CHAPTER 11
How did one prepare to go on a trip into the unknown? Grayson didn’t have the slightest clue but ended up hitting the training room hoping for inspiration. After all, he’d been told to bring weapons. What, though?
He stared at the wall and might have remained frozen with indecision if Aquarius hadn’t shown up and asked, “Need a hand?”
“Fuck yeah. I know you guys said there’s no sign of those aliens where we’re going, but what if there are?”
“Then you kill it.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” he muttered, which made the other man laugh.
“As you already know, they’re not that hard to take down. The real issue is the fact they come back. Since you can’t exactly tote around a flame thrower, if you do kill an alien, I’d recommend tossing some lighter fluid and setting it on fire.”
“And where would I find that? You got some kind of supply room?”
“Nah. Tower will handle it. When you hit your room, you’ll find a bag ready to go with whatever you need.”
“Handy. I hate packing.”
“Now, as to weapons, I don’t think you’re ready for a sword yet, but definitely a machete or a long dagger.
” Aquarius pulled a sheath with a hilt projecting from it, handed it to Grayson, and then eyed the firearms before choosing a revolver.
“Not great for long range, however, you can’t exactly walk around with a shotgun or a rifle in Arusha without getting noticed. ”
“How long before we get there?”
“It’s a few hours’ drive from here to the airport. Travel time will be around twelve or so hours, which includes a stop to refuel. Once in Arusha, there will be a rental you can use to reach the lake.”
“What about testing equipment for Leila? Or are we just collecting samples and bringing them back?”
“Bringing back. Most of her stuff needs electricity, so the rental will be packed with the basics. Sterile jars. Swabs. Safety gear.”
“Sounds good. Now, about getting back, is it really as simple as wishing for it?” Grayson couldn’t help but sound skeptical.
“Beaming is the easiest part of this mission. Make sure you have a hold of Leila and anything she collects before you concentrate on coming home. You’ll feel a tingling in the tattoo on your back, followed by intense cold and darkness.
Don’t worry; it won’t hurt you or Leila.
Once it ends, you’ll find yourself in the Portal Room.
Any more questions?” Aquarius tilted his head.
“Yeah. What about the asteroid chunk? I thought the Astraeus”—he stumbled slightly over the word—“couldn’t see the alien rock hence why the trouble started in the first place.”
The query brought a furrow to Aquarius’ brow. “Good point. If you do find one, no guarantee it will make the trip.”
“Should we come back the long way if we do happen to locate any pieces?”
“I’d say speed is more important. You’ll be more than a day getting to the lake as is.”
“Fair enough.” Grayson raked his fingers through his hair. “Any words of advice?”
“Don’t die?”
A dark joke that made Grayson chuckle. “Gonna do my best.”
“The Astraeus wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t up to the task.
” Aquarius slapped him on the back before heading out.
Grayson took the selected weapons to his room, where, sure enough, a bulging knapsack awaited, along with clothes that might have come from the set of Indiana Jones.
Khaki pants, button-up shirt, canvas jacket, sturdy hiking boots, and a utility belt with flashlight, flint, a sealed bottle of lighter fluid, and a pocket with matches.
As to when he’d be leaving, a knock at the door showed Leila dressed similarly, carrying a smaller pack.
“You ready to go?” For a woman who’d been initially reluctant, she seemed eager to set off.
“Think so. Do you know how to drive from here to Baghdad?”
She snorted. “No. I didn’t even think there was a road.”
It turned out there wasn’t. They emerged from Tower to find Aries standing beside a side-by-side UTV.
“Not the most luxurious ride, but the first bit you’ll traverse is rough terrain,” said the man, patting the hood.
“I’ve dropped a pin in the navigation system that will guide you to the jet waiting for you at Baghdad airport.
I will warn, the lack of roads means the GPS is gonna try and route you in the most direct way possible.
Watch out for ravines and rocks. Some parts will require you to zig and zag rather than go straight. ”
“Done this before?” Grayson queried.
“Yeah, how do you think I got this UTV here? Wasn’t something Tower could bring over since it is limited by the width of the portals, and Sage insisted we keep a set of wheels on hand for just such an occasion.”
“Anything else I should know?”
“Not that I can think of, but try to not die.”
Grayson snorted. “That’s what Aquarius said.”
“Smart man.” Aries grinned. “Relax. For a first mission, you’re getting off easy.
My first solo event, I had to wrangle a wendigo.
Nasty fucker. Almost took off my thumb.” Aries turned to Leila with a more somber expression.
“I know we’re asking a lot of you, but your aid in this matter is most appreciated. ”
Her lips pursed. “I can’t say I’m happy to be going, but I know it’s necessary. Hopefully Asterion doesn’t run into any problems with Blue while I’m gone. I told him to not feed it more than a few ounces a day to ensure it doesn’t die of starvation.”
“I’m sure Asterion can handle the critter. Smart fellow. Now, I’m sorry to rush off, but I’ve got to head back to Toronto. Reports indicate a new batch of aliens have already begun surfacing. Good luck.”
With that, the man strode back into Tower. Grayson climbed into the driver seat of the all-terrain vehicle, while Leila took the passenger seat.
She buckled in before softly saying, “Off we go.”
The ride proved bumpy as fuck. No road, no trail, just hard-packed terrain that kicked up dust, scrubby bushes, and rocks that jutted.
However, despite that, Grayson couldn’t deny a slight thrill.
Having gone trail riding in a Jeep a few times, this proved similar, just without the mud.
To his surprise, Leila appeared to be enjoying herself.
While she maintained a firm grip on the “oh shit” bar, she laughed every time they hit a hump that sent the buggy soaring and hitting with a solid thump.
The drive took several hours and required him stopping to add gas from the tanks strapped to the vehicle.
For some reason, he kept expecting to be ambushed by armed men or even shot at by snipers.
Blame the media. He’d been raised on stories of the violence in the Middle East, and yet they encountered no trouble.
However, once they reached the populated outskirts of Baghdad and began driving on actual roads, he worried because the UTV drew looks and pointed fingers.
He pulled over, and Leila glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re drawing too much attention. Wondering if there’s a way to swap this for a car.”
“We only have about ten miles to go.” As she said it, a pickup truck slowed beside them, and the men riding in the back stared hard. A car that had to slow behind them honked, and they took off, but it didn’t ease Grayson’s concern.
“I wish there was a way to make us invisible.” Soon as he muttered it, his back heated and the air around them shimmered. “Um, Leila, what’s happening?”
“I do believe the Astraeus are giving you a hand.”
“Meaning what?”
“They’ve given us a cloak. See how no one appears to be noticing us anymore?”
A glance showed people looking right through them. “I’ll be damned. No one told me I had the power of invisibility.”
“My understanding is abilities can vary from warrior to warrior. Now step on the gas and get us to the airport in case it wears off.”
Driving while invisible had its challenges because no one knew he shared the roads with them. He had to weave quite a bit, swerve on the shoulder a few times, but they made it to the airport, albeit not through the main entrance. The GPS routed them to an access point with a security guard.
“Now what?” he asked Leila.
“Hand him this.” She pulled a brown envelope from her jacket pocket.
“Where did you get that?”
“Aquarius. Along with passports and cash.”
“Using our names, or do I need to remember something new?”
“I only took a brief peek. Hold on.” She pulled out a pair of Canadian passport booklets. “Your name is the same, with a birthday of June thirteenth, 1983.”
“Which is accurate.” Thank fuck. He didn’t have the headspace to memorize anything at the moment. “What about yours?”
“It gave me a date of birth of two thousand and one,” she laughed. “Probably for the best, since I guess I don’t look my age.”
“I can’t believe you’re older than me.”
Her lips quirked. “Tower’s kept me looking young. Did you know the passport has me listed as a Canadian citizen with the name of Warren?” She paused before adding, “Apparently, we’re married.”
“Wish I could remember our wedding. I bet you made a gorgeous bride.” He said it teasingly, but her face got the oddest expression.
“I don’t believe in marriage.”
“Don’t blame you. Divorces are expensive.” A flippant reply as he tried to recover from his gaffe. “Okay, we should probably get moving before someone gets suspicious.” He rolled up slowly to the gate, nervous because he doubted the guy manning the entrance spoke English.
However, the oddest thing happened when the guard barked, “What’s your business? This isn’t a civilian point of entry.” While Grayson could tell the fellow didn’t speak English, he understood him.
The trust test, though, when Grayson replied, “I’ve got a private flight booked. Here’s the information you need.” The man obviously understood since he held out his hand. Grayson handed over the envelope.
Soon as the guy peeked inside, they got waved through, probably because of the wad of cash.
As they drove past the gates, Grayson muttered, “That was weird. Did I just speak Iraqi?”
“Yes. Another Zodiac gift. You can understand and speak all human languages. How else do you think we’ve been communicating?”
The remark startled so much he swerved. “Wait, you haven’t been talking in English?”
“Nope. My mother tongue is Persian, as I’m from Afghanistan.”
“Well damn. How did I never notice?”
“Because the magic that translates is seamless. You only noticed this time because you knew that soldier wouldn’t speak English.”
“Any more cool things I should know?”
“Probably, but I’d hate to ruin the surprise,” she said with a laugh.
The dropped pin on his GPS guided him through the airport, past buildings and parked aircraft until it showed they’d arrived. A jet waited within the open hangar doors, from which strode a man of stocky build, who yelled, “You are the Warrens?”
“Yeah. Where should I park?”
“To the side.” The man waved. “You can board the plane while I finalize our departure.”
The jet had to be the most luxurious thing he’d ever seen. The hockey team usually flew on charter planes that were nice, but not this nice.
Plush leather seats, a bucket of cold ice holding some cans of pop and bottled water. A tray with packaged snacks and fruit. The washroom, bigger than expected, had washcloths that wiped the dust from their trip.
When he emerged, slightly refreshed, he collapsed into the seat across from Leila and sighed. “My ass might never be the same.”
“Didn’t enjoy the massage?”
“Feels like I’m still vibrating.”
She laughed. “Good thing we have the next dozen or so hours to relax and recover.”
“Best plan I’ve heard all day.” He first partook of the snacks and downed two bottles of water, after which he then enjoyed a much-needed nap.
The jet engines had a lulling effect, and he didn’t wake until they made their first stop to refuel.
They set off again on the second leg of their journey, and he spent it talking with Leila, asking about the tests she’d been doing, loving how animated and bright her expression got when she explained her work.
To his surprise, she wanted to know about his career in the NHL, a sport she admitted to knowing little about, and yet she seemed impressed by how much he had to train to get to his level.
Oddly, she was the first woman he’d met who’d inquired about his life.
Most tended to want the social clout of claiming they dated a hockey player, but never showed interest in the physical and even mental toll it took.
They arrived in Arusha just after two in the morning and grabbed their things before hitting customs, which proved surprisingly easy to pass—without the need of a bribe.
The promised rental waited for them with sealed boxes in the back, but rather than head straight to the lake, Leila said, “Mind if we rent a room for a few hours? My hair is so gritty. I could really use a shower.”
“Your wish is my command.” He wouldn’t mind sluicing off as well.
The Range Rover’s GPS guided them to a hotel, and he parked out front.
She tapped her window. “Ooh, I see a restaurant open. While you handle the room, I am going to get us something to eat.”
“Sounds good.”
The check-in process didn’t take too long.
Grayson simply had to show the passports and then hand over a stack of bills, but he froze when the clerk automatically assumed they’d need a single room.
After all, married couples wouldn’t usually ask for two.
Grayson debated requesting a second, despite how odd it would appear, but decided against. Wouldn’t want to draw attention. Guess he’d be bunking on the floor.
With the room key in hand, Grayson headed for their truck to grab their bags. As he strode through the doors, he caught Leila exiting a restaurant across the way with a bag in hand. However, before she could cross the road to join him, a man stepped in front of her.
She tried to maneuver around, but he grabbed her by the arm. Grayson began sprinting. However, a passing car forced him to halt. The delay allowed the man to shove Leila into the car parked by the curb, and off they went.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Grayson raked his fingers through his hair. Now what?
Hold on. Part of Aquarius’ travel packet included cell phones for both of them. Grayson pulled it from his pocket and eyed the three contacts listed. Leila, Aries, and Aquarius. He dialed the latter, and when the man answered, said, “Someone just kidnapped Leila right off the street.”
“Fuck.” The appropriate response.
“Does she have her cell phone?”
“Yeah, but I doubt they’re letting her take calls.” That seemed like basic kidnapping 101.
“If they haven’t turned it off or ditched it, then I can track her.”
And that was how Grayson found himself outside a different hotel, nervous as hell, but also determined.
Whoever these bastards were, they’d regret abducting Leila because he was taking her back.