The Anuan Legacy: Book 1 of The Anuan Legacy Series

by Traci Ison Schafer

  Gaige sat down on the bed next to me. “Why are you scared? What do you feel exactly?”

  “Afraid!” I tucked my head down and held myself in a tight ball.

  Gaige laid a gentle hand on my arm. “What are you afraid of? Something in the dream?”

  “No, not now. That was only a dream. I don’t know why I’m afraid now!”

  “Okay. Just concentrate and try to focus.”

  I felt like the walls were closing in and going to squash us dead any second. “We have to get out of here!” I scurried out of bed to run for the door, but Gaige grabbed me from behind, locking his arms around my chest and pinning my own arms to my sides. I couldn’t move.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said. “You know.”

  “Know what? All I know is that we have to get out of here. Now let me go!” I twisted my body, trying to break free of him, but couldn’t overcome his strength.

  He leaned over me. “Shhhh,” he whispered into my ear. “Shhhhh,” he said again, his breath hot against the side of my face. “It’s okay. Calm down. Calm down. It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe.”

  His words became reality for me and I felt calmer, definitely safe in his arms. “What Jedi mind tricks are you pulling on me, Alien?”

  He turned me around, facing him. He held me with one arm and brushed his hand over my hair. “Just trying to help you control what you’re feeling.”

  I looked deep into his ocean-blue eyes. “And what am I feeling?”

  “What are you feeling?” he said. “You have to learn to sort that out on your own. Listen to your intuition.”

  I thought for a moment. The panic was gone, but not the fear. “I’m still afraid. But not as much. Your mind trick helped.”

  “Good. Now, why do you think you’re afraid?” He stopped stroking my hair and rested his hand on my shoulder. The other arm still held me, but not quite as tightly as before.

  “I don’t know. I . . . I feel trapped in this room, like we need to get out of here or we’re going to be suffocated.”

  “Your feelings are right. You just have to figure out how to better interpret and control them.”

  “So what’s wrong?” I tried hard to hang on to the calmness he’d given me. But with Gaige’s confirmation about my feelings, the relatively calm state he’d helped me achieve was beginning to fade.

  “Everything will be okay. We’re going to alter the situation. You’ll have nothing to be afraid of then.”

  “Go on.”

  “I’ve heard from Conner. Conner is the person leading the rescue team. He’s getting information from our surveillance team.”

  “The voyeurs?”

  Gaige smiled. “Yes, the voyeurs.”

  “And?”

  “Your government—they know where we are and they’re coming for us.”

  I started to bolt for the door again, but Gaige tightened his hold on me.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “We’re leaving. Conner will be here any second with another car—one they won’t be looking for—and we’ll be long gone by the time they arrive.”

  Hearing that gave me some relief. The adrenaline that had been driving me dissipated and my legs felt like rubber beneath me.

  “Okay?” Without waiting for me to answer, Gaige sat me down on the bed and guided my shoulders back until my head rested comfortably on the pillow.

  “Okay. Long gone. Good.” I closed my eyes.

  “I know this is all new for you and exhausting to try and harness—”

  “The intuition thing?” I asked, feeling myself drifting.

  “Yes, the intuition thing . . .”

  ***

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Gaige touched me lightly on the arm, but I didn’t think much.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, Victoria, but he’s here now. Conner is here. It’s time to go.”

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes, groggy, but awake enough. Gaige went to the door and opened it. The man who entered wore the same white flight suit as Gaige and stood about the same height, but he had a slimmer build. His auburn eyes matched the color of his hair and glimmered with a wisdom that seemed beyond his years.

  “Victoria, this is Conner,” Gaige said.

  Conner smiled. “Hello, Victoria.”

  I stood and took several steps toward him, extending my hand. “Hello Con . . .” My head swam and Conner blurred into his surroundings. I dropped down to my hands and knees onto the floor. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. I . . . I don’t know what’s . . .”

  “Victoria has some things in the trunk. Can you transfer them over? The key is on the table.”

  “Sure,” Conner answered, and slipped out the door without another word.

  Gaige bent down and rolled me into his arms, lifting me off the floor. “You’re okay. I have you.”

  I laid my head against his shoulder and kept my eyes closed, hoping it would make the room stop spinning. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s us. You with us,” he said, as he walked with me. “To oversimplify, it’s the intuition thing, as you call it. You’re highly intuitive, like us. Well beyond most people of Earth. You’ve subconsciously recognized the similar, higher-level ability in us and are trying to open up to it, to connect with it in yourself and in us. You’re not used to using that part of your being or managing that type of energy and it’s draining you. You’ll adjust, though . . .” His words garbled and faded. So did I.

  CHAPTER 36 -

  BRIAN

  Sandwiched in between two of the civilians in their dark suits, I sat in the backseat of the first black SUV, its windows so heavily tinted, I could barely see out. Lacking usual general- officer protocol for traveling, the general sat in the front seat, head bobbing as he carried on conversations with the people in the car. I listened carefully to everything they said. Unfortunately, most of their conversations were in code. I had figured out that Tori was Baby Bird, who’d apparently fallen from the nest. Flown was more like it. And Gaige was Tin Man, who’d come in the Tin Can. Not very creative in my opinion. The general also referred to someone with the code name Reptile. From the sounds of it, he was the one calling the shots.

  “Quiet!” General Ash said. He raised a hand to his ear as if listening to something. “Pull off. They’re changing locations. We need to head west now.”

  The general pointed to an upcoming exit and began conversing with the person feeding him information. “Yes, sir. We’re changing course now, sir. We’ll get that thing and bring it to you as originally instructed. The insignificant pest of a girl will be dealt with back home for you.” he jumped. “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir. The girl, yes, we’ll bring her to you as well. No, sir. We won’t let her escape. If she’s that important to you, we’ll capture her at all costs.” The general paused. “Even at the expense of the thing? Uh . . .” His confused voice faded then he jumped again in response to the unintelligible outburst on the other end of whatever communication device he was using. “Yes sir, of course, sir. Even at the expense of the thing. Got it. We’ll bring her to you, even if we have to sacrifice the thing to do it.”

  A chill ran through my body. What the hell? The person on the other end of the conversation wanted Tori so badly they were willing to sacrifice an alien being for her? If they’d sacrifice him, they couldn’t want her simply because she’d helped him escape. But why? Why want Tori over an ET? What the hell had she done?

  CHAPTER 37 -

  VICTORIA

  Gaige’s voice wrapped around me and I floated within it. After a long while, the muffled sound of his words vibrating against my face rattled me awake. Feeling groggy, I lifted my head from his shoulder and tried to get my bearings. We were in the backseat of a car with Conner driving, presumably to our next hideout. Gaige spoke clearly, but I didn’t understand the words. I did understand that the same fear I’d experienced before was back. It said to run as fast as we could in the opposite direction. I tried to ignore it. I couldn’t. I cl
amped my hands into tight fists and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the fear to leave me alone. It didn’t. Nothing I tried eased what I felt. I told myself I was overreacting. I’d been beside myself with fear at the motel and we’d made it out fine. Gaige was much better at interpreting the intuition thing than I was. I had to stay calm and give him the chance to sort out what was wrong and what to do about it.

  Conner noticed in the rearview mirror that I had stirred and quietly explained, “He’s speaking with the surveillance team from our ship.”

  Gaige nodded in agreement.

  I leaned forward in the seat so I could more easily talk to Conner without disrupting Gaige. My seatbelt strained against my chest. “Is that what your language sounds like?”

  “Yes, he’s speaking Anuan.”

  “Is it a difficult language?”

  “Not as difficult as English, in my opinion. I didn’t think I’d ever get your slang. Still don’t sometimes.”

  I rested my chin on the front seat, finding a conversation with Conner to be a good distraction from the fear that continued to linger. “Are there others on Anu who know my language?”

  “Yes, and other Earth languages, too. Since our ship is a science vessel with the specific mission of studying Earth, we have to know at least two Earth languages, along with their dialects and slang, to qualify for our assignments. Nearly everyone on our ship can speak English.”

  Gaige finished his conversation then placed his hand on my back and began to speak in Anuan. “Sorry,” he said, catching himself. “I don’t want you to worry, Victoria, but it appears our pursuers have changed course.”

  “They’re coming this way now, aren’t they?” I dropped back against the seat, the previously straining seatbelt now relaxed and hanging loose. Was running to be my life now? My body began to shake with small quivers that I couldn’t control. “What are we going to do?”

  “Our backup location is only another minute or two away,” Gaige said. “The government officials from Wright-Patterson haven’t contacted any local authorities for help and we still have a good lead on them. So, we’re going to stop as planned, where you’ll be comfortable, then Conner and I will confer with the ship about what to do . . .”

  Gaige’s lips continued to move but I no longer heard what came out of them. My life had spun out of my control and what happened to it now, I knew, was not up to me anymore. And hadn’t been for a while now.

  CHAPTER 38 -

  BRIAN

  We’d pulled into a gas station and parked at the far end of the lot where the lighting was crappy at best. I stood huddled outside the SUVs with the general and a half dozen of the suits, now clad in black trench coats worthy of a Hollywood movie. One of them unzipped my coat and slid a pen into my shirt pocket. A listening device, no doubt. He then held up a set of keys and tipped his head back toward the SUV behind him. I stuck out my hand and he let the keys drop onto my palm.

  We were now only twenty minutes away and the general had decided to send me ahead on my own. He was sure I had a better chance by myself of talking out Tori, Gaige, and somebody they called Hoke. I might have a better chance than they would, but like hell I’d follow through with it. I’d let them think whatever they wanted, though. I’d been worried about Gaige since the first time I’d seen him in the cage. After hearing the general’s side of that weird conversation, my concern for Gaige didn’t compare with the concern I now had for Tori. No way were they going to get their hands on her.

  “Don’t screw this up,” the general said.

  Not bothering to zip up my coat, I squeezed the keys in my fist and turned without giving General Ass the courtesy of eye contact. Gravel crunched beneath my feet as I walked away from the posse, happy to be free of their company, and anxious to warn Tori.

  CHAPTER 39 -

  GAIGE

  We settled into the backup location—another isolated motel room—with some sandwiches we’d picked up along the way. Victoria chewed slowly, staring at me while she ate.

  “Tell me,” I said to her.

  She swallowed. “Tell you what?”

  “What you’re feeling. What you’re sensing. Interpret it for me.”

  She laid her sandwich down, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. “There’s nothing to interpret. You told me yourself, they’ve changed course and are coming for us again, even in this new place.” She pushed her plate away. “They’re going to follow us to the ends of the Earth.”

  “I didn’t say that last part.”

  “That part was the interpretation. Am I wrong?”

  No, she wasn’t wrong. My interpretation was the same, and something needed to be done about it. We couldn’t keep bouncing from one motel to another.

  “Conner,” I said. “Can you help me with some things in the car?”

  “Sure,” he answered.

  Conner and I both left our sandwiches half-eaten and stood up from the table.

  Victoria went to one of the beds and fluffed some of the pillows into a back rest. She sat down and nestled herself deep into her makeshift chair. “You’re not that slick, Alien.”

  Slick? It took me a moment to remember. Deceptively clever. I knew Victoria was too smart, and intuitive, to fall for Conner helping me in the car. It had been worth a try, though, to save her from listening to discussions that might continue to keep her upset about our situation. “Not even a little slick?”

  She picked up the remote control from the bedside table. “No, not even a little. But you two go ahead and do your conferring in private. I’m going to find a movie to distract myself from this crazy parallel universe I’ve slipped into.”

  Her attitude, though not the most pleasant at the moment, showed promise. She seemed to be learning how to process energies she received without letting them overwhelm her. But she was only with two of us. She’d need to improve those skills for things to go smoothly for her, if she ever ended up spending time with more of us.

  Victoria turned on the TV and started flipping through channels while Conner and I stepped outside to talk with Pags. This time, the howls echoing in the distance were from the fast moving air and not the animals. The bare trees surrounding the motel didn’t help block the winter winds, but the suits would warm to whatever temperature we needed to stay comfortable. They didn’t keep the cold wind from cutting at my face. Initiating a plasma shield to protect it wasn’t worth the effort for a short conversation, though.

  “Gaige and Conner to Pags,” I said.

  “Go ahead,” Pags answered.

  “What’s the situation now?”

  “I was about to contact you. The majority of the group is stationed about fifteen Earth miles from there, but they’ve sent the scientist from the lab ahead to your location. We don’t sense that he’s a threat to you. They think he can persuade you back, though. They’re not going to let up, Gaige, and for some reason they’re even more determined to get Victoria than they are you.”

  Conner shook his head, and I agreed. Why Victoria? Could they know? Things definitely weren’t going well. Not at all like they were supposed to have gone with a simple visit to Earth to meet Victoria. It was becoming clear; we needed more than surveillance at this point.

  “Thanks, Pags. I need to speak with the commander now.” I said.

  “I’m monitoring. Go ahead, Gaige.” Tas’s voice had an anxious edge to it. He’d put his faith in me to accomplish this mission smoothly—a mission he’d probably have preferred to do himself had he not been so vital as commander. I couldn’t let him, or Victoria, down.

  “Commander, I’m concerned about the way things are going. Even though we have shuttles in the area and navigation standing by to route us away from this location, we need to have a backup plan. Who knows how far they’ll chase us. They seem to be able to figure out exactly where we are. We can’t keep running from one motel to another.”

  “We’re trying to find out how they’re tracking you so easily. But, regardless of how they’re doing
it, they ARE doing it. So, we need a backup plan in case we can’t figure it out in time and block them. I’ve already set some things in motion in case you have to bring Victoria back here. I know we’d hoped . . . but not this fast. Such a quick transition could be tough on her, so I’ve contacted Zada. She’s assessing any medical risks to Victoria, not only physically, but emotionally, too. Especially considering Victoria seems to have much stronger abilities than anticipated. I’ve also updated the captain on the situation and notified The Council of the possibility that we may need to bring Victoria on board without having time to complete our full assessments or perhaps even give her a choice about it.”

  “That’s not exactly the way we thought this would go,” I said, “but I think we need to be prepared for the possibility.”

  “Yes, best to be prepared for the worst case. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from Zada. Command out.”

  Tas cut communications abruptly. Worst case. Tas was going to make sure worst case didn’t happen this time. Not like years ago. I could barely remember that time, but I could hear in his voice that it was revisiting him now.

  “Gaige to Pags?”

  “I’m still here, Gaige.”

  “Let me know immediately if the rest of the government entourage moves.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks. Gaige out.”

  Conner kicked an errant leaf scuttling by on the ground. “Damn. Why did this have to get complicated?”

  “You think your Dad is okay?” I asked.

  “He’ll be fine. He’s focused on his commander duties. That will keep his mind occupied. Enough anyway.” Conner followed the dead leaves skipping by, like he was trying to decide which one to kick next. “And this is a different situation. Tessy was strong-willed. Grown. The decision was hers to make.”