Hack

by Annie Nicholas

  He reached his goal only to find both rooms empty. He had to find her. Where else would she go?

  There was no sign of her in their building. A few couples were seated at the pool across the street but Jeannie wasn’t among them, and he didn’t spot her in the gardens. Where would his shark-hunting female go when upset? He rolled his eyes at himself. The beach, of course. He took long strides along the cobblestone path that led to the water’s edge when he spotted two men wearing the hard-light amulets. He ducked into the shadows of low-growing trees. These had to be crew members of the cruise ship, but what were they doing at the resort? Their mission to abduct humans was over.

  “This would be a lot easier if you had gotten a name,” the taller of the two said.

  “This human is stunning,” the second one responded. Hack recognized him. The purser from the cruise ship. “Even the other humans stared.”

  “They’re all stunning.”

  “Well, this is stunning by human standards and will bring a nice profit. We might be able to buy our own shuttle.” They were out of his earshot now.

  Hack peered after them. They were hunting a prettier-than-average human to sell on the slave market. Like the taller of the two had said, all humans were beautiful by galactic standards. What other humans found more attractive than others was irrelevant and most likely too minute for them to spot.

  What did matter was that the cruise ship hadn’t left the area.

  What if it was Jeannie they were looking for? She was the most beautiful human on the island in Hack’s opinion. He jogged along the path toward the beach.

  Jeannie sat on the sand, knees tucked to her chest, chin resting upon them. She wiped at her eyes.

  He knelt at her side. “Let me explain.” He was out of breath and his words came out one at a time.

  She jumped, startled at his sudden arrival. “You don’t have to. I understand completely.”

  “You do?” He breathed a sigh of relief and gathered her into his arms.

  She shoved him away. “What are you doing?”

  “You said you understood.”

  “Doesn’t mean I forgive you.”

  Hack narrowed his gaze. “Then you don’t really understand.”

  “That they’re prettier and this was some kind of joke on me.”

  “Joke? How?”

  “You allowed me to walk around with makeup on half my face. People must still be laughing at me.”

  “I—I thought that was a fashion statement.” He preferred her without face paint. Her smooth, sunny, glowing face didn’t need accents. “You’re beautiful no matter what you wear.”

  She rose to her feet. “Leave me alone, Hack. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

  Hack blocked her path. “You truly have no clue what’s going on. Give me a chance.”

  She met his glare with one of her own. This human who swam with sharks didn’t fear much, so why had she chosen to have her memories wiped? Jeannie took a step closer as if daring him to retreat. “Then explain what I don’t understand.”

  He held his ground and his tongue. She needed to have all the facts before leaving him. They both deserved that chance. If only he had a connection to Trace. The other agent knew how to weave word magic, especially with females.

  “I can’t read minds.” Jeannie tapped her bare foot on the sand. Her shoes dangled from her fingers.

  “This isn’t easy. I don’t want to frighten you.” He paced in front of her, fingers digging into his scalp.

  “You’re not doing a great job.” She grasped his arm, forcing him to face her. “What is it? Are you part of the witness protection program or something?” Her harsh laugh faded when he didn’t join her.

  “Or something.” He pressed his lips together. Blurting out the truth about aliens and fated mates would be cathartic but he expected she’d run from him. She was already doing that so what would he lose? “What do you recall of the trip before arriving to this resort?”

  She studied him. “Lots of partying. Alcohol, drugs, loud music, and flashing lights...”

  “Is that something you would do for days?”

  “Not usually, but this is a vacation and I wanted to let loose.”

  He sighed. Pete Peterson, the owner of Cosmos Resort, had an excellent memory wipe team. The simpler the false memories, the better integrated they became. Mind-altering drugs had been used on Jeannie, which tied in to these parties she’d attended in her false memories. “What if I told you that never happened? That you really were at another resort prior to arriving here.”

  “And what, they erased my memories?”

  “Exactly.” He could tell she wasn’t the least bit convinced.

  If he changed shape in front of her that would be irrefutable proof. He checked his nanobots. Still not strong enough for a full shift. A growl escaped him.

  Jeannie stepped back.

  “No, don’t be afraid. You never have to be afraid of me. Jeannie, my kind, we can sense our fated mates when we meet them.”

  “Your kind. What the fuck does that mean, Hack?”

  “I’m not like you or the others at this resort. I’m...” He knocked her shoes free of her hold and clasped her hands. “I’m an alien.”

  She gave him a slow blink. “Who can sense his mate?”

  “Yes.”

  “And she is the woman you kissed?”

  He jerked in surprise. “No! It’s you.”

  She slipped her hands free of his hold and took a step, distancing herself from him.

  “Are you okay with this?”

  “Sure, why not?” And slammed her little fist against his chin. “I’ve met some creeps in my time, Hack, but you are the worst person I’ve ever met.” She stormed past him, picking up her discarded shoes. “Alien, my ass.”

  Hack rubbed his chin as stars flashed in his vision. That could have gone worse. He was still breathing at least. As Crypto would say, time for damage control.

  Chapter Eight

  Hack sat on the balcony of his room, drifting in and out of sleep. The morning air held a crisp coolness as the eastern sky turned a lovely shade of coral. Waves lapped at the shore, singing a familiar lullaby. He’d listened to Jeannie pace restlessly most of the night.

  Feet shuffled on the walkway leading from his resort building. Someone else was up early. He glimpsed a bikini-clad female figure with her arms full of gear. Hack’s tilted chair hit the floor as he jumped to his feet. “Jeannie,” he called out. “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t even turn at the sound of his voice. Then he noticed her earbuds and growled his frustration.

  Scurrying through the open sliding-glass door, he tripped over the tracks and stumbled across his room. Once in the hall, he ran after her. He and Jeannie still had things to discuss. Somehow, he had to convince her that he’d spoken the truth and they were meant to be together. She had to stay close to him since she might be the human the slavers wanted.

  He followed her faint scent past the dining hall, across the beach, and to the dock. Her scent ended there. The empty dock. He scanned the water and spotted a ship pushing through the waves out to sea. Who was she with? The unwelcomed image of the man who had flirted with her came to mind. He had offered to go snorkeling with Jeannie.

  Then why were they on a boat? The distance to the reef could be swum.

  He clapped his hand to his forehead. The sharks. She wanted footage of the shy type of shark that congregated in deep waters. She’d left without him.

  Enough. He checked over the recent nanobot status report. Damage repair finished, replication had replaced thirty percent of his missing nanos, almost enough for communication. Not enough to change shape and follow Jeannie into the deep.

  Or was it?

  With a little nudge, he had the nanos uncover his hidden gills. He dove into the water and tested this hybrid shape he had constructed. It was frowned upon to mix systems. One never really knew what would happen when organs from different species were jumb
led together. Hack didn’t have a lot of choices. His hormones drove him hard.

  Jeannie was his. His to love. His to protect. There was no logic to it. Hack’s species was coerced by instinct and no technological advances had changed that.

  Seawater flooded his gills and eased the burning in his veins for oxygen. This body lacked air bladders for buoyancy control but he could possibly use his lungs. The saline concentration helped keep him afloat but he needed to go deep. He eyed a few rocks on the sea floor as he swam after the ship, stuffing them in the pockets of his shorts. Once he found Jeannie, he’d find more.

  So, he swam. No fins, or flippers, or webbing between his digits. This would take forever.

  Thank goodness Jeannie had reserved this charter in advance for today. Being out on the water looking for sawtooth sharks was what she needed to stop thinking about Hack and his claim to being alien. Had he stopped his meds? Or maybe they didn’t mix well with alcohol.

  Stop. No more thinking about him. When she returned to the resort she would see if a room change was possible. Hack’s lock-picking skills had kept her up most of the night. She’d been as quiet as possible to sneak out of her room this a.m. to avoid confrontation. It had worked.

  The rocking boat was a comfort. She felt more at home on the water. The captain was taking her to the coordinates provided by the amateur diver who had seen the elusive sawtooth shark. Not to be confused by the sawtooth fish, which didn’t live at such depths.

  The guide, who would accompany her for safety, checked their tanks and regulators. One never dived alone. She occupied her time by pulling on her full-body wetsuit, then checking her camera. This was only an exploratory excursion. If she found proof, she could organize a proper shoot.

  “Ben, have you seen evidence of sawtooth sharks here?” she asked the guide.

  He shook his head. “Doesn’t mean they’re not here.”

  True, this species of shark lived anywhere between four hundred to one thousand feet below sea level. Not many divers went that deep. Nothing was known about the shark’s population or eating habits. She could only pray to film one.

  The captain slowed the boat to a stop and shouted, “We’re here. Anchor down.” His announcement was followed by the rattle of a chain.

  A lot of dive shops used buoys to mark their sites and the divers could use the ropes to descend, but this wasn’t a frequented place. She’d descend by sight only. Not that unusual in her field of work. She checked the dive computer on her wrist and slid on the heavy BCD—buoyancy compensator device. Grunting, she maneuvered under the weight of two tanks to the back of the boat. She and Ben had already gone over their plan so she wasn’t surprised when he gave her a thumbs up before stepping off the back. She followed as soon as he floated out of her way.

  The dive was just over four hundred feet and required multiple tanks. Been there, done that. Deep dives didn’t frighten her like they should. She just assumed something was wrong with the fear center in her head. That couldn’t be true though, because she’d run from Hack and his crazy story of aliens as if he had set her pants on fire.

  What if he’d been telling her the truth? His English was a little off and she was positive he’d said planet instead of island when speaking of his home. And what country had so many males that they kicked them out?

  Jeannie snorted and her regulator released a flood of bubbles. Enough speculation. She had to focus on her descent and equalizing her pressure so her eardrums wouldn’t rupture.

  Ben was already ahead of her since he was more familiar with this part of the ocean. She didn’t normally dive to such depths with strangers but she’d been given a very tight budget to follow this lead. Her employers weren’t as excited by sawtooth sharks as she was. They cared about ratings, not knowledge.

  They followed a gentle slope down. Ben took her on a winding path through large coral pillars the size of two-story buildings. Huge parrotfish pecked at the algae that grew at their base. The sharp click of their beaks hitting the hard surface carried in the water.

  She glanced at her dive computer. Fifty-three feet so far. Ben was ahead of her, still in sight. Something moved in the corner of her eye. She jerked her head in the direction, expecting a barracuda or another sleek predator, but saw nothing. Slowing, she examined the shadowed areas of the reef.

  There. A large figure emerged.

  Jeannie forgot to breathe and her regulator slipped from her gaping lips.

  Hack darted forward, his body cutting through the water easily. He lifted the regulator back to her mouth.

  She cleared it of water before taking a deep breath. How was this possible? He wasn’t wearing any gear. Was he freaking free diving? If so, how had he found her?

  Hack turned his head and lifted his chin, exposing what looked like gills where there had been scars on his throat.

  Gently, she traced their delicate pink frills. This had to be a hallucination. Narcosis at this depth occurred more frequently than she cared to admit.

  He caught her hand with his and kissed her fingertips, his gaze locked to hers.

  Hack.

  An alien... The truth didn’t shock as much as it should have. Screaming underwater and swimming away seemed like a more appropriate reaction. Jeannie glanced in the direction Ben had swum. Gone. She returned her attention to Hack. Screw the sawtooth shark. She raised her camera.

  Hack shook his head and covered the lens with his hand. Oh, come on. The greatest discovery known to man and he refused her. In his shoes, she would probably do the same. He’d end up on some scientist’s slab to be dissected if she exposed his secret.

  Hack faded back into the shadows. He held up a hand to stop her from following.

  Then Ben appeared around the reef. Using his hands, he signed if she was okay.

  She told him yes and continued to follow him deeper—it was too dangerous and foolhardy to quit mid-dive. She’d worked so hard to reach this point. She might not have a second chance. With Hack, she suspected he’d be waiting for her on the beach when she returned.

  Every cell in her body wanted to follow him to the surface. She recalled how the fish had reacted to his presence on their snorkel trip and how he hadn’t feared swimming so far from shore.

  Had she really met her soulmate?

  Chapter Nine

  Hack smiled as a school of fish followed him through the coral reef. They were curious and didn’t recognize him as a predator.

  Jeannie swam ahead, diving deeper, following the gentle slope of the ocean floor.

  He gathered dead coral and rocks into his pockets to weigh him down so he could follow at a distance. Though he no longer carried air in his lungs, his body resisted going deeper. His ears hurt with the growing pressure. His body wasn’t made for this environment. At least, his nictitating eyelids had remained and helped with his underwater sight.

  The reef stopped and the fish disappeared. Only barren sand with a few rocky outcrops remained. Still Jeannie and her partner continued to dive.

  She looked over her shoulder once, but he’d been close to the ground and far enough that she didn’t spot him. Even with the revelation that he’d been telling her the truth, she continued on her mission. He had to admire her tenacity.

  These sawtooth sharks meant a lot to her. Part of him swam behind her because he worried for her safety, the other part was curious about this competitor for her attention.

  The water’s temperature dropped the deeper they went. Shivers racked Hack’s humanish body. It lacked the natural thermal layer his original body had. The nanobots refused to respond to his need for more heat. He’d used up their energy by the small change in shape. The strain of swimming so deep was taking a toll on their reserves as the nanobots attempted to compensate for the increased pressure. He didn’t know how much more he could take, but instinct wouldn’t allow him to leave his mate’s side. What if the sharks were dangerous?

  Jeannie and her dive partner changed their air supply source. Though the water was
deep, sunlight still filtered through the clear blue waters. It still amazed him how unpolluted these oceans were compared to his home world. Sure, he could taste a taint every now and then, but humankind still had a chance to preserve what they had.

  The dive partner pointed to the right. A large fish with a long pointed snout swam along the bottom. Languid, slow swishes of its tail propelled it closer and Hack spotted teeth protruding outward lining each side of its nose. The name sawtooth made sense now.

  He didn’t sense any aggression from it. As long as Jeannie kept her distance, he didn’t think it would attack.

  She lifted her camera and filmed the shark. Two more emerged in the distance. She filmed those as well then signaled her partner that she was done. That was quick. He hoped he hadn’t ruined this experience for her. She’d been looking forward to seeing the sharks since he’d met her.

  For some reason, the two divers paused halfway up and hung at that depth for some time. He’d have to ask her about that.

  Hack emptied his pockets of stones and commenced the long swim back to shore. Though he didn’t have his webbing between his fingers and toes, he still managed a decent speed. While he waited for Jeannie to arrive, he would look into the slavers’ activities. Their ship was still in the harbor. He didn’t know Cosmos Resort procedures so he didn’t know if this was abnormal. He had overheard two of them discussing abducting another human from the resort. Someone they thought would bring top dollar.

  He couldn’t help his team find the shuttle in his present state but he could help that human. Figuring which one had caught the human smugglers’ attention would be the difficult part. Failure was unacceptable. He had already let his team down once on this mission. He refused to do it again.

  As he reached the shore, he surfaced and closed his gills, then filled his lungs with air. Normally, he avoided having both respiratory systems since his natural instinct was to rely on the gills, but the nanobots needed more time before he changed to be more human.