Igor’s head just cleared the doorframe, and his shoulders were as wide. The cold and smell of nature clung to his skin. He hesitated then pulled down his snood to uncover his shadowed features. Kali thought he had the prettiest eyes, even if one was swollen from the speckled rash discolouring the side of his strong face.
Zeke, handsomely rugged in his worn battle-fatigues, and Valiant, expression cockily confident, and slumming it in a tattered jumper and frayed cut-offs, followed close behind.
The three large males stared down at her.
Adjusting the dupatta on her shoulder, Push leaned to the side, keeping Kali in her line of sight, her owlish eyes blinking slowly.
The FetchMes wandered in. They panted softly and their sharp claws clicked on the hard floor.
It was getting congested, but post isolation, Kali liked it. “Is there something in particular you all want?” she asked nonchalantly.
Valiant clicked his fingers. “Let me get this straight,” he said to no on in particular. “You’re saying this little lady made a clone of herself, and we’re talking an actual human being by thinking real hard?”
“Correct,” answered Igor proudly. He smiled winningly at Kali revealing scary pointed teeth before his face fell into an intimidating non-expression. “We have not been formally introduced.”
“I know you,” Kali said with a smile she hoped was welcoming. “Igor, right?”
“How much of the replica’s memory do you possess?” Kenshin asked, stepping into the room, arms loaded with medical supplies.
His arrival meant painful fluids on the holes from the tubes. Kali was so not into it, but if she tried to give the Hybrid any excuses he’d just give her that ‘I am a doctor do as I say or I’ll tell on you,’ look. She shifted on the bed to make room whilst Ken navigated her visitors. The FetchMes lounging around the bed made for entertaining obstacles. He made it in one piece to her side and gave her a questioning look after nodding his head to those in the room.
She shrugged, having no idea why they were all there, but not prepared to do anything to kick them out.
“I mainly have flashes of memory,” she replied. “The replica was meant to be a way for me to find help, but she resisted my astral projection. She fought the whole time, thinking I was an effect of stress or trauma.” Kali could smile about it now, but at the time, she’d been pissed. “She only figured out what she was designed for at the end.”
“Fake you used to space out a lot,” Zeke said. He leaned against the wall, hands tucked into his armpits. “Was that you?”
“Yes. She only gave up control for a nanosec a time. By the time I realised I was in control, she snatched it away from me again. She was stronger than I intended. Truth is she wasn’t fake at all. She was a person, me.”
Igor cocked his head. “What would you have done with her if she survived?”
“I wonder that too,” Kenshin confessed as he passed the hand held FixMe over her skin and applied fresh gauze. “Was it difficult to maintain her?”
“Forming the thought to create her was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It took days, and it was pure luck that when I finished Blue was looking for me in my domicile.”
Igor and Kenshin gasped.
“We were there,” Igor breathed. “The moment of her creation. We were looking for you, and found Max and Christabella.”
Kali smiled. And Blue tried to argue there was no such thing as fate. “There would have been no choice if she survived. I guess it would have been like having a twin. Once she was formed, I didn’t need to do anything but keep a lock on her mind.” Kali thought of how best to describe it to them when at times she barely knew how she had done it herself. “It was like I attached a string to her. I had to be careful because I was scared the Novan would know what I’d done. I realised quickly you were Hybrids, and were helping me find my family. I didn’t want to jeopardise that, but I wanted to be rescued too.” She felt a pang of shame. If the Novan had known what she was doing it could have used her tie to the replica to find their hideaway. “I didn’t let the risk of them finding you stop me. I’m sorry for putting you all in danger, but I was so scared.”
“Don’t feel guilty,” Igor said. “Blue would sacrifice all for you. We don’t blame either of you for it. To feel so deeply must be wondrous.”
“Blue and the replica, um, they weren’t–”
“Romantically entangled?” offered Igor.
“Sleeping together?” asked Zeke.
“Bumping uglies,” Valiant cheered. At Kali’s expression he backpedalled. “I don’t know the story here, but if you’re looking for a bunk mate pick me.” Valiant let his gaze sweep over her figure under the blanket and waggled his eyebrows at her. “You’re brave. Solar-hot too.”
Zeke cleared his throat. “Erm, Val, she’s the Omicron’s.”
“Theyousaidwhatnow?”
“Blue is our Omicron,” Igor clarified.
Valiant was flabbergasted and scowled his displeasure. “Something is damn wrong. I’ve been shot down twice in one day.” His face brightened. “Pink hair is real pretty.”
Zeke grinned evilly. “Let me be there when you hit on Lara. Please? Promise me?”
Valiant rubbed his hands together. “Sure thing. I love a challenge.”
Kali gaped at them all. “Cosy. The word I was going to say was cosy.”
“It was painfully awkward,” Zeke assured her. “Difficult to look at. It was kind of like a shuttle wreck at times. I hear the reveal of Caesar was–” Zeke coughed loudly.
Caesar walked in holding Madeleine’s hand. She had her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth, her large eyes blinking at the people in the room with consummate trust.
Kali stared at the miniature version of Blue and felt her blood pressure spike.
Between crying jags, Blue had filled her in on the things she had missed. The replica’s meeting of Caesar was one of them. Blue had explained in detail what had happened when he was younger, an emotionless tryst that had created life, and tried to put into words what he felt for his son. He had been younger than her when Caesar had been left at his door with a note from the mother. Kali had seen the pride in his face when he spoke of the boy. When she thought about the child, she got conflicted. A child was so far outside the realm of what she had expected to deal with. An invasion and finding out she was part alien wasn’t something she expected to have to deal with either, but she was.
Caesar was wound tight, his heart-shaped face edgy. He courageously braced himself to deal with her emotional outbreak, and that made her feel bad.
“I hear you’re a genius,” she said thoughtfully. He nodded hesitantly. He looked so grave it made her want to cuddle him. Caesar reminded her of Blue, so how could Kali not adore him? “So am I. We already have quarks in common.” She winked. “Are you okay around blood? Will you sit with me and hold my hand while Ken deals with the rest of my wounds?”
Blinking in shock, Caesar studied her as if she would become a Venus flytrap and bite his head off. He shrugged and crawled onto the edge of the bed. He sat Madeleine on his lap and took Kali’s hand, the one Kenshin had already redressed. Hypatia flew into the room and landed on his shoulder, crowing loudly.
They all watched as Ken cleaned and redressed Kali’s wounds, wincing each time she did.
“Anybody know where my father is?” she asked.
Kali had pushed them out of her mind because when she did think of her parents she found it impossible to breathe. She wanted to wail in pain, so she danced around it as much as she could. The need to know Creighton was okay forced her to face the pain.
She had yet to learn what had happened to them in full, but she knew Rikard was lost to them.
“Creighton is on the floor below us with the Host,” Igor replied. “He won’t leave.”
She was afraid to ask anymore. “What’s he doing in there?”
The Hybrid hesitated, not wanting to upset her.
Zeke cleared his throat. �
�We chained the Host up. He asked for a pulse rifle and to be left alone. We thought he would be quick, but he’s been in there for some time talking. We thought … we didn’t want to rush him.”
Her eyes filled. “I see.”
There was a horrible silence as Kali processed that her father would execute the love of his life. She clutched her chest and breathed deep, muscling her way through the emotion blocking her airway. She shuddered as a sob tore free and scrunched her eyes closed, fisting a hand in the bedding as her grief threatened to rob her of control.
Madeleine wiggled off Caesar and crawled onto Kali’s lap. She nuzzled her face into her neck.
“Don’t cry,” she said sweetly around her damp thumb.
Her small hand softly patted Kali’s wet cheek.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard her speak,” Valiant whispered. “She refused when Creighton tried to coax her into talking at the encampment.”
“Stellar,” Kenshin enthused. “It means she’s healing. I had concerns.”
Kali rocked the little girl on her lap and cried into her curly hair. Nobody had a perfect life, but hers had come close enough. She had loved her parents fiercely and never imagined a future where both of them wouldn’t be there to hold her hand and support her with their unconditional love.
A fundamental part of her had been ripped away.
The void left behind ached.
If this was how she felt, she couldn’t begin to imagine what her father was going through.
“He shouldn’t be the one to do it,” she said, and turned to look directly at Valiant. “You’re closest to him?”
Scratching his cheek, Valiant shrugged. “I guess.”
“Will you help him? Just take him away from there? I’ll be up in a day or so, but I want to be there to comfort him when it happens. Please?”
With a brief nod, Valiant swatted Zeke on the arm, and they dashed from the room before Creighton did what he’d been struggling all day to do.
“Are you hungry?” Kenshin asked, packing away his things.
Kali grimaced. The idea of putting anything in her mouth and swallowing after thinking of what her father was going through made her want to vomit. She had to eat to regain her strength. Creighton would need her help to get past his grief, and she would be no good to her parent half dead.
“I’ll clear the room and get you a dumpling.” Kenshin patted her hand. “It’ll all get better, you’ll see.”
Igor left with a respectful bob of the head.
Caesar jumped off the bed and scooped up Madeleine. With a curt command, he ordered the FetchMes out – including Howl. The wolf nipped Kali’s bare toes and bounded out of the room, once again his energetic self now his real mistress was safe.
Push was left staring.
The exotic Hybrid shuffled to the door, stared for a nanosecond longer then left.
Alone in the bedroom, Kali slipped out of bed. Her bare feet jumped off the cold stone floor, but she set them down resolutely and wiggled her toes to warm them. She had been ordered bed rest, but she knew something funny was going on. Everyone stared at her like they wanted to ask questions about her appearance, but had been forbidden from doing so. Kali was annoyed. She was not made from glass. Kenshin and Blue were watching her closely for signs of mental instability, and were keeping away things they thought too much for her to handle.
She should have been told about her father before then.
Defiant, Kali wobbled over to the wash unit at the other end of Blue’s room, her steps becoming more solid as she went. Reaching the VidSee, she was emotionally prepared for whatever her reflection would show.
The fluorescent lights flickered on.
It was still a shock.
Blinking rapidly, she leaned over the sink and peered closer. Kali rubbed fingers over her hairline that was now sliver-white. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were bleached of colour towards the base of the follicles. Kali focused on her eyes, and was startled despite catching glimpses of them.
A small sob eased from her lips, and she began to shake. Breathing deeply, controlling the fear rearing inside, she bit her bottom lip hard.
The vibrant hazel her irises used to be was gone. They were colourless; a shade darker than her corneas, and gleamed like crystal. Her pupils were sharply defined black holes in the centre. The effect was peculiar, manifestly alien. Her skin was dull. The golden hue had been sucked right out until it was a flat block of gloomy colour. Rehydration would remedy that, but she resigned herself to having cooler undertones to her skin.
Kali pulled her hair back as if doing a ponytail and wanted to cry again. Her face scrunched in an ugly way as she fought the tears. Without the waves of her hair to soften the cut of her jaw, she looked even more creature-like. Her cheekbones were never that sharp, her stare never that piercing.
Coldness had been frozen into her features, her face sandblasted into greater relief.
The changes were not skin deep. Inside had been nicked too. Her temperament was sliced into cleaner lines with greater definition and prickly edges. Her emotional responses were distant, and lacked softness.
Kali stripped and stepped into the slender CleanMe cubicle. She felt no sense of being trapped in the small space, and sighed with relief when she remained calm as the water rained.
32.
Kali tripped over in her rush to lie on the bed when the door slid open. Adjusting the blankets innocently, she smiled when Blue entered with a loaded tray. Happy to see him, she leaned her elbows on her knees and watched his approach.
Her body was annoyingly weak after a week in what she thought of as the tank, but Blue called the crystal pod. It wasn’t muscle atrophy, but more to do with what was done to her whilst she was trapped.
It changed her, or rather, triggered something.
“We discussed this,” Blue murmured. He set the tray down and moved to her side, pushing firmly on her shoulder. “You’re not leaving my bed until I’m satisfied.” His eyes flickered when he noticed her damp hair. “Not that you have any intention of listening to me.”
Fighting his will was pointless, and she had to conserve energy for what she had planned next. She let herself flop back. “You need rest too. I saw the burn on your thigh earlier.” Kali tucked her hair behind her ears. She’d never liked it loose, but needed a while longer to get used to the new balance of her face before she started pulling it back again. “Where’s Max?”
“Sleeping,” Blue replied smoothly with a shake of his head for her not to press the issue. “He snores.”
Kali worried her bottom lip. “You should try camping with him. He’s all elbows and knees.”
The actuality Max was avoiding her remained unsaid between them.
She scooted into the cooler side of the bed until there was a fair bit of warm, unused space. Blue tugged off his top, threw it in the corner, and climbed onto the bed. It dipped under his weight and rolled Kali over, perfect, since it meant he could gather her to his chest. Placing one hand on the nape of her neck, he let the other stroke her face before lowering to brush her arm, dipped his fingers with the curve of her waist, and enjoyed the journey’s destination; softly rubbing her hip.
The constant need for closeness was something he had not expected. After everything, the idea of not holding her, being near her was excruciating. He wished he’d never hesitated in the past to touch her.
“I want to beg for forgiveness,” he muttered. “Every apology sounds pathetic.”
Kali didn’t want to hear it. “It never crossed my mind that you were responsible for anything. You saved me, Blue. I admit I wasn’t always strong enough to hold to the conviction you would.” She swallowed convulsively. “You were so taken with the replica, but you heard me when you needed to most. That’s what counts.”
“The moment you showed me where you really were, when you pulled me into your body, I’d never known I could feel such terror.” His voice cracked. “Only then did I see how badly I’d failed you.�
��
Kali knew he’d feel guilty. There wasn’t anything she could do about that. They had to move forward, and that meant dealing with a lot of awkward, painful stuff that she had no desire to broach, but felt a sick kind of fascination to run head first into. “Did you and she–”
“She wasn’t you.” He immediately knew what she was asking. “I felt nothing, but a lingering sense of loyalty. The need to be close to you disappeared so suddenly. I couldn’t work out why.” He rubbed her neck. “There were nanosecs I’d look into her eyes, and there you were, but I … couldn’t.” He used his grip on her neck to pull her head back and lift her face. “I never touched her. She wasn’t you.”
“You didn’t prefer her?”
“Your eyes are not that closely set and were a prettier hazel. Your hair has golden highlights, and your skin tone is softer than what you made it. Your aura is magnificent. Mostly a bold red, mixed with deep purples, and fierce blues. In comparison, hers was dimmer and pinker.” He thought hard. “Your voice isn’t as high as you think it is. You have a huskier tone that is lovely to hear. Your body is curvier, and your mind is incredible. She didn’t have your spark, ingenuity, your passion.”
“Yet you mistook her for me? Either you’re lying, or your powers of observation are painfully lacking.”
“I could not see past what was put in front of me.” His thumb caressed her jaw. “Such a strange vision of yourself you have.”
“Lara called the replica weak and whiny. I’m undecided if I’m taking that as a compliment or an insult.”
Blue cringed. “I wouldn’t go that far. You are more … vivid.”
Satisfied he didn’t prefer the replica, she asked the other thing she had been burning to know. “Did you dream of me?” Her eyes sparkled as she danced her fingers across his chest.
“That was you?” he said slowly.
“You think your imagination managed that?” She snorted. “Someone has delusions of grandeur.”
“I am the most powerful Hybrid on earth.”
“The most powerful?” she mused. “Sure that is accurate?”
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