ExtremeCircumstances (6 page)

Julian ran his fingers down the side of Gates’ face in a
feather-soft caress. “If this mission were easy they wouldn’t have given it to
us.”

He smiled weakly. But for the first time he began to wonder
if those words were a lie. It was starting to feel as though they weren’t meant
to survive this mission. As if sensing his dark mood Julian lay down next to
him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Two days and we’ll be at the goal. We
are going to show this damn planet who’s boss.”

“Damn straight we are.” It felt good to have Julian’s warm
body pressed up against his. To be surrounded by his strength. He might not
have told Julian what he was thinking. But he had no doubt that Julian knew
anyway.

They were two days from the goal and they were down to
fifteen men.

Julian’s heart raced and his stomach felt like a ball of
knots. He should leave. Go back to his tent. But every time he closed his eyes
he pictured the blood streaming down Gates’ arm. At first Homer had thought the
arrow had only nicked Gates’ palm but after getting him back to camp and
cleaning him up they’d discovered that a vein in his wrist had been cut. And it
wouldn’t stop bleeding.

A shiver of dread crept up his spine and he had to focus on
Gates’ steady heartbeat for a second to relax. Julian took a deep breath and
then exhaled slowly. “I should go. Tomorrow’s going to be a rough day. You need
your sleep.”

Gates sighed and then nodded. “Yeah. Homer tells me I’m
going to be ready to hike again.”

Julian heard the irritation in Gates’ voice and laughed.
“You wouldn’t want to be stuck in this tent all day with your men waiting on
you and we both know it.”

“Yeah. But I don’t really want to put anyone at risk by not
being one hundred percent either.”

It was a valid concern. One Julian hadn’t thought about when
he’d teased Gates. “Homer knows what he’s doing. If he says you’ll be okay to
hike, you’ll be okay.” Julian braced himself on one elbow next to Gates.

“You’re right. Still, if you find out where he keeps the
really good pain meds you’d help a brother out, right?”

Julian laughed and then shook his head. “You know it. In the
meantime, get some sleep.” He moved to sit up when Gates stopped him by
wrapping a hand behind Julian’s neck and then he pulled him down. Julian moved
quickly to put his hands on either side of Gates’ head so he could brace his
weight on them and wouldn’t crush the man. “Was there something else you
needed, Commander?” His voice was husky and his cock was already hard at the
promise of the position.

“Yeah, I need you to shut the fuck up for a second.” Gates
pulled him the rest of the way down until his mouth collided with Gates’. The
kiss was harsh and demanding. Gates’ mouth was firm and unyielding under his.
Just the way Julian liked to be kissed. Julian moaned deeply at the touch. It
was a reminder that Gates had indeed survived. He would be fine. And Julian
needed him to be fine. Gates was his commander. He embodied strength and
leadership. Without that, their entire team would be lost. Plus he sucked cock
better than any other man Julian had ever been with. It’d be a damn shame to
lose that just after discovering it.

He had to pull back when his dick became too hard for
comfort. “That is one way to shut me up.”

Gates winked but let go of Julian. “Sleep tight, Jules.”

“Don’t let anything bite, sir.”

Gates chuckled. “No shit.”

Julian smiled as he sat up. “And Commander.”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Gates smiled and nodded. “Me too.”

A gentle night breeze hit Julian as soon as he left Gates’
tent. There was a spiciness to the air that comforted him and made him relax.
Though knowing Gates was going to be fine definitely helped lighten his mood as
well. He suspected it was ridiculous to believe that just because their
commander had made it, their mission would follow suit. But he did. Gates might
bitch and moan about it but he would be front and center tomorrow. If for
nothing else he’d be there for the boost it’d give the team’s morale. And he’d
probably be back to bossing everyone around again. Gates did everything bossy.
Even kissing.

Julian smiled as he remembered the kiss. Yeah, he liked
bossy kisses.

“Hey!”

Julian looked up to find Prescott walking toward him.
“Yeah?”

“Grab some food then it’s your turn guarding the traps.”

“Yippee.” His sarcastic tone was in direct contrast with the
burst of adrenaline that swept through his body. It couldn’t be helped.
Soldiers didn’t jump up and down and clap their hands with glee like little
schoolgirls no matter how much they were looking forward to an assignment.

Prescott smiled and nodded as if he’d sensed Julian’s
excitement. “And make sure you put on fresh bug-be-gone.”

“Thanks.” Julian exaggerated the dry tone of his voice.

“I’ve got the shift after yours so don’t be looking this way
for any sympathy.”

Julian smiled and shook his head as he went to get his
rations. None of the men were looking for pity. Not tonight. No one needed to
say it out loud though. Julian could feel the anger radiating through the
encampment. They all wanted to be the one who got a little retribution for
Jones and the commander.

The food tasted like cardboard as he ate it. But that wasn’t
new. Rations weren’t designed to taste good. Still, they kept his body going
and they filled that aching void in the pit of his stomach, so he ate every
last bite. And then he set off with a group of four other men to the traps.

They had flashlights but that might give away whatever
element of surprise they had left. So instead they wore night-vision visors
that’d been amplified to pick up even cold-blooded life forms. No one knew for
certain if the reptile men were cold-blooded but if they were, the soldiers
wanted to be prepared. When they made it to the traps the new watch signaled
the group they were relieving and then they took their posts. The whole
changing of the guard was done in almost complete silence. All that was left to
do was settle in and wait.

The night passed slowly and every noise seemed amplified.
Even once-benign noises like the croak of a distant frog seemed slightly
terrifying on this planet. He’d bet his next three rotations that those little,
innocent-sounding amphibians had been modified in some shape or manner. It
seemed as though everything on this planet had been.

But even the croaks of the frogs weren’t as bad as the
occasional snapping of a twig or shuffling of a dry leaf. Those noises served
to remind Julian of the mission and kept his senses heightened. It was almost
time for them to be relieved by the next watch, though, when he finally picked
out a large life form moving through the trees.

Homer had given them tranquilizer darts to use on the
hostiles but for one brief moment Julian contemplated using lethal force. It
would feel good to watch the creature go down and writhe in pain. But it
wouldn’t get their questions answered. And right now they needed answers more than
they needed vengeance. At least that was what he told himself when he reached
for his tranquilizer gun instead of his laser firearm.

A low whistle streaked through the night as his dart flew at
the hostile. The target grunted when it hit and then began searching the
jungle. It wouldn’t matter. He would be out for the count in a matter of
seconds. The two hostiles that jumped out of the jungle at the noise, however,
were a concern. They were fast and now that he had given up his position the
remaining hostiles lunged toward Julian.

Several more whistles streamed through the air before Julian
felt the sting of a dart. Shit. “I’m hit.” The two hostiles crashed into him.
The weight of their bodies pinned him to the ground and he expected to feel
their hands wrap around his throat. He might still be conscious but the
sedative prevented him from defending himself. He was paralyzed but he was
cognizant of his own impending death. His heart raced, which only helped the
tranquilizer spread through his body at a record pace. And his breathing came
in shallow gasps. He couldn’t fill his lungs adequately. He couldn’t compensate
for the combination of the assailants’ weight and the drugs. Black spots danced
in front of his eyes. Maybe he would suffocate before the hostiles could tear
him apart. That would be a blessing.

He closed his eyes as he breathed out his last breath. Sharp
knives raked down the inside of his arm and tore the material of his uniform as
the oppressive hand of death closed in around him. But then the weight lifted
and he could breathe again.

“You okay down there?”

“Not really.” He coughed as he forced air into his burning
lungs. “But I am better now than a few seconds ago.” He sat up but the sudden
change in position made his head swim and his stomach cramp.

“Lie back, man. You’ve got enough sedatives pumping through
your system right now to knock out a rhino.”

“And yet I’m still awake.” Just barely. But he would take
that right now since it meant he was also alive.

“He’s about as smart as a rhino as well.”

He needed to keep talking if he had any chance of staying
conscious. “Rhinos were smart.” He wasn’t sure where he’d heard it but he was
fairly certain he had.

“Sure they were.” Strong hands lifted him up and then
gripped him around the waist to support him as he stood. His stomach rebelled
against the movement, causing him to dry heave in response. “I’m sure it was
their intelligence that caused them to go extinct.”

“We’ve got everybody. Let’s get the fuck out of here before
they start waking up.”

Julian looked up to see the remaining three soldiers each
had a hostile restrained and thrown over his shoulder. “What are they?” His
voice was thick and the words slow.

Haddisher steadied Julian as he wobbled before answering.
“Looks like more of the reptile men. Only these seem more advanced than the
first one we encountered.”

That they were dressed in primitive clothing and could set
traps with weapons went a long way to proving Haddisher’s assessment.

“We’ll know more once we get them back to camp though,” one
of the other men said. Impatience was clear in his tone and the tense lines of
his body.

Haddisher nodded and the ripple of movement made Julian
heave again. “Yeah. You guys had better go on ahead of us. I’m going to set an
easy pace for the rhino here. Make sure that he doesn’t puke on me.”

Julian would’ve laughed if it didn’t take all of his
concentration to keep his knees from buckling. “Sorry, man.”

“Nothing for you to apologize for. It was my dart that hit
you.” With Haddisher’s arm wrapped around his waist and his hand gripping
Julian tightly, they started the walk back to camp.

Each step was tortuously slow and the night refused to stop
spinning around him. He finally took off his night-vision visor because the
black void caused less strain on his eyes and helped him relax. Haddisher was
leading the way anyway. As long as he could guide them around any potential
obstacles they’d be all right.

When the lights of the camp came into view he nearly sighed
in relief. He needed to crawl into his tent and sleep off the rest of the
tranquilizer dose. And some bandages for his arm would probably be a good idea.
The wet stickiness of his blood had seeped through what was left of his uniform
sleeve and made the material adhere to his skin. It didn’t hurt as bad as he
thought it should but wasn’t exactly a comfortable feeling. But even though it
was only mildly painful it still needed to be looked at.

The camp was buzzing with action as they entered. So much so
that it took a moment for anyone to notice their return. Not that he could
blame them. With three hostages to secure, everybody was busy. After Haddisher
guided him over to a fallen branch, Julian gratefully sat down on it and took a
deep breath. “Thanks. There’s no way I could’ve done that hike on my own.”

Haddisher nodded. “You’re on our team. You don’t get to do
things on your own anymore. Might as well get used to it. I’ve gotta go report
in but I’ll send Homer this way.”

Julian nodded absently before leaning back on a tree trunk
and closing his eyes. Now that they were safely back at camp and the adrenaline
was starting to disappear from his system it was getting harder for him to
ignore the pull of the tranquilizer. He just felt so wonderfully relaxed and
fuzzy right now.

But a sharp jab woke him from the light sleep he’d
apparently slipped into some time later. “Good morning to you too.” His voice
was still rough but his words were no longer slow. That had to be an
improvement.

“Still night. Just gave you something to counteract the
sedative.”

Julian opened one eye just a crack so he could see Homer.
“Guess it’d be asking too much to just let me sleep it off.”

“Well, it certainly is now.” Homer grabbed another syringe
from his bag. “But in my defense, I didn’t think you’d want to wake up with a
stiff neck and back from sleeping propped up against a tree.”

The world around him was already starting to come into a
sharper focus. Whatever was in the shot seemed to be doing its job. “Probably
right.” He went to stretch but was stopped by the throbbing ache in his arm.
“Fuck.”

“Yep. I’d say that pretty much sums things up.” Homer gave
him the second shot and then cut what remained of his sleeve away. “I know how
vain you infantry soldiers can be but if you’re that determined to show off
your biceps I can give you a couple of suggestions that might be less painful.”

Julian couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s joke. “I’ll keep
that in mind next time.”

“Please do.” Homer sprayed something on Julian’s wound that
made it burn like a son of a bitch. He gritted his teeth against the pain but a
hiss still managed to escape him. “Quit being such a baby.”

The comment should’ve been irritating but the medic had kept
his tone soft enough that Julian recognized it as an attempt to lighten the
moment. “I apologize if my injury is inconvenient.”

“Apology accepted.” Homer spread a thin layer of biological
glue over some of the deeper cuts and pressed the skin together before wrapping
Julian’s bicep in sterile gauze. “Keep it dry and no scratching.”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll check it again tomorrow.”

“I’ll try not to get into any new scrapes between now and
then.”

“Sure you will. That’s what they all say. Go get some
sleep.”

Julian chuckled before he stood and made his way to his
tent. It was dark and quiet inside the shelter. And an exhaustion that had
nothing to do with the sedative swept through his entire being. This mission
was taking a toll. Endless days hiking though hostile territory and nights
spent trying to find a sleeping position that somehow avoided rocks had him on
edge.