by R. D. Brady
“If it looks like the Draco could succeed, that they could take over even a corner of this planet, then the Council will have to determine if their experiment on Earth has been a failure, in which case it would be time to start anew … without us.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Malibu, California
The smell of the Pacific Ocean drifted in through the open glass doors. Tatiana smiled and stretched her fingers, touching the leather headboard, her toes nearly reaching the end of the king-sized mattress. She sat up and pressed a button on her side table, then picked up her robe from the floor and slipped it over her naked form and tucked her feet into her slippers.
Yesterday had been a disappointment, but she had had a wonderful night. And now she was filled with optimism.
She walked out to the balcony and watched as some early morning surfers got in a few runs. She didn’t turn as she heard the maids bringing in breakfast. When she heard them depart, she turned and took her seat at the small bistro set.
She never ate breakfast with anyone. This was her time to enjoy the world. She pulled the silver lid off of her tray. Her eyes scanned the eggs and toast before falling on the raw bacon. Tasting the eggs, she poured herself a cup of coffee.
She unfurled the newspaper, scanning the headlines before turning to the financial pages. She smiled, noting her stocks were up, and the stock she’d just shorted had dropped. It would be another successful day.
She ate her breakfast as she made her way through the newspaper. It was one of the only old-fashioned habits she liked. She adored technology, but there was something about sifting through a paper newspaper that just brought her joy. And as Marie Kondo recommended, she kept the things in her life that brought her joy.
Thirty minutes later, she was finished with both her breakfast and the newspaper. She tapped on her cell phone. Come.
The door to her bedroom opened. Dietrich’s strong, heavy steps made their way toward her. He stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face as he blinked against the bright sunlight and then pulled out his sunglasses.
Tatiana waved him toward the other chair. “What have you found?”
“A link. We should be able to use him to find the location.”
“How certain are you?”
“Very. I have people on the ground already making contact.”
Tatiana narrowed her eyes. “Who?”
“Sebastian and Samantha.”
Tatiana nodded approvingly. They were good choices. Both were strong, attractive, smart, but also likable. And both were complete and utter sluts. Depending upon which way the target fell, that could also come in very handy. “Excellent. When will they be making contact?”
“Within the hour.”
“And how long after that until we are ready to go?”
“Ovid is already on site. He will be ready to go as soon as we have a location.”
Finally, after all these years, they would have the base’s location. R.I.S.E. had been a thorn in her people’s side for generations. But now they could take care of that problem once and for all. And then there would be nothing and no one standing in their way. R.I.S.E.’s secrecy would be its own downfall. The world would not even know that they had disappeared. And the world would be less safe because of it.
Tatiana smiled, her gaze straying once again to the surfers who were now carrying their boards onto the beach. The boys would be more than twenty years old. They had that lean swimmer’s body that Tatiana strongly approved of. One had short-cropped blond hair and the other slightly longer brown hair. She nodded toward them. “Find out who the boys are and if they’re available.”
Dietrich nodded. “Of course, my queen.” He nodded back toward the bedroom. “Would you like me to have the maids take care of that as well?”
The two men who had occupied Tatiana’s evening lay on the bed. One was face down, blood dripping down his arm and onto the floor. The other lay on his back, his arms spread wide, his chest ripped open. His eyes stared at the ceiling, his mouth gaping open.
So focused on a beautiful morning and the news about R.I.S.E., she had completely forgotten about them. She waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. Make them go away.”
Dietrich bowed and took his leave. Tatiana once again dismissed the bodies from her mind as she began organizing all that she needed to do if Dietrich’s information panned out. The end of R.I.S.E. And the acquisition of the hybrid.
She smiled. This really was going to be a wonderful day.
Chapter Forty-Three
Hy-Brasil
The wind blew a little stronger today than yesterday. Maeve pulled her jacket tighter around her. Sandra and Luke appeared on the hill, heading toward the group. Sandra paused when she caught sight of them. Her gaze strayed over the group, focusing slightly longer on Alvie and the triplets. Then she squared her shoulders and headed to meet them.
The two of them had arrived just over twenty-four hours ago. Maeve gave Sandra credit for taking everything as well as she had. Alvie and the triplets scared her. Maeve could see that in her response, but she covered it pretty well.
Luke, however, was fascinated by them. A huge smile on his face, he broke into a run as soon as he caught sight of them. “Hi, guys!”
The triplets let out a squeal and ran for him, dancing around him as they led him back to where they had been playing. Maeve smiled at their easy taking to one another. If only people could always be so accepting.
Another wind blew, this time a little stronger. With a jolt, she realized it was the end of October. It wouldn’t be too long before much cooler weather was upon them. She pictured Hy-Brasil covered in snow. Was this where they would spend Christmas? Would they even celebrate this year?
The triplets had never celebrated a Christmas. She wanted them to have that. She wanted them to have a normal childhood, because in their hearts, they were still just children, no matter what they looked like on the outside.
She darted a glance at Alvie and the triplets, but the four of them looked completely unbothered by the drop in temperature. She’d have to talk to Tilda about getting them some real winter gear. Just the idea of it made her heart heavy. Was this going to be their life from this point on?
She’d grown up at Wright-Patterson, but her mom had always given her a sense of home, a sense of family, unusual as it had been. There’d been soccer games, picnics, movies. How was she going to create that same sense of normalcy here? It was as if they were on a deserted island with only about a dozen people.
Iggy swung in from a tree above, rolling once he hit the ground and then bouncing to his feet. Snap hurried over to him. Iggy chattered at him happily.
Luke sat on the ground, playing some sort of game involving a small ball and rocks with Pop. Grace circled the area, happily flitting from group to group before curling up next to Alvie. Alvie reached out a hand to gently pet Grace, who gave a lazy tail wag in response. Alvie and Crackle were lying down on the ground, investigating a small bug making its way across the grass.
“It’s amazing how normal they all are,” Sandra said as she joined Maeve.
“That’s funny. Because I was just wondering how I was going to give them a normal life if this is all they would experience for a while.”
Sandra shook her head. “There’s no such thing as normal. Each kid’s life is a little bit different. I mean, Luke was never going to have a ‘normal’ childhood, even before all this. Penny was never going to have a ‘normal’ childhood. I definitely didn’t have a normal childhood. I think normal is overrated.”
“I’ve got to agree with you there,” Norah said as she joined them. “I loved my childhood. It was my parents, me, and my five brothers. My parents were both in the service, and we moved from military base to military base all throughout my life, sometimes twice in the same year. I was always starting a new school, meeting new people. Some people would have hated it. I loved it. But I know it wasn’t normal.”
Maeve didn’t say anything, just t
urned and studied the group of young people in front of her, removing her own biases. None of them looked unhappy. None of them looked as if they were missing out. Maybe normal was overrated. As long as they were happy, what did it matter? And really, with the reports she’d heard on the stress placed on kids growing up these days, maybe her gang was better off not being part of that “normal” world.
“Maybe you’re right. But I still hate the idea of them spending their first Christmas here.”
“Are you kidding?” Norah asked. “R.I.S.E. has a ridiculous budget. They are all going to have the best Christmas ever. There’s going to be decorations, presents, food. Oh my God, the food. I’m going to demand that we have turkey, gravy, stuffing, all the fixings and desserts, lots and lots of desserts.”
Maeve smiled, watching Norah’s excited face. Maybe Christmas here wouldn’t exactly be the worst thing ever. Norah’s face went from exuberant smiling to a frown of concern. Maeve followed her gaze to where Iggy stood. He’d been crouched down with Snap just a second ago. But now he stood straight, his head turned toward the water. A small growl erupted from deep in his throat. The hairs on the back of Maeve’s neck stood straight up.
Sandra gasped, stumbling back.
But Norah ran toward Iggy, yelling over her shoulder. “Get everyone back inside!”
Maeve was already striding forward. “Alvie, we need to go now.”
Iggy lunged, his growls growing louder. Alvie hustled Snap and Crackle toward Maeve. Pop sprinted for her, leaping into her arms. Luke followed them quickly, and Sandra grabbed his arm.
With a vicious snarl, Iggy took off like a shot, sprinting toward the beach. Norah was right on his heels. But Maeve and Sandra grabbed the kids and ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction.
Chapter Forty-Four
There were four wooden picnic benches that lined the beach, about twenty feet from where the water came in at high tide. A cool wind blew in from the ocean, but with the fleece on, Greg didn’t mind it. In fact, he liked it. There was something that screamed “freedom!” when you sat outside in the air.
And right now, he needed something that suggested he was free, because the island was beginning to feel more like a prison than paradise. The allure of Hy-Brasil had worn off. And more disappointing, he hadn’t seen a single giant rabbit. This whole mythological island thing was a complete bust.
Plus, Maeve and his conversation with Tilda wasn’t going down very well. A reptilian alien race targeting them. And the only solution was never to join the world ever again. They might not have a life, but they’d be safe.
He just wasn’t sure if the trade-off was worth it.
The junkyard had been terrifying, but he’d felt alive, even as he’d worried about dying. But here, here he was just twiddling his thumbs, without a purpose. This morning, he’d had Pearl get him in touch with Tilda, and he’d practically begged her to give him a job, any job. She said she’d think about it, but she hadn’t come up with anything. So he made his own.
He turned his head from his search of the landscape, which he’d been doing in hopes of catching a glimpse of a giant cottontail disappearing into the trees, back to his laptop. A report of the latest results from Iggy’s testing was open on the screen in front of him. He’d gotten Tilda to at least run a few tests on Iggy’s blood. Iggy was such an incredible specimen, besides the obvious intrigue of him looking a lot like Yoda. Had George Lucas heard about the Maldek? Were they the inspiration for Luke’s mentor?
Greg shook his head, focusing back on the report. As far as he and Maeve could tell, Iggy’s claws were made of an unknown substance, much stronger than bone. His claws could cut through steel. And although compact, he was incredibly strong.
But that’s not what interested Greg. What he was really interested in was his connection with Norah. After his conversation with Tilda, Pearl had taken him to a separate building a few dozen yards back from the others. And low and behold, there’d been an MRI machine. It was like coming over a sand dune in the desert and seeing an oasis.
With Norah’s permission, he’d been able to run Iggy through it. It had been amazing. Iggy’s entire brain had been mapped out. Whenever he heard Norah’s voice, an entire region lit up. The sound of Greg’s voice lit up the same region but at a much-reduced power. It was fascinating.
He had to admit, he was little jealous. He wouldn’t mind having a little alien buddy who was always by his side. Maeve had four, for God’s sake. Was it so much to ask for maybe just one?
He closed the laptop as his stomach growled for the second time. He really needed to get something to eat. He’d been sitting at the beach for a while, hoping that maybe one of the ships would come in. He thought he’d overheard Tara say she would be coming by today. But that could be hours from now.
He tucked the laptop underneath his arm, a chill inching down his back. Man, it was really starting to get cold. He’d have to see if he could get a jacket and maybe some gloves if he was going to continue working outside.
He headed up the path toward the cafeteria. The kitchen was fully stocked, and although for dinner there was a staff that came in and cooked, for breakfast and lunch, everyone fended for themselves. Greg actually preferred that. Made him feel like he was more at home rather than a visitor. And he had a sad feeling this was going to be his home for a while.
The sound of a boat caused him to pause. He turned, hope growing and then dashing as he saw Tara’s brother, Ethan, jump onto the dock and tie the boat off. It never ceased to amaze Greg that they had this entire hidden base, and yet the primary way on and off it were old fishing boats.
A man in green camo hopped off the boat after Ethan had it tied off. Greg frowned, not recognizing him. It was unusual for them to have a new visitor. There were maybe five staff members from R.I.S.E. that he’d met, but everything was generally handled by Tilda, Pearl, Jasper, and Mike.
So who are you?
He waited on the path, figuring he could be one of the first to meet the new guy. Ethan caught his gaze and looked away quickly. The man’s usual ego seemed to be missing. That was strange. Or maybe whoever this new guy was, he was high up on the food chain, and Ethan was on his best behavior.
Ethan hurried up the path, the man walking behind him, scanning the area from side to side. The closer they got, the more something seemed off. Greg didn’t know why, but there was something about the guy with Ethan that just, well, scared him.
Greg took a step off the path and then a few more. He turned and headed into the trees, knowing he probably looked like an idiot. But fear had taken hold of him, and he simply did not want to cross paths with this new guy.
And his life experiences over the last few months had told him to listen to that little voice that warned him to run.
Greg cut through the trees, heading for the administration building. He moved at a fast clip, wanting to get there before Ethan and his new friend. Something was wrong. And he wanted to be with everyone else when they found out what it was.
Greg burst through the tree line at the top of the hill, his breath coming out in pants. Chris and Adam looked up from where they were looking at the engine of one of the solar-powered jeeps. Greg hurried over to them, trying to get his breathing under control.
Chris narrowed his eyes. “Everything all right, Greg?”
Greg shot a glance back at the beach and then at Adam. “Is somebody new coming to the island?”
Adam shook his head.
“Yeah, hmm, well, Ethan’s walking up the path with somebody new, and I don’t know, something just felt—”
A snarl erupted from the path. Seconds later, Iggy bolted past. Norah was right behind him. “Something’s wrong!” she shouted.
Chris and Adam didn’t waste any time. They took off after Norah and Iggy. Greg waited for just a moment and then placed his laptop on the hood of the Jeep and sprinted after them as well.
One for all and all for one.
Chapter Forty-Five
> Norah didn’t know what was wrong with Iggy. But he’d caught the scent of something, something that had him on full alert. Norah tore down the path after him, glad to hear the sound of Chris and Adam giving chase behind her.
Iggy burst from the ground, grabbed a tree branch, and swung himself ahead twenty feet just as two shapes appeared over the rise in the path. Ethan let out a yell as he ducked out of the way. But the man with Ethan dove for the ground, rolling to his feet impossibly fast. Iggy landed, turning around with a snarl at the man.
Ethan crab-crawled backward, his eyes wide as he watched Iggy and the man. The man, dressed in the green uniform of the R.I.S.E. soldiers, stood with his arms out wide, his shoulders hunched. He hissed at Iggy.
The hair on the back of Norah’s neck rose.
Iggy launched himself at the man, his claw aimed right for the man’s face, before he switched direction midair and dove in between the man’s legs. His left claw sliced along the inside of the man’s thigh.
The man wheeled around, catching Iggy in the side of the head with a brutal kick.
“Iggy!” Norah dashed forward, but Adam sprinted ahead of her, tackling the man at the waist.
Norah rushed to Iggy’s side, curling him into her chest as she pulled him away from Adam and the man. Iggy’s eyelids fluttered.
Chris appeared at her side. Flicking a glance at Iggy, Chris kept his attention on the two combatants only a dozen feet away.
Neither of them said anything. There was nothing to say. Watching Adam and the new man fight was like something out of a sci-fi movie. The hits that each of them took were insane. And the speed with which they moved …
The man slipped a knife from a sheath hidden in his pocket. He slashed out at Adam, who bent backward at the waist, avoiding the attack before grabbing the man’s arm and twisting it. He pressed the back of his forearm against the flat of the knife, and it went flying off into the trees. He twisted the man’s wrist, and the man tumbled to the ground before rolling to his feet.
