United

by Melissa Landers

  That made sense to Aelyx. His upbringing in the Aegis had offered him very little privacy, but resulted in close relationships between the students. “Sounds like a good compromise.”

  “I’ll remind you of that at two in the morning, when you have to trek down the hallway to pee.”

  Laughing, he scanned the tiny settlement and continued north to a flat expanse of unoccupied land that stretched across half the island. The soil had been disturbed in tidy rows, which indicated vegetation had recently been planted.

  “Crops?” he asked.

  “Mmm-hmm. The goal is to be self-sufficient.”

  As the shuttle prepared to touch down on the beach, Aelyx spotted a family of mahlay guarding their collective nest of eggs buried in the sand. The small creatures darted nervous glances at the craft, then used their talon-spiked flippers to drag themselves into the safety of the nearby underbrush. It made him think of Vero, his house pet at the Aegis, particularly all the places the animal had buried scraps of food. Vero had once hidden a full serving of l’ina beneath Aelyx’s mattress. The stench had lingered for days, driving his roommates to sleep in the lobby. A pang of wistfulness tugged at Aelyx’s stomach. He wished he could bring Vero to the colony, but the animal belonged to all the students.

  When the shuttle landed, Aelyx unfastened his harness in record time and rushed to the door. He jumped to the ground, grinning as the sand shifted beneath his boots, and then he immediately lifted his face to the sun. The gentle caress of warmth made him groan. He’d missed this. Manhattan in winter had been his own personal hell.

  Right away, he noticed the air was different here than on L’eihr’s first precinct—humid and thick with the slightly bitter scents of salt and sea. The island trees bore a light curve, and their oversize beige leaves fanned out directly from each trunk to absorb nutrients from the air. The effect made them resemble tall shrubs instead of trees, but he supposed they were attractive in their own way. In his absence during the exchange, he’d nearly forgotten that the colors of Cara’s world didn’t exist on his home planet. It had taken him a year to grow accustomed to the vibrant greens of Earth’s trees, and now he almost missed them.

  But not enough to go back.

  He turned to find Cara standing behind him, watching him with a cautious expression. Clearly his opinion mattered a great deal to her.

  Does it feel like home? she asked him privately.

  Truthfully, no, it didn’t. But after being away from L’eihr for so long, it felt good to stand beneath a familiar sky. That was enough. And since he couldn’t lie through Silent Speech, he told her I’m sure it will.

  The shuttle pilot startled them by abruptly lifting off, and in the blink of an eye, the craft was gone. That’s when it occurred to Aelyx they were alone on a balmy island.

  A tempting idea came to mind.

  “Come on,” he said while kicking off his boots. “I’ll bet the water’s as warm as it looks.” He toed off both socks and tugged his tunic over his head, but Cara just stood there biting her lip. She was probably afraid to remove her clothes. Humans had such prudish views regarding the naked form. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he assured her. “Besides, we’re alone.”

  “Actually …” She gulped when he dropped his pants. “We’re not.”

  Aelyx glanced past the shoreline to the settlement in the distance. He didn’t see any signs of life, not that it mattered. “The clones have showered together since childhood. Your nudity won’t shock anyone.” And to prove it, he shed his undergarments.

  Cara’s eyes went round while her face flushed. After blinking a few times, she dropped her gaze to the sand. “I … uh … have to find Devinder so we can go over some colony business, remember?”

  “Oh.” Aelyx had forgotten. It kept slipping his mind that Cara was part of The Way. Her appointment to the government had been so abrupt, and, quite frankly, bizarre. It also meant he had to obey her every command, but he refused to dwell on that small detail. “Go ahead, then.” He thumbed at the gently crashing waves. “I can find ways to occupy myself.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” she said as she backed away. “Promise.”

  Aelyx waded into the water, discovering it was as warm as it looked. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “We have all the time in the world.”

  Chapter Three

  Resisting the urge to jut out her bottom lip, Cara watched Aelyx’s glistening body slice through the waves with the same lithe movements as a dolphin in pursuit of mackerel. He made it past the breakers within seconds and set off down the shoreline to explore the northern tip of the island, where silky sand gave way to uneven slabs of stone. Clearly the Aegis had taught him to swim—quite well—but he looked more like an Olympic athlete than a vacationer frolicking in the water.

  Cara wished she could join him and show him how to have fun … and maybe have some fun of her own. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt the pull of an ocean tide, and she’d never been skinny-dipping, not even in the murky lake back home.

  Aelyx, the workaholic, had beaten her to it. How ironic was that?

  When she finally turned away and crossed the dunes, she caught a glimpse of the ancient ruins crumbling at the southern end of the beach, and her footsteps came to a gradual halt. The piles of sand-colored blocks held her gaze, mocking her with reminders of Jaxen and Aisly, who were cloned in a L’eihr laboratory with exhumed remains from the old tomb.

  Not just cloned, she reminded herself. Supercharged.

  Jaxen and Aisly had been enhanced with DNA from an advanced, secretive race of aliens called the Aribol, which gave them mind control, and the hybrids weren’t Cara’s only concern. The Aribol had been showering L’eihr with mechanical probes for months. Nobody knew what the aliens wanted, but one thing was clear: Even with a strong alliance, humans and L’eihrs were outmatched.

  She mused that back in Midtown, her friends were getting ready for prom—browsing magazines for trendy updos and the perfect strappy pumps. She was launching a colony and worrying about an alien invasion.

  Never a dull moment.

  Determined to stay positive, she made her way past the dunes to the paved sidewalk and set off to find Devinder. She strode into the fringes of their vacant community and scanned the storefront signs, which were engraved with symbols for those who didn’t speak L’eihr. One shop displayed a stick figure with a needle in its arm—the medic—that was obvious enough. But the adjacent building wasn’t as simple to identify. Its sign revealed a tablet with a few lines of nondescript writing on the screen. She hadn’t seen anything like it during her time at the Aegis, so she made a mental note to request a guided tour before the first colonists arrived. Humans would look to her for guidance, and she needed to know how to direct them.

  A few minutes later, she found Devinder seated on a park bench outside the living center, one arm resting on the seatback as he gazed out at the ocean. He spotted her and stood, then strode to meet her in the sluggish, labored steps unique to his generation. His gray-streaked hair was gathered at the nape of his neck in a low ponytail, and his chrome irises had lost some of their gleam, but Cara knew better than to underestimate him. He was like the Jell-O fruit salad her mom used to make—soft on the outside with a surprisingly tart interior.

  Devinder pressed two fingers to the left side of her throat, and she reciprocated, careful not to hold the contact for too long and accidentally make a romantic advance toward him. She’d made that mistake before.

  Welcome back, he told her. I’ve heard your visit to Earth was eventful.

  That’s putting it mildly, she said. But before we go on, do you mind if we speak aloud? I’m not very good at Silent Speech. It wasn’t a lie—not really. She was still learning the nuances of mental communication, but that wasn’t the real reason for her request.

  Devinder reflected for a moment, then scrunched his forehead. “You believe I’m so tight that I squeak when I walk? I don’t understand. What does it
mean?”

  That was the reason. She couldn’t control all of her thoughts, and embarrassing snippets tended to leak out at the worst moments. Cara’s cheeks went up in flames while she searched for a response.

  “And the shop you passed,” Devinder added, pointing in the direction she’d come, “is the cultural archive. Comparable to your library system.”

  “That makes sense.” She grabbed the opportunity with both hands and shamelessly changed the subject. “I hope you’ll take me on a tour before the colonists arrive.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” He gestured at the nearest bench. “We have much to discuss before then.”

  “Can we begin with island defense?” she asked, reflexively glancing toward the ruins at the south end of the beach. “What kind of protection will we have against an invasion?”

  She half expected Devinder to dismiss her as a worry-prone human, but he didn’t. Strangely, that made her feel worse. “The colony will be allotted one capital guard squadron.”

  Cara felt her eyebrows rise. “That’s it? What can a dozen guards possibly do?”

  “Their presence here is not intended to protect the colonists from an outside force, but to maintain order and administer Reckonings.”

  “Reckonings?” All thoughts of alien attacks vanished when Cara realized The Way intended to implement their method of justice on the colony. She’d fought vehemently against Reckonings—corporal punishment in the form of an electric lash. “I thought we agreed the iphet has no place here.”

  “No. We agreed to suspend the death penalty.”

  “But most governments on Earth don’t lash their citizens. Settlers won’t stand for it.”

  Devinder splayed both hands while shaking his head. “Miss Sweeney, we’ve invited humans here to integrate with the clones, to reproduce with them. If a human colonist commits an infraction, do you believe the guilty party would prefer deportation—leaving behind their offspring—to a few moments of physical discomfort?”

  “But why does it have to be one or the other? Why can’t we consider alternative disciplinary options, like work penalties?”

  “Do you mean assigning harsh labor as a means of punishment?”

  Cara nodded.

  “But the result of that penalty is also physical discomfort,” he pointed out. “Much like the iphet. I fail to see the distinction.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but he’d stumped her by making a halfway decent point. After a few moments, she told him, “But the settlers from Earth will respond better to labor than a lash. Can’t we at least try it?”

  He pursed his lips and watched her. “All right. I suppose there’s no harm in trying your method. We can always revert to the iphet if necessary.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your being flexible.”

  A half smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I am not incapable of compromise. You yielded on the matter of assigned occupations, so I’m happy to return the favor.”

  Cara bit her tongue. She hadn’t yielded at all—she’d been outvoted. Now she had the delightful task of informing the colonists that they had no say in choosing their own jobs. “Has the panel discussed who’ll oversee daily life here?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Alona has suggested you take a leadership role.”

  “Me?” Cara’s hand flew to her chest. “What kind of role?”

  “As a liaison for the human colonists.”

  “Like a go-between?”

  “Essentially, yes,” he told her. “Humans will come to you with their concerns, and you will present them when The Way convenes.”

  “What about the clones? Who’ll represent them?”

  “We propose that your l’ihan fill that role.”

  Cara perked up. That was a great idea—the perfect way to make Aelyx feel involved in his new home. “I’ll talk to him about it. Do we know how many clones have signed up to join the community?” Most L’eihrs of Aelyx’s generation would rather drag ass over a field of rusty nails than pair off with a human.

  “Not enough to form a match with each immigrant, but I’m certain that will change with time.”

  “Oh, speaking of time,” Cara said. “I’d like to take a few days off, if you don’t mind.”

  Devinder lowered a brow in confusion.

  “For leisure,” she clarified. In the last year, she and Aelyx had survived riotous mobs, alien hybrids, and worst of all, high school on two planets. “I need a break—just a short one.”

  “Of course. I often forget how much The Way has asked of you.”

  With that settled, they discussed issues ranging from inoculation procedures to interspecies matchmaking strategies. By the time the conversation was over, the sun had begun to sink over the horizon. She walked Devinder to his shuttle, and after a two-fingered goodbye, used her com-sphere to contact Aelyx.

  “I’m done with my meeting,” she told his miniature hologram, which appeared to be indoors. “Where are you?”

  “In the living center.” He cradled a bowl between his hands and spoke with one cheek full. “I didn’t know which room was ours, so I palmed each keypad until a door opened. By the way, it’s number sixteen. Come on. I made dinner.”

  Cara winced. It was no secret that she hated L’eihr food. “What’s on the menu?”

  Tilting his bowl toward the sphere, he revealed a heap of buttery penne noodles that made her mouth water. “Look what I found in the dining hall pantry.”

  “Imports!”

  “And lucky for you, pasta is one of two meals I can cook.”

  She smiled, recalling that the other was toast. “I’m on my way.”

  Twenty minutes later, she groaned with satisfaction and rested a hand on her belly, which was full of starchy goodness. Not wanting to leave the comfort of the cushioned futon, she looked around for a place to rest her bowl, but came up empty.

  The apartment wasn’t designed for eating. It consisted of two small rooms: a living area furnished with a futon and a data table, and their bedroom, which contained a storage bureau and two interlocking cots that made a double-size bed. The cots were designed to keep couples in close proximity while giving L’eihrs the option of sleeping apart, as they were accustomed to doing in the Aegis dorms.

  And much like the Aegis, the walls were painted light gray with minimal clutter. A year ago, Cara would have found the décor barren and cold. Now the tidiness felt comforting.

  “Here,” Aelyx said, reaching for the bowl. “I’ll take it.”

  “No, you made dinner.” Cara retrieved his dish from the floor. “You shouldn’t have to clean up, too.” She stood and strode toward the kitchen sink before remembering there wasn’t one. Then she made a move for the bathroom that didn’t exist.

  This was going to get old fast.

  Aelyx grinned. “Change your mind?”

  “Psh,” she scoffed. “I’m not too lazy to hoof it to the kitchen.”

  In socked feet, she padded down the long hallway leading to the dining hall, grateful that at least their apartment was on the first level. Movement sensors illuminated a set of dim running lights installed along the floor. The bulbs incorrectly predicted her destination and lit a path to the nearest washroom, then recalculated when she continued straight.

  It didn’t take long to reach the dining hall, its rows of parallel metallic tables and benches also modeled after the Aegis. She continued to the industrial kitchen and squinted in the darkness for the sonic purifier chute. Countless hours of sanitation detail had taught her exactly what to do. Once she found the chute, she chucked the dishes inside and returned to room sixteen.

  Aelyx had moved to the floor, where he lounged in front of the data table and swiped at its glossy screen. In response, it displayed an overhead view of the island. He enlarged the image and focused on the northern tip, then spun it around so a flawless stretch of beach came into view. It was a recording from his com-sphere, so vivid that Cara could make out the shadows of a few mahlay dragging across the
sand.

  Aelyx patted the spot beside him on the floor. “I want to show you something.” When she joined him, she rested her head on his shoulder and watched the screen. “I went exploring today and found a spot you can’t reach from the trails.” He pointed past the dunes, where the landscape disappeared into darkness. “You can’t see it, but there’s a cave back there with a small freshwater pool. It’s warm and quiet. The perfect place to escape if we want to be alone.”

  “We’re already alone. But you can take me there tomorrow if you want. I’m officially on vacation for the next few days.”

  “Really?” Aelyx rotated to peer down at her. “We’ve got the whole island to ourselves?”

  She tucked a wayward lock of hair behind his ear and inhaled the scent of sea salt emanating from his skin. She could breathe him in for hours and never tire of it. “Every last inch.”

  He pulled his com-sphere from his pocket, then motioned for hers. Once he had them both, he rested them on the data table. “So we’re finally off duty.”

  “What are we going to do with ourselves?”

  A spark flickered behind his eyes, and he flashed a grin that set her own lips curving in response. Then his gaze dipped to her mouth and held there.

  Just like that, the mood shifted.

  Each of their breaths seemed amplified in the new silence, the air around them charged with anticipation. A gradual warmth unfurled inside her belly, and when Aelyx licked his lips as if tasting her there, she knew the conversation was over.

  He didn’t lean down to kiss her. Instead, he tipped her chin with an index finger, slowly lifting her face toward his while burning her up with those molten silver eyes. When their lips finally met, it was a whisper of contact—just a teasing sweep that left her wanting more. Aelyx licked her upper lip, then inched back, forcing her to chase his tongue until she straddled his lap and took what she wanted.

  He tasted of salted butter and pent-up need, an enticing blend that sent her pulse into overdrive. Cara couldn’t get enough of him. It was as if a void had opened up inside her, and nothing but his touch would fill the blackness. She deepened the kiss, wrapping herself around him until she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. The distant crash of ocean waves faded, and she went deaf to everything but the rush of blood in her ears. Aelyx filled her senses, claiming her mouth while his hands grasped the back of her tunic. Soon those hands released the fabric and slipped beneath, skimming the bare flesh along her spine.