BioCybe (14 page)

She couldn’t believe his claims, he knew that, at least, not
yet. She’d spent too long protecting herself, looking over her shoulder, for
the shields to just melt away. All he could do was keep battering at them. Hope
that one day they would drop enough that she would feel it too.

“We have to discuss Mayerber.” She struggled, trying to pull
out of his arms, and he released her, letting her move away.

“We do.” He watched while Levia paced back and forth.

“There’s something else. I know they wanted to know what
changes were made, that was why the Dendarans took me, but there’s more. I mean,
I wasn’t the first assassin they got hold of. But I just don’t understand why
Mayerber wants me. Maybe there’s more in the files? Perhaps if I could get into
the system I could find it.”

“But if that’s the case, why didn’t the militia just give
you the files?”

“Oh my God! The files…”

She hurried to his computer before he could call her back.
It was clear the instant she located her file. The look in her eyes would haunt
him forever, he was sure.
Dull.
The vibrancy he associated with her had melted
away.

“You have my file? Why? You could have asked me.” Her pained
whisper echoed in his mind.

“I didn’t… I mean, Brandon sent it to me. I requested it,
but I never read it.”

“Yeah, okay.” She didn’t believe him, and he closed his eyes
momentarily. One step forward and two steps back.

She opened the file and he moved behind her, but she
remained rigidly straight, ensuring there was no contact between them. Her
fingers tapped over the keyboard, using every encryption sequence he’d ever
learned and more besides.

Each time, the unit beeped. By the end, her face was drawn,
tiny white lines bracketed her mouth, and he wanted to lift her body out of the
chair and carry her to bed. “I’m going to need to contact the militia and
access whatever information remains in their databases.”

* * * *

Levia worked long into the night, rigging the
Golden Echo
so they could use the hyperspace jump protocol.

“It’s a damn good thing the Dendarans haven’t mastered this
form of transport yet.” Or they’d be dead. Mayerber would have been there
faster than a blink.

It was a military transit system, but they needed to get rid
of the equipment and get to Kefla III with all speed, so they could lay their
hands on the file on Mayerber.

If questioned, she usually could pull off her
need to
know
act and lord it over any other captains.

After all, in the military system, she ranked in the region
of a commodore. And had all the rights and privileges, including being able to
arrange for the vessel to use the transit system. Levia indulged herself in a
tiny but grim smile before returning to the task at hand.

Inspecting the systems, boosting the engines and testing the
shields, together with checking the integrity of the ship was something she’d
done within weeks of joining the crew. Now she was able to settle in and amend
the ship’s computational systems.

The question remained. “I don’t understand why Mayerber
wants me. Apart from the fact I was sent to neutralize him, but it doesn’t
really make much sense.”

No matter how hard she wrestled with the question, there was
no rational answer to be found. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to make that kind
of request to the militia unless it was face-to-face. The current encryption
systems were good, but she wasn’t sure that Mayerber wasn’t better.

Her eyes ached, and she kept working, but in deference to
the hour, she used Sandon’s office and the neural network. It would speed the
process up by days, and she could still input data manually as required.

Sandon flitted in and out, checking on her. His worry chewed
at her like a constant throbbing tooth, and like every other pain she’d
experienced since her enhancement, she ignored it. It was easier to deal with
if it was enclosed in the virtual box in her mind labeled
too hard
.

“Levia?” A hot drink found a spot next to her left elbow on
the table.

“Go away. I’m almost there.”

He grumbled but moved back to the chair, palmed a book, and
she sighed before returning to the task at hand. His presence seemed to melt
her brain capacity, and in the middle of the
Echo’s
systems wasn’t
really a good time for her to experience the associated brain-fade.

Some time later, a hand on her shoulder startled her, and
his “You need to rest. It’s nearly four in the morning” was earnest. But she
needed to find that one entry point where she could place the final tag that
would activate all her hard work.

“Yeah. Soon…” Her mind seized on the piece of code she’d
been scanning for and she placed the override in manually, fingers tapping with
great care. The computer beeped, accepting the command, and she smiled,
satisfied that the last change had been successful.

Reaching for the coffee, she closed her eyes. The long hours
hunched over keyboard and screen had left her exhausted, and her back gave an
audible creak as it moved back into alignment. She started to close her hand
around the mug and it tipped, scalding hot liquid cascading over exposed flesh.

Levia’s eyes opened, and she yelped as heat and pain
radiated over her fingers.

“Damn it.” He wrenched her from the seat. “You work yourself
into the ground, without any thought for the consequences.”

Shock kept her quiet while he ranted and carried her through
to the ablution room. He’d never reacted quite like this before. That he should
feel such anger that she’d injured herself… She shook her head, trying to
dispel the confusion. The neural interfaces in her hand and arm were already
working, damping down the pain from the burn.

“I’m fine.”

“Damn it, you’re not. You’re a danger to yourself. Now let
me see.”

Mirth bubbled. “I’m fine. Look.” She held out her hand and
he hissed, watching as her skin visibly healed.

“How the hell did you do that?” His eyes narrowed, and
against her will, she raised her hand to his cheek, cupping it. Feeling the
rasp of his day-old growth.

“It’s a by-product of the implants. My body heals far faster
than most, particularly from this kind of injury.”

He sighed deeply and gathered her close, burying his face in
her hair. The act drawing her deeper into the web of emotion she couldn’t
comprehend. “I’m never going to know where I am with you, am I?”

* * * *

“Those documents are not available for release. No matter
who you are.” The officious clerk opposite her stuck her nose in the air once
more, and Levia gripped the back of the chair’s metal frame, hoping to keep a
modicum of control. It creaked and she knew the metal had started to bow. She
was holding onto her anger, but it was tough.

After nearly a week in transit, using the hyperspace
corridors, waiting a moment longer was too much. She needed that file. Needed
the information contained within it.

If it contained even a percentage of what she’d found in her
own… She blocked out the memory of the feelings of betrayal that had come with
the knowledge that Sandon had seen it. She’d scanned it, looking for hints of
what might be hidden in Mayerber’s. Treating it as an intelligence gathering
activity had allowed her to avoid the freezing chill that crept up her spine
each time she thought of it.

“I told you, I need Mayerber’s file now.” The woman was
being a total pain, and Levia didn’t have a lot of control when it came to
people who got in the way of her work. She glanced at the woman’s nametag. The
name and image settled in her databank.

The woman blinked. “And I’ve told you, Recruit
Seven-One-Four, that the files are not available.” Sevran Des’tay’s hands were
white knuckled, and Levia sensed any satisfaction she might achieve from
forcing the woman to comply would be fleeting.

But still she obviously needed to exert a little more
pressure to get her hands on the damned file.
Why is the galaxy inhabited by
fools and middle management? They’re constantly getting in my way!

Levia cleared her mind, reaching deep as she calculated the
best way to deal with the woman. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of
this situation. If I don’t get that file, the only thing standing between you
and possible vivisection—which just happens to be Mayerber’s favorite way of
disposing of people—is your sense of self-importance and obstructive behavior.”
She leaned in closer, scanning the reaction from her current nemesis. The
woman’s respiration had sped up, her pupils were dilated, and the subtle mask
of deodorants couldn’t hope to conceal that she was sweating more heavily.
Levia swallowed the smile that rose. Oh yes, she’d made her point. “So, get
that file, now.”

“I… I can’t.

The rumble that started in Levia’s chest grew.

Des’tay flung out a hand, likely attempting to stop the
anger that rose inside Levia. “No… See?” The woman turned the screen in her
direction.

Document Status — Incomplete File, Access Denied.

“What the hell does that mean? Incomplete? Where’s the
rest?”

The woman tapped at her keyboard. “It was in one of the
repositories that were damaged during a skirmish in the war. I can give you the
little we have… Honestly though, you’d get more on Cordero. Likely the whole
file. I can’t access the repository lists here, but that’s where the master
files are kept.”

Shock froze Levia. Go to Cordero? Her homeworld?

“I don’t…” She stepped back, away from the desk. Sevran’s
face paled, but she leaned in Levia’s direction. “Go back to Cordero?”

“Yes. Well…” Sevran’s gaze narrowed on her.

For an instant, the wave of nausea almost overcame Levia.
She shook it off.

“Seven-One-Four, do you require medical intervention?”

Those words… She’d heard them before. Long ago. Now, they
just pounded into her head like a metal spike.

A sick, burning feeling rose in her throat, and she shook
her head to negate the woman’s request. The need to get away, to retreat from
Sevran’s words, had her pulse thrumming
. Control. Reduce the nausea. Get
away.
The commands flashed through her and she followed them blindly.

Spinning on the ball of her foot, she moved, heading for the
door. She didn’t care that Sevran was calling after her. She needed to escape.
To deal with the vise that squeezed her brain and heart. Breaking into a run,
she got through the twisted maze of corridors and out onto the forecourt.

Home
. She needed to be home. On the
Echo
. The
tiny shuttle, the ZZ8, waited for her, and she dashed into it and hit the door
lock symbol. Levia barely had time to stumble to the ablution cubicle before
her stomach heaved out its contents.

Do you require medical intervention?
The thought
reverberated through her brain.

Tears escaped, but she ignored them. Nothing could help
right now.

Levia rose on unsteady legs and made her way to the bridge,
strapping in. Then she opened the communications link with air traffic control.
“Air traffic control, this is Gamma-Vega-Gamma-Alpha-Zeta. Get all traffic out
of my way, I’m burning hot and heading out.”

They would too. They’d recognize her call sign, and she
welcomed the boost of adrenalin that came with their ascension.

She punched the ignition and slammed it into life while the
engines screamed. She’d already disengaged the comm system.
Let everyone
else get out of my way.
The thought ended on a vicious snarl.

Riding the waves of air pockets that jostled the craft, it
ascended and broke from the grips of gravity. She was going home.

Sandon glanced in Levia’s direction. “You’re okay?”

Levia was gazing out the viewing port of his cabin, as the
small green-gray planet rose before them. He’d refused to allow her to pilot
the ship for this leg, worried that she was already stretched thin. The fact that
she’d given in so easily spoke volumes about the stress she was under.

“Yeah.”

“You can talk about it, you know.”

When she glanced in his direction, the white lines
bracketing her mouth looked deeper and whiter while the glow of green through
her makeup reminded him of everything she’d been through since leaving Cordero.
What had been done to create the perfect warrior for the Jurans.

“I haven’t been back. Not once. When we were removed to take
up our positions, they contacted our families and told them that we’d died.”
The convulsive sound she made, a cross between a hiccup and a strangled laugh,
pierced him.

He waited, letting her talk as and how she felt necessary.

The carpet on the floor absorbed the sound of her footsteps
as she moved closer to him, tugging on the neck of her body suit as if it were
choking her. “They thought having no ties to our previous life would make it
easier for us to do what had to be done.”

This was the most she’d ever shared about leaving home and
the enhancements without being pushed. As much as it sickened him, he needed to
hear it all, so he could help her. He wanted to build a life with her, but
until she opened up, those festering wounds would taint any life they built
between them.

“We didn’t get a say in any of it. Once the family has been
informed, that’s it. It’s like whatever connection existed between you and them
has snapped. You can’t go back, because… What is there to go back to?”

She lowered herself onto the seat beside him, tugging the
zipper down so that she revealed the scarred skin below.

“We learned what we had to do. We trained and followed
instructions, because that was all we had left. The rest of the Cybes I knew...we
parted ways, because being together was painful. It reminded us of everything
we’d lost.” Levia inhaled with a hiss. “That we were the outcasts and abominations.”
The words were bitter and broken.

“But you aren’t alone anymore.” He reached out, stopping her
movements. “And if you want, we can go see your family. Find them.”

He knew the moment she understood what he was saying,
because the great wracking sob left her shuddering.

“But to them, I’m dead!”

“You don’t have to be.” Maybe this was something else he
could give Levia. It was clear that top of the list was being in control of her
own destiny.

“But they won’t know me. To them I’m going to be some kind
of creature! A… A bloody Cybe!”

“Are you scared they’ll turn you away?” The words were
painful, but necessary, so he plowed on, releasing his grip on her hands and
edging closer.

“I… I don’t know. But if they turn away… I don’t know what
I’d do.” She whispered the words as he framed her face. Twin pools of misery
gazed at him. “They think I’m dead.”

“But you’re not. You’re here, with me, alive and loved.
Loved, Levia. You’ll never be alone again. If they turn their back on you, the
crew of the
Echo
and I will be your family.”

The kiss was a benediction. Soft and sweet, and she opened
to him as never before. She accepted the caress and gave back what he took. She
tasted sweet and womanly. When his tongue swept over her lips, she sighed and
the tension in her body seeped away. Now there was heat and desire. The kisses
deepened and ravaged. The taste of her and warmth, even her slight weight,
encouraged him to show her how deep his emotions flowed.

Without thought, Sandon stripped the heavy material from her
body, the pads of his fingers traveling over the expanses of flesh that he
uncovered. He took control, dragging his mouth away from hers long enough to
touch every dip and hollow, before he pushed her bra over her head and onto the
floor. He tugged her panties off as she sighed, and for a moment, he allowed
himself to gaze at the woman laid out before him, like an offering to a god.

His body jerked and trembled as the emotions flowed through
his system. Love and desire, warring with the need to cherish this impossibly
hurt woman. He’d give anything for her. Even his life.

“I love you, Levia. Every inch of you.”

Each kiss he dotted over the scars was heady, and he hoped,
prayed, that she understood the depths of his feelings. There weren’t enough
words to describe how he felt with her, so he relied on actions. Soft touches
that left her sighing, and light caresses that ended with her twisting and
turning in his embrace.

“Levia, you’re so beautiful.”

She averted her gaze. “I’m not. My body is scarred and—”

“No. There’s much more to you than the physical state of
your body. I intend to show you exactly what I mean.”

Slowly, she bloomed for him, her skin a rosy pink, her
nipples distended while her body reacted to her desire. He had her naked before
him and his body responded, jerking and pulsing. He gently caught the tips of
her budded nipples between thumb and forefinger and watched her eyes blank. Her
lips opened wider, and her flush of arousal grew deeper as he tugged lightly.

“Sa… Sandon?”

“Shhh… Beautiful. Let me pleasure you.” God, how he wanted
to watch her fly apart in his arms while her eyes flashed and her lips
trembled.

Down, boy.
The thoughts pushed his desire up another
notch, leaving him sweaty and hard. Sandon struggled to find a comfortable
position. He carefully adjusted himself.
This isn’t about me, I need to get
my head back in the game.

He pushed her down onto the seat, and she gripped the
material covering his shoulders. “Sandon? But you’re still—”

The laugh erupted, dark and hard. “Yeah, but this is about
you, my love.”

“But...” The broken wail excited him further. The knowledge
that she wanted to share her body with him, that she’d never done so before,
coalesced inside his mind.
Mine!

“Not this time.” He ground the words out even as the arousal
spearing him urged him to tear the clothes that constricted his body and shove
himself between her thighs.
Not this time!
For a moment, the pounding
hunger nearly overcame him.
You’re not some primitive caveman!
The
reminder almost wasn’t enough, and he breathed deeply, battling the need and
subduing it.

He kissed her skin, zeroing in on the raspberry tip of a
breast, suckling hard, and she arched and moaned. Her hips gyrated amid the
panting sounds, and the scent of arousal wound around them like a magic spell.

The hands that gripped her hips moved down to the tops of
her thighs and skated toward her center. His thumbs dipped lightly within the
lips of her labia and toyed with her engorged flesh ever so lightly. Each time
they slid against the tiny hooded nub hidden at the apex of her intimate flesh,
she shuddered beneath him. “Sa... Sandon!”

He couldn’t help the smile that rose. “So ready.”

He played and stroked, driving her to the edge then
retreating. Each time he skimmed away, she mewled her distress and his own
hunger grew urgent.

With ruthless efficiency, he teased, not allowing entry into
her body until she was writhing uncontrollably, her skin sheened with sweat.
She was slick when he slid one finger within, finding the erogenous zone he
planned to toy with until he pushed her over the edge. “God, I love the feel of
you.”

His mutter was met with a cry.

He moved harder and faster, plunging the digit in a parody
of the most intimate act of all. The rapid movement of her hips warned him she
was close, and he stilled for a moment, needing to suck in an unsteady breath.

“Now, Levia. Let me show you.” His guttural words echoed
through the room, and he found the spot he sought while her body began the
pulsating, rhythmic draws that signaled her orgasm. God, how he loved to feel
her come!

“Sa… Sandon!”

That he’d been able to give her this moment, filled him with
a sense of triumph. His own body might throb, but he’d given her a gift of
love. Sandon scanned her face, aware the instant she returned to him.

Levia lifted a shaking hand to his chin. “Why?”

“Because I need you to know that your needs are important.
In case I ever forget to tell you that, to me, you are more precious than
anything.”

She smiled at him slyly. “No. You see, if this is to work,
we need to remember this is a partnership.” Her voice took on a husky tone, and
she curled her arm around his neck. “That means you should deserve the pleasure
too.”

Before he could argue, she fitted her mouth to his and the
world spun away.

* * * *

Landing on Cordero was both an anti-climax and a revelation.
Levia’s heart pounded as they descended through the atmosphere, and she panted
while trickles of sweat inched their way down her spine.

“Okay?” Sandon stayed beside her every inch of the way. His
solid presence and the touch of his hands kept her upright as she headed down
the steps to the surface.

After eleven long years, coming home seemed…
Odd
. She
wasn’t the same frightened girl returning. Memories of the rushed departure all
those years ago flashed through her mind on what felt like a video loop.

The slight pressure on her hand reminded Levia that she
still needed to answer Sandon’s question. “I’m good.” Well, maybe she was and
maybe she wasn’t. The jumble of emotions that ran like quicksand through her
meant she wasn’t sure quite how to react. Instead, she kept holding on to his
hand, accepting his support, needing the connection between them.

Her eyes moved side to side as she scanned the area. Not
much had changed out here on the landing field. “We should grab an air-cab.”

Dragging him toward the terminal, each step was cautious.
What if she saw someone she’d known? She stopped and gulped down oxygen while an
array of blinking lights shone before her.

“Levia?”

“What if I meet someone I knew?” Even as she spoke, she
shook her head. “That’s silly, right? Even if they saw me, it’s unlikely they’d
recognize me now, or me them. It’s been eleven years!” She laughed, but it
sounded hollow. She screwed up her eyes, because they suddenly burned. “Man!
I’ve never cried so much in my life until I joined the
Echo
.”

When Sandon dragged her close, she breathed deeply, filling
her lungs with oxygen. “It’s because you feel safe. And, no, it’s not silly.
Your life here was stolen away from you. It’s okay to feel confused.”

“Maybe.” When she opened her eyes again, her gaze fixed on
Sandon. The way his black hair waved in the gentle breeze and his soft brown
eyes... Here was her Sandon, caring about how she felt.
I need to be strong
for him. To show him I can overcome my past.
“Come on. I want to get this
done.” The question she’d avoided popped into her mind.
Why?
Why did she
have to show him? What driving factor caused her to need to be better for him?

She’d shied away from naming the emotion in her mind, but
she couldn’t any longer. She loved Sandon. The thought didn’t stun her or cause
her to lose her step. Instead, it filled her with warmth.

Levia dragged him in the direction of the tiny terminal,
focusing on the destination rather than her surroundings, and once within, she
was prepared for the request to present her credentials.

The nervous dance inside her belly began again as she
extended her arm for the scanner.

“Oh…” The technician before her shrank back.

Levia shrugged inwardly. There wasn’t much she could do.
Once people saw the B-C prefix to her credentials, it was how they usually
responded.

Sandon held out his arm even while he dragged her close with
the other. “Where can we grab an air-cab?”

The woman pursed her lips. “I’ll, uhhh… I can order one if
you like?”

At Sandon’s nod, she scurried away.

“Do they always do that?” he asked Levia.

“What? Look as if I’m about to kill them? Yeah, pretty
much.” It was something she doubted she’d ever become accustomed to, but this
time, Sandon was beside her. She twined her fingers around his and clung on.

Their conveyance arrived and they hustled in. For a moment,
the knowledge of having done this before rocked Levia.

“Where to?” Sandon’s tone was distant.

She clutched a hand to her chest.
Suffocating. Why can’t
I breathe?

“Levia?”

“I just… I need…” She shook her head, waiting for the panic
to recede. It did. Slowly.

“Hey, you need the medical techs?” The driver didn’t have
any knowledge of her fear of them, but she tensed anyway.

“No. The government offices,” Sandon said. He’d known it was
all too much for her and had taken control, and she didn’t mind.

* * * *

Her grip had hurt, squeezed the bones in his hands. She was
panicking, clear by the quick panting breaths and the way she clutched her
chest.
Get in and get it done fast.

So he’d given the instructions to the driver and cradled her
in his arms.

The vast city reminded him of a jungle of gray buildings. Cordero
was the administrative center of the Juran Commonwealth, but the years of war
with the Dendarans showed clearly in the built architecture. Here and there,
buildings showed the ravages of early bombing raids, when the Dendarans had
slipped past the Juran defenses.

Interspersed were new buildings replacing the old. Monoliths
commemorating the Jurans’ superiority.

“Tell me about the city, Levia.” He made it an order,
knowing she needed to be more than a passive observer.

“I… It’s changed in the last years. It’s… The city is the
oldest on Cordero. The building there? That was the hospital where my
biological father was sent…” An older building, patched and battered slid past
them as she pointed.