Day 14:

Cairo had managed to maintain her cover. The Zetas were an intelligent species. By any reasonable measure, this was an unassailable fact. Cairo also realized that like most other intelligent beings, the Zetas were also susceptible to complacency. And she was about to exploit that weakness. She also realized that Zeta complacency was not born out of laziness. Instead, it was more of a subconscious readiness to accept the facts of the past. And in that sense, the Zetas had no reason to think Humans possessed any advanced mental capabilities whatsoever.

Cairo smiled...

She knew that after centuries of abduction, manipulation, and outright torture, the Zetas never witnessed any credible evidence of telecommunication, telekinesis, bio-awareness, or self-regulation. If there was any doubt whatsoever, it was formally put to rest when their kind nearly put the entire Human race down like a sick dog, without so much as a whimper of resistance over a century ago. A population that was "thinned" from 9 Billion to less than 1 million in two short years. And all they had to do was use a biological "parlor trick" that any reasonably intelligent species would have detected before it was too late. Given that history as a backdrop, there was absolutely no reason for Zeta leadership to expect advanced mental abilities from any Human, let alone from some silly little girl they had sitting in captivity.

Cairo was still smiling...

She realized that the only reason she was still alive was because of her potential utility as a reproductive vessel. She also knew that her window for escape was quickly closing. She had already met her goal of obtaining actionable intelligence by repeatedly intercepting confidential Zeta communications throughout the compound during her period of captivity. In fact, what she had already learned via mental eavesdropping exceeded all mission expectations. The Zetas were close, very close, to reaching their hybridization end game. Once they did, it would not be pretty for any Human or Hybrid 15 or less. Over the past several days she had resisted two potential opportunities to escape so that she could learn even more. But at this point, Cairo knew her time was running out and that she was now looking at a risk to reward ratio that was quickly approaching infinity. The Zetas were not a patient species and there would be a time in her near future where she would be forced to choose between partaking in vile reproductive activities against her will or be killed outright for not cooperating. Both unpleasant outcomes she preferred to avoid. Initially, she thought a rescue effort to save her might be attempted but thankfully that never materialized. She knew a Resistance counter-attack would be no match against Zeta forces even with Arcturian resources in play. Her time to leave was now...

~~~

Jake Roberts hadn't slept in days. Despite facts to the contrary, he blamed himself for the capture of Cairo by Zeta NYC compound forces two weeks earlier. He replayed those fateful minutes over and over again in his 20-year-old brain. What if he hadn't briefly left her side in a futile attempt to keep the impinging Zeta forces at bay? It couldn't have been more than 2 minutes tops, he thought. But that was more than enough time for her to run into the ET forces that had surrounded them. He should have seen it coming! She should have sensed it! He would give anything to trade places with her. But of course, none of that changed the actual outcome. He blinked and she was gone...

He had known Cairo for only a month prior to that painful day. For Jake that was an eternity since he had fallen for her the second he laid eyes on her. It wasn't just her demur looks. Her aura completely captivated him. He couldn't fully describe it but her effect on him was intoxicating. But none of that mattered now. He had failed. Miserably. The base field Sargent had given him one task. "Protect the asset...Protect her with your life." Jake kept hearing those words ring out and reverberate in his brain. He fully understood how her remarkable telekinetic and telepathic powers made her an unparalleled resource in the eyes of both the rebel and Arcturian military strategists. She truly was the key to the entire infiltration mission they had meticulously planned for weeks. For Jake though, it went much deeper than that. He couldn't logically explain how it happened so quickly or so completely but none of that changed the fact that he was deeply in love with her. This, even though he knew there was no way she could possibly feel the same way about him.

Tonight was his chance at redemption. The only thing keeping him from losing his mind was this recovery mission. He had to believe she was still alive. Anything less was unthinkable. Waiting day after day for Rigel reinforcements to arrive nearly broke him. But all of that was finally behind them as he stood in the darkness waiting for orders. Jake was ready, and this time he would not fail her.

"Hello?? Kid, do you have the charges?" Gus asked him in a low whisper a second time.

Jake snapped into focus.

"Yes, I'm sorry sir, it's right here", as he pointed to a deep side pocket on his camouflage flight suit that was long lost leftover from the days of civilization.

"Good, you'll need it,'' Gus said. "Stunning these assholes into temporary blindness is apparently the only gimmick that seems to consistently work."

Gus looked at Jake who seemed to have a stunned look about him as well. Not good, he thought.

"Look, kid, if you are not up for this then –"

"Kid? With all due respect, sir..." Jake stopped himself in his tracks before he said something he knew he would regret later.

"I'm sorry sir. Yes, I'm ready. I'm more than ready. I'm ready to give my life if necessary, sir,"

"Whoa, cowboy, nobody is dying out here tonight," Gus responded. "It's not your fault we lost her but you gotta hold it together, son. If you don't, we all lose."

Before Jake could respond, Gus abruptly covered Jake's mouth with one hand and firmly grabbed his shoulder with the other. They both remained quiet and motionless for several seconds. Gus removed his hand from Jake's mouth and pointed to a section of thick ground cover to the northeast. The disturbance was coming from an area just to the south of where his team was getting ready to begin their two-mile journey towards the western edge of the NYC Zeta compound. No one was supposed to be there, Gus thought as he stared intently into the darkness.

Gus broke off his gaze and looked over at Jake.

"Did you hear it?" he said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Jake didn't speak and instead shook his head.

Gus responded with his lips but without any sound.

"It isn't one of us."

Without hesitation, Gus reached into his pocket and activated a silent, electromagnetic-free vibration device that transmitted a tactical message to two team members that were flanked to his west. Within 30 seconds his device received a sequenced vibration that let him know they would investigate the area he identified. After a few painfully long moments of silence, Gus received a second tactile message from his infiltration team that completely dumbfounded him.

Jake saw Gus's look and spoke aloud.

"What is it??" Jake responded in a hushed tone.

Gus's look of confusion almost instantly turned to concern as he once again covered Jake's mouth. Within seconds, Gus 'felt' the perplexing message again.

TARGET ACQUIRED...REPEAT...TARGET ACQUIRED

At that point, Gus's third and final emotion in a span of 15 seconds took hold and didn't subside, which served to confuse Jake even more.

"They have her," he said audibly and with a gigantic smile as he firmly grabbed Jake's shoulder. "Cairo is free!"