Chapter 2 #2
Of course they had. A giant armed man had walked into a secure, federal facility and demanded to be taken to an air traffic control tower. There was no version of that request that ended with Hollis handing him a visitor badge.
“I am sorry,” Vesh added, clearly lying.
“No, you’re not.”
“No. I am not.”
I almost smiled. He came closer. My coworkers moved back. I stayed where I was. The heat at the base of my neck intensified with every step he took. When he stopped in front of me, the heat settled into a low pulse. His eyes narrowed. He felt it, too.
“It was never a game,” he said.
"How are you speaking English? You're an alien. How do you know my language?"
He shrugged. "I have had years to study Earth and your peoples. I have come to take you to Velerion. You completed the training. You are my bondmate and an Elite Starfighter. You are needed to help fight the war."
"The war? The one against Queen Raya and the so-called Dark Fleet?"
"Yes. That is what they are called."
“If you need my help, why did you electrocute airport security?”
“The weapon is not electrical.”
“That is the part you want to correct?”
One corner of his mouth almost shifted into a grin. There he was. My impossible, humorless wingman.
“Starfighter Training Academy is a recruitment and training program,” he continued. “The missions are simulations of real battles. You completed the reconnaissance training and accepted my crest. You are now an Elite Starfighter.”
“And the war?”
“Ongoing.”
“Queen Raya?”
“Will send assassins to eliminate you if you remain on Earth.”
“The women who disappeared a few years ago? Jamie, Mia, and Lily?”
“Alive. Serving on Moon Base Arturri with their bondmates.”
Relief rushed through me. I had never met them, but I had read their posts and watched their streaming videos before they vanished. “They chose to go?”
“Yes. As you must now choose.”
Behind me, my supervisor inhaled sharply. Vesh lowered his voice. “I have come to ask you to return with me. Velerion needs scouts. You are the first from Earth to complete the reconnaissance program.”
“What happens if I say no?”
His jaw tightened. “I leave. You remain here. No one will force you into service.”
“And if I say yes?”
“You leave Earth. You will be stationed on Arturri and fly the Wraith with me. You will enter enemy territory, gather intelligence, and most likely be shot at. Frequently.”
“You really need to work on your recruiting pitch.” He should have said I would be his mate. That he was madly in love with me. That he needed me. Wanted me. Thought I was beautiful.
“I will not lie to you.”
Ah. There it was. The truth. I was in love with a fantasy version of an alien warrior, and that fantasy didn't exist. Not in the real world. Still, he had just promised not to lie to me. That was better than most boyfriends I'd had over the years.
Truth, turned out, was sexy as hell. “Can I come back?”
“Gate travel is restricted during wartime. I cannot promise you will return anytime soon.”
“What about Gina and Alisha?”
“Your training partners remain in the program. If they complete their final missions and accept their pairings, they will be offered the same choice.”
Pairings? Was that what this was? "And are you mine? My pairing?"
He narrowed his eyes as if my question irritated him. "I am. We are bondmates."
My sleeping va-jay-jay leaped to attention at the word bondmate.
Vesh was everything I wanted in a man. Tall, dark, handsome, strong.
If he was real, and our ship, the Wraith, was real?
Holy shit. I couldn't wait to fly her. In outer space.
That, alone, would be worth the risk, even if my dream man didn't seem too excited about meeting me.
Then again, what did I expect? He couldn't exactly walk in here, pull me into his arms and kiss me like he'd never get enough.
Right? Wanting that was just…silly. And I was never silly.
I looked at my workstation. At the radar screen filled with aircraft. The headset I had worn for eight hours. The coffee mug Gina had given me three birthdays ago that said KEEP CALM AND LISTEN TO PRIYA. This was a good life. Safe job. Nice apartment. Two best friends I loved.
And every night I went home alone. Every day I was going through the motions, passing time, feeling like I was waiting for something. Apparently, that something was a heavily armed alien with terrible people skills.
So, Velerion. The Vega system. I knew all the lore. I had spent three days making this decision just in case there was a decision to make.
“Anand,” my supervisor said. “You don’t have to go anywhere with him.”
“I know.” That was why I could. I grabbed my headset and held it out to Alvarez. “You have my traffic. The Embraer is down. Everyone else is holding on approach. No weather problems.”
He took it automatically. “Priya, are you serious?”
“A year ago, I designed a perfect alien in a video game. He just crossed the galaxy to ask me to help save his planet. How often do you think this opportunity comes around?”
“Never?”
“Exactly.”
My supervisor stared at me. “Are you quitting?”
I considered the question. “Can I take an indefinite leave of absence to fight an interstellar war?”
“No.”
“Then I quit.”
Alvarez blinked. “You are choosing him over tacos again.”
“Apparently.”
“Now you're being kidnapped by an alien. Told you you'd regret skipping taco night.”
I looked Vesh up and down and admired every inch of him. “So far, no regrets.”
His nostrils flared. He understood that much.
I stepped closer. “Okay, Lieutenant. Take me to Velerion.”
For the first time since he entered the tower, Vesh looked uncertain. “You have no additional questions?”
“Yes. I do. Hundreds. But airport police are about to arrest you, and I assume your spaceship is parked somewhere it shouldn’t be.”
“At the entrance to this building.”
Of course it was. “Then we should go.”
He held out his hand. I took it. His fingers closed around mine. Warm. Callused. Careful, despite their size. The mark at my neck flared, and Vesh sucked in a sharp breath. Not only me, then. Good to know.
“The remaining cipher nanoparticles must be administered before transit,” he said. “It will protect your nervous system when we travel through the gate. After full integration, you will understand our languages and be able to interact with the Wraith’s systems.”
“Administered how?”
He removed a small silver device from his armor.
“That looks like a needle.”
“The pain will be minimal.”
“Doctors always say that when something is about to hurt like hell.”
Alvarez made a strangled sound behind me that might have been laughter. Vesh’s expression turned grim. “It will hurt briefly. I will catch you if you lose consciousness.”
“If?”
“When.”
At least he was honest. "Shouldn't we wait until we're on your ship then? If I'm going to pass out?"
"Delay now will cause a delay at the jump gate and endanger your people?"
"What? How?"
"They will attempt to attack, and I will be forced to defend us."
He was crazy. "We don't have spaceships like that."
He snorted as if I was a complete fool. "That is what they tell the citizens of Earth. We monitor your planet and have for many years. They lie and have attempted to take control of the gate many times."
"What?" Secret space programs? Ships that could zoom around in outer space. Shit. I'd seen tons of lunatics online making the same claims, but I didn't believe them. Guess the tinfoil hat crowd was right about that, too.
Wait, did he say remaining nanotech? That implied I already was infected with…something. Something alien.
I lifted my free hand to the back of my neck, to the warmth that continued to intensify in Vesh's presence. "What do you mean remaining? Do I have alien stuff inside me right now?"
Vesh sighed. "The training program administers the minimum number of nanos required to allow you to interface with the game, and with me. However, it's not enough to operate our ships or systems once we get to Velerion. And the particles need time to integrate properly."
"I have alien stuff inside me already?" Oh my god. What the hell? "Since when? Since I first started playing? Does everyone on Earth who's playing the game have alien nanos inside their bodies? Because that's just wrong. You should have told us. Does the government know?"
"Of course they do. Priya, if you do not wish me to battle your police, we must go. Now."
"I…" I decided to ignore the fact that I had alien stuff in my body and was about to get more of it.
Whatever it was. I looked at my supervisor, who'd met Gina at last year's holiday party.
“When Gina comes looking for me, tell her I made one spectacularly questionable life decision and will contact her as soon as possible.”
“I am standing right here,” Alvarez said. He knew Gina, too. Had given her a tour of the tower a couple years ago. I tossed my cell phone to him.
“You’re also wearing my headset. Try to keep the planes from hitting each other. And give Gina my phone.”
“Have fun in outer space.” Alvarez was actually smiling as he sat down in my chair.
“That’s the plan.”
I turned back to Vesh. “Okay. Will you be there when I wake up?”
He went completely still. I had not meant the question to sound important. Based on his expression, it was. “Yes,” he said. “I give you my word.”
“All right. Do it.”
He pressed the device to the side of my neck. Pain exploded through my skull.
“Son of a—”
My knees buckled. Vesh caught me before I hit the floor and pulled me against his chest. Then everything went black.