Colliding Worlds Trilogy 01 - Collision Read online

  “What?” she mouthed.

  He bent down and kissed her cheek. “It’ll be fine, tahren,” he whispered in her ear.

  Sienna pulled herself taller, knowing in her soul that he was right. Getting to stand at Apolo’s side, she was being afforded an incredible honor, even though some, if not most, of it was for no doubt for show. Similarly, Jax stood at Apolo’s other side. That way, when the general stepped off the ship, he’d see how they — Sephians and humans — could get along like one big happy (albeit dysfunctional) family. She glanced over at Apolo and Jax. Straight as soldiers, neither looked the least bit stressed.

  They reminded her so much of Bobby right then. He’d been a lieutenant alongside Jax. But non-military personnel weren’t allowed to be in attendance at most military functions, let alone stand between the leader and his right hand officer. They hadn’t been married long enough for her to get to know many of his fellow officers. She’d met most through her job. Things had been so different back then.

  A texting teen-aged driver had changed everything in an instant.

  The doctors said Bobby never felt a thing. One second he was walking across a cross-walk. The next second, he was taken from her forever. Just an ordinary, mother-fucking accident. Sienna had quit her job the following week, sold their loft, and began construction on her cabin. She’d had enough of a world that no longer made sense. Had enough of the bullshit. She wanted to be alone. Alone was safe. Alone didn’t break her heart.

  Then something happened that went against all the plans she’d made and all the promises she’d pledged to herself. Just when she thought she had reclaimed control, Legian came literally crashing into her life. Now she thanked God each and every day for not listening to her — for not giving her what she wanted — and for giving her what she needed. And what Legian needed.

  The huge hangar doors began to open, jarring her from her reflections. The loud whoomp-whoomp of a large helicopter was dampened by the hard plastic-like walls. She watched in awe as the Super Stallion settled through the doors and onto the open ramp below. It dwarfed the Sephian ships, and she wondered if they were ready for the change touching down on the landing pad.

  It seemed to take forever for the huge blades to stop moving and the hangar doors to close over the ramp, sealing everyone inside. The sudden silence was deafening. Sienna’s heart thumped in her chest as she willed herself to calm down. She’d told Apolo so many times that he should trust humans. Now he was giving them that chance. It was all so surreal.

  Apolo was stuck behind the proverbial eight ball. His troops had been decimated. He’d lost touch with his inside guy. They didn’t stand a chance against the Draeken alone. Time to improve the odds. Everything teetered on the notion that the military would see things her way. Jax had been allowed to talk freely with his CO every day, but still, today would be a moment of reckoning. She prayed Jax’s general saw this as an opportunity to work together.

  At least two dozen troops, all dressed in black fatigues with matching skull-and-crossbones emblems on their shoulders, poured out of the helicopter. The general came prepared. If he wanted to intimidate, it was working. Even though the Sephians still outnumbered them twenty to one, Sienna had no doubt the general had more than enough reinforcements waiting an arms-reach away to take the base.

  The last of the group to emerge, the general stepped out of the helicopter, safely encircled by his soldiers. It was easy to recognize him, even in basic black fatigues there was a presence about him. An air of confidence that surrounded all strong leaders. If she had to fathom a guess, he wasn’t used to hearing the word, “no.”

  He walked toward Apolo’s group, a wall of men flanking both sides. The general stepped with intent yet he came across laid back, as if he was attending a ribbon cutting ceremony rather than stepping on alien territory for the first time.

  Sienna immediately recognized Buzzcut behind the general, and it hit her that this was Jax’s squad of Army Rangers. She could have sworn she’d also seen the general before. She had met many high-ranking officials through her life. But she couldn’t quite place exactly where she’d seen him.

  The men stopped in accord several feet away.

  Jax stepped forward and saluted. “Welcome to the Sephian base, General Jerrick, sir.”

  Sienna jerked. Jerrick? That was Jax’s last name. Coincidence? No way. She furrowed her brow while she examined the general. Gray buzz cut, Jax’s was brown. Both had the same chocolate eyes. Same nose, same chin. The older man even had the same saunter. That was why the guy seemed so familiar. He had twenty or so years on his son, but the resemblance was uncanny.

  Things just got a lot more interesting.

  “To hell with protocol. Come here, Jackson, my boy.” The general pulled his son into a full embrace hug, and she couldn’t help but smile at the family reunion. There’d been too little love seen around the base lately. The embrace cut through the tension better than any words could do. He stepped back, but he held Jax’s arms as he gave him a full look-over. “How have they been treating you?”

  “I have been treated fairly and with respect, sir.”

  The general watched him for a moment, as if he were gauging the sincerity of Jax’s words. Then he nodded. “Good to hear.” He let go of his son and turned his attention directly on Apolo. “Now let’s get this dog-and-pony show started.”

  Jax motioned to Apolo. “General Jerrick, this is Commander Apolo, leader of the Sephian force here on Earth.” Jax said the last word with a slight hesitation, like he’d never used it in an introduction before. Which he probably hadn’t. “Apolo, this is General Jeremiah Jerrick, commanding officer for all unidentified activities that take place within the United States. Officially, the general heads up the 51st Army division, which includes my Rangers squad.”

  Apolo held an open hand out to the general and spoke in near-perfect English. “It is a pleasure to meet you, General. Having your son as our guest this past month has been a tremendous opportunity for us to learn from one another.” If this was the first time Apolo had learned of Jax and the general being related, he showed no surprise. The two men had likely spoken much more often than Sienna had realized.

  The general returned a hearty handshake. “I look forward to our conversations. And I’ll warn you — I won’t beat around the bush. That’s not my style. I have plenty of questions. And I’m expecting even more answers. Starting with why my son tells me you say you come here in peace, but yet you set up a secret base on American soil without permission.”

  Apolo gave a slight tilt of his head. “That is understandable, and it is a concern I would have if I were in your shoes. It was an error on our part, which I hope to rectify shortly. You see, we had very little time to study your world before being forced to make a decision. It was a difficult decision made by our great leader, Krysea, who remains on our home world of Sephia. She favored a more discreet approach. If she had known how advanced your race was, I assure you we would have reached out to you directly, before we touched down.”

  “I can see your reasoning. If what Jax says is true, then your hand was forced. Your coming here will require some finesse on the PR front, make no doubt about that. But that is something I can help with. I assure you secrets will not be tolerated if there’s to be any hope for an alliance.”

  “I would expect — and demand — as much. I demonstrated my commitment to our alliance today when I provided Jax the coordinates of our base so you could fly directly to us at any time. I will provide you with open, secure communications as well. As such, I am placing the safety of this base and its three hundred souls in your trust.”

  “A gesture well received,” the general replied.

  “Now, if you’d like to come with me, I have a room for us to talk candidly. We have much to discuss.” Apolo gestured down a hallway.

  “Show me the money,” the general said. Bente and one of the general’s men stepped in front, and the two leaders walked side-by-side, with their off
icers falling in behind and the remaining soldiers forming up around them.

  A dark-skinned soldier saddled up next to Jax. “Good to see you, old buddy.”

  “Ace. About time you showed your ugly mug.” Jax grasped onto the other man’s forearm in a half man-hug. Aside from their skin color, the two could’ve been twins in the way they moved. Incredibly yummy twins. Like a bowl of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. The pair stepped in line behind the general and Apolo, and Legian and Sienna joined suit after them.

  Sienna was far enough behind the leaders that she couldn’t make out their words. Not that she tried. She assumed it was casual chit-chat, as they would wait to reach Apolo’s secure quarters to get into the juicier stuff. She hobbled with her cane to keep up with the herd migrating toward Apolo’s room. Until she noticed who was right behind her.

  She stopped, turned to the side, and held out her hand. “Major, nice to see you again.”

  He looked down at it, and then obliged with a handshake.

  She stepped to the side. “Oh, Major, meet Legian. Legian, Major Sommers.” She kept her introductions quick, pointing at each man.

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Major. I am a member of Apolo’s trinity. We serve as Apolo’s chief advisors in all military matters. ”

  “There’s three of them. Hence the ‘trinity’ thing,” she said with air quotes. “Legian, Bente, and Nalea. Bente’s up there. I guess we should catch up so you can meet — ”

  Only Sienna didn’t get to finish her sentence. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh, God. No.”

  Standing before Apolo and the general was one of the younger Sephian males. Jeffers, Jappers? She couldn’t remember his name. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was holding a blood-charge. Bente and a Ranger stood on either side of the man, both poised to attack.

  “Giphers. Stand down,” Apolo commanded as he stepped between the general and the young Sephian. “Give me the charge. Now.”

  The Sephian fell to his knees and started to cry. “I’m sorry. I have no choice. They’ve got her. They’ve got my sister.”

  “Who has your sister, Giphers?” Apolo asked gently, yet his voice clearly demanding an answer.

  “They’ll kill her if I fail. My life for hers, they said.” He looked up, tears streaming down his face. A scowl came over his face. “We shouldn’t have come here. We never should have left Sephia. They need us there. Let the humans deal with the Draeken. We don’t owe them anything.” And with that, Giphers moved his fingers, and the blood-charge lit up. He tossed the device in the air. He lowered his head to his hands and wept.

  Legian threw Sienna to the ground. He landed on her leg, and sharp pain tore through it. She gasped and frantically tried to push him off her.

  “Get down now.” Legian yelled, yanking the major to the floor. He was so close, the harsh words made her ears ring. He moved enough to take some weight off her leg. “Stay down,” he whispered to Sienna before covering her completely with his body. She tried to roll him over, to protect him, but it would have been easier moving a sleeping bull.

  From there, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Apolo dove toward the hovering charge. Jax and Ace tackled the general. Apolo grabbed the charge and threw it down the hall as Bente covered him. It exploded mid-flight, exactly as it was designed.

  Sienna had never seen a blood-charge go off before. Not even when the Draeken attacked the base. It was bizarre seeing an explosion without any sound. At first it looked like dust filled the air. But she knew in that poisoned dust were small x-shaped barbs. And they flew everywhere.

  Giphers collapsed with a scream. Apolo and Bente hit the floor hard.

  Several others still on their feet fell to the ground, grasping at wounds that she could not yet see.

  Then, the world speeded back to normal. Blood splattered the walls. Men yelled and moaned.

  “Sienna? Sienna, are you hurt?”

  She looked up into Legian’s concerned eyes at the same time she felt his hand against her cheek. “I’m fine.” Her dazed words came out like a shout. “You okay?”

  His look of relief was instant and brief. He gave her a crushing kiss. The next instant his frown returned, and he jumped up and ran toward Apolo.

  Sienna turned to the major. He held a bloody hand to his shoulder. She reached out to him. “You okay, Buzzcut?”

  He smiled, and then he cursed. “Been through worse. What the fuck was that?”

  “Called a blood-charge. Basically, it’s a grenade full of nasty flak.”

  “No shit. Got a piece in my shoulder.” He nudged at the gushing wound.

  She yanked off the bandana tied around her wrist and brushed his hand away. “We got to get you to Med. The barbs are a bitch. They’re coated with poison and anti-coagulant. Here. Let me.” She pressed the bandana against the wound, and stopped cold.

  The nuzzle of a gun pressed into her temple.

  Oh, hell.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Don’t move,” the major ordered, and Sienna froze like she’d been sprayed with liquid nitrogen. He placed his hand over hers and pulled away with a wince, keeping pressure on his wound while removing her hand from under his. Her bloodied hand fell to her pants, and the cold metal barrel nudged harder against her temple.

  “Not. Moving,” Sienna said through clenched teeth. She couldn’t see the Ranger holding a gun to her head, but she’d bet dollars to dickwads he took his job seriously.

  She wanted to kick and scream and hurt him. Instead, she sat there like a pansy. This was one of those times she wished she had more training under her belt. Legian would have known what to do at a time like this. Sienna? Not so much.

  She looked out of the corner of her eye since she couldn’t turn her head. The hallway had turned into a complete cluster fuck. Golden and crimson blood splattered the walls, mixing together to form bizarre abstract art. Men lay on the floor and leaned against walls, gritting at their injuries. Sephians held guns on the Rangers, and vice versa. The atmosphere was tense and surreal at the same time. The whole situation had become a total fucked-up-the-ass face-off.

  Sienna caught Legian out of the corner of her eye, and he looked furious, like he was about to do something really, really stupid. She mouthed the word “no.”

  He frowned but at least didn’t try to play hero. Keeping an eye on her, he knelt by a wobbly Apolo, pressing his hand over his leader’s arm, where blood continued to spill, which meant it had been a very serious injury to not heal quickly. Bente was down. And at least a half dozen Uzis were pointing at them. Even though she had no visible injury, her heart felt like it’d been shredded by the blood-charge.

  “Listen up,” she commanded as best she could with a gun pressed into her temple. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but this has all been a big misunderstanding.”

  A sharp laugh cut the air. “Misunderstanding?” Major Sommers retorted. “That’s when my wife wants to watch Desperate Housewives when a game’s on. No. I think this has gone a ways beyond a simple misunderstanding.”

  She scowled at Buzzcut. “That guy …” she pointed to the bloody mess that used to be a Sephian worker bee named Giphers “was clearly targeting both Apolo and General Jerrick. A terrorist threat against both teams. That makes it even more important for us to partner together. We’re after the same thing. We should be allies, not enemies.” Sienna gave a half smile to the stoic Sephian commander. “Apolo will get to the bottom of it. But we need each other if we’re going to beat the Draeken.”

  With Legian’s help, Apolo pulled himself to his feet. She was impressed that the man was even conscious after losing so much blood. He seemed unfazed by the guns pointing at him. He turned to face the general, who fortunately looked like he pulled through the incident unscathed. But, it was hard to tell with the black uniforms. Apolo eyed the man, the soullare that vined around one eye making his gaze all the more intense. “I give you my word as a military leader that I will get to the bottom o
f this outrage. And I promise you justice will be both swift and merciless,” Apolo said.

  Sienna’s heart lifted. At that moment she knew she would charge into any battle with the Sephian leader any day.

  The general, however, appeared less than swayed. “I have no doubt. But the fact stands, Apolo. You can’t even control your own people.”

  With comical timing, the entire staff of med-tecs came racing around the corner like a bouquet of flower power. Sienna had always found it ironic that the med-tecs dressed in such a sharp contrast from the other Sephians. She held her breath as a barrage of guns swung in the newcomers’ direction. The med-tecs stumbled to a stop, dropping supplies and nearly tripping over each other. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, she would have found the Stooges show comical. They stared wide-eyed, looking from Apolo to the fiasco and back again. Risa was near the back of the group, flat against the wall, looking more freaked out than Sienna had ever seen her.

  Apolo held his uninjured arm toward the med-tecs. “Allow my people to help your injured men. Their blood will not clot without the antitoxin. They will die without assistance.”

  The general looked over his bloodied men, and then nodded tightly.

  Apolo motioned to the dozen or so med-tecs. “It was a blood-charge. Help the humans first. And get Bente to Med fast.” Two raced toward Bente who lay unconscious on the ground. Blood poured from his back. They had him on a stretcher before the others gingerly stepped forward and spread out among the injured.

  A young med-tec rushed to Apolo and swabbed him — the Sephian version of injections — with the antitoxin. Apolo stopped her when she rolled up her sleeve. “Help the humans first. Put the call out for more donors to heal the wounded Sephians.”

  “But you’re hurt,” the med-tec stammered.

  Apolo glared at her. She paled, turned, and hustled to a fallen Sephian. Legian grabbed a cloth binding out of her bag and wrapped it around Apolo’s arm to staunch the blood. Then, without a pause, he bared his chest to the Sephian leader.