Broken Protocols 1-3

by Dale Mayer

  She grinned. How could she not? At least she wasn’t a complete loser.

  Charmin shot her a direct look. She flushed. Surely he couldn’t read minds now, could he? He went back to his grooming. As she looked around the kitchen, she realized that what she really wanted was some of that awesome coffee. She’d come out looking for some earlier, but with everything going on, she’d gotten distracted.

  She walked around behind the men. At the other side, she studied the flat wall, looking for anything to denote cupboards, coffee makers, or even a water spout.

  And found nothing.

  *

  “Dani, what do you need?” Levi asked, circling the counter to stand beside her. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the fact that she’d done well with Milo.

  Not everyone did. Maybe it was Charmin, who’d shifted his position so he could stare right at Levi. Stupid to be nervous of a cat. But there it was.

  Even odder that the cat had managed to snag Lina’s picture out of the thousands floating past. He’d have to talk to Milo about what exact enhancement he had given the cat.

  “I was looking for a drink.”

  “Water?” He walked to the wall. “Watch.” She stepped closer to see a break in the paint. It was a scrolled-style circle. He pressed his hand flat on the wall and pressed down. Instantly, a cupboard popped out. He removed a tall, skinny glass and moved over several feet. While she watched, he pushed another section of wall and a small fountain slid out with a hand attachment. He squeezed the attachment, and her glass filled with water. “See, it’s easy. Every space in today’s world is designed to multi-task.”

  “Like anything new, it is if you know how. Is this filtered?” she asked.

  “Absolutely.” Like everything in their world, water was severely regulated, being one of the last few natural resources left to them. They had to protect it. But she didn’t need to know that right now. She’d quickly be overloaded with information.

  She tossed back the drink and held it back out again. He refilled it and handed it over. She sipped the second glass. “Is there any chance of getting coffee?”

  His face lit up. “Oh, good idea. That’s exactly what we need.” He turned around to make the first of what he expected would be several pots. He’d have to look into buying a bigger unit.

  Yet none of the changes were anything like the ones Dani had gone through, so he couldn’t complain.

  He ordered coffee with a push of a button. Dani was quiet behind him. He wondered at the conspicuous silence over the marriage deal. He’d avoided the topic altogether. He’d almost brought it up in the pod room earlier, but it hadn’t been most pressing issue so he’d held back. Maybe she was hoping it would go away.

  He was hoping to resume the honeymoon. He couldn’t help but think about the many benefits of being married. And how hot and willing she’d been in his arms. God, he wanted that again. And soon. Like now. He slid a gaze her way. She’d settled back to watch him, her eyes intent on his motions. And damn if that intensity wasn’t a turn on.

  Just then, her stomach grumbled. At first he didn’t recognize the sound. Then it sank in. He froze. Uh oh. Dani had been pulled from bed, taken to the Council, kidnapped and returned home to recuperate in the pod – all on an empty stomach. Checking the comp on his wrist, he winced and said, “You missed another meal, didn’t you?”

  “Two meals,” Charmin whined from the monitor counter.

  Levi nodded. True enough. “Right. Coffee first. Then food.”

  Charmin started howling at the sound of food being placed second. “How can you put coffee first?” he moaned. “I need foooood.”

  Chapter 8

  Dani chuckled at Charmin, walking closer to him to scratch his neck. “You hadn’t even noticed that you were missing a meal until it was mentioned.”

  “Of course I noticed.” Charmin said, turning his neck for her to get at another spot.

  How did a cat manage to look affronted? Dani shook her head and scooped him up. She stared down into those eyes, so familiar and yet so different now. She recognized her wonderful old tomcat in there, but at the same time there was someone different. Someone better. Her heart swelled as she held him close. “I’m so glad you survived that trip.”

  “Me too,” he whispered, rubbing up against her neck. “Like what would have happened to me if you came here and I was left locked in the apartment?”

  A shudder swept through her. “That would have been horrible. You’d have died without me to take care of you.”

  “And yet today, I took care of you.” He reared back and pinned her with a beady eye. “So I should get your share of lunch.”

  She laughed. “So not going to happen.” She carried him over to Levi, who appeared to be making sandwiches. At the sight of the thick slabs of bread and cheese, Charmin moaned louder.

  “With all the technology you have available – how is it you are cooking?” Dani asked.

  “It’s a hobby.” He flushed then shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s a bit of a joke to my friends actually.”

  “So there is an alternative.”

  That made him laugh. “Yes. We have machines that create complete meals now. I just don’t want to have one around.”

  “Oh.” She personally would love a machine that could do it all. Then again, if he was happy to cook, she was happy to let him.

  “He’s into retro stuff. Like food and cooking.” Milo spoke up. “It takes work and it’s disgusting.”

  Dani laughed. She looked over at Levi and shared a look of understanding. “Unless it’s chocolate, I suppose.”

  Milo scowled. “Chocolate is different.”

  “The food is almost ready. Give me another minute.” Levi reached for a large block of something. She leaned in, then realized what it was. “Oh yum, that looks like roast beef.”

  He gave her a strange look. “Did they have that in your time?”

  She stared at him. “Of course.” She frowned. “This is from an animal, isn’t it?”

  He looked at the block of meat and then back at her. And she realized it was square. As in very square. As in too square. “Oh damn. This isn’t meat, is it?”

  “Meat is bad for you,” Milo said from the other side of the counter. “I’ve told you that. Boosters are better – in all ways.”

  “Except that Charmin is a carnivore,” Dani reminded him. “And so am I.”

  “He could drink boosters, too.” Milo appeared to be warming up to one of his favorite subjects.

  Charmin said in a low voice, “Let’s go back to the meat.”

  “Except I’m not sure it’s meat.”

  “Oh, it’s meat,” Levi said, “And it came from an animal, but not a live one.”

  Dumbfounded, Dani could only stare at the block of gray stuff. “Like cloned meat?”

  “Ha, 3D printed meat more likely,” Charmin said with a snicker. He sniffed the air experimentally, caught a whiff, and started to wiggle out of her arms. “Except that would be old tech here. And this smells delicious.”

  “Hey wait. You’re going to fall.” She tried to tighten her grip.

  “Let me go and I’ll jump.” He tried to sneak out of her arms, but she clamped down tight and said, “No animals where the food is.”

  “We’ll sit at the table. He’ll bring food when it’s ready.” She walked him back over to the table where they’d eaten their first meal.

  “Ha. I could be dead by then,” Charmin groaned.

  “And they might happily kill you if you don’t behave yourself,” she snapped. “Remember your manners.”

  “And maybe they should remember theirs,” he retorted, “Considering that we are the guests and they are the hosts.” He peered around Dani’s body to stare at Levi’s back. “Lousy hosts at that.”

  She gasped in horror. “You apologize right now. That is not acceptable. You know perfectly well that he’s preparing our meal. Now be appreciative of that fact be
fore you lose out completely based on your bad behavior.”

  “Harrumph.” Charmin stared up at her. “I’m not a two-year-old. You can’t treat me like that.”

  Milo started laughing from behind her.

  She tilted her head toward the sound. “Do you hear that? That’s because although you’re not that age, it’s how old you are acting.”

  Charmin’s marble eyeballs hid behind his suddenly slitted eyes. He started to howl deep in the back of his throat.

  “Stop it. Communication is new for you, I get it.” She dropped a kiss on top of his head. “That’s okay. You’ll get the hang of it, and besides, you’ll always be my adorable kitty.”

  “Oh brother.” He turned away from her to pad over to the furthest point on the kitchen table. “This could get embarrassing if you’re going to get all mushy.”

  Her laughter pealed out to ring around the room. Without warning, she reached across and scooped him back up in her arms. She started to dance, holding Charmin in her arms as if he were a human-sized partner with one paw up. “It so could get mushy. Because I love you. I always have. You are my best friend. And now that you can talk, I so want us to have a tea party and play dress up…”

  At his shocked shriek, she bent over giggling, still holding him in her arms. He dug his claws in, probably as a punishment. She straightened, the odd giggle still pouring out. “You are too funny. I was only kidding, by the way.”

  “You’d better be,” he threatened, curling his claws ever so slightly.

  “Watch the nails,” she said in warning.

  “Why? You have a healing pod now. I can cause all kinds of damage and you’ll be just fine.” He stretched up to stare into her eyes. Would she ever get used to him being able to talk like this? She hoped so, but she also didn’t want to lose the pet she’d had since forever. Emotion washed over her and she wrapped him up tight. Against his fur, she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re mine.”

  His engine kicked in and made the tears once again burn her eyes.

  But it was his whispered, “Me, too,” that made her heart melt.

  *

  Levi stopped to watch the two interact. He couldn’t believe the language coming out of Charmin’s mouth. Damn, he needed to corner Milo and asked him about those enhancements. He remembered Milo’s slip of the tongue earlier. If he knew his brother, it was to know he wouldn’t stop at one enhancement if there was a chance to slide more in. Considering how quickly Charmin had locked on that image on the screen, he had to wonder if eagle vision or super quick reflexes might have been one of the other enhancements. And that would suck for Dani if the cat had received all the benefits. Imagine knowing that your cat was smarter, faster, and more intelligent than you were.

  Talk about a major burn.

  He remembered Dani had snagged a picture from Milo’s fast-moving stream as well, so maybe they’d both received enhancements. They could have shown up stronger on Charmin due to his size.

  He watched the two cuddle and for the first time in his life, he saw something lacking in his. He’d never had a pet. He’d had a teddy bear for his first couple of years until he’d been deemed old enough to go without. And now as he watched Dani cuddle Charmin, he realized how much the cat enriched Dani’s life. And quite possibly that worked both ways.

  Just then, Charmin’s head popped up over Dani’s shoulder and that golden gaze locked on his.

  Even before he opened his mouth, Levi knew what was going to come out. He held up heaping plates of food and walked closer. Charmin’s eyes rounded in delight and he scrambled to get out of Dani’s arms and onto the table.

  “He’s got food,” he said urgently when Dani resisted.

  She laughed and dropped him on the table. “Let’s eat then.”

  As she took her place at the table, she asked, “Levi, can I help you do anything?”

  “It’s done. Not to worry, you can help next time. These are just simple sandwiches.”

  Milo walked past. “And I’ll make boosters for both of you while I get mine.”

  Levi happened to be watching both Dani and Charmin, so he saw them wrinkle their faces in disgust. Catching his eye, they both grinned. Dani said, “We’ll drink it because we need it but honestly, food is more our style.”

  She motioned to Charmin, who was busy gnawing on thick chunks of ham that Levi had finally found for him. “I need to go and get cat food for him.”

  Charmin lifted his head and stared at him in horror. “I eat protein. Not cat food. Protein. Chicken. Fish. Lamb. Mouse.” He stared more intently, just to make sure Levi understood the seriousness of the issue. “Understand?”

  Levi raised one eyebrow and nodded “Got it.”

  Chapter 9

  Dani had finally filled up enough to know that she was going to make it another day. She wasn’t so sure of Charmin, as he’d finished his second helping and was plowing through a third right now. For herself, the fatigue had returned in triplicate. The pod seemed too far away to reach, and her eyelids were already drooping.

  Before she had a chance to decide if sleeping where she sat for a few moments was a good idea or not, she was scooped up and carried into the tiny healing room. She snuggled against Levi’s chest. “Sorry, just got so tired all of a sudden.”

  “Hey, it was a tough morning for all of us.” He shifted her in his arms. “An afternoon nap is perfect.”

  She heard a series of buttons clicking then a low hum. The healing pod. She so wanted to be in there. And just like that, he laid her down inside and dropped a kiss on her forehead. She smiled sleepily, closed her eyes, and let her mind drift off.

  She heard the door shut behind Levi as he exited. In the distance there were sounds of conversation, but it was far enough out of her hearing that she couldn’t make out the words.

  Drifting was nice, easy. She heard a weird sound then felt something small hit her arm. She rubbed her arm then rolled over to get more comfortable, loving the way the bed adjusted beneath her. What a marvelous invention. Several small noises outside the pod bothered her, but there was a buffer created by the pod’s humming noise that filtered those out. It was great.

  But maybe not quite great. Her eyes opened. Something didn’t feel right.

  She didn’t feel right.

  But she didn’t know what was wrong.

  “Charmin? Are you here?” He’d said he’d follow her in a few minutes when Levi had carried her in this direction – but had he?

  It felt like…someone was here.

  And as that knowledge filtered in, she realized that someone definitely was, but it was not someone she knew. Or rather, wasn’t someone who was supposed to be in here.

  Shit.

  Her breath caught in the back of her throat. What was she supposed to do? She could slip out of the pod and make a run for the door, but it wasn’t like that would be a subtle move. They’d see her. And maybe that was okay. Just because there was a stranger in here didn’t mean they were out to get her. Except everyone that had been a stranger so far had been out to do just that.

  She could lie here and pretend to be asleep.

  Gently, she rubbed a sore spot on her arm.

  Slowly, she pulled her feet up toward her chest. She felt exposed. What if this person grabbed her by her feet? That thought whirled inside her head, making her almost blind with fear. Her breathing became raspy. The more she tried to control her breathing, the worse it got. The pod lights changed from blue to purple, and immediately more heat beat down on top of her. The pod knew she was under stress. Her vitals had to be off the wall. At the same time, she knew that had to be a signal to whoever was in here with her. There was no sign of Charmin.

  Would he recognize that her vital signs had gone crazy again? Or was he still eating like he wasn’t ever going to get another meal? She closed her eyes and starting calling him in her mind. Charmin, please help. Charmin, can you hear me? Please, someone come.

  She took another long shuddery breath, surprised to fin
d she’d curled up into a fetal position. She’d feel like a fool if everyone came racing into the room and she was actually alone.

  But she’d rather that than the opposite. She wondered how she could bolt out the door without getting caught.

  Then a noise sounded behind the pod. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God!

  She froze. And couldn’t catch her breath. She had never had a panic attack, but this was starting to be a full on scream-for-her-life-and-run moment.

  As quiet and as naturally as she could, she slid over to the edge of the pod bed.

  Stiff, barely breathing, she readied her muscles and slowly pushed the pod lid open just a little bit.

  Three, two, one…

  She slid under the edge of the pod and bolted for the open door, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  *

  “What is that?” Charmin sat up abruptly from his cleaning to stare in the direction of the pod room. Levi and Milo raced down the short hallway where Dani ran smack into Levi’s chest. He caught her in his arms while trying to see what had scared her. “Milo, check the room out.”

  “No, no, he shouldn’t go alone,” Dani cried out, “There’s someone in there.”

  “What? Impossible.” Levi shook his head as he held her close. “No one else is here. It’s not possible.”

  She shuddered in his arms. “It’s not only possible, it’s real. I could hear their breathing and weird noises.” She slapped her hand over her arm. “I swear something hit my arm.”

  “What?” Levi stopped back and lifted her arm so he could see. “There’s no way.”

  But there was. A slight red spot showed on her upper arm. He tucked her close to him and moved her into the kitchen. “Stay here.” He walked to a wall and brought up his security system with a few commands. “Milo, where are you?” he said.

  The intercom broadcasted his voice. He set the computer to show all the occupants in his house. Immediately, the gray screen lit up several orange hot spots. He easily identified himself and Dani. Charmin had to be the smaller one.

  And there was Milo in the pod room.