Alien Read online

  Trees shook and uprooted, toppling in a circular pattern, giving her a direct bead on where the shaft would reveal itself once it reached the surface. Rocks and boulders bounced, shifted and rolled in response to the growing underground vibrations. From her calculations, the surface would crack within the next several minutes, spewing a desperate criminal from its bowels.

  It was her job to catch the Hellion. A wide smile split her lips. This was the sustenance of life—the hunt, the kill, the simple satisfaction of knowing she prevailed over the evil, which resided in hell. Humans considered hell to be the home of their god’s opposition—the devil. In their spiritual scriptures, it was the place where unsaved souls suffered for all eternity. Shia knew the truth. Hell was an intergalactic prison cell located in Earth’s core. It held the dredges of the universe, sent there by the decree of the Kiengir—the creators and rulers of every aspect of the heavens.

  The Kiengir produced every creature, planet and star in the universe, humans included. To them, these colonies as they called them, were simply science projects, experiments. Throughout the infinity of time, they guided, taught and controlled every aspect of life. It was a well-known secret they’d even bred with some of their creations in their efforts to form a perfect race of super intellectuals with superior strength and physical attributes. They held the power to create life. But did they take it away just as easily?

  Closing her eyes tight for a split second, she shoved the unwanted images of a colony long gone back into the far corner of her mind. Now was not the time for sentiment. She shook off the thought, determined not to fail. The need to climb through the ranks to reach her goal drove her forward. One day she’d find the truth behind her family’s death. As a Paoni warrior she didn’t have clearance for those records, but as a High Guard Council member… She breathed deeply and refocused on the thrill of the matter at hand.

  Like a hawk waiting for its prey, she watched. Anticipation coiled her insides tight, ready to spring the moment the escape route revealed itself. The good thing was, this event took place in a remote, densely forested area of one of the many faults she monitored within her jurisdiction. No humans were around for miles. Not until the earthquake chasers arrived would there be any interruptions, and by then she hoped the deed would be done. Though she stood still, the violent rumbling of the ground jostled her. She spread her legs and steeled her stance.

  The escapee was close. Shia wobbled but managed not to fall. Instead, she moved toward the middle of the circle. Towns miles away probably felt the shockwaves from this. She shook her head. At least this escape hadn’t started at the bottom of an ocean. Eruptions underneath large bodies of water tended to create tsunamis that took out entire cities in their paths. Not that she cared for most humans. She just didn’t like seeing mass destruction of life in any form, even the subculture of Homo sapiens—or Adamu as they were known to her kind.

  An enormous explosion set her back a couple of steps before she regained her balance. Dirt, rocks and fire filled the night sky. Smoke dense enough to suffocate billowed from the newly formed crack in the Earth’s surface. None of this bothered Shia. She came prepared, dressed in black from head to toe in the latest gear provided by the Paoni Defense Corps. The form-fitted suit was fully equipped with several deadly weapons, including the Paoni officer inside. A thick breastplate fit over the suit, which acted as a shield and also helped disguise her gender. All Paoni looked alike when in full regalia. It was their individual skills that distinguished them and separated them by rank.

  Shia rolled her left shoulder, knowing two sun tattoos decorated her flesh. Her goal—earn four more, then she’d be presented to the High Guard Council. There she’d find those responsible for the change in her fate. A smile threatened to upturn her lips but she swallowed it. The possibilities of the Kiengir zoning in on her thoughts were high while dressed in battle gear, especially when wearing the helmet. She stilled, took a cleansing breath, and did an internal scan of her equipment as final prep before facing the Hellion.

  Her helmet gave protection as well as acted as her eyes when necessary. She liked the fact these helmets were designed to each Paoni officer’s specific genetics. No one else could wear it. It worked in sync with the neurologic system and was calibrated to function from Shia’s specific brainwaves. Just thinking about the hours she’d spent in the chair as they programmed her helmet made her face numb.

  She blinked and instantly the face shield activated a screen showing everything clearly within a few hundred feet. It calculated distance, distinguished the opponent’s weaponry if any, warned of intruders—human or otherwise—and most importantly, located and identified which Hellions escaped. Several criminals crawled from the six-foot-wide-by-fifty-foot-long gaping hole.

  Yes. She grinned. What started off as a bland evening of loafing on the sofa with a beer, a bucket of buttered popcorn and a stack of B movies humans called sci-fis but she labeled as comedies, turned into a hunt for intergalactic escaped convicts.

  For years she’d lived among the humans and guarded them, keeping them from learning of the prison’s existence and she strived to keep it that way. Two blinks brought the Hellions into clear view. Shapes moved on the screen. One, two, three she counted. Not too bad, a number she could handle in her sleep. A short, lean male from Sirius, more bark than bite. She snorted at her inside joke about the man from the Dog Star. The second was a woman from Aludra, a place known for its comely beauties. What most didn’t know was that these ladies had a dark, deadly side. Shia made a mental note to take her out first.

  Shia stilled. The biggest man she’d ever seen in her entire career got to his feet and stretched. A crack echoed and she wasn’t sure if it came from the ground settling or his neck as he worked out the kinks. Biceps the size of her thighs bunched and flexed. Broad shoulders and back, a set of healthy legs strained the dingy, torn prison jumpsuit and she bet if he turned, his chest and abs wouldn’t disappoint. From this angle, the man had a perfect physique. Too bad he walked among the Hellions. She huffed and prepared for battle. The Aludra female would be easy compared to this giant.

  Even in the darkness, his profound dominance couldn’t be missed. The leader of this trio of misfits, she surmised without losing sight of any of them. Odd, no information lit the screen about the third escapee. Shia blinked to reset. After a short hesitation, the system rewarded her with an answer she preferred not to have received.

  Lanius. The worst category possible for a Hellion. To her knowledge, few of them existed. They were terminated or jettisoned into a solitary confinement Black Hole, not sent to a prison planet. How had this man escaped either destination? Looking at the prisoner, she decided it could have been his sheer size had intimidated the Kiengir, who had determined his fate. But she doubted it. Members of the Kiengir weren’t known for being swayed by fear or granting leniency. They ruled the infinite universe and their word was law and enforced by the High Guard Council. The High Guard Council was a respected group of leaders, who answered directly to the Kiengir, managed their assigned colonies and oversaw that the Paoni warriors enforced these laws. Being a Paoni officer, Shia had a job to do no matter how small or large the situation.

  Little to no information followed his rank. Origin listed as unknown. No name, only category and gender came up connected with this one. Lanius. Male. It didn’t make sense. He had to have come from somewhere. What crime had he committed that warranted eternal damnation, instead of instantaneous death? He must have pissed off someone in the Kiengir to the extreme.

  Instantaneous death or eternal damnation in a prison cell? Shia wasn’t sure which she’d pray for if she ever found herself on the wrong side of the Kiengir.

  Quickly and carefully, Shia maneuvered closer, weapons charged and loaded in both hands. She readied for their next move as she calculated her strategy. It didn’t appear they were aware of her yet. Hellions needed a few moments to become acclimated to the conditions on Earth’s surface. Those were the precious se