Mikal (Second Wave Book 3) by Mikayla Lane

problem . . . I refuse to call a free woman by something like ‘Alpha Two’, so what would you like to be called?” Lara asked gently.
    Alpha Two looked at her in surprise.
    “I never told you my name,” she said.
    “I told them when I called them to help us. Do you have a name you want to be called?” Mikal asked, hoping they hadn’t pushed her too far.
    Alpha Two immediately thought of the last words she’d heard from her sisters before she had left.
    “You’re our last chance,” Alpha Six had said.
    “Please don’t forget us,” Alpha Nine, the youngest had said.
    “Don’t blow this chance!” Alpha Four had said gruffly, her affection and worry for Two coming though her words.
    Alpha Seven had cried and begged her to free them so they would have a chance at a real life. A chance to be happy and free of the cages they were forced into.
    That’s what she was . . . a chance. A chance for her sisters to truly live—to be more than killers for human monsters with no soul.
    “Can I be called Chance?” she asked tentatively, wondering if a word like that could be a name.
    Lara grinned broadly and squeezed her shoulder.
    “I think it’s a great name. It’s wonderful to meet you, Chance. Now let’s go see how to get your sisters out of there,” Lara said before hopping out of the open door and disappearing outside.
    Mikal smiled down at her.
    “I agree. I think it’s a beautiful name for you,” he said then gently tugged on her hand until she followed him outside the ship and into the large, revamped hangar.
    Chance looked around in wonder at the huge building and all the stuff inside.
    “What is this?” she asked as her head swiveled left and right to take it all in.
    Mikal chuckled and led her to the conference room where he knew his siblings were waiting for them.
    “This is an abandoned human airport. A small one of course. At least on the outside. My father had this place redone for us. It serves as an emergency supply center for any of our local bases or passing aircraft, but it was specifically made as a base for us. There’s a lot of us, so the extra space is always a bonus,” Mikal explained.
    Chance nodded absently as she looked around at all the crates, alien aircraft, human SUVs, and motorcycles.
    “How big is this place?” she asked.
    Mikal led her into the room and everyone got quiet the moment they walked in, causing Chance to stop and Mikal to have to avoid bumping into her.
    Dree waved her hand wildly from a chair not far from the door.
“Over here! I saved you a seat!” she said with a brilliant smile.
    Chance couldn’t help but smile; Dree was so happy and excited, Chance would have felt mean to do otherwise.
    Chris spoke up.
    “Hey! Let’s all get seated so we can get started! Chance, we’re going to need you to tell us where the lab is so we can get satellite on it,” Chris said.
    When Alpha Two didn’t respond, Mikal gently nudged her and spoke in her mind.
    “He’s talking to you, Chance. We need to know where the lab is so we can get details on it,” he said encouragingly.
    Alpha Two shook herself and realized that they’d called her by the name she’d chosen.
    “I’m sorry . . .” she said, feeling a little embarrassed.
    Dree laughed and slapped her knee.
    “Girl, don’t worry about it. Around here, you’re bound to be called all kinds of things; you’ll learn to answer to just about anything,” she teased.
    “Don’t be a bitch, Dree,” her brother Mir, short for Mirage, said.
    “See! I told you,” Dree said as she created a soft ball in her hand and threw it across the table at her brother.
    When Mir and Dree began throwing illusions at each other, Chris whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention.
    “This is not devolving into chaos. Focus. We need to get those girls out before they do something to them or move them,” Chris said. “Is this a daycare or a special operations base?”
    Chance cleared her throat.
    “I don’t know where the