Emerald DARE

by Tianna Xander

  Chapter Four

  After a massage that sent her to sleep and a restoring nap, Emerald was ready to face the debriefing.

  Her hair was down her back in a straight dark braid as she sat calmly in the hot seat.

  She went through all the details until she concluded her telling of picking up the unconscious bodies.

  "Agent Emerald, Dr. Allen is upset by the manner in which you retrieved them."

  She nodded. "He would not agree to simply come quietly and with the endless twilight of that place, it was hard to determine how much time I actually had left. Instead of endless negotiations, I used the stunner, grabbed all of their research and brought them home."

  Doctor Evian Raughl, a recent retrieval, scowled. "He also makes mention of dragons."

  "He must have been referring to the creatures he was dynamiting out of their habitats."

  The group of administrators and researchers began to mutter among themselves. Dr. Delphin called them to order. "It does not matter. Agent Emerald, we find you have carried out your duties within the scope of the powers granted by your position. Thank you for attending this debriefing."

  She rose and inclined her head while Dr. Raughl pitched a fit. "Dragons, I tell you! They are real and you are breeding them here!"

  Emerald kept the smile from her face. Breeding them, no, raising them, yes. It was a secret that would be out soon.

  Dr. Delphin seemed to know what they were. Mother had spoken kindly of him, even though he was one of the humans keeping them from freedom.

  It seemed that the attitudes were taking two very separate poles in the lab. Those who wanted to make the dragon swans full members of the teams and those who wanted to keep them as tools they could discard when the project was over. Whichever they decided, Emerald was determined that she and her sisters would all be long gone before they made up their minds.

  After the debriefing, Becky escorted her to the common area she shared with her sisters. It didn't seem the same with Topaz and Ruby gone. She hugged Sapphire to her and whispered, "I miss them."

  "I miss them, too, but wherever they are, they must have more freedoms than we do here."

  Emerald pulled back, startled. She didn't realize that any of her other sisters dreamed of having their freedom as much as she did. Of course, they talked about living their lives on the surface. Who wouldn't? As dragons, they wanted nothing more than to be in the sun, to stretch out beneath its warmth and soak in the glorious heat.

  Heck, she even enjoyed the rain as it fell on her. She didn't mind getting wet. The strange smell that filled her nostrils before it fell always reminded her how clean everything would seem once the water stopped falling from the sky.

  She looked around at her sisters huddled in small groups, whispering. All of them had their theories on where their sisters went and only she knew for certain what had happened to them. She wanted to tell them, but her mother was right. Their grief must be genuine when and if Aegon was able to spirit her away, she would see them again.

  Emerald blinked to keep the tears from her eyes. Just the thought of leaving them here to go off with a male made her heart ache. She knew what she must do and she knew her mother was right, but it didn't make the process any easier.

  Just looking at her sisters, knowing that soon Aegon would find a way to free her and she would leave them here to continually work for the people of Earth with no real compensation was enough to break her heart.

  The scientists never told them of love or sex, they never wanted the sisters to know what it was, but their mother, while never present physically, had always seen to it that they felt her love. She had shown them what that delicate emotion was and she was the one who encouraged them to feel it for each other.

  "I can't stay here tonight." Emerald looked around, her feelings almost overwhelming her. "I'm too exhausted to sit here and chat." She took Sapphire by her arms and stared deep into her eyes. "We can't know what's going on, but we must believe that wherever our sisters have gone, they are safe and well." What else could she say to prepare Sapphire for the inevitable loss of another sister?

  She left her sisters in the common room, all of them whispering their suspicions to the others. Whatever they thought, Emerald was certain that none of them had the idea that their sisters were out there, living lives with their mates as Aegon suggested.

  Entering her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it with a sigh. One thing was certain, she would rather have Aegon by her side than that overbearing Leirt. She would call him on her next assignment. The last thing she wanted was to have some overbearing dragon throw her over his shoulder and take her away regardless of what she felt.

  Seven hours later, Becky knocked on her door before opening it and sticking her head through the small opening. "Are you ready? It's time to go." She brought up her arm and waved a pad. "I have your next assignment here."

  Emerald smiled at her handler. She was just as chipper and cheery this morning as she had been the day before. "He seems good for you. I hope this one lasts."

  "I do, too," Becky said with a sigh. "He's so handsome and he really cares about me. What other man would worry that I eat?" She looked down and grimaced at her slightly plump form. "Most of them before thought I ate too much and I probably do, but they didn't need to tell me that."

  Perhaps this cook really did care for Becky. It wasn't like most human men to go after a plump woman and encourage her to eat. In her limited experience, the men always wanted their women as skinny as sticks, even if the men were as fat and dumpy as a cow. She barely stopped her lip from curling at the thought.

  "No they did not need to tell you that." She took the pad from her handler and read it over. Seven team members this time. They were on the other world doing medical research. Their research and any important samples must return to Earth with them, which made the assignment more difficult than usual. She would need cooperation from at least one of them. There was never a guarantee that any of the targets would offer their cooperation. The woman on her last assignment had been a pleasant surprise.

  "I'm ready." She followed Becky through the door and down the corridor. Even if she didn't like manhandling people, she lived to wear her leathers. Not only were they comfortable, but they also made her feel…attractive. Not that it really mattered around here. She didn't even know why she cared. Looking attractive was not a prerequisite for the job. Kicking ass was and she and her sisters did that well enough dressed in nothing more than a medical gown. Still, as one of her old handlers said, it just felt good to know she looked nice.

  After donning her leathers and gathering her weapons from the armory, she stood on the platform ready to go. Dr. Delphin stood off to the side, a clipboard in his hand as he talked to another handler. She forgot which of her sisters the man babysat, but she knew she didn't like him. He was arrogant and stupid. Still, she kept her mouth closed as she stood awaiting Dr. Delphin's special instructions. He rarely made an appearance at the beginning of an assignment unless he had something important to add.

  Once the doctor finished with the handler, he moved to the edge of the pad and looked up at her. "As you know, two of your sisters have gone missing. I would task you with keeping your head on this assignment."

  Emerald gave him a short nod. "Yes, sir." She wasn't about to tell him that she'd heard her sisters were just fine.

  The doctor looked at her through narrowed eyes for a moment before continuing. "Your sisters disappeared with their implants intact. If they are out there and free, you may run across one. If you find them alive, the pain from their leash as you call it, may have made them mad." He looked down at his now trembling hands. "You may have to…" He paused as his voice caught. "You may have to put them out of their misery."

  Emerald took a deep breath. She had always known this doctor was kind, but she never dared to think he cared about any of them, yet she would swear he was about to break down, right here in front of the techs and handlers.

/>   Looking up, he pierced her with a steady gaze. "I don't care what you have to do. I can't stand the thought of them alone and suffering." The last was said on a whisper so low, only she could hear.

  "Yes, sir. I will try." She stared at the doctor with newfound respect. She never once thought that the man cared anything about them beyond what they were to the project. Now she knew that he had feelings for them. Perhaps the others here weren't quite what they seemed either. She wondered, when this was all over, if some of them wouldn't like to leave Earth and live on a world with herself or one of her sisters.

  It is a possibility, dearling, though we have no idea what your father will think. I know he is going to rage at the people of this planet for what they have done to me and to all of you. Not once did your father ever dream to have twenty daughters and for that, he will be grateful, but his benevolence will only go so far, for his rage will take him much farther than even we can imagine.

  Emerald didn't know her father, but she couldn't believe the man would thank the people of Earth for taking his mate and his daughters from him. I know you are right, Mother. I cannot see any man refusing to make the people of this planet pay for what they have done to our family. Yet, those who have made our lives easier and those who have done their best to protect us, deserve our respect and return devotion.

  You are correct, daughter. Perhaps together we can all convince him that those who were kind to you deserve to have a choice in what happens to them. Who knows? He may agree.

  Don't you miss him?

  I miss him more than I can express, dearling. Her mother's words sounded wistful. You must go now or he will think something is wrong. I do not want him to suspect that we can talk to each other like this.

  Emerald turned to the doctor. "I am honored that you care." She kept her words a whisper so the others wouldn't hear. "If I see them, I will care for them as it requires."

  Dr. Delphin swallowed and nodded before backing away. "Now that you have your special instructions, you may be on your way." He waved his hand, then turned and left the room.

  Emerald stared after him, wondering if she would have the opportunity to see him again. The man had hidden depths. Perhaps there was more to some of the others as well.

  She turned to the tech seeing to her leash and grimaced. She hated the testing, she hated the implant and she hated for the thing to go off on her during an assignment. She resisted the urge to rub her leg. It was a habit she noticed all of her sisters had since the implantation.

  The things sat below their skin like some insidious thing, waiting for them to screw up just once and take too long to come home. Then it zapped them with a pain so debilitating that they could barely breathe, let alone think. She knew Dr. Delphin had declared the pain not be so intense, but a few of the techs didn't care. They liked pain themselves so when they set the device high, they not only tortured one of the sisters, they got some weird sexual gratification for themselves. Emerald didn't think she would ever understand people like that.

  She only hoped that this tech wasn't one of those who liked pain because she planned to call Aegon and she had no intention of coming back here ever again--at least not while her sisters were still here. She intended to come back only once to see if any of the techs or handlers that she knew were kind wanted to come with them to another world. Even then, she would have to await her father's approval.

  Chapter Five

  When the tech finally finished with her implant, he stepped off the platform and Emerald almost sighed with relief. Time to go. She closed her eyes and, concentrating, imagined the world where she would find her targets and opened the portal. Opening her eyes, Emerald stepped through and gasped. She had never seen anything so beautiful. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the twin suns. Heat seeped into her pores, her very bones warmed as she stood staring a beach of white sand caressed by blue water.

  She took a moment to stare at the beauty with awe before searching her mind for the path to Aegon's. She wanted, needed, to share this with someone and he seemed the obvious choice. After all, her sisters and mother couldn't be here and what she had heard about her father, she wasn't certain she was ready to meet him.

  It only took a few minutes for Aegon to appear. His smile was something to behold. She didn't think she had ever seen a male who was so well put together. His teeth gleamed at her as his silver irises swirled through the blacks of his eyes. The breeze coming off the water ruffled his hair, making him appear even more handsome than he had the day before.

  "You called, lady?" He bowed low, his tone respectful even though his eyes twinkled merrily. "I hoped I would hear from you. I am at your service."

  Emerald spun around in a circle, looking for some sign of life. "I need to find seven medical researchers and I must return them and their research with any samples they may have to Earth."

  "I would be happy to help you any way I can, lady." He turned and took a few steps. "If you would like a ride, I can take you to those you seek."

  "You know where they are?"

  He shook his head. "No, but it wouldn't be difficult to find them from the air. They must have an encampment of some kind."

  He was right. It didn't take long to find them from the air. When he set her down about a kilometer from the camp, she thanked him with a short kiss on the cheek. "I must go alone from here. Dr. Allen told the others about you and I don't need these people corroborating his story."

  "I will be here to help if you need. You merely have to reach out with your thoughts and I will be there."

  "Thank you, Aegon. I will call you if I have need."

  Turning, she walked toward the camp, mentally rehearsing what she would tell these researchers to make them want to go home with their finds.

  "I don't believe it!"

  Emerald heard a woman squeal through the trees.

  "I've found it. I've found what we've been looking for and it's been right here all along."

  "You've found what, Tamash?" the deep male voice asked from further away. "Is it the cure?" The deep rumbling voice grew closer as other voices added to the mix.

  "Yes, Teil. It's the cure and all this time it was in this."

  "Eeew! That's disgusting. What made you even try that?" another female voice asked.

  "I don't know. Desperation, perhaps. I can't help but feel that our time here is running out. No one was meant to live in paradise forever."

  The other woman snorted. "Paradise? Are you stoned? This is no more paradise than bedlam. Who wants to be stuck here with nothing, but plants and insects to keep you company?"

  "Oh, Sirah, I would love to stay here. I want to be stuck here with all of this wonderful flora and these insects that kill several different types of cancer," the one they called Tamash said.

  Emerald stepped into their camp just in time to see the woman hold out a dish filled with dead insects. "It's not like we have a choice anyway. The laboratory won't be able to come looking for us for at least another year."

  She stood in full view as the researchers took her in. "That is where you are wrong, Tamash Ubul. You must all return with haste. The methods used to bring you here tore holes in the dimensional rift and they will remain open until you all return. You will be transported the moment you have collected your research."

  "A way back! We have a way back!" The other woman rushed to Emerald and hugged her. "Thank you!" She grabbed Emerald's hand and shook it. "I'm Dr. Sirah Gonlen. You wouldn't believe the types of medicinal plants and insects we found here. With our research, we can synthesize cures for all kinds of diseases back on Earth."

  Tamash grinned. "Yeah and the thought of collecting the Nobel Peace Prize doesn't hurt either."

  "We'll never want for research grants again." The male who had spoken earlier rubbed his hands together.

  Emerald stood and listened to their animated chat. She knew a cure for cancer was a huge thing. The people of Earth had been plagued with that for centuries. "I would be
happy to take you all back. You merely need to gather your things. We don't have much time. I'm sure you've noticed the tremors of this planet." She watched as they all nodded.

  "We have." The man stepped forward. "I'm Dr. Teil Streng."

  Emerald didn't bother to tell them she knew who they were on sight. The files provided by the techs were always very thorough.

  "We thought they were the equivalent to earthquakes or maybe an unseen volcano. Truthfully, we'd begun to worry as they continued to get worse." Teil moved to sit at a small collapsible table and picked up a drink. "Would you care for some?"

  Emerald shook her head. "No, thank you." She wasn't about to take any chances. Her sister Ruby told her how the people tricked her on her first assignment. This seemed too easy.

  The man shrugged. "Suit yourself." He took a long drink and smiled. "This is something else we need to take back." He gestured toward their sleeping quarters and makeshift lab. We'll need a day or two to pack up. Do we have the time?"

  "We have some time. I have been instructed to make sure all of your research returns with you."

  "Good." Teil nodded with a smile. "Good. We have found many marvels here. We have gathered and dried seeds of several different types of plants that we used to have on earth, but are now extinct. All of them have medicinal qualities."

  Emerald was glad. She hated the thought of the Earth people suffering. Some were nice and others, most of the others had no idea what went on in the underground laboratory where she lived. The majority should not be punished for the trespasses of the minority. However, somehow she knew her father would do just that. "That's good. At least you won't return empty handed." She looked at them each in turn. "Where are the others?"

  Sirah stepped up and snorted. "Geologists. They went in search of the volcano they just knew was causing the tremors. They could be anywhere."

  Emerald slung her pack from her shoulder and pulled the scanner out. "No worries. I can find them with this. It's how I found you." She smiled. "Will they want to return home as well?"