Alien Mine Ch. 11

Rhys heard the occasional scream from the jungle as the drones chased down the escaping guerrillas, but it appeared that most of the killing was over. Looking around, he could see the kidnapped women, some of them very young. They were hysterical, not knowing what was going to happen. "Do another sweep for survivors, then round up all the women and children." He would leave that to the three women; he was going to talk to the hostages.

Rhys stripped off his armor, leaving him in what looked like jungle fatigues.

The three men were still in the stone hut. "Incoming friendly," he said, not wanting them to shoot him.

"We are really glad to see you, one of the prisoners said as he walked in. What is the situation."

The three men looked like they had been beaten but were mobile. One had several bruises on his face, another had cuts on his arms and face, while the third had broken fingers. All of them managed to hold a weapon, though and looked good to go.

"All enemies are neutralized," Rhys said. "There are helicopters inbound for extraction, but there are approximately 60-70 women and children here. We have put them on the other side of the camp; I don't know if any of the women are armed, so be careful. Here is a radio; the extraction team will contact you in about ten minutes," he said, turning to leave.

"Wait a minute, who are you? Aren't you the extraction team?"

""No, just here to kill the bad guys. You are not to speak to anyone other than your boss at the CIA. Do not let anyone else debrief you; no one gets to know about our involvement. You know the drill; you never saw us; we are ghosts. The official story is that rival guerrillas attacked, and they killed each other off. You escaped and got weapons, finishing off the remaining ones. So take the credit and leave us out of it," he said as he walked out the door.

Time to leave ladies, Sandy will pick us up in that clearing," he said, mentally pointing out a position on the tac grid.

On the shuttle, Kiania stripped off her armor, noting the blood splattered across most of it. In the middle of the fight, it had smelled good; now, the odor was different, almost nauseating as she washed it off. She thought about those who had just been killed, waiting for a reaction of some kind but felt very little. Instead, there was satisfaction with her effort and excitement, knowing Rhys was pleased with her, but no guilt, no remorse. Smiling, she turned to help Leslie and Amancia out of their armor, then smiled even more broadly as Rhys climbed into the shuttle.

"Where to handsome," Sandy asked?

"Back to DC; Leslie needs to be there to brief everyone." Then, turning, he helped Amancia and Leslie out of their armor. "Good job, is everyone ok?

Amancia leaned into his arms, kissing him. "Wonderful, Leslie did well," she said.

He looked at Kiania for a second and just nodded to her, one warrior to another. He could still sense her enjoyment; she was pleased with herself. He looked at Leslie, waiting for her response. He could feel her emotions, weak, but the connection was getting easier to make. Her emotions were a heady mix of confusion, excitement, fear, and surprisingly arousal.

"I'm ok," she said. "I have never done anything like that before, and I guess I don't know how to feel about it," she said, sounding a little lost.

Rhys took her in his arms. "The first time is always difficult, but you did good, handled yourself well under fire."

"That's right," Sandy said, coming in and joining the hug. These fuckers got what was coming to them, don't waste a moment feeling sorry for them. The world is a better place with them gone."

"I know, but I killed so many, and...I guess you're right," she added with a small smile; the world is better off without them. I need to call HQ and let them know we have the hostages. It's a good thing I don't need much sleep as I will probably be up all night in meetings. I need to get my story prepared, come up with an explanation to explain how I just happened to have an unknown asset in-country."

"That should be an interesting story," Rhys laughed. "Come on, we have time for a quick shower before we get back."

In Langley, Leslie looked around as everyone else stared at her in silence. The CIA director was there, the National Security Council, and representatives of the white house and the pentagon. They had just heard Leslie's report.

"I thought we did not have any assets on the ground," the director said, "was that your people, he said, gesturing to the general."

"No," he said, looking at Leslie. "I think our Director of Clandestine Operations has been holding out on us, and I am not happy about it."

Leslie just smiled, "I called in a favor; we got lucky they were in the area."

"Why were they there," the Director asked.

"I have no idea," Leslie lied with a straight face, "but we pulled a straight flush with that draw," she smirked.

"I want to know who those people were. Are they ours?" the general from the Pentagon asked.

Leslie just shook her head, "sorry, need to know."

The general was not happy, to say the least. He looked at the Director. "What about cooperation, those guys that were taken may have been working for you, but they are ours. Where did you suddenly get assets that not only could find the guerilla base but apparently killed most of them."

"My report states that a rival group fought with them," Leslie said firmly. So we just picked up the pieces."

"I know bullshit when I hear it, I talked to the chopper pilots, and we received information from the Nigerians who talked to the women. They claim a large group of soldiers speaking a foreign language attacked the base and killed everyone, even those that ran into the jungle. That doesn't sound like a rival band of guerrillas; it sounds like a trained combat team, company level at least if not more."

"Sorry, you are wrong," Leslie said firmly; "you have my report, and I have nothing to add."

The director backed her up despite the clamoring for more information. She was right, it was a straight flush, but he wondered just what Leslie was up to. She was always a stone-cold bitch, competent for sure, but still a bitch. But something was different. He had heard rumors of a boob job, and looking at her closely, he could see they were correct; it was quite a pair she had now. Facial surgery as well, judging by how she was looking younger. He and his deputy might need to keep a closer watch on this woman. His job generally changed with the administration. He intended on making sure he was not offered early retirement as one of her bosses had been.

"Good job," the director said after the meeting, yawning as he reached for another cup of coffee. They had all been up all night, but it had been worth it. He never expected such a quick resolution; this had all the markings of a hostage problem that could have dragged for months.

"The President is pleased," he said. "A hostage crisis has been averted, something his administration didn't need, and everyone in the region is impressed one way or another. After this, they will think twice before striking at us."

"I got lucky with this one," Leslie said, helping herself to some more coffee as well. She felt tired but not as tired as she should. Sleep just wasn't as necessary as it used to be. There was still that underlying anxiety of the alien symbiont growing in her, but not as much as it had been. Being around the others, seeing the advantages first hand, had helped; and being attacked had also changed her thinking. Leslie had seen the others in action, and even Amancia could have taken out the men who attacked her bare-handed; in fact, it would have been a slaughter.

"But we can't count on it again," she said. "I used up my favors with this one, and we were lucky they were already there."

"I don't suppose you will tell me who they were and how you got them there so fast?"

"No, sorry boss, the fewer the people who know about this, the better."

"Any more surprises coming from this? Are there going to be any more awkward questions?"

"You might get some reports that some of the bodies found in the surrounding jungle have no signs of being shot. I don't know how they were killed (she lied ), and we should ignore those; I was assured there was no gas or anything like that involved."

"Anything else," the director said in a slightly disbelieving tone?

"No, that's it, I think; I am going home for a long bath and some Sleep. I will see you on Monday."

The Director looked like he wanted to say something but instead turned and walked away, slowly shaking his head.

There is too much going on with her, he thought. First, this thing with Nazir had lots of unexplained questions, the attack on her house and the way those people were killed, and now this. He agreed with the general; Leslie wasn't being forthcoming at all. He made a decision. Some extra security surveillance was in order. He didn't entirely trust that Leslie was being honest, and he had to protect himself and his agency.

***

The short orgy at Leslie's townhouse before her briefing had been frantic, fueled by adrenaline, post-combat euphoria, and the excitement that was a side effect of the 'combat mode' they all fell into. Clothes had been torn off as they fell into a tangle on the bed, which was not really big enough for six people. They had managed somehow, though the bed was worse for wear.

The orgy had been cut short though by Leslie's need to be at HQ and Rhys' concern about the Om. He insisted on Sandy and Thea going back to the shuttle with him in case the Om decided to intervene. Rhys felt confident the situation in Nigeria had nothing to do with them but wanted to take precautions. Amancia and Kiania had escorted Leslie to Langley and then returned to her apartment. With Rhys and Sandy overhead, they had fallen into bed, this time to sleep.

Kiania was tired, but Amancia wanted to talk about the fight. They were wrapped up with each other, arms and legs intertwined; it felt comfortable, intimate for sure. "It was a scary feeling," Amancia said quietly, "wanting to kill like that. That is not me, or at least wasn't me," she said. This was different from the first time when we captured Nazir."

"It was me," answered Kiania, "I hope this doesn't bother you, but I loved the feeling. It was as if I was striking back at all the people who abused me or took advantage of me over the years. I liked it," she confessed quietly, "maybe too much. But," she continued in a troubled voice, "It even aroused me," she admitted. "Why would I become aroused? Surely something was wrong with being sexually excited about killing people, no matter how much they deserved it."

"Me too," whispered Amancia after a moment. "I got so hot; that's why it scares me. It was too easy to kill them."

"Do you feel guilty about it?"

Amancia was quiet for a moment, "killing them no, no I don't," she said, "they deserved it; I would kill them again if I had to."

"I don't feel guilty either," said Kiania, nuzzling Amancia's neck.

"Yes, but what about how aroused I got; I mean, I was ready to fuck Rhys right there. It just seems wrong; Is something the matter with us.?"

"I don't know, but I think it is the symbiont, and of course, we were following Rhys commands. You know how that affects us. I wonder, though, was it the killing, or was it following the orders," Kiania asked softly?

Amancia thought about it for a minute. The predator in her had loved it. That was what a predator does. There had been no hesitation, no guilt or concern as they had ruthlessly killed them. But thinking about it, she felt the arousal had come from knowing they were following orders, commands from Rhys.

"It's complicated," she said, "but I think Rhys. We need to talk about this, all of us."

"I agree," Kiania said, though she didn't think she was as concerned as Amancia. "Well, that's for tomorrow," she said, letting herself just enjoy the contact, the feeling of Amancia's skin on hers. It was like that with all of them, the need to touch, to have flesh against flesh. She had no idea why but it just felt good, and as a result, they were all constantly hugging, kissing.

"Kiania," Amancia said quietly, interpreting her thoughts. "Would you teach me to use a knife like that? I watched as you stalked them; if I am going to do this, I want to be as good as you."

"Of course," she said, "You should learn everything. Amancia," she said after a moment, "you love being submissive with Rhys; you want to be with him all the time?"

"Yes, I belong to him completely."

"Then you need to embrace this; he is always in danger. Rhys is not the kind to sit back and send others into combat. If you are with him, you need to be an asset, you already are, but you can get better, so can I."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"We need to train hard to be ready, learn new skills. Leslie could teach us a lot, but if you are going to be with Rhys, then you need to be deadly in your own right."

"Learn to be a bodyguard, perhaps?"

"Yes, but, more than that, more like a deadly assassin, covert. Someone who might be overlooked deliberately and can protect Rhys' back from enemies."

"Proactive, someone who anticipates threats and can head them off?"

"Exactly," Kiania said. "I had thought I would be the one to do it, but I think I am going to be busy leading combat troops. On the other hand, you will be known as the financial mastermind, and people will tend to overlook you as a physical threat. So you need to learn everything you can, become the expert, make Leslie teach you everything she knows. We will start with the knives tomorrow."

"Thank you, I will," she said, snuggling up to Kiania. She felt fingers on her nipple rings and felt her breasts immediately respond.

"Sensitive aren't you," said Kiania.

"Yes, very, especially the rings."

"Do you like them?"

"Rhys put them there," she said as if that answered everything.

Kiania laughed, "well, they look good on you."

Amancia kissed her, letting her tongue slide inside Kiania's lips." Thanks," she said, breaking the kiss. They both drifted off to sleep, Amancia thinking about Kiania's words and how she could train herself to protect Rhys. Kiania was thinking about the new woman they would be adding to their group. The thought excited her for some reason. They needed her to understand the Drans' science, and there would be a new woman in their bed, and a new symbiont as well.

***

"Do you think we will fool them?" Sandy asked.

"Well, I don't know about being fooled, but probably misdirected," Rhys said, thinking about their precautions. They had learned their lesson with Leslie and Thea. Unable to understand how the Om were tracking and analyzing their searches, Sandy suggested focusing their attention on multiple targets. She had selected 20 scientists scattered around the world and devoted equal resources to all of them.

But this time, there was an added twist. Leslie had provided a body of a middle-aged Chinese woman from a mortuary that had been unclaimed. After they had Mei, the body would be placed in the car, and the vehicle would run off the road into a small canyon where it would conveniently catch fire. The fire had to be hot enough to burn the body beyond recognition but not so hot as to arouse the attention of the intelligence services. Hopefully, the body would fool the Chinese authorities for at least a few days.

"In any case, we are ready, and we will have plenty of time to look for any signs of the Om, especially now that we know about their jamming," Kiania said.

"You and Amancia be careful,'' Rhys said, ''remember, you are unarmored."

"We will, but you will be overhead, so we will be good. Besides, we are not picking Mei up at her apartment, and we have not detected any movement or signs of Trangrods at any of the potential targets."

Rhys just nodded, thinking about their enemy. Their actions to date had been unpredictable, but their persistence in targeting them through those they tried to recruit had been constant. He hoped they had fooled them with this one, but perhaps it was time to set their own trap. Thea was already trying to improve their weapons, and the shuttle gave them advantages. They needed to make the Om wary of striking at them. He had thought about dangling Leslie out as bait again, but perhaps there was a better way. Besides, he was becoming attached to her. She was still a pain in the ass, but Bob had at least improved that part of her. Now she had a world-class one that wiggled nicely when she walked.

***

Mei had grown up in a poor family. Her parents had wanted a son but got her. Unlike many female babies, she had not been put in an orphanage. She was married off young and pregnant at 15, her husband a poor farmer as well, but much older. When she gave birth to a daughter, he had been furious, demanding that they give it up and try for a son. Mei had also gone against tradition and refused to give her away.

That was when the beatings started. His drinking always turned to rage, and he would beat Mei if he did not pass out first. She endured the beatings stoically, not the only woman in the village who was regularly abused. But one particularly hard night, her husband had come home and found her asleep with the baby in their bed. Jerking her out of exhausted sleep, he began hitting her harder than usual. Her screams made the baby cry, and he lashed out at the child, striking it across the face. "I should just kill it," he said in a drunken rage. Mei tried to get between him and the baby, but a blow to her head knocked her to the floor, dazed.

Her husband grabbed the baby and slammed it against the table. Mei snapped when she saw what he was doing. She grabbed a piece of pipe in a panicked rage she kept near the bed and struck out at him. The blow hit him hard across the upper arm. He screamed in sudden pain, turning on her. Mei saw death in his eyes, hers and their child's. She felt a hand go around her throat and begin to squeeze. Then, summoning her strength, she lashed out with the pipe, All her pent-up hurt and rage lending strength to her arm.

The first blow struck his forehead, and he reared back in pain, but Mei couldn't make herself stop, and the blows continued. She kept hitting him over and over as blood and brains spread across the floor. Mei had not meant to kill him, but her rage was uncontrollable, and she didn't regret it.

She took the child in her arms, but it was too late; her short life was over. Mei had cried for hours before taking the little money they had and fled to Shanghai.

Mei lived on the streets taking whatever jobs she could find. Her one stroke of luck was finding work with an accountant cleaning house and cooking. She began to go to school part-time. She had always had a way with numbers, and her teachers were amazed that this almost illiterate girl from the country absorbed whatever they taught her, especially math.

One of her teachers got her into a local college, and things finally improved. Her mathematical abilities caught the attention of her professors; graduate school soon followed, and then a government research facility. Mei's brilliance ensured her promotion, and so she was recruited to the present job.

The pressure to succeed was tremendous given the competition in the world, and Mei had succeeded...until now. But, despite her calculations, it had recently been one failure after another. Mei didn't understand where it had gone wrong, and her superiors were not happy. That's why she was traveling tonight; she had gone to seek help from Bao.

Bao was a graduate student at the provincial university. She was so brilliant she should be in the best schools, Mei thought, perhaps even in the west. She was grateful that Bao was here, though. They worked well together, two mathematical savants, and Mei always enjoyed the time. Bao had contributed much to her work. However brilliant she was, though, it was a poor province, women were in short supply in China now, and Bao was an orphan with no money. One of the administrators was trying to force her into bed, or even worse, to marry him.