The Alliance Boxset Books 4-6

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Saber lifted the weights before slowly lowering them back down. He had gone in for a follow up with the healer today. He looked at his right leg and grinned. It would never be perfect, but over the last two months a lot had changed.

He rubbed his leg through the new biotech brace and swallowed. The new medication had worked. The synthetic bone they had implanted in his leg had finally fused with the natural bone. The rejection inhibitors had kept his body from rejecting it. He would need to have regular injections, probably for the rest of his life, but it was a small price to pay. On top of that, he had been given an experimental brace the university was developing.

“Taylor,” Saber whispered, fingering the material.

He closed his eyes as a shaft of pain swept through him. She had been behind it all. She was the reason the Medical Research department had contacted him. Her degree was in Physical Therapy and Developmental Research. She had been working in the Biotech labs researching a new material using the same nanotechnology that had been implanted into Hunter.

Swinging around, he stood up. The nagging pain from the unhealed bone was finally gone. He could still feel the stiffness in his leg, but he was slowly working it out. The damaged nerves were no longer an issue as long as he had the brace on. A monitor detected his movements and sent small electrical impulses into the brace, causing his leg to react in a natural, fluid movement.

Stretching, he bent and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. He frowned when he saw the shadow of a transport fly over the house. He raised his hand to show Hunter that he saw him.

He walked across the nearly completed garden. Taking the steps two at a time, a wave of pleasure swept through him. He would never take the simple movement of walking for granted again.

Opening the door, he waited as Dagger and Hunter both slid out of the transport. His smile faded when he saw the tense look on their faces. It was the same look that they wore before some of their more dangerous missions.

“What happened?” Saber asked, stiffening when he saw the anger burning in Hunter’s eyes.

“Let’s go inside,” Hunter said with a nod.

Saber stood aside as both men entered. He followed them into the living room and turned to face them. He tossed the towel onto the low table and folded his arms across his chest.

“How is your leg?” Hunter asked in a taut voice.

“Good, why?” Saber responded, looking between the two men. Dagger’s eyes narrowed on the brace Saber was wearing. “Prototype. It does something similar to the implant Hunter has.”

“Can you fight?” Dagger asked with an intense stare.

Saber raised an eyebrow and looked back at Hunter who nodded. His stomach tightened when he saw something savage burning in Hunter’s eyes. It was the same look that he had when Jesse, Jordan, and Taylor had been surrounded by the human males who planned to rape and kill them.

“Is she alive?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“Yes,” Hunter replied in a clipped tone. “What I’m about to tell you has not been authorized by the Lead Council.”

“What we are going to do has not been authorized either… except by Razor,” Dagger added with a savage grin.

“Two days ago, militants killed the ruling Western Council on Dises V. They broke off negotiations and attacked the city of Drues,” Hunter explained.

“Drues,” Saber muttered, raising his hand and running it down over his face. “Isn't that where Taylor’s medical group is stationed?”

“Yes,” Hunter said with a tired sigh. “It was an unexpected move. The city is one of the largest in the Eastern sector, but it is also one of the furthest from the Western border.”

“You said she is alive,” Saber replied, dropping his hand to his side. “Surely, the forces there evacuated the medical staff, especially knowing it was made up of volunteers.”

Hunter nodded. “Yes, they were evacuated, but Taylor didn’t make it. One of the students said he was waiting for her to grab her backpack when the barracks was hit. He was pulled out, but the rescue team didn’t realize that Taylor was still in there.”

Saber swallowed and glanced down at his clenched fists. If he lost her… He looked up at Hunter. There was more. She had to make it. He had said that she wasn’t dead.

“Where is she?” he asked in a harsh voice.

Hunter glanced at Dagger. Dagger walked over to the vidcom and slid a chip into it. Saber stepped closer. He recognized Taylor immediately. She was sitting in a chair. There was dried blood on her face and she looked extremely young and pale. He couldn’t see her eyes because they were covered, but he could see her lips moving.

“This was sent to Razor,” Hunter said in a grim tone. “The militant group that took over the Western government recognized Taylor and is using her to keep Razor from flattening the entire region. They said she will be tried as a traitor and kept at an undisclosed location until her execution.”

Saber stepped closer, watching Taylor’s lips. His hand rose to touch her face. He could see the bruising along her cheek under the cloth wrapped around her eyes. His eyes moved down to her lips again and a fierce wave of fire seared him.

I love you, Saber. I love you, Saber.

He could see what she was saying. She was telling him goodbye in her own way. Turning, he stared at Hunter and Dagger.

“When do we leave?” he asked.

“Tonight,” Hunter said. “Razor will brief us when we get there. No one else but us and two others know about this mission.”

Later that evening, Saber stood on the remote landing field that was used for training. He had packed his gear carefully, going for what he thought would be the most essential in a retrieval mission. Taylor’s bloody and bruised face haunted him as he prepared. Her silent words sent a wave of deadly calm and purpose through him. He would get her back, and he would kill anyone who tried to stop him.

He stood silently on the dark field as an advance attack transport appeared over the treetops. Whoever was handling it knew what they were doing. They were coming in fast and dark. A moment later, the ship landed on the tarmac and the rear platform lowered to reveal a soft, dim red light. Saber watched as three men stepped out onto the platform and waited for them.

“Sword, Thunder, and Trig will be our support team,” Hunter said, nodding to the three men as they strode forward.

“I’m surprised you’re still alive,” Saber said, nodding at Dagger’s older brother, Trig, as he walked by him. “I expected Dagger to kill your ass the next time he saw you.”

Trig glanced at Dagger and grinned. “He still threatens to, but Jordan won’t let him. She likes me,” he boasted before his smile died. “This would tear both Jordan and Hunter’s mates up if they knew what was happening.”

Saber nodded, stepping inside behind Thunder, Sword, Hunter, and Dagger. He watched as Hunter and Dagger secured their weapons under the seat.

“Yes, but knowing those two, they would be going in after Taylor, if they did,” he said, wrapping his hand around the hold bar above the seats as Thunder lifted off the tarmac.

Trig glanced at Saber’s leg. “I heard you were wounded pretty badly,” he said, doubt clouding his expression. “Are you fit for the mission?”

Saber heard the reservation in Trig’s voice. He reacted with a swift, decisive move. His hand released the hold bar and he grabbed Trig’s arm and twisted. Using his bad leg, he kicked Trig’s feet out from under him. Within seconds, he had Trig on his stomach with his arm bent at an awkward angle. He could feel the other men’s eyes on him as he held Trig down on the metal floor of the ship, the knife that he carried pressed to the man’s throat.

Saber could feel the adrenaline rushing through his system. “What do you think?” he asked in a deadly voice.

Trig winced when the knife pierced his skin. “I think you’ve put on some muscle since I last saw you. What the hell have you been doing?” he muttered.

Tense laughter echoed through the ship as Saber stepped back. He reached down and helped Trig back to his feet. Sheathing the knife at his waist, he looked up when Trig touched his neck.

“You know, a simple yes would have worked just as well,” Trig complained, pulling a cloth from his shirt and holding it against his neck.

Saber glanced away and shrugged. “I could have,” he said, looking back at Trig with an intense stare. “But, you would have doubted it. This mission is too important to worry whether one of us on the team is fit for duty.”

Trig grimaced. “True,” he muttered. “I meant it, though. You’ve put on some muscle.”

“That’s what happens when you can’t use your legs,” Saber retorted.

Saber moved to one of the seats and strapped in. Sword and Thunder would be the pilots for the mission. While all of them were experienced, those two wouldn’t send up red flags the way Saber, Hunter, and Dagger would. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and pulled Taylor’s beautiful image into his mind.