Aurora Rising: The Complete Collection (147 page)

Alexis was on her knees with her hands resting on Caleb’s shoulders. He was sitting up, which was a surprising if welcome sight. Leaving her daughter behind was going to be far easier knowing the young man would recover.

One of his hands had wound into Alexis’ hair; the other drifted gently along her jaw. Miriam could see his lips moving, but his voice was far too quiet for her to make out what he was saying. She didn’t need to hear it though. The scene told the story better than words alone.

A jumble of emotions broke free to inundate her mind and conjure a throbbing in her chest. Regret that she had missed so much of her daughter’s life, so many moments of heartbreak and joy Alexis must have experienced over the years. Relief that she was here, now, to witness this one. Happiness that Alexis had found someone who she could open up to and allow past her substantial defenses. Fear that it meant Alexis may one day face the kind of soul-crushing loss Miriam had suffered. Certainty that it would be worth it nonetheless.

She hated to do it, but the clock was ticking. She cleared her throat respectfully from the doorway.

They both looked over at her, though neither let go of the hold they had on one another. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Mr. Marano, I’m relieved to see you awake—you gave us quite a scare. Alex, can I borrow you for a minute?”

“One second.” She turned back to Caleb and whispered something; her fingertips ghosted down his cheek to hover on softly smiling lips before she stood and crossed the room to the hallway.

“I really am glad to see he’s awake. Is he going to be all right?”

Alexis’ posture sagged in unmistakable weariness, triggering a surge in Miriam’s motherly instinct and the desire to admonish her daughter to get some sleep. She squelched the urge.

“I think so. He puts on such a brave front I can never be sure. What’s up?”

“Unfortunately, I won’t be accompanying you to Earth. I have to take a side trip to Seneca first to handle a…complication.”

Alexis arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Seneca? Are you okay with going there?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have much of a choice in the matter. But yes, I’ll be fine.”

“I know you’ll be
fine
. You always are. I asked if you were okay with it.” She discerned no hint of bitterness or sarcasm in her daughter’s voice.

“In truth, I haven’t considered the question. Perhaps I’ll wallow a bit during the flight. Anyway, I’ll confirm everything is ready for your arrival in Vancouver. If anyone gives you trouble tell Richard, then tell me. Immediately.”

Alexis made a valiant effort at appearing put-upon. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be leaving as soon as the doctor says Caleb’s well enough to travel.”

“Good. You’re in all kinds of danger so long as you remain here. The aliens know your location, and it won’t be long before they realize their attempt to kill you failed and they send more agents. The sooner you depart, the better. When you reach Earth, Richard and I have arranged for a full security detail as well as other, more discreet measures.”

“Are you sure all this is necessary? The secret’s out now.”

“If the multiple layers of surveillance shielding worked the aliens don’t know the secret’s out. And even if they do, there could be a delay in new orders reaching their agents. Also, you ought to consider the possibility that they will always consider you a threat—which they should.”

“Point made.”

“While I’m making points, you need a shower.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” Then she lifted a lock of hair, tangled and caked in dried blood, off her shoulder using two fingers and winced. A chuckle escaped as she let it fall back. “So I do. Now that he’s awake, I’ll get cleaned up. In a few minutes. Before we leave.”

Stubborn, stubborn child.
“Please do.” Miriam shuffled awkwardly, suddenly unsure how to end the conversation and walk away. “So I’ll see you again soon. And Alex, please do not open your brain and invite an Artificial to take up residence in it before I get there.”

On receiving a hand motion she took for minimal acquiescence, she turned to go.

“Mom?”

She pivoted without hesitation. “Yes?”

“Thank you for your help earlier. Thank you…for everything.”

Finding herself at a true loss for words this time, she simply nodded. But as she headed down the hall toward the exit, she was smiling.

Delavasi entered the room as the doctor was leaving, having given his grudging sign-off on their departure after a barrage of medications and instructions and admonitions.

Alex checked Caleb’s reaction to the new arrival, fully prepared to remove the man from the room by force if he wished it. He gave her the tiniest gesture to indicate she could stand down and gingerly closed up his shirt before directing his attention to the doorway. “Director.”

“Glad to see you’re none the worse for wear.”

“Well…” Caleb eased into a position where he could pull on his boots “…I am a
little
the worse for wear, at least for a few days, but it looks like there was no irreparable damage done.” His tone wasn’t hostile, though it still lacked definable warmth, and she had to wonder whether the statement might apply to more than his physical health. “What can I do for you?”

Alex watched to make sure he didn’t need help with the boots—not that he would accept it if he did—then cleared her throat. “I can give you two some time alone. I should finish gathering our things anyway.”

Caleb shook his head. “It’s all right. Please stay.”

She knew it was a courtesy intended to make up in the smallest way for the scene on Seneca. He didn’t need to do it, but she’d be lying if she claimed it didn’t please her.

“Okay.” She perched on the arm of the large chair next to the divan—far enough away to give him space, close enough to intervene if it became advisable to do so.

In the wake of the barrage of events this evening she found she was feeling staunchly protective of him—physically, emotionally, probably spiritually if the topic came up. Not because he was weak, but because he was strong. Stronger than any person should ever have to be.

It was a new but unexpectedly pleasant experience for her. She was so far from an expert in any of those things, but she’d realized something in the midst of the turmoil: it didn’t matter. For him she would learn; he would help her learn.

Delavasi wandered deeper into the room to lean against the far wall, wisely leaving a large swath of space between him and Caleb. “I won’t try to persuade you to come back to Cavare with me. I recognize you have your own path to follow. But I thought you’d want to know, I’m all but certain the man who attacked you was Michael Volosk’s killer.

“He’s a ghost—no identity, no fingerprints, no records, and there’s not enough left of his eyes for a retinal scan. But the characteristics of his blade match Michael’s wound and the MO is the same. He was definitely a professional assassin, which is the only kind of person who would have the ability to get the jump on Michael the way his killer did.”

Caleb nodded thoughtfully. “Then I’m even happier he’s dead. Volosk was a good man.”

“A better man than me, that’s for sure. And though I doubt I’ll ever be able to prove it, I’d bet good money on this guy being the one who killed Minister Santiagar and Chris Candela as well. Odds are he was the aliens’ go-to assassin. Or the Aguirre Conspiracy’s—or hell, all of them. Great job on taking him out, both of you.”

“Thank you.” Caleb shifted on the cushion beneath him and seemed to carefully consider his next words. “Director, I’m not saying I’m all right with what you—and others—did in covering up my father’s death, or everything is kosher between us. It’s not. When this is over I’m going to need to give serious thought to whether I’m comfortable with or even willing to return to Division.

“But before we leave, I was wondering if you could take a few minutes to tell me a bit about my father. About the man he genuinely was, for good or ill.”

Delavasi looked taken aback, perhaps not expecting to be granted such a boon, but his bearing relaxed. The contrast was stark; Alex hadn’t appreciated just how tense he had been.

He grabbed a chair and dragged it across from the divan, then sat down and leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “Caleb, I would be honored to tell you about Stefan.”

16

OGHAM

S
ENECAN
F
EDERATION
C
OLONY

“
S
IR, THE
O
GHAM ORBITAL DEFENSE
array is tracking us. It appears to be hostile.”

Liam considered the view from the raised overlook just past midway down the bridge of the
Akagi
. Ogham was an ugly world, a tiny, rocky planet orbiting an average orange star. There was no good reason for its existence, much less its settlement.

“So they now realize we are again the enemy. No matter. I expected the trick was only likely to work once.”

The New Orient assault had been ludicrously easy in its execution. With no threat from the array and no noticeable military presence on the colony, they waltzed in and had their way. His force had burnt the settled continent to a crisp in the space of a few hours.

In some ways it had been anticlimactic…he couldn’t sense the blood in the air or see the panic on the faces from the bridge of a ship. On the other hand, he could create widespread destruction
far
more efficiently. By the end of the offensive the flames devouring New Orient had been visible from space with the unaided eye. He’d used his optical implant to record the scene so he was able to replay it in his mind whenever he wished.

He beckoned over the Flight Deck Chief, a Commander Dohman. The man was inappropriately skinny for military service; Liam would have disqualified him from supervisory rank on this flaw alone, but demoting the man so soon after assuming command would cause more problems than it solved. As he had to keep reminding himself, he needed to be careful with the crew.

“Transfer two tactical fusion anti-ship mines to the reconnaissance craft. Instruct the pilot to proceed under full stealth and place the mines in the orbital paths of two consecutive nodes of the array. When the nodes reach the mines they will detonate, destroying the nodes and possibly even the array frame at those locations. The gap created will be sufficient for us to slip through.”

Dohman grimaced; his face was so thin the expression took up the entire bottom half of it. “Sir, perhaps a better option is to whittle down two of the nodes from afar? Since we’re facing a single array we should have minimal losses.”

He did have his eye on two officers who displayed more favorable characteristics and a better attitude, however. Maybe the time had come to shake up the ranks after all, and there were stronger, properly loyal soldiers deserving of promotion. “Did I stutter, Commander? Plinking away at nodes takes too long, and we
would
have losses. We can’t spare the ships. Carry out my order.”

The man’s head bobbed unevenly, and he backed away several steps before heading for the flight deck.

Liam was turning to consider the view outside anew when Captain Harper cleared her throat behind him. “General, the array is in low orbit. Detonating two tactical nukes at that altitude risks poisoning the planet’s atmosphere.”

The young special forces officer somehow always seemed to be on the bridge at critical junctures and somehow always seemed to have a legitimate reason for being there. Her very presence rankled him. Her understated arrogance revealed itself in the proud carriage of her shoulders and piercing glint in her stare. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was constantly analyzing him, probing for weaknesses and flaws she might use against him. But she would never find any.

Liam sneered at her. “Yes, it will.”

A twitch of the muscles beneath her left eye was the only outward reaction she displayed. “I’ll make sure the mine transfer is handled correctly, then, sir.”

Brooklyn Harper hurried through the tight hallways of the
Akagi.
Her options raced through her mind in time to the rhythm of her boots hitting the deck.