Specimen (23 page)

“Mills is desperate for resources,” Riley says.  “It’s not a subject I know a lot about, but it’s definitely always in the back of everyone’s minds.”

“Are you running out of food there?” Anna asks.

“It’s not so much food,” Riley says.  “Synthetics do work, Anna, but there are other components we can’t synthesize as easily.  Carson controls the mining facilities for the minerals needed for the tech division.  Without those resources, we have trouble keeping up with demand.  Some of the smaller provinces are suffering.”

Even with my memoires intact, I don’t have a lot of knowledge about the details of the war, and I can barely follow the discussion.

They want to change me back.

“If Mills has all the specimens except me,” I say, “and you change me back, you have nothing.”

“Do we have you?” Merle asks.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“That’s not the same as fighting on our side.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Riley,” I say.  “The fact is, I have nowhere else to take her where she’ll be safe.  She can’t return to Mills territory.  Even if they think I took her as a hostage, they’ll eventually figure out she had a hand in it.”

“We need to get the implant’s transmission blocked and move to a new location.”

“They can’t mobilize against us in such a short period of time,” Merle says.  He nods at me before he stands and looks at Donald Cross.  “We have a lot more to talk about, but all of that can wait until tomorrow.  It’s getting late, and I gather the two of you have had a rough few days.  I want to make arrangements for you to be comfortable tonight.”

We all stand, and I fix my gaze on Riley as her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before speaking.

“I guess we’re now a part of the Carson Alliance.”

Riley and I are escorted to a nearly hotel.  Two of the soldiers are stationed outside the door for our safety.  It’s bullshit, but I understand the need for caution.  The soldiers aren’t the same men as earlier, and they’re polite enough.

Fresh clothing has been delivered to the room.  After we get cleaned up, we dress in fluffy white bathrobes and are treated to a room service dinner.  The plates are loaded with steak, flatbread, and green beans.  Riley stares at the meal with wide eyes.  She doesn’t seem to know what to do with it.

“Just eat it,” I say with a smile.

“I’ve never even seen a meal like this,” she says.  “I’ve lived my whole life on synthetics, but this is all real.”

“I had some when I was with them before.  It’s a little hard to get used to, but we had real food all the time when I was younger.”

Riley takes a few bites and washes it all down with a large glass of water.

“My jaw is going to get tired.”

“I’ve got better ways to do that.”  I raise an eyebrow at her.  “And we’re alone here—no one watching.”

I remember how she was the first time we were truly alone, and the thought makes my dick throb.  It feels like I haven’t been alone with her in forever though it has only been a few hours.

“As far as we know,” she replies as she looks around at the corners of the room.  “Any cameras?”

I check, too, but I don’t find any kind of monitoring device.

“I think the coast is clear.  You better eat all that food—you’re going to need the energy.”

“I believe I’d rather be filled with something else.”  She leans back in her chair and looks at me with an innocent smile.

“Would you now?”  I can feel my pulse in my dick.

“I think I’d like some dessert.”  She touches her fingertips to her parted lips.

“Are you teasing me?”  I look at her darkly.

“Perhaps.”  She raises her hands above her head to stretch and then runs her hands over the front of the bathrobe, opening it enough to expose part of her chest.  She loosens the tie around her waist and runs her hands over her breasts, keeping her gaze on me the whole time.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” I say, but she doesn’t heed my warning.

She stands, runs her hands down over her hips, further opening the robe.  She’s only wearing pink panties underneath, and she slides her fingers just under the edge.

“Do you know how hard you’re making me?”

“I have to make sure you’re ready,” she says sweetly.

“I’m always ready.”

“I suppose it’s easier to be a man.”  She moves her hand a little farther inside her panties.  “Women take a little more time for these things.”

I grin at her.

“You’re so fucking wet.  I bet you’ve been thinking about it the whole time we’ve been here, just waiting for the right moment, haven’t you?”

“Like you haven’t.”

“Oh, I have.  All I have to do is be close enough to smell it on you.  You want my dick so bad, you can’t stand it.”

“So what are you waiting for?”  She raises an eyebrow, and I spring at her.

Shoving her backward, I pin her to the wall, right next to the couch.  I crush my lips to hers, forcing my tongue inside as I grab the robe and tear it off of her.  I reach down and push her hand out of my way, feeling her slick skin and growling into her mouth.

“You’re going to get fucked now,” I tell her.

Grabbing both her arms, I spin her around and push her forward over the arm of the couch, holding her neck as I rip her panties down her legs.  I push my bathrobe off my shoulders, letting it fall to my feet as I stand between her spread legs.

Taking hold of her hips, I thrust forward.  My cock disappears inside of her as she cries out.  She claws at the couch, trying to find something to hold onto as I slam into her.

“You love this, don’t you?”  I pound into her, accenting my words.  “This is why you keep me around—because you can’t get enough of my cock.”

She moans in response, which only encourages me.

“How does that feel, huh?”  I slam into her again.  “How do you like being bent over and fucked like a whore?”

“Jesus, Galen!”  Her ass clenches, and I smack it lightly, making it jiggle.

I like the way it looks, so I do it again.  Riley squeals and writhes under me, neck arched.

“You like that, too, don’t you?”  I smack her again, grinning at her moaned response.  “I should just bar the damn door and keep you here forever.”

“You think you have the stamina for that?”  She pushes back against me, burying me deeply.

“Only one way to find out.”  I tighten my grip, fucking her furiously as she groans and clenches around my cock.

Sweat gathers between my shoulder blades and on my forehead.  I pant with every thrust, altering my rhythm until she’s crying out, begging me to finish.

“Tell me how bad you need it.”  I lean over and growl the words into her ear as I slow down, barely moving inside of her.  “You want me to fill you with cum, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Riley cries.  “Please, Galen!”

“Please what?”

“Fuck me!  Come in me!”  She pushes back with her ass, twisting and turning to feel more sensation.

I’m happy to oblige.

I stand up a little straighter and grab both of her hips so I can position her just right.  I fuck her with long, hard, fast strokes until she’s screaming and practically digging her fingers right through the fabric of the couch.

“Come in me!” she shouts.  “Come in me, dammit!”

With a roar, I slam into her and hold myself still as my dick pulsates inside of her.  My legs shake, and I can hardly hold myself up as the most incredible sensation ripples through my body.

I feel slightly dizzy as I pull out of her slowly.  Riley practically slides onto the seat cushion and pulls her legs to her chest and groans.

“Holy shit, Galen!”

“Did you like that?”

She moans garbled words as she tries to rolls over and ends up falling right off the couch and onto the floor on her back, legs and arms sprawled.

“You’re leaking.”  I smirk as I look down at her.

She starts to laugh uncontrollably and then grabs one of the cushions off the couch and throws it at me.  I duck easily out of the way.

“It’s your fault!”

“I was just following orders,” I say with a shrug.  I laugh as I lean over to help her to her feet.

She’s a little shaky, so I pull her close and hold onto her until she regains her balance.  She looks into my eyes and blesses me with her gorgeous smile.

“I liked that,” she says softly.

“I did, too.”

“Wherever we end up,” she says, “we’re going to need soundproof walls.”

“Without a doubt.”

I can’t stop smiling as she heads into the bathroom to wash up.  I love this carefree side of her, but I see it so infrequently.  There is always something more pressing occupying her mind.  As I watch her step into the shower, I can see her expression and her posture change as the complexity of our situation weighs down on her.  By the time we climb into bed, she’s already focused on our circumstances.

“If Errol can manage to sever the link between your organic brain and the implants,” she says, “I think we can wean you off the TST easily.  The FOG will be a little more difficult because of the way it interacts with your endocrine system, but eventually we should be able to get you off of those as well, I think—”

“Riley, stop.”  I don’t want to have this conversation, not now.  I was enjoying the lighter side of Riley, and tech talk is not what I want.

“What?”

“I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“A lot is going to happen over the next few days,” Riley says.  “Maybe not even that long.  I want to make sure you’re prepared for what it’s going to be like for you to get back to normal.”

“Riley.”  I reach over to pull her against me and let out a long breath.  “Even if that can be done, I’m not sure I want it.”

“What are you talking about?”  Riley narrows her eyes in confusion.  “Of course you want it.”

I don’t know how to answer.  I’m not entirely sure if I can make sense of it in my head, but I don’t want to change the way I am now.

“I’m afraid.”  I barely get the words out.

Riley turns to face me as she runs her hand up my arm.  I’m shaking, but I hadn’t realized it before she touched me, calmed me.

“Of what?” she asks.

“A lot of things.”  I take another deep breath and try to find the right words.  “If I’m not one of your super-soldiers anymore, what am I?  How am I supposed to protect you?”

“You don’t need to protect me, Galen.”

“Of course I do.”

“I spent nearly thirty years without a protector.”  She raises an eyebrow at me.

“That was before you defected.  Even if they think you are a hostage now, eventually they’ll figure it all out.  It’s not like you’d be able to ever go back there and do the same work again.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“And your knowledge of the project makes you a target.  My guess is, you also have enemies here.  Some will think you’re a spy.  Others might not like your participation in Project Mindstorm, and there will be some who will only see you as your father’s daughter.  You won’t be safe if I can’t protect you.”

“That isn’t a reason for you to have to…to stay like this forever.”

“Isn’t it?”

“You don’t owe that to me, Galen,” she says.  “You should…well, you should be angry with me, not feel indebted.”

“It’s not a matter of obligation.”  I’m not explaining myself well, and I’m growing frustrated.  “I’m not angry—not at you and not because of what you did.  I’m angry that my memories were stolen from me, but I have those back now.  I
want
to protect you.  I
want
to be with you.”

“We would still be together,” Riley says.  “But you shouldn’t have to rely on drug treatments for the rest of your life.”

I’m not getting through to her, and I need to make her understand.  I don’t trust what Donald Cross and the others may have planned for me, and I will need someone on my side if they insist on altering me.  If it turns into a fight, where would I take Riley to keep her safe?

I run my fingers up and down her arm, searching for the words.

“There are thousands of things going through my head all the time,” I tell her.  “Every second of every minute of every hour, information about whatever is around me, tactical plans regarding what to do if someone comes in the room and threatens you, or escape routes if I need to flee quickly all run through my head.  It’s all there, all the time.  There’s only one thing that stops it and gives me a little mental peace.”

“What’s that?”

“You.”  I coil my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me and stare into her eyes.  “Everything is worth it because of you.  I don’t want that to change.”

“Why would that change?”

“What if…what if…”  I can’t bring myself to say the words.

Riley tightens her grip on my arm and shifts on the bed to better look me in the face.

“What is it?” she asks.

“What if Errol can break the connections, and I don’t need all those drugs anymore?  What if all that works out perfectly, but in the end…”

I stop, and my gut clenches.  The thought feels as if it’s burning through my skull.

“Just say it, Galen.”  She strokes my face gently with her fingertips.

“I don’t want the feelings I have for you to go away.”  I keep my gaze on her, pleading.

There are tears in the corners of her eyes.  The conflict there is evident—she doesn’t want it to change, either, and she has the same fear.  She knows if I revert to the way I was, there is no telling how I will react to her.  I feel pressure behind my own eyes as she bites her lip and glances away from me.

“I don’t want the feelings you have to be based on a chemical reaction.”  Her voice is barely a whisper.

“I don’t care how they got there.  I just don’t want them to go away.  I can’t risk that—I won’t.”

“We took your life away,” Riley says.  She reaches up and wipes the back of her hand over her cheek.  “I was a part of that.”

“What life?”

“Everything you had…everything you were.”

“Riley…”  I sigh hard, still unable to find the right words to make her understand.  “My parents had been gone a long time.  The land my family had farmed for generations was desolate.  My sister was dead.  What kind of life did I have?”

“You had your freedom.”

“Did I?”  I shake my head slowly.  “There is nothing for me there now.  No farm, no family.  Even if I could return there, I wouldn’t want to.  If having you means being shackled to implants or drugs or fucking metal chains, I’ll take it.  You are my only reason to exist.”

“I don’t know if I want you to feel like that.  You shouldn’t have to be shackled to me.”