by R. D. Brady
But even though Chris and Greg were adding to the unreal feeling in the air, Maeve had to admit the feeling hadn’t begun with them. It had been there all along, ever since they’d escaped Area 51. Maeve had shoved it down, convincing herself that everything was fine. That they were safe. But the meeting with the President’s commission had demonstrated why that was just an illusion. The President was expanding the scope of who knew about Alvie and the triplets. And Maeve knew it was only a matter of time before someone in a position of power decided this arrangement was not acceptable. Then someone would come for them.
That thought terrified Maeve. She had no back-up plan. It’s not like she could simply hide them. Despite the fact that they were half human, they looked fully alien. There was nowhere on Earth that they could blend in. Which only left off-world safe houses.
That thought terrified her even more. But even if that were possible, how could Maeve let any of them go? How could she let Alvie go? The four of them were of both worlds and yet they had no place in either one.
The image of the big Gray who’d saved them at Area 51 flitted through her mind. He had looked out for them. He’d approved of Maeve saving them, even at the cost of his freedom. Who was he? Was he an ally? Even if he was, she had no idea where he’d been taken. And being he was also in the custody of the U.S. government, he was certainly not in any position to help them. She sighed, closing her eyes. Sometimes it was just all too much.
The soft pad of footsteps sounded for a moment before the bed dipped. Maeve rolled over and Alvie lay down on Chris’s pillow. She knew he was upset. His early arrival was proof of that. Alvie and the triplets were nocturnal. She and Chris had worked hard to get them to live on a more daylight-friendly schedule, but they still slept until nearly noon.
Alvie’s dark eyes met Maeve’s, and for the first time since they’d learned of Greg’s death, she felt his emotions. He had been closed off since then. An image of Greg smiling appeared in Maeve’s head, followed by an almost overwhelming sense of loss. Tears crested in Alvie’s eyes and one slipped down his cheek. Maeve reached out a hand and wiped it away. “I know it hurts.”
An image of her mom appeared in her mind.
Maeve nodded. “Yes. Greg’s with Mom. And we’ll see him again someday.”
Alvie just looked at her, his chin trembling, more tears running down his cheeks. “Oh, Alvie.” Maeve pulled him into her chest, his head tucked under her chin as she gave in to her own tears. “It will be okay. Somehow it will be okay.”
But even she couldn’t believe those words. Because Greg was dead, Chris was gone, and Maeve couldn’t help but feel that time for all of them was running short.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CENTERVILLE, UTAH
Norah had been convinced she would not sleep a wink that night. After all, she had an alien less than ten feet from her. She thought about sleeping in the bathroom with the door closed. She lay down on the bed, keeping one eye on the closet, and turned on the TV, keeping the volume low.
What are you doing? This thing will kill you in your sleep! Get up, get your gun, and take care of it, or at least call someone, for God’s sake. She knew that was the rational thing to do.
But she couldn’t think of anyone to call. Anyone from her agency would shoot first and ask questions later. This little guy deserved a chance. She’d looked up Dr. Leander, but she could find no information about her current whereabouts. She’d looked up Dr. Schorn’s phone number, but in doing so learned he was presumed dead in a fire in the gym where she and Bob had interviewed him.
And that horrible news led to another horrible thought—Bob. She could not let Bob know the creature was here. She just needed to figure out a way to buy herself some time so she could find a way to bring the creature in without getting it or herself shot.
Because she couldn’t get past the idea that it was scared and alone. She sensed no threat. She really thought Leander would be her best bet.
There’s got to be a way to find her. But Leander’s whereabouts were closely guarded. It was ‘need to know,’ and she really didn’t want to push it too much with official channels and send up any red flags. When she’d inquired with the office earlier about Leander’s contact information, she’d been told unequivocally that she was not allowed access to that information. She was already worried that she had sent up a red flag with that request.
The Big Bang Theory was playing on the TV, and she watched Sheldon try to figure out his friends’ behaviors. Almost as if he was an alien trying to assimilate.
Before she knew it, she was blinking her eyes open. Daylight was slipping in through the drapes. She jolted upright in bed, her head whipping from side to side. The room was quiet. She ran her hands down her body. No new cuts or bruises. And my brain doesn’t feel like it’s been probed. She paused. Not that I would know what that feels like.
A little head peeked from around the closet door, more frightened than frightening.
Letting out a breath, she leaned back against the headboard. She’d slept through the night with an alien. And I live to tell the tale, she thought hysterically, simultaneously recognizing there was no one she could tell this particular tale to, besides a tabloid.
She glanced at the clock. She had about ninety minutes before she was supposed to meet up with Bob. Her stomach growled. She looked at the little guy in the closet. “Breakfast?”
Norah had gotten changed in the bathroom with the door locked, her weapon on the back of the toilet. When she’d stepped out, the little guy was still in the closet. He’d pulled in a pillow last night, along with a small blanket. Now he sat on top of them, looking at her.
She grabbed her bag, keys, and put her weapon in its holster. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Ig?”
“If that’s you asking for food, then yes, I’m going to get food.” There was a Dunkin Donuts right next door. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too busy and she’d be back quickly.
“Ig?”
She smiled at the hopeful expression on its face. “Yes, food. Okay, Iggy, you stay here.” She stepped out of the room, shaking her head.
I just called it Iggy. I’ve named it. Way to keep a professional distance, Agent Tidwell.
The Dunkin Donuts was busy, but they were also very efficient. She was back with two croissant sandwiches, a very large coffee for her, and a water for Iggy.
She opened the door slowly and peered in. Iggy peered back at her from the closet. Norah quickly stepped in and closed the door behind her.
“Ig?”
“Just give me a minute.” She pulled one of the sandwiches from the bag and unwrapped it, placing it in front of the closet along with the open bottle of water. Then she took her own sandwich and coffee and leaned back on the bed.
Iggy shuffled out of the closet toward the sandwich and then sniffed it, rearing back. With one long finger, Iggy poked the sandwich. And then, apparently deciding it was not a threat, sat down quickly. He flipped the top of the croissant off and carefully removed the sausage before placing the top back on.
Not a fan of sausage. Good to know.
He made quick work of the sandwich with that large mouth of his. And then he drained the water bottle dry. He gave Norah another small smile. “Ig.”
“You’re welcome.”
Iggy stood up and paused for a moment, but then he began to wander the room, inspecting things, every once in a while glancing at Norah. He looked less green than he had yesterday. Maybe it was a fright response, allowing him to blend in better. Then she frowned, realizing he now blended in more with the walls of the motel room. Maybe he has some chameleon-like abilities.
He hopped up on the bathroom counter with only one leap. Strong legs.
But he still had that barrel stomach that made him look like a little old man. He toddled over to the sink and inspected the faucet. He tentatively pushed it on, jumping back as the water came out with a small squeak. Then with a glance at Norah, he leaned down and took
a long drink. He turned the faucet off.
“You were thirsty, weren’t you?”
He gave her what was probably a smile before resuming his inspection. He stepped to the hair dryer, tilting his head to the side as he looked at it. He pressed down on the power button and it came to life. He let out a squeal and leapt from the counter.
Norah scrambled off the bed. She grabbed the hair dryer and shut it off. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got it,” she said as she turned around.
Iggy peered out at her from behind the edge of the bed. His eyes were huge and he was shaking noticeably. Norah placed the hair dryer back against the wall. “See? It’s okay. The bad noise is gone.”
Iggy stayed where he was. Norah sighed. Well, I guess his exploring is over for a little bit. Norah moved slowly back to the bed. She pulled her briefcase over and pulled out the map of the city. They’d be splitting up to search today, and she wanted to check the area to familiarize herself with it. At the same time, she watched Iggy out of the corner of her eye. He stepped a little closer to her.
Then Norah realized she was about to put dozens of people through an all-day search for a creature currently three feet away from her. With a sigh, she pulled out the files of sightings that they would investigate after they wrapped this one up. Iggy began to investigate the room again. After a few unadventurous minutes, he moved closer to Norah.
Norah focused on keeping calm. Then he stepped up and leaned his head against her calf. He closed his eyes and gave off a small little purr.
Norah was so surprised she didn’t even move for a minute. There was no denying that the creature was happy. Norah reached down slowly and rubbed the creature’s head. He nuzzled in even closer to her. Norah smiled. He was really sweet. “How did anyone ever think you were dangerous?”
Iggy was making her rethink the D.E.A.D.’s whole approach to dealing with these creatures. Maybe there was another approach that would be less dangerous for all of them.
Her cell phone alarm went off and Iggy jumped back. Norah quickly shut it off. “Sorry about that.”
And Norah noticed that while Iggy had backed away, he hadn’t gone too far. She was supposed to meet Bob in five minutes. She looked down at Iggy with a sigh. “So what do I do with you now?”
He looked back up at her. “Ig?”
She gave a small laugh before nodding. “Ig.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
The darkness surrounded Guardian. But the darkness was a friend. The darkness was predictable. It was always dark here and there was never anything to fear in it. Guardian had started closer surveillance on a new target last night—Agent Norah Tidwell. Guardian had all of the agents of the D.E.A.D. under surveillance. Anytime they were near a camera, they were recorded. Guardian brought up Tidwell’s feed from when she’d entered Centerville, fast-forwarding through until Norah stepped out from under the bridge. She had been in there too long.
Guardian rewound the recording, zooming in and seeing the agent pause under the bridge, raising her weapon to the rafters, then lowering it slowly.
You found him. Why didn’t you kill him?
Guardian hacked into the D.E.A.D. and found information on the agent. Agent Norah Tidwell, currently on assignment in Salt Lake City. It was quick work from there to find the agent’s cell phone and laptop. Guardian set up both to record. This agent needed further examination.
Then Guardian pulled up the feeds from last night, starting with Agent Tidwell and scanned the agent’s internet search with a frown.
You’re looking for Leander. Why?
Guardian brought up the video from the agent’s laptop. The agent sat on the motel bed typing, not even realizing the camera had been activated. Then the Maldek came into frame. The agent had dinner with the Maldek, even giving it seconds. Then this morning Tidwell had left the room and not raised the alarm. Instead she had gotten breakfast for herself and the Maldek. It made no sense.
Guardian watched, confused. The agent was a member of Department of Alien and Extraterrestrial Defense. They were the bad guys, weren’t they?
Guardian paused. I need more information on Agent Tidwell. Guardian’s gaze shifted to another screen and thoughts of Tidwell shifted to the back of Guardian’s mind.
Right now Guardian had something more critical to focus on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
DENVER, COLORADO
Maeve hung up the phone. Chris sounded good. Annoyed at the testing, but she thought maybe he needed the break from all the craziness of the ranch. And besides, Maeve hoped the trip would remind him of how much he loved the military. Chris had already given up so much for them. She didn’t want him having to give up his future.
Assuming he can even go back to the military one day.
She hated the thought, but she knew it was realistic. Maeve’s life was science. She’d spent the bulk of her life studying, learning. And she hadn’t been in a lab in two months. Truth was, she missed it. She loved Alvie. She loved the triplets. And God knew she loved Chris. But she needed to do something. And the hard truth was, she’d probably never step foot in a lab again.
Even Greg has stepped away. Although … She cut herself off mid-thought. For a moment, she’d forgotten he was gone. And the pain of his loss crashed down on her again—as well as the guilt. She knew the guilt was stupid. Greg’s death had nothing to do with her. But still, she was the one who’d encouraged him to work with the Air Force, which is how he’d ended up working with Hank. And that work was what had driven him as far from a lab as possible.
And now he was dead because he’d run away from his calling. Maeve wiped her eyes. No, this is stupid. Get it out of your head. She would not let herself mope around blaming herself for things out of her control.
Overall, she thought she’d done a pretty good job of distracting everybody from their grief. She’d created an obstacle course on the side of the house and cheered each contestant on as they went through. At the same time, she mentally compared the triplets’ progress with Alvie’s. She thought Alvie was plateauing as far as his physical abilities were concerned, which did not worry her. At his age, nearing thirty, that seemed appropriate. He was still faster than the triplets, as well as being able to leap higher and having greater strength. But in a few years the triplets would be able to give him a run for his money.
And that did concern her.
The triplets seemed to be growing into their abilities much faster than Alvie had. It could be because of Alvie that it was happening, due to them simply modeling the behaviors of their older brother.
Maeve did think that was part of the reason for their accelerated growth. But she also worried that the triplets had been exposed to some sort of growth enhancement process. With how focused the government was on results, she thought it unlikely they’d want to wait for the triplets to slowly develop. But Maeve didn’t know what process they might have used. And she didn’t know what potential problems it could lead to.
Yet another reason I need a lab.
Snap let out a squeal as Hope jumped into the creek and splashed her. Maeve smiled, wishing she could take a picture to capture the moment. Hope stood with her mouth open in the creek. The triplets danced along the creek’s edge. Alvie sat on a branch above them, watching them all with a smile.
Then Pop tripped, landing in the water. Oh no. Maeve hustled over as Pop stood up, his clothes soaked and his bottom lip trembling. Maeve scooped him up, not caring about how wet he was. “It’s okay, kiddo. Just a little water. Let’s go get you changed.”
Pop snuggled into her and Maeve smiled, even as her own shirt dampened. Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t trade these moments for anything. Crackle and Snap traipsed ahead of them, Alvie and Hope bringing up the rear.
“How about if we get a snack? I could go for some grapes.” Crackle did a backflip in response and Maeve laughed. The gymnastics were a new development with the triplets. Alvie was still the most skilled gymnast, bu
t, once again, the little guys were catching up.
A loud klaxon rang out across the space. Maeve sighed as Alvie looked at her. “I’m sure it’s just another false alarm.” She had to yell to be heard. “Let’s just—”
A shadow crossed the sun and Maeve’s gaze jolted upwards. From the corner of her eye she saw Snap and Crackle come to a standstill, their eyes darting upward as well. Maeve put a hand to her eyes to see what had caused the shadow. She squinted, seeing a dark shape in the sky. What is that?
And then her breath caught as a creature, its wingspan at least six or seven feet across, came into view at the same time that gunfire rang out.
Maeve sprinted for the house with Pop in her arms. “Guys, move!” There’d been a bunch of false alarms over the last few weeks. But that creature flying overhead was not a false alarm.
Alvie got to the door, first flinging it open.
“Grab the go bags!” Maeve yelled as she stormed through the doorway behind Snap and Crackle. Chris had filled two backpacks with what he considered necessities. They were in the front hall closet.
Maeve grabbed the phone and the TV remote. She punched in the front gate code as she tuned the TV to the security cameras. All she got was static. And there was no answer from the front gate.
Gunfire sounded in the distance and Maeve whirled around, her stomach plummeting.
Oh my God. Where is the security team? With every other false alarm, they had surrounded the house within seconds. She ran to the window, but there was no one.
