by Mikayla Lane
“After that it’s the typical government and VA treatment of neglect and blame games while more suffer and die. Since you are no longer useful as their cannon fodder, they basically abandon you and try to screw you out of benefits.” David said with a sad shake of his head.
The woman’s record was impeccable; she had been a decorated, good soldier and the way she had been treated after the injuries she had sustained, pissed him off.
“She said the secretive unit was the Relian’s. She recognized some of the hybrid clones in the forest as the same ones she’d seen in Afghanistan that had killed her friend John. It was why she chose to save me.” Viper said, the pieces of what happened to her finally coming together for him.
“Did she tell you anything about why she was hiding?” Ivint asked, amazed, but also curious about the brave young woman. The strength of the human females never failed to surprise him.
Viper sighed heavily, then reached to his feet for the pack that Lara had kept close to her at all times. “Whatever is in here should answer that for us.”
Traze and Risk came over to the table when Viper reached into the heavy pack and pulled out some kind of electronic contraption and placed it on the table. Both young men reached for it, but Risk got it first and gave a satisfied smirk to Traze whose eyes lit up when he saw what Viper pulled out next.
Grabbing the stack of CDs and notebooks that were heavily wrapped in layers of freezer bags, Traze ran back to the computer panel and began pulling out the discs. Risk put down the electronic device and went to look at the CDs with Traze, figuring that they would be more interesting.
“While they figure that out, tell us what else you learned. Start from the crash.” Reven asked, needing to confirm Viper’s account of the events that occurred when the transport was shot down.
“There was the warning sounds on the transport before we went down, but I don’t remember anything until right before Lara freed me. I came to in a clearing tied to a tree.” Viper went through everything that he could remember from the time he had crashed to when they had reached the cabin.
“Was she close to anyone, in particular, that she may have confided in?” Reven asked. He was betting that there was at least one person they could speak to regarding their new visitor.
David nodded to Traze, who pulled up a picture behind him. David watched Dread and Viper closely for their reaction and was glad he did, or he would have missed the slight wince before both brothers looked away. Yeah, David thought; something was up with those two.
“Just this John Miller and he didn’t make it. There are very few people who knew either John or Lara well. They were very private and quiet. The two of them were considered very talented, but odd.” David answered.
“Were they mates?” Decano asked, wondering if that was the bond they shared. It would explain why she would hide if they had killed her mate, he thought.
“No!” Viper growled, before Dread cut him a warning look.
Risk interrupted, “By all accounts, they were like siblings. They were even called ‘bro and sis’ by their teammates. There is no blood relation between them though. I think we have something here. Give me a sec…”
Viper looked up, hoping that he didn’t betray Lara’s trust for nothing, that they had found what it is she was being hunted for.
“Here we go…” Risk said before a video clip began playing behind him.
Everyone watched the screen behind David, curious about what they were looking at. Traze cleared it up for them.
“These notebooks are logs of each of the discs. This disc is a meeting in the mountains between Lara’s commanders and the Relian troops embedded in the Army.” Traze said before looking up to watch the vid.
“I told you to take care of the two idiots looking around where they shouldn’t. Why have you not done so?” One of the uniformed Relian’s snapped at the two high-ranking officers.
“It’s a little harder to off one of your own than you think. We’re keeping them distracted elsewhere while we get something set up.” One of the officers said, his tone full of anger and disgust. The Relian obviously took issue with the attitude and got in the man’s face.
“If you can’t or won’t do what you’re told, you can easily be replaced. Or have you not heard yet about the large-scale military draw down? Or how a lot of the highest-ranking military officials are suddenly being purged?” The Relian asked as the human turned pale. Another alien grinned evilly and continued.
“Those are not nearly as fun as the ones where we get to really ruin their lives. Like the idiots we drugged and set up gambling or with prostitutes. Then there are those that just don’t learn their lessons well at all. Those have really catastrophic tragedies in their lives, don’t they Dez?” The alien smiled brightly and turned back to the original Relian speaker who answered.
“Yes they do. Those are the ones who get a fast track home in a box and their families are involved in a terrible accident, or for some reason; they go home and slaughter their families before turning the gun on themselves. You don’t want to be one of those men do you?” The Relian snarled into the officer’s face.
The human tried to stand against them, but his face fell, and it was obvious that their threats were getting to him. The faces of his wife and children running through his mind.
“You can’t make me do something like that. I would never hurt my family.” The man said, most of his defiance and fire snuffed out by the worry he had for his family. He knew how dangerous these people were; he'd seen good men’s lives destroyed by them.
“You are not so much a fool to believe that, or you wouldn’t be standing here. You either take care of the problem, or we will replace you with someone who is more eager for our favor.” The arrogant alien said before he and the others disappeared into the surrounding mountains.
The video clip stopped, and David whistled low. “If the rest of those discs are like that one, I can see why they are hunting her. She wasn’t supposed to survive the IED. Damn…”
“According to the notebooks, they would listen for the messages that would tell them where they were meeting, and they’d get there and bug the location before they would show up. There are dozens and dozens of meetings logged here.” Traze explained, flipping through the notebooks, while Risk nodded, still looking at the other discs.
“What was she going to do with the tapes? Don’t get me wrong here, I’m just trying to look at this from all sides, but what if her goal was to blackmail the people involved? What if she wasn’t trying to expose them? You have to admit; we've come across a lot of humans, greedy enough and soulless enough to harm their own families in order to get ahead.” Reven said, ignoring the scathing look that Viper gave him.
Dread knew his brother was on the verge of losing it and tried to head it off. “I think even you would have to agree; she went to a lot of trouble to help Viper until we could get to him. Most people aren’t willing to take an invisible fist to the spine for some cash.”
“Lara knew they were going to kill her. She was going out there because she had a plan to get the information out somehow. I know that for a fact. Lara was not a traitor. She was trying to expose them.” Viper growled out between clenched teeth, intentionally challenging Reven, who ignored him.
“You seem a little too emotionally involved in this, Viper. Is she your mate?” Ivint asked curiously.
The entire room turned to Viper expectantly, and he tried not to squirm in his seat from the attention. He ignored Dread’s cautionary look and cleared his throat.
“Yes. She’s my mate.” Viper admitted while Dread shook his head and wiped a frustrated hand over his face.
“That’s wonderful, Viper! Congratulations! I’ll have Amun set up the enzyme therapy now while he’s caring for her so when you are ready there will be no challenges to a child you conceive.” Ivint offered.
Since Lara was fully human and not a Valendran hybrid or a gifted human, she would be unable to create an enzyme that w
ould allow a baby to sustain the Beast parasite that would be passed from Viper at conception.
Grai T’Alq’s son, Tristan, had suffered through severe seizures for years that had almost killed him until Amun was able to create a synthetic enzyme. No one wanted to see another child suffer, and Viper was grateful that Ivint would consider it. However, he knew it wouldn’t be needed. Not in this case.
“Thank you, but it won’t be necessary.” Viper said quietly, while Dread kicked the hell out of his leg under the table.
“What my brother means, is that it would be wonderful for Amun to have it ready for when they may be ready for children. Right now, I think with her condition so… tenuous, that it is best we discuss this at a later time. It may be wise to postpone the rest of this until Viper has a chance to rest and find out the condition of his… mate.” Dread said, grabbing his brother’s arm to keep his mouth shut when it looked like he would speak again.
Ivint looked at both Tezarian brothers, curious about their strange behavior since they had come back from the mountains. He was no fool; he knew that something was going on.
“We will break for a while so that Traze and Risk can go through the other tapes for us. Get Cristali here, I want as much information on Sgt. Blain as we can get. We need to know if she has family or close friends that may be at risk. We will meet back here at seven am. Understood?” Ivint asked, making sure that everyone nodded their heads.
“Thank you.” Dread said pulling Viper to his feet and out of the door. When they were gone, Ivint looked around the room.
“Something is deeply wrong with our friends.” Ivint pondered aloud.
“Viper is very shaken up, almost… numb. I don’t think it’s only from his mate being so gravely wounded.” Reven added, agreeing with Ivint.
“They are hiding something. It was obvious even at Lara’s cabin.” David said, voicing his thoughts to the group.
Grai leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Finding your mate on another world, far from your own, can be a little shocking. For the Tezarian’s, who have no population or gender imbalance problems, it may be even more of a surprise. They could be struggling to understand how and why it happened.”
“I have no doubts regarding their allegiance in this war and think that the problem is personal. If they need time to sort through this issue, then we can easily accommodate that.” Grai was one of those people who had been floored to find his mate. He could well understand Viper’s concerns right now, more so with Lara still so seriously injured.
Ivint considered the situation for a moment before finally speaking to the room. “The Tezarian’s have been an important ally and good friends. I am less concerned with their secrecy than I am the potential dangers to Viper and his mate. Whatever they are hiding; their fear for the female is very real.”
“Dread’s fear for both of them is very obvious as well, and I trust his instincts. Put a detail on them at a discreet distance. Make it clear that they are not there to spy, only to ensure that they are kept safe.”
“However… if they happen to hear something that concerns them, they are free to report it only to one of us. Nothing they hear or see is to ever be spoken of to anyone else. The point is to protect them not violate their privacy.” Ivint ordered, then called an end to the meeting.
Ivint, Reven, and Grai remained in the room until everyone else filed out. The moment the door shut behind them, Grai spoke up.
“I’m quite sure that whatever is at issue here does not concern us. At least not from a defense standpoint. I believe it is spiritual in nature, and we need to give them peace while they understand this.” Grai was concerned that the additional attention would only hamper the bonding that Viper needed to make with his mate.
“Why do you think it is spiritual?” Reven asked, valuing Grai’s intelligent opinion.
“Because Ratoka has not left. He has never been away from Zendar this long before. When I have spoken to him of it and asked what is keeping him here, he has been very evasive. The last time I was at his home, he had moved even more of his personal items from Zendar inside. He obviously has no intention of leaving anytime soon if he is having his personal belongings ferried from his home world.” Grai explained.
“That is curious, isn’t it?” Ivint said with surprise. It never ceased to amaze him how Grai could so easily keep up with what was going on with the people under his protection. He had no doubt that the man’s observations were correct.
“With the potential danger that Sgt. Blain may be in, I think the detail is still a good idea. Will she be taken to Dillon when she’s well enough?” Reven asked, knowing Ivint and Grai had already decided the issue.
“I believe Dillon would probably be better for her healing and if Grai is right, and it is a spiritual issue, then they will need to be closer to Ratoka.” Ivint stated simply, as if the matter was resolved.
“I’ll leave her placement in Dillon to you and get Jax to set up a detail.” Reven said with a smile. He was looking forward to speaking with the beautiful and frustrating woman again; he thought. She had been trying to avoid him for far too long.
Chapter Eight
Dread half dragged Viper down the hallway to the MedLab. Amun had told him through the Shengari’ that he had news regarding Lara, and that he should bring Viper. Dread was hoping like hell that the woman would be all right.
He wasn’t sure if he could pull his brother out of it again if she died. Again. All he wanted to do was get to Ratoka and find out what the hell was going on. Find out how it was possible that she was even here. Ratoka is where they were headed the second they left Amun; Dread thought with a sigh.
Viper walked into the MedLab and went immediately to Lara’s side. He almost stopped breathing when he saw that she was no longer so deathly pale. Holding out a trembling hand, he gently caressed the side of her face while Amun grabbed his comm device and walked over to him.
Viper could feel the faint, but steady hum of her energy and knew that she was going to live. He sagged into the chair at the side of her bed and held her small hand in his own as he tried to rein in the maelstrom of emotions running through him.
Dread hurried to his brother’s side and put a hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t only to offer comfort. Viper was so distraught and emotionally unstable that he was broadcasting his emotions through his energy. Any beast bonded person in the vicinity of Viper could easily read what was going on. Dread was using his own energy to help block his brother’s.
Amun cleared his throat to get Viper and Dread’s attention. He had felt Viper’s emotional turmoil and knew that Dread was now blocking his brother’s energy spillage. When Viper looked up, Amun began.
“We’ve stabilized her and stopped the internal bleeding. We’re cloning the damaged vertebrae from her stem cells now; they should be ready by tonight. We need to keep her in suspended animation for a little while longer.”
“Any movement from now until a few days after the implantation of the new vertebrae could have catastrophic consequences to her regaining the ability to move from the waist down. Do you understand me Viper?” Amun asked, concerned for his friend. He looked questioningly to Dread, who just shook his head and offered no explanation.
“Yes, I understand. She will be all right; she just needs to heal.” Viper said, taking deep breaths to try to calm his emotions.
He expected the worst. He had never really considered that she would make it, had refused to hope that she would. Viper had assumed it would be like the last time, and she would die, taking the last half of his soul with her. It would have made sense because she took the first half of it with her when she died the first time.
“Can we have a moment alone?” Dread asked quickly, knowing his brother was going to lose it. Fast.
Amun nodded and shut the door right as Viper leaned forward and rested his head on the bed beside Lara, and broke down. Dread rested both hands on Viper’s shoulders and squeezed him gently, trying to offer him
as much support and shielding as he could provide.
The weight of Viper’s emotions were slowly chipping away at Dread’s composure, and he knew he was going to have to help Viper pull himself together. He felt terrible for the pain Viper was in, a scar, hundreds of years in the making, had been viciously reopened without warning. However, until they spoke to Ratoka, they couldn’t allow anyone to know the truth.
Hell, even he was having a hard time with this. His own deep loss had been bad enough, but the years of he and Drago trying desperately to keep Viper from the Zatooni ritual had nearly broken them all before Viper finally pulled through. Although Viper had stopped considering ritual suicide, he had still never completely recovered. Dread would not let Viper go through that pain again.
“Viper, you have to control yourself. She is fine. You didn’t lose her this time. Pull yourself together so we can get to Ratoka and find out what is going on and how to keep her here.” Dread told his brother softly.
He hoped that the thought of keeping Lara would propel his brother into action and knew he was right when Viper lifted his head and turned to look back at him. The fear and pain reflected in his green eyes sliced ribbons through Dread’s heart.
“Ratoka will know what is going on brother. He will know a way to keep her here. Lara will be safe here in suspended animation. You know that no one here would ever harm her. You need to calm down so we can go.” Dread said quietly, grateful that he could feel the intensity of Viper’s emotions lessening.
Viper’s head was swimming with thoughts, and he felt out of control. Dread’s words penetrated some of the fog, but he just couldn’t seem to grasp the situation completely in his mind. He needed Zaxin. His beast would know what was going on. He would know who Lara really was. Ratoka would know as well.
Viper stood and leaned over the bed, placing a gentle kiss on Lara’s cheek. “I will return to you soon. Do not leave me this time while I am gone.” Viper whispered hoarsely into her neck. He sent several large bursts of energy to her to help her healing before straightening up and looking to Dread.
