Cloud Rebel: R-D 3 (3 page)

"That brings me to my next question," I said. "Why did they pull his fat from the fryer?"

"I said fire, and I have no idea."

"Does Rafe have injuries?"

"None that I can see."

"Good. Are you riding back with him or in the van with the prisoner?"

"I'll ride back with Rafe-I've already sent the prisoner on-he has a bullet in his shoulder and his hands are burned, so he needs medical treatment."

"How did his hands-never mind. Ask Rafe to write a report and send it in, including all details on Larentii help."

"I will. Do you want to talk to him again?"

"No. Just-have him send the report."

"All right."

I ended the call and set my cell phone on my desk. Yes, I was thinking about having a cursing fit. Instead, I blinked as two people appeared before me. One of them, I recognized.

"Hello, Auggie," she said.

Chapter 2

Notes-Colonel Hunter

"Rinnelar is a nickname of sorts-we call her Corinnelar-it's an honorific as denotes her position as a member of the Larentii race. I am Valegar," the man-
Larentii
-said. At least they looked human as they sat on my guest chairs-which helped to keep my panic under control.

"I don't work for you anymore, Auggie," Corinne said bluntly. I blinked at her for a moment. The last time I'd seen her, she was eight feet tall and blue-skinned. Now she looked just the way I remembered her before that, with blonde hair and bright-blue eyes.

"How did you keep Rafe from-you know?" I asked.

"He didn't see me this way. I was disguised so he wouldn't recognize me."

"That probably saved both of you," I sat back in my chair and studied my guests. "Tell me, why are you here? I see they let you live."

Valegar snorted at my statement. I didn't ask him to explain his reaction. Truthfully, I was too afraid to ask him to explain it. I knew what Corinne could do. The man who sat beside her-I got the idea he might fry anybody who took advantage or thought to harm her.

"Frying is never an option," Valegar plucked those thoughts from my mind as easily as a child could pick raisins from a cake. "We release particles," he added.

"Auggie, we have permission to do a bit of cleanup," Corinne explained. "But we may not be the only ones here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. I was getting a headache trying to stretch my mind around what sat in front of my desk.

"It means that the ASD may have sent trackers. Not only will they attempt to find any drug survivors, but any remnants of the drug. You understand that drug survivors are just as dangerous as the drug itself?"

"Yeah. I sort of figured that out," I said, dropping my eyes. He was right. Even one drug survivor could make endless copies of himself-all he needed was a busload of people with the same blood type. "What about Rafe?" I began.

"We can neutralize his blood so the drug won't carry over to any recipients," Valegar explained. "He will have to be made aware of it, however, and grant permission."

"If he doesn't give it?"

"Then we step aside and allow the ASD to do their work."

"What-exactly-is the ASD?" I asked, reaching into a desk drawer for the bottle of ibuprofen I kept there.

"Alliance Security Detail," Valegar explained. Corinne watched him as he spoke-something was between them, that much I could see. Shaking three tablets into my hand, I reached for my cup of cold coffee to down them.

"They'll be asking for your permission to track any survivors from the U.S. Program," Corinne said. "I'm asking you to deny that request. They'll also approach the Russian government for their permission. I don't give a damn what they say. If they say no, Valegar and I will track them anyway."

"I've often wanted to speak as humans do," Valegar offered Cori a blinding smile. "Perhaps I will attempt it and you can tell me if I err."

"Honey, I think you can do anything you want," Corinne smiled back.

"I think I need more ibuprofen," I grabbed the bottle.

"Auggie, I'll take care of your headache," Corinne rose from her seat. Once her hands touched my head, every thread of pain left. I blinked in surprise-why hadn't I asked her to do that before?

"Where-ah-will you be staying?" I asked. "In case I want to get in touch?"

"Just call me on that phone," Corinne nodded to the one she'd given me long ago. "I'll answer." She held an identical phone aloft as she took her seat again.

"James will want to see you."

"I know. Tell him we'll talk soon."

"My father says to remind you that you no longer have any control over Corinnelar," Valegar said. "He is monitoring our conversation at the moment."

"Really?" I reached for the ibuprofen again.

"He is also watching you through my eyes."

"No kidding." The few ibuprofen I had left rattled in the bottle as I worked to remove the lid.

"Auggie, no more," Corinne held out her hand and floated the ibuprofen away from me. The container dropped into her hand. It disappeared, then-to where, I had no idea. She'd sent it to the Larentii homeworld, for all I knew. Panic surged through me again.

"Cori-I just can't wrap my head around this," I said and stood abruptly, sending my chair rolling into the wall behind me.

"Auggie-I know what I am, and I realize that's hard for you to get," she said. "I really didn't want you to see-well, the taller, bluer me. It couldn't be helped."

"I've missed you," I blurted.

"I know. I've missed all of you, too. I want to cry for Nick and Maye. I haven't had any water in a year, so I can't make tears."

"What the hell?" I huffed.
Were they starving her?

"Relax-we live on energy. Sunlight, Auggie. I can eat and digest, but sunlight is so much better and easier for me. I just can't cry if I don't take in fluids."

"That explains the sunlamps."

"Yeah. I burned the first one out, because I tried to pull more from it than it was capable of giving."

"My love, you weren't starving, were you?" Valegar turned to her, then.

"No, I managed," she shrugged.

"You're not drained now?" He reached out to touch her cheek.

"No, I'm fine."

"I will see you get enough light in a moment."

"Have you been to the top of Christ of the Andes?"

"Holy fuck," I whispered as both disappeared.

* * *

"What's the emergency?" Leo Shaw sat across from me at a restaurant he'd chosen. I wasn't sure I could eat after what I'd seen and heard earlier in the day.

"Rafe was almost killed by the creature who once was Merle Askins," I began.

"You're joking? He survived the drug?"

"Yes, but he's dead, now."

"Rafe killed him?"

"With some help, yes."

"Who helped?"

"Corinne-and the Larentii who thinks she's his."

* * *

Opal

"Corinne and Valegar showed up today," I informed Matt.

"Valegar?"

"He's the second son of Nefrigar."

"Oh. I haven't met him."

"Probably just as well; you have no idea how protective Larentii mates can be."

"What's she doing back here? Corinne?"

"I uh, contacted Bree."

"You contacted Bree." Matt went silent for a moment.

"Yeah. Told her what happened."

"What did she call me?"

"She didn't call you anything."

"That means nothing. She's probably pissed that I let things get out of hand."

"Stop being a schmuck."

"Did you see Corinne?"

"No-but Colonel Hunter did."

"Of course she'd go to him, first, since Rafe-well."

"She was disguised when she saved Rafe's fanny."

"So she did see him first."

"Yeah, I just don't know how that affected her."

"When you contacted Bree-did you put in a good word for Corinne?"

"I didn't have to-Bree already knew as much as I did. I think if the Larentii had decided not to accept Corinne, well, the blue fur would have flown."

* * *

Corinne

"I like this better," Valegar pulled me down to sit beside him.

"You're right-this is better," I sighed. He'd found a waterfall on the big island of Hawaii and settled there to soak in filtered sunlight.

"He meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Valegar's arms settled around me.

"He still does."

"I know. That upset you-to see him again."

"Yeah." My voice was a whisper.

His arms, as warm as a summer day, wrapped tighter around me, and he began to hum. It was the most restful sound I'd ever heard, sending me to sleep in seconds.

* * *

Ilya

"Macallan, twenty-five year," I set my credit card on the bar before taking a seat. At least the bar had the Scotch on hand, even if it were one-fifty-five a shot. After today, I wanted three shots.

At least I was still alive to have three shots. If the Larentii hadn't shown up to save my ass-I decided not to wander too far down that road, or I'd end up asking myself why they'd bother to save any part of me.

That answer could be dangerous.

* * *

Reth Alliance

Ildevar Wyyld, Founder

"Who did you send?"

Norian looked up from his comp-vid as I strode into his office to ask my question.

"I sent four-the Verain brothers, who somehow know at least three languages there, and Brade Deplan."

"The three Verain brothers?" I asked.

"All three, yes. They wanted to go."

"And you say they speak three languages from that planet?"

"Yes, let's see," Norian scrolled through his comp-vid to find the records, "Ah, Spanch, Franch, Ainglash."

"I believe you're pronouncing those wrong, but it matters little. Have they arrived?"

"No word as yet, Deonus."

"I wish to be kept informed. I am concerned that all three brothers wished to go."

"Look, I know you wanted to keep them separated when they joined the ASD, but for this particular assignment-they spoke the necessary languages, Deonus."

"What about Brade?"

"He spoke a separate language-Jerm?"

"Hmmph," I mumbled my displeasure. "I hope they speak better than you can pronounce," I said. "Have them record their meetings with the leaders they approach, and I want reliable translations on each meeting."

"Of course, Deonus."

"I wish we had a Larentii," I muttered as I turned to go. "They understand everything."

* * *

Ilya

I studied the photograph on the tablet Colonel Hunter had given me. Merle Askins, former Director of the CIA, had posed for that photograph, knowing we'd be drawn in. Was he acting on his own accord to kill me or another of Colonel Hunter's men, or was he following the orders of another?

I knew what those orders felt like-I'd lived with that illogical obsession for more than a year. Askins was dead, now, but that didn't mean he didn't have many more just like him-if they'd had the same blood type and had received his blood.

Once someone survived the drug, its effects could be spread like a virus, tainting any other with the same blood type. I suppose the same could be said for me-that someone else could be created just like me.

Forcing away the shudder that shook me for a moment, I turned back to the photograph. "How many?" I asked it. "How many more of you are out there, waiting to kill me?"

* * *

Notes-Colonel Hunter

It was late and I'd already called Laci to tell her I was coming home when Matt Michaels called.

"Director Michaels?" I said when I answered his call.

"I just wanted to put you on alert after Rafe was targeted in Vancouver," he said. "If there are still survivors out there, they may want all of us who were involved taken down."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," I said, lifting my jacket from the hook beside the door. "Laci is just beginning to calm down and feel safe again."

"The thing is," Matt went on, ignoring my comment about Laci, "They don't have the full story-they likely have whatever the media has put in front of the public. That means that the aliens who killed all those people aren't included in that equation. They only see us as the perpetrators, and whoever they are, they want us to pay."

"I suppose it doesn't matter that Phillips had world domination on his agenda? That he'd planned his moves carefully to pull world leaders together so he could bend them to his will?"

"Somebody may want to step into his shoes," Matt responded. "Plus, we've never found those nuclear warheads he sent to the insurgents."

"You had to bring that up, didn't you? At least they've been quiet lately. Maybe they're still terrified that Corinne will make more of them dead."

"Or, if they learn she was taken away," Matt didn't finish.

"You know she's back, don't you?"

"I heard. I'm waiting for her to show up and slap me through a wall."

"You may have to explain that to me," I said.

"In time. Maybe. Look, I need to go. Just keep your eyes open. You may want to ask for additional security. It's times like these that I miss Nick and Maye the most."

"Yeah. Well, I'll consider the security part. Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem."

* * *

Corinne

"My love, what have you been doing?" Valegar woke me with soft words.

"Huh?"