by Melody Adams
"Water!" said Hunter, breathing deeply, before he carefully set me down. "I was afraid we wouldn't find any more water. The hose is almost empty."
I watched Hunter fill the hose and pour some of the fresh water over his head. Now that I had taken a closer look at him, I saw the exhaustion on his face. He had circles under his eyes and seemed tired. Again my guilty conscience overcame me.
"Maybe I can walk for a bit", I said.
Hunter looked at me and shook his head.
"Not an option!" he said determined. "You're still much too weak."
"But you've been carrying me for so long now and you're exhausted. Look at yourself, Hunter! You need some rest!"
"I don't want to argue, Pearl!" he said sharply. "You will NOT walk!"
I sighed. Hunter was really a stubborn donkey, but I loved him like crazy. It also made me proud that he was so strong and persistent.
"Do you have any idea how far it is still?" I wanted to know.
"I think we'll make it to the village by midnight", Hunter replied.
He came over to me and lifted me onto his arms to wade into the water with me. With me in his arms he sat down. The water only went up to our stomachs, but it was a welcome refreshment. It also helped my mosquito bites. Some were quite swollen and felt hard and hot.
"That feels good!", I said sighing.
"Yes, but we can't rest too long. You are still not healthy and I am worried. I want you to get medical treatment as soon as possible".
"Yes, master!" I said and grinned crookedly.
Hunter
Towards evening, Pearl's condition deteriorated again. She had a high fever and could hardly keep her eyes open. When she drifted off to sleep, she began to utter incoherent words. I felt the exhaustion in my limbs, but I tried to suppress the feeling and forced myself to put one step in front of the other. The sun was setting slowly and I hoped that I would reach the village tonight. I didn't want to spend another night in this cursed forest. Pearl needed to see a doctor! I would walk until she was safe.
Chapter 5
Hunter
Ourilandia do Norte, Brazil
January 8, 2033 / 10:46 p.m. local time
The village was in almost total darkness, but I wouldn't have needed the lights burning in the military tents on the edge of the village to find my way. Pearl was sleeping in my arms. She was still way too hot. The march that lasted for days and the scant amounts of food had gotten to her and she had lost weight. But the fever had given her the rest. I was worried about her. Now she was safe, however. I would hand her over to her father and she would finally get medical help. Then we would see. As long as Pearl was doing so badly, it was probably impossible to leave the country.
I entered the camp. Two shadows emerged from the darkness, then four more. All of them had their guns pointed at me.
"What is this?" I asked. "Where is President Jackson? I have his daughter, but she is sick."
"Come with me!" said one of the soldiers. "And don’t cause us any trouble."
"What the hell ...?", I began, but I cut myself off. I didn't want to start an argument now. All I wanted was to be able to hand Pearl over to a doctor quickly.
So I followed the soldiers through the camp to a big tent in the middle which obviously belonged to President Jackson. Two soldiers stood in front and saluted us as we approached. One of them opened the flap and we entered the tent. President Jackson sat behind a desk and jumped up as soon as we stepped foot inside.
"Pearl!" he exclaimed, and I stepped forward with Pearl, ignoring the soldiers who tried to stand in my way.
"She has a fever!" I said. "She needs a doctor!"
"Have Dexter called!" Jackson ordered. "Immediately!" He turned to me, his face obscured by worry. "Put her down here!" he said and led me into the back of the tent to a cot.
I put Pearl down carefully. She moaned quietly.
"Hunter", she murmured.
"I'm here", I said quietly and wiped a wet strand of hair from her face.
"Hunter!" said the president and I turned to him. "Thank you!
I nodded.
"I'm afraid to tell you that you are temporarily under arrest, Hunter. One of my men has brought a serious charge against you and since Pearl is not able to exonerate you on at least one of the counts at the moment, there's nothing else I can do."
"I understand!" I said.
"You could disappear before my men ..."
"No!" I said coldly. "I haven't done anything wrong, and whatever I'm accused of will be cleared up as soon as Pearl wakes up. I will not leave her, Mr. President."
"What really happened between you two, Hunter? As her father ..."
"I love your daughter, sir!" I interrupted him.
"And Pearl? How does she feel about it? Private Lockwood says you violated her and then bragged about it."
"Private Lockwood? Is this the same idiot who tried to shoot me because he didn’t like that I was bringing Pearl here through the jungle? What does his friend say about that? He was the one that stopped the bastard from shooting me!"
"That's the problem. Private Blake is dead and Lockwood claims you killed him!"
I clenched my fists.
"That little son of a bitch!"
Men burst into the tent and I took a step back as the army doctor leaned over Pearl. President Jackson looked me in the eye.
"I hope everything clears up, Hunter. Until then, you're under arrest. As soon as Pearl is ready to travel, we will fly home to Washington."
Pearl
I awoke with a scream on my lips.
"Pearl!" a familiar voice sounded next to me, but it wasn't Hunter. "I’m here, baby. Everything will be fine!"
I turned my head and stared at the man sitting by my side.
"You?" I asked and shook my head. "What the hell are you doing here? Where is Hunter? I want to talk to Hunter immediately!"
"He's under arrest," Ben explained with a satisfied grin.
"What?" I asked. "Why?"
"He killed a soldier. And he almost killed me, too. Your noble savage is a beast, Pearl!"
"No! I don't believe a word you’re saying! Hunter would never do such a thing!"
"What did this bastard do to you?" Ben asked angrily. "Did he somehow bewitch you? I wouldn't be surprised if those lab rats were able to do something like hypnosis. Did he bite you? Is that why you’re sick? Did he inject you with some kind of poison?"
"You are completely sick in the head!" I said and looked at him with disgust. "I can't believe I was actually stupid enough to go out with you once!"
Ben grabbed me by the arm and stared at me angrily.
"You little bitch! I'll show you who you belong to. You like it rough? No problem, sweetie. I can give you that too!"
I saw no way out. I was too weak to defend myself against him. I did the only thing I could do in this situation. I screamed!
Two soldiers stormed into the tent.
"What's going on here?" they asked.
"Help me!" I asked. "He hurt me. He ..."
I fell silent when Ben held a gun to my temple.
"Get out!" Ben said coldly. "I will shoot her if you make a wrong move!"
"Ben, please", I pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"
"We belong together, Pearl. I didn't kill Leon for no reason. He wanted to blackmail me to your father because I wanted to kill your precious Alien Breed. I had planned everything so that the damn lab rat would get what he deserved and we could be together as it should have been from the beginning. But it looks like your father just doesn't want to believe that this animal could do anything wrong. He is just as blind as you are! You should not have sent me into the desert. I am the only man who is good for you, who knows how to deal with you! I wouldn't have agreed to your stupid plan to play charity in this fucking country in the first place. I would have forbidden you and then you would never have been kidnapped. Then you would be safe at home right now and none of this would have happened!"
"You're sick," I said in horror.
"No! You are sick! You are sick because this beast infected you somehow. But fear not! You will be okay again. I will see to it."
"Leave me alone, Ben. I don't WANT you! Don't you get it? I never wanted you! That's why I stopped seeing you. That's why I never let anything happen between us! I don't like you! I will never feel anything for you except hate!"
Ben grabbed me roughly and I whimpered in pain. I heard the clicking of weapons.
"I wouldn't do that", Ben said threateningly to the soldiers. "She will be dead before I die, I swear! Go away!"
The soldiers withdrew.
"Get up!" Ben ordered.
"What are you going to do now?
"We will hijack a helicopter and get out of here!" Ben said. I realized with horror that the man I had gone out with a few times truly was completely crazy. Even back then I had the feeling that something sinister was lurking behind the pretty boy facade, but I had no idea how sick he really was.
Hunter
"Hunter," President Jackson's voice woke me.
I opened my eyes.
"What happened?" I asked and sat up hastily.
"Pearl! Private Lockwood has her in his possession!"
A deep growl rose inside of me and the soldiers behind Jackson nervously raised their weapons. I felt an irrepressible rage within me. If I this bastard was standing in front of me now, I would have torn him to pieces.
"Don't!" the president said to the soldiers. "Stand down!"
The soldiers lowered their weapons and withdrew from the tent in which I was held prisoner.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Lockwood wants to hijack one of the helicopters," Jackson explained. "We have to hurry!"
I jumped up. Jackson was right. We had no time to lose. The thought that this son of a bitch had Pearl in his hands almost drove me crazy. I wouldn't rest until I had Pearl safely in my arms.
"Take me there!"
"Come on!" Jackson said and I followed him out of the tent.
We walked through the camp to a place with four helicopters. I saw the door to one of the helicopters close. I could see Pearl's pale face behind the window. The rotors started and Jackson cursed next to me.
"We're too late!" the president said desperately.
"Not yet!" I growled and sprinted ahead.
I ran crouched. The rotors were generating a lot of wind. The helicopter slowly lifted off the ground. I had to make it. Shortly before reaching the helicopter, which was already two meters above the ground, I started to jump. I barely caught one of the landing skids of the helicopter with one hand. I grabbed it with my other hand and pulled myself up. Standing on the runner I tried to look inside the helicopter. Pearl sat on the other side. Lockwood was sitting right in front of me. He had his gun pointed at the pilot. I had to act quickly because I didn't want to risk Pearl or the pilot getting hurt. I had no idea how to fly this thing. If anything happened to the pilot, we would be lost. Without further hesitation, I opened the sliding door, grabbed Lockwood's arm and threw him out of the helicopter. Pearl screamed in horror and the pilot turned around swearing at me.
"Hunter!" Pearl shouted with relief.
I climbed into the helicopter and embraced a completely distraught Pearl. My heart rate slowly calmed down. Now that I was holding her safely in my arms, I felt the tension slowly fade away.
"Shall I fly us back now, sir?" the pilot asked.
"Yes!" I replied. "I have an important question to ask the president."
Pearl looked at me.
"What do you want to ask my father?" she wanted to know.
"Well, I want to ask him permission to take you to Eden as my mate."
"My dad will want you to marry me according to human law", Pearl suggested.
"I have no problem with that. Do you?"
Pearl made an exaggerated oh-I-don't-know-face, then she broke out in laughter and threw herself at me.
"You will never get rid of me now, Hunter!" she said seriously. "The more ceremonies tie you to me, the better!"
We had reached the runway and the helicopter was slowly descending. I held Pearl's hand as we waited for the rotors to stop. Then I opened the door and helped Pearl disembark. Her dad came running towards us and tore his daughter into his arms. After a while, he gently released her from his arms and looked at me.
"It seems to me that it's becoming a habit for you to save my daughter, Hunter", he said in a muted voice.
"I hope I can stop her from being kidnapped in the future", I returned with a grin.
Jackson kissed Pearl on top of her head.
"I'm so glad you're safe, Pearl", he said with a rough voice. "I want the doctor to examine you first. You were sick and this excitement certainly didn't do you any good."
"I'm fine", assured Pearl. "But if it calms you down, I'll have myself checked out."
"Brock! Lewis! Take my daughter to Dexter to have him examine her!"
Two soldiers joined us and took Pearl into their midst.
"One second!", she said and walked towards me to put her arms around my neck. She stood on tiptoes and gave me a kiss. "I love you", she said quietly. "Good luck with my dad!"
I pressed her against me briefly and then gently pushed her towards the two soldiers who were supposed to take her to the doctor.
"Go! Be a good girl and get yourself checked out!"
After she disappeared, Jackson patted me on the shoulder.
"It seems to me that we have to talk, my boy!"
I nodded and let Jackson lead me to his tent. He sent the guards away and offered me a seat.
"A glass of brandy? Or would you rather have Scotch?"
"Brandy is fine!" I said. President Jackson took bottle and two glasses off a shelf. Sitting across from me, he poured the brandy and pushed a glass towards me.
We drank a sip and Jackson looked at me with his sharp eyes. He knew exactly what was going on, I thought, to my amazement I was a little nervous. How do you ask the President of the United States for his daughter's hand?
"Well, Hunter? How do you plan on keeping my daughter safe in the future? It's not an easy task, I can assure you that. I've been doing this job for over twenty years."
"I didn't expect this question", I said laughing. "I was just trying to figure out the right words to ask you for your daughter's hand and now this!"
Jackson laughed.
"Well, after you’ve saved my daughter for the second time and got to see how much my little Pearl adores you, I can only conclude that she couldn't have a better man by her side than you!"
"Thank you, sir!"
"But I want her to live with you on Eden before you get married. You've only known each other for about a week, and before you commit, you should both be completely sure."
"Of course. That sounds reasonable. Even though I know that nothing will change my feelings for Pearl. If an Alien Breed finds their mate, it’s forever."
"I know!" Jackson said. "Your loyalty is one of the many qualities I value in you. I knew you didn't kill the soldier. If you had, you would have admitted to it. But without proof, I had to put you under arrest first. I'm glad that Lockwood admitted it in front of my men, because all the charges can be dropped."
"Lockwood is dead!"
"Nobody can blame you for that, Hunter. He kidnapped Pearl and you acted on my behalf to bring her back. You are a soldier, my boy. Not a murderer. I was a soldier myself. Killing is never a pleasure, but I know that it is inevitable sometimes. You have proven that you are willing to do anything for my daughter. And I know that you won't let her fool you around like that loser Dillon, she was engaged to."
"She told me about that."
"She did?" Jackson seemed surprised. Then he shook his head. "I don't know how she could ever believe that a man like that would make her happy. She doesn't like to admit it, but she needs a challenge. She needs a man who is not afraid to confront her. But I am warning you. My daughter has years of practice
in rebelling against instructions."
I laughed.
"Yes, I've already experienced that."
"You have?" He laughed. "Yes, my baby is a handful!"
He looked directly at me.
"Make her happy, Hunter!"
"I will!"
Pearl
"You should take it easy, but there's no reason why you can't fly back to Washington today", said Dr. Dexter.
"Thank. God." I replied with relief. "I am more than ready to leave this hell hole. Even if that means freezing my ass off in Washington."
Dr. Dexter laughed.
"I can understand that. I am glad that your fever was nothing more than an allergic reaction to your mosquito bites. There are some ugly viral diseases here in this country. Some of them are hard to fight even with modern medicine."
"I know", I said sighing. "I've seen enough cases in the few days I've worked here." I rubbed my arms where the swelling of the insect bites had already noticeably subsided. "The ointment really helped. How long will it take for the swelling to go away completely?"
„Maybe two or three days. But the fever shouldn't return with the antibiotics."
"Thank you, doctor."
"Not at all, Pearl. I'm glad that the Alien Breed managed to bring you here despite everything. No soldier could have done what he did. He saved your life. You were already very weak and dehydrated. Another day you might not have survived out there."
"Really? I thought it was just an allergy ..."
"Even allergies can kill you, Pearl. Your fever was high and the loss of fluid together with the extreme exhaustion could have killed you."