Second Chance (2 page)

7 Rebecca Airies

very large, at least six other men gathered in the confined space. Apparently, interrogations were a spectator sport among these men.

They’d admitted they had brought her aboard a spaceship. Judging from the space in even this small room and the absence of vibration from the engines, this was probably a large ship, probably a Battle-class ship such as the Taurog or the Monical models. This was bad.

Darion looked over at Alek. Alek’s golden eyes were shot with sparks of lust and determination. Darion could well understand. She was
here
, in front of them. They’d been looking for her and she surfaced in the last place they expected to find her.

He lowered his eyes to the darker stripe of brown skin on either side of her collarbone. She was full-figured, just as he remembered. Her body was toned, but padded in all the right places. His eyes traced over her full breasts, down her stomach to the flare of her hips. Appreciative of the bounty before him, he took in the lush curve of buttocks, naturally hairless mound and rounded thighs.

He swept his eyes back up to her face. Her hair was curly and glossy black with burnished streaks, falling only to mid-back—much shorter than it had once been. Her wide, green eyes flashed with emotion—at this moment, anger. She had a short nose, generous deep pink lips and rounded cheeks. His body throbbed with the need to touch her. His hands itched to glide over her silky, lightly golden skin.

Alek had to be rejoicing at the proof of his error. His worries had been unfounded, all of them. He’d been predicting that their woman would be much as they remembered her. Already, she had proven that wrong. The scent of the desire simmering within her swirled in the air around them.

The differences in her would be obvious even to cynical Alek. The anger radiated from her and Darion could read the other emotions on her face and in her eyes. He enjoyed the treat of being able to watch her emotions rise. Never before had he been able to do that with her. He was certain now. This time would be different. This time they wouldn’t lose her.

The interview had been necessary, but he’d wanted to tear her loose from the bindings the moment the first sign of pain had crossed her face. He hated to see her in pain, but they had had to be certain that she wasn’t an agent for their enemies. With her history, the precaution was merely prudent.

Darion knew she was still angry. He could read it on her face just as easily as he could the confusion and the desire. Satira—no, Laci—had much to learn about them. The first lesson was that they wouldn’t be manipulated. She would play by their rules.

Without a doubt, these weren’t Second Gen men. These men had to be of the First Generation of creations. They were known to gather in large groups. The Second Generation men shunned associations with other
Arceins
—Artificially Created Beings—of the same sex.

8 Second Chance

The First Generation had disappeared over fifty years ago from the lab where they had been held. That had been before Laci had been created. She doubted that they’d aged a day in the intervening time. The alien species which made up most of their DNA was long-lived and then there were the nano-cytes. These were nano-bots that flowed in their bloodstream, repairing damage and preventing aging from the inside out.

Now that she could really focus, the difference between the feel of Third Gen nano-cytes and these men’s nano-cytes leaped out at her. Their nano-cytes pulsed at a faster, lower tone. Her skin tingled and she could feel the thrum of their nano-cytes—a pulsing tug in her chest and stomach. She’d been tracking Vanya for nearly forty days and her isolation probably increased her sensitivity.

A standard white robe was brought to Laci. She put it on without question and then scowled in annoyance. The robe hung a little below her mons unbelted. If she belted it, she’d bare half her ass and expose most of her pussy. She gritted her teeth and struggled to keep her breathing deep and slow, trying for serenity as she buttoned the three buttons meant to hold the robe together.

“What has Vanya done to you?” Laci glanced up at them, considering her options. She didn’t want to spend too much time here. She needed to put some distance between herself and these two men. Her reactions to them worried her. They were too intense. As well, there were other scientists and bureaucrats on the watch list that she could be tracking. “If it’ll get me away from here quickly—with Vanya Steryan—I’ll help you.”

Red’s golden eyes narrowed in suspicion at her knowledge of the situation. “How do you know that she has done something to us?”

Laci resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the redhead, but raised a brow. “You said that she had done some damage. It wouldn’t be the first or second time that she’s attacked an
Arcein
. Do you two have names? Other than Jatohn, which I presume is a title and will not call you.”

“We both bear the title of Jatohn,” Black Hair clarified with a toothy smile.

Laci turned her head to the raven-haired man. That broad smile would have appeared goofy if it wasn’t for the hunter’s intensity in the dark brown eyes. She didn’t fail to notice that neither of them had given her an answer. They were typical stubborn, arrogant men. “Fine. I’m sure that you have everything under control, but I can tell you that Vanya won’t give you any answers. She doesn’t have them. She creates mayhem and destruction with her devices and programs. Everything is meant to destroy, to decimate. She never goes to the trouble to create a way to stop the destruction.”

“What did she do to your group?” Black Hair tilted his head, curiosity clearly evident.

“She managed to infect one of us with a replicating program designed to kill us all. It used the nano-cytes’ cooperative communication to spread within the body. Once infected, the nano-cytes attacked the host.” She swung her gaze from the black-haired man to the redhead. She was still very confused by the attraction she felt for these two men, the instantaneous lust.
Why were they so familiar?
Why had she dreamed of them?

9 Rebecca Airies

“You weren’t infected?” Red stared intently into her eyes, then tensed. “That program sounds very much like the one that’s attacking some of our men.”

“I became infected after a way to beat the program had been found. We were lucky. We’d already been working on that very infection in several Second Gen men. We knew what we were up against.” Laci’s mouth kicked up at one corner. The answer had been so elementary that it should have been obvious from the first.

“How did you beat it?” Red leaned toward her.

“Oh, no, I’m not that easy to trick.” She could almost smell the urgency pulsing through him. He wanted that answer badly. Amusement and triumph flashed in her eyes as she smiled at the two glaring and frowning men. “I want an assurance that you’ll allow me to leave with Vanya Steryan and I want to know your names. I’m not one of your men. I will not call you by a title when I don’t know what it means.”

“Alek Teyan and Darion Malan.” Red’s tone was clipped and his gestures sharp with irritation as he pointed first to himself and then to the man at his side.

Darion added, “As to our title, ‘Jatohn’ in Norik doesn’t translate very well into Orisan or any other common language. It is ‘Captain’, but it also means leader of a clan and more.”

“And Vanya…” she pushed in a sweet tone.

Laci saw Darion’s eyes narrow. The black-haired man didn’t like her demand.

“As soon as your help has proven useful, you and Vanya will be taken back to Viaga.” Darion’s reluctance to give in to her demands was visible.

She wondered at that reluctance.
Was it simple annoyance over having their authority challenged?
She knew they wanted her. She could see it, smell it. They were exuding pheromones which kicked her arousal to a higher level.

“It’s easy enough. All you have to do is reprogram a few nano-cytes with the new program and they’ll spread it as they encounter others.” Laci shrugged to loosen her still-stiff muscles.

“What do you program the nano-cytes to do?” Alek seemed to be the critic of the two. So far, he’d questioned almost everything she had said, if not verbally, then with those golden eyes.

“You program them to attack a signal that the ‘infected’ nano-cytes emit. They will treat the changed nano-cytes as a virus, a hostile organism. Whenever they find one, they will destroy the infected nano-cyte without the exchange needed for the ‘virus’ to spread.”

“How are we supposed to know what signal to target?” Alek raised a brow.

“Take me to the lab you are using and I’ll help.”

“You could tell us here,” Darion countered. The suspicion was obvious in his tone of voice and the look in his eyes.

“It will be show, not tell. The program is complex, but it’s within my nano-cytes and can be transferred to one of yours in code form as First Gen nano-cytes would

10 Second Chance

swarm and reprogram mine before any transfer could take place. The aggressive nano-bots running through you are definitely not compatible with mine,” Laci sighed and strived for patience.
Oh yeah, they have so much in common with the paranoid, ultra-suspicious Second Gen men.

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Darion firmly grabbed her arm and began pulling her out of the room and down the hallway.

Laci fumed at being dragged after him like a strayed pet. She was barefoot and naked underneath the short robe and she had to almost jog to keep up with him.

“You said that the two types of nano-cytes are not compatible. Could your nano-cytes ever accept ours?” Alek followed them, enjoying the view afforded by his position behind them. “And did you know that you have a sweetly curved ass that just begs to be touched?”

Laci cast a scathing look over her shoulder. She was shocked at the naked hunger on his face. His big hands flexed at his sides. She could easily envision him gripping the globes of her buttocks, stroking them, pulling her against his body. And strangely, she
wanted
it too. In spite of the uncertainty of the situation, her hands itched to run over his skin. It unnerved her even more.

Laci forced herself to focus on their question. “One group would overwhelm the other, replacing it. There is currently no middle ground. With time, a hybrid might be possible.” Laci shrugged. Dealing with the creations of Vanya Steryan and others like her took precedence over bridging the gap between the three distinct groups of Arceins. That particular problem would have to wait until peace had been won.

They tugged Laci into a gray-walled laboratory. Four harried-looking men labored at various stations in the very advanced, well-equipped lab. Laci stared with envy at the machines they were using. One of the technicians glanced over his shoulder and then stood, coming to meet the two men.

“Jatohn, is there something that you need? We haven’t found a way to stop it yet.” The lab tech who greeted them had very short black hair and curious brown eyes.

“But we have,” Darion informed him with relish. “This is Laci Trion. Steryan attacked them before she attacked us. Her nano-cytes carry a program to defeat the infected forces.”

The lab tech’s sharp eyes scrutinized Laci. “You’re sure this will work?” His words were laced with doubt.

“I’ll need to check the infected nano-cytes to be sure that this is the same thing that attacked my people. If it
is
the same, you can transfer the program as it is.” Laci gave the tech a frown in return. They had a lab full of advanced equipment and they needed help? If she’d had this equipment, finding the solution would have been simple.

“And if it’s not?” the tech asked in a snide tone.

“If it’s not, the changes you’ll have to make will probably be minor. Steryan is predictable and lazy. She wouldn’t have changed it much.” Laci wished she had access

11 Rebecca Airies

to half the equipment in this lab in her lab at home. She would be able to learn so much more about the nano-cytes if she had this kind of machinery.

“What will you need?” The lab tech’s hesitation to give her full access to the equipment was obvious. He kept his unwavering gaze on her.

“I’ll need some of the infected nano-cytes, a sensitive frequency detector and a reader device.” She was tempted to stop right then, to refuse to help them, but she wanted to get Vanya Steryan back to Gesed 3 before the scientist slipped away again. That woman was slippery and Laci was eager to see her pay for some of her crimes.

The way everyone here looked at her stirred her anger. They were always visually assessing her. It was as if they expected something from her. She didn’t like feeling as if she was being judged. They didn’t know her. She’d never met any of these men before now, yet every gaze seemed to judge her and find her wanting.

The equipment was brought to her and Laci began to work. The signal emitted by the infected nano-cytes hadn’t changed and the program was unchanged. There wouldn’t have to be any change to the extermination program. As soon as she got this done and they had their proof that it worked, she would leave.

“It’s the same. I presume that you have a data transfer unit for the nano-cytes.” Laci shifted impatiently. If they wanted this done, they would need to be a little more cooperative.

The answer came in a series of nods from the technicians.

“I’ll need a syringe to get your sample.” Laci rolled her eyes when none of the men moved.

After she drew her own blood, the task flew toward completion. She helped them isolate the right section of the programming and watched as they studied it line by line to ensure that she wasn’t carrying a program that would harm them. Luckily the program was relatively simple. When the techs were certain that the program was safe, the two Jatohn decided to leave the lab.

“They have what they need. You’ll come with us while we wait.” Alek stepped up to her side.

Well, that was a lovely invitation.