Chains of Freedom (39 page)

David jumped up on the hood of the old car, held up his hands, and all was silent. "We have learned to live together, we have learned to fight together. It is time to put our knowledge to work. It is time for us to march forth and take what is rightfully ours, to destroy the forces of oppression. We must free our brothers, so that they may join us in our great battle. Finally, the time has come, to implement my plan."

RJ moved restlessly beside Topaz.

"You heard him right," Topaz whispered, "he said
his
plan. Power corrupts."

RJ looked from Topaz to David then smiled. "Not David," she said in a reassuring tone.

"It is time to make the Reliance bow to our will. To break them as they have broken us. Our cause is righteous. We shall not fail. We will leave Alsterase as many small units, but will return a great force once more. A force which will have made a horrible scar on the face of the Reliance. For some day, I shall stand before the Council of Twelve and I will say, 'Let my people go,' and they will have to listen. They will
have
to listen to
me
!"

"Power corrupts," Topaz said again, and RJ frowned.

"Are you ready to fight for freedom?" David screamed.

"YES!" the crowd roared.

"Then prepare for battle! Prepare to be victorious!"

RJ, taking her cue, joined him on the car hood and the crowd went wild.

Topaz smiled and patted Poley on the back. "They listen to David, but it's RJ who owns their hearts."

She had no pretty words for them, but she had their trust and their respect. She motioned for silence, and they complied. "You all know what is expected of you. Remember that timing is everything. Let nothing detain you. If you are delayed, scrap your mission and return to base. If you reach your destination late all you will succeed in doing is getting yourselves killed. Good luck." She jumped down, and the crowd applauded wildly.

They looked for a place to stay through curfew. They managed to find a place far enough off the road to make a fire safely.

Poley never left the vehicle. He stayed at his terminal. It was linked not only to the communicators of every other unit, but to the super computer, Marge.

RJ stared into the flames, finding them relaxingly hypnotic.

"Can you believe that Levits?" Sandra asked with a laugh, and it was only then that RJ realized that she was sitting beside her. Not that she minded. She trusted Sandra. In a strange way she trusted Sandra more than she trusted anyone else.

"He certainly has a very active imagination," RJ said with a chuckle. She looked at Sandra, who was staring into the fire. Something was obviously bothering her. "He certainly thinks a lot of you."

"I know," Sandra said, as if the words were dragged from her.

"Is that a problem?" RJ asked.

"He's OK . . ." Sandra looked up from the fire and her eyes landed fleetingly on David, who stood a few feet away talking to Mickey.

RJ didn't have to be empathic to know what the look on Sandra's face meant. "Oh, no." RJ groaned as if in pain. "Not David, Sandy."

Sandra looked at RJ and saw remembered pain. "You? Were you . . ."

"No, we weren't," RJ smiled, "but it wasn't my fault."

"Did you love him?" Sandra asked.

RJ shrugged. "I don't really know now, but at one time I was sure. I certainly thought I did."

Sandra laughed."That doesn't make any sense."

RJ smiled and shrugged then got serious. "Don't set your sights on David, Sandy."

"Why not?"

"Because David is an idiot. At least he is when it comes to women. Remember, always remember, that he is a work unit, not a soldier. They have very primitive needs and desires. David, God help him, wants a woman he has to take care of. You know, a bimbo."

They both laughed.

"On the other hand, Levits likes his women to be able to take care of themselves."

Sandra looked at David. Who knew him better than RJ? Nobody. But it didn't change the way she felt. "I've still gotta give it a try."

Just then Mickey, who walked up and sat next to RJ, joined them. "Be there in morning?" he asked.

"Be there in evening," RJ mocked.

Mickey just smiled broadly.

Sandra doubted there was anything that RJ could have said that the little man would have taken offense at. In Mickey's eyes, RJ was a god to be obeyed and worshipped.

Whitey and Levits returned from a 'walk in the woods.' Whitey sat down behind RJ wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Across the fire Alexi frowned deeply.

Whitey untucked RJ's shirt, then he started to rub his hands on her bare stomach. He kissed her neck. RJ suddenly turned to face him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back in a way that promised that soon she would give him all he'd ever desired.

Alexi got to his feet and stomped into the woods.

"What's with him?" Sandra asked.

"Who knows with Alexi?" Levits shrugged and sat down close to Sandra.

"I don't like him," Mickey stated matter-of-factly.

"Something tells me that that's not why he left," Levits laughed. "Maybe he just needs to be alone."

Suddenly, RJ was pulling Whitey towards the woods opposite the point where Alexi had disappeared. Whitey was trying to be discreet, but RJ was past the point of caring.

The others contained their laughter until the couple was out of sight. Then they all started laughing at once. "Did you see who had the hot pants tonight?" Levits laughed. "First time I ever saw her show her true Argy colors . . . except for that time she tried to have her way with you in the middle of the floor," Levits said as David walked up to join them at the fire.

David's face grew flushed with remembered passion and embarrassment.

"They say they can crush a human lover to death with the force of their orgasm," Levits said then laughed. "What a way to go."

"Whitey's a lucky man," Mickey said, taking offense at the way they were talking about RJ.

"I don't know," David said thoughtfully. "It couldn't be easy to love RJ. I imagine she's a wonderful lover, but being in love with her . . . That's a different story all together."

"Why do you say that?" Sandra asked.

"Because RJ's a legend—bigger than life. What man wants to live in the shadow of a woman?" David said.

"Work units," Levits mumbled, looking at Sandra who smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"What?" David asked.

Levits looked at Sandra, and they both started laughing.

"What?!" David demanded.

Alexi wouldn't have found any of it funny. He looked up at the full moon. Hateful bitch! She'd done that on purpose. Like twisting a knife after your victim is dead. But her time was coming. All he had to do was prove to everyone that she was a freak. Of course, he first had to prove it to himself. He was almost sure that she was, but he still lacked any hard evidence.

Sooner or later she'd slip up, he'd catch her, and then he'd bring her to her knees. Then he could claim her as his own. Make her love him . . . But somewhere in his mind he knew that was only a dream. He was never going to hold her. It was all madness. Desire was madness.

He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew it would change nothing.

He's been walking rapidly, blindly circling the camp. Suddenly he heard something in the brush, and his soldier's training took over. He stopped dead, crouched low, and drew his knife, listening intently for a repetition of the sound. When he was sure of the direction, he crept silently toward the source of the disturbance.

He saw them silhouetted in the moonlight. Two unclothed bodies twisted together on the forest floor. Hungry mouths locked together, probing, searching. Their bodies moving together rhythmically. Rushing to fulfill each other's desires. Hands running carelessly over bare flesh. Her cries of ecstasy were carried on the night breezes to Alexi's tortured ears.

He knew that he should look away. Leave.

But he couldn't.

As much as he hated to see Whitey touch her, he couldn't make himself leave. This was it. This was as close as he was ever going to get to making love to her. In his mind he became Whitey.
It was Alexi's hand that searched out her breast and held it tightly. It was his name that she called out. His hips that her hands rested on, his tongue that probed the sweet softness of her willing mouth. It was his swollen cock that filled her.

Alexi felt his hands undoing his pants, and told himself to stop, but he didn't.
It was to meet him that her hips thrust upwards, then pulled back only to repeat the process. Faster and faster, harder and harder until they were both consumed. Willing slaves to their lovemaking. When she came, it was for him. It was he who was bathed in the juices of her ecstasy. When it happened again a few minutes later, that was for him as well. When he ejaculated, his sperm filled her, and damn if she didn't come again!

Alexi came to himself as if waking from a dream, and saw the couple on the forest floor. They held each other tightly, bathed in the afterglow of their love. Becoming all too aware of his hand, he looked at the pool on the ground in front of him, and felt shame. He quickly did up his pants. He wanted to run. To get as far away from here as fast as he could. He wanted to leave his shame here on the ground, but he was suddenly terrified of detection. If he stood still, he probably wouldn't be noticed.

He looked at her again in spite of himself, then quickly looked away from the rapture on her face. He hadn't done that. For her, the only person in the world right now was Whitey Baldor. He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but he was sure that it was the sort of thing that could make a strong man puke.

The guilt he felt at what he'd done quickly turned into anger. He had never been a pervert before. She had driven him to this. Is this what he had been saved for? He had been the only survivor of that life-consuming fire, and what for? So that he could hide in the woods and beat off while he watched Whitey Baldor screw the only woman he'd ever loved?

Why was she doing this to him? Didn't she know how he felt? Why didn't she care?

He stared at her. It was her fault. God, how he hated her! He hated her almost as much as he hated himself.
Bitch freak!

Her head jerked up as if he had yelled it out loud. Alexi took a deep breath and frantically thought of nothing. For a second he had forgotten what she was.

"What's wrong?" Whitey asked.

"I don't know. I felt . . . something."

"I bet you did," Whitey said with a stupid grin.

RJ laughed, and Alexi allowed himself to breathe again.

Knowing what he'd done was bad enough. He couldn't stand to be caught. For one thing, Whitey would probably kill him. He was going to have to control his thoughts. One more mental outburst like that one, and he was going to cue RJ to his presence for sure.

He watched with relief as they started to dress, but he didn't start to move till he knew they were almost back to camp.

When he was sure it was safe, he left that spot as quickly as possible. His self-esteem was spilled upon the ground. He could deal with his shattered pride. He could deal with his guilt. He could even deal with his very mixed emotions towards RJ. What he couldn't deal with was how good it had felt, and he knew that if the opportunity were to present itself again, he would do the same damn thing.

The morning air was crisp and fresh. The one good thing the Reliance had done—quite by accident—was to save the Earth from death by pollution. The Reliance had turned the Earth into a huge farming community, concerned only with the production of organic materials. Clean air and water were a natural by-product of nearly five hundred years of agrarian living and a relatively small population.

To say the group was wired would have been an understatement. Till now, they had only slapped the Reliance in the face. Today, they were going to pull down its pants, slap it on its bare ass, and bite its dick. After today, there would be no going back. The Reliance wouldn't be able to ignore them anymore.

They broke up into three groups. RJ, Poley and David made up the first group. Whitey, Levits and Mickey were the second group. Alexi and Sandra brought up the rear.

They sat in position waiting for the signal—a signal which would be heard by every one of their units across Zone 2-A.

"Come on!" David whispered impatiently to RJ.

"Shh!" RJ ordered.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" David demanded. He was starting to lose his cool.

"For you to calm down a little," RJ said with a smile.