Chapter 22
JAY
Nox bristles while his brother and I go back and forth. He looks unsure about who he wants to side with in our verbal throwdown. I’m guessing it’s neither of us, but he’s still torn between defending his brother and being polite to a guest.
“You’re cool with this shit because you found the loves of your life at the start of your fucking life,” Axel barks. “I don’t want to have to do that before I can fuck someone—but it’s not like I can just sleep around and date like a normal guy, even if relations with humans improve.
“The studies they’ve done on my life seed determined it can make humans become hybrids, just like Giver seed–and they have no idea how many joinings it would take for me to make one, until I, y’know, make one.
I’m going in blind if I ever mate the way I’m genetically driven to.
You really don’t get how fucked that is? ”
“But once the stigma of being a hybrid ends—and humans find out what it’s really like—they’ll probably line up to join with you and go through the change,” I argue.
“Which shows a lot of them should be worried about us,” he argues back.
“I don’t care what the NVs or their Council says.
It is hard to believe they came here with no plans to fuck half of the humanity out of thousands of men, who would then do the same, on and on until the human race was under the threat of extinction. ”
“So, you’re not just bitter and wrong,” I scoff, “you’re a bitter and wrong conspiracy theorist.”
“And you have a big mouth,” Axel snarls, getting in my face.
“I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing, Axel Lory!” Xan roars. “But you’re not putting your hands on my mate, unless you want to lose them!”
I jump at the sound of his voice because I didn’t hear him come in, but Axel must have seen him, since he’s facing the elevator. He rolls his eyes like Xan’s threat doesn’t scare him, but he does take a step back from me.
“How good of you to join us at this very moment, Doctor. The Derecko crew really does have impeccable timing.”
“And you are impeccably foolish,” Xan says, his voice as cold as ice—though that is a pretty mild criticism, coming from him.
He usually enjoys giving someone hell on the Derecko, when their behavior calls for it, but it doesn’t seem like he’s enjoying himself right now.
“But we do not have time to address your foolishness, at the present. We must set everything that could come between us aside—because Givers, humans, and hybrids have all been fooled by a common threat that must be eliminated.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach flutters with nerves as his shoulders sag when he strides toward me.
“The humans have had an enemy living among them, but it wasn’t us. Earth has apparently had Exxlars on it for forty years now. They are very dangerous, very hard to kill beings.”
“They’re so hard to kill because they can survive outside of the body they are born in, if it becomes uninhabitable,” Numbers says.
“They are known for purposefully crash landing on planets, and killing whatever body they last hijacked in the process. Since their consciousness can survive inside another intelligent life form, as long as they jump bodies in four days or less, they won’t die. ”
“Which, I suspect, is how an Exxlar got inside General Trembly,” Xan says.
“That general Hex has those boring calls with?” He always seemed so…not alien. At all. Just like a regular human bloke. “You’re sure he’s one of them?”
Xan nods. “It could have happened when he was younger, early in his career. Maybe he was sent with other soldiers to inspect a crash site.”
“Can we get it out of him and make the real Trembly the host of his own body again?” Nox asks, looking disturbed.
“Not possible,” Numbers said. “Once they take over your body, you are no more.”
“They can’t get into us so easily, though,” Xan says. “My species has been inoculated against their jumps, and we pass that genetically programmed protection on to our nestlings and hybrids.”
“So they really, really wouldn’t want an Earth full of hybrids,” I say, the flutters getting worse.
“Odds are, that is why they’ve revealed themselves now. Hex used his transmitter to send a warning, before Trembly got control.”
“Got control of what?” I ask, already knowing from his pained expression that he’s going to tell me something horrible.
“The captain and commander’s transmitters are under Trembly’s control now,” Numbers explains.
“Part of the reason Exxlars are so dangerous is because of how quickly they can evolve, and become harder to defeat. Since they can’t take over Giver bodies and minds, they have evolved to remotely control their transmitters, and most likely any other tech inside a Giver body.
This will make it possible for them to torture the captain and commander without laying a finger on them. ”
“Numbers”—Xan lets out a big sigh—“you didn’t have to mention that last part.”
“He bloody hell did!” I shout. “We need to get to them now.”
“We are going back to the Derecko,” Xan orders. “And everyone is having any Eppo tech they have inside them removed from their bodies before we do anything.”
“How long will that take?”
“Does it matter? It must be done.”
“Not for Jaxus, actually,” Numbers says. “We can’t remove transmitters here, but we can remove the nanoparticles that are monitoring Jaxus’s health.”
Finally, something I want to hear. “Good. That means the Derecko can meet us near Earth, and Xan can get on the ship and have his tech removed after he drops me off.”
“Us off,” Axel interjects. “You’re not going without me and Nox. We’re not going to just chill on Mars while those dangerous fuckers are on Earth with our grandparents and little brother. Tarzon is visiting them in a neighborhood that is right near that neutral zone Trembly calls from.”
“You are not going anywhere near those Exxlars.” Xan looks at me like I just told him I want to set myself on fire. “You could be carrying a hatchling.”
“If I am—all the more reason to go,” I insist. “I won’t let them grow up without Braxton and Hex there to show them how to make friends with spiders or land a spaceship.”
“And what about me?” Xan pulls me to him and drops another sigh, this one falling from his purple lips and into my blue ear. “I won’t be around to check their temperature and heal them whenever they’re feeling sick. Because, if I let you do this, Braxton and Hex will kill me. As they should.”
“How strong are these Exxlar guys, Numbers?” Nox asks, sounding as anxious to go face them as Axel and I are.
“Their strength doesn’t exceed the strength of the body they’re in, but, with an Exxlar in it, that body will stay animated even if it’s barely alive.”
“So it might be like fighting a zombie.” Nox shivers.
“A human zombie,” Axel says, “which we can take.”
“And what if Leon comes with us?” I ask Xan, thinking about the hybrid’s massive frame when I pull away from him—and am very pleased with the fact that I don’t have to stand back as far as I used to for us to lock eyes.
“I don’t know how many Exxlars there will be, but I don’t think they could overpower all of us. ”
Xan’s gaze hardens as he asks Numbers where Leon is.
“He is currently being ridden like a pony with two of his children on his back, Doctor.”
“Riding that guy’s back must feel like riding a whale,” I mutter.
“Tell him and Griff we will meet them in the lab, Numbers.”
“And if he agrees to help,” I press, “then I can help too?”
Reluctantly, Xan finally mouths a yes, like he can’t even bring himself to say it out loud.
I practically shriek with triumph as I throw myself back into his arms and kiss him, our lips touching for a split second before he falls on his back, the air getting knocked out of his lungs when I fall on top of him.
“Be more careful with how you use that new hybrid strength,” he chides, breathless.
“Will do,” I promise, and press my lips to his, softer and slower.
“Get a room,” Axel says as he walks over us, sounding just like Griff.
“After we save Hex and Braxton,” I say, breaking the kiss.
Hang in there, guys. We’re coming.