A Soldier in Love (28 page)

“I suppose they are too
poor to have a gun in the drug house,” he said.
“Unless they
stole one.”

Michelle pulled out the
pocket knife Serik had lent her and began to cut to the fabric of the tank top
to reveal her stomach. If she was going to play the part she would have to wear
something more revealing. She would have to advertise her body for sale.

“Help me,” she said as
she pulled the knife through the fabric. “I need to look like a prostitute. I’m
guessing they look mostly the same on any planet…”

Serik shuddered at the
thought of her actually doing such a thing. He tore through the shirt revealing
her stomach as she adjusted her bra.

“I don’t know,” he
began again.

“We got this far,”
Michelle shrugged.

Serik motioned and they
began to approach the club.

“What the Hell are you
doing here?” a voice called. It was one of the bouncers. Michelle looked to Serik
as an angry expression formed on his face.

“What fuck do you
care?” Serik retorted as he spat on the ground in front of him.

“Shit, you’d better get
out of here. I don’t need you plaguing me with your bad luck,” the other
bouncer retorted.

Michelle didn’t
understand but then again she did. She was beginning to see what Serik
struggled with all of his life. She reminded herself it wasn’t the time to have
such deep provoking thoughts. Michelle used the commotion to her advantage and
slipped in behind the duo as they argued with Serik. Serik seemed to cause more
of a scene as she made her way in. She squinted it was a dark, smoky place. As
she looked around she could see it was dirty and it stunk. There a puddle of
what appeared to be vomit beneath her boots. She trudged forward. She wondered
when the last time some of these people had a bath. She figured never.

She looked around at
the various users. It was quiet with exception of some soft moaning and
humming. Most of them lay on the floor on thin mattresses stoned out of their
minds. She scanned over their faces looking for the image that was burned
inside of her mind. It had been the image she had seen whenever she closed her
eyes. Capturing him was what would give her life meaning.
Finally,
she thought.
Finally,
I will do something worthwhile.

She could hear the
commotion outside the doors die down. She figured she had better be a bit
quicker at finding the guy. She took another breath of the muggy air as the
stench invaded her nostrils.

She made her way deeper
into the den as it led to an underground part. It was so dim she could barely
see. The stench was worse as she got closer. She tried not to gag as her
stomach turned. She took a few more steps forward as adrenaline hit her. She
grabbed for her gun.

It was him. His pale
skin almost illuminated the room as though he were a ghost. His eyes were so
dark it looked as though his skull had been hollowed out. He wasn’t the
powerful enemy the Earth Army had described. He was a pathetic, laid out,
wretch. He looked as though he hadn’t eaten or bathed in weeks. She examined
the Cabaka closer. It was
true,
you really could see
their veins. Their transparent skin failed to hide their internal workings.

From afar he had looked
like her except for his translucent skin and his dark eyes. His features were
almost human in the distance.

“You’ve come for me?”
he said his eyes wide and dilated as she approached. He was high but it seemed
like he still had a partial understanding of what was going on.

Michelle held her gun
towards him. “Get up,” she commanded and to her surprise he didn’t fight her.
He slowly complied with her request.

“I’m sorry,” he
whispered. “Take me, because I can’t take what I’ve done. I’m too cowardly to
kill myself. I hate myself for what I have done.”

He hung his head in
shame. Michelle gripped her gun
tightly,
careful of
any tricks he could be playing. It was
kill
or be
taken and being taken wasn’t an option. She would have to take him instead.

“I was just following
orders,” he added.
 

“So was I,” she
replied.

An uproar and general
upheaval could felt around them as the users scrambled up at the sight of her
gun.

“Damn bitch you killed
the mood,” an addict of an unknown origin hissed from the floor. Michelle
ignored him as they made their way out of the door. The guards kept their
mouths shut as she pointed her gun their way.

Michelle looked to Serik
with shame in her eyes. The terrorist she had captured wasn’t dangerous but instead
he was pathetic. She wondered if they should take him in at all or leave him to
rot in the
vrasoluu
den.

Michelle hadn’t known
true war like Serik; only Redex. She wondered if this was what war was really
like. You thought you knew your enemy but in the end you knew nothing. It was
all hype, adrenaline, training for a simple victory or a simple death. To kill
or to be killed is what she always thought it boiled down to but now it seemed
more complex than that. It all seemed like such a waste to her.

Serik handcuffed him
and tagged him with a tracking device before they make their way back and out
through the jungle. He didn’t protest. It was as though the fight had died a
long time ago inside of him.

Serik covered his skin
with a thin sheet. “His skin will burn in the sun if we don’t.”

Michelle shrugged she
wasn’t sure if she cared if he burnt or not. She didn’t know why Serik would
care either but he did. They traveled at a steady pace until the sun began to
go down. Serik set the tent as Michelle held their captive.

He still seemed dazed
and uncaring. She wondered if he knew the fate he had ahead of him. Maybe he
did.

“
Vrasoluu
,
more
vrasoluu
,” he had begged in the night.

Michelle didn’t sleep. She
only wished for morning. She wanted to be done with their pathetic prisoner.

His pleas and screams
were unnerving.

“The things I’ve done…
just kill me,” he called out.

He called out to them
and begged for drugs or a drink of prasna. He even said Earth alcohol would do.
Serik gave him something that seemed to subdue him for awhile.

“Michelle, I’m sorry,”
Serik replied with a concerned look in his yes.

She sighed.

“This is what war is
like much of the time,” he offered not knowing if his words would make things
better or worse.

Michelle knew he was
right. He was the more experienced soldier between them.

“He was already
defeated before I got to him,” she said quietly.
 

“At least we are going
to get paid,” Serik added.

Michelle realized how
important that was. She hadn’t had a means to support herself or make any money
until now. She had been lost in the universe trying to make sense of it all.
Things suddenly felt a little brighter, although they still felt very bleary at
the same time.

“What’s wrong? I thought
you were happy we caught the guy and are getting paid in your funny
intergalactic pesos?” Michelle asked as she looked over Serik.

His worried look did
not dissipate.
“Pesos?
I think my translation chip is
acting up again.”

“Uh, never mind. Are
you OK?” she furrowed her brow.

“We have to stop on the
next planet to refuel. After we turned in the terrorist, we got a little off
track,” he replied, still his concerned look did not break.
 

“Is that a problem?”
Michelle asked softly.

He shook his head.
“Just… you have to stay on the ship on this planet.”

“Why?” Michelle
questioned.

“This is a dangerous
place for you. I didn’t plan on stopping here but we used a lot more fuel than
I thought we would on this route,” he answered.

Michelle nodded and began
to strap herself into the seat as Serik configured the controls. The familiar
rollercoaster feeling set as the ship broke through the planet’s atmosphere
towards the docking bay. She didn’t understand how it could be dangerous for
her.

“I’ll be back as soon
as I can,” he said as he gave her a soft and gentle kiss.

“How soon?” she asked
as she tried to maintain a brave face. She didn’t like the idea of being alone
on the ship on an unfamiliar planet with Serik with her. No amount of combat or
arms training could make her
feel
safe without him.

“I’ll be back by
morning,” he replied quickly.

Michelle nodded and
watched him exit the ship with a pack of supplies. She sat down on the couch
and sighed. He had been distant since they had left Sora. She wasn’t sure why
but he was. Although he had always been a bit reserved something seemed aloof
about him.

Maybe it’s all in my head…

She made her way to the
kitchen and decided to make herself useful. She cleaned up a little and took a
frozen meal out to defrost. She paced nervously around the empty shuttle. She
hated to be alone. When she was alone the memories would haunt her the most. She
could hear Alex’s screams tormenting her or smell of the molcos hund. She could
remember her parents not coming home. It haunted her, it all haunted her. Not
to mention without Serik she felt lost, alone, useless. He was her rock.

She decided to go to
the gym. She warmed up on the treadmill, thankful that Serik had shown her how
it worked. It was a little big for her since it had been designed for someone
of Serik’s stature but she could still use it.

She ran and ran but her
mind still raced. She undressed and showered but the thoughts pestered her.

She shut her eyes and
as she lay in the bed by herself. It seemed too big without Serik. She rolled
over and reached out to where he should have been. Michelle listened to the
silence that surrounded her. She had put on a brave face for Serik but the
truth was each little noise outside of the ship frightened her. It made her
wonder what was out there. He had left in such a rush without explaining
anything.

“For Christ’s sake I’m
an Earth Army soldier. I can handle whatever comes my way. I can’t let every
little bump in the night make me lose sleep,” she whispered hoarsely to
herself.

Michelle sighed as she
realized that no longer held true. The fact was that she was no longer an Earth
Army soldier. She wasn’t sure there was an Earth Army any more. She stared at the
ceiling as the dim light filtered the room. She wasn’t sure what she was anymore.

Useless…

She felt pretty
useless. Catching the Cabaka terrorist had been the only thing she had
accomplished since leaving Earth and that wasn’t saying much. She wondered what
it was that she was supposed to do now in the vast universe. She didn’t know
that she had in skills that would help her survive. What would she do? Where
would she go? She had nothing. Instead of thinking it through, she just blindly
followed the Earth Army and her own rage. She had Serik but she wasn’t entirely
sure wanted her. He seemed so hot and cold. One moment telling her she was
beautiful the next almost leaving her on Sora, only to come back for her. She
wondered if it had to do with her own behavior. She would become closer and
closer to him only to get frightened and pull away. There was
an intensity
about feeling emotions again and it doubled
when Serik was around. She didn’t want to risk getting close with someone else
only to lose them. She wondered what the point of life was when everyone you
love is always taken from you.

However abnormal their
relationship was, it felt strange to be in the bed alone. She wasn’t sure how
but somehow between the terror of the little noises that rattled along outside of
the ship and the tragedies that replayed in her own mind she fell asleep.

The next day Michelle
awoke. She had almost forgotten that she was alone until she sat up. The
quietness remained.

She sighed and got up
even though her heart felt heavy. She puttered around the shuttle as she tried
to make herself do little chores. They all seemed so useless.
 

Abruptly, she
remembered. “The IS… it may be working here!” she exclaimed. She jumped a
little as her voice echoed off the empty walls.

“IS activate,” she said
with excitement as she tapped the silver bud in her ear. Nervousness formed in
her stomach and made its way through the rest of her body. She took a deep
breath and waited.

“Satellite found
nearby. Please remove barrier,” the mechanical tone said into her ear.

Barrier?
What barrier?

“IS sync to satellite,”
she commanded.

“Sync failed. Please
remove barrier,” the mechanical tone replied.

It’s the ship! The material the ship is made of is
blocking the IS.

Without a second
thought, she ran towards the door and pressed the exit button. She stepped
outside and tried again.

Shit, Serik told me to stay on the ship. Oh, well
I’m just right outside of the door. I’ll be fine, I’m really close. Plus, I
need to know what’s going on… he didn’t come back this morning like he said he
would. What if he doesn’t come back at all?

She swallowed. She
shook the thought out of her head. Of course, Serik was coming back. He had
too.

“IS stream to me
directly, what is my location?” she said softly tapping the silver bud again.

“Coordinates not found.”

Damn, this area is uncharted by anyone from Earth,
she silently cursed.

“IS stream to me
directly, topic Earth Wars,” she said.

“You smell delicious,”
a deep voice called out breaking her concentration.

Michelle looked up to
see a large male. He looked somewhat like Serik, but he also looked very
different. He wasn’t quite as tall but his presence was just as large and
intimidating. His hair was deep blue and tied back in a short ponytail. His icy
blue eyes were just like Serik’s left. Michelle shuddered as his icy eyes made their
way up and down her body taking in her curves she had recently gained.

He moved closer as he
took in a deep breath through his nose.

“What are you? God,
you’re beautiful. You smell like warmth, sweetness, and sunshine,” he said swiftly
moving in. He cornered her small body against the metallic exterior of the
ship. He gripped her arms above her head with one of his large hands. He
sniffed her neck and the top of her head.

“I
…
 
uhm
,”
Michelle stammered in fear. She struggled to break free of the male’s grip. She
pushed hard but he was far too strong.

“She’s mine!” another
deep voice called out.

“I found her first,”
the male with deep blue hair and icy eyes growled as he released her from his
grip to face the other male.

Michelle stumbled
backwards away from him. She looked up to see another male of a similar stature
but with dark hair and deep brown eyes.
 

Great, now there are two of them. What do I do?

He hissed as the other
male approached. Michelle shuddered it reminded her of the sound the molcos
hund made on Redex.

“She is my mate,” he
said and then let out a low primal growl.

“I, um… I already have
a mate. I’m sorry. I’ll just be on my way,” she stammered as she struggled
against the male’s grip.

“You don’t bare his
mark,” they both roared in unison.

Michelle swallowed as
her mouth went dry. She was unsure what to say. She looked about trying to
weigh her options.

The darker male neared
her and examined her neck. His fingertips felt strangely cool on her neck. She
abruptly pulled back from him.

Mark, what is he talking about? Shit, that’s what
Rina
had on her neck. Fuck, why didn’t Serik mark me? What
the Hell was I thinking going outside the shuttle without a gun?

“No, no. He hasn’t
claimed you yet with his seed. That means you can be mine,” he said with a
mischievous grin.

He lunged forward at
her but she also lunged forward tripping him. She watched as he tumbled down. She
may have been small, but she was agile.

The blue haired male made
his move while the other male was on the ground. He quickly grabbed her from
behind. She mustered up all of the strength she could summon and kicked him
between the legs. She would use every dirty move in the book if she had to. She
had to get herself out of this situation.

She felt his body go
limp and his grip loosen. She wriggled free and began to run towards the door
of the ship.

The dark male darted in
front of her and smiled a devilish grin. “For something so small and beautiful,
you are very fierce.”

He forcefully pulled
her closer to him. Michelle desperately tried to free herself from his grip,
but he was much too strong. She could feel his hot breath on her skin as he
breathed her in. She twisted her arms and wriggled but he just gripped harder.

“You will bear me many
good strong sons,” he whispered into her ear.

“Like Hell, I will,”
she said as she got her right arm loose from his grip. She hit him as hard as
she could in the chest with her elbow. It knocked the breath out of him. In the
short moment he was in shock, she began running again. Her feet pounded the
ground as her legs ached from the speed she forced her body to exert.

I’m so close, I’m almost to the door,
she rejoiced.

What seemed like only a
few feet from the ship door she felt a pair of strong arms drag her
down.
She struggled again but it was in vain; her captor was
much too strong.

The only thing she could
think of was Serik.

God, Serik. You gave me one simple rule and I broke
it. Now, I’ll never see you again.

Just then she felt the
weight on top of her shift. She looked up.

“Serik,” Michelle
exclaimed in relief.

The blue haired male
hissed and grabbed Michelle’s upper arm. He pulled her close to his large
muscular chest. Serik lunged toward him but the darker one threw a hard punch.

“We will fight for the
female,” the darker male proclaimed.

“What?
 
No, I told you this is my mate,” she said in
horror as she tried to squirm out of the blue haired male’s hands.

She watched as both the
blue haired male and the darker male laughed.

“This one?
One of both light and dark?
He is evil!” he exclaimed.

“Michelle, I will fight
for you. It would be my honor,” Serik replied ignoring the obvious insult.