by R. D. Brady
Jasper walked over and handed him a towel. “Thought you might want to clean yourself up a little bit.”
Chris wiped his hands and then his face. “I need to get back out there. I need to find Maeve and Alvie. I haven’t seen them since we got split up.”
Jasper glanced over at where Pop and Crackle were before nodding to a chair behind Chris. “Maybe you should take a seat.”
Cold took root in Chris’s chest. “Tell me.”
Jasper glanced at the chair for another second, looking like he was going to insist before he focused back on Chris. “You won’t find them. They’re not on the island anymore. We had reports that the Draco took some of our people. Maeve and Alvie were two of the ones that were sighted being carried away.”
Chris felt lightheaded. “Who else? Who else did they take?”
“If that’s Pop and Crackle, then they also have Snap as well as Iggy, Greg, and Luke.”
Chris’s gaze flew to Sandra, who was holding pressure on a woman’s wound at the end of the ward while Norah administered a shot to the soldier’s arm. “Oh my God.” He took a breath, shoving the fear and terror down. “Do you know where they’ve gone? Do you have eyes on them?”
“We had satellites tracking them. But then we lost them. They were heading across the Atlantic. That’s all we know.”
“That’s all you know? I thought this was supposed to be the most technologically advanced base in the world? How the hell can that be all you know?”
“We are the most technologically advanced base. But the Draco caught us with our pants down. They knocked out our communications. They left people behind who took out the satellite link. They sacrificed themselves to destroy it. As far as we know, your people are all still alive. They took them for a reason. The same can’t be said for all of our people.”
Chris winced as he took in the carnage around him. Jasper was right. This wasn’t his fault, but Chris was so damn angry right now he wanted someone to yell at.
And that’s when the perfect target arrived. Agaren stepped into the room.
Chapter Seventy
A loud droning noise sounded in Maeve’s ear. The ground beneath her vibrated as well. Visions of the attack on the base swam through her mind. Her eyes flew open, pain lancing through her head with the action.
A metal ceiling was above her head. Small windows lined the room she was in.
Her thoughts were muddy, and it took her a moment to recognize where she was. A plane. I’m on a plane. For a moment, her hopes rose. Adam had gotten them out.
But then her gaze fell on the others in the cargo hold with her. Alvie and Snap were sprawled out next to Greg, Iggy, and Luke. They had not been placed in seats. Their comfort had not been seen to. They were left on the ground in a heap.
She tried not to give away any movement to let anyone know she was awake as she scanned the rest of the plane. Six reptilian Draco were seated along the walls of the fuselage. Another three human-looking Draco sat toward the front as well.
Snap let out a small whimper. Maeve’s eyes flew to her as Snap moved. One of the human-looking Draco’s head snapped up as well. He unbuckled himself and strode toward her, the wand with the metal prongs in his hand.
“No.” Maeve scampered over to Snap, covering her. “No, leave her alone.”
The Draco smiled, a smile filled with malice as he raised the wand. The prongs jabbed into Maeve’s side. Pain once again lanced through her, and her blood once again boiled. Her body gave up control, the synapses feeling like they were firing all at the same time before the darkness took her again.
Chapter Seventy-One
The medical suite was full of people, but Chris didn’t see any of them. He moved in a straight line, heading right for Agaren. Agaren stood waiting for him as if he knew why he was the target of Chris’s rage.
Chris stopped right in front of him. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I was speaking with the Council. I returned as soon as I heard about the attack.”
“And what exactly has this Council been doing while people here have been dying? You guys let the Draco stay on this planet, and now people are paying the price for that decision. Maeve, Alvie, Snap, Greg, Luke, and Iggy are all paying the price right now.”
Agaren tilted his head. “They are dead?”
Chris nearly spit out the word. “No. The Draco took them.”
Agaren met his gaze for a long moment, and Chris had the feeling that he was rifling through his memories to see what Chris had seen during the attack. Agaren’s gaze snapped to where Crackle and Pop lay at the end of the ward. “How bad are their injuries?”
“Bad.” Chris didn’t trust himself to say any more than that.
“They cannot die.”
“Well, I don’t get to decide that. And neither do you. But the Draco did their best to make sure that they do. Tilda is in the other bed. She’s not doing well, either.”
Agaren’s gaze strayed to where Adam stood against the wall, his focus completely on Tilda as the medical staff worked on her.
Agaren closed his eyes. Chris opened his mouth to ask what he was doing and then stopped. He could almost feel the energy coming off Agaren. He wasn’t closing his eyes to the disaster in front of him. He was doing something else, and Chris had the distinct impression that he needed to allow him to do it.
Chris waited. Agaren kept his eyes closed for a full three minutes. When he opened them, he looked more tired than when he’d begun. “I have been given permission to bring the hybrids with me.”
“With you? What do you mean with you?”
“I will take them to the Council. Our technology far exceeds yours. We will be able to save them.”
Chris stared at him. “You want to take Pop and Crackle with you?”
Agaren nodded. “I give you my word that I will save their lives.”
Chris paused. Something about Agaren’s choice of words bothered him. “And then what? Will you bring them back? Or will you keep them?”
Agaren hesitated, and that told Chris everything he needed to know.
“That decision isn’t up to you, is it? That will be up to the Council.”
Agaren nodded. “The Council knows that keeping the hybrids alive is critical. But if they deem that it is safer for the hybrids to stay with them, they could rule that is what must be done.”
“Is there any way you could bring the technology needed to save them down here?”
Agaren shook his head. “Not in time. I am reading their vitals, and they do not have much time left.”
Chris stared at Agaren and then at Pop and Crackle, who looked so tiny in the beds at the end of the ward. If he let them go, there was a chance he would never see them again. There was a chance that the Council would keep them. But if he didn’t let them go, there was a very good chance that they would die. He didn’t think he could live with either outcome.
But he needed them to live. “Take them.”
Agaren disappeared as soon as the decision was made, after telling Chris to take the hybrids outside. Chris wasn’t sure why. Was he going to beam them up? Land a ship? No one had mentioned how Agaren traveled. But Chris didn’t waste any time. He hustled to the back of the ward and explained the plan to the doctor as quickly as possible. The doctor stared at him like he was crazy. But Chris didn’t have time to explain more than what he already had.
Jasper commandeered Pop’s stretcher. “Okay, people, we’re taking this trauma on the road. Let’s move.”
The medical staff jumped into action, hurrying along Pop’s stretcher, securing lines and tightening bandages. Chris followed behind, pushing Crackle’s stretcher, Crackle’s medical team going through the same process.
The doctor hurried beside Chris. “I can’t guarantee that they will survive the trip. They are in a very fragile state. I’m not sure—”
“Can you guarantee that you can save them if I keep them here?”
The doctor opened his mouth, then shut it, sha
king his head.
Chris didn’t stop moving. “Then get them as stable as you can.”
Soldiers made a hole in the hall so that they could hurry past all of the other injured. More soldiers held open the doors.
Jasper pushed through the door, pausing for a second before tucking in his shoulders and heading outside. Chris stepped through the doors, pushing Crackle, and he saw what had made Jasper hesitate.
A cigar-shaped ship twenty feet long illuminated from inside by a bright white light with red and blue lights along the bottom hovered just outside the building.
Chris pulled up his stretcher next to Jasper. Jasper kept his gaze on the saucer. “I’ve never seen one of those before.”
Chris didn’t say anything because he heard a voice in his head. Bring the stretchers underneath the ship and then step away.
“Come on.”
He pushed Crackle under the ship, pausing when he was in the center of it. Jasper did the same with Pop. All the medical professionals backed away until they were out from under the ship. Jasper paused next to the head of Pop’s stretcher.
Chris leaned down, putting his forehead against Crackle’s. “You heal. And then you come back to us.” He kissed Crackle’s forehead, wiping away the tear that cascaded down his cheek. “I love you.”
He turned to Pop and said the same thing. Then he placed a hand on each of them. “You are loved. Never forget that.”
He backed away from the stretchers with Jasper at his side. Chris wiped the tears from his eyes as a light engulfed both stretchers. The light was blinding, and Chris had to look away. By the time he looked back, all that remained were the stretchers. Pop and Crackle were gone.
The ship shot straight up, moving faster than Chris could track. But he still stared up at the sky, praying that Agaren could save their lives.
And praying that Agaren could bring them back.
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chris stood outside, staring up into the sky while everyone else went back to their duties. He felt empty. His whole family was now out of his reach. Pop and Crackle were somewhere in space above them. Alvie and Maeve were God knew where with those horrible creatures. All that was left was poor Grace.
Jasper clapped him on the shoulder. “You made the right choice. Now let’s go help out where we can, and I’ll see what we know and get you a report as soon as I have one.”
Chris nodded, knowing that his help was needed. Everyone’s help was needed. But he couldn’t go back into the medical ward. He couldn’t face that right now. So he joined a group that was searching from building to building, looking for people who were trapped under the debris.
For hours, he helped scour the base. They found twelve people, who they rushed to the medical ward. And they found another twenty-two who didn’t need to be rushed anywhere. It was difficult, back breaking, and emotionally draining work.
And Chris appreciated it. It didn’t let him dwell on things he couldn’t control. It gave him a focus, and right now he needed that more than anything.
But finally everyone was accounted for. They had lost fifty-seven people. Another hundred and twelve had been injured. Helos had been arriving, taking the injured over to the mainland. Now, the less injured would be taken over. Grace had been flown over and taken to a vet hospital. She would be all right after some rest. Only a skeleton crew would be left at the base, to wipe out the systems and secure it as best they could.
Chris crashed into a seat on the Airbus. Norah and Sandra sat in the two seats next to him. Both of their eyes were rimmed red. Chris didn’t ask how they were doing. They were doing as well as he was, which wasn’t good at all.
Jasper walked down the aisle behind Pearl, who was checking people’s names off on a manifest. Pearl checked off Chris, Norah, and Sandra before moving on without a word. But Jasper stopped and knelt down. “We caught sight of the Draco’s transport as it approached North America. We know it didn’t exit on the other side. We believe it’s landed somewhere in North America.”
“North America is kind of big. Do you have anything more specific?” Norah asked.
Jasper shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Right now that’s all the information we have. But our people are still looking. I’m sure we’ll have something soon.”
Jasper stood up and continued down the aisle. Tears silently ran down Sandra’s cheeks. She dropped her face into her hands. Chris met Norah’s gaze, who just shook her head, despair covering her features.
“Somewhere over North America” was as good as saying they had no idea. Chris turned his head toward the window, bringing his fist to his mouth.
I’ve lost them all.
Chapter Seventy-Three
The flight to RAF Bentwaters didn’t take long. Norah felt like they’d just gotten in the air when the announcement came over the PA to prepare for landing. She didn’t really remember anything in between. She tightened her seatbelt, noting Sandra sitting next to her and staring straight ahead. A quick glance told her that Sandra’s seatbelt was in place, so Norah didn’t disturb her.
On her other side, Chris was staring out the window as if he could somehow find Pop and Crackle out there. They were a row of loss—living in a world where the most important people to them were out of their reach.
Tilda had spoken about how Maldeks bonded with their person. But what they didn’t seem to understand was how strong that bond was from the person to their Maldek. He was a part of her. She would lay her life on the line for him in a split second, just as he would do for her. Just as he had done for her.
After the plane touched down, they were all taken over to the NATO base. It was a quiet group that was on Norah’s bus. Most were sporting bandages and bruises of some kind. And all had a haunted look in their eyes. Some because of loss but also because of what they had seen.
The Draco were right out of a nightmare. They were a Hollywood horror movie run amok. In the movie, there would be some plucky hero who figured out the creatures’ vulnerability. It would be something simple that had been overlooked, like water or sand.
Greg and Maeve had studied the human-looking Draco, the one who should be easier to kill. But their skin didn’t get hurt by bullets, not the way human skin did. And Greg and Maeve had only come up with two slim possibilities: eyes and the back of their throat.
All in all, they were completely terrifying. A stronger, faster, invulnerable opponent. And Norah knew this was only the first salvo. The Draco had taken their people alive. There was a reason for that. And Norah was clinging to the hope that they would keep them alive for a while.
And their ultimate goal was to take over the world. They wanted to set the world on a collision course between Draco and humans. A collision course that would remove the Council’s protection of humanity and leave the Earth under Draco control.
And if that happened, Norah had no doubt that humanity would lose. The Council allegedly would replace Homo sapiens with new creations like Alvie and the triplets. But who knew how long that would take? And the Draco could make hell on Earth a reality in that time.
As they stepped off the bus, they were each assigned a different bunk. The bunks were temporary until they got everyone situated and figured out whatever the next steps were. Although Norah wasn’t sure exactly who was currently making those decisions.
Norah had seen Tilda. She was still alive, but she wasn’t sure how Tilda was going to bounce back from her injuries. Tilda was a force of nature who defied her age. But Norah also knew that when bodies experienced trauma, no matter how resilient the personality, the body still responded according to their age.
Which meant someone else was in charge now. Pearl didn’t seem to have the vision. She struck Norah as a bureaucrat, not a leader. Jasper seemed to fly by the seat of his pants. She wasn’t sure how helpful that would be for running an organization the size of R.I.S.E. And Adam? Adam didn’t talk enough or interact enough to possibly be in charge.
Norah stepped into the barracks that
she’d been assigned. She had a bottom bunk by the door. Sandra had been assigned the bunk next to hers. Norah sat down for a minute, realizing she had nothing to put away. She had no clothes, no personal effects. She had nothing.
Norah looked around the bunk. There were a dozen or so people milling about, all looking equally lost. And suddenly Norah could not be inside. She needed fresh air. She needed out.
She strode from the room and stepped outside. The RAF was a working base. Two jeeps filled with individuals in camo drove past. In the distance, she could see a plane landing while another one taxied down a separate runway.
She turned away from the buildings and headed for the open field. She just needed a minute. She had been with people every single second since everything had happened. She hadn’t been able to take a single minute to process losing Iggy. And right now she felt that loss creeping over her.
She started at a walk and then moved up to a fast jog, and before she knew it, she was sprinting across the field. Her time with Iggy flew through her mind. They might have only had a short acquaintance, but it had been filled with moments.
She reached a tree at the edge of the camp’s perimeter and slunk down to its base. Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed, her breath coming out in pants. I’m sorry, Iggy. I should have protected you better.
Across the field, the sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon. She watched the sky shift in color. Footsteps caused her to turn her head. She was unsurprised to see Sandra. Silently, Sandra sat next to her, her shoulder brushing against Norah’s. Sandra slipped her hand into Norah’s, and together they watched the sunset as tears ran down their faces.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chris didn’t know what to do. He’d lost about half the skin on the upper half of his left arm. He had more bruises and scrapes than he could count, but no broken bones or penetrating injuries, which was just dumb luck as far as he was concerned.
