by KD Jones
“I’ll help you. Is Maggie better now? Is the baby okay?” Kyle asked. Liam and Maggie were expecting their first child. Kyle was excited and looking forward to be an uncle.
“She and the baby are fine. But she is easily upset over the littlest things now. She sometimes breaks out into tears for no apparent reason. She says it’s something called damn hormones. It sounds unpleasant. I am trying to keep her happy, but these assholes aren’t helping matters.”
“So, this group vandalized and destroyed the supplies we’ve sent down. Told us aliens to go home. But none of that would qualify them to be considered a level three security threat. What else is there?”
“There is gossip about the band of resistance members planning to take us out,” Liam told him.
“Taking us out? Out where? What does that mean?”
“Maggie says it’s slang for hurting or even killing us.”
Kyle’s skin prickled with unease. “That is a direct threat. We have to find these people and stop them before they hurt someone. I’m more than happy to take the lead in that search.”
His father shook his head. “We have several teams trying to locate the core group for the resistance. I need someone who is trained that I can rely on to guard the medikos and volunteers.”
Damn it. This was not the mission he was hoping for. But it was important — not just a babysitting job like he had thought at first. Plus, while with the group, he might be able to uncover more information about the resistance.
“Fine. I’ll accept the mission. When do I leave?”
“Jared is organizing the mediko supplies. Give it two more days and he should have everything he needs. Maggie’s mother is heading up the human effort. So you will need to work with their security to make sure that everyone is taken care of.”
“I didn’t think Jared was going back down so soon. Normally, the groups work two weeks on and two weeks off for health reasons. It hasn’t been a full two weeks since Jared was down there.”
His father started looking at his desk computer. “He says he needs to go. He’s the head mediko so I trust he knows how to protect himself. You are both dismissed. I need to get some work done before the family dinner tonight. Maggie says she is making pizza.”
Oh man. Kyle’s stomach growled at the mention of the Earth food. He loved pizza. Maggie said they that the supplies that the Drastans had weren’t exactly the same but she combined what she could find with Earth’s supplies in the domes with their own and created a version of her pizza. It was quite tasty. He and Liam rose. He followed Liam into the corridor. “See you tonight then.”
Chapter 2
Rachel pleaded with her mother. “But I want to help too.” She watched as her mother packed a small bag with clothes. She was sitting on her mother’s bed in the three-bedroom apartment located in one of Earth’s government-made domes built deep underground. The domes were designed throughout the world to protect against disasters such as the nuclear strikes that had nearly annihilated the world.
The apartment was a pre-fab multi-story construction inserted into the dome. Her father was the dome leader so he was given a larger apartment than most. She and her parents had made it to the dome just before the doors were sealed and the nukes hit.
Unfortunately, her older sister Maggie had gotten separated from them during all the chaos. They had all thought she was dead for a long time. Thanks to the arrival of the alien race known as the Drastans, they discovered that Maggie had survived the nuclear blast and she was reunited with Rachel’s family.
The Drastans and the remaining Earth leaders were coming together in a joint effort to bring food and medical supplies to the subway survivors. Her mother was going on behalf of their dome and for Maggie, who could not go down below any longer because of her pregnancy.
“It’s safer for you to remain here with your father. He isn’t happy that I’m going to begin with. I doubt he would want you to come along. Besides, there won’t be a lot for you to do, and your friends won’t be there to have fun with. You’ll probably get bored in less than a day.”
It hurt her to hear how little her mother thought of her desire to help out. Maybe she deserved it. She admitted to herself that she had been a bit spoiled. Since her parents thought her older sister was dead, they had indulged Rachel’s every whim. They didn’t demand anything of her so they didn’t expect anything from her.
Rachel hoped by helping with the supplies being delivered to the subway people, that she could find a purpose for her life. She needed her mother’s help with this. This was her chance.
“Is that what you truly think of me ― that I’m useless?”
Her mother’s face paled. “Baby, I didn’t mean it that way. You are not useless.”
“You wouldn’t be the only one to think that. I’ve heard others say it and I’ve thought it about myself too. I will never be as strong or brave as Maggie. The things she has had to endure made the fact that she still came out surviving simply incredible. But this is my chance to show that I can contribute something worthwhile too. I just need you to let me do this. Please.”
Her mother sighed. “Fine. But you have to promise to follow the security detail’s every word. If they tell you to stop what you are doing, you stop.”
“I will. I swear it!”
“Fine, you may come with me.”
Rachel jumped up and hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She ran toward the door but stopped and turned back. “Oh, can you let Dad know that I’m going?”
“What? No, you have to…”
“But I need to pack. The security escorts will be here in less than an hour.” She ran out of the bedroom and didn’t hear her mother grumbling. “Good luck, Mom!”
She floated on cloud nine to her bedroom and searched for her backpack.
*****
“What do you mean Rachel is going with you?” David glared at his wife, Melissa, in shock. She couldn’t be serious.
“Rachel asked to come with me to help and I think it will be a great opportunity for her.”
“No, absolutely not. I won’t have it!” David shook his head.
“Don’t you talk to me in your Lieutenant Colonel voice. I am your wife; your partner in life. You should trust my decisions.”
“I didn’t want you to go to begin with, but now you expect me to sit back while both you and our daughter put yourselves at risk?”
Melissa waved her hand at him, dismissing his concerns. “Please, between you and Great Commander Estro, there will be so much security running around we’ll trip over it all.”
“Melissa, you don’t understand what’s going on right now. There’s a serious situation.”
She raised her eyebrow. “If I don’t know what’s going on, whose fault is that? You won’t tell me anything. You are always telling us what to do, but never telling us why we need to do it your way.”
“I’m the dome leader here. It’s my job to protect everyone. There are some things I can’t disclose because it could cause problems if it’s repeated to everyone else. You know better than anyone what happens when people panic.”
“We’re not just anybody. We’re your family and I am your wife. Tell me what’s going on.”
David sighed as he sat on their bed. He had to explain so that she would understand that it was just too dangerous. “There are groups of people who are angry with the Drastans being here. They want the aliens to leave.”
“Are they stupid? The Drastans are here to help us. They’re just idiots. We shouldn’t put stock in their pointless views.”
“The problem is that they are acting on their beliefs. They have been sabotaging the supply shipments. That’s why we’ve had to double the security. There have been threats to the Drastans and to...me.”
Melissa’s face paled. “They’re threatening you? Why?”
“There were notes found at the destroyed supplies directed to me. They want me to step down from my posi
tion as dome leader. They say that I am an alien sympathizer, a traitor to my own race, and that I should die for giving my daughter over to alien scum.”
“Who are these people? Are they threatening Maggie?”
“Any threat to the Drastans will also include Maggie because she is carrying the first human/Drastan child. Great Commander Estro is aware of the situation and they are keeping a security detail for her on board their ship. But you see now why I don’t want you and Rachel going down to the subway tunnel. It’s just too dangerous.”
Melissa sat down next to him and took his hand. “There is danger everywhere we go. How do we know that those sabotaging the supplies are coming from the subway area? They could be right here in this dome.”
“Melissa…”
“Trust us, David. You taught us how to protect ourselves, how to survive. Maggie is testament to that training. We will do what we have to in order to survive. You can teach us everything you know, but you can’t protect us from life.”
“But to take Rachel too?”
“She needs this, David. She needs to prove to herself that she has something to offer this world, our own people. It is a good and selfless thing she wants to do.”
“I can’t convince you not to go?”
She shook her head and smiled. “No.”
He sighed. “Fine. But you two will stay where security can see you and you will listen to them.”
“Absolutely. I love you, David.” She leaned over to kiss him.
“I love you, all of you. If something were to happen to you guys, it would devastate me.”
“We’ll be careful.”
*****
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the wall just outside her parent’s bedroom. She had been worried that her father would refuse. But her mother always knew how to manage him. She smiled as she walked away. She was finally going to prove that she was more than a pretty face. Kyle and his smart-alec comments could kiss her ass.
Chapter 3
Kyle stood at the entrance of the subway station, or what was still standing from it. It surprised him that anything still existed after the destruction that covered most of Earth. Broken buildings, rubble, burnt signs, and a dry dusty air was all he had encountered since coming to the Earth’s surface. That was just a small example of the destruction caused by the nukes.
Earth’s people were divided. A small portion of Earth’s inhabitants were saved by relocating in the domes. The problem was that the domes only allowed a certain number of people inside; everyone else had been turned away. Most of those turned away died. But an even smaller number of humans managed to get below ground right before the nukes hit and somehow survived for that last few years in the old Earth transit systems in the tribes.
The first time he saw the living conditions of the tribe that Maggie belonged to, he felt immediate claustrophobia. Being underground provided no natural light. But there were artificial lights and some running water in areas. The people survived by scavenging storage areas that the cities had stockpiled with canned foods and medicine.
But sooner or later, the food and supplies ran out, and, in addition, people died from lack of vitamin D from the sun. It was a miracle any of them survived as long as they did.
Kyle and his family had been traveling on a military convoy. They intercepted a transmission requesting assistance after the nuclear disaster. His father made the decision to see if any survivors remained and, if so, to offer help. Contact was made with Earth’s surviving leaders. His brother Liam headed up the first teams to look for those who might have survived outside the domes. That was how he met Maggie and found out about the tribes.
The people from these tribes had been exceedingly difficult to help because of their lack of trust in the Drastans or even their own Earth government. From his short contact with them, they expressed feelings of abandonment by their own government, like they were left to die. He couldn’t blame them for that. He would feel the same way. What he couldn’t understand was their hesitancy in accepting help from the Drastans.
Now this newest threat was coming from the hate groups on Earth who wanted to see the Drastans gone from this world. Were they idiots? Why would anyone turn down help.
“Here they come!” one of his lieutenants called out interrupting his thoughts.
Kyle turned to look at the Earth vehicles approaching the subway entrance. These were the Earth volunteers who wanted to come and assist with bringing food and supplies to the tribes. The Drastans continued bringing supplies along with a medical team that alternated while providing necessary treatment to many of the tribe members suffering from prolonged exposure of radiation. For the most part, the exposure to radiation was in small increments over the past few years, but if it went untreated, those exposed individuals would become sick and eventually die. His older brother Mediko Jared was heading up the treatment efforts. He was already below with the volunteers providing medical care.
Kyle walked toward the vehicle and watched as the security guard opened the side door in the back. Several men got out and helped a handful of women. He didn’t like that they sent women to an area that was radiation-infected and potentially dangerous. He especially hated seeing that Maggie’s mother, Mrs. Melissa James, was among the volunteers. He couldn’t believe that her mate would allow her to come here. But it wasn’t his decision to make. He was just here to keep everyone safe. He turned as one of his lieutenants came over to tell him something. When he turned back toward the vehicle, he felt his heart rate go up when he spotted the last person to get out of the vehicle. He stepped forward in large steps.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked, stopping to stare into the surprised eyes of Maggie’s younger sister Rachel.
Rachel glared at him defiantly. “I’m here to help.”
Chapter 4
“That’s not funny.” He frowned at her. He glanced over to question her mother, but she was busy helping to unload boxes from the van.
“I’m not laughing. I came here with my mom and the others who are volunteering for the next two weeks.” Rachel tried to step around him, but he blocked her.
“You can’t be here, Rachel — this is not a place to hang out and have fun. It’s not safe. I was not even informed that you would be coming.”
She glared at him. “Excuse me, I don’t answer to you. You have no say over me, what I do or where I go.”
“Did your father approve of this?”
“Yes he did, so just back the hell off.” She shoved at his chest but it didn’t make him budge at all. He was really tall and well-built. He wasn’t as tall as his older brothers, but he definitely towered over her much smaller frame. She hated feeling so short. “Move!”
“Is there a problem, Lieutenant Estro?” Rachel’s mother asked, approaching them.
Kyle stepped back and turned toward her. “I was concerned about Miss James’s presence here. I wasn’t informed ahead of time that she would be accompanying you.”
“It was a last-minute decision. Rachel offered to help and her father and I agreed that she could come along as long as she followed the security detail’s directions.”
Kyle nodded his head but he still didn’t look happy about it. “Very well, both of you need to stay with your group at all times. I will make sure that once you are set up with a place to sleep that you will have a security guard at all times.”
Her mother frowned. “Is that necessary? Are the others having such personal care?”
Kyle smiled. “I promised Maggie I would look out for you myself, Mrs. James. She would definitely want me to make sure both of you were taken care of properly.”
“I just don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
He smiled at her warmly and even winked. “Watching out for two beautiful women is no hardship at all.”
Rachel watched in horror as Kyle seemed to charm her own mother. What was it with this cocky asshole? He seemed to think every woman in the universe was
here for him. His overconfidence and suave attitude was one of the things that put her off. Her first glimpse of him months ago had her drooling and blushing like a young teen who had never seen a boy before. He was by far the hottest guy she had ever seen, even more attractive than his two brothers. That was, until he opened his mouth and proved just how much of a jerk he really could be.
“We appreciate that, Kyle. How’s my Maggie doing?”
Kyle laughed as he extended his arm to her mother and started to walk her toward the entrance of the subway station. “She is royally pissed that she couldn’t come down and help with this team. She has my brother Liam jumping back and forth trying to calm her and please her. She cries at the most unexpected times and her appetite has seemed to triple.”
Rachel followed behind, feeling, all of a sudden, like she was completely forgotten. She knew she was pouting but couldn’t seem to help it. Kyle seemed different with other women than he did with her. With her mother he was relaxed, intelligent, funny, and charming. But whenever he interacted with Rachel, he was flirtatious in an over-the-top manner. He would say insulting things, and his macho act drove her beyond crazy at times. No man should ever be that self-assured. It was just plain obnoxious. Why couldn’t he be more sweet and charming with her? She hated feeling the tiniest bit jealous, even of her own mother.
She shouldn’t care at all, especially after overhearing him talking about how selfish and useless he thought Rachel was. She knew that she had to prove to herself she had something more substantial to give and she really wanted to prove to Kyle that he was wrong about her.
She followed them down the dusty staircase and over to the subway tracks. The Drastans brought down their own small transports that looked similar to golf carts but hovered over the ground. Although the subway system had power, the sub cars were used mostly as living spaces instead of means of transportation. The tribes traveled through the tunnels by foot. She was grateful for the transport that the Drastans brought because she wasn’t sure she had it in her to walk the distance to the tribe community.