Chapter Seven
Lost in space…
Uncle Ben stood by the bunker doors as the Huey helicopter landed. Damn, he had lost weight, and his white overalls had seen better days. Jumping out of the chopper, I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He hugged me back. “Me too. Heard you had a bit of excitement.”
“Just the Mexican Mafia. Nothing serious.”
His bushy eyebrows shot up, and he glared at Dad. “Mexican Mafia?”
“Long story. You’ve prepped the portal?”
Uncle Ben nodded. “I have. You’re sure there are four ships?”
“Yes,” Quinn snapped.
A hopeful note in his voice, Uncle Saul asked, “Did the team make it back?”
“No.” Uncle Ben turned on his heel and marched over to the elevator.
Jake and Quinn cursed viciously.
The color drained from Dad’s face. “Major Quaid?”
My uncle shook his head. “It’s been an hour since their belts quit transmitting.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “How many travelers did you send out?”
“Four,” Uncle Ben replied.
We all crowded into the elevator.
“Any of them psychic?” The guilt in Uncle Ben’s eyes answered my question. “Are you nuts? What were you thinking?”
“Enough, Lexi,” Dad barked.
I drew a quick angry breath. “How many men have you lost?”
“Twenty. Four of them were psychic,” Uncle Saul responded bleakly.
The elevator door opened and I stormed out. “You should have sent me.”
“You were injured,” Jake pointed out.
“So? Those men would still be alive if I had gone instead of them.”
Dad stepped in front of me. “It’s not your fault. The Tai-Kok have figured out a way to track us, and their soldiers are waiting for the travelers when they appear.”
“Then we start duct taping the bombs to the hulls of their ships,” I retorted.
Jake stared at me like I had lost my mind. “Duct tape the bombs?”
“Yep. I’ve done it before.”
Anger flared to life in Dad’s eyes. “When?”
“I was still working out the bugs in the system and the first two times Lexi traveled, she ended up on the outside of the ship,” Uncle Ben confessed.
Dad lunged for him. “I’m gonna kill you.”
“Knock it off, Dad.” I wrapped myself around him and held onto him for dear life. Dang, was he strong. “It worked then, and it’ll work now.”
Uncle Saul rubbed his chin. “Can you duplicate the results?”
“I keep all my data. It’ll be easy to repeat,” Uncle Ben said.
Quinn grimaced, “We’ll need spacesuits.”
“They’re on the helicopter,” Uncle Saul replied.
I raised my hand. “One for me too?”
“Yes, Lexi.”
“Yippee!” I did a happy dance.
Dad sighed. “She’s utterly fearless.”
“Just like her mother,” Uncle Ben added.
Quinn eyed my dad. “Who taught her how to hot-wire cars?”
“I did. I thought it might come in handy.”
“For a juvenile delinquent.”
Dad countered, “For escaping the Tai-Kok.”
“Or avoiding bossy pricks,” I added.
“Manners, Lexi,” everyone shouted at the same time.
Rolling my eyes, I headed for my room. Ugh. Now I had five guys telling me what to do. I slammed the door behind me and quickly changed into clean jeans and my favorite T-shirt.
“Come to the lab, Lexi,” Uncle Saul commanded in my head.
I saluted smartly. “Yes, sir.”
“I saw that.”
Wincing, I slapped my hand on the elevator’s sensor pad. “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again, sir.”
Uncle Saul snorted, “Kaelen’s going to have his hands full with you.”
“If he can find me.” The elevator door opened. I stepped inside and hit the button for the lab.
“The Battle Commander and Zarek aren’t the type to accept defeat easily.”
A shiver shook me. Once Kaelen found me, he would never let me go A part of me liked the idea and another part of me found it utterly terrifying. The elevator door opened, and I hurried into the lab.
They all stared at the logo on my T-shirt.
“What? I like giving the Tai-Kok the finger.”
Dad just shook his head. “Let’s get you suited up.”
“Okay.” I ran my hand over the spacesuit. “It feels different.”
Jake nodded. “The lab guys added neoprene and mylar. It gives the travelers more protection from the extreme temperatures in the Tai-Kok ships.”
“The monsters like it hot. The temperatures in their home world range from one hundred and twenty degrees to one hundred and seventy-five,” I said.
A hand on his weapon, Quinn asked, “How do you know that?”
“She did a form of mind meld with my Tai-Kok prisoner,” Uncle Ben answered.
Quinn gaped at him. “When did you take a Tai-Kok prisoner?”
“About a year ago. He crashed his ship and was injured. I brought him back to my lab to study him.”
I felt Quinn scan the area for a Tai-Kok. “Relax. He’s dead, but the bad news is their planet is dying, they have no resources other than those they steal, and they’re looking for a new home.”
Jake looked like he wanted to puke. “Earth?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Have you ever noticed the Tai-Kok never attack when it’s raining or snowing? They’ve never raided Switzerland or northern Canada or Alaska either.”
Quinn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Damn, you’re right.”
“They attacked Paris during a rainstorm and retreated within twenty minutes,” Uncle Saul added.
Dad interjected, “The French used water tankers to drive them out of Versailles.”
“You would think if water bothered them so much, they would simply wear armor,” Jake commented.
“Their warrior code won’t permit them to wear any kind of armor.” I stepped into my spacesuit and zipped it up. “I’d love to see what would happen if we dumped them in a lake or the ocean.”
“Water is like acid to them,” Uncle Ben announced.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“The Tai-Kok soldier I captured smelled like rotted corpses, so I sprayed him down with a hose. Damn near killed him,” Uncle Ben said.
“Why didn’t I hear about any of this? It’s important information that should be shared,” Quinn groused.
Uncle Saul grimaced. “I was unaware of Lexi’s mind meld with the Tai-Kok until a few weeks ago. I’ve been verifying the information she passed onto me.”
Hmmm. Uncle Saul didn’t want anyone to know he had linked with me. Wonder why?
Dad attached the oxygen tank to my suit. “What aren’t you telling us, General?”
“Our satellites orbiting Mars were destroyed, and the Rover sent pictures of a Tai-Kok ship landing on the surface before it went dark. We think they’re building a base there.”
A shudder shook me. “Or a slaughterhouse.”
“Let’s go blow those fuckers to hell,” Quinn growled and put his helmet on.
Uncle Ben stepped over to the portal control console and brought it online. “Who’s first?”
“I am,” Quinn stated.
My eyebrows rose. “You’ve never ported before.”
“If you’ve done it, how hard can it be?”
Uncle Ben and I exchanged looks. What a dumb ass.
“I’ll go first.” Uncle Saul used his command voice.
Dad quickly checked his suit over. “You’re good.”
Since he had been in my head, he knew what to expect. I gave him the thumbs up.
Picking up a bag, Uncle Saul stepped onto the platform and nodded. “Let’s get this done.”
“Give ‘em hell, General.” Uncle Ben tapped a button and circles of light formed around Uncle Saul. Poof! He vanished.
Quinn inquired in a vexed voice, “You are sending us to different ships?”
“I am.” Uncle Ben gestured at the platform. “Next?”
Jake body blocked Quinn and took his place on the dais. “Let’s do it.” His eyes widened slightly as the lights engulfed him. Poof! He was gone.
“Ladies first.” I hopped on the platform.
“Give ‘em hell, Lexi,” Uncle Ben said, and his fingers danced across the control console.