Defiant (Battle Born Book 13)

by Cyndi Friberg

  “That would be me,” Thea said, obviously hearing the question. “I’m with the RF, or I was until a few days ago.”

  Elias smiled at her, but fell silent as they passed through one corridor after another. “Through here.” He opened the wide, double doors with a palm print and an alphanumeric code. “A few sections are pretty torn up, but most of the ship is still safe.”

  They stepped out onto a railed platform, flanked by steep metal stairs. Before them spread an enormous hangar, the Vengeance easily dominating the cavernous space. Drex had seen images of the ship, holographic and static, and still he was awed by the sleek lines and innovative design. The forward portion of the craft was dramatically tapered with four or five decks. The aft was thicker and wider, having at least twice as many decks. All the lines were smooth, flowing from one section to the next with curves rather than angles.

  Thea moved to the railing, her eyes wide and unblinking. “I didn’t realize it was so…big.”

  “Big and hard to handle,” Drex told her. “Some of our best pilots struggled with her while she was still functional.”

  Thea looked at him as some dark, consuming emotion hardened her expression. “Which is why the human pilot lost control of the ship?”

  “Yes.” He knew the answer hurt her, but Jenna had promised Thea that they wouldn’t lie to her. He started to say he was sorry for her loss, but couldn’t force the pointless words past his lips.

  “Can we go on board?” She looked at Elias.

  “Only because we owe your companions a favor,” he said with an engaging grin. The human was overly friendly, in Drex’s opinion. But Thea seemed to respond to him.

  They descended the metal stairs then climbed a ramp leading to one of the open hatchways. Thea looked around in rapt fascination. Elias clearly had a destination in mind, but Thea stopped at each open doorway and took a moment to look around.

  “I’ve never been on a spaceship before,” she whispered, her tone soft and filled with awe.

  “Well, I’ve been on many and this one is still impressive,” Elias told her.

  Elias led them through the curving corridors, many of which either sloped downward or angled up. Apparently the Evonti designers preferred ramps to stairs, and curves to sharp angles. Noticing Thea’s interest, Elias stopped when she did and explained what she was seeing. Many of the systems were similar to those found on battle born ships, but some were unusual.

  The command center was on the upper most deck in the forward section of the ship. At present, the ship was not operational because teams of engineers, both human and battle born, were attempting to figure out how everything worked.

  “I can’t really give you a demonstration,” Elias told her. “The vast majority of the systems are offline.”

  She waved away his concern. “I’ve seen it in action. This just reinforces those images.” She motioned to the ship surrounding them.

  “Have you ever seen an Evonti?” Elias asked.

  “I had no idea there was more than one alien invasion until Drex mentioned the Evonti earlier.”

  “We don’t know nearly as much about them as we’d like, but some of the members of Solar Warden claim to have seen an Evonti. Then we stumbled upon a group of video clips and the images match their descriptions perfectly. We think the snippets are part of the surveillance feed that didn’t get wiped properly before the ship was released to Solar Warden.” He walked to a nearby console and activated the control matrix. “Hopefully I can still access them.”

  An image of the control center appeared on the main viewscreen. For a moment nothing happened, then the main door parted and a four-person maintenance team walked into the room. They each had a tool belt strapped to their hips and carried hard-shell cases. Their language was barely recognizable as speech, all swelling tones and sharp burst of sound. With grayish-green skin, large solid black eyes, and geometric markings that resembled scales, the workers appeared more amphibian than humanoid.

  “It’s possible these are just workers and they’re not Evonti,” Elias said, “but later clips show similar beings wearing uniforms and they’re clearly in command positions. We’re pretty sure this is what they look like.”

  Thea shuddered, unable to look away from the screen. “You’re wrong about Abaddon. You must be wrong.” Her voice grew tight and pain darkened her expression. She turned her head and looked at Elias. “Do you have one of the communication devices Drex mentioned to me?”

  Elias looked at Drex. “A remote access point?”

  “Yes,” he said. “The compact version.”

  Elias took them to a large workroom two decks down and in the midsection of the ship. A wide assortment of gadgets spread across counters, tables and shelves, most at least partially disassembled.

  “You really are tearing everything apart, aren’t you?” Thea muttered.

  “This was a rare opportunity,” Elias told her. “There was no way we were going to let it go to waste.”

  “But can you put it all back together?”

  He laughed. “That has yet to be seen.”

  Drex spotted the com-unit like the one he’d seen in the vision and held it up. “Does this look like yours?”

  All the color drained out of Thea’s face and she nodded. “Exactly like that.”

  “Sounds like Drex is right,” Elias concluded, his ready smile suddenly absent. “You’re working for an Evonti, or at least an Evonti spy.”

  “I can’t believe this.” She shook her head, and ran her fingers through her hair. “Then one of those creatures has my grandmother.” The true scope of Helen’s peril was finally setting in.

  “Abaddon likely ordered the action,” Jenna said softly, compassion now her primary emotion. “But Big Jim actually kidnapped her. They did it to control you. They have no reason to harm her unless you disobey. As of right now, they think you’re frantically working to recruit me.”

  “What if we can’t find her before they realize the truth?” She grew more agitated with each word. “Then they’ll hurt her, kill her. She’s just an old woman. She has nothing to do with any of this.”

  Elias placed his hand on the middle of her back, pity shining in his eyes. “You probably know more than you realize. Where would they have taken her?”

  “I don’t know,” she cried, twisting away from his touch. “She lives on the other side of the country. It would take forever to drive her back to RF headquarters, unless they figured out a way to get her on a plane. I have no idea where they are.”

  Again Elias looked at Drex. “Are the battle born looking for her?”

  “Of course.” Apparently Morgan hadn’t mentioned the incident to her second-in-command. Drex found the fact insulting. Her responsibilities had greatly increased in the past few months, but the RF was a serious threat. “I was under the impression that Morgan dispatched an investigative team as well as General Lux.”

  “Did this happen in Florida?” Drex nodded and Elias shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t make the connection. I was focused on the Evonti. Yes, our Southeast team is topnotch.”

  “Have they learned anything new?” Jenna asked in a soft, hopeful tone.

  “I’m afraid not. The last development I heard about was identifying James Dayton. The RF call him Big Jim.”

  “He owns the property where the RF has their headquarters.”

  Drex looked at Thea and smiled. She’d finally referred to it as “their” headquarters rather than “ours”.

  Elias suddenly perked up. “Oh, did you hear about the Dayton connection?”

  Drex shook his head, as did Jenna.

  “The battle born, General Lux in particular, have been searching for a woman named Rebecca.”

  “Isn’t she the one named in the most damning propaganda video,” Jenna asked then shuddered. “That thing is so disturbing.”

  “Yes, well, Solar Warden claimed it was her in that horrible video, but she’s alive and kicking, so they’re clearly full of shit. Turns out
she’s James Dayton’s wife, or ex-wife. The facts are sort of sketchy. Anyway, she ran away from him and has been living off the grid to avoid being found.”

  “Rebecca, the one Sedrik Lux is obsessed with, is Big Jim’s runaway wife.” Drex shook his head barely believing his own words.

  “And that’s not even the worst part,” Elias warned. “We’ve been wondering all along how Abaddon gained control over portions of our military. That had to be an inside job.”

  “James Dayton is military?” Jenna asked, according to her tense expression and banked emotions, she didn’t yet understanding the connection.

  “Big Jim isn’t, but his father, three brothers, and various uncles and cousins are all active duty and well-respected. Many are highly decorated. The Dayton name has a lot of clout in military circles. James senior, or Little Jim to his family and friends, is an ambitious three star general.”

  “Unbelievable.” Jenna just shook her head, but Drex understood her frustration. Even if they exposed Abaddon, the Dayton family would still be a serious problem.

  “That’s quite a coincidence,” Drex grumbled. It didn’t seem to matter how much progress they made. Each time they thought they’d reached the summit, they spotted the next peak waiting to test their fortitude.

  “There’s no such thing,” Jenna said firmly, challenging his sudden pessimism. “Life is filled with connections. We just don’t always recognize them for what they are.”

  He wasn’t about to argue philosophy in the middle of a crisis. “Either way, it’s a remarkable development.”

  “And it has made Sedrik Lux even more determined to find Rebecca. She was married to Abaddon’s right-hand man. She has to know where all the bodies are buried.” Thea made an alarmed sound and Elias looked like he wanted to punch himself right in the face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it literally.”

  “I know,” she assured as she frantically blinked back tears.

  “I think we’ve seen what we need to see,” Drex decided. A change of scenery might do them all good. “Is there somewhere the three of us can talk before we head back to New York?”

  “You can use my office. I spend more time in Morgan’s anyway.”

  Elias escorted them to his office, then asked if they needed anything else. When they said they didn’t and thanked him for his time, he departed.

  Thea sank into the nearest chair, looking stricken and demoralized. “So, what do I have to do to get my grandmother back?”

  Chapter Eleven

  The defensiveness in Thea’s tone sent pity and concern curling through Jenna. Clearly, the young woman was terrified. And she had to feel totally alone. “We’ll rescue your grandmother regardless of whether or not you decide to help us.” She glanced at Drex, suddenly realizing it wasn’t really her offer to make. We will help her, won’t we?

  Of course. Contrary to popular belief, Rodytes are not savages.

  “Then what’s our next step?” Thea asked, oblivious to the telepathic exchange.

  Elias’s office was small, utilitarian, with an ordinary desk and two visitor chairs, file cabinet and not much else. He claimed not to spend much time here, and now having seen it, Jenna believed him. Thea plopped down in one of the visitor chairs as soon as she entered the room, so Drex moved behind the desk, encouraging Jenna to sit beside their reluctant guest.

  She responds better to you, Drex pointed out. I’m going to back off.

  Thea responded best to Lenore, but at the moment that wasn’t an option. Jenna quickly smiled at him before turning to Thea. “What would you be doing right now if you hadn’t, how did you put it, lose your calling?”

  Apparently thinking about the question, Thea paused for a minute. “If I managed to pique your interest, I was supposed to bring you back to my hotel room and call Abaddon.”

  Made sense. None of his communications were face-to-face, so there was no reason to drag an iffy recruit back to RF headquarters. “If you were still on your own, would you confront Abaddon about your grandmother?”

  “Hell, yes,” Thea insisted. “I’ve never been one to bend over and take it, and I’d have no idea that he was anything other than human. That means he’s a coward who won’t even show his face. I would definitely let him have it.”

  Jenna nodded, scrambling to decide how best to capitalize on the situation. Their biggest challenge was pushing Abaddon without endangering Helen. They needed to find her and fast. “It’s likely he’s not even on Earth,” she mused. “We can’t set a trap for a hologram.”

  “I agree,” Drex told her. “However, we might be able to trace the signal or at least identify the frequency used by the transceivers.”

  “If no one else is using those devices right now, couldn’t we also use the frequency to identify the other RF properties?” Thea wanted to know. The conversation energized her, helped free her from depression.

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Jenna nodded, her mind rushing on ahead. There were so many details to coordinate, so much could go wrong. “Wherever they took Helen might not have a traceable connection to the RF, but they still have to communicate with Abaddon from time to time.”

  “Unless they communicate with someone who communicates with Abaddon.” Thea sighed, losing heart as quickly as she’d perked up.

  “We need to get your transceiver back from Foster,” Drex pointed out. “All Rodyte communication signals include embedded information about the user. It’s likely Evonti tech does as well. The devices might look the same, but each signal could be unique. We cannot make Abaddon suspicious.”

  “Well, let’s head back to New York.” Jenna pushed to her feet, anxious to get started. “We can hammer out the details on the way.”

  They strategized most of the way back to New York, trying to anticipate every pitfall or possible complication. Thea contributed where she could, but her mood grew progressively more withdrawn the farther east they flew. Knowing it would sound too much like an accusation coming from him, Drex encouraged Jenna to ask about her mood.

  Jenna studied Thea for a moment, deciding how to broach the subject. They’d fallen silent about five minutes ago and Thea stared out the main viewscreen, but her gaze was unfocused, her expression somber. She’d done better while the conversation was lively.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this,” Jenna moved to the seat next to Thea’s and lowered her voice, not that the precaution actually kept Drex or even the pilot from overhearing them. The Phantoms were simply too small for privacy. “You’ve grown really quiet all of a sudden.”

  Thea looked at Jenna, dark eyes bleak and filled with pain. “I have nowhere to go when this is over. My house is gone, my family is dead, and soon the RF will consider me a traitor.” She stopped talking, as grief momentarily robbed her of speech. She managed to hold back the tears, but her lips trembled. “Seeing the ship was cathartic. In some small way it…it’s hard to explain.”

  “Try. I think it would be good for you to express what you’re feeling.”

  “This entire thing has been surreal, in the worst possible way.” She took a deep breath, clearly struggling for words. “I was twenty miles outside the crash zone when the ship hit. I’ve been told that they’re all dead and my house is completely destroyed, but I’ve never actually seen it. None of their bodies were recovered, so my imagination loves to make up reasons why they might not have been where they were every other day. For weeks I dreamed that they came home, all of them, or sometimes just some of them, but always I woke up alone.”

  Jenna gave her a minute, not wanting to push too hard and have her shut down emotionally. “So the ship was what, a tangible connection to the tragedy?”

  “Yes, seeing it, walking down the strange hallways made it real for the very first time. I know I’m still grieving. I might never stop, but it freed me from all the ‘what if’s. Does that make sense?”

  Jenna nodded. “I’ve never experienced anything like what you’re going through, but I’ve known familie
s that lost sons or daughters overseas. They couldn’t begin to let go until they saw their loved one’s body. It, as you said, made things real and allowed them to start letting go.”

  “That’s how I felt earlier. It was a strange sort of closure, a brutal reminder that they are never coming back. Denial is a waste of energy. I have no choice but to accept it and find a way to start putting my life back together.”

  “Did that make you feel better or worse?” The question seemed foolish. How could anyone feel better after realizing their entire family was “never coming back”? Still, Thea’s moods had been mercurial all day.

  “At first I actually felt better. Nothing about this has been easy, but I’d been completely paralyzed, stuck in this strange sort of limbo, until I was recruited by the RF. They gave me a purpose, allowed me to think about the future for the first time since that day. Today was much the same. It reaffirmed my purpose, helped me define my goals.” Jenna was about to ask another question when Thea went on. “But gradually the sense of purpose faded and all I felt was utterly alone.”

  Jenna carefully placed her arm around Thea’s shoulders. Neither woman was comfortable with the embrace, but Thea didn’t twist away. “You’re not alone,” Jenna stressed. “You can stay with us for as long as you need to. My mother has a frighteningly large circle of powerful friends. She can help you find a lucrative job, maybe something different than you’ve ever done before. With our support you can shape the future into whatever you want it to be.”

  Thea shook her head and looked away, likely hiding her stricken expression behind the fall of her hair. “I’ve become a charity case. How humiliating. I used to volunteer at the sorts of shelters that help people with no other options. Now I need to utilize their services. It’s so twisted. So unfair.”

  “There is no shame in needing help from time to time. What happened to you was completely beyond your control.”

  Thea shook her head, then tucked her hair behind her ears. She’d managed to blink back her tears. Her eyes, however, still reflected misery. “Not all of it was beyond my control. I chose to join the RF. I chose to trust Jacob and give the rest of my money to a fraudulent organization.”