Decay (19 page)

The female alien's gaze went to everyone in the room, taking the time to meet the individual gaze of them all. When she made eye contact with JD he swallowed, as he took in the sight of bright purple irises. Her eyes were beautiful and intimidating all at once.

“My colleagues, I am the one who will be leading the operation. I am of the yellow tribe, and it is my people who have found the artifact known as the Ilotus. Those of you who are members of the red tribe, I thank you for your assistance in this task. It means a lot to my people, and we will most assuredly reward you.” She stood up from her chair then paced the front of the room. “As you're aware, our first task is to infiltrate the warehouse where the Ilotus is being stored. The team entering as a part of this mission will be a mix of different members. Most of you will be working with individuals you have never met, but I am confident in your ability to cooperate with one another.

“The following will make up our first team: Egypt, Gabriel, Lucky Twelve, Permanence, and Drone. The field leader for the mission is Drone with Lockenehih supervising.”

Angela whispered a curse. JD made sure to shoot her a dirty look. Swearing in front of their supervisors was bad enough, but doing it in response to hearing about her position on the field was even worse. He hoped she learned some discipline from the experience.

Kel paused her pacing for a moment to take a drink from a bottle of water. Then she smiled, rather warmly, and gazed about the room once more. “The team for the next part of the mission will consist of Ophelia, Chihuahua Man, and Potion.” JD noticed a round of quiet laughter fill the room when his name was called. He didn't mind too much. The place was getting a little stuffy, so the cut in the heavy tension was a relief in a lot of ways. It sounded surreal to hear his alter ego being used in such a way. The Doctor had said it a few times in anger, but even that was different than having it said for serious work purposes.

For a moment, Kel locked her gaze on JD. “Your mission is straight forward enough. Obtain the artifact as well as our comrades who have been trapped inside of this warehouse. Protect Ophelia so she may accomplish her task, at all costs.”

His eyes broke contact with Kel and focused on Ophelia again. He didn't understand what was so special about her, but if his job was to make sure she was okay, he would be sure to do it at all costs.

“While you are on your mission, we will be watching you, monitoring your progress and the level of danger surrounding you,” Kel continued. “Should a problem present itself, we will be able to remove you from the action immediately, so there is no reason to be afraid. In the morning you will be retrieved by your supervisors. They will bring you to the compound where our base is, at three in the morning. I must emphasize that you rest.”

JD narrowed his eyes and shot a look to his sister. She rolled her eyes, so she must have understood. The next thing he knew, Kel had dismissed them, and Alan placed a hand on his shoulder. In the blink of an eye he found himself in his hotel room once more. Alan motioned for both JD and his sister to take a seat.

“Do you feel prepared?” Alan asked.

Groaning, Angela lay down on the bed. “About as much as I'm ever going to be. The meeting didn't help me too much with what to expect. I mean, what am I even supposed to do beyond show up?”

With a sigh and a shake of his head, JD sat down next to his sister. “Basically, you go in, and blast the bad guys. Which I know you can do because you've done it before.”

“Once all of the enemies have been taken out of commission, you will stand guard outside of the facility until the second team returns safely,” Alan elaborated. “Did you not watch the video you were given?”

Angela put a pillow over her face, and JD could hear a muffled, “No.”

Time to step up and bail her out, again.
He gave Alan a weak smile. “She couldn't figure out how to turn the thing on and didn't say anything until we got here. I tried to go over it with her before the meeting, but I think we were both expecting a bit more information when we got there. You all are discreet.”

“There's only so much information I can give you at the moment,” Alan said. “My superiors haven't told me much about the artifact we are going in to find. Only that it contains great power. I'm assuming we will all be told more once it is in safe hands. Don't let it trouble you too much. We've faced greater unknowns, and I will be monitoring you every step of the way. My task is to go in and pull anyone out who might find themselves in a worrisome situation.”

That information pulled a lot of weight off of JD's shoulders. Knowing that Alan would be watching and ready to come to the rescue instilled a lot more confidence inside of him.
And Alan is right. We've gone on other missions knowing absolutely nothing. We'll be fine.

JD believed it. “Thanks, for trusting us enough to do this.”

“You have proven yourselves strong. I want to remind you of one thing, JD, and that is to hold onto your positive mindset. No matter what,” Alan said then paused to stare down at his hands. “I've noticed when you are optimistic about something; the impossible has a way of happening.”

I've noticed it too, and I wonder what it means. Is it all a coincidence? Or could it be something more?
JD smirked.
Am I finally getting a power?

 

 

Alan walked the hallways of the warehouse that was the base of his entire mission on Earth. He should have been sleeping. Normally, he kept hours similar to the charges he worked with on Earth. His ship was stationed in a permanent alignment with the orbit of the city where the others lived. It made sense for him to eat, sleep, and work, on the same schedule. Unfortunately, his body was tired, but his brain was awake, and when he couldn't get his brain to rest, then the rest of his body couldn't as well.

The halls were empty at least, so he didn't have to deal with unwanted glances or questions. Alan had never enjoyed being bothered when he needed to sort through his thoughts. And he had plenty of them. Orlando's disappearance still plagued his mind, and he hoped Cadence was making good progress on cracking the phone Angela had found. Hopefully she was making good progress in general. Alan needed her to be successful. Not only for the ship and to prove he could be useful, but for his own morale in general.
I have to stop Alona. Figuring out how the drug works puts me one step ahead of her and The Doctor. If I'm ahead, then I can trap them somehow.

“Cadence,” he whispered.
How is she doing? She seemed so strong when I last saw her, but she must only be pretending. There's no way she can get over what happened between her and JD so easily. The two were best friends before lovers. Nothing about their relationship will ever be the same. It could completely destroy everything. I don't understand how she can't react to it. Breaking things off with Alona was devastating. Cadence is worth a lot more than any of my superiors are giving her credit for.
But when had Sir Oriol ever taken him seriously? The only other person who had any kind of confidence in his charges on the ship was Sir Tuliy. Alan was convinced that was only because the guy was infatuated with Cadence.
And I still hate that he does. He's probably alone with her now.

If Cadence could be tough and diligent despite all of the emotions she had to be hiding from the world, then Alan could do the same. He was a man. There was no room to be weak or worry, even if those were the two things that filled him the most. Not only was he worried about her and her sanity, he was concerned with his other charges mentality as well. Angela was obviously terrified. JD was pretending to be tough, but he had to be breaking apart as well. Orlando could very well be dead for all any of them knew.

With a groan, Alan ran a hand over his face. “I need to get everything put back together again.”

“Alanmendiquixanimackle,” a voice said from nearby. It was soft in volume, but firm in tone. He knew it all too well.

Alan faced the source. “Good evening Sir–Father. To what do I owe this surprise visit? I thought you wanted to see me after the mission was finished.”

His Father stepped closer and put a hand on Alan's forearm. “I want to see you then as well, but you should also know me better. Any chance I have to spend time with you, I will take.”

“Of course,” Alan said. He didn't know. Back home his father had been present in body for periods of three months at a time before he went back to the base to fulfill his work duties. During the man's time at home, he'd been present in mind even less, always seemingly off in his own world. But it wasn't the time or place for Alan to point those things out. Deep down he understood. His father wanted to be around, it was simply too hard most of the time.

“Why are you out so late? Or should I say early? It's the early hours of the morning, yes? We'll be collecting the charges in only a couple of hours. You'll need to be refreshed, and I know you well enough to know that you haven't even gone to bed,” his father said.

Alan shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets. “I will be able to rest when this is done. I plan on refreshing in the shower soon. The adrenaline will be more than enough to keep me going the entire time anyway. What about you? Why aren't you resting?”

“Where I'm stationed, it's normal for me to be awake now.”

“I see. So you must be on the other side of the world.”

“Essentially. Things are a lot different there, both in terms of our charges, and the happenings of the war. They're a lot more intense out there. The Earth people are getting closer to uncovering the truth, which is exactly what we are trying to prevent. That is the goal of our tribe Alan. Above all else, we must make sure that life remains the same for as many people as possible.”

A quiet snort escaped out of Alan, and he couldn't help but channel some of Orlando's cynicism. “But inconveniencing a few is okay.”

“You're learning,” his father observed. “Taking on charges was not something I agreed with, but I obey my superior's decision. For whatever reason, he thinks it's of value to do. A reason I'm still trying to find out and potentially expose.”

Alan risked a glance at his father, his heartbeat increasing as the implications the man was presenting became clearer.
Sir Tuliy once mentioned a possible leak. What if that leak was higher up on the chain than anyone anticipated? If one of the highest officers is betraying our people, and the Earth people, then he/she could have many underlings at work as well.
There were so many things he wanted to ask his father, but he knew they were not in the right place to talk about them.

Instead Alan asked, “If you do not believe in having charges, then why do you?”

“Because if they are going to be tapped, willingly or not, to fight in this war, then I want them to be on the side of good. I want them to be led by someone who cares for their best interests.”

Letting out a deep breath, Alan ran a hand over his face. “I'd like to hear more about your philosophy. It isn't one that is shared on my ship.”

His father gave him a huge smile. In fact, Alan was positive he'd never seen the man look so happy before in his life. “Good, there is a lot I want to share with you next time we meet. For now, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I meant what I said about resting, but I suppose you're awake and moving now. The shower should be fine, as well as some coffee. At first I hated the stuff, but I've come to enjoy it even more than tea.”

“I've had it on a number of occasions and used in a lot of different ways. There are certain flavor combinations that I prefer over others,” Alan said. He didn't mind the change in topic. The mission was the most important part for him to focus on. There was plenty of time to speculate over what his father was saying to him, later.

“I prefer it with chocolate,” his father confessed. His gaze wandered over Alan. “You look different.”

Alan scoffed. “Hardly. I haven't grown since you last saw me. It hasn't been that long. Nothing about my appearance has changed. I think you're seeing things.” He hoped his father didn't mind the joking tone. He'd been told to not be different, to not keep up the formalities when it was just the two of them. Teasing was common back home. It felt good to provide a little bit of humor to the situation.
I really do need to relax more, don't I?

If his father was irritated by the playful tone, he didn't let on. He smiled and gave Alan a gentle shove on the shoulder before tapping him in the middle of his chest. “You look different because your heart is different. I've never seen you so mature, so old. For a moment I was worried something had happened to you, but it's good to see you're still a little bit of a child.”

“Don't insult me,” Alan mumbled.
Something did happen. The woman I love is a monster. Everything I know is coming into question. Those kinds of things change a man.
But he held his tongue. Again, it could be shared at another time. He needed to prove he was together, or he might be pulled from the mission.

“It's not an insult to have a little bit of childishness. It's essential for a happy life. Those who don't play become old and dull. Why do you think Sir Orioltogorthan is such a sour puss? He doesn't do anything fun anymore. There is no joy to relieve the aches of his heart. And it is the faith of a child that accomplishes great things. I've told you this before.”

Alan shuffled his feet, feeling like he'd been scolded just as he had been as a child. “Yes, I remember.”

His father put a hand on the back of Alan's neck and pulled him close so their foreheads where touching. “I am proud of you, son. There is so much I want to tell you, and that is why I'm here more than anything else. I only wish I could tell you these things before the mission. Just know that the artifact is not our goal but our reward.”

“Father, I don't think I understand. What do you think is going to happen?”