Specimen (24 page)

“I want to be, Riley!  Don’t you see that?”

“How can I trust what you think you want?” she asks.  “Knowing I had a part in making you feel that way, how can I believe it now?”

“Isn’t love a hormonal reaction?”  I raise an eyebrow at her.  “Who is to say that what we have is any different from what any other couple might experience?”

“You know that is not the point.”

“Well, let’s come at it from my own ego, then.  I’m strong.  I can fight off a half dozen soldiers without breaking a sweat.  I can see in the dark.  If I need to understand something, you can just load it into my head.  I can go for days without food or water.  I can fuck you for hours, turn around, and do it all again.  I
am
a super-soldier.  What guy doesn’t want to be that?”

“You’re being flippant.”

She starts to turn from me, but I take her chin in my hand and make her face me.

“I didn’t ask for this.”  With my thumb, I brush a final tear from her face.  “All of this was forced upon me, but it started when I killed those men.  I don’t regret that.  Now that it’s all said and done, I think I prefer this over staying in prison for the rest of my life.  I certainly prefer it to execution.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” Riley says.

“I may not have chosen this life you gave me,” I say, “but other than my memories, I didn’t have a lot to lose.  Now that I have those back, my only fear is losing you.”

I wake.

There’s no pause between sleep and wakefulness.  I simply go from one stage to the other without any grogginess, just like I always do.  This time is different though.

The bed I’m in is soft and warm, and Riley is curled up beside me, her back to my chest.  Her hair is spread out over the pillow, making her look as if she were lying on a pile of fluff.  I push a few strands away from her face so I can see her better.

As I watch her sleep, my every thought is of her.  I watch her chest rise and fall with slow, steady breaths.  I hear her heart beating steadily, and I find that if I concentrate hard enough, I can make my rhythm match hers.  I focus on the curve of her cheek, the spiral design of her ear, and then the precise hue of her lips.  Her eyelashes flutter slightly, and I wonder if she’s dreaming of me.

If I could just wake up to this every morning, life would be good.

Shifting slightly, I pull the blanket up a little higher to make sure Riley is warm enough.  She hums softly as she turns in my arms, snuggling against my chest.

I haven’t given any thought to a future for myself.  The very idea of thinking ahead feels foreign and unattainable.  Since I woke in the lab, I’ve lived entirely in the present.  I’m not sure if I’m even capable of thinking any other way.

With my fingertip, I stroke the side of her face from temple to chin.  Her skin is soft and cool compared to mine.  Her lips part slightly, and she sighs in her sleep.

I know now that this is what I want—what I have right now.  Every morning, I want to wake up in a warm bed with Riley next to me.  I want to open my eyes before she does so I can watch her sleep.

As I fill my head with her wonder and beauty, Riley mumbles something incoherent and kicks the blanket halfway off of us.  I smile as I pull it back up, tucking it around her shoulder.  She grumbles and then pushes at my chest.

“Too fucking hot!”  She rolls to one side, kicking the blanket again.

I snicker under my breath.  She isn’t the least bit awake, but she’s still mumbling. I can’t understand much of it, but the word “penis” is clear enough.  Biting my lip, I hold in the laughter as I slide my hand over her stomach and then a little lower.

Working my hand between her legs, I start to massage her clit with my thumb.  She mumbles and moans as I skim through her folds, feeling the moisture collect on my fingers.  Her mouth drops open, but her eyes remain closed.  She licks at her lips and arches her neck.

Circling her opening, I keep working her clit as well, adding more pressure.  A soft moan escapes her mouth, but she still isn’t awake.  My dick presses hard against her backside, wanting a little attention of its own, but I’d rather play with her for now.

I slide a finger inside of her and then another.  I move slowly in and out, rotating my thumb around her slit.  Sweat begins to appear on her forehead and neck, and I press my lips to the tiny droplets.

Her thighs and ass tense.  She claws at the sheets as she pulls a sharp breath into her lungs.  Her eyes fly open as she lets out a long cry.

“Oh, God!  Galen!”  She shudders as she reaches down and grabs my hand between her legs.  She grips my hand tightly and pushes it against her hard as her hips buck.  I increase the pressure and bite softly on her shoulder as she falls apart.

“Holy shit,” she mutters as her head lolls to one side.  She looks at me sideways and then breaks into a smile.  “That was quite a wakeup call.”

“All part of the service, ma’am.”  I lean over and press my lips to her cheek.

Riley rolls to her back and stretches her arms over her head, yawning loudly.  I leer down at her body, taking in the curves of her breasts and hips.  Her scent is strong, my dick is hard, and I want nothing more than to impale her on it.

I get on my knees and straddle her.  Riley raises her eyebrows and glances at my cock as I shift up over her chest.

“My turn,” I tell her as I grip my shaft and point it toward her face.  With my free hand, I wrap my fingers around her wrists and hold her hands against the pillow above her head.  “Open that beautiful mouth and take my cock.”

I watch the head of my dick penetrate her lips.  She uses her tongue all around it, licking and sucking, before I push it the rest of the way into her mouth.  I use slow, steady strokes in and out, enjoying the sight of my cock in her mouth.

Riley stares up at me with hooded eyes, humming around my shaft as I hit the back of her throat.  I quicken the pace, pushing farther back until she gags slightly.  I pull back, give her a moment to catch her breath, and then start all over again.

The moisture, the pressure of the suction as she hollows her cheeks, and the feeling of her soft tongue along my shaft is incredible.  I’m so close to coming, but I don’t want it to end here.

I need her pussy.

Abruptly, I pull out of her mouth and drop to the bed beside her.  I grab her waist and roll, pulling her on top of me.  Riley straddles my hips and places her hands in the center of my chest.  She leans forward, kissing my sternum, and then rises up on her knees.  I take my cock in my hand and point it toward her, and Riley slides down over the top of me.

“Oh, fuck!”  I grip her hips with my fingers and tilt my hips to bury myself deeper.  “That feels so good!”

Riley sets the rhythm, moving slowly over me at first.  I’m so worked up from her mouth, I can already feel the tension building in my stomach.  I lean my head back and close my eyes, limiting at least that one sense in the hope that I can hold out a little longer.

Riley moves faster, setting her own pace.  As she drops down over me, she pushes up, rubbing herself over my pubic bone and moaning with every touch.  I rotate my hips to match her timing, reaching up to caress her breast as she moves.  I feel her clench around me as her eyes close and her head goes slack.

“Galen…Galen…Oh, God!  I’m so close!”

She moves faster, practically jumping up and down on top of me with short, quick jerks.  She shudders, and I grab hold of her hips and thrust upward over and over again.

I come hard, screaming her name and holding her tightly against me as my cock spasms inside of her.  I open my eyes and look up at her glorious face, smiling down at me.

“You look very satisfied with yourself,” I tell her.

“You look very satisfied, period.”

“I am.”  I reach for her, and she lies down on my chest so I can wrap my arms around her and press my lips against the top of her head.

We lie like that for several minutes, silent and content.  I remember again my thoughts of earlier, and decide the last two hours had accounted for the very best hours of my life.

“I love you,” I whisper.  “I love everything about you.”

*****

“This might be a little uncomfortable,” Anna says as she places her hand against the side of my head.

She has a chip similar to the one they put in me before, if not the exact same one, designed to keep my implant from transmitting data back to Mills.  She presses it against my skin.  It stings as it enters, but I hold myself still.

Riley watches closely.  I’m still trying to figure out the relationship between Riley and Anna.  She said they were once friends but had a falling out.  The tension between them is obvious, and it sets me on edge as well.

“It’s working,” Errol says.  “The data signal is blocked now.  This should keep anyone from sensing him or tracking his movements.”

“Where are we going to go?” Riley asks.

“Carson City,” Errol says.  “My primary lab is still there.  It’s not scheduled to move until next week.”

“And then what?”

“Well, then we can figure out what all our options are.”  Errol leans back, checks his tablet, and looks at me.  “All good?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.”  He shrugs and turns back to Riley.  “What’s our timeline?”

“No more than three weeks,” Riley tells him.  “After that, I run out of injections, and that’s going to be an issue.  I can synthesize some of it, but not all.”

“What are you missing?”

Riley rattles off a list of chemical compounds, and Errol makes note of them.

“I can get everything except the Seroquel.”  He glances at me sideways.  “We don’t have access to that.  I have something similar.”

“The others don’t work,” Riley says quietly.  She also glances at me.

“What is it?”  I ask, but neither of them seems inclined to speak up.  I ask again, and Riley finally tells me.

“It’s an anti-psychotic.  Due to the level of hormones in your system, psychosis is imminent if you don’t get regular doses.  We tried similar drugs, but this is the only one that works and only when combined with the other components of FOG.”

“That would explain the nature of his breakdown in the beginning,” Errol says.  “I wondered about that.”

“Fabulous.”  I rub my fingers into my eyes.  “So if we can’t get that, I’m going to go nuts on everyone?”

“Probably.”  Riley reaches out and touches my arm.  “We could try some others…they could have some effect on you, maybe slow the—”

“No.”  I shake my head emphatically.  “We can’t take that kind of risk, Riley.  I could…I could end up hurting you, or worse.”

“Where can we get it?” Errol asks.

“It’s only manufactured at Mills Pharmco, the pharmaceutical lab just outside of Milton.”

“You’re talking about the heart of the Mills Conglomerate.”

“It’s the only place.”

“We need to bring this up to the group.”

*****

We gather around the same office conference table with all the same people plus two other techs who work for Errol Spat.  Riley shifts her chair a little closer to mine as Donald Cross looks at everyone around the table.

“Errol, you said there was a problem?”

“Not exactly a problem, per se.”  He raises his hands in a glorified shrug.  “We just need to…reconsider our options.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” Errol says, “I know we’ve been talking about using Galen to figure out how to turn all the shit in his head off, but there’s an issue with that.”

“You said you just needed time to figure it out.” Cross leans forward on the table.  “Are you saying now that it can’t be done?”

“Oh, it can be done,” Errol says.

“Out with it, Errol” Merle says.

“I don’t want to be changed,” I say, and all heads turn toward me.  “I want to stay the way I am.”

Riley places her hand over mine on the table.  Donald Cross narrows his eyes and glares at both of us.  I can see the vein in his temple throbbing.

“We’ve already determined that’s our best course of action,” Cross says.  “How are we supposed to figure out how to turn off the rest of them if you refuse to assist?”

“Galen’s discussed his concerns with me,” Riley says.  “He wants to remain the way he is.  We’re not going to try to inactivate the implants.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” Merle asks.

“I think it’s what he wants,” Riley replies.

“What
he
wants or what
you
want, Dr. Grace?”

“It’s what
I
want.”  I narrow my eyes at him.  “I had to talk Riley into it.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Anna says.  “We’re already talking about how to get the drugs he needs.  How are we supposed to accomplish that long term?”

“What drug is this?” Merle asks, and Anna explains it to him.

Donald Cross is visibly disturbed by the news that I could go ballistic on the lot of them, but Merle just nods slowly as he stares at the table in front of him, contemplating.

“How much do you have?” Merle asks.  “How long can you keep him going?”

“I have nineteen days’ worth of all his medications,” Riley says.  “I can stretch that to three, maybe four weeks.  It should remain at a high enough level in his system for four or five days after the last injection.  After that, his aggression levels will increase significantly.”

“Will I be able to control it?” I ask.

“For a while, maybe.”  Riley looks at me, concern filling her eyes.  “Eventually, the rage will be too much.  You’ll start seeing everyone as an enemy.”

“Even you?”

“After a while, yes, very possibly.  I should be able to maintain some level of control over you, but not forever.”

“How did you all think this was a good idea?”  Cross levels a hard look at Spat and Anna and then glares at Riley.

“They are supposed to be aggressive!”  Riley balls her hands into fists and presses them hard against her thighs under the table.  “If they aren’t getting their treatments, the assumption is capture.  Maximum rage and aggression are only beneficial in those circumstances.  You know that’s what he’s designed to be, so stop looking at me like I did this just to inconvenience you!  It’s Galen’s life we’re talking about here!”

Riley’s agitation flows through me, and my brain signals me to react.  I stand, my hands also clenched into fists, ready to leap over the table and strangle Cross just as Riley grabs my wrist.