by S. E. Smith
I personally carried Andy inside the shuttle, with Victoria following closely.
“My friends will take you and the others to a safe place,” I said to my woman while sitting Andy down in one of the seats and securing his belt.
“I … hmm …”
I gave her an inquisitive look, surprised by her apparent reluctance. “What’s wrong?”
“My patients … When the attack began, Andy and I were on our way to one of the makeshift hospitals. Our colleagues and patients are desperately in need of the supplies and waiting for our return,” Victoria explained, twisting her hands nervously.
“You cannot go out there alone,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You barely survived today, and your friend is out of commission for at least a day or two.”
“I know. Andy is done,” she conceded, looking affectionately at her friend.
He stared back at her. Although paralyzed, Mexlar victims could still think, feel, and hear normally. They could usually move their eyes, even open their mouths, but no sound would come out, not even a scream.
“You’ve done what you could,” Victoria said, caressing Andy’s hair. “Like that man said in the store, these survivors and our military can use your talent.”
Andy blinked, his eyes misting. It dawned on me then that gratitude had triggered it. She’d given him her blessing to seek refuge away from here. I didn’t understand why he’d needed her permission, nor did I really care. Her aura shone with sisterly affection for him, not love. But her underlying meaning didn’t sit well with me.
“And you are going with him,” I insisted.
She turned around to look at me with pleading eyes. “I know I barely survived today, but I did, thanks to you and your people. It’s not that long of a drive to the hospital. If you guys tagged along …”
“We cannot send our entire unit to rescue a handful of people, not while there are still hundreds being tossed into Breeding Swamps,” I explained in a commiserating tone.
“What are those, anyway?” Victoria asked.
I hesitated and then realized it might be the best way to convince her. “The Kryptids are here to replenish their ranks. Fertile females of breeding age will be used to birth more Soldiers—the bugs we were fighting outside. The rest of your population will be dumped with Drone eggs in a dark, warm, and humid place called a Breeding Swamp. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on them.”
I pointed at the box of Mexlars we’d extracted from the humans. “Aside from paralyzing the victims so that they can’t flee, these dispense enough nutrients to keep them alive for ten days, giving the larvae plenty of time to hatch and feed. They prefer live food. The Drones are mindless. Individually, they aren’t much of a threat to a Xian Warrior, but they reproduce and mature at an insane rate. Then they attack as a Swarm.”
Victoria’s milky skin took on a chalky color. But instead of deterring her as I’d hoped, it seemed to strengthen her resolve. She glanced around the shuttle before locking gazes with me.
“Then we really must rescue them. It would take at least two shuttles like this one to get everyone out. Maybe even a third for those we’ll have to transport on stretchers.” Her intense gaze drilled into me. “I swore to do everything in my power to see them through. Please help me.”
I hated making her beg. “How far is it?” I asked.
“A little over twelve miles from here,” she replied apologetically.
I shook my head sadly at her. “There are two more big hotspots nearby. It wouldn’t make sense for us to leave them to go that far for a smaller group of people then have to backtrack to handle these, hoping they haven’t spread in our absence. I would love to accompany you, but my brothers won’t do it as it isn’t strategically sound.”
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Victoria said, her shoulders drooping.
I hated disappointing her even more. With an impulsiveness completely unusual for me, I mind-spoke to Legion. “I’m going to escort Victoria to her makeshift hospital.”
His shock reached me through our mental link. “Just the two of you?”
“Stran will be with us,” I reminded him, stung by the ‘Have you lost your mind?’ implied in his tone.
“We’re here on a mission,” Legion said.
That stung even more, and my temper flared—another unusual occurrence for me. “Thanks for pointing that out. I had forgotten.”
“Doom …” Legion said in that irritating, reasonable tone that also betrayed his annoyance.
“Do not patronize me. I do not need your permission,” I snapped. “There are enough patients and staff where we are going to have lured the Kryptids. If that is the case, better we get eyes there early before the rest of you arrive. And if it is safe, we can send in the evacuation teams right away instead of waiting for us to clear the other nests first.”
Silence stretched for a couple of seconds.
“Good luck, then,” Legion finally said in a conciliatory tone.
I snorted. “I don’t need luck. Plus, I have Stran.”
Even without seeing him, I knew Legion was shaking his head.
“As much as I would love to see that ego of yours knocked down a notch or two … or three … I hope your survival streak will continue,” Legion said before breaking the link.
A silly smile played on my lips as I refocused on Victoria. She was staring at me, wide-eyed, looking almost like she was holding her breath.
“You were having one of those mental conversations, right?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, looking smug. “Let’s go find your patients.”
Victoria’s jaw dropped. Eyes bulging, she appeared frozen in time for the space of a moment. And then she threw herself against me, pushing up on her tiptoes and urging my head down a bit with her hands around my neck, to smack a loud kiss on my cheek.
She pulled away before I even had a chance to close my arms around her. Clapping her hands, Victoria said aloud, “Thank you!” then hurried out of the shuttle, mumbling something about her medical bag.
But before she turned and walked away, I saw the delightful pink of her cheeks and of her aura.
I grinned.
Chapter Three
Victoria
I couldn’t believe I’d just kissed him like that. A couple of hours ago, I thought he and his friends were about to have me for lunch or challenge each other to see how many pieces they could hack me into with their crazy scythe-arms. And now, my brain kept tilting at the sight of all that male perfection—correction, of all that ‘naked’ male perfection. Granted, between his scales and loin plate, he almost looked like he was wearing some kind of suit. His rock hard, chiseled abs, devoid of any scales, however, reminded me all too well of his nakedness.
And let’s not talk about his behind.
Okay, let’s. I’d never understood women’s obsession with a man’s bottom, until today. When Doom turned around, there was no question he wasn’t wearing anything. And those firm, round, and muscular butt cheeks kept tempting me to reach out and grab.
Everything about his regular form was sheer perfection. Being 5’9”, I’d always been attracted to tall men. Doom not only checked that box but also all the other ones I’d never consciously realized were hiding on my list. With his mountains of muscles, the bulging, lickable veins on his arms, his heavenly face with those delicious lips, all that combined with a sweet, caring personality—he had my ovaries doing backflips.
I couldn’t quite understand why he affected me so dramatically when his friends, just as gorgeous, didn’t stir me. Could it be the numerous scars on his body while his brothers didn’t seem to bear any? Most of the scars looked quite a few years old—some of them hinting at life-threatening injuries. It made me wonder at his age. He appeared to be about my age—late twenties, early thirties—but he spoke of multiple intergalactic battles. Did his people age differently than humans, or had he started battling at a very young age?
Mind still reeling,
I fetched my medical bag under the amused stares of the other alien warriors. I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was competing with the redness of my hair.
Little Red.
Being a redhead, I’d been called a lot of things, from ginger to carrot top; all of which I’d hated. But hearing Doom call me “Little Red” did funny things to me. It wasn’t only the sexy rumbling of his deep voice as the words rolled over his tongue, it was also the almost possessive way in which he said it.
I reined in my wandering thoughts as Doom stepped out of the shuttle. To my great disappointment, he’d put on a pair of black boots, pants, and a t-shirt that fit him like a second skin. A huge blaster hung from the weapons belt fastened to his waist. He still looked as scrumptious as before, but I missed the eye-candy. He didn’t come straight to me but opened an inconspicuous hatch on the side of the shuttle, revealing a large storage space. From there, he retrieved a sleek, high-tech, black motorcycle.
Despite having wheels, the bike hovered a couple of inches as Doom led it by one of its handlebars.
“Nice!” I said, ogling the bike with envy.
I wasn’t wild and reckless on the road, but I enjoyed the occasional bike ride. This one promised an out-of-this-world experience, pun very much intended.
“I will ride alongside your vehicle so that I can intervene quickly if the bugs show up,” Doom said.
“Won’t your clothes get in the way of shifting to that badass combat shape of yours?” I asked as we marched towards the van.
“It would get torn off during the shift, yes,” Doom said with a shrug, though his eyes sparked with mischief.
Those eyes fascinated me. Like the Kryptids, he possessed almond-shaped, larger-than-human eyes, which reminded me of the little grey man of lore. However, they weren’t multifaceted like the bugs’. His eyes were an endless, shiny pool of black ink, without pupils or sclera. Technically, it should have been impossible to know exactly where he was looking, and yet, I always knew without question what Doom was staring at. Maybe the way he narrowed his eyelids, quirked his brows, or tilted his head helped give it away.
“You almost sound disappointed,” Doom continued. “And here I thought you’d be pleased I would no longer offend your sensibilities.”
“Your nakedness didn’t offend me,” I mumbled, walking faster so he couldn’t see the heat creeping up my cheeks again. His nakedness had affected me … in many naughty ways. “I’m a doctor. I see naked people all the time. It doesn’t faze me.”
Except none of them even come close to your lethal level of sexiness.
“Ah, excellent!” Doom replied jovially, playing along. “Should I strip again, then?”
YES!
This time, my cheeks all but burst into flames, a telltale sign of my true feelings even as I answered in the negative. “No, that won’t be necessary. It will be less awkward when you meet the others at the hospital.
Doom nodded in concession, though his taunting smile revealed he wasn’t fooled one bit. Still, he spared me further embarrassment. While helping me into the van, he asked for directions then settled on his bike. Stran came rolling in at dizzying speed and stopped next to Doom.
“Let’s go,” Doom said.
I nodded and followed him. His hoverbike could clearly go way faster, but I appreciated his measured pace. While the van remained road-worthy, its little accident this morning had done some damage that made it harder to control, not to mention all the debris littering the streets from the riots.
Luckily, six miles in, we still hadn’t encountered any Kryptids. Doom frequently checked his armband, probably keeping an eye on his long-range scanner. Suddenly, he signaled for me to turn right, in the opposite direction from our destination. Confused, I followed while Stran dashed ahead. I watched the Creckel roll into the empty parking lot in front of Our Mother of Mercy church. Doom parked his hoverbike near the entrance, and I parked next to him.
“What’s going on?” I asked, hopping out of the van.
“My scanner detects nearly one hundred humans within but no Kryptid presence. This is a disaster waiting to happen,” Doom said.
He tested the doors but found them all locked. Pulling a pencil-shaped device from his belt, he pressed the tip against the keyhole of one of the doors. In seconds, I heard the clicking sound of the door unlocking.
“It might be best for me to go in first,” I suggested. “Your normal appearance may not be scary like your battle form, but it will still freak people out.”
Doom hesitated. “You make a valid point, but what if they start shooting first?”
I chewed my bottom lip, not relishing the real possibility they might do just that, under the circumstances.
“Here,” Doom said, detaching a narrow ring from his bracelet and attaching it to my wrist.
He made me hold my arm in front of me and ran his finger along the shiny edge of the ring. I squealed in surprise as a large energy shield appeared before me. It weighed nothing and hummed lightly.
“This number at the top right corner indicates the integrity of the shield,” Doom said, pointing at it. “If it ever drops below thirty, get behind cover as the next few hits to it might make it collapse.”
“Okay,” I said, my mouth going dry and my pulse spiking.
“I’m going to open the door slightly,” Doom said, his palm resting on the heavy door. “Remain hidden behind the wall, and call out to them first.”
I nodded and swallowed hard, bracing for what might come next.
“Hello!” I shouted into the opening, my shoulder pressing against the wide doorframe. “I come in peace. My name is Victoria. I’m a medical doctor. My friend and I are here to help. May I come in?”
Silence greeted my words. I didn’t know if they hadn’t heard me or were playing dead. Just as I was about to call out again, a voice reached us from inside.
“We are armed. We don’t want any trouble. Come in peacefully, and no one needs to get hurt.”
The voice belonged to an older man. Despite his firm tone, I could hear the underlying fear. I looked at the shield and then back at Doom. Reading my intention, he shook his head at me in warning.
“Agreed, I’m coming in alone, so that you can see I’m not a threat.”
Running my finger over the bracelet the same way Doom had done, I deactivated the shield. He held my wrist to keep me from going in, a stern look in his eyes.
“Trust me,” my lips said soundlessly.
I caressed his cheek in a reassuring gesture and pulled my wrist from his grasp. The genuine concern in his eyes, his almost palpable worry for me—combined with his ability to trust me—touched me far more deeply than I could express. We barely knew each other, and yet, a deep bond had already formed.
I slowly stepped into the church, my arms spread, my fingers splayed. “I’m just passing through and trying to help where I can. Are you in need of medical assistance?”
The greeting party consisted of four men and one woman, all in their late sixties, early seventies. They lowered their weapons, clearly relieved by my casual appearance. My black leggings and dark grey t-shirt couldn’t have been further from my normal flowy, colorful attire. But, these days, discretion and blending with the environment were the key to survival.
“Yeah. Some people downstairs could use some help,” said a man with a smattering of brown hair amidst a sea of grey. His thick, fluffy, grey mustache looked almost cartoony. “My name’s Simon. You said you had a friend?” he asked, looking over my shoulder.
My heart skipped a beat. I had hoped to transition into that after having earned their trust a bit more.
“Yes. He saved my life a few hours ago. The bugs have invaded Sacred Heart Hospital and the surrounding streets,” I explained, hoping to soften them up to hear what would come next. “One of the Kryptids was just about to inject me with the things they’ve been mentioning on the radio when my friend and his brothers showed up.”
“He’s outside with his brothers?�
� one of the other males exclaimed, his hands tightening on his shotgun.
“No, no!” I quickly replied, raising my palms in front of me in an appeasing gesture. “There are only the two of us. He and his brothers wiped out all the Kryptids there. They stayed at the hospital to evacuate the hundreds of victims that had been trapped. We’ve spent the past two hours removing implants from all those people and moving them to a safer place. My friend accepted the responsibility of escorting me to my makeshift hospital on Rockwell Road.”
“They wiped out the Kryptids?” Simon challenged, his voice dripping with disbelief. “Our soldiers are getting trampled by those bugs. How is it a handful of brothers can do all that? How are they evacuating people? We heard on the radio that a massive invasion was happening around Third Avenue. No human could have survived that.”
The aggression level was quickly rising among the five. I couldn’t beat around the bush anymore or things would get ugly.
“You’re right. No human could have survived that. And I wouldn’t have … if not for my friend,” I said in a conciliatory tone. “He stayed outside so as not to frighten you.”
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” the elderly woman said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Please, there is no reason to be afraid. They are here to help,” I pleaded.
“You brought a fucking bug here?” Simon asked, raising his weapon towards me.
“No! He is not a bug! Please, listen to me,” I begged, taking one step back. “You heard it on the radio! There is a second group of aliens, the golden ones. They’ve been fighting the bugs. They came here to defend us!”
“How do we know he ain’t using you to get to us?” said a third man with an impressive widow’s peak.
“If that was his goal, he would have no need of me. I didn’t even know you were here. We were headed towards Rockwell Road when he changed direction and came here. His technology told him there were close to one hundred humans in this church. If he saw it, then the bugs can, too. Except, they will come here to hurt you, not to rescue you.”