Gabriel was thankful they had finally arrived at their destination. He was getting real tired of the lousy men he was hauling. He grumbled under his breath as he heard one of the cadets give yet another lame joke.
The young confident voice started off again, quieting the chuckling of the others, "Alright fellas here's another one, so one bright and early morning a Sergeant stood before a squad of twenty and said, 'I have a nice and easy job for the laziest man here. Put up your hand if you are in fact the laziest!'" he spoke officially. "Nine-teen men raised their hands, the Sergeant then addressed the other soldier, 'Why didn't you raise your hand, cadet?' He replied, 'Too much trouble raising the hand, Sarge!'"
The rest of the crew chuckled, one of them hollering out, "Sounds like Reggie!"
"Shut your mouth, Will!"
Grumbling in irritation, Gabriel noticed the line of army trucks ahead of him begin to slow to a stop. Smiling inwardly to himself, he purposefully slammed on the brakes causing the large vehicle to lurch forward, which no doubt jarred the guys as he could hear their angry cursing in the back. Grinning like the cheshire cat, Gabriel sat smugly in his seat, happy to have a bit of fun with the boys before things got serious.
Just then he watched the Staff Sergeant walk in the middle of the road, stopping at each transport, no doubt passing orders, before patting the side of the truck, giving the driver the signal to move along. When he finally reached his vehicle, Gabriel turned the truck off and leaned his head out the window.
"Brown?" the man asked, looking up from his paperwork.
"Yes, sir," he replied, with all seriousness.
"I want you to take this troop up towards the resort and barricade the road with your vehicle," his arms motioned exaggeratedly, as if he was guiding an airplane for takeoff. "Question whoever leaves," he continued, "if this wasn't a natural disaster, then this was staged. The more we know the better prepared we'll be. Understand, soldier?!" The well-built Staff Sergeant exuberated respect which only fortified his command.
"Yes, Staff Sergeant," Gabriel answered firmly.
"Good," lifting his taut arm, he passed him some papers, "you'll need these then."
Gabriel looked it over and nodded, placing them on a clipboard in the adjacent seat next to him.
"I've assigned these troops to help assist you if you receive any… resistance. That will be all," the Staff Sergeant then patted the side of the truck with his hand before moving on.
Starting the truck up, Gabriel sighed deeply in frustration. He didn't understand how this couldn't be an earthquake, but the last thing he was going to do was question their Colonel's authority. They would just have to wait and see.
Shivering, Rae found herself bounding up the steps to the back door, hasty to get inside the warm, toasty house. She cupped her hands to her mouth, blowing hot air to warm her frozen, pink fingertips. It had taken her far too long to get back here, and she blamed it on the lowering temperatures. Had her muscles not been so stiff from the cold, she would have not lost so much time.
Quickly making her way towards her room, Rae decided that packing her bags before disturbing the big guy, was the best scenario. She would like to make a speedy exit in case the lizard crab man decided to act out. "Not that he can get very far," she muttered.
Dropping her backpack beside the bed, Rae ran to the pristine wardrobe. After opening up its many drawers, she successfully stuffed all of her multicolored clothing into a single duffel bag. She then ran to the bathroom to obtain her toothbrush and toiletries. Over a period of time, Rae had come to learn that packing light was better than going overboard. She had less to carry, less to worry about, and less time needed to put everything together. Every time she did leave home, she always made sure to include non-perishable rations and enough water to last her a few days. All in all, it gave her a bit of an advantage in case she had to leave early due to unexpected events.
In no time at all, she managed to carry her things downstairs, plopping them beside the front door. She then turned on her heel towards the master bedroom. Rae briefly hesitated at the door. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she sighed, "Here we go," then turned the silver knob, and slowly opened it.
When she entered, her eyes widened. She expected a snarling, angry, alien to be glaring at her from the bed, but what she saw was nothing but messy sheets coated with neon green blood. No alien.
Her heart stopped. If he isn't here, where is he?!
A glimmer caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head towards it and immediately caught sight of his armored chest plate, still where she left it. She went over and lifted it up carefully, the dented scorch mark she left on it remained.
So he was weak enough that he couldn't put it back on, but he somehow found the strength to walk. Great. Just what she needed.
Looking at her own reflection in the armor's surface, she could tell that the bruises on her face and neck were pretty much faded. Even moving her jaw, she felt no pain, like it all was a distant memory. She wished it was more of a dream than a memory, and any minute Naomi would wake her to start their day.
Then she remembered.
"Military," she whispered, the word itself giving her an eerie feeling that left her uneasy. Bringing the piece of armor along, she dragged her stuff out to the car. She fumbled for the keys in her coat pocket, managing to unlock it with her nimble fingers. But as she lifted the boot of her car and began throwing things in, she froze hearing distant sounds of snapping branches. She swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat, her hands gradually becoming clammy with fear.
Ever hesitant, Rae peered down the side of the car towards the snowy trees that towered above her. Straight away, she noticed the trail of bright green blood leading off into the forest. A clear sign that he had over extended his injuries.
Lifting the backpack to rest on her shoulders, she then grabbed the chest plate's leather straps and hauled it along. These might prove useful, she decided.
The trail went on for a little ways, which impressed her. For being grievously injured this alien obviously didn't let it get in his way.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud followed by a roar that snapped her head up. Although the hair on the back of her neck was standing erect, she pushed her feelings aside and ran towards the sound, hoping she could stop him before he did more damage to himself.
The wind was howling now, chilling her to the bone. She was sure that if his injuries didn't kill him, the cold surely would.
When she managed to reach the end of the blood trail, she slowed to a walk. She couldn't see him, but that did not mean he wasn't there. Squinting her eyes, she caught a faint waver in the air. Gotcha.
The wind was starting to pick up, so she raised her voice accordingly, "Where are you going?! Your ship is in the other direction," she pointed south, now hearing a snarl.
Tomak could not believe the female had found him. What was the use of a cloak if it did not work?! He wouldn't dare turn it off though. He did not want her to see the extent of his injuries, leaving her to guess his physical prowess for herself. The warrior blood in his veins urged him to stand and fight. Perhaps he would get the chance, especially at the mention of his ship. His anger boiled dangerously. Just the thought of her grubby human fingerprints appearing all over the interior of his ship, especially his skulls enraged him. She would die for her stupidity.
Taking a few careful steps forward, Rae watched his camouflaged form. He was lying on the ground, and the fact that he didn't get up, told her everything she needed to know. "Look, I know you hate me, but it's no longer safe here," she tried explaining, only receiving a savage growl in return. She then clenched her jaw, and looked at him seriously, "The bomb alerted soldiers and they are coming. If they find you, they will not hesitate to kill you, and my fate will fare similarly, so we have to leave. Now."
Tomak flared his mandibles in anger, glaring at her with remorse. He would fight until he reached an honorable end, not run away like a coward. He snarled at her, enjoying her startled reaction. She should be afraid.
The alien's outburst, had caused Rae to take a quick step back, losing her balance. She began to fall backwards, flailing her hands, only to somehow manage grabbing a thin tree, catching herself at the last second. She scowled at him, seeing his hot breath turn into a cloud of white smoke in the cold winter air. Pushing off from the tree, she exhaled forcefully. For all she knew, the army was already here. There was no time for this foolishness, the sooner they left the sooner they would be safe. Determined more than ever, she took a different approach and kneeled before him, bringing forth the chest plate and placing it at an equal distance between them. She then did the same with the mask, slipping it out of her backpack and smoothly putting it on top of the armor.
Perplexed by her suddenly submissive placement, Tomak watched her deposit his armor almost gingerly before him. What for, he had no clue. It was of no use to her, so why bring it? Seeing the mask, he paused in thought. That particular piece was part of a suit he left on the ship for safe keeping. It had been passed down his bloodline to those who were considered worthy. It had been an honor to receive this valuable heirloom after exceeding all expectations during the Rivals a couple seasons ago, so it was of great importance to him. He brought it with him on every hunt as a reminder of his birth. Seeing her place it before him now stirred something inside of him.
"Let's make a deal," she heard him growl at this. "I'll give you these if you turn off your invisibility cloak," she motioned to him.
Again, what would she get out of it? His harsh eyes looked her up and down, trying to figure out her scheme. Humans were known for their cunning and every word she said could be a coax into a well-hidden trap. His eyes traveled back down to the mask.
After patiently waiting for him to decide, Rae smiled softly seeing the wave of his camouflage flicker off. When she saw him though, her eyes widened in concern. His injuries were far worse than she thought. Small streams of green blood were trickling down his arm and leg. If she wanted to help him, she needed to earn his trust, she needed to make amends. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was angry. It was wrong of me to respond the way I did," she pushed his materials closer to him. "I was never really going to hurt you."
Tomak didn't care what she had to say, he just wanted his things. As he reached for his mask, the muscles in his arm twitched before giving out. He snarled as excruciating pain filled his inflamed limb.
Rae cringed as she heard him roar, his agony evident. Without thinking, she crawled forward, bringing his things closer. Too close apparently.
The alien suddenly snarled! Fighting against its pain, it whipped out a wicked, sharp, jagged knife. Bringing it up with blinding speed, the tip hovering just a hair's width away from her chest!
Rae froze, her breathing stopped as her eyes took in her dangerous predicament. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked from the dagger to the alien's eyes. His pupils were like pinpricks staring right through her. Rae could not lie, she was terrified. Her very life hung in the balance.
Combating the fear that seemed to immobilize her, Rae forced herself to speak, knowing these might be her last words. "You're not going to kill me," she was almost doubting herself as she spoke out loud, her voice shaking tremendously. Her breathing hitched, as the razor-sharp blade ran an almost ticklish path up her neck, stopping just beneath her jaw. She was completely at his mercy, and he knew it. His angry eyes were unnerving. It was as if he was daring her to explain her pathetic reasoning lest he finish the job with a quick clean cut.
Rae quickly prayed, hoping her silent plea would be heard because this was it and she knew it. She was basing her only chance of survival on a hunch from her earlier findings and if she was wrong, then she was going to be a new addition to his bed. Her throat was dry, her heart beating frantically, "You won't because I am defenseless, I have no weapon."
She clamped her eyes shut hearing his guttural growl and feeling the blade pressed harder against her neck. To her surprise he actually answered, but it did little to ease her fear.
Using great strength, Tomak managed to sit up, his face looming over hers. Her fear was a cloud around them, its scent overpowering, it fed his desire to kill. "Arrrre weapon," he growled challengingly. Seeing her eyes snap open and meet his harsh gaze unflinchingly surprised him, if only for a second. When she dared speak, her voice was considerably stronger and her scent lessened of fear.
"A lot of people think that about me, and… and for a time I believed them," her voice had a hint of remorse coating it. "But I am no weapon. In fact, I could say the same about you, but—"
"Buttttt what," he hissed ferociously, watching her hesitate as he adjusted his hold on the dagger. What she said next however, stopped him in his place.
"You have honor, weapons don't. And honor prevents you from taking my life just as it prevents me from taking yours," it was then she saw a waver in his glowing eyes, his pupils dilating to normal. He didn't verbally respond, but he didn't have to. Rae knew she had said the right thing.
Tomak silently cursed the female for that reminder, but he didn't lower the blade, not yet. To his surprise, the female was undeterred from lifting his armor to his chest, her eyes never leaving his. He growled softly as he felt her fingers graze his side.
"I'm not your enemy," she whispered softly, feeling for the strap. When she found it, she lowered her eyes from his intense gaze and fastened the chest plate to him. Finishing on both sides, she then took the mask in her hands, pausing nervously as she held it up to his face.
Her confident attitude and bold movements intrigued Tomak. Very few would do what she just did and he was undecided on whether to call it bravery or stupidity. Nevertheless, he rewarded her hesitation by lowering his now trembling arm and reluctantly gave her the honor. He was unsure if he could lift the blade a second time if need be.
Feeling him lower the dagger, she bit her lip, thanking God for her life extension. It was like she could breathe again. Carefully and slowly rising up on her knees, Rae lifted the mask to his face, watching his reaction as she leaned in, gently pressing it to his forehead. She then frowned, looking about the sides wondering how it stayed put. She must have been taking too long because the alien growled, roughly pulling away from her hands and lowering his face so he could do it himself.
His shaky hands grasped the small tubes peeking out through his dreads. Connecting both of them to the mask, with a pressurized hiss. Rae scootched away, giving him space as he did this. When he was done adjusting it, he lifted his head to look at her, the eyes of the mask flashing a bright yellow. It sent a shiver down her spine.
Tomak ran through the settings in his mask, making sure it was in working condition. When he was satisfied, he focused his attention on the female who was now standing. As she took quick steps toward him, he growled in warning.
"We need to leave now," she looked about the forest anxiously. She heard a big truck traveling up the dirt road. Each divot it hit made the whole thing shudder as it drove in the direction of the nearby properties, including the one Naomi's uncle owned. The alien must have heard it too, because he turned his head in the same direction.
His scanner lit up seeing all the humans packed inside the distant vehicle, their weapons hanging mindlessly at their sides. The female was right after all. Tomak watched for her reaction, seeing her uncomfortably and almost urgently grab her sack with stiff movements. Why did she fear them so? Could she not end their miserable lives with the raise of her hand? Should they not be the ones to quake in her presence? This female baffled him. As she came to kneel before him again, he looked deeply into those hazel orbs, noticing the flecks of green in them. An imperfection that seemed to enhance her eyes. He could see it now, the innocence. As much as wanted to, he couldn't look away as she spoke to him.
Rae was more than motivated to get through to that thick skull of his. "Look big guy, I know you don't trust me, but I'm your only chance of survival. Now you can either let yourself get captured, or you can come with me where your odds are better."
He scowled under the mask. How could she praise and insult all in one sentence? Calling him big was quite the compliment; on most occasions amongst the yautja, the bigger you were, the stronger. Yet she contradicted that statement by calling him weak, the fact that she believed he would be captured or killed was greatly offensive. Tomak had never run from a fight, but he was already beaten before the battle had begun. This left him with very few options.
Rae was having a hard time reading him with the mask on. He seemed to just stare at her blankly, not a growl or a whisper of any sort. "Are you coming with me or not?" she raised her eyebrow in question.
A small rumble left his throat.
She couldn't help but smirk, "Was that a yes, no, or maybe?"
Tomak didn't know what came over him, but he was greatly intrigued by this female who no longer acted like an enemy. He recalled her healing his wounds. She had the ability to take his life, yet she withheld. In truth, he didn't know what to make of her. She was more trustworthy than the humans that were coming, so the decision was clear.
Rae watched his dreads spill over his massive shoulders from his obvious nod. "Okay, then."
As she moved forward to help him up, he growled in protest.
"Look, I know you don't want me to touch you, but you won't be able to do this on your own. Strength can be shown when you humbly accept help too, you know." She held back a smile when he went silent.
Taking that as permission, Rae crouched low and hugged him, managing to barely hook her arm around his large back. The alien leaned heavily on her for support, growling as he did. "That's it," she encouraged, helping him stand. When they both stood, Rae looked up at him, her head barely meeting his outstanding chest. "I'll balance your weight," she assured him as he took one step with his good leg, the other limping behind. "Good," she commended, as they continued further.
It took some time and energy, but they finally got to the car. Seeing the black vehicle was a relief to Rae. After all this drama, she just wanted to go home.
When she got him to lean against the vehicle, Rae hurried to the back and grabbed a couple blankets and a torn-up tarp she ended up bringing along. The tarp was extremely useful, especially in this case. As she drove, she didn't want security cameras from traffic lights capturing the phenomenon in her car, so she hung the dark black tarp in such a way that only the two front seats would be visible. Next was his area. She had no idea if alien blood stained, but she wasn't taking any chances. After placing one of the blankets across the seats, she helped him into the car, cringing as he managed to painfully squeeze his massive body into the backseat of her SUV. He was so large, he had to sit upright and hunched against one door while his injured leg bent to rest on the adjacent seats, the other was hanging over to rest his sandaled foot on the floor mat beneath the driver's seat. The whole ordeal was tiresome, but it worked. Standing back to look at the final outcome, she bit her lip, her eyes grimacing, "You look so uncomfortable." Before closing the backdoor, she covered him with the remaining blanket, "Sorry, but this will have to do for now." He growled something in his language as she shut the door. Plopping down in the driver's seat, Rae took a breath and turned the key in the ignition.
Gabriel blinked hard as he heard his "squad" complain for the umpteenth time. And it had only been forty minutes! Did they really expect him to keep up this show for six hours?! His old legs ached from standing so long and the sudden thought of sitting sounded like a dream. Curiously turning around, he caught sight of a public bench placed conveniently nearby. No one had driven by all this time, it wouldn't hurt if he rested for just a few minutes, would it? His eyes flicked down the road on both sides.
No one in sight.
Loudly clearing his throat, Gabriel made his way over to the wooden bench, admiring its sturdy build. He smiled to himself as he sat down, stretching his legs out. He sighed in relief and tilted his head back, grabbing the green hat off his head as he ran his fingers through his thinning grey hair. He closed his eyes, smiling to himself. In all honesty, this wasn't the worst position he could have been assigned to. He could think of a couple other things that were much worse.
After losing his dear wife to cancer, he decided to go back into the military, only this time, he opted for something less exciting. He wasn't sure if his old heart could deal with that kind of action anymore. Tracy probably wouldn't have agreed with how he decided to use his retirement, but he just couldn't stand being alone in the house that her boisterous presence once filled. It would never be the same. And going golfing like the rest was out of the question, it bored him out of his mind and left his shoulder sore. Signing back on with the military was the best choice he could have made, and he didn't regret it.
Taking a deep breath, he relaxed further into his seat, just listening to the sounds of the vacant lot. Then, in the far distance, he faintly caught the sound of something. It was not ten seconds before he frowned, hearing the rumbling of an engine. Quickly looking over, his eyes widened at witnessing a speeding black car driving down the slushy road.
Jumping to his feet, Gabriel hollered at the driver, waving his hands frantically as he ran in the middle of the road!
Thankfully, the driver had enough sense to slow down, stopping a few feet from him.
Still out of breath, he cursed angrily seeing his cap had fallen off and landed in a puddle. He was honestly surprised none of the papers on his clipboard flew off with it. With a huff, he firmly returned the damp cap to his head and stomped up to the driver's side with one thought in mind. He rapped the tinted window with his knuckle, and as the window started to come down, he opened his mouth ready to give them a mouthful, when he saw the young lady! His voice died in his throat; his initial reaction diminishing rather quickly.
"I'm so sorry sir," she gushed apologetically, her eyes wide and worried.
Gabriel cleared his throat and replaced his frown with a smile, "Well, it's alright, I suppose I could have used the exercise," he chuckled, still a little out of breath. He then began his speech, "I apologize, but this is just a normal procedure. It shouldn't take but a few minutes of your time."
Rae resisted the impulse to bite her lip, and instead played off as an innocent girl, "Oh, okay."
"Thank you," he pulled out a red pen from his back pocket, clicking it against the clipboard. "First I must ask if there is anyone else inside the vehicle with you," he looked up at her.
She swallowed nervously with the thought of the alien taking up her backseat. "No, just me," she lied, putting on a dashing smile.
He smiled reassuringly, noticing her nervousness, "Okay, and do you mind telling me where you were going in such a rush?"
Was it just her or was it getting hot? She felt as if a bead of sweat was rolling down the side of her face. "I was just going home."
"And where is that?" he lowered his gaze, writing something down.
"Maine," she spoke softly her eyes, staring off into the distance. "I was told to evacuate from the mountain because of the earthquake threat."
"I see," his bushy eyebrows furrowed." "First, may I ask why your license plate says New York?" he pointed to it with the pen, "And second, the evacuation was put in place yesterday, why didn't you leave then?"
Ice cold fear spread through her limbs. She had forgotten she was supposed to say New York! Cursing herself for forgetting her cover story, she began with as steady a voice as she could manage. "Well… you see, I had taken a nasty fall on my snowboard when the earthquake hit and I injured my hand and got a minor concussion, so I thought it would be wise to sleep for a bit before the long drive," she admitted, trying to sound tired. "And to answer your first question, I used to be from New York. I only recently moved and haven't bothered to change my plate yet." It honestly felt like she was playing two truths and a lie.
The older man nodded thoughtfully, "It sounds like you've had quite the adventure. I just have one more request, and we're doing this to everyone that comes through. I need you to step out of your car so I can have a look inside," his apologetic smile could not comfort her in the slightest.
Knowing she'd be questioned further and possibly marked as a suspect if she didn't obey, she smiled giving a cheerful, "Of course."
She was dying inside.
Unbuckling her seatbelt, she mentally prepared herself to knock the poor guy out from behind once she got out. But then more appeared! She noticed the slew of soldiers a few yards away, guarding the road ahead. She would surely be seen and caught red handed! What could she do?!
Just as she was leaning forward to open her door, she heard faint high pitched beeps from the backseat. Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted somewhere in the distance behind them, its sonic blast firing through the air in waves.
"What the hell?!" Gabriel stepped away with a horrified expression. He hurried past the car towards the explosion, speaking urgently into his two-way radio, his fellow troops following close behind.
Taking her chance, Rae floored the gas pedal. The car squealed, leaving burn marks on the road as she swerved, missing a few of the men that had appeared from behind the trucks. She gasped, spinning the wheel to maneuver around the covered vehicles that stuck out into the road. Evening out the car, she peeled out of there as fast as humanly possible, not looking back as she heard men yelling. She couldn't be sure if they were yelling at her or the explosion, but she wasn't about to risk exposing the alien to them. The thought of them killing him without reason or worse, dissecting him for science, sickened her. She couldn't let that happen. As she distanced herself from the ski resort, she could make out the pillar of smoke rising above the tree line, its dark color a deep contrast to the once peaceful snowy mountains.
When they finally made it to the highway, Rae released a pent up breath. "Are you okay back there?" she asked almost breathlessly.
A deep growl was the response from behind the tarp.
"Is… is that a no?" she frowned, smoothly merging into the next lane of traffic. When she heard nothing in reply, she moved onto another, more prominent question. "Did you do that back there? The explosion?" she clarified anxiously. To her surprise he spoke.
"Sssship," his deep gravelly voice rumbled.
Sssship? Then it dawned on her, "Oh, your ship! You… you blew up your ship?!" her eyes widened. "You can do that?!" Now she was disturbed. "Just the click of a button on your… arm thing," she struggled to find the right word, only growing more agitated at the thought that she could have been in that thing when it blew.
He remained quiet. It was clear he did not want to talk about it.
As questions flooded her mind, Rae opened then quickly shut her mouth. He just destroyed his only chance of getting home, she realized. He was stuck here for good. His decision must not have been a light one, as she thought about not only the ship itself but everything it contained: his armor, weapons, supplies, even the disgusting skulls. Who knew how long it took him to obtain all of that, and they were nothing but dust now. His sacrifice saved them both. She frowned sadly, wondering how he must feel. "I'm sorry."
When silence instilled the car, she briefly looked up into the rearview mirror, managing to catch a glimpse of him through the raggedy torn part of the tarp. "You…" she couldn't believe she was saying this, "you can stay with me if you want. It's secluded and safe from the rest of the world."
She heard a rumble entwined with a soft, almost inaudible purr that quickly cut off. Rae couldn't help but smile. "You're welcome," she replied. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought. Then again, she had been wrong before.
Author's Note
Okay, I'm sorry it's been a little bit. Been crazy busy over here, but I figured the longer chapter would make up for it. So let me know what you think! I'm curious to know any questions or thoughts you may have. I'm thinking next chapter will give a little glimpse into Rae's backstory, but I'm sure it will only ignite a slew of curiosities on your end. Sorry, not sorry! ;)