by Anna Hackett
She heard his faint voice and the blare of alarms. Her hands clenched on her keyboard. She saw the pteros converging on the damaged Hawk, and the copter plummeting toward the ground.
Pull up. Pull up. “Finn.” The pteros flew between her drone and the Hawk. She couldn’t see exactly what was going on.
Suddenly, there was a huge explosion.
With horror, Lia watched the ball of smoke and flames rise up from the ground.
Then she saw the pteros wheeling away, and flying northward again.
She stared at the plume of smoke. She couldn’t see a Hawk anywhere.
Finn. No!
***
Someone had pushed Lia into a different chair and taken over her drone. She sat in the back of the Command Center, watching Elle leading Hell Squad into the crash site.
Finn couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t.
She still ached between her legs because of him. She had a hickey from his mouth on the side of her neck. He and his arrogant confidence couldn’t be gone.
Why had she tried to protect herself this morning, and walked out all cool and unruffled? She should’ve kissed him, something.
She rocked a little. Hell Squad was on the ground. She could see the image from the camera attached to Marcus’ combat helmet. All she could see was scorched earth and burning trees.
Tears pricked her eyes and she ruthlessly fought them back. Tears never helped.
“Following the burn trail, Elle,” Marcus said.
“Find him, Marcus.” Elle shot a worried look over her shoulder at Lia.
“Hey there, Lia.” Doc Emerson knelt in front of Lia with her medical kit. “How you doing?”
Lia blinked. What was the doctor doing here?
Emerson grabbed Lia’s wrist, checking her pulse.
“I’m fine,” Lia said. “I’m safe. I’m not the one who crashed. Finn needs help—”
“You’re in shock, Lia. Don’t worry. Hell Squad will find Finn and bring him home.”
Something in the doctor’s tone of voice hit Lia. “He’s alive. He is alive.”
But Emerson didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes looked resigned and sad.
Lia grabbed the doctor’s hand, her nails digging into Emerson’s skin. “I slept with him last night. Finn. I… He has to be okay.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Emerson wrapped her arms around Lia and pulled her in for a hug.
“Elle, shit, we found the quadcopter,” Marcus shouted through the comm line. “Lucky bastard managed to save his Hawk. Mostly. He got it in under the trees. Looks like he fired on the raptor missile and that caused the explosion. Fooled the raptors into thinking his Hawk had been destroyed.”
Lia jumped to her feet. On the camera, she saw the Hawk. It was battered, with one side of it dented and one rotor badly damaged, but it was mostly in one piece.
“Shit.” Cruz’s voice. “Where the hell is Finn? He’s not in the Hawk.”
Why wasn’t he inside the Hawk? The cockpit glass was shattered, and there was smoke rising from somewhere, but otherwise, it looked relatively intact.
Lia’s heart was in her throat. Had he been thrown from the aircraft?
“There!” Claudia Frost called out. Hell Squad started running. The video feed was jumping as Marcus ran, but Lia got a brief view of a long, lean body in a black flight suit, lying facedown on the ground. His flight suit was smoldering.
“Fuck. Get the first aid kit out,” Marcus yelled. “Turn him over.”
And then Marcus reached up and the screen went blank.
Lia stared. “What happened? Did we lose signal?”
“Elle.” Marcus’ voice was deep and solemn. “Have the doc and her team waiting in the hangar. Finn’s alive…but barely. He’s been burned badly.”
Bile rose in Lia’s throat. Burned badly?
“We’re bringing him home,” Marcus said.
The doc raced out to assemble her team, and Lia couldn’t sit still any longer. With determined strides, she walked to the Hawk hangar. She was standing there when Emerson and her team arrived, pushing a floating iono-stretcher.
“Lia, you should wait in your apartment,” Emerson said. “I’ll call you—”
“No.”
Emerson’s jaw tightened, and then the doctor nodded. Lia stood with the medical team, and they all waited. Tension filled the air, and Lia kept her gaze glued to the hangar doors, willing them to open.
Finally, the alarm sounded, and the doors retracted. As soon as she saw the Hawk coming in to land, Lia felt a tiny trickle of relief.
Then, the side of the Hawk was thrust open. Gabe Jackson jumped out, holding Finn.
The doctor and her team rushed forward. “Stretcher,” Emerson called.
Lia tried to get closer. She needed to see him.
Suddenly, Marcus’ bulky body stepped in front of her, blocking her. “No.”
“I want to see him,” she said.
“Let the doc help him.”
Lia shoved at Marcus. “Let me—”
The floating stretcher was pushed past, the doctor shouting orders.
Lia’s stomach turned over. As they rushed out, she caught a glimpse of Finn lying still on the stretcher.
But it hadn’t looked like the Finn she knew. This Finn had been burned, nothing left of his handsome face except for black, raw skin.
Chapter Six
Finn woke slowly and sucked in a deep breath. He waited for the searing pain that he remembered the last time. His heartbeat picked up, battering against his chest.
But there was no soul-sucking pain, just an itch on his skin. His skin just felt tight, like it was stretched too tightly across him. The pain was still there, lurking, but he realized with relief that it was dulled, and much more bearable. He tried to sit up.
“Take it easy. You’re okay. You’re in the infirmary.”
It was a soft female voice. He tilted his head, liking the sound of it. It made him feel not so alone. He blinked and then he froze.
He couldn’t see. There was only darkness.
“I can’t see.” He heard the panic in his voice. He reached up to touch his face.
Slim hands caught his, fingers smoothing over his skin. “You have regen patches over your eyes while you heal. The doctor says it’s only temporary.”
Her touch felt so good. Finn took a second absorbing it. “Is my family coming soon?” Damn, his mom would be mad at him. “I crashed right? Is everyone okay?”
There was a pause and her hands stilled. She set his hands back down on the blankets. “Finn, do you remember where you are?”
“Sure.” Then he frowned. The more he tried to concentrate, the more holes he found in his memory. He knew his name. He knew his family. He was in the Air Force…no, that wasn’t right. Suddenly, there was a yawning, black void in his mind. His hands flexed on the blanket. “I can’t remember.”
“Shh.” She stroked his arm. “It’s okay.”
“My name is Finn Erickson. I’m a pilot.” Saying those words made him feel better. They were something he could hold on to. But everything else seemed like Swiss cheese.
“Doc Emerson said this might happen. And she said it’s temporary. Your memories will return once you’ve rested.”
This time, Finn felt her touch on his chest, over his hammering heart. He felt her brush some monitoring patches stuck on his skin.
His breathing was fast, and he tried to slow it down. He reached up and grabbed her hand, focusing on that touch. She was his lifeline.
With his other hand, he touched his face. He felt some sort of bandages over his eyes, and on his cheeks he could only feel tight, smooth skin. He moved his fingers closer to his temple and found a rough patch. He probed it. It felt bumpy, and a little bit tender. He ran his hand into his hair, and found it short and baby fine.
He’d been a pilot too long not to understand. “I got burned.”
Her breath hitched. “Yes. You had to emergency land your Hawk under fire. The doc gave you a shot of nanomeds, so
don’t worry, they’ve repaired the worst of the damage.”
Finn felt a burning pressure in his chest. He felt like there was something he should remember, something important he was forgetting.
“Where is my family? My parents? My brothers and sister?”
“Finn.”
Her voice was so sad.
“Who are you?” He gripped her hand tighter.
“Here. Have some water.”
He sensed a cup close to his face. Angrily, he knocked it away. “Answer my damn question.”
“I’m Lia. I’m a pilot.”
He relaxed a little. “We work together?”
“Yes. Sort of.”
“What do you look like?”
“Ordinary. Medium height, red hair, green eyes.”
He reached out. “Can I touch your face?”
She leaned down and he ran his hand over her features. He felt smooth, smooth skin, a slender nose, and a delicate jaw.
“Lia, where is my family? Please, no lies.”
“I don’t know.” It was a pained whisper. “There was an invasion…”
An explosion of jumbled images blossomed in his head. Nothing quite made sense. “Invasion?” He sucked in a breath in a moment of sudden clarity. “The aliens.”
“Yes.”
“My family…they’re dead.”
She smoothed her hand over his chest again. “You don’t know that.”
“They’re dead.” He slammed his palms down against the bed. He felt sticky patches pulling off his skin. Somewhere close by, a machine beeped.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” It was another female voice—this one brisk. “Finn, what are you doing?”
“Emerson…his memory,” Lia said. “He can’t remember everything.”
“Well, he suffered a severe trauma. You just need some time.”
“Is time going to bring back my family?” he bit out.
“He initially didn’t remember the invasion, and he asked for his family,” Lia added quietly.
The doctor sighed. “I’m sorry, Finn. That must have been awful. You need to get some rest.” She gave him a pat on the arm. “You’re here at the Enclave, surrounded by friends. We’ve all lost a lot, but for now, focus on what you do have.”
He heard the doctor’s footsteps as she walked away.
What had happened to his parents? His siblings? So much was swirling around inside him. “Did you lose your family?”
He heard Lia shift in her seat. “My mother and sister.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Every day. My sister…she was my twin. I felt her die.”
Jesus. “I’m sorry.” He was silent for a second. “What do I have? Here at the Enclave, what do I have?” Right now, he felt like he had nothing. Like he was alone and lost in the dark.
“You’re the best Hawk pilot we have. You fly the military squads in to fight the aliens.”
He really liked the sound of Lia’s voice. “You fly Hawks with me?”
“Oh, no. I’m in charge of the drone team.”
“So you’re not really a pilot, then.”
She laughed. The sound made some of the pressure in his chest ease.
“Sounds like you’re coming back just fine,” she said. “I flew supersonic jets before the invasion, but I enjoy the challenge of flying the drones now.”
Finn touched his face again. “How do I look?”
She made a small humming sound. “Like you got burned. Like you had a run-in with alien ships, and somehow managed to save yourself and your Hawk. There is a team out there recovering it right now. They’re hoping the cameras are undamaged.”
“Cameras?”
“You went in to gather intel in an alien area, where our drone feed was being jammed.”
Finn tried to remember, but he came up against that brick wall of blankness again. And now, he was starting to feel tired, could feel everything inside him drooping.
Cool fingers brushed his forehead. “Rest. Get some sleep.”
Finn grabbed Lia’s hand. “You’ll stay?”
“I’ll stay.”
***
Lia watched Finn sleep. The new skin on his face was shiny and pink, and at the moment, his hair looked much darker than it had before. But he looked much, much better than when they’d first brought him in.
Her hands flexed on the blankets. Unable to stop herself, she reached up and cupped his cheek. Even in sleep, he moved into her touch.
Her heart was a tight ball in her chest. She didn’t want to feel anything for him, for anyone. She’d told him the truth. When her twin, Melinda, had died in the first wave of the invasion, Lia had felt it. They’d always been linked. Known each other’s thoughts, and how the other was feeling. Even when their lives had taken them in different directions, they’d had their special bond.
Until that terrible day it had snapped.
After losing Melinda and her mother, Lia had been a virtual zombie. She’d moved around on autopilot, ending up at Blue Mountain Base by chance, after a group of survivors had found her.
Finn stirred.
He shifted fitfully on the pillows. “Hurts.”
Lia reached over and rinsed out a cloth that Emerson had left. She pressed it to his forehead. He was tossing in the sheets.
“Smoke. Black.” He pressed his hands to the sides of his head. “Terrible puddles of blood.”
“Take it easy.” She stroked his chest and with her other hand, she pressed the call button for the doctor.
“Hurts.” He moved his head and despite the bandages over his eyes, she knew he was looking her way. “Who are you?”
“Lia,” she said patiently. It hurt that he couldn’t remember her.
“Where is my family?”
She released a breath. He was breaking her heart by not remembering what had happened. Having to relive the misery every time. “Not here, remember. The alien invasion—”
He went still, then he made an angry sound. “They’re dead. Everyone is dead.”
“Calm down—”
“I crashed.” His hand moved over his face. “Burned. I did, didn’t I? God, I must look like a monster.”
Lia smiled. “Hardly.” But the lines of pain bracketing his mouth worried her.
“Why are you here? Are you my girlfriend?”
“No.”
“What, then?” he demanded.
“Colleagues. Sort of friends, when we aren’t arguing.”
“Can I have a drink?”
She refreshed the cup and brought it closer to his lips.
“I can do it myself.” His hand shook as he tried to take the cup. “I can do it, dammit.” He made a frustrated growl.
Lia helped put the cup in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it. He tried to lift it and a second later, spilled it, water soaking into the sheet across his chest.
“Dammit!” He threw the cup to the floor.
“You’ll get better, Finn. You’re healing. Don’t push yourself—”
“Why the fuck are you here? Do you enjoy seeing me like this?”
Lia took a slow, calming breath. He was hurting and in pain, and she needed to be patient. “I just want to help. I’m worried about you.”
He tilted his head. “I don’t want to get close to anyone. Losing my family—” his voice cracked. “Fuck. I never want to feel like this again.”
“I feel the same way. I lost my family, too.”
“So why are you here? You like bagging combat pilots, or something?”
“That’s insulting. You know what, I don’t know why I’m here, either.”
“If you think coddling me is the way into my bed, you’re wrong. I don’t want you here. I don’t want anyone here.”
At that moment, Doc Emerson arrived. “Well, I see you’re cheery.”
“I think he’s in pain,” Lia said tightly.
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Finn snapped.
“This is part of the healing
process,” Emerson said. “And his meds are running low. I’ve got some good painkillers for you now, Finn.”
“Fine. Give them to me. But I don’t want Lia here. I don’t want anyone here.”
The doc cleared her throat. “Finn—”
“I don’t need anyone enjoying watching me laid out like an invalid.”
Lia stood. “Don’t worry, Doc. I’m leaving.”
She knew she should be more understanding of his pain. He just needed time. But too much of what was coming out of Finn’s mouth hurt her. She’d heard variations of those words at her mother and sister’s worse moments. It hurt somewhere deep inside, where she’d vowed to never let anyone touch again. She didn’t need that. Ever.
Yes, Finn was still recovering, wasn’t himself, but when people were in situations like this, all pretenses gone. Wasn’t that when real feelings were exposed? When people were stripped back to who they really were?
“You still here?” he bit out.
“No.” She walked away. She had a load of work she’d put on hold. It was time to get back to it.
Time to put a certain Hawk pilot out of her head. He was fine. He’d get better. He didn’t need her and she didn’t need him.
Chapter Seven
Finn stared up at the plain white ceiling. Where was he? He could hear the beep of machines and the quiet murmur of voices.
Infirmary. At the Enclave. He reached up and touched his face. No bandages, just smooth skin, and a hint of stubble.
He heard a small chirp, which didn’t sound like a machine, and a small, fluffy chick jumped onto his chest. What the hell?
“Fluffball? Where did you come from?” Finn stroked the little bird and it nuzzled into his hand.
“How’s my patient today?”
Finn looked up at Emerson. “Hey, Doc.”
“Selena brought you a visitor. He refused to leave you and has been sleeping snuggled up on your pillow.” The doctor scowled. “I tried to remove him and he pecked me.”
The gyr gave one chirp, turned in a circle, and then settled down. “Thanks for looking out for me, Fluffball.”
Emerson studied his face for a second, then turned to the monitor. “Your memories are back?”
He nodded. He was vaguely aware of waking a few times before, but it was all muddled and confused. Mixed in with it were images of the race away from the pteros, his emergency landing, and the explosion.
