Battlefield (7 page)

Without really understanding what he was doing it, Gerard began to follow Devyn.  She was heading over to a couple of trees, away from her Unit where she could be alone, but he didn’t care.  There was something inside of him that felt as though he needed to take care of her, needed to get to the bottom of whatever it was that was bothering her, no matter what she said or how badly she tried to refuse.  He needed to take care of her, but it was doubtful she saw it that way.  He just didn’t want her to be moody anymore.

“I know you’re following me,” she said, cocking her head to the side but refusing to look at him.  Underneath the trees, she could feel her body cool off, and she reached up to touch her lip.  It didn’t hurt, but her pride was bruised.  She could still taste the metallic taste of blood occupying the beginnings of her mouth, and though she wanted nothing more than to spit it out, she didn’t want to do that in front of Gerard.

“I’m glad your skills are still sharp,” Gerard muttered sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest as his pale green eyes seared through her back.  He stopped walking, wanting to keep a safe distance while simultaneously blocking her from leaving if she tried to do so again without telling him what happened.

Something defensive inside Devyn snapped.  She had never been taken care of by someone else, and though she doubted that that was what Gerard was doing, the feeling was uncomfortable.  She didn’t want to be the girl people took care of; she wanted everyone to know she could take care of herself.

“God, why do you even care?” she asked him, turning around and narrowing her eyes in his.  “I’m just your breeding partner, your fuck buddy, remember?”  She bit her bottom lip to keep from saying anything else; she had already said enough.

Gerard furrowed his brow, starting to feel his own body react defensively at Devyn’s outburst.  Something inside of him told him this wasn’t her mad at him but mad at whatever it was that had happened to her.  “Your lip is bleeding,” he told her, his voice strained to keep from yelling back at her.  “What…
happened
to you?”  He locked his jaw at that point, preventing him from saying anything he would later regret.

“I really don’t want to talk about it!” Devyn told him, her eyes almost pleading with his own to understand.  But they didn’t, couldn’t possibly understand.  “What don’t you get about that?”  She suddenly stalked towards him, a determined look on her face.  “You think you’re just some tough guy with a Scottish accent who can fix everything.”  She coiled her long fingers into fists and hit his chest, needing to get her frustration out on something, and he could take it.  It wasn’t as though she was hitting him hard, really.  “You think that you have the right to know about everything.  Well, you don’t.  Who do you think you are anyways?  You can’t just walk in here and demand that I sleep with you and that I tell you everything…”

She wasn’t sure when she started to cry, and Gerard didn’t know either.  He refused to fight back, his eyes softening after seeing that first glimmer of water in her eyes.  Though he had only known her a short while, he never expected to see her cry, especially not in front of him, and yet… 

He let her hit him; it didn’t really affect him one way or another.  It didn’t hurt, and he knew she wasn’t trying, either.

Devyn couldn’t actually believe she had started to cry, and every time she tried to stop it, she just felt more tears spring into her eyes, preventing her from accomplishing her goal.  As such, she took everything out on Gerard.  She had no idea why he wasn’t fighting back, but she was silently grateful for it.  Devyn knew none of this was Gerard’s fault, but she felt so helpless.  How was she supposed to defend herself against the Director?  How was anyone else supposed to protect her?  She had never felt this way before, and she didn’t know how to fix anything.

She always had a solution to a problem.  But now she didn’t.  And she hated that.

Without warning, Gerard reached out and wrapped strong, sturdy arms around Devyn’s frame and tightened his hold on her while pulling her against his chest.  It prevented her from hitting him while offering her comfort at the same time.  Gerard dropped his head so his lips were close to her ear, and for a moment, the two were still, silent.  No one said anything, no one did anything, except to breathe.  Slowly, Devyn felt herself relax in his arms, her tense body suddenly losing grip, and she began to all but melt against him.

“Don’t kid yourself, Devyn,” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin.  “You know you mean more to me than fuck buddies.  Now please tell me what happened.”

Though the Scottish brogue was normally gruff and deep, it came out reassuring.  Devyn wasn’t sure what to do anymore.  She wanted to be able to handle her own problems, wanted to be independent without the worry of relying on anyone except for herself.  And yet Gerard’s unspoken promise was tempting, and there was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, to pull the wool over her eyes and promise that no matter what happened, she would be okay and he would be there for her.  Because he meant more to her than just fuck buddies as well.

“Tell me,” he whispered once more, causing her heart to stumble a bit. Devyn had never had that happen to her before, and she had to bite on her bottom lip to keep from whimpering.

“The Director,” she responded, her voice just as light and as whispery as his.  To be honest, Devyn had no idea how she managed to find the voice, but she knew that it was going to get harder before it got easier.  And yet, with Gerard’s arms wrapped firmly around her, to keep her from falling, she somehow found the strength to go on.  “His name is Stewart.  Stewart something.  I can’t remember.”

“That was your visitor?” Gerard asked, but made sure to keep his voice leveled so Devyn wouldn’t misinterpret his tone as accusing.  “The Director of IGL?”  Devyn bit her lip to keep from saying anything once again, and instead nodded her head against his broad shoulder so he could feel her answer rather than hear it.  “What did he want with you?  Did
he
give you the bloody lip?”

“He started saying these things about how pretty I am,” Devyn said, tilting her head back and forcing her to look in his eyes.  It was at that moment that she realized just how badly she needed to get this out.  “He touched my cheek…”  Her voice trailed off as her brow furrowed.  Gerard watched her with his sharp eyes, refusing to ask her anything until he was absolutely sure she was finished.  “…and I slapped him across the face.”

Gerard’s impassive face suddenly became lighted with surprise, and if it had been under any other context, he would have allowed a small, amused smile to tug at the corner of his lips.  Instead, he squeezed gently, hoping it would be as reassuring as he could be.

“He didn’t like that very much,” she said, her eyes descending until they reached the grey material that made up his t-shirt.  “He told me he could buy me if he wanted to because he had so much money.”  Here, her voice hitched, and Gerard caught on to her sudden discomfort.  Whatever attributed to her bloody lip was due to this very moment.  “I told him that I wasn’t a doll and –“  She suddenly cut herself off, feeling her lips start to shake.  Quickly, she pressed them together while simultaneously closing her eyes together.  It took a moment, but she garnered whatever strength she needed and let out a slow breath.  After opening her eyes, she continued.  “He touched me.  He grabbed my chest with his hand and told me I looked like one, I felt like one.  I couldn’t stop myself and I kneed him in his groin.  And somehow, he slapped me across the face.  That’s how I got my bloody lip.  That’s what happened.”

Gerard didn’t know when his fingers began to play with her long hair, but the activity seemed to give him something to focus on in order to calm himself down upon hearing the finished story from Devyn’s own lips.  Finally, he slid his hands up her back, over her shoulders so his callused hands cupped her cheeks softly, tilting her head so her eyes were forced to look into his.

“Don’t worry,” he told her, his voice soft.  “Because when this competition takes place, we’re going to win and we’re going to be free.”  Suddenly, his eyes dropped to her lips, and for a moment, Devyn thought he was going to kiss her – wanted him to…  “Do you trust me?”  His eyes were forced back into hers, the plan abandoned at least for now.

“I do,” she told him, and surprisingly enough, she meant it. 

“So, what happened between the two of you, sweetie?” Rachel said the next morning as the two women headed into the cafeteria for breakfast.  They were close together, their voices hushed, their shoulders touching.  Genomes had amazing hearing and Rachel knew Devyn’s preference for discretion about everything, and she wasn’t about to let anyone overhear this very important conversation.  “You were gone for a while, you know.”

Devyn rolled her eyes and suppressed a smile.  The blood had long since dried on her bottom lip, and a very small scab had grown over the injury.  Devyn could still taste the metallic sensation of blood but it wasn’t as bad as before.

“Not what you’re insinuating, thank you very much,” Devyn said tightly as she grabbed a tray and stood in line to grab some food. 

Rachel was right behind her, poking her friend’s back with the rounded corner of the dull tray.  “Oh, come on,” she said as they slowly began to make their way down the buffet line.  “You guys were gone for a while.  You know I had to ask.”  She sighed and then nodded when a woman offered her a muffin.  “Anyways, think about it sweetie.  Big, strong accented and very sexy Gerard goes over to reassure you, maybe with words, maybe with sex.  Who knows?  I know what I would have wanted had I been in your position.”  She suddenly laughed and then elbowed Devyn in the side.  “Get it.  If I were in
your position
?  Like sex?”

Devyn allowed amused chuckles to slip out of her lips as she nodded her head for a bowl of oatmeal.  “Wow, Rachel,” she said, shaking her head.  “I think you’ve probably been in my position many times over.”

“Oh shut up,” Rachel said, but she was smiling nonetheless.  “You know, you should just have sex with him.  Get the crazy sexual tension thing over and done with.  Plus, if you think about it, it would actually boost your endorphins.  I read this in an article from a
Cosmo
I managed to swipe from Sarah.  Apparently exercise – something that sex is – gives you these chemical things called endorphins, and those in turn make you happy.”

Devyn grabbed her usual glass of milk, and started to head over to the table where Hugh and Gerard were already waiting for them.  “I swear that sounds like you got that from a movie,” she said as she sat down next to Gerard while Rachel took her seat next to Hugh.

“What is Rachel telling you?” Gerard asked with a mouthful of sausage, glancing up at Devyn.

“That we should sleep together and get it over with,” Devyn said nonchalantly, drowning her oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar.

“I feel as though I’m inclined to agree with her,” Gerard said, chewing as he spoke.

“Yeah, I’m not having sex with a guy who can’t be bothered to take three seconds to swallow his food before talking,” Devyn told him, throwing him a disgusted look.

Gerard smirked at this and scooted closer to her so his chin was resting just on the tip of her shoulder.  He had finally swallowed.  “Oh, don’t deny the fact that you love
real
men,” he told her.

Devyn’s face just scrunched up even more upon having to smell Gerard’s sausage-like breath on her face now, and shrugged him off her shoulder.  “Real men, yes,” she conceded as she mixed up her oatmeal.  “Not real cavemen.  Geesh.  What do they teach you back there anyways?  In Scotland, I mean.  Do you even have utensils?”

“Once we get out of this place, I might take you there and show you,” Gerard told her, and though there was a jesting sparkle in his pale green eyes, he was serious when it came to what he had actually said.  He wanted to take her to Scotland, back to his home.  Could it even be his home when he was created and not born?  It didn’t matter; he wanted to bring her there anyways.

“Was that a date?” Rachel asked with a mischievous smile.  “Wait a minute, are you guys going about this the old fashioned way?  Like, instead of sleeping together and then getting together like me and Hugh, you’re going out on dates and then sleeping together?”

“She won’t put out if I don’t do it that way,” Gerard teased, nudging his shoulder into Devyn’s.  Devyn tried to look upset at such an insinuation, but she couldn’t and ended up laughing.

The four ate and joked for the next hour, but soon enough, they were ordered to return to their cells in order to wash up and prepare for breeding practices.  Even though Devyn had showered and brushed her teeth, she wasn’t planning on having sex with Gerard today, and she knew he knew they weren’t going to.  In fact, they were planning on doing something decidedly different today.  They were going to plan.

The moment Gerard entered the door, Devyn grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her cell.

“She can hardly wait,” Gerard said to the Whitecoat who shut the door before Gerard even finished his sentence.

Once the door was shut, Devyn released Gerard’s wrist and knelt down on the floor in order to reach under her bed and pull out some materials she had managed to swipe when no one was looking.  Gerard got down on his knees so he was sitting beside her, watching as Devyn unfolded what appeared to be a map of the grounds. 

“Where did you get this?” he asked her in a hushed whisper, his eyes glancing over at Devyn’s profile.

“Rachel oozes sexuality,” Devyn replied with a grin.  “I managed to talk her into using her mystical whims on a new Whitecoat while I swiped this right under his nose.  Hugh wasn’t exactly happy about it…”

“How was I not aware of this?” Gerard asked.  “You knew, Hugh knew, Rachel knew?”

“You know now,” Devyn pointed out, and quickly continued.  She didn’t need to have another mindless argument with him, especially when they had work to do and only so much time to accomplish it.  “Anyways, so here we are.”  Devyn opened up a box with thumbtacks on it, and slipped one into the Unit 121 building.  “And here is where we need to get to.”  She slipped another one into what was known as the Gates of Freedom.  At least that’s what the advertisements called the gate, and the title just sort of stuck.

“And here are the other Units,” Gerard said, picking up different colored thumbtacks and placing them where the other participating Units were housed.  His pale green eyes scanned the map, suddenly in strategizing mode.  Not only was Gerard quite admirable concerning his physical ability, but his skill was equal when it came to militia battle plans.  “It looks like Unit 123 has the most direct route to the Gates.”

“Do you think they’ll take advantage of that?” Devyn asked.  She was accustomed to making plans but she was good at figuring out the best places to hide and small composites like that.

“Some,” Gerard said, moving his head as though he was saying maybe.  “Maybe in order to give us a distraction.  It would be most obvious to just head straight over to the place.”

“I don’t think so,” Devyn said, shaking her head.  “Think about it.  It’s the most obvious thing so Unit 123 would probably expect for the other Units to expect they do something else.  So really the most obvious suggestion isn’t that obvious at all.”

Gerard tilted his head so he could look at Devyn once again, his eyes revealing just how in disbelief he really was.  “Sometimes, I worry about you,” he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as he spoke.

“You’re just jealous that I came up with something as amazing as I did,” Devyn said, turning her head towards him and sticking out her tongue.

“Did you just stick your tongue at me?” Gerard asked, his voice incredulous.

“I think I did,” Devyn said with a grin.  “Here, I’ll do it again.”  And she did.

Gerard couldn’t exactly help himself, and before Devyn could think twice, Gerard’s fingers were currently gripping her tongue.  A look of disgust crossed her features and it took everything inside of Gerard to keep from laughing.

“You know,” he said, his eyes focused on the strongest organ of the body.  “There are many different things I could do with your tongue right now.”

Devyn tried to say something, but it came out jumbled and incoherent.

“What was that?” he asked her, an amused smile eclipsing his face.  “I didn’t quite understand you.”

Devyn rolled her eyes and grabbed onto his wrist attached to the fingers holding onto her tongue, and squeezed.  Immediately, Gerard released his hold on her before clutching his wrist that would no doubt bruise because of Devyn’s unnecessary roughness.

“Ouch!” Gerard exclaimed with obvious over exaggeration.  “How do you even know how to do that?  Actually, I don’t think I want to know.”   

“What’s the matter, Gerry?” Devyn asked with a sly smile.  He had never seen her eyes this shade of green before, and he couldn’t help but stare at them a little bit longer than necessary.  “I thought you liked it rough.”