Page 6 of Balarr
“My name is Balarr,” he said in a calm voice, also speaking in Galactic Common.“I am a Vaxxlian warrior from Planet New Vaxx, and I am here to retrieve a human female.”He nodded toward the building.“The VAMOB program has assigned a female named Luna to me, and she listed this facility as her address.”
The males paled and exchanged a quick, worried look.Neither lowered their imitation blasters.They shared a few whispered words in English that Balarr didn’t quite catch.The only words he made out were “supervisor” and “fuck.”Not very helpful.
The shorter guard cleared his throat and aimed his weapon directly at Balarr’s face.“Get back on your ship and leave immediately.This is a restricted area.If you don’t leave, we’ll have no choice but to call the US military.”
Balarr couldn’t restrain another laugh.“The nearest US military bases are currently under siege by American rebels.”He’d intercepted American communications and also verified the fighting on his ship’s extended radar.“I doubt anyone will come to your aid,” he continued.“But even if they did, the weaponry on my Vaxxlian cruiser is sophisticated enough to decimate whatever forces your government tries to send after me.”
A red blast suddenly struck Balarr in the chest, the impact causing him to take one step back.The tallest guard had fired his weapon.
So much for diplomacy.
Balarr reached for his stunner, and within moments, both human males lay unmoving on the ground.
He stepped around them, confident that they didn’t pose a threat.They wouldn’t regain the ability to move or speak until sometime tomorrow.
He eyed the front entrance of the building.Several more guards rushed outside, and he felled them just as quickly as the first two.A hover truck zoomed toward him from around the side of the building—probably the guards who’d been stationed at the property’s main entrance.
Balarr sighed and waited for the vehicle to come to a stop.When it did, four armed human males jumped out and started firing various weapons at him—imitation blasters as well as regular human guns.He ducked to avoid the bullets—those would actually hurt, though they wouldn’t kill him—but didn’t bother trying to avoid the blaster fire.
He eventually took cover behind a pillar at the front of the building, then peeked out just long enough to strike each of the guards with his stunner.
He waited a moment to see if anyone else would approach him, but nothing happened.When he attempted to enter the building, however, he encountered resistance.The door wouldn’t budge, and a steel barrier suddenly rose from the floor to cover the entire glass door.
Fluxx.Balarr was starting to become impatient to find Luna.Clearly, she hadn’t informed these guards that he would be coming for her.
But then he thought of the strange, barred windows on the top floor of the building, and a low growl escaped his throat.
Was his mate being held against her will?
He used his wrist comm to analyze the technology controlling the metal barricade.Ah.It would be easy enough to circumvent.He typed in a crash code that usually worked to bypass most human technology, and he watched with satisfaction as the metal barricade lowered and an abrupt clicking noise sounded near the entrance.
He stepped forward, pushed the door open, and strode into the medical research facility.
A middle-aged woman standing behind a counter stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth agape.He strode up to her, striving to keep his expression neutral so he wouldn’t scare her.He’d been told many times that his facial expressions—even when he was perfectly calm or even mildly happy—tended to be severe.One of his fellow warrior’s human mates had once joked that he had something humans called “Resting Bitch Face.”
He reached the counter and tried his best to smile, but for whatever reason, this caused the woman to break down in tears.Though she wasn’t his mate and he didn’t know her, he still didn’t like seeing a female cry, so he held his hands out in a show of peace while trying his hardest to appear non-threatening.
“Please do not fear me,” he said in a gentle tone.“I will not hurt you.”
“What do you want?”she asked in a shaky voice in between sobs.
“I am looking for a human female named Luna.The Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides program matched us, and I’ve come to Earth to claim her as my mate.On the acceptance letter I received from VAMOB, this building was listed as her pickup location.”
The woman swallowed hard, then cast a quick glance around the reception area, as though expecting someone to come forward and help her.But there was no one else here.Balarr had stunned over a dozen guards, and if any more dared to approach him, he would take them down as well.
He'd come to Earth to claim his mate—Luna—and that was exactly what he intended to do.He would not leave this place without her.
“Well?”Balarr said in a coaxing voice.“Do you know where my mate is?Her full name is Luna Mackenzie.”
“I’ll lose my job if I tell you,” she said with a worried glance at a nearby security camera.
Balarr withdrew his blaster and fired it at the camera she’d just looked at, then he spun in a slow circle, taking out other cameras he saw mounted on the walls and the ceiling.Once he was satisfied that there would be no video evidence to condemn the woman, he faced her as he returned the blaster to his hip.
“Will you help me now?”he asked.
“Yes, just please don’t tell anyone.”She drew in a long breath and wiped at the tears coating her face.“I believe Luna Mackenzie is on the tenth floor.Room 28B.”
“Thank you.”Balarr gave her a quick nod and headed for the stairs.While the elevators might be quicker, he didn’t want to risk becoming trapped, so he opted for the stairs.
