Chapter 9
The minute the
chopper landed, Vin jumped out body bent low. Alpha Squad ran behind him. The
claxon sound of the alarm blasted his ears. The fencing to the main gate was
down. Men he knew and recognized from living at the Command Center for the last
six months battled Rekabians. Some in a bizarre form of hand to hand combat.
Meanwhile, the
Rekabians wielded their alien technology ruthlessly shooting at any running
bodies. Harkum cursed behind him. Vin agreed. They’d left the place vulnerable
to this. All enhanced units had been sent out to defend against the attacks in
the three reported cities while their home base only had human soldiers left
behind to defend it. Human soldiers who were woefully out manned.
“Protect the
perimeter and eliminate the threat. No holds barred.” Vin muttered the command,
his focus on one thing only. He needed to find Helen.
Alpha Squad wasted
no time following his orders. Rekabians staggered back from weapon fire and
spun to meet the new threat. Vin bared his teeth in a smile though with his
helmet down the creatures couldn’t see. Two aliens came barreling around the
corner of the main building. One raised its weapon aimed at a cluster of
soldiers kneeling behind a car. Those men would never know what hit them.
Vin raised his G32
and waited until he had the Rekabian leading the way in his sights. His finger
squeezed the trigger. The Rekabian screamed and went to one knee. Its friend
searched for the source of the attack, spotting Vin. His finger pulsed on the
trigger and fired again. This time, Vin’s aim was picture perfect and the
wounded alien took the hit in the chest with a loud squeal. Green liquid
sprayed forward as it collapsed on the ground. The other Rekabian yanked his
weapon in Vin’s direction the unaware soldiers forgotten.
“Die, bastard,”
Vin whispered when he caught Rock coming up behind the alien. Moments later the
Rekabian’s head exploded.
The soldiers
realizing the danger they’d been in, leaped to their feet and waved in Vin’s
direction. He nodded and charged ahead. There were still more Rekabians to rid
the planet of.
“Everyone take
cover.” Curtis communicated on their ear com. Soldiers and Alpha Squad
immediately aimed for a car or shelter.
A bright blinding
light flared encompassing the whole base. Vin ducked away and crouched beneath
the overhanging branches of a humongous tree. Lightning crackled above as the alien
craft fired at the jets in a blaze of lasers taking both out in one blow.
“Fuck,” he cursed
under his breath knowing those men hadn’t stood a chance. Their reflexes in the
air couldn’t keep up like the enhanced men from Bravo could. Burning parts of the
jets peppered the ground in a deadly shower.
“Michaels, get
your men in gear and hustle. What are you waiting for!” David’s voice pinged in
Vin’s ear agitating him.
“What the hell do
you think we’re doing.” He belatedly added, “Sir.”
Vin shifted his attention
to Alpha Squad. Adjusting his com to their private frequency, he asked, “Does
anyone have a count?”
“At least fifteen,
maybe more,” Harkum answered. His choppy breath said he was on the move.
“We have a
problem, Vin.”
Vin couldn’t
imagine a bigger problem than the one in front of them. The aliens used the
cover of the night to their advantage. Their mottled coloring blended in
perfectly and if not for the specialized visor on his helmet tracking and
sending data, he wouldn’t have been able to spot them. Attacking this base with
darkness to aid them, hinted that the Rekabians knew what they were doing.
“Go ahead, Sen.
Report.” Vin launched from his spot by the tree once the flames in the air died
out and ran across the grass to duck behind a parked SUV. A check over his
shoulder revealed Alpha Squad providing cover fire to the base soldiers running
back toward the safety of the main building.
“I believe Helen
Scott is in the danger zone.”
Vin’s heart
dropped. Nothing could have thrown him off his game more. Vin stood and tapped
his helmet. His visor lifted, giving him a clear view without anonymous heat
signatures and schematics running across the screen.
“Two meters to
your left, sir,” Sen continued.
Vin turned in the
direction Sen indicated and stumbled. Helen stood, her back against the
exterior wall, fists raised waist high. Her blue shirt practically glowed
creating an easy target. Facing her with less than ten feet between them was a
Rekabian aiming its deadly weapon directly at her.
Vin ran full tilt
determined to reach his hellcat. “I need you, Rock. Where are you?” If Rock
could throw his force field, Helen would be fine. Had to be fine. His boots hit
the ground hard as he put on a burst of speed.
“Too far, Vin. On
my way.”
Rock’s words sent
panic careening through his chest. The distance shortened but Vin knew even
enhanced, he’d never close the gap to stop the weapon from ripping her to
pieces.
Come on, come
on
. A little closer and his weapon would be effective.
Loud clicks and
squeals made fury boil in his blood. Vin’s throat closed when Helen’s panicked
gaze swung toward him. Her eyes widened and right before his eyes she flew off
her feet and careened backward.
Her shrill scream
chilled him. Finally, close enough, Vin fired repeatedly at the alien who
looked confused at his prey escaping. The Rekabian turned but didn’t falter.
The slender arm aimed its circle at him. Vin dropped to the ground and grunted
as laser fire pounded the dirt inches from his face. Jumping to his feet, Vin
shifted his direction, running toward where Helen had fallen.
She lay flat on
her back in the middle of the yard with no protective shelter. Arms splayed to
the side, she presented an easy target for their enemy.
Curtis joined him,
palms stretched out and Vin froze. Helen’s body floated off the ground hovering
in the air. Curtis flung his arms to the side and once more she soared through
the air only to land on the bed of a pick up truck filled with sandbags. Vin
choked as relief caused a hitch in his stride. The Rekabian squealed again its
arms wildly swinging then it ignited in flames.
“Off to hell with
you, bastard.” Rock came racing around, his G32 blasting away. Curtis shifted,
his own weapon coming up to shoot.
More Rekabians
fell. Vin lowered his visor and pulled his mind from Helen. He had to believe
she was safe for the moment. His men needed him. This was what they were
trained to do. Nathan and Zander’s arms moved in synchronized motion as they
tossed bolts of energy left and right at a group of five Rekabians who had two
soldiers pinned down.
The twins
portrayed poetry in motion without an ounce of hesitancy despite the numbers
surrounding them. Elbows pumped back and forth looking as if they shadow boxed.
Bright lights flared from their palms as ball after ball of energy launched at
the aliens.
“Rock, get a force
field around our men. Curtis work your magic and remove them from danger.”
“On it.”
“I got it, Vin.”
A wavy ball of
energy appeared around the two soldiers and their bodies floated in the air to
fly across the yard.
“Behind you, Vin.”
Harkum’s warning
had Vin spinning on his heels. Pulling the trigger, he blasted the Rekabian
charging at him. The stench of the dying aliens increased as the tide shifted
and Alpha Squad began to pick them off. The ship in the air pulsed in an
erratic beat then without warning, zoomed off in the sky leaving its troops
behind.
Sen cheered but
they still had two more creatures standing atop a tank and firing randomly at
those around them.
Slade’s voice
interrupted. “Michaels, proceed with Alpha Squad and finalize the damage. I’m
calling the other teams back. We need an update as soon as you’ve finished
securing the Command Center.”
Considering Harkum
fired on the last two, it seemed like the fight was over. Vin tapped his com
and opened the frequency. “How many of our own did we lose?”
A pause then
Slade’s response. “One. Sanders didn’t make it. Plenty of injuries though.”
Vin exhaled. “What
about the pilots?” Those brave men lost their fight today.
“Four. Boys from
the air force base who were close enough to respond to our call for help.”
Their deaths
couldn’t be prevented, he had to lock down his sadness. Vin jogged toward the
camo painted pick up with only one thought in mind. When the dark head peered
over the side, he increased his pace. Helen scrambled to her feet and jumped
into his arms as soon as he reached the side of the truck.
Fuck, she felt
good. Vin held her tightly and tried to still the trembling in his arms. With
his face buried in the thickness of her hair, Vin blinked away the sting in his
eyes.
***
Helen pressed her
face hard into Vin’s chest. The smell of sweat, lemons and smoke filled her
lungs. Nerves shot, she could only hold on to his large frame, her nails
clenched on the rough armor covering his shirt. Moments ago she’d faced death.
Now Vin held her. Tears welled but Helen forced them back with a rough swallow.
His chest
thundered beneath her cheek. “How did they get here, Vin?”
“I’m not sure.
There’s no coordination or plan to the attacks.”
Not what she
wanted to hear. Helen couldn’t stop a sniff from escaping. “I want to go home.”
“I know,” he
murmured the words in her hair and pulled back.
Helen glanced
around and realized that the night had gone quiet. No flashing lights from a
space ship. No laser and gun fire. The air reeked of rotten eggs and her
stomach heaved. Helen wished she could take time to be nauseous but his team
approached and surrounded them. Six men who were fast becoming familiar to her.
Helen pulled
further away from Vin and faced the blond. His hair hung over his forehead and
once more his eyes looked tired and drawn. She reached out a hand then let it
fall to her side, unsure if the gesture would be accepted. This was not
Corporate America. “Thank you, Curtis.”
Only this man could
have gotten her away from the Rekabian poised to kill her. Body flying through
the air, her only thought had been relief at not dying. Somehow, he’d used his
magic powers to get her out of the way. Helen rolled her eyes. Magic powers
sounded so lame.
“My pleasure,
ma’am.” A weary smile graced his face and briefly his eyes brightened.
“Quit flirting,
Curtis.” Vin cuffed the man on the shoulder. “We need to get inside. I want all
the intel Slade has on these for shit aliens.”
Helen peered
closely at Vin’s face. Strain and fatigue battled for supremacy. He made some
hand motion and the whole group headed toward the building. Soldiers came up
along side them and the men greeted each other warmly. A couple of backslaps
accompanied relieved conversation.
Each of the men
who’d stayed behind looked worse for wear. Dirt and streaks of blood marred
everyone’s face. Only Vin’s team looked as if they could go another round.
Chapter 10
Vin escorted Helen
to his room. Each step putting him one closer to securing her safety for the
moment. Vin felt the drop in his emotions and knew he’d crash from the
adrenalin ride sooner than later.
Slade continued
ranting in his ear com. For the last fifteen minutes, he’d screamed and cursed,
demanding Vin report to the conference room. Right. All over that, boss man.
But not until he took care of Helen.
Helen who gripped
his shirt sleeve fiercely when he attempted to leave. “No, Vin. Don’t leave.”
He didn’t want to
and that was part of the reason he was running late. “Only for a little bit,
hellcat. I need to know what’s going on.” Gone was the poised young woman. In
her place stood a woman who’d been through hell over the last few hours. If
hell housed evil attacking aliens.
Dirt streaked her
jacket and there was a jagged tear in the knee of her pants. Her hair lay in a
tangle about her shoulders but it was the desperation in her hold keeping him
here.
Vin ran a hand
down her face. Skin soft and dewy met his fingers. Her eyes closed and she
leaned in his direction. Needing to reassure her, Vin lowered his head and
kissed her temple. “You’re safe. I promise.” As safe as any of them were right
now.
Her lids lifted,
the animated spark missing. “I’m scared. I’m really scared.”
Hearing her admit
the truth of how she felt stabbed Vin in the gut. How he’d love to soothe her
fear. But he couldn’t. He needed to report to Slade with his men and he needed
to do whatever it took to return Helen to her home and away from everything
Alpha Squad had going on.
“We’ll talk when I
get back.” Was the most he could come up with.
Helen stiffened
and stepped away. Her lips smiled but her eyes held their hollow look. “Right.
Go on and do your top secret stuff.”
Vin needed to
leave before he succumbed to the overwhelming desire to hold her in his arms.
With one last look over his shoulder, he left Helen alone in his room once
again hoping she’d be fine while he met with the team.
The conference
room was as tight as it had been earlier. Slade however appeared totally
different. Top collar of his shirt unbuttoned and tie missing, he kept running
his hand over his bald head and muttering under his breath. When Vin eased into
his seat, Slade cracked and aimed an accusatory finger in his direction.
“Did you take long
enough, Michaels?”
Vin kept his cool.
“No, sir.” Cause truthfully he would have taken longer if it meant waiting
until Helen was comfortable before leaving her.
Slade cursed and
dropped his hip on the edge of the table to lean in Vin’s face. “Maybe now that
everyone’s here, we can talk about the f-ing aliens that attacked the f-ing
Command Center.”
Vin noticed with
pleasure the tremor in their handlers arms as he pushed off the table to stand.
A quick check across the room showed Harkum identified the same thing. Slade
tended to act like the big man on campus when they all knew he just conveyed
the messages on behalf of the general for the government. Still, in the six
months Slade worked with the teams, he’d never demonstrated this level of
emotion.
“Is Bravo Squad
heading back?” The men of Bravo Squad and Alpha Squad gelled seamlessly on a
lot of missions though he’d worked fine with the men of Delta Squad too.
Slade exhaled.
“They’re all heading back as I informed you. Both teams reported success in
their missions. This is bigger than anything we ever expected. President
Harrison’s been on the line with the General back and forth on how to handle
the country’s defense while the media puts their own spin on all of this.”
Zander and Nathan
slouched low in their seats but the twins focused with unrelenting intensity on
every word. Vin understood why. It wasn’t common knowledge that Lucy Harrison
was their aunt. A secret they went to a lot of trouble to maintain for her sake
and theirs.
“Give me a report,
Michaels. Any details since your team interacted in multiple instances.” Slade
held his PCU in hand prepared to note Vin’s explanations on the handheld
computer device.
“The aliens in
Baltimore were tougher to kill in all three instances that Alpha Squad has been
a part of. In Atlanta, the aliens’ had increased agility but succumbed to our
weapons easier. Here at base, their actions came across as coordinated but more
as quantity versus quality in the attack.”
His men agreed
shaking their heads in the affirmative. Slade squinted and stopped typing with
his finger. “What are your thoughts, Michaels? Don’t dance around, spit it
out?”
“I’m not sure
they’re as prepared as we’re assuming. They’re randomly attacking but not all
of them have the skill level to follow through. Have there been any demands?”
Vin asked. “Any reason to explain why the Rekabians suddenly went into full
combat mode and are shooting up the planet?” None of it made sense. The mother
ship, as they referred to it, had arrived in Earth’s atmosphere three months
ago, slowly popping up in the sky. The smaller crafts left her underbelly weeks
later. Of course, official press junkets claimed the visitors to be friendly at
the time. That no longer seemed the case.
Slade eyed them
all with a level of seriousness that had the whole team sitting up straight. “According
to Madame President, the Rekabians demanded we surrender Earth two days ago.
When that didn’t happen…” He let the words trail off.
Vin was sure
Curtis and Rock’s expression of disbelief mirrored his own but it was Sen who
summed it up. “Holy hell.”
Clearing his
throat, Slade continued pulling his official ‘I’m in charge’ armor around his
shoulders. “We have to accept that Earth is being invaded and the world will
have to unite to defend her.”
For the first time
the bastard actually said something meaningful.
***
Helen briskly ran
her hands up and down her arms. The news reports on the television a background
chatter she used to control the fear and panic racing through her mind. She had
to start thinking like the competent woman she knew herself to be. Okay,
scratch that. The competent woman she was before she’d survived not one but two
alien attacks.
Sorting her
thoughts helped so she began a mental tally of what she needed to do. More
clothes were a priority, she added with a grimace at her stained and torn
clothes. Send emails, delay meetings. Helen paused. She wouldn’t be doing
anything work related right now. After the earlier attack , LS&G would be
indefinitely closed.
Well there was one
way to find out. Helen pulled out her phone and dialed her boss. Not allowing
her to speak, Gordon Ellis answered with, “Thank God, Scott. I wasn’t sure if
you were alive.”
Helen walked to
the wall next to the television so she wouldn’t see the images on the screen
and leaned her head against it. “Mr. Ellis, I’m sorry it’s taken a while to
call.”
Gordon laughed in
her ear but broke off to sniff loudly. “Helen, you amaze me. I’m not sure why
any more but it needed to be said. Here we are worried about you and you’re
apologizing for the tardiness of checking in.” His laughter calmed and Helen
sensed the next words out his mouth would be pivotal. “LS&G is destroyed.
The headquarters downtown, I mean. Tokyo got hit but we’re lucky so far that
our Asian plants in Hong Kong haven’t reported any damages and no sign of these
aliens in their area. I’ve personally worked with Harry Little to confirm that
all of our associates made it safely.”
Helen closed her
eyes and rocked her head back. Not everyone. She parted her lips but Ellis kept
talking.
“Except for the
three managers from the marketing department.” They both went quiet absorbing
that bit of news. “Knowing you’re alive means a lot. We came out of it as
fortunate as possible when you consider there were at least fifty people there
on a Saturday. If it had been during the week.” He grunted and didn’t finish
the thought. A typical work day at headquarters had roughly five hundred people
in and out of the building. “Are you okay, where are you?”
Helen loved Gordon
and he was an excellent boss for the three years she’d worked under him. His
ever roving thoughts and ability to shift gears on a dime proved challenging
but Helen’s performance grew under his wings. He was a friend and she didn’t
want to lie to a friend. Taking time with her response, she managed to word her
answer carefully. “With a friend. He…I managed to get out after the Rekabians
attacked and I’m staying with a friend until I can make my way home.” No
mention of DC or Vin.
“Good. Good. Stay
safe. If there’s anything we can do to assist you, don’t hesitate. Your pay
will continue despite these terrible acts against the world, benefits, you name
it. Mr. Little is committed to seeing everyone through this difficult time.”
Unexpected.
Helen’s shoulders slumped and she opened her eyes. Vin’s empty apartment pressed
in on her. “Thank you, Mr. Ellis. I’ll stay in touch but I think I’m fine for
now.” Money ranked as the least of her concerns right now.
“Good.” He kept
saying it as if he needed to believe it. “The wife and I will get back to
Maryland when possible. For obvious reasons, all air travel has been suspended.
Log onto your email for updates if you need it. Systems are up and running
since the IT team has managed to use remote servers.”
“Right, okay.”
They ended the call with an air of despondency. Neither of them could predict
how work or the world as they knew it would recover and change. Helen tossed
her phone on the sofa and sat down, elbows braced on her knees. She stared at
the phone debating her next move.
There was one
person she should call out of obligation. A call she dreaded and yet the
churning wave in her stomach demanded she at least attempt to find out. Without
conscious thought, her fingers curled around her cell and she hit the speed
dial.
After, two rings a
tremulous voice spoke. “Helen, is that you?”
“Hi, Mom.”
Her mother cried.
“Thank goodness. I watched the news, recognized your building but I couldn’t
get through on your cell.”
Because service
was sketchy in her office to begin with and also because Helen had the phone
set to forward all her mother’s calls to voicemail. Guilt assailed her. “I’m
fine. I was able to get out.”
“Good.”
Well that seemed
to be the word of the day. “Yeah. Good.” Helen tried to think of something
neutral to speak of. She didn’t like the resentment unfurling just hearing from
her mom and if she didn’t end the call quickly, she’d say something she
regretted. “Look, I just wanted you to know I’m fine. And, and to see if you
were okay as well.” Her mother lived in the city only fifteen minutes by metro
from Helen’s office.
The apartment was
situated in a quiet peaceful part of the city. A far cry from the subsidized
housing they’d spent her earlier years.
“Helen?”
“Yes, Mom.” Helen
held her breath. Here it comes. She fisted her free hand at her side.
“Maybe we could do
lunch after things settle down. Maybe?”
The hesitancy, the
worry and doubt collected to hang in the air with the automatic refusal Helen
wanted to give. But instead, she did what she always did when Carmen Scott
broached the subject. “Yeah,” she muttered. “Maybe.” Or never. She clenched her
fist tighter, nails biting into her palm.
Why did it always
go this way? It wasn’t her mother’s fault that she’d been knocked up by her
teen boyfriend and dumped. Couldn’t blame her for being kicked out into the
streets by unhelpful parents either. And yet, Helen did blame her. Blamed her
for all the shameful years she’d grown up poor and received assistance.
Carmen cleared her
throat and accepted Helen’s non-answer. “Good. By the way, I got a raise at
work and a promotion.”
For a moment,
Helen couldn’t absorb her mother’s words and the shift in the conversation
direction. Her mom worked for a popular food chain that specialized in organic
meals. “That’s great.” Helen searched her memory and couldn’t remember how long
her mom had been there or what her position was. “What’s your new title?”
Pride rang forth.
“I’m the new day time Team Lead. It came with a dollar an hour increase and
I’ve already raised my 401k deductions to account for the change.”
Helen worked up a
small amount of enthusiasm. “Impressive.” Ten years. That was how long her mom
worked at this place and she seemed to love her job. At least, each time they
spoke her mom went on and on about her coworkers and her manager. A far cry
from when Carmen known as Bits worked as a stripper in one of the popular clubs
on the red light district.
Helen blocked the
memories of laughing classmates who teased her about their father paying for
Helen’s clothes with the tips they gave ‘Bits’. She blocked the late nights her
mom came home smelling of smoke and heavy cologne. Too many memories started to
crash in on her. Like one of those giant waves at the beach you couldn’t avoid,
Helen felt like she was about to be pulled under.
Rocking back and
forth on the cushion, Helen rushed out. “I have to go now, Mom. I’m glad you’re
okay and congratulations on the promotion.”
Carmen got out an
anxious, “Talk to you later.” Before Helen disconnected the call.
She chucked the
phone on the table and headed for the kitchen wondering all the while if Vin
kept wine around.