A weaker yellow beam hit the Reptilian craft. A flash erupted, and debris exploded from the side, but the swirling structure of the ion wormhole continued to grow in size and brightness. The Reptiles weren’t stopping. Jo’Aquin and his team have to board.
Jo’Aquin spoke to his Lieutenant, “Reed, steady their ship for boarding.”
“Commander, you can’t mean…” Reed stared at him with dawning horror.
“That wasn’t a question Lieutenant.”
“Yes sir, the transfer will be ready upon your arrival at Transfer Point one.” It was the closest transport pad to the bridge.
Jo’Aquin strode from the command station, Striker following. “Captain, I’m coming with you.”
Jo’Aquin nodded, “My thanks.” If anyone was to come with him, he wanted Striker at his back.
The door opened after a second, and both men raced to the transport pad. Striker wore the same serious expression Jo’Aquin was sure was mirrored on his own face. They stepped into the transport tube together, and the Commander gave the technician behind the glass wall a quick nod as he stepped onto the platform. “At your convenience.”
“Transferring now.”
Jo’Aquin watched as Striker’s body glowed with the blue light-energy that would unstructure body particles and reassemble them in the targeted location. A heated tingling pin-pricked his skin, and Jo’Aquin was enveloped in an electric blue haze. He never liked the transfer process, and it hadn’t changed from the last time he’d used it. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t pleasant either. He unholstered his blaster and moved into a ready position.
The pinpricks dug deeper into his skin, muscles, brain, and into his bones until nothing existed as structural energy ripped through him.
3
A second later the world materialised, and he stood in an unfamiliar corridor. Striker materialised next to him in a halo of blue light. Jo’Aquin strode quickly, but carefully, down the unfamiliar passageway. He knew for certain this was a Reptilian craft because of the onboard temperature. It was humid and stifling hot, the air thin.
Perspiration soon dripped from his forehead and ran uncomfortably between his shoulder blades. The sooner he was off this vessel, the better. Loud footfalls ahead had him ducking behind a support beam. Although the Reptilians had long thick tails that trailed behind them, they wore clothing more suited to humanoids. Thick, clubbed claws were stuffed into clunky boots that echoed on the metal floor. Their hard chest plates were always reinforced with titanium armour plating, making them hard bastards to kill.
Striker ducked behind a beam opposite Jo’Aquin, and together they waited for the Reptiles to approach. Their strange clacking language was as loud as their footsteps and very close. He flattened against the warm, metal wall.
As a tall Reptile passed, Jo’Aquin smashed the butt of his gun in the softest part of its skull, right between the eyes. Striker hit the Reptilian closest to him, and together the Reptiles tumbled to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Normally, Jo’Aquin would have looked to hide the bodies, but this mission was going to be a quick in and out. He had to find the human and get him out. He didn’t want to be much longer in the walls of this Reptilian ship.
“Ion wormhole at ninety percent, Captain.” Reed’s voice sounded in Jo’Aquin’s ear via the Commlink. Jo’Aquin tapped the earpiece twice lightly to let Reed know he’d received the message. They only had a couple of minutes, at best. As soon as the rupture was steady, the Reptiles would be gone through the wormhole.
Together they jogged quickly but quietly down the corridor. He could only hope that they found the human soon. To be abducted by the Reptilians was a fate worse than death. He’d never seen another species with so little compassion.
Jo’Aquin edged closer to an open doorway, the clatter of the Reptiles’ language clear. With his back to the wall, Jo’Aquin quickly glanced inside the room. Two Reptilian hovered over a prone figure on a hard, metal gurney. He caught a glimpse of long, tanned legs and lush auburn hair. They’d taken an earthling female. Jo’Aquin’s anger rose. Just like the Reptiles to prey on things much weaker than they were.
Jo’Aquin fell back against the wall and gestured to Striker the number of Reptiles in the room. Striker’s face grew grim when he indicated their victim was a female. His friend felt the same way about violence against a weaker species. If nothing else, he would do his utmost to rescue the female from this fate.
The room was small and no good for their blasters. He couldn’t risk a ricochet injuring the female. Still, two of them to two Reptiles. Good odds.
Jo’Aquin counted down and together they stepped into the room. Jo’Aquin slammed the butt of his blaster into the soft spot between one of the creatures’ eyes. The Reptile staggered backwards, but used its tail to remain upright. It swivelled on its tail and lunged at him with a sideways kick. Jo’Aquin leapt backwards, careful to avoid its tail spikes, which were laced with poison. He caught its leg, pivoted on the ball of his foot and slammed the sole of his other foot into the soft point of the armour at the Reptile’s mid-section as hard as he could.
It only grunted. This Reptile was tougher than most. Instead of an inexperienced doctor-type as Jo’Aquin might have thought as they were standing over the female, this one seemed to be a soldier. It only added to Jo’Aquin’s suspicions that this abduction was important.
More Reptiles crowded into the room. Jo’Aquin back-kicked, sending one creature into the wall. He jabbed another in the stomach with his elbow. Striker had his hands full as Reptiles crowded around him. Two of the creatures went to the female and started to do something to her. Jo’Aquin dashed towards the prone form.
A Reptile spun to angle the sharp ridges of its tail towards Jo’Aquin. He back-stepped. Too slow. The ridges cut into his upper arm. Searing pain lanced up his arm, igniting a flash of anger at his own stupidity. He wasn’t an unseasoned warrior, but his attention had been diverted to the female. He couldn’t afford to make another mistake like that.
Jo’Aquin lashed out with a series of strikes and punches, bringing the creature to its knees, fighting past the creeping numbness up his arm. A roundhouse kick snapped its neck. The body crumpled to the floor.
He turned to the other two Reptiles, but to his surprise, they darted out of the door. The door slid shut, locking them in. Panting heavily, Jo’Aquin spun to the female, but she wasn’t there.
“She’s gone. They took her with them,” Striker said.
“Frek!” Jo’Aquin darted across the room and slammed his fist into the panel. It did what he’d expected and remained shut. “Duck down. Going to use the blaster.”
He aimed the blaster and shot a short-range beam into the panel, too low to ricochet. The panel melted, bubbling and hissing. Jo’Aquin worked his fingers between the door panels and used sheer strength to manually open the door. Striker helped, and together they managed to shove the panel open wide enough to get through. Jo’Aquin ducked his head out. Empty.
He slid through the door gap, Striker close behind. “Which way?”
Jo’Aquin shook his head and made a split decision. The right one. A tail dashed around a corner. Jo’Aquin let off a blast, denting the wall.
“Thirty seconds before the wormhole opens, Commander,” Reed sounded in his ear.
They didn’t have much time. Jo’Aquin sprinted after the Reptiles tail just as another door closed. He aimed the blaster, not caring about repercussions. The door blew inwards.
Heavy footfalls sounded towards them. Striker glanced at Jo’Aquin. “Go ahead. I’ll head these ones off.”
Jo’Aquin didn’t like to leave his friend in such danger, but there was no time to argue. Striker was an experienced soldier. He knew what he was doing. “Ten seconds and you port back to the Starlight.”
“Aye, Commander.” Jo’Aquin dashed through the now-open doorway, leaving his capable Second to fight the Reptiles.
Two Reptiles shoved the female into an escape pod. They
handled her roughly, bruising her skin in their urgency. Her bowed head lolled, and she uttered a soft moan, even unconscious, with their rough treatment.
“Halt!” he yelled.
It did nothing to stop the Reptiles. They continued to stuff her into the pod. The craft lurched, the floor tilting at an alarming angle, gravity control destabilised, a result of Reed firing to disable the craft. Jo’Aquin stumbled into a wall, but the Reptiles held onto handles and clacked to each other. Then one started to key data into the pod control. Realisation dawned on Jo’Aquin. Even though their craft was disabled, they still planned to send the human female into the wormhole.
There was a big chance she wouldn’t make it through to the other side. The pressure on such a small metallic frame was sure to crush it. They were sending her to her death.
A snarl rose from the centre of his chest. He pushed away from the wall, staggering against the ungainly slope towards the Reptiles. He grabbed an arm of the closest Reptile and pulled backwards with all his strength. The Reptile lost its grip and tumbled to the other end of the room.
The other lashed out with its tail, digging its spikes into Jo’Aquin’s back. He cried out as a fresh wave of pain crashed through him, but it also served as a quick wash of powerful adrenaline into his system.
Jo’Aquin rammed a fist into the soft gut of the Reptile and slammed upwards with his palm. The Reptile’s head snapped backwards, and it lurched as though drunk. A clacking sound had him turning to the remaining Reptile. It was keying a sequence into the panel beside the pod, its claws tapping against the screen. The door to the pod started closing.
Jo’Aquin clamered towards the Reptile. It turned beady eyes onto Jo’Aquin, grimacing to reveal sharp teeth. A lash of fire down his back. Agony ripped through his body. Something hard slammed into the back of his head and propelled him against the limp form of the female. Air whooshed as the pod door closed. A gush of altered air pressure blew down on him. A violent lurch and they somersaulted smoothly, end over end, leaving him bracing his arms against the sides. He fought against the dizzying blackness, “Reed. Transfer. Now!”
His voice was so weak, his words so slurred he could only hope that Reed had heard him before blackness encroached.
4
L auren woke being rattled so violently, her brain felt like it would leak from her ears. What the hell was going on? Was she even still in her body? The incredible pressure around her said yes she was, but some part of her mind was disconnected.
She struggled to lift heavy eyelids only to discover it was just as black with her eyes open as it was when they were closed. She tried to move her arm, but her limb was too heavy to lift. Then she discovered that there was a strap around her wrist. Make that wrists, ankles, hips, and shoulders, and a heavy pressure held her entire body down. She could barely breathe.
It was also stifling hot. A film of greasy sweat coated her skin. The air was stale, so infused with carbon dioxide that she struggled to stay conscious.
She tensed, riding a wave of ferocious shuddering. She slammed backwards. Then sideways, her neck jerking. There was a low moan. A breath. That wasn’t pressure holding her down. It was a body. Crumpled right up against her.
A whistling quickly grew to a roaring sound so loud she might have thought she was inside a jet engine. The heat inside grew intense, cooking her. Claustrophobia clawed. Lauren sucked in thin air through her nostrils. Her heart pounded, working hard to jack-hammer a path out of her chest. The body laying over her crushed her torso; her ribs bordered on snapping with each violent shake and wrench of whatever she was in.
A massive boom detonated, soundwaves rocketing through her body. She was slammed around and around, body cracking against metal, spiralling, spinning on and on until finally, she stopped. Nothing. No sound. No movement.
Blessed stillness. Her ears rang in the silence, confused.
A hiss. A crack of light and blessed, blessed cool, fresh air gushed over her face. She almost sighed in relief. The coolness dried the perspiration on her face. Lauren closed her eyes, dragging in deep, ragged breaths.
Oxygen permeated and her vision focussed. Lauren turned her head and jagged pain seared through the middle of her skull. Nausea threatened to force her to lose what she had fought to keep down moments before. She worked to keep the contents of her stomach where they were. Eventually, the nausea eased, and she managed to open her eyes again. Where the hell was she?
Her vision cleared enough for her to see neon blue eyes slowly blinking over hers. Their vision sharpened. Their gazes meshed. If it was possible, the already-intense semi-conscious gaze escalated into acute alertness.
Recognition. And something else. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Her gaze travelled from the eyes to the rest of the face. In mute fascination, she realised she was looking at the most handsome, most perfectly masculine face she’d ever seen. She was sure he might be a movie star, or a sports person, or a model, with his strong straight nose, sensual mouth, and dark, slanting brows over those striking eyes, but the world-weary look in his eyes told her he was much more than that.
A million questions tumbled to her mouth, but she was trapped in the gaze rendering her speechless. The soft touch of his fingertips on her cheek, tucking strands of hair back from her forehead made her breath hitch. There was something almost intimate, almost possessive in that soft touch. She shivered as a spellbinding tremble worked through her body.
Never, never had she reacted so strongly from a simple touch.
“Are you hurt?” A wash of warm breath caressed her cheek. He spoke with an accent she couldn’t quite define, but the sound of his voice was gentle, and deep, reminding her of warm honey easing over gravel.
Why had her mind conjured up such a handsome man? Maybe she was still unconscious, and she’d only dreamed of being stuck in a tin can. Not a dream. A nightmare. They worked that way. Terrifying without reason.
His brows drew together, and concern touched his eyes. That was nice, too. Nobody was concerned about her. That’s what happened to capable people. They were forgotten. Used because of a freak part of their personality. Those that took care of others rarely had the favour returned. “What did they do to you?”
“Who?” Her brain was clouded in confusion. She couldn’t remember a damn thing other than breaking down in the middle of nowhere and waking up in some tin can thing. She didn’t want to, either. Not with this man looking at her like she was dessert. She wished she could move her arms so that she could wind them around his neck. Why couldn’t she move her arms, anyway?
“The Reptiles…What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Reptiles? I don’t think so. I was waiting for Superman to come rescue me.” This dream man could be a Henry Cavill lookalike. A girl could do worse. Much worse. Her imagination was sure on overdrive.
His brows drew together, so much so, they created a crease. “The Earthen fictional character, Superman?”
“The one and only…That’s who I was hoping for at the time. I think.” What did it matter what she said? She just wanted him to kiss her. In dreams, you could do that. Kiss without consequences.
His brows unclenched and rose a fraction. His eyes roamed her face, and a half smile curved his generous mouth. A rather nice half-smile. This dream was getting better and better. She licked her lips, waiting impatiently. This was her dream, and she was going to make the most of it, damn it. “Kiss me.”
His brows drew up. Heat lit his eyes, and his face transformed as a raw hunger sharpened the edges. Oh, yes. Lauren wriggled in her bonds. This was going to be good. Fingers ploughed through her hair. She bit her bottom lip, lifting her head. Close. He was so close. She wanted those lips on hers, and she wanted them now.
His fingers probed at the back of her head and a sharp pain exploded through her skull. Dreams weren’t meant to hurt! This wasn’t right. “Ow. That hurt!”
He jerked his fingers back. There was blood on the tips wh
ere he’d touched her head. In fact, now she thought about it more, her head throbbed badly. As did the rest of her body. That wasn’t right.
Jumbled thoughts snapped with instant clarity. This wasn’t a dream. Or even a nightmare. She was locked in a small metal coffin thing, and a man was lying on top of her, crushing her to death with his massive body. She made a strangled sound.
Panic curled like heated fists in her stomach, and she struggled, limbs snapping against tight bonds, muscles straining. Couldn’t help herself. The automatic reaction fired a series of questions. Her mind snapped from confusion to panic. “Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here? What is this thing and why can’t I move?” She bucked her hips as much as she could, trying to shift his heavy weight, “Get. Off. Me!”
The shaft of light widened, and she realised he’d lifted some sort of lid. He clambered over the lip of whatever she was in. She barely registered his ungainly movements as she filled her lungs to the brim. If she could only get up. She struggled against the bonds holding her down, fighting the panic of being tied down.
The man reached for her. She stiffened, “Don’t touch me!”
“If you will hold still, I will unbind you, and you can get out of the pod.”
Reason took a good couple of seconds to cut through her panic. There was no way out of this…thing unless he let her free. She licked her lips, her voice shaky, “Do it. Quick.”
Thankfully, he did. She struggled to sit, arms flailing clumsily against muscles that didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Long fingers wrapped around her upper arm, helping her to sit. She gripped the side, jerking her arm out of his grasp.
He retreated, resting back on his haunches and giving her space. He kept a wary gaze on her, as though she might be a horse ready to bolt. He still reminded her of Henry Cavill, only bigger. Broader. In fact, his shoulders were the widest she’d ever seen. A thick neck led to a face that held sharper features than she’d originally thought. In fact, there was something a little…odd…about him. But he was staying clear of her, and that was good.
JoAquin_An Alien Abduction Paranormal Romance Page 2
