He stood motionless, not knowing what to do. He needed to find her to be able to put things right between them. He needed to tell her that he loved her. She drove him crazy with her brashness, but he could live with that. She gave him something he never knew was missing from his life. A companion, someone who would love him for himself, not his political accomplishments. Someone who would challenge him in life without judging him. Someone who could love him back.
“Ambassador, did you find her?” Taber’s steady voice broke through his thoughts.
Kamran swallowed away the lump in his throat. “No. Someone tore her transmitter out and left it. I’m going to have to come back to base.”
“The Ecada were drawn toward the explosion. It must be the heat. That won’t distract them for long. They are approaching from the southwest.”
Kamran squeezed the transmitter tightly before tucking it into his pocket. “I’ll swing around and approach from the east.”
“Hurry. They haven’t attacked yet, but I don’t anticipate that lasting much longer.”
The journey back to base took twice as long due to the roundabout route. With each step, Kamran tried to figure out who would have taken her. The Ecada didn’t take prisoners unless they were short on their food supplies. That left only one person.
“Taber, has anyone been able to track down Ray?”
“I’ve had to pull all our men to the perimeter.”
“But no one has seen him enter from that side?”
Silence for a moment before Taber responded. “No sightings at all. What are you thinking?”
“There’s a secondary access tunnel on the north of the colony base. I think he’s taken Haylie there.”
The main channel automatically cut over the private chat. “Weapons ready. Here they come!”
Goddess protect them.
Kamran switched off his communication unit. The last thing they needed was him as an added distraction. He reached the base and turned right instead of left making his way toward the access tunnel.
The door was large, the metal dented and pitted from the constant beating it took from the sand. At first glance it didn’t appear that it would open, but a spark from the door mechanism caught his attention. He picked up the wires and touched them together, once, twice. The doors whooshed open, sending a cloud of sand swirling around his feet.
He had to force the doors shut, using the exposed wires on the inside. Ray had clearly been in a hurry, not bothering to cover his tracks. Sand and dirt from outside were sucked into the room, creating a cloud of haze to fill the small antechamber.
How the hell was he going to figure out where they’d gone? All four of the access doors were closed, but something drew Kamran’s attention to the far left one. The security panel had a wipe mark, fingers drawn quickly through the dust.
Haylie.
With a flash of his ID badge, the door opened effortlessly and Kamran barreled through. He pushed his EV helmet from his head and took in a lungful of clean air.
“Haylie!”
This was a service tunnel. He ran with great strides up the corridor until it emptied into a control room.
“Preflight sequence engaged.”
The computer’s sanitary voice sent a chill through him.
“Computer, override. Cancel preflight cycle.”
“Please provide override authorization.”
“Kamran, five-nine-alpha.”
“Access denied.”
So much for that. A glance out to the hangar gave him another idea. Releasing the security seal on the door, he slid down the ladder to the hangar bay floor. The whirl of the short-range shuttle’s engines increased, blowing the dust that had penetrated the force field’s barrier into his eyes.
With a yank, he pulled his helmet back on but couldn’t fully secure it to his face. At least he could see a little. Well enough to locate the one thing that could keep the shuttle grounded.
When he passed in front of the nose of the shuttle, a booming voice assaulted his ears.
“Well, Ambassador. Nice to see you outside med bay for a change. I hope you haven’t had too much of a headache recently.”
Kamran stumbled over a toolbox. He landed on the ground next to the docking clamps.
“I’m perfectly healthy. Not a great day for a pleasure flight.”
“If you’re referring to that little attack from my friends, I think it’s a perfect day for one. Their orders are to kill every last human and Briel on the planet. So I thought it best to take a little day trip.”
Kamran grabbed a wrench from the tool box and pounded the clamp’s casing until it popped open. He knew what men like Ray were like. Keep him talking, taunt his ego long enough to finish what he needed to do to keep the shuttle grounded.
“And you felt the need to take Chief Bond with you?”
Carefully removing his gloves, Kamran tightened his hands into balls before diving into the panel. A shock from the unshielded wires made him cry out. It had the happy side effect of numbing his fingers to the pain and he was able to force the security panel open, exposing the metal clamps that could prevent the shuttle from taking off.
“I wanted to make sure I had a pleasant distraction while I orbited the planet. I’ve always wanted to dissect a human.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said through his clenched teeth.
Movement from Kamran’s right caught his attention. Donaldson stepped into his line of sight. “What are you doing, Kamran?”
Kamran tensed, ready to defend himself from attack. Donaldson had been working with Ray this whole time. He tightened his grip on the wrench.
“Just a little last-minute maintenance.”
It took a second but Kamran realized something was different. There was no malice in Donaldson’s voice and he’d used his given name. He was filthy and his eyes were bloodshot with heavy bags underneath. Gone was the coldness that had been so much a part of who he had been in the past year. What remained looked tired, scared and confused.
“Are you well, Administrator? Sean?”
The engines from the shuttle kicked into the next phase. The last one before takeoff.
“No time. I’m going to stop him.” Donaldson muttered.
Kamran watched as he pulled out a blaster and stumbled toward the shuttle door.
“No. Sean!”
Kamran stopped and tried to think back to his basic piloting course. In case of emergency, clamps can be manually released by turning the handle clockwise. So to lock them…
“Docking clamps engaged. Preflight sequence paused.” The computer’s voice echoed in the docking bay.
He released his breath. “Thank the goddess.”
“Not smart. I would hate to see your girlfriend get hurt.”
Kamran looked up in time to see a limp, helmetless Haylie being shoved at him. He barely managed to get his arms up in time to catch her when Ray launched at him.
* * * * *
Haylie landed hard against the hangar floor, the pain from the impact jolting her from unconsciousness. The world was spinning, her head throbbed from the impact with the floor and her lungs seized in a fit of coughing.
What was going on? The last thing she remembered she had been circling around the Ecada close to the colony defenses when she’d fallen unconscious. The next thing she knew her suit was ripped and she couldn’t breathe. She barely managed to hold the tear together before Ray dragged her back inside the building and she passed out again.
She managed to roll onto her back as someone kicked her leg. She looked up to watch Ray swing a wrench at someone’s head. The impact sent the helmet flying.
“Kamran?”
“Run. Now!”
“Like hell!”
On her feet, she stumbled toward the shuttle. A weapon, she needed one now. Her vision blurred, she misjudged her distance from the shuttle’s nose and ran into it. Her hands managed to find a groove and she held on tight. Focusing straight in front of her, Haylie saw a
heap lying on the floor. Donaldson. He was moaning, clutching his gut. But he did have one thing she needed. Haylie threw herself at him, landing hard on her knees beside him.
“Give me your blaster.”
“I’m so,” he gasped. “I’m sorry.”
“Just give me the fucking gun!”
Haylie ripped it from his outstretched hand and tore back around the front of the shuttle. Haylie pointed the blaster at the two Briel as they grappled with each other on the shuttle floor. For a second, she thought Kamran had the upper hand until Ray managed to kick his feet out from under him and Kamran’s head banged hard against the floor. God, let him be okay.
“Freeze!”
Ray spun to face her. He smiled a wide toothy grin. “Chief! Nice to see you up on your feet again. Though I haven’t given you permission to return to duty. Have you, Administrator?”
Haylie didn’t dare take her eyes off Ray but she knew Donaldson now stood very close behind her.
“No, I haven’t.”
She didn’t panic. There was something in his tone that was different. She knew it.
“Donaldson…Sean, Ray is the one who’s been behind everything. The attacks on the colony. Your nightmares. Everything.”
She watched Ray but listened for Donaldson. For his part, Ray didn’t move. The cocky bastard thought he’d won.
“Sean. I know he’s been using you. Controlling what you’ve thought, even the things you’ve said. But you’re stronger than that. Help me.”
Ray made a tsking noise. “Chief, I’m surprised. I would have thought you of all people would have realized that our friend here is weak. I would never have been able to keep control over him for as long as I have otherwise. What’s it been now, almost two years? No matter. Now you and your boyfriend here,” he gave Kamran’s leg a kick, “proved to be quite challenging.”
Haylie cringed, but Kamran didn’t move. She reached out with her mind and while he wasn’t answering her, she knew he was alive.
“Isn’t that sweet. Checking to see how he’s doing. Too bad he’s not conscious to answer you.”
She fought to keep the shock from her face. “How can you know that?”
“I know everything both of you were thinking. How do you think it was possible for your bond to form in the first place?”
“Bastard. That’s not true. Briel mates are chosen by biology.” It couldn’t be.
“Of course it’s true. And who better to trick biology than a doctor?” Ray began to laugh. “You didn’t really think that some mystical force chose you to be the mate of a highly distinguished Briel, did you? Stupid girl.”
Tears filled her eyes and Haylie tried to fight them off. “You’re under arrest for murder, attempted murder and treason. Hands up.”
Instead of complying, Ray knelt down and lifted Kamran’s lifeless head by his hair. He withdrew a knife from his pocket and held it to Kamran’s neck.
“Now, now, Haylie. I know the drugs I gave you earlier aren’t out of your system yet. Your reflexes are slow and your vision is blurry. What do you think your chances are of actually hitting me? Hmm? And if your Briel boyfriend can’t slow me down, someone who’s stronger and faster than you, then you’re not going to be able to stop me. Sean, if you would please take the Chief’s firearm.”
Every instinct was screaming at her to shoot. When Ray pressed the knife hard against Kamran’s throat, she released her blaster and Donaldson took it quickly from her hands.
“Pathetic. Secure her.”
Donaldson jerked her arms hard behind her back, pressing her wrists together. She turned to glare at him as he slid a plastic handcuff around her left wrist but kept her right free.
“I hope I’ve made those tight enough. I wouldn’t want you to be comfortable,” Donaldson said.
It was then that Haylie realized she hadn’t really looked at Donaldson. He’d changed. Somehow he was able to fight Ray, or Ray’s control had somehow slipped and he hadn’t noticed. Or no longer cared.
“Why are you doing this?” She kept the contempt in her voice but nodded her head slightly toward Donaldson. They might have a chance to get out of this after all.
“Because I’m sick of everything Earth has forced on us. They’ve been controlling this colony from across the galaxy for years. No more. Ray promised that when the Ecada are finished destroying all life on this planet, they have agreed to pay an obscene amount of gold for this place. Enough that I can retire anywhere in the galaxy and never be found again.”
Donaldson then pressed a cool plastic handle into her hand. It took Haylie a few seconds to recognize what she now held—a flare gun.
Ray dropped Kamran’s head, letting it fall back to the ground with a thud. Kamran moaned.
“Kamran?”
She couldn’t keep her voice steady. Thank god he was alive.
“Haylie?” He sounded stunned.
“Touching reunion. Bring her over here so she can be with her boyfriend one last time.”
Donaldson yanked her arm and managed to keep himself between her and Ray, keeping the gun from sight.
“Kamran, are you hurt?” she asked. Before things went to hell, she had to know.
“I’m fine.”
Ray moved a short distance from Kamran. “Fine until the Ecada locate you. They won’t even bother to listen to your pleas for mercy, you know. They’ll simply rip your bodies apart. Too bad I won’t be here to watch the fun. Donaldson, when you’re done there, release the clamps so we can get out of here. Our friends will be along shortly.”
Kamran slowly rose to his feet, clearly in no condition to be able to help. She was going to have to move fast. But it was Donaldson who made the first move.
“I wouldn’t go with you if the entire Ecada horde were on me.” Donaldson sneered.
Ray spun to face him. “What?”
“If you think I’m going to get on that ship, knowing you have every intention of killing me before we even take off, you must think me a fool.”
Even Haylie was surprised at the hate in Donaldson’s voice.
“Of course I think you’re a fool. Why else do you think I targeted this colony? You were such an easy mark, I knew I’d have no problem getting what I wanted from you.”
Donaldson roared and leapt at Ray. The Briel sidestepped the attack easily and landed a punch on Donaldson’s head, sending him to the ground with a crash. It was the opening Haylie needed. She pointed the flare gun at Ray’s chest. It only took a heartbeat for him to recognize the danger. He lunged at Haylie but couldn’t move fast enough to prevent her attack.
The mini explosion from the hydrogen cartridge echoed in the hangar. Haylie fought through the hard recoil and hit her target. She saw the butt end of the flare was sparking from his stomach, a look of horror twisting into pain on Ray’s face. He didn’t speak, looking into her eyes briefly before falling to the floor. The smell of burning flesh hit her hard.
Kamran? “Are you hurt? We need to get out of here.”
She reached him and they quickly hugged.
He pulled her to him. “I’m okay. Are you…”
She felt him stiffen. She pulled back to look into his eyes. She watched as they rolled back up into his head. Haylie tried to say something or at least she thought she did. But the words never left her mouth. The thoughts stopped as they were formed.
Pain sliced through her mind. Her hands flew to her head in an attempt to keep it from exploding. Screams surrounded her mind. If they were real or imagined, she was long past caring.
Right before she passed out, she realized that they came from her.
Chapter Sixteen
Haylie woke slowly. Opening her eyes provided her with a blinding pain in her head so she quickly closed them again.
“I feel like I’ve been out partying all night.”
“Well, you don’t look much better.”
At the sound of Sara’s voice, Haylie braved another peek into the world.
“Thanks.”
>
“You have a concussion, some minor internal bleeding and dust from the planet’s surface stuck in your lungs. Other than that, you’re the picture of health.”
She felt Sara sit on the edge of the bed and then a piece of hair stuck to her cheek was moved away.
“You gave us quite a scare back there.”
Haylie’s brain finally kicked into full gear and she bolted upright. “Where’s Kamran? The Ecada? Oww.”
“Easy, hon. Take it easy or you’re going to end back up in isolation.”
“Sara.” God, she sounded desperate.
“Kamran is fine. He’s in isolation.”
“What’s wrong? Will he be okay?”
Haylie tried to reach out with her mind to find Kamran. There was nothing. Not the nothing she felt earlier when he was blocking her. Simply nothing. Her stomach soured. They’d lost their connection.
Haylie watched as Sara’s face scrunched for a moment before realization dawned.
“Kamran’s not there as a patient. Taber was injured in the battle. Kamran’s visiting.”
“Will he be okay?” It then hit her where they were. “I’m assuming because we are having this conversation that we won?”
Sara stood and moved behind the bed. She began to fiddle with the monitoring computer. The steady blipping noise told her everything she needed to know. She was fine. Sara didn’t look as good.
“Sara?”
“We didn’t exactly win, more that they stopped fighting.”
Something in her tone didn’t gel. Haylie sat up to get a better look at her friend.
“What do you mean?”
When Sara looked at Haylie, tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“I was there, you know. All the medical staff were. We tried to patch people back together as fast as we could to throw them back into battle. They just kept coming and coming. Walked through us like we were paper in a rainstorm.”
Haylie’s throat tightened. She blinked back her own tears and held her arms wide. Sara returned to the bed and embraced her.
“So many people died and there was nothing I could do to stop them. A guard tried to fight them off when they made their way toward us. One of those things ran him through with its tail.”
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