Zahera shifted her head to look up at him, and what he saw on her face told him everything he needed to know… even without the words, “Kiss me” appearing on her forehead. He leaned his head down and kissed her, before he could second guess himself. He felt her body tense as his unexpected gesture caught her off guard. Then he felt her relax, her arms encircling him again, and then she was kissing him back. The rest of the afternoon was spent exhausting twenty years of pent up lust between them, and it was the best afternoon of his life.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
He was naked, laying on the couch in Zahera’s office. Her naked body spooned up against him as he gently stroked her arm with his fingers. He was looking at her, committing every inch of her to memory. Her face, her mouth, her breasts, her body, her legs, even her feet and each individual toe. Her head was resting on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing steadily. He wasn’t sure, but he thought she may have fallen asleep. What gave him doubt was the happy little smile she had on her face. As perfect as she was, he doubted that she smiled while she slept. He gave her a light kiss on her forehead and her smile brightened. She wasn’t asleep, just content. To confirm this, the word, “Happy” flashed across her forehead. Her eyes opened slowly, to look up at him. He found the gesture so alluring that his felt his groin began to stir again.
“Gosh, Ambassador Blackshade.” she said, feigning waking up, “Can’t you give a girl a break? We’ve been at it all day, and I’m just exhausted.” she said giggling.
Blackshade placed a finger under her chin, gently raised her head towards his, and kissed her deeply. She moaned a little, and his manhood swelled in response. When they broke away, she was smiling again, only this time she had a naughty look in her eyes, “Well, I guess if you’re going to be like that, what can a girl do?” she said, reaching down for him.
They made love again for the fifth time that day, and it was as amazing as it was the first four times. With Zahera’s office being sound proof and secure, she didn’t try to be quiet, and her moans of ecstasy were the only sounds he ever wanted to hear again. He quickened his pace before losing control of himself and finishing vigorously inside her. She trembled as he finished, and wrapped her arms and legs around him, moaning softly in his ear as they both came down from their high. After a while, when they both could move normally again, he repositioned himself on the couch, and she laid back down beside him.
“Five times in one day, Ambassador?” she purred at him, still glowing from their lovemaking, “I’ve never known a man with that kind of stamina.”
Blackshade smiled sheepishly, “To be honest with you, I’ve never been able to do it more than twice in a day, and that was when I was in college!” he told her earnestly, “I think being in the Omegas’ Near-life Case not only improved my body and cured my ailments, but gave me more stamina too.”
He saw her grin as she ran her fingers over his chest, “Mmmm… Remind me to thank them for that, would you?” she said lustily. “A girl could get used to this.”
Then she propped herself up on an elbow and looked at him, “Why is this the first time we ever got together? What took you so long?”
Blackshade shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m an idiot? I’m a fool? I’m a blind coward? I have no idea.” he answered her honestly, “If I could go back twenty years, I promise you I’d punch myself in the face and ask you out in a heartbeat.”
She slapped him on the chest and frowned at him, he knew she was just playing though, “You’re not a fool, an idiot, or a coward, Bill.” she said seriously, “You’re the bravest man I know, and you always have been. I’m just curious as to why you finally made a move now.” she replied.
Blackshade thought about it for a moment. “I guess I didn’t want to take the chance before. If we had dated, and it didn’t work out, I’d have lost my most treasured friend, not to mention my D.O. and confidant.” he answered honestly, “I was scared to lose you, Za, and now I’m afraid to live without you.”
He watched as tears rose in her eyes and the words, “I love him” scrolled across her forehead. Then, she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, she wiped at her eyes, “For all the time we’ve known each other, I didn’t know you had such a way with words.” she told him, smiling again. “You really know how to make a girl feel like a college kid again.”
Blackshade chuckled, “Well you certainly make love like one.” he said, poking her in the side playfully. She giggled and poked him back, feigning anger.
“How would you know what a college girl fucks like?” she asked crudely. A wonderfully mischievous look in her eyes.
Blackshade laughed, “Because I think that was the last time I had sex.”
Zahera looked at him in unconcealed shock and then broke into laughter before cuddling up back beside him, “You poor thing! Has it really been that long?” she asked disbelieving.
He nodded, “I think so. Yeah.”
She shook her head, “How could you go that long without having sex?” she asked perplexed.
He gave her the only answer that made sense to him, “Well, I was married to my job.”
She gave him a squeeze, “Well, you’ll have to divorce that bitch, cause you’re all mine now, Mr. Blackshade.” she said, as she planted kiss after kiss on his chest.
Blackshade smiled as he basked in her affections, “Don’t have that job anymore, got another. It’s a much more open relationship.”
She giggled and continued lightly kissing at his chest.
A thought occurred to him then that had him looking at the wall clock. When he saw the time, he realized they had been in this office for over six hours. He looked down at her, “Uh, Za. Not to ruin the mood or anything, but it’s almost nineteen hundred. Won’t people be looking for us by now?” he asked, concerned.
She stopped kissing his chest and climbed on top of him. The feeling of her naked body on his was pure bliss. “Do you have somewhere you’d rather be or someone else you’d rather be with, Ambassador?” she purred playfully. She stretched exaggeratedly on top of him giving him a wonderful view of her body. He knew she was doing it for his benefit, and he couldn’t have been happier about it.
He shook his head, “You know I don’t, but you’re in charge here. People will be looking for you.” he said concerned. “I don’t want you to get into trouble for me, for us.”
She giggled again, “You’re sweet.” she said with a wink that made his blood surge, “but Kara and I already worked everything out. She’ll cover for me like I covered for her when she and her husband have meet ups like this. We have the whole day and rest of the night to make up for lost time.” she said with a sly smile.
Blackshade was surprised, “How long have you two been planning this?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes, “We weren’t planning for this exact situation, but we have an understanding, and she understands that if anything finally happened between us that she would cover for me. I’ve done it for her before, she’s doing it for me now.”
Blackshade was impressed, Zahera really was a better planner than he was, for every contingency. He pulled her in for another kiss but she stopped him. She pushed herself up to straddle him. The view he had of her naked body was making him hard again, and it pushed against her. If she noticed it though, she was ignoring it. She was looking at him with a serious frown on her face. The word, ‘questions’ appeared on her forehead. The shift in her demeanor concerned him.
“So tell me, Bill.” she began in her best, Colonel Vuloom voice, “What did the Omegas do to you.”
Blackshade was confused, “What do you mean? When I was on their ship?”
She nodded and pointed to the place his nipples used to be. Then she ran her hand over the spot his belly button should have been. “Why did they alter your body like this?” she asked, sounding almost angry. Whether it was a
t him, or the Omegas… or both, was anybody’s guess. He spent the next thirty minutes telling her everything. The maintenance case he found himself in after the Omegas pulled him out of the Foundation, their ship, running into the wall, meeting Notes, his meeting with Tremendous, the degenerating human code, his speech, pushing the button, the building of the Omega city on South America, and everything else he could think of. He held nothing back, and in the end felt like his story should have taken longer. It certainly felt like a lifetime of experiences to be such a short story.
Zahera said nothing for a long time. She just sat there straddling him, studying his face. The word, ‘Considering’ was the only hint he got from her forehead display, and he knew he had to give her time to work everything out. Plus, he really didn’t mind her sitting on him like this and was content to wait.
After a while she took a breath and spoke, “So, they really do just want to study us, maybe even live amongst us, and that’s it?” she asked doubtfully.
Blackshade shrugged, “I have no idea, Za. That’s what they’ve told me though, and I tend to believe them. I see no reason to doubt them. I don’t know what their end game is, and I don’t pretend to understand their reasoning or purpose. All I know is that they’ve been fair and cordial with a species they could exterminate, enslave, and conquer with very little effort. Instead of doing that though, they’ve gone out of their way to compliment us, enlighten us, and maybe even save us from extinction. They’ve offered us more answers to who we are and why we’re here than any religious icon or scientist ever has, and to be honest, I’ve grown to really like them.” he told her openly. “I think they’re telling us the truth, and if we’re really as unique as they claim we are, it makes sense as to why they’d be so curious about us. We represent something not seen anywhere else in the universe, and we also show that they haven’t discovered everything yet. That there are still mysteries in the universe to discover and unravel, and while they aren’t impressed with our technological level, they are stunned by who we are and HOW we are. That speaks volumes to me, Za. I think we’re safe here. If anything, the Omegas would want to protect us, at least until they’re done studying us.”
Again, Zahera was silent for a while as she considered his words. The word, ‘Considering’ began flashing on her forehead again as she contemplated everything. Once again, Blackshade waited contentedly.
When Zahera moved to lay down against him he wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through her hair. He never realized how long and soft it was before today. He tried to offer her whatever comfort she wanted from him, because he assumed she was afraid. He didn’t blame her, and she was afraid, but not for herself.
“The next time you see them, you tell them you’re mine now, and if they hurt you, I’ll kill every last one of them. I swear to God.” she said with fire in her voice.
A cold chill ran down his spine as he heard how serious her threat was in her voice, “You don’t have anything to worry about, Za. Now that I have you, I plan to live forever.” he said, trying to be funny.
Zahera looked up at him, unchecked tears falling from her beautiful brown eyes. “I love you, Bill. I have for years now. If they try to take you from me, I mean it. I’ll kill every last one of them.” she told him passionately, “I swear to fucking God.”
Blackshade had never seen Zahera so vulnerable before, and the fact that she was confessing her love for him like this, and so soon, brought tears to his own eyes. He fought them down as soon as he felt them, but for a moment they were there. He’d never been so touched by another person’s words before, and he knew what the feeling he had always had towards her had been.
“I love you to, Za. I love you too.”
Chapter 14
The next forty-eight hours were the most hectic of Blackshade’s life. The deliveries of the deceased South Americans began coming in earnest as the deadline drew nearer. The Air Soldiers at the receiving areas were accustomed to processing anywhere between twenty-five to fifty thousand deceased in a shift. There were four shifts of six hours each, in order to not over-fatigue anyone. A mistake here could easily cost a South American their resurrection, or make their transition from death to life very disorienting and traumatic. With numerous new receiving areas being erected all over the camp, more and more manpower had to be shuttled in, which meant more resources, more space, more people, and more work for everyone. Blackshade lost count of how many times he felt grateful he didn’t require breaks to eat, drink, sleep, or use the refresher room. His long hours spent on the Omega ship had given him enough energy to go for a long time. He also felt that the case they had put him in had improved more than just his stamina in bed. He now believed his body was working more efficiently, which led him to believe he wouldn’t need food or rest for a very long time, which in a situation like this, was invaluable.
Blackshade felt like he needed to be everywhere at once. He spent most of his time in the receiving areas “bagging and tagging” the deceased as they came in. Millions of bodies crossed his path every day and even with the increased man power, the drones assisting, and the assembly line work order he had developed with the rest of the team, the deceased were piling up at the door. The only time he took a break was when Zahera sent for him or came down to the receiving area to order him to stop. He would go to her when she summoned him. As much as he wanted to help, his resolve melted like butter in a volcano at the prospect of having her back in his arms. After their day and night of passionate love making, they had decided to try and keep their relationship as discreet as possible from the rest of the troops. Zahera was still the encampment’s Commander, and while their relationship wasn’t against any regulation, it still felt unprofessional to flaunt the romance happening between them. So they developed a system that Zahera affectionately termed, “Shadow-kissing”, where they would meet in a secluded part of the camp, or secretly in one of their TDH’s, and get in as much loving as they could before their duties pulled them away from each other. Whether that meant a few quick kisses under the cover of darkness, or a quickie on the outskirts of the camp, or a full blown love making session in a moment of opportunity, was completely dependent on the situation they found themselves in. There were quite a few times he thought they had been caught, but no one ever said anything. The closest he saw someone hint that they knew something was going on, was when a couple of Sergeants had walked past them as they were finishing up and he saw the words, ‘It is about time’ scroll across one of their heads. He found that the idea of getting caught didn’t bother him very much. “Shadow-kissing” was becoming one of his favorite pastimes.
As the day of the resurrection came, Blackshade found himself still in the receiving area, working as fast as he could to process everyone in time. Thanks to the enhancements the Omegas has given him, he was easily keeping up with the younger Air Soldiers, and even surpassing the efforts of the other members of the team. He said nothing about this, of course. He knew the only reason he had this ability was because of what the Omegas had done to him. With his enhanced stamina, strength, and cognitive abilities, he was doing the work of three people, and no one seemed to begrudge him for it. In fact, quite a few of his fellow Air Soldiers complemented him on his ability to work so fast without making a mistake. A few times he even saw, ‘Impressive’ appear on their foreheads, and he couldn’t have been more pleased. The last of the deceased was processed at 0747 the morning of the deadline. It occurred to him that he had no idea what time the Omegas had intended to commence with the resurrection, and because of that any moment could be the moment.
In total, Zahera’s unit had been able to process and place over one hundred and twelve million deceased South Americans; which was around 17.2 million a day. The scope of that number hadn’t quite hit him, as he was focused on the eighty-eight or so million deceased they couldn’t get here. Most were unrecoverable. They had either been cremated, buried at sea and were unrecoverable, or no one knew where their bodies were. Some relativ
es had simply refused to allow their dead family members to be resurrected, which was their choice, but one that dismayed him at first. How a family member could refuse the opportunity to bring back a loved one confused him, until he had heard a report from a prominent news blogger on the internet. The blogger was tracking down and interviewing family members that were refusing to allow their deceased relatives to take part in the resurrection. It turned out that most of them had solid reasons to not wish to take part. Some refused, due to religious reasons, while others didn’t trust the Omegas, and some because their deceased family member was either a criminal or very disliked by their families. He didn’t know why he found their reasoning so fascinating, but he felt himself feeling empathy for the family members that stuck to their decisions even though they knew the backlash would be severe. As they must have known would happen, the trolls of the internet attacked those that refused the resurrection with a vengeance. Some made heated arguments, some mocked, others pleaded, but more often than not, they made threats. If there was one constant in the universe, it was that people on the internet quickly resorted to threats of violence when interacting with those that didn’t think like they did. To be fair, there were those that supported the families that decided against participating in the resurrection, but it was a small minority of commenters that were buried by the self-righteous comments of those opposed. Typical internet warriors doing what they do best were on both sides, of course. None of it surprised or concerned Blackshade. He was used to this, but hearing the reasoning behind why so many had refused to participate helped him understand the situation, at least.
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