Chapter Ten
“It’s going to be fine, Patterson,” Nolan said. “Tyler can handle himself, trust me. Try to stop worrying. It won’t help anything.”
Tim hated when people said shit like that, ‘Worrying won’t help anything.’ Well duh, did they think he didn’t know that? Tim’s life didn’t used to involve much worrying, so when he did get anxious there was usually a damn good reason. Like the fact that the first man he had real feelings for in years was about to go out all brave and cocksure into the forest to try hunting down something potentially dangerous. Something not from this world. So yeah, that made Tim fucking nervous.
Why couldn’t he have fallen for some nice, safe village dude? Someone with a boring job who got their car serviced every three thousand miles and called themselves a ‘foodie’ because they put spinach in their omelet. Someone who wouldn’t leave Tim’s stomach in knots for a dozen different reasons all at the same time.
He tried to distract himself with other thoughts, but only came up with other fears. “Are you sure there aren’t any hidden cameras in here? They took my jacket. One of them was in here after all.”
“I’m sure,” Nolan said patiently, even though it was the third time Tim had asked. “Brett did a full sweep. Station’s clear. Try to relax.”
The sun was beginning to set, and he was back up on the mountain, standing inside the ranger station with Brett and Nolan, who both appeared infuriatingly calm as they got themselves and the equipment prepped. Tim felt like an insane idiot for even being up here again now that he’d seen his six-legged stalker. But he wasn’t given much of a choice. The moment that gator-worm tagged him with a hidden camera, Tim’s status had officially been upgraded to bait.
The plan was ‘simple’ according to Nolan. Tim would hang out inside the station for his shift, with Nolan there so he wouldn’t be alone. Brett and Tyler would be leaving shortly via the mountain road, making sure they were in plain sight when they did. Tyler was currently outside checking the monitoring equipment, and Tim was already worried sick about him. Because after their faux exit down to the road, Tyler and Brett would double-back via the forest trail and try catching the gator-worms off-guard.
The idea was that the creatures would hopefully—Nolan had actually used that word, hopefully—decide to come around the station for a bit of good old Tim-watching. Tim knew he was the chickenshit of the group, but he really, really did not like this plan.
“You’re bigger than Tyler though,” he said to Nolan. “Don’t you think you should be the one to go out hunting aliens with Brett while Tyler stays here with me?”
Nolan laughed. “If you think size matters it’s because you’ve never seen Tyler in action. The last thing I remember before passing out from blood-loss was Tyler jumping guns-blazing out of a hovering chopper. The hybrid who stabbed me was full of holes and dead before Tyler’s feet even hit the ground. He’s an arrogant pain in the ass sometimes, but Tyler’s the right man for the job, trust me.”
“Okay, but I thought you were supposed to be some super-soldier too. The gossip mill says that’s why Ogden recruited you years ago.”
“Yeah, years ago. When I was younger and spryer like Tyler. Now I’m a super-soldier with bad knees.”
“Excuse me,” Brett said from across the room, where he was pulling a sweatshirt down over a bullet-proof vest. “First of all, shut up Nolan, I’m older than you are. And Tim, does this vest make me look invisible? Because I’m standing right here.”
Tim frowned. “Huh?”
“I realize I’m not as cute as Tyler, but you’re exhibiting remarkable indifference at the idea of me going out there to get eaten by gator-worms.”
“You said you used to be a Navy Seal and you’ve been to space and shit. I’m sure you can handle yourself.”
“So can Tyler. He’s taken out oogedy-boogedies a lot bigger and scarier than those alien dogs who stole your jacket.”
The door opened and the man himself stepped into the cabin. Tyler wore jeans with a black sweatshirt and hiking boots. Tyler’s appearance rarely changed much, yet each time he stepped into a room, Tim’s heart fluttered like he was something brand new.
“I love how casually you and Tyler talk now about all the other aliens he’s encountered,” Nolan said to Brett. “While our team spent years here in the village searching for the Whites’ base, Ogden and you fuck-heads at headquarters had all this information about other species and their technology. We could have used that, it might have been helpful to us.”
Tyler shook his head. “The only species your team needed to be focused on was the Whites, and you had all the pertinent information gathered about them already. Ogden felt you’d be better off uncontaminated by info about other species. You’d have been distracted looking for shit that wasn’t there and it would have taken you twice as long.”
“Yeah, whatever, Tyler. For all your know-it-all attitudes, we’re the ones that found the first Earth base. You were back with Ogden getting sent out in the field with a small army and told exactly where to point and shoot. We had to start from nothing, we were on our own, and were forced to figure everything out for ourselves.”
“Congratulations,” Tyler said. “It must have been terrible for you, throwing parties and drinking all that beer while I was out risking my life to protect the planet from hostile off-worlders. I hope your hangovers weren’t too bad.”
“I was out risking my life in warzones while you were still learning your ABCs, you little shit.”
“Jesus, really, guys?” Tim said. “You’re gonna get into a macho pissing contest now when all this shit is going on? Try to remember I’m the new guy and I’m kind of freaking out here.”
Tyler’s eyes darted to Tim. “Why are you freaking out? We told you, you’re staying here at the station. Nolan will be with you. You’ll be safe.”
“Tim here doesn’t want you to go out on the scouting mission,” Brett said. “He’s afraid you’re gonna get killed and then he won’t get to make out with you anymore.”
Tim flushed with embarrassment. “Fuck off, Brett!”
Nolan cackled. “Aw, Patterson, is this true? Now that hurts my feelings. I remember a time you would have killed to be left alone in a remote mountain cabin with me. Now you’re trying to send me off to battle so Tyler can stay here safe and sound.”
“You fuck off too,” Tim said. “You and your bad knees, Grampa.”
Tyler kept his head down as he crossed the room, but a smirk dimpled his cheeks. “You got your vest on?” he asked Brett.
“Yes. You can’t see it? That’s good. We need to look casual as we leave here.”
“We will,” Tyler said. “The gator-worms won’t question anything, they’ll just think we left.”
“Still convinced they’re free-thinkers, huh?” Nolan said.
Tyler glanced over. “Until proven otherwise, yes. Worst thing you can do when confronting an ET is to underestimate it.”
“Why do you need vests?” Tim asked. “I doubt those slithery things can even hold a gun with their short arms.”
“We don’t know what kind of defenses they have that they might use if directly attacked,” Tyler said. “Protecting vital organs is always a good idea.”
“So if you run into them in the woods you’re gonna confront them?” Tim said. “How is that a good idea?”
Brett picked up the weird green gun Tyler brought and tossed it over to him. Then he lifted his sweatshirt, where he had a similar, smaller gun holstered at his hip. “We’re not going to confront them. We’re going to incapacitate them.”
“That’s the plan,” Tyler said.
“What if they fight back?”
Tyler gave Tim a soft smile. “They’ll lose.”
“That’s what I like to hear!” Brett said. “Confidence. It’s getting dark. Ty, you ready to head out?”
“Ready.” He held Tim’s gaze. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“You’ve got your walkies, right?” Nolan said.
“Got em.” Brett patted his pocket. “We’ll check in if anything happens but keep radio silence unless it’s an emergency. We don’t want anything to know we’re out there.”
“Got it. Good luck.”
Without further adieu, Brett and Tyler left the station. Tim let them go and managed not to throw himself at Tyler or cling to his leg. But his gut was cold with fear as he stared at the door after they’d gone.
“They’ll be fine,” Nolan said.
“You keep saying that. But you don’t know for sure. They could get hurt.”
“Well, if the way Tyler looked at you before he left is any indication, he’s got good reason to want to come back in one piece. Must have been quite a date last night.” Nolan waggled his eyebrows, but then his grin slid away. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. Are you all right?”
Tim sighed, deflating into a chair. “No, I’m not all right. I’m an idiot.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve got a crush on a guy who does this sort of shit for a living. I’m not accustomed to worrying about someone like this. I miss being an oblivious asshole who only thought about myself.”
“Yeah.” Nolan nodded. “I remember that guy.”
“Fuck off.” Leaning over, Tim checked the monitor screen. “Looks quiet out there in the woods at least. Nothing moving. Maybe the things won’t come back tonight.”
“Don’t you want to catch them? Figure this out so we can put an end to it?”
“Well yeah, of course, but I was hoping Baz would have done so already, so we wouldn’t have to go to these lengths.”
Nolan stretched back in a chair and put his feet up on the table. “He still might. He couldn’t find any records of those things listed as live cargo on any of the ships. But he’s still investigating.”
Tim popped open a can of cola and took a drink. “Hey. Do you really think Tyler was looking at me a certain way before he left?”
“Looking like he wants to get you in bed as soon as possible, yeah.” Nolan’s brows shot up. “Just how into Tyler are you?”
Tim shrugged. “I don’t want him to get killed if that’s what you mean.”
“You were perfectly willing to sacrifice me to the deep dark woods a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, I’m into him. And I know we’re opposites and I know I could never fit into his world and I don’t need to hear it again.”
“Elliot was the one harping on about that, not me. I just agreed you should be careful. But to be honest, I was more worried about you hurting Tyler, messing with his head.”
“Really?” Tim snorted. “Tyler is by far the tougher of the two of us.”
“Yeah, but only in some ways. You want someone to have your back in a dangerous situation? Tyler’s the best. On the flipside, I know you can handle a fling, but I’ve never seen Tyler date anyone.”
“Doesn’t mean he hasn’t.”
“I wouldn’t know because he shares nothing. Beyond Brett, I don’t even know if he has real friends. Only person I’ve even seen him interested in romantically was Elliot. And when El told him it would never happen, Tyler moped around for about ten minutes, then just shrugged, ate a sandwich, and got on with things.”
“Okay, now you do sound like Elliot, because what you just said actually contradicts your concerns. It makes Tyler sound unemotional. So why the hell would you worry about him getting hurt by me if he’s such a robot?”
“Tyler is a contradiction. But with this visit I’m learning more about him. He’s got a lot more emotional baggage than I realized. How’s he been with you? On a personal level I mean.” He chuckled. “Because there’s obviously something going on with you two, but I honestly can’t picture Tyler in a romantic scenario.”
“He’s different, sure, but he’s not like abnormal or anything. We laugh and talk and...kiss and do all the other things people do. Nolan, I’d never want to hurt him. You don’t have to worry about that. In fact, I’m into him enough to think he’ll probably end up hurting me, but I’m willing to risk it.”
Nolan’s brow lowered. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t realize you had actual feelings for him. When Elliot was teasing you at the house yesterday, I thought it was just because you were hot for Tyler.”
“I’m hot for him, believe me. But he’s also got my head all fucked up and I...”
“You what?”
Tim drummed his fingers on the table. “How did you know you were falling in love with Elliot?”
“You’re that kind of fucked up?”
“Oh, I’m all kinds of fucked up, Nolan. And highly inexperienced and unqualified for the job. So tell me. How did you know? With Elliot. You guys were friends for years. Did you always love him?”
“No. I mean, yes, but I wasn’t always in love with him.”
“So how did you know when you were falling in love?”
Nolan got up and grabbed a soda from the mini-fridge. “I’m not sure I can describe it. I’m not exactly a poet, Tim.”
“Try.”
Taking his seat again, Nolan gave Tim a pointed look as he popped open his soda. “You actually think you’re headed down that road? Like you said, I’d known Elliot for years. You haven’t known Tyler that long.”
“I don’t know if I am or not. I only know I’ve never felt this way before.”
“Never?”
“Not like this. No.”
“Wow, okay. Let me see then. With Elliot. Um...it was just different being around him all of a sudden. When it first started and I wasn’t sure he felt the same way, everything hurt because I couldn’t touch him the way I wanted to.”
Tim nodded. “Check.”
Nolan chuckled. “Really?”
“It’s a bitch when I can’t touch Tyler and I want to touch him all the time. But I’m not sure where his boundaries are yet. What else?”
“Couldn’t get Elliot out of my head. No matter what else I was doing.”
“Check.”
Nolan laughed. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re falling in love. Could be just a hardcore crush. Maybe it just feels different because Tyler’s unlike any guy you’ve ever dated.”
Tim snorted. “Let’s be honest. Tyler’s unlike any guy, period.”
“That’s true.” Nolan laughed. “Plus he’s cute as fuck and he’s got that mysterious vibe and all, so of course you’re into him.”
“How can I tell if it’s just a crush then?”
“Experience! Come on, Tim, you’re not exactly a novice at this. You’ve dated a lot of guys in the village over the years.”
“I know.”
“I mean, a lot of guys.”
“I know, Nolan! I was a big, big, whore, okay? I got it.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just curious why you’re so convinced this is different. And I’m not trying to make this about me, but you chased me around for months, flirting like a frat boy every time you saw me. So you tell me. How was that different than this?”
Tim could hardly believe they were discussing this. But Nolan was taking it seriously, and it felt fantastic to be able to vent to someone, so he put his discomfort aside, and answered as honestly as he could. “With you I wanted to sleep with you. Badly. But it wasn’t about your personality in the least, because I didn’t know you on that level.”
“You don’t know Tyler that well either.”
“But that’s the difference. I feel like I do. And I want to know more. I’m fascinated by everything about him. With you? I just wanted to fuck you, no offense.”
“None taken.” Nolan chuckled. “Okay so you say you like Tyler for more than his body. But do you even know him well enough to like him as a person? Because I want to bang Elliot into next week all the time, but I also just like being around him. You’ve got to actually know the person and like them first, otherwise it’s just a fantasy of who you think they are.”
“I’ve thought of that. But I feel like the parts I don’t know don’t matter. Because I just can’t imagine finding anything out that would change the way I feel. Can’t imagine anything deterring me from him.”
“That’s because you’re in that new, exciting sex-zone where your brain is fried and you think even the most disgusting things they do are cute.”
“Maybe. But I’ve been thinking about him for months.”
Nolan’s head jerked back. “Months? Why? When was the first time you even fooled around with him, like yesterday?”
Tim hesitated, then said, “No. Something happened between me and Tyler the night of your wedding.”
Nolan shifted in his seat. “Oh, really. Something naked?”
“It was after I saw Baz and Joff at JT’s loft party. I had a bad meltdown and left. I wasn’t prepared for it and I had an awful anxiety attack. My body just...betrayed me.”
“Oh, shit, Tim. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Tyler took care of me. There was sex, but it was more than that, you know?”
“More than that how?”
“Well, he took me home, made sure I was okay, that’s how it started. But holy shit, the sex. There was this...” Tim shook his head. “Boom! This moment. This connection. I thought it was because I was an emotional basket-case at the time, but it’s still there. Ever since he’s come back, it’s getting stronger.”
“Okay.”
“But sexual attraction aside, I do like him as a person. I love talking to him. About anything, even if it’s just bullshit. When I can make him laugh, I feel like I won the lottery.”
“All right, whoa. Now I am more worried about you than him. Let me guess. You have no idea how he’s feeling about all this.”
“Well...”
Nolan leaned forward. “What?”
“He indicated he felt something for me too. In fact, he’s the one that broached the subject. I was way too worried about scaring him away to bring it up myself, but then he just...blurted it out. Asked if I was feeling it too.”
“He did?” Nolan’s mouth fell open.
Tim laughed. “You look so stunned.”
“Sorry, yeah. That does surprise me. No offense.”
“I know he doesn’t exactly wear his feelings on his sleeve. But unless I’m completely fooling myself, I feel like he’s different with me. Do I want to know more about him? Of course. But do I need to know more about him? I don’t think so. I feel like I already know who he is.”
Nolan shook his head. “I don’t know about that, Tim. I realize it feels good, falling for someone. It’s the best thing in the world. But in your situation, when it comes to Tyler? I agree with Elliot. You need to be cautious.”
“I don’t want to be cautious, though. I want to fall. I want to dive over the cliff.”
Nolan looked troubled as he watched the monitor.
“You see something out there?”
“No. Looks all clear still.”
“Then why are you frowning like that? I actually do know you better now, and that’s your concerned scowl.”
After a long silence, Nolan turned to Tim. “I wish you hadn’t told me all this tonight. About the way you feel about Tyler. Because now I feel obligated to tell you something that’s not really my place.”
“Like what? Ah, shit. Does he have a boyfriend? He has a boyfriend, doesn’t he? Probably some hotshot alien-hunter back at base camp.”
“I don’t think he has a boyfriend.”
“Then what?”
“Do you really think you’re falling for Tyler?”
“Nolan! What is it?”
“Just answer the—”
“Yes, okay? Yes! I’d go live in a cave with the guy if he asked me to. Now tell me what’s on your mind Nolan before I choke you.”
Nolan got up and looked out all the windows. He came back and leaned over, checking the monitor, then he sat back down. “Okay. Here’s the thing. Tyler didn’t come home last night. Well, home as in to my place. He stayed with Brett.”
Tim’s stomach roiled. “Are you about to tell me he hooked up with Brett?”
Nolan grimaced. “What? No! Nothing like that. He’s not fucking anyone else that I know of, so stop.”
“Okay. So he stayed at Brett’s. And?”
“I got this obscure text from Brett that Tyler was spending the night there, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be there for the remainder of his stay. So I thought...what the fuck? Is he mad at us or something?”
“Oh.” Tim winced. “That might be my fault. I told him you guys were asking about the basement thing.”
“I know. I talked to Christian. He said you told him and Myles about that.”
“Yeah, I was a little gloomy when they drove me home after Tyler split last night. I’m sorry I tattled to Tyler, it was a heat of the moment thing. I was trying to get him to go home and spend the night with me. I’d forgotten about the whole ‘why does Tyler sleep in the basement’ conversation at first, probably because I was swooning over him after we fooled around. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble between you guys.”
“You didn’t, Tyler and I are fine today. I rode over here with him and Brett. He said he’s staying back at my house tonight.”
“Fine? You guys were totally bitching at each other just now!”
“That’s nothing, that’s just normal banter for us. But that’s not what this is about. I hung out with Christian today. How well do you know Christian?”
“Not as well as you obviously, but pretty well since he’s been with Myles. Why?”
“Because he’s a nosy little fucking shit. He can’t help himself. It’s one of the reasons Ogden loves him so much, Christian can break in and find anything, anywhere, so it’s great for work purposes. But he sometimes doesn’t know how to shut it off. He’s always worming his way into places he doesn’t belong.”
“Myles told me a bit about his past.”
“Yeah, well a lot’s changed since then but he’s still a nosy little shit. Christian’s got some contacts at headquarters. He’s discovered a lot about Tyler’s past. Some shocking things. And today, he told me and Elliot.”
Tim stared at Nolan. “Christian shouldn’t have done that.”
“I know. I agree. But he did. Now I’m asking if you want to know.”
“It’s not my place.”
Nolan held both hands up. “Okay. Your decision, of course.”
“It wouldn’t be right.”
“Understood. And under any other circumstances I’d never have brought it up. I’m not one to casually betray a colleague’s trust. But since telling me you’re developing these heavy feelings for Tyler, I thought you might want to have the big picture. So maybe you can understand him better. For both your sakes. But you’re right. Not your place. Not my place. But Christian told me and now I can’t unknow it.”
“I don’t think I want to hear it. It wouldn’t feel right. Thanks though. For caring.”
“No problem.”
“You think he’d ever tell me about it himself? Eventually?”
“I’d say probably not. But it sounds like you’ve gotten to know a side of Tyler none of us have, so who knows. Maybe.”
Nodding, Tim chewed his thumbnail, eyes on Nolan. “Is it bad?”
“Yeah.”
“How bad?”
“Bad.”
“Is it related to what JT speculated about at the house? The abduction thing?”
“Yes, but it’s beyond.”
Tim picked up a pen on the table and began tapping it nervously. He tried to focus on the monitors, but it was the same old trees. Same old dark woods. No gator-worms. Nothing to distract him. Finally, he threw the pen down. “Okay just fucking tell me!”
Nolan’s head tilted. “You sure?”
“I’m sure. Just come on, tell me. Before they come back.”
Clasping his hands, Nolan leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. “Years back, there was a saucer crash right outside a military base.”
“Like Roswell?”
“Similar. But this saucer crashed so close to the base it was almost on top of it. Almost like it was aiming for the damn thing. Ogden and Wiley were involved with the retrieval. Inside the craft, they found four dead Greys. And one human boy.”
A breath whistled out of Tim. “Tyler?”
Nolan nodded. “He was sixteen years old. They thought he was dead at first, but he was only knocked out. Couple broken bones. He’d been missing from his hometown for a month. But his parents had only reported it a week before.”
“What? Why?”
“Because he’d gone missing before. They had a contentious relationship. They thought he’d run away. But there he was. At this crash site. Banged up, unconscious, but alive. The four Greys on the other hand, were definitely dead.”
“Jesus. So does Ogden have the...bodies?”
“Yeah. That’s how they figured out the Greys didn’t die in the crash.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “Their necks had been broken.”
“Their necks had been broken...before the crash?”
“Yes. Let me rephrase. Someone broke their necks. Before the ship went down.”
“You’re saying Tyler did it.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You’re telling me Tyler got abducted and took out four Greys with his bare hands.”
“And then purposely crashed the saucer.”
Tim stared. “Holy fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“At sixteen he did this?”
“At sixteen. You know, I’ve heard Ogden call Tyler ‘Fearless’ before but thought it was just a cutesy nickname. This gives it a whole new context.”
“How, though? How did Tyler take out four Greys?”
“He’d trained himself to resist their mind-control. As for how he did it physically? I don’t know, but he’s a fucking badass. Maybe he always has been.”
“But how did he do that? Train himself to resist the mind-control? That would take time and practice and...shit I don’t have any idea how that would even work.”
Nolan shook his head. “I don’t know how he did it either, but it unfortunately...it did take time. Because he had time. The Greys had been abducting him off and on for a long while. He went through some shit, Tim. There was evidence.”
Tim frowned, feeling sick. “What kind of evidence?”
“After the crash, Ogden’s surgeons at headquarters removed four alien implants from Tyler’s body.”
Tim’s hand trembled as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Shit. Poor fucking kid. Shit.”
“They also found evidence of the removal of prior implants. At first, they assumed it was the Greys that had removed them. But wasn’t. Tyler had known what was happening to him. He’d found a doctor to remove implants in the past. He got X-Rays and got them taken out. But the ones Ogden’s team removed from him after the crash were deeper inside his body, almost like the Greys were trying to hide them from any doctor Tyler would visit in the future. Make them harder to get to. But Ogden’s surgeons were able to remove them.”
“So he had implants removed before that, and then...the Greys grabbed him again and put more back in?”
“Yeah. The Greys, it seems, were very interested in keeping track of Tyler.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s what they do. They tag people. Christian didn’t know why either, and a lot of this info is second and third hand. But Christian was able to confirm that Tyler still gets tested regularly for implants, even now. He’s been clear for years. But the threat is always there. And probably the fear. Which...” Nolan shrugged. “Explains a lot.”
“Like why he needs to feel secure and locked in when he sleeps.”
“And why he has PTSD. So yeah. Tyler’s baggage? It’s not the carry-on variety you can store in the overhead compartment. It takes up the entire cargo hold.”
Tim hung his head. “Jesus, Nolan.”
“I know.”
“What the hell did they want with him? Why did they keep abducting some poor kid over and over again? Putting fucking trackers in his body for Christ’s sake.”
“I’m not sure why the Greys do anything. Ogden knows more about them than we do but he doesn’t share much. I only know they make him nervous. I’ve heard a lot of people don’t even realize they’ve been abducted because the Greys use false memories to cover it up. But Tyler? He was aware. Aware enough to do what he did. Fight back.”
“And he’s still got those memories.”
Nolan nodded. “We may never know what those memories entail, but I’m sure they didn’t abduct Tyler to have a tea party. I think we can reasonably speculate that it was a traumatic experience.”
“And Ogden? Ogden just...took him after that? Made him a soldier?”
“Tyler would have been given a choice. But with Ogden he would have gotten the best care, and from people who would actually understand what he’d been through and not call him crazy. For a young kid like that, it likely seemed like the best option at the time. Especially if he didn’t get along with his parents.”
“Yeah. Shit. Poor Tyler.”
“I know. I feel terrible about betraying his trust, and this goes no further. But for his sake as much as yours, I thought you should be made aware of exactly who you’re falling for.”
“Implants and all,” Tim mumbled.
Nolan chuckled.
“Oh God, that was a terrible thing to say. I’m sorry.”
“Humor is a way of dealing with stress, don’t worry about it. This is a lot to take in. Just...don’t treat him differently. Not in a way that would be obvious to him.”
“I won’t. Thank you. For telling me. I know we’re not exactly...well, best buds.”
“You’re part of the team now. Get that through your head. We’re gonna be your friends whether you like it or not.” He picked up his walkie. “I am so tempted to contact them but don’t want to give away their location. How long has it been?”
“Not that long. But then Tyler probably hiked back up the mountain in record time.”
“Yeah, Brett’s fit as fuck too. They could be out there in the woods already.”
They sat, they watched, they waited, as the clock ticked away on the wall. There were no more heavy conversations, only small talk and long bouts of silence.
Tim drank more cola and started to feel jittery from the caffeine, and from worrying about Tyler. Fucking Tyler. Tim tried to imagine someone telling him in the past ‘One day you’ll fall for a man who was abducted by aliens. Repeatedly.’ His heart broke for Tyler, and he found the information Nolan had given him positively shocking. But this information didn’t change anything other than softening his heart to Tyler even more.
Right now, more than anything in the world, he wanted Tyler to return safely. He wanted to see him walk through that door, whole and unharmed. He didn’t even care if Tyler came back wearing his work-face with his eyes all blank. As long as he was okay.
Please. Please let him be safe out there.
Nolan’s walkie crackled and they both jumped. Then Brett’s voice came through. “Nolan, you there?”
“I’m here, Brett. You guys all right?”
“Yeah, we’re both fine.”
Tim breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“You need help?” Nolan asked.
“In fact, we do. Gather your shit, lock up the station, then meet us down by the stream. Near that cluster of small boulders? I’ll send you the exact location.”
“I know where that is,” Nolan said. He looked at Tim and they both scowled at a sound that briefly came through the walkie. “Brett, did I hear a baby crying?”
“Yeah,” Brett said. “Get your ass down here and bring the tarp. You’re gonna have to see this to believe it.”
****
Brett and Tyler were easy to spot through the trees because they’d set up a perimeter of flashlights. They both looked up as Tim and Nolan approached. Tyler still held his gun, but it was hanging at his side, and neither of them appeared particularly tense or threatened. “Hey,” Tyler said. “Take a look.”
Tim and Nolan stepped forward. “Holy shit,” Nolan said. “You got one.”
Tim stared down at the thing on the ground. Black skin smooth and shiny, it was one of the gator-worms. Tipped over onto its side like a beached whale, roughly six feet long, its small legs twitched sporadically like it was having a seizure. Periodic hisses of air came from a tube-shaped mouth protruding from lower part of the head. What had resembled a crown on the camera footage was a metallic band with spiky protrusions that were currently shifting like a jammed gear, making that click-click-click sound Tim had heard so many times. The scorpion-tail curled up over its back, golden-brown eyes blank and shiny.
Tim jumped when the thing’s body twitched, then a long hiss sounded. The legs stopped kicking and the creature went still. “Is it...is it dead?”
“No, it’s not dead,” Brett said. “Because it was never alive.”
“Huh?”
Tyler nudged the thing with his boot. “It’s animatronic. It’s not an extraterrestrial at all. It’s not a living being. Someone made this thing.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Tyler said. “It’s not real. It’s just a toy.”
“Expensive fucking toy,” Nolan said.
“Look at this.” Brett knelt by the head.
“Whoa, wait!” Nolan said. “Fake or not this thing could be dangerous.”
Brett looked up. “Tyler hit it full-strength with the stunner and it went down like a sack of rocks. I’m pretty sure he fried its circuits. Check this out.” With a gloved hand, Brett grasped the clicking metallic band on the thing’s head, using his finger to shift the spikes. The spikes clicked like a dial, then suddenly, from that tubular mouth came the sound of a squalling infant.
“Oh, God,” Tim said. “Those baby-crying sounds were coming from this thing?”
“Yep,” Brett said. “And listen to this.” He shifted the metal gears and the baby crying was replaced by the distant call of a male voice. “I need help!”
“Wow,” Tim said. “I fucking heard that one night in the woods. Spent almost a fucking hour looking for some guy I thought was hurt.”
“There’s also a distressed sounding female voice calling for help. And you know this one.” He shifted the dial back and the infant’s squall started again. “All things to appeal to human sympathy.”
“I’d guess my prior theory was correct,” Tyler said. “Was trying to lure you out of the station, Tim. Maybe just to observe you.”
“Or abduct me or kill me,” Tim said. “Don’t forget you presented that option recently.”
“I know I did. But since discovering this thing is basically a drone, I’m leaning toward simple observation as motivation now.”
“Regardless of the motivation of the handler, the man behind the curtain so to speak, what we have here on the ground is nothing but a highly sophisticated machine.” Brett picked up a stick and poked at one of the eyes, making a tapping sound. “The eyes are cameras.”
“We saw two others,” Tyler said. “You were right, Tim. There are more. When I shot this one, the other two nearby started to slither off really fast, then they just melted into the ground and disappeared. They didn’t dig. They didn’t burrow. They just sank down into the earth.”
“Into the underground base,” Nolan said. “Gotta be where they went.”
“Like the Whites’ ships,” Brett said. “Manipulating matter so they can pass right through it. This may be a toy, but whoever designed it is no kid. This is sophisticated technology if it can melt through solid ground like the Whites’ ships can.”
“Yeah.” Nolan frowned. “It’s becoming less and less likely that this is unrelated to the Whites, or at least the hybrids. Too many connections and coincidences. This is tied to the base somehow.”
“Can you shut that off?” Tim winced. “I can’t listen to that sound anymore.”
“Oh shit, yeah.” Brett adjusted the dial and the baby screams ceased. “Sorry.”
Sighing relief, Tim asked, “Why, if the other ones like this had the ability to sink into the ground, is this one still topside? Someone is controlling these things, right? That’s what you’re telling me? Someone’s been using these as like drones to spy on me?”
“Yep,” Tyler said. “Brett and I figured whatever mechanism is being employed to manipulate solid matter is directly tied to the bots’ internal structure. It’s being controlled remotely from another location of course, but once this one was severely damaged, whoever was controlling it couldn’t activate that feature. Couldn’t pull it back down.”
Nolan’s eyes widened. “Which means there’s a good chance Ogden will find this thing extremely fucking valuable.”
“On that note, let’s get it out of here,” Brett said. “Right now, before something comes looking for it.”
Tim’s eyes darted around the woods. “Shit. You think someone will?”
Nolan grabbed the tarp. “As Baz says, better safe than sunny. Let’s do this.”
They wrapped the animatronic gator-worm up and tied it off, then carried it down to the road, where Tim’s vehicle was parked alongside an Arctic Angel box-truck. They got the thing loaded into the box-truck, then the truck took off quickly with Brett behind the wheel.
Tim had driven up by himself, so was surprised when the passenger door opened and Tyler hopped in. “Mind if I ride with you?”
“Not at all. Shit, after what you did tonight? Least I can do is give you a fucking ride.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here. I for one have had enough of this mountain today.”
“Agreed.” Tim turned the truck around and headed down the mountain. “So what happens now?”
“There’s a lab at Arctic Angel Brewery. They’re gonna transport the thing back there for now. They’ll call Ogden. Get hold of Baz. Ultimately rip the thing apart and do a fuck-load of tests.”
“I see. You said ‘they’ so does that mean we’re not following them?”
“I’m sure you’re anxious for answers but honestly you won’t be much help right now. You did your part. You should relax tonight. Try getting your mind off it for a while. They’ll contact us when there’s news.”
“And what about you? They don’t need you at the lab?”
“Nah, my brainwork comes in on the front end of a mission like this, not the back. After I zap em I leave the lab-stuff to those better qualified.”
“I can’t believe you actually took one of those things down. Didn’t it hear you coming?”
“I was quiet.”
“Must have been hard to aim at those shadowy forms in the dark like that.”
Tyler shrugged. “These kinds of missions usually happen in the dark. It’s what I do.”
Tim smiled. Tyler’s words sounded like standard tough-guy talk, but hell, this was what Tyler did. No debate about it, Tyler was a goddamn tough-guy. And while it felt a bit wrong after what he’d learned from Nolan about Tyler’s history—the tough-guy thing was kind of a turn-on right now.
“Weren’t you afraid the creature would have defenses? That you’d get hurt?”
“Knew it was a possibility, but it always is. This one was pretty damn easy though. Whoever controls those things definitely wasn’t expecting us to sneak up on them. One blast and it went down.”
“But you didn’t know it wouldn’t fight back when you went out there tonight. You had no idea what to expect!”
“No. I didn’t.”
“You’re a brave motherfucker, Tyler Marchant.”
A soft chuckle, then Tyler glanced over. “You think so?”
“Definitely. My dick thinks so too by the way.”
“You’re joking.”
“I swear I’m not. I’ve discovered a whole other side of myself. Apparently seeing you standing over the animatronic body of a fresh kill turns me on.”
Tyler snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So where do you want me to take you now?”
“The pub.”
“You wanna go to the pub?”
“Yeah.”
Tim was hoping he’d say ‘take me to bed’ but no such luck. He wasn’t sure why Tyler wanted to go to the pub but decided not to question it. Tyler was acting calm and nonchalant, but all jokes aside, he had done something fucking scary tonight. He’d gone out into the dark forest and slain a dragon while Tim sat up in his tower like a princess. So while he’d rather have Tyler naked in bed right now, he was dead-set on giving Tyler whatever the fuck he wanted.
The box-truck ahead kept going down the mountain road, but Tim turned left and headed into the main village. He pulled in and parked in the lot at Warden’s Boathouse Pub, a large, weather-worn structure with multi-level decks facing the water. “I assume this is where you meant when you said the pub? JT’s place?”
“Yeah.” Tyler gazed up at the pub with a rather serious expression. “I want onion rings.”
Tim barked a laugh. “Onion rings. That’s very specific.”
“This pub has the best onion rings I’ve ever had. I used to think about them when I was back at headquarters. Missed those damn onion rings.”
“Is that all you missed from the village?”
Tyler shot him a smirk. “I missed Brett I guess.”
“Cold,” Tim said. “So cold.”
Letting out one of his rare belly-laughs, Tyler said, “Okay, okay. Only things from the village I couldn’t stop thinking about were the onion rings at Warden’s Pub. And you.”
Tim beamed. “I was just teasing. I doubt you thought about me.”
“No, I mean it.” His expression turned serious in a flash. “I’m glad you’re doing okay, Tim.”
“Why are you looking at me like I have a terminal disease?”
Tyler shrugged. “When I was at headquarters I...wasn’t sure you were all right.”
“Is that why you thought of me? Because you were...worrying about me?” That old humiliation tried to kick in.
“I was afraid I’d taken advantage of you,” Tyler said. “That night. In your kitchen.”
“Taken advantage...no!” Tim shook his head. “You gave me exactly what I needed. I assumed you knew that. That the sex helped that night. I needed it, Tyler.”
“Yes. But that’s just it. You needed it. You needed comfort, not me. I felt guilty after because...because it was really good for me.”
A rush of pleasure and fresh arousal made Tim’s stomach flip. His voice was breathy when he responded, “It was really, really good for me too.”
“Honestly?”
“Yes. Honestly. Please don’t regret it.”
Tyler’s posture relaxed. “Okay.”
“You don’t have to keep worrying about me.”
“Who says I was?”
“Don’t get defensive, my robot.”
A smirk curved his lips. “I’m not defensive. And I’m not a robot. And I’m not worrying about you.”
“You’re not? Really?”
Shrugging, Tyler turned away. “I care. Caring’s not necessarily the same as worrying, is it?”
Moved as he was by the words, Tim had to bite back a laugh. Because Tyler seemed to be genuinely asking, like this whole caring business was new to him. “I suppose not.”
“I just wanted to come to the pub. For onion rings, but also to drag you away from the shit for a while. I know you haven’t been having an easy time with all this, and tonight was extra-weird.”
Tim grabbed Tyler’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you, but you know what? I’d like to focus on doing something that makes you happy tonight.”
“Why?”
“If anyone’s earned a breather from all the weird shit, it’s you, Tyler! So enough about me. I’m fine. What do you want? What would make you happy right now?”
“Onion rings.”
Chuckling, Tim nodded. “Then let’s go get some fucking onion rings.”
“Cool.”
They went into the pub and sat at the bar on the first floor. Tammy the bartender smiled when she spotted them and strolled over. Tammy was one of Tim’s closest friends. Tiny and sweet-looking with a crop of blood-red dreadlocks, she was a real ball-buster, and loved to torment Tim. He could already see in her eyes that she was disappointed she’d have to hold in some scalding barb or other. Perfectly polite to the customers while she was working, Tammy would likely shock them if they heard her filthy mouth when she was off-duty and with her closest friends. But Tim loved her raunchiness, she made him laugh. She was also a hell of a poker player and had cleaned Tim’s pockets out on multiple occasions.
And that’s when he remembered he’d not responded to a text from her. Or Darwyn. Shit. He’d not spoken to any of his friends since Tyler rolled into town. And now it felt a little weird thinking about his ‘real life’ friends, knowing he’d never be able to share certain things with them. He’d have to lie by omission to the people closest to him for the rest of his life. That was fucked up.
“Timothy!” Tammy leaned her elbows on the bar. “You never texted me back about poker night. You coming by tomorrow?”
“I think I’m gonna have to skip it this week, Tam. Got a lot of shit going on.”
“Boo! Okay, fine.” She glanced at Tyler. “Hey, I know you, don’t I?”
“I think we’ve met. I’m Tyler.”
“Okay, I remember now. I’m Tammy. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
“Haven’t been around,” Tyler said. “Nice to see you. Can we get some onion rings and a couple beers?”
“Of course you can.” She grinned at Tim and pointed to Tyler. “Fucking cute as fuck.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Tim said.
Tammy laughed hard. As she walked away she called back, “That’s like saying you don’t notice the sun, Tim!”
“Sun’s overrated,” Tim said. He glanced at Tyler. “Okay, I guess you are pretty damn scorching.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “I’ve figured out that flirting is normal for you, so I guess at least it means you really are feeling all right tonight.”
“Oh babe, that’s not flirting, that’s a fact. I have not yet begun to flirt. I’ve been holding back.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Just trying to be careful not to cross your boundaries. Not sure exactly how far I’m allowed to go. And when you’d rather I back off.”
He’d intended the statement as an opening for perhaps a more serious conversation, but Tyler went very quiet after that.
“Your O-rings will be up soon,” Tammy said as she set two beers down. “Anything else?”
Tyler remained mute, so Tim smiled at Tammy. “We’re good.”
“Okie dokie.”
Once she’d moved away, Tim shifted on his stool to face Tyler. “You all right?”
He nodded but kept his eyes down.
“Tyler, I know you said quiet is your default but you’ve been more talkative with me lately. So maybe I’m getting overconfident, but I’m pretty sure I can tell now when something’s on your mind.”
Tyler clasped his hands, staring down at them.
“Tyler?”
“Yeah, okay. There is something.”
“Will you tell me what it is?” Tim asked. “Please?”
“I’m sorry I wouldn’t go with you. When you asked me to stay overnight at your house.”
“Oh. Tyler, don’t worry about that. It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right.” Tyler shifted to face him. “It’s the opposite of all right. It’s fucking weird. Don’t think I don’t realize how weird it is. I’m very much aware.”
Tim knew he was on shaky ground right now. Tyler was cracking the door open to something deeply personal. Tread lightly. “Okay,” Tim said. “Maybe it’s a little strange. But that’s better than it being about you just not wanting to sleep with me.” He chuckled. “It’s not about me, right?”
Tyler’s sullen expression finally cracked, and he smiled. “It’s not about you at all. I did want to sleep with you. I do want to. Look, I know I’m not exactly...normal. But I’m working on it. I mean...I recently decided I’m going to work on it.”
“Work on...what exactly?”
“I mean sleeping someplace not underground behind a locked door. You told me you guys discussed it so don’t pretend you don’t know anything.”
He rubbed Tyler’s knee. “I just don’t want to say the wrong thing. I’m trying to understand.”
“I’ll make it clearer then.” Tyler paused a moment, taking a deep breath like he was bracing himself for something. “You realize your nondisclosure covers anything you hear or observe, right?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Tyler hesitated a moment, chewing his lip, then he nodded. “Okay. Gonna make it clearer. For you.” He grabbed a pen off the bar. On a cocktail napkin, he drew something, lips pursed, brow lowered in concentration. After a minute, he slid the napkin toward Tim, but didn’t let go. “You know what that is?”
Tim went still as he looked at the drawing. Frail neck and arms. Big rounded head. Slit for a mouth. Giant black bug-eyes. “Yeah. I know what it is.”
“You sure?”
Meeting Tyler’s eyes, Tim nodded. Softly, he said, “It’s a Grey.”
Tyler took the drawing back and scribbled over the image until the pen tore up the napkin. Then he crumbled it into a ball, spit on it, and tossed it into a trash barrel behind the bar. He stared into his beer as he said, “They used to take me.”
Tim had a split-second to plan an appropriate reaction, ultimately settling on, “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Tyler said. “A lot of bad things happened, but I’m not getting into all that gory shit, don’t worry. Just wanted you to understand better.”
“Thank you. I want to understand, Tyler. Are you okay now? I mean...what I mean is I hope you’re okay. I really do.”
“They don’t take me anymore. And like Brett pointed out to me this morning over breakfast, Singing Bear Village is about the safest place on the planet because of the...” He lowered his voice. “Because of Whites wiping out that fleet of theirs last year, and all their new orbital defenses. Greys tried to steal the Whites’ babies and got their asses handed to them. Unlikely they’ll be coming around here ever again.”
“Oh, yeah,” Tim said. “Right. That makes sense.”
“So as far as those bug-eyed bastards go, village has got a whole otherworldly line of defense right under the mountains over there. Which makes me safe. And I believe that.” He pointed to his temple. “In here I believe that. But enough bad shit happened to me that it’s hard to convince myself I believe it in here.” He patted his chest. “Know what I mean?”
“Yeah. I get that.”
“So that part, what’s deep inside me? That’s something I haven’t figured out how to fully control. That part of your mind that ignores the other part that tries to tell it what to do. The scared part of your mind that doesn’t care about facts, the animal part. It just knows what it knows and all it knows is past experiences. Do you get what I mean by that?”
“I do. I understand completely.”
Tyler had just described his PTSD in the most Tyler way possible. Straightforward, a little rough around the edges, but raw and real. But then...it was more than just trauma from past events in Tyler’s case, wasn’t it? Going by what Nolan said, Tyler had lived with what amounted to an active threat for a long time. A target on his back—and that was both chilling and heartbreaking. Tim doubted he himself would be as strong in the same situation. And yeah, now he felt extra-wimpy for falling apart just because he had to attend a party with benevolent aliens.
He was finding it excruciatingly hard not to throw his arms around Tyler, but felt it crucial to remain a cool, accepting presence right now. Despite Tyler’s quiet voice and appearance of casualness as he twisted his beer glass on the bar, this conversation had to be emotionally taxing. So he settled for resting a hand on Tyler’s knee.
Tyler placed his own hand over Tim’s, and their fingers intertwined, a warm if fragile lifeline. “So anyway, the cusp of this,” Tyler said. “The reason I’m trudging all this up is that I really wanted to go home with you when you asked me to. And it fucking bothered me that I couldn’t. Surprised me how much it bothered me. Brett said I wouldn’t ever be able to have normal things with someone unless I opened up, and that’s why I’m telling you this now. You might have figured out I’m not exactly comfy with opening up. But you make me want some of that normal stuff, so I’ve made the decision to try and change things. Within myself.”
Tim was so moved, so overcome with emotion he could hardly breathe. “Oh.”
“It’ll take time. But I want to try.”
“I would never ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You being okay is way more important than any of my desires, Tyler.”
“And what if I’m not?” Tyler looked at Tim. “What if I’m not okay sometimes? What if I’m not okay a lot of the time? Would you still have those...desires?”
Tammy set the onion rings down in front of them, but seeming to sense the tension of the conversation, walked quickly away without banter.
Tim took both Tyler’s hands in his. “You know what I think?”
“No.” Tyler frowned. “That’s why I’m asking.”
“Okay.” Tim chuckled. Tyler was so damn literal sometimes. “I don’t think anyone’s okay all the time. But most importantly, I accept you the way you are. And I don’t think there’s a single thing in the goddamn universe that could stop me desiring you.”
Tyler’s brows rose. “Nothing?”
“Well, I’m not sure you’d look good with a mustache...”
“Tim, come on.”
“No, Tyler, nothing. I mean it. Remember when we were at my house? In bed?”
Lashes dipping, Tyler nodded.
“I said it was the most exciting thing that had happened to me, and you asked if I really wanted you that much. I did. I do. And it’s not going to change just because sometimes you’re not okay. I want you happy and healthy, obviously, for your own sake. But I don’t desire a better version of you. I just want you, as packaged.”
“You sure about that? I’ve had to do some things others might consider morally questionable.”
Tim stared back at Tyler, this sexy beast who protected humanity from monsters, this hardened tough-guy with the most vulnerable eyes in the world. “I’ve never been so sure about anything.”
Tyler smiled, then released Tim’s hands and grabbed an onion ring. “Me too.”
Tim trailed a finger up and down Tyler’s spine, just needing to touch him. “You know, Ty, this whole thing is sort of ironic if you think about it.”
“Why?”
“Because earlier today I decided I need to work harder to acclimate myself to the strange and unknown. Because of you, I want to acclimate myself to alien weirdness. And because of me, you want to acclimate yourself to boring normalcy.”
Tyler chuckled. “Well, I don’t find you boring. But that is kind of funny.”
“It is.”
“You really decided that because of me? That you want to work on accepting the strange? Because you were singing a different tune not so long ago.”
“Why do you think I’m behaving so calm and nonchalant this evening in the face of learning I’m being stalked by animatronic drones?”
“Yeah, I did notice you weren’t freaking out so much tonight.”
“Yep, well, that’s why.” Tim grabbed an onion ring. Pointing it at Tyler, he said, “There’s common ground in that. The fact that each of our worlds are alien to each other. And that we both want to try getting comfortable with something new. So I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit about how we don’t have common ground.” He stuffed the onion ring in his mouth.
“You’re saying our differences are our common ground.”
“Yeah. In a way.”
Tyler was nodding. “I was scared to talk to you about all this. But I liked this conversation.”
Tim smiled. “You did?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t so bad.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Giving Tim his shy gaze, Tyler leaned in. “Did you mean what you said before? That you want to make me happy tonight?”
“You think of something you want besides onion rings?”
“I don’t sleep much.” Tyler took a sip of beer. “Gets really boring being alone at night. Would you come back to Nolan and Elliot’s with me? Would you maybe want to sleep over?”
“Tonight?”
Tyler nodded. “I just thought it might be...fun.”
Tim kissed Tyler, quickly but firmly. “It will definitely be fun. I’m so up for a sleepover.”
“Good. I’ll finish these onion rings, then we’ll go.”
“Great.”
Grinning like a little boy, Tyler faced the bar and bit into another onion ring. Tim found it both odd and endearing that this hard-bitten man could have so many childlike attributes. Not immaturity exactly, but bits of him that maybe never got to grow up properly, emotional parts still navigating the ‘normal’ world with some difficulty. But right now, Tyler looked completely happy, like he had everything he wanted in life right there at his fingertips. He’d missed onion rings and he’d missed Tim. Tonight, he had both those things, and it seemed to please him immensely.
Tim didn’t mind having to compete with deep-fried snacks, he was just glad to be included in the equation. He watched Tyler’s eyelids flutter as he ate, softly groaning in greasy pleasure. Tim decided he’d find a way to top that groan later tonight. If it was a competition over who could make Tyler groan the loudest, there was no way he was losing to a basket of onion rings.
I really do like this weirdo.
And for the first time, he was starting to think maybe there was a chance he wasn’t completely fucked because of it.