Love, Encoded (Selected Evolution Series Book 1) Read online

  “Fancy a field trip?”

  Her friend raised a preoccupied face from a virtual monitor then blinked, her gaze coming into focus.

  “Sure. I could do with a break. Where are we heading?”

  “A south sea island.”

  Marnia’s eyebrows rose. “Without Nick and Adam? They’re not going to like that.”

  Sarah grinned. “I’ll deal with their protector issues later. Besides they’re currently in orbit around Uranus trialling the engines on the new shuttle and keeping an eye out for Denacons.”

  “So a south sea island, huh?” Marnia rose and stretched. “Will there be cabana boys?”

  Sarah laughed. “Doubtful. It’s more of a rock-sticking-up-out-of–the-ocean than a palm-tree-and-sand kind of island.”

  Marnia’s lips twisted into a pout. “Damn. Doesn’t sound like any fun at all. Why are we going?”

  “Got a hit on that micro-scan I’ve been running for the ejected section of ship. It’s not much really, more a not-Earth resonance rather than definitively Anaconian, but that could be caused by the molecular structure being altered by re-entry burn.” She shrugged. “I thought it worth checking out.”

  “Are we going armed?”

  Sarah grinned at her. “I’m going armed with you. What you take is up to you.”

  A frown settled on Marnia’s features.

  “Come on,” Sarah urged, “we don’t even know if the Denacons are still here. We’ve seen no sign of them. All Anaconian energy signatures are masked, so maybe they thought you perished. Despite aggressive searching we’ve encountered no sign of them. This’ll be my first outing since Barclese abducted me and I’m fed up with the holding pattern I’ve been looping. I’m ready to stare the world in the eye again, even if it is the back of nowhere. I need to prove to myself I can do this—and not hiding behind Nick and Adam.”

  “But you’re happy to hide behind me?”

  “I’m not that stupid to go into the wilds alone and Tammy’s knee deep in upgrades. We’ll teleport in, check it out and teleport back. Any trouble shows up and we’re out of there. Easy.”

  She withstood Marnia’s hard stare. “Any trouble and we leave,” Marnia stipulated. “If a mosquito so much as shows up, we’re gone.”

  “Deal.”

  Ten minutes later, kitted out with a survival pack each and Marnia sporting several forms of weaponry, the two women stepped onto the telepad. Marnia pulled a remote activation unit from a pocket.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “I am.”

  A tingle shimmered over Sarah’s skin, her spirit seemed to expand to envelope her body and a moment later sunlight warmed her face, fresh salty air filled her lungs. She stretched her arms skyward and the fibres of her jumpsuit expanded to accommodate her body.

  The tinkle of coral debris rolling in gentle waves drifted on a lazy sea breeze. She wiggled her booted feet in giving sand and delighted in the sight of crystal clear waters lapping a cove embraced by dark, rock cliffs.

  “Oh, nice targeting, Marnia.”

  “Thanks. Where to?”

  Sarah checked her tablet, turned to face inland where the directional finder pointed and eyed the rugged cliffs. She pursed her lips. “Well this isn’t going to be quite as straightforward as I envisaged.”

  “So much for easy,” Marnia muttered.

  “Where’s you sense of adventure?”

  “With the cabana boys.”

  A carefree laugh bubbled from Sarah’s throat. “Come on,” she nodded towards one corner of the cove, spying a relatively easy path upward. “We can scramble up over there.”

  “I’m not sure about this.”

  “There’s no mosquitoes yet, we can’t go.”

  Marnia rolled her eyes. “Oh, alright, but I just know I’m going to regret this.”

  They clambered up a scree of slipped rocks and boulders into the shade of mature tree ferns and huge Banyan trees clinging to the steep rise. The rich, moist scent of forest mulch infused Sarah’s senses.

  “Comms are good,” Marnia said, glancing at an instrument strapped to her wrist. “Which way?”

  “Straight ahead.”

  Marnia took the lead and Sarah followed, stepping carefully over the moss-covered, wall-like, curved roots of the Banyans. Silence seemed like a strong force holding all noise at bay.

  “I expected birds,” Sarah said.

  “Mmmm. Maybe it’s time for their midday nap.”

  Sarah checked her tablet. “Bear right a touch, about another twenty metres.”

  They scaled a squat rock face, carefully negotiated a narrow ledge then dropped down into a basin lush with green, knee-high growth. Marnia halted, turning her head as she scanned a wide semi-circle.

  “Do you see it?” Sarah asked.

  “No.”

  Sarah huffed out a disappointed sigh. “I guess after anything up to a thousand years of growth any ecological damage could have been reclaimed by plant growth.” She sent her gaze up a grey curtain of rock then squinted at something out of place. “What’s that up there? Looks like something metallic behind that stand of tree ferns.”

  Marnia’s head tilted back and she stared up the ten-metre cliff. “Next time we do a field trip,” she muttered in a disgusted tone, “you know where it’s going to be, don’t you?”

  “Cabana central?”

  “Got it in one.” Marnia studied her topographic compass. “Come on, we can make our way up this way.”

  Sarah followed in her footsteps, happy to be out and about, even if they were practically scaling vertical stone. It would be nice to bring Nick and Adam back to the cove, they could have a delightful . . . picnic. The ground levelled out and she and Marnia stood in dappled sunlight. Sarah gazed out from the high vantage point. The grandeur of the vast, blue Pacific Ocean washed a deep sense of tranquillity through her.

  “Oh, shit,” Marnia hissed and her hands snatched at her instruments. She studied a screen then heaved a quiet sigh.

  Sarah peered around her. A shuttle crouched on four stubby landing legs. Hmm. “That doesn’t appear to be what we are seeking.”

  “We are most definitely not seeking this. We’re leaving.”

  “We can’t do that! We have to check this out!”

  “No way. We are out of here. That’s a Denacon craft.”

  “How do you know? Seen one before?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You know it stands to reason. It’s not one of ours, the technology isn’t from Earth and I deem it highly unlikely there are three races of aliens here at present.”

  “Okay, but they’re not here, here are they?” She pointed to the ground. “You scanned for their DNA signature right?”

  Marnia’s lips compressed. “They’re not within range of my instruments, no, but—”

  “Then by the rules of our agreement no trouble has presented itself. The shuttle per se can’t hurt us and if the Denacons show up we leave lickety-split.”

  “Sarah, these are Denacon warriors, they are not beings to be trifled with.”

  “All the more reason why we should find out as much as we can. Besides, for all we know they’ve met with an unfortunate accident. This isn’t exactly an optimum spot to search for Anaconians, there must have been a reason they set down here. Hopefully a reason detrimental to them. I’ll invade their security, download whatever information is contained on their computers and then we’re away.”

  “You think you can break through their firewall?”

  “No, I don’t think I can, I know I can.”

  A rigid cast settled on Marnia’s features. “Be damn quick about it.”

  Sarah laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. “Right, let’s find an access port.”

&n
bsp; They hunted around for a moment then Marnia murmured, “Here,” and pressed a section of the hull. With a muted hiss a small panel recessed then slid back.

  “Great! This will work better hardwired.” Sarah pulled a retractable cord from her tablet and pressed a bio-gel universal plug to a data port. “I’ve established a connection.” She tapped an icon to activate a decryption programme of her own design, a mixture of Anaconian and Earth acumen. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got,” she muttered. Two minutes later data began to download. “We’re in. There’s a lot of information here.”

  Sarah bobbed her weight from foot to foot, gained access via a little backdoor entrance into the engine maintenance programme and added a hobbling routine. A gentle, cool breeze lifted her hair. An insect buzzed.

  A man’s voice rumbled something in a foreign language at the same time as a discreet bip emanated from Marnia’s pocket.

  Sarah’s heart clenched. She stared at Marnia. Marnia stared at her. Ice sleeted through Sarah’s veins as her creed memories recognised a language she had never before heard. A language not of this planet.

  A language not Anaconian.

  Uh-oh.

  “I’m not sure there is a necessity to go quite so fast, gentlemen.”

  Kane’s calm observation did not ease Adam’s hands on the Artificial-Feel Control Side-stick as he strung a tight orbit inside the ring system of the cyan orb of Uranus. He and Nick had been antsy the moment they’d received notification from one of Kane’s men that Sarah had left the safety of the crashed Anaconian ship. A prick of hurt darted his heart that she had not chosen them as companions for her first outing. With grudging disappointment he acknowledged that his need for them to provide her every desire might be marginally unrealistic.

  Surprisingly their ability to locate her still tugged on their senses. But this far from Earth it was a mere general direction.

  “I’m sure your girlfriend is in no danger and you know Marnia is more than competent,” Kane said. “You should be glad Sarah is recovering enough of her courage to seek the world again, and”—cloth rustled as he moved in his seat—“there is no indication of Denacon activity this side of the solar system.”

  There are more dangers than the Denacons.

  Adam gritted his teeth and pushed the shuttle into a steeper trajectory. Through the cockpit view shield, blue/green methane clouds swirled and loomed.

  “Pressurization?” he checked.

  “Integrity at maximum,” Nick replied.

  “Engines?”

  “Within parameters.”

  “Inertia dampeners?”

  “Tolerant.”

  He nosed up out of the sharp dive and eased into a level flight path.

  “G-LOC inhibitor?”

  “Engagement steady.”

  “Cloak?”

  “At optimum.”

  The communications system hummed. “Shuttle Aqua Astra One, this is Control. Acknowledge.”

  “Control, this is Aqua Astra One,” Nick responded.

  “We’ve lost contact with Marnia and Miss Rasmussen—”

  Dread heaved against Adam’s heart and drowned the remainder of Control’s words. He decelerated, pulled into a sharp curve around the moon Oberon then punched it towards Earth. They were about to test the new engines to their limit.

  “Shit! Run.”

  Sarah stared aghast at Marnia. “Are you kidding? Beam us out of here!”

  “This is not my kidding face. They know we’re here—they’re using a localised dampening field. I can’t remotely access the teleporter.”

  For a second fear sucked at Sarah’s mind then she dropped her gaze to the assortment of weapons strung over her friend.

  “I would prefer not to engage in a fire fight with this enemy,” Marnia hissed.

  The combat reputation of the Denacons slithered through Sarah’s mind.

  Fair enough.

  She ripped the connection cable from the terminal, tucked her tablet inside her suit and legged it in the direction Marnia pointed. The sounds of swift, weighty footfalls and cracking branches pursued them. The dreadful temptation to look behind pricked at Sarah’s nape. She resisted and focused her attention on her own obstacle-strewed path. Her pulse knocked in her ears while her heart seemed determined to strangle her.

  “We’ve got to outrun them,” Marnia growled. “Get clear of their dampening field.”

  You’ve won me.

  Sarah turned her head into her shoulder and charged through a copse of tree ferns. Their soft fronds slashed across her cheek and neck. She half jumped, half slid her way down a steep decline, dodging tree roots and trunks. Frantic haste pounded through her veins and she barely noticed the rocks slamming into her rump. Her legs jarred into solid ground, her knees folded to the impact then she leaped upright and ran on.

  By her side Marnia’s heavy breathing matched her own. “I told you this was not a good idea.”

  I’m in no position to argue.

  “When we break out of the tree cover we’ll be on flat rock then we’re going to have to jump.” Marnia’s grim tone added another dimension to the concern trampling through Sarah. She desperately tried to find an alternative meaning to her friend’s words.

  “Jump?”

  “Yes, jump—as in off the cliff and into the ocean. We’ll fall quicker than we can run. The plummet will accelerate us away from their dampening field. I think we’re high enough up that I’ll be able to transport us before we hit the water.”

  Sarah dragged in a heaving breath, the word ‘plummet’ seemed imbued with so many unfortunate connotations. “You think?”

  “You’d rather stay and chat with the Denacons?”

  Hell no. She ordered her courage into a final stand. Her boot slammed into solid rock. “Next time it’s definitely the cabana boys.”

  “Agreed.”

  She pushed every ounce of strength in her body into her final stride and leaped into air.

  Nausea and terror rushed at her at the same speed as the deep blue ocean. Ferocious wind blasted her face, ripping tears from her eyes. Fear nearly catapulted her heart right out of her chest cavity. Her body tumbled out of control, arms cartwheeling in a futile attempt to catch her balance. Muscles locked in terror.

  Her brain screamed, Now! Now! Now!

  For a split second the world seemed to freeze, then she face planted a smooth, hard surface. Pain blasted across her cheek, her entire body jolted with impact.

  “Damn! I’m sorry, honey.” Nick’s voice barely breached the drumming in her ears. “I tried to make that less violent.”

  She blinked, scrambled to make sense of this sudden change in her perception. Strong, sure hands roamed her body. A moan echoed from her right.

  Marnia?

  “Sarah, are you hurt?”

  Adam? Her cheek throbbed in a way that suggested it might do so for some time and the crick in her neck might be permanent, but . . . “No,” she managed to groan. “Is Marnia alright?”

  “I am.”

  “Then get your ass up and check Sarah.”

  Is that really Adam? He sounds so livid.

  She cracked an eyelid. Long legs covered in the sapphire blue cloth of the Anaconian ship uniform stood braced before her. She ran her eyes up strong, lithe thigh muscles and skimmed the crossed disapproval of Adam’s arms to his face. Displeasure turned his handsome features formidable.

  Relief at her and Marnia’s rescue doused her with giddy joy. She mustered a weak smile. “Hi.”

  Adam glowered.

  Oh yeah, she was in for a lecture. Again.

  Helran sat rigid in the co-pilot’s chair of their disabled shuttle. His mind boiled with frustration. If he let his iron control relax even a micron .
. . but there was nothing he could do. He wanted to kill something. An option currently not available to him.

  “I’ll have us airborne in a moment, Captain.” The thread of apprehension tinting Karln’s voice indicated that his first officer was not so sure of the termination restriction.

  What in hell’s bowels is going on here?

  He glared once again at the bioscan Karln had taken of the two females that had tampered with their craft. Amazement and disbelief swept through him. He couldn’t believe the Draken would contaminate the ‘superior’ genes of the Anaconians by creating half-breeds. Disgust curled his lip, unless they were a disposable work force, one the Draken would never allow to survive. What abominable alteration caused the half-breed to glow? And how in Fucanol’s Sacs had the women managed to break the security codes of the shuttle’s computer system? No Anaconian had ever managed that. And in so short a time?

  Why hadn’t he or Karln been able to detect the incoming shuttle that had teleported the females away, nor track its trajectory? He ground his teeth together. Something unprecedented was happening on this planet and he could only speculate on whatever diabolical intentions the Draken had in hand.

  A slip of grudging admiration flashed through the anger and concern crowding his mind. Jumping off a cliff to escape them. He hadn’t known the Anaconians had it in them.

  “Thank you, Kane.” Draken acknowledged receipt of his security chief’s transmission from Aqua Astra One advising of the safe retrieval of Miss Rasmussen and Marnia.

  He pulled in a deep breath, stretching his multiple lungs, and let out a slow sigh. Contact had been made with the Denacons. He had hoped to evade that species for a further period of time. Now the Denacons had proof of the Anaconians’ existence on this planet they would increase the zealousness of their search. How was he to protect his people?