SharedObjectives (9 page)

She took a deep breath as she dried her hands. When she
joined the men at the table the soldiers had already hooked Dixie up to the
ventilator, scrubbed up and donned gloves. “Has the wound been disinfected?”

“Yes sir.”

She didn’t know which soldier addressed her so she just
nodded and went back to her examination. “I need a scope and a monitor.”

They handed her the coiled camera that would record internal
damage done to Dixie’s body along with the screen that would allow her to see
it. “Let’s apply a regional anesthetic before I go in. The last thing we need
is him waking up and freaking out because of the pain while I’m doing this.”
She waited until one of the soldiers gave Dixie an injection in his shoulder
before she slipped the scope through the small hole in Dixie’s shoulder.

She hated guns. She hated the death and destruction they
left in their wake. But she was grateful that Dixie had been shot with a laser
burst and not a traditional weapon. The heat of the blast had cauterized the
blood vessels as it’d passed though the tissue, lessening the chances of him
dying from bleeding out. And there was no shrapnel to dig out. Still, it’d done
significant damage to his left lung.

“Looks as if his lung got the worst of it.” She quickly
estimated the size of the hole the laser had torn through the muscle wall. “I’m
going to need a 7mm muscle patch.” New weapons had brought about the need for
new medical techniques. Muscle and skin patches were common now and a lot more
effective than the glues and valves of the past. They were miracles. But she’d
just seen the dark side of the miracle and it left a knot in the pit of her
stomach. She didn’t know what slept in those stasis chambers being carried out
of the lab, but growing tissue for transplant had been the first step in
creating them. She shuddered as she thought about it. Creating tissue to save a
life was one thing. Creating life, however, was something completely different.
It crossed so many ethical lines that she didn’t even know where to begin her
condemnation of it.

Using the scope to guide her, she aligned the patch and then
affixed it with biological glue before removing her instruments. She then
sutured and bandaged the wound before taking a step back. She grabbed a
stethoscope from a nearby shelf so she could listen to his lungs. Both seemed
to be filling with air now. “Turn the ventilator off but don’t remove it.” She
wanted to make sure air was only a second away if she hadn’t repaired the
damage.

The machine went silent but his lungs still filled. “Thank
god. Remove the ventilator and give him something to keep him out. I want him
fully recovered before he’s up and giving orders again.”

“Yes sir.”

As soon as she turned from the table the gravity of the
moment caught up to her and made the room swim around her. She had to grab on
to the table edge to keep from falling over.

“You okay?” Ben wrapped an arm around her waist to brace
her.

As quickly as the moment hit, it passed. “I think so.” She
looked up to see three of the original six chambers had been removed. “You guys
already made a trip?”

“Yep. One more and we’ll be done here.”

“We’ll go with you.” She glanced back at the soldiers who
were already loading Dixie up on a stretcher. “Strap him down securely.”

They nodded as the fasteners clicked loudly. “He’s secure,
sir.”

“Good. We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Two men per chamber and two men to carry Dixie only leaves
me and four other soldiers to act as guards.”

“Did you miss addition day in math class?” she asked
sharply. “You forgot to count me.” She was sick and tired of not being counted.
She could hold a weapon and probably shoot it if need be. Yet Ben still saw her
as a limitation.

His eyebrow rose in question but he didn’t challenge her
outright. “It might be best if we take the remaining chambers and then return
for you and Dixie.”

“We don’t know what they were planning. The military could
swarm the base at any moment,” she argued. “If this is a setup, they’ll need
someone to discover it. And the sooner the better.”

He clenched his jaw and took a shaky breath. “You’re right.
The military will need this place discovered quickly if it plans on pinning it
on the Coalition.” He gestured to the soldiers. “Be on alert but be fast. Let’s
get the hell out of here.”

Ben led the way while she stayed somewhere in the middle.
Two of the remaining four guards were in front while the other two flanked the
group as they exited the building. She’d felt vulnerable on the trip to the lab
but that was nothing compared to how exposed she felt now.

As they hustled between buildings, every sound became that
of an assailant creeping up on them. Her body tensed as she waited for the
impending attack. At any moment, she expected the explosion of weapons and the
cries of the injured. Just like the sound the gun made as it fired on Ben.
Only, it’d hit Dixie.

She staggered as the scene played out in her head. She’d
been trapped under the soldier who shielded her with his own body so she
couldn’t reach them. Not until it was over. Every second she waited had lasted
for an eternity. She’d wanted to yell at him. But if he hadn’t jumped in front
of Ben, Ben would’ve been the one hit. She refused to pick one man over the
other but the doctor in her knew Ben would’ve taken that shot to the heart. The
chances of him surviving that kind of blow would’ve been slim to none.

She cast a glare over at the still-unconscious Dixie. He was
lucky he’d survived. If he hadn’t, she would’ve killed him. She couldn’t
believe how much he’d come to mean to her in such a short time. With Ben, she
had expected to fall hard and fast. She’d been so in love with him two years
ago that her heart had been breaking every day since. Having him back in her
life had eased that pain. Since she’d never stopped loving him, it only made
sense she’d fall for him again. But she had never expected to feel the same
about anyone else. When Dixie had quit breathing, she’d learned how wrong she’d
been in that assumption.

Her heart beat faster as they left the base and began to
make their way through the forest. When Ben left two years ago, he’d broken her
heart so badly that it’d never fully recovered. The only thing that’d given her
comfort during those dark days had been her son. What would comfort her when
both Ben and Dixie decided it was time to move on? Her knees gave out at the
thought.

“Shit.” Ben was at her side in moments. “Are you okay?”

She wanted to be strong. More than anything she wanted to be
the soldier he needed her to be at that moment. But she couldn’t seem to regain
control of her muscles. They insisted on shivering despite the warmth of the
day and the heavy armor she wore. “Can’t seem to stop shaking,” she said
through chattering teeth.

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot today. Sometimes it
takes a bit for your brain to catch up to the trauma.” He picked her up and
cradled her securely next to his chest as he started walking again.

“Shock?” How had she not seen that? Had she lost her mental
faculties along with her physical abilities?

He smiled down at her. “Yep.”

She took several deep breaths before she could force her
body to relax. “I’m good. I can walk again.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t put her down though. “But this is
faster.”

She grimaced at him but didn’t argue because not only was he
right, but it also felt so damn good to be wrapped in his strength. She’d
officially become a damsel in distress and it sucked how much she enjoyed it.

He carried her until they reached the hatch that led down
into the bunker. When he finally set her down, relief filled her at her ability
to hold her own weight. Still, he stayed close. As if he expected her to
collapse at any moment. And, as much as that irritated her, it also made her
chest puff with satisfaction. He wanted to be there for her.

With Ben currently guarding her, getting the chambers down
into the bunker fell to the other men. They ran ropes around the first one and
then shouted down at someone below before sliding the ends of the rope into a
pulley. With five enhanced soldiers manning the operation, the chamber moved
slowly into the hole. For a moment it appeared to be being eaten by the ground,
but it eventually disappeared. They repeated the process with the last two
chambers and then it was their turn to descend into the safe haven.

Dixie went first. His stretcher hooked to the same pulley
system that’d safely lowered the chambers. She didn’t breathe deeply again
until she was allowed down the ladder. She checked his vitals as soon as her
feet hit the concrete floor. Thankfully he didn’t seem to be doing any worse
for his journey. The men holding his stretcher barely gave her time to complete
her checkup before they started carrying him down the corridor. He needed to be
in medical, still, she hated to be separated from him.

The soldiers who’d accompanied them started down the ladder
one by one until Ben finally stood beside her, holding the ropes and rigging
from above. “Start the evacuation protocol. I want to be off this rock in no
more than two hours.”

The remaining men nodded before turning to walk down the
long corridor without any argument. With Dixie out of commission, Ben easily
slipped into the role of the man in charge.

“Where will we go?”

“Someplace safe.”

She laughed harshly at his answer. “Does such a place
exist?”

“It does. Unfortunately, I once publicly swore I’d never
return. Dixie is never going to let me live this one down.” He smiled bitterly
as he shook his head.

There was only one place she’d ever heard Ben swear off.
“Ben?”

“Yes?” He’d taken two steps away from her and had to turn to
face her.

“Are we going to Ontesys?” She couldn’t stop the dread that
built in the pit of her stomach.

He cocked his head as he stared at her. “Yep. Home sweet
home.”

“Why there?”

“It’s time for me to collect on a debt owed me.”

The answer was as cryptic as his choice. As long as she had
access to a lab, though, one camp was as good as another. Maybe she’d finally
be able to start curing the soldiers of their dependency to NB-7. And with
Dixie still recovering, he’d be the perfect starting place. She smiled as the
thought took root. She hadn’t minded doing surveillance, but it would be nice
to be able to heal people again. Maybe she’d even be able to help the life
forms currently being held in stasis. “Once we get there, I’m going to need
access to the lab. I want to help.”

“Of course. Anything you need.”

If today had taught her anything it was that she needed
Dixie. And she needed Ben. But she had a feeling that that wasn’t exactly what
Ben meant. Her good mood deflated a bit but she refused to let it show. She’d
take what she could get for as long as she could get it. And when it all fell
apart?

She took a deep breath to steady herself. When it all fell
apart she’d have a lot of memories to get her through the rough times. And that
would just have to be enough.

Nate sat on Ben’s lap, completely enthralled in Dixie’s
impression of a space shuttle as Dixie waved the toy through the air. If Lisa
came through the door and saw them, she’d probably give them one of her now-notorious
doctor lectures. Ben could recite most of them by heart at this point. Dixie
probably could as well. Then again, they’d both been listening to them for the
past week.

Of course it was an overreaction on her part, especially
now. Even if Dixie’s genetics hadn’t been manipulated, he’d have healed enough
to lift a freaking toy. He could easily return to full duty with his genetic
changes. Still, after the fright she’d taken with Dixie’s injury, they did
their best to appease her.

Nate climbed off his lap and then crawled over to Dixie.
When he lifted his chubby arms in the air, Dixie scooped him up and put him on
his lap. Now they were in real trouble if Lisa came back early.

Dixie looked down at the boy and then back up at Ben. “How
long did Lisa say she was going to be?” It was almost as if he could read Ben’s
mind.

“We should have another hour. She’s determined to train at
least two more surgeons today.” The woman had become a doctor possessed since
they’d landed on Ontesys. What time she didn’t devote to studying the stasis
experiments she spent training other Coalition doctors. So far eight had been
trained on the procedure that ended the dependency to NB-7. Ten if he counted
the two in there with her right now. And after they were trained, they were
shipped off to other bases to train others. If she continued at her current
pace, the modified soldiers would all be cured in a matter of months.

Dixie lifted Nate so his belly was level with Dixie’s mouth
and then blew a raspberry on the child’s tummy. He guessed he should feel
jealous of Dixie’s easy interaction with the son Ben only recently got to know.
But he didn’t. He found it reassuring that Dixie and Nate had bonded. And
Nate’s delighted laughter as he squirmed in the man’s grasp was all Ben needed
to justify his feelings. Of course, Ben kept a close eye on the two in case
Dixie did suddenly fatigue. He refused to interfere otherwise. “Has she been on
you about having the operation?” Dixie asked as he lowered Nate back to the
floor.

“Nope.” He’d told Lisa he wouldn’t undergo the surgery until
Dixie had recovered enough to go through it as well. It’d been his attempt at
solidarity. If Dixie still had to endure the NB-7 shots, so would he. But he’d
seen the shadow of hurt in her eye. He couldn’t blame her for doubting his
motives, but if she refused to talk to him about it he couldn’t really defend
himself. Besides, when Dixie went under the laser in a couple more days, Ben
would too. And then this would all be resolved. He hoped.

Nate had discarded the model space shuttle and had moved on
to a stack of blocks just a few feet from them. “So when do you have to leave
for your meeting?” Dixie asked.

Ben gave his reader a quick glance. “About half an hour. The
sitter should be showing up soon.”

Dixie smirked at him but then sighed. “Sitter for Nate or
for me?”

He tried but couldn’t stop his burst of laughter. For as
long as Ben had known the man, Dixie had always been in charge and his whole
personality screamed control. Seeing him take orders from Lisa was amusing.
“Funny. You don’t complain when Lisa gives you your nightly sponge bath.”

Dixie’s smirk warmed into a genuine smile. “I’m cranky, not
stupid. That woman knows how to handle a sponge.”

Ben nodded in agreement. Not wanting him to feel left out,
she’d given Ben a sponge bath or two over the last couple of days. Which made
her the only one to not have had a turn under the sponge yet. And that was a
damn shame. One they’d have to correct tonight. The thought of her skin under a
layer of warm, slick and soapy water made him hard.

Damn, would he ever get enough of the woman? Probably not.
Since his thoughts were his alone, he could answer honestly. And it’s not as if
he found the answer shocking. If he couldn’t get her out of his system in two
years of absence, what were the odds he could manage it with her scent
lingering in every room he set foot in?

Nope. He was a goner. He’d even become so accustomed to
Dixie’s dominant personality that it felt odd when he wasn’t there. They’d been
friends forever. But, damn, the man had taken a blast intended for him. Knowing
Dixie had been the only thing standing between Ben and death had changed
things. He’d wanted the man in his life before. Now he needed him there. It was
that knowledge that’d given Ben the strength to put his newest plan into
action. If he could show Lisa and Dixie what a great family they could be, then
maybe he wouldn’t have to fight them so hard when the time came to convince
them they needed him, too.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. “That’ll
be the sitter. Will you play nice with him?”

“I’m fine.” Dixie rolled a toy tank on the floor in front of
Nate. “I’ll be nice. I won’t send this one away in tears. I promise.” Dixie’s
smile didn’t build confidence in Ben.

Ben couldn’t blame Dixie for being cranky. If he’d been
cooped up for the past week, he’d be cranky too. Still, limiting the man’s time
with other people would be key until he had fully recovered. “Okay. I’ll be
back as soon as my meeting is over.”

“You’ve been waiting all week for this meeting. Don’t rush
on my account.” He made a couple of blasting noises as if the tank had fired on
something. “Nate and I will be good. Won’t we, buddy?”

“Okay.” The knock sounded at the door again and this time
Ben went to answer it. After he checked the person’s badge, he showed the man
in and then gave him the long list of instructions Lisa demanded everyone
receive before being left alone with Dixie. Fortunately Ben didn’t recognize
the man. Dixie had a tendency to be harder on the men who’d served under him.
And those men tended to let Dixie get away with it.

But right now that wasn’t Ben’s problem. He needed to focus
on the meeting. He made it to the conference room with time to spare so he set
up his reader and pulled up the notes Lisa had given him on the experiments
thus far. She hadn’t learned much over the last week, but what little she had
learned should be enough to pique his contact’s interest.

The door swung open and a tall, blond man walked into the
room with sure, confident steps. “Ben Mincer. How the hell have you been?” He
held out a hand in greeting.

Ben stood before he took the man’s hand. “Michael. It’s good
to see you again. Any problems getting through security?”

“Nope. One of the perks of my job. Pretty much everyone
knows me.”

“Good to hear.” He waited for Michael to sit down before he
took his seat again. “Before we get started, I wanted to thank you for meeting
with me. I know you’re a busy man.”

“Civil wars do tend to keep the journalists busy.”

Ben turned his reader to face Michael. “The journalists and,
of course, the weapons makers.”

Michael’s attention became focused on the device in front of
him as he skimmed over the material. “Tell me what I’m looking at here.”

“The next step. Super-soldiers’ DNA is manipulated to serve
specific purposes. But these beings were created to fill a military’s needs.”

The man’s face paled as he looked back up at Ben. “Did the
Coalition do this?”

“We can’t even create a decent cup of coffee.” He sat back
in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “This is way beyond our
capabilities.”

“So how did you come to be in possession of them?”

Michael had slipped into reporter mode but Ben didn’t mind.
In fact, he was actually happy about it. The sooner he answered Michael’s
questions, the sooner Michael would answer his. “They were planted on one of
our bases during a military raid.”

“Why would the military hand the Coalition their newest
scientific development?”

He thought it was interesting that Michael didn’t refer to
them as weapons even though that’s what Ben had called them. Some things never
changed. He was glad that Michael’s ideals were one of those things. He was one
of the few people who saw soldiers as people regardless of how much the
military fucked with them. “The life forms aren’t viable. Our expert guesses
they’ll die as soon as she opens the stasis chambers. That’s all that’s keeping
them alive.”

“Still—”

“If they can’t use the life forms, might as well use them to
incriminate the Coalition.”

Michael looked down at the reader again. “This is some
pretty heavy shit you’re talking about. How’d you even get this far in figuring
it out?”

“Dr. Lisa Colt has joined the ranks of the Coalition.” He
felt a measure of pride as he said the words.

“Has she now? I had heard something about her going missing.
Seems half the galaxy is searching for her.”

“They can search all they like. They aren’t going to find
her.”

“They’re saying she’s been kidnapped.” Michael leaned
forward as he made the accusation.

“She was liberated from a level-one security facility. She
and her son—my son—are safe and she’s working with us of her own free will.”

“Holy shit, man. What have you gotten involved in?”

“The story of a lifetime, my friend. The question you should
be asking right now is, who’s going to tell it?”

Michael raised an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair. “I
take it that’s where I come in?”

“We came up together. I trust you.”

“Can you prove any of this?”

Ben pulled up the recordings they’d made of the military
personnel working on the chambers at the Coalition base and let Michael watch
them.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“For now.” It might not be enough, but it was something. And
it should be enough to convince his friend to take up the cause.

“It’s all circumstantial. You can’t even see what’s in the
chambers. I’m going to need something more substantial.”

“We’ll get you whatever you need when the time comes.” He
wasn’t sure how but they’d figure it out. They always did.

“Let’s say I believe you will indeed be able to come through
with the evidence when the time comes. If what you’re telling me is true,
you’re accusing the military of committing some serious crimes. And, just in
case I need to remind you, it’s the government who funds the military. There’s
no way the government is going to voluntarily sanction itself. It’s just going
to sweep this into a corner so deep and dark no one will ever be able to see
it.”

Ben had thought that might be a problem. That’s why he’d
called a journalist and not law enforcement. “Then we have to go to the government’s
boss.”

“And who the hell might that be?”

“The people who put them in office. Let them know what their
taxes are funding.”

Michael shook his head but his attention was back on the
reader. “I’m one man. My voice can’t reach the entire galaxy. And believe me,
if this has any hope of working, you’re going to need the entire galaxy behind
you.”

“Ahnal Lee’s voice would reach every corner. Or, at least,
it did when the government was helping corporations steal land.” It’d been one
of the few times the politicians had been held accountable for their actions.
The whole galaxy had demanded justice when the story had broken. Government
officials selling citizens’ land to the highest bidders had been heard and
those who’d taken part had been thrown out of office all because of Ahnal Lee.
The man might be considered a terrorist by the government but he had a voice
the people trusted. Hell, that was most likely why the government classified
Lee as a criminal. He was one of the few people with the recourses to hold the
government accountable. Yes. If there were one person who could help them,
Ahnal Lee was that man. “We turn over this information to him, let you do the
interview, and we make history.”

“And you know how to get a hold of Ahnal Lee?”

“That’s what I need you for.”

“He doesn’t hand out fucking business cards, Ben. He’s one
of the most wanted men in the galaxy.”

“Good thing you’re the best investigative reporter this side
of the asteroid belt.” Ben took his reader and powered it down.

“This could get me into some real trouble, Ben.”

“There was a time when you needed me to be there for you.
And I was. At great personal cost.” In their youth a protest had gone wrong and
at least one building had burned to the ground as a result. It’d been an
accident. But when he wouldn’t name the others responsible for the fire, Ben
had been held responsible. He’d lost his scholarship and had to enlist in the
military in order to pay for his college. That single act had set the rest of
his life in motion.

Michael sighed deeply as he ran his fingers through his
hair. “Can I speak to Dr. Colt? Check out the story?”

The warmth of victory spread through Ben as he stood.
Michael might not be willing to admit it to himself yet, but Ben had talked him
into finding Ahnal Lee. And if Michael set his mind to something, he
accomplished it. The man was driven. “I’m sure she’d be happy to meet you.”

Michael stood and gestured to the door. “Lead the way.”

Ben looked at the time before standing. “Looks like it’s
just about suppertime. Hope you like spicy food.”

Michael followed him in silence but Ben wasn’t fooled. The
man’s mind worked constantly. When he met Lisa, he’d be full of questions
again. And Lisa would be happy to answer each and every one of them. He smiled
as he thought of Lisa. She wanted justice for the life forms the military
created. It bothered her more than it did any of them. He figured it was
because they were half created by the military themselves so that extra step
didn’t make much difference to him or Dixie. It did to her, though.

When he reached their quarters, he placed his palm against
the biometric lock and the door slid open smoothly. The sound of laughter
wafted through the opening along with the scent of something that did indeed
smell spicy. His stomach growled in response but he didn’t walk to the kitchen.
Instead he went to the living room. That’s where the sounds of laughter were
coming from.