Chapter 7

MARISSA WAS FIERCELY independent. Having four brothers meant that she’d had to fight to have her opinions heard. She loved her brothers, but they had always thought they knew what was best for her. Perhaps that’s why she hadn’t followed in their footsteps and instead, gone her own way. Up until today, she’d always considered herself successful and on course with her career. Now she wasn’t so certain.

Her oldest brother, Charles, was a naval pilot, stationed at Naval Air Station Fallon. He was an instructor at the Naval Fighters Weapon School. William was thirty-three and a physician. He lived near her parents in San Francisco. Next was Jack, a decorated Navy Seal. He was also station at NAS Fallon and working there as an instructor. Her youngest brother Sam had just passed the bar and was working with a big law firm in Los Angeles.

She was thirty years old and had a MBA from Harvard. She’d been thrilled when she’d landed the job at KT Oil. It was a position that would give her access to the best connections and companies in the energy industry. Her brothers had thought she was wasting her talent in business, but she’d refused to listen. She had her independence and her feet were planted firmly on the corporate ladder.

It irked that she had to rely on Firbin for help.

She prided herself on being in control and prepared at all times.

Her shoes were ridiculous in this setting, but that was no reason to give up. She’d rather have walked in her bare feet than have to turn to someone else for help. Still, they were trying to escape and she would never have been able to keep up with their speed. Relying on her own devices wouldn’t have gotten her out of the situation at Nellis either. Maybe it was time to accept help graciously. She owed Firbin her life.

“Who are you guys?” Marissa sat on the ground and pulled off one of her ruined shoes. “You hardly broke a sweat carrying me.”

“I was bred to be strong.”

“You make it sound as if you’re a machine.”

“All Hunters have been altered to be the best warriors in the universe.” Firbin’s voice held pride. “I have expertise in explosives and weapons.”

“And that was bred into you?” Marissa didn’t hide her skepticism. “What did your parents say about that? Surely they had a part in your abilities?”

“Hunters do not have parents.” Firbin sat beside her. “We have been genetically altered and manipulated for eons. We are created in birthing chambers.”

“That sounds like something out of a Science Fiction novel.” Marissa rubbed her temples. “I don’t know what they gave me, but I seem to be losing a grip on reality. You keep making references that suggest you’re not from Earth.”

“Hunters are human in genetics, but we come from Cygnus.”

Marissa’s breathing stilled.

It sounded as if he’d said he was an alien.

“That’s impossible. Aliens do not exist.”

“They do.” Firbin’s voice was quiet. “That is what we were fighting back at the Air Force Base.”

“Those creatures?”

“The Albireons.” Firbin nodded. “They have to be defeated so that your planet can be freed.”

“And somehow I’ve landed in the middle of this?” Marissa sighed. “This is quite the dream. Just when I think I’m waking up, I’m back at the beginning.”

“It is no dream.” Firbin’s voice was serious. “Someone kidnapped you and gave you to the Albireons. They did not venture out of their lair to take you.”

“And you also want that weapon.”

“Definitely.”

Marissa leaned back against the rock. At least it was real. Damp and solid against her body. She needed a few seconds to get her thoughts together. She refused to believe that he was from outer space. He looked and acted human. He wasn’t completely crazy though. Some of what he was saying made sense. She was a smart woman and she understood where they were leading with this conversation. Someone she knew had betrayed her. Worse, they were probably working with aliens and strange technology, if Firbin was to be believed.

“You think my boss arranged to kidnap me.”

“Probably.” Firbin sounded apologetic. “Barton’s information has proven to be correct in the past. If he feels your employer is one of the Shadow Government working with the Albireons, then it is true.”

“You trust Barton?”

“He has proven to be honorable in the past.” Firbin shifted so that he was looking directly at her. “It was unusual for him to be so concerned with you coming with us. He must have great fear of this organization you work for.”

“I’m the CEO’s assistant and I’ve never heard of these Albireons or weapons.”

“What about Albirsion Corporation?”

“They own KT Oil.” Marissa inhaled a sharp breath. “You’re not suggesting that they have something to do with this? I’ve never met anyone from their group.”

“Albirsion Corporation is run by the Albireons and the humans who ally themselves with them.”

Marissa started to giggle. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? They’re one of the richest corporations on Earth.”

“Exactly.”

She took a few minutes of silence to process what Firbin was saying.

It wasn’t long before horror replaced her amusement.

If Firbin was right, then what he’d implied about Douglas Norcott, the man she worked for, might be true. He reported directly to the CEO of Albirsion Corporation. Did that mean Douglas had been responsible for her kidnapping? Her mind shied away from that thought. It didn’t seem possible.

“He was the last person you remember seeing.” Firbin’s voice was a gentle probe.

“I can’t believe he would have done such a thing.” Marissa clenched her hands together. “He always treats me with respect. Not like some of the other bosses I’ve worked with.”

“If he arranged for you to be taken by the Albireons, then there was no doubt that he knew what awaited you.”

Marissa’s eyes widened. Firbin’s voice was serious. Deep inside she sensed that even though she’d been drugged, it didn’t mask the terror she’d felt when she’d been stared at by those pale, mouthless beings. A shiver of revulsion raced through her.

“What were they going to do?” She had to know, no matter how horrible. It would eat at her the rest of her life if she didn’t face what had happened.

“They experiment on humans.” Firbin’s voice was low. “They steal genes and then modify them so that they can create new species. With humans there is an added difference.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Humans produce a hormone that can be modified into a drug.”

“A recreational drug or one that will save lives?”

“Addictive and mind-numbing.” Firbin cleared his throat. “There are many other worlds in the universe who would pay large sums of money for such a substance.”

“So they can keep their people docile?”

“No.” Firbin’s voice was adamant. “That is something I have only seen on Earth. The planets that I speak of would like to make this available to keep their people happy.”

Marissa sighed. “They might say they’re altruistic, but trust me, most people are only concerned about how it benefits them.”

“That is not honorable.”

“Survival demands some tough choices.”

“True, but if one remembers to act from truth and honor, the path is obvious.”

“Is that what you do?”

“Always.” Firbin sounded sincere. “All Hunters live by the Sacred Code and honor.”

“Was it honorable to attack the Albireons?”

“They do not live with honor.” Firbin leaned closer. “There is no choice with a species that intends to destroy all humans and decimate the planet.”

Marissa fought the sensation that she was not only hearing Firbin’s words, but sensing his outrage. He did not doubt that his actions were justified.

“I’m not certain about any fight being honorable, but I’m grateful you were there when I needed rescuing.”

“It was fated that we should meet.”

“I don’t believe in fate.” Marissa shook her head. “We make our own luck in this world.”

“Your own luck?” Firbin sounded confused.

“Not literally.” Marissa smiled. “I work hard so that I can make things happen in my life that I want. I call that luck.”

“So working at KT Oils is what you wanted?”

“It’s a top company and my ticket to a top executive position.”

“Which is good?”

“It means money and respect.” Marissa had no intention of apologizing for wanting those things. They came with being the best and in order to prove herself in a world dominated by men, she had to be better.

“You have great ambition.” Firbin looked out over the dark landscape. “It is an honorable thing for a woman to have a position of importance and command.”

“Most men don’t think so.”

“Where I am from, that is not the case.” Firbin pulled his pack closer. “Women are the rulers and decision maker. Men obey.”

“You said that in the tunnel and I thought it was a strange thing to admit.”

“It is the truth.”

“Where are you from?”

“Cygnus.”

“I’ve never heard of that city.” Marissa frowned. “Is it in the United States?”

“I am not from Earth.”

Again he was insisting he wasn’t from Earth and it was getting harder to ignore his claim. Her mind was clear now and she couldn’t continue to ignore Firbin’s strange claim of being from outer space.

“You’re no different from the Albireons then.”

“My genetics are human, but I was not bred here.”

“There you go with that term again.” Marissa knew her voice had an edge, but she couldn’t stop it. “We don’t have that kind of technology.”

“Not on Earth.”

Firbin rummaged in his pack and pulled out a small cylinder. He already had a pistol resting on his legs and he aimed this into the darkness.

Fear tightened around her.

She’d thought the worse was behind her, but now she wasn’t so sure.

She struggled to find what had caught Firbin’s attention, but all she could see was the inky black of the night that surrounded them.

“Is there someone out there?” Marissa kept her voice low. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Our hearing is better on this planet.”

“Are you serious about not being from Earth?” Marissa was still having a hard time absorbing all of the new information that was being thrown her way.

“A Hunter does not lie.”

“Then why should I trust you?” Marissa edged away from Firbin. “You’re an alien who just launched an attack on an Air Force Base.”

“We only targeted the restricted zones that concealed the Albireons.”

“Humans were killed.”

“It could not be helped. They were working for the Albireons.”

“And that makes it right?”

“There is nothing right about death.” There was no emotion in Firbin’s voice. “The best we can hope is to die with honor.”

A chill raced through her at the bleakness of Firbin’s world. He was a warrior and lived by a warrior’s code. She had heard much the same sentiment from her older brothers. She couldn’t argue with his statement. It had been a question of survival and he had made it possible for her to escape a horrific situation. Who was she to question his actions?

“You’re right.” Marissa cleared her throat. “Thank you for rescuing me. I’ve been difficult and I have no excuse. You’ve been generous in your patience.”

“We have not gotten you to safety yet.” Firbin moved forward on his knees. “And we still need your help with finding out about the weapon.”

“I don’t believe my boss has anything to do with it, but I will go with you and ask.” Marissa sighed. “I don’t even know what day it is, or how long I was unconscious. It was daylight when I walked into Douglas’s office.”

A sharp crack split the nighttime silence.

Firbin tensed and crouched closer to the rocky outcrop that was sheltering them. His pistol was aimed outward. There was a few seconds of tension, and then Firbin stood and motioned to her.

“Come. The others have returned.”