The Rain: The End, Marietta Standlee [year 7 reading list TXT] 📗

them? Yes! Will I miss out on a lot of things with my children? Yes!

But I'll be working on securing their future to ensure there is going to be one for them. I want them to be able to live without fear of alien abduction. They'll probably spend their entire lives fighting maniacs and dinosaurs and burn the cursed flower wherever they'll find it, but the least I can do is to get rid of the Gorongiath menace for them. And us.

As hard as it is to say goodbye to my bundles of joy, the excitement of finally working on our Plan B is intoxicating. Finally, we'll be able to fight back. As Colin likes to put it, we'll kick some alien ass. Operation Stealth Stryker will begin soon.

Early in the morning, one of the spaceships, flown by Briggs, picks us up at the military airport. Colin and I kissed our babies goodbye, and I would be lying if I said there weren't tears in my eyes. I'll miss the little monsters. But as soon as the ship takes off, it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Caring for three small lives is a lot of responsibility, completely different from keeping soldiers alive, especially when they're your babies, and the stress of it was really getting to me.

Chapter 4

Colin puts his arm around me as we stand by the two giant windows on the bridge and watch the zooming by landscape. My fingers move for the ring underneath my shirt, and a smile plays around the corners of my eyes. Getting back into combat is not the only thing I'm looking forward to; I want some alone time with Colin as well.

And judging by the way he's holding me close, so does he. It doesn't take long until the cave comes into view. Last time I had no clue what to expect, but this time my eyes know what they're looking for, and the giant entrance to the mountain's cliff-side comes into view.

"We need to do something to camouflage that better," I suggest.

Colin smiles and rubs my shoulder. "That's my girl, not even back yet and already giving orders."

"I'm just saying…" He gives me a kiss before I can finish the sentence. "You're right, Rambo."

"Wow, never thought I hear a guy say those words." Briggs snickers, and we high-five each other.

With practiced moves, Briggs maneuvers the ship into the massive cave. This time more spaceships are parked inside, hundreds of them.

"Did we get more?" I ask, astonished.

Briggs nods, "Yes, we steal them every chance we get. Some losses are blamed on the militia bombing them; others crash during training. I think the Gorongiaths are getting pretty sick of us clumsy humans. They're beginning to get suspicious. Between us and Dimitrov's men…" She doesn't need to finish the sentence; we get the picture.

"So Dimitrov is our Russian counterpart?" I clarify.

"Yes, his president is as much in the dark about all of this as ours." She enlightens me.

"Can we trust him?" I articulate my worries about the Russian spy.

Briggs doesn't hesitate: "Absolutely. I get you don't trust him because he worked as a spy." I raise my eyebrows at that. Of course, I don't. What's worse than a double agent?

"But he's not only a patriot for his country; he doesn't want to see the human race go by the wayside either. And that desire is stronger than any other feelings he has. Yes, you can trust him."

She should know, of all the people, she has spent the most time with Dimitrov, and not just on a professional basis, I might add. I don't want to insult her and ask about her love life, so I refrain from doing so. I'll have to trust her judgment.

"I think we should continue until they stop our pilots from flying," Colin adds.

"As you wish, Sir," Briggs answers like a good soldier. The woman amazes me, she knows exactly when to be funny or personal and where the line is drawn, and orders are being given or taken.

"Well, what's that? The breeder is back." I hear a familiar voice behind me before I'm taken into a vise-like bear hug.

I smile as I feel Ace's familiar arms around me, but I don't hesitate either. My arm goes back, sneaks around his neck while my body twists into his. My right leg hooks around his, and before he knows what's happening, he flies over my outstretched hip towards the ground.

Grinning, he looks up at me. "Haven't lost your edge, I see."

I reach my hand out to help him up before slapping him on the shoulder. "Good to see you."

The clearing of a throat makes me turn around to see our young Asian engineer standing a few feet away from us. His expression is wary as he takes me in. I laugh and shake his hand. "Don't worry, only obnoxious old friends get this kind of treatment." I soothe.

His smile is a little tentative, but he nods. "Good to see you, Commander, and congrats on your babies."

"Thank you. How is everything coming along?" I come straight to the point.

"You won't recognize this place. Ace and Carl have been working hard. They finished the third and fourth level as well as taking care of our heating problem." Briggs is full of praise.

Colin grabs my bags and shoulders them before gently pushing me forward to the entry that will lead us to the main cave system, carved out of the mountain by our men.

When we reach the huge mess hall, I'm greeted by many familiar faces—Drew, Michael, Ty, Eric, Katie, and Kat, to name just a few. Hugs and handshakes, as well as fist bumps and high fives, go around before I'm lifted off my feet.

"Welcome back, little mommy." Derek's loud voice booms in my ear.

Since I'm up in the air, there is not much I can do, but he'll have to put me down at some point. So, when he does, even though he's about