Page 43 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Zoric adjusted his hold on Angela, her steady breathing and warmth against him a comfort in the industrial environment. Through their Bond, he could feel the peaceful rhythm of her dreams, occasionally punctuated by small muscle twitches. Her presence felt like sunlight warming his scales, even as the cargo bay's temperature fluctuated around them.

Closing his eyes to meditate, Zoric let his senses expand outward. The metallic tang in the air separated into distinct notes - the sharp bite of fresh oil, the musty undertone of old grease, the ozone smell of active electronics. Different parts of the aircraft created unique vibration patterns that he could feel through his scales - the steady thrum of engines, the subtle shake of loose panels, the rhythmic pulse of various pumps and motors.

A slow tendril of thought oozed past his subconscious and Zoric reached out to grab it, but it slipped away like smoke through his fingers. The residue it left behind felt wrong - not physically sticky, but a psychic taint that clung to his awareness like oil on water. It left an almost-taste in the back of his throat, acrid and artificial.

The civilians who had boarded last sat unnaturally still, but their scents told a different story. Beneath their casual clothes lingered traces of gun oil and old sweat, the kind that came from long missions rather than civilian work. Even in sleep, their breathing followed the measured patterns of military training, their muscles maintaining a ready tension that civilians rarely achieved.

Dr. Torres remained the most unsettling presence. The space around him felt wrong - not just lacking scent, but actively void of it, as though something was deliberately erasing his presence. Sound seemed to bend around him, and the air currents in the cargo hold moved strangely in his vicinity, as if avoiding him.

Zoric watched them all for the remainder of the flight, his scales tingling with awareness of every subtle shift in the environment. The attempted intrusion into his thoughts had left him on edge, and he wasn't about to let his guard down again - not with Angela sleeping so vulnerably beside him.

It had to have come from someone on the plane. One of the civilians, maybe? They'd boarded with no explanation or introduction. Could they have been following Angela and talked their way onto the transport? They hadn't moved since they'd dropped off to sleep but that didn't mean they weren't capable of the same kind of subterfuge Dr. Torres was trying.

Zoric watched them for the rest of the flight, trying to track down the one responsible for the attempted intrusion in his thoughts.

Chapter 19

They landed in an airfield that Angela was familiar with, though she was smart enough not to announce that she knew exactly where they were. They were met by guards from the base as they came off the plane, and she heard some of them call out to the contractors who had hitched a ride home with them.

She was strangely optimistic after her nap on the plane. It was the most at-home she'd felt in ages and the best sleep she'd gotten since she'd been arrested. Her dream with Zoric didn't hurt either, though she found herself aching to complete it in person.

Zoric, on the other hand, was tense and hypervigilant as they disembarked and she hesitated to reach out and ask him why. It might have just been the interruption to their spontaneous shared dream but she didn't think so. Something had happened while she'd slept and he didn't want to talk about it.

They were led to a room for a debriefing and Colonel Schuh closed the door once everyone was inside. He didn't blink when Zoric and Ae-cha adjusted the chairs to fit their tails.

"We'll be staying here for a while," he announced without preamble. "An Orvax delegation will be meeting us in a day or so. Dr. Phillips, Dr. Torres, you have reservations and a driver to a local hotel. Private McBride, Zoric, you'll be staying on base. Ae-cha, you will also be staying on base, though you have the option of a private room or barracks."

"A private room would be best. As close to Angela and Zoric as can be managed."

"I was given to understand that you would not want to be near a newly mated couple," Colonel Schuh said. "Was my information correct?"

"Your information about my preferences is correct, however, recent events have indicated that I may need to be nearby in case of emergencies."

The Colonel gave her a long look before he nodded. "Very well, I'll make sure you're where you need to be."

"If I may, Colonel, why are Dr. Phillips and I staying off the base? If we're here to look after the health of Private McBride, it might be better if we were to all be here."

Colonel Schuh gave the neurologist a skeptical look. "To be honest, Dr. Torres, I was going to give you some down time before the next round of disasters. Questioning is on hold until we hear from the Orvax and so you're services will, hopefully, not be needed. Get some rest and be ready when I call you to come back."

The look Dr. Torres gave the Colonel told Angela that he'd never been in the military. Protesting a solid day off to rest would have been suspicious in almost any profession, and doubly so for someone in the military.

But there it was, the mutinous look on his face that told her he was about to complain about the down time.

"Very well, Colonel," Dr. Torres said, to her surprise. "I do have some reading that needs to be done. We'll be ready when you call."

Dr. Phillips looked ready to protest her inclusion in his pronouncements but thought better of it when there was a knock at the door. A young soldier stepped into the room and saluted the Colonel, then waited at attention.

"Excellent timing," Colonel Schuh said. "Dr. Phillips, Dr. Torres, this is your escort to the hotel. He'll take good care of you and we'll see you back in a day or so."

The young soldier stood back and let the doctors file in front of him, before he saluted again and close the door.

Once the sound of footsteps faded away down the corridors, Colonel Schuh turned to the three remaining and smiled.

"Now, who wants to tell me what the fuck happened on the plane?"

Angela caught a guilty giggle before it could escape but she knew the Colonel had seen her start. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, sir."

"Don't try that bullshit on me, Private," Colonel Schuh said. "I may not be the most observant person in the world but even I knew what I was smelling. And since I didn't actually see anything happening, something must have happened where I couldn't see it. Especially when there was what appeared to be a very angry conversation between the two Chelion delegations."

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