Awakening (Earth Evolution Series Book 4) (2 page)

“Okay, I’ll talk to Lily. I’m tired.” She didn’t want to talk anymore.

“If you need me, you can call out to the computer to page me. There are security guards outside your door so you are safe here.”

“Thank you.” She lay back on the bed and waited until Jared turned the lights down.

As soon as he was gone she leaped up, went to the back cabinets, and opened the bottom doors.  Inside were pillows and a blanket she had stuffed there weeks ago. Squirrel had used the pillows to form a type of mattress. She climbed inside and closed the doors to the cabinet, leaving a crack so she could see out. This had been the only way that she was able to fully relax and sleep. She was used to small dark places so the cabinet was the perfect hiding place for her. She only slept a few hours a night and would be up long before anyone else came back to the mediko facility in the morning.

She snuggled in and closed her eyes. The first image that came to her was Quinn’s. His handsome face and dimples had her wet and aching for things she’d never wanted before.

Chapter 2

Quinn punched the wall target as hard as he could over and over again. Each time he punched, the computer would read off the impact force he reached.

“You have reached maximum goal of force. Recommend ending session,” the computer read out.

“Negative—increase goal.” Quinn kept hitting the target. He didn’t love working out but he needed this session. He couldn’t sleep—hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep in weeks. Ever since he found the small human female caught in the debris from the bomb in Earth’s subway tunnels, he’d been restless for some reason. If he had been a few seconds late, the female—Squirrel—would have died.

What kind of name was Squirrel? He overheard her explaining to Jared that she couldn’t remember anything before the nuclear blast, including her real name. The people she’d met in the tunnels gave her the nickname of Squirrel. He searched it in Earth’s database and knew it referred to a small rodent. That was a horrible name to be called. She deserved better.

He admired her survival abilities. She had been living in the tunnels away from the rest of the humans and their groups called tribes, and had traded for what she needed. It bothered him that she had been alone for so long. He wondered what that did to a person to be so isolated. She was too delicate and frail to suffer being alone and fending for herself. If he had his way, she would be protected and given the care she needed, but it wasn’t up to him.

He punched the wall panel again. The computer announced, “New goal met. Recommend ending session.”

“Increase goal,” Quinn ordered

“Goal increased.”

“What are you doing?” a voice called out from behind him.

Quinn turned to see his oldest cousin, Jared, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m working out. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You’re pushing your body to the limit, Quinn. How many times have you ignored the recommendation to end the session?”

Quinn shrugged, turned back to the panel, and punched a few more times. Maybe his cousin would get bored and leave. That was too much to hope for. He heard Jared’s footsteps as he approached. Jared was a mediko and he took the medical care of all the crew seriously.

“Why are you working out at this time of night?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I have to get back to top shape if I hope to lead a mission. When are you taking me off medical leave?” He stopped to look at his cousin expectantly.

“I told my dad you were physically ready, but he’s worried about your judgment.”

“What about my judgment? I have the same training and experiences as others my age who have led their own missions.” Quinn was insulted.

“You’re family and he worries about you, we all do. You keep taking unnecessary risks. You jump into dangerous situations without thinking it through. You volunteer for every dangerous mission that comes up.”

“I just want to prove myself.” Quinn never knew his own father. He died when Quinn was a baby. His only father figure had been his uncle Devlon. He saw his uncle every time he came to check on his sons who stayed with Quinn and his mother. Quinn admired Devlon and wanted to grow up to be an experienced warrior and a great commander like him.

Jared approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to prove anything. We all know you’re a capable warrior. Father is always bragging about how well you are doing. He’s just worried—all of us are—that you’re pushing yourself too hard. It would devastate us if something happened to you. You could have died in that bombing when you risked your life to save Squirrel.”

“Was I supposed to let her die?” The thought of her death didn’t sit well with him.

“No, but you could have waited for backup.”

“There was no time. She would have died, and don’t call her that horrible name.”

“That’s the only name she has.”

Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. “She needs a new one. Couldn’t you search the DNA database to find out who she really is? What if she had family somewhere like Maggie did?”

“I asked her but she said she didn’t care to find out. Maybe you could convince her to let me try.”

“Just do it.”

“I would like her permission first. Maybe she had a bad home life. I wouldn’t want to reunite her with an abusive boyfriend.”

He growled at the possibility that she could have another male missing her. Quinn had to admit that Jared had a point. “I’ll check on her in the morning. Is she still in mediko?”

“Yes, she refuses to live in the quarters we arranged for her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t experienced the things she did so I can’t imagine what she is thinking or feeling.”

“Why do you think I would have any influence on her? I barely know her.”

Jared gave him a knowing smile. “You have been by my mediko more in the last few weeks with her there than you have the last few years while we were in deep space. She asks about you too.”

Quinn tried to act nonchalant. “She does?”

“Yes.”

“What does she say—about me?”

“I’m not going to sit here and gossip with you. If you want to know more about her and what she thinks of you, you’ll have to come and visit with her.”

“Is she still sleeping in the cabinets?”

Jared sighed. “Yes, no matter what I do or say, she prefers to hide in dark tight places. It makes me feel like I’m failing her.”

“She doesn’t feel safe so she seeks out places that are more familiar.”

“You seem to understand her. This is why you need to talk to her, spend time with her. She hasn’t even toured the ship yet, despite how many times my Lily has asked her to walk with her. Lily has visited her many times and brought Thomas with her to try to encourage her to get out of mediko for a while. She refuses, though I sense she has grown curious.”

“That’s not healthy.”

“I know and that’s why I’m seeking you out. I think she’ll respond to you.”

“Other than her not leaving mediko, how’s her health?”

“She’s responding surprisingly well to the treatments. Her skin has the pink coloring again and her eyes are bright and clear. Her hair had started to fall out in places when she was found, which was why she had kept it cut short, but now it has grown out quite a bit. She looks almost completely different.”

“I’ll try to get her to go on a tour with me if you promise to talk to your dad about letting me take on a mission. I need to feel like I’m doing my part to serve the fleet.”

“Okay, you deal with Squir—the girl—and I’ll deal with dad.”

*****

Quinn worked out for another thirty minutes before he left the gym. He meant to go straight to his quarters but found himself heading to the mediko. He was relieved that Lt. Tagar Orti was on duty. Tagar had been handpicked by his uncle to be the girl’s bodyguard. All the humans on board had a bodyguard because of the threat against them from both humans and Drastans. Tagar was Devlon’s first choice and Quinn approved. He knew Tagar was a good male.

“How is she, Tagar?”

Tagar shook his head. “She sleeps in the cabinets again. I want to go in and pull her out so badly, but she would be scared by my size and she is so tiny.”

Quinn nodded. Tagar was over seven feet tall, taller than any Drastan warrior he had ever met. Not many would dare go against him, but Quinn knew how careful he was not to use his strength unwisely.

“I know you wouldn’t hurt her, and she will learn that, too, in time. There’s no one I would trust more with her safety.”

Tagar puffed out his chest with pride. “I take my assignment seriously.”

“I know you do.”

“Why are you here so late?”

“I wanted to check on her. I’m going to go inside and see if I can get her to come out from the cabinet.”

“Good luck with that.” Tagar entered the secure code for the door to open.

Quinn entered the darkened room. He waved the panel on the wall to raise the lights careful to not make a lot of sound. He didn’t want to startle her but her eyes were still very sensitive to bright lights.

He walked over to the cabinets where the corner of a sheet was poking out. He knelt down and called, “Little one, can you hear me?”

Mumbling came from inside but the doors did not open. He reached for them and opened them wide. The girl was curled on her side, holding a pillow to her chest. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was having a nightmare.

He reached for her, lifting her out of the cabinet and into his arms.

“Who—” she mumbled, trying to open her eyes. She was clearly exhausted. He would have to ask his cousin to give her something to help her sleep at night. She did not need to suffer these nightmares.

“Shhh…I’m here, little one. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“Quinn,” she whispered. Something about the simple trust in him she showed by the way she said his name had his gut clenching. She snuggled against him.

Holding her close to his heart, Quinn stood and carried her back to her bed. He laid her down gently and pulled a blanket up to cover her. Her hair had grown out quickly, proving the supplements and treatments were doing wonders for her.

He lifted a strand of blond hair in between his fingers; soft and silky. She was so beautiful and tiny, a miracle in a small package. When he first found her in the tunnels, he thought she was just a child. He was shocked to find out she was a fully grown woman, twenty years old. When she looked at him her eyes read older, though, like she had seen her fair share of horrors.

“Dimples, you came.”

He blinked, realizing she was looking at him with droopy eyes. She seemed to find the indention in his cheeks appealing for some reason. She reached up to place a finger in the small crease. He smiled as he leaned down and whispered, “I told you I would not let anything happen to you. You are safe.”

She smiled and fell back to sleep. He hoped she would remain in the bed until morning but doubted it. More than likely, an hour after he left she would be back in the cabinet again. He turned to leave.

He waved his hand at the wall panel to turn the lights off and exited the door.

“You managed to get her in the bed.” Tagar sounded impressed.

“I don’t think she’ll stay there.”

“Habits are hard to break, especially ones that are born of keeping one safe.”

“You’re right. Let me know if there are any problems.”

“Yes sir.”

Everything in him wanted to go back and get Squirrel and take her to his quarters. He shook his head trying to clear those thoughts. She was too scared of men to open herself up to one right now. Also, he didn’t have time for a relationship right now, but if he did she would be the one he would want to pursue. He couldn’t imagine anyone else.

Quinn headed back to his quarters. He planned to approach his uncle again tomorrow to request his own mission. His dream since childhood had been to command his own ship. He wasn’t going to let anything stop him.

*****

“The human rebels failed. The commander refuses to leave, and now we have even more humans on board than before and a half-breed, a first of many if something isn’t done about it.”

“What can we do? Commander Devlon has proclaimed the humans are to be protected and anyone who means them harm will be considered a traitor. He’s in charge so it limits our actions.”

“That would be true, unless he is no longer in charge.”

“What do you mean?”

“A commander can be replaced.”

“You have to prove he’s unfit, otherwise it can be considered mutiny if we tried to overturn his command.”

“Who says we’re going to be the ones to overturn his command?”

“Who—”

“I’ll tell you what you need to know when you need to know it. Just be on the alert.”