“Show off… Charlie one,” Jess reported.
TJ spotted a glowing red dot moving around twenty feet ahead and signaled Remi to circle around. One of the mercs was smoking a cigarette. ‘Those things will be the death of you’ TJ thought as he moved in. He gave Remi a few minutes to get into position, then rose silently behind the merc, clamping his hand over the guys mouth and slicing his throat before he could make a sound.
Lowering the body quietly to the ground, he heard a slight scuffle off to his left and looked up to see Remi finishing off a second merc with a quick jerk and a broken neck. Remi flashed a grin at TJ, then dragged the merc into the bushes. TJ grinned back and dragged his guy into the bushes too, scattering some loose leaves and branches over them to help hide the bodies. He tapped his comm.
“Alpha two” he reported as he ground the cigarette into the dirt with his boot. He waved Remi forward and they continued on their original trajectory.
They moved quickly. The comms clicked on and off sporadically. The occasional sounds of the local wildlife and the muted roar of the waterfall were all that broke the hush of the inky night. It helped to cover whatever faint noises they couldn’t control. A weapon falling to the ground from dying fingers. The last breath escaping from lungs that ceased to function. The swish of a sword blade sliding through flesh.
Click. “Beta one.”
Click. “Charlie two.”
Click. “Alpha two.”
Click. “Beta three.”
Click. “Careful Beta. Don’t try to take on more than you can handle,” TJ cautioned.
Click. “Unavoidable Alpha. Score one for Max.”
TJ’s heart beat a little faster at that revelation, but he was proud of Max.
So it went for the next couple of hours. Dominic was apparently no tactical genius. He should have had roving patrols, with check-ins. Instead his men stood in place completely oblivious to what was going on around them.
They’d only seen TJ that afternoon, and they could reasonably assume that Tiger was somewhere close by, but they didn’t know TJ and Tiger were UCAR and they didn’t know there were three more just like them hiding behind that door.
Click. “Alpha one.”
Click. “Charlie one.”
Click. “Alpha one.”
TJ and Remi were just about at the end of their initial sweep. As they closed in on two mercs simultaneously, TJ took out his target but, just as Remi went for his man with his K-Bar, a large bird flushed out of the bushes behind him and the merc spun around, blocking the K-Bar with the butt of his weapon and striking Remi in the temple.
TJ rushed in and grabbed the merc from behind, locking him in a choke hold and stabbing him in the kidneys several times. He lowered the body quickly and rushed to Remi’s side, keying his comm.
“Alpha two. Our initial sweep complete. Beta team, Remi’s down. Need Max. Sending coordinates.”
“Beta team. Our initial sweep complete. On our way Alpha.” Max replied.
Shit! Tiger must have been affected by that hit Remi took! “Beta team, status on Tiger?”
“Not good Alpha, but he’s up and moving.”
“Charlie team. Our initial sweep complete. Starting return sweep.”
“Negative Charlie. Watch out for hostiles but get your asses back here asap. We have one down and one compromised. Need assistance to return to base.”
TJ sent his GPS coordinates to Beta and Charlie teams, then knelt next to Remi and checked his respirations and pulse. He couldn’t check his pupils in the dark. The blow had knocked him out and left a large gash that was bleeding profusely, but TJ couldn’t tell how bad it was except by aiming the glow from his GPS down close to his face.
He only had a few seconds to do an assessment before he had to turn it back off. There was no certainty that there were no mercs left close by to see it. Pulling a small med kit from his utility pocket, he retrieved some gauze pads and laid them over the wound. He pressed lightly to slow the flow of blood and keep the wound clean. All he could do was to keep Remi quiet and keep checking his vitals till Max got there.
It felt like hours, but it was only about twenty minutes before Max and Tiger finally arrived. “Alpha, Beta team coming in.” That was Tiger. He was breathing hard but at least he was coherent.
TJ scanned his surroundings. Max hurried to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
TJ patted his hand. “I’m fine. What about Tiger?”
Tiger had dropped down on the other side of Remi. He was breathless and a little dizzy. Laying a hand over the spot where Remi’s tattoo was hidden, he closed his eyes, trying to will strength into Remi’s body.
“I’m okay. It felt like I’d been kicked in the chest when Remi was hit but I’m not feeling any pain now, probably because he’s not conscious. It weakened me enough that I felt like I was pushing through quicksand on the way back here.”
Max had already started assessing Remi. “Was the blow to the head the only injury he sustained?”
“Yeah.” TJ replied. “Just one hit with a rifle butt. He’s been unconscious since then.”
“Well, I don’t feel any fractures. I’ll wrap it to control the bleeding, but I can’t tell the extent of his injury till we get him back where we have some light and can run some diagnostics on him. His breathing’s good though and his pulse is strong. He probably has a severe concussion.”
While Max wrapped the wound, he gave TJ an update on the body count. “I’ll have to check my numbers once I’ve seen to Remi, but I think the last tally was eighteen.”
“A good night’s work then. We didn’t get them all but, unless Dominic had an army stashed away somewhere, we should have a fighting chance now. Did you run into any trouble on the way back?”
Before Max could answer, their comms clicked. “Alpha, Charlie team coming in.”
Tony and Jess crept up to his side. “No problems Cap. We didn’t see any more mercs on the way here, although I think the locals were keeping an eye on us. How’s the grunt doing?”
“Not sure yet. He has a head wound. We need to get him back where we can see the damage. I’ll carry him. Max, you make sure Tiger doesn’t fall on his face. Jess and Tony, take point and rear guard. And grab those weapons. If we run across any more of those assholes, we may need them. Move out.”
He hefted Remi up across his shoulder with a small grunt and off they went.
*****
“Remi. Remi, it’s me. Open your eyes babe. Come on you stubborn asshole, wake up.” Someone was stroking his cheek. He tried to open his eyes, but his lids felt like they were glued shut. He knew that voice. Where was he? Were they still in the woods? He heard people talking around him. It sounded like they were trying to speak underwater.
Why were they making so much noise?
Frowning, he tried to move his hand, but he felt a stabbing pain, so he dropped it back on the bed. There was warmth on his face, soft lips brushed his and they whispered “I felt your pain Aisoku. It’s alright. I’m here.”
He groaned and cracked his eyes open slightly. It was too bright. A beautiful glowing raven-haired angel with violet eyes and a halo swam in his hazy vision. He knew this angel. “Are you my guardian angel?” he murmured. “Shit, my head hurts.”
He whined and scrunched his eyes closed. Opening them again, he reached for Tiger. “Sorry, don’t send me away for swearing. I wanna stay here with you. You’re so pretty and shiny. It’s nice here. Fluffy and warm. Can I see your wings?”
Someone snorted nearby. TJ choked back his laughter. “Wow, Max, those must be some amazing drugs. Can you set me up with some of those?”
Remi turned his head to the other side of the bed. “Hmmm? Whozat?”
The angel snickered as Thor stepped up and grinned at Remi. He had a halo too. “Hey,” Thor thundered.
Remi winced. “Sshhh… not so loud Thor. Hafta be quiet.” He turned back to the angel. “Can angels cure headaches?
Fuck my head’s gonna explode. Oh, damn, sorry. Sorry. God, it hurts.”
“Sure, Remi, just close your eyes and try to relax.” Tiger pushed the button on the IV pump to push more pain medication into the drip attached to Remi’s hand, stroking his arm gently.
“Mmmm… better. Thanks.” He drifted off and Max and TJ left, closing the door quietly. Tiger pulled his chair closer to the bed and leaned back, stretching his legs out. He laid his hand over Remi’s and watched him breathe. It had a hypnotic effect and soon he drifted off too, feeling the lingering effect of the backlash and the drugs running through Remi’s system.
There was definitely a downside to this mate bond. Lucius said that the feedback could be suppressed with practice. They were seriously going to have to work on that asap. Having to deal with a second-hand headache and the high of the drugs Remi was on sucked balls, and not in a good way.
When Max came back later to check Remi’s vitals, he didn’t have the heart to wake Tiger. He’d be sore in the morning, but he knew the Rangers were used to roughing it. Unfortunately, sunrise wasn’t far off, and they all needed what little bit of rest they could get before Dominic reared his ugly head again. He draped a blanket over Tiger and slipped back out the door.
*****
Tiger gradually roused several hours later, feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his face. He didn’t open his eyes, just soaked in the heat radiating through the uncovered window, listening to the happy trilling of a songbird in the tree just outside the window.
Something moved against his fingers and he was instantly alert. His eyes snapped open and his gaze connected with a pair of topaz blue eyes looking back at him from the bed.
“Hi, Angel,” Remi croaked, smiling sheepishly at Tiger.
“Hi. I’d ask how you’re feeling but I already know the answer. Damned mate bond.” Getting up, he rounded the bed and powered the head of the bed up so Remi could sit up. He poured a glass of water and stuck a straw in it, holding it for Remi who sucked it all down greedily.
“Did I miss anything important last night?’ Remi rubbed gingerly around the bandage on his forehead, wincing when it pulled the still healing skin. Thanks to the bots Max had injected, the wound was already half healed. The concussion would take a little longer.
“We aborted the mission after you got clobbered, but we were basically done anyway. We didn’t find any more mercs on the way back and Max figures we took out eighteen. There hasn’t been any movement out there so far. I’ll check with the guys in a bit, but Jess would have alerted us if they were doing anything. I don’t think he ever sleeps. That guy is scary, but he’s a fucking lunatic in a firefight.”
Moving toward the door, Tiger couldn’t resist teasing Remi, “Max says you have a concussion and he stitched up the gaping hole in your forehead. The bots are working their little robotic asses off to make you look human again. It was awful. Blood and brains everywhere. The worst part, though, was the horror of you calling TJ ‘Thor’. I threw up in my mouth a little. I think we need to talk about your man-crush on my CO later.”
“Fuck. My. Life.” Remi dropped his head into his hands. “I thought that was all in my head. I’m never going to hear the end of that, am I?”
“Nope” Tiger replied, popping the ‘p’ and laughing loudly as he walked off down the hallway.
Chapter 22
Tae came rushing in through the back door of the main building and flew into the cafeteria as the guys were fixing their own breakfast. The rest of the researchers and support staff had hidden in one of the caves that the natives had designated for their use and they would stay there until they had the all clear signal.
Spotting Tony, Tae threw himself into his arms and hugged him fiercely. He sniffled but calmed when Tony hugged him back and patted him on the back. “We saw the bodies,” he hiccupped. “I had to see if you were…” A tear rolled down his cheek and Tony swiped it away with his thumb.
“Hey, Sunshine. We’re not that easy to kill. Last night was just thinning the herd a little. Don’t worry, we can handle those morons, but you should’ve stayed put with your friends till we take care of the problem. It’s not safe for you to be running around out there.”
“You will not need to. They are gone.”
Tony froze. “What?”
“They are gone.”
Tony shook Tae’s shoulders. “I heard you, but… what do you mean? Gone where?”
“They have left the valley. Our watchers said five men went through the pass early this morning. They found the bodies and argued, then left. They did not even wait to bury their friends.”
The rest of the team had gathered around Tae and Tony, listening to the conversation.
TJ scratched the stubble on his jaw and looked around the group. He made a snap decision and started barking orders.
“Listen up everyone. Grab some chow quickly. Tiger and Tony, after you eat, I want you to scout around the area and see if you can confirm what Tae just told us. Jess, you have a few hours to catch some shuteye. Max, check on Styles and let me know if he’s in good enough shape to travel. I’ll pack up our gear and double-check our weapons and supplies.”
“If those fuckers are really gone, we’re bugging out. We’re not going to wait around for Dominic to come back with reinforcements. He probably decided he didn’t have enough men left to take us, so he’s made a tactical retreat. I’ll bet seeing all those bodies has him freaking out and wondering who and how many men he’s really dealing with. Once we’re through the pass, we’re taking an alternate route home.” Everyone scrambled to grab food while TJ pulled Lucius aside.
“Lucius, will your people be safe once we leave? I feel like we led all this trouble to your doorstep. Hopefully, if those fuckers are still bent on revenge, they’ll follow us instead of harassing you. Frankly, I think you’re safer without us here.”
“Aye, Captain. We’ll be fine. The natives always let us know far enough in advance to clear out if we need to. We can lockdown the critical data and samples, and all our data gets backed up to a remote server in real time. The worst they could do is some property damage and that can be replaced.”
“Good. Good… I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for Tiger… and for us.” TJ hesitated, glancing off to the side. “I know we got off to a rocky start…”
“Och, Captain, do nae’ give yerself an aneurism tryin’ ta be nice now. We’ll n’er be besties. I still think yer something of an arse, but Max thinks highly of ya and I think yer a hell of a good Ranger.” He walked away, muttering to himself.
TJ just rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, heading back towards the food before his men could pig it all down. He’d noticed that Lucius’ brogue tended to come and go depending on his emotional state. He’d be only too happy to hit the trail and put the place behind him. Most days Lucius gave him a fucking migraine.
Tiger reported back to TJ a couple of hours later, after sending Tony to gather the team in their suite.
“Tae was right. We scoured the area, then checked out the pass. Their tracks were visible in the snow heading back down the trail we came in on. There was no other sign of them anywhere else. They probably plan on picking up help at Dominion and ambushing us there.”
“You know, we could reroute to Oberon and take a shuttle from there. It’s two additional days of walking, but by the time Dominic figures out what we’ve done it’ll be too late for them to catch up with us.”
When the rest of the team showed up, they found TJ and Tiger going over a projected map of the region, discussing their options. “Okay, guys, have a seat. Max, what’s the status on your patient? We’re looking at a slightly longer route back to avoid running into Hawkins and his men. Maybe two extra days. Think he can handle it?”
Remi cleared his throat. “Hello, sitting right here. Yes, I’m good.”
TJ quirked an eyebrow at Max, ignoring Remi.
“He’s still a little rough, but I think he can handle it,” h
e affirmed.
“Okay then. We’re heading for Oberon.” He traced out their route on the geological map, the projection displaying a three-dimensional image of the route and weather conditions forecasted for the next seven days. It was a rougher terrain than the route to Dominion, used mostly by hunters, so it was not heavily traveled.
He closed down the map. “All right team grab your snacks and packs and say your goodbyes. We leave in thirty minutes.”
They scrambled for their gear and headed off in different directions. Thirty minutes later, they were shaking hands with Lucius on the front porch. Tony was at the end of the porch, hugging Tae and whispering something that made Tae gasp. Tiger looked their way as Tony took off his dog tags and settled the chain around Tae’s neck. He gave a happy little squeal and threw his arms around Tony, hugging the stuffing out of him. Tony gave him a smoldering kiss on the lips, then smacked him on the ass and joined the rest of the team.
Moments later, Tiger casually wandered over to say his goodbye to Tae, who was holding the tags in his hands and grinning like a lovesick puppy. “What was that all about?” Tiger grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Tae.
Tae blushed and heaved a big sigh. “Tony said he will return as soon as he can. He said these are a symbol of his promise. He wants me to go with him to Aurora, but not until the strangers are no longer a threat.”
Tiger was shocked. “Can you do that? Would you leave Lucius and your people?”
“My tie is to my mate first. If we bond, I will go where he goes. We won’t share a mate-link and I won’t get my tattoo,” he looked a little sad, “but we will still go through a ceremony.”
“Well, just be sure you two are bonded first. When that time comes, I’ll stand up for you… and I’ll make sure he knows that he’s dead meat if he ever does anything to hurt you.” He turned around and saw Tony watching them and threw Tony a look that said, ‘Screw with my friend and Doragonsureiyā will cut your balls off’. Tony gulped and looked away.
*****
The trail to Oberon was drastically different than the trail to Dominion. While the trail to Dominion was well packed, mostly clear of debris and reasonably level, the trail to Oberon had fallen trees, washouts and constant elevation changes. Fortunately, the weather had warmed and there was very little snow on the ground. It was still agony for Remi.
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