On the count of three, Quan jerked the cloth off suddenly and Kordon swung around pointing the laser rifle downward. On the ground under the cart was a young woman with tears running down her face as she rocked back and forth. Beside her were the bodies of Delaira and Lara.
Quan cursed out loud. “Douglen!” He called out quietly.
Kordon knelt next to Delaira and pressed his fingers against her throat. He felt the steady beat of her pulse. Next, he pressed against the tiny throat of Lara. It took a moment but he finally detected a faint pulse.
Douglen came around the cart. When he saw his wife and infant daughter lying motionless a choked cry of grief escaped him. He moved closer, collapsing down onto his knees next to them.
“They live.” Kordon said softly looking around. Where were Gracie and Mohan?
Kordon turned his hard eyes to the young woman rocking back and forth. “There were two other women with her. They were not from your community. Where are they?” Kordon asked coldly.
Quan was moving around the area overturning carts and looking in stalls. He was calling out loudly for Mohan to answer him. When he received no answer, he roared out in rage stomping back towards them.
“Where are the two females that were with Delaira?” Quan snarled out reaching down to grip the woman by her arms.
The young woman cried out and moved back shaking her head. “The one that looked like a cat told me to stay with Delaira and Lara. She said to stay here that someone would come to help us. I don’t know where she went.” The young woman sobbed.
Douglen leaned down over Lara pulling her tiny body against his broad chest. He closed his eyes a moment as if he was focusing deep inside himself. When he opened them, Lara’s multi-colored eyes stared back at him and a small grin twisted her lips.
“Delaira put Lara into a sleep to keep her quiet.” Douglen said softly brushing a shaking hand over his daughter’s hair.
Douglen looked at the young woman sobbing quietly. “Mia, there were two women. Which way did they go?” Douglen asked quietly but in a tone that told Mia she had to answer him.
Mia looked up at Douglen as if in a daze. “There was only one. The…the one that looked like a cat. She said something about going after a Gracie. She told me to tell Kordon Gracie was trying to stop the attackers. She was going to their ship. Then, she left me. She left me hidden and told me to watch over Delaira and Lara.”
Chapter 10
Kordon stood aboard the Conqueror looking out through the front viewport. In reality he didn’t see anything. Shortly after the shields on the ground force of the invading Alluthans’ failed, the shields on their fighters began failing. Two supply ships lifted off and were able to escape but all the others were destroyed before they ever left the small moon. Bran was doing a sweep of the surrounding space looking for energy signatures from the supply shuttles but it appeared whatever type of shield they used blocked it from appearing on the Conqueror’s scanners.
A thorough sweep of the mining dome showed extensive damage. Eighteen men, ten women, and four children were killed during the invasion. Forty others were wounded. Gracie and Mohan were not among any of the groups: survivors, wounded, or dead. That left just one other option…they were among the missing. The creatures captured four women, six counting Gracie and Mohan. Quan stood beside Kordon silently. The only way of knowing the effect of their findings on him was the muscle clenching and unclenching in his jaw.
“Sir! I’m receiving a cryptic message from a signature source belonging to the Alluthans.” One of the communication’s officers called out.
Kordon and Quan both swung around. “Patch it through to my office.” Kordon gritted out harshly.
Kordon quickly entered the password and a scrambled holovid came on. A message flashed briefly. It was a question written in an ancient language.
Whose touch? The message flashed.
“Gracie’s.” Kordon murmured. The minute he said Gracie’s name the image cleared.
Kordon’s throat tightened as he took in the dirt and blood stained face of his life mate. Her vivid green eyes stared back at him sadly but with a quiet determination. It appeared she was inside one of the alien’s supply ships.
“This is Gracie. Kordon, I hope you get this message.” Krodon watched as Gracie drew in a deep breath. “I…There is a computer in my bag in our room. It has a copy of everything about the Alluthans that I compiled back on Earth. I left the information with Adam just in case it was needed but Mohan told me it was never found. I am guessing it was destroyed in the battle. It will help your people decipher their language. It also contains ways to deactivate their shields. I guess them being solitary creatures is a good thing as they don’t know I know their systems.” Gracie blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and paused for a moment as she programmed something on the console. “Anyway, I’ve programmed a signal you should be able to follow to the mother ship. I was able to take one of the supply ships.” Gracie let out a dry, bitter laugh. “I swear I will not die in one of these damn things if I can help it! On the computer is information about the way the Alluthans’ function. They are half organic, half robotic. This is why they need replacement parts. Their minds are sync with each other. If you cut off the head, the rest will die. Their head is the mother ship. I don’t know if I can do what I did before but I am going to try to upload a virus that will shut them down.” Gracie’s eyes filled with tears but none fell as she continued. “I am also going to upload a self-destruct program. Kordon, I believe this is why I didn’t die the first time. I…I think fate knew I wasn’t done. If you get this message I want you to know I love you.” Gracie said softly. Gracie’s throat worked up and down before she finished. “This is Gracie’s Touch saying...goodbye.”
Kordon stared at the stilled image of Gracie on the screen. His fists were clenched so tightly his fingers were numb. The blank mask on his face hid the devastation her words wrought inside him. Quan stood with his back to Kordon. His shoulders hunched and his head was bowed. Neither man spoke as they each played out their own private nightmares.
“Kordon.” Bran’s said as he entered Kordon’s office. Cooraan was right behind him. “We’ve got a signal.”
Kordon stood up as a cold rage filled him. This was not goodbye. He would not let Gracie sacrifice herself again. He would not let her face this alone.
“Gracie has information on her computer in our living quarters that she says will help us. Cooraan, it is on the floor next to our bed. Get it and get the information deciphered immediately. I know Mohan set up a program to translate between Gracie’s language and Confederation Standard. Cooraan, I also want you to go over the programming she has that will deactivate those bastard’s shields. I want every last one of them dead.” Kordon said coldly before turning to Bran. Cooraan gave a quick nod and left. “Bran, I want you to follow those bastards so close we can smell what they ate. Do not destroy any ship; especially supply ships, without my expressed permission. Disable them if you have to but do not destroy. My life mate and Quan’s are on one of them. I will bring Gracie and Mohan home.”
Bran nodded grimly. “I’ll work with Cooraan on the programming. Maybe we can modify our own shields.”
Kordon nodded before turning to look at Quan who was staring back at him with grim determination. “We have our mates to get back. Let’s get to work.”
Gracie shivered when she saw the huge dark shape of the mother ship. A sense of déjà vu swept through her causing goose bumps to form on her arms. She let the automatic pilot program take over and watched as it followed the other supply ship through the open door in the side of the huge ship. The inside of the ship was huge! Beyond huge, really. Gracie thought in dismay. What looked like thousands of fighters were docked in stacking formation as far as the eye could see. Gracie shivered again as she let her eyes take in everything. Lights flashed along several walls. It looked like some type of lifts. Gracie watched as the first supply ship docked in one of the empty ports. Her ship mov
ed in slowly next to it and she heard the locks engage. The lights in the supply ship dimmed and an arm came out to clamp onto the side. Gracie’s shivering turned to quakes at the strange groaning sounds emitted by the metal reminded her of the sounds from an old haunted house she went through one Halloween. She half expected to see ghost and goblins coming out.
Gracie peeked through the front viewport as a platform lowered on the supply ship next to her. Two creatures moved down the platform and paused turning back to wait. Gracie gasped as she saw two women from the mining colony being shoved down the ramp. A moment later, two other women were pushed out. Gracie bit her lip as she watched them huddle together as the two creatures began prodding them to move. Her gaze swung back to the opening when two more creatures came to the opening. They held a struggling female between them. Gracie’s eyes widened with horror as she saw Mohan hiss at one of the creatures. The creature pressed the same device she saw them use on Delaira against Mohan’s head. A moment later, Mohan collapsed unconscious.
Gracie wrung her hands together trying to decide what to do. She couldn’t let her friend or the other women be used as breeders or die. There had to be something she could do. Gracie stood up and began searching the supply ship. There had to be a portable computer somewhere on it. She tore open storage compartments pulling out cartons and opening them up randomly. There were parts, what looked like some type of freeze-dried food packages, and other equipment she didn’t even try to figure out. She moved to another cabinet and tore it open. Space suits like what the creatures wore in the dome city and what they were wearing on the other supply ship. At the top of the cabinet was a portable tablet. Gracie’s hands trembled as she pulled it down.
Gracie quickly powered it on. She would need to leave the supply ship soon or the creatures might get suspicious. She looked up at the suits hanging in the closet and thought about the plan forming in her mind. It was never going to work. True, she wasn’t much smaller than the creatures but it couldn’t possibly work could it? Not giving herself a chance to consider the consequences, she set the portable tablet down and pulled one of the suits out and began dressing. The prisoners were about to get a new guard, Gracie thought in determination.
Gracie moved slowly down the platform breathing deep behind the helmet. She could hear the voices giving different commands. It was confusing at first as it seemed to come from so many at one time. It was difficult to filter every conversation. Gracie turned, following the same path she saw the other creatures going. She fought to keep her breath even as several creatures moved towards her. She was afraid her knees would give out from shaking so hard. Forcing herself to continue forward as if she belonged there she was amazed they couldn’t see her shaking. She couldn’t help the breath of relief that swooshed out of her when the creatures passed her as if she wasn’t even there.
Gracie continued down the platform before stepping into the shadows near a thick row of metal tubing. She pulled the portable tablet up. Gracie quickly opened a backdoor into the computer system creating a virtual ghost. This allowed her to piggyback on to existing programs making her almost invisible. She sent out feelers for the ship’s schematics. Almost instantly, a map of the ship appeared on her screen. Gracie filtered for holding cell or females. A series of code rolled faster than her eyes could follow before it stopped and a map showing a long series of cells showed. Level 824, Section 228, Cells 18-21. Gracie drew in a shaking breath as she counted the number of women – twenty-two. There were twenty-two women being held in the cells. Gracie closed her eyes. She needed to get them off the ship. She could program one of the supply ships to get them off. If Kordon got her message he would know to look for the signal she programmed in and would be following them. Gracie opened her eyes and looked at the map again. She would need to go down. She drew in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before saying a small prayer for any god out there that might be listening to give her the strength and protection to do what needed to be done.
Chapter 11
Kordon looked over the modifications on the shields Bran and Cooraan made. The data found on Gracie’s computer astonished all the men. Her attention to detail, her annotations, and her modifications and programming skills pulled a respect from the Zion warriors rarely found outside their own people. Kordon was learning more about who Gracie really was and his love and respect for her grew. Among the data Cooraan found was Gracie’s personal diary. He translated it for Kordon. Cooraan reluctantly admitted he read the entries. He apologized to Kordon for invading his life mate’s private thoughts explaining he was not sure what it was until he began reading it. Kordon was unable to be too upset after watching the huge warrior actually blush as he murmured he had been unable to stop reading it once he started as he had to know what happened next. Cooraan swore he would never tell anything that he read. It was the look in Cooraan’s eyes that finally got to Kordon and he had to ask Cooraan what was bothering him.
“Your life mate is a unique and incredible female.” Cooraan responded softly. “I have never heard of one so strong and determined. There was much fear but she never give up. Once you read it you will understand. I…I could only hope to find a life mate such as her.” Cooraan said. “Your Gracie is very special.”
Kordon’s jaw clenched at Cooraan’s softly spoken words. “Yes, she is.” Kordon said before turning to the console.
“We will bring her home safely. I swear this on my own life. I will do whatever it takes to help you bring her home.” Cooraan said fiercely before turning to leave.
Kordon stared blankly at the screen for a few moments before taking a deep breath and opening the file containing Gracie’s diary. Soon, he was lost in her world over eight hundred Earth years ago. The first sentence tightened the pain in his chest around his heart as he became one with the frightened little girl who cowered in the dark subway tunnels in a long ago city.
Today is June 14, 2015. My name is Gracie Jones. I am 12 years old and all alone now. It all started yesterday when we were having dinner. Mom and Dad were talking with me and Violet about a new project mom was working on when the explosions started. Dad ran to the window to see what was happening. Mom pulled me and Violet under the table because stuff from the ceiling was falling down. When dad came back he looked real scared….
Kordon read entry after entry lost in Gracie’s retelling. He learned that she got separated from her sister and parents when they were fleeing from their neighborhood. The Alluthans were destroying house after house forcing the residents out into the streets where they began rounding them up. During the confusion, Gracie fell and rolled under a car so she wouldn’t get trampled. She saw her parents and sister being taken. She huddled there for hours not moving. Once darkness fell, she returned to what was left of her home. She was able to get a few clothing items, her laptop, and some other items which she stuffed into her school backpack. She ran when she saw fighters flying low over the neighborhood. She ran and hid throughout the night until she finally made her way down into the subway access a few miles from her home. There were a few people hiding there. By morning, the Alluthan warriors were searching the subway systems. Gracie ran up the tracks. She crawled under an overhang and discovered a covered stairwell. Following it down, she found herself in an old abandon section of the subway. It was there that Adam, Adrian, Mark, and Chance found her almost six months later barely alive. She was painfully thin as finding food became harder and harder without venture further afield. She talked about how she spent most of her time playing on the computer trying to find out any information she could about the creatures who took her family. She made notes of their language and the sounds and began piecing it together like a puzzle. Both her parents were linguists who used to play games with her and her sister making up languages or using ancient languages to create messages. Gracie was determined to find her family again. When Adam first found her, she was hiding in an old maintenance room behind an old plaid couch. Gracie wrote about how scared she was of the huge ma
n. It was Chance who finally talked her out with his quiet looks, gentle eyes, and sense of humor. He finally convinced Gracie they would not harm her. That was the first night in six months that she actually ate until she was full.
Kordon read of the following years of struggle. The five became known as the Freedom Five. Gracie began giving daily updates and messages of encouragement to survivors and those fighting against the Alluthans. She also became instrumental in deciphering their language and breaking into their computer systems giving the rebel groups a continuing edge. Throughout the diary she mentioned her growing love for Chance and her belief he would never see her as a woman. She talked about her heartache at finding him in a passionate embrace with a woman from another rebel group. She had been so heartbroken she had left the safety of the tunnels. She was wounded and captured when an Alluthan warrior found her hiding in an old building two days later. If not for Mark and Adam, she would have been imprisoned. They were able to kill the Alluthan by electrocuting him. They carried Gracie back to the tunnels but it took months for her to regain her strength.