Born of Ice

Chapter Fifteen

   The phone rang what felt like an eternity before a soft click and the commander's voice filled his ear. His hand shook on the phone as he put it on speaker phone, dropping it into the holder he had clipped on the dash board. He grabbed ahold of Tisha's hand as he began to speak rapidly.
"We don't have a lot of time before they figure out which direction we've gone. The agents didn't show someone else did. We went through the escape tunnel. We are going dark until this is over. God speed commander."
   He threw the phone out the window, watching it bounce and skip as they sped away. The sound of the tires squealing against the pavement as they shot onto the highway grated on his nerves as he continued towards the only safe place he could think of. His mind raced at what the possible outcomes were for various decisions he could make as he sped down the road. There was only one place they could go and he didn't like the idea. He turned right without using a signal, continuing down the dirt road at high rates of speed. The car tossed and shook as he raced towards his destination. He held onto Tisha's hand as he felt it turn clammy as she gripped onto him. As the turn he needed came up he slowed down marginally turning on a beaten road that was barely traveled. The road forced him to slow down more as he approached his destination. The cave came into view as he swung around to the opening he had built into the side.
   As if sensing the vehicle, a panel lifted off the hidden opening allowing him to pull the vehicle inside before closing behind them as he placed the vehicle in park. He turned the vehicle off as he stared off into space for a minute to collect his thoughts on what was happening. Whatever they wanted, they believed Tisha had it. He peered over at her white face, her eyes open but unseeing. She must know what they were after. He let go of her hand to exit the car, earning a whimper from her as she tried to grip his hand. He came around to her side, pulling her out and cradling her against his chest as he walked towards a door he had installed himself. The cave had belonged to him for many years, passing on to each new human I.D. he kept to maintain the illusion that he was human. If the humans after them tried to find them using her name they would not find anything and if they tried to search based off his home they would not connect the cave to his I.D for the house as it was still listed in his previous identity, not having been transferred to his current one yet. They had a few days before any dots connected, they would rest here until they had to move again. He made a note to contact the commander once he had Tisha settled down. Inside the cave, lights kicked on as they entered the small area he had set up to escape his demons. He set her down on the small bed as he sat down next to her.
"You know something that you have not told me yet. What is it?"
"While I was held captive, they took turns questioning me and their methods for getting me to talk got more and more sophisticated with each session. They kept asking for information about what I was and how I got that way. They tried drawing blood a few times, never getting more than a drop before it would clot and not run anymore. They would cut, burn, but and whip me during questioning. After they would sit and watch as my wounds tried to heal until I just didn't have anything left in me to heal the wounds they inflicted. I was scheduled for termination because they thought they had found someone else like me that they could get to talk. I heard them talking about the attempt they had made to capture whoever it was they found and it turns out that they had made a mistake. It was just a young woman, a human that they thought was something else and they had hurt her badly. They wanted to know how to be like me and they were going to experiment on me to figure out how I was the way I was and you had found me before they could get the chance. Now that they know I was not human they want me back to find a way to be like me. They most likely know there are more now that you have exposed yourself rescuing me repeatedly. They are sick people and want to use the abilities for their own personal gain. I know to much about them so I will be on their hit list and now so will you. This is all my fault, I should have just stayed in captivity and they may still think I was the only one of my kind. I have jeopardized everyone."
"Do not think like that. You didn't deserve anything that has happened to you. We will find a way to get through this even if I have to take them down one man at a time. We are safe here for a few days. Get some rest while I contact the commander about what to do. Don't do anything hasty while I am on the phone."
   She nodded at him as he placed a soft kiss to her forehead before getting up to stride over to the secured line he had hidden in case of emergency. He flipped a switch on a device that would scramble his signal and disrupt any listening devices near either side of the line before calling the commander. He listened to the ring of the phone before the commander's deep voice answered on the other side.
"It's about damn time you call back. What the hell is going on?! We found the 2 agents passed out in their vehicle. They had been drugged as if someone was going to come back for them. Thankfully we had found them first and removed them to safety."
"It is good to hear that they have been found safe. We went underground. We will be moving in a few days and will not be in contact again until I get to another secured line. I have a device scrambling my signal and interrupting any listening devices that may have been placed. There is a bug somewhere, it's the only way they would have known where to go. Sweep the building. These guys know she isn't human and they have figured out she isn't the only one. They aren't going to stop until they either get their hands on her or silence her from telling anyone about them. They want to figure out how to be like her for their own personal gain. We need to wipe them all out before they expose us. It is no longer about protecting just her, it's about protecting our race. Commander I am launching Alpha Zulu One, code word Transition."
"Are you sure about this?"
"This is no longer a contingency commander. This is now a reality, get everyone on the ready its time to launch it. We are in a worse case scenario. God speed commander."