Starcrossed: Perigee - A paranormal romance trilogy

by Tracey Lee Campbell

  It was a strange feeling to be lying still in bed, having a conversation inside my head and knowing about the action which would be soon going on outside the cell. I was so pumped full of joy and adrenaline I felt as if I could bounce off the walls, but I forced myself to be still.

  I'll be fine. I need to concentrate now Lucy - I'll let you know when I get to your floor.

  Silence followed; only the heavy thud of my galloping heart reached my ears. I cursed the sound proof walls; if there was gunfire going on out in the corridor already, I wouldn't be able to hear it.

  Time dragged on, and I began to wonder if I'd imagined the conversation. Perhaps I was going mad here in this place. Pushing the uncomfortable thought aside, I turned over slowly, trying to act as normal as possible. I peeked out from under the sheet. The room was in semi-darkness, as though lit by a very bright moon. Nothing.

  As the minutes ticked by, a sense of dread settled over me like a heavy blanket. Had he been captured? Hurt, or worse? How long did it take to get to this floor anyway? I watched the door through half-closed eyes, my body tingling with anxiety. When the door finally opened, I sprang like a jack-in-the-box from the bed.

  Aric stood at the doorway. I leapt into his arms. He hugged me tightly, then drew back to inspect me.

  "Are you okay? Really?" He asked suspiciously, as though he thought I'd disintegrate before his eyes. I nodded and threw my arms around his neck again. He laughed and hugged me back. I had a million questions for him.

  "We haven't got much time Lucy, I had to turn the shield off to locate you. The doctor told me they hold an Innaki here - we need to go before it realizes the shield is off and calls the others."

  "The doctor? Doctor Chenski told you where I was?" He nodded. I was overwhelmed for a moment, and didn't know what to say. I slipped my shoes on quickly, recalling memories of the first time, in what seemed like ages ago, when I'd hurried to tie my shoe laces as the Innaki arrived in the clearing by the cabin.

  Aric urged me towards the door, but my attention went to the window.

  "Don't worry - I've taken care of everyone. We won't be bothered, but we need to go now. Marcus and Saul are meeting us on the top floor."

  "The top floor?"

  "This place is deep underground. Under an old army airstrip. The top floor leads to the outside." My suspicions had been right. "Come on, we've got a way to go."

  He took my hand and pulled me towards the door, but stopped abruptly. "Wait!" he said. My nerves were on edge as I wondered what was wrong. Quickly pulling me close, he placed his arm around my back, the other he used to tilt my chin so my face was close to his own. He kissed me gently, deeply, but it ended all too soon.

  "I just wanted to let you know how much I missed you," he said simply.

  The kiss left me reeling; I stood like a zombie in the semi-darkness, wishing he'd kiss me again. He grabbed my hand and urged me towards the door again. "You know, I find it really hard to concentrate around you!" he said with a chuckle. He pulled the door open, and we left my cell behind.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Ten

  He led me out into the corridor. My heart leaped into my mouth when I saw the bulky figures of the armed guards further down the hall. Aric ran towards them, pulling me along.

  "Come on," he said to me, and I cringed as I waited for the guards to turn around. They didn't move.

  "I've stunned them - they're paralyzed. The same thing the Innaki does on the abductees. They won't remember any of it."

  I gawked at them in amazement. Their faces were frozen in the expression they'd been in when Aric had stunned them. One had his mouth wide open, his rifle aimed at the doors at the end of the corridor. The other must have been in the middle of blinking when he'd been stunned - his eyes were closed, his head pointing to his rifle.

  "Maybe we should take these," I said, indicating the guns.

  Aric shook his head. "No need - everyone's taken care of." We continued through the doors. The eye scanner seemed to have held no problem for him, and I wondered briefly how he'd managed it. Movement to my left caught my eye and I turned my head just in time to see the escaped Innaki dash from one wall, cross the hallway, and run right through the opposite wall. Aric frowned, and pulled me along faster.

  We finally reached the elevator, and as we waited for the doors to open, I stood still for a moment, my eyes taking advantage of the bright light to study Aric's face. I wanted to soak in every detail and keep it in my heart forever.

  "I thought I'd never see you again," I said, my eyes watering again.

  He put his arms around me and drew me close. "I wouldn't have given up until I'd found you," he murmured, his lips against my hair. The elevator bell rang, and he pushed me behind him as the doors opened. He braced himself but the elevator was empty, and we hurried inside. We watched the numbers on the control panel change as the elevator ascended. I put my arms around Aric's waist and clung to him, taking a moment to realize how lucky I'd been. Bless Doctor Chenski.

  The elevator stopped suddenly at the fifth floor. Aric frowned.

  "Maybe it's Saul or Marcus?" I suggested.

  "They're already on the top floor. Stand back."

  The doors opened to reveal the Tweedle brothers. Aric threw out his hand, a pale spark of energy flew from his palm, hitting Tweedledum in the face. He blinked, but continued to advance towards us. Aric tried again, zapping both of them in quick succession, but they seemed to be immune to it. Aric pushed me into the corner behind him, and braced for their attack.

  "Why isn't it working?" I hissed. I was so frightened I could barely breathe.

  "They're not human - they're half machines."

  Great. Not only were we dealing with aliens and vampire creatures, now we had terminators after us too. As they entered the elevator, Aric threw the first punch. He hit Tweedledee hard in the jaw, but it barely fazed him. He tried again, this time sending a barrage of heavy blows to the stomach. It was as though he was hitting concrete. Tweedledee ignored the strikes, and grabbed Aric by the throat, pushing him up against the wall. I kicked Aric's attacker in the shins as hard as I could, but he didn't even flinch.

  "Get off him!" I yelled, and jumped on his back. Tweedledum pulled me off, and held me back. The doors closed and we continued on our way upwards.

  Aric tried to head-butt his opponent, to no effect. I yelled and struggled against Tweedledum's restraining grasp. Aric's face was reddening as the hands around his throat tightened. He was making some terrible, gurgling noises.

  "You're killing him!" I screamed. My arms were being held in a vice-like grip, but I managed to produce a ball of wyk and sent it flying awkwardly toward Tweedledee. It missed, and ricocheted off the wall, bouncing around the small space and narrowly missing Aric's head. Tweedledum threw me against the wall, winding me, and I sat, stunned for a moment as I tried to get my breath back. Aric's movements were diminishing. If I didn't do something his neck would be crushed, and he'd die of strangulation.

  I threw another ball of wyk, and was momentarily surprised to find it was red and sizzling with angry sparks, not the smooth glowing ball of pure white I'd expected. Wasn't I doing it right? Despite my doubts, it hit Tweedledee in the back of the neck. An electronic hiss and sparks issued from under his shirt collar and he began to jerk around, his grip around Aric's neck loosening. I produced another ball which bounced off the opposite wall, but it hit the same spot, causing Tweedledee's spasms to intensify until he was moving around the elevator in an absurd dance. Tweedledum grabbed a handful of my shirt, and dragged me to my feet, pushing me up the wall so I was dangling off the ground. I could see Aric struggling to catch his breath, but he threw himself against my attacker.

  "Hit him in the back of the neck!" I wheezed, as Tweedledum's hand closed around my throat. Aric threw a hissing ball of wyk and it hit its target. Tweedledum began to spasm, and his hand tightened with each jerk. Aric dodged the other man, and pulled Tweedledum's hand from my neck. He hit the 6th floor
button, and we stood, watching in macabre fascination as the Tweedle brothers continued to twitch and knock against each other as though they were a couple of Sumo wrestlers. When the door opened, Aric pushed them out, and we breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed on the weird scene.

  I relaxed against the wall, and Aric inspected my neck for damage. The bell sounded on the control panel again, signaling the next stop for the elevator. Ninth floor - we still hadn't reached the top. Aric stood still, his hand outstretched, ready to zap whatever was revealed. The doors slid open, and I recoiled as I spotted the dark bulk of the gargoyte barely ten feet away, its fangs sunk deep into the neck of a paralyzed worker. I recognized the familiar folder, and the severely pulled back hairstyle - it was Clare. She had been walking mid-stride when she'd been stunned, and her calm expression seemed incongruous to the gaping, bloody wound in her neck. Behind her, Smith stood in a frozen tableau with another man - it seemed as if he'd been in the middle of telling off an unfortunate, cringing subordinate when he'd been paralyzed. They were still in one piece - the gargoyte had obviously attacked Clare first. The creature glanced up from its feast and hissed at us, great dollops of viscose blood dripping from its teeth. It spotted me, its yellow eyes narrowing and its mouth breaking out in a terrifying snarl revealing the full horror of its two inch long fangs. Everything happened so quickly - one moment it was across the hallway, the next it was nearly upon us. Its movement was so quick it was just a blur. Aric stunned it just as it reached the elevator doors. It stood still, its face paralyzed in a gruesome rage, the blood still dripping from its fangs the only movement. I shuddered and hit the 'close door' button a number of times. We couldn't close the doors on the scene quickly enough.

  We looked up at the ceiling, willing things to go quickly and smoothly as the elevator took us on the last of our journey to the top. Please, no more unscheduled stops, I thought to myself. I was beginning to dread the doors opening on yet another unfriendly surprise, but those doors were our only exit. The elevator came to a stop on our floor, and I held my breath anxiously as the bell sounded and the door slid open. We peered out, but only a few paralyzed workers could be seen, standing like odd statues around the long hall. Aric turned right and hurried me along the corridor, which opened out into a bigger hall with offices off either side. There was a waiting room area filled with empty seats in the middle. Every person we came across stood stiffly in the pose they'd been in when they'd been stunned. I felt as though I was visiting a surreal art exhibit as we dodged the silent people.

  "How long will this last?" I asked Aric gesturing at the frozen figures.

  "A few hours, I think. The ones I stunned first, a bit longer - I was kind of... overzealous when we first started zapping them," he said with a grin. He went to push the doors open, but stopped, cocking his head as though listening. He put a staying hand on my arm. "They're here," he said.

  "Saul and Marcus?" I asked hopefully.

  "The Innaki. We need to be extra careful. They're in the building. Try not to leave your thoughts open unless I tell you otherwise. We need to go out the west exit."

  My heart moved into thumping overdrive mode immediately. I must have looked as scared as I felt, because Aric stopped and took the time to give me a hug.

  "Don't worry Lucy, we'll get you out. Just do what I say, okay?"

  I nodded robotically, and followed him back the way we came. He turned into a narrow hallway flanked by numerous office doors. At the end of the hallway was a sign which read 'Officer's Gym'. We headed forward cautiously, Aric listening intently as we neared the door. Suddenly, he stopped, and pulled me into one of the offices. He closed the door quietly and told me to hide under the desk. I pulled out the chair and crawled into the small space, squeezing myself up against the wooden sides. Aric switched off the light and crawled in beside me, with barely room to spare. We waited silently as the minutes ticked by. The sound of the other office doors opening could be heard from down the hall. They were methodically going through the place, room by room. I wondered why they bothered with opening doors if they could just walk through walls. Maybe they were being just as careful as we were. I could feel the tension running through Aric's body. My muscles in my scrunched up legs were aching.

  The door to our room was opened, and I could hear something moving about. A pair of gray feet appeared on the carpet under the gap at the back of the office desk - a 'deja vu' moment from the time we'd hidden under the bush in the forest. I held my breath, and the feet moved on, eventually moving away to the door. The sound of movement further up the hallway could be heard, and then there was silence. Aric put a staying hand on mine.

  Wait a few more minutes. To be sure they're all out of here. I'm going to contact Saul.

  We stayed under the desk while Aric spoke to Saul in his head. I decided I'd be lucky if my experiences of small spaces this day didn't leave me with claustrophobia for life.

  Saul says there's two Innaki craft hovering over the north entrance. There's military aircraft buzzing them. They won't stay long if the humans are shooting at them - they don't want an air battle to come to the attention of the Counc... He paused... the public, he corrected himself.

  He backed out from under the desk, and I crawled out with difficulty on legs that had fallen asleep. Aric helped me to my feet.

  If we can get out in time, we should be able to get away while they're distracted by each other. We need to go now.

  He peered carefully around the doorway and surveyed the hallway. It was empty. Taking my hand, he steered me in the direction of the Officer's Gym. The door was closed. He pushed it open slowly, and we cautiously entered the room. It was a large, dimly lit space, filled with old equipment which looked as if it hadn't been used in a while. Some pieces were covered in canvas tarps, looming out of the darkness like odd shaped monsters. For the first time in weeks I spotted some windows to the outside. They were covered by crumpled old venetian blinds, but I could see the night sky through the broken slats. I could just make out a door on the far side of the room, a back-lit 'exit' sign blinking above it. The screaming engines from the fighter planes and the occasional burst of gunfire could be heard overhead. Aric took my hand, and we threaded our way in the darkness through the various machines. We had almost reached the other side, when the room lit up with a flash of bright white light. The Innaki had found us.

  * * * * *

  Spindly gray figures began to emerge through the walls. The scene was so surreal I felt as if my brain was doing somersaults trying to make sense of it all. Seven, eight, nine... they continued to arrive until there were at least twenty in the room, a scraggly line of Innaki which were so alike they might be clones of each other. Aric pulled me closer as more appeared to either side of us.

  Lucy, when I say, I want you to sprint for the door. I'll hold them off - you find somewhere to hide outside, he said in my mind.

  I was aghast. No! I'm not leaving you again! We can fight them together. I was determined to stand by him this time. He shot me an exasperated look.

  Your best chance is to run and hide - they'll have to go soon, the air battle has gone on for too long already. I can hold them off until they're called back.

  I'm not leaving you, I said, stubbornly. We're doing this together.

  He sighed and pulled me closer. Well, get behind me, and stay close.

  The room flickered with bright white flashes as if it were caught up in a violent electrical storm. It lit up the weird shapes of the canvas covered equipment, casting irregular shadows over the creatures as they stood watching us through big black eyes. They began to move warily towards us. We backed up slowly, stopping in surprise as the door was thrown open. Saul and Marcus charged into the room, assessed the situation quickly, and moved to position themselves around me. I didn't know whether to be relieved or more worried - it was four of us against thirty-odd gray beings.

  I saw Aric nod in response to something Saul must have said in his head. Marcus stood beside me, hi
s fists clenched.

  There's four of us now, can't we attack them with wyk? I suggested.

  There's too many of them. They're going to try to paralyze you. We need to shield you. You run Lucy, while we hold them off, Marcus said.

  She won't go, said Aric. We've already been through this.

  Marcus scowled at me, then turned his attention back to the Innaki. Remind me to tell you off when this is all over! he grumbled.

  One of the creatures stepped forward. Lucy Doyle, you must come with us.

  Aric took a protective step in front of me. She's not going with you, he said.

  The Innaki's eyes moved to rest on Aric. Whisperer, you have a task to do.

  Straightening his back, Aric planted his legs firmly apart. His tone was firm and clear. No, she is not going with you.

  The creature's eyes narrowed. It is not your decision. Control the specimen and bring her to me.

  Aric stood firm. You're not having her.

  The Innaki stared intently at us. A disturbing, buzzing energy filled the room, and I watched in dismay as Aric's hand flew to his temple, his face creased in pain. Saul and Marcus followed suit.

  Lucy, get out of here! It was Aric's voice in my mind. I shook my head.

  You need to run - we can't block you for long, not against this many! For god's sake, run!

  The Innaki continued to increase the level of pain. Saul fell to his knees, a tortured expression on his face, Marcus was holding on to the end of a bench press, groaning. Aric stood on wobbly legs in front of me, his hands grasping his head. My body began to feel sluggish, tired, as though I'd just run a marathon. The Innaki were breaking through the shield. Aric's legs buckled and he fell to his knees.

  Lucy, run while you can!

  Saul was writhing on the floor; Marcus collapsed over the end of the bench, his head held in his hands. I gaped at them in stunned horror. Aric gave me a weak push, then collapsed on the ground.

  "Go!" he gasped, clutching his head. A vision of Johnson's lifeless body crossed my mind, and Johnson's face was replaced with Aric's. I was overcome with an intense fury - I would not allow these creatures to do this to him, or to my friends. Straightening my body with difficulty, I raised my head and glared at the Innaki. The buzzing energy increased, and I felt as though I was moving through a sea of thick sludge - every movement took an incredible amount of focus and determination to execute. Raising my hand slowly against the paralyzing pressure, I focused all my anger and pushed a wave of wyk out through my palm. I was expecting a ball of white energy to fly across the room as it had when I had practiced with Marcus and Phil, but the wyk I produced was an intense red, a hot, fiery sphere which sizzled with what could only be described as an intensely negative energy. I could feel it emanate menace, hatred and despair as it hurtled through the air. It collected one of the canvas-shrouded machines, sending it careering across the room, hitting a number of Innaki squarely, crushing them against the wall. Focusing on a heavy rowing machine, I launched another red orb from my palm and it catapulted across the room, knocking down a line of Innaki as though they were skittles. The paralysis loosened its grip on my body, and I continued to throw the bulky gym equipment about the room furiously, collecting panicked Innaki as my makeshift missiles hit their target. The room glowed an eerie red, the sense of negativity giving me goose bumps and bringing a knot of nausea to my stomach. Despite the ominous atmosphere, I was elated, and I felt a sense of malicious satisfaction as the spindly bodies were crushed and dismembered under the relentless assault of heavy objects.