Cloud Rebel (R-D #3)(11)

"It is, as you say, f*cked up," Val tucked my head beneath his chin and held me close. "We will get through this—I promise."

*

Twenty minutes later, we arrived in Auggie's office. Matt and Opal were already there. I wanted to glare at Matt; Val pulled me onto a chair before I could do so.

"Coffee? Water? Bourbon?" I could tell Auggie wasn't comfortable with whom—and what—he had in his office.

"We must change our bodies in order to feel the effects of alcohol," Val said. I watched as Opal attempted to hide a smile.

"Ah, my blue-skinned rescuers are here," Rafe arrived and nodded toward Val and me. Yes, we looked like Larentii; we'd only made ourselves smaller to fit on human furniture. "Thank you—for my life and that of my daughter's husband," Rafe added.

"You are welcome," Val nodded. "Rinnelar is quite adept at healing. She surprises me constantly."

"Awww," I turned to Val and offered him a smile.

"The—ah—President received an unusual message an hour ago," Auggie broke the uncomfortable silence that settled over us. "It is written in several languages, I assume to make sure we understand it."

"Which languages?" Opal asked.

"Spanish, French, English and German, along with another language we can't decipher."

"Do you have a copy of the message?" Val asked.

"Here," Auggie lifted a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to Val. I looked at it while Val held it up for both of us to see.

"Alliance common," Val and I said together.

"Unfortunately, the English and German are poorly worded," Val added. "They should work harder on these language skills." He handed the paper message back to Auggie.

"Madam President wants to know what we think about this—among other things," Auggie said, setting the paper aside.

"What does it say?" Rafe asked.

"It is a greeting and an offer to relieve the planet of—and destroy—drug survivors and any remaining drug," Val interjected smoothly. "That includes you, Mr. Black."

"Is that why you're here?" Rafe sputtered. "To kill me?"

"Far from it," Val said. "We're here to—as Rinnelar would say—protect your ass. You have a choice, however. You can choose to have your blood neutralized, so no other may be made from it, or you take your chances with these new arrivals who work for the ASD."

"Neutralized?" Rafe immediately became suspicious.

"Just the drug in it," I attempted to smooth his ruffled neck hair. "You won't be changed in any other way. You'll still be the tough badass you always were."

"What?" Rafe's eyebrows lifted.

"No offense meant," Val said. "The choice is certainly yours, but I would consider the benefits carefully."

"How long and painful is the neutralization?"

"I can achieve it in seconds, and there will be no pain."

"Then do it."

I understood then that this was something he'd already considered—that someone, somewhere, could use his blood to create more like him, and exploit them for more nefarious purposes.

"The information that this has been done won't leave my office," Auggie declared as Val began to glow and reached a hand toward Rafe.

*

Personal notes—Richard Farrell

"Doc, I gotta tell you, I had a helluva dream," Brett said. His eyes were closed—he didn't realize he could see if he opened them.

"What was the dream?" I asked, sitting on the chair beside his bed.

"I dreamed I was running," he said. I watched a smile pass across his face. "Chasing rabbits. It was fun."

"Open your eyes, Captain," I said. "From here on, you can make that dream a reality if you want."

*

Jennifer Troutman, 1st Lt, US Army

The last thing I recalled was watching the armored vehicle in front of mine explode. Afterward, things get extremely hazy.

Until now.

My eyes were open; I stared at an unfamiliar ceiling over my head. Glancing to the side, I saw the familiar rails of a hospital bed. I'd been injured. Now I was in a hospital, somewhere—probably Germany. I couldn't say why I thought that, but it was the most sensible thing—the worst cases often ended up on a base in that country.

I didn't speak a word of German, although several words in that language bubbled to the surface of my brain.

"You're awake."

A scrub-wearing nurse smiled down at me and spoke in English. "Dr. Farrell will be happy to hear you're still with us."

"Am I—uh—whole?"

"As whole as I am," she smiled. "My name is Kathy. When Dr. Farrell says it's all right, I'll bring food and you can sit up to eat."

"Is she awake?" A hopeful voice sounded in the doorway.

"She is. Lieutenant, this is Dr. Farrell."

He was beside my bed quickly and taking my hand. I blinked at him in confusion. Part of me wanted to say I knew him. Another part of me knew that was impossible. "Hello, Dr. Farrell," I said.

I was stunned when he wiped tears away.

*