CHAPTER 9
Grayson met up with a stressed-looking Aries in the training room.
“I trust you’ve been made comfortable,” the man stated.
“Yeah. Place is kind of daunting, but cool.”
“It will take time to adjust, and I apologize for abandoning you. Usually, a new recruit would be paired with a seasoned warrior to show them the ropes.”
“Understandable you have no one to spare with all the shit going down. Have the aliens been eliminated?” he asked, limbering up since Aries had begun stretching.
“Some, yes, but the fact that the ones we initially killed managed to heal did cause problems.” Aries shook his head. “We know now to burn them to ash.”
“You heard about the one Leila accidentally grew from a chunk of flesh?”
The reminder darkened Aries’ expression. “Yes, which adds a difficult element. If we miss a single piece when cleaning an area, there is a possibility the threat returns.”
“Leila’s working on finding their weakness.”
“Which will be needed. The varied locations have us spread thin, which makes containing with minimal loss of life difficult.”
“Surely the military are able to help.”
“They are trying. However, their usual method of going in guns blazing will cause issue, as they are not fire-cleansing the kill areas.”
“Meaning they’re creating little blobs that will grow into new aliens. Can’t you tell them?”
“I’ve notified my contacts. However, they are somewhat hamstrung with the information because it is hard to convince others of the veracity until they see it for themselves.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Grayson asked.
“Help us fight. Speaking of which, let’s see what skills you already have.”
They spent the next few hours sparring, starting with hand-to-hand, where Grayson tried his best, but Aries proved to be faster and trickier than Grayson’s usual opponents.
Next on to firearms, where Grayson missed most of the targets.
As for wielding a sword, or even a dagger, the other man proved too quick, and Grayson spent most of the time blocking blows and rarely managing a hit in return.
Still, by the end of their training, Aries nodded. “Not bad. You’re better already than most new recruits.”
“Good enough to fight aliens?”
“Not quite, but it won’t be long.”
“Meaning I’m grounded for the moment.” His lips turned down.
“Unfortunately, yes. We can’t afford to lose you by sending you out too soon in the field. But now that I’ve taught you some basics, you can practice. Tower can provide dummies with limited motion for you to spar against. I’ll advise Aquarius to also make some time to give you a real opponent.”
“You taking off again?”
A heavy sigh left Aries. “I must. As mentioned, the aliens’ ability to heal and clone themselves even from the smallest of pieces means we’ve a long battle ahead. I can only hope the doctor’s research bears fruit.”
When Aries left, Grayson headed to his place for a shower and a change before going to the dining room for some food. He ate alone, the large space empty.
After the meal, he thought of heading to Leila’s lab, but would she welcome his return?
She’d made it clear she didn’t socialize.
He ended up in his apartment, watching television, the various new reports all about the aliens.
The news anchors indicated a lessening in attacks, likely due to the Zodiac Warriors clearing out hot spots.
However, how long would that calm last? Probably only as long as it took for any stray chunks to grow into new killing machines.
A knock at his door surprised, and he couldn’t help gape when he saw who stood on the other side.
“Leila? Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I, uh…” She appeared flustered before managing to murmur, “I thought I’d check on you. How did your training session go?”
“I’m fine. A bit sore. Aries is a tough teacher. I thought I could fight. He showed me otherwise.” A wry admission.
“Don’t feel bad. He’s got centuries of experience.”
“Centuries?” he gasped.
“I take it no one told you yet that the warriors enjoy longevity. Tower dwellers do as well. One of the perks, you could say.” She offered a slight smile.
“Well, that’s cool.” It occurred to him they spoke in the doorway, and he stepped back with a wave of his hand. “Want to come in?”
“Actually, I came by to ask if you’d join me for a meal. I thought you might like to hear about the tests we ran.”
He wasn’t about to tell her he already ate. “Would love to.”
“Oh, Tower.” Her soft murmur had him wondering until he followed her gaze and saw a table set for two, replete with a wine bottle chilling in a bucket, two plates of food, and lit candles.
“Guess Tower didn’t want to make you climb those stairs after your busy day.”
“Maybe.” She sat down across from him and sighed. “I am tired, but in good news, we did learn some things.”
“Such as?”
“Blue isn’t interested in communicating at all, despite Asterion’s best efforts.”
“It is technically a baby.”
“A baby that would viciously tear into me or Asterion if given the chance. It only calms if there’s no one in the room, but it spends that time seeking a way to escape.”
“How did your research go? Find any weaknesses?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if it’s a feasible one. I’ve learned it won’t absorb anything with high concentrations of omega-3 because it acts as a paralytic.”
“That sounds promising.”
“It could be, but I’ll need to run more tests.
It is one thing to douse an exposed piece of tissue, another for a creature with no open sores.
I don’t know yet if the skin will absorb the omega-3 and have the same effect.
Not to mention the practicality. To douse an alien actively attacking would be difficult. ”
“So, not feasible for someone fighting one face-to-face, but what if you could load one of those crop-dusting planes and have them drop a load in an area where they’re rampaging?”
Her expression turned thoughtful. “That is an interesting idea. I’ll mention your suggestion in my next report. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t have any effect.”
“How are you doing? You look exhausted.”
“I am. However, sleep will have to wait until I get some answers. There’s still so much we don’t know about these aliens, and I fear I might be missing something.”
“I get that feeling of frustration. I got a dose of it today when Aries told me I wasn’t ready to head into the field yet.”
“You’ve only been a Zodiac Warrior a day,” she reminded.
“I’m not a guy who likes to sit around twiddling his thumbs.”
“I’m sure Aries will have you working soon. This kind of crisis needs everyone pitching in.”
“I’ll admit I’m surprised you showed up tonight. I thought you hated socializing.”
“I do.” Her lips twisted. “Yet, the idea of being alone in my apartment seemed even more unpalatable.”
“I’m glad you came.” He truly was.
“Me too.” A soft and shy admission. “I should probably head out now, though. Busy day tomorrow.”
“Is Blue secure?”
“It, and all the samples, are locked in the chamber. I wasn’t taking any chances for them to escape again.”
“I’ll be honest, I don’t like the idea of you being alone on that floor with the aliens so close. Especially since Tower can’t tell you if they break out.”
“And what would you propose?”
“I could stand guard,” he offered.
“Don’t you need to sleep as well?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t need to be in a bed. Your apartment only has the one door, right? I’ll bring a blanket and pillow and sleep in front of it.”
Her mouth rounded. “That would be extremely uncomfortable.”
He shrugged. “I’d survive.”
“While kind of you to offer, I can’t accept. I’m sure I’ll be okay. I should be going.”
“Can I walk you upstairs?”
A slight hesitation before she nodded. “I’d like that, thank you.”
Unlike other women, Leila didn’t flirt or act coy. He might have thought her cold and uninterested but for the fact she’d sought him out. They chatted on the way up, Grayson making her laugh as he recounted his terrible first attempt with a sword.
When they reached her door, she appeared nervous. “Thank you again.”
“My pleasure.”
“Perhaps we can share a meal again tomorrow?”
“I’d like that. How about we meet for breakfast?”
A quick nod and a hint of pink in her cheeks went with her murmured, “Yes, let’s do that.”
She entered her apartment, and he spent a moment outside her door internally debating. The lab door remained closed, and he noticed a new slide lock on the outside to prevent anything inside from getting out. Should be safe. However, should be wasn’t enough.
He glanced at the ceiling—which was dumb because Tower was all around. “Tower, I don’t suppose I could have a sleeping bag and pillow. I’m gonna camp out in the hall as a precaution.”
Tower did him one better. A cot appeared.
“Dude, if I could give you a review, it would be five out of five stars.”
The cot proved more comfortable than expected, and Grayson fell asleep and didn’t wake until Leila’s door opened and she squeaked, “Grayson, don’t tell me you slept here all night?”
He stretched and gave her a grin. “Wanted to make sure I wasn’t late for our breakfast date.”