As he made his way down the white corridor, he shot out lights, plunging everything into darkness. Backup generators kicked in, only bringing the illumination up a few notches as a red warning pulse flashed in a corner. He punched in override codes that hadn’t been changed, probably because he hadn’t been considered a threat, and repeated the process. Any guards that showed up, he shot. The workers were wise enough not to fuck with him.
His main mission was to find where Ben was being held, so he made his way to the control room that housed all the computer interfaces. The first few codes he entered didn’t work, which meant they had finally gotten wise, but Dain didn’t let it bother him. One of his skill sets was this very thing, and a short moment later, the door slid open. A half dozen people stood, hands raised.
“Don’t shoot,” one begged.
Dain motioned with his head. “Get out.”
They all ran, leaving the computer servers. When the door closed behind him, he locked the door. It wouldn’t hold for long, but long enough to find where Ben was being kept. He sat at the main terminal and began sorting through data. The first names he saw were Nathaniel Stockton and Grover Silas Ranger. The two names sounded familiar, so he opened them, but all the information had been deleted with a simple MIA listed in whereabouts. Closing that file up, he went back to scanning, and a moment later, Ben’s name came up in an encrypted file, and curious, he hacked his way into the information. Lots and lots of scientific streams popped up, stuff he didn’t understand one iota of, until he came to an ultrasound scan. Confused, he had no idea what a fetus photo was doing in Ben’s folder until he read the report.
Stunned, he read it again.
And again.
No way. Impossible. The whole report had to be a fake. Dain’s mind kept spitting out denial after denial, until his own name grabbed his attention, citing the other DNA present in the fetus was his. Somehow—and this blew his fucking mind—Ben was pregnant.
With his child.
A fucking baby!
Dain didn’t know how to feel about it, but he knew he needed time to process it, and he needed all the data Sector had. Grabbing a memory chip, he inserted it into the mainframe and began the download. He made sure to copy Ben’s folder, but just as he was about to shut it down, another folder caught his attention. One that read “The Farm”. Curious, he copied that, too, and then removed the chip just as the door chirped out a denial code for entrance. Dain rose, placed the chip in his mouth, and swallowed. The protective casing would survive the stomach acids as it wound its way through his digestive tract. Once safe, he’d be able to extract it, although he didn’t look forward to how he would do that.
Pushing that thought out of his mind, he took hold of the blaster, aimed it at the mainframe, and fired a dozen blasts into the computers. The entire research center was plunged into darkness. A klaxon alarm began ringing through the corridors, in every room, including his own, and he used the disturbance to open the door and fight the guards that had surrounded it. People scattered in all directions, ignoring him, and he made his way to the floor where Ben was being kept.
A few minutes later, he walked into the main laboratory and saw Robinson holding Ben hostage with a blaster trained at his back.
“That’s far enough, Mister Cardile,” Robinson said.
“Let Ben go, and you’ll get to live,” Dain said, leveling his blaster at the scientist.
“If I let Ben go, there’ll be nothing to protect me.”
Dain smiled, although he found nothing humorous with the situation. “We both know you won’t kill him because you want that child too much.”
Ben’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, I know,” he answered the unasked question. “I may not be scientifically minded, but I can understand enough to know you used cell manipulation to change his physiology. You suppressed his body’s defenses in recognizing the fetus as a pathogen. You turned him into a hybrid, which is against the law. You might work for Sector, but Sector would never condone such actions.”
“Without my genetic work the human race will die out. According to my preliminary tests, this child is going to be the first non-mutated human born in twenty years! No genetic disease markers. He or she will be fertile without medical assistance. Tell me that’s not worth the sacrifices of a few individuals!”
“Your mistake was going after my family,” Dain said. “Your life depends on if you let Ben and my child go right now.”
Robinson stared at him, and Dain could see the debate raging the man’s eyes. But Dain wasn’t about to let him decide on keeping his scientific project, so he aimed his blaster at the computer console nearby and fired.
“No!” Robinson shouted. He turned the muzzle away from Ben and aimed at him, just how Dain wanted. Ben knocked the man’s arm aside, and the blast hit the wall, giving Dain enough time to fire his own weapon.
The blast hit the man’s chest, close to center of his mass. Robinson’s eyes rolled up into his head. He gurgled a few unintelligible words and fell face first to the floor. Dain stepped forward and nudged the doctor with a booted foot. The scientist didn’t budge or twitch.
Ben rushed to Dain, and they embraced, wrapping their arms around one another and hugging tight.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Ben whispered.
“Silly man,” Dain murmured. “I’ll always come for you, even if they try to wipe my memory clean. See? I can’t ever forget you.”
Their lips met in a kiss, fear and relief pouring from the surge of emotions. A spark exploded near them, and they broke apart.
“We have to get out of here,” Ben said. “We have to get to the docking station.”
“Wait,” Dain replied. He took a deep breath and stared at the man his heart seemed to recognize, even if his memories were still a bit shaky. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“You mean … the baby.”
“Yeah. It’s like a bad sci-fi movie, only real. But I want you to know I want him. Or her. I want us. When we get back to Earth, we need to hide. Sector can’t have our baby, or you.”
“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“Something about you?”
Ben shook his head. “I want us to go back to Earth, but the resistance I was working with, they figured out that Nate was also a test subject under Trask. They assume he was before me.”
Dain cocked his head. “I don’t understand. Before you for what?”
“For internal alterations.”
Dain raised an eyebrow. Ben sighed and gestured to his middle. “Nate might have a bun in the oven, too. And if that’s the case, we have to decide if we search for him and Ranger and we all go home together, or—”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember him or Ranger too well,” Dain interrupted. “My first priority is to us. Do you understand? Now, I’ve been in through the database, and Nate and Ranger are not here. In fact, they’re not anywhere in Dome City. They’re listed as missing, so we have to assume they’re somewhere safe from Sector. We’ve got to trust they can make their own decisions. But I have to keep you safe, especially since they’ll be hunting you.”
Ben took a deep breath and nodded.
“All right,” Dain said. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jaqueline Pereira waited for them at the shuttle landing. Ben waved his hand to capture her attention, and with a flash of annoyance crossing her regal countenance, she hurried over to them.
“You’re late,” she snapped.
“I know,” Ben said. “There’s a lot of chaos going on in Dome City.”
She looked between them. “The Research Lab is burning. Fire of any kind is dangerous here, but to have Sector in turmoil has people panicking. They’re fleeing in droves.”
“So, we’re just two more passengers back to Earth?”
Instead of answering right away, Jaqueline faced Dain and held out her hand. “You must be the husband.”
“I am,” Dain replied. “
Thank you for everything you’ve done for Ben. For us.”
She held out her hand. Dain took hold of two identi-cards and passed one to Ben, who looked at the name.
“Benjamin Pereira?”
“You’re my nephew on his honeymoon to Earth,” she explained. She looked pointedly at Dain. “And you took his name.”
“Understood,” Dain murmured.
“There’s enough confusion happening right now where your arrival will not be noticed at all. I have to congratulate you, sobrino, for destroying a Sector stronghold on two planets.”
Ben grimaced. “It’s an honor I’m not sure I want. Robinson is dead.”
She nodded. “I know. Which is why you have new identities. When you return to Las Vegas, Michelina will meet you. I … haven’t told her yet about her ex-husband.”
“Thank you,” Ben said sincerely. “For everything you’ve done. I just wish I’d found my cousin.”
“Don’t worry about Nate,” she said. “I just got word he and Ranger made it safely to the resistance hub on Mars. They’re with Tarak Dev. With Sector decimated, it might be time for the resistance to take a stand on this red planet.”
“So, you’re staying?”
“Yes. There’s much to do. But one thing you must do is get back to Michelina. I don’t know what’s wrong, but she said your life depends on it.”
Ben nodded, and on impulse, he hugged her. “Again, thank you. If you see Nate, tell him we’ll be a family again soon.”
After a momentary hesitation, she returned the hug. “Now off, you two. You’ve already delayed my convoy back. This time, however, you aren’t workers. You’re passengers. Safe journey.”
She pulled back, and with a noble bow of her head, turned and left them without looking back. Dain laid his hands on Ben’s shoulders.
“Nate and Ranger are okay,” he said.
Ben took a deep breath, and tension he hadn’t realized he carried eased off his shoulders. “I want to stay and help them, and yet, I know we can’t.”
“Jaqueline failed to tell us we may be wanted men now, which is why she changed our names.”
“Doesn’t really matter,” Ben replied. He reached up and took hold of Dain’s hand. “We have a family now to protect.”
Dain linked their fingers. “That we do.”
****
Dain squinted up at the sky, not sure if he liked heat and humidity filling the vacation spot in southern Florida. It was one of the last remaining places in the United States where people went to vacation, mainly because it was one of the few cities utilizing a stabilized computer weather grid.
The swim trunks he wore felt … short. And the sand between his toes irritated the crap out of him. The ocean water had dried on his skin, and itched liked crazy. And the heat made his head hurt. So far, his forced vacation was turning out exactly as he’d predicted, and he couldn’t wait to go back to work.
He grabbed his large glass of ice tea and saw some type of flying bug had drowned in the drink, so with a grimace, he rose and made his way to the bar for a new one. Young people swarmed all over the place, and a few of them stepped on his toes. When another person hit him in his back, he gave up trying to soak up some sun. Setting the glass on the bar’s countertop, he turned toward the elevators, intending to make his way up to his room. But as soon as he spun around, he ran full body into another person. A loud oomph erupted, two glasses filled with something pink went flying, and Dain stared down into a set of eyes so filled with mirth it made him smile.
“I am so sorry!” the young man said, smiling. “It’s so crowded I’ve been trying hard not to do exactly what I just did!”
“Actually, the fault is mine,” Dain said. He held out a hand to the good-looking man, and as soon as their palms touched, electricity shot up his arm. Much to his surprise, his cock hardened.
Their smiles faded, and when the young man got to his feet, they still held hands. The world faded from around them.
“I’m Dain,” he murmured.
“I’m Ben.”
****
Ben sat on the edge of the small bed in their stateroom on board the transport ship. After leaving the Mars surface, they had rendezvoused at the space station and now were on their month and half long journey back to Earth. He leaned down to kiss Dain, but his husband opened his eyes before their lips touched. Dain blinked and smiled as he saw Ben.
“I had a dream,” he said.
“Yeah? A good one, I hope.”
“The best. I dreamed of when we first met.”
“Our destined whirlwind Florida romance?”
Dain frowned. “From the trickling memories filtering in, I believe we met more randomly. I’m not sure if destiny—”
Ben placed a finger on his lips. “Shh. It was definitely destiny. I might have been on vacation with someone else, but the moment I met you, everyone else ceased to exist.”
Dain took hold of his hand, kissing Ben’s knuckles before bringing his hand to cover his heart. “Now that the nanotech is leaving my body, I’m sure all my memories will be back. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
“Your heart remembers. That’s all that matters.”
“Come here,” Dain murmured. “Let’s revive more memories.”
Ben roamed a hand over Dain’s hard body, over the tightly defined shoulders down a corded back. Sweat slicked his skin, and he licked his way down his neck to suck on the erect nipples. Ben moaned, loving the almost too intense way Dain devoured him as he kissed and nipped his way down his body.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Dain flipped him onto his stomach and pulled his hips up until he had full access to Ben’s tight hole. A tongue probed his anus as a finger teased the opening, working the puckered sphincter lose to open him up.
“I want you so much,” Ben panted.
“The baby?”
“Mood killer, babe.”
Dain blew against his rim. “I mean, I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
“You won’t. Now, fuck me.”
“Are you sure?”
“If you don’t fuck me, I will hurt you.”
Dain chuckled and pulled him onto his knees. Ben braced on his forearms as Dain aligned himself against him and pushed forward. It was heaven. The slight burning sensation eased little by little with each small jab of Dain’s cock. In and out he pistoned, each thrust going deeper, spreading him wider. Only when Ben pushed back did Dain impale himself fully, filling him up.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Ben said with a moan. “Don’t stop.”
“Never,” Dain vowed.
Over and over, he thrust, grabbing hold of Ben’s cock to pump it in time with his own hips.
“Yes! Oh, I’m going to come!” Ben cried. “It’s been too long.”
“Me too,” Dain said in a guttural voice.
A second later, Ben came in a burst of exhilaration. Dain milked his cock for every drop of cum and followed, shuddering uncontrollably as he climaxed. Hearts pounding, they collapsed against one another. Dain kissed his temple.
“I love you,” he murmured. “That much I know for certain.”
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
“Here’s the memory chip,” Doctor Josson said as she slid a glass container holding the small vial of information. “Dain and Ben are resting after their return from their long journey.”
Doctor Robinson held up the vial and looked at the contents. “Is this the one that was—”
“Don’t ask,” Buffy interrupted, wrinkling her nose. “I heard recovery was a crappy job. Just load it up.”
Michelina smirked as she used a set of forceps to grab the chip and insert it into the computer’s memory dock, waiting for the copied files to upload.
“Is the baby okay?”
Buffy nodded. “It’s twenty-two weeks now, and everything is perfect. Would you like to know the sex?”
“Did you tell Ben and Dain?”
“No. They
chose not to know.”
“A surprise? Can you keep that secret for the next eighteen weeks?”
“I’ll have to be careful of my gender-neutral pronouns.”
Michelina smiled. “I think that’s a burden you’ll have to keep by yourself. A surprise might be fun.”
Buffy pursed her lips but didn’t have to ponder on the dilemma for too long because the chip opened on the screen. Two files appeared.
“Open that other folder,” Buffy said, pointing. “The one marked The Farm.”
Once Michelina double tapped it, a slew of folders opened. One name caught her eye, so she clicked on the one marked Gaia Dev. Her picture popped up along with a slew of information on her captivity at a Sector laboratory.
“Oh my God,” Buffy muttered after a moment. “What the hell is this?”
“It’s … it’s a breeding farm,” Michelina said as she clicked through the documents. “Gaia is alive. She’s a mare.”
“He became a madman,” Michelina replied sadly. “He wanted to be a creator of life, but this, it’s too much.”
“That’s my sister,” Vic said from behind them.
“She’s alive,” Michelina told him. “She’s at this place Sector has named Facundia Farm.”
“And where is this fucking farm?” he demanded. “Because I’m going to get my sister back.”
“Tarak needs to know.”
“Then you get a message to him, but I’m not waiting.”
Michelina walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not wise, you know that. If Sector gets their hands on you, then you could possibly endanger all of us.”
“You think I would betray you? Or the resistance?” He shook of her hand. “I’m not a weak link!”
“I never said you were,” she said calmly. “But you have to be careful. More than your vengeance is at stake.”
He stared at her before nodding once, turning and leaving.
“Do you think he’ll be back?” Buffy asked.
“I don’t know,” Michelina replied. “But I hope to God he finds her.”
****
Three months later
Ben gripped Dain’s hand tightly. “I’m nervous.”
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