by KD Jones
“Lieutenant Quinn Estro, Liam’s cousin?”
“Yeah. The Estros are the only real family I’ve ever known. I would do anything to protect them.”
Corey chuckled that this would be the thing they had in common. “It’s amazing how people who are not blood-related can be more like family than those who are blood.”
She smiled. “That’s very true.”
They sat in silence for a while. He felt a connection to her that he hadn’t felt before. He was starting to understand her just a little bit more and he found that he…liked her. He wanted to know more about her. His attention was brought back to their current circumstances. The wind started to die down. “I think the storm is passing.”
“Good, let’s see what we’ve been left with.”
Chapter 6
“How do we do this?” she asked.
“You keep your end up while I let mine down. When I lower the blanket, the sand on your side will slide down to me. Hopefully, there won’t be that much coming in on us. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Corey dropped the blanket and immediately was covered with sand and dirt. It just kept coming and coming and coming. Nix could feel the weight that had been on her end moving off until she was able move it away and see the open sky. She looked over at Corey and felt sympathy for him. He had six inches of sand covering him.
She pulled her pack on her back then gripped the edge of the hole and tried to pull herself up, but it caved in on her, making her fall back. Corey was there to catch her.
“Let me help you up.” Corey knelt down and cupped his hands together.
Nix stepped into his hands with one foot and he lifted her up until she could get to solid ground. She turned and offered him a hand up. Once they were both out of the hole, she surveyed their surroundings. The truck was gone with no tracks at all to show the direction the rebels had taken.
“I’ll try to find the computer,” she told him as she walked over to where she thought she and Corey had been standing before they hit the ground. Using her boot, she kicked at the sand but didn’t feel anything.
“Even if you find it, it’ll probably be ruined. I can’t get anything from the built-in communicator in my helmet but static.”
She sighed. “Me too. We’re completely out of touch with the command ship or any other warriors for now.”
“So, boss, what do we do now?” Corey asked.
“I don’t think we should go directly to the dome. The truck could be heading there. We don’t know if the rebels are from the dome or the tunnels, but they may be looking for us to head to the dome since that was the original plan. Like you said before, we’ll have to change our plans, do something unexpected.”
“So we’re going to the subway first.”
“Yes, but we should use a different entrance than might be expected. Do you know of another one we can reach from here?”
“Yeah, we can take the East entrance. It’s further away from the nearest dome. How are we going to contact the commander and let them know what happened?”
“We’re not, at least not right away. The rebels think they left us here to die in the storm, so they’re not expecting us to show up, and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. I’ll contact the commander once we reach the tribe. I’m actually hesitant to do that right away.”
“Why?”
“Someone on the strategy planning level must have revealed where we would land. We were set up. If we can discover those rebels, we might be able to find out who the Drastan traitors are.”
“How do you think we’ll find the rebels?”
“I injured one of them pretty bad. He’ll be searching for treatment.”
“That’s right. It looks like there might be another storm coming this way. We need to leave now if we hope to make it to the city before it strikes.”
They walked side by side and Nix couldn’t stop looking at the barren area. A desert stretched out in all directions, surrounding a outcropping of broken down buildings. The city looked like a mirage, one that spoke of destruction and death. The wasteland of sand and cracked earth would not support life of any kind for many decades to come. If there was any water, it would have to be underground, deep below. She didn’t understand why the people of Earth wouldn’t jump at the chance to be relocated to a more suitable planet, or even to go to Drasta.
“You’re in deep thought over there. What’s on your mind?”
“I was just thinking, I don’t understand why anyone would choose to stay here when the surface of the planet is uninhabitable.”
“It’s our home. We were so divided—race to race and country to country. Even after the disaster, there was a great deal of fighting just to survive. Everyone was looking out for themselves. It took a long time for people to realize they had to work tegother to survive, especially in the tribes. Now, we all want to rebuild our world. Nothing brings people together more than having a common goal.”
“I have to admit, that’s admirable. I don’t know if I would have stayed when given the option to live elsewhere.”
“There are some who are applying to travel to Drasta to live there now that Commander Estro has gotten approval.”
Nix couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What will you do? Will you stay here, or travel to Drasta?” She hoped she didn’t sound too hopeful. He wasn’t the asshole she originally thought that he was. The more she learned about him, the more she wanted to learn.
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ve been training to become a Drastan warrior, but Maggie’s father spoke with his superiors about a position for me here if I want it. He’s recommending me also to eventually become a dome leader.”
That surprised her. “I didn’t think he knew you that well.”
“I’m friends with Maggie, we’re like family. I don’t really think I’m qualified, but I think Maggie has convinced him that I walk on water or something.” He smiled as he said it.
A tinge of jealousy wedged its way into her thoughts. “Yes, you all seem really close, especially you and Maggie. Were you two ever…?” She had been told by Maggie before that there was nothing between them, but seeing them together and the way Corey looked at the pretty human, with reverence and longing, had her questioning their relationship. Whenever they were together, they looked like a couple. At least, until Liam came in and took his spot next to his mate; then there was no question that Maggie and Liam were meant to be together.
“Honestly, there was a time when I hoped that Maggie and I would come together. I told myself I was waiting for her to be ready for a relationship. She was attacked when she was a teenager and it took a long time for her to deal with that and the outcome of it. It never happened for us, though.”
“Why not?”
“She fell in love with an alien from another planet.”
So it wasn’t that long ago that he had loved and wanted Maggie. Did that mean he still wanted her? The thought hurt her inside. She didn’t say anything else and neither did he. They continued on for what seemed like five hours, but probably was only about two. They finally reached the edge of the buildings, the last sign of where a prosperous city once stood.
Corey pointed to a half-standing building to the right. “That’s as good a spot as any. It’s half-covered and will give us the privacy we need to change out of our uniforms. Our packs should have Earth street clothes that will help us blend in with the other tribespeople.”
“How familiar are you with the tribes on this end of the city?” she asked as they stepped over rubble and through what had once been a doorway.
“I’m not that familiar with them. The tunnel that connected my tribe was blocked from this side, making it hard to get through. Occasionally, while scouting for food or traveling to another tribe to trade, I would run across someone from this side. That usually only happened if they came above ground to get to the unblocked section.”
“Do you think they’ll know we don’t belong?”
> “Not right off. With the tunnells opening up, more and more people are moving between tribes and some even going to the domes. It’s actually probably a good thing that I don’t know that many people on this side. It won’t blow our cover. The clothes will help, but let me do most of the talking.”
He could see her shoulders stiffen. “Why? Is it because I’m female?”
“No, not at all. You just don’t sound completely human.”
“I have studied your Earth languages thoroughly and can read and speak five of them fluently.”
“That’s the problem, you’re too good. Your pronunciation of words can be a little too exact and then your accent shows at times. Also, your looks might be a problem, so you’ll need to keep your head down or wear a hoodie or a hat.”
“What’s wrong with my looks?” she demanded.
“Nothing is wrong with you looks! Hell, I like… You’re pretty—too pretty. What I’m trying to say is that your complexion is flawless, your hair dark and silky, healthy-looking. With your eyes, it makes you exotic. However, you’re supposed to look like someone who’s been surviving in the tunnels for years.”
“I can understand the first thing, but the last...I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult.”
“Nix, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She held up her hand, silencing him. “I’ll go over there on the other side of that partial wall and change.”
***
Corey watched as Nix walked away. He hadn’t meant to insult her. It seemed that since day one of meeting the feisty Drastan woman, he had done nothing but get on her bad side. What the hell was up with that?
He had been popular with the girls when he was in school without having to work at it. After the disaster happened, he had a few sexual experiences, and seemed to leave his partners happy. Some had wanted a more serious relationship with him, but he had backed off from that. Truth was, he had stopped having sex with other women the moment he realized he loved Maggie. He had hoped that they would one day be a couple and didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for her to be in the same tribe with his previous lovers.
Now, though, Maggie was happily married with her baby and Corey accepted that. Actually, since the start of this mission, he’d found himself really feeling at peace with the situation for the first time. Maggie was no longer the dream. No, his dreams now all seemed to star the woman that was ten feet from him.
God, how did that happen? There was an attraction between them, had been from the very first time they met. At least on his side. He’d done what he always did when trying to impress a woman: told jokes, teased her, winked a few times. Sometimes he would glimpse a smile on her too-serious lips, a lovely blush on her cheeks, and he could swear she swayed those hips a little more when she knew he was watching. Maybe it was all in his head, though. Maybe being on the command ship affected his thinking.
“How do I look?” Nix asked, stepping around the wall.
Corey glanced up and smiled. “You definitely look like a human.”
“Aren’t these clothes too baggy?”
“Yes, but most people living in the subway wear worn clothes that were not always their size. No one will question it.” Which was all certainly true, but he found he definitely preferred Nix in her habitual (and more form-fitting) uniforms. She seemed more herself.
An image flashed through his mind of her naked and underneath him. He blinked, startled. What the hell? Where did that image come from? He had never seen her naked. Or had he? His dreams of her sometimes seemed so real: the feel of her soft skin, the taste of her arousal on his tongue and her moans—sounds of need and pleasure. He would wake confused and hard as hell. There were times he could swear he still felt her touch on his body.
He would surely remember bedding her if that had happened. Unless…unless maybe he hadn’t been in his right mind? There had been one night, a few months back, where he had memory loss. He remembered going to the recreation lounge, where the bar was, after a long week of training. Some of the other warriors he trained with had invited him to sit and try some of the Drastan beverages.
Corey hadn’t realized how strong those drinks would be or how his body would react. He remembered seeing Nix come into the bar. After that, there were only snippets here and there remaining in his memory. He guessed he must have said something that upset her, because after that night, she never smiled at him again or laughed at any of his jokes. He felt like someone who had come out of the darkness and gotten a glimpse of the sun, only to have it ripped away again to leave them in the dark once more.
Self-preservation had led him to act like nothing was affecting him, but training with her and seeing her easy interactions with other men while she showed no interest in him made him extremely jealous. That confused him even more, because he had no right to be possessive of her.
“Is something wrong?” Nix asked, running her hands along the jeans she wore.
“No. I’ll just go change into my clothes as well.”
“Okay. I’ll check the perimeter.”
Damn it! He should have done that. It felt like he failed again at protecting someone who was depending on him. He swore not to let that happen again, no matter how distracting she was. He would keep her safe. They were going to be traveling into his territory and he knew what to expect there. This was the reason he had been sent on this mission, his experience with the tribes. He needed to focus. Commander Estro believed in him and he refused to let him down.
Chapter 7
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Frazier glared at his men. How many more failures must he endure? All the years he’d worked to build the rebel resistance to take over the government domes, he would have at least had two of the domes under his reign by now if it hadn’t been for the damn aliens.
The Drastans came offering food, clothes, medical treatment, and even offered to relocate humans to another planet to start over. The dome leaders refused the offer of relocation, typical power-hungry assholes that they were. That didn’t bother Frazier in the least. It was the interfering with the tribes that really pissed him off.
The tribespeople were so desperate, all it took was a promise here and there, a few doubts put into their minds about how their tribe leaders ignored their needs, and he had them hooked. Those people were so down on their lives, they were beginning to follow him without questioning his motives. Before the aliens came, anyway. Now that they had another option for survival, the tribespeople were rejecting him and the resistance. That was unacceptable.
And now he had another failure to deal with. “Did you at least injure the Drastans?”
“Pretty sure I got one of the bastards before the radiation storm hit. The storm came quick and strong, it probably finished them off.”
“Pretty sure? Probably? I want results, damn it!”
“Sorry, boss,” both men said at the same time.
Frazier slammed the back of the truck door closed, turning his back on the sight of the body of the dead rebel. “At least you didn’t leave any trails behind to lead back to us. Get rid of the body and keep watch on the dome in case the Drastans survived. Finish them off.”
“Yes sir.”
He waved the two men out. One of them limped and had to use his friend for support. “Get your leg treated, you’re no good to me otherwise.” He would have left the idiot out in the desert. It was the least he deserved after failing him so badly. Watching him in disgust, he felt the man was more of a liability than a source of help. Something would have to be done about that.
*****
Nix followed Corey to the entrance of the subway. They passed by the mixed security team, Drastans and humans working together. The guards just nodded them through without checking them. She frowned. That wasn’t normal protocol. The Dastan warrior should have at leased used a scanner to check for weapons.
Not that the weapons found would be taken away, not unless the people carrying them had a record for ca
using trouble. A database created through Drastan and human collaboration was helping them identify people that the tribes and domes had problems with and to register the weapons that they carried. And no one but the Earth and Drastan military was supposed to be allowed to carry explosives. It was a start to ensuring safety for all.
She hadn’t gotten a good look at the Drastan warrior working because she was concentrating on keeping her head down so no one would recognize her as something other than a human female. She would have to get access to the assignments for that day to find out who the warrior on duty was. He would need to be questioned to see if he is one of the traitors, and disciplined for not following protocol if not. She still believed protocols were put in place to protect all of them.
All her life, she had wanted to show that she was worthy, that even though she was female, she could still serve with honor. She had to work harder, fight smarter to get her fellow warriors’ respect. It infuriated her that this warrior didn’t take his assignment seriously. She could have been carrying explosives or otherwise intending harm. How dare he not even check? The human security person also needed to be investigated; he could be part of the resistance group.
As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs Corey turned to her. “Did you notice anything off?”
She nodded. “Yes, the security detail isn’t checking people for weapons.”
“That’s a major problem. Did you recognize the Drastan?”
“No, I kept my head down so no one would identify me. Did you recognize the human?”
“No, but I got a good look at both of them so I can identify them later. I’m sure there are records for who was scheduled to work today. We’ll verify it when we return to the command ship.”
“That’s what I was planning to do.” She couldn’t help but admire his logic. Corey came off as easygoing and laid back, but when it came to performing his duties, he was spot on.