Aeolus (Frozen Origin Quickies Book 2) Read online

  “Does everyone know that story?”

  “Yes, it was one of our most successful raids.”

  “Then why do they resist manning the phone if they know how important it can be?”

  “Can you imagine doing this three or four nights a week?”

  “No, but why does anyone have to? Can’t it be required that everyone work one shift a week?”

  “We could try that. It will be complicated scheduling and keeping up with everyone.”

  “Post a schedule on the door. Anyone can check it and if someone doesn’t get here on time, they can call them.”

  “We’ll give it a shot. I was going to tell you Sierra got in touch with her friends. They will check out the location. If their Intel and what we get from satellites looks good, we’ll go in person to check it out and do the raid right away.”

  “I want to go.”

  “There was never any doubt, you’re already on the list if everything checks out. You need to fix a go bag like we used to have when we worked for Origin. I’ll take you to supply when your shift is over. Hang in there and we’ll get your lady back.” Herc said confidently.

  Al wanted to believe that so much. His phone line lit up and rang. “Hello, lost gods’ hotline, Al speaking. How can I help you?”

  This was a potential tip and he wrote everything down and got a number to call them back at if they recovered a god. He didn’t mind the legitimate calls, it was the people that seemed to think he had nothing better to do than to play around with them that bothered him. Didn’t they realize he could miss an important call while they kept him tied up?

  Al was worn to a nub and ready to crawl into bed by the time Herc and a young god named Zelus came to him. Zelus took the spot next to him and gave him a wave as Herc waited for him. “The whole thing was a traumatic experience. I did get two potential tips.”

  “Maybe we should stick you on the lines all the time. That’s more than we usually get.”

  “Very funny. The last one hit me hard.”

  “Why was that?”

  “It was a young girl who thinks she’s been inseminated with god seed. She was so scared, but still embarrassed to tell me about it. She worked at a lab and she heard them talking one night about inseminating females with god seed. When she found out she was pregnant and hadn’t had a boyfriend in a while, she quit the job and ran.”

  “That sounds like it might be true. Did you mark it?”

  “Yes, just like you showed me.”

  Herc led him into a room and stocked shelves were everywhere. “You still remember what goes in a go bag, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll leave you to it. Get some good sleep and I’ll get you at your room for your breakfast.”

  Al waved him away. He could take care of himself and he knew Herc had been wasting a lot of time on him that he could use to save more lost gods. Once he got his go bag and assembled the proper contents, he went back to his room. It was starting to feel like home or at least the closest thing he’d had since he was a child. Even then, home had been his fellow gods, not the facility they were kept in.

  He sorted all the items he’d selected and now he arranged them in order in his bag. Once he was done, he dropped the bag in the closet. His eyes felt like they had sand in them and he could feel a low throb of pain behind his eyes. Al felt hungry and he realized he’d not eaten in over twelve hours.

  Going to the cafeteria, he grabbed a tray and filled it. He sat down and dug in eating quickly and not wasting a thing. Once he was through, he put everything in the designated places and went to his room even more tired than before.

  First, he took a shower letting the hot water relax him. He thought about Ange and he prayed to every deity known to man that she was alright. Washing himself, he rinsed off and turned off the water. Once he dried off, he pulled on some boxer briefs. Normally he would sleep naked, but Herc would be here to wake him up.

  The pounding was damn annoying. It couldn’t be Herc because he’d just gone to bed not too long ago. Lifting his head, he squinted at the alarm clock and groaned in surprise. It was Herc and it was nearly time to go. Letting him in, he turned back to through on some clothes. Gods weren’t shy about their bodies, they’d been raised half naked just wearing the equivalent of underwear unless they left the facility on jobs.

  “Ready?” Herc asked.

  “I am now.”

  Herc led the way, they were going to the conference room. Al followed and hoped that Herc hadn’t forgot about breakfast. They entered and he was surprised to see a small buffet set up and another table with coffee, tea, and juice.

  “Get your food and we’ll sit together. This will be a planning session. Sierra has intel.”

  “So soon.” Al asked stunned.

  “Her contacts have a group working near the coordinates. How lucky is that?”

  “Pretty damn lucky.” Sierra agreed. “How are you Al?”

  “Not bad. I had a shift on the phone lines last night.”

  “You stayed after the call came in?” Sierra asked.

  “Yeah, got a couple more possibilities.”

  “That’s a lot for one night.”

  “I told him we should keep him on the lines.” Herc admitted.

  “Looks like the gangs all here.” Sierra observed. “Everyone get your food and we’ll get started.”

  The table had twelve chairs and all were full. Zeus, Hades, Hermes, Cherish, and some gods he didn’t know sat around the table.

  “My contacts found evidence that the tipster was legit. It’s not a big facility and it seems to be confined to breeding. There is a Geneticist working there with a full team, guards, and better security than they had at the last place. There are several females, possibly as many as a dozen in various stages of pregnancy. There was no sign of babies yet.”

  “If the security is better, than how did they get all their information?” A young god asked.

  “They hired women to put bugs on the guards. Origin guards are used to talking a lot. They are a fountain of information.” Sierra explained.

  “That’s been a lucky thing in the past.” Herc admitted.

  “We want to leave as soon as this meeting is over. Time is of the essence and the raid that got Al back spooked these guys. Rumor is that they’re looking for another place. We have to get there before that happens.” Sierra emphasized.

  “Anything else we need to know?” Herc asked.

  “This is tourist area and it’s hot. Grab summer gear for surveillance. When we go in, it’ll be in tactical gear.”

  Once they trooped out of the meeting, everyone ran to the supply room to get summer wear. They packed it away and they got ready to load up on the plane. Al couldn’t wait because he was going to get his Ange back if he had to kill everyone in that facility. It was as simple as that.

  Chapter 6

  Dreams of Rescue

  Ange wasn’t sure how long she had been here. Probably only a week, certainly no more than two but she’d been either over tranquilized or sedated most of the time. She’d survived the tranquilizer, barely. The sedative was only dangerous in that it made it impossible for her to be aware of what they were doing to her or to find a way to escape.

  She had been able to determine Dan was unhappy and felt like he was being mistreated. He talked to her as if she was a friend or something.

  “I’m getting even with everyone. There’s no way I’m taking all this disrespect just sitting down. It’s not like you died. Sure, you were sick a little while, but everything is better now. Must not have been that bad or they wouldn’t keep you sedated so heavily.”

  Of course Ange didn’t answer, she couldn’t even keep her mouth closed or stop the drool that sometimes ran out of it. It was gross, but what could she do about it? They were taking blood regularly, checking her vitals all the time, and measuring body fluids. That just reinforced the fact that she was one big fucking experiment to these people.

  Sometimes when
she fell asleep, she’d wake up remembering her dream for a few moments. Al was always in it. He’d rescue her leading a team into this hellish place and saving the other women that were here. She knew there were others, Dan spoke of them in the long talks he had with her. Never did he mention how many or what they were doing here. Ange assumed they were part of this horrific experiment too.

  “Wake up, Ange.” It was Dan again. Hadn’t he just been here? “I was going to ask you out. Did you know that? They said you was off limits, because they had plans. I would have treated you like a queen. You would have loved being with me.”

  “Dan? Where the hell are you? There’s work to be done and you’re hanging around in here? What are you doing? Feeling her up? Get your ass outside so the gate guard can take a break.” The voice sounded familiar. Oh, yeah. It was Craig.

  “Sorry asshole.” Dan whispered under his breath.

  “What did you say?” Craig asked.

  “I’m on my way.” Dan replied.

  “Don’t waste any more time.” Craig ordered.

  Maybe the resentment would peak and they would have a fight. Problem was she couldn’t take advantage of it if she was barely functional.

  “I’ll be back Ange.” Dan said as he hurried past her.

  “What’s he do in here, I wonder.” Craig mused before he followed him out of the room.

  She didn’t like either of those men and was glad to see them go, but the people who entered her room were her only source of information. They spoke freely around her because they never expected her to leave this place. Drifting off to sleep since she was alone, she woke up when she heard a voice.

  “Well, how is our little patient doing today?” She recognized the doctor’s voice.

  “She’s responding well.” A perky female voice replied.

  “Let’s back the sedative off slowly and see how she responds.”

  “Of course, Doctor.”

  “Good news, you are expecting a baby. I also want her on a full regimen of prenatal supplements. Once she gets some of the sedative out of her system, she needs to be put on a solid diet.”

  “Yes, Doctor. I’ll see to everything.”

  “See that you do. This experiment is important to me.” She heard his steps as he walked away.

  “Sorry bastard.” The nurse mumbled under her breath. She had a hint of an accent that Ange couldn’t make out. “Okay Sweetheart. I’m going to have to take some blood. I don’t know why anyone would volunteer for something like this, but I’m sure you had your reasons.” The nurse was gentle and it didn’t hurt like it sometimes had. “Maybe you can have applesauce before I leave if the sedative wears off enough.”

  The nurse did everything she needed to do and then she heard the sounds of her shoes as she walked away. Things were slightly clearer since no more sedative had been administered. Now Ange was alone again and things didn’t look much better. If having a clear head didn’t give her an opportunity to escape, she might end up wishing they had kept her sedated.

  Someone was slipping back into her room. “Don’t be scared, it’s just me.” Dan whispered. “I don’t know how Craig found me in here. Rumor has it you’re being weaned off the sedative. We’ll be able to talk soon. Oh, hell. I see Craig headed this way. Don’t tell him you saw me.”

  Ange assumed there must be a second door that Dan headed out of. Now she heard Craig entering the room. “Damn, I was sure that lazy asshole was hiding in here. It’s a shame you can’t tell me where he went.” Craig chuckled. “We’re getting rid of Dan as soon as we find a replacement and then he won’t be bothering you anymore. He’s such a loser anyway.” Craig shuffled out of the room.

  Like that man was a winner? He might think he was, but he was no better than Dan. One wasn’t smart enough to know better, but the other one was greedy and sadistic. Ange dreamed of rescue from these horrible men. She knew it wasn’t going to happen, but she couldn’t help the hope that stayed strong inside. If there was any way it could be done, Al would save her and the other women that were kept here.

  Chapter 7

  Ange

  The trip to Olympus had been like a dream. The trip from Olympus was all too real. He counted every minute and was aware that the gods were isolated in their own little corner of the world. Herc sat next to him. They had a team of six.

  “Six males doesn’t seem like enough.” Al declared.

  “We’ll have help from Sierra’s friends when we arrive. We’ll stay at their compound and make the final plan with them. They are good at what they do and they take whatever is left after we get what we need. I’m afraid it may be slim pickings this time. Origin has lost much of the wealth they once had.” Herc admitted.

  “Why would they help us then?”

  “We won’t know what’s there until we hit it. They are taking a chance, that and their leader really likes Sierra.”

  “Doesn’t Zeus have a problem with that?”

  “No, it is platonic. They worked together years ago and she saved his ass more than once.”

  “I’ll be the first to admit humans confuse me.” Al admitted.

  “It’s a learning process when dealing with humans. You’ll pick it up, just give yourself time.”

  The trip was divided into two parts. They flew to the US first. They stopped for six hours in Washington and slept and ate breakfast before flying to Cancun which was the nearest airport to the out of the way spot the lab was hidden near.

  They were met by some rough looking men in a big truck that had once moved troops and supplies for the US Army. There was nothing wrong with acquiring army surplus items, but the truck wasn’t comfortable. Al and the other gods sucked it up as they got in the back for the ride to their allies compound. Herc got in front. One of the benefits of leadership, Al supposed.

  The drive was about thirty minutes and they arrived at what looked like a camp at first. A closer look showed him that there were some buildings beyond the giant tents that would hold thirty or so cots for men to sleep on. Everything about the equipment and set up screamed military, but the men weren’t in uniforms and their appearance was unkempt to put it kindly.

  Herc motioned to him so he walked up to him. “You can come with me.”

  Al knew they were going to see the leader and he was curious about who would run a group like this. “I’ve not met this guy. He only runs this compound, he’s not at the top of the organization.”

  One of the men led them to the door and hurried off. Herc knocked and someone yelled enter. The inside of the room was nice, luxurious even. It was air conditioned and there was a mini bar in one corner of the room and a TV in the other. The office was spotless, and the man behind the desk was wearing clean clothes that weren’t wrinkled. It was a whole different world in here.

  “I am Jesus. I am in charge of this motley crew.” He smiled, probably at his reference to his crew making them sound like a rock band. “We will help you raid this place and free the prisoners. I have a personal aversion to those that prey on the weak. Our groups never attack women, unless they are evil, or children under any circumstances. This place has been under our surveillance for some time, even before you called. We didn’t have enough information to attack and have also been busy elsewhere.”

  “Drug dealers acting up?” Herc asked.

  “I am unsure what you know, but you are correct. We may be mercenaries by definition, but we try to look out for our country and our people.” Jesus said. The man was clearly educated and his accent was barely noticeable.

  “I was fortunate to get to go on a raid with your leader. There were drug dealers nearby and I liked the way he dealt with them. I believe in law and order, but some things are better dealt with outside the law.” Herc explained.

  “A man after my own heart.” Jesus said.

  “I have men there now. We can go right away, or allow your men a chance to rest.” Jesus looked at Herc waiting for the answer.

  “Now is as good a time as any.” Herc confir
med.

  Jesus smiled happily. “I will go with you personally.”

  It looked like the raid was on. Al felt a big sense of hope and the need to act as quickly as possible. Al followed Herc outside and Jesus went with them. “What will we drive in?” Herc asked.

  Jesus pointed off in the distance where three helicopters were headed their way. “We will ride those to a mile or so of the lab. There is a private airport from which tourists often come into the area. I don’t think they will suspect anything. We will take SUVs to the closest entry point and knock on the door.” Jesus chuckled.