Finding Darkness

Chapter 42 Meeting

"Captain, we have a situation down here in hangar ninety-seven." Samuelson screamed into his comms.

"What have you got, chief?" Captain Preys' calm voice came over the small devise.

"Whatever was in Commander Prey's cargo bay is out now, and it's carving your security team to pieces!" The senior chief screamed as yet another man went down. The blur of teeth and claws moved so fast he couldn't see what it did until it was finished and onto the next man.

"Help is on the way, chief, just stall it for a few minutes. Under no circumstances can you allow it to leave that hanger, understood?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I won't ever slow this thing down, so that backup better get here fast."

"Not to worry, sir. I'm already on my way. They're having some strange readings from Malachi, but the doctors tell me he should be fine once they find out what's wrong. I'll be in the hangar in less than a minute." Joshua told the captain before he was even told. Whatever was in that hanger, if it could take on a twelve-man security team, it would need his personal touch.

The twelfth man moaned, and Tamar pushed him over onto his back with the toes of her right foot. He looked up at her, hate in his eyes. Not that she cared. He was lucky to be alive. They all were. So, she simply stepped over him, worked her way over to their leader, who was just regaining consciousness, and picked him up by his tactical vest.

"I'll going to ask you a simple question and depending on how you answer you might make it out of this hanger with the same number of bones you entered it," she pointed back towards the hunk of metal that was once Malachi's fighter. "Where did they take the man who came inside that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Even if I did, I'm not telling you anything, bitch!" He spat in her face, and her eyes narrowed.

"I'm trying to be nice, but if my questions will only be answered with pain, then I'm okay with tha..."

Tamar had never been hit so hard in her life. She'd thought Malachi had hit her hard, but he must have been pulling his punches. This was like being hit by a sledgehammer, if the sledgehammer weighed a ton, and was wielded by a giant. When the world came back into focus, she saw that she was at least a hundred yards from the man she'd been questioning. Coming to her knees, she checked her body and wondered how she hadn't broken anything. Everything was intact and functioning, and that's when she caught her first glimpse of him. He was a blur, like Malachi was a blur, and her heart soared. Until he came to a stop. In her clear vision, she knew straight away that this was not her Mal. His suit was similar, but not exact. It was gray with ascents of dark blue, and he was a bit taller and slimmer than Malachi. Who he was didn't matter. She could guess his intent and her control shattered. If this man was even half as tough as Mal, she could cut loose on him without fear of killing him, and that suited her just fine.

Coming to her feet, she crouched low as the man approached. When he was about thirty feet away, he stopped. He was appraising the situation, just as her Mal would and that was when something Malachi told her rang in her head.

"There's only one person faster than I am, and he's not planet side right now."

This had to be his brother. Her spirit lightened.

"I have to find Malachi. He's the one who brought me here. He needs me." She spoke hopefully.

"You are not leaving this hangar. After what you just did, I should just clap you in cuffs and throw you in a detention cell. But I want to know how you got up here." Tamar's mouth fell open.

"I just told you how I got up here. Malachi brought me here. Now tell me how to get to him or so help me I'll..."

"You'll what!" The man roared. "You might do well against my men, but you will not give me the beating you gave them. Now how did you get up here, and don't tell me my brother brought you? He has never been interested in females, so why would he bring you up here? What did you do to him?"