Laura Jo Phillips (17 page)

“It’s enough,” Berta replied.  “More than enough.”

Hope smiled at Berta, hoping with all of her heart that they would be able to free this woman.  She’d spent her life as a prisoner.  She deserved to die a free woman at least. 

“Berta, I don’t suppose there are any backpacks or tents laying around here?” Grace asked.

Berta laughed, a dry cackle that set her to coughing alarmingly.  Grace went to the kitchen for a glass a water which Berta accepted gratefully. 

“No,” she said once she was able to catch her breath again.  “No camping gear of any kind is allowed in the compound, for obvious reasons.  But I used my bedding and some clothes, other things around the house to fashion a backpack of sorts for myself when I left.  You might try that.  You’ll find a lot of new bedding in the closet at the end of the hall.”

“New?” Grace asked curiously.

“I’m a prisoner here too,” Berta said with a grin.  “I refused to do laundry for all the women they bring here no matter what they threatened me with.  They finally gave up.  Now, they just keep the house stocked with lots of new bedding.”

“That’s priceless,” Grace laughed. 

“Thanks Berta,” Hope said, her mind already working on the best way to make packs for the three of them.  “Karma, why don’t you start in the kitchen.  Gather as much food as you think we can carry between us.”

“Food is easy,” Berta interrupted.  “I rarely get fresh supplies, but the kitchen is packed with all kinds of regens.  All you need is a pot or two and some hot water.”

“Excellent,” Hope said.  Regens were super dried meals that were small and light weight.  All you had to do was put them in a regenerator, or, in a pinch, add boiling water to them.  Instant hot meal.  Of course, some things didn’t work so well with the hot water method, like steaks or roasts, though meatloaf was okay.  Usually.

“Make sure to get some pots and dishes too, please,” Hope asked Karma. 

Karma nodded and headed for the kitchen.

“I’ll help Karma,” Aisling said rising to her feet.   

“Grace and I will go make us some packs,” Hope said.  “Will the guards come into the house?”

“They’re not supposed to,” Berta said.  “They’re forbidden to touch any possible
berezi
.  But keep your ears open.  If they do come in, I’ll start a loud argument with them which should give all of you time to hide whatever you’re doing.”

“Thanks Berta,” Hope said as she stood up to leave the dining room.  She bent down to give Berta a quick hug, then headed back toward the bedrooms, Grace right behind her.

Chapter
21

Earth, Arlington, Virginia

“Good morning, Ellicia,” the Director greeted as Ellicia entered his office.

“Good morning,” Ellicia replied as she lowered herself into her usual chair before the Director’s desk.  “You going to tell me why you dragged me out of bed at seven in the morning on my day off?” she asked grumpily.

“Working nine to five behind a desk has done nothing to improve your temperament,” the Director said. 

“It has nothing to do with working a desk,” Ellicia replied. 

The Director silently conceded that point.  With all that Ellicia had been through over the past two years, and was still going through, he supposed a little grumpiness on her part was understandable.

There was a single knock on the door which immediately opened, revealing the tall, slender figure of the Director’s assistant, Mark Baza.  Mark hurried across the office with a steaming cup which he handed to Ellicia.

“Thank you, Mark,” Ellicia said, breathing in the steam with a grateful smile.  “It smells wonderful.”

“You’re welcome, Agent Daniels,” Mark replied, turning to leave.

“How come you don’t bring me hot chocolate in the mornings?” the Director demanded irritably.

“Because you hate the stuff,” Mark replied casually as he stepped out of the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

The Director shrugged.  “That’s true,” he said to Ellicia.

Ellicia smiled and sipped her drink.  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she said.  “So why am I here?” 

“Because the Bearen brothers have arrived and should be here any minute,” he explained.

“Oh.”

“Is there a problem?” the Director asked, reading the worry on Ellicia’s face.

“There are a few things that I haven’t yet shared with Lariah,” she admitted. 

“You’re worried the Bearen’s will do your sharing for you,” the Director guessed.

“Yes.”

“Why haven’t you told Lariah?  Do you think she won’t understand?”

“It’s not that,” Ellicia replied.  “At first, when I got out of the healing tank, it was all just too much for me.  I was overwhelmed.  I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it.  After that, the time never seemed right.  A few weeks ago I got a message from her telling me she’s pregnant again.  She doesn’t need to be worrying about me right now.”

“I suggest you just ask the Bearens to keep your personal business to themselves,” the Director said.

“Maybe,” Ellicia said.  “Sometimes asking people not to do something just gives them more incentive to do it.  I think its human nature.”

“That’s true,” the Director admitted.  “But don’t forget, Ell, the Bearens are not human.”

At that moment there was another brief knock at the door, this time three raps, which indicated to the Director that Mark was not alone, and that he had three people with him. 

“Enter,” the Director called out.

Mark opened the door, entered the office, and stood aside, holding the door open wide for three of the biggest men Ellicia had ever seen in her life.

“Good grief,” she said as she turned in her chair to see the Bearen brothers more clearly. 

They were nearly identical triplets, the only difference between them that she could see being the color of their eyes.  The one entering the office first, slightly ahead of his brothers, had blue eyes.  The one behind him on the left had green eyes, and the third one had silver eyes.  They all had straight, white blond hair that hung freely to their shoulders save for one thin braid over their left ears.  They each wore beads in their braids that matched the color of their eyes.  Ellicia wondered if the beads were meant to help people distinguish them from each other, though she didn’t think she would ever have a problem with that herself. 

That was a thought that shocked her so much that she gasped aloud.  All eyes went to her immediately, but she barely noticed.  She
felt
these men.  Sensed them in some strange way that she could not define.  She had never felt anything like this in her life before and it rocked her.  She scrambled for something to say to break the silence.    

 “I don’t remember Lari mentioning that Jasani were giants,” she said, trying to put a little humor in her voice.

All three of the men stared in surprise for a long moment, then Jackson chuckled.  “We ate our vegetables when we were kids.”

Ellicia grinned in spite of herself, instantly liking this man.  She set her hot chocolate on the corner of the Director’s desk and rose to shake hands with the Bearens.  “My name is Ellicia Daniels,” she said, holding her hand out. 

Jackson took her tiny hand in his large one and they both froze for a long moment, their eyes meeting in mutual shock.  Aware that the Director was watching them closely, Jackson cleared his throat and gently shook hands with her.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Daniels,” he said.  “I am Jackson, and these are my brothers, Clark and Rob.”

Ellicia shook hands with Clark and Rob, wondering if she would feel the same instant connection with them that she had felt when she and Jackson had touched hands.  She was not really surprised to find that she did, though she didn’t understand that any more than she understood her sudden ability to sense their surprise along with her own. 

At least they are as confused by this as I am
, she thought as she retook her seat.

The Director rose and came around his desk to introduce himself, which gave Ellicia a moment to compose herself.  Once the introductions were complete and everyone was seated, Ellicia turned to Jackson. 

“How’s my sister?” she asked.  “I haven’t heard from her for a couple of weeks.”

“Princess Lariah is well,” Jackson replied.  “As are her daughters.  You look much like her.”

“Unfortunately, she got all the sweetness,” Ellicia said without animosity.  “I’m a little harder around the edges than she is.”

Jackson smiled doubtfully but did not argue the point.  He had more sense than that. 

“Tell me something, are the Dracons as big as you guys?” Ellicia asked curiously.

Jackson laughed.  “They are quite a bit larger.  The Dracons are the tallest and strongest of all Clan Jasani.”

Ellicia’s eyes widened at that but she made no further comment. 

“Welcome to Earth,” the Director said, wanting to get down to business now that the pleasantries were concluded.  “I thank you for making this journey to help us all get to the bottom of this problem of women having their minds wiped after returning from Jasan.  Normally it would be at the top of our priority list, but as you may be aware, we recently had a tragedy that took the lives of many of our operatives.  We are currently struggling to keep up with more emergent matters.”

Jackson, Clark and Rob all placed their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads.  “We are sorry for your losses,” Jackson said as he raised his head.  “It is a difficult thing to lose fellow warriors.”

Ellicia nodded, unable to speak for the sudden lump in her throat. 

“Thank you,” the Director said, his voice a little gruffer than usual.  He dropped his eyes to his desk top for a moment, then opened a drawer, retrieving three memory crystals which he offered to Jackson.  “These are the medical records Lariah, Saige Taylor and Summer Whitney requested.  I think you’ll find everything in order.  I hope that the information is of help to you.”

“Those are Lariah’s medical records?” Ellicia asked.  Jackson nodded as he took the crystals and placed them carefully in his pocket.

“Why do you need those?”  Ellicia knew she sounded suspicious, but she couldn’t help it.  She was an Agent, and suspicion was a part of who she was now.

“We have learned that women who are
berezi,
capable of becoming Arimas to a Clan Jasani male-set, are being targeted for abduction,” Jackson explained.  “We do not know why, nor do we know how they are identifying these women.  It is hoped that the medical records of the three existing Arimas, from before they became Arimas, will help us to discover how
berezi
are being identified.”

“Are there so many
berezi
then?” Ellicia asked.  “From the reports I’ve read, there are a couple of hundred women missing.”

“No,” Jackson replied.  “We have been fortunate enough to recover some of the abducted women, but none of them were
berezi
.”

“I’ve been going through the list of names that we received from Jasan last month, starting with the most recent,” Ellicia said.  “So far I’ve interviewed over thirty women who we know for certain went to Jasan either as contract brides, or as Candy Brides, and who then changed their minds and returned to Earth.  None of the women I’ve looked for have been missing, but they all share one disturbing problem.”

“What problem?” Jackson asked. 

“Their memories have been tampered with,” Ellicia said. 

“In what way?” Jackson asked. 

“They all remember taking a tour of Jasan as part of a group.  None remember being contract brides, none remember staying on Jasan for more than a couple of days, and all of them have the exact same set of memories for their visit there.  An aerial tour of the countryside, a visit to a ranch, a tour of the women’s sanctuary, the return home.  And if I question their stories even a little, they all begin to show signs of distress.  Headaches, cold sweats, nausea.  I don’t know what would happen if any of them were pushed too hard but I don’t think it would be good.”

“Do you have any idea how their memories were altered?” Clark asked.

“We’ve only just begun preliminary testing of a few of the victims,” the Director said.  “So far, indications are that it’s drug induced, but the drug itself is still unidentified.  We need more time, and more tests.”

“I don’t understand the reason for this,” Jackson said.  “Women come to Jasan, decide not to stay, and return to Earth.  Their memories are then wiped and they are returned, unharmed, to their lives.  This makes no sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Ellicia said.  “We are obviously missing something.”

“Like what?” Jackson asked.

“I don’t know,” Ellicia replied.  “So far, every woman I’ve talked to has been the same, told the same story.  I think we need to keep checking on these women until we find something different.”

“You’re right, of course,” Jackson said.  “Would you mind if we went along with you on some of your interviews?”

“Of course not,” Ellicia replied.  “In fact, I’m hoping that you will hear something in these women’s stories that I’m missing, since I’ve never been to Jasan.”