When we arrived, the Navy Mess was already filled with people. The chatter of voices, cutlery clinking, the scent of food, all helped make this feel like a perfectly normal thing to do—as though the city hadn’t been destroyed outside of these walls, and that we hadn’t been speaking with an alien civilization only minutes earlier. A couple of tables were still free, and we grabbed one of them.
I sat with Aleandro beside me and Mike on the other side, and Casey opposite. Staff were still working, though they looked busy and harried, and were clearly fewer in number than they were used to. I wanted to get up and offer to help, but I’d probably only get in the way.
“So that was full-on,” Mike said, and we all knew he was referring to the conversation between President Wesley and Emperor Elrin.
Aleandro nodded. “Yeah. Looks like we’re going to have Athions walking among us in the next few days.”
Our planet suddenly seemed far more multi-cultural, even if we were unable to pick out one of the alien species from our own. A thrill of excitement went through me. What would the Athions be like? The emperor said they were part of an elite force—the Custos. Would they be tough and dangerous? Would I come face to face with any of them?
“Do you think the president will take him up on his offer to send women to Athion?” I asked.
Mike shrugged. “I think it’s far too early to say yet. “
“What would you make of that happening?” I addressed all of them, curious about their reactions. “I mean, how would you feel if Athions were effectively taking your women?”
Aleandro laughed at my turn of phrase. “Taking our women? You make us sound like a bunch of cavemen. You’re not our women. You’re free to do as you please. If it’s not safe for you here, then who are we to stop any woman from going, if that’s what they wanted to do.”
I looked to Casey and Mike. “Do you both feel the same way?”
Mike shrugged. “I don’t know. It would be strange, people not living on this planet anymore, but I wouldn’t say no. Besides, it wouldn’t be for everyone, would it? Sure, some women might choose to leave, but plenty would want to stay. This is their home, and even if it’s now a dangerous place to live, they’re not just going to abandon it. They might have family and friends here.”
He had a point.
“Besides,” Casey added, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. “Space travel isn’t for everyone. It can still be dangerous, and not everyone wants to be shot into space in a tin can.”
I thought of my sister and how she’d never really shown any interest in other planets or alien alternate races. I’d never understood it, when the subject fascinated me and took up almost every thought I had and moments of my day, but she’d just shrugged it off. If Molly had the chance to go to Athion, would I push her toward it? The possibility caused conflicting emotions inside me. While I wanted her to live a life free from fear, I’d also miss her terribly.
What about myself? Was it something I could see myself doing?
I glanced to the men sitting at my table. None of them had said they hated the idea, but why did that squeeze at my heart? Had I wanted them to all jump up and down and be horrified at the idea of me living on a different planet? Did I want them to say they couldn’t live without me and never wanted me to go?
If I was ever to leave to go to Athion, it would mean leaving the guys behind. Would I be able to bring myself to do that? My chest tightened with pain at the thought. These men meant something to me, I couldn’t deny that, but what did I mean to them? I remembered when I’d been lying in Casey’s arms, how I’d wondered if this was something more than just sex or if we were simply taking comfort in each other in a time of crisis. Would I give up the possibility of a future on another planet for these men? And what if they weren’t thinking of me in that way? Would I be giving up a new future and my own safety in return for men who weren’t in this for the long haul?
I was probably thinking way too far ahead. The military teams from Athion hadn’t even arrived yet. If we were able to figure out a way to weed the Trads out of our population, we wouldn’t need to send any of our women to Athion. Of course, that was unless they wanted to go. Even if there was no danger on Earth, how many women would offer themselves up for a new life on a different planet?
If the Athions were struggling to find women, it would mean that any human female would have their pick of Athion males. They might even be able to take more than one, and would be able to live that way accepted and free from guilt. I couldn’t pretend the idea of living on planet Athion didn’t excite me. I was a planetary scientist after all. There would have been something wrong with me if I didn’t find the idea thrilling. What were the men on Athion like? I already knew their skin was blue and they appeared humanoid. But what did they look like otherwise? Were there other differences we weren’t yet aware of? My pulse quickened at the possibility of finding these things out. And I assumed I’d find out sooner rather than later with the arrival of military teams on Earth. What had the Emperor called them? Custos?
It made me think of my own situation with the guys. We definitely felt like a team, and I didn’t want to change that. Would we be allowed to live as a foursome without judgment, or would our society forever push the one woman, one man thing?
Once again, I was getting ahead of myself. Things between me and Mike and Casey and Aleandro hadn’t been defined in any way, and we certainly hadn’t sat down and had a conversation about it. Right now we had more important things going on.
We weren’t given a choice in meals, and instead were served chicken in a white wine sauce with rice. The food was delicious—juicy, tender chicken, and fluffy rice that was all perfectly seasoned. Of course, this was the White House, and they only had the best chefs—not that I was expecting us to be eating the same food as the president.
“It’s getting late,” Mike said, stretching his arms up in the way he did that revealed a flash of his abs beneath his t-shirt. “If we’re not needed, I’m going to get my head down for a couple of hours.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Casey nodded.
Would he be expecting a repeat performance from earlier?
“I’m going to see if I can make a call to the Observatory and talk to Molly,” I said. “I need to check that she’s okay.”
Aleandro frowned at me. “You want me to come with you?”
I flapped him away. “Nah, I’ll be fine. This place is probably the most secure in the world right now.”
“Are you sure? I don’t like the idea of you wandering around by yourself.”
“Aleandro, while I appreciate the support, there are probably twenty government agents crawling over this place. I’ll be fine.” I knew he was worrying about the Trads, but he didn’t need to. I didn’t plan on jumping into a cupboard and having sex with a complete stranger. Internally, I pulled a face at myself at the thought. I’d practically done exactly that only forty-eight hours earlier. I told myself it was because of some kind of hormonal lure the Trads must have to tempt us in, but it wasn’t as though I hadn’t been all over the guys I worked with, too.
Men would get props for getting that kind of action, but I knew women would be called a whole different name. Maybe that would change with the lack of women when men realized that if they didn’t learn to share, then chances were they weren’t going to get any at all. Or perhaps it would go the opposite way and men would become more possessive than ever. Not that my guys had shown any signs of possessiveness—at least not among each other. I had to wonder, had the Athions learned to share due to their lack of women?
I stood from the table, feeling bad about just leaving the dishes there, but aware that the staff here were still working. Even the end of the world didn’t mean the White House staff got a day off. I guessed many of them lived here as well as worked, and since this was most likely the safest place to be right now, it made sense for them to continue to do their jobs.
“I’m going to see if I can make that call,” I tol
d the others. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Be careful,” Aleandro warned me.
“I will.”
Chapter Eight
I wasn’t one hundred percent sure where I needed to go to place a call to the outside world, but I figured I could find someone who would know.
Unsure where I was going exactly, I made my way back up to the main entrance hall, hoping I’d find someone I could ask.
My luck was in. I spotted Agent Tammy Olsen talking with another male agent who I hadn’t yet been introduced to. Their conversation sounded serious, both talking in low voices. I stood awkwardly, not wanting to interrupt what might be an important conversation, but then the man she was speaking to noticed me hovering and ducked his chin in my direction.
Olsen glanced over her shoulder and must have recognized me. She gave me a smile. “Ms. Harran. Can I help you with something?”
“It’s Camille, please, and yes, I hope you can. I’d like to make a call to my sister back in Las Vegas. Do you think that would be possible?”
She frowned at me, her lips pursing. For a moment, my heart sank, and I thought she was going to say no, but then she said, “As long as you’re on a secure line, that should be fine.”
That would mean not calling Molly’s cell phone but contacting the Observatory directly instead. My stomach churned with nerves at the thought. I was terrified they’d tell me something bad had happened, and I’d be unable to do anything about it from so far away.
“We’ll continue this later,” she said to the man, and he nodded.
Olsen jerked her head. “Follow me.”
Feeling strangely like a child, I scurried along behind her as she strode through the wide corridors. I didn’t know if it was simply because she was another woman of a similar age to me, but I’d warmed to her far more than I’d done to Agent Faw. Then again, she hadn’t killed a man in front of me, though that wasn’t saying she wouldn’t do exactly the same thing if she was in that situation. For all I knew, she’d killed plenty of people. But I figured that with her being a woman of a fertile age, she must be going through some of the emotions I was right now. After all, it wasn’t the men who were being directly threatened. That wasn’t to say the Trads wouldn’t hurt the men to get to the women, but it wasn’t the same thing.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I tried to keep up.
“Oh sure. Just some of the men are asking questions about the arrival of the Athions. I’m not sure if they feel like their toes are going to get trodden upon, but I told them they just need to suck it up. We need all the help we can get right now.”
“I thought the men might feel that way. First the Trads come to steal women, and then the Athions offer to take us away someplace safe.”
“We’re not the possessions of men,” she said curtly. “Those of us who are still single can do whatever the hell we please.”
“Are you still single, Agent Olsen?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Would you consider going to another planet to start over?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Nah, I love our planet and country too much. It would feel like a betrayal for me to leave. But that doesn’t mean I’d stop someone else from going if they thought that was the best thing for their future.”
I nodded, agreeing with what she said, and wondered if I should feel as though I was betraying my country for considering the possibility. But I didn’t feel as though I was betraying my country, only the men I’d just left behind in the Navy Mess.
“Here we are.” Olsen drew to a halt at one of the many doors along the corridor.
She opened the door to reveal a room with what appeared to be a huge switchboard making up one of the walls. Two people sat in chairs opposite the switchboard, both with headsets on, and barely turning their heads as we entered, engrossed in their jobs. Lights flashed on, and switches were flicked. I had no idea what they were doing, but it looked complicated.
“Can you get a secure line for Camille Harran,” Olsen said, not addressing either of the two people there directly. “She needs to call her Observatory.”
The man glanced up quickly. “Sure.” And then he went back to his work.
I slid in, and Agent Olsen gave me a quick smile. “I’ll leave you in their hands.”
“Thanks.”
I stood awkwardly, thinking that the two employees were just going to ignore me, but then the woman turned. “Is that Observatory L-V-nine-oh-three,” she said, naming my Observatory.
I nodded. “That’s right. My sister’s name is Molly Harran.”
“You’re gonna have to be patient. The communications are a bit hit and miss at the moment, what with everything going on out there. Lines keep getting jammed up.”
I thought it was kind of funny how we’d just spoken to someone on another planet, yet we were struggling to get through to someone on the other side of the country.
“That’s okay, I’ll be patient.”
I would be, too. I desperately wanted to check that Molly was safe, and I’d wait here all night if I had to. We were three hours ahead of Las Vegas, so Molly should still be awake. I hoped she’d heeded my warnings about staying away from men. I hadn’t been taking my own advice, but I knew the guys far better than she knew anyone at the Observatory.
“Do you want to sit down?” the woman asked me. “You can use the phone over there?”
“Sure, thanks.”
It wasn’t a phone in a traditional sense, but a headpiece like the others were wearing. I took a seat and slipped it on.
“I’ll connect you as soon as I can,” she said.
I sat, waiting, anxiously picking at a piece of dried skin around my thumbnail and waiting for any change in the earpiece. A solid tone hummed in my ear, and I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to speak with my sister. I’d struggle to sleep again if I wasn’t able to make sure she was all right.
There was a sudden click in my ear.
“I have Camille Harran for Molly Harran,” the other woman said.
“One moment, please.”
It was a male voice I didn’t recognize. I pictured the Observatory in my head, and my chest tightened with longing. Maybe it was stupid to be homesick for my place of work rather than my actual home—which I’d given zero thought to since running with Molly that night—but I was.
The moment seemed to drag, and my anxiety increased, once more worried something had happened to her, but then her voice sounded in my ear. “Camille?”
“Molly! Oh, thank God.”
“Is everything all right?”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yes, as fine as it can be. We made it to D.C. safely.”
“And you met the president?”
“I certainly did.”
“What’s she like?”
I laughed, trying to put it into words. “Calm, professional, beautiful—everything you’d think her to be from what we’ve seen on television and the internet.”
“That’s amazing. Are you any further along in finding out what’s been happening and how we can stop it?”
I desperately wanted to tell her about the conversation I’d witnessed between Emperor Elrin and the president, but I knew that kind of information would be classified. “We’re working on it,” I said instead. “Now, tell me what’s been going on where you are.”
“It’s been pretty exciting here as well. After you left, people arrived to take the men suspected to be Trads away.”
“They did? Who?”
I could hear the shrug in her voice. “More military, it looked like. They had big, armored trucks. I have no idea what they were planning on doing with them, but things feel a bit safer now that they’re gone.”
“Don’t let your guard down,” I warned her. “Especially with young men.”
“I know, I know. It’s hard with so many army boys around, though.” She was teasing, but I wasn’t in the mood.
“This isn’t a joking matter, Molly. Yo
u know what happened to Tara.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. But it’s easier for you—you have three gorgeous men with you. I’m here all alone.”
“Sergeant Byrd is watching out for you.”
“That’s not the same, and you know it.”
I did know it. I was lucky to have the guys, and I couldn’t imagine going through all of this without them by my side.
“What about Tara? Is there any news on where she might be? Are we going to be able to get her back?”
“No, I’m sorry, Molly. I wish I had better news. It’s not all hopeless, though, I promise. There are plans being put in place, and even though I can’t give you any details right now, just know that there’s still plenty of reason for us to keep fighting.”
“Do you know when you’re coming back?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I think there’s still too much to be done here for us to leave just yet.”
“Okay. I miss you. I hope I get to see you again soon.”
“Me, too.”
My sister sighed down the line. “Love you, Camille. Be careful, okay?”
“I love you, too, Mols. And right back atcha.”
I sensed both our hesitation, knowing it was the right time to end the call, but neither of us wanting to. Swirling like an eddy of darkness was the awful thought that if I said goodbye, it might be for the last time.
I received a glance from one of the people working there, and knew I’d need to say goodbye eventually. I’d been hugely aware of the other people in the room throughout the duration of our conversation, and had carefully chosen my words so as not to get anyone—including myself—in trouble.
“Call again soon,” Molly said finally.
“As soon as I can.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
And I hung up, suddenly exhausted and close to tears. What would happen to Molly if something happened to me? She was an adult, but that didn’t stop me thinking of her as my little sister. She’d always be about eight years old in my head, and right now I felt the thousands of miles between us like never before.
Her Resistance: Planet Athion Series (Darkest Skies Book 2) Page 7
