Chapter 6
As the sky
darkened with the start of the evening, the truck pulled up in front of the
main building behind the security gate. Clearance was never an issue for Alpha
Squad and today proved no different. The guards at the gate waved them through
without looking at the extra passenger in the backseat.
“She holding up?”
Vin shifted his
hold. He’d pulled Helen across his lap completely when her body went limp.
Securing his arms around her waist as she snuggled into his chest, he answered
Harkum. “She’s solid.”
The most solid
woman he knew. Instead of screaming and crying, she held it together. Instead
of arguing over her cell phone, she gave in. He’d witnessed her internal
struggle. Her need to prove she was strong and independent battled with the
other emotions careening through her.
Helen’s
acquiescence pleased him. When he thought she’d crash, his hellcat drew on a
hidden well of strength.
Curtis blinked his
eyes open though he didn’t move his head. “Didn’t know you kept such high company,
Vin.”
Quiet laughter
drifted around.
“How’d you score a
chick like her anyway?” Bransen asked. Devilment danced in his gaze and even
the twins smirked.
Vin extended his
booted foot and kicked Bransen’s calf. Hard. While trying not to jar the
precious bundle on his lap. Sen feigned a wince and snatched his legs back.
“Where have you
been hiding her?” Curtis appeared honestly intrigued. His face still pale from
the energy he’d expended. Down but not out. That was his friend.
Vin didn’t know
how to answer. He and Helen technically weren’t together anymore. Seeing her
brought out all the feelings he thought he’d tamped down. Not that it mattered,
he was no longer the same man from their time together, which left him back at
square one. The new mission objective involved getting Helen settled safely and
then fading back into the woodwork. Vin sure as hell wasn’t telling this group
those details.
Instead, he
settled for part of the truth. A part he knew would drive them crazy. “She
asked me out. Pretty determined about it.” He added a smirk for good measure.
The expressions on
their faces were well worth it. Vin opened the door as the questions and
ribbing started. He ignored each one as he hefted Helen in his arms and carried
her from the vehicle. Her body cuddled close to his and a soft sigh puffed from
her parted lips. Helen always slept like the dead and the memory made him
smile. Vin made tracks across the yard and up the sidewalk while the guys
yelled out seeking attention.
Harkum beat him to
the door of their dormitory and opened it with an elaborate hand gesture. His
best friend’s grin spoke volumes as Vin entered and headed down the hall to his
rooms. More shouting and laughter ensued as Bravo Squad met them coming from
the opposite direction.
From the look of
it, the boys of Bravo had also recently arrived at base. They still wore their
gray flight suits and carried under their arms the specialized black helmets
geared to transmit the data from their enhanced vision to their brains at rapid
speed. The six man crew hailed as the best pilots the US had to offer. They’d
also been responsible for warning Vin and his men of the Rekabians presence
street side after shooting the alien craft out of the sky.
Curtis trudged
toward his room, refusing the twins’ offer to watch a marathon session of
reality TV involving women in bikinis. Vin made a note to give the doctors a
heads up on his condition. They’d all need time to recoup because Vin sensed
the situation with the Rekabians would demand their every free moment.
Sen whooped
loudly and raced to the theater room, Bravo Squad on his boots. Using his
shoulder, Vin pushed open the door to his private rooms and adjusted his hold
on Helen who barely stirred at the noise. Harkum followed him in and Vin didn’t
waste his breath protesting. His suite consisted of a living area with the
basics, a flat screen, sofa and a coffee table where he kept his phone charger
and candy. A nice size bedroom took up the room in the back where he only had a
bed. Then there was a token kitchenette with a sink, a small fridge and a
microwave.
Vin laid Helen
carefully on the top of his navy comforter. She immediately turned to the side,
almost rolling off the bed to the floor in the process. Only his quick reflexes
saved her from a knot to the skull. Her hands folded under her chin and she
curled her knees in a fetal position. She looked like she belonged, which was
what he was afraid of. Now his bedding would smell like Helen and remind him
every time he buried his head in his pillows. Sleepless nights were once more
in his future.
When Vin returned
to the living area, Harkum held two beers in hand. He drunk from the open one
and tossed the other at Vin. Catching it and sitting it untouched on the coffee
table, Vin dropped himself onto the sofa. “No thanks.”
Harkum chose to
remain standing but leaned his weight against the wall, legs crossed at the
ankle. “Who is she really, Vin?”
Leave it to his
buddy to drill down to the bottom line. Vin reached for the yellow box on the
table and shook out a handful of the lemon candy. After sucking on the tangy
treat, Vin gave Harkum the honesty their friendship warranted. “A woman I used
to see.”
A frown creased
Harkum’s brow. “Used to as in no longer?”
Vin nodded and
unlaced his boots. He knew what was coming and might as well settle in.
“No longer as of
six months ago?” Direct hit. Give the man a prize.
Vin eased his
tired feet onto his table and finally faced Harkum. “Yes. Used to as in I
stopped things six months ago for obvious reasons.”
“Well, shit, Vin.”
Harkum lowered his frame to a squat along the wall and still the giant had no
trouble meeting Vin’s eyes. “She know and bail?”
Vin snorted. As
if. Not Helen. She didn’t run away, she tackled head on. But he hadn’t given
her the chance. “No.” Vin panicked and bailed before she could have the
opportunity to push him away and cast him in the unwanted pile. Been through
that already and not interested in a do-over.
“No,” Vin repeated
with more force than necessary and ran his hands through his hair, wondering
exactly what he planned to do. Earlier it seemed so easy. Rescue the woman he
cared about and send her on her way. But he hadn’t directed Harkum to her
house. Instead, Vin violated protocol and brought her to Command Central. Still
not sure what he was thinking on that score.
Harkum grunted and
finished off his beer. “I’ll head out. Seems like you got more to figure out
than I originally thought.”
Vin could only nod
as Harkum made his way to the door leaving his empty on the table by Vin’s
foot. Harkum paused at the door. “For what it’s worth, I’d run into a burning
building too for the woman that made me light up the way you did when she ran
into your arms today.”
Harkum had no
idea. The times with Helen had been some of the best in his life. Memories of
the dinners they shared and the mind blowing sex played havoc with his feelings
but he had nothing to offer Helen now. There was no telling what the long term
effects of Project Genesis would be and he couldn’t ask a woman, any woman, to
take that on without knowing that. Plus, thanks to the contract he’d signed, he
owed Slade and his team four and a half more years of his life.
Once his friend
left, Vin reached up to disconnect his ear com but it dinged, signaling a
direct message. “Vin, here.”
“Gather Alpha
Squad and meet in conference room A. We need a debrief on today’s attack.”
Speak of the devil. David Slade’s voice, though smooth, did not imply refusal
as an option.
“Yes, sir.” Vin
sighed and dragged his tired frame to his feet. He pressed a finger to his ear
and opened the channel to his team. “Debrief in five, conference room A.”
Groans and grunts
filtered through but Vin knew they’d all show for the meet. If they knew
nothing else, Alpha Squad knew to show for Slade’s meetings come hell or high
water. Vin tugged his boots back on.
He stepped into
his bedroom long enough to confirm Helen continued to rest peacefully then
headed out. Bransen met him in the hall, face somber. An unusual look for Sen.
“What’s wrong?”
Bransen ran a hand
down his face before straightening his shoulders. “Just got a call from my dad,
my mom fell and broke her ankle.”
Sen was an only
child and his parents poured all their love and then some into raising him.
“She gonna be
alright?”
His man sighed and
nodded. “Yeah. Dad says it’s cool but I was hoping to get out and see them.”
Sen’s parents
still lived at his family home in Virginia. No more was said as Harkum, Rock,
the twins and Curtis joined them when they reached the entrance to the familiar
conference room.
The tight space
had enough room for the table and eight chairs. Their legs cramped together as
they all sat and waited. The tall black man who’d sucked him into his current
life, strode in wearing an expensive black suit that cost more than Vin had in
his account. His bald head gleamed in the light as his brown eyes studied them.
“Thank you all for
being on time,” Slade stated and passed a stack of manila folders over the
table. “Standard procedure on any ops applies. The brass wants each of you to
write an accounting of today’s run in with the Rekabians. Your team’s the only
one so far to have a face to face encounter.”
“We’re using paper
files? Why not submit our reports on the PCU and tag it as always?” The
handheld electronic device they all owned made documenting any of their
assignments easy. Vin couldn’t remember the last time, he’d completed a report
on paper.
“Confidentiality
is priority one. Once we have an initial assessment, we’ll switch to data.”
Liar. Vin wasn’t
sure how he could tell but Slade was lying to them. About which part, Vin
wasn’t sure. He reached out telepathically and warned his guys to be on alert.
The short burst of power required for the brief transmission left him with the
beginning of a headache after the day they’d had.
“Michaels, what do
you have to report?”
Vin sat up
straighter if possible though he was bone tired. His team had just returned
from a two week mission when they’d been sent to Baltimore to rescue the Vice
President. All he really wanted to do was lie in his bed next to Helen and
absorb her warmth, apologize again and maybe sleep for a straight eight.
“The aliens seem
to be resilient, sir. It took all of us in a concerted effort to defeat the
three on the ground. They carry silver weapons shaped like circles that fire
laser blast.”
“You’re enhanced,
soldier.” Slade snapped out and slammed a palm on the table. “Give me more
details.”
No one flinch at
the loud report. If anything Vin’s men remained relaxed in their chairs,
shoulders slouched but eyes on the tableau before them. Slade wanted something.
It was just a matter of figuring out what.
“Zander and
Nathan’s energy bolts had impact but not enough to do severe damage, a blast of
fire from Rock’s weapon on the flame thrower setting had instant results and
the ones we dealt with couldn’t penetrate Harkum’s force field.”
Slade hummed under
his breath and leaned back. “What about your electrical charge?”
Vin smoothed a
hand down his face. “I didn’t have the opportunity to use it.” The charges took
a while to boost back up after each use. If he powered up too many times, too
fast, he’d fucking faint like a pansy. Just like his telepathy if used to often
lead to killer ass migraines that required drugs from the doctors to knock him
out to recover. It had taken weeks for Vin to figure those nuances. His doctors
here sure as hell didn’t know.
The bullshit drugs
the government gave them to enhance their physical strength did more. So much
more. Alpha Squad, Delta Squad and Bravo Squad walked away from those painful
treatments with powers and abilities reminiscent of comic book freaks. Vin
should be grateful though. Whatever cocktail they gave the seven guys in
Charlie left the military with seven dead bodies to dispose of.
Slade nodded his
head and paced from the short space from the corner of the door to the table.
The team took the moment to jot down their accountings of the mission. Vin kept
his eyes on Slade who spun on his heels. “You don’t mention Curtis.”
Slade turned to
the blond man. “Give me your take, Adams.”
Curtis took his
time finishing his writing and then closed the top of the manila folder before
answering. “My long range vision can track them up to a two block radius from
my reckoning. There was no opportunity to utilize telekinetics but I have
reason to believe I would be successful, sir.”
Curtis didn’t have
an opportunity because he’d drained himself to exhaustion helping Vin get to
Helen but his boy never glanced in his direction.
Slade rocked back
and squared off against the room. “During a seventeen minute attack, you didn’t
have the chance to try your telekinetics?” His full lips curled in a snarl. “Is
that what you would like me to believe, soldier?”
“Yes, sir.” Curtis
response came out calm as ever. His southern drawl thick. Not by a twitch did
he betray the reason for not using his power.
“Then maybe
Michaels here can explain the woman who was caught on video footage from the
street side security cameras with you all during the Rekabian fight.”
Holy shit. Vin
hadn’t thought of the video or he’d have fried the tapes himself. It was Harkum
who answered. “Not for nothing, sir, but she’s a civilian. An employee trapped
in one of the buildings near the location you sent us to retrieve the Vice
President from.”
Slade didn’t bat a
lash and didn’t look away from Vin during the explanation. Hands fisted under
the table, Vin held himself still. No way would he look away first. David Slade
could push and probe all he wanted, Vin’s position would still be secure. The
military needed him. Needed all the men on the teams they’d mutated in their
fuck-me program.