Ultimate Passage: New Beginnings: Box Set ( Books 1-4) (18 page)

F
inn’s phone rang
, and his heart almost stopped. Marissa! She was safe. Except it wasn’t her name on the screen, it was Kal’s. That should have made him somewhat happy, perhaps, but it didn’t.

He pressed the screen to answer. “Tell me she’s okay.”

“She’s okay.”

“Now tell me how you know this and where she is.”

“She’s been picked up by Talik. He’s taking her to the vessel. She will be transported to Kormia. For trial. For murder.”

Merck’s partner. That scared the hell out of Finn. He knew not all murderers made it to trial in Kormia. He knew that Kal was hoping that she’d be tried, but the reality was that if the Council decided she didn’t deserve trial because of the nature of her crime, she’d be sentenced to death. Immediately. Death meant abandonment in the lands outside of the Asazi area. To the Kormic.

“You said she will be transported. That means she hasn’t been. I want to be on the vessel with her.”

“That will not be possible.”

“Why the hell not? Let me talk to your father. He could do something.”

“It’s out of our hands. I’ve talked to him already. Trust me, I know how you feel about Marissa. I don’t want anything to happen to her. The vessel is departing Earth in moments. I can meet her on arrival and make sure she’s secure. Then I’ll come get you. Is that good enough? I hope you say yes, because that’s the only option I have.”

“How soon will you be here? And where will you be?”

“I need twenty-four hours.”

“Yes. But tell me where the vessel is right now. I have to try to intercept it.”

Kal exhaled, a very exhausted, exasperated sigh. It irritated Finn because his primary concern was Marissa. Why did it feel as if Kal wasn’t on his side?

“They are in the same area near northwest Houston. Unless you are less than five minutes away, you’ll be too late. I am coming to Arizona—that’s where I am ordered to go. You will need to be there. To meet me there. That’s where I’ll pick you up.”

“I’ll be back at the ranch house on time. But now, I’m too close to Houston to take a chance on not seeing her, not helping her.”

Finn moved his finger to end the call, then had another thought. “Kal. Wait. Another thing.”

“Yes?”

“If anything happens to her, anything at all, I want you to tell the Governors-Select that I will contact the media on Earth. I will tell them everything about us. I will submit myself to be examined.”

“No, Finn. If I tell them that—”

“Do it.”

“You will be sealing a fate that you don’t want.”

“Just do it. Swear to me you will.”

“I can’t.”

“Swear it.”

“All right. I will.”

Finn pressed end.

T
he Asazi soldier
drove back to the same hilly knoll with the thicket of trees, the place where she’d killed the other one. She averted her eyes as they passed the tree where the knife had been. She didn’t want to be reminded of that.

The soldier parked the car and got out. He reached toward the bottom of one post, his hand disappeared under the ground, and then the hill opened up, grass and dirt moving aside in the hilly knoll. It yielded a hidden door, pushing tufts of grass out of the way. He drove the car inside the large garage-door-sized opening. Inside the doorway was a dark tunnel.

After he’d parked the car, he pressed a button that closed the large door they entered through, came around to Marissa’s side and yanked her out. Marissa hesitated.

“Go.” He shoved her forward.

She took a few steps and paused. Her eyes were slow to adapt to the darkness inside, and she couldn’t see anything. The inky blackness was pervasive. “I can’t see where I’m going.”

“Keep moving.” Another push on the small of her back.

She bit back a reply. She wanted to yell at him to be gentle.

A sudden brightness made her blink. At first she thought it was like being outside in the bright daylight, but then she quickly realized that it was not sunlight, and it wasn’t as bright as she’d thought. All of the light came from a vessel in the middle of a room that was lined with metal. A perfectly round room that had a high ceiling and a wall made of something she thought might be steel.

At the opposite end from where she was standing was another tunnel. She wondered where that led and if that was where he was taking her.

In the middle of the room, a vessel that reminded her of something from a science fiction movie was glowing, casting off a light that bounced off the walls and caused the brightness that had initially felt like it would blind her.

She whistled under her breath. The vessel, or ship, or whatever it was, stood on three legs, much like a plane’s landing gear, except it wasn’t wheeled and it was higher off the ground, like a tripod with dwarfed legs. The vessel was elliptical with a pointed nose, or rear, whichever it was. She couldn’t tell the front from the back, not yet, anyway.

Oh! Now she knew what it reminded her of. That spy plane her dad used to love. The SR-71 Blackbird. Only this thing was not as lean or long. It was like the Blackbird’s fat, ugly sister. Probably smaller, if she had to take a guess. She’d never seen a Blackbird herself, but she imagined they were pretty big, as planes went.

“I’m not getting in that.”

“You killed my best friend. I will have no problem killing you and claiming it was necessary. They will believe me.”

The look in his eyes and the calmness of the blue-green hue of his skin convinced her that he was not one to mess around with.

“In.” He gestured to a metal ladder that led up into the ship.

She led the way up the steps, fighting an instinct to kick him in the face and make a run for it because she knew she couldn’t win if she did.

The interior seemed divided into a cockpit and a main area. The main area had several pod-like structures with chairs in them. It reminded her of that movie where a woman came back with an alien baby inside of her.

It hadn’t been a very nice baby. Marissa couldn’t fight the shudder that overcame her, and she prayed her baby was nothing like that. She hoped it would be a Finn junior.
Please, let it be like Finn, not some creepy creature that eats people.

“Sit.” He pointed to the first pod-thingy.

She hesitated. He jerked the shotgun up.

She lowered herself into the snug seat, grimacing, still cuffed. “What about these?”

He didn’t respond; rather, he pressed a button that lowered a glass lid. Thank goodness it was clear, otherwise her claustrophobia would send her over the edge. When the lid was all the way down, he pointed to a tube that had a suction cup on the end. “Put that on and breathe.”

Her mind flew to the baby. Would whatever she breathed in harm it? “What is it?”

“Just do as you are instructed.”

“No. I don’t know what’s in it.”

“It will help you while we return to Kormia.”

Yeah, that told her nothing. She took a deep breath, then put the suction cup over her nose and mouth, held her breath, and closed her eyes.

She counted to thirty, then opened her eyes a tiny bit, just enough to watch the soldier getting into a pod, closing the lid and putting the apparatus over his own face.

Who the hell was going to drive? Or fly? Or whatever this thing did?

Her lungs burned with the effort of holding her breath. She moved the apparatus aside slowly and sucked a lungful of air in.

F
inn pulled
onto the unpaved road that led to the hill. This was where Kal said Talik had taken her.

He reached under the fencepost and opened the entryway. The first thing he saw was the car.

He ran to it and opened the door. The keys were in the ignition, as they were always supposed to be, but there was no one around.

As quietly as he could, he ran toward the center room, praying that he’d find the vessel there, that he’d encounter Marissa and Talik. The total darkness at the end of the tunnel told him that the center room was dark. He tried not to let disappointment take hold of him yet, to wait until he had verified what he was already suspecting.

He reached the end of the tunnel and found the center room completely empty. Heartbroken and terrified, he dropped to his knees. His wings flared open, then wrapped around his shoulders. She was gone. Gone to a place where she would be met with hostility for killing Merck. A place where she wasn’t worth anything at all except what she could deliver to his people.

Snap out of it.
That’s what Marissa would have said. She’d have been right, too. This was not the time to yield to emotions. It was time to get to Arizona, to the ranch. To wait for Kal to get there to pick him up and take him home.

Home. A place he’d become accustomed to thinking he’d never see again. A place he’d been glad not to return to. Life was much simpler and better here on Earth.

M
arissa was
in that half-awake, half-sleep state where things seem like a dream but at the same time seem like they’re real. She was in a car. No, on a plane. Something... and she was moving. She tried to sort it out in her mind, but was coming up blank. Sleep was determined to keep her eyes shut though her mind’s curiosity fought to open them. Curiosity won.

She opened her eyes slowly, still unsure whether or not this was a dream. Maybe she was opening her eyes in the dream. Except she was in this pod thing.

Memories crashed into her consciousness, shoving her out of her dream state into a foreign place that did not intend her any good. Probably intended her harm, if anything.

She looked around. The Asazi soldier was still in his pod, eyes closed, that breathing apparatus over his face. She surveyed the room. There were six other pods, and two were covered. The rest were open. She squinted to see what—who—was in the covered ones.

It looked like—she stifled a horrified cry—yes, it was him. The one she’d killed. He was still in his bloody uniform. His scaly chameleon-like skin was a bone-white, like a skeleton that had been left out in the desert, weathered and bleached. She raised her fist to her mouth to bite on it, to keep back the wail that was rising in her lungs. Except that both hands rose when she did that. God, no. She was still handcuffed. This was no dream. Even in her semi-aware state, she’d hoped it wasn’t real.

A sudden bump and her pod was jarred. It was like one of the rollercoaster-type rides at Six Flags, the one that takes you way up high, then drops you. Where you fall, but don’t really. The live soldier, the one who had captured her, was catty-corner across from her in a pod. When he stirred, she put the breathing apparatus near her face and feigned sleep, hoping he didn’t bother to look closely, because he was bound to see the veins pounding in her neck and temples.

Less than a minute later the lid of her pod rose with a quiet whoosh. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, worried about what she’d see, wanting to keep them closed. But self-preservation prevailed. She wanted no surprises, so she was better off with her eyes open.

It was him. Shit. More than just him. Half a dozen soldiers in dark green uniforms, all Asazi, were staring at her, their Asazi skin a dark orange-red. She knew that color only too well. Anger.

Then they turned to look at the one she’d killed, still in his pod, before they turned back to her. There was no pity in their eyes; instead, they gleamed with a cold hardness.

She attempted to make herself smaller within the pod, wishing she could disappear, wishing she could become small enough to evade their accusing glares.

“Out, human.” The soldier who had captured her snarled the command.

She tried to push out, but with both hands secured in front of her, she had no way of gaining enough leverage to rise out of the pod. “My—” Her mouth wouldn’t work. Her throat seemed constricted shut. She tried to swallow but had no saliva. She dry-swallowed and tried again. “My hands. I can’t.”

The soldier reached down, grabbed the cuffs from the linked chain holding the bracelets together and jerked her to a stand. She stumbled forward, headlong into one soldier’s chest. He shoved her backward, and she bounced off the pod’s lid.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been in that cocooned, semi-fetal state, but her legs said too long. She was wobbly and fell into another soldier’s shoulder. He pushed her off, and she stumbled into a different one. He shoved her away as if she were disease-ridden. This time she bounced off a wall. Tiny spots of white light appeared in front of her, obscuring her vision, making the whole thing seem surreal.

“Enough,” a voice commanded. She thought maybe she knew that voice, but she wasn’t sure. She rubbed her temple with her joined hands. Everything seemed off. Was that Finn?

“Finn?” She leapt for the familiar profile, for the familiar face. Her leap failed, and she crumpled at his feet.

Tears sprang up, and she closed her eyes against them. She wanted this to be a dream, though she knew that wanting it was futile. She pushed off the ground with her clenched, handcuffed fists, tried to rise, to no avail. Marissa kept falling, unbalanced.

“Finn. Help me.”

“Marissa.”

Her name. That was her name, but she was wrong, it wasn’t Finn’s voice. Hands went under her arms, pulling her to a stand. She wiped her eyes on her shoulders, wanting to unleash an assortment of profanities, angry at herself for having tears, for showing weakness, angry at her captors for bringing her here. Angry that her baby was in danger.

“What?” The word was full of venom and anger. She couldn’t help it, and wouldn’t have cared to stop the anger from showing if she could. She wiped her eyes on her shoulders and forearms. “At least cut me loose. There are enough of you to keep one little human woman from doing any harm.”

She focused on the man—alien—creature—whatever in front of her. And then she recognized him. “Oh, God. I didn’t know. Kal. Kal, help me, please. They’ve brought me here and—”

“I know.”

“You know?” Disbelief numbed her mind. “What do you know?”

“Too much.” He shook his head in sadness, his color a deep blue. “Release her.”

“But—” one soldier protested.

“She killed Merck.” Another one finished the first soldier’s statement.

“She will not hurt me. Release her and escort her to her quarters.”

“She has no quarters. She has a cell.”

“So be it.” Kal said. “Take her there.”

“But—” Marissa was confused. What the hell was going on?

“I’ll be there shortly. Wait for me.” Kal’s voice was calm.

Marissa fought the laughter of hysteria that threatened to burst from her lips. Wait for him? Like she had a choice? The irony of his statement was getting to her. Or maybe it was the situation. Or the pregnancy.

Two of the men put their hands on her elbows. Not loosely, but not so tight that she’d feel threatened—just enough to remind her that she wasn’t a guest, she was a prisoner.

They led her out of the fat, squat Blackbird-wanna-be onto a plank that resembled a horizontal fire escape grate.

The surroundings reminded her of a Mayan temple that had gone through an apocalyptic, movie-set makeover. Large stones and boulders, square and rough, made a barrier. Within the barrier, buildings composed of the same boulders coordinated with metal scaffoldings to create a semi-primitive, semi-newfangled modernistic settlement.

“This is where Asazi live?” She looked at her guards. Stoic, neither looked at her. Nor did either answer.
Great.
Over and over, as she was led down a pathway that was just wide enough for a car, she felt eyes on her. When she turned her head quickly enough she would catch a face peeking at her, but it would just as quickly vanish behind the stone and metal structures.

After a five-minute walk, the soldiers led her to a large, imposing, carved-stone stairway that led into the ground. Dewy short moss covered the walls of the stairway, and sconces lined the way every few feet, casting light as they walked further and further into the ground, further and further away from the vessel that could take her home. Marissa tried to see what was used for lighting, but she wasn’t tall enough. She wondered if it was candles or electric bulbs, or maybe even something else.

She kept her back straight, refusing to acknowledge her position of weakness or to show any fear. The part she couldn’t control was the fear that was setting in as she went deeper and deeper underground. It was claustrophobia, and she had no control over it. Zero. Zip. The only thing she could fight to control was her breathing. Kind of. Though she felt that at any moment she would lose to the hysteria of claustrophobia and become a squawking, slobbering mess on the tunnel’s cobblestone flooring.

The stairway dead-ended directly in front of her, but had a tunnel extending to the left and to the right. They turned right, where the tunnel narrowed to accommodate three individuals side by side, but barely.
Great.
More tunnels, more underground. She was more than ready to be in the open air.

The idea that this was where Finn had grown up wasn’t lost on her. It seemed so dreary, so intense. She wondered if she’d feel otherwise if her situation were at all different.

They continued down the cobblestone pathway of the tunnel. She saw doors made of steel or a similar metal on each side every few feet. Were these rooms homes? Were they cells?

She wanted to ask her captors, but knew she’d get the same non-response she already had, so what was the point?

They walked for a long time, it seemed, though in her present state of near-hyperventilation, she wasn’t sure that she was qualified to measure time. Finally, they stopped in front of a door that was larger than the others. One of the soldiers put a metal ID that looked like a thick credit card on a square metal plate that was mounted just outside the door at about the height of a door handle.

When he put the ID on it, the door swung open to reveal a room. They stepped inside, clear of the door, which swung shut.

Now she was in a room not much larger than her living room. The back wall was comprised of a series of doors, and between those doors and Marissa and her captors stood a long, wide desk attached to a half-wall. Behind the desk sat an Asazi soldier with a forbidding expression. He nodded to the soldiers, reached beneath the desk and pressed something. The half-wall moved, creating an opening.

“Lesser League,” he said.

She had no clue what that meant. “What’s that? Where are you taking me?” She turned to the man at the desk. “What is this place?”

“Your new home, murderess.” His tone was stringent, caustic. He looked away, disgust evident on his face.

She raised her voice to a yell. “Do you people—whatever you are—not recognize the act of self-defense? Do I get a lawyer? A jury? A trial? Is there no such thing as innocent until proven guilty?” She was on a roll, revving up, ranting, and pissed in a major way. She paused to take a deep breath.

“Keep walking, human,” one of them interjected, prodding her.

She turned, her back stiff, allowing their hands on her elbows to guide her toward one of the doors, the one on the far right. Before she could crash into the door, it swung open. Another hallway. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. How far into the bowels of this place were they taking her?

The doors in this hallway were different. They had bars. Definitely a jail cell. Four doors down on the left, they opened one and stood back.

Marissa went in, then turned around to face them. “Do I get some sort of representation?”

One of them closed the door. They looked at each other, back at her, performed a tight, simultaneous about-face, and marched down the hallway, their boots clacking on the stone.

Why hadn’t she noticed their footfalls when they were coming here? she wondered as they left, leaving the echo of their steps behind them.

Within seconds, she was alone in a place that had no windows, bars on the doors, and walls made of large, stacked boulders. The boulders reminded her of the shows she’d seen on the nature channel where they’d traveled to Mayan territory, or was it Incan? Hell, she didn’t know; it could have been Aztec, for all she knew. It wasn’t like she’d paid all that much attention. Truth be told, Dad had watched those shows while she was doing the books for Two West Two.

The only place she could sit was a stone bench with a black blanket folded at the foot—or head? Who could tell, since there was no pillow.

A hole in the opposite corner... well, she didn’t want to dwell on its purpose. But damn, no toilet paper. What was a girl supposed to do? She’d deal with that issue when she came to it.

Footsteps approached. Hopefully it was Kal. Her spirits lifted. She’d get answers. Help, released, something. Surely there’d be progress. And he could contact Finn.

Her shoulders slumped in relief, tension evaporating, somewhat if not completely. Shuffling came from the other side. She moved toward the door, almost reaching the bars when a woman appeared in front of her. An Asazi woman, wearing a dark green uniform. Like a soldier’s uniform, like the ones that belonged to the soldiers who had just left her. Her uniform was tailored, perfectly fitting to show off an athletic figure. She wore a badge on her chest, probably her rank. Marissa wished she knew more about ranks and what they meant, not that it mattered, but she was curious. The woman’s eyes were cold, her blonde hair long and loose. She was quite a beautiful woman, though her icy demeanor worried Marissa. She tried to catch the name on the badge, peering, leaning closer.

Alithera.

Marissa knew that name. That was the name that Finn had mentioned when he was talking to Kal. The woman he’d said he was Bound to. She knew that had to mean... something romantic. So she was pretty sure this was not her new best friend.

Marissa backed up. The woman opened the door with her badge and stepped in.

“So you’re her. Number 41.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Playing stupid seemed like a good idea.

“And you are carrying his baby.” The woman’s brows shot up. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don’t know who you are, or what you want.”

“My close friends call me Ali.”

“I don’t think you came here to be my friend.” Marissa backed up toward the stone bench. Her hands rose, covering her stomach. She didn’t even realize her gesture until after she’d done it. “What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything. The Council will do what is right.” Ali leaned in closer to Marissa. “I am not destined to be an obedient Asazi wife. I should thank you for capturing Finn’s attention, and ending the Binding, but he did that before he left for Earth, and before he met you. I suspect the catalyst in Finn’s decision was his own humanity, which he struggles so much against.” Her eyes glowed a golden color. “Best of luck, human. You will need it.”

“My name is Marissa. Get the fuck out of here.” Marissa had had enough with the lack of hospitality and overall shittiness of this damned planet. She hoped she wouldn’t have to back up her words against the tall, Amazon-like Asazi woman, but she was perfectly willing to go down doing so.