by Lesley Davis
Emory didn’t know whether to be relieved or not that no human abductees were being found as the men moved from floor to floor. She was acutely aware of Sofia’s hand tightening on her own. Their knees bumped together as Sofia sought Emory’s proximity as they both watched the screens.
“There was only ever one spare space on the saucers that looked like a holding cell. I’m going to guess that kept the abductees confined until they could drop them off. If there’s no onboard lab on this ship that means they have to be taken somewhere on the ground. Emory, you have the locations of the bases.” Sofia gently squeezed her hand. “I promise you, we’ll search every single one of them until we find your family. But first we need to stop Russom and uncover what his plan is for that ship. Whatever it is it can’t be good seeing as he’s allowing us to remain defenseless while he waits for something to happen.”
Emory hated that there were so few to go up against so many enemies. It wasn’t enough that they had the aliens to contend with but also the humans who appeared to be in league with them. And then the leaders with their own agendas to furnish. She was torn in too many directions. She wanted to rescue her family. She also wanted to stop Russom’s strange games. She wanted the aliens gone. It was too much for them—a journalist, a professional truth seeker, and a captain with insider knowledge of the saucers—to handle alone. But watching the men search inside the ship made Emory thankful to be in a room far away with exactly those two people by her side.
*
Elevators took the soldiers up to the next level. There the lighting was less subdued. Sofia’s instincts kicked in.
“Dink, warn Echo Three that this level might be populated. The light has changed color, and there’s a faint hum I can hear over the feed.”
She watched as Anderson, the officer in charge, held up a hand to halt them all as he pushed against a door to try to open it. It slid open without a noise, and he almost stumbled inside. He caught his balance, swiftly raised his gun, and took a step inside. The soldier behind him, Olsen, followed. He took one step forward. That was as far as he got. Olsen was bowled off his feet, slammed backward by the bloody torso of Anderson that hit him with an almighty force. Anderson’s limbs had been ripped clean off. His head was only attached to his body by torn strips of flesh. He’d been decapitated. The impact of the dead body hitting Olsen splattered blood over everyone in the corridor. It ran in a thick line down the lenses of Echo 3’s glasses.
Pandemonium broke out as the men behind Olsen stepped forward, their guns spewing bullets everywhere. Someone sounded a retreat, but it was all too late.
A large blue skinned alien stepped out of the room. Its two rows of spiked teeth were bared as it let out a sound unlike anything Sofia had ever heard before. It was a growl that brought forth visions of the deepest depths of hell. With the alien’s skin scaled like chainmail, the bullets did very little damage. The alien flinched but never fell. With its massive hands, it grabbed the nearest soldier and simply tore him in half, tossing the pieces behind him and reaching for another victim.
“Fuck me!” Emory yelped, shooting her chair back away from the desk. “Get them the fuck out of there now! That thing will slaughter them all!”
Three other blue skinned aliens appeared, and Echo 3’s view on the carnage showed just how unprepared the army was when faced with an alien other than one small and gray. The front line of defense was butchered within seconds. The sound was nauseating when the screams from the dying was accompanied by the braying growl from the aliens as they celebrated each kill.
Dink was screaming down the mic. “Nate! Get the hell out of there while you still can. Get out, get out! Don’t engage them. Just get the fuck out now!”
Sofia realized that Nate was Echo 3’s real name. She watched as a blue alien’s mouth opened right in front of Nate’s face and then closed with a stomach churning crunch. The feed from the glasses died along with Nate as his head was bitten off. The screen was lit with static, but the sound still broadcast the desperate spraying of bullets and the yells from the survivors until they too fell silent.
Sofia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the static displayed on the monitor. She was desperate for it to clear so they could be sure at least someone had survived. She looked at the other screen. It showed the innocuous scene outside the craft. The military stood around waiting, just going about their business, so totally oblivious to what had happened inside the ship.
Sofia turned in her chair to face Emory. “We need to go back to Tesla Falls. I want that energy beam powered up and I want those bastards dead.”
“What if Russom won’t listen to reason?” Emory’s whole body was shaking.
Sofia reached for Emory’s hands and held them tight. “Then I’ll make him listen. He wants me to take charge? Well, he’s going to regret thinking I’d just follow blindly in his footsteps.”
*
It had driven Emory crazy that they couldn’t just inform the troops outside the spaceship what had happened inside. It had taken way too long for them to realize there’d been a massacre. Dink’s less than legal access into their camera feeds and Echo 3’s, Nate’s, eyewear wouldn’t help him be remembered as the real hero he died as. He’d been Dink’s eyes and ears on clandestine missions and deployments all around the world. He’d been trying to find evidence of the fabled Super Soldiers so that Dink and Emory could use it to expose that was happening right there amid the ranks.
Emory sat on the doorstep of Dink’s home. She was looking up at the stars slowly starting to sparkle in the early evening light. She’d left Dink at his computers, calling in old favors and calling up old friends. If Sofia wanted to take down Russom, she was going to need backup and muscle behind her. Just Dink and Emory alone wasn’t going to carry much official weight. Dink knew all the retired and disgraced officers who’d dared to speak out against the secrets.
He knew the airline pilots who had been benched for talking to reporters about the flying saucers they’d seen in the air. He even had government officials who had tried to release sensitive information to the public and had been dismissed on trumped up charges that ruined their reputations and their lives. The Conspiracy of Silence, Dink called it. It effectively bound the tongues of those with something to say that certain factions didn’t want reported. It was frightening to realize that Big Brother was always watching you for your own safety but didn’t always have your best interests at heart.
It was barely an hour since she’d sat watching the army be murdered at the hands of the blue aliens. Emory had watched the whole area surrounding the ship be evacuated. But not before explosives had been planted over every inch of the exposed craft. The resulting detonation had been catastrophic. Those who hadn’t gotten clear of the blast radius were taken out by the blast. The blast had torn the ship asunder and ignited whatever power source was inside.
Sofia sat with her head in her hands, mourning their stupidity and questioning the logic of their superiors. All three of them sat watching on the one camera feed left as it showed the black triangular ship sink into the depths of the sea. The coastline of Maine was forever changed, and the sea was now home to the alien and human dead.
“I can’t see the aliens letting that go unchallenged,” Sofia said as she came and sat beside Emory. “We need to get that energy beam up and running to wipe the blues clear from the face of the universe.”
“And we will, but trust Dink and me on this. You can’t just go in demanding stuff. You’ll need re-enforcements. We have friends that are willing to put aside their beef with the government and military to come and fight by your side. They were also spreading the word among themselves and landed a big fish. We had to out you to get him to help though. Dink knows a guy who knows a guy who has admitted he used to work at Tesla Falls. A retired general, Samuel Ulrich, who was ousted by Russom. Dink finally got him to talk about it. Seems he knows all about the energy beam.”
“I wish I had known about it. I’d have put a stop to this
invasion days ago before the world came crumbling down.” Sofia threaded her fingers through her hair.
Emory leaned in to bump Sofia gently. “You know now, and you’re ready to do something.”
Sofia turned to her. “You didn’t think I would fight?”
“It must be hard to go against all you’ve fought for and believed in.”
“It is,” Sofia said, “but when you sacrifice lives for no reason, someone has to stand up for the lost.”
Emory smiled. “So noble. I like it. It befits the leader you’re going to be when Russom steps down.”
Sofia snorted. “If you think he’ll step aside for me—”
“He’s got to realize there’s no winning now. His ship is sunk…literally.” Emory shrugged. “Who knows, maybe he’ll see the error of his ways.”
“If he does it would make my decision so much easier and less treasonous.” Sofia rested her head on Emory’s shoulder. “Either way, we sleep tonight and set off first thing in the morning.”
“We never seem to stay in one place for very long, do we?” Emory raised her gaze once more to the stars.
“Then let’s make the most of tonight in case it’s our last.”
Emory couldn’t bring herself to look at Sofia. The pull she felt toward her turned Emory’s feelings inside out with a longing she could no longer explain or seem to care to.
Sofia’s hand slipped into Emory’s and they sat quietly for a while.
“I wish we had more time,” Emory said. “I’d like you to get to know me properly. I’m told I can be quite charming when not putting the ass in classy.”
“I like you just fine.” Sofia cradled Emory’s hand and traced her fingers over the palm. She was following the scratches and deeper cuts Emory had sustained falling out of the sky. “How bad is your leg?”
“I’m screwed if I need to run anywhere, and the limp is very pronounced. It’ll heal.”
“It’s giving you a sexy swagger that’s very distracting when viewed from behind.”
“Is that your subtle way of saying you’ve been checking out my ass?”
“Maybe.” Sofia feathered her fingers over Emory’s sweatpants that hung loosely over her damaged leg. “I’m not the kind of woman who usually does one-night stands, Emory. And if this turns out to be our last night together I’d rather not waste it.”
Emory’s breath caught in her chest. “So what am I to you if not for one night only?”
“A ‘what might have been’? A ‘what could be’ if things ever see a side of normal again? How about for tonight you’re simply Emory and you’re mine?” She leaned in and kissed Emory with lips soft and searching. A kiss that spoke of promises and passions and a gentleness Emory hadn’t experienced for a long time. Sofia pulled back, and Emory instinctively followed after her, seeking her lips again. Sofia’s hand against her chest kept Emory just out of reach. Emory let out a grumble, and Sofia tapped a finger against the very pronounced pout that shaped Emory’s mouth.
“Tonight, I don’t care about your job. I don’t even care about mine.” Sofia kissed Emory again. “It’s just you and me and this night.”
Emory was lost in the warmth of her touch and the sensuous brush of her lips. “There’s only one guest room here,” she said, “but I’m willing to share.”
“Then I guess it’s time for us to turn in.” Sofia stood and held out a hand to help Emory to her feet.
Emory grimaced as her leg reminded her how ungainly she was going to be. Sofia read her thoughts. She pulled her head down and gave her a long, lingering kiss that distracted Emory enough to stop caring. “Don’t worry about your leg. Remember, I’m a captain. I know all about taking charge and giving orders. You’re under me tonight.”
Laughing, Emory decided there would be no arguing with her. They walked back into the room where Dink was tapping away at a keyboard private messaging with someone.
“We’re just…” Emory gestured vaguely down the hall. God, could I be any more like a blushing teenager bringing a girl home.
Dink looked at them holding hands and deliberately picked up a pair of headphones before he waved them off.
“I expected a comment at least,” Sofia said.
“Believe me, he’ll have plenty to tease us about tomorrow.” Emory ushered Sofia into the small bedroom where she had made her home away from home. “I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you here.”
“For however short it may be?”
“Every second of you in my arms will seem like an eternity. That’s more than I could have dreamed of.”
Sofia grazed her fingers softly over Emory’s cheek. “See, you can be charming. Let’s see what else you can do that’s as pleasurable.”
Emory vowed to spend all night doing whatever it took to show Sofia that she took that duty very seriously.
*
Sofia pushed Emory down onto the bed, ever mindful of her leg. She stalled Emory’s hands that started to unbutton her own shirt.
“No, let me.” Sofia teased each button open and smiled at the impatient huffs Emory released under her breath. Every piece of Emory’s skin she uncovered, Sofia brushed at. First with her fingertips, then with her nose to breathe in Emory’s clean scent. Finally, with her lips, kissing and sucking and delighting in Emory’s moans. The shirt was finally removed, the bra underneath swiftly following, and then Sofia’s lips latched on to Emory’s hard nipples and she lavished them with attention. She kissed them one at a time, brushing a thumb over one hard nub while the other she sucked deep into her mouth.
“Oh God, you’re going to make me come if you keep that up.”
“Feels good?” Sofia asked, running her tongue roughly around the edges of Emory’s areola. She could feel Emory’s body twitching beneath her.
“So good,” Emory gasped. She clutched Sofia’s head to her chest, silently begging for more.
With one teasing show of teeth rasping against Emory’s breast, Sofia sat up to divest herself of her own T-shirt and bra. Emory sat up with her. She began her own exploration of Sofia’s much fuller curves before Sofia could even get her head free from her shirt. Emory roughly pushed the bra aside and paid Sofia back for all her teasing. Sofia’s hands grabbed on to Emory’s hair, anchoring her head, then running her short nails against Emory’s scalp to urge her on.
“You’re beautiful,” Emory said, tugging a nipple with her lips then licking it before sucking it with just enough pressure that shot straight between Sofia’s legs and made her ache.
“I thought I was in charge,” she said, finally pushing Emory back down and lying on top of her to kiss at the smile on Emory’s face.
“You know me and orders.” Emory ran her hands all over Sofia’s back, lightly squeezing at the muscles, turning Sofia into a mass of sensation.
Sofia shifted slightly, and her leg slipped between Emory’s. Her knee added just enough pressure to make Emory hiss into Sofia’s mouth. She could feel Emory shift beneath her, searching for more pressure. Deliberately, Sofia moved and didn’t miss Emory’s plaintive whine of disappointment. She rested her open palm on Emory’s flat stomach, feeling the muscles twitching beneath her hand. Emory’s skin was hot and flushed in her arousal. It was also covered in a mass of vivid colored bruises and raw scrapes from her misadventure with the saucer.
“You won’t hurt me,” Emory said as Sofia hesitated in her touch. “You’ll hurt me more if you stop what you were doing.”
Sofia gently tugged down the baggy sweatpants and the soft briefs beneath. She tried not to pay attention to the stark white dressing covering a large part of Emory’s thigh and instead took in the long length of Emory’s legs and the pale hair that begged for Sofia to explore more. Sofia eased away and divested herself of the last of her clothing, enjoying the look in Emory’s eyes as she unabashedly watched her reveal herself. She lay back down beside Emory, their skin touching, their sweat mixing, and for a precious moment, time stood still in that tiny room where the outside world
seemed so mercifully far away.
Sofia kissed Emory’s forehead tenderly and gathered her into her arms. Slowly, she ran her fingers over the length of Emory’s spine, cupping her buttocks and squeezing a cheek. Then she slipped around to cup Emory’s sex. The wetness of Emory’s arousal covered Sofia’s hand, and she rubbed softly, feeling everything against her palm, the infinite softness of fleshy lips and the unmistakable hardness of Emory’s clit. She dragged her fingers up to distribute sticky juices upon Emory’s hood then ran her thumb over and around it in erratic patterns. Firmer strokes drew Emory’s sensitive clit out even further. Sofia held Emory close as she explored. Emory was tense, her body reacting to every brush of Sofia’s deft fingers. With her thumb flicking Emory’s clit, Sofia pressed two fingers inside and sank into warm welcoming walls. Only one of Emory’s legs could dig into the bed, the other lay spread so that Sofia could move unhindered. Sofia thrust a little faster, just that little bit harder, and Emory bucked beneath her.
Emory was biting her bottom lip, desperate to keep the noise down. Sofia wasn’t having any of that; she wanted to hear her. She roughly kissed her, teasing her tongue across Emory’s teeth until she let her in. As soon as their lips touched, Sofia curled her fingers inside, finding the hidden sweet spot and raking her fingers over it. Emory whimpered as she tried to keep from bucking even harder against Sofia’s hand and hurting her leg. Her hands gripped at both Sofia and the mattress as Sofia flicked her clit and pressed deeper inside. With a harsh gasp against Sofia’s lips, Emory came apart. Her whole body shook as she orgasmed. Sofia felt the pulsing pressure squeeze her fingers rhythmically as she rode the pleasure out with Emory. She pressed soothing kisses over Emory’s face, memorizing the naked emotion in Emory’s eyes as she stared at Sofia. She finally slowed her hand and thumb on Emory’s flesh when she sensed Emory could take no more stimulation.
Emory fell back on the bed with a heartfelt groan. “Fuck me,” she said, trying to catch her breath.