Page 37 of The Alien's Private Redemption

I can keep going for a while longer,she sent back.

"On your feet, Marine," Colonel Schuh barked and Angela struggled to follow his orders. The surprise and pleasure that shot through her at the order translated across their Bond, as did her frustration at not being able to force her body to follow it.

Zoric stood, Angela in his arms. "We'll move faster if I carry her, sir. She's injured."

The Colonel studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Let's move."

He led the way out of the room and into the hall. Zoric was right behind him, Angela's determination to be the Marine,Colonel Schuh had called her, pushing at him. The others fell in line behind him, with the guards bringing up the rear.

The transition from the stuffy quarters to the sudden heat and whipping wind outside the door was staggering and Zoric didn't know how the Colonel managed it without breaking stride. As it was, he had to use his tail for balance to keep from being pushed around as he walked.

They loaded into two vehicles waiting outside, the new car smell mixed oddly with the sharp scent of gun oil from the guards' weapons. One of the guards held the door for Zoric to climb in without shifting his hold on Angela, and the Colonel got in the other side. Through their Bond, Zoric could feel Angela cataloging every detail - the leather seats still hot from sitting in the sun, the steady vibration of the engine through the floorboards, the crunch of tires on gravel as they pulled away.

"Where are we going?" Angela asked. Zoric could feel her pushing herself to speak normally despite her exhaustion, her voice barely carrying over the hum of the air conditioning that was fighting a losing battle against the desert heat.

"An airfield to catch a ride out of the area entirely," the Colonel answered, his voice clipped. "Now that we know what to look for, the Orvax are tracking an unknown signal. It's not moving in a direct line but it's followed us out this direction."

"Did it attack the other base?" Her concern that innocents might have been hurt because of her, that her fellow warriors might have suffered, flooded their Bond and Zoric tightened his arms around her.

"No," he answered, and she relaxed slightly. "And we think putting an ocean or two between you and whatever is hunting you is a good idea."

"Have your orders changed, Colonel?" Zoric asked.

The Colonel took so long to answer that Zoric thought he might not answer at all. Finally, he shook his head. "Theyhave evolved. The original orders still stand but there seems to be something deeper going on. Something way beyond my paygrade. Keeping Private McBride safe and alive has become the priority."

A chill ran down Zoric's spine with the explanation. His mind returned to Angela's memory of Uncle Saul.

"The Orvax are helping?" he asked.

"Yes, though I'm not privy to how much."

"What about other allies?"

Colonel Schuh looked at him. "I was under the impression that you were the best your people could afford to send."

The statement held a question, almost an accusation, and Zoric had to swallow his pride to not answer it with anger. His people had been devastated by the fight that had freed them from their bondage to a monster. Centuries of depredation and abuse had left many of them angry, hurt, and fearful of the outside world.

"I am," he said. "But I wonder if there are others out there who may offer more help."

"If you have other resources, I'm all ears," Colonel Schuh told him.

Zoric nodded. "I'll have to discuss it with Ae-cha," he said. "It's a long shot if it exists at all, but I have an idea."

What are you talking about?Angela asked him.Do you think Ae-cha's people are holding out on resources?

I think we should take you home,he told her.

Panic shot through their Bond before she smothered it. He didn't understand what had caused it or why she would try to hide. The safety she had felt in that memory, in the middle of a pain-filled and fearful event, had spoken to him.

"You'll have a long flight to talk it over," Colonel Schuh said.

As they crested the next hill, the airfield came into view - a sprawling complex surrounded by razor wire that glinted inthe harsh sunlight. Armed guards stood in towers at regular intervals, their shadows sharp against the bleached concrete. The acrid smell of jet fuel hung heavy in the air, mixing with the metallic taste of exhaust as they approached the massive aircraft waiting on the runway. Heat waves rose from the tarmac, distorting Zoric's view of the ground crew that scurried around the plane like ants, their voices carried away by the wind.

Angela craned to look out the window then whistled. "Who are we hitching a ride with, sir?"

"Nobody," he answered. "It was the first plane nearby that could make the flight without needing to stop to refuel."

Fear shot along their Bond and Zoric sought out the cause. A jumbled explanation about military travel and how it was scheduled only confused him further, but he understood that the speed at which she was being moved did not indicate Good Things.

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