Discovered (A Galactic Battle Series Book 2)

by L H Whitlock

  33

  Alyssa lay in Brock’s arms, her heart still slamming in her chest and her mind just beginning to come out of its fog. Brock thought she was beautiful. She should have told him that she found him handsome. Why hadn’t she?

  She slapped her palm against her forehead and looked up at Brock’s sleeping form. His now-trimmed beard showed off the angle of his jaw, making him look younger, softer.

  Her mind wandered to Brock’s lips, where they had just been, just doing. A wave of heat scorched her. Gods, it had felt so good. Was this why it was forbidden? Her stomach fluttered. She couldn’t imagine doing what she had done with Brock with anyone else or allowing anyone else to look at her the way he did. Only Brock. And she wanted him to feel the same way.

  Would she be able to leave him once they were out of this place? Would she be able to let him go back to his life? She couldn’t cause him any more trouble, which was all she seemed to be good at. Why would he want anything to do with her after they were free? She hoped that she would have the strength to let him go when it was time, but somehow she doubted she would.

  34

  “We’re getting a huge energy reading; it’s consistent with a Harvest,” Gustavo said as he entered the common area.

  “A Harvest?” Lily asked. She was back in her normal attire and had spent the last day or so sitting in the common area with Gloria.

  “Yeah, Ulrick changed our path. We’ll be at the Harvest in an hour or so. Maybe some of Golan’s crew got left behind.”

  “I will get Alberta and let Tally and Evin know.”

  Gustavo nodded. “Thanks, I’ll head back to the control room.”

  Lily stood and stretched. Outside the window a nebula made up of splashes of orange and brown gasses painted the black canvas it sat upon. Stars littered the scene, uncountable yet only a dusting of what was really out there.

  “You want to come with me to find Alberta?” Lily asked Gloria.

  Gloria nodded and tied her golden wavy hair into a ponytail that draped over one shoulder. “Sure. I haven’t seen them around in a while though.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “A Harvest… I thought we were all done with that.”

  “There could be some of Golan’s followers still milling around. The galaxy is big; maybe they did not get word of their defeat.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter, we’ll stop it.”

  Lily nodded. As they approached the door leading out of the common room, it slid open and the girls traveled down the hallway. The first time Lily had been down the hallway with Gloria the two of them had been running from Ulrick and the halls had been filled with artwork and décor. Now the bare floors echoed against their boots and the metal walls were cold and bare.

  They passed through the door that they had previously blown up and Gloria let loose a snort. “I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks or so since you were first kidnapped by Ulrick.”

  Lily laughed. “It seems like a lifetime.”

  “Well, a lot has happened.”

  Lily took Gloria’s hand. “I know it has been tough. I am really sorry about Vincent.”

  Gloria’s purple eyes glistened. She dabbed at them with the tips of her fingers, keeping the water from running her eyeshadow.

  “It’s not just Vincent, it’s everything that’s been going on. Gustavo being accused of being a traitor, Sara, Vincent, all those people he and Chuck killed, and then the Developers destroying Aray and turning on us. I just… It’s just a lot.”

  “I know. We just… we just have to stay strong and keep moving forward.”

  Gloria nodded. “I know. I guess I’m just anxious from sitting around for a few days.”

  “I know what you mean, it feels strange not running for my life.”

  “Who would have thought I would have gotten used to that being the norm?”

  When they reached the door to Alberta’s room, Lily pressed the button to the Comm. “Alberta? You in there?”

  “Ones moments.” Shuffling, banging, and harsh whispers filtered through the steel door before it slid open a crack. Alberta stuck her head through. Her black mohawk lay on its side and a bit of dark makeup lingered beneath her eyes. The light glinted off the many piercings in her face and ears.

  Alberta glanced between the two girls, then said, “What’s up?”

  “Gustavo and Ulrick picked up an energy reading that they think is a Harvest,” Lily said.

  “Harvest?”

  “Yes. We will be there shortly.”

  “Okays. Get ready. Meet you out there.” Alberta ducked inside.

  “All right, we will get Tally and Evin. See you on the control panel,” Lily called after her.

  More ruffling and whispers sounded behind the door. Alberta’s head popped out. “Er… I get Tally, Evin.”

  “No, it is okay. It looks like you need to get ready.”

  A voice from behind Alberta angrily whispered; “Why do we have to be part of this? Can’t we just bypass the stupid Harvest?”

  Alberta looked over her shoulder and hissed, “Shuts up.”

  “You shut up! You got us into this mess, it’s your fault.”

  “Nots fault. You try steal Ulrick ship.”

  “How could we have known it was Ulrick’s? We only needed a ship because you stole ours!”

  “That long ago. Don’t be a baby.”

  “You’re the one being a baby.”

  “I having conversation. No interrupt. Rude.” Alberta turned back to Lily and Gloria. “I get Tally and Evin.”

  “Alberta, who’s in there?” Gloria asked, crossing her arms over her black battle vest.

  “No ones.”

  “You liar.”

  “I says no ones.”

  With a huff, Gloria grabbed the edge of the door and forced it open. Alberta nearly tumbled out and Tally and Evin darted for cover.

  “Alberta! What the hell!” Gloria shrieked.

  Lily slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter.

  Alberta shrugged. “Whats?”

  “You should be ashamed! How can you act like this? We’re on an important mission. Pull yourself together!”

  Lily tried to hide her laughter behind her hand but failed, and Alberta glared at her.

  “That goes for the two of you as well.” Gloria huffed when Tally and Evin didn’t come out of their hiding spots. “Get out here right now!”

  After a moment, Tally’s and Evin’s heads popped up from behind the sofa. “Oh, hey guys. We were just… catching up. Man, I’m exhausted. I don’t know about you, Evin, but maybe we should rest for a while.” Tally’s green skin had a slight tint to it and her long, green hair was tangled.

  Evin didn’t look much better with one arm of his jumpsuit rolled up along with one leg. “Yeah… That sounds like a plan,” he said while slipping past Alberta.

  Gloria threw out an arm, blocking him.

  “Everyone get dressed and meet in the control room. We will be at the Harvest soon,” Lily said before Gloria could scold the twins again.

  ***

  The golden glow of a Harvest pulsed from a small, gray world. The golden beam burrowed deep into the planet’s soil, cracking the surface with jagged red lines. Lily watched the energy as it was sucked into a large, bleak ship. She wasn’t familiar with the design and it was nearly undetectable on their radar. Ulrick scanned the area again just to be sure the original reading was correct; there were no other ships in the area, just the one.

  “They don’t have any backup? Nothing?” Gustavo asked.

  “It does not appear so,” Ulrick responded.

  “We can save this world,” Lily said, more to herself than to anyone else.

  Ulrick looked at her with sad, midnight eyes. “A’ Kilini, my love, this world is beyond repair. Any life that existed has ceased.”

  Lily dropped her head. “All right, we can at least see who is attacking.”

  “I think the best tactic is surprise,” Gustavo
said. “Let’s hit them now and hit ’em hard.”

  “They probably know. Very advanced,” Alberta said as she twisted an earring.

  “It’s not Golan’s?” Tally asked. She wore a green jumpsuit, which clung to her body. Evin wore something similar. The two enjoyed dressing alike to be confusing.

  “No, it is not. But we will find out. Get to your stations. We will give it a go.”

  Alberta took her place at the pilot seat and Ulrick moved to the control station next to Lily’s.

  “Alls right. We attack, five, four, three, two, now.”

  Lily aimed and fired. Her beam struck the ship and it jolted slightly. The responding shot sizzled against their shield. Blasts lit up the area as both sides showered the other with blasts. The glow of the Harvest waivered, then faded as the ship focused its power on the fight.

  Another beam struck the shield and the lights flickered.

  “Fuck,” Alberta mumbled and pressed at the buttons on her control board. “They disable shield.”

  “Dammit!” Gustavo punched at his controls as he tried to get them back online.

  The enemy disappeared. Then, in an instant, it reappeared right in front of them. Their ship jerked as it entered the pull of a tractor beam and headed into the much larger ship’s landing bay.

  “Everyone grab your weapons!” Lily yelled as she pulled out E-guns and swords from the holding compartment. They were about to meet their enemy face to face, whoever they were. The team waited in the control room as their ship jolted to a halt. In the distance, she heard an explosion as the enemy forced their way inside.

  Lily braced herself and launched forward the moment the door opened. A metallic body slammed into her, taking her to the ground. The machine clutched her with six arms. She tried to get a good hold on her attacker but he had no torso, only a skeletal spine with sharp spikes that sliced her skin.

  A ball of bio-energy hit the machine atop her and ripped him in half. Ulrick hefted Lily to her feet and shot at an oncoming cyborg. The bullet struck him in the spine and exploded, sending him toppling to the ground.

  “Goddam Developers,” Ulrick mumbled, then ducked as an explosion tore through a control station next to him.

  A metallic screech sounded and Lily spun around. A Developer lay on the ground and a shield shimmered around Lily. Another machine scurried toward her on six arms and legs and launched itself at her. The cyborg slammed into the shield like his comrade and he collapsed to the ground. Gloria dropped the shield as she turned her focus to Gustavo.

  The spider-like Developers were everywhere, scurrying around the room with alarming speed.

  Alberta stood in a triangle formation with Tally and Evin, the three of them gunning down Developers. Ulrick summoned his bio-energy and threw the balls at the Developers. They exploded on impact, tearing limbs from the Developers’ metal bodies.

  Developers piled into the room, some with a creepy crawly look while others were more standard. Lily dove out of the way as one lashed out at her with hands in the shape of blades. She rolled out of the way just as his fist sliced the floor where her shoulder had just been. Curling up her legs, she pressed them to his chest and kicked him off her. Then she shot him in the neck. The bullet exploded, but the Developer surged toward her.

  Swarms of Developers surrounded the team and more poured in through the door.

  “Brace yourselves!” Gustavo yelled.

  Lily turned to see what he meant, but a blast of electricity coursed through her body just as her eyes caught sight of the electro-beam weapon. Her muscles spasmed as the energy pulsed through her limbs, leaving her frozen. Gloria’s mouth opened in a silent scream. Tally, Evin, and Alberta clung to each other. Ulrick’s eyes were fixed on Lily, ready to come to her aid the moment he was able. She wanted to reassure him, but she thought her heart might burst. She didn’t dare attempt to move.

  The Electro-beam weapon was designed to fan out and hit any object within a set distance. The energy level was set relatively low, so they would survive, but it was enough to disable the Developers. Their metallic bodies sparked and they slumped to the floor with smoke billowing from their carcasses.

  The electric pulse faded and Lily collapsed to her knees. Her muscles clenched and unclenched and tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Holy shit! I… I can’t believe that’s what that feels like.” Gloria’s eyeliner smeared her face with teal and she clutched her stomach.

  Lily almost made a comment. Gloria had accidently used the weapon on her once before, though Ulrick had been there to deflect the attack, so it hadn’t hurt as bad.

  “Sorry guys, I didn’t see any other way,” Gustavo said.

  “It was good thinking,” Lily mumbled and pulled herself back to her feet.

  “Fucks yous,” Alberta said, her tone half teasing. Tally and Evin gave an agreeing nod.

  “Are you all right?” Ulrick asked her softly. He smoothed his thumbs over Lily’s cheek.

  “I am fine. Are you okay?”

  Ulrick smirked and nodded. “We need to get out of here before the Developers send more troops. Take the Electro-beam, it proves rather beneficial in battle, although it should be fired when everyone is out of range.”

  Gustavo scratched his golden hair. “Sorry about that.”

  “All right, follow me.” Lily motioned to her team. She pressed herself against the wall next to the door, peeked out, checked both sides, then gave the good to go and crept down the hallway, E-gun on point.

  Gustavo moved with her to the front so he could utilize the Electro-beam. The rest of the team fell in line behind them.

  An untrusting silence floated through the ship. At the end of the hall, Lily pressed the button to release the ship’s exit door. She tucked herself around the side, waiting for the ramp to lower, half-expecting to be ambushed.

  She peeked out to see the Developers’ landing bay completely empty, making their ship look like a marble amidst the vaulted ceilings and endless metal floor. Lily’s blood coursed through her, heightening her senses.

  Silence followed her as she ran. Not even the sound of the team’s boots echoing disrupted the unnerving peace. There was no cover, nowhere to hide.

  Lily stopped briefly at the exit door and peeked around the side. The coast was clear.

  “Where is everyone?” Gloria whispered.

  “I do not know,” Lily answered.

  “I don’t like this one bit,” Tally said.

  Lily didn’t respond. She motioned her team forward and they followed the long, dimly lit hallway in search of the control room and, hopefully, an explanation for why the Developers were Harvesting this planet.

  35

  Alyssa pranced along the rickety metal bridge, dragging her prize behind her. She had made herself a sack so she could carry multiple items at once. This way she wouldn’t need to get Brock or Bixom every time she needed something from the junk yard. And today, not only had she found a working electrical panel and fuel exhaust, but also a state of the art advancement. One that would be perfect for Brock.

  The Developers she passed were not friendly, though they weren’t unfriendly either. They were more or less apathetic of her and what she was doing, which was fine with her.

  An echo followed her creaking steps and she paused, turning slowly to see who was behind her. Again, she found no one. Strange. She swore she heard someone, but each time she turned around no one was there. Just my imagination. She shivered despite the thought and continued on her way.

  She stopped when she came to the hut they were working on. Bixom currently worked to secure more panels on the outside. A few had fallen during the night, and while they really didn’t care how it looked, they had to keep the ship inside hidden.

  Bixom looked up, jumped off the scaffolding, and headed her way. He took the bag from her. “Shit! What do you have in here?”

  Alyssa beamed. “A few supplies and an arm for Brock.”

  “Good, we need him to start pulling hi
s weight around here. Bastard’s been giving me the heavy lifting.”

  “Oh, please. I’ve been pulling my share of the work, if not more.” Brock stepped out of the hut wearing his slender suit. His dark brown skin was dotted with perspiration and he slung a bag of tools over his shoulder.

  “Heard you got me an arm! Let’s see it, baby girl.”

  Alyssa pulled the appendage out of the bag and held it up to Brock. The arm was similar to the enhancement he originally had, with smooth lines and the ability to make fluid transformations. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles but was still a nice find.

  A smile stretched over Brock’s bearded face. “That looks like a winner if I ever saw one!”

  Alyssa felt her face flush and she looked at her feet. She was about to suggest that he go inside so she could begin working on it when a voice sounded from behind her.

  “Some peculiar items you got from the dump…”

  Alyssa twirled around to see a tall, lanky man standing on the platform behind her.

  “A fuel adaptor, exhaust, and a control panel… each carefully selected… I wonder what you plan to build, child.” His voice held a note of intrigue and he spoke while stroking the gray stubble on his chin. It wasn’t all gray, but a soft brown with gray mixed in, just like his shoulder-length hair. One of his eyes was replaced with an electrical component and it appeared that one leg was advanced, though it was hidden beneath long gray linen pants. He didn’t wear a shirt, showing off a pale chest and flat stomach. She wondered if he was cold or if he found being shirtless a reprieve from the stuffy air.

  “It’s none of your damn business,” Brock spat. He dropped the tool bag and stepped in front of Alyssa, hiding her from the other man.

  “I suppose it’s not.” He studied the fallen bag. “Looking for an arm, are ya? It is quite irritating that they take all the advancements away when they recycle you. It would be much more appealing if they just threw us down here, but to do so without our limbs?” He scoffed. “Let me just say it’s a good thing all I needed was an eye and a leg, I couldn’t imagine trying to swim through this filth with less.”