“Remote enough?” Cosimo, Amias’ second in command, replied stepping forward. “We’re in the middle of a dessert,” he replied pointedly.
“But there’s a city just 25 miles away,” Amias pointed out. “What if one of the humans finds us?”
“Twenty-five miles is enough space to keep us safely hidden,” Cosimo countered. “Besides, do we really have any other choice?”
Amias knew that Cosimo was right. Earth was the only planet they had found with a climate and landscape similar to the one they were accustomed to back on Zexilon, their home planet. They would have never left the safe haven of their home if it weren’t for the rapidly accelerating deterioration of the outer layer of their atmosphere. This had resulted in one natural disaster after another, eventually leaving Zexilon uninhabitable. All of their people had been scattered throughout the universe, desperately seeking a place they could establish a new life.
He turned to look back at the tired, weary group he was traveling with. They had been searching for months, and it was very likely that they wouldn’t find another place as perfect for them as where they were at that moment. “But if they do find us,” he couldn’t help but wonder out loud.
“Then we’ll do what we have to in order to protect our kind,” Cosimo said stepping towards him and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Amias, you’re the leader of our team. If you say ‘no’ then it’s a no. But think about our people. We’re exhausted. We’re weak, and we’re running out of supplies. There’s no telling how much longer we can continue the search.”
That was Amias’ fear—using force. He knew that if it came down to it, his kind would be able to annihilate the Earthlings with no trouble. Their weak, fleshy make-up wouldn’t stand against his people when they shifted from their human form to their other. But none of them wanted that. All they wanted was to live in peace. They would never use force unless it was absolutely necessary.
Amias took a deep breath and let a smile form on his face. “Alright,” he nodded. With that simple gesture, his men burst into a fit of cheers. “We’ll stay!” An audible sigh of relief passed through the group.
“I don’t think we’ll regret it,” Cosimo said, turning to lead the others back to the ship to begin collecting their things.
Watching them walk away, exchanging smiles and words of excitement, Amias reached into his bag and pulled out his communicator. Pushing the small red button on the black box, the screen came to life. “Commander?” he asked when the holographic image of his commanding officer Gerrit was fully projected. Even in a miniature version, he still had an overbearing presence.
“Amias,” Gerrit replied. “I hope you’re calling with good news.”
“I am, sir,” he began. “We have found a place we think will work. We’re beginning to set up camp now.”
“Excellent! Send the coordinates and we will be there within the next few weeks,” Gerrit said happily.
“Will do, sir. I look forward to seeing you,” Amias replied. When the transmission was ended, he keyed in a few commands, and the screen on the communicator began to glow green, the words “location verified,” scrolling across it. With one quick press of a button, the words changed to “location sent.”
“It’s done,” Amias said, turning to his group and holding the black box over his head. Off in the distance, something caught his eye. There was a plane flying overhead and it was getting closer.
His men turned to follow his stare, letting their armfuls of items fall to the ground. “What is that?” he heard one of them ask.
“Is it commercial or military?” another wondered.
They all stood, motionless, fear spreading from one of them to the next as they watched it grow larger and larger the closer it got. “It’s military!” Cosimo yelled just as the plane dove down and released a shower of bullets that sprayed the ground around them, causing a cloud of dirt and sand to fly into the air.
The plane pulled up, and when the dust cleared, Amias saw that at least three of his team members were lying lifeless on the ground, pools of blood pouring out around them. He heard the drone of the engine as the plane turned and once again flew in their direction.
“We have to fight back!” Cosimo yelled out, standing over the body of one of their companions.
“You heard him!” Amias agreed, ordering his men into action.
The air suddenly became filled with a hot, heavy smoke that consumed them all. Amias felt his muscles tense and his bones expand. His skin became covered in scales and his back ripped open to produce two large, leather-like wings. When he had transitioned completely into his dragon form he stood at least twenty feet tall. All around him, his men were also already in their dragon skin and one by one they took flight.
The plane pulled back quickly, diving down and turning sharply. It sped off into the horizon, giving Amias a spark of hope that it had retreated for good. His relief was short-lived, however, when the air became filled with the sounds of engines buzzing. In the distance, coming from the same direction that the first plane had taken off in, a dozen different, larger planes were suddenly barreling towards them.
His men tensed with anticipation as they waited for their targets to come within range. When they did, Amias and his team let the fire pour out of their mouths, knocking four of the planes back and spiraling down towards the hard ground.
When the remaining planes began to spray them with bullets, half of them dove down, and the others flew up higher. The planes split up as well, half of them diving and half of them climbing. They were pursuing them with amazing accuracy. Amias heard one gaining on him, and with a sharp turn to the right, was able to throw it off just long enough to turn back and release a column of fire in its direction. He watched the plane fall rapidly, leaving a trail of dark black smoke behind it.
Turning back to give his attention to the others, he saw more planes appearing in the distance. “We need to pull back!” he communicated with them through thought. “More are coming! We can’t take them all on!” he continued.
His men regrouped before taking off in the opposite direction of the advancing fleet. Amias waited until he was sure that they were all together before following. The planes buzzed around him, not pursuing his men, but giving their full attention to him. He tried to dive out of their line of fire, but he was unsuccessful. He felt a sharp pain spread through him. Looking down he saw that it was not a bullet that he was hit with, but a sort of electrical device. The objected blinked wildly, each time sending a bolt of pain running through him. He tried to continue moving forward, but he couldn’t. His body surged with each movement, and the more he fought the worse the sensation became.
He couldn’t fight any longer. He began descending rapidly, despite his efforts to stay in the air. When he hit the ground with a loud crash he took one last look up to the sky. His men had escaped. At least that was some consolation. As he watched the tiny specks disappear in the distance his vision became blurry, eventually filling with nothing but empty darkness.
CHAPTER TWO
Nicole paced nervously back and forth. As she moved, her steps echoed through the large, sparsely furnished reception area where she waited. The gray tile floor and the black leather furniture made the space feel dark, despite the large chandelier which hung overhead and the enormous windows that lined the walls. “Ms. Sanchez,” the receptionist said looking up at her over the edge of her desk, “your father will still be a few minutes. You can feel free to take a seat and relax.”
It was understood that her request was really meant to be a hint that Nicole’s constant movement was disturbing her. “Sorry,” she said quietly as she walked over to one of the large couches running along the wall. Even seated, she found it hard to keep still. Rocking back and forth, she tried to slow her breathing and stop her heart from racing.
It was her first day working at Gen-Lab, and she just wanted to do well. Her father was the leading biologist in the company, working primarily with alien life forms and
genetically modified species. The research facility was located in Houston, Texas, and was a highly classified government funded organization. Most people didn’t even know it existed. They were hidden away behind NASA’s enormous complex and worked closely with the scientists there.
Nicole had originally wanted to be a teacher. She loved working with children, and the simple, quiet life seemed like a much-needed change from the high-intensity world that her father lived in, and consequently brought home to his family. He was a stern man. In her entire life, Nicole couldn’t remember a time when she saw him smile. She always wondered what drew her mother to him.
Nicole was more like her mother than her father in every possible way. Not only did they look alike, with their light, pale skin, bright green eyes, and curvy shape, but they also shared similar personalities. Her mother was soft-spoken and submissive, but she always had a smile on her face—a naïve, innocent smile that let you know she was eager to please.
Juan and Alice Sanchez had had three children—Nicole was the youngest. Her brother and sister weren’t as intimidated by their father as she was, and when they chose their own lives and career paths, the pressure Juan put on his last born to follow in his footsteps increased. “You’re my last hope, Nicky,” he said to her one day. “Don’t let me down.”
That is what brought her to this moment—the all-consuming need she felt to please her dad. She needed his approval; it was the only thing she had ever wanted in her entire life, even though it was probably the only thing she could never actually get. “Nicole,” she heard her dad’s voice call her from across the room. She looked up to see him standing at the door to his office. He was a large man, with dark tan skin and deep brown eyes, so dark they appeared almost black. “Come in,” he said motioning for her to follow him.
Getting to her feet, she hurried across the room, her steps once again echoing around her. When she walked into her father’s office, her palms suddenly became very sweaty. “Sit,” he ordered her. She did as she was told without a word and waited for him to give her the speech. The same speech he had given her time and time again—before starting high school, college, and then grad school.
“This is a big day for you,” he started, leaning forward and looking her in the eye, making sure he had her full attention. “I expect nothing but your best, Nicole.”
“Of course,” she said, twisting her hands in her lap.
“If you blow this, it reflects badly on me,” he said leaning back and crossing his arms at his chest.
That was it—the speech. It was the exact same as it had always been. Whereas other parents would be congratulating their children on their new job, and wishing them luck on their new adventure, her dad only reminded her that whatever she did it would only and always be tied to him. That was her dad’s way of giving her encouragement—scaring her beyond the point of reason. “I know, dad,” she said quietly.
“Sir,” he said to her sternly.
“I’m sorry?” she looked up at him quickly.
“Here, you are to refer to me as ‘sir’ or ‘Dr. Sanchez’,” he explained.
“Yes, sir,” she corrected herself.
“You understand how important this is, don’t you? This isn’t some class project or clinical experience. This is the real world—this is my world.”
“Yes, sir,” she said quietly, looking down again. She did, too. She knew how important this was—to him. For her, all that mattered was earning his respect.
CHAPTER THREE
Her dad led her out of his office and began giving her a tour of the facilities. He didn’t pause long enough for her to write anything down, so she hoped she would be able to retain enough to at least do her job well. When he stopped in front of a large, double-paneled wooden door he turned to face her abruptly. “Are you ready?” he asked her.
“Ready? For what?” she asked panic spreading through her.
“To meet the team,” he said to her dryly.
“Today?” she said nervously. “I thought that I was going to be starting tomorrow. Today was just supposed to be a ‘pick up your key, get to know the place’ kind of thing, I thought.”
“This is part of that,” he said turning away from her and pushing the doors open, not giving her time to collect her thoughts.
When she entered the room, every face turned to look at her. There was a large table in the center of the room, with twelve seats around it—all of them occupied except for one. Her dad sat in the empty chair at the head of the table. The men and women sitting around him were all much older than Nicole. They were all dressed in pantsuits and pressed shirts, and looked more like business associates than scientists. “Everyone, this is Nicole Sanchez, our newest biologist,” her father introduced her formally. “Ms. Sanchez,” he said to her. “These are the leading minds working here at Gen-Lab.”
“Nice to meet you all,” she said, smiling weakly. She was still standing, since there was nowhere to sit, and felt extremely uncomfortable with everyone looking at her.
“As an entry level biologist, your job will be to work with the specimens, collect data and samples, and then deliver them to us in the lab.”
“I won’t be working in the lab?” she asked, shifting her weight back and forth.
Her father shot her a disapproving look. “That’s a privilege which is earned. First, we need to see that you can follow simple orders and not question authority,” her dad said to her between gritted teeth.
She didn’t know if she should answer or not, so she opted for saying something, but changing the subject. “What specimens will I be working with?” she asked.
Everyone finally shifted their attention off of her and turned to look at her father. The room was quiet while they waited for him to answer. “It’s easier if we show you,” he finally concluded.
He stood to his feet along with the two men sitting on either side of him. One was younger than the other, and couldn’t have been much more than 30 years old. He had kind eyes and a friendly smile that he only gave Nicole when the others weren’t looking. They filed out of the room, waiting for her to follow. As they led her down a long hallway, her hands began to shake slightly at her sides. She shoved them down in her pockets in an effort to keep them still. Her father, leading the group, stopped at a large, gray metal door. “Are you ready, Nicole?” he asked her over his shoulder.
She didn’t answer. She just watched as he lifted his key card and slid it through the card reader next to the door. When the small box let out a loud, high-pitched squeal, her father leaned his weight against the door and pushed it open.
She followed the small group into another long hallway. This one was dimly lit, with fluorescent light bulbs hanging down from the ceiling. All along the walls on either side of them were windows, giving her a view into the different rooms they passed. She heard the man in front of her explaining to her what each specimen she saw was, but she didn’t pay attention to him. She couldn’t make out his words over the pounding of her heart in her ears. Each creature she passed seemed more unusual than the last.
In the first room, there was what appeared to be a large bear, but it was completely hairless. It moved about the room slowly, and when it turned to face her she had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming. Its face was that of a bird, but again without feathers. “It’s hideous!” she exclaimed under her breath. She heard the younger man, who was standing next to her chuckle a little, and her father let out an exhausted sigh.
In the second room, she had to lean in closely to even see what was being held there. At first, she didn’t think anything, but then she saw it. In the corner of the room was a small, shiny cube. “Is that it?” she asked, furrowing her brow and squinting her eyes.
“Yes,” the man next to her said. He sounded annoyed. Maybe he had already told her, but it was when she wasn’t paying attention.
When they walked to the next room, she decided to focus all her attention on what the man was saying before turning to face whatever
creature was being held in the room. “This specimen is known as Specimen 91-33. It’s more dangerous than the others we’ve seen up to this point. We believe it is from a planet not too far outside of the Milky Way. It was found in the Rocky Mountains. While it may look like your average mountain lion, at night, it grows in size three times, and its already aggressive temperament becomes borderline insane.”
When Nicole finally turned to look at it, she was surprised. The man was right; it didn’t look unusual or alien. “How did you guys know it was an alien?” she asked inspecting it.
“Just wait till you see it at night. Then you’ll know there’s absolutely no question that this beast is not from this planet.”
She turned to look back at the group but they had already moved on. They made their way down the hall, stopping at each window and giving her a chance to gawk at the creature inside the room. When they reached the end of the passageway she expected them to turn around, but they didn’t. They stopped in front of a door that had no window allowing her to see into the room. The door had a large red and yellow sign on it, which read “CAUTION-DANGEROUS.”
ROMANCE: ALIEN ROMANCE: Captured by the Alien Dragon (Alpha Male Alien Abduction BBW Romance) (Bad Boy Shifter Fantasy Romance) Page 4
