Adaptation

by Kaitlyn O'Connor

  Even she had worried about the fact that their minds seemed to work so totally different from the human mind. Everything about them was different.

  "The morphing is a defense mechanism," she said finally, defensively.

  "Which they also used to ensnare you in their mating/gathering agenda. What makes you think any part of that original scheme has changed? How can you possibly guess what other situations might arise that would convince them to use their abilities in defense of their species? What if their clan members have no interest in befriending humans? Whose side do you think they'll be on then?"

  Chapter Thirteen

  If Kate had had her rathers, she would have far preferred that the pseudo Willams brothers remained in their cabin for the duration of the trip. Sissy had planted more doubts in her mind than she liked. Much of it, she'd managed to dismiss for the simple reason that she was convinced that Sissy was way off the mark in her suggestion that the Sirians in general might be inclined to be hostile toward humans. If any of them had reason to feel hostility, Ronan, Dax, and Jarek certainly did. They'd been plucked from their home world, caged, and not just treated like animals, but guinea pigs-poked and prodded with a complete, clinical disregard for any pain or suffering that might be inflicted.

  Of course, she supposed that most people, Sissy included, might view their annihilation of the guards sent to destroy them as an act of violent hostility, but she didn't. They'd acted to preserve their lives and they hadn't attacked at any time since. It hadn't been an unprovoked assault to start with.

  If they were representatives of their species, then she didn't see that they had a tendency toward aggression.

  Humans did, unfortunately, and she thought that would be their biggest problem-not the Sirians who had every right to feel threatened by the human invasion, but her people.

  The doubts Sissy had sewn revolved around her objectivity as to whether they were capable of interacting with humans without giving themselves away. Had she just grown used to their ways? Or was their behavior now at least close enough that, at the very worst, people would just think they were a little odd?

  Their accents were still fairly thick and they still spoke like English wasn't their first language-which could be a bad thing if there was anyone on board who actually knew the men-the real ones-because they were supposed to be white, English speaking Americans.

  She didn't see why they couldn't pretty much avoid speaking at all, though. They could nod and mouth the canned pleasantries she'd taught them and refuse to be drawn into conversation. That certainly ought to work unless they did run into anyone that knew them.

  In which case, they were in trouble.

  Otherwise, she didn't believe there would be a problem. They'd become familiar with the accoutrements of human society and their 'things'. They didn't eat with their hands-or faces. They'd very carefully mimicked her from the first time they'd shared a meal and no longer looked awkward handling utensils and such. They knew how pretty much everything worked and no longer stopped and examined everything 'new' that they discovered.

  She wasn't as convinced as she wanted to be, however, when it was announced that there would be a party to celebrate the Eden III having reached the outer edge of their new solar system.

  Everyone was expected to attend.

  They might be more conspicuous by their absence than their presence or she would've insisted that they not go at all. She toyed with the idea that there would be so many people at the party that the absence of a handful would go unnoticed but, unfortunately, Ronan, Dax, and Jarek had already gained a certain notoriety from their stint in the onboard colony jail.

  She was on edge long before they reached the Rec Room where the party was being held. She'd tried to time their arrival so that there would already be a large enough gathering to make it less likely they would attract attention but not so late as to be noticed as last to arrive.

  The refreshments are being served buffet style, she told the men without glancing at them. Just follow me and do what I do, ok?

  She was a little miffed that Sissy hadn't met up with them and arrived with them at the party and more miffed when she spotted Sissy and Sissy made a great pretense of not seeing her. Coward, she thought angrily, deciding to snub Sissy since she was clearly trying to distance herself in case of trouble and moving purposefully toward the serving tables through the people already thronging the room.

  You speak of your friend? Ronan said curiously.

  Kate uttered a snort of irritation. "I'm beginning to wonder," she muttered.

  I do not understand, Jarek responded.

  "I'll explain it another time," Kate said distractedly as she reached the table and took a plate. She discovered when she glanced down the table to see what the selection was that the woman nearest to her had glanced at her when she spoke and then glanced at the Sirians. She smiled at the woman automatically and then looked up at Ronan and smiled more easily. "This all looks delicious. Hopefully, it is. I'm starving."

  Ronan returned her smile with one of his own, flicked a look at the woman, and merely nodded.

  Relief flickered through Kate. Finger food. Great! We won't have to worry about finding a table to sit down to eat-which is good because that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Balancing the plate and a beverage might be a challenge.

  Sissy had disappeared by the time they'd made their way down the serving table and paused to look around for a place to settle. Dismissing her friend from her mind with an effort, Kate focused on trying to find a quiet, out of the way, spot. There wasn't one. There seemed to be twice as many people in the Rec room by the time they'd gotten to the end of the buffet and grabbed a glass. There were also very few tables or chairs. The room had obviously been cleared of as much of the furnishings as possible to allow standing room.

  How thoughtful of whoever had planned the party!

  With the sense that she was doomed to stand around with a glass in one hand and a plateful of food she could only stare at in the other, Kate discarded the notion of any privacy at all and began a search for anything that might make eating possible. They finally found a tiny table full of empty glasses near one wall-or bulkhead as they were referred to on the ship. Setting her glass down on the tabletop, Kate pushed the empties more tightly together to clear an opening so that the guys could set their own glasses down.

  In silence, they ate. The food might as well have been cardboard for all Kate noticed. It hit the bottom of her stomach when she chewed and swallowed like so many rocks. She didn't realize she was searching the crowd for the one friendly face she knew until she met Sissy's gaze across the room. She looked away immediately and pointedly. "Pretty good, huh?" she asked when she noticed the Sirians had already cleaned their plates.

  They'd also emptied their glasses and it wasn't until she took a sip from her own that she discovered that it was wine. She glanced at the men sharply as it occurred to her to wonder what effect the alcohol might have on them.

  They'd completely adopted a human physiology, though, she reassured herself. It shouldn't affect them any more than it would anyone else.

  All three men were looking somewhat longingly at the table laden with food, she discovered. She wrestled with her anxiety about them striking off on their own and finally dismissed it. If she left the table unguarded someone else would get it before they got back and they'd have to search again for a place to prop. It's alright to get more if you want it. It looks like pretty much everyone has at least gone down the line once. Just leave the plate and get another one.

  Do you want more? Ronan asked.

  She shook her head. "I'm still working on this."

  They left her. She watched them make their way through the crowd toward the buffet, but couldn't see that anyone paid them much attention and she relaxed fractionally and focused on trying to eat without choking. She noticed a man across the room staring at her as she scanned the crowd. He didn't look the least bit familiar to her, however, and she q
uickly moved her gaze onward, wondering if he was actually looking at her or it had just seemed that way and he was only scanning the crowd as she was.

  She discovered when she glanced in his direction again, though, that he was still staring at her and uneasiness flickered through her. She looked away again and saw Sissy heading in her direction. She hesitated, but she was still pissed off at Sissy for her defection and looked away again.

  That time Sissy ignored the snub. "I didn't think you would come with them," she said by way of greeting.

  "I told you I planned to. Everyone was expected to come. It might have been more noticeable if they hadn't."

  Sissy looked skeptical. "I don't know about that."

  Kate set her plate down. She didn't see any point in debating the wisdom of it, not when they were already there and doing fine, particularly when they were nearing their destination and the moment of truth anyway. "There was a man across the room staring at me," she said, changing the subject abruptly.

  "Where?" Sissy asked, instantly distracted from her obvious intention of giving Kate indigestion.

  "Just glance casually across the room and see if he'd still looking this way."

  "Sort of seedy looking character with frizzy, carrot colored hair-built like a bruiser?"

  "That's the one," Kate said uneasily. "Is he still staring?"

  "No. He's coming this way."

  "Shit!" Kate muttered in consternation, hoping against hope that the man wasn't actually approaching them but afraid to look. "What about the guys? Are they on their way back?"

  "Yep. We may see fireworks."

  Kate sent her friend an irritated look. "Despite your opinion of them, they aren't inclined toward violence."

  "So you say. I think we might be about to find out."

  The red headed stranger reached them first. His smile was almost as unpleasant as the rest of him-and he was unlovely to behold. His complexion was pitted with scars and his face bore the marks of an excessive life regardless of the fact that his build seemed robust-to say the least. That was rather reminiscent of a gorilla-long, muscular arms; short stocky legs; and broad, muscular shoulders and chest. His 'table' muscle was broadest of all, rather barrel shaped. Her skin crawled as he looked her over with dark, almost black, glittering eyes that seemed almost reptilian. He nodded pleasantly enough. "I couldn't help but notice you lookin' my way and thought I'd come over and introduce myself."

  Kate just managed to keep her jaw from dropping in indignation. She certainly hadn't been staring at him! What a conceited ass! It was almost more provoking that she didn't see anything about him to warrant his excessive self-confidence.

  "Name's Willy Turner, but my friends call me Lucky."

  Kate wrestled with her manners and finally managed a thin smile. "Dr. Drexel and this is my friend, Dr. Carter."

  The man chuckled, ignoring the subtle snub. "Smart, huh? I like smart women."

  Kate didn't know whether to be relieved or not when Ronan and the others arrived. "And these are … uh … friends of mine." Horror washed over her when she discovered she couldn't recall the names they were traveling under.

  Ronan gave the stranger a stony look. "We met already."

  Turner grinned at him. "Hey! Your English is a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you." He flicked a look at Kate. "We shared a cell when we were kidnapped by big brother and brought on board. Ain't that right?"

  "Excuse me," Sissy said shakily. "I see a friend across the room that I wanted to talk to."

  Kate sent her a disbelieving look, but Sissy merely grimaced at her and took off.

  'Lucky' turned and watched Sissy's ass for a few moments as she beat a retreat and then returned his attention to Kate and the others. It was both a relief that Ronan, Dax, and Jarek had ranged themselves around her and disturbing. Their stance was protective and guarded which made her feel better in a way and yet it also indicated that her own instincts hadn't been off. They clearly saw the man as a threat just as she did.

  It didn't take much imagination at all to conclude that this was at least one of the men Dax had warned her about.

  "So … just how good a friends are the four of you?" Lucky asked, grinning at her. "'Cause I was told you was one of the singles. This place we're goin' sure don't sound like a good place for a woman alone and I'm considerin' findin' myself a woman. A woman could do worse than have me as a partner."

  But not much worse, Kate thought, deciding in that instant that, regardless of the possible consequences, she was claiming the Sirians as living partners. "Actually," she said with a nervous chuckle, "we're really good friends. We've been discussing the possibility of contracting as life partners."

  Anger glittered in Lucky's eyes. "Aww, come on! A smart lady like you with yokels like these?" He leaned closer and she smelled some kind of potent alcohol on his breath as he added conspiratorially. "In case you ain't noticed, they ain't too smart. You're gonna need brains and brawn where we're goin'."

  She didn't know if the alcohol had contributed to his brazen behavior or not. He struck her as the kind of man that rarely allowed any situation to dampen his aggressiveness in getting whatever he wanted and currently that seemed to be her. She rather thought his admission that jail wasn't anything he was unfamiliar with was a good indicator of that assessment.

  "He call me stupid?" Jarek demanded in a low growl.

  "Call all dat," Dax responded tightly.

  Kate glanced from Jarek to Dax and finally looked at Ronan as he bared his teeth in a menacing grin. "You go now."

  Lucky stiffened but held his ground, returning Ronan's feral grin with one of his own. "This is a bad place to consider what you're thinkin' about," he said. "We could take the discussion somewhere else if you want to. Me, I seen enough of the jail on this trip."

  "We don't want trouble, Mr. … uh … Lucky," Kate said tightly. "I'm flattered by your offer, but as I said, we're together. I'm sure there are plenty of other single women that would be happy to consider your offer." Bullshit!

  His smile that time wasn't pleasant. "Probably but I done seen what I want." He glanced at the guys. "An' if you're still thinkin' about contractin' then nothin's settled. That's all I needed to know."

  As he turned and swaggered off a wave of déjà vu swept over Kate. She tried to dismiss it but the abrupt certainty that she'd seen him before refused to be banished.

  She'd already turned away from him when it hit her that she had seen him before-or was pretty sure she had.

  No wonder he'd been staring at her! No wonder he felt so cocky!

  He was one of the men that worked for the forger, Raphael!

  A cold fear washed over her as that thought did. In the next instant, she realized that, even if she was right, he couldn't possibly recognize the guys. They looked nothing like they had when the four of them had gone to that awful place to get traveling papers.

  She did, though, she realized in the next instant. And he recognized her. As gloomy as the interior of that building had been, she knew he did. She'd been too frightened at the time to really register what any of them looked like. She'd been too focused on the guns they were carrying to really look at the men holding them.

  And he thought he could use that to blackmail her into doing whatever he wanted.

  * * * *

  Kate had been in favor of leaving the party as soon as Lucky Turner retreated. She was sorry she hadn't yielded to that impulse when the fight broke out.

  She wasn't certain what started it, but she was sure the Sirians weren't involved-to begin with. Nerves were stretched pretty thin after the months on board, though, and when beer, wine, and hard liquor were added to the equation it spelled disaster.

  Her first indication that they were all about to be embroiled in a battle of epic proportions was the sound of angry male voices raised above the general din of chatter of so many people and the sharp feminine gasps of alarm. Even as she craned up on her tiptoes and looked around for the source of the disr
uption, fists began flying. A wide circle appeared around the two men as those closest made room. A few seconds later, Kate was carried toward the melee by the surge of gawkers that rushed to watch.

  The battle spread like wildfire as men who were either friends of the two fighters joined the battle or bystanders got caught up in the heat of the moment. What began with two became four, and then eight and then a seething mass.

  Lucky, easily recognizable because of his bright hair, was in the middle of it. Kate had an uneasy feeling that that was what inspired Ronan, Dax, and Jarek to join the fight. She'd scarcely identified him when the trio surged past her and waded in to the middle of the battlefield before she even realized their intention.

  She clapped a hand over her mouth when she saw it was too late to try to reason with them.

  Sissy appeared beside her. "Oh my god! We need to get out of here!" she exclaimed, clamping two hands on Kate's forearm and tugging at her.

  "I can't leave!" Kate gasped, struggling to free herself of Sissy's grip.

  "The militia is on their way here to clear the riot! You do not want to be here when they get here!"

  She didn't, but she didn't want Ronan, Dax, or Jarek there either! Ronan! She called out to him mentally when she caught sight of him.

  He whipped his head in her direction and caught a fist to the side of his head that had been aimed at his face. He rocked back on his heels, drew his lips back in a snarl, and retaliated hard enough the man that had hit him cleared a path into the crowd as he flew backwards.

  They're coming, for god's sake!

  Sissy had started dragging Kate toward the nearest exit while she was distracted by her efforts to alert the Sirians to the danger they'd thrust themselves in to.

  Who is coming?

  That was Dax. She knew it. The militia! They're going to be tasing everybody to put down the riot!

  Even as she struggled to warn them, the militia burst through the main entrance of the Rec room. Ronan, Dax, and Jarek whipped a sharp look in that direction and instantly broke off their fights, plowing their way through the seething mass of fighting men and then through the crowd of spectators surrounding the battle. They morphed even as they moved away, arriving near the rear of the crowd as three different men than the ones involved in the fight.