Free Battlefield by J. F. Jenkins Page B

have to say about it, and there’s nothing you can do about it either.”
    â€œFine, whatever, bye.” He hung up the phone before she could say another word. On a positive note, now he didn’t feel so guilty about breaking out tonight.

Chapter Seven
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    Alan felt bad for lying, but he knew Orlando would not have understood the real reason behind why he had come to his place of education, if one could call it that. The curriculum was false and subdued for the age of its students, and there was no instructional equipment to be found. What made sitting in a desk all day profitable for a young mind?
    Orlando did not seem to be well-versed when it came to matters of the heart, which was the reason Alan was there. His betrothed was inside, somewhere, hidden amongst its walls, or maybe underground. While his mission to help the Earth people was important, he felt a lot more devoted to finding her and bringing her back home again.
    Once there, he could get her protection from her tribe. She was a member of the Blue Tribe, the enemy, but their engagement could be enough to get her asylum in his country. And he needed to do this before she became too involved in her home's dirty dealings. Nothing might be able to save her then.
    There were tunnels under the school just like there were under the town where his recruits lived. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, not that Alan believed in that sort of thing anyway, but the tunnels littered through this area were there for a reason. He wasn’t even convinced the Earth humans had made them.
    There was artificial light guiding him through the underground maze. They were complex, and there were signs that offered directions with addresses and building names, but they didn’t mean much of anything to him. He didn’t know what Northtown Mall meant, or what the YMCA was. It was stupid of him to go into a place he was unfamiliar with. He only had one tool to guide him, and it glowed brighter and brighter as he got nearer to his fiancée. He subconsciously rubbed the bright blue and glowing bracelet he wore on his right wrist.
    As it grew brighter, he began to hear voices, and he slowed his pace. The tunnel was climbing, which meant he was coming to an exit. Approaching the open door, he peeked around the doorway. A storage room of sorts, most of the tunnels seemed to be connected to those, though this was larger than the one at the school. There were a few boxes and lots of supplies.
    â€œI don’t have to give you anything, human.” Alan recognized the voice immediately. It was her.
    â€œThat was part of the deal. See, I give you what you want, and you’re supposed to give me the things I need to do my work. If you don’t, then I tell my superiors, who are actually your superiors, and then you get into trouble. Not the other way around, so don’t even try the ‘high and mighty’ attitude with me. I don’t care what planet you come from,” the young man she was talking to snapped back. He had a green aura around him. If he hadn’t been the charge of another tribe, she would have turned him into toast. Alan could never forget her fiery temper.
    â€œI don’t have it, so I guess you’re out of luck.”
    â€œNo, Alona. You’re the one who’s out of luck. Now, I’m a pretty patient person, so I’m going to give you until the end of the weekend to do this for me. Ideally, I’ll have the supplies on what we like to call Saturday so I can work on my assignment this Sunday, but I’m a generous and forgiving man. I’m also a diligent worker and am willing to give you my day for working, as an added day for you to get me what was promised. If you don’t? I’m telling our boss, and then your precious tribe is going to be added to the list. I don’t think that would be too good for you, now would it?”
    â€œFine, I will see what I can do. My recruits are not as