Thankfully, Jason just had the one. So far.
“Thanks. Man, I didn’t even see any cholla.” Jason looked all around the ground for more of the offending plant.
“It can happen to the best of us. We just need to be more careful.” If that’s the worst thing to happen on this expedition, Bree would consider it a win.
They scanned the area, but didn’t see any of the Teddy Bear cactus around. They’d keep an eye out for more cholla balls anyway, because the little fuckers blew in the wind and could be found far from their original plant.
“I think I got ’em all. You okay?” Bree wiped the blood from his leg and put a bandage on before stuffing everything back in the ruck sack.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good. Let’s keep moving. Stay quiet. Eyes open and keep your head on a swivel.”
Jason nodded and they continued on.
About ten feet from the cholla attack, the footprints stopped by a bush.
Jason stooped to look more closely at the ground. “Cool. This must be it.”
“Alright. Don’t move.” Bree whispered. “Let me take a look.”
“Are you serious? Come on, let me do it.”
“Jason, remember my conditions? I need you to listen to me. I let you come out here to help me search, but if we find a box, I’m going to be the one to retrieve it. Understood?”
Jason frowned.
Damn it. She hated his sad face. “Maybe the next one. If there is a next one. Okay?”
“Promise?” Jason asked.
“No. But I promise to think about it. That’s the best I can do until I know more about what we’re dealing with.” Bree hoped that would be good enough to wipe that look from his face.
Jason finally nodded and stepped back.
Bree knelt down by the Saltbush where the foot prints stopped. With her gloved hands, she carefully moved branches aside to reach the center of the bush. Sure enough, there sat another shiny silver seamless box.
“There it is. It looks just like the other one.” Bree sat back on her heels to get her tools. While it looked the same, and she highly doubted it would explode, she couldn’t be one-hundred-percent certain and she wouldn’t risk Jason’s safety. He had the Faraday-ish hat, but that wouldn’t help much if the damn thing blew up.
Bree looked up at Jason, her jaw tight with tension, wondering if she’d need to wrestle him to the ground if he refused her request. “Step back a few feet until I make sure it’s not going to blow up. Please, Jason.”
He seemed to recognize the seriousness of her request. Maybe because she remembered to say please. He looked around to avoid encountering anymore chollas, then stepped back about two feet. He raised his eyebrows in question.
Bree waved her hand to indicate a little further back and tilted her head to indicate the boulder behind him and to his left. He complied and crouched behind the rock.
Once satisfied he would not suffer any mortal injuries should the thing explode, Bree set to work.
First, she lifted the edge of the silver box with her crow bar. Just like the first box, there were no wires or connections to the ground so she reached into the bush and lifted the box straight up. She could only raise it a few inches due to the thick shrub, but pulled the box toward her. Despite her jangled nerves and tingling brain, her hand remained steady as she placed the shiny zapper into the tool box and shut the lid quickly.
Relief washed over her and she called Jason back over.
“Can I see it?”
“Only for a quick sec. I don’t want the thing to zap us.” Even though the box was silent, Bree didn’t know when, or if, it might start humming. She could appreciate Jason’s curiosity so she opened the lid a few inches and let him peer in. Of course she had no idea if the thing was still dangerous even when silent.
Jason’s brows drew together “That’s it? What do you think it is?”
Bree locked the toolbox and shook her head. “I don’t have a fucking clue. I’ve never seen anything like it. By the way, when did you get your fancy schmancy brows?”
Jason’s face turned red and pulled his hat down. “Girls like groomed eyebrows.”
Bree smiled. “They do, huh?”
“Yeah, they do,” he croaked.
“You have proof of that, do you?” Bree chuckled.
His embarrassment made a quick turn to anger. “None that I’m going to talk to you about.”
Bree punched Jason in the arm, grabbed the tool box, and headed back to the path. She enjoyed teasing him way too much. His eyebrows looked good, but she wouldn’t tell him that. Watching him squirm was much more fun.
It took Jason a few moments to recover. When he caught up to Bree, he kept his hat pulled down as far as he could manage.
11
Despite Jason’s protests, Bree dropped him off at Max’s, then called the ER physician, Dr. Nina Cordero, to meet her off the main road a couple of miles from her uncle’s place. She figured meeting out in the middle of nowhere would be as safe as anyplace to examine the strange silver boxes.
Bree’s body went rigid at the sight of Nina’s passenger when the car pulled up behind her Jeep. She could hop back in the Jeep and take off, but she needed someone to help her figure out what these things were doing to people and ER doc seemed like a good place to start. So, despite her growing irritation, she decided to stay.
“Hi, Bree. This is Ipeshe, the medical consultant I told you about.” Nina indicated the little alien to her right as they approached the Jeep.
This Kusharian was about five feet two inches - probably close to average for their species. They looked remarkably human-like. In fact, with a pair of dark sunglasses to hide their vibrant eyes which swirled like pinwheels, they could pass as humans.
Bree knew that the Kusharians only had a few eye colors and each color meant something, but she couldn’t remember what exactly. More importantly, she didn’t really give a rat’s ass what it meant. The alien standing in front of Bree had brilliant purple eyes and purple markings to match.
The Kusharian reached out to shake Bree’s hand. “I am Ipeshe Briqhol of the ChaTudech. Daughter of Nikku Briqhol.”
Blah, blah, blah. Bree ignored the gesture and looked at Nina. “You understand the need to keep this quiet, right? That’s why I asked you here. Just you.” The tingling in her brain increased. If she had to guess, her blood pressure had as well. Bree did her best to relax her jaw before she broke a tooth.
“Of course. We both do,” Nina said. “I figured Ipeshe could help. Let’s see what you found.”
Bree put one of the make-shift protective helmets on and handed the other to Nina.
“What’s this?” Nina asked as she took the hat.
“It’s a protective hat Jason and I put together. I don’t know if it works, but I figure it’s better than nothing.”
Nina’s eyes narrowed as she reached for the hat. “Do you have another one?”
“Nope. Just these two. I thought you’d come alone.” She didn’t have a helmet for the Uninvited One. Watching out for the welfare of Kusharians didn’t rank high on Bree’s list of things to be concerned about. Hell, it didn’t even make the list.
“Please, Nina, you wear the hat. I will be fine,” the alien said.
Your people probably built these fucking things to target humans only. Suspicions about the Kusharians swirled through Bree’s mind and her simmering anger threatened to boil over. She’d never been this close to one of the asshole alien invaders before. She shoved her hands into her pockets to keep from punching the alien in front of her, once again grateful that people didn’t get k-snagged for their thoughts.
“Thanks, Ipeshe. Now, let’s see these things.” Nina put the hat on before opening the tool box.
“Nina, do you have any idea what it is?” Bree asked.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Nina shook her head, then looked at the Kusharian.
“Nor have I.” The Uninvited One reached for the silver b
ox.
“What the hell are you doing? Get your fucking hands off it.” Bree forced her way between them to shut the tool box. Thankfully, yelling and cussing at Kusharians didn’t lead to a one-way ticket to the Kusharian cocoons either. At least, she hoped not.
“Bree!” Nina’s eyes went huge and her eyebrows nearly vanished into her hairline. “For God’s sake, what’s with you?”
“I didn’t ask for its opinion. I asked you here, and as far as I am concerned, it can go back to where it fucking came from.” Bree pointed to the sky.
“Jesus, Bree. Do you even-”
The Kusharian interrupted before Nina could finish her question. “Please, let me speak. I am sorry if I intruded. Nina thought that I might be able to help. I mean you no harm.” The Kusharian bowed its head to Bree.
“For all I know, they built these things and this one’s here to steal them back,” Bree said.
“Her name is Ipeshe, and if you’re going to treat her like this, we’re both leaving. You’re being a xenophobic ass.” Nina crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a response.
“I’m not a fucking xenophobe. I don’t hate all aliens. Only the ones who’ve taken over our planet.”
Fuck her, calling me a xenophobe. What the hell is wrong with people? Why can’t they see the problem with this whole Instant Karma bullshit and the oppressive aliens running it?
Nina handed her hat back to Bree. “Ipeshe, let’s go.”
Shit. Bree ran her fingers through her spiked hair. She needed Nina’s help. If that meant putting up with the Uninvited One, then she’d have to find a way to do that. “Fine. She can stay.” She spoke through her still clenched jaw.
Nina stopped and turned back to face Bree. Her facial expression was a mix between disappointment and disgust. “We’ll stay if you promise to treat Ipeshe with some respect.”
To minimize the risk of blowing the deal by saying something rude, Bree simply nodded.
“Good. Okay, let’s continue.” Nina walked back to the Jeep and waved her hand in front of the tool box as she nodded to the alien medical consultant.
The Kusharian reached her hand back into the box and lifted the device out so she and Nina could examine it closer. “As I said, I do not know what this is. It may have some Kusharian technology; however, it is not a device I am familiar with.”
Bree crossed her arms over her chest and bounced her foot. “And tell me again, why the hell I should believe you?”
Nina cleared her throat and shot a fierce look at Bree. “Oh for God’s sake, I trust Ipeshe. Either you accept both of our help or we leave. I thought we’d already settled this.”
Bree huffed, then stepped away to allow them to continue their examination.
Nina’s word might be enough for some, but it would take a helluva lot more for Bree. Trust had to be earned. Not doled out just because someone told her to. Especially not for a member of the very same alien species that had descended on Earth, overthrown governments, imprisoned millions, and set up the IKS.
After securing the zapper back in the tool box, the doctor and the alien talked to each other in quiet tones, asking questions and sharing theories. Bree tried to follow along, but found it difficult because she didn’t understand all the medical jargon. She picked up something about EEGs, brain waves, limbic something or other.
“Have they hummed again since you retrieved them?” The alien asked.
“Not that I know of.” Bree directed her answer at Nina.
“And you didn’t feel anything when that first one pulsed? You haven’t noticed any symptoms or changes?” Nina looked concerned, and a little skeptical. Bree had told her on the phone about the pulsing hum of the first device, but had denied feeling any symptoms.
Bree resisted rubbing her still tingling head. “No. Not really.” She shrugged.
“Which is it?” Nina pressed.
Silence.
“Bree, which is it? No? Or not really?” Nina sounded irritated now.
Aww, hell. Leave it to a physician to nitpick. “Umm… I might have felt a little something at first.” Shit. Bree had hoped to avoid this conversation. In fact, she’d hoped that the buzzing would go away and she’d never have to talk about it to anyone.
“What did you feel?” Nina moved toward Bree, pulling a little pen light from her pocket.
Bree raised her arm to block the incoming light. “I’m fine. We need to figure out what this thing is, and who put them there.” She flashed an accusatory look at the Kusharian. “And how many more are out there? And what the hell are they doing to people?”
“You do realize that this is important, right? You could be in danger. Now, tell me what you felt,” Nina demanded.
“There might’ve been a tingling sensation in my head. But, I’m sure it was dehydration, so let’s drop it.” Bree put her hand up in the universal sign for stop. She was plenty hydrated now yet the tingling in her head continued. She opted not to mention that.
“I could do a scan.” The alien spoke almost in a whisper.
Bree laughed. “Yeah, thanks, but I’d rather suck bull balls. You’ll keep your fucking hands off me.”
“I would not have to touch you.” The Kusharian’s words were barely audible now.
“That’s disgusting and you’re being stupid. You have two choices: let Ipeshe do a quick scan here. Or come back to the hospital for a battery of tests.” Nina stood tall in front of Bree, flashlight still in hand.
“I’ll take door number three. We forget I said anything and move on,” Bree quipped.
Nina glared. “It would take hours to run tests at the hospital. If you don’t do one or the other, I’m going to need to let Rick and your family know that you might be compromised. Rick might need to put you in a cell until we know for sure that you’re okay.”
“You wouldn’t.” Bree’s body tensed.
“Oh, yes. I most certainly will.” Nina retorted. “If you’d stop being a jerk and think about it, you’d know I’m right.”
“You can’t break the doctor-patient confidence.” Bree smirked, feeling confident she’d won this little debate.
“There are exceptions to that rule. If someone is in danger of hurting another person or themselves, I have to alert the proper authorities. I’d say this qualifies as one of those exceptions. And, remember, you can’t hide. Ipeshe can use the IKS system to find you by your nano-trackers.” Nina flashed a triumphant grin at Bree.
“Fuck!” Bree turned and kicked a rock. She hated both choices. And, despite the fact that Nina was beautiful and rather sexy, she kinda hated her right now too. She could allow this Kusharian - who might very well be the enemy - to play some freaky psychic peek-a-boo with her brain, or go waste a ton of time at the hospital. Shit, for choices.
However, as much as she hated to admit it, Nina had a point. She might be compromised, which meant that she could go into a rage episode and hurt her brother. Not an acceptable risk. Fuck it! She turned back to face the doctor. “What exactly is the scan she’s talking about?”
“She’ll tune into your brain patterns and check for anything out of the ordinary. It doesn’t hurt,” Nina said.
“I’m not worried about pain. I’m worried about my brain getting scrambled,” Bree groaned.
“Please, I promise it’s safe. You won’t notice anything. She’s scanned me many times. Do I seem scrambled to you?” Nina cocked her head to the right and turned both palms up.
“Well…I wasn’t gonna say anything, but…” Bree smirked.
“Yeah, I guess I walked right into that one.” Nina chuckled. “Com’on, chicken. I didn’t peg you as such a namby-pamby milquetoast.”
Oh, snap, who’s she calling a chicken?
Bree had her helmet off before realizing Nina was goading her. “Touché.” She dipped her head in Nina’s direction. “Did you really say namby-pamby milquetoast? You learn that from your grandma or something?”
Nina laughed.
“Fan-fucking-tastic. O
kay, she can do the scan, but you better hope that I don’t regret this decision. I can shoot you both before the goons get here.” Bree handed the helmet to Nina.
The Kusharian closed her eyes. “She has an increase in gamma waves, a few small spikes of lambda and kappa waves, and an unusual amount of activity in the frontal lobes. These changes occurred in the past twenty-four hours. I do not sense any significant increase in limbic activity. However, I detect more activity in the right frontal lobes versus the left, but this does not appear to be a new trend.”
I don’t know what any of that means, but you better not fucking change anything in my brain. Bree shuffled her feet and her hand fell toward her thigh holster.
“I am finished. I believe Nina can explain what it all means.” The Kusharian opened her eyes and looked at Bree. “And I give you my honor I did not… change anything in your brain.”
Bree stepped closer to the Kusharian. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You fucking read my thoughts?”
“Forgive me. I am sorry for the intrusion. I only heard your thoughts because I was actively scanning your brain.” The alien medical consultant looked down at her feet.
“You could’ve warned me about that little tidbit.” If you want to keep that nose on your face, I’d suggest you get the fuck out of my head now! Do you hear me now? Bree watched the Kusharian to see if she reacted to that thought, but saw no indication that she did.
“Settle down, Bree. It’s over now.” Nina’s smooth voice brought Bree back from the edge. “Do you want to know what it means?”
Bree gestured for the doctor to continue.
“We’ve known about alpha, beta, theta, delta, gamma, lambda, and epsilon brain waves for awhile now, but our equipment isn’t sensitive enough to pick up any other frequencies. The Kusharians’ more sophisticated equipment has allowed us to document other brain wave frequencies, including kappa waves, in some humans - though not many.”
Nina barely took a breath as she rambled on. “Kusharian brains are similar to human brains, except they exhibit far faster frequencies. They also have much better control over these frequencies and greater ability to direct blood flow, neuropeptides, and synaptic energy to specific areas of their brains.”
Mind Sync Page 8
