Chapter Eleven
Elle had been staring at the screen so long she’d given herself a headache. So many of the glowing raptor symbols mocked her, refusing to give up their meanings. She slammed a palm against her desk. She kept seeing the same symbols in different combinations that made no sense.
She rubbed at her temple and shifted in her seat. She felt some unfamiliar aches in a few intimate places. That made her smile and her thoughts turned instantly to Marcus. Even though he’d kept her very busy most of the night, she’d also had the best sleep she’d had since the aliens attacked. Held tight in his arms, she felt safe, protected.
Looking back at the screen, she focused on what she had learned. The aliens called themselves the Gizzida.
And this wasn’t the first time they’d invaded a planet, destroyed its leadership, and then taken everything they wanted.
If her translations were correct, they were from the Alphard star system, part of the Hydra constellation. She sank back in her chair. It was appropriate since Hydra was a snake. Even the research on Alphard, an orange giant star, showed an uncanny link to the aliens—the Arabs had called it “backbone of the serpent.” To the Chinese it was “red bird” and one famous European astronomer had called it “heart of the snake.” She tapped in a command and sent her latest report through to General Holmes.
It was all very interesting but it didn’t help find the hub.
She reached for the mug of coffee Noah had brought her before he’d headed off…somewhere. She took a swig and nearly spat it everywhere. It was stone cold.
“Ugh.” She pushed it aside and stared at the screen again.
She eyed the notes she’d made on her tablet. She’d translated a few words but these next symbols had her stuck.
Scribbling on the tablet, she tried a few word combinations but nothing made sense. She sighed and rubbed her blurry eyes. She had to find the location of that comms hub. She straightened her shoulders and stared again at the screen.
Suddenly it went blank.
She shot to the edge of her chair. “What the hell?”
“Time for a break.” Marcus stepped into view holding up an unplugged cable.
“Marcus, you can’t do that! I’m getting close but I still have a bunch of words I need to decipher. Every time I think I have it, they seem to change—”
“No. Break.”
She stood and faced off with him. “This from the man who I know usually spends all his free time monitoring drone feed, assessing raptor strategy and planning missions. We need to find that hub—”
“You won’t find it if you work yourself into the ground. You’ve been here for eight hours straight and you worked through lunch.”
“Eight hours?” Oh. Where had the time gone?
“Food. Rest. Relaxation.” His tone was the same one he used to order his team around.
She bristled. “I’m not one of your soldiers.”
He leaned down, his mouth hovering over hers. “No, I’m the man who had his cock inside you last night. The man who wants to take care of you and the man who’d like to hold you in his arms again for a little while.”
The air rushed out of her lungs and a warm glow filled her chest. “What did you have in mind?”
“A sunset picnic.”
As he tugged her from the computer lab, Elle tried to process what he’d just said. Sunset picnics and rugged Marcus Steele did not go together. Ever. Not even in her wildest fantasies.
He led her through various tunnels and into a less-used part the base. Most of the rooms here were used for storage of supplies. Eventually, he stopped at a ladder that led up to the surface.
“Up you go.” He gripped her waist and lifted her onto the second rung.
It wasn’t a long climb. At the top was a round metal hatch. Marcus moved up behind her on the ladder and with one arm, opened the hatch and shoved it upward. It opened with a muted groan of metal.
Elle climbed out onto a flat part of roof made to look like rock that was edged with trees. She turned in a small circle, taking in her surroundings. The brilliant green of the trees caught her eyes. When she took a closer look, she realized the “trees” were actually disguised solar power arrays. Each of the leaves on the trees was a tiny photovoltaic cell used to generate power for the base.
Then she noticed what was set up over in one sheltered corner of the space.
A dark-blue picnic blanket was laid out, and sitting on top of it was a wicker basket.
He led her over to it.
She couldn’t seem to close her mouth. “Where did you find a picnic basket?”
A small smile. “I can’t give away all my secrets.”
Once they were seated, he poured her a glass of something orange and fizzy. “Not alcoholic because we’re on call.”
She sipped the tart, sparkling juice. “It’s lovely.”
He reached into the basket. “I have some cheese and bread, and strawberries I had to barter with Hamish for from the hydroponic gardens.” Marcus shook his head. “That old guy is protective of every berry and leaf. Oh, and some cured ham and olives.”
Elle could do nothing more than just stare at the feast he’d set out on the blanket.
He shifted, bending one leg and resting his forearm on his knee. “I know it isn’t anything fancy, not what you’re used to from before—”
She reached over and grabbed his hand. “It’s perfect. No one’s ever taken me on a picnic, before or after the raptors came.”
Marcus pressed a piece of cheese to her lips. “I hope not. Otherwise I’d have to beat up him up.”
She smiled. “You’d win.”
They ate and stared at the sky. The sun turned the horizon a brilliant orange tinged with shades of pink.
“So beautiful,” she said. “Funny, considering how the world isn’t beautiful anymore.”
“There’s still beauty there. You just have to look a bit harder to find it.”
She turned her head and realized he was looking at her. God, the man was perfect.
“I was all about beauty before. I wanted the latest designer fashions, the perfect haircut—” she held up her hands and eyed her short, chipped nails “—and heaven forbid I didn’t have perfect nails. I had a weekly manicure appointment. What I saw in the mirror defined me, along with the parties I went to, the people I was seen with.” She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have given me second glance. I was so incredibly shallow.”
“Hey.” He tipped her chin up. “That might have been you once, but that’s not who you are now. I see a strong, confident woman who uses her smarts and determination to do the best she can to contribute around here. We can’t erase the past, and frankly, you shouldn’t want to. It’s brought you to this point. It helped make you who you are today.”
She grabbed his other hand and he squeezed it.
He rubbed a thumb across her bottom lip. “We might still have regrets, but we learn from our mistakes and move forward.” He let her go and picked up a strawberry.
Elle took a bite of the juicy berry, savoring the flavor. She thought she’d heard something buried in his voice. “Do you have regrets?”
He stared at his drink. “Yeah. Lots of them.” He sighed. “Before the invasion, I led a UC Marine Force Recon team.”
She’d heard of Force Recon. “Special Forces.”
“Yeah. We specialized in deep reconnaissance, but we saw plenty of offensive action, too. Spent a lot of time in the Middle East.”
He was silent so long she thought he wouldn’t continue.
He glanced her way. His eyes had darkened. “If I tell you this story, you mightn’t look at me the same.”
“That could never happen,” she answered emphatically.
With a nod, he stared at the last dying rays of the sun. “We were sent in to rescue hostages. They were a mix of innocent locals, women and children, and a few Western journalists. I made the call to wait, get more intel. Really, I was pissed to be on the mission. I wanted my team on the front line where I thought they could do the most good, save the most lives.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “We were too late. We took down the kidnappers but the hostages were all dead. The women raped, the journalists had been executed, and the kids…fuck.”
Her throat was tight. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“They’d tortured them. Cut off body parts and messed them up before they’d finally slit their throats.”
Elle pressed a hand to her mouth. The horrible things he had to live with. And how many more terrible memories had been added since the raptors had turned Earth into their own private battleground. “You didn’t kill those people, the enemy did.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t save them, either. But I get up every day and see if I can do better than I did before.”
She slid closer. “You can’t be a superhero all the time.”
He tugged her under the curve of his arm. “Not according to my father. A Marine should be stronger, faster, smarter.”
“What happened to him?”
“I assume he was killed in the first wave. I was over here on assignment and he was back home in California. He’d retired a few years back. I tried a few channels to try and contact him, but you know how it is.”
She did. Blue Mountain Base had made contact with a few enclaves of humanity in North America, Asia and Europe, but transmissions were difficult and often blocked by raptor technology.
“I’d hoped he’d made his way inland to the Groom Lake base in Nevada…he’s a tough old bastard. But when I did manage to get a transmission through no one there had seen or heard of him.”
“I’m sorry.” She pressed her face against his shoulder. “You were close?”
Marcus shrugged. “He was a Marine to the bone, tough as old leather, and he expected me to be tough, too. He wasn’t my biological father, but he’s the only one I’ve ever had. My mother got pregnant young and was kicked out by her family. She was waitressing, right up to when I was due, and Dad used to eat at the diner every day. He ended up taking her in, taking care of her, and fell head over heels for her. Don’t know if she loved him back, but they seemed happy enough.”
It appeared Marcus had inherited his need to protect those less fortunate from his father.
“My mother died when I was young so he was all I had. He did the best he could. He was proud as hell when I made the Recon teams.”
An easy silence fell and Elle fiddled with the hem of Marcus’ shirt. “You were lucky to have him. Nothing I did ever made my parents proud. I stopped trying after a while and became what they believed I was.”
His arm tightened around her. “Babe.”
She leaned into his strength. “I’m okay. My father never saw me. I didn’t have the right anatomy, so I was just a pretty ornament. My mother loved me in her own way…but if I did anything remotely successful, she saw me as a threat, or competition. After a while I just excelled at being a party girl.” She shook her head. “So pathetic.”
“You aren’t that girl anymore.”
“I was engaged.” He tensed and she hurried on. “Sort of. We never made it official. We just liked being seen together, the perfect, pretty couple. He was the golden son from a wealthy family and he excelled at partying more than I did.” She sighed. “Aaron didn’t see me either.”
“You deserved better than they gave you.”
“Maybe, but my parents didn’t deserve to die the way they did.” Her breath hitched. “Torn apart by raptors.”
He hugged her close. “All we can do is move on. Make something of our future.”
She leaned up and nipped his lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“Hey, here’s where you two are hiding.”
Shaw’s drawl had them drawing apart and Elle watched a scowl take over Marcus’ face.
She looked up and saw Shaw, Cruz and Claudia dropping down on the blanket beside them.
“Ooh, strawberries.” Claudia plucked up a berry and took a bite. “Old Man Hamish rarely lets anyone have any of these beauties.”
“What are you guys doing here?” The tone of Marcus’ voice left no one at a loss over his feelings about the intrusion.
Cruz winked at Elle. “Looking for food. I was hoping for tamales, but while the chef here tries, they just don’t taste like my father’s did. And I wanted to see how you were doing, amigo. Make sure Ellie here was happy.”
“And not in need of a rescue,” Shaw said around a mouthful of cheese. “You aren’t known for your flair with the ladies.”
Elle smiled at them. Like it or not, Hell Squad was a family.
Marcus’ scowl deepened and he tugged Elle closer into the curve of his arm. “Of course, she’s happy.”
“We can see that.” Claudia smiled at Elle. “She’s glowing.”
Elle blinked. Claudia…smiling. It wasn’t something Elle saw often.
Marcus sighed. “Where are Gabe and Zeke?”
“Beating each other up in the gym,” Shaw said. “Couldn’t pay me enough to spar with Gabe. The man is scary. I am so glad he’s on our team.”
“How’s the translation coming along, Elle?” Cruz asked.
She released a long breath. “Slowly. I’m missing something, I’m just not sure what it is, yet.”
“Something other than just difficulty with the language?” Marcus asked.
“I think so. The word combinations are strange. I’ve been wondering if there’s some hidden encryption.”
His hand massaged the back of her neck. “You’ll get it. We knew they wouldn’t make it easy for us.”
“I know what they call themselves now. The Gizzida.”
Shaw wrinkled his nose. “Ugly. Suits them.”
Suddenly, a huge explosion ripped through the evening air. The ground beneath them trembled, and back toward the city, a huge, black mushroom-shaped cloud bloomed in the night sky.
“Shit. That’s close.” Marcus leaped to his feet.
The others jumped up, too. “Really close,” Cruz added.
“Marcus, look.” Elle pointed off to the north.
Red lights glowed in the sky, moving fast. A raptor ship.
“A ptero. Come on.” He pulled her up.
All of them raced back inside, hurried down the ladder and hightailed it back to the main part of the base.
They ran into Zeke and Gabe.
“There you are.” Zeke’s face was grim.
“What do we know?” Marcus demanded.
They fell into step, striding toward the landing pads. Elle had to jog to keep up.
“A group of incoming survivors was heading this way. The raptors ambushed them. Holmes wants Hell Squad and Squad Nine out there.”
“Okay. Suit up. I’ll meet you all at the Hawk.” Marcus turned to Elle.
“I’ll get to the control room. Be careful out there.” Fear was a sneaky invader, crawling through her belly.
Marcus yanked her up so her feet dangled off the ground. The kiss was hard, intense, and far too short. “I’ll see you when we get back.”
She watched him stride away, her heart beating triple time. Watching him head out into danger was so damn hard. Dragging in a deep breath, she raced toward the Comms Control Room.
Soon, she was seated at her station, headset on. Beside her, Arden, the comms officer for Squad Nine, was talking into her headset.
Elle turned her attention to her comp screen. The drones were up and giving back live feed. The two Hawks were converging on the attack site.
“One minute until you reach the site, Marcus.”
“Roger that.” His gravelly voice filled her ear.
She zoomed in on the images. Saw the raptors cutting down humans. Her stomach turned over but she kept the horror from her voice. She switched to the comp view—raptors marked in red, civilians in green. “It looks too hot for the Hawks to land. I suggest you rappel in.”
“Got it. Any sign of that ptero?”
“It’s not on screen. I’ll keep an eye out. Be careful.”
Shaw’s voice cut across the line. “What about the rest of us, Ellie, girl? Or do you just care about Marcus’ ugly mug now?”
“Off the line, Shaw,” Marcus growled.
Elle fought back a smile. “Rescue those survivors and then all of you come home safely.”
Shaw made kissing noises across the line and Elle heard Marcus growl again. Zeke was laughing.
The Hawk reached the explosion site.
Red dots flickered to life all over her screen. She tapped it, taking readings. “Thirty raptors on the ground.”
She heard the squad talking as they attached to lines and rappelled out of the Hawk.
“Fuck me,” Zeke breathed.
“Raptors everywhere, Elle.” Marcus’ voice was grim. “They’re picking off the survivors. We’re going in.”
Elle gripped the edge of her desk and listened as Hell Squad and Squad Nine engaged. There were yells, carbine fire, and the grunts and shouts of raptors. There were also screams and keening cries.
She closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of calm inside. Marcus would be all right. He and the squad were the best, they always came home.
“Get those survivors to the evac point,” Marcus yelled. “Elle, we need a Hawk on the ground ASAP. We have civilians with severe injuries.”
“It’s a fucking mess.” Ragged anger underscored Cruz’s voice. “The raptors have been here a while torturing these people.”
Oh, no. She tapped the screen. “The first Hawk is circling around. They’ll be on ground in three minutes.”
“Watch out!” Gabe’s yell tore through the line.
“Dammit,” Marcus bit out. There was more laser fire.
Elle watched as more red points poured out of a concealed location. No. Where had they come from? She heard the distinctive explosion of concussion grenades.
“Marcus! Another thirty raptors—”
“Hell! We see them.”
She wanted to scream Marcus’ name, make sure he was okay. She bit her lip, tasted blood in her mouth. Instead she stared at the blue dots of her team on the screen.
“I’m hit!” Zeke’s voice.
“I’m coming,” Gabe yelled.
“Give them cover fire,” Marcus roared. “Claudia, get the last of those survivors over here!”
Elle patched a line through to the Hawk. “Finn, you need to get on the ground, now! It’ll be a hot evac.”
“On it, Elle,” Finn’s cool, calm voice came through the line. “We see them. Second Hawk is coming in right behind me.”
She tapped a foot against the floor. Beside her, she heard Arden’s urgent commands to Roth and his team.
A masculine yell ripped through the line and Elle jerked.
A blue dot blinked off the screen.
Her heart simply stopped. No. One of Hell Squad was…dead.
“Marcus?” She gripped her earpiece so hard it cut into her hand. “Marcus, do you copy?”
The only reply was the sound of laser fire and an inhuman wail that she knew was torn from a human throat.
“Marcus?” Please, please answer me.