Archive for They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-Five-
As much as I wanted to help, I knew I couldn’t, so I eased away, doing my best not to interrupt or distract Raven.
I kept the bag with me. For some reason, I didn’t want it out of my sight, though I wouldn’t have a clue how to use whatever was in it. I hadn’t actually looked in it. Just taken the bag when Raven handed it to me.
It wasn’t that heavy, and it intrigued me. If it was a jewel or a rock, wouldn’t it have weighed more? Or was that simply my preconceived notion or how big the jewel had to be to open a gate between planets?
I kept my attention on the trees around us. No one was going to sneak up on us if I could help it. I was on edge, worried Bartlett wouldn’t keep his promise, and would send the authorities after us. We were sitting ducks here, and while I understood Rissa needed help, I couldn’t help wishing Raven had arranged for transport to meet us, not arrive a few hours later.
::It’ll be all right, love.::
Raven’s thoughts caressed my worried mind, soothing me with his presence. He sounded tired, and guilt spiked in me. Being busy with Rissa, Raven shouldn’t have to try and take care of me as well.
::I know. I just can’t help thinking it was all too easy in a way.::
::True. I thought there would have been more resistance. Maybe the actual soldiers in this war against Opalites, have decided not to fight anymore. Just because the leaders and the scientists want us to experiment on, doesn’t mean all of the people who work for them are bad.::
I nodded, and even though I knew what he said true, it didn’t mean I believed it. I’d listened to too many agents complaining about the Opalites, and what kind of monsters they were. It was funny, because no one had ever seen the alien’s true body form. If the Opalites had appeared as they really were from the beginning, it would have been all out war, instead of assassination.
“I’ve done all I can at the moment. You need to rest, Rissa. You’ll still be tired and in some pain. I can’t take all of it away from you, no matter how much I wish I could.”
After turning, I saw Raven slump back on his heels, his shoulders hunched and his hands shaking. I rushed to his side, kneeling to let him lean on me. Rissa curled up on her side, her hand resting on Raven’s thigh.
“You both need to rest. I don’t know how much strength you’re going to need to activate the jewel-or portal-or whatever the hell you call it. I don’t want you to wear yourself out before you even get started on the big stuff.” I encouraged him to lie next to Rissa. “I’ll keep an eye out for trouble, and for our next ride.”
“He’ll be here in two hours. We should be fine until he gets here,” Raven murmured, his eyes closing even as he spoke.
“All right. I’ll hold it all together until then.”
I sat between them, stroking Rissa’s hair and Raven’s bald head. Soon their steady breathing informed me, they were both asleep. I smiled, knowing I would have thought someone was crazy if they suggested even a week ago, I’d be hiding in a clearing with two Opalites; one of which was my lover.
My nap in the backseat of the SUV served me well while I waited. I let my thoughts wander in the directions of what the Opalite home planet looked like. Would I be able to survive there? I hoped so, because I didn’t plan on being left behind.
There wasn’t anything left on Earth for me. I didn’t have any family, and no one I counted as a friend. I simply had acquaintances, and most of them were from the hospital. After my father died, my mother retreated into her own world, and I became an orphan. I raised myself, and managed to do a good job of it, if I said so myself.
But I never got the hang of being friends with anyone. I had no incentive to open myself up to a stranger, letting them see the darkest parts of me. Not even Killian knew everything about me. Maybe if I had shown him more of what was in my soul, he would’ve trusted me with his secrets. Maybe I would have been able to save him from the agents.
It was silly to think that, but it was how I felt sometimes. Of course, being the only son of a national hero made me paranoid about people’s motives. Most of them wanted to bask in what they thought would be reflected glory. I could have taken advantage of my father’s notoriety, but I’d never been proud of the fact he killed Raven’s parents that way.
Would it have been different if he’d met them in battle, and died face-to-face with them? Instead he pretended to be their friend, and killed them with a knife in their backs. Did it matter now after so many years?
I glanced down at Raven’s face, still slightly unnerved by the physically changes, but knowing the man I loved was there inside. How he looked didn’t matter to my heart. A smile lifted Raven’s rather flat reptilian lips, and I wondered what he was dreaming about. I hoped it was something nice, because I had a feeling life wouldn’t get any easier for quite a while.
Cars and semis drove into the truck stop parking lot, and I listened to them leave as well. None seemed to come close to the group of trees we hid in. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there when Raven finally started to stir. His eyes opened, and I met his sleepy gaze.
“I love you,” he whispered, and I bent over to press my lips to his.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-Four-
Zach-
I followed Raven into the stand of trees, trusting him to know where we were going. I gripped the bag tight with my hands, not wanting to drop it because I knew how important the object inside it was to Raven and the rest of the Opalites.
“Shouldn’t we be getting another vehicle or something to get away from here?” I had to ask, unsure of how safe it was to be only feet away from where Bartlett dropped us off.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be moving soon enough. I have transportation on the way. It’s just going to take them time to get here.” Raven glanced back at me and his gaze relaxed me in some strange way.
Maybe I wasn’t too worried simply because he was with me. Somehow deep inside me, I never doubted Raven would die to protect me, and it eased most of my anxiety.
A thought occurred to me. “How did you get a message to someone? We were really busy there for a while.”
He chuckled, and I stared at his broad back. The outside of Raven was different from before. He was bigger with black scales covering him. He’d folded his wings against his back, but I could still see them resting against his shoulder blades.
Raven looked like a movie monster come to life, but I knew him, and his soul looked nothing like his outside. While anyone who threatened him or those he counted as family was right to fear him, his family and his lover wouldn’t have to worry about Raven hurting them. I counted myself lucky to be considered his lover.
“Have you forgotten I can communicate with my mind?”
“Duh!” I gave myself a mental slap upside the head. “Well yes, I did forget that. So you shot someone a message while you were fighting with the agents?”
“I’m good at multi-tasking, but no, I waited until we were on our way here. I didn’t have to pay as much attention.”
We stepped into a clearing, and Raven looked around before he nodded.
“This will work for now.”
He strolled to the middle of the open space and knelt, lowering Rissa to the ground. I dashed to his side, dropping to my knees and setting the bag aside to start examining Rissa. I stopped my hands inches from her body and glanced over at Raven.
“Is it all right if I touch her? I don’t want to break any taboos or anything.”
Raven shrugged. “We don’t have any about touching, but she might not want a human to touch her after what the bastards did to her.”
::I let him hold me in the backseat. I think I can deal with him touching me. I know he’s trying to help.::
We turned back to see Rissa staring at us from where she lie on the ground. Her eyes were green and filled with pain. I wanted to help her the best I could, but without any supplies, I wasn’t sure I could do anything.
“Just examine her, Zach. Figure out where she’s hurt the worse, and I’ll take care of it from there.” Standing, Raven stared up into the sky for a moment. “I’m going to meditate for a while. It works best if I can feel the earth under me.”
I nodded. “Don’t go too far away.”
“I won’t.” He ruffled my hair with his hand before walking a few feet away from us, and sitting in lotus position
Rissa made a noise, bringing my attention back to her. I met her knowing gaze with a shrug. There wasn’t anything I could say about how I was visually devouring her brother, and how I might have been slightly hard at the moment. I couldn’t help if I found Raven desirable, even in his natural form.
“All right. I’m just going to go over your body, and see what I find.”
She pursed her lips, and the look she gave me told me she hurt everywhere.
“I know. They tortured you pretty well, but can you point out any spots that seem to hurt more than others? I need to see where the broken bones are.”
Rissa gestured to her ribs and her back. As gently as I could, I ran my fingers over her sides, pressing against each rib while watching her expression closely.
By the time I finished with her ribs, I knew she had five broken ribs, and possibly a couple more were fractured. I scooted around behind her, not wanting her to move any more than absolutely necessary. When I saw her back, I gasped.
Admittedly, I hadn’t been paying attention when Raven handed her to me in the SUV, and my focus was to keep up with him after getting out of the vehicle. I stared at the mangled mass of flesh and skin with a growing surge of anger.
“Did they cut your wings off?” My rage built until all I wanted was to go back to the facility, find the scientists who did this to her, and kill them with my bare hands.
Rissa nodded. ::They did it without numbing me first. I guess they wanted to see how much pain I could take before I passed out. It wasn’t much.::
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
My heart broke for her. I didn’t know anything about Opalite social dynamics, but something told me a wingless Opalite wouldn’t be given much respect.
::She will be treated with respect by all of them.:: Raven’s thoughts spiked into my mind. ::Her injuries were received during captivity by the enemy. None of the others have the right to look at her as less.::
Lifting my head, I noticed Raven had moved closer to us. He took his place beside me, and his eyes widened at the mess Rissa’s back had become. I saw him take a deep breath before laying his hands on her.
Light coalesced around Raven’s fingers. Silently, I watched as it seeped into Rissa’s damaged skin.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-Three-
“Take him with you when you leave.”
I glanced back at Bartlett. “What are you talking about?”
Bartlett didn’t take his gaze from the road in front of us. “I’m not stupid, and I can tell you’re getting ready to gather the troops and get the hell off this planet. I don’t know why it took so long for you to do it, but I’m glad you’re going to be leaving.”
“I had to grow up,” I muttered, slightly stung by his suggestion I’d wasted time.
“Whatever, man. I guess it doesn’t matter why. All that matters is you’re doing it now. Just make sure you don’t leave the doc behind. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and even in the short time we’ve all been together, I can tell he loves you.”
“That doesn’t bother you?” I wasn’t sure why I asked. It wasn’t any of Bartlett’s business whether Zach and I were lovers or not.
He shrugged. “Should it? Truly, I could care less what the two of you do in the privacy of your bedroom, or anywhere else for that matter. I know there are still people who think it’s their mission in life to police things like that, but I have better things to do.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I took a deep breath. “I plan on asking him if he’d like to go with us. The problem is I don’t know what will happen, and if he’d survive the trip. I don’t think it’s been done with other life forms before.”
“Even with all the doubt, I’m pretty sure Doc would rather go with you than stay here. Aside from missing you, he’d probably end up in prison for helping all of you Opalites get away,” Bartlett pointed out.
I nodded, knowing Bartlett was right. Keeping Zach safe was only a small reason why I was going to ask him to come with me. I didn’t want to leave him behind, knowing I would abandon my heart when I left as well. While most of my energy had to be focused on saving my own people, I knew I’d always be wondering what happened to my lover if I left him.
“How close are we to where you want me to drop you?”
Looking out the window, I checked the different landmarks as we approached them before checking the dashboard clock. “We still have another hour or so before I want us to stop.”
“Okay. Why don’t you lean back and rest? I’ll warn you when we’re close.”
Relaxing wasn’t on my list of things to do at the moment, but I did need to meditate a little bit to renew my power. I still had more than enough to deal with any trouble we might encounter, but topping off the tanks in a way was just being prudent.
“All right. You better not double cross me, Bartlett. You saw what I did to those other agents. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to you,” I warned.
Bartlett paled slightly at the mention of how I’d dispatched the others. “I remember, and I’m not looking to die any time soon. After I drop you off wherever it is, I’m going to disappear. No more working for the government.”
“You should look into the rebels. They’re looking for someone to lead them,” I suggested.
“I heard someone took their leader out in a rather nasty way.” Bartlett paused, waiting for me to jump in, but I stayed silent. He continued, “I think I’ll stay away from any form of organized resistance. It’s best for me to hide out for a while until all the hoopla is over. You know they’re going to freak out when they realize you’re gone.”
I grunted. “Good. They need to find something else to do beside torturing and experimenting on people who are different.”
I ended our conversation by leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes. I calmed my breathing until it was a steady rhythm, synced with the beating of my heart. Sinking deeper inside myself, I drew my power in, creating a ball of light at the center of my soul.
It was easier to do when I could sit on the ground, soaking up the power of the earth beneath me, but I could still smooth the edges out, and consolidate it. I drifted into a trance, letting my thoughts and worries fly away, so I could clear my mind.
Time must have past, and it was the slowing of the vehicle that drew me out of my meditation. Blinking several times, I let go of the energy inside me, letting it flow back into all parts of my body. I looked in the backseat, and noticed Zach was awake. Rissa still looked out of it, and I wasn’t ready to wake her up just yet. The more rest she got, the easier it would be for me to heal her.
“Are we close now?”
I looked out the window. The sun peeked over the distant mountain range while we drove into the lower foothills. A sign for an approaching truck stop caught my eye.
“Yes. Pull into the truck stop, but drive around the back of it. We want as few people as possible to see us. You can leave us there, and continue on your journey.” I twisted in my seat to meet Zach’s gaze. “We’re here.”
“All right.” He slowly straightened, trying to not jostle Rissa too much.
Rissa opened her eyes and stared at me. She didn’t panic being in Zach’s arms, so I assumed she remembered where she was and whom she was with. I nodded at her, and she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
Bartlett found a deserted spot close to a large stand of trees in the far corner of the parking lot. After he turned the engine off, I climbed out. There were still enough shadows where we parked to hide my form. At least, my wings were back under my skin.
I opened the back door and helped Rissa out. She leaned against me, and I longed to heal her right there, but knew we needed to be hidden first. Zach left the SUV, holding the bag tightly in his arms. I crouched by the passenger window, and met Bartlett’s gaze.
“Thank you, Agent Bartlett. I appreciate you doing this for us. I hope you find the peace you’re searching for.”
Bartlett grinned. “Oh I’m sure I will. I hope you all get home without any more problems.”
“Thank you, Bartlett. You turned out to be a better friend than I expected.” Zach reached through the open window to offer Bartlett his hand.
“And you turned out far braver than I imagined as well, Doc. Take care of each other.”
I herded Rissa and Zach into the standing of trees, moving as far into them as we could get. I wanted us in place and stationary by the time the sun had fully risen.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-Two:
I wanted to help her right away, but I didn’t want to stop even for a moment. We needed to get further away from the facility before I could think about healing her.
“I think you should get some sleep. It’ll be several hours before we can stop.”
My lover nodded, and I watched as he and Rissa shifted until they were comfortable, but Zach wouldn’t let her go. He held her tight like she was the most precious thing in the world to him, and it touched my heart. For so long, Rissa had been the entire center of my world, but since meeting Zach, she’d been sharing space with him, and now, I had two people to worry about.
Staring at their sleeping faces, I vowed to do everything in my power to keep both of them alive. I sighed once before turning to face forward. Bartlett didn’t seem inclined to talk, but I needed to ask some questions.
“Are you really helping us because you’re tired of your job, or are you doing this to find out what we’re doing? Are you spying for the government?”
Ultimately, it didn’t matter what his answer was because I’d wipe his memory when we got to our destination. I couldn’t risk someone finding Bartlett and figuring out where we were really headed. I needed a big enough lead to get us to a safe hiding spot. It would take a few days for the rest of my kind to gather at the meeting place.
It would give me time to heal Rissa enough for the journey, though I really didn’t have any idea how long our trip would be. Once the portal was open, I had no way of knowing whether getting to our home planet was instantaneous or whether it took minutes to get from here to there.
Bartlett lifted one shoulder in a shrug. He didn’t take his gaze off the road in front of us. “When I became an agent, I thought I would be saving the country from terrorists and people out to harm us somehow. Little did I know the government saw danger in all kinds of people. Mostly homeless or the marginalized were the worst. I think it was simply because no one cared about them. No one came looking for them, and the government could do whatever they wanted to them.”
“Yet you didn’t walk away? You stayed working for them. I don’t understand.”
“I’m sure walking away sounds simple to you, but it’s not that easy. If I quit or ask for a transfer, my superiors would think I was getting soft or going to the other side. They aren’t forgiving about that sort of thing. They would kill me, and I wasn’t ready to die.”
I shot him a glance. “But you’re ready now? Because you know they’ll kill you if they ever figure out you helped us in any way.”
“Doesn’t matter. Seems like you’re getting ready to leave, and by you, I mean all of the Opalites left on the planet. Soon there won’t be any more boogeymen for us to fight.”
I snorted. “I hate to tell you this, Bartlett, but with this government, there will always be people out there they fear.”
Bartlett nodded, but didn’t say anything else.
“So after you drop us off, are you going to call in your position to your superiors?”
“I would if I thought you were going to stay there, but you’re not stupid. I never thought Opalites were the dumb monsters the scientists tried to convince the world they were. You’ve managed to survive in this country after a majority of you were wiped out, so you have to be intelligent. I think your only mistake was thinking humans wouldn’t shoot first, and then try to decide if you come in peace.”
Laughing, I agreed with him. “True, but I have no way of knowing what my parents and the others were thinking when they decided to come here. Maybe they didn’t have a choice.”
Bartlett took the on ramp and continued west on the highway. He was quiet for a few miles, but I could almost hear the thoughts in his head. I wasn’t going to read his mind, not really having any true interest in what he was thinking.
“So what are you going to do now? I have a feeling you didn’t come to the facility just to rescue the female.”
I thought about telling him the truth. It wouldn’t mean anything to him since I was going to wipe his memory anyway. Yet I’d spent so many years keeping our plans secret, I didn’t feel right revealing it to a human who might not be working in our best interests.
“It’s better if you didn’t know any of it. Just go on believing we came for the female, and we’ll get along.”
“Why is the doctor with you?” Bartlett gestured toward the backseat with a tip of his head. “His father was the one who killed the Opalite leaders. Assassinated them from behind or something like that. Became friends with them, and slit their throats.”
“Unlike humans, I don’t hold the sins of the fathers against the sons. The doctor has proven he isn’t interested in hurting us, and I’m not interested in exacting revenge for something he didn’t do.” I folded my arms over my chest. “He had a gentle heart, and it’s not something I’ve seen very often in this world.”
Bartlett nodded. “That’s the truth. I’m not surprised Doc is helping you. He’s never been part of the whole torturing Opalites or anyone for that matter. He hates having anything to do with the government. Being the hero’s son has been tough on him.”
I looked over my shoulder at Zach, sleeping in the backseat with my sister. Love filled my heart at the sight of his peaceful expression. I didn’t know how I came to love him so quickly, but it didn’t matter. He was mine in the most fundamental way, and I wasn’t giving him up for any reason.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-One-
Zach rolled his eyes. “Maybe it’s because you’re the scariest bastard they’ve ever seen.”
I nodded. “You could be right. We’re going now. I’ll go get Rissa. You make sure Bartlett’s okay, and get the vehicle ready for us to go.”
“She hadn’t regained consciousness. Her heart beat was faint, but it was there, so she’s not dead yet.” Zach laid his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Raven.”
Swallowing my rage and fear, I trailed my fingers over his cheek. “So am I. I’ll be able to help her a little once we’re out of here.”
Looking up, I spotted Bartlett standing in front of the SUV. I met his gaze, and my anger must have shone in my eyes, because he lowered his head and bared his neck. The man probably didn’t even know he was showing signs of submission.
Humans didn’t tend to think about who was more dominant, but Opalites knew things went easier when people knew who was in charge. I wasn’t going to risk the lives of the people I loved by letting Bartlett think he would be giving orders. I knew where we needed to go, and when we needed to be there by.
I leaned over, and nuzzled Zach’s neck quickly before heading off to retrieve Rissa. She hadn’t moved from the spot I’d set her to deal with the agents. She was naked, and the scientists had sliced strips of her skin off, possibly to test it to see if it was any different from humans. I placed my hand on her back, thanking my gods that her wings hadn’t come in yet. If they had, and with her being as injured as she was, she wouldn’t have been able to control them.
The scientists would have had a field day, cutting them from her. I’d run across one of the body of one of the Opalites they’d captured. They had taken his wings from him, but didn’t do anything to stem the bleeding. The veins feeding our wings were fragile, and when they were damaged, we could easily bleed out from them. Of course, I was sure the scientists didn’t care whether he lived or died. They were only interested in learning more about us.
I swept Rissa into my arms, said a silent prayer and good-bye for our brothers and sisters who’d been killed by the government at the facility. Her head rolled on my shoulder, bringing all my protective instincts to the forefront.
“How is she?” Bartlett opened the back passenger door for me.
“She’s still alive at the moment, but I don’t know for how long.”
Zach held out his arms and I set her in his embrace. “I’ll hold you. You have to tell Bartlett where we’re going. I’ve got the bag as well.”
“Okay.” I brushed a kiss over Zach’s cheek before shutting the door. I turned to look at Bartlett. “You better not be screwing us, or I will kill you.”
“I’m not, sir. I hate my job, and if my helping you gets you off this planet, then I’m happy. I’m tired of trying to catch you aliens, and bringing you here to get tortured. I want you gone.” The agent frowned.
“Fine.” I gestured toward the driver’s side. “You drive, and I’ll direct you to where you’re going to leave us.”
“Right.”
We climbed into the front seats of the SUV. I settled back, and closed my eyes. Power surged through me, causing my wings to sink into my back again. I didn’t try to change the rest of my body to human size. It didn’t matter any more what I looked like.
Twisting slightly in my seat, I met Zach’s gaze. He smiled at me.
“Are you going to stay this way?” He studied me with a rather hot gleam in his eyes.
“From now on, yes. There’s no point in hiding my true nature. I’m hoping we won’t be around much longer. I don’t want to stay here. We need to go home.” I shook my head. “It was a rotten plan to begin, coming here like my parents did.”
Zach managed to touch my shoulder. “You have no idea why your parents and the others chose to come to Earth. Maybe they had a good reason at the time. Also, they might have hoped we humans wouldn’t be complete idiots about the contact.”
I snorted. “If they were intelligent enough to develop space travel, how could they have not known what humans were like?”
“Unfortunately, sometimes what a person hopes for overcomes their better judgment.” Zach patted me like he was offering me comfort.
Bartlett cleared his throat. “Which direction do you want me to drive in?”
“Go west. We need to get into the mountains. Once we hit them, I’ll let you know where we go from there.”
“Cool.”
I turned even more in my seat to look at Rissa. She still hadn’t opened her eyes, but something about the way she held her head told me she was awake.
::We have you, Rissa, and we’re safe for now.::
::Are we moving?::
::Yes. Zach and I rescued you. I got the jewel, and we’re on our way to the meeting place.::
I could feel her thinking, but I didn’t say anything else. I’d let her work things out, and ask me when she was ready.
::Who’s holding me?::
::Zach has you right now. I’m in the front seat with Bartlett. He’s an agent, but he says he’s going to help us.::
She tensed, and Zach’s gaze dropped to her face when she moved, but he stayed silent. I appreciated the fact he didn’t want Bartlett to know Rissa was awake.
::You trust this agent?::
::Not really, but he’s going to get us as far as possible before I get rid of him, and we’ll make the last part of the journey on our own.::
She sighed softly, and Zach readjusted her, so she was leaning against him without hurting her more.
“There’s a blanket in the back to cover her with,” Bartlett informed us.
Zach managed to get the blanket and tucked it around Rissa, hiding her nakedness, and giving her back some of her dignity.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Fifty-
Raven-
I stood just inside the doorway, letting the darkness surround me. My body blended in with the shadows, and it would be difficult for any human to see me. Yet my eyesight was far better than humans, and I spotted Bartlett sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV.
A person sat behind him, holding something to the back of Bartlett’s head. I assumed it was a gun to keep the agent from doing anything stupid. I glanced in both directions, and while I didn’t see anyone else, my instincts warned me there were others around, waiting in ambush for me.
“Doctor, I’m waiting. It seems you’re not interested in saving Agent Bartlett’s life. That’s a pity. I thought doctors were supposed to try and save everyone they can.”
The voice came from the left, so I marked where the speaker was. I took a step closer to the doorway, breathing in the scents brought to me by the wind. There were three strangers out there, two to the left and one to the right of the entrance.
I glanced over to where Zach crouched over my sister, protecting her with his own body. He lifted his head, and his gaze met mine. I saw nothing except love and trust in them. He wasn’t blaming me for any of this, and he didn’t seem very worried about the situation we found ourselves in. God, how had I earned that trust? How could he love me like he did when all I’d done so far was drag him into danger at every turn?
::I’ll do my best to keep her safe. Go and do what you need to do, Raven. I have the distinct feeling the clock is ticking, and we’re wasting time here.::
Nodding at his words, I turned back to the doorway. I flexed my hands and took a deep breath. There was something I could do, but it would take a lot of my strength. Yet I didn’t have a choice. If the three agents were ready with their guns, the minute I stepped out of the building, they would shoot me down. I could survive getting shot, but not at point blank range.
::Don’t freak out when you see me disappear.:: I informed Zach. I didn’t want him gasping or giving his position away.
::Disappear? What else can you do?:: He eyed me with interest.
::You’ll have to wait to find out.::
I grinned at him before closing my eyes and allowed the spell to over take me. I felt Zach’s surprise in my head, but he didn’t make a sound. I eased out of the doorway. Like a chameleon, my skin would blend into its surroundings. Only it worked far better than that. If I stood still or moved very slowly, no one would be able to see me.
While walking cautiously, I kept my gaze on the men to my left. One of them was the man in charge, but I was going to take both of them out. I didn’t have time to figure out which one was the boss. As soon as my vision focused on them, I realized I didn’t have to worry about that. The man in charge stood behind the other one, using him as a shield.
I curled my upper lip in disgust at his cowardice. There wasn’t any courage in standing behind someone else when danger was around. He would be the first I took out. I eased around them, and relaxed just a little bit when their attention remained on the door. Obviously they hadn’t noticed any disturbances while I left. After circling them, I came up behind the main agent and leaned closer. I breathed on his neck, and watched him stiffen.
“What the hell?”
He swung his gun around, and I let the spell go, materializing in front of him like a spirit. Shouting, he tried to pull the trigger, but I wrapped my hand around his, crushing it in my grip. His shout turned into a high-pitched scream when he dropped to his knees, scratching at me to try and get me to let go. I swiped my other hand out, and slapped the second agent upside the head. He went down like I hit him with a brick.
The third agent leveled his gun on me, but I snarled, baring my fangs, and his resolve faltered. I watched in horror while Zach sprang from the building and nailed the agent in the back of the head with a chair. The man went down and was still.
“I wasn’t going to sit around and let you get hurt again. Not if I could do something about it.” Zach allowed the remains of the chair to hit the ground. He looked over to the vehicle. “Bartlett, I’m assuming you took care of the agent with you.”
“Yes, Doc. He’s down and out of the vehicle. We need to get moving though. They called for back-up before we headed over here.” Bartlett peered through the open window. “You might want to take care of Johnson, whoever you are. We have to be out of here before the rest show.”
I stared down into the terrified gaze of Johnson. “A real man never hides behind another when he’s in danger.”
“Fuck you. You’re just some monster, not even human.” He spit at me.
Laughing, I shook my head. “Really? Your hand is already crushed, and I could easily tear your arm off your body. But you’re going to act all brave now?”
“Raven, we need to get Rissa out of here. I can’t help her here.” Zach laid his hand on my arm.
I released Johnson’s arm, and twisted my hand up in his shirt to drag him to his feet. I stared into his eyes, and let him see all the rage boiling in me. “I suggest you forget we were here, because if you come after me and I find you, I’ll dismember you without killing you first.”
The stench of urine hit my nose and I grimaced in disgust. I smacked Johnson against the building, rendering him unconscious. I tossed his limp body on top of the other agent.
“What is it with you humans? Why can’t you control your bodily functions? That’s the second agent who pissed himself when I talked to him.”
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Forty-Nine-
::Raven, we have problems.:: I alerted my lover, hoping I wasn’t distracting him from what he was doing.
::What kind of trouble?::
::Bartlett’s outside with the vehicle, but I think there’s someone else with him. I can’t see them, but he looks rather nervous.:: I shot another glance out the doorway, and Bartlett didn’t gesture me again. He stared straight ahead, hands gripping the steering wheel. Bartlett seemed to be shaking his head slightly.
I’d gotten the message. I wasn’t leaving the protection of the building until Raven was with me.
::Stay where you are for now. I haven’t found Rissa yet. Where could they have taken her if it wasn’t here?::
Frustration colored Raven’s thoughts. I leaned back against the wall in shadows, and closed my eyes. I tried to bring up the map of the building. I’d been everywhere in the facility, and I remembered one of the rooms had been hidden.
::Can you contact her?::
::No.::
::Show me where you are.:: I allowed the image of where Raven stood fill my head. ::Okay. You need to go down the corridor and turn right. At the end of that hallway, you’ll have to look really close. There’s a door hidden in the wall. I’ve seen it there, but I’m not entirely sure where it is. She might be in that room. It’s a specially built cell, which might be why you can’t talk to her.::
::Thanks. I’ll go see if I can find it. Stay hidden, and I’ll be back for you in a few minutes.::
::Be safe.::
I moved from right beside the door to the darkest corner I could find, and ducked behind a desk. I kept my head down, and didn’t answer, even when I heard Bartlett call my name.
“Hey Doc, I’m here. Are you ready to leave? I know you were just getting your laptop and stuff, but we have to go. Whoever is attacking the compound might be looking for you. We should be leaving. I found us a driver who’ll take us to a different government facility.”
I heard Bartlett grunt. He probably wasn’t supposed to tell me there was someone else with him. I thanked him silently for the warning. I’d stay put until Raven came for me. I trusted my lover to keep me safe through this entire encounter.
Sitting on the floor, I rested my head back on the wall. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I hadn’t had time to think about what I was doing. How had I gotten to the point where I was hiding from my own government while waiting for an alien to come back to me? My father died trying to defend our world from the parents of the alien I was in love with. Yet I didn’t care who Raven’s parents were or what Raven really was. All I cared about what Raven, and how much I’d come to care for him.
::I’ve got Rissa. She’s breathing, but I’m not sure how much damage they’ve done to her.::
Raven’s rage caused his thoughts to shake and I could almost feel the heat from his anger in his words. I stayed where I was, not wanting to alert whoever stood outside to my presence.
::When we’re safe, I’ll look her over. I’m not sure I can help her, but at least we’ll know her injuries.::
::Once we get to the meeting place, I’ll see what I can do about healing her.::
::I was right. Bartlett has someone else with him. I’m not sure who, but Bartlett gave me a heads up, so we have to be careful when we leave here.::
::Yes, I can tell there are two people outside the building. When I get to you, I’ll give you Rissa, and I’ll deal with the extra person. We can decide what to do with Bartlett later.::
“All right,” I whispered into the dark around me.
“Doctor Harleigh, I need you to come outside right now. I’m not joking around. I know Agent Bartlett is helping you and the creature with you. I won’t kill him if you come to me.” A strange voice echoed from the front of the building.
Snorting softly, I stayed put. Of course, I didn’t want Bartlett to die, but I wasn’t going to put myself or Raven at risk for him either. There were several other Opalites who needed to go home, instead of staying on a world where they were hunted and tortured. I accepted more humans might die before we could get the Opalites free, but how many Opalites died in the initial encounter? We weren’t even close to their numbers.
Footsteps brought my head up, and I peered toward the hallway where Raven had disappeared early. A dark shadow appeared, and I jumped to my feet after reassuring myself it was Raven. He held his sister in his arms, and his eyes blazed with fury.
“Oh my God,” I muttered as I spotted just how much damage they’d done to Rissa. “I shouldn’t be surprised by what kind of animals humans are, and what they can do to people who are different.”
“I’m leaving her with you. Don’t come out until you hear me call you.” Raven set her on the floor at my feet. “I’ll take care of whoever is waiting outside for us. They won’t be expecting me to come out.”
I didn’t think about what I was doing. I cradled his face in my hands, and kissed him. It didn’t matter to me what Raven looked like, that there wasn’t a remote hint of the image he’d been when I first met him. All I wanted was for Raven to know I loved him, and I didn’t want anything happening to him.
“Take care of yourself. Don’t get too injured while you take this guy down,” I told him before hunkering down to cover Rissa’s body with mine.
What I was protecting her from? I didn’t know for sure, but I knew I’d give my life to keep Rissa safe for Raven.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Forty-Eight-
“Have she answered you yet?”
“No, which means any one of three things. She’s dead. She’s unconscious, or she’s so injured, Rissa is conserving her strength to stay alive.”
Raven sounded very worried and I didn’t want to distract him from getting to his sister. I tried to keep pace with him as best I could, but in his true form, he was a lot taller than me, so his legs were longer. I was almost flat out running while we made our way across the compound.
We got to the lab, and Raven didn’t even hesitate at the closed door. He drove his claws into the lock, twisting his hand until the lock broke and he could tear the door off its hinges. I ducked when he tossed it aside, and realized Raven was getting careless in his worry for his sister. Before he could dash into the lab, I put my hand on his arm.
“Wait a minute. You can’t rush in there. You need to make sure this isn’t a trap,” I informed him.
He snarled at me, but stopped his headlong flight. I met his angry glare with an understanding smile. I knew if Rissa was my sister, I’d be pissed by what they’d done to her as well. I would have done every thing in my power to save her. Of course, I wasn’t equipped with all the items Raven had to insure she got free. I probably would’ve gotten myself captured or killed long before this.
“Don’t you think if it was a trap, they would have opened fire by now?” He quirked an eyebrow, or at least I thought he did.
“Not if they want to capture you alive. They’d let you get inside and then lure you into a cell.” I’d watched plenty of action movies. I knew how the bad guys operated.
“All right. I’ll be careful. I want you to stay just inside the door until either Bartlett gets here with the vehicle or I get back with Rissa. I don’t want you moving from that spot, no matter what you see or hear.” Raven stared at me until I nodded. “Thank you. I don’t think I’d be able to go on if both of you were hurt during this.”
I understood what he meant, but I knew better. He might not have been happy about it, but he would have continued on. Raven’s mission was to save an entire species and he wouldn’t stop, even if Rissa and I were hurt. He couldn’t stop. Far more depended on him getting to the meeting place and using the jewel to open the portal back to the home planet.
Pushing up on my toes, I brushed a kiss over his cheek. “I’ll stay right here until you get back to me. Now go get your sister. We’ll take care of her injuries on the way to the meeting place.”
He touched my face lightly before disappearing into the building. I slid into the lobby, and to the right of the door. I crouched in the shadows, not wanting to make a target of myself in case someone was there. It didn’t make sense that they would leave the lab and all their research vulnerable when they knew the compound was under attack.
I heard Raven roar somewhere in the depths of the building, and I figured he’d either found Rissa or he found some more agents who tried to stop him. I glanced around, recognizing where I was. Right in front of me was the security desk and a bank of computers. A thought crossed my mind, and I crawled my way over to them.
After readjusting the straps of the bag so it rested more comfortably on my back, I woke the computer up and typed in my password. I’d never thought the government was particularly smart, or the people who ran the government. They knew I didn’t support them, yet they gave me complete access to their scientific research like they didn’t believe me, and at some point, I’d come over to their side.
Information and numbers scrolled through on the screen, and I gritted my teeth. It looked like they’d done a lot of experiments on innocent people. Not all of them were Opalites, but all of them were people no one would miss if they died, and a lot of them had during their captivity.
I looked around the desk and crowed in silent delight when I found a flash drive in a desk drawer. I started downloading all the files on it. I wasn’t going to leave without this information, and if I had time, I would wipe out the entire system before we left.
More shouting came from some point in the building. I had never gone very far into the labs. I wasn’t interested in how they were torturing or experimenting on people. Since I wasn’t a true believer, the scientists hadn’t wanted me any where near their top-secret projects. Yet they had been willing to give me access to their papers online. Didn’t make any sense to me, but I wasn’t running the scientific branch of the government.
Beeping drew my attention back to the computer, and I smiled when I saw all the files were downloaded on to the flash drive. I disengaged it, and then initiated an entire system wipe, destroying everything. While they might have had backups stored elsewhere, it would still delay them for a time because they’d have to recreate the entire computer program.
The sound of a vehicle pulling up outside caused me to scurry back to the door and peer around the edge of the frame. I spotted a black SUV idling a few feet from the building. The passenger side window rolled down, and Bartlett waved at me from behind the steering wheel. He gestured for me to come out, but I shook my head.
Something about the way he kept looking behind him without moving his head told me there was someone else in the vehicle with him. I wasn’t getting in there without Raven.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Forty-Seven-
Raven looked like he wanted to kiss me, but before he could do it, a yell drew our attention and he turned away from me. There were four humans standing just outside the building, holding rifles, and staring at us with fear in their eyes. Raven pushed me behind him, and let go of my hand. Growling, he took a step in their direction.
“Try not to kill it or the doctor, boys. We need both of them alive.”
Peering around Raven’s wide back, I spotted Bartlett standing a few feet off to the side. Why wasn’t he with the other men?
“How are we suppose to stop it without killing it?” One of the men asked Bartlett while Raven stepped from inside.
“You’ll have to figure it out.” Bartlett caught my gaze and nodded.
What did that mean? What kind of game was Bartlett playing? I didn’t know, and I wasn’t going to take a risk by trusting him. I never had any problems with him, but he was still an agent, which meant he’d try to capture Raven. I couldn’t let that happen, even if it meant sacrificing myself. Raven’s mission was far more important than me.
“Drop your guns, and I promise I won’t hurt you,” Raven informed them while approaching them.
“Right. Like we’d believe a monster like you.”
Like several beings connected by one brain, they lifted their rifles and fired. I dropped to the ground, covering my head with my arms, my heart pounding. I didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight between the agents and Raven.
A scream brought my head up and I saw Raven stabbing his claws into one of the agent’s stomach, ripping through his flesh. Gagging, I buried my head in the dirt, wishing I hadn’t seen any of it.
I wasn’t going to have a melt down on Raven, because I did tell him I wasn’t going to freak out. I hadn’t really thought the whole thing through. Of course, what was the difference in seeing it happen by Raven’s hand or seeing some person come in on a gurney with his guts hanging out? I’d worked in the emergency room where critical patients came in and bled out all over the floor.
I felt a tug on the backpack and, without even thinking, I rolled over and swung. My fist connected with someone’s face and something crunched under my knuckles.
“Fuck, Doc. You need to watch where you’re swinging. Can’t hurt your hands.” Bartlett held his hand over his nose.
“Oh Bartlett, I’m sorry.” I started to reach out to check Bartlett, but stopped a few inches from his face. “What the hell were you doing?”
“I was moving you away from the fight. Shit, Doc. I’m not interested in actually taking your monster hostage. I’m trying to get you two out of here without getting either of you injured.”
Shocked, I stared at him for a moment. “I thought you were totally into being an agent and trying to find Opalites.”
“Maybe when I first started as an agent, but as the years went by, I found I didn’t like what the government was doing. They were kidnapping people, and torturing them, or killing them if they didn’t agree with the government.”
Another scream cut off in the middle of the sound, and I started to turn around. Bartlett grabbed my arm while shaking his head.
“You don’t want to see that. Are you trying to get to a vehicle?”
“No. We have to go to the lab where they moved the female earlier today.” I took a deep breath, and turned around.
Raven stood in the middle of carnage. All the agents were on the ground, bloody and most likely dead, but I didn’t care about them. It didn’t bother me that he’d killed them all with little effort. All that mattered to me was that he wasn’t injured.
“Are you all right?” I held out my hand, but something in the way Raven held his shoulders told me he didn’t want me to touch him.
“I’m fine. We need to get to Rissa before more agents come.”
Raven swung around, and his gaze landed on Bartlett. “Why is he here?”
“He wants to help us get away. He doesn’t care what you are or who you are. He just wants it all to be over with.” I was probably putting words in Bartlett’s mouth, but I didn’t want Raven to go after him. At least not until Bartlett showed he wasn’t to be trusted.
“We need a vehicle that can’t be tracked. Can you get that for us while we go and get my sister?” Raven took one step up to Bartlett, and gripped the agent around the throat, lifting him off the ground. He shook Bartlett hard, almost like he wanted to jolt Bartlett’s teeth out of his head. “If you’re setting us up, I’ll hunt you down and kill you. I’ll tear your heart out of your chest and eat it in front of you.”
Bartlett simply nodded. He didn’t try to fight or struggle in any way. Raven tossed him away, and swung to look at me. He cupped my face, being careful not to scratch me with his talons.
“Are you okay? No one got you or anything?”
“I’m fine, Raven, and so is the bag,” I whispered, not wanting Bartlett to know how important the bag was, just in case he wasn’t truly wanting to help us.
“Good. Now let’s go. I don’t know how many more there are, and I’m not sure if any re-enforcements will be showing up.”
Bartlett took off to the west. “I’ll grab a SUV, and I’ll make sure the tracker is gone. I’ll meet you outside the lab building.”
Raven grabbed my hand and dragged me in the opposite direction. “You better be there when we’re ready to leave, or so help me, I’ll hunt you down.”
I didn’t argue while we raced toward the lab building. I hoped we weren’t too late.
They Walk Among Us
They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase
Part Forty-Six:
Zach-
Something was happening outside and it looked like it was a pretty big deal. All the men in the building I was left, and I found myself alone. I glanced around my cell. The walls were acrylic, making them see-through, but pretty much unbreakable for me. There wasn’t anything in the cell with me. I stood in the middle, trying to find some way to get out.
A nerve-shattering roar came from outside, and I shuddered at the fury in the sound. What the hell was going on out there? A small part of me couldn’t help being happy I was trapped inside.
::Raven, what’s happening?::
::I’m coming to get you, Zach. Then we have to go save my sister. They’re doing more experiments on her.::
I took a deep breath. ::I was afraid of that when I saw they drag her out of here. Can you talk to her?::
::No. I think she might be unconscious. I’m coming in, so try not to panic when you see me.::
::All right.::
The metal door exploded in like it had been hit with a rocket. The twisted steel flew across the room, and I stared in fascinated horror as this creature from a nightmare stepped into the building. It had to duck to get through the doorway, and I estimated its height to be around eight feet tall.
It looked around the room until it spotted me. The shock of those blood red eyes landing on me jolted through my body like electricity. The creature stalked toward me, huge wings rising from its back. Its claws scratched the floor in huge gouges. While it had wings, the rest of its body was more reptilian in shape and appearance. Black scales covered it from head to toe, and there didn’t seem to be a weak spot anywhere on its form.
I met the creature’s gaze, and blinked. Intelligence shone in those cat-like eyes, and it studied me as close as I did it. When it approached the cell, there seemed to be hesitation in its steps, as if it wasn’t sure how’d I react to it.
Suddenly, a thought hit me, and I gasped. ::Raven, is this what you really look like?::
“Yes,” Raven hissed.
“You can talk,” I blurted out, surprised by the rather sibilant quality of his speech.
“In this form, I can. I have no idea why, or what changes in my body that makes it possible.” Raven stepped closer, his eyes trailing over me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. How about you?” I wanted to examine him, and make sure he was all right.
“I’m fine at the moment. I need to get you out of here, so we can go find my sister.”
“Where are the agents? Shouldn’t we be keeping an eye out for them?”
Raven shot a look over his shoulder at the gapping hole in the wall where he’d entered. “I think we have a little window of time before more come. The ones who were guarding you aren’t going to bother us. Neither is that scientist. I took care of him.”
Something in the tone of Raven’s voice told me more than I wanted to know about how he’d taken care of Sankui. Yet as much as I wished Raven hadn’t had to inflict pain on anyone, I couldn’t help but feel a vicious surge of happiness to know he wouldn’t be hurting anyone else.
“All right. How are you going to get me out of here?” I gestured toward the walls. “They’re acrylic, and I haven’t been able to see any seam except by the door.”
Raven moved over to the entrance of the cell. He studied the door for a minute before grunting. “Crouch in the corner and cover your head.”
I did what he told me, and peered out from under my arms to watch him. He wedged his claws in the seam of the door and the rest of the wall. I cringed as he jerked, and the door protested, in an almost human scream, being ripped from its hinges. My mouth fell open in astonishment as Raven tore the door off without any sort of struggle.
“Holy hell,” I whispered, standing once he tossed the contorted rectangle to the corner.
“We need to get going. At least there aren’t any more people in here with you.” Raven held out his hand to me.
I never once thought about not taking his hand. It didn’t matter to me what he looked like, though I knew I’d probably freak out later when I had time to think about it all.
“This isn’t where they question or torture them. It’s only where they hold them.” I grimaced. “They have other buildings for those events.”
“I know. The scientist told me where I could find Rissa. We need to get her, and leave.” Raven closed his fingers around my hand, obviously trying to keep his grip gentle. “I appreciate you not panicking when you saw me.”
“I’ll do that later, when we have time to breath,” I promised.
He chuckled, and I assumed he smiled, but there wasn’t much mobility in his face. Keeping our hands entwined, he led me to the door. Before we stepped outside, he offered me a bag.
“Take this, and guard it with your life. It’s what we were coming here for, and it’s the salvation of all my kind.”
I let go of his hand to slide the straps of the bag over my shoulders, turning it into a backpack. I took his hand again, and took another deep breath to steady my nerves.
“Let’s go.”
He paused and looked at me. “I might have to kill people, Zach. I know you’re a doctor, but they aren’t going to let us walk out of here without trying to stop us. I can’t let any of us get captured.”
I reached up to cup his face with my free hand. I smiled at him. “You do what you have to do to keep yourself and Rissa safe. I wish there was a way to do without hurting anyone, but you’re right. They aren’t going to let you go without a fight, especially not after seeing you like this.”
