Vanished (26 page)

              “Six, including the
Misae
and one
Taipa.
”

              “A
Taipa
too? Human?”

“Yes.”

“
Very
intriguing. Wing color?”

“Bright white, Garrek, whitest I’ve ever seen.”

He grumbles unintelligibly for a moment, “We need the
Misae
, Ren. Malcolm won’t be happy when he finds out about the burns but the least we can do is bring her to him. I think it’s time for you to come out, friend.  Bring the
Misae
with you.”

              That is a response I was not expecting. I raise my eyebrows.  Twenty years planted as mole working with the resistance against my own race, and I guess I eventually stopped expecting to ever come out from cover again. “That’s an affirmative.  It could prove to be a problematic extraction if I try to separate her from her friends.”

              “Hmmm,” Garrek considers this and answers slowly, “I understand. Bring them all if you must.”

              I raise my eyebrows, surprised once again. Garrek must be going soft in his old age.  Clearing one unscheduled person for entry at the base is one thing but six is unheard of. “I’ll do my best.”

Disconnecting the transmission, I rest my head on my fist, watching the ships in my group continue with our schedule route. 

This has to be flawless. 

Chapter Twenty-Five

Logan

              “No more talking, we’re leaving.”
Why is she just standing there?
I look up again and the sky is blissfully empty of aircraft…for now.

              “Logan, just listen…”

              “Enough, Trin.” The others are shoving our meager possessions into the Expedition and the Humvee idling in the parking lot.  “We’re going.  That’s final.”

              She gives me an injured look and starts helping me toss our luggage in the trunk.  Instantly, I regret cutting her off, not letting her speak. She’s been through so much, I owe her
so
much and I wish I had time to say everything I need to say to her but the rift that’s come between us will have to wait until we’re somewhere safe to be repaired. If it’s repairable. I still have so much to tell her, about Celia, about why I left but after she saw the scars left behind from the burns last night she asked to be alone and we haven’t talked since.

              “I’m sorry.” I say, sighing, “Can we talk
while
we load stuff up though?”

              “What are you in such a hurry for? He said we have at least twenty four hours and at the end I think he was trying to tell us that he wouldn’t even report us so we have until the next ‘moonphase’ whatever that means. What about my dad? He said this place is sanctuary.”

              Swallowing, I avoid her eyes and her question momentarily, while I try to decide if I want to share that my gut tells me we are already too late.

As if on cue, we hear the familiar roaring sound of one of the Agarthan crafts before we see it.  “Run,” I yell, yanking onto her jacket at the waist and physically pulling her into the lobby area of St. Raphael’s, one of the only sections still standing. I look over my shoulder for the others and Zayn has Jaz in hand close on our heels but Madison and Collin are nowhere in sight. 

We wedge into a corner and I give Zayn a questioning look.  His eyes shoot across the room to the hallway.  I see Collin with his back pressed against the wall and I assume Maddie is with him.   

              We hear the unmistakable sound of a saucer landing on the far side of the building, by where the gymnasium used to be.  Collin looks over at me and I gesture, letting him know it’s safe to cross the lobby and join us.

I pat myself ensuring my guns are still tucked against my ribcage, a habitual motion for me lately, and of course they are. 

              Zayn, who had the forethought to grab his sword from the Humvee, is pacing back and forth in front of Jaz and Trin, “Stay with them,” I tell him as I feel Madison and Collin squeeze in next to us. “Collin.”

              He actually smiles when I call on him and starts loading his cross-bow. I love him for that.  I don’t think Collin feels things like fear and anxiety like the rest of us do.

Trin grabs my hand as Collin and I turn towards the direction of the crafts.  I squeeze her fingers, “If it looks like things are getting hairy, I want you to get in those vehicles and get the hell out of here,” I tell her.

              Her lips pinch and I can tell she’s trying to decide if she still feels the same way as she used to about me.  The look is painful and I have to let her fingers go and turn away because if she doesn’t want me anymore, it’s justifiable and I won’t make her feel guilty for that. “Be careful, Logan,” I hear her whisper as I follow Collin over the crumbling wall on the other side of the room.

              We stick to the shadows, crossing the ruins of St. Raphael, until we reach the large walls punctured with holes where the gym used to be.  The first time I held a basketball was in that gym. My first crush on Penny Valentine started when she broke my nose with a volleyball spike at the far corner of the gym by the bleachers. I can see the bleachers now from my position near a hole in the wall. They are a deformed and twisted skeleton of metal and there’s a golden saucer sitting next to them. 

              I notice this ship is different from the ones that attacked St. Raphael’s.  It’s larger and there is a second disk connected to the main body of the craft.  From the front of it are round holes that look, disturbingly, like weapons of some kind.

              The doors open and the ramps slide down.  Three of the Agarthans are male and one is distinctly female, extremely thin through the waist with huge, heavy breasts and only a sliver of black metallic fabric covering her nipples.  Their uniforms are comprised of an odd shiny black fabric and polished gold.  The woman has wings similar to Maddie’s except they’re oily black with streaks of teal.  All four of them are wearing golden helms with wings carved in the side.  They are all taller than us, the shortest stands at least six foot four, and one of the men is almost as big as Renner was. The four of them make him look friendly in comparison. 

              The woman seems to be in charge and we hear her shout an order, her voice heavy, rich and confident, with a strange lilting accent, “Find them but
do not
harm them.” 

              Renner. I should have known he was lying about the twenty four hours. The bastard probably reported us the first chance he had.

              My stomach sinks when the three Agarthan men start trampling through the school’s foundation toward the lobby.  They carry the same weapon as Renner did, long metallic blue rods that glow, strapped to their backs.  I have no idea what they do but now I wish I’d taken his from him before we let him go. 

              Collin gives me a look like we better
do something
now. 

              I am about to step out from behind the wall when, out of the corner of my eye, I see movement far off in the ruins of St. Raphael.  Squinting, I see it’s a person, strolling casually into the dim glow of the light pouring off the ship. I’d recognize that cocky swagger anywhere.  Renner. 

              Feeling Collin getting restless beside me I nod in Renner’s direction.  He looks over, and his features tighten.  He glances back at me and I shrug and put a finger to my lips then hold two fingers over my eyes and point at the Agarthans.

              We turn back to watch. The woman suddenly tenses and looks to her left.  She must sense Renner because he’s too far behind her for her to actually see him yet. “Stop,” she yells but Renner doesn’t even slow down, he just struts toward her then steps into her line of sight.  She turns to look at him. “A Ranger?” she hisses.

             
Ranger?
Renner draws to a stop in the bright light shining out from the open cockpit door.  He’s probably ten feet away from her, looking up. “I know what you’re thinking,” he states, looking up at her, his deep, gravelly voice carrying over to us, “You’re thinking you have the upper hand but that’s where you’re wrong,
Taipa
. So, I’ll give you a warning; call your men and leave now while you still have the chance.  There’s nothing here for you.”

Taipa?

              Her posture relaxes and she makes no move to heed his warning, “I outrank you, Ranger. We’re here following up on a report of human survivors in the area.”

              “No humans here, so I guess you can go now.” Renner answers.

              The woman frowns, “Why are
you
here, Ranger?”

              There’s a commotion before Renner can answer. Collin and I look over.  One Agarthan guard is dragging Maddie and Jaz along by their upper arms. The next one to step into the light has Zayn’s arms pinned behind his back with his rod and the one beside him is holding the tip of his rod to Trin’s head luring Zayn along like Trin is a carrot on a rope. Collin stiffens beside me but I hold up my hand.  Now that Renner has entered the picture I have to come up with a new plan.

“Ah, what to do we have here?” The woman says. Jasmine has gone limp but Madison is struggling against her captors grip. Zayn’s glaring at the guard with his rod to Trin’s head and Trin is looking straight at Renner. 

Renner,” Trin says, with the tone of someone just realizing they’ve been betrayed. 

              The Agarthan woman raises her eyebrows and her gaze follows the direction of Trin’s blazing eyes to Renner. “Do you
know
these humans, Ranger?”

              Renner glances over at Trin then swivels his bald head back toward the Agarthan woman. “How much do you think the Empire would pay for the
Misae?”
I see him wearing that same grin he wore down in the bunker and I feel the strong desire to wipe it off his face, permanently.

             
Misae?

              The woman’s face turns upward in a maniacal grin. She steps off the ramp for the first time and takes two long, graceful steps to tower over Trin.  My body tenses.

              The woman stands, neck bent like a serpents, eyes glued on Trin who glares up at her, a child, in size, compared to the woman. 

              Just when I think I can’t wait anymore, I’m going to vault over the wall and put a bullet through the woman’s extra-large brain, she turns dismissively away from Trin and addresses Renner again, “
I will
be delivering the
Misae
to the Empire personally.”

              Renner just laughs, crossing his arms over his chest and kicking a rock around with his boot.  I have to give to the guy; he’s got nerves of steel.

              The woman’s long, pointy eyes narrow and she approaches Renner, her slender body swaying fluidly, almost sensually. She oozes confidence and grace as naturally as human women breathes.  I silently wonder if
all
Agarthan females are like that. She stops less than a foot in front of Renner and smiles, almost tenderly. Then she reaches out, brushing his bicep with her fingertips, “You are a big one, aren’t you? I’m surprised you’re only a Ranger. It’s too bad really…I must say I am attracted to the hot-bloodedness of half-breeds.”

             
Half-breed?

              Renner shrugs her hand off and his eyes transform from amusement too predatory.  “Most people know better than to touch me but since you and I are strangers, I’ll give you one warning,
Taipa
. The next time, I’ll take that pretty hand of yours off.”

              The woman’s eyebrows rise and her eyes widen in surprise though she quickly recovers and replaces the emotion with a cold, detached smile, “I like you” she murmurs, “But interfere, and I will order my men to eliminate you.” She gestures toward the guard holding Maddie and Zayn, “Ferzyn, load them on my ship.” 

              She takes the ramp but before she can advance to the top, Renner, moving so fast he’s a blur, is suddenly standing in front of her and in one swift movement he has her arms - and her wings - pinned behind her back with one hand. He holds a glassy blue knife to her throat with the other. 

              “Now,” I yell, and Collin and I step over the hole in the wall and out into the open raising our weapons at the three men holding the girls and Zayn. 

              Zayn uses the distraction.  There’s a popping sound as he dislocates his own shoulder, slinks down under the rod pinning him before the guard can react and – rolling to the ground – he does a summersault, comes up, using his good hand to unsheathe his sword, jumps into the air and hacks the arm off the sentry holding the rod to Trin’s head. Simultaneously Trin jabs her elbow into the guard’s eye and he goes down on the ground, rolling and grasping at his severed stump shooting blood, like a fountain, across the rubble around him. Zayn puts his foot on the Agarthans chest and holds the sword to his throat, his other arm hanging limp at his side, “Don’t move, asshole,” he growls.