by Donna Steele
“I am so sorry,” he said.
“Dusty, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I left you at a critical time—”
“For two days,” she interrupted. “You didn’t ‘leave’ me. You went to work. If the positions were reversed, I would have gone as well. I wasn’t due and nothing happened to me.”
“Nothing happened? Dee, I allowed you to be assaulted by whatever was attacking people. Mentally, yes, but I should have paid more attention to the phenomena. I dismissed the whole thing as weird, or funny, and didn’t investigate it.”
“Did anyone?”
He stopped in his movement toward her. “Did anyone? It would have been considered a mental issue, right? Did anyone come in at your hospital for anything like this?”
Dee paused, thinking. “I don’t remember treating anyone, but I don’t have all of my memories back.” She shuddered, recalling her resident. “That’s a possibility. And a mental issue wouldn’t stay in the trauma area for long. They’d be transferred to psych immediately.”
“We need to check into it.”
“I can call someone, see if there are records of that kind of admission.”
“Not now. Right now, I want to tell you how much I love you. I won’t let something like this happen again.” He tugged her from the chair and into his arms.
“Dusty—”
“And any dream, no matter how dumb you think it is, it’s not. I could kick myself for not realizing you were seeing things when you were awake. I don’t know what the scales signify, and I think we need to check it out. We have to do it together.” He held her close, murmuring, “I have to know what you’re thinking, feeling. Don’t let me miss a clue. Whack me over the head with it. Please.”
Her snicker was more of a sob, but she was in his embrace and she let her fears flow from her with the tears.
She didn’t cry long, his lips bringing on other feelings. “We didn’t finish everything the other day.”
“It’s still too soon,” he reminded her.
“Remember, there are lots of things we can do besides swing from the chandelier.”
“I like the way you think,” he said as he allowed her to lead him to their bedroom.
Chapter 25
Dee glanced over at Dusty as he opened the door. They had left Erica at the hospital daycare for the hour or so this should take. Dee wasn’t happy about being separated from her baby, though everyone advised her to try a few short stays to get both of them accustomed to some hours apart.
As if that’ll make leaving Erica easier.
Dee had managed to arrange an appointment with one of the doctors who handled the alligator people cases at a mental care facility affiliated with her hospital. She wasn’t convinced this was something she wanted to face, but Dusty stood by her side once again.
With Dusty close, I can face anything.
“Dr. Morgan? Thank you for seeing us. I’m Dr. Dee Stevens and this is Dr. Dustin Williams.”
“Yes, pleased to meet you.” The older man shook their hands and indicated seats around a small round table, away from his desk. Dee found herself relaxing. This man exuded an aura of calm. Shorter than Dusty, with a receding hairline, something about the doctor reminded her of her father, probably his soothing matter-of-factness.
“I understand you’re investigating the alligator man phenomena.”
“Yes,” Dee replied. “I saw several patients who presented with the delusion in the trauma unit.”
“Were any sent here?”
“No, all of the patients I treated at our facility were released once they were calmed. None presented with a delusion which deemed further treatment necessary once they relaxed. I was unaware this facility accepted these patients. The phenomenon was not widely known at the time. I’m not asking for any specific patient information but looking at the entirety of the cases.”
Dr. Morgan nodded. “We only admitted the worst cases. Twenty-two cases were admitted here, and there are several places which did house them. I can give you a list.”
“I would appreciate it.” Dee shared a look with Dusty.
“Had twenty-two?” Dusty asked.
“Yes. Two have already recovered enough to be sent to outpatient facilities. I have great hopes for most of them. All of the ones we saw had underlying issues that made the delusions more intense than with most of the population. Apparently, a great many people shared the dreams, only a few affected strongly enough to be treated.”
“The phenomena didn’t appear to be widespread,” Dusty observed. “I heard nothing about treatment on the news. At most it was a local human-interest story.”
“That was another of the curious things. The entirety of the afflicted centered within two hundred miles or so of D.C., with very few outliers. Of course, there’s still quite a population of people in the area.”
“My patients presented with seeing what they described as scales on individuals they encountered, but others were unable to see what they perceived,” Dee stated.
“That was one of the main delusions. Reptiles had replaced humans and were in disguise. My patients thought they were the only ones capable of seeing through this disguise, and therefore needed to warn others. They were quite convinced.”
“I haven’t seen anyone present with this in the last few weeks.”
“Yes, the same here. In fact, it ended rather abruptly. That’s also part of the mystery of the whole thing. It was—wait.” He pulled his pad closer and thumbed through it. “Yes, my call nurse contacted me. Here it is, May 4. I had already left for the day. She called, quite excited because there had been a shift in everyone’s demeanor.”
Dusty lightly touched Dee’s hand. “May the fourth be with you.”
“Excuse me?” Dr. Morgan asked.
“Nothing,” Dusty replied and resumed his “professional doc” expression.
“All right.” Dr. Morgan consulted his notes. “My nurse reported at approximately eight that evening, everyone seemed to . . . I believe the term she used was ‘wake up.’ They were confused as to their location and had some memory loss as to why they were there. We’ve seen no new cases reported.”
“I’ll have to check the records for any anomalies, but that was the day it stopped for us as well. Odd.”
“Very odd,” Dr. Morgan agreed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think the delusion was broadcast to these people, and the transmission abruptly cut off. I’m not offering that as a theory, by the way.” He grinned at them.
“No, I probably wouldn’t put that forth myself.” Dee gave a light laugh.
They visited for several more minutes, and Dee promised to report any information she received to Dr. Morgan, even knowing she would not be pursuing this any further.
~ ~ ~
Dusty remained silent as they left the office after thanking Dr. Morgan. They both needed some time to process the information.
Broadcast.
He hadn’t formed the idea fully, but the word described exactly what he thought.
And for some reason he’d been able to shield Dee from some of it with his presence. As unlikely as everything else, it fit. When he’d left to go to Atlanta, she’d been unprotected, and the transmission got through.
Guilt engulfed him.
Dee’s hand slipped into his, bringing him back. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Take this on. We know as little about this as we did about time traveling. You were gone for two days. There is no way you’re responsible for what happened to me.”
“I should have seen it. I should have seen what the nightmares were doing to you.”
“How could you, when I couldn’t? Dusty, please.”
He raised her hand to his lips
and kissed it. “Think we’ll ever understand it?”
“Who knows?”
Chapter 26
Aboard Braxal’s ship
Braxal had been made aware of the arrival of his warrior sons for this journey. They were already in orbit aboard his and Gsark’s flagships. In agreement of their plan, they would take only their two ships in their approach to the planet Earth. A small contingent of warriors, in addition to their sons, would accompany them.
Uncomfortable about how few warriors they would have at their backs, once again Braxal reminded himself this was not an invasion. From his observations, this small contingent might be able to conquer the planet. The warriors of Earth were not specialized for combat and held other duties when not at war. In any case, they would not be conquering the inhabitants of Earth, merely attempting to draw the attention of the Guardians.
That was worrisome enough. The Guardians held power he could not comprehend. As far as he could ascertain through his mind talker, Axal—whose chosen name caused a momentary lifting of Braxal’s spirits—the Guardians used no technology for their endeavors.
They were mind talkers of a degree his own had never imagined. The harm caused when they shielded Earth had nearly crippled two of the strongest on Malvek.
~ ~ ~
Braxal approached his command shuttle to perform a solo tour prior to a launch. His soldiers knew of this habit and left him alone to do so. His warrior sons were already aboard the ships’ bases. They had not been informed of the true mission, only that their presence was required for additional personal training.
The full extent of the exercise would be explained after they left orbit along with Gsark’s ship. Sandarc awaited him on his ship as well as his second warrior son, Rissul.
As he neared the shuttle something caught his eye, a movement where no one should be. His soldiers knew of his practice, and life fluid would paint this area if they betrayed him.
Instantly in warrior mode, he tracked the progress and when the individual moved again, struck. His reflexes had not diminished with age, though lately he spent too much time between trainings.
A scrawny worker dangled from his dominant limb, but Braxal had not released his claws, requiring information prior to dispatching this underling.
“What are you doing here?” he growled, feeling the tremors of the worker.
The captive couldn’t attain the ritual cringe position while hoisted above the ground but made an attempt. “S-Searching for food.”
The voice startled Braxal. How young was this worker? And why was one of his workers hungry?
To his own surprise, he lowered the worker to the ground. The underling immediately assumed the correct position.
“Rise.”
The worker hesitated and Braxal narrowed his eyes, flickering between lids. Finally, slowly, the worker rose.
A female.
What was a female doing here? How had she gained admittance? “Are you of the Braxal clan?”
“No, Warrior.”
“How did you get in here?” Heads would roll for this breach. “Respond!”
She started to cringe again, and his claw shot out.
“No one noticed, or at least paid attention to a female,” she finally whispered shakily.
That was probably true. Before meeting Ledda, he would have ignored a female. He would have to deal with this later. She could not be allowed to escape.
“Come with me.” Braxal shoved her ahead of him onto his command shuttle bridge. Her eyes were wide with fear, but he gave her no choice.
He pushed her into his private quarters. “Stay here. There is food.” Without another word, he retreated, sealing her into his rooms.
Dismissing her from his mind, he stood in position at the helm of his command bridge and launched. In a short time, he spotted the two ships in orbit and navigated to dock with his. Gsark’s command bridge had already docked with his own ship.
Braxal drew in a deep breath. This would either be a tremendous victory for Malvek, or a colossal failure, which would earn him infamy in their history.
In either case, he hoped he was prepared.
~ ~ ~
“Axal?”
“I am here, Sark. Are you well?”
“Nervous. I have never been to space before.”
“Neither have I, friend. It should be a grand adventure.”
There was silence from Sark’s mind for an instant. “I would be more comfortable if you were beside me.”
“As would I, but our Warriors need us with them. When we return to Malvek, we will be close to one another again.”
Axal could feel Sark shifting in his assigned cubicle. “We will return.”
“Yes. You know what Braxal and Gsark plan. There will be no attempt to invade the planet. This is only to draw out the Guardians.”
A deep shiver resonated in his mind from Sark.
“No, do not dwell on what occurred. It is past, and we are the first mind talkers to ever leave the planet on such an expedition. We must look upon it as an honor.”
“True.” Sark sounded steadier. “Warrior Gsark has never taken one of us to battle.”
“The same is true of Warrior Braxal. When I was brought to the ship, Braxal had already arrived and spotted me. He gave me a small nod and spoke my . . . my name. He referred to me as Axal.”
“Is this true? He used your name? Axal, that is more honor than I can imagine.”
Axal displayed his teeth, though of course Sark, being on the other ship, could not see it. “We will be remembered as none of our rank before us.”
“Despite my injuries, I am glad for this assignment. And for you.”
~ ~ ~
Vion stared at the portal with dismay. Warrior Braxal had sealed her in. She’d tried the door, but it did not yield. She had taken nothing, only searching for food. Why would he hold her prisoner?
Disguised in workers’ apparel rather than remaining unclothed, she’d made her way out of the compound after they took Sergoria away. Sergoria had been Vion’s protector and taught her much as they waited for their Warrior to summon them.
Vion knew once Sergoria was gone, her own days were numbered.
Stealing a worker’s tunic, she slipped out of the compound when others’ backs were turned.
She never expected to run into a warrior, much less one with a reputation such as Braxal. She recognized him immediately. He was famous throughout Malvek for his battles and now she had seen his magnificent scars firsthand. There had been no exaggeration.
Vion waited for a time to see if the Warrior returned. Finally, she hesitantly left the corner where she crouched and approached the door once again.
Sealed. She couldn’t leave.
Why was she here?
Warrior Braxal. Warrior Velotor had spoken of him, of his prowess in battle. He was much younger than Velotor but so fearsome in his deeds, her warrior respected him. So why had he brought her aboard his ship?
Surely, he would set her free before he launched.
He had mentioned food. That needed to be her priority now. Who knew when sustenance would be available again? She approached the food storage and opened it.
Meat, in quantities such as she had not seen in spans. Warrior Braxal’s meat workers must have hunted long or slain many of their herd animals to have this abundance of both fresh life fluid and flesh for dining. Velotor’s herds were never this ample in her memory, and he had been too old to hunt for the fresher, wilder meat.
Would Warrior Braxal miss a portion? He had advised her to eat.
Throwing doubt aside, she hooked a piece of the raw and dripping meat and ate it quickly. The life fluid filled her mouth and she felt strength returning.
Glancing around his quar
ters, she hooked another piece. Would such bounty ever come her way again?
Chapter 27
Docking with Braxal’s ship went smoothly after so many turns of practice. Once docked, his command crew entered his bridge and took up their positions.
“Is Gsark ready?”
“Yes, Warrior. All is set.”
Braxal rose and his crew began their work.
Even with the technology of the Tavs—Braxal inwardly cringed at the shameful memory of how his race had acquired its knowledge—it would take more than a handful of spans to reach the planet Earth. A face-to-face meeting with Gsark and all five of their sons, to explain the mission, was scheduled. For now, he would greet his warrior son, Rissul, and Gsark’s son, Sandarc.
They awaited him in an area near the docking site. Both rose when he entered.
“Warrior Sire.” Rissul saluted him.
“Warrior Braxal.” Sandarc repeated the greeting. “I am honored to be here.”
Gsark trained his warrior sons well.
“The Braxal clan is honored to have you with us. Is all well with your clan?”
“It is. Denrk and Loris are most pleased to have been included.”
“We will meet together here to discuss the mission in four turns. Gsark will shuttle here with your brother warriors and Thoruus.”
“Can you tell us something of the mission now?” Rissul asked.
“No. When we are all together, we will discuss what is planned. You may return to your duties.”
Rissul did not appear happy at the dismissal though he said no more. Sandarc again saluted Braxal and left the area.
Rissul watched him leave then turned to his sire. “Why is that child with us?”
Braxal glared at his younger son. His impudence galled. “I wish him to be here. He is not so much younger than you and has already seen one battle. I would not refer to him as a child.”
