21 Returning to the R.U

"James," came a voice I knew all too well, "Wake up, Jamie." I groaned and opened my tired brown eyes to meet Axel's grayish blue ones. The car had come to a stop and the sky outside the vehicle's window was completely dark to coordinate with the present time. I quickly glanced at the time at the front just before Chestin pulled out the keys and turned off the car: 3:13am. Chestin opened the door on my left side where Kora and Helene sat. He glanced up at Axel and I as we all stayed in silence for a moment. I quickly stretched and yawned loudly as I smacked my head back down into a pillow to muffle the noise. Axel and Chestin shared a chuckle before they went to work. I carefully turned by body slightly towards little Kora, who had her head resting gently against my left shoulder. Wincing a bit at taking away the pressure applied to my deep puncture, I slid her head to my chest and used my non-hurt right arm to slide them under the girl's legs, picking her up bridal style as I quickly backed out of the car. The weight did aggravate my wound, but two looks from Axel and Chestin, who were checking up on my condition, got me to signal to them that I was okay with a simple nod. Besides, a small part of me remembered that I had experienced worst. Three years ago. Helene was carried by slightly buff-man Axel and Chestin did a double check of the inside of the car before closing and locking all doors. The three of us headed silently back into the R.U. Cooperation. - Every team in the R.U. had a dorm set up for them, and there were training rooms, and the commons area for chit- chat. Also, the R.U. official conference rooms for team leaders. I imagined our team leader, Jay, just inside, either being lectured or hearing others be lectured. It wasn't fun, or so he had let it slip out to us one time when we were alone as a team. No figure. All agents basically lived at the cooperation. It was too risky to have all 2,000 of us continuously drive to this location every morning for 'work.' "Welcome back Agent O," came the newbie female teenager at the front desk. Axel glanced at her and smiled, giving her a quick nod. "and Agent L," to which Chestin walked past and patted the girl on the shoulder as would a senior in the business to a rookie. The two men walked forward, not before quickly turning back around to look at me with an amused shake of their heads. The girl before me seemed to go back to attending her nails before I cleared my throat. She looked up at me with a confused expression. "Yes?" My eyebrows arched. "Where's your manners, student?" She was supposed to greet every senior agent that returned back to the cooperation. "Um, hello, then?" She asked me with an attitude, going back to her nails. Axel made a 'yikes' expression to Chestin, who had crossed his free arms across his chest to watch the scene unfold. "Interesting," I commented, glancing at her name tag, "Diana. Diana Greenwood?" The girl seemed to be started that I knew her last name, for her name tag only listed her first name in engraved gold. "You're an intern student being assigned to different tasks in the cooperation," I began, "Obviously you take classes, Diana. Advanced SS?" I glanced at the binder set on a bottom shelf of the front desk in the back, "That's sniping and spotting. See you in class tomorrow morning, Greenwood.

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Following

—You must hate every minute of it.
—You think I would, right? But I don’t. It’s a nice routine. We eat well, hotel rooms are great. Jenny takes good care of us.
—Who is Jenny?
—The tour manager. She handles our bookings, special requests. Like I said, we’re an act. I thought I would quit after a month when we started, but I’m sort of enjoying it. I’m horrible at it, though. They have to record my interviews in advance or have someone ready to bleep half of what I say. Vincent does most of the talking now. I’m not very good with kids either. They have no sense of irony whatsoever. I made a sick kid cry once. She had leukemia, I think, and I made her cry.
—I fail to see what you find enjoyable.
—The P.R. part is bad. If it were just that, I…It’s what comes with it. We work a few hours a day. Jenny thinks she’s overworking us, but she doesn’t know we used to pull sixteen-hour shifts in Denver. How do I put this? We travel together. We have lots of time to ourselves. We haven’t tried to kill each other yet. I don’t know. It feels…
—Normal?
—Yeah. That.
—Did you manage to keep Mr. Couture from proposing all this time?
—I guess I did. To be honest, I haven’t really been trying the past couple years.
—What made you change your mind?
—Oh. I haven’t changed my mind. I just didn’t feel the need anymore. I think he’s given up on me.
—Does it bother you?
—Maybe a little. I guess part of me was hoping I would change my mind. I know how much it matters to him. He should be with someone who wants kids as much as he does. I think he finally realized that’s not me. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.
—What do you mean?
—I don’t know. We’re going over there to face that alien robot. We’re…back. I’m back. That’s how it feels anyway. Am I a horrible person for feeling that way?
—You are likely on your way to a quick death at the hands of a superior enemy, and this somehow makes you happy. Horrible is not the first word that comes to mind.
—Maybe not happy, more…alive. I feel more like myself than I have for a while is what I’m trying to say. Maybe normal isn’t for me. Maybe I was trying to be something I’m not.
—I do not wish to impede your journey towards self- discovery, but I am reasonably certain that there are ways of being yourself that do not require a global crisis. Did you consider the possibility that you might simply be scared at the prospect of a family?
—Hmmm. Let me think…No. I haven’t considered that. But enough about me. Let’s talk about you…Good! Now, can you tell me anything new about that big alien fellow? Dr. Franklin told us he’s bigger than our girl, but that’s about all we know.
—I just left an EDC briefing. Dr. Franklin and her team are still gathering data. There is nothing new to report.
—Has it moved?
—It has not. Its light output is also stable. It does not appear to be receiving or emitting any signal.
—So what are we supposed to do? Just walk up to him and shake his big alien hand?
—It might be as simple as that. For now, you will land at the London Gateway Port and assemble in the clearing behind it. There you will await instructions. Hopefully, we will know more by then. I do not wish to appear pessimistic, but I would like to know more about your combat-readiness in the event a conflict should arise. Dr. Franklin tells me you have discovered how to trigger an energy discharge and focus it?
—Yes, we knew we could trigger the discharge. That’s how we destroyed the lab in Denver. We just had to figure out what buttons Vincent fell on. The rest we found by accident. Turns out if you release the burst with the sword on, it comes out of it. The bigger the sword, the more focused the beam is. In New York, we train on the shores near New Rochelle and shoot at the water. The blast makes a hole about the size of a city block, then it fills up again. It’s pretty cool to watch. We also tried on something solid, made a fairly large rock disappear. I can’t tell you if our weapon would work against that robot, but it’ll wipe anything of this world off it. You know Dr. Franklin thinks going to London is a bad idea.
—I do.
—Well…What she said made more sense to me than anything else I’ve heard. We assume we were supposed to find Themis, but say it wasn’t the case. Say they came here to get it back, destroy it, whatever. More to the point, there’s nothing you can put in front of that robot that would pose any serious threat to it, except maybe us. Do we really want to make first contact with an alien species by sending the only thing we have—which isn’t even ours—that it could see as a menace? I’m just asking. I’m a soldier, so if they tell me to walk up behind it and kick it in the butt, I will. But if we can avoid the whole me and Vincent dying thing, you know…that’d be good.
—I sympathize. What you must understand is that the powers that be will not let that alien robot sit in the middle of the most populous city in the UK much longer without doing anything. At some point, human nature will take over and they will send something. If that something is not Themis—who, by the way, is also the only thing that might seem familiar to this new robot—it will be His Majesty’s Armed Forces. If I have to choose between the two, I would rather send you.
—Isn’t there anything we can send that doesn’t have weapons attached to it? Something cute, and fuzzy. Send Barney, or a bunch of kittens. Did you see Close Encounters of the Third Kind? We can play keyboards to it, do a light show, teach these guys some sign language.
—The British Government is ahead of you on this one though your ideas are remarkably similar. They have initiated what they call first-contact protocol.
—Do I wanna know?
—They have installed screens around the park and are showing pictures of monuments, animal species, cities, some clips from old movies. They are playing music from the fifties and sixties on a speaker system.
—Why the old stuff? What’s wrong with new music?
—I believe the rationale behind it is that any signals that made it far enough for an alien species to pick up would have left Earth a long time ago.
—So they won’t be disappointed if they came here for Elvis?
—Creating familiarity is indeed the intent. It does feel a little improvised, but you have to understand that scientists believed that finding alien life would mean microbes, or an overly regular radio signal, nothing like what we are faced with today. I realize how futile this all may seem, but at the very least, it does not hinder our efforts and it makes it appear as if the government is doing something.

J

FILE NO. 1416
INTERVIEW WITH CAPTAIN KARA RESNIK, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS
Location: Somewhere in the Atlantic
—Good morning, Ms. Resnik. I hope I did not wake you.
—Holy sh*t! No! I just got out of the shower. I was running laps on top deck. Why does it feel like we haven’t talked in a decade?
—It has been eight years since our last conversation. Can you talk?
—You mean can anyone hear me? I doubt it, Vincent’s still asleep in his bunk.
—I meant are you busy?
—I missed this.
—What?
—This!
—…
—No, I’m not busy. I have time to talk.
—Where are you?
—In the middle of the Atlantic, but you know that already.
—I meant on the boat.
—In our quarters. We have a little…It’s like a very, very small apartment. We have a couch, a TV, kitchenette.
—I am pleased to hear that you are comfortable. I requested some amenities when the UN acquired your vessel. I know how much you disliked the previous one.
—Oh, it’s night and day, sir. The boat we took before was carrying grain, we were like stowaways. This one’s been overhauled just for us. It doesn’t do anything else. We still sleep in bunk beds though I’m not sure why that is. How’ve you been? I bet you’re bored out of your mind without us.
—Believe it or not, there are things in the world that do not revolve around you. Not many, but enough to keep me reasonably occupied.
—I was just asking how you were. I haven’t talked to you in eight years!
—You were asking about my personal life?
—God, I missed you! Why has it been this long, though? I know you talked to Dr. Franklin a bunch of times.
—You and Mr. Couture appeared to be doing well. I did not see the need.
—You could have said “Hi”!
—Chitchat requires some form of reciprocity, which I cannot offer. But, as I said, I requested some amenities when the UN acquired your vessel.
—You mean you thought of me…once. Some years ago.
—Exactly. What was it you called me in Puerto Rico? All mush inside? How is Dr. Franklin doing?
—Well, you know, you spoke to her. She’s a little darker than she used to be. I thought it would go away after a while, but it’s been nearly a decade, so I think that’s the new her. We still get along great, me and her, though. She likes Vincent too. Everyone else, not so much.
—She has been through trauma. That is to be expected.
—You mean she died. I know; I was there. I killed her. Then she came back four years younger. She never told me how she came back. Does she know?
—She does not.
—Do you?
—I do not.
—You wouldn’t tell me if you did.
—Probably not, but I really do not know. And to be accurate, she is only missing three years of her life. She was dead for the fourth one.
—Remind me never to come to you for reassurance. No wonder she’s not coping well. I’m not the one who died and came back and I’m freaked-out. I mean, me and Vincent spent hours with her every day before she died. Who did we spend all that time with?
—Dr. Rose Franklin.
—Well, that Dr. Franklin died. The Rose Franklin we spend time with now doesn’t remember any of it.
—I realize how confusing this is. I am as bewildered by the situation as you are. I will provide answers when I have them. May I inquire as to the status of your relationship with Mr. Couture?
—Have you been watching us these past few years?
—As far as I know, neither you nor Mr. Couture are under surveillance.
—How nice. I meant on TV. Do you even know what we’ve been doing? You weren’t kidding when you said it would mostly be parades and photo ops. We spend a couple hours a day in the lab trying to learn more about Themis. That’s ten, fifteen hours a week tops, and that’s when we’re in New York. When we’re on tour, then there’s no research whatsoever. The rest of the time is what you said it would be. There aren’t many parades—the logistics are just insane, she destroys everything she steps on, even roads. There aren’t many cities willing to deal with the expense and the security—but we sure take a lot of pictures. Human interest, mostly. We visit schools, hospitals; children’s hospitals are the best. Vincent’s great with kids. He does the knee thing, that helps, but he’s really good with them. We’re a circus act.

—She has been through
some…unsettling events.

—I get that. What I don’t
get is why you put her in
charge. She could have
been on the team without
running the show, you
know. She doesn’t like me
because I’m the big bad
military, but what she’s
doing really isn’t helping. Sending Themis over there is the
only way I can buy some time. Without that, there’ll be
troops in Regent’s Park by morning, and we both know how
that’ll end.

—Let me hear it.

—What?

—What you prepared for the press corps.

—Fine. You may have heard the Head of our Science
Division, Dr. Rose Franklin, speak to the media this
morning. She had a lot to say, but, to summarize, Dr.
Franklin believes we should do nothing, send no one, not
even the EDC, and hope that the robot eventually leaves of
its own accord. Dr. Franklin is a brilliant scientist and she is
certainly entitled to her opinion, even if she doesn’t speak
for the EDC. As you may know, Dr. Franklin was almost
killed in an accident involving Themis in Colorado, and I
believe the incident has left her unnecessarily cautious.
While I disagree with her conclusion, she did say a lot more
than “we shouldn’t send the EDC.” She made a few good
points this morning.
We’re making first contact with an alien species. No matter
how it goes, this will be a defining moment in human
history. We should all stop for a minute and realize how
significant and far-reaching these events are.
With that in mind, Dr. Franklin pointed out that sending an
armored division and a few thousand armed soldiers is
probably not the best way to make a good first impression.
I find it hard to disagree.
She did suggest that sending Themis would be an even
bigger mistake. Tanks and foot soldiers might be perceived
as a sign of aggression, but they would most likely pose no
serious threat to the robot if it’s anything like ours. Themis,
on the other hand, could possibly give ’em a run for their
money. I believe that showing the aliens a familiar face
might be a good way to open a dialogue, but there is an
argument to be made that sending the only thing on this
Earth that could hurt these guys might not be such a great
idea.

—Concise. Decisive, yet supportive. I like it. Grab your
jacket. It is time to go.

—Do you remember what you told me the second time
around to get me to take this job?
—I do.

—You said: “I found you a military post where you’ll never
have to kill anyone ever again.”

—I know. I still intend to keep that promise.

—What we’ve got here is not a London problem. It is not a British or a European problem. It’s certainly not a NATO problem. What we’ve got here is an Earth problem. It’s a problem for all of us, for every nation represented in this room, and we must find a solution to it, together. This institution was founded in the wake of the most devastating war in human history, to promote peace by allowing nations to resolve their disputes here, in this room, and not on the battlefield. It was also created so that we could pool our knowledge and resources and achieve great things none of us could dream of achieving on our own. Today we have a chance to do both: prevent war on a level we’ve never imagined and bring humanity to a whole new frontier. If there has ever been a time for the United Nations, it is now. If there has ever been a reason for the EDC, this is it.
—Put that at the end for when they have stopped paying attention. For now, you should talk about your military career so they can relate.
—I say a few words somewhere…Here…I also know many of you have doubts. The decision to create the EDC was not a unanimous one. Why should you trust the EDC and not your own military? That is probably the only question I can answer today. I’m a military man, have been for over forty years. I can tell you this: Military people need intelligence…
—You need to say more than that. Tell them about how many wars you have been in, how many people you killed. Make them see the blood. Make them think of you as a warmonger who would drop a bomb on London at the first excuse. Only then will they believe you when you tell them they should not.
—What can I say? I am a Brigadier General in the South African Army and Commander of a UN military force. In South Africa, I was in charge of the Army Armour Formation, that’s a hard-to-pronounce way of saying lots of tanks. I fought in a segregated unit during the Border Wars, I have been part of peacekeeping operations in Sudan, I have led forces for the UN Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have been in one army or the other for all of my adult life—
—Perfect.
—…and I can tell you this: Military people—people like me
—need intelligence to be useful. We need to know what’s going on. Without intelligence, take my word for it, you do not want your fate in the hands of the military. We do not improvise. We’re like an elephant in a china shop, we can make a big mess of things if you have us chasing our tail. I am also the Commander of the Earth Defense Corps, technically another military force with a single, gigantic weapon. As Commander, I have two soldiers under my command. Make that one soldier. The other is technically a Canadian consultant. I also have sixty-eight scientists working for me. They didn’t exactly phrase it like that when they offered me the job because they know I don’t like scientists. Scientists are like children: They always want to know everything, they all ask too many questions, and they never follow orders to the letter. That, people, is the EDC. A big robot, one soldier, a linguist, and a whole lot of disobedient children. What we need, what the world needs right now, is them, my insubordinate kids. They know more about alien technology than anyone on Earth and they’re learning more every day. That is what they do, they learn things, constantly. They claim land for our little island of knowledge so that we can have room to breathe.
—Touching.
—I remembered the speech you gave me when you tried to sell me this job the first time around.
—You said no.
—I did, but it was a good speech. Then I have a few paragraphs about what we know, mostly about what we don’t know. —What do we know?
—Not much. Here’s what I have.
We’ve only had a few hours to look at the data that’s available, and our people haven’t been onsite yet, so this is what we know. The figure in London is roughly ten feet taller than Themis, and about 10 percent more massive. We’re calling it Kronos. That’s it. The rest is conjecture. There might be no one in that big metal man. It might be remote-controlled, it might not even be a robot; it hasn’t moved since it arrived. We feel this is rather unlikely, but it’s not something we can blindly discard as an option. There might also be humans in there. That would mean another robot was buried somewhere and was discovered by one of the nations represented here today. That also seems unlikely but not impossible. Given what we know about Themis, the most probable scenario is that there are two or more alien pilots on board, and since the figure in London looks a hell of a lot like Themis, our working assumption at this point is that it was built by the same race. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are dealing with the people who built Themis. They left one giant robot on this planet, it stands to reason they could have done the same thing on another inhabited planet, and it might be these people visiting us. Like I said, we don’t know much. Assuming we are in fact dealing with aliens, they might be friendly. They didn’t come out guns blazing—that’s usually a good sign—and our current theory about Themis is that she was left here for us to defend ourselves. Their intent might very well be hostile. It would be odd for a foe to give us this much time to prepare, but its presence might be a prelude to a full-scale invasion or attack. Another very reasonable explanation, the one we’re leaning towards, is that they’re still trying to figure us out. They would have no way to know whether we mean them any harm or how we’ll react to their presence. But enough speculation. All I can offer you right now is a lot of ifs and maybes. I was asked to come here and make a recommendation. For now, it’s a very simple one: Send Themis to England, that will take seven or eight days. Let my kids do their job for another week and we’ll reconvene. In the meantime, I will ask, implore all of you to exercise restraint and let this process take its course. This is not the time for impulsive action, no matter how tempting it might be. That’s it. That’s my speech. Is that long enough?
—It will do just fine.
—Of course, it didn’t help that I had to write a whole new one for the press corps after Rose lost her goddamn mind.
—What did she do?
—You missed that? She went on television and told the whole world we shouldn’t be involved.
—Who is we?
—The EDC. She said sending Themis would be our biggest mistake. I know you like her, but you know she hasn’t been thinking straight. That girl is hanging on by a really thin thread.

I’ve crossed that line we’re not supposed to cross. I died. And I’m still here. I cheated death. I took away God’s power. I killed God and I feel empty inside.

FILE NO. 1408 INTERVIEW WITH BRIGADIER GENERAL EUGENE GOVENDER, COMMANDER, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS Location: Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, NY
—You should hurry, Eugene.
—How long have we known each other?
—Fourteen years this September.
—Fourteen years. And in all that time, have I ever, once, given you permission to call me Eugene?
—“General” seems…inappropriate after what we have been through.
—It does, doesn’t it? Imagine how it feels to have absolutely nothing to call you.
—Not that I do not enjoy hearing you ramble endlessly about my anonymity, but you are addressing the United Nations General Assembly in less than one hour. I know how much you loathe speeches, so if you require my help, now would be a good time.
—Then why don’t you give the address? You’re the one who got me into this mess in the first place.
—Let me hear your opening.
—Where’s that damn piece of paper? Oh, here it is. Have you seen my— —They are on the nightstand.
—Thank you. It goes like this: “I know many of you are afraid. I know you want answers.”
—I meant what is the beginning of your speech?
—That is the beginning of my damn speech.
—Eugene, you are not talking to cadets at the academy. This is the UN General Assembly. There is protocol. You normally begin by naming everyone. Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, members of the General Assembly, ladies and gentlemen
—Fine. I’ll start with that, then I’ll say “I know many of you are afraid. I know you want answers.”
—No, you have to say something profound first, something inspiring.
—Something inspiring? There’s a giant goddamn robot in the middle of London. What people want is for me to get rid of it. There’s nothing profound about that.
—Then say something completely unrelated but profound. The last address I heard in person was from a US President. He said something like: “We come together at a crossroads between war and peace; between disorder and integration; between fear and hope.”
—Very well then. Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, members of the General Assembly, ladies and gentlemen. Those of you who know me know I am a man of few words. Those who know me well also know how much I loathe speeches. So with your permission, I will steal my opening remarks from a former president of the United States. He said: “We come together at a crossroads between war and peace; between disorder and integration; between fear and hope.
—That is—
—I was joking. I have a quote from another fellow who had a better way with words, I can just move it up. After that, you’ll have to settle for some words of my own. His name is Thomas Henry Huxley. He was a scientist in the early days of modern biology. He said: “The known is finite, the unknown infinite; intellectually we stand on an islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Our business in every generation is to reclaim a little more land.” Almost a decade ago, when Themis was revealed to the world, we realized that ocean was a lot bigger than we thought, and what transpired this morning in London has made our islet of certainty feel so small that we may wonder if we even have enough room to stand on. Now can I say it?
—I know many of you are afraid.
—Don’t make fun of me. I know many of you are afraid. I know you want answers. Let me be blunt, I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. Not today. I also have a confession to make. I…am also afraid. I’m afraid because I don’t know what that thing is, or what it wants. I don’t know if there are more coming and I really don’t know if we could do anything about it if there were. There is a lot we don’t know. A little bit of fear is only healthy if you ask me.
—How reassuring. I feel better already.
—We can’t let fear stop us from doing what we must do. We also can’t let fear dictate our actions. We must exercise patience. What we’ve got here—
—What are you trying to say?
—That everyone should wait before doing something really stupid.
—Such as?
—You know that there are those in England who want a show of force. I also know that NATO is considering military action of its own. I want everyone in that room to use their influence. I want them to use every means at their disposal to make sure that doesn’t happen.
—Why?
—You know why! This second robot is probably even more powerful than Themis. It’s doubtful that British ground forces could put a scratch on it. And this is London. In an urban environment, there is simply no way to concentrate enough firepower with a ground assault. An all-out air strike has more potential, but we’d need a joint operation between our biggest air forces. We’d also level the city of London. If that doesn’t bring the robot down, a high-yield nuclear bomb would be our best, and last, option, though it would mean relocating most of England’s population after the fact. Is that clear enough for you?
—If that is what you want people to leave with, then you should say it like that, in those words. Make them understand there is no “best-case scenario” if they attack, that they cannot “bluff” their way out of this.
—You don’t think it’s a little rough? You asked for profound and inspiring.
—You open with profound and inspiring so that, twenty years from now, people can feel clever quoting you around the dinner table. If there is something you want people to understand today, say it like you are addressing your grandchildren. Half the people in that room will hear you through an interpreter, and most have the attention span of a five-year-old. When they leave the room, these people will call home. They will probably talk to their defense ministers, their top generals, their chiefs of staff, people with an army at their disposal who are itching to use it. You are asking them to trust a group of scientists before their own military advisors. Make sure the reason for that is not lost in translation.
—I had another paragraph that made me sound reasonably intelligent.
—Let me hear it.

Mouth curved into a small smile, Marcus very briefly glanced at Roni over his shoulder. “Yes you can, sweetheart, but your brother’s not interested in listening to you right now. Blaming Roni isn’t fair, Axton, and you know it.” Nick’s eyes flared with anger. “If she hadn’t—” “Do you really want to play the ‘if’ game?” Marcus tilted his head. “Okay, if you hadn’t ignored your mate’s anxiety—and don’t tell me you didn’t know exactly how she was feeling through your mating link—Shaya wouldn’t have needed a break. The shifters who crashed into her car are the ones who deserve your anger.” That seemed to take some of the hot air out of Nick. Shaya slipped her arms around him, whispering soothingly into his ear. When he focused on Roni again, his breathing had regulated and his rage was under control. But she knew that it was only the feel and scent of his mate that was keeping him composed. “Roni was hurt too,” Shaya gently pointed out. “What?” Nick studied Roni intently. When his eyes settled on the cut on her forehead, a low growl escaped him. Great, he was back to being overprotective. She preferred his anger. “But thankfully,” Taryn quickly injected, “everyone is fine. So how about we all sit?” It was as Roni returned to her seat and Marcus again settled on the arm of the chair that she noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Tao?” Marcus bent his head, putting his mouth to her ear, and almost groaned as her scent furled around him. God help him, she smelled like warm cinnamon rolls and pumpkin pie. “He’s off somewhere, feeling sorry for himself. It nicked his pride that he blacked out and couldn’t help.” Roni could understand that. “Why are you hovering over me?” And why, exactly, had he shielded her from Nick? Standing at her side or her back was one thing, but shielding her was a whole other thing. She shooed him away, but he simply smiled. “Do I make you nervous or something?” Yes. “Of course not.” “Then you won’t have a problem with me staying right here.” He smiled when she narrowed her eyes and shrugged. “Grace said you had some pretty bad cuts.” Derren came over and lifted Roni’s hands to examine them. Instinctively, Marcus draped his arm over the back of the chair and laid a possessive hand on her shoulder. Noting the move, the Beta smiled in amusement. Roni pulled free of Derren’s grip. “Really, I’m fine.” “You sure look fine.” Dominic smiled flirtatiously. “I swear, I could fall madly in bed with you.” Jaime laughed while everyone else groaned. The unfairly hot blond had a habit of dishing out cheesy chat-up lines that should act more as repellents than seductive techniques. Yet, they somehow worked for him. Roni believed in giving as good as she got, so she did what she always did: she hit him with another line. “Are you a water fountain, Dominic? Because you’re getting me wet.” He scowled petulantly. “Stop that! Saying cheesy lines is my thing!” Marcus sighed. “You have issues, Dom.” The jerk would also have a black eye if he kept that shit up with Roni. A cute giggle was followed by the entrance of Kye and Lydia, one of the mated females. “Ro!” Roni smiled as Kye dashed toward her, holding out a small truck. Kye Coleman was the cutest thing ever and, shockingly, seemed to like her. Ordinarily, Roni wasn’t good with anything that breathed. “Wow, is this yours?” He nodded proudly, but when she went to touch the toy, he frowned. “Mine.” He’d obviously inherited his dad’s possessive streak. With his other hand, he held out a second truck. But when she moved to grab it, he frowned again. “Mine.” Oooookay. “It’s his new favorite word,” said Jaime, stroking the chubby ginger cat that was batting at her long sable braid. “That and ‘no.’ Aren’t you going to share with Roni?” “No.” Jaime sighed. “See what I mean?” Marcus smiled as Kye babbled to Roni, who nodded along and babbled back. She always softened with Kye and gave him her full attention. Marcus had noticed her occasionally sneak him little treats when she thought no one was looking. Trey, a statue of barely contained rage, took position in the center of the room with Taryn at his side. She placed a comforting hand on his arm, and some of the tension left him. “I’d like to talk about what happened, Roni. We’ve already heard Shaya and Tao’s versions. We need to piece everything together.” Everyone turned to Roni expectantly, and the massive amount of attention made her tense. To her surprise, Marcus gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “The car seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was no accident. I blacked out”—she said through her teeth—“and when I woke up, two males were struggling to open the door to get to Kye. I didn’t get a good look at them.” “That’s okay,” Taryn assured her. “Shaya was able to give us detailed descriptions.” Dante leaned forward. “Did they say what they wanted with him?” Roni shook her head. “They didn’t use names or mention any packs. But I know they weren’t wolves.” “They were jackals.” It was always a jolt to hear the mostly mute and grumpy-looking Ryan speak. “I smelled their blood in the car.” “Jackals?” Greta sneered. “Sly little things.” “I’ve never met a jackal that I liked,” said Gabe, Jaime’s brother. His mate, Hope, made a sound of agreement. “They’re into just about every illegal activity there is and live by their own set of rules. Those rules are basically: One, don’t get caught. And two, if caught, deny everything.” Lydia’s baby-faced mate, Cam, spoke. “I think the nearest jackal pack is at least three hours away.” “Yes, and we need to talk to them.” Trey made “talk” sound more like “destroy.” Grace stood with baby Lilah in her arms. “How about I take the kids into the kitchen? I know they won’t understand what’s being said, but . . .” “I was just about to suggest that.” Taryn shot Grace a grateful smile. “I’ll come too.” Taking Kye’s hand, Lydia led him out of the room with promises of cookies. Once they were gone, Marcus looked at Trey. “We don’t know for sure that the jackals in question are from their pack.”

Initially, Roni’s apparent indifference had galled him. He hadn’t liked that he seemed to be the only one feeling this intense attraction that bordered on magnetism. Every time they were in close proximity, the air crackled with sexual energy, and he hadn’t believed that could possibly be a one-way street. Yet, while the idea of skimming his hands over that seductively lithe body and having those supple legs wrapped around his waist often consumed his thoughts, Roni always appeared totally unmoved. It made no sense. Rather than push, Marcus had backed off. He’d watched her closely, studied her every reaction to him, and soon come to realize that she wasn’t so indifferent to him after all. Why she was fighting their attraction, he didn’t know. He wanted to find out, to figure her out, so he could find a chink in her armor. Roni was incredibly intelligent; in order to seduce her physically, he’d need to first seduce her mentally. The problem was that Roni was a difficult person to get to know. She held back from everyone outside her own tiny circle of people: her brothers, her Beta, and Shaya. But his old Alpha hadn’t labeled Marcus “that stubborn little shit” for nothing. When Marcus wanted something, he would hunt it down until it was his. And he wanted Roni Axton in his bed; he wanted to explore this thing between them until all that sexual tension had burned out, until she no longer dominated his thoughts and fantasies. There was just something about her . . . Maybe it was that she was so very different from the females he usually dated. Maybe it was that she didn’t stroke his ego, didn’t fawn all over him in that way he’d come to find distasteful. Or maybe it was just that she had the most luscious ass he’d ever seen. It was probably all three. Of course, it could also be that in addition to being truly delectable and exceptionally capable, Roni Axton was downright lethal. He’d seen her fight when a large number of prejudiced humans had invaded his territory; she’d been sharp, fast, and merciless. And it had been damn hot. His wolf liked Roni too—particularly her vicious streak. Just like Marcus, he craved this dominant female to the extent that she was quickly becoming an obsession. Her indifferent, elusive air was a challenge that drew both man and wolf. Ordinarily, Marcus would avoid pursuing a female so hard for fear that it would give them the impression he wanted more than casual sex. But he had no worry that Roni would become attached. She didn’t seem any better at emotional intimacy than he was. She wouldn’t be clingy or needy or play the kind of games he’d tired of long ago. Considering he didn’t have the best reputation, he’d expected her Alpha female to warn him away from Roni. Shaya had seen the way he looked at her mate’s sister, knew exactly how much he wanted her. Although Shaya was a close friend of his, she was also very protective of Roni. But surprisingly enough, Shaya appeared to be trying to set them up. And Taryn appeared to be helping. It was a good thing, really, since he doubted any warnings would have kept him away—particularly since an element of possessiveness had been there from the very beginning. The new feeling had come as a surprise, had even spooked Marcus slightly. But really, could he expect to be this determined to have someone and not be possessive on some level? Once the sexual tension was alleviated, he figured the possessiveness would surely fade. Ignoring Roni’s cautioning look, he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her forward. “Sweetheart, you heard Grace; there’s a chance you could have a concussion. There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy and accepting a little help.” She sniffed haughtily at him. Not that he’d expect anything different from a dominant female shifter. Their independent streak was a mile long. Still, he forced a put-upon sigh just to needle her. She dumped her lollipop stick in the trash can. “Did you know that a sigh actually acts as a physiological reset button?” Marcus had noticed that Roni did that a lot—abruptly blurted out a completely useless fact. At first, he’d thought she did it in an awkward effort to be friendly and make conversation. But he’d quickly come to realize that she did it to make people go away. It worked. They immediately pegged her as someone weird and boring, or they would feel as uncomfortable as she did. Marcus wasn’t going to fall for that. Besides, all that intelligence was kind of hot, especially when she slapped him down with it. “Really?” He fingered the ends of her long ash-blonde hair, admiring the natural, loose curls. “Your brain is like a sponge. I like that.” Roni cast him an odd look. Why was he looking at her like she was . . . interesting? Roni wasn’t interesting. And now he was smiling at her again. Her wolf wanted to lick every inch of him, which was just downright annoying and pathetic. Okay, Roni could agree with the animal that this male who had fought at her side was strong, solid, and deliciously dominant. But allow Marcus to sense that? Not a chance. She straightened her spine and gave him a dismissive wave of the hand. “Why don’t you go play with Betty Boop?” “Betty Boop?” he chuckled. “If you’re talking about Zara—” Oh, yeah, she was talking about Zara. Curvaceous, elegant, graceful, she was everything that Roni wasn’t. “—that’s very much over.” There was only one female he wanted. “Well, then . . . go play with the treat you’re presently sampling and—” “You have the cutest nose.” He lightly tapped it with his finger. Unbalanced by his unexpected compliment, Roni shrugged past him and marched off. And her nose was not cute. Marcus easily caught up to her and stayed at her side as they advanced through the network of tunnels that made up Phoenix Pack territory. The ancient cave dwelling had been modernized beautifully, and the Alpha female had long ago branded it “Bedrock.” For that reason, Taryn often referred to her mate as “Flintstone.” Roni had only taken a single step into the crowded living area when suddenly a dainty body wrapped itself around her. Roni puffed various streaks of blonde hair out of her mouth. “You stopped them from taking my son,” sniffled Taryn. “Thank you.” It was the third time she’d thanked her. Trey stood behind Taryn. His arctic-blue eyes were wild, manic, and his large form was fairly vibrating with anger. “If you ever need anything—anything—it’s yours.” The rest of the Phoenix Pack nodded their agreement. “We’re in your debt,” said Greta, though she didn’t look happy about it. In fact, her gaze narrowed dangerously as it took in how closely Marcus stood to Roni. Trey’s somewhat neurotic grandmother was very possessive of “her boys”—those being Trey, Tao, Dante, and the four enforcers, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic. As she was convinced that every unmated female was determined to claim one of them, she made a distinct effort to frighten them away. Of course it hadn’t worked with Taryn or the Beta female, Jaime, but Greta persisted in trying to make their lives difficult. Not sure what to do with all the attention or the body still curled around her, Roni threw Marcus a pleading look. Smiling, Marcus took pity on Roni, satisfied that she had looked to him for help. “Taryn, why don’t you find Roni a place to sit? She could have a concussion.” “Of course.” Taryn led Roni over to the armchair on which Dominic sat. “Move it.” “I’m hurt too, remember,” he griped. “None of you even praised me for intervening between two fighting wolves.” Taryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not exactly uncommon for Trick and Ryan to get carried away when sparring. You only had a few bruises. Most of them had healed by the time you walked through the door.” “A few bruises?” Dominic rose from the chair. “My chest had so many black patches, I looked like a Holstein cow. And I don’t care what you say, I had internal bleeding.” Trick shook his head at Dominic. “Could you be any more dramatic?” When he noticed that Marcus had perched himself on the arm of Roni’s chair, Trick arched a brow. Then a taunting smirk surfaced, deepening the claw marks on Trick’s cheek. For as long as Marcus could remember, Trick’s favorite pastime was tormenting people. He thoroughly enjoyed teasing Marcus about Roni’s apparent indifference to him. Asshole. Roni stiffened as Shaya, Nick, and Derren entered the room. She suspected a lecture from her brother. Within seconds, Nick’s nostrils flared as he scented her. Then his eyes fixed on Roni and darkened. Yep, a lecture was coming. Nick strode toward Roni, his face like thunder. “I can’t believe you put Shaya in danger like that!” Rage seeped from him—a rage so acute that it seemed to thicken the air. It made Roni jump to her feet and put her wolf on high alert. The Phoenix wolves immediately gathered behind her, and Marcus pressed up against her side. What was that all about? Shaya, ever the peacemaker, smoothly slipped in front of her mate. “Now, Nick . . .” He glared at Roni over Shaya’s shoulder. “Do you think I give out orders purely for fun, is that it?” “No, I don’t,” replied Roni calmly. Her cool demeanor seemed to further anger him. “Shaya’s your Alpha female, she’s pregnant with your niece or nephew, and you put them in danger!” “That’s not fair, Nick,” reprimanded Shaya. “She had no way of knowing what would happen. I asked her to get me out of there; I needed to breathe. You’re so overprotective, it’s suffocating!” Roni knew exactly how that felt, as she dealt with it daily from her mother and Nick. She loved and respected her brother, trusted him more than anyone. But his level of overprotectiveness made her feel hurt, offended, and stifled. There was nothing more insulting or disrespectful to a dominant female than treating her like she couldn’t take care of herself. “I’m just trying to keep you and our baby safe. And you would have been safe if Roni hadn’t disobeyed me!” “And what makes your word have more weight than Shaya’s?” Roni felt compelled to ask. “Excuse me?” Nick’s voice was quiet, menacing. Derren winced. “You can’t call her Alpha female and then undermine her by dishing out orders to everyone that effectively give her no say in her own life.” “That isn’t what I’m doing!” “It is.” Shaya’s voice was gentle but firm. “I was ready to explode; that’s not good for either me or the baby.” “It’s better than you being in a car accident!” Roni barely refrained from growling in irritation. “You’re not listening to a word either me or Shaya is saying.” Nick advanced on her, teeth bared. Marcus blocked the Alpha’s path. “Don’t touch her.” Nick drew back, glowering. “What does this have to do with you? With any of you?” “Roni protected my son,” said Trey. “She now has the loyalty of everyone in this pack. They’ll protect her from anything, including you.” “I’d never hurt her! She’s my sister!” Roni sighed. Shifter male posturing was boring as shit. “I can speak for myself

Initially, Roni’s apparent indifference had galled him. He hadn’t liked that he seemed to be the only one feeling this intense attraction that bordered on magnetism. Every time they were in close proximity, the air crackled with sexual energy, and he hadn’t believed that could possibly be a one-way street. Yet, while the idea of skimming his hands over that seductively lithe body and having those supple legs wrapped around his waist often consumed his thoughts, Roni always appeared totally unmoved. It made no sense. Rather than push, Marcus had backed off. He’d watched her closely, studied her every reaction to him, and soon come to realize that she wasn’t so indifferent to him after all. Why she was fighting their attraction, he didn’t know. He wanted to find out, to figure her out, so he could find a chink in her armor. Roni was incredibly intelligent; in order to seduce her physically, he’d need to first seduce her mentally. The problem was that Roni was a difficult person to get to know. She held back from everyone outside her own tiny circle of people: her brothers, her Beta, and Shaya. But his old Alpha hadn’t labeled Marcus “that stubborn little shit” for nothing. When Marcus wanted something, he would hunt it down until it was his. And he wanted Roni Axton in his bed; he wanted to explore this thing between them until all that sexual tension had burned out, until she no longer dominated his thoughts and fantasies. There was just something about her . . . Maybe it was that she was so very different from the females he usually dated. Maybe it was that she didn’t stroke his ego, didn’t fawn all over him in that way he’d come to find distasteful. Or maybe it was just that she had the most luscious ass he’d ever seen. It was probably all three. Of course, it could also be that in addition to being truly delectable and exceptionally capable, Roni Axton was downright lethal. He’d seen her fight when a large number of prejudiced humans had invaded his territory; she’d been sharp, fast, and merciless. And it had been damn hot. His wolf liked Roni too—particularly her vicious streak. Just like Marcus, he craved this dominant female to the extent that she was quickly becoming an obsession. Her indifferent, elusive air was a challenge that drew both man and wolf. Ordinarily, Marcus would avoid pursuing a female so hard for fear that it would give them the impression he wanted more than casual sex. But he had no worry that Roni would become attached. She didn’t seem any better at emotional intimacy than he was. She wouldn’t be clingy or needy or play the kind of games he’d tired of long ago. Considering he didn’t have the best reputation, he’d expected her Alpha female to warn him away from Roni. Shaya had seen the way he looked at her mate’s sister, knew exactly how much he wanted her. Although Shaya was a close friend of his, she was also very protective of Roni. But surprisingly enough, Shaya appeared to be trying to set them up. And Taryn appeared to be helping. It was a good thing, really, since he doubted any warnings would have kept him away—particularly since an element of possessiveness had been there from the very beginning. The new feeling had come as a surprise, had even spooked Marcus slightly. But really, could he expect to be this determined to have someone and not be possessive on some level? Once the sexual tension was alleviated, he figured the possessiveness would surely fade. Ignoring Roni’s cautioning look, he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her forward. “Sweetheart, you heard Grace; there’s a chance you could have a concussion. There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy and accepting a little help.” She sniffed haughtily at him. Not that he’d expect anything different from a dominant female shifter. Their independent streak was a mile long. Still, he forced a put-upon sigh just to needle her. She dumped her lollipop stick in the trash can. “Did you know that a sigh actually acts as a physiological reset button?” Marcus had noticed that Roni did that a lot—abruptly blurted out a completely useless fact. At first, he’d thought she did it in an awkward effort to be friendly and make conversation. But he’d quickly come to realize that she did it to make people go away. It worked. They immediately pegged her as someone weird and boring, or they would feel as uncomfortable as she did. Marcus wasn’t going to fall for that. Besides, all that intelligence was kind of hot, especially when she slapped him down with it. “Really?” He fingered the ends of her long ash-blonde hair, admiring the natural, loose curls. “Your brain is like a sponge. I like that.” Roni cast him an odd look. Why was he looking at her like she was . . . interesting? Roni wasn’t interesting. And now he was smiling at her again. Her wolf wanted to lick every inch of him, which was just downright annoying and pathetic. Okay, Roni could agree with the animal that this male who had fought at her side was strong, solid, and deliciously dominant. But allow Marcus to sense that? Not a chance. She straightened her spine and gave him a dismissive wave of the hand. “Why don’t you go play with Betty Boop?” “Betty Boop?” he chuckled. “If you’re talking about Zara—” Oh, yeah, she was talking about Zara. Curvaceous, elegant, graceful, she was everything that Roni wasn’t. “—that’s very much over.” There was only one female he wanted. “Well, then . . . go play with the treat you’re presently sampling and—” “You have the cutest nose.” He lightly tapped it with his finger. Unbalanced by his unexpected compliment, Roni shrugged past him and marched off. And her nose was not cute. Marcus easily caught up to her and stayed at her side as they advanced through the network of tunnels that made up Phoenix Pack territory. The ancient cave dwelling had been modernized beautifully, and the Alpha female had long ago branded it “Bedrock.” For that reason, Taryn often referred to her mate as “Flintstone.” Roni had only taken a single step into the crowded living area when suddenly a dainty body wrapped itself around her. Roni puffed various streaks of blonde hair out of her mouth. “You stopped them from taking my son,” sniffled Taryn. “Thank you.” It was the third time she’d thanked her. Trey stood behind Taryn. His arctic-blue eyes were wild, manic, and his large form was fairly vibrating with anger. “If you ever need anything—anything—it’s yours.” The rest of the Phoenix Pack nodded their agreement. “We’re in your debt,” said Greta, though she didn’t look happy about it. In fact, her gaze narrowed dangerously as it took in how closely Marcus stood to Roni. Trey’s somewhat neurotic grandmother was very possessive of “her boys”—those being Trey, Tao, Dante, and the four enforcers, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic. As she was convinced that every unmated female was determined to claim one of them, she made a distinct effort to frighten them away. Of course it hadn’t worked with Taryn or the Beta female, Jaime, but Greta persisted in trying to make their lives difficult. Not sure what to do with all the attention or the body still curled around her, Roni threw Marcus a pleading look. Smiling, Marcus took pity on Roni, satisfied that she had looked to him for help. “Taryn, why don’t you find Roni a place to sit? She could have a concussion.” “Of course.” Taryn led Roni over to the armchair on which Dominic sat. “Move it.” “I’m hurt too, remember,” he griped. “None of you even praised me for intervening between two fighting wolves.” Taryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not exactly uncommon for Trick and Ryan to get carried away when sparring. You only had a few bruises. Most of them had healed by the time you walked through the door.” “A few bruises?” Dominic rose from the chair. “My chest had so many black patches, I looked like a Holstein cow. And I don’t care what you say, I had internal bleeding.” Trick shook his head at Dominic. “Could you be any more dramatic?” When he noticed that Marcus had perched himself on the arm of Roni’s chair, Trick arched a brow. Then a taunting smirk surfaced, deepening the claw marks on Trick’s cheek. For as long as Marcus could remember, Trick’s favorite pastime was tormenting people. He thoroughly enjoyed teasing Marcus about Roni’s apparent indifference to him. Asshole. Roni stiffened as Shaya, Nick, and Derren entered the room. She suspected a lecture from her brother. Within seconds, Nick’s nostrils flared as he scented her. Then his eyes fixed on Roni and darkened. Yep, a lecture was coming. Nick strode toward Roni, his face like thunder. “I can’t believe you put Shaya in danger like that!” Rage seeped from him—a rage so acute that it seemed to thicken the air. It made Roni jump to her feet and put her wolf on high alert. The Phoenix wolves immediately gathered behind her, and Marcus pressed up against her side. What was that all about? Shaya, ever the peacemaker, smoothly slipped in front of her mate. “Now, Nick . . .” He glared at Roni over Shaya’s shoulder. “Do you think I give out orders purely for fun, is that it?” “No, I don’t,” replied Roni calmly. Her cool demeanor seemed to further anger him. “Shaya’s your Alpha female, she’s pregnant with your niece or nephew, and you put them in danger!” “That’s not fair, Nick,” reprimanded Shaya. “She had no way of knowing what would happen. I asked her to get me out of there; I needed to breathe. You’re so overprotective, it’s suffocating!” Roni knew exactly how that felt, as she dealt with it daily from her mother and Nick. She loved and respected her brother, trusted him more than anyone. But his level of overprotectiveness made her feel hurt, offended, and stifled. There was nothing more insulting or disrespectful to a dominant female than treating her like she couldn’t take care of herself. “I’m just trying to keep you and our baby safe. And you would have been safe if Roni hadn’t disobeyed me!” “And what makes your word have more weight than Shaya’s?” Roni felt compelled to ask. “Excuse me?” Nick’s voice was quiet, menacing. Derren winced. “You can’t call her Alpha female and then undermine her by dishing out orders to everyone that effectively give her no say in her own life.” “That isn’t what I’m doing!” “It is.” Shaya’s voice was gentle but firm. “I was ready to explode; that’s not good for either me or the baby.” “It’s better than you being in a car accident!” Roni barely refrained from growling in irritation. “You’re not listening to a word either me or Shaya is saying.” Nick advanced on her, teeth bared. Marcus blocked the Alpha’s path. “Don’t touch her.” Nick drew back, glowering. “What does this have to do with you? With any of you?” “Roni protected my son,” said Trey. “She now has the loyalty of everyone in this pack. They’ll protect her from anything, including you.” “I’d never hurt her! She’s my sister!” Roni sighed. Shifter male posturing was boring as shit. “I can speak for myself

FILE NO. 1399
PERSONAL JOURNAL ENTRY—DR. ROSE FRANKLIN, HEAD OF SCIENCE DIVISION, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS
I had a cat. For some reason, no one remembers my having a cat. I’ve been picturing her curled into a ball on the kitchen floor, slowly starving to death while waiting for me to come home. I keep forgetting that Rose Franklin came home that night, that she—the other me—never left. I’m glad my cat didn’t starve, but part of me wishes she’d waited for me by the door. I miss her. My apartment feels incredibly empty without her small presence. Maybe she died. She wasn’t that old, though. Maybe I got rid of her when my job became too demanding. Maybe she didn’t recognize the person who came home that night pretending to be me and ran away. I wish. She’d probably be afraid of me if she were still around. If there’s a “real” Rose Franklin, chances are I’m not it. Thirteen years ago, I got into a traffic accident on my way to work. Strangers pulled me out of my car and I woke up on the side of the road, in Ireland, four years later. I hadn’t aged a day. How is that possible? Did I travel to the future? Was I… frozen, cryogenized for four years? I’ll probably never know. I can live with that. What I’m having a hard time dealing with is that I wasn’t really gone for those four years. I—someone like me, anyway—was here. Rose Franklin went to work the next day. She did a whole bunch of things during those years. Somehow, she ended up studying the giant metal hand I had fallen onto as a child. She became convinced that there were more giant body parts lying around and devised a method for unearthing them. She pieced together a giant alien robot called Themis. Then she died. It was a busy four years. I don’t remember any of it, of course. I wasn’t there. Whoever did all those things died. I know for a fact it wasn’t me me. Rose Franklin was twenty- eight when she was put in charge of the research team studying the hand. She died at thirty. A year later, they found me. I was twenty- seven. Themis ended up with the United Nations. They created a planetary defense branch, called the EDC, with the robot as its main asset. I wasn’t there for that either. One of me had died. The other hadn’t been found yet. They put me in charge of the EDC research team about a month after I reappeared. The other Rose must have made quite an impression because I was probably the least qualified person for the job. I had never even seen Themis. As far as I was concerned, the last time I had seen any part of her was on my eleventh birthday. They didn’t seem to care. Neither did I. I really wanted the job. I’ve been at it for nine years. Nine years. One would think that would be enough time to get over what happened to me. It’s not. I had four years of catching up to do, and that kept my mind busy for a while. But as I settled into some sort of routine, got more comfortable with my new job, my new life, I became more and more obsessed with who and what I am. I realize that if I did travel through time, I probably don’t have the knowledge to fully understand it, but there shouldn’t have been two of us. Move an object from point A to point B, logic dictates you won’t find it at point A anymore. Am I a clone? A copy? I can live without knowing what happened to me, but I have to know if I’m…me. That’s an awful thing to doubt. I know I don’t belong here, now. I’m…out of sync. It’s a familiar feeling, now that I think about it. Every so often— maybe two or three times a year—I would get this anxiety rush. I’d usually be really tired, maybe had too much coffee, and I’d start feeling…I never knew how to describe it. Every second that goes by feels like nails on a chalkboard. It usually lasts a minute or two but it feels like you’re just a tiny bit—half a second or so—out of sync with the universe. I was never able to really explain it, so I don’t know if I’m the only one who ever felt this. I suppose not, but that’s how I feel every minute of every day now, only that half second is getting longer and longer. I have no real friends, no real relationships. The ones I have are based on experiences I didn’t share, and the ones I lost have been damaged by events I didn’t live through. My mother still calls me every other night. She doesn’t understand that we hadn’t spoken in over a year when I came back. How could she? She’s calling that other person, the one who isn’t still dealing with her father’s loss, the one who everyone liked. The one who died. I haven’t talked to any of my old friends from school, from home. They were at my funeral. That’s such a perfect ending to a relationship, I wouldn’t want to spoil that. Kara and Vincent are the closest thing I have to friends now, but even after nine years, I’m somewhat…ashamed of our friendship. I’m an impostor. Their affection for me is based on a lie. They’ve told me what we supposedly went through together and we all pretend that we would have shared the same experiences had the circumstances been different. We keep pretending I’m that other person, and they like me for it. I don’t know what I am, but I know I’m not…her. I’m trying to be. Desperately trying. I know that if I could just be her, everything would be all right. But I don’t know her. I have gone over every page of her notes a thousand times, and I still can’t see the world as she did. I see glimpses of myself in some of her journal entries, but those fleeting moments aren’t enough to bring us any closer. She was clever, though; I’m not certain I could do what she did if we were looking for giant body parts today. She must have found some research I don’t know about, probably something that was published while I was “away.” Maybe I’m an imperfect copy. Maybe she was just smarter. She certainly was more optimistic. She believed—was utterly convinced—that Themis was left here as a gift for us to find in due time, a coming-of-age present left to an adolescent race by a benevolent father figure. Yet they buried all the pieces in the far corners of the Earth, in the most remote of places, even under the ice. I can see why I might get excited by a treasure hunt, but I can’t find a good reason for the added hurdles. My gut tells me these things were hidden…well, just that. Hidden, as in not to be found. More than anything, I can’t imagine why anyone, however advanced, would leave behind a robot that, in all likelihood, we wouldn’t be able to use. Anyone with the technology to build one of these things, and to travel light-years to bring it here, would have had the power to adapt the controls to our anatomy. They would have had a mechanic aboard, someone who could fix the robot, or at least MacGyver their way out of small problems. All it would really take is their version of a screwdriver to turn the knee braces around so we could use them. They couldn’t have expected us to mutilate ourselves in order to pilot this thing. I’m a scientist, and I have no proof for any of this, but neither did the other Rose when she assumed the opposite. Without evidence, even Occam’s razor should never have led me in that direction. The irony is that they built this entire program based on my findings. If I had told them how scared I am of what will come, they never would have given me the freedom to do what I’m doing now. The lab is the only place I find comfort in and I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for Themis, to be in her company every day. I feel drawn to her. She isn’t of this world either. She doesn’t belong here any more than I do. We’re both out of place and out of time, and the more I learn about her, the closer I feel to understanding what really happened to me. I know everyone is worried about me. My mother told me she would pray for me. You don’t do that for someone who’s doing great. I didn’t want to upset her, so I said thank you. My faith has never been really strong, but even if it were, I know there’s no God coming to help me. There’s no redemption for what I’ve done. I should be dead. I died. I was brought back by what I assume is advanced technology, but you might as well call it witchcraft. Not too long ago, the Church would have burned someone like me. I may believe in God, but I’m at war with Him. I’m a scientist, I try to answer questions, one at a time, so there’s a little less room for Him as the answer. I plant my flag, and inch by inch, I take away His kingdom. It’s odd, but none of this has ever occurred to me before. I never even saw a real contradiction between science and religion. I see it now, I see it clear as day.

CHAPTER ONE
KITH AND KIN
FILE NO. 1398
NEWS REPORT—JACOB LAWSON, BBC LONDON
Location: Regent’s Park, London, England
A twenty-story-tall metallic figure appeared in the middle of Regent’s Park this morning. Caretakers at the London Zoo were the first to notice it at around 4 A.M. Standing on one of the Hub’s football pitches at the north end of the park, the figure, or robot, bears a resemblance, in both size and shape, to the UN robot we now know as Themis. This new giant, however, appears to be a man, or shall I say is made in the image of a man. It is much more muscular than the slender feminine titan that visited London less than a year ago, perhaps taller as well. Its colour is also different, a lighter grey than the UN robot, and it is striated with yellow light, in contrast to the turquoise-veined Themis. According to early witnesses, the robot appeared out of thin air in the middle of the park. “It wasn’t there, then it was,” said one of the zookeepers. Fortunately, the football pitches at the Hub were deserted at this hour, and not a single casualty has been reported. It is unknown, of course, whether this early appearance was deliberate, as we do not know where this robot came from or who sent it. If this is indeed a robot like Themis, and if it is controlled in the same manner as she is, there could be pilots aboard. If pilots there are, are they Russian, Japanese, or Chinese? Or are they from somewhere else entirely? We can only speculate at this juncture. There might be no one at all in this giant structure. In the four hours it has been standing here, it has not moved an inch. The Earth Defense Corps (EDC) has yet to issue an official statement. Dr. Rose Franklin, head of the scientific division, was reached in Geneva, where she was to give a speech later this morning. She would not speculate as to the origin of this second robot but has assured us that it is not part of the UN planetary defence. If true, this would suggest that either a second alien robot has been discovered on Earth and kept from us or that this one does not come from our planet. In New York, the EDC has scheduled a press conference for three o’clock London time. The Earth Defense Corps, which was founded nine years ago by the United Nations following the American discovery of the Themis robot, is tasked with extracting new technologies from the alien artifact for the benefit of mankind and to protect this planet against extraterrestrial threats. Only time will tell if we are facing such a threat today. No word yet from His Majesty’s Government, but sources say the Prime Minister will address the nation within the hour. The British people will not have to wait to hear from the other side of the aisle. The official opposition was quick to issue a statement earlier today, immediately calling for the Prime Minister to offer some reassurances. Opposition leader Amanda Webb took to the air about an hour ago, saying: “There is an alien device with potentially devastating power standing in the middle of London and all the Prime Minister has seen fit to do is to restrict access to one city park. Can he tell the thirteen million people who live in the Greater London Area that they are safe? If he can, he owes the British people an explanation, and if he can’t, I for one would like to know why we aren’t talking about evacuation.” The former Foreign Secretary went on to suggest that Central London be evacuated first, something that, by her calculation, could be accomplished in an orderly manner in less than forty-eight hours. Londoners, for their part, appear in no hurry to go anywhere. Perhaps as surprising as the robot’s appearance is the utter nonchalance the population has displayed since. The towering figure is visible from most of London, and while one might expect civic unrest, or a massive exodus from the city, Londoners, for the most part, have gone about their business; many have even made their way towards Regent’s Park to see this new titan up close. The police have closed off the area south of Prince Albert and north of A501 between A41 and Albany Street, but some have managed to escape their attention and found their way into the park. The police even had to evacuate a family that was preparing for a picnic, a mere few steps from the giant metallic feet of the intruder. It’s hard to blame Londoners for seeing a creature similar to Themis as a friendly figure. They have been told that a race of aliens left her on Earth for our protection. Her metal face and backwards legs are on the telly almost every day and have made the front page of every red top for nearly a decade. There are Themis tee shirts for sale on every corner, and young Londoners have grown up playing with Themis action figures. Themis is a star. Her visit to another one of London’s Royal Parks a year ago felt more like a rock concert than first contact with something from an alien world. This is a defining moment in the short history of the EDC. The fruit of a very fragile coalition, the organization has been called a public-relations stunt by its detractors. Many have argued that a single robot, no matter how powerful, could not defend a planet against an invader. By adding a second robot to its arsenal, or forging a formal alliance with another race, the EDC would come a long way in silencing its critics.

In the beginning, his flirtatious nature had irritated Roni, despite her powerful elemental attraction to him. Sublimely gorgeous people intimidated her, particularly the typical “smooth talkers”—guys who had mastered the art of making females part from their clothes using speech alone. Roni liked a male with substance, not a player who was incapable of loyalty and relied on his looks to get him what he wanted in life. However, her irritation had soon given way to curiosity, because the more time she’d spent around Marcus Fuller, the more she’d come to realize that the whole “smooth talker” act was nothing but that—an act. He hid behind the charm and the carefree attitude he projected to the world. This guy cared very deeply about something. There was so much anger there, packed in ice . . . yet no one seemed to see it. No one seemed to see that this was a wolf with secrets. He was also a wolf who was annoyingly impossible to dislike. She envied how he could so easily put people at ease. Envied his ability to mix well with others and be instantly accepted into any social circle. Roni, by contrast, had a tendency to make people feel uncomfortable with how out of tune she was with others’ feelings and their social expectations. At his impatient expression, she removed the lollipop from her mouth. “I told you, I’m fine.” She slid off the bed, and he cupped her elbow to support her as she stood upright. The simple skin-to-skin contact caused her nerve endings to spark to life. She pulled her arm free from his grasp. “I can walk perfectly fine without help.”
He flashed her that infamous smile designed to make any female blush and trip over herself to get to him. “You should know that prim, schoolteacher tone totally turns me on.” Roni would have been immune to that smile if it were sleazy. But no. It was a confident, mischievous, “I could make you come all night long” smile. She would bet that he damn well could. Not that she’d ever find out. Marcus flirted with her, sure, but only because he didn’t know any other form of communication. And besides, tomboys weren’t his type. Her wolf loved having all that raw sexuality and seductive charm directed at her, and she constantly pushed at Roni to act on her desire for him. It was taxing, since she and her wolf were so extremely close that the line that existed between her human side and animal side was blurred. It didn’t mean she didn’t have full control of her wolf, but it did mean that her wolf’s emotions could intrude on Roni’s human responses, and vice versa. As such, her wolf’s desire for him fed her own, making it even more difficult to resist him. Frustrated with him, herself, and her wolf, Roni stuffed her lollipop back into her mouth and offered him a blank look, refusing to let him see that she was no more resistant to his charm than every other female. Nothing. The female in front of him didn’t give him the slightest reaction, which only made Marcus smile wider. He had been on his way home from visiting his sister when he’d received a call from his Beta male, Dante, to let him know about the crash. He’d broken all kinds of laws as he drove like a maniac to get home and see for himself that everyone was fine, that Roni was fine. And now here she was, doing that aloof act again. And he was nothing short of amused.

CHAPTER TWO


Sitting on an infirmary bed at Phoenix Pack territory half an
hour later, Roni flinched as Grace used tweezers to pluck
yet another piece of glass from Roni’s palms. Silently, she
seethed, annoyed with herself. She—a dominant female
who could outrun both her brothers, who could defeat a
wolf while in her human form, and who had once almost
made an Alpha male sob when she beat him at an arm
wrestle—had passed out. Twice.

What was wrong with the world?
“Done,” announced Grace. “I have to thank you again for
what you did. I dread to think what could have happened to
Kye if you hadn’t kept him safe.”

Roni took her strawberry-flavored lollipop out of her mouth
only long enough to respond with: “It’s what anyone would
have done.”

“Don’t try to play it down. Protecting another with your life
is never a small thing.” The brunette squinted as she
studied the cut on Roni’s forehead. “That’s looking better.”

It
was the benefit of having a shifter’s accelerated healing
rate.

“What about the rest of you?”
“Healing.”

Shifters weren’t easy to hurt, which was largely
why Roni had escaped the incident with just cuts, bruising,
and a cracked rib. Thankfully, Tao and Kye had walked away
with only a few scrapes and bruises. As Roni was almost
fully healed, she’d turned down the Phoenix Alpha female’s
offer to heal her. Shaya, however, had needed Taryn’s
healing skills since she’d had a broken leg and a fractured
wrist. Shaya had been fine by the time Nick and Derren
arrived. Even so, Nick had freaked out—Roni had been able
to hear him from the infirmary yelling and growling in the
kitchen while Shaya desperately tried to calm him.
The sound of heavy footsteps striding through the network
of tunnels pulled Roni from her thoughts. Seconds later, a
tall, dark, broad-shouldered vow of sexual satisfaction
entered the room. Two pools of electric blue locked on
Roni, and the atmosphere snapped taut as awareness
throbbed between them—it was always the same.
Marcus Fuller exuded sex, confidence, and a raw
compelling charisma that commanded the attention of
those around him . . . which was why the Phoenix Pack
enforcer was the star of her every X-rated fantasy. He
deserved an Oscar for his performances.
Anger and concern radiating from him, he demanded, “How
badly are you hurt?”
As if he had every right, he ate up her personal space,
skimming his gaze over her body. His dark scent slammed
into her, and Roni once again found herself wishing she
could bottle it. Earthy, spicy, and with a hint of leather, it
never failed to tantalize both her and her wolf.
Determined not to let him see the effect he had on her,
Roni shrugged nonchalantly at the six feet of pure male
power staring down at her. “I’m fine.”
Clearly unconvinced, he turned to Grace for an answer. The
traitor sang like a canary before reassuring him, “She
should be fully healed within the hour. Now I have to get
back to my daughter. She’ll wake up any minute now.”
Once Grace was gone, Marcus’s gaze again locked on Roni.
Anger no longer spilled from him, but she knew it was still
there, simmering beneath the surface. Maybe everyone
else was fooled by his laid-back manner, but Roni knew this
wolf was as dark and dangerous as any predator.
The minute she’d met the enforcer, her wolf had sensed the
danger in him, the intensity, and the power . . . and then
she’d practically rolled over, panting, totally in lust. It was
just so . . . undignified.
“How are you feeling, gorgeous?”
Honestly? Like she wanted to gouge out those piercing eyes
that took in her every move and expression. It was the stare
of a hunter, and Roni very much felt like prey when he
focused his full attention on her. It was something he did a
lot, which only intensified the sexual tension that pulsed
between them—a tension that was unexpected considering
she was nothing like the foo-foo attention-whores he dated.

“Don’t shift!” the other male yelled. “A car’s coming!” Footsteps thudded along the ground as the two males disappeared from view. Seconds later, there was the sound of a car speeding away, and a heavy sense of relief surged through Roni. Hearing Shaya’s wolf pawing at the vehicle, whining, Roni assured her, “We’re fine.” But, really, Roni wasn’t fine. Her head was now throbbing, her body ached in several places, and her vision was starting to blur and darken. If she passed out again, she would be seriously unhappy. Dominant females did not pass out, dammit. “Roni, how badly are you guys hurt?” Shaya asked, back in her human form. Roni wanted to answer her Alpha female; wanted to ask Shaya how injured she was and reassure her that everything would be fine. But Roni’s mouth suddenly felt stuffed with cotton, her chest felt tight, and black spots were dancing before her eyes. Worse, there was a horrible ringing sound that made her head pound even more. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her wolf began to panic once more as the ringing became deafening and a dark veil fell over Roni’s vision. Then there was only blackness.

Opening your eyes to find
that you’re upside down can’t
be good, can it?
Through the cobwebs
clouding her mind, Roni
Axton realized that it wasn’t
just she who was upside
down. The car had toppled
over.
Well, that sucked. Clearly the
Bleep-up fairy had made an
appearance.
Strangely, Roni felt no rush of panic, no fear. And despite
that she was pretty sure her head was bleeding, there was
no pain. There was only a feeling of weightlessness. Even
the fact that her wolf was frantic didn’t disturb Roni in this
dreamlike moment.
Her brain distantly registered that the car kept leaning
sideways, as if something was repeatedly pulling at it. But it
was the various sounds that penetrated her mental fog: low
moans, a phone ringing, a child crying, and strange voices
arguing.
Sensing that the ringtone and the moans were coming from
her left, Roni turned her head to find a male wolf shifter in
the driver’s seat, eyes closed. Tao. Huh. Odd that the
Phoenix Pack’s Head Enforcer was with her. She rarely hung
out with anyone outside her pack. In truth, Roni counted
very few people as friends.
Sadly, she was very like her brother, Alpha of their recently
formed Mercury Pack, in that she found social situations
uncomfortable. In Nick’s case, it was because he didn’t like
most people. In Roni’s case, it was because most people
didn’t like her. Even when she was a kid, she’d found
making friends difficult, especially at school. It was kind of
hard to fit in when you were a tomboy with a higher IQ than
that of your teachers.
It probably made things worse that she didn’t “get” her own
gender. But she just didn’t see the appeal behind constantly
gossiping, shopping endlessly, asking deep personal
questions, or having different lotions for different body
parts.
Roni was more comfortable around guys, particularly her
two brothers and her Beta male, Derren. Men didn’t care
that she wasn’t a people pleaser, or that she didn’t know
how to satisfy social niceties, or that she preferred
chocolate to living beings of any species. The only female
she thought of as a friend was her Alpha female, Shaya,
who—
A succession of memories suddenly hit Roni hard: Shaya
singing to a toddler in the backseat, Tao playfully grumbling
about the noise, the sound of tires screeching, an
unexpected impact to the side of the vehicle, a blow to her
head that made everything go black.
Grasping onto those threads of memory, Roni remembered
how she had escorted Shaya—who was two months
pregnant—on a daytrip to the zoo with Shaya’s godson, Kye,
and his bodyguard, Tao. The Alpha female had wanted a
break from Nick and his extreme overprotectiveness. It was
during the drive back to Phoenix Pack territory when a car
had slammed into theirs.
And then she’d gone and passed out like a girl. How
embarrassing.
Blinking rapidly, she swiveled her head as much as she
could. She might have winced at the sharp pain that lanced
through her neck if she hadn’t been distracted by the fact
that Shaya wasn’t in the backseat beside a still crying Kye.
That was when Roni noticed the female body sprawled like
a ragdoll on the grass a few feet away from the vehicle.
Bleep.
The dreamy quality of the moment disappeared as reality
crashed into Roni, and her wolf howled in fear and rage.
One word dominated Roni’s thoughts: out. She had to get
out.
Forcing a reassuring smile for Kye, who was squirming in
his safety seat and reaching for her, she crooned, “It’s okay,
little man. Give me a second and I’ll—”
The car wobbled sideways again. “This crowbar is a piece of
shit!” griped an unfamiliar voice.
“Hurry up!” ordered an equally unfamiliar voice. “We don’t
have much time before someone shows up. Coleman and
Axton will sense through their pack links that something’s
wrong with their wolves.”
The stranger was right about that: she could sense Nick’s
rage and anxiety. She could also sense Shaya through the
pack link; she was alive, but unconscious.
“I can’t open the door, it’s jammed.”
A growl. “Move. I’ll do it.” The car swayed again. That was
when Roni understood what was happening. Someone was
yanking at one of the rear door handles, trying desperately
to get inside . . . trying to get to . . . Kye. Oh, the Bleep no.
Roni awkwardly fought to unclip her seatbelt. It eventually
snapped open, and she cried out at the sensation of falling
onto a bed of glass. She shelved the pain as she righted
herself and began to slide toward the backseat on her
stomach. “Tao, wake up! Get to Shaya!” All she received was
another moan.
“Shit! One of them is awake!” Rather than flee, the strangers
redoubled their efforts to open the door.
Their efforts paid off.
Just as the top half of Roni’s body wriggled through the gap
between the seats, the door was yanked open, and a
tanned arm reached for Kye.
Roni unsheathed her claws and sliced at the limb, causing it
to flinch away. Her wolf growled her approval. “I swear to
God, if any part of your body tries to touch him again, you
won’t get it back intact!”
“You bitch!” Two arms reached inside this time, both
sporting claws of their own. One set of claws acted as a
barricade between her and Kye while the other set cut
through the belt that secured Kye’s safety seat to the car. In
a lightning fast motion, the arms caught him before he and
his seat could crash to the floor.
Roni stabbed her claws through one long, muscled arm,
past bone, and all the way into the rear seat, pinning the
arm in place. He howled in pain, hurling obscenities at her.
Well, she had warned him; he’d chosen to ignore her, so
there was really no need for that kind of language.
With her free hand, Roni worked Kye’s belt open. His little
body toppled out of the safety seat and onto her
outstretched arm. If her wolf could have sighed in relief,
she would have. Curling her arm around him, Roni pulled
him tight against her body. Only then did she release the
would-be-kidnapper from the grip of her claws.
She was feeling a hint of victory when someone grabbed a
fistful of her hair from behind. Turning her head as much
as the strong grip would allow, she realized that the second
male had come at her from the other side of the car. He
held her in place by her hair while the other shifter
frantically struggled to drag Kye from her grasp. The toddler
was wailing and clinging tightly to her, absolutely terrified.
When two large hands got a firm grip on his little waist,
panic bit into her. No, no, she wouldn’t let—
Her hair was suddenly released, and a scream mingled with
a familiar animal growl that meant Shaya had shifted into
her wolf form. While Roni was relieved that she was
conscious again, Roni did not want the pregnant female,
ruthless or not, fighting a male shifter.

Am reading "whose fault" by samuel turner.... Captivating

Just predicting oooo


Blessing will return to Tunji after she realized that what she did was wrong but it will be too late because Tunji would have already marry another woman

Come and continue ooo
Update dey yearn me

Following

:O
;O