Girl Vs (Sinister Skies Book 1)

by Xela Culletto

  “Maybe I can help.”

  “Maybe you could, but there’s no time.” I grabbed the knife hilt and tossed it into a backpack, then began filling a canteen in the sink.

  “Rhyan—you’re freakin’ me out. At least give me some idea about—“

  She was interrupted by the door swinging open. Caleb stepped in, a little out of breath.

  “Rhyan! I’ve been looking for you. Listen to me. You can’t go.”

  I recapped the canteen and turned a confused expression on him.

  “I thought you were at the hospital. What are you doing here?”

  A little sheepish, he said, “Some lady stopped by the hospital this morning. She was asking Dr. Webb if you were fit enough to leave—she was talking about you going on some dangerous mission. He said yes, but—“

  He broke off, looking at Kalisha.

  “Don’t mind me,” she said, raising her hands.

  He stepped toward me, unnecessarily close.

  “Don’t go,” he almost whispered. “I have a bad feeling about it, and.… I want to spend more time with you.”

  His brown eyes were fervid, pleading.

  I stepped back.

  “I’m sorry, Caleb. I’m going.”

  Up to this point, my fight had been a lonely one—me against the world. But the fights—even the one in the cavern—hadn’t really hurt my enemy, not in the long run. But this was different. This was a fight that had potential to cripple them. Killing them off one at a time wasn’t enough anymore. I could do more and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slide away.

  With a sigh, he stepped back too. It seemed he knew me well enough not to argue.

  “Be careful then.”

  He went out, and the door swung closed behind him with a click. The whole conversation had lasted less than a minute. I stared at the closed door for a moment before reality snapped me back in place. Grabbing a few hair ties from the bathroom, I nearly tripped over Kalisha’s foot. She was perched on the side of the bed, her much-too-long legs extending outward.

  “So that’s it then?” she said, apparently determined to argue. “You’re leavin’ your boyfriend—“

  “He’s not—“

  “You’re leavin’ me, and you won’t even say why?”

  I sighed like an exasperated mother.

  “If you really want to know about it, ask Tess.”

  I zipped up the bag and was heading out the door when Kalisha stopped me.

  “Forgetting something?”

  She held up a small first aid kit.

  She had a point.

  I grabbed it and stuffed it into the bag before heading back down. Kalisha was at my side step-for-step. When we got to the car, she jumped into the front passenger seat.

  “Hi Tess,” she said. “Rhyan said I might be useful on this mission. Wanna tell me about it?”

  Tess turned to me. “Rhyan, I thought it was made clear that this was classified—“

  “She didn’t say nothin’. It was the boy—the one who overheard you talkin’ at the doctor’s office.”

  With pursed lips, Tess started the engine and the car jolted forward. I hastened to buckle my seatbelt.

  “I’m afraid that’s out of the question,” Tess said, buildings whizzing by. “I have absolutely no reason to believe you’d be an asset and every reason to think you might be dangerous.”

  “She’s a good fighter,” I piped up from the back. “And she knows how to keep a low profile.”

  Kalisha threw me a surprised but grateful look. Tess was silent for so long I knew she was considering the offer.

  “Fine,” she relented, almost bitterly. “But there’s no time for you to pack. You’ll have to wing it.”

  Kalisha nodded and I found myself glad she was coming.

  I had a feeling, however, that before long she wasn’t going to be.

  Chapter 44

  The airport was bustling. Dozens of people scurried this way and that, creating a hive of discord. Tess, undistracted by the chaos, made a beeline for a sleek black aircraft with wide wings. I wasn’t sure what type it was, but it definitely was not the commercial airplane I’d been expecting. We followed Tess across the tarmac like a couple of ducklings.

  “Here’s where I leave you,” she said as we arrived at the plane. “Rhyan, I hope you’re every bit as good as I was told. God knows you’ll need it—we all will. Good luck to you both.”

  She left, and Kalisha and I climbed the stairs and entered the dark entryway. The interior was dim, sparse, and cramped. I was surprised to see several others already buckled into the seats that lined the walls. I hoped we weren’t late.

  “Who’s this?” a large black man stepped in front of Kalisha.

  “She’s with me,” I said. “Tess authorized her.”

  He scowled and lifted a walkie-talkie to his mouth.

  “There’s an unexpected passenger trying to board.”

  “Copy that.”

  A brief moment of static filled the air until a voice said, “Tess sanctioned two females—a seventeen-year-old and a twenty-six-year-old. Does that description hold or is there a breach?”

  The man glared down at us as he spoke. “It holds.”

  He stepped out of Kalisha’s way and we buckled in hastily. With the backpack of supplies on my lap, I glanced at the freckled, red-haired man sitting next to me. Sweat was dripping down his forehead, but I recognized him from the meeting in the conference room.

  Kalisha was being noticeably quiet, probably hoping to escape further attention. She seemed slightly more her usual, composed self than she had a few hours ago when she first stepped out of her cell. What a day she was having.

  The door was closed and a voice from the cockpit announced we were ready for takeoff. The man who’d stopped Kalisha sat in a seat near the front and faced the small assembly. The plane began gliding smoothly toward the runway.

  “For those who don’t know it, I’m Jamal. I’ve got exactly twenty-seven minutes to prep you for what’s hopefully not the rest of your lives. First thing—introductions. There’s only six of you, so learn each others’ names.”

  Jamal pointed at each person as he ran through the roster.

  “First off is Ian. He’s the reason we’re all here and top priority. Every person here had better be willing to die before him, because he’s the one who’s going to stop a million aliens from raining down.”

  Ian was staring at the floor looking very pale. I supposed a lifetime of computer work didn’t prepare a person for charging into enemy territory.

  “Next is Anthony.” Jamal pointed at the red-head sitting next to me, who did an awkward little wave. “He’s Ian’s understudy. If Ian falls, Anthony ‘s next in line for the computer. So keep his butt alive, too.”

  The plane suddenly heaved forward so fast my hair went flying across my face. A second later we were climbing the air at a sharp upward angle.

  Jamal went on, speaking loudly over the increase in noise.

  “Then there’s Derek, Rhyan, and—Rhyan’s friend.”

  “Her name’s Kalisha.”

  “Fine. Derek’s in charge of long-range enemy clearance and Rhyan and Kalisha will handle close-range disputes.”

  I glanced at Derek. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood up so I could barely make out his face. From what I could tell, he was probably in his twenties.

  Him, me, and Kalisha. The three of us were going take on a city full of aliens. My stomach began twisting, the nerves hitting as the plane leveled off.

  Jamal pointed to the last person, the oldest and most brawny.

  “That’s Logan. He’s going to make sure your motorcycles are in working condition.”

  “Um, motorcyles?” Anthony asked. “I thought this was a stealth mission.”

  “The closest we can land is sixty miles away. Any closer and the enemy might pick up a signal, stealth plane or not. Logan owns a bike shop near the landing site and volunteered them to cover the next f
ifty-eight miles. You’ll be on foot the rest of the way.”

  “Uh, I—I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle,” Anthony said.

  “Anyone else?”

  My dad had owned a Harley and let me ride it on some out-of-the-way roads a couple of times, but that was it. Hopefully it would come back to me quick.

  “Okay, Anthony rides with Derek.”

  Jamal picked up a box and pulled out several plastic bags full of wires.

  “Each of you will wear a headpiece. This’ll be our communication. They also have cameras so we can see what’s going on. Once you’re on foot we’ll guide you through the city, which will be a lot easier if you don’t draw any attention. The satellite images of the city have shown that alien activity slows down around midnight, so make use of that if you need to.”

  Without any warning, Ian suddenly threw up. It splashed against the metal floor and filled the air with a putrid stink. Jamal was anything but sympathetic.

  “Gross, man. Pull it together.”

  Pale and trembling, Ian nodded at the floor.

  “Once you’ve arrived and Ian is at the computer,” Jamal went on pointedly, “the rest of you will keep the area clear for as long as it takes. We have no way of knowing how populated the interior of the building may be, so prep for the worst. The enemy will be dispatching the message in approximately ten hours, when their ally’s ship will be on its way to receive it in five months’ time. The best we can figure, the ship will only be in position to receive the message for approximately thirty minutes. So block the message before it gets sent, and keep the enemy away for at least thirty minutes.”

  Jamal looked at each of us in turn.

  “You have ten hours to stop the delivery, or any hope for the future is lost. For everyone.”

  I took a deep, cleansing breath. My nerves gave way to a new emotion: determination. The distress wasn’t gone, but it was trumped. I rubbed the knife hilt through the backpack’s nylon.

  “When Ian is finished, retreat quickly and quietly. Logan will be waiting for you with the bikes and you’ll ride back to this aircraft. Then, with any luck, we’ll be gone without a trace. Any questions?”

  No one said anything. Jamal spoke confidently but we all knew this mission was a Hail Mary.

  Just then the plane touched down. My stomach gave a lurch. For better or worse, there was no turning back now.

  Chapter 45

  We landed on a wide, straight highway nestled in a blanket of trees. Although the area appeared remote, Logan’s motorcycle shop turned out to be very close, only just off the road. It was pretty nice. The glass doors allowed enough light in to illuminate the shiny bikes displayed on the floor and dark jackets lining the walls. Clearly the secluded location had saved it from the looting that had ravaged the rest of the world.

  “Pick a bike,” Logan said, “while I’ll get the keys.”

  Scanning the inventory, I came upon a striking red and black sports bike.

  “Nice choice,” Derek said behind me.

  I turned to him. He’d removed his hood and was looking at me with icy blue eyes. There was a small tattoo of a spider on his neck. Combined with his burly physique, he was probably used to people being intimidated by him. But not much intimidated me anymore.

  “Thanks.” I turned back to the bike.

  “So who’d you kill to end up here? You must’ve convinced somebody you’re dangerous.”

  “Nah,” I said, put off by his attitude. “I heard there was going to be cake.”

  He wasn’t amused.

  “Just don’t go expecting me to do all the grunt work. You girls better be ready to handle your share.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get all the ones you miss.”

  He gave me a flat look and left to inspect a blue bike.

  Logan emerged from a back room and came over.

  “Red, huh? Okay, here’s the key. And, hey—you better take one of these too.”

  He reached up and pulled down a black leather jacket from the wall. I shrugged it on. A perfect fit.

  “Don’t forget a helmet,” he called as he went to take a key to Kalisha, who was looking at a black cruiser.

  I found the helmets on a circular display near the back. Fitting it over the headpiece comfortably took a couple of tries, but once it was on, I felt a little more confident. Like maybe I could manage to ride a motorcycle down a straight road for a few miles without killing myself.

  Wheeling the bike outside, I saw Ian and Anthony talking furtively at the corner of the building. They stopped when they saw me and there was a moment of coarse silence before I turned to examine the bike for familiar controls. A moment later, Kalisha and Derek also emerged, dressed and ready, followed by Logan.

  “Time’s tickin’,” Logan said when he saw Ian. “Better pick out a bike.”

  Ian scoffed.

  “Do I look like a person who knows how to drive a motorcycle?”

  “Why didn’t you say somethin’—nevermind. You’ll ride with me.”

  Ian only shrugged.

  Stomach slightly queasy, I mounted the sleek machine.

  “You’ve done this before, then?” I asked Kalisha, whose machine was growling, anxious to be set free. I must’ve acclimated to the shroud of quiet that had covered the world because the noise was ear-splitting.

  Kalisha adjusted her helmet. “Yep. If you’re nervous, just follow my lead.”

  Then, giving her helmet a smack with a gloved hand, she shot off while I stood, key still in hand. Logan went next, with Ian gripping the seat behind him. With his slightly-too-large helmet and lanky body, he didn’t look much like a hero who’d been charged with saving the world.

  Derek’s machine roared to life and Anthony, obviously beyond caring about appearances, climbed up behind him and gripped Derek’s chest with a tense expression.

  “Don’t be late,” Derek said, and shot off.

  I slowly let out the clutch and suddenly I was off, tearing it up at a speed that felt much faster than it did in a car.

  After only a few minutes of white-knuckling the handlebars before I began to relax—the rumble of the engine reassuring me. The sun was settling just enough to cast speckled leaf shadows along the highway.

  We went along like that, Kalisha in the lead and me bringing up the rear, mile after steady mile. The route became almost tedious—unswerving and inexpressive. It was as though we were the only souls in the world.

  After a while I found myself coming up alongside Derek and Anthony and realized they were slowing down. Looking farther up the road I saw Kalisha had parked in the middle of the road. Pressing on the brake, I slowed and came to a stop next to her. I’d done it; my father would’ve been proud.

  I removed my helmet just in time to hear Logan say, “From here on out, we’re on foot.”

  “We?” Kalisha asked. “I thought you were staying with the bikes.”

  “Plans change.”

  Kalisha and I exchanged a look. Logan seemed like a nice enough guy, but we already had two people to keep alive. Adding another would make the job more strenuous.

  A female voice spoke through the headset. Tess’s voice.

  “Stick to the plan, Logan.”

  “No way. There’s no way I’m leaving the fate of the world up to these kids. Can’t one of them be them over thirty. I’m going.”

  Obviously, there was no one who was going to stop him, so I wasn’t surprised to hear the headset voice consent, a trace of exasperation in her tone.

  “You’ll be travelling to your right through the trees” Tess went on. “It’s a straight line from your position to the city, so don’t go wandering. There hasn’t been any recorded activity in that forest for months, but keep your guard up.”

  The trees were sparse enough to allow us easy passage. Pulling two knives from the backpack, I took a swig of water before taking the step from the pavement onto the dirt. As I handed one of the knives to Kalisha, I saw Derek retrieve a gun from his bag and at
tach a silencer to it.

  No one said anything for a while as we began our trek. With only two miles before reaching the city’s perimeter I wondered if we’d make it before sunset.

  Kalisha fell in step beside me. I glanced at her and asked, “Glad you came?”

  “It is a nice evening.”

  “Maybe our last.”

  “Why’d you come, Rhyan?”

  “You know—save the world and all that.”

  “Yeah, you’re real hopeful, I can tell.”

  I shrugged.

  “You know, when I was in that cell, Allison came and talked to me. Partly about bein’ abducted and taken to the Vela prison. She said they were capturin’ us because they wanted to save us. That the rest of us left—we’re supposed to live.”

  “Yeah,” I said, hopping over a small ravine. “I’ve heard that.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “And what?”

  “Well, at this point, don’t you think maybe that might be a better choice?”

  “What?” I asked warily.

  “Look at us, Rhyan. A six-man team—the only thing standing between a mass of superior beings and total annihilation. Don’t you think it might be better—at this point—to go along with what they want? If all they really want now is for us to live? How bad would it be?”

  A surge of anger rose in my chest. I found it difficult to keep from yelling.

  “And just forget about everything they did—everyone they killed? Like hell. I’m going to make them pay. I intend to go to my grave, making them pay.”

  Kalisha apparently didn’t want to argue. She slowed down, making a gap between us. I couldn’t believe it. Of all people, Kalisha was the one ready to surrender. She had no business being on the team; I should never have stuck up for her. Steaming, I raged through the trees like a forest fire.

  Before long, dusk settled and crickets began chirping. Ian stopped us and we waited in a half circle around him as he bent over his pack.

  “Night vision,” he said, pulling out several sleek pairs of glasses. “I was told to pass them out when it got dark.”