Page 74 of The Alien's Private Redemption

The corridors were a giant ramp, Angela thought. How far down did the base go?

They were hiding you underground. What were they afraid of if you were on the surface?The voice in the back of her head wasn't even breathing hard as it asked the question.

You were a bigger security risk than I realized,Zoric added, his voice across their bond amused.

If she stopped to think about it, Angela was going to have a panic attack. She wasn't important, really. Had never wanted to be important enough to be noticed. So, she didn't think about the security measures they'd used to hide and question her and focused on moving one foot in front of the other, each one landing firmly on the next stair.

Colonel Schuh was ahead of her, Zoric was directly behind her, and their guards were following him up the stairs. If any of them thought the hidden staircase was odd, they didn't say it.

Heat surrounded them as they reached the top of the stairs, and there was a landing before the heavy industrial door out. It was a dry heat, with a hint of desert sand, and a faintly spicy smell that she'd never manage to find anywhere outside of the middle east. She'd always thought of it as baked history, scoured by wind and sand, and solidified by the unrelenting rays of the sun.

They walked out onto the roof of the building, with the landing pad cleared for the helicopter she could hear in the distance. Ae-cha, Dr. Phillips and Dr. Torres were already waiting for them with their own guards.

Angela shielded her eyes from the sun and the wind, taking a look around to try and get an idea of where her latest prison was. The mountains in the distance looked familiar but it was the occasional wave of sand that caught her attention.

"There aren't sandworms here, right?" she asked the Colonel, pointing at the ripples in the sand.

"I hope not," he said. "We don't have time to deal with the ramifications of spice, as well."

The thump of the helicopter blades pulled her attention and she almost missed the vibrations from the building. They werehidden by the wind and everything else, but the rhythmic vibrations that had woken her were getting stronger.

Her eyes strayed to the moving sand and she knew whatever was causing the vibrations was under the sand. When the helicopter landed, she thought she could see something shining within the most recent mound of sand and dirt, then she stepped on the helicopter and she had to focus on everything else.

They were barely down long enough to get everyone on board and straps and buckles were being secured as they lifted back off. The thump of the helicopter blades sent vibrations through Angela's enhanced senses, each beat resonating through her bones. The sharp scent of aviation fuel mixed with metal, oil, and the acrid tang of fear-sweat from multiple bodies crammed into the tight space.

"What's going on?" Dr. Phillips yelled over the noise of the engines.

The soldiers on board were handing around hearing protection for everyone but Colonel Schuh. He had a headset and was listening intently to whatever was coming through it. He gave some instructions nobody else could hear and the helicopter headed out away from the worm sign in the desert.

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.

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