CHAPTER TWO
Magic, New Mexico
Van fought his way up through layers of thick darkness.
Every movement, each breath was an effort. Death lurked, crouching in the darkness like a Quark O'gren, ready to rip him limb from limb. With the discipline of a warrior honed since youth, he fought for control and found it, keeping his breath shallow, his heart-rate moderate.
An unfamiliar voice spoke. Van's com-link identified the speaker, and translated the strange dialect. 'Race; Human. Spoken language; English.'
"He's coming around," said the deep voice.
"Thank you, Doc," replied a female voice in the same language. "I can't wait to find out what they're doing here."
The male grunted. "Stay back, they may be dangerous, especially this one."
"Hmm, soldiers or explorers?"
"Possibly both, and their mission here may not be peaceful. Did you reach the sheriff yet?"
"Theo and a team are out in the mountains, looking for a lost hiker. I can handle these folks until he arrives."
Just the effort of listening sent pain shooting through Van's head, but he fought harder to wake. They? Who was the 'they' she spoke of. Was his team here as well?
His team needed him. He must wake, and take control of this situation—whatever it was. They might have to fight their way out.
Van's eyes felt as if they were weighted with space rock. He fought them open and gazed up into the open, attractive face of a small female in shapeless pale garments. Weirdly, the fabric was printed with smiling felines.
Behind her he saw a small, sterile room with cupboards and a sink. A galley—no, from the faint stench of chemicals, this was a med-center.
So, the female was some kind of medic. Civilian. Her expression was unguarded, and she carried no weapons. Also, he was not restrained on the firm med-cot. She was definitely not Aurelian—too short in stature, and her hair was too dark a brunette. Not to mention the open friendliness of her expression. Aurelians were trained from childhood to restrain their emotions before others, especially strangers.
"Don't worry," the female said to Van. "You'll be fine, and so will your partner. Or, is she your wife?"
Van stared up at her, trying to make sense of her words as his head pounded with pain. His partner? Was one of his team here with him?
He turned his head with a supreme effort, and followed her gaze with his own. On the med-cot next to him lay a familiar face, pale and still under a disheveled length of silky, reddish-blonde hair.
Reva.
With a moan of despair, Van gave in and let the darkness sweep over him again.
* * *
Reva woke with a start. Wide-eyed, she stared at the ceiling overhead. Pale aqua, with a fluted lamp attached to the ceiling. She closed her eyes and opened them again, to the same view.
Where in the universe was this place? She always woke to the same drab, tan ceiling of her sleep cubby in her father's small quarters on base. Except for the few times she'd been allowed to bivouac outdoors with a platoon, next to one or more female warriors. Even then, the troops were always up and breaking camp before dawn, so they woke to a dark sky skeined with stars and moons.
This room was already bright, not only from the lamp, but from light streaming in through the windows at one side of the small room. She gazed in fascination at the wedge of bright, clear sunlight falling through the window covering. This sun was gentler than that on Hamor.
But, where was here?
Reva focused on her other senses. She lay on a firm, narrow med-cot of some kind, with a light blanket over her from the shoulders down. And she felt strange, as if she'd been ill. Peering under the blanket, she sighed with at least partial relief. She still wore her own clothing, a long-sleeved gaaulite tee and leggings with soft ankle boots.
The door at the foot of the med-cot opened and a small female with dark red hair entered. She smiled at Reva and spoke. Not Aurelian, nor Serpentian. Perhaps Tygean? No, this female's eyes were not golden.
"Hello, there. You're awake. Can you understand me?'"
Slowly, cautiously, Reva sat up. Her fingers curled around the edges of the blanket as she regarded the woman with wonder. "You are human," she breathed. Excitement and terror swirled inside her, a heady, yet gut-clenching mix. She was definitely not on Hamor.
Memories flooded her mind—making her way onto the Octiron transport, then sneaking into the nondescript little space that was the jump pod. Closing the hatch after herself.
She remembered little after that, just a dizzying whirl of images, sounds and impressions.
Suffocating darkness, punctuated with harsh lights that rushed past her at speeds beyond comprehension… a low whine that rose and rose until it enveloped her in a deafening roar… feeling every atom in her body sucked outward from the room and into nothingness.
Now she hugged her arms around herself, shuddering at the memories. She'd done it. She'd jumped, and now she was here. Wherever here was.
"Please," she asked urgently. "What is this place?"
The woman's smile widened. "This place? My clinic. I'm Lacey, and I usually treat clients with a lot of fur and no words. But, since you and your partner appeared on my doorstep, we thought it would be best to care for you here, instead of taking you to Doc's clinic."
Reva blinked. "Your clients have fur? What race of beings are they?"
This made the woman laugh, a soft, musical sound. "Canines and felines, mostly. With the occasional reptile and avian thrown in. I'm a veterinarian."
'Veterinarian; a being who cares for common domestic animals and pets,' supplied Reva's com-link. 'Commonly dogs and cats, small fish, snakes and birds.'
Reva's stomach clenched with nerves, and she clenched her fingers in the soft blanket. "I have heard of these creatures. Again I ask, what is this place? Where am I?"
"Well, you and your partner here are in the United States of America. More specifically, you're in Magic, New Mexico."
Reva didn't even hear the rest of the woman's words. At the word 'partner', a deep, male groan sounded from nearby.
Her heart leaping, Reva turned to look at the male sprawled on the med-cot next to hers.
Joy flooded her, so profound she felt as if she might float up off the cot.
Van was here! She was not alone. He was with her in this strange place, and his team was here somewhere too. They could all explore together, and then return home to their people together. Except that he was unconscious.
"He does not wake," she said, her heart thumping as she scanned him for injuries. "Is he injured? Will he be all right?"
"Don't worry," Lacey said. "He'll be fine. He's just taking a little longer to come out of it. Don't know how you two got here, but it was hard on both of you."
"Are there others like us here?" Reva asked. "Have you found them?"
The human shook her head. "Not that I know of. Were you traveling in a group?"
"Just a small one," Reva said. "I... should let him explain."
She pushed back her blanket, and swung her legs down, ready to go to Van. But then she remembered his disdain, and sat where she was, her hands clenched on the edge of the cot. Van didn't want her here—or anywhere else that he was. And of all the places she could have landed, she ended up in the same place as the man she had sneaked into the jump pod to get away from.
It was on the tip of her tongue to declare that she didn't care whether he was fine or not. But she bit back the bitter words, because they weren't true.
Why did he not wake? As a battle-hardened warrior, he should be far tougher than her, yet here she sat while he was still unconscious. Ah, there—a dark bruise on his temple, just visible through the tousled strands of his hair.
Was he alive? Without thinking, she slid off her cot and went to him, reaching to touch his throat. Under her fingers his pulse beat, strong and true, although his skin was cool and clammy. His lashes lay in miniature ginger fans on his tanned cheeks, and his firm lips were parted. He looked, for the first time in her memory, vulnerable.
The door opened again, she whirled as another male entered the room. He stopped short at the sight of Reva on her feet. He was human, this one with dark, suspicious eyes and large muscles. Reva turned, side-stepping to place herself between him and the unconscious Van.
The large male raised a heavy brow, as if to ask what she could do against his strength, should he decide to harm the unconscious commander. Reva scowled at him, and crouched, ready to defend herself and Van.
"It's fine," Lacey's voice emanated soothing waves. "This is Doc. He means you and your partner no harm."
"Not unless you two mean harm to us." Doc scowled at Reva. "Do you?"
"No," Reva stated. "But if you attempt to harm us, I will bash in your skull."
The man seemed to find this amusing. "Sounds fair. Now, will you let me examine your fella? He took quite a knock on the head. I want to make sure he doesn't have a concussion, or worse."
'Your fella', meaning your man friend, your romantic interest', her com translated.
Reva opened her mouth to say Van A'Ralle was not her fella. But she still would not allow him to be harmed. "No. The female Lay-cee will examine him, not you."
"Hey, I happen to be a human doctor. Lacey's specialty is animals."
"I don't care. You have threatened his safety, she has not. Come closer to him, and I will incapacitate you."
The doc snorted. "Like to see you try, blondie." But he crossed his arms and cast a look toward the woman Lacey, who looked as if she was trying not to laugh. "Have at 'im, Lacey. But do me a favor—pretend he's a big, ol' wounded mountain lion, and you're not sure how ticked off he'll be when he wakes."
Lacey smirked at the doctor. "You know size has nothing to do with it."
"Maybe." But he didn't take his gaze off of Reva and Van. "But these two have plenty of size and strength, even if she is slender enough that a good wind could blow her over. They're both over six feet."
The veterinarian moved to stand at Van's other side. "I'll be careful," she told Reva.
To Reva's surprise, instead of summoning a med-unit to her side, the veterinarian held out her bare hands, a few inches above Van's body and waved them over him from his head to his feet and back again. Perhaps the woman was using a small med-scanner hidden in her sleeve?
"He's fine," Lacey murmured, holding her palms over Van's bruised temple. "I'm just going to help him heal a little. Just nudge it along."
"How will you do this?" Anxiety and suspicion knotted in Reva's middle. Van stirred, a groan rumbling from his chest, and she put her hand on his shoulder. To her surprise, he felt much warmer.
Lacey smiled. "Already finished. Now, let's see about you."
Reva crowded against Van's cot. "Do not—" she began, but then a soothing feeling swept through her, and settled warmly in her chest. She blinked at the other woman. "Oh! Thankyou."
Lacey dropped one eyelid in what appeared to be a friendly facial expression. "You bet, hon. Now, let's find somewhere for the two of you to stay while you're in town."
"But, you do not know us," Reva said, astonished by this offer. She had expected...well, she didn't know what she'd expected, but not such open-handed generosity. Did these beings trust everyone?
Lacey gave her a twinkling look over her shoulder. "You don't think I know you?"
The doctor shook his head. "Lacey, even with your powers, you can't just take them in. They're not tourists from Topeka. They're..." he frowned at Reva. "What are you?"
"They are Aurelians," stated a new voice from the doorway beyond Lacey.
The speaker was a tall, lean man with startling, blue eyes that held an icy chill so powerful that Reva felt it pierce clear through her and hold her breathless. "A warlike race intent on conquering their entire quadrant of the galaxy... in the twenty-fifth century."
Lacey and the doctor gaped at Reva, and then switched their gazes over her shoulder.
She felt movement and warmth at her back, and Van's deep voice ruffled her hair. His voice was hoarse, but he was awake.
"Why do you look so shocked by our identity?" he asked the others.
Lacey's gaze softened with what looked like pity. "It's not your identity. There are other travelers here from just as far away. It's that... here on Earth, this is an earlier time."
Van stiffened, his tension vibrating through Reva. "Earth? You call this planet Earth? But, Earth I and II are both polluted, over-crowded and embattled. Have we reached the parallel galaxy? Is this a third Earth you've settled here?"
Lacey shook her head. "No. I guess I didn't speak plainly enough. You are still in the Milky Way Galaxy. This is the only planet in our system known as Earth. And here, it's the twenty-first century. Our present year is 2017."