His Woodland Maiden

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Start cutting,” Lochlann ordered.

  Dev and Jackson slapped the comms onto their shoulders and pulled knives from their boots. They went toward the nearest guards. Though lacking bio strength, the guards were still able to put up a fight.

  “Alexis.” Lochlann set the comms down and took the power source as he ran into the ship to check on his wife.

  Rick hit the end of a flare and threw it across the loading docks into a dark corner. A red glow filled the area, outlining the men on the floor. He shoved the remaining flares in his waistband.

  Violette went to the worker hiding between the crates. “Stand up. Let me see your side.”

  Harper didn’t wait. She grabbed the knife she’d hid near the cargo door and grabbed a comm from the box Lochlann had left behind. She felt Rick right behind her.

  “We need to incapacitate as many as we can in case any of them find a way to reactivate,” Harper said. Cutting the tubes wouldn’t kill them, but it would make them about as harmless as an angry toddler. Though, considering some alien toddlers were scary as hell, that wasn’t exactly the most comforting of thoughts.

  Dev and Jackson went up against those who had enough natural muscle mass left after their procedures to still fight. Jackson took a blow to the face, his head snapping back before he righted himself. He gave a fierce yell as he grabbed hold of his opponent and lifted him into the air. With a mighty heft, he threw the guard into three of his comrades knocking them over.

  Dev slammed two heads together, knocking them unconscious. Lochlann appeared next to Dev. It was impossible to read his expression while in dragon-man form. He nodded once at her questioning look to indicate Alexis survived as he rejoined the fight.

  “Alexis is fine,” Harper told Rick. He let go of a long sigh.

  Harper went toward the bio-guards who were still on the ground. They’d been dependent on the bio-fluid longer and their natural muscles had weakened, making it difficult to stand. Even injured they were dangerous. They crawled toward her, trying to grab her ankles and pull her down. What they lacked in super strength they made up for in sheer numbers. Two she could fight. Twenty would pull her under a sea of smothering, angry bodies. She kept moving, kicking and shoving, as she grabbed their damaged arms and severed the tubes. Green bio-fluid spurted from them, and she tried not to let it coat her clothing. It created slippery pools on the floor.

  Rick stayed close to do the same. A woman snarled at him as he cut her arm tubes, and she tried to grab hold as if to bite. Harper kicked at her side and sent her sliding away.

  “It worked. This guy’s side stitch is still attached but deactivated,” Violette yelled.

  Harper looked up at the sound. One of the fallen guards grabbed her foot and yanked hard. She fell, nearly stabbing herself with the blade as she slammed into the floor. Fingers gripped her hair and pulled. Bodies rolled over her, trapping her down with their weight. Harper kicked and punched as she tried to throw them off her.

  “Harper,” Rick yelled. She felt the weight being lifted from her stomach. Being as she was at the wrong angle to stab, Harper punched with her knife hand at the man trapping her head. She swung several times, hitting his hip and groin. He groaned as her knuckles made contact with his balls. He let go of her hair, and she was able to swing her body upright.

  The man moaned in pain as he cupped himself. Harper sliced the tubes along the back of his arms. Rick hooked her beneath her arm and pulled her to her feet. The bio-fluid coated her clothing.

  Viktor appeared from inside the ship with a pack slung over his shoulder. “Lucien and I are securing the communications tower.”

  Lucien rushed ahead of his brother, leading through an open path between the fallen guards.

  “Rick, Harper, come on. I’ve got the med kits.” Raisa leaped over a leg as a guard tried to trip her.

  “They look like a bunch of sunbathing fish on the beach,” Alexis observed. She shoved one aside with her foot to send him sliding. Dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her face was pale and splotched with red, indicating that whatever she’d gone through when the pulse went off had most likely been painful.

  “Careful, they still bite,” Harper answered.

  “Our new friend says the factory floor is through here.” Violette jogged past them toward an opened door.

  “Lochlann, you got this?” Rick yelled instead of using a comm.

  “Go!” Lochlann ran after one of the guards trying to lunge at Alexis and dove on top of him. The dragon-man knocked him over. Lochlann punched him several times as they both slid. Dev and Jackson faced off against four of the remaining guards who had made it to their feet.

  Following Violette toward one of the doors, Rick placed a hand on Harper’s shoulder before they went inside. The angry shouts of the fallen guards had lessened. He eyed her in concern. His thumb moved across her cheek, wiping a droplet of bio-fluid that must have splashed there. “You injured?”

  “I’m good.” Harper glanced over him as she rubbed her arms and wrung her hair. The sound of bio-fluid droplets rained on the floor. “You?”

  “Good.” Rick nodded.

  He grabbed her hand as they left the loading docks. They entered a dark corridor. She didn’t need him to guide her but felt comfort in his touch.

  “It’s too quiet,” Violette whispered. “I expected there to be chaos.”

  Harper frowned. She quickened her pace as they neared a door with a series of Ingeniarian symbols. “Here.”

  She slowly pushed the door open and eased her way inside. There were only a few narrow windows along the perimeter. Rick appeared next to her with a flare. He threw it to the side. The red light revealed rows of production equipment.

  Workers stood before each machine as if they hadn’t dared to move when the equipment stopped running. Eyes turned toward them, embedded in tired faces. They looked underfed, which was a hard thing to do if they were on a diet of nutrient paste. Several appeared frightened and drew their arms closer to their bodies as if to appear smaller. They turned their eyes toward the ground and leaned into the machines.

  Harper walked along the perimeter of the room, peering down the perfectly spaced aisles. Light tapping noises came from somewhere near the back.

  “There are hundreds of them,” Raisa whispered. “What’s wrong with them? Why aren’t they moving?”

  “They’re frightened,” Harper said. “They’re probably threatened if they leave their posts without permission.”

  “I’m never using biotech again,” Raisa swore. “We need to show this to everyone. They can’t get away with this.”

  “Greetings.” Alexis cautiously approached a woman. “My name is Alexis. These are my friends. We’re here to help. Do you speak the Old Star language?”

  Harper went to a man standing by a drill with a bit twice his size. She pointed toward his side. “Show me?”

  The man didn’t move. Harper kept an eye on his face as she reached to lift his tunic. She gently touched the side stitch. The lights were not blinking and the unit didn’t appear to be giving off a vibration.

  “This stitch is deactivated,” Harper said, dropping the shirt and moving to the next one. She gestured to a man with reptilian skin. “Can I see it? Will you come closer to the light?”

  “They’ll kill us,” the man whispered, his teeth clenched. “We can’t leave our stations.”

  “These are dead over here, too,” Violette called.

  The man stiffened and his eyes widened. He moved closer to his machine.

  “No, she means the side stitches. Not people.” Harper tried to reach for his shirt to show him but he slapped her hand away. Harper took a step back to show she meant no harm. “No problem, I won’t touch. Just make sure it’s not on and you’re not bleeding. We’re only here to help.”

  “We’re here to help,” Rick repeated, loudly. He lit another flare and threw it down the aisle. More faces were revealed from the darkness. “Who’s in charge?”

 
; A woman stared at him and lifted her hand while keeping it close to her body. When Rick started toward her, she pointed upward.

  “I’ll take care of the bosses.” Violette touched the comm on her shoulder. “Dev, we need you. Factory floor. Upper left quadrant.”

  Seconds later, Dev appeared with Jackson. Violette pointed to where the woman indicated. Jackson picked up one of the flares and used it like a torch to light their way.

  A hairy beast of a man lifted his shirt without having to be asked. Lykan males did not scare easily, and the fact he still stood by his post said more than words could. “They’ll detonate these if we try to leave.”

  Rick put himself between her and the Lykan. The protective gesture appeared to be an automatic reflex, but it wasn’t needed.

  The sound of something dropping stopped them from answering.

  “Over here!” Raisa yelled.

  Harper and Rick ran toward her voice, only to find her kneeling on the floor next to a fallen man. He moaned and kicked his legs.

  “He just collapsed,” Raisa said as she lifted his shirt. “The tracker is attached but bleeding.”

  “Hand me the injector,” Harper ordered.

  Raisa retrieved one from the medical kit. “There’s so much blood.”

  “Rick, help me turn him.” Harper angled the injector.

  The man protested and fought as Rick rolled him onto his side. Harper shoved the injector into the man’s ass cheek.

  “Wrap gauze around the wound,” Harper told Raisa.

  Raisa pointed across the aisle. “There’s another one.”

  Harper hurried to the woman, even as she heard two more drops.

  “Give me one of those,” Rick said to Raisa.

  “Check your side stitches,” Harper yelled to the workers. “We need to make sure you’re not bleeding.”

  She saw a few of them look at their sides.

  “Bosses neutralized,” Violette’s voice came over the comm, her breath a little heavy. “We have five hundred and sixty-seven workers on the floor. Twenty-three in the infirmary. We’re on our way there now to check on them.”

  “Understood,” Alexis’ voice answered.

  Harper motioned to a nearby worker. “What’s your name?”

  “Thagna.” The woman didn’t move.

  “Come over here and help hold her steady,” Harper instructed.

  Thagna kneeled beside her fellow worker and placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders while Harper looked at the tracker.

  “Thagna, you’re going to help me. We need to find anyone who might be bleeding and give them this medicine.” Harper aimed the injector and pushed at her patient’s hip. “Hold her still.”

  “We have a medical booth,” Thagna said.

  “In order to deactivate the trackers we had to fry all equipment in this facility,” Harper explained. “There is no medical booth. No guards. No lights. Just us. We need to work fast.”

  She jabbed the injector into the patient’s ass cheek. “After I inject them, you need to wrap their shirts gently around the stitch. We want to stop as much blood loss as we can. Once we make sure everyone is all right, we’ll work on a plan to get you all out of here.”

  Thagna nodded.

  To the woman she’d just injected, Harper said, “Try not to move around. We’ll come back to check on you.”

  “Meger,” Thagna said to a dark-haired man. “Run the lines. Have anyone who is bleeding from their tracker sit on the floor. Tell them help is coming.” Then to a woman with green fur, she ordered, “Screl, gather those who are not bleeding and lead them to the dining hall.”

  “Looks like I picked the right woman for the job,” Harper said. Thagna gave a small smile at the compliment.

  “We’re sending the uninjured to the dining hall,” Harper said into the comm.

  “I’ll send a flare with them,” Rick answered. She glanced to where he was down the aisle and saw him light a flare. He handed it to the man and gestured at him to go.

  Harper moved from one fallen person to the next. Between each one, she glanced to find Rick. With Thagna’s help, she was able to move a lot faster down the line.

  “How’s it looking?” Alexis’ voice came over the comm.

  “Only a few more on this side,” Thagna said.

  Harper nodded and repeated the information to the others. She stretched her back. Her injector was getting low. It had become harder to see what she was doing. They had reached the edge of the red flare light and would need to move it forward.

  Rick joined her. “Harper? Did you hear that?”

  “Wh—”

  Rick held up his hand, silencing her. He tilted his head.

  Thud. Thump. Thump.

  Harper stiffened.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  “Someone is coming,” Rick whispered. They heard light footsteps coming toward them from the darkness.

  Thagna gasped and inched toward one of the nearby worktables. Rick motioned that Harper should follow Thagna under the table.

  “Guys, is that you?” Alexis’ voice on the comm sounded concerned.

  As if to answer, a bright light flooded the factory as armed figures covered in black dropped from the ceiling and advanced on them. Masks hid their faces.

  “The Ingeniarians know we’re here,” Rick said.

  Thagna screamed and instantly went to the ground, covering her head as if to make herself as small as possible.

  Thump. Thump.

  Rick grabbed Harper’s hand and tried to run toward the exit.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Three more masked intruders dropped down to block their escape. They wore full tactical gear, including the large blasters aimed in Harper and Rick’s direction. It was impossible to see if they were equipped with bio-tubes. The sound of fighting came from the other side of the factory. Dev’s voice echoed over them but there was no way for them to help.

  One of the intruders came forward, towering over the rest. He pulled the mask from his head. Streaks of blond slashed through his darker hair. The stark color of his green eyes caught her attention as he focused in on them. He didn’t appear bionic, but even without bio-fluid he was formidable.

  “I’ll distract them. You run,” Rick whispered.

  Harper wasn’t going anywhere without him.

  “Agent Harper Virant?” the giant of a man asked. “You’re a hard woman to track. We’ve been looking for you.”

  “Run!” Rick yelled like a wild man and tried to shove her out of the way as he charged the large warrior. Harper tried to go after him. Rick managed to get in a substantial blow before the armed men converged on him, tackling him to the ground.

  16

  Rick worked his hands against the cuffs. He glared at the giant man talking to Harper, just waiting for him to make a move that gave him the excuse he needed to charge him again. A few of the men had taken off their protective gear to reveal they weren’t part of the bio-jerk army.

  Harper had not been cuffed but there was a pair next to where the two stood. The bio-fluid had dried to her clothing, staining it. Her hair was a mess of plastered locks. Three guards stood behind her, staring at her back as if waiting for her to try something. The conversation was obviously tense if their expressions were any indication.

  Rick sat with most of his crew, bound and gagged on the floor of the loading dock near their ship. Even if they could make it on board to escape, the ship was dead and wouldn’t be flying anywhere.

  Jackson’s arm bled, and Dev had a large knot on the side of his head. Violette and Raisa were bound away from their husbands, which seemed to be causing the men more distress than their injuries. Lucien and Viktor had been tied together and sat back-to-back. Lochlann had it the worst, as he continually searched the loading dock for his wife. Alexis had not been seen.

  Several men had been assigned the task of mopping up the bio-fluids from the loading dock. All the bio-guards had been moved.

  The commander reached t
oward Harper. Rick struggled to get loose.

  “Sit down!” A black-clad spacehole shoved Rick down by his shoulder. “I won’t tell you again.”

  Rick gave a muffled response, basically threatening the man’s ability to procreate.

  Harper slapped the giant man’s hand, grabbed the cuffs, and yelled, “Then you might as well hold me prisoner too because I’m not telling you a blasted thing until you let my assets go.”

  She marched toward Rick and sat down, dropping the cuffs by her feet. The man frowned but didn’t follow her.

  Rick tried to ask her what was going on, but the sound of his voice was inaudible thanks to the gag.

  He wasn’t the only one. The rest of them were looking at her too.

  “HIA,” Harper stated. “With a little Federation Military support thrown in. The man I was talking to in charge of this operation is Agent Dietrich Bauer. They were either sent to assist us or apprehend us. I don’t think he’s decided yet.”

  One of the guards eavesdropped on what she was saying. He didn’t even try to hide it.

  “Unfortunately, ship logs aren’t accessible to verify that you’re important HIA assets,” Harper said, “but I would remind all of you that you’re not at liberty to discuss any part of this mission, not even to the operation leader.” She looked up to the eavesdropper. “They’ll have to kill you first, and that will piss off some very important people. My word on the matter will have to be good enough.”

  Rick instantly understood that Harper was taking responsibility for their entire plan. He would have protested, but the gag stopped his words.

  Lochlann made a strangled sound to get her attention. His eyes widened.

  “They stowed all of your property. It’s inside the ship. Even that droid,” Harper said.

  Lochlann closed his eyes and released a long breath as if he’d been holding it for the last hour.

  “Agent Virant,” Bauer’s voice boomed over the docks. “Get back here.”

  “Release my assets,” she yelled back. “You have your orders. I have mine.”

  He marched toward her. To the eavesdropper, he ordered, “Step back.”