Chapter 16
The scout ship sat idling over the expanse of Lake Michigan. Drake strapped himself into the control console but hesitated to put in any coordinates. He had an important decision to make, and there seemed to be no acceptable option.
Jamie came up behind him, placing a tiny hand on his shoulder. “I hope you have some idea of our next step, because I don’t have a clue. I’d say I was in over my head, but that would be a colossal understatement.”
Drake fought against the typhoon of emotion inside him. The mating frenzy put one in turmoil, until the male claimed his mate and consummated their connection.
Unfortunately, the chances of that happening were zero to negative one.
A Zantharian male could not bear any separation from his mate. It was an evolutionary imperative, as a male was only able to release his seed with the one female who’d chosen to breed with him. Zantharian females had only one egg, so once she decided to release it, the male had to mate her immediately.
If he was separated from his mate, it caused excruciating pain. The frenzy was accelerated, and death followed quickly. Even the thought of Jamie being out of touching distance made his hands start to tremble.
The frenzy pushed a Zantharian male to bury himself inside her until he was at last able to release. If the male was not able to breed his chosen mate, the seed became toxic and pushed its way back into the body until it stopped the heart from beating. Broken-heart syndrome on the most serious scale.
“Oh no,” Jamie whispered, and Drake wondered for a second if she’d been privy to his thoughts. “You don’t know where to look either?”
With a sigh, he swiveled around to face her. “I have an idea.”
Jamie eyed him while he hesitated. After a minute, she said, “Well…?”
Drake didn’t want to start down this road, but they were running out of time and options. “Before I departed for Earth, I’d been held prisoner on one of the Hareema’s bases. While I was there, the shape-shifters suddenly figured out how to resist our bioenergy. I realize now that they tested their advancement on me.”
For the first few weeks he’d been imprisoned, the Hareema had kept their distance. He’d only been overcome because his energy had been depleted in a diversion. He’d still fought them with his fists, but there had been too many of them. They’d kept him in his cell and stayed far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to blast them.
But then, something changed. The Hareema had come to his cell, masquerading as his brother, his mother, his friends. He’d taken their taunts for as long as he could until he got angry enough to release his bioweapon. At first, they’d melted under the onslaught. But instead of ending up fried, they’d soon reformed.
After a few trial runs, he’d hit one and it wouldn’t melt. And then he’d registered the shift in power in the quadrant. The Hareema were immune to Zanthar’s most successful weapon.
“But what does this have to do with finding Dr. Lakewood?”
“He studies electrical fields, remember? He’s some kind of genius, and he must have stumbled onto the one thing the Hareema hadn’t found out despite all their technology.”
“You think Dr. Lakewood is responsible for their advancement?” Jamie blinked. “I guess humans aren’t so backwards after all.”
An electronic squeal came from Jamie’s bag and she moved to pull out Herman. The robot weighed in. “This theory has merit. Dr. Lakewood discovered a new application for his work while building theFirstwave Intelligent Defense Operatives, one he’d begun testing before he disappeared.”
“First what?” Jamie asked.
“Defensive robots,” Drake explained. Both theEarhartand your sister’s ship were equipped with these robots. They behaved in an unexpected way, so to speak.” TheFIDOs had been able to differentiate the Hareema despite the form it took. And if theFIDOs were Lakewood’s baby, then perhaps the Hareema had decided to take an interest in his research.
Herman let out a series of beeps. “You believe Dr. Lakewood is being held at the same Hareema base where you were a prisoner.”
“You mean you’re thinking of flying into the home turf of those shape-shifting things?” Jamie’s crystal eyes were wide, and she began to slowly shake her head. “You can’t be serious.”
Drake took a deep breath, then charged ahead. “If Lakewood could figure out how to make the Hareema impervious to our bioenergy, he might be able to figure out how to undo his work, and just maybe how to defeat the Hareema once and fall all.”
Jamie took in his words but remained upset. “But surely you need to gather your troops or whatever, before attacking an enemy base?”
“No. A full-scale invasion would take too long to plan, and we might not have that time. Not to mention, Hareema plants could be anywhere. I have to act fast, while I have the element of surprise on our hands.”
“But how do you think we’re going to get past all those shape-shifters to rescue the good doctor?”
“We’renot going to do anything. I’ll be doing it on my own. In my skin suit they won’t be able to tell the difference, and one man can go where an army couldn’t.”
Jamie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh no. You’re crazy. You think I’m just going to sit around twiddling my thumbs while you go off and get yourself killed?”
“This isn’t your decision,” he said, and saying those words out loud helped him to admit them to himself. He turned back to the console and entered the coordinates to return to their original location.
