Alien Refuge (13 page)

“Sure. A pie for each of you, so everyone gets plenty. No problem.”

Despite the cold outside, Iris watched the three men until they were all in their shuttle and the hatch closed off her view of them. Then she shut the door and leaned back against it. The face of each man flashed before her eyes. Jol’s fierce strength, Rivek’s calm visage, Ospar’s easy smile. Three very different men, each handsome in his own way. She snorted at herself.

A little infatuated, are we? Well, I’d have to be blind to not appreciate such men. Especially when they seem so nice.

Thomas broke into her daydream. He had stuck close after her brief scare. Now he looked up at her with his big, brown eyes, the one person who really did own her heart.

“Where did they go?” he asked.

She smiled and stroked his overlong hair. “They went to work, Thomas. We’ll go see Rivek and Copin tomorrow.”

“No, I think now.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Goodbye.”

Giving up the fight easily this time, Thomas went back to his trains, quickly becoming absorbed in his play. It allowed Iris the luxury of absorbing herself in contemplation of the three Kalquorians who had visited them. She knew her thoughts were much too friendly for an Earther to have on Haven, but she just couldn’t help herself. The smile such thoughts brought refused to budge from her face.

* * * *

Iris spooned a small amount of herbed green beans onto Thomas’ dinner plate. She knew he wouldn’t touch them, but she always tried anyway.

When Thomas had first been diagnosed with autism three years before, Iris had attended monthly support group meetings. The group included children of all ages on the spectrum, including a teenage boy named Seth. His father had told Iris many times, “Never give up. Just when you think they’ll never do something, they surprise you. No matter what, no matter how long your son might not respond to a particular issue,
never give up
.”

That had been the mantra he repeated to her at every meeting, up until Armageddon had ended support groups. Iris had no idea how Seth and his father had fared following the end of the war, but those three words never give up lived on in her head.

Thomas had been playing with his trains when Iris started preparing their dinner. He babbled happily as he ran his private world. Iris had her back to the rest of the open space and smiled as he said, “Fire. Call fire rescue. Call fire rescue.” He supplemented his commentary by making siren noises.

A cool draft ran up the back of Iris’ neck. She shivered and frowned. The heating unit sounded fine, purring along as it had since Jol fixed it. Yet she definitely felt a chill. Maybe her heroic Kalquorian hadn’t found all the heater’s problems after all.

She sighed and finished doling food onto plates. All she had to do to put the meal on their small table was turn slightly to the right. The kitchen was tiny, and the table just big enough for the two of them. It gave her little space to work, but it also made cleaning easy.

“Thomas? Come eat.” Iris reached up to the cupboard to pull down cups.

“Call fire rescue. Call fire rescue.” His feet didn’t thump across the floor.

Iris reached into the cooling unit for his juice. “Thomas, come on. Your food is getting cold.”

“Call fire rescue. Call fire rescue.” More siren sounds.

Iris huffed an exasperated breath and finished pouring the juice. Oh well, she needed to check the thermostat before they sat down to eat anyway. It was getting cold in the house. She turned around.

Thomas was in the living room portion of the home, standing just inside the open doorway. Clad only in his underwear, he shook violently. Iris didn’t register the dancing reddish light illuminating him from outside. She was too intent on getting the little boy out of the frigid blast of air coming in.

Not to mention the moment of panic she felt at seeing her son seemingly ready to go outside. She’d not reset the boundary shield following their supply run into the colony’s market that afternoon.

Thomas had learned to disable the supposedly childproof lock to the house’s main door the previous summer. Iris usually kept a close eye on him, fearing he would get outside and into trouble. She’d relaxed since the freezing temperatures of winter had hit, since Thomas usually shut the door immediately after opening it.

Not this time. He stood in the opening, staring outside and shaking in the cold.

“Thomas! Get in here before you freeze!” Iris ran to the door to grab him. Then she stopped short, looking with horror at what had him staring.

A huge wooden cross had been erected in her front yard. It was engulfed in flames, sending black smoke into the starlit sky. Sticks lay on the snow surface on one side of the cross, forming the Star of David. More sticks on the other side suggested a crude crescent moon. All signs of Earth’s official religion and the calling card of the E.I.K.

Iris pulled Thomas back. The door shut and she triggered the lock. She picked up Thomas and snagged the blanket draped over the back of the lounger to bundle his shivering body. The image of the burning cross wouldn’t leave her mind.

“Oh dear God. The E.I.K.”

Iris hugged Thomas close to her, rubbing his chilled body through the blanket to warm him. He continued to babble about fire rescue, but his words were distant as she debated what to do. She wasn’t sure if the situation counted as an emergency, one worthy of Jol’s attention. Maybe he’d be angry if she interrupted his evening over something that wasn’t life threatening.

She had another consideration. If the head of Haven’s security responded to her call, it might only anger the E.I.K. more. Yet if she did nothing, would it embolden the group to do something worse? Something that could threaten Thomas?

She couldn’t take that chance. If Iris was to err, it would be on the side of caution.

Thomas had stopped shivering, and he was struggling to escape the blanket. “Off. Off. No clothes,” he insisted.

“All right. Heat, five degrees higher,” Iris ordered the system. She could at least chase the chill back out of the house as fast as possible.

She steered Thomas to the table and he sat on his chair. “It’s time to eat now. Eat your food, Thomas.”

“Call fire rescue.” He picked the green beans off his plate and put them on hers.

“I am. You eat and I’ll call fire rescue. Eat now.”

Thomas picked up his juice cup and slurped. Iris went to the table where her computer and the special com unit sat. She fumbled with it, only now noticing how hard her hands shook. She pushed the button.

Barely a second later, Jol’s voice issued from it. “Iris, what’s wrong?”

She swallowed, hoping she wasn’t being stupid. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure this qualifies as an emergency, but the E.I.K. left their calling card in front of my home.”

“Lock yourself in. I’m on my way. Is anyone still there that you know of?”

“No. Just one of their burning crosses, as far as I can tell.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Let no one else in.”

The link went quiet. Iris hated to not hear Jol’s voice; it made her feel absurdly safe.

She turned to see Thomas staring at her from his seat at the table. She smiled to reassure him and walked over on shaking legs.

“Drank all your juice, I see. Good boy. Eat your cheeseburger now.”

She sat across from him and forced herself to bite into her own cheeseburger. Iris had no appetite, but she wanted Thomas to eat his dinner.

“Fire rescue is coming. Jol is coming,” he muttered and began to eat.

“That’s right.” Iris was glad Thomas didn’t seem fully aware of what was happening. She didn’t want him frightened like most children would have been. Like she was. She hoped Jol would arrive soon and remove that hideous burning cross from her yard.

Less than five minutes later, Iris’ visitor announce went off. Her heart hammering, she hurried to it. Thomas had already finished his meal and was on the old computer they’d brought from Earth. Historic footage of trains entertained him, keeping him blessedly occupied.

She stood in front of the door. “Yes?” Her voice didn’t quaver, and she felt absurdly proud of herself.

“It is Governor Ospar, Matara.” The slightly raspy voice was a relief to hear.

“Come in.”

The door opened and all three members of the clan swept in on the chill air. Ospar immediately grabbed Iris by her upper arms and bent slightly to look into her face. “You are not harmed?”

“No. I didn’t even see who put that thing out there. Thomas opened the door and—”

The words froze in her throat. What if Thomas had decided to open the door earlier? What if he’d seen the people who’d erected the cross in her yard? Would they have hurt him to keep their identities secret?

Rivek came around to one side to put a supportive arm around Iris. “It’s all right. Most of the fire burned off on its own.”

Jol added, “My men are finishing putting it out and investigating the scene. The barrier wasn’t up?”

Iris shook her head, feeling ashamed. “I forgot. So stupid of me!”

“Not really. It only protects between the lane and your property. The E.I.K. wouldn’t have simply shuttled in and left their mark. I just wanted to make sure that entrance wasn’t an option.”

Rivek added, “You’re not used to having the barrier, so of course it’s to be expected you might forget. The two of you are safe. No harm done.”

Ospar gave her an understanding smile. “And I’m betting you won’t forget again.”

Iris grimaced. “No, I’m sure I won’t. You didn’t all have to come out.” Not that she was complaining. Despite the fears of the last few minutes, she was very glad to see all three men.

Ospar glanced at Thomas, who was still immersed in his vids. The boy didn’t seem to notice the clan had come in.

The governor said, “We wanted to see for ourselves that you and Thomas were all right. I’m glad he’s not upset.”

Jol glowered at nothing in particular. “You’ll remain safe. I’m assigning guards to patrol your property. If anyone else dares to intimidate you, they will be taken into custody.”

Iris swallowed. “Is that really necessary? I mean, I appreciate it, don’t think I don’t. I’m just afraid it might make things worse.”

The Nobek didn’t take offense. “The sentries will stay out of sight. They will only show themselves if they are needed. I have no interest in making your life among your fellow Earthers harder than it has to be.”

Rivek rubbed his hand up and down Iris’ back. His touch made her feel warm inside. Comforted. She had to fight to keep from moving closer to him.

The Imdiko said, “I know we have dinner plans with the councilman, but perhaps I should remain here until Iris feels better.”

Ospar nodded. “I think that would be best.”

Iris wanted Rivek to stay too. Maybe a bit too much. Though her heart wasn’t in it, she protested, “Oh no. You’ve already done so much. I promise, we’re perfectly fine.”

Rivek frowned at her. The concern he felt was as plain as if he’d spoken it. “You must be shaken by this. I am more than happy to sit with you until you are calm.”

The temptation was huge, but stubborn pride would not be charmed by the protective men. Iris told them, “I am upset, but once that abomination is gone from in front of my home, I’ll be perfectly fine.” She bowed her head. In a small voice she added, “Please don’t fuss over me. I feel like a charity case as it is.”

Ospar’s voice was gentle. “Are you sure, Iris?”

Her name on his lips made her shiver. What was it about these three that felt so right? Why did their presence seem familiar and safe? Iris couldn’t figure out why she instinctively trusted the Kalquorians, nor why the urge rose to beg all of them to stay and keep the ugliness at bay.

Iris firmed her resolve. She was strong, both for herself and Thomas. She liked these men but she didn’t know them, no matter what her very being insisted. She looked up and smiled at the worried Dramok.

“I’m sure. Besides, interrupting Thomas’ routine will cause him to not sleep as he should.” That at least was the truth.

All three men looked at Thomas, engrossed in his vids. Iris’ heart stuttered to see their gazes grow softer than ever. How was it that such fierce, strong alien men could look at a little Earther boy with a depth of compassion few of his own kind gave him?