He got a smug look about him, tossed her the dress and said, “We’re definitely going to be eating a cold dinner, although I’ll admit it was worth every bite.”
Liasare watched him as he bent down, retrieved his clothing and headed to the bathroom. She quickly put her dress on and spied her torn panties on the floor. Picking them up, she tossed them on the sofa with a smirk and headed out the door.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A few minutes later, Jurek strode out of the bathroom, fully dressed, into an empty room. He was about to go looking for Liasare when Tak entered his room.
“I’m not in the mood for an interruption right now,” Jurek told him.
“I can see why,” Tak replied as he eyed the torn panties lying on the sofa.
Following Tak’s gaze, Jurek gave a snort of disgust as he shook his head, picked up the scrap of cloth and tossed it on his bed.
“What do you want?” he asked in frustration.
“We’ve found something. A colony on Trakstar 27. It looks like our suspicions are correct. There is a base there with approximately thirty thousand life forms. We’ve sent some men to investigate and they should be back to Lare-Stell in a few hours. I think this is where they’re sending all the abductees Jurek. It all is making sense. We think there are more than just the Xanthians involved here too.”
“Okay, slow down. Trakstar 27 is in the Omega quadrant. That’s nowhere near Earth. We’re talking BFE for Christ’s sake. What the fuck are they doing all the way out there?”
“Trying to stay unnoticed. And it’s worked until now. All those probes have the Trakstar 27 marking on them. They were making sure no one was on to them.”
Jurek began pacing and he ran his hand through his hair. “Damn. Meet me in the kitchen. I need to get Liasare and we need to eat dinner. You can fill us in on all the details while we eat.” Jurek flashed out of the room.
Liasare was in her room, stepping into a replacement thong when Jurek popped in. She screamed when she heard him and her hairbrush went soaring through the air toward his head.
It was difficult to tell who was more shocked, Liasare because of Jurek flashing into her room while she was standing there bare-assed, or Jurek because of Liasare’s hairbrush headed toward his head.
“What the hell!” he yelled.
“Don’t you ever knock?” she screamed.
“No and how often is this happening?” he wanted to know.
“You scared me and not very often.”
“Quantify that.”
“This is the third time.”
“Are you including the incident when you removed our clothing?”
Her face turned beet red, as she answered sheepishly, “No Jurek, I’m scared. What’s happening to me?”
She didn’t finish speaking when other things, such as a hand mirror and a pair of shoes flew across the room. Liasare’s hands started shaking so she rubbed them together in an effort get them to stop.
Noticing her distress, Jurek was in front of her taking hold of her hands. He put them both in one of his and put his other hand on her head, turning her around in his arms so her back was flush against his chest. “Breathe Liasare. Let my power wash over you and calm you.”
Soon, he felt her trembling subside. He was reluctant to release her so he bent his head to her ear and whispered, “Let’s go eat dinner and discuss this. We need to tell Tak and perhaps he can help. He also has some news. They’ve found the Xanthian colony and he’s sent some men to investigate. They should be back on Lare-Stell in a few hours. Come, let’s eat.” He took her hand and walked her to the kitchen.
Tak was there when they both entered.
“Brownie, are you feeling okay? You don’t look so well,” Tak mentioned.
“No, she’s not well Tak. Thanks for noticing,” Jurek commented dryly.
“I need to eat. I’m really hungry,” Liasare decided.
“Sit. I’ll serve you,” Jurek told her.
He filled two plates and sat down. Handing her a set of silverware and a napkin, he brought her a glass of iced lemon water. She emptied her plate of food almost before Jurek had a chance to swallow his first bite of food.
“Liasare, um, I am quite astounded. I don’t quite know what to say.”
“I told you she ate like a horse, Jurek. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m sorry, but is there any more? I’m still really hungry.”
Jurek and Tak looked at each other and Liasare knew they were communicating. Tak left the kitchen and Jurek refilled Liasare’s plate.
Jurek took a few more bites of his food as Liasare sat there with an empty plate. There was a container of food on the counter that suddenly ended up on Liasare’s lap. It had been filled with their dinner.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” Liasare exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. She was dripping in brown sauce, and some sort of unidentified tasty vegetables. “Oh hell!” she said as she ran, tripping, out of the room.
Jurek decided to follow her. When Liasare got to her room, she yanked off her dress and was so exasperated; things began flying across her room. Pillows, clothing and shoes were randomly soaring through the air. Jurek pulled her to him, talking to her, calming her down.
“It’s okay, Liasare. We’ll figure this out, but it seems to intensify when you’re emotions are involved. Let’s get you calmed down, okay?’’ He held her to him, rubbing circles on her back. When things settled down, he found something for her to wear and helped her into her clothing.
“Let’s go back to the kitchen. I want to get you a glass of wine.”
She followed him and sipped the wine after he poured her a glass. Tak and Jurek wanted to know when all this started, its frequency and duration. They seemed to think her voracious appetite had something to do with it. They also thought that the fact that she had always been extra sensitive to the Praestani touch might be a factor too.
They decided they would monitor these events more closely, but in the meantime, the situation with the Xanthians had become paramount. The initial reports coming in were disturbing. The colony was being trained for military exercises. They were taking the abductees, implanting nanochips into their brains and creating an army of minions. These minions would do exactly as they were told; it was as if they didn’t have a mind of their own. They were one hundred percent expendable. Not only were adult men and women being used. They had found evidence that adolescents were there too. The news got worse. Humans weren’t the only ones; beings from all over the universe were there. The reports also indicated that this was only one of many of these colonies. The question was, where were the other bases or colonies? They had to locate them and quickly.
Jurek knew he needed to go to Vesturon to discuss this with Xarrid, Rykerian and the other Yarristers. As the ruling entity of the Universal Free Rule, or UFR, they needed to be apprised of the situation. It would be urgent for them to know of this. Maybe Jurek could enlist the aid of the Guardians of Vesturon, to help search out these other bases. They needed to be found and destroyed before these armies were launched and could take over the universe.
“I’ll go with you,” Liasare stated.
“No, I want you to stay here. I also don’t want you out. I don’t want you on Vesturon because I know you’re still angry at your sister. With everything that’s going on with your body right now, I’d rather not put you in that situation. And the same goes for you fighting. I’d be more comfortable if you’d stay here and when I get back, we’ll fight together. Can you do that?”
She thought for a moment.
“I’ll be a waste just sitting here.”
“No, you won’t. Tak will put you to work on the Compsys. You can help him search for signals coming out of the space waves. It can give us a direction to search for other bases or colonies.”
“Okay, I guess.”
“I should be back in a day, two at the most. Promise me you’ll stay here and not do anything rash.”
“Yes,
I’ll stay here. And when you get back we fight?”
“Yes, we’ll fight. We’ll kill if you’re up to it.”
“I’m up to it,” she vowed.
They looked at each other, as if there were a million thoughts and words they wanted to share but none fell from either of their lips.
“So help me Liasare, if you do anything stupid, I’ll make you regret it.” The light flared momentarily and he was gone.
***
Liasare kept hearing the voice calling her name. Realizing it wouldn’t cease, she got up at last, just so she could tell whoever was annoying the crap out of her to shut the hell up. She padded across the room and into the main area of the warehouse and there stood a woman...a lovely bald headed woman. Her face and neck had Praestani tattoos, similar to Naroo’s. She was draped in a white Grecian-styled gown and it pooled at her bare feet. She was so beautiful Liasare wanted to touch her.
Blinking several times, not trusting what her eyes were seeing, she asked, “Did you want something, because I don’t know you and I’m super tired and would love to go back to sleep. So can we make this quick?”
“Be patient with him Liasare, for he is headstrong, much like yourself.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“You know of whom which I speak. Please be patient with him. He has your best interests at heart. In fact, he has you inside of his heart. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will soon. Very soon. You must be strong my dear for soon you will be tested. They will try to destroy you but do not let them. You are the Key. Remember that Liasare. You are the Key.”
“The key to what?”
“Everything depends on you Liasare. Tell him that. It says so in the prophecy.”
“Wait! Tell me more! Please don’t go!” The bald woman faded away.
Liasare sat up in bed with a start. What a strange dream, she thought. It had been so real, she had thought for a moment she was in the middle of the warehouse instead of her bed. Lying back down, she was fast asleep in minutes.
***
The warm glow of the sun streaming through the window woke Liasare up in the morning. She stretched and rolled on her side. Opening her eyes, she spied a small bouquet of lovely flowers on the pillow beside her, along with a box of chocolates. Very expensive chocolates. There was a thick creamy envelope with her name on it. She opened it and pulled out a card that read:
You should be greeted every day with both of these. Enjoy.
J H
She looked at the card and reread it, just to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. She opened the box of chocolates and lifted the bouquet to her nose. It was a lovely mix of unusual flowers she had never seen and they smelled heavenly.
What in the hell has happened to him? This man is going to be my undoing, physically and mentally.
Smelling the flowers brought a memory to surface, one that she kept in a tightly locked box. It was from the time after her accident, when she was recovering in the medical facility. Her mother would come into her room every day, pinched faced and scowling, while she lay there unable to move. Bandages covered her body while her pelvis and limbs were encased in immobilizers. Her memory was so vivid she could feel her nose itching unbearably, but this time she was able to reach up and vigorously scratch it, unlike when her arms were trapped in those awful immobilizers. She hated those memories, how she would shut down completely, unable to stand the constant rantings and ravings of her selfish mother.
Mornings were her favorite times then, because she would awaken every day to find a tiny bouquet of freshly picked flowers resting next to her face on her pillow. Tommy knew how much she loved them so every morning he would bring her some. Their scent would freshen her room, chasing away the medicinal smell of the facility. Her mother would arrive every afternoon and toss them into the trash, complaining bitterly about their presence in her bed.
She looked at the bouquet she firmly grasped within her hands, her memories of Tommy and all his kindness during those dreadful months, filling her heart with love. He had always been her rock, her beacon during the storms. He was the one who steadied her when she felt she was crumbling and didn’t want to go on; he gave her courage to climb the mountain and learn how to walk again. God, how she missed him! If only she could talk to him one more time.
Tommy, why didn’t you at least give me a chance to say good-bye?
She put her hands in her face and cried. She knew if she ever did see him, if they ever did get him back, he would never be her Tommy again.
***
Tak was teaching Liasare the ins and outs of searching for signs of activity in the omega quadrant of the universe. Each of the quadrants was vast, with life forms on multiple solar systems. There were also asteroids to consider. They traveled through space, never stationary, and could be a location for a colony as well...a very strategic location, if the asteroid were stable and large enough.
She was on her second day of searching and her back was screaming from the inactivity. “I don’t know how you can sit here all day like this. This is killing me.”
“You don’t like this Brownie?”
“No, my back muscles are going into spasms. I need some exercise. Desk work makes me crazy.”
“You are impatient,” Tak remarked.
“No, I’m not. I don’t like to sit still is all.”
“That’s impatience, Brownie.”
“Whatever. I think I’m going out to get some fresh air.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, ‘no?’”
“No, means no.”
“Gah, you are so annoying, Tak.”
“So are you Brownie. Jurek says you cannot leave,” he explained.
“I’m not leaving. I’m just going for a walk. I need some exercise. I promise I won’t be long. I’ll go around the block or two, stretch my legs and be back.”
Tak examined her, and then nodded. Take your weapons, all of them Brownie. Every single one. And you have one hour.”
She wasted no time in gearing up and heading out. She was going to enjoy being outdoors. It was a crisp December day, late in the afternoon and she exited the building and started walking. She had no destination in mind, only exercise. As was her tendency, her mind wandered and when it did, she lost sight of her surroundings. Jurek occupied her thoughts, especially the bouquet and chocolates he had sent her. She’d never received gifts from the opposite sex before and was surprised how special they made her feel. Of course, Jurek had a habit of making her feel special. He also had a tendency to piss her off, put her in a rage, fill her with unbearable desire and make her want to tear all her clothes off and run naked through fire for him.
Liasare heard something growling behind her and she swore under her breath. Damn, why can’t I keep my mind where it needs to be? Darkness had fallen and she had been so preoccupied with Jurek, she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings.
Turning around, she saw two green eyes glowing in the dark. The hairs on her body stood at attention and her breath seemed to have vanished, stuck somewhere between her ribs and throat. Her head didn’t move, but her eyes did a quick scan of the area surrounding the creature in front of her. It growled again, then stood up to its full height. Liasare felt her panic begin to take over as she realized this was one of the creatures she saw from Jurek’s memory.
It opened its mouth and its teeth elongated, dripping saliva as it unfolded its large bat-like wings. Liasare looked into its eyes and saw her image reflected in them. Her feet became mired in concrete, unable to move. Her mind screamed at her to run, but she stood there, staring into the black creature’s eyes, unable to look away. It stepped toward her and enfolded her within its large leathery wings and took off running.
Its arms hung at her sides, not holding her, as if it were afraid to touch her. Liasare tried to move her hands, to wiggle her fingers, but nothing. She was frozen, like a block of ice.
Her eyes stung from the cool air as the creature sped through t
he night. She wanted to see where it was taking her, but it was so large, her view was obscured. If only she could get to her weapons, but her body was in some kind of mind-lock.
It finally released its hold on her, dropping her is if she burned it. It crouched over her growling, its saliva running down her face and arms. She still was trying to break loose of its hold on her mind, but she couldn’t budge, when all of a sudden, it flew backwards and slammed into a wall, howling.
“That’s enough. Release her,” another voice hissed.
Liasare moved her arms and legs and quickly sat up, moving into a squatted position. She reached for her weapons to find all of them missing.
“Do you take me for a fool?” the voice said harshly. A figure moved partially out of the darkness, yet she still couldn’t see his face, as his head was covered by a black hooded cloak that he wore. She looked around and she found herself in a room that looked like a dungeon. She cringed when she saw there were men and women hanging from chains in cages along the wall. It was exactly like Jurek’s memory. In the center of the room was a table. At each end were shackles and chains. She knew exactly who the table was intended for.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I was about to ask you the same question. Matter of fact, we want to know who you are working with and what information you have on us.” With every word he said he inched closer and closer to Liasare. She sensed something very disturbing about this man. Something she couldn’t explain, but she was becoming intensely nauseated and her head was beginning to pound, unmercifully. She still couldn’t see his face, but his eyes were glowing red, causing her body to break out in a mass of chills. Ice ran through her veins and her head continued to pound with a piercing pain behind her eyes.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do.” He waved his hands and she found her body stretched across the table with her wrists and ankles in steel shackles and chains. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but she was on the floor one minute and the next, she was on her back upon the table, nearly naked except for her bra and panties.
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