Awakening

by Amelia Wilson

  “Maybe it was a man who liked an alien girl,” her friend suggested. “You don’t know.”

  “I know one thing. There’s a guy over there who’s staring at us.” she said, putting her glass back to her mouth to conceal her words. Joely turned to look, and Sera rolled her eyes. “Real subtle. Jesus.”

  The man nodded to them and smiled, revealing a beautiful set of white, even teeth in his deep brown face. Something about the way the light played over his skin seemed odd, and his intense, bright green stare was unnerving. Joely turned back to Sera after waving to him.

  “Do you think he’s CIA?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She looked at him over the top of her glass. “I think he’s a hybrid.”

  “Can’t be,” her friend objected. “His eyes are all wrong.”

  “Depends on how hybridized he is.” She put her glass aside. “This is weird. Let’s pay and get out of here. Besides, the sun is getting really hot.”

  Joely flagged down their server and got the bill, which she paid without letting Sera contribute. She helped her get her very-pregnant self out of the chair and said, “I’ll drive, mamasita.”

  “Thanks.”

  They walked to Joely’s car, which was closer than Sera’s. It was a green VW, even more battered than Sera’s Chevy, and when they arrived, there was an envelope tucked under the windshield wiper blade. Joely plucked it loose with an exasperated sigh.

  “Worst thing about living in a college town,” she said, opening Sera’s door for her. “All the damned flyers.”

  “That’s no flyer. Can I see it?”

  Joely handed it over, and Sera opened the envelope. There was a tiny device inside, shaped almost like a hearing aid, very similar to the translator unit that Theyn and Beno had given her. A tiny handwritten note accompanied the earpiece. “Put this in your ear.”

  She showed the note to her friend, then obeyed. The device slid into place and clicked once. A woman’s voice came over the line, speaking in liltingly-accented English.

  “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “My name is Nima. I work for the Ylian Resistance on Bruthes. Nod if you understand.”

  Slowly, Sera nodded, her eyes scanning the buildings around their parking place, looking for someone on overwatch with a sniper rifle or binoculars. She saw no one.

  Nima continued. “We need your help.”

  “If you’re trying to find Theyn and Beno, I don’t know where they are.”

  “We know where they are,” the watching Ylian said. “We’ve been in contact with them. We need your help getting them free.”

  Sera looked at Joely, who was watching in confused frustration. “Tell me what to do.”

  “Go home. Get some rest. There will be no more time for sleeping soon. We will come and pick you up after dark.”

  She put her hand on her baby bump. “I’m not in any condition to get into a running firefight…”

  “No, but you’re the only one with a mate connection to the prince and his companion. You can help us find them despite the silencing devices your CIA is using.”

  Sera’s teeth clenched. “Are they being tortured?”

  “Not tortured, but misused. And it’s time that they were free. We need their help.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Good.” She thought she heard another voice behind Nima, a man’s voice, and then the Ylian woman said, “I will see you tonight.”

  The line went dead, and Sera turned to Joely, who said, “What’s going on?”

  “Get in the car,” she answered with a non-answer. “I’ll tell you on the road.”

  ***

  Despite Nima’s direction to get rest, she couldn’t relax once Joely got her home. Her friend insisted on staying with her when she heard what was going on and what had been said, and she’d even called Asa to come and keep watch with them. Sera suspected that Joely and Asa intended to go along with her when Nima and her compatriots came, and that was all right with her. She could take care of herself, she knew, but it would be good to have some people there that she knew she could trust.

  Joely made tacos and they ate dinner together, chatting about coworkers and students and television shows, anything except what they were preparing to do. Sera wasn’t even sure what that “something” was, but she was certain it would get pretty rough, pretty fast.

  They sat together in Sera’s living room after dark, watching Jimmy Fallon and trying to keep from checking the windows every thirteen seconds. Sera was nervous and agitated, jiggling her leg so constantly that she was making Joely seasick from bouncing the couch.

  Her friend grabbed her knee and held it. “Seriously,” she said. “Stop.”

  “Sorry.” Sera began chewing on her thumbnail, unable to quell her nerves. “When are they coming?”

  “I don’t rightly know,” Asa said, even though he knew the question had been rhetorical. He took a sip from a long-necked bottle of beer, one of a six-pack he’d brought along. He and Joely had decimated it and he was slowly killing the lone survivor. “Do you think they’re going to show up in a car, or is this going to be more like an alien abduction thing? And if they come in a flying saucer, do you think the neighbors’ll notice?”

  She chuckled. “Mrs. Santana will get her phone out and film everything, then try to get on the news. I’m sure of it. Of course, she’d probably do that if they showed up in a car. She’s a nosy old thing.”

  Jimmy Fallon gave way to Seth Myers, who eventually gave way to Carson Daly. Joely and Asa were napping on the couch, Joely’s head against Asa’s shoulder. The light from the television flickered over their faces and made them look like extras in a ghost movie. Sera paced a path from living room to kitchen and back again, with frequent detours into the bathroom. The baby had made herself comfortable sitting on Sera’s bladder, just another part of the glamor of being pregnant. Sera was considering moving her bed next to the toilet if Nima didn’t show up soon.

  She finally settled down in her recliner and fell into fitful sleep. She dreamed of Theyn and Beno, and of cold rooms filled with metal and sinister equipment. The dreadful visions chased her back into wakefulness.

  She could hear a soft humming sound, like a very large refrigerator running in the night. She had never heard the sound before. She struggled to her feet and went to the front window. The yard and the street beyond were dark and deserted, but still the humming persisted. If anything, it grew louder.

  A sharp rap on the back door startled all of them. Joely straightened with a yelp of surprise and Sera hurried through the kitchen to the rear entrance. When she opened the door, a full-blooded Ylian woman in a gray jumpsuit stood there, her green eyes glowing.

  “Nima?” she asked.

  The woman nodded. “Yes. Come with us.”

  “Hey!” Asa rose. “We’re coming, too.”

  Nima looked at Sera, who nodded. “They’re friends.”

  “But are they combatants? They’d be coming into a war zone.”

  Joely argued weakly, “I’m her Lamaze coach.”

  Sera looked at her friends, then said, “They can hold their own as well as I can.”

  Nima hesitated, clearly uncertain, but she finally said, “Fine. Come quickly.”

  She led them outside, where an Ylian shuttle was resting on the grass of Sera’s back yard. The hatch was open, and Nima waited for them all to climb aboard before she joined them. The hatch closed with a quiet click.

  At the controls, Commander Elina turned to face the humans. “The prince and his companion are at a facility in the northern hemisphere, in a place called the Yukon. We’re going to go and get them.”

  Sera and the others took their seats, which conformed around them to hold them steady. “I thought you were loyal to Queen Apfira.”

  “I am. But I am loyal to my people first and foremost.”

  Nima nodded to Elina. “Go.”

  The shuttle lifted off and sped northward. Once they were unde
rway, Nima told Sera, “Your mates have been able to convince the human governments to invest in a second camouflage unit. Technicians from Itzela have been helping to construct it, and the unit is nearly complete. Earth should be safe from the Taluans in a short time.”

  “That’s good, but you said they were being misused.”

  Nima nodded. “In return for the governments’ cooperation, they were required to submit to medical and other testing. One of the technicians saw what was happening and notified Queen Apfira. She in turn notified us, and now we’re here to help.”

  Asa asked, “You came all the way from Bruthes?”

  Nima nodded again. “Our people are in a desperate condition, and we need the help of the last of the true bloodlines to unite us to face our common threat.”

  “The Taluans?” Joely guessed.

  “And the Bruthesans, who have been more than happy to sell us to save their own skins.” She shook her head. “But there will be time to discuss that later. First, we need to free the prince and his companion. And that is where you come in, Dr. Cooper.”

  The shuttle banked sharply, and Sera’s stomach lurched. She grabbed onto the seat and felt herself going pale.

  Joely asked, “Do you have any barf bags? I think mama here might need one.”

  Sera shook her head. “I’m fine,” she lied.

  “Sorry about that. There was an unexpected large avian I had to avoid,” Elina apologized.

  “Why don’t you just say ‘big bird’ like everybody else?” Joely complained.

  Once her stomach had stopped rebelling, Sera asked Nima, “How can I help?”

  “We know the building that they’re in, but we can’t find them inside. They’re too well hidden by a test version of the camouflage unit. Their telepathy is being blocked, as well. Because of your mate bond with them, you should be able to locate them.”

  “How?” She frowned in confusion.

  “Ask your child to find her father. She will lead you.”

  She repeated, “How? I don’t understand. Are you talking about bat noises?”

  Nima shook her head. “It will be something much more subtle, an emotional urging to go in a certain direction. Your child is more than half Ylian. Her blood will lead the way.”

  Asa’s brow furled. “Her blood? It makes it sound like you’re going to cut the poor little kid or something.”

  “It was figurative.” She looked exasperated, like a teacher dealing with a particularly obtuse student.

  The shuttle increased speed, and the engine’s hum sharpened in pitch. Elina’s hands danced over the controls, and she informed Nima, “I’m activating concealment. We’re almost at the drop point.”

  “Drop point?” Joely echoed. “Like, we’re parachuting out of this thing?”

  Nima sighed. “Again, figurative. I had no idea humans were so literal.”

  Sera rubbed at the scaly patch on her hand. It itched, and it was getting bigger. She examined the profusion of tiny scales, exactly like the ones on her lovers’ skin. A patch of companion scales was beginning on her other hand, as well. She wondered if she would be covered with them by the time the baby was born.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The shuttle slowed and landed softly without so much as a bump. Nima rose and distributed Ylian side arms. “Do you need me to show you how to use these?”

  Asa studied the buttons on the side of the weapon. “Beno showed us. I remember.”

  “Good.” She tucked two extra units into her jumpsuit pockets. “Let’s go.”

  They exited the little ship, which was resting on the green grass of a rolling meadow. In the center of the field was a low building that was barely visible in the darkness. A cloud of mist clung to the building, obscuring it further, and Sera was instantly reminded of the clouds that surrounded Itzela.

  “They’re in there,” she said, positive that she already knew the answer.

  “Yes,” Nima nodded. “I can get you inside, but after that, you’ll have to lead us.”

  “I can do that.”

  The Ylian woman led them across the field, moving swiftly and silently. Sera thought she would have difficulty keeping up, but she managed to stay on Nima’s heels. The group stopped at a service bay door that was padlocked shut. Nima shot the padlock, and its loop melted away.

  “I’m assuming that’s the kill setting,” Asa whispered.

  Nima gave him a scathing look, and he fell silent again. The door groaned as she opened it, and they waited for a long breathless moment for someone to react or come to investigate. Nobody did.

  The Ylian soldier looked at Sera and nodded to her. She understood the signal and put her hand on her belly, hoping that the baby wasn’t sleeping.

  Find Daddy, she told her.

  The baby stirred, and Sera briefly felt as if she were spinning in place, her sense of direction completely disrupted. She feared that she wouldn’t be able to find them, and that this experiment would fail. She struggled with the anxiety and tried to listen, and she was rewarded by a surge of happiness from the baby. She felt the urge to walk forward. She looked at Nima and nodded, then started down the darkened corridor.

  She watched for soldiers or CIA agents as she walked, but it seemed that night time and the remoteness of the location had made them relax their guard. It wasn’t until she nudged her way around a corner and through a closed metal door that she encountered the first guard.

  It was only one man, standing outside another closed door, his rifle hanging at his side by a shoulder strap. He looked up in surprise as the group came into view.

  “Halt,” he ordered.

  Elina fired, and the disrupting energy struck him in the chest. He stiffened, then fell to the floor with a clatter. Joely rushed forward and pressed her fingers to his neck.

  “He’s alive.”

  “Of course he is. I used the stun setting.”

  Elina grabbed a set of keys from the man’s belt and flipped through them, testing each key on the locked door he had been guarding. Inside Sera, the baby pressed against her as if she was trying to push her mother to keep walking.

  The door finally opened, and Sera led the way inside. She shivered as a frisson of anxiety flushed through her from her child, and she pointed her weapon ahead of her. The door opened into a tiny room lined with computers and monitors, with a door on either side of the display. A single man was sitting there, dozing in front of the screens, his ankles crossed and propped up on the desk in front of him.

  Sera made certain that her weapon was set for stun, and she shot him. He fell from his chair without waking up.

  The monitors showed several rooms, all of them in shades of green as the cameras were set for night vision. Most of the rooms were empty except for machinery and equipment she could not identify, but two of the rooms that were shown were occupied.

  Theyn was in one, lying on a narrow cot with an arm flung over his eyes. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, but his feet were bare, and he looked thin. A dark cap was strapped over his head, and a tiny padlock at the corner of his jaw held the thing in place. His right hand was so heavily bandaged that it looked like a club.

  The other showed Beno, looking much the worse for wear. His clothing was the same as Theyn’s, but he was even thinner, and his gaunt face was bruised and swollen. There was no furniture, as apparently his cot had been taken away. He was sitting with his feet flat on the floor and his legs bent up toward his chest, his arms folded on top of his knees. He, too, was wearing a dark cap, also padlocked into place, and he had acid burns on the side of his face near the lock. He was awake. His dark skin looked ashy, and it was clear from looking at him that he was ill.

  The baby in her belly surged, and she felt compelled to go through the door on the left. She went to it and found that it was unlocked. Her team followed.

  They found themselves in a corridor with six locked doors, three on either side. She ignored the first four and stopped in front of the last door on right, press
ing her hand against the cold metal.

  Beno, she called.

  There was no response. Her baby kicked in frustration.

  Nima was apparently in no mood to fumble with keys. She trained her weapon on the lock and melted the mechanism. The door swung open, and Beno leaped to his feet, wary and ready for a fight. When he saw Sera, his eyes widened and he nearly sagged with relief.

  The baby kicked for all she was worth, and Sera was filled with second-hand elation. She stepped forward and embraced her mate, who held her tight. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled back, looking in awe at her swollen belly.

  “Look at you,” he breathed. “Look at both of you.”

  Nima handed him a weapon, and to Sera’s dismay, he aimed it at the padlock at his temple and fired. The little lock melted and fell away, and while he gained a few burns from the experience, he was able to toss the telepathy-blocking cap aside.

  “Theyn is across the hall,” he said.

  Elina nodded. “We’re getting you both out of here.”

  They wasted no time crossing the hall, and once again the lock was no match for Ylian weapons technology. Theyn did not react when they came in. Sera could barely even tell that he was breathing. Beno took one look at his partner and his face went grey, then dark with rage. He and Sera both went to him.

  “Theyn,” she said. “Theyn, honey, wake up.”

  Beno put his hand against his partner’s solar plexus, just like he’d done before in that hospital room in Mexico. This time, there was no glow, and no answering response from Theyn. Sera leaned over him, her belly with its precious passenger resting against his arm. She gently took his bandaged hand in hers.

  “What did they do to you?”

  The baby kicked, hard – hard enough to nearly knock the wind out of Sera. Beno put his weapon against the lock holding the offending cap onto his bondmate’s head, and he fired just long enough to soften the metal. He grabbed it and pulled it loose, then stripped the cap away. All of Theyn’s thick golden hair had been shaved, and angry burns in loosely concentric circles dotted his scalp.