by L. V. Lane
I hit the closure and we headed together toward the flight deck of the transport. Not that anyone was flying it, at least not from here, but there were seats at the nose that Riley had referred to as observer seats. “We’re ready, Riley,” I communicated as I took a seat beside Eric. “How is Base-44?”
“They’ve been busy,” Riley replied. She had returned to the city and was overseeing the operation with Eva. “There’s a lot of activity in the camp. I’m monitoring their comms, but can block them later, if useful. No mention of prisoners yet. I’ll send the live satellite feed through.”
The left-hand front window faded out and then transitioned into a satellite feed showing Base-44.
“This transport is amazing,” Eric said. He patted his stomach. “And I’m delighted to be fed. At least if I die, I’ll die happy!”
“Your needs in life are so simple,” I said with a smile.
The two transports lifted to the sky, and the central camp diminished from our view.
“It’s going to get a little hairy when we reach the site,” Eric said. “Pity these transports don’t come with weapons.”
“The city is peaceful in design,” I said. “There wasn’t a single weapon or weapon capability other than the guard bots, and their use was aimed at keeping the animals away. They didn’t take kindly to the drone. I’m not confident as to whether they would have shot us had we pressed forward without Riley. The genetic differences Rachel mentioned are detectable by the bots, likewise with our technology. Had the Federation colonists reached it first, I’ve no doubt they would have been granted entry.”
“A terrifying prospect,” Eric said.
Had that happened, we would have become the hunted, hiding in the forest, rather than the predators we are now.
“You think they will scatter or stand their ground?” Eric asked.
“Stand their ground and then scatter. They have an excellent location, and they won’t want to give it up. We need to keep them together for as long as possible. Allowing them to disperse will be problematic. The city is safe, but still, I don’t want the Federation establishing themselves on this planet in any capacity.”
The trip was short. We landed the transports to the south of Base-44, touching down on the shale shore of the lake. Eric was out of his seat ahead of me, ordering everyone to unload with an enthusiasm that made me smile.
Just Eric doing what he does best.
As I exited down the ramp, the teams were already forming up. Jax waited to the left of the ramp, looking like a billboard advertisement for elite military careers. Everything was neatly stowed on his person, and he held the rifle in his hands with textbook technique. His team mirrored his stance, every man and woman alert.
Of all the people who might have vied for Eva’s affection, Jax was the only person I couldn’t be pissed at.
To Jax’s left stood Marik, who carried an impressive, but random, arsenal that included: two rifles, three handguns, and a grenade launcher, along with several strings of ammunition slung around his neck. It was a wonder he could stand.
Just Marik doing what he did best.
“Maybe you take Marik and I’ll take Jax?” Eric said.
“Absolutely not. We both know Marik is the least stealthy individual on the planet—on any planet, if we are going to be pedantic about it. If he’s not blasting the hell out of something, he’s not happy, and likely to try blasting the hell out of something for the hell of it. I want myself and the prisoners out alive and in one piece.”
“Fine then,” Eric relented, eyeing Marik with a censorious glare that brought his manic rifle tapping to an abrupt stop.
Marik gave Eric an innocent questioning look that had even Jax biting back a laugh.
Satisfied that Marik was semi-seriously inclined, Eric turned back to me. “We’re ready.”
I switched my communicator to global. “You have your positions and orders. Keep alert and avoid confrontations until I’m in position.”
The team leaders’ confirmations filtered through.
“Right, I’m going in,” I said to Eric. “Keep me updated.”
“I still think this is a stupid idea. But I can’t think of anything better,” Eric muttered. “I hope they don’t suddenly decide to shoot you in the head.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “I’m counting on being too valuable. Let’s hope I’m not suffering delusions of grandeur.”
Around us, teams began mobilizing, and the guard bots shifted to join their allocated units. Two Marines approached me. One held a collar in his hands. “Sorry, sir,” he said as he reached to clip it into place. There was an urge to pull away from the evil device, even knowing it was one of my own people handling it. My recent memories were sharper than I expected.
Feeling for the edge, I found the plate and pressed my thumb to lock it in place. The two men who would escort me in had been administered with a drug to simulate the flu, a potent form of a toxin that would emulate the symptoms for a short time. Their bodies would counteract it, but it only had to last long enough for them to hand me over to real Federation people. “If it’s any consolation, I think I prefer having the collar fitted to having a virus. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” the right-most man said with a roll of his eyes. Red rimmed eyes, snotty noses, and an air of despondence; they definitely looked the part. “But I’ll take the flu, or pretend flu, any day. Touching the collar makes me feel sick.”
Yeah, it was about a hundred times worse having it wrapped around your neck. But I needed to find the prisoners, and to make sure they were safe before we took out the camp. Faking my capture seemed the best idea given we had no intel on the prisoners’ location. Much of Base-44 was hidden within the trees. If the captives had been collared, it could turn nasty in short order. If I couldn’t locate them, then we had no choice but to go in hard.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t come down to that.
“I need to test it,” the man on the left said with a grimace.
“I know.” I was halfway through taking a deep breath to prepare myself when he hit the button. The noise that escaped my lips sounded inhuman, and I staggered forward before the man snapped it off.
“Sorry,” he said. “I figured it was better to get it over with.” Pulling a binder from his pocket, he locked my wrists together at the front.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. “Let’s move.”
“I’ll get you out when you’re ready,” Jax communicated as I headed into the trees.
“I know you will,” I replied.
We walked toward the Federation camp, formerly known as Base-44, in silence. The area was dense with vegetation, and we followed a rough animal track. It was warm, and the collar felt cloying and heavy against my throat.
Regular updates came to me via my new internal communicator, which Riley had assured me was not Federation, so its presence would not be expected.
Everyone else had been reinstated with earbuds except for the two men taking me into the Federation camp since we couldn’t risk the tech being found with them. Most teams would be moving into positions to surround the camp. Eric would wait with Marik until I had the prisoners’ location.
Jax and his team would also be following the shoreline, but as soon as I gave the location, and Eric launched his attack, Jax would be tasked with getting the prisoners, and me, out safely. Once we were out of the way, the other teams surrounding the camp could converge on the base.
As plans went, it was reasonably simple. The best kind of plan in my opinion. Everyone had a part, and everyone understood their part.
“You’re coming into the contact zone,” Riley communicated. “Five hundred to the center. Expect to encounter patrols.”
I shared the information with the two men accompanying me. Although their faces remained stoic, the grip on their weapons tightened.
“Halt!” The call sounded from the trees to our right, and preceded a six-person team emerging into the path before us.
&n
bsp; “We have a prisoner to take to base,” one of my men said.
“What prisoner?” The Federation team leader stepped forward. “You’ve collared him? Who gave you permission to do that?”
“It’s the Commander. He was with a team. We had to act. They had collars with them, so we used one.”
The Federation team leader drew closer. He was a big man with both weight and height over me. His eyes gleamed as he studied me and his lips twisted in a sneer. “There were orders not to engage after the failed attempt.”
“We didn’t have a choice.”
“There were reports he was off on some secret mission… after he went on that killing spree.”
I knew the collar alone wasn’t going to interest this man. A point verified when he punched me in the gut and followed it by a swift uppercut.
I braced but it didn’t help much. My body might be able to package the pain in a corner of my mind, and my body might repair at an accelerated rate, but a punch was still a punch and damage still occurred. More blows rained down. Sharp, vicious, and full of rage. As I hit the floor, I curled up as best he could until the blows eventually stopped.
“We were told he had to be taken alive,” my team member pointed out. “I’m not taking responsibility for his condition.”
“Yeah? That was before he killed people.” The man spat on me for good measure.
I thought about telling him how much I’d enjoyed shooting each and every one of his people in the head. Instead, I rolled onto my knees and spat out the blood pooling in my mouth.
My tormentor chuckled.
I hoped the bastard died slowly when we got to that part.
“Up!” A boot to my ribs encouraged me to rise.
I stumbled to my feet, making a show of it.
“Your vitals are erratic,” Riley’s voice came through the communicator. “I’m assuming they’ve found you. I will notify Eric and the key team leaders.”
I kept my eyes lowered. The two men who had accompanied me were both experienced Marines, and although this wasn’t part of their plan, they knew better than to interfere.
“How did you find him?” the big bastard leader asked.
“We’re late and, given what we’ve discovered, we need to notify the base commander,” another man interrupted the team leader.
What had they discovered?
“You’re right,” the Federation team leader said. “I’ll take the control.”
I shuddered as that handover took place.
“It’s working, I assume?” the asshole team leader said. “Not had a chance to test one on a live subject yet.”
The sick bastard sounded way too excited about trying it out for my liking.
A second later, he switched it on and cranked it to the maximum. Reacting predictably was hard when I wanted to kill the bastard by the fastest means possible. Instead, I let loose an agonized cry, slumped to my knees, and reached toward the collar like I was trying to rip it off. Above me, the Federation man chuckled.
“Oh yeah, look at him squirm.” He continued to play with the setting, cranking it up and down as he watched me writhe.
“We need to keep him alive.” I couldn’t tell who that was, tears were streaming down my face. I was fighting the urge to vomit, empty my bowels, or both.
“Well, this won’t kill him,” my tormentor pointed out. “I can do this all day.” He finally turned it off. “Where did you say you found him?”
I rolled onto his hands and knees, breathing deep and even through the residual pain. I could already feel the heat in the points of damage as my body began to repair.
“South, we were patrolling. I already explained. We’re late to check in. Our orders are to take him to the other prisoners.”
“Who told you about the prisoners?”
I stilled, cursing the man for pushing the prisoner angle. If the mission was compromised, they had orders to leave me and get out.
“We need to report,” my man repeated.
“Well, you best run along then. I’ll see our former Commander gets where he’s supposed to.”
There was a pause. I didn’t dare look at either party.
As I was hauled to my feet, my men muttered their acceptance.
“Move!” A rough thrust between the shoulder blades propelled me forward. I stumbled before regaining my footing.
They escorted me on, into the camp center. My right eye was swollen shut, which didn’t help my subtle scoping for signs of prisoners. I had a few options at my disposal depending on how this played out. And there was a time limit on how long the remainder of the forces could remain undetected.
As they approached a rough wooden structure with guards on sentry, I realized his destination was not the prisoners. My notion was confirmed when I was shoved inside and found myself facing Calen, the appointed leader of Base-44.
She was an unfortunate looking woman whose angular face could never pass as attractive. With hindsight, I should have been suspicious, no Aterran could ever be that ugly. Her eyes settled on me with pure delight. I had a bad feeling they would not be taking me to the other prisoners any time soon.
Her attention snapped to the Federation team leader behind me. “Update.”
“Three teams of Aterrans. It’s possible they are reconnoitering again.”
I internally cursed whoever had compromised the operation.
“No, not with three teams. Where were they?”
“North-east boundary. Six in each team.”
“We’ve been compromised,” Riley communicated.
No shit! I wished I could communicate back so I could unleash.
Calen’s focus returned to me. “What do you know about this?”
“Absolutely nothing.” I gave my locked hands a jingle. “I’d like to think anyone trying to save me might have had the sense to do it before I was brought into the camp. . .”
Urgent shouts sounded from outside the shack. The collective faces swung in the direction of the rickety door. Calen motioned to a man near the entrance. “See what it is.”
“It isn’t going quite to plan!” Riley communicated.
Life, I reflected. Never, ever goes to plan.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Eric
AS I WATCHED Landon disappear into the trees with his fake escorts, I put aside concerns and redirected my focus on what needed to be done. We had been through tough operations before. Nammu had been a clusterfuck, and somehow, we’d survived that.
“Right, I’m up.” Jax signaled to his team. He headed off into the trees, leaving me with the twitchy Marik, three six-person teams, and two guard bots.
We followed at a slower pace, hugging the tree line close to the lake shore. The guard bots gave us an advantage, and if it wasn’t for the prisoners, the operation would’ve been a breeze. Unleash Marik and the bots and watch the decimation unfold.
Instead, I would be keeping a tight rein on Marik and hoping Landon wasn’t about to get himself killed. Unfortunately, Landon was the only one who could function while under the collar. It was training few people went through and fewer still completed. Landon could be stone cold in emotionally charged situations, perhaps that had been either the cause or effect of Landon completing that heinous training.
Variant. No one talked about it, but we all knew that was what he was. Rumors had followed him around long before colonization plans and they followed him here. It was one of the reasons Victor Loire was so keen to enlist him. Bending over backwards to accommodate him by all accounts. Victor was a collector, things and people. It was all fucked up to me. But I knew with certainty that Victor would be only too happy for Landon and Eva to push out a super baby.
Not that any of this fucking mattered. The next ship might not arrive.
If it did arrive, it might be bringing more than Victor with them.
I hadn’t even been to the city yet, but I already understood that everything had changed. I’d yet to determine if it was for the better.
Then there was me and my awkward as fuck relationships I had going on with Reeve and Riley. I’d been sleeping with Reeve on a semi-regular basis long before Riley and her ass entered the picture. I still couldn’t get my head around how I ever thought she was a man. But the fact was, I liked Riley. She was the toughest broken person I knew.
Then we came here and she got another ton of shit dropped on her again, and she just picked herself up.
But yeah, I liked Reeve as well, and I felt like an asshole for suffering this conflict. It wasn’t like I could have both of them.
Also, I was confident Riley thought I was a dick, and intellectually challenged compared to her.
Not that Reeve spent a great deal of time impressed with me either, now that I thought about it.
“I hate—waiting,” Marik muttered at my side.
“Yes, I had noticed.” I hated waiting too, I was just better at hiding it than Marik. Our progress was measured, and I stopped to check the positioning of the various teams on my viewer.
“So,” Marik said in that too conversational voice. “You, Riley, and Reeve. How’s that working out?”
“Don’t fucking go there,” I muttered. “For someone who has spent an unhealthy amount of time mooning over a hot geneticist way out of your league, my love triangle is none of your concern.”
“It’s not technically mooning if you’re in a committed relationship,” Marik said.
I nearly gave myself whiplash, my head swung around so fast.
“You’re fucking with me?” I said.
Marik’s grin was the size of a planet. “She said she’s never laughed as much since she met me. And is totally sold on both my amazing stamina and my prosthetic arm.”
From behind us came an unmistakable chuckle.
I admit, I cracked a smile even as I shook my head.
We were in the middle of the mother of all tense operations and Marik was just being Marik. I figured Rachel probably had never laughed as much. As for the other stuff, Marik didn’t lack confidence. In truth, they deserved to be happy. So what if they were polar opposites. So what if they probably never would have gotten together anywhere but this crazy colony.
