He had no doubt his sister would fall in the line of fire eventually as well. Those water samples Kira mentioned didn’t just hop into the lab on their own. Paige was Senator Conroy’s main environmental scientist.
“Kira, we have to tell the Coalition what’s going on.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Chapter Twelve
“Turning on my nanites will be nothing compared to this.”
Kira watched as Brendan completed preparations to send his final broadcast. She had recorded a message that contained everything they had figured out about the Tau Ceti involvement on Earth. They would send the broadcast across a section of space that should ensure the Arbiter received it.
The transmission would need at least five minutes to complete and would show up loud and clear on any Tau Ceti scanners that were still functional. She was no longer just worried about the ship that had boarded the listening station. With an operation on Earth as big as they suspected, there were probably plenty of Tau Ceti waiting and watching for just such a signal. The question was whether they would be close enough to reach Brendan and Kira before they could run.
Brendan had resources. If they could reach civilization, their chances of survival would be better.
She wasn’t holding out much hope.
“You ready?” Brendan asked.
She nodded, then rested her hand on his shoulder, leaning over him to watch him work. He put his hand on top of hers. They locked gazes for a moment, then he turned back to the controls and initiated the broadcast.
“There it goes.”
“Are you sure they won’t be able to recover any data?”
“I set up my equipment with a self-destruct. It won’t take out the whole cabin, but there should be some pretty cool fireworks.”
“You’re kidding.”
“What, you think you’re the only ones advanced enough to have self-destruct buttons? Please. I worked for my government. I don’t want this falling into anyone else’s hands. You can’t pull data from a system that’s been both wiped and slagged.”
“Too bad we can’t time this one to take a few of them out.”
The cabin was already precious to her. In only a few hours, she had built the best memories of her life there.
“Remind me never to make you mad.”
She smiled, then leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. She nuzzled the soft hair of his beard. Stars, she hoped there would be time for more of that.
His smile suddenly vanished. “Part of it is an EMP. I was so distracted with everything going on, I forgot about your nanites.”
“They’ll be fine. They’re powered down.” She gave him another quick kiss. Her stomach was tightening as the broadcast neared completion. “You’re not using nuclear fission for that, are you?”
Her sensors hadn’t picked up anything like that near his cabin.
“There are other ways to create an EMP.”
“Nothing that standard Earth-tech can make.”
“Look around you. Any of this look like standard Earth-tech?”
He had a point. It was too bad Earth wasn’t considered advanced enough to begin First Contact preparations. Brendan would be a perfect candidate for the preliminary committee.
His computer beeped.
“That’s that.” He shut down the broadcast, then keyed in the commands for the self-destruct. “We have ten minutes to make ourselves scarce. My jeep is about a five minute hike if we hustle. The EMP won’t reach that far. I know you say you’ll be fine, but I’d just as soon get you far from here before it goes off.”
“Let’s go, then.”
Brendan headed for the door while Kira ran to the counter to grab the med-kit. Sunlight spread across the floor briefly, then was blocked. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Um, Kira?”
She turned around, knowing what she would see. Brendan had his hands in the air and was backing toward her. Two Tau Ceti entered the cabin.
The Tau Ceti had done their best to look like Sadirians, but there were imperfections in their process. Their mouths were too wide, faces too tall and long. And their eyes, while within Earth norms, were much smaller than Sadirians’.
One was a foot soldier, fully decked with cybernetic enhancements. As if that wasn’t enough, he was carrying a laser rifle in his muscular arms. The other was tall and lanky, wearing an Earth-style business suit. His skin was pale and he had dark black hair. Somehow, the awkwardness of his features lent him an eerie sort of handsomeness. He hadn’t bothered with a weapon and didn’t look augmented like the other.
“Well, this is quaint.” The leader’s voice was low and smooth.
His soldier closed the door behind them, then took up a guarding stance.
“It isn’t much, but it’s home,” Brendan said. “Welcome, Mister…?”
“St. John. But you can call me Horatio.”
“Horatio? Okay, then. I’m Brendan. This is—”
“K-58-b7. Born during cycle 12 on Sadr-4 station 9 to batch 31. It wasn’t a very good batch, I’m afraid. Full of glitches. Kira. I’m well aware.”
“I’ll thank you to show some manners while you’re in my house,” Brendan said. “Kira’s not a glitch.”
Brendan glanced at Kira. She shook her head tersely, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from reaching for her hand. She didn’t take it. It didn’t make a difference. Horatio noticed.
“Uck, this compulsion you Sadirians feel to pair-bond is bizarre. It makes you vulnerable. Lucky me.” His smile was nothing less than sinister. “You did a very good job concealing yourself, my dear. Didn’t spare yourself so much as a laser cutter. I bet you’re wishing you had a little something now, aren’t you? Coalition tech can be addictive for your kind. It’s a shame, really.”
He walked over to Brendan’s equipment, looking everything over.
Stars, don’t let him notice the destruct sequence.
“Pretty sweet setup, eh?” Brendan said. Maybe he was thinking the same thing, trying to distract the Tau Ceti. “Best Earth has to offer.”
“I don’t know. I’m rather fond of those little robotic vacuums Earthlings have developed. But I suppose this was able to get the job done, so to speak.”
“I can show you how it works,” Brendan said.
No way. That would get him way too close to the equipment. Then again, maybe that was the idea. Try to take the Tau Ceti out with the self-destruct somehow? Maybe Brendan was thinking about that EMP too. Disabling the foot soldier’s cybernetics would help even out their fighting abilities.
“I’m not concerned with how it works, but rather what it was used for. The transmission was encrypted with a Coalition code we’re not familiar with.” Horatio turned back to them. “Let’s get to business. You’re both going to die. The question is how unpleasant the experience will be and who will go first. The best thing you can do is cooperate.”
Even if the EMP took down the soldier’s cybernetics, she wasn’t sure she could take both of them. If only she had a weapon. Kira’s skin was tingling with the urge to do something.
Wait, skin…
The med-kit had several doses of Balance. If she could splash them with it, they would be incapacitated.
She reached for Brendan’s hand and squeezed it to let him know she had a plan. She only hoped it would work.
Chapter Thirteen
Horatio Cannibal Space-Frog had stepped a bit away from Brendan’s equipment. He was still close enough that he was about to get a nasty surprise. By Brendan’s count, the EMP and fireworks should happen any minute.
The problem was, Kira was still in the cabin. At ground zero. She was confident having her nanites powered down would protect her, but Brendan wasn’t so sure. He held her hand tighter.
There was nothing t
hey could do about that. But maybe they could learn more while they waited for the big boom.
“So…from what Kira tells me, you guys are risking a lot being here on Earth. What is it—the scenic views? Bean burritos?”
Horatio snorted. “Something like that.”
Brendan looked over at Kira. “What is it with you aliens and bean burritos?”
“You know, if we’re going to die anyway, I want to finish that one,” Kira said. She tugged his hand and led him to the counter.
“Whatever makes you happy,” Horatio said. Which was weird. “Stay on this side, if you please. I do need to keep you where I can see you.”
Kira hopped up onto the counter and patted the space next to her. She was up to something. Brendan only hoped it was enough to get them out of this.
Horatio and his bodyguard didn’t seem to mind. Kira picked up the bean burrito and took a bite, staring at their unwelcome visitors as she chewed.
“You don’t seem very worried about the signal we just sent,” Brendan said.
Horatio shrugged. “The Arbiter left orbit yesterday and is well on its way to Sadr-4. It’ll take it at least a day to return. That gives us some wiggle room. The Sadirian wants a last meal. What about you? What would make you happy?”
“I want to know what you’re up to on my homeworld.” Brendan figured he might as well go for it, since the guy asked.
“I don’t see the harm.”
Seriously? This guy was going to spill his master plan? Had he never seen a James Bond movie?
Horatio smiled as he walked around the cabin, looking at the fireplaces and feeling the fabric of the quilts. “We’re really not so bad. All we want is to make people happy.”
“Why?” Brendan asked. “There’s always an angle. What’s in it for you?”
“Naturally occurring oxytocin, primarily. With a few other yummy human feel-good hormones thrown in the mix.”
“Oxytocin,” Brendan said. He looked over at Kira.
“It’s the main component in Balance,” she said.
“But you Tau Ceti guys can’t use Balance.”
“Ah, very good,” Horatio said. “I see you’ve been learning about us already. Yes, synthetic Balance doesn’t react well with our physiology. It’s much too concentrated to be truly enjoyed. But a similar mix of chemicals in the wild…”
“Wait…” Kira set down her burrito. “You’re harvesting oxytocin from humans?”
“We find it has a much smoother finish and a better buzz.” He looked at Brendan and said, “You needn’t worry too much about your fellows. We have a strict catch and release policy. After we feed, the human is returned to the wild. Our geneticists have worked up some modifications with the latest generation. We don’t even need tools for harvesting.”
Horatio leaned his head back and opened his mouth wide, revealing a pair of sharp canine teeth hanging down from the roof of his mouth. Brendan put his arm in front of Kira and leaned to the side so he was partly blocking her. Not that it would do a lick of good against that nasty looking weapon the heavy by the door held.
Horatio laughed. “You know, pair-bonding makes the blood much sweeter, the hit more…stimulating.”
“Vampire space frogs,” Brendan said. “You guys are freaking vampire space frogs? You have to be kidding me.”
Horatio laughed. “That’s a rather apt description, I suppose. Although we’ve left most of our frogishness behind.”
“It wasn’t an improvement, from what I can see,” Brendan said.
“What? All our humans are free-range,” Horatio said. “It makes the chemicals more pure when we harvest them. It’s too bad we can’t keep you two alive. I bet you’ll be tasty. But we can’t run the risk of you escaping when there’s a whole planet of humans we can feed from. Which brings us back to your final usefulness. I will ask only once, and then I will start removing appendages. The Sadirian knows this is not an empty threat. What was in that broadcast?”
Brendan’s computer beeped. Thirty seconds.
“What was that?” Horatio asked.
Brendan shrugged. “Primitive tech. It’s noisy.”
He and Kira grabbed for each other at the same time, swinging themselves over the counter and onto the floor. She reached out and snagged the med-kit on the way.
His equipment let out a final beep, then he heard a crackle-bang as the explosives detonated. Sparks flew over their heads and Brendan smelled the acrid scent of burning electronics.
If all went according to plan, the EMP would have gone off at the same time. The space frog by the door had metal devices obviously worked into his body, making him a cyborg vampire space frog. More fodder for the nightmares Brendan hoped he survived to endure. The grunts he heard from the direction of the door encouraged him, as did the fact that Kira seemed unfazed.
She opened the med-kit and pulled out two clear vials. She popped the lids from each and handed one to Brendan.
“Balance,” she said. “Don’t get it on your skin.”
Brendan nodded. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but followed her lead as she jumped up from behind the counter. The cyborg space frog by the door was bent double, his arms dangling heavily from his shoulders. Brendan thought maybe that was it for the guy, but he straightened and took a few jerky steps toward them.
Kira flung her vial of Balance. The liquid splashed onto his skin and within seconds a blissful expression covered his face. He sank to the ground, eyes closed.
“Where’s the other one?” Brendan asked.
Kira slammed into him, knocking him clear as something dropped from the ceiling, landing right where he’d been. He turned and saw Horatio crouched on the floor in a stance no human could achieve. Well, not without several broken limbs.
“How many knees and elbows do you have?” Brendan asked.
Horatio grinned, then leapt at Kira.
“Look out!” Brendan shouted. His warning was unnecessary.
She dodged to the side, spinning around and landing a brutal kick into Horatio’s ribs. Brendan had never seen anyone move so fast. The force of the impact propelled Horatio into the wall of the cabin. Instead of bouncing off and hitting the floor, he sort of…stuck there. He looked at Brendan with eyes that blinked sideways.
“That’s just wrong,” Brendan said.
Horatio launched himself at Brendan, his fangs gleaming in his wide-open mouth. Just before he reached Brendan, Kira brought both her arms down on his back, fists clenched together in a hammer of flesh and bone. This time, Horatio hit the floor.
Kira lashed out with another kick, catching Horatio under his armpit. He made a screeching noise, then collapsed. She nudged him with her foot. She was barely panting.
“That was so hot,” Brendan said.
Kira raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.
“I’m just saying.” He finally remembered the vial in his hand and flicked some of the liquid on Horatio. “Take that, vampire space frog.”
When he looked back at Kira, she smiled.
Chapter Fourteen
Kira tucked herself deeper into Brendan’s side as they snuggled in front of the fire. He had wrapped them both up in a quilt after making her a cup of tea. Her bare feet were pulled up next to her on the couch, and she was more comfortable than she had ever been.
The door to the cabin burst open. She and Brendan looked over their shoulders at the two Sadirians that leapt into the room. They were dressed as Earthlings, which was a bit of a surprise. Their arrival wasn’t. Kira had turned her nanites back on a few times, and they let her know that the Arbiter was already in orbit.
Kira had warned Brendan to hold still and wait for her to explain who she was and why the signal had been sent from his cabin. Noting that the pair wore Offense bracers beneath their long-sleeved shirts made her glad for that. They were security.
“Khel?” Kira sat up straighter.
“Kira…”
Khel nodded curtly, his stance relaxing. “Stand down, Sorca. She’s with us.”
“Actually, she’s with me,” Brendan stood and crossed his arms, glaring at Khel.
Kira couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious claim Brendan was staking. It wasn’t just that he was half Khel’s mass. From what she‘d heard, Khel had always been averse to using Coupling even by himself, let alone with a partner. Genetically he might be a glitch, but he acted like a perfect Sadirian soldier. Her laughter cut off abruptly as General Serath walked into the room.
His hair was dark and reached the collar of his shirt. His face was half-covered by what looked like the start of a beard. That was a change from the images she’d seen. But it was definitely Serath. One eye was as green as the sunsets on Vega-3, the other blue as the sky outside.
She leapt to her feet, fighting to extract herself from the quilt. It dropped to the ground as she stood at attention. In her periphery, she saw Brendan salute.
Her stomach knotted. Why was General Serath planetside?
He stepped aside, revealing a tiny woman with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and huge glasses resting on her small nose. An Earthling?
As if that wasn’t confusing enough, the woman reached for General Serath’s hand…and he let her take it.
The room spun a bit as Kira’s sense of reality adjusted to the new data. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had fallen for an Earthling.
“Report.”
General Serath’s order snapped her into her role as a Coalition soldier. Don’t think. Just obey.
“Sir. Two Tau Cetis detected our broadcast. They’ve been neutralized.”
Kira nodded briefly to the two bound and drugged Tau Cetis in the corner of the cabin. Sorca and Khel were already securing them with Coalition tech. Kira relaxed a bit, glad to have suspension disks to back up the Balance still in their systems.
Resident Alien: Department of Homeworld Security, Book 2 Page 7