Alone in the Crowd (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 3)

by Patrick Stutzman

  “But…but…” Jason shot a glance at Lieben, who merely observed the argument. “I’m really not sleeping with her. Honest!”

  “Then, explain why you don’t want to have sex with me when you get home every night. Hmm?”

  “I’m tired. I do a lot of work each day.”

  “So do I, but I still want to spend time with you.”

  “I do, too.”

  “Why don’t you?” Tears welled up in her eyes. “If you’re not sleeping with her, why won’t you spend time with me anymore?”

  “But, I do. I come home and…”

  “You come home long enough to eat dinner and go to bed. You hardly say anything to me anymore. How do you think that makes me feel?’ The first tear rolled down her cheek and she buried her face in her hands.

  Jason felt guilty for this whole affair. He knew he wasn’t having sexual relations with Anna. Although part of him fantasized about it, he did not want to act on it and wished to remain faithful to Catherine. “I…I’m sorry, Catherine. I…”

  “Leave me alone!”

  “Jason.” Reverend Lieben finally spoke up. Why did he let the argument go for so long? Aren’t counselors supposed to help control these things? “Go on home. Why don’t…”

  “No!” Catherine screamed as she pulled her hands from her face. “Find another place to live! You’re not going back to my house!”

  “But…” Despair dropped on the young man’s head. Where would he go?

  “No!” She dropped her head back into her hands and continued sobbing.

  The minister shot up from his chair and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, trying to console her. “I’ll talk to William about accommodations for you. Go on.”

  Jason opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. Strong waves of guilt washed over him, despite the fact that he still was not sure what he had done wrong. His shoulders dropped as he lowered his head and shuffled from the office.

  Chapter 31

  “I thought you said these things always traveled alone.” Murphy darted the muzzle of his rifle back and forth across the ground as he ran, spraying deadly blasts of energy at the hordes of six-legged rodent-like creatures charging them on the catwalk.

  Anna picked off a couple ahead of her as she kept pace with the marines. “The triwolves do. I’ve never encountered these before.”

  “Great!” Russell’s sarcasm was too easy to spot. “Some guide you are.” She fired another short burst, blowing another of the cretins away.

  “It’s not my fault they stay underground.” She stopped another one in its tracks. When would they stop coming?

  “Next time, let us know that you don’t know everything.” Wachowski’s statement could be considered either a stern warning or a sarcastic remark. Anna opted for the former.

  The seconds ticked by as they edged their way toward the airlock leading into the Altiki facility, only meters away. Wave after wave of the rodents surged toward them, some of them breaking through the line only to be kicked aside or crushed under another’s heels.

  One cretin leaped from the mob and latched onto Russell’s leg. Startled by the impact, she shot a look down in time to see it bite into her thigh. She screamed from the sudden pain and backhanded it away. With her hand away from her weapon and her defensive fire ceasing, a gap opened long enough for half a dozen more to swarm onto her. Murphy spread his arc of fire to cover for her, but they had already broken through and attached to her. Russell screamed again, pulling a dagger from her boot and cutting them loose.

  Anna dared a glance at the airlock. Seeing it only a few meters away, she jabbed the communicator button on her wristcomp. Hope spread through her when the door opened. “Run!”

  Wachowski shifted his position and followed Murphy’s lead by stretching the range of his weapon arc, giving Anna and Russell time and space to reach the airlock. Grabbing her collar, Anna tugged their squad leader toward the safety of the door.

  Shouting over the cloud of cheeps and squeals coming from the tiny creatures and the roar of their automatic weapons’ fire, Murphy warned, “Get ready!”

  Russell cut the last one free and watched it drop to the floor with only two of its six legs still intact. Picking it up, she gave it a disgusted look and flung it through the door, watching it bounce and roll past Murphy. “I hate rats, even six-legged ones!”

  Murphy backed into the airlock, followed quickly by Wachowski, while he still fired relentlessly at them. “Now!” Anna, poised with her finger over the communicator switch, closed the channel and shut the door.

  Wachowski slumped against the wall and slid to the floor as multiple thumps hit the airlock door from the other side. “Shut up!” He turned to gauge the rest of the group’s reaction to his shouted comment and shrugged. “Well?”

  With a half-smile, Murphy nodded. “I hate ‘em, too.”

  Anna dropped to her knees to tend to Russell’s wounds. Blood soaked her pants from multiple bites. A distinct coppery odor filled everyone’s nostrils. “You’re going to be okay.”

  Russell smiled weakly. “I wish I could be so sure. Knowing my luck, they probably have some alien version of rabies.”

  “I hope not.” Anna looked at the guys for a second. “Can one of you guys carry her? I know where we can fix her up.”

  “Oh, no!” Russell held up her hand. “Nobody’s carrying me. I can walk.” As Anna shuffled back, the soldier braced herself and shifted her weight to her legs. She winced and collapsed on the deck. She gave a pathetic laugh. “Okay, maybe not.”

  Wachowski curled his arms under her frame. “It’s okay, boss. I’ve gotcha.”

  Anna rose to her feet and turned toward the inner door. “Why isn’t Bryce opening the door?” She regarded the door with a curious expression.

  “Try the button again.” Murphy’s suggestion sounded tempting.

  Anna shook her head. “I don’t want to risk opening the outer door by accident.”

  “Well, we need to go somewhere. We’re not going to be stuck in this cramped room all day.”

  “Yeah,” Wachowski grunted facetiously. “I don’t think I can carry Russell’s fat ass much longer.”

  His remark earned him a dark look from Russell. “Shut up, Wachowski!”

  “Give me a minute. Let me see what I can do.” Anna creased her brow as she contemplated their predicament. The thumping against the outer door by the hexapedal rodents had died down. She counted to ten in her mind and then triggered her communicator. The inner door opened to darkness.

  Anna stepped cautiously through the airlock, holstering her weapon and pulling out her flashlight. She swept the beam of light across the corridor and found nothing. “Bryce?” Her call echoed off the metal walls, giving her an eerie chill up her spine.

  “What’s the problem, Anna?” Wachowski followed her into the hallway, still carrying Russell in his arms.

  Keeping her eyes forward, Anna responded, “I thought that my bilsintik would be here to greet me.”

  “Your what?”

  “My bilsin…my pers…” She thought about how it would sound to them that she had a personal assistant in an alien complex and decided to take the discretionary side of the explanation. “It’s a guide.”

  “Okay.” Wachowski’s face told her he still did not quite understand.

  Murphy walked out of the airlock, and the door closed behind him with a whispering hiss. “So, where do we go from here?”

  “This way.” Anna pointed down the hall and led the rest of the group toward the infirmary. Murphy covered their backs and kept his rifle at the ready. A minute passed without any conversation, but the men watched the walls like they were looking for something to appear.

  “Are there any doors in this place?” Wachowski’s words prompted a weak nod from Russell.

  “Yeah, they’re there.”

  Wachowski raised an eyebrow after hearing Anna’s response. “How can you tell?”

  “You can’t. It took a bit of
guess work when I was here before. But, I know it’s up here. We’re almost there.”

  Russell lolled her head back to see Murphy, who merely shrugged. She lazily turned her face forward, viewing Anna’s backside. “Well, I hope so. I feel cold.”

  Anna toggled the switch on her wristcomp again, and the door appeared and opened. “Here we go! Get her inside and lay her on one of the beds.”

  The soldiers charged in and followed her instructions, while Anna reached the deactivated console and waved her hand over it a few times. The controls activated and produced the holographic displays she remembered from her last visit, complete with the text in the Altiki’s language.

  “I can’t do this.” Anna complained as she examined the controls for a second before glancing around the room. “Where’s Bryce? Bryce!” No response came, except for the stares from the three troopers on the other side of the room. Perturbed to no end, she huffed and moved briskly toward the door.

  Murphy watched her with trepidation. “Where are you going?”

  “To find Bryce. I won’t be long.” The door opened as she approached.

  Letting the door close behind her, Anna looked down the wide corridor and spotted a sphere floating toward her. “Bryce?” Its course shifted toward her and gradually descended until it floated about a meter in front of her. When its shell began to glow, Anna covered her eyes with her arm until the telltale flash had passed. Lowering her arm, she saw Bryce standing before her.

  “Hello, Anna. I did not expect you to return so soon.”

  “Hi.” The words sped out of her mouth before she had a chance to think. “I need your help in the Infirmary.”

  The two returned to the medical center, and Bryce took his place at the console. He did not waste any time initiating the triage sensor sweep over Russell and beginning the treatment for the multiple bites on her legs.

  “I estimate that the treatment will be complete within six nathal.” Bryce keyed a few more switches on the holographic panel and closed the display.

  “Great!” Anna glided across the room to the bed. “Murphy, could you come with me? I need to obtain the proof McClaskey needs.

  Murphy exchanged a look with Wachowski and replied, “I need to stay with Russell to make sure she’s going to be okay.”

  “I understand your concern.” Anna nodded with empathy on her face. “But, the main reason why we’re here is to get this proof, and I’d like a witness with me to confirm it.”

  A hand brushed against Murphy’s arm. “It’s okay.” Russell’s voice, sounding unusually gravelly, accompanied her reassuring gesture. “I feel better already.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  “I’m sure, you lummox. Go with her.”

  Murphy grinned and answered with a curt nod. “Wachowski, call me the moment anything changes with her.”

  “You got it.”

  Turning to Anna, he gestured toward the door. “Lead the way.”

  Anna located and led Murphy into the room with the computer workstations a few minutes later. Picking the closest stall, she sat on the stool, fidgeting slightly to get comfortable as the holographic screen activated and illuminated the area.

  “Palitsa.”

  Positioning her hand into the image, the deep voice announced its recognition of her. “Palitas tik fa Anna Foster. Livo thran fenta. Language setting restored. Please make your selection.”

  Murphy stared at the display. “How in the…”

  “Long story, and I don’t have time to tell you right now. I need you to note the answers it’s about to give. Do you have something to record this with?”

  “Yeah.” He pulled a small, palm-sized device from one of his jacket’s pockets. With a flick of a switch, he nodded.

  Anna turned back to the holographic screen. “Computer, how soon do you expect the Altiki to return?”

  “Expected time of arrival is two damal from now.”

  “How long is that?” Murphy’s voice sounded concerned.

  “It’s at least a day and a half by my calculations. Got that?”

  He nodded rapidly, almost uncontrollably.

  “Okay, next question. How long does it take for this moon to orbit its parent planet?”

  “This moon completes one orbital rotation in approximately one three point five six damal.”

  Murphy scratched behind his ear while he contemplated. “Why did you ask that question?”

  Casting her gaze at him, she replied, “Just in case those in charge want to question my calculations, that figure will help them do it on their own.”

  “So, is that it then?” He poised his finger over the recorder, waiting with abated breath.

  Anna cut her nod off as a thought struck her. “Not yet. I have an idea.” She turned back to the display. “Computer, do you have any log entries in your system that mention Anna Foster over the last…five hundred damal?”

  “Two entries match your query.”

  “Present them, please.”

  “Those entries are classified.”

  “Classified?” Murphy’s question mirrored her initial reaction to the same news.

  She regarded him over her shoulder. “Yeah, it’s…complicated.”

  “How so?”

  Anna breathed heavily before she answered. “It’s…”

  “Let me guess. It’s a long story, and you don’t have time to tell me.”

  She smiled in spite of herself. “Something like that.”

  “So, what did you hope to accomplish from getting those logs?”

  As she rose to her feet and the screen dissipated, she answered, “Some of your high-ranking officers hold doubts about my history with these beings. I’d hoped that, by recording some of the logs, I could give them proof.” Anna took one last look at the workstation. “But, I guess that’s not going to happen. Could you play it back to make sure it recorded clearly?”

  With a nod, he played back the recording, confirming that every word was comprehendible.

  “Good.” Anna smiled broadly after the playback stopped.

  “Murphy, Wachowski.” The call from his communicator cut into the conversation like a dull knife.

  Murphy toggled the switch. “Go ahead.”

  “Russell’s treatment is done. The bites are gone, and she says she feels great. She doesn’t even have any scars.”

  He nodded with a sideways smile while watching Anna. “Roger that.”

  “I guess that’s our cue to head back to the colony. I can’t get anything more here.”

  * * * * *

  “Seriously?” McClaskey stared hard at Anna as she stood on the opposite side of the desk, a look of deep skepticism completed his visage. “You got proof.”

  Anna worked to conceal her triumphant smile and felt she was failing miserably. “Yes, I do. Murphy recorded it for me, while I got it from their systems.” She handed the device to the captain standing next to her. “Check it for yourself.”

  The captain maneuvered around the corner of the desk and to hand the recorder to McClaskey, earning himself a stare that would have caused blazing infernos to freeze in place. Stopping in his tracks, he swallowed hard and hesitantly set the recorder on the desk before backing away.

  McClaskey turned back to Anna, his face softened slightly. “We’ll check it out later.”

  “Check it now.”

  All eyes turned toward Danica, who was sitting in the chair next to Anna. “Something this important shouldn’t wait.”

  “With all due respect, Ms. Armstrong…”

  “With all due respect, Colonel, you will listen to this now.”

  McClaskey’s face turned sour. “Captain, go get Major Breaux.”

  “Yes, sir.” The captain saluted before rushing from the office.

  After watching the officer depart, Anna faced McClaskey again. “Why do we need him in here? Can’t we just verify it now?”

  “Jane…”

  “Anna.” Her face took a cheerless appearance. “My name i
s Anna.”

  Danica peered quizzically at McClaskey and pointed her thumb at her friend. “Why does everybody call her that?”

  With a brief shake of his head and a heavy sigh, the colonel weaved his fingers together and rested his hands on the desk. “Foster, the major is my second. If this is as important as you and Ms. Armstrong say, then he needs to be here to hear it, too. So, sit yourself down and wait.”

  Anna twisted her head around, taking a long moment to watch her friend for some kind of response. The colony’s governor returned the gaze from the corner of her eye and gave a short, encouraging nod. Drawing her mouth into a flat line, Anna took a seat next to Danica and crossed her legs.

  Several minutes later, Major Breaux marched into the room, his demeanor betraying his annoyance. “Why was I called away from the drop ships? We have supplies to offload.”

  McClaskey halted him with a careless hand gesture. “Ms. Foster here brought us a bit of intel that she feels is of vital tactical importance.”

  “Really?” Giving a sideways glance to the technician, he continued with a tone that sounded sincere. “Let’s check it out.”

  Moments later after the recording concluded, McClaskey leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, appearing lost in thought.

  Anna frowned at his inaction and threw a look of disbelief in Danica’s direction before returning to the officer. “Well?”

  “Honestly, Foster, I don’t see anything to indicate that their supposed arrival is any threat to this colony.”

  Sucking in a lungful of air, Anna leaned forward, prepared to scream her disapproval. McClaskey cut off her dispute before it even started. “But, it says they are coming. I don’t want us to be caught with our pants down.

  “Breaux, I need to meet with you and the senior officers on the double. We need to prepare our defenses, just in case these visitors do prove to be hostile.”

  Chapter 32

  Anna woke up screaming, her body drenched in cold sweat. As her eyes darted around the dark, cramped room on her ship, she realized that another nightmare had woken her from her fitful sleep. She swung her legs over the side of the cot, letting the thin white sheet slide off her bare back and shoulder as she took deep breaths to help calm her racing heart.