cin spoke to the nanites within her and ordered them to permanently alter her fingerprints. When they finished, Cin uploaded the new prints into his database until she woke up.
It was time for Lanie to get her life back for good, and that would have to include a brand new identity that Cin would help her create. Looking at the clock, he set about starting Lanie’s new backstory so everything would be ready once she chose a new name.
Once Cin had everything he needed, waiting only on Lanie, he turned his attention back to his forums and the leaking of information to help the world’s citizens wake up to the threat posed by the elite.
Chapter Nineteen
Monitoring the FBI communications throughout the night, Cin let Lanie sleep until the last possible moment before he stood in the doorway and gently knocked on her open door. Bob opened one eye and shot Cin a scathing look before the cat went back to sleep.
Lanie finally cracked her eyes open and saw that it was still dark outside. Fearing the worst, she sat up quickly. “What’s wrong?”
“The FBI will be here in an hour,” Cin warned. “I’ll make breakfast while you get a shower.”
“Are they coming to arrest me?” Lanie was scared and wondering what to do.
Cin snorted. “Not while I breathe. We’re going to turn you into a whole other person by the time they get here. So, think of what your new name is going to be.”
“Cin, they’re going to recognize me.” Lanie hated the thought of going through so much for her freedom, only to lose it now.
Cin could tell Lanie was scared, walked into her room, and sat on the bed beside her.
“T
ell your nanites to change your hair and eye color. Then have them make small changes to the shape of your face and cheekbones,” Cin suggested. “I already had them permanently change your fingerprints while you were sleeping.”
Lanie sucked in a shocked breath before she did as Cin suggested and asked her nanites to change her hair to a dirty blond and her eyes to a light blue.
“Did it work?” Lanie nervously asked.
“Perfectly.” Cin grinned and gently patted her hand. “Go get a shower and make your facial structure changes while I get breakfast ready. All we need now is a new name for you, so think about it.”
Cin stood, walked out of the room, and could hear Lanie scrambling from the bed as he left. Twenty minutes later, Lanie was still blond-haired and blue-eyed when she sat at the counter in the kitchen.
Her heart-shaped face was now round, and her cheekbones a little higher and more prominent than they were before. The subtle changes made a big difference in Lanie’s appearance, and if you didn’t know her, she’d be hard to recognize.
Sliding a heaping plate of food across to Lanie, Cin smiled. “We have about thirty-seven minutes before they get here. Have you thought of a name?”
“What about Alaina?” Lanie shrugged.
“I like it. Similar enough to Lanie, but different enough for the connection not to be made easily. What about the last name?” Cin asked while he entered Alaina into the databases where he was creating her new identity.
“I don’t know,” Lanie shrugged. “Pick something.”
“How about Morrison? Alaina Morrison?” Cin asked, needing to ensure Lanie wouldn’t forget her new permanent identity.
“Sounds good to me.” Lanie shrugged, more nervous than she wanted to admit about meeting with the FBI.
“What’s your name?” Cin asked.
“Alaina Morrison,” Lanie replied immediately. “What about my birthdate and social security number?”