Ecstasy Bound

by Kerce, Ruth D.

  * * * * *

  Alexa paced, waiting for the others to arrive. This was not good. This was not good at all. Braden’s anger and impatience had peaked. She’d given him a wide berth since he found the video of Briggs. She knew when he needed space to think.

  Torque entered the room in a rush. “What’s going on? Is everyone all right?”

  He looked around. His gaze fell on her, then his brother. When he’d heard the call to medical, the seriousness of Braden’s voice, he’d probably feared the worst. She could see the concern in his eyes.

  Erik and Pitch entered almost on his heels. “We’re here,” Erik said, a little out of breath. “What’s happening?”

  “We found something. Take a look.” Braden flipped a switch and ran the video on the screen.

  “Fuck!” Torque spat, his eyes fixated on the screen. “That lying bastard.”

  “We also found video of him going down to the sublevel multiple times. I can’t believe we were taken in by him.”

  “We’re going to confront him, right?” Pitch asked in a low voice, his jaw and eyes looking hard as ice.

  “Now,” Erik said. “While he’s in the conference room. He’ll be useless to defend himself, physically and mentally, while under the influence of the Initiation chemicals.”

  “Wait,” Alexa stepped forward. “Don’t just jump on him. Give him a chance to explain.” She still didn’t want to believe that Briggs was working against them.

  “Alexa, let us handle this.” Braden looked at Erik, determination in his eyes.

  “You’re in charge of this. I’m not leaving Alexa and the babies until I’m assured they’re safe from Frost.”

  “No problem. I’ll take care of Briggs. He’ll tell us the truth, one way or the other.

  Let’s go, guys.” He headed into the corridor. Torque and Pitch followed him.

  Worry gripped Alexa. They were acting like a lynch mob. She turned back toward the computer. “Can we watch what happens? In the conference room and the observation room where Laszlo is?”

  Braden stared out the door for a long while before answering. He finally turned to her. “Partly.” He sat in front of the computer and punched up a vid-monitor screen.

  “There’s no monitor in the observation room. But we can watch the confrontation in the conference room. We won’t know Laszlo’s response unless he also enters the conference room. But I’m sure he will.”

  “Is there sound while we’re watching it live?”

  “Yeah, just a minute. All right. It’s on.”

  Alexa saw Briggs lying naked, facedown, on some pillows. Brianna sat nearby. Also naked. Alexa couldn’t see Josella. The hanging sheets were obscuring part of the view.

  Nobody was speaking but she could hear some rustling and other small sounds. She felt like a voyeur.

  Braden wasn’t looking at the screen but seemed deep in thought. She sat beside him, certain he wanted to be there confronting Briggs himself. If the Colonel was indeed proven guilty, she knew Braden would confront him at some point. “I really hope there’s an explanation for this.”

  He raised his eyes and his gaze locked with hers. “Briggs is the only stranger among us. At least it would prove that none of us has turned against our own kind.

  That’s a good thing, Alexa.”

  “I suppose. But Briggs is my own kind.”

  “Only half.”

  “It’s the only half I knew until you came along. I’ll always hold a soft spot in my heart for Earth.”

  Plus, if true, if Briggs actually was the traitor, she worried how it would affect Brianna, who had grown close to him since all this began. To be betrayed by a man she’d developed feelings for would be devastating, especially on the heels of losing her sister and her home planet. Alexa couldn’t imagine the heartache that would cause.

  She pulled in a deep breath and tugged at the collar of her shirt. She’d been having trouble breathing lately. The air was definitely getting thinner down here. And everyone was acting more than a bit out of character in her opinion.

  They needed to get out of here and to safety. Soon. Before the babies were affected.

  And before someone snapped.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Erik and the others stormed the conference room. Erik had reeled in his baser instincts and ordered Pitch and Torque to do the same. They couldn’t allow themselves to get caught up in the emotion of the situation. Doing something stupid wouldn’t help their cause. It would only serve to divide their group even more than it already was.

  As they rushed in, Erik heard Josella gasp. His gaze shifted from her and fell on Brianna. She frowned at him. A twinge of regret pricked at his conscience but any apology he might have wanted to issue stuck in his throat. He was too angry at Briggs and the situation for niceties.

  Everything and everyone came to a stop. Brianna reached for a sheet to cover her body. After an awkward moment, they all snapped back into motion.

  “We’re here on business,” Erik announced.

  Briggs rolled over and sat up on a mat, not bothering to cover himself. “What business?”

  Erik walked over to him, and despite the fact that Briggs was naked and looked half out of it, he jerked him up by the arm. “On your feet. Now.”

  “Hey, hey, hey.” Briggs wobbled a little but then found his balance. “Easy.”

  “Can’t this wait, whatever it is?” Brianna demanded, pushing to her feet and tucking the corner of the sheet between her breasts, covering her body. “We still need to get through the last stage of the rite.”

  Laszlo stomped into the room. “What the hell is going on? Explain your actions.

  Now!”

  “Where the fuck is it?” Torque asked looking around. He headed for Briggs’

  clothing.

  Pitch followed him.

  “Someone answer me,” Laszlo ordered.

  “Where’s Leila?” Erik asked.

  “She went to medical to process the sperm sample,” Brianna told him. “We got it.

  The Initiation worked. But we’re far from finished in here.”

  They must have missed each other in the cross-corridor, Erik thought. Just as well that Leila wasn’t in the middle of this. He walked over to Torque and Pitch. “It’s the left boot.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Torque picked it up. It only took him a second to figure out how to open the heel. He pulled out the comm device and handed it to Erik.

  “Rhodes!” Laszlo demanded.

  Erik turned toward him. “Briggs has a transmitter and used it to alert Frost of our location.”

  “No.” Brianna stepped protectively in front of Briggs, a shocked expression on her face. “That’s impossible.”

  “It’s right here.” He held up the device so she could see it. “We have him using it on video right outside this room. We also have him on video going down to the sublevel more than once. A message to Frost was found on the sublevel computer.”

  “The sublevel?” Josella asked.

  Brianna whirled to face Briggs. “Did you contact Frost with that device?”

  “Who?”

  Laszlo shook his head. “Impossible. Do you know for a fact that he was in contact with Frost and gave her our location?”

  “It had to be him,” Torque said. “The transmission is a fact. I saw the connection myself. Braden saw it. Halah saw it. Right on the sublevel computer. FSMF-36. Her ship’s identification. The only way to get a transmission through would be with the help of an independent comm device. Just like that one.” Torque pointed to the transmitter. “He was keeping the device hidden in his boot, which makes it obvious he’s been up to no good with it, otherwise he’d have disclosed its existence. Even if he didn’t tell Frost where we are, it’s probable she could track the location once contact was made.”

  Briggs grabbed a sheet, looking a little more coherent. “Yes. The device is mine.” He wrapped the sheet around his waist. “I
t’s one-way only. To send messages back to Earth. I didn’t tell anyone about it because I didn’t want it confiscated. That’s all I used it for.”

  “He’s lying,” Torque growled.

  “Why should we believe you?” Erik question.

  “Wait,” Josella said.

  “I believe him,” Brianna said.

  “Stop thinking with your pussy, sister,” Torque barked.

  Brianna shoved him back. “Don’t talk to me like I’m an imbecile.”

  “Hey!” Torque wobbled backward before planting his feet. Surprise filled his face, then a glare lit his eyes.

  “Enough!” Laszlo ordered. “I will not have in-fighting.”

  “Listen to me!” Josella shouted, pushing her way into the group. “I saw someone using the sublevel computer. I saw those letters and numbers on the screen but I didn’t know what they meant.”

  “Who did you see, Josella?” Pitch asked.

  Silence fell in the room. Everyone looked at her with interest.

  “Delemar.”

  A tense silence surrounded them.

  “Delemar? That’s crazy,” Brianna finally said, shaking her head.

  “Maybe not,” Torque mumbled, a formidable look on his face.

  Brianna looked at him. “I mean, it’s not crazy that he might have been sitting and doing something at the computer. It’s crazy that he’d be in contact with Frost.” She turned to Josella. “Are you sure those are the letters you saw? Delemar’s a Xylon Council member. He knows—”

  “Everything.” Erik felt his face burning with anger. The truth hit him like the blast from a surge-rifle. “Delemar knows everything about Xylon. He has top clearance.

  Which would explain how Daegal knew so much all the time. Delemar could have been informing Daegal, along with others of high rank on Marid, of every move we’ve been making for who knows how long.”

  “Shit,” Torque spat. “Tara died because of that bastard.”

  “Would he do that?” Pitch questioned. “Betray Xylon?”

  “Why would he betray his own people?” Josella asked.

  “Wealth. Power. Revenge. Who knows?” Laszlo answered, sounding weary. “I should have suspected this. Seen it somehow. He must be found. Put Halah on it,” he ordered Erik with a pointed look, then glanced around. “Where’s Braden?” Laszlo made eye contact with him again. “He should be here.”

  Erik returned his look. “Braden stayed with Alexa and the babies in medical to make sure they were safe. Frost and the Egesa could be here at any time if she does know where we are.”

  Had Delemar discovered the babies were the next Triad of Power and told Frost that too? If so, the danger to them would be even greater. He was certain that worry lay heavily on Braden’s mind. Delemar needed to be questioned.

  “Braden’s the one who found the video?” Laszlo asked.

  Erik nodded. He didn’t tell Laszlo about locking up Kam and Halah. He didn’t see the point of causing more tension. He’d order them freed immediately, now that he knew the truth.

  Halah would handle Delemar well. Her electrical powers worked a lot like a pain inducer but were much more potent. Her equipment was built into her Warrior jacket, but even without it, she always retained some power on her own.

  And she was more objective.

  Any of the other Warriors, including himself, would probably lose control and just kill Delemar to be done with it. Especially Torque.

  “I’ll assign Halah,” Erik agreed. “It’ll be done immediately.”

  Pitch glanced at Briggs. “I think he needs some relief. His eyes are glazing over.”

  Brianna touched his arm and concern filled her gaze. “Everyone out except Josella,”

  she ordered. “We must continue before his brain is damaged.”

  “Pitch, stay behind,” Laszlo said. “We might need you.”

  Erik didn’t object. They’d finished with the ships. He needed to get on the oxygen problem. With Halah on Delemar, Torque working on decon and the power problem, and Braden protecting Alexa and the babies, they were covered.

  With nods all around, everyone headed for their assignments.

  Once they stepped out in the corridor and Laszlo and Pitch disappeared inside the observation room, Erik turned to Torque. The look in the man’s eyes worried him.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Torque.”

  A grunt was his only response.

  “I’m serious. Release Halah and Kam. Let them know what’s going on and put them both on the search for Delemar. Kam may be able to sense where he’s hiding. I’m going to report to Braden, then I’ll look into the oxygen problem. Is that decon room set if we need it?”

  “It’s done.”

  “Great. The ships are ready too. Once this Initiation is done and Leila gets what she needs processed, we’ll be good to go. With luck we’ll be out of here and have sent back armed rescue ships before any unwelcome visitors arrive. Since you’re done with decon, concentrate on the power drain. See if you can get that stopped so it doesn’t fuck us up later.”

  Torque nodded but it looked forced.

  “Torque…”

  “I know my damn duty.”

  “See that you do.” Erik hoped Torque didn’t cause trouble. They already had enough to deal with. “Let’s go.”

  He had such a bad feeling about all this. How had they not seen that a Council member could be the traitor? Delemar was one person they should have suspected because he had access to all of Xylon’s information. They had been so concentrated on blaming Laszlo or Kam or Halah that none of them had seen what was right in front of their eyes.

  Delemar had probably even maneuvered his own rescue. Put himself in the right place at the right time to be saved. Or at least given himself an advantage. Tara could just as easily have been the one who had materialized down here. But Delemar had played the odds and won.

  He suspected the man probably had been transferring information to Daegal and his people for a very long time, which meant the Egesa held a great advantage over them. Daegal had always been privy to more information than he should from Warriors who had turned to serve him as Agents. But as a Xylon Council member, Delemar could supply the most sensitive of information. He might even have known about Daegal’s invasion plans and played a part in Xylon’s destruction.

  If so, the bastard deserved nothing less than a slow and torturous death.

  * * * * *

  Halah let out a whoop. “I found the files. Everything. It’s all here. Well, not everything. But enough to help us out where we need it to get out of this shelter in one piece.”

  Kam came up behind her as she worked at Laszlo’s computer. “So who’s the traitor?”

  She felt his tension, heard the frustration in his voice and hated to disappoint him.

  Unfortunately who was still the one missing link. She looked up at him. “I don’t know.”

  He scowled and mumbled something incoherent.

  “But look. The person did make a log of the transmissions after all—at least some of them. They were saved in a folder outside the log directory, which was why they didn’t pop up when Torque ran a normal log search. They include the instructions on how to sabotage the ships, the oxygen and even the power down here. Which is probably why the person saved them. To refer back to. With this information, we know exactly what was done and where. We can reverse everything.” She smiled up at him.

  “So it was sabotage. All of it.” He let out a heavy breath. “All right. Let’s get on it and get things repaired as quickly as possible.”

  “We should tell the others.”

  “Let’s fix what problems we can first, starting with the oxygen. Once they discover we’ve escaped, they might not be keen on listening to anything we have to say. Not right away anyhow and we have a time factor to consider.”

  “Good point. Though to fix the oxygen, we’ll need to go down to the sublevel. We might run int
o someone down there.”

  “With a little luck, I think we’ll be able to sneak by. Especially if whoever is down there is working on the orbiters. They’ll be in the docking areas or inside one of the ships. I should be able to sense if anyone comes near. Although that blasted machinery down there puts out some wicked interference.” A frown crossed his face.

  “I trust in your abilities.” She smiled, knowing that his sensing power had been growing. At least until they’d gotten down here. She didn’t know the reason for his stronger senses nor why they had suddenly waned. Such powers normally did not cycle, as far as she knew. Neither of them could figure out the changes happening inside him. Her brow furrowed as her thoughts returned to the traitor. With what she’d found in the files, they should be able to figure out who had betrayed them.

  “What is it?”

  “I was thinking… There are only three people down here who would have needed instructions from Frost to carry out this sabotage. The rest would already have enough knowledge to cause plenty of destruction.”

  “Four,” Kam corrected after only a slight hesitation. “Alexa, Delemar, Briggs, Josella. None of them would know how to sabotage the systems without help.”

  “Delemar doesn’t have the knowledge?”

  “His background is in social sciences. He was never a Warrior, as far as I know, only an advisor. The Council brought him in after one of the uprisings to help reestablish order.”

  “I see. I never did follow the political side of Xylon that much. Especially after the Council refused to help me.” The memory of how they’d turned their backs on her and her sister still burned strong. When Kam touched her shoulder, she gave him a shaky smile. “Well, we can discount Josella as the traitor.”

  “And Alexa.”

  “So that leaves Briggs or Delemar. Who do you think?” she asked.

  “I never sensed anything of that caliber from Briggs. Delemar hasn’t been around enough for me to gauge him. Even before all this happened, I was never in his presence much. I can’t really say.”