Hotbloods 6: Allies

Xiphio gasped out loud. “You were a Fed agent?”

“I was, though I wasn’t very good at it. Apparently, it’s bad form for a Federal agent to take bribes.” He flashed a wolfish grin. “Anyway, I know how to get in touch with my lycan pals. All I need is a quick lend of the ship’s systems and I’ll have us there in no time.”

Bashrik moved away from the controls. “Sure, do what you’ve got to do.”

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Xiphio protested, evidently struggling with the idea of a dirty agent. For me, it only confirmed something I’d already been suspecting: with a Fed that spanned the universe, there had to be some underhanded activities going on. I’d already wondered if that was how the rebels had been allowed to build their base on Earth in the first place, with their secret being kept by some lycan agent down there. It really wouldn’t have surprised me.

“Relax, Xiphio. I realized my calling in the end—I was always destined for the scavenger life,” Dio replied, chuckling as he made his way over to the controls and started to work his magic. Before long, a flashing light showed up on the navigation system, though it didn’t appear to be coming from Earth at all.

I thought back to the first time I’d been taken to the Fed HQ, after coaxing them out and forcing them to come to us. The air had felt distinctly different—I remembered that much—and there’d been a sharp wind that had carried the scent of saltwater. I’d been convinced we were by the ocean, somewhere on Earth, but this was just confusing. Judging by the flashing light on the navigation monitor, it looked like the headquarters were stationed on the moon. There was a strange sort of irony in a bunch of lycan agents living on the moon, but I didn’t know if it was polite to say in front of Dio.

“Are there two Fed HQs here?” I wondered.

Dio shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me. They’ll have an outpost down on the surface, for immediate purposes, and one farther away. Especially considering this planet is part of the Embryo Project, they’d try to keep their distance, with only a few guys on the ground.”

“There’s one on the moon? The actual moon?” Angie looked stunned.

Alfa padded across to the windshield and looked out, before casting a bemused expression back at us. “Don’t you Earthlings have a name for your moon? Seems a bit unfair, just to call it ‘moon.’”

I guessed he had a point, though it wasn’t something I’d thought about before.

“It’s probably because it was the first one we ever saw, as humans,” Lauren explained, though she didn’t look entirely convinced.

The cruiser jolted forward unexpectedly. “Sorry—not used to these controls!” Dio yelped, as Bashrik swooped in and took over, directing the ship toward the flashing beacon that had appeared on the screen. It was taking us away from Earth, much to my dismay, but I knew we’d soon be back on her surface, forging our shields and keeping her from harm.

Keeping my eyes on her until the ship turned too far in the opposite direction, I added fuel to the flames of the hope that burned brightly within me. We’d made it here before Gianne, and we were about to enlist the lycans into our fold. The merevins were on their way, and Alfa’s Rexombran pals would be coming too. Even so, the thing I was looking forward to the most was sinking to the ground and feeling Earthen grass under my feet again. It would be strange to smell the scent of home again, but I was more than ready for it.

Ten minutes later, the surface of the moon came into full view, the cratered landscape barely seeming real from this distance. It looked like a set, something from a Hollywood movie. The sight completely took my breath away; it resembled one big mountain range, with peaks and gorges. I couldn’t see any sort of building, but that didn't mean there wasn't one down there—the rebel base had taught me that much.

“Since everyone is getting a turn on the controls today, do you want to send updates to your buddies?” Bashrik asked, glancing at Alfa. “I can send them to the merevins, but you all might as well meet us at HQ instead of frightening some poor, unsuspecting humans.”

Alfa grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.”

As soon as Alfa had sent the coordinates, Bashrik put the cruiser into landing mode, and the ship descended toward the rocky, gray landscape. He tried to get as close to the flashing beacon as possible, but as soon as the underside of the cruiser hovered above the given coordinates, a shiver of electricity bristled through the ship with a loud crackle. There was a shield below us, blocking our entry. He tried to touch it again, but the same thing happened, a shimmer of movement rippling outward, revealing the vague shape of a small dome.

Undeterred, Bashrik lifted us up and moved us a short distance away, before setting us down on the silty surface. This time, nothing stood in our way, though I wondered if the lycan Fed would fear we were an enemy ship.

As if sensing my concerns, Dio pulled out a curious-looking object. It looked somewhere between a flute and a panpipe, and was forged from a bronze-tinged metal. Gripping it in his clawed hand, he moved over to the windshield and blew into the instrument’s mouthpiece. A faint whistle emerged. It was difficult for the human ear to hear, but it seemed to be causing everyone else some trouble, as all of them were covering their ears and grimacing in pain.

“Do you hear anything?” I looked to Angie and Lauren.

Lauren shrugged. “A tiny whistle, maybe.”

Angie nodded. “Yeah, same.”

“Are you kidding? I think it’s going to crack my skull open!” Bashrik gasped, squeezing his eyes shut.

A moment later, Dio stopped blowing into the mouthpiece, and a look of relief washed over the face of each alien in the room.

“What the hell was that?” Ronad muttered, rubbing his temples.

Dio grinned. “My calling card. Just give it a minute, you’ll see.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, the comms system sparked to life, an image flickering up on the monitor. There, facing us, was a stern-looking lycan with distinctly feminine features, and she did not look impressed that we had settled on her territory. Her bright orange eyes pierced through the screen, her long, dark lashes giving them a dramatic, almost Egyptian appearance.

“I am Commander Mahlo of the Universal Federal Agency. State your purpose,” she demanded.

I wandered over to the monitor, just as Dio hurried over from the windshield and appeared at my side. She frowned at the sight of me, a glimmer of surprise flickering in her eyes. Evidently, she hadn’t expected to see a human on the ship. As Ronad entered her line of vision, her entire face softened.

“Ronad, is that you?” she asked.

He smiled. “Back from my adventures, Commander Mahlo!”

“What brings you all the way out here? You would be better off consulting with the human relations headquarters on the planet’s surface. I wasn’t aware you even had the coordinates for this facility. Were you not back in Siberia, trying to discover the source of the human disappearances?” There was a glint of suspicion in her eyes, her expression darkening once more.

“We can talk about all of that along the way, Commander. First, we need some help,” I said. “You might not realize it yet, but Earth is in danger. We’ve got backup on the way, but we need to talk with you first.”

She frowned. “What sort of danger? Are we speaking of the rebels? If so, we have not sensed any immediate change in their behavior.”

“That’s part of the problem. There’s a lot you don’t know, but we’ll tell you everything if you let us into your headquarters.”

She paused for a moment. “Very well. I have given your ship permission to enter through the shield. If you set down in the designated area, we shall fetch you so that we can talk further about what you know. If there’s danger afoot, we must hear of it.”