24. Jet
Chapter 24
Jet
I was up and out of my dorm by zero six hundred and headed to do some conditioning before class. I did my best thinking during my workout. I needed this time to wrap my mind around the insanity of this place. I had been at the Academy for several months, and every day, I found something new that amazed me. An Aurathion’s power after joining a Faction was tremendous, and, in my opinion, a danger to my country and the world. They had abilities that the military could only dream of, and instead of manufacturing them, they accessed them with the flick of a hand.
The problem was, I didn’t know if there was anything the United States or any other country could do to defend itself against the Dark Factions. If they found a way to come here, I hoped the Factions that fought against them the first time would defend this world again. There was nowhere for us to go if they failed. Using weapons of mass destruction would be the only option, and no one would win in that scenario. Luckily, it wasn’t my job to find solutions; I was only to report what I saw without blowing my cover.
I hadn’t heard anything nefarious from any Aurathions at Emberhold. Mostly, they seemed to concentrate on teaching students Aurathion history and biology and training them in case the Dark Factions tried to infiltrate the world they now inhabited. Initiation was a mind fuck, and realizing the Academy was sentient, freaked me right the fuck out. Did Emberhold know I was here as a spy? And if so, why would I be allowed to stay? If I was being honest, this whole experience had been fucked up.
Joining the military was a tradition in my family, starting with my paternal great-great-grandfather dating back to the First World War. My father had met my mother while serving in Afghanistan. She was a military doctor, and they fell for each other immediately. As a child, I loved hearing them talk about their first meeting. Of course, my father incorporated explosions and gunfire, and he even claimed to rescue my mother a couple of times. Clinton Lockley was quite the character. I took after my mother, Viola Lockley. She was quiet and liked to weigh her words before speaking. Her account of their first meeting was quite different than my father’s. I tended to believe my mother’s version rather than his.
Both of my parents had chosen to serve in the Army. I decided to follow my grandfather’s path and joined the Marines. My dad loved to give me shit about it, but I knew I had their full support no matter what branch of the military I chose to serve in.
I excelled in my training and, after serving three years, was approached by a senior officer to apply to MARSOC (Marine Forces Special Operations Command). The organization is comprised of the Marine Raider Regiment,
Marine Raider Support Group, and Marine Raider Training Center. Marine Raiders specialize in direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism. I was proud to be a part of this organization and loved the challenge it provided.
During my service in the military, I had many medical evaluations. My blood had been drawn more times than I could count, so the Council getting access to my test results wasn’t surprising. What was still a mystery to me was how they narrowed their search. Millions of people were in this country alone, not to mention other countries. There is no way they went through everyone’s blood samples. I suspected they only researched people they thought would somehow enhance a Faction. I was approached while having a few drinks with some of my buddies in Oceanside, CA. I had been stationed at Camp Pendleton for two months at that time.
“Hey, shithead, you owe me a beer for saving your ass in Yemen.” Josh, a good friend and fellow Raider, said, clapping me on the back and laughing.
I held the door to the hole-in-the-wall bar that all my fellow Raiders preferred, “Sure you did. I remember that incident a little differently.”
“So do I!” The third member of our trio, Deshawn, laughed. “I saved both of your candy asses.” We all laughed as we took a seat at the bar.
“Sure you did fucker! You couldn’t save your ass with both hands.” Josh responded.
“No, but I could save yours with one!” Deshawn cackled.
Josh flipped him off just as the bartender showed up with three beers. We had been here so often in the last two months she didn’t have to ask us what we wanted.
After she left, Josh turned to Deshawn, “Did you tap that ass? She was throwing it at you enough last weekend.”
Deshawn turned up his beer and took a large swallow, “I don’t fuck and tell. He smirked, but if I did, I would say she was well worth the money I spent taking her out.”
“That’s not saying much. Isn’t McDonald’s your go-to date night restaurant?” Josh asked, trying his best to look serious.
“Absolutely, have you seen the price of a Big Mac meal lately? It’s practically fine dining.” He winked at the bartender serving a lady at the other end of the bar. She blushed and turned back to her customer.
I felt a presence at my back and turned. I saw a man who was way too overdressed for this establishment.
“Can I help you with something?”
"I’d like to speak with you, if I may?" He said haughtily.
“Do I know you?” I frowned.
“No, Jet Lockley, you don’t, but I know you. It won’t take but a moment.” He gestured toward a table in the back.
“Who the fuck is this guy?” Josh turned, giving the stranger the stink eye.
“I have no idea, but I guess I’ll find out.” I finished my beer and then stood to follow the man.
“If you’re getting an inheritance from a rich relative, remember the guy that saved your ass!” Deshawn yelled out.
“I saved both of your prissy asses. I’m the one he needs to remember!” Josh whined. I smirked as I walked off, the debate of who saved whose ass still going strong.
After I sat down, the guy at the table began speaking immediately: “My name is Reginald Wayne, and I’m here to share some astonishing news concerning your ancestry.” He reached into a briefcase and pulled out a file that he slid to me. I eyed the file and then looked at Reginald.
“Who are you with, and what is this concerning?”
“I would rather you examine the file first, then I’ll give you the information you’re asking for,” he said in a no-nonsense way.
I was annoyed at his response but too curious not to open the file. It was most definitely a character flaw. The first page was a copy of a blood test, followed by a DNA analysis. I picked up the paper with my DNA results and read through it several times. Looking up at Reginald and then back at the paper, I asked, “What does this mean?”
“It means, Mr. Lockley, that you’re not entirely human.”
Standing, I frowned down at the man, “Fuck off, I don’t have the time or patience for this shit. I have no idea how you got that blood test, but I know it wasn’t legal. I’ll be keeping my paperwork, and if I see you again, I’ll beat your ass first and ask questions later.”
The man grabbed my arm. I tried to jerk it out of Reginald’s hold, but I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I pulled. What the fuck was going on? The guy wasn’t even half my size, and I couldn’t break his grip. I looked at him in astonishment as Reginald glanced around the room, making sure no one was looking. He brought his other hand to my face, and a flame shot up from his index finger.
“If you are even remotely curious to find out how I’m doing this and about your ancestry, I’ll leave my card with a time and place to meet. The decision is yours, but if you don’t show, you’ll never hear from me again, and the opportunity to be so much more than you are now will have passed.” Reginald threw the card on the table, picked up his briefcase, and left the bar.
The next day, I was called to the Sergeant Major’s office, where a man in civilian clothes was waiting. The Major left the office, giving us privacy, and the man explained that they had been watching Mr. Wayne for quite a while and thought I was the perfect candidate to gather more information. The rest was history .
The letter departments in the government, CIA, FBI, etcetera, knew nothing about the Aurathions. The organization I had become a part of was hidden so deep that once you became a member, only death saw you leave. Their knowledge of the Aurathion people and what amounted to an invasion was gained late in the game after the Aurathions were already well-established in this world.
Several military personnel had Aurathion ancestry, but none had my special training, so I was recruited to gather information about their culture and technology. Sometimes, I felt that my superiors had difficulty swallowing the information I passed on about Aurathions’ abilities. My reports read like comic books, and I sometimes had trouble processing them, even though I had witnessed it all firsthand.
I felt like everything had been going well until I met Reverie. Not growing up as Aurathion, I was stunned at how powerful the pull was to her. I had researched Factions and how they connected but my research had made it seem more clinical and not so emotional or instinctual.
I hadn’t put Reverie in any of my reports so far. My loyalty to this country had never been questioned, but I found that my feelings for Reverie superseded everything. My first instinct was to protect her at all costs, and so far, I hadn’t been able to overcome it.
Nathan had been gone for a couple of weeks, and I could tell it was taking a toll on her. The guy was a lunatic, but I admired his loyalty to Reverie. Nathan was also new to this world but took everything in stride, focusing entirely on his Nexus. I envied him because he could explore his new circumstances and owed nothing to anybody.
I was curious about my initiation and excited to discover what challenges would be thrown at me. I wouldn’t be in this position if I didn’t thrive on the impossible. The level of physical fitness was crazy, and I was here for it. In fact, I loved everything about my new culture and the possibilities it offered. Only the love I felt for my parents and my country kept me on track and the knowledge that I had no choice but to continue my mission unless I wanted to disappear.
I had kept my distance from Reverie for the last few weeks, only observing her from a distance. I had seen her relationship with the twins developing and knew they would be made part of her Faction. I’d also seen Storm following her everywhere. I knew she wasn’t fully aware of how extensive Storm’s obsession was but calling it stalking was not enough. What I couldn’t understand was why her scary Fellat allowed it. (I’d have loved to see the looks on my superiors' faces at finding out about the Fellat species and their level of intelligence.) Of course, I had left out Reverie’s involvement with the beast.
I quietly entered the workout room and jumped on the treadmill to warm up. I was almost finished with my five miles when I saw Kristine slip down the hallway toward Storm’s office. She didn’t see me, so I quietly stepped off the treadmill and followed her. Staying in the shadows, I stepped close to Storm’s door to see if I could find out why she was there so early. I didn’t trust either of them, and lying to myself, I pretended it was for the organization and not Reverie.
“What the fuck do you want now?” Storm growled out.
“I want to know when you’re going to get rid of that bitch! She in no way, deserves a Fellat. There must be something wrong with the animal to bind himself to someone so inferior. I’m sick of everyone acting like she’s something special.” I heard the crazy bitch stomp her foot like a three-year-old.
There was a brief silence, “I’m amazed that you believe I give a shit about your petty issues. Your mother didn’t do you any favors, spoiling you like she did. It gave you a false sense of self-importance.” I heard him push his chair back, then footsteps stopping near where I thought Kristine was standing. “The best advice I can give you is to stay the fuck out of my office. I’m meeting with Reverie after lunch today, and I don’t need you fucking up my plans.”
I heard a squeal and took a chance, gazing through the tiny crack in the door. I saw Storm had grabbed Kristine’s chin and leaned in close, “If you do anything to jeopardize what I’ve put in place, don’t think you, being my stepsister, will save you. I’m going to warn you one last time, don’t seek me out, and stay the fuck away from Reverie.” He shook her face and then released her.
I could see the marks on her chin from Storm’s fingers. Wow, there’s not much sibling love between these two. I slipped back into the shadows just in time to see Kristine storm out of the office with tears running down her face. As I returned to the workout room, I knew I would be following Reverie to her meeting with Storm. I had no idea what the asshole was planning, but Reverie wouldn’t be facing it alone.