Alien keeper, p.2
Alien Keeper, page 2
The vision of my mate.
Remembering why I was doing this was enough. The thrill at the thought of my own mate strengthened my arm, my grip. The Vision Fang loosened, then with a final twisting tug, it came free in my hand.
“Thank you, Kell,” I breathed, in awe of the massive fang in my grip. I withdrew my hands from the creature’s mouth, letting it close its jaws. My blood seeped down its shimmering skin, a sign of what I’d done. What I’d lost.
What I’d gained.
I kept my injured hand away from the surface of the fang so I did not bloody it. My breaths were short and shallow, and I forced myself to take a deep one and still myself in preparation.
I hefted the fang in front of my face, staring into the dark glassy surface.
Before my eyes, the surface of the tooth shifted and swirled. In the shining dark, a figure took shape. A huff shuddered out of my nostrils as my blood once again surged. I pressed the fang as close to my eyes as I could, trying to see better. Trying to see the colour of her scales, the lines of her face.
Except there were no scales.
And the lines of her face were unlike anything I had ever seen before.
My claws tightened on the fang, shredding my fingers further, but I did not care. I was too transfixed, too consumed, by the strangeness of the vision. This was no woman of the Bitter Seas, not one of my people. This was not even a woman from the desert.
This was a woman from beyond. One of the so-called “new women” that the Hakah had told us of. She had to be.
I had no time to feel dismay at this development. I had no time to rear back in surprise. The sacred mate bond was working too quickly for such reactions. Even now, searing affection made my muscles clench, made my forked tongue lash against my fangs. I stared into the Kell’s tooth, memorizing each flat plane of her snoutless face, the dark strands of hair and even darker discs of her eyes settled in rings of white.
A fierce possessiveness made my spikes emerge along my shoulders, neck, and tail. This female, in all her strangeness, her scalelessness, her clawlessness, was mine.
And as soon as my mate had appeared, she was gone, the Vision Fang fading back into blankness. I hissed, staring harder, trying to draw the image back. But the tooth cracked, then crumbled in my hands, the pieces falling into the pool of Kell’s milk at my feet. That tooth would grow again, anew, for the next warrior. But there was no more left for me.
On the way here, while following the Kell, I’d wondered why I was being granted a mate from my island just to have to leave her the very same day.
But she was not of my island.
So it was. I would not have to leave her after all.
I had to find her.
CHAPTER TWO
Valeria
“You ready, Val?”
I tightened my grip on my gun, nodding tightly. That’s Corporal Steel to you, I said inside my head. At least call me Valeria if you’re going to use my first name, asshole. I fucking hated when the name my mother gave me got shortened to Val. It was one of the only things I had left from her and shortening it felt like some kind of disrespect. But then again, Sergeant Green didn’t give two fucks about anything besides getting shit done. Cold and cruel with the deadest eyes in his head that I’d ever had the misfortune of seeing on anybody. Maybe I should just call you Cole instead of Coleman. Since apparently we’re using first names and not using actual titles, Sergeant Green...
Of course, I didn’t say any of that out loud.
“Yes, Sir!” I replied sharply but quietly. The two of us were crouched at the side of the partially destroyed craft the first Earth mission had landed on this planet with. Apparently, a bunch of alien cockroaches or something had come right up and out of the sand, crashed through the viewscreen, and killed the crew of this vessel when they’d first landed on this sand planet. The only survivors, from what the orbiting research vessel could see on their scanners, had been taken in by the native alien population, nestled among a massive stone formation nearby. Sergeant Green and I had come down in our own tiny vessel – the smallest one available, only big enough for us two. The hope was that we wouldn’t attract more of those fucking bugs in a small craft. So far so good. The only problem was that the craft was a one-way vehicle. The kind of thing that could weather the trip down through the atmosphere, but that wouldn’t take us back up again. Nope, the two of us were here for the long haul, stationed planet-side to figure out just what the hell was really happening down here and to find out if any of the original mission was salvageable. And we were to communicate everything, using our tiny vessel’s comm system, to the orbiting research vessel.
Our first recon mission? Surveying the destroyed ship. From what we’d seen in orbit, there were always a few aliens and humans stationed here, doing... Well, we weren’t quite sure yet. That’s what we were here to find out. We were going to have a quick look around, unseen, then rendezvous back at our own craft, camouflaged by light-scatter tech.
We each wore our US military uniforms, along with a specialized jacket that incorporated the same light-scatter tech that kept our vessel hidden. It wasn’t perfect invisibility, but it diffused our appearances into the air in a pretty impressive way. Sergeant Green activated his jacket, his frame wobbling, then dissolving into the night air. I put on the augmented sunglasses that allowed my vision to penetrate through the light-scatter tech so that I could once again see him clearly. I activated my jacket by pressing a small button inside the hood. Sergeant Green snapped his own augmented sunglasses into place.
I adjusted the controls at the sides of my glasses, shifting the dark lenses to something lighter. I needed to be able to see Sergeant Green, but the sun hadn’t quite risen yet (though it would very soon) so I didn’t need the full solar protection aspect.
After we were as camouflaged as possible we stood, still keeping low.
Then, we split up.
Sergeant Green took off in one direction, I in the other. I picked around the outside of the craft slowly, my gun ready, glancing at the screen on my wrist every few seconds. So far, the only life signs in the very near vicinity, besides Sergeant Green’s, were inside the ship. So it was unlikely I’d run into anyone out here. But still, I’d always been cautious. Careful. The way my father had taught me.
So I stayed low and moved quickly but steadily, taking everything in around me. All around the ship stretched miles and miles of rolling copper-gold desert. In the pre-dawn light, the sand looked velvety and dark, with silvered streaks cast down by brilliant stars and the ring of asteroids that went around this planet like some kind of bedazzled hula hoop. Those asteroids orbited the planet, and they were moving towards the horizon, now. Dawn was coming.
When I reached the open back of the ship that led into the cargo bay, I once again stopped to check for life signs. None in the cargo bay, which I confirmed visually. I stole inside, running silently between shelves and boxes and crates. The cargo bay was a bit of a mess, and I remembered somebody on the research vessel talking about a sand storm that had gone through here recently. Nasty stuff.
Another glance at my wrist had me sprinting for the sands. Two figures were approaching. My light-scatter jacket would keep me pretty hidden if I stayed still. But the tech wasn’t perfect, and it wouldn’t hide things like the sound of my breathing or my scent. And depending on how sharp the aliens’ senses were, that could get my ass killed.
So I got out of there, running out on the sand and then crouching down far enough around the side of the ship that I would be able to observe whoever came out of there. Just as the life signs entered the cargo bay, a third one appeared. I looked up, matching the third life sign to Sergeant Green across from me on the sand. Sucking in a sharp breath I stood and signalled to him, my movements aggressive in my rising panic. The two life signs were about to emerge out onto the sand, right beside where he was standing. What was he doing?
When he deactivated the light-scatter tech on his jacket, casting himself into stark visibility in the glow of dawn now at the horizon, that question quickly became, “What the fuck is he doing?”
But I couldn’t yell at him to stop. For one thing, he was my superior officer. And for another, the life signs were now stepping out onto the sand.
I crouched again, gun ready. My jaw was tight, my eyes wide behind my glasses. I’d seen the aliens on the scanners on the research vessel, but the images were pretty grainy. We’d had some clearer footage from a drone before it got destroyed, but even that was nothing compared to seeing one of these guys in real life.
The alien man I saw before me now was a hulking, massive wall. Easily seven feet tall, with black hair that hung well past his shoulders. Dark, dog-like ears perched near the top of his head on the sides, and a thick, powerful tail swished over the sand behind him as he walked out of the ship’s cargo bay. I was immensely grateful for my light-scatter tech at that moment. I was not keen on one of these big bastards turning their eyes on me. I was a skilled fighter, but man – that kind of natural strength was mind-blowing. He was so huge and so strange that I almost didn’t register the human woman at his side. And, if I wasn’t mistaken, the two of them were... Holding hands?!
“Don’t move!”
Shit! I’d been so distracted by seeing my first alien up close and personal that I’d completely forgotten that Sergeant Green was over there with his fucking ass hanging out, completely visible under the rapidly rising sun.
The alien reacted with shockingly impressive reflexes, shoving the human woman behind his back and raising the spear he was holding. Sergeant Green had his gun aimed at the alien’s chest.
This was not the plan. These were not the orders! We weren’t supposed to engage with the aliens or even the humans yet. We were supposed to be doing fucking recon! And yet there Sergeant Green was, shouting commands at them with his weapon raised. Even though I was looking at the alien’s back, and his form was partially obscured by the woman he now held behind him, I could see the tense, bulging stillness of his muscles. I had no doubt that if Sergeant Green made one wrong move, he’d have that huge spear hurling his way before he could even pull his trigger.
Goddamnit. I had my own gun ready, but I lowered it. At this rate, even if I took a shot, I could hit the human woman. And I didn’t want to have to shoot anyone unless it was in self-defence. Even the alien seemed to be trying to protect the woman with him, which already put him a notch above Sergeant Green in my books.
“We’re not moving! Don’t shoot!” The woman sounded frantic. Terrified. I wondered if the fear she felt was for herself, or for the big guy putting himself in front of her like some kind of alien shield. They had definitely been holding hands. That told me there had to be some kind of relationship between the two of them. It also meant that the aliens were sentient, intelligent, and capable of emotion. At least, I assumed so. Which meant it was extra fucked up that we were suddenly jumping in like this with our guns out.
The woman was speaking again, and rapidly, in a language I didn’t recognize. The alien answered her, and even through the foreign words, I could hear the deadly rage of his voice.
“Tell it to stand down!” Sergeant Green called, obviously wanting the woman to translate for him.
He is going to get us both fucking killed today. More rapid conversation flowed between the woman and her alien guard or boyfriend or whatever he was.
Sergeant Green was getting agitated. “Tell that motherfucker to lower its weapons, now!”
“Please! Just wait! Put your gun down and we can -”
Sergeant Green cut off her desperate plea. “Don’t try to negotiate with me, you alien-fucking whore. Just tell it to do exactly what I said.”
I hissed out a tight breath between clenched teeth. So he’d seen what I’d seen then. The hand-holding.
Anger mounted in me. This was all wrong. Cole was ruining everything and putting potentially innocent people in danger. Yeah, he was Cole now. No more Sergeant Green. He’d lost my last shred of respect, and frankly, the little respect I had had for him had been mandated by our respective positions. Calling this terrified woman a whore while he pointed a gun at somebody she apparently cared for was fucking low. I mean, I wasn’t exactly interested in banging an alien that looked like some kind of gigantic kangaroo bodybuilder, but I also knew that people survived the best way they knew how depending on their circumstances. And no matter the circumstances, it was clear that this big guy was doing everything he could to protect her.
Fuck it. If the other two weren’t directly in my way, I’d have had my own gun trained on Cole at this point. My father had always taught me to resist authority. Frankly, he’d be rolling over in his freaking grave to know I was even in the army. But when he’d died and I’d had nothing and no one else, it had seemed like the best option.
To say I was seriously regretting that decision now would be putting it... Lightly.
Uh oh. Things were happening. The warrior said something else, fury thick in his alien words. His tail pounded the ground and he raised his spear.
He stopped.
I’d fully expected that spear to go flying, but everyone had frozen, now looking off towards the horizon. I looked, too. Despite the heat of the morning air, goosebumps exploded on my skin when I heard it – a fierce, sky-shattering roar in the distance. It was a sound more than animal, more than primitive. It was... Primal. It echoed in my ears and ran a dark jagged claw down my spine.
A quick glance at my wrist told me that a large number of life signs were coming towards us at top speed. So many of them that they looked like a cloud of light on the screen instead of individual dots. More kangaroo alien dudes? Some kind of backup?
Looking up, I realized with shock that I was wrong. Totally, completely, utterly wrong.
Because those weren’t more of the kangaroo-looking guys coming our way.
They moved with astonishing quickness over the sand. My fingers shook as I pressed at the side of my glasses, turning on the binocular function. My breath caught in my throat as I got a better look at what was coming.
Monsters.
The word came into my mind unbidden, but frankly, it seemed appropriate. These guys looked like fucking Godzillas or something. Huge croc-creatures pounding over the sand with hard scales that glinted like gems in the sun. Many of them had spears or knives in their mouths, which meant they weren’t just animals. They were some kind of people.
Not like any fucking people I’d ever seen, that was for sure.
“You’re outnumbered, pal!” the woman called, sounding giddy. “A gun might hurt us, but it won’t do shit to the guys coming our way right now. And they’re our allies!”
Honestly, she was right. Those scales looked like natural armour. If I’d thought the big guy in front of me looked tough, then these guys were a whole new level. And there were so many of the lizardmen coming. Too many.
Time to fucking go.
Cole seemed to have had the same thought. He started backing away, gun still raised, his head swivelling between the two people here and the army approaching.
“Wait!” the human cried, coming out from behind her muscly shield, “you can’t just leave after aiming your gun at us. Who are you?”
I had to hand it to her, she was brave. Most people wouldn’t be asking questions like that after having a gun pointed at them.
Cole didn’t answer her, instead turning to run. Which was the first smart thing he’d done all morning.
“No!” the woman screamed again. Her alien guard didn’t appear to say anything else. His spear did all the talking, flying through the air and smashing clean through Cole’s right thigh, sending him sprawling face-first on the sand.
My heart slammed, my breath catching. I knew this idiot was going to get us killed. Look like he’d already achieved it for one of us.
I shook my head, disgust rising in my throat. What would he have done if those lizards hadn’t shown up? Would he have tried to take these two hostage or something? Abduct them and interrogate them? Kill them?
Well, if this idiot died with an alien spear up his ass, it was his own damn fault in my opinion and he fucking deserved it. He’d gone way off the rails and put us all in danger.
But what if he hadn’t gone off the rails? What if this was the plan all along?
What if I don’t really know what’s going on here? Maybe I don’t know the truth behind any of this...
Had I been lied to from the top down? I’d been told that we were here to check up on the health of this mission, to make sure everything and everyone was alright before we moved forward with trying to re-establish whatever the hell it was we’d come to this planet for in the first place. But what if that was a lie? What if we’d been sent here for worse things, but only Cole knew about the real plan?
If there was one thing I hated more than being called Val, it was being lied to.
That hate hardened in my guts, and if the alien and woman hadn’t still been in my way, I would have shot Cole myself when he raised his gun again. But there was no way for me to do it where I was, and when the gunshot rang out, it wasn’t mine.
The alien man jerked, throwing himself in front of the woman once more, grasping her tightly to his chest and taking the bullet in his own back. I forced my teeth together to keep from shouting in dismay. I didn’t know this guy – he was a fucking alien! And yet for some reason, I just knew he didn’t deserve this. Even if he did just take Cole’s damn leg off with his spear.
For the first time, the alien was now facing towards me, clutching at the woman whose back was to me. And for the first time, I saw his eyes. Large, dark, and strange, but undeniably deep and full of fearsome, protective rage. Instead of pupils or irises, there were pulsing copper-coloured shards. I knew exactly when Cole’s bullet hit, because those strange shards exploded, swirling outwards and losing focus just before he slumped to the ground. The woman collapsed down with him, sobbing and clawing at him. Cole, too, collapsed back down, his blood pulsing out onto the sand, staining it.
