Project X
All Rights Reserved
© 2015 Luna Black
~*~
"W-what?" Alexa stuttered as the sound of shutters going off began to increase. Panicked questions were thrown at them as the paparazzi desperately tried to figure out what was happening. "How do you know?"
Xander grimaced, still holding on to his side and said, "The General is linked to his second-in-command, so that if anything like this occurred, he would know. I-I believe he is not dead for I can feel his energy, but it will only be a matter of minutes before he is gone. I need to leave."
She nodded, blinking rapidly as she tried to absorb the news. It still didn't process in her mind; the General had been attacked. Who could be stupid enough to even try and take him down?!
Humans.
"Alexa," The gorgeous Alien before her cleared his throat, his eyes filled with a mixture of rage and sadness, "this could mean war; if it was one of your people. They have made their move; ours is next."
Her two front teeth dug deeply into her bottom lip as nerves wracked through her body and she took a deep breath. "I'm on your side," she whispered.
Xander smiled, sliding his fingers down her jaw and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You will not be involved in this. I must go now; I have wasted enough time as it is."
"Wait!" She grabbed his arm, "Take me with you!"
"I cannot," he shook his head, trying to gently pry her fingers off his bicep, "this is now a warzone, Alexa; I cannot risk your-"
She placed her hand over his mouth and said, "I'm going with you; that's final."
He opened his mouth to say no once more, but decided against it and sighed in defeat. The entire world watched with wide eyes as Xander and Alexa disappeared before them, a sliver of white light blinding the spot they were at.
Alexa blinked quickly, trying to adjust her mind and frowned at the scene before her. Xander let out a feral growl, pushing her behind him as he sensed something that she didn't and she glanced down at the fallen General.
He was holding unto his chest, a mixture of dark red blood and saliva oozed from his mouth as he lay on his side. "X-Xander," he coughed, grimacing at the pain it caused him to speak, "we need to talk."
"Who did this, Sir?" His eyes were pitch black as he pressed Alexa's back against the wall as he continued pushing his back into her chest. "And where is Trent?"
"That is not important right now," he groaned, "I need to tell you something before I die."
Xander glowered at him, then heard a soft – almost inaudible – sound coming from the other room. They were currently in the General's office and the only furniture present was his silver desk. "Show yourself!"
"Xander!" The General spoke with authority, but he didn't listen.
"Alexa," Xander turned his head slightly to the side to whisper to her, "check his wounds and," he spoke louder, "tell her what you need to tell me, General."
He coughed, groaning as the dagger in his heart moved whenever he spoke and urgently said, "It has to do with Corah."
Xander froze, staring at him with a strange emotion in his eyes, but another noise echoed throughout the house and he recognised the scent of the intruder. "Tell Alexa; after I finish this, she will tell me."
Alexa nodded, kneeling beside the General and gingerly picked his head up from the floor. "Whenever you're ready, sir."
"I have done terrible things in my time as general, Ms. Dominick," his voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but she could hear him, "I have killed and betrayed my people and all of this has finally caught up to me."
Her heart began to beat extremely fast against her chest and she gulped. She couldn't imagine the Xrions acting like humans. According to Xander, they only killed if it was necessary and in war; the General was saying otherwise.
"C-Corah," he coughed, "was my daughter. She was Xander's partner and they were supposed to marry before she took the crown. One night, she heard me consulting a plan with the General of Krete and our plans were not...she did not agree with them."
She simply nodded, not wanting to speak and ruin his reverie.
"Seven years later, I recognise that those plans were against every moral that I taught her, but I was desperate. My warriors were dying and I needed to protect my people at all cost. Krete and Xrion would invade Griod and kill anything with a beating heart; even the animals. Corah did not agree and she went to tell my Council; I panicked and," he choked with hurtful tears, "I killed her. I killed my daughter."
Alexa widened her eyes so wide; she was surprised they didn't fall out of her sockets. Her hands trembled on her sides and she gulped. How the hell was she going to tell Xander that the man he looked up to killed his daughter and his love?!
"Just as I pulled the dagger out of her chest," The General closed his eyes, gulping back the bittersweet taste of blood, "her mother walked in and she ran away. I sent a couple of workers after her and they disposed of her body. I killed my family so that I could remain in power."
Xander flew into the room, smashing his back against the wall and quickly stood up, growling at the door. Trent walked in, a smile growing on his face as he stalked towards his opponent and spat, "Why are you protecting him? You heard him; he killed his family to stay in power. If I hadn't killed him, you'd be next."
"You disgust me, Trent," Xander snarled, clenching his fists at his side, "you are not fit to lead our people."
He nodded towards the General. "Neither was he." His eyes fell on Alexa, whom was leaning down to listen to the General's last words. "And as soon as I am done with you, I am going to take your partner and make her scream like a little bïtch."
Xander lunged at him, a new rage building inside of him to fuel his strength and he threw a flurry of punches, breaking Trent's nose with a loud "pop."
"Before Clarida, my sister died from the virus, she warned me of everything that would happen. She could see the future and she knew that one of my own would kill me. But she gave me hope; she said Xander would make an excellent leader one day and that I had to protect him at all costs. That is why when his parents died, I took him in and moulded him into the leader Clarida said he would be."
The General groaned, going into a fit of coughs and held tightly unto Alexa's hand. "Tell Xander that I apologise for all the lies I told him."
Alexa nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks as she imagined the pain that Xander would later feel. She looked down at the General and gulped. His eyes were opened, but his chest no longer moved.
Xander walked in, breathing in deeply with his bloodied hands clenched at his side. His pitch black eyes flickered over to Alexa, then down at the General. He knelt down and bowed his head in respect before muttering something under his breath. He placed his hands over the fallen General's eyes and closed them.
Alexa stared up at him with blurry eyes and he pulled her up for a tight hug. "I'm sorry."
"What have I told you about apologising for something you had no control over?" He muttered emotionlessly.
"It's a sign of sympathy, Xander," she whispered in return. "Where's Trent?"
"I killed him."
Her heart managed to run up to her throat, then down to her toes and up again. She felt like throwing up and staying in bed until the next millennia. "What happens now?"
"The Griods are coming," He sighed, running his bloody fingers through his tangled hair. "Trent was working with them. The fights, the power shortages – everything had to do with him. Once he became General he was going to hand those who were against his beliefs to the Griods; I killed him before he finished his macabre plan."
Alexa nodded, sniffling and quickly tried to compose herself. "What are you going to do then? You're the new General, right?"
"I must assume the position until the Council can official place me in office. I will return you to your home after I pick up some weapons from my home."
She shook her head, grabbing his hand and said, "You're not doing this alone! I'm going with you and that's final."
"Alexa," he sighed, sliding his hand down his face, "this will be a war. I will try everything in my power to prevent fighting in Earth, but I cannot promise you anything. The Griods did not come to negotiate; they came to end this battle – and win."
She gulped, stepping towards him and placed her head against his broad chest. His shirt had a rip across his chest from the fight with Trent and the gash underneath slowly healed itself. Xander wrapped his hands around her waist and reminded her to close her eyes to teleport them home.
He stepped back, walking over to his closet and she stood in the middle of his room, not knowing what to do. She looked at the bed and walked over to the box that contained her armour. She gently traced the X in the middle and Xander turned to look at her.
His armour – although somewhat barbaric – was also sexy. It was completely black with silver lines running along his shoulders and down his arms. They covered the black gloves he was wearing and turned into an X on top of his hand.
In his right hand he held a silver mask, that resembled the chainmail he had given her, but it was made from a different material. Xander pushed his hair back and slid the mask on and she watched with curious eyes as the mask adjusted to his face.
A dark shadow flew by the window, snapping Alexa from ogling Xander any longer and she widened her eyes in fear. The blue sky was no longer covered by the beautiful clouds; in their place were diamond-shaped ships and by the look on Xander's face, they weren't the good kind.
Xander muttered a curse under his breath and quickly grabbed Alexa's shoulders. "I must go, Alexa. I will come get you when everything is over."
She shook her head quickly, fear bubbling in her stomach instead of butterflies. "No! I want to go with you."
"Mielle," he sighed, the rough material from his gloves caressed her cheek as he stroked them lovingly, "even though you were a great soldier under Dram, I do not believe that you are prepared for this. I cannot lose you to this, it may be selfish of me, but you are still human. No matter how much Xrion blood you have, people from the Eris galaxy hold abilities your people have yet to evolve into."
As much as she hated the truth, she knew he was right. Alexa sighed, pulling him in for a tight hug and whispered, "Please be careful. I love you and I won't be able to handle it, if something happens to you."
Xander nodded his head, pushing the mask up to his head before cradling her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. His lips uttered the words that she already knew; he loved her with all his might and he would do anything to keep her safe.
A loud boom startled her out of his arms and she shakily whispered, "Remember your oath, Xander."
"Non per si viti, mielle. I will try my best to come back to you." He took a deep breath, "I will send Dram to take you back home, alright? Being in this island is not safe for you, right now."
She nodded her head quickly, pressing another soft kiss to his lips and he smiled down at her lovingly. Another boom echoed through the island and he sighed, "It is best if I go now."
With one last loving smile, Xander disappeared.
Alexa stared at the spot he was at seconds ago and then made her way to the box. He had another thing coming if he thought she would sit around like a damsel in distress. The Griods had also entered Earth and even though she wasn't very fond of humans for their dumb comments, she was going to protect them.
She quickly pulled her shirt over her head, grimacing at the General's blood smeared on it and slowly stepped into the armour suit. She pulled the zipper from her calf up to her breasts and tried to adjust her sore breasts against the metal plate of the suit.
A soft knock on the door startled her, making her drop the chainmail and she mumbled a curse. "Who is it?"
"It is Dram."
"Come in," she called out, bending over to pick up her chainmail.
Dram raised an eyebrow at her, holding a gun with both hands defensively. "What are you doing? Xander told me to take you home."
"This is my home," she replied, struggling to open the chainmail to place it over her face, "you trained me for this; I'm not going to sit back and watch as you all risk your lives for this."
"We are not doing it to protect your planet," He pointed out, "this is our war."
"Then, take it somewhere else," Alexa snapped, growing irritated with the mask.
Dram sighed, walking over to her and held his hand out. "Give me that, go get some socks. The boots Xander ordered for you are in his closet."
She frowned, walking over to his closet and said, "How do you know that?"
He narrowed his eyes as he opened the chainmail and remained quiet. "Here."
Alexa sat down on the bed after getting socks and the boots and watched as Dram pulled the boots from the box. He yanked a flap open and handed it to her. "They don't have laces?"
He shook his head. "No, they adjust to your foot like everything else you have worn."
"That's so cool," she muttered.
Dram nodded, waiting for her to put the other shoe and said, "Your hair," She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You need to braid it or pull it back. In battle it cannot be loose or your opponent may grab it and get the upper hand."
"Okay," she walked over to the mirror and tried to braid it, but it was somewhat difficult by the adrenaline rushing through her body. It was making her hands shake incredibly.
The impatient Lieutenant sighed and pushed her hands aside. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a laugh from bubbling out of her mouth and she glanced down at herself in the mirror. She looked like a warrior, yet some of her features seemed delicate; it was somewhat confusing.
"What are you doing?"
"Fishtail braid," he grunted, tying the tip of her un-braided her with a small band she handed him. "There."
Alexa turned to smile at him, but he was walking towards the door, not comfortable with being so close to her. He did not want to fall in love with Xander's partner once more; losing Corah had been enough, he couldn't do it again.
Noticing that she was struggling with the chainmail as well, Dram let out another curse and stalked towards her. He yanked the chainmail from her hands and placed it over her head, turning her around to tie the two pieces so that they could cover her entire head.
After connecting the other two pieces on her nose, Dram stepped back and grunted, "Done."
"Thank you."
He nodded his head once, acknowledging her thanks and grabbed his gun once more.
"Why are you helping me?" She whispered.
Dram watched her for a couple of seconds, his face completely stoic and he sighed. "If we survive this, you will become our Queen; it will be easier for our people to accept you as Queen if you demonstrate that you have their best wishes at hand. No one wants a Queen that will not protect what is hers."
"Thank you," Alexa replied softly, but her heart skipped a beat at the mention of being a Queen. She wasn't sure she was ready to be that.
He shrugged an arm and held his hand out. "Are you ready?" She nodded, closing her eyes before he could teleport them to the battlefield.
Once Alexa opened her eyes, she blinked slowly. The battlefield was nothing like she thought it would be.
Hundreds of soldiers were lined up in squares, all facing in the direction of the Griod ships. Their facial expressions could not be seen for their black masks kept them hidden and she suddenly understood why; the enemy wouldn't know that they were afraid.
Dram walked up to the front, his head held high and he quickly placed his mask in place. He motioned for Alexa to follow him and commanded that she take her place in the squadron; he was treating her like soldier.
Exactly what she wanted.
The entire field was quiet; she couldn't even hear the breathing of the soldier next to her. A couple of squadrons over stood Xander. He was standing with his hands behind his back, displaying the demeanour of a powerful warrior. She couldn't see his face, but she was sure his eyes were the pitch black colour she adored.
Slowly the ship began to descend and landed metres away from them. Alexa's heart began to thud inside her chest, almost pounding out and tried to control her breathing without anyone noticing.
The silver doors made a loud deafening noise as they opened downwards and everyone impatiently waited for the leader to be revealed. A woman with silver hair that reached just underneath her behind stood in front. She had a silver staff that resembled a stálo but with strange carvings running up and down it.
Her eyes were dark with a small white pupil in them and many tattoos covered her face, giving her a rugged edge. She wore a long brown dress with slits down her hips, allowing her legs to move freely and a black belt to tighten it around her petit waist.
She held a mask in her hands, which was very detailed, resembling a demonic creature with beady eyes and sharp long teeth. It was almost...tribal.
Her mouth opened slowly and Alexa held the urge to not flinch at her teeth. There were many, they almost looked like they didn't fit in her mouth and they were sharp; pearly white and sharp. A sudden screech escaped her mouth, making Alexa grimace at the ear-piercing noise and a couple of soldiers standing next to her bowed their heads.
It seemed as if though she were showcasing her power. It was pissing Alexa off – even with her shark-like teeth, she was beautiful and held a lot of power; she didn't like it.
It made her feel...territorial.
The woman made the noise again, making Alexa clench her fists at her sides and dig her nails into her palms. If she didn't have gloves on, she'd pierce her skin with her nails.
A gurgled sound came as a reply and everyone turned back to look at Alexa with wide eyes. She widened hers in return, looking down at herself and coughed; the noise had come from her.
The Griod leader stared at her, her eyes snapping down to look at her and she bared her teeth in annoyance. She thought that there was no Queen in the throne; she had simply called out to show off. She didn't expect someone to reply.
The cry was to challenge the female in power. It was done in a way that would symbolise the power of the challenger and if the challenged female accepted, she'd return the war cry. Alexa had to idea that she had just accepted a challenge.
The woman slowly walked down the ramp, her hips moving dangerously slow and her long legs were exposed, showing the long intricate tattoos that ran up and down her skin. Her mouth opened again and the ear-piercing scream returned.
Soldiers gritted their teeth together, hating the challenging sound from the woman, but it seemed to piss off Alexa even more.
She felt her skin itching, as if tiny ants were crawling inside her body and as much as she tried to hold back the massive bubble of air that was growing in her chest, she couldn't. This time her snarl was louder, more ferocious and she sure as hell wasn't going to back down.
Whatever had taken over her, filled her with courage and anger; the two mixed together made or a hell of a brave act.
Xander watched with wide eyes as Alexa began to take slow, predatory-like steps towards the woman and Tomasz held his hand up to his chest, to stop him from intervening. Once a Queen challenged another, no one could intervene; they were showcasing their strength, their power.
Their screams began to turn louder, stronger and more annoying. They were high-pitched and the frequency was so vigorous that it would make ears bleed.
Just as the Griod leader began to lose her loudness, she raised her hand in anger and Alexa stepped back, holding her hands up defensively. She was taller than Alexa and had more muscle; she'd kill her.
She looked down at Alexa, a strange glint shining in her dark eyes and she tilted her head in interest. Like that of a mad scientists staring at his experimentations. "You are not a Queen." Her voice was thick and heavy, very accentuated with an accent that she didn't recognize. "How dare you challenge me if you are not a Queen?"
Alexa gritted her teeth, wanting to yank out her long straight hair, but didn't respond.
The woman grabbed her neck, her long fingers wrapping around the slender column with enough force to crush her, but she suddenly stared at her with more interest. Xander growled at Tomasz for not letting him go, but he knew he could not interfere with the challenge.
"Inside you grows a Xrion, which is why you felt the need to challenge me," Her voice was soft, a slight edge of malice underlying it. She raised her hand again, smacking Alexa with the back part of it with so much force that she flew a couple of feet back and almost dislocated her head from her body. "But you are Human; you are not a challenge to me, Queen Rhys of Griod."
Alexa groaned, lying on the ground completely disoriented and nauseous.
Rhys turned her head to look at Xander, her lips curling over her teeth in what seemed to be a smile. "The woman that birthed and cared for you," she added mockingly, "General."
~*~