Page 30 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Angela watched through the open door as the shifting sand turned away from the hidden base. The hot desert air whipped past them, carrying stinging particles of sand that glinted in the harsh sunlight. Each bank and turn of the helicopter sent her stomach lurching, her heightened awareness making every movement feel more extreme. Through their Bond, she could feel Zoric's own discomfort with the confined space, his scales bristling against the webbed seating.

Someone was coming after me,she told Zoric. If she'd said the words out loud, her voice would have shook. As it was, she was trying to avoid the panic attack she could feel coming.

He sent back a wave of comfort and concern that let her fight off the panic attack a little longer.There are people who care about you out there,he sent.

There are also people who want me dead,she returned.And I still don't know why.

We'll have to ask them,he responded and gave her a rueful grin.

Angela looked up to see Ae-cha watching her while Dr. Phillips and Dr. Torres shouted questions at each other over the noise and the ear protection. She could feel the lizardwoman's desire for her to fall into her gaze and she looked away before she did so by accident.

They landed at another base and their entire party was hustled inside before anyone had a chance to look around. This wasn't a top secret base and there had been some obviously hasty arrangements made to accommodate all of them. More than one angry look was turned quickly away when Dr. Phillips announced her desperate need for a shower.

Thankfully, Colonel Schuh quashed her hopes loudly and publicly.

"We don't have the time or the facilities for luxuries, Dr. Phillips," he said. "We're here long enough for a refuel so catch a cat nap if you can but don't expect much of anything else."

"Will I have time to check my email, Colonel?" Dr. Torres asked, as they settled into the room that had been cleared for them.

Chairs and a couple cots gave them just enough surfaces for all of them to sit down but it was cramped and musty with all of them in the same, small place. The recycled air stirred papers on the table as the over-taxed ventilation system kicked in again. Through their bond, Zoric could feel Angela's frustration building like static electricity before a storm. Her pulse had increased slightly, though her exterior remained calm.

The institutional lighting cast harsh shadows across Dr. Phillips' face as she drew herself up. Her scent had taken on an acidic edge that made Zoric's nose wrinkle. The confined space amplified every movement, every breath, every shift of clothing against skin or scales. Even Dr. Torres' unsettling lack of scent seemed more pronounced in the cramped room, creating a void in the tapestry of human and Chelion smells that set Zoric's instincts on edge.

"Time, yes," Colonel Schuh said. "But this base is on a communications black out so I'm afraid you won't be able to. And if your phone or laptop or whatever you're using can get through it, we're going to have to have a talk."

Dr. Torres gave a dry chuckle. "I was hoping for wi-fi," he said. "I'll just be happy to wait and save my battery."

Zoric settled onto a cot and pulled Angela into his arms. She'd been standing and attempting to not inspect the space too closely. A couple of enlisted had been forced to give up their room to keep them away from the rest of the base and they couldn't have been happy about it.

She had a list of questions about where they were, what arrangements were being made, why they were running, and where they were going. However, before she could begin to ask, Colonel Schuh left after giving orders to the guards outside the door.

"This certainly isn't an upgrade from the last base," Dr. Phillips said, claiming one of the chairs. "And I'm still not clear on why we had to leave the last base. Especially when it appears that we're the only ones who were evacuated."

"There was only one high value target on the base," Ae-cha said, her gaze still fixed on Angela. "With her gone, there's no reason to attack."

"But there was no evidence of an attack," Dr. Phillips protested. "We left without any problems and they don't seem tobe concerned about dropping us here for however long it's going to take. Hopefully not too long, the conditions here are horrid."

Private McBride couldn't stop the glare she leveled at the psychiatrist. Zoric's arms tightened around her, like he thought she was going to leap up and attack the doctor, and she realized her entire body had tensed.

"You're right," Angela said, her voice poisonously sweet. "I'm certain the powers that be are very concerned about your comfort. And the men who gave up their room so we didn't have to wait out in the sun or the mess hall are just incredibly embarrassed that the accommodations aren't better."

She's the first person you should sacrifice when you run,the voice in the back of her head told her.You'll have a chance to get away soon.

Zoric's arms tightened around her and, somehow, Angela knew he'd heard the voice.

Chapter 14

Zoric couldn't feel another Bond for Angela but he was certain that the voice in her head wasn't her own subconscious.

What he'd seen in her memories had sent chills down his spine and the conversation with Ae-cha while she'd been asleep hadn't helped. They both had associations with the winged shadow that had brought Angela so much joy, and none of them were good.

He was also certain Ae-cha hadn't told him everything she knew.

If he was fair, he also hadn't told her everything he knew, either, but he had no idea how much of his own information was rumor, conjecture, or horror stories to keep young Chelion inline.

The Elite, his faction of Chelion, had few written records. What existed was often recorded memories, written decadesafter the fact, by Chelion who did not want to lose what knowledge they had to time or a loss of personnel.

As such, they had no record of the creature that could cast the shadow that Angela associated with safety and happiness. He knew that, as a child, it had been a threat. As an adult, it had been the sad delusions of a psychopath;’85, when his late and unlamented master would attempt to stretch and grow the vestigial lumps on his shoulders.

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