“Any idea who sent her?” Bei asked, half listening. There must be a way to get to that planet.
“No, Sir.” Shang’hai scratched her scalp through her pink hair. “I’m running encryption programs to break the written notes. The only reason I got the time and trajectory was because I knew the co-ordinates of Earth and our present location.”
Nell laid her hand on Shang’hai’s now closed compartment. “Did the log say anything about my mission?”
Shang’hai shook her head. “Sorry.”
With the proof of a habitable planet on the other side of the wormhole, Nell Stafford really could save the Syn-En. Bei’s thoughts returned to the timeline. How could they have known about this over a hundred years ago? Unless they hadn’t. “Is it possible that Earth tried to save some people fearing the plagues would wipe everyone out?”
Nell snorted. “I hardly think I’m the Eve type, besides there’d have to be an Adam. You know the first man and woman.”
Bei nodded. Although, he didn’t believe in anything, humanity’s religions had been incorporated into his database. “And procreation of the species.”
“Yeah. Um.” Her pale cheeks turned pink.
“Interesting.” Bei monitored her vitals and was reminded of her potent fertility. Had she been an attempt to save humanity from the plague? At forty, the UEN considered her ripe for reproduction, but would an over populated world of the early twenty-first century see her that way?
Nell cleared her throat. “What are you going to do with me now? And please don’t say you’re going to kill me. Even for a short time.”
“I still need the information you have.” And she knew something, the cerebral spike he registered when he mentioned the wormhole confirmed it. But would it be any use a century out of date?
“There’s one other thing, Admiral.” Shang’hai’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. “As soon as we brought the com system online, the bitch’s little recording played. The civies are not happy, some have even armed themselves and are threatening to sabotage the ships.”
Shit. A thousand punishments for Burkina Faso flashed inside Bei’s skull. He had forgotten the citizen’s death had been digitally recorded. “And the transmission?”
“I stopped it, but the damage has been done.” Shang’hai jerked her head to the com terminal embedded in the wall. An image of Nell flickered on the screen.
“That’s me?” Nell sucked in a deep breath. “Oh my God, the camera does add ten pounds.”
“I’ll make an announcement in fifteen.”
“Aye, Admiral. I’ll send the word.” Shang’hai glanced from the human to him. “The bridge com unit hasn’t been repaired yet, but this unit is working.”
“I’ll be transmitting from my quarters.” Bei focused on the citizen. She could keep her secrets, for now he needed something else from her. “That is if Nell is really here to save us.”
Overwhelming strength and fear will only control a population for a short time. For long term occupations choose leaders who will believe mission objectives mesh with their own goals and perhaps even their ideas.
Containment and Control Strategies
Syn-En Vade Mecum
Chapter Seven
Public speaking and nudity. Two of Nell’s biggest fears scheduled to happen on the same day. Even knowing she had a purpose couldn’t still the butterflies in her stomach nor could the relative covering of the emergency blanket. She glanced at her hand clasped firmly in the admiral’s large right one. The feel of his rough skin against hers caused a prickling sensation to travel up her arm, and desire beat the chill off her bare skin. That’s the nakedness talking.
Or her brain trying to distract her from the upcoming speech to his men. All of whom had seen her in her birthday suit. Maybe if she’d talked to them before… Ah, who was she kidding? Nell tightened her grip on the admiral’s hand as he dragged her out of the cargo bay and into the hall. Dying would be preferable.
Heck, she’d done that today, too.
Spaghetti thin cables bristled from missing ceiling and wall panels. Exposed bulbs flickered as they wobbled against their ballasts, bathing the hall with strobe lights. Whatever the ship had endured had been a doozey. At least Nell prayed the craft had encountered something and it wasn’t just being held together by duct tape, garbage ties and bubblegum. That was all well and good for the movies, but not in real life. Especially when her life depended upon it.
“I just can’t believe I’m here.” Forcing a smile, Nell nodded as Bei towed her closer to a soldier in the six-foot-wide corridor of the spaceship. “Hello.”
The crewwoman with a pale face and short blonde hair, jerked to the side. She pressed her back flat against the gray metal wall to study the one opposite her.
“Do you think you should be somewhere else?” The admiral’s voice remained even, almost disinterested. And yet…
And yet, Nell couldn’t shake the feeling that every word she uttered was measured and weighed on his mental scale. Well, she’d show him. She’d prove her usefulness so they didn’t lock her away. Not that he’d threatened to, but she knew how the world worked. A person was only as good as what they could do. While she may be out of her time, she was here for a purpose. She just had to remember it.
“I just never thought I’d end up in the future,” Nell muttered. Despite scissoring her legs in a walking motion, her toes never touched the floor. Her cheeks burned in shame from being tugged behind him like a damaged blimp. A growl rumbled low in her throat. And speaking of bloated, that recording of him killing her had been none too flattering either.
When the corridor branched, the admiral took the left passage. “I think you timed your arrival perfectly. Our need is great.”
Nell turned her smile on two soldiers repairing a mishmash of cables hanging from the hole in the ceiling. “Hi. How you doing?”
Both men straightened to attention and stared straight ahead.
Nell’s smile felt frozen to her face. As much as she wanted to scowl, she couldn’t. Good God, these people had seen her naked and now they were reluctant to look her in the eye. She pulled her silver emergency blanket sarong tighter around her and nodded at the ponytailed woman removing large metal panels from the hallway wall. Nell blinked in surprise. The soldier had only one leg. Neatly pleated fabric folded over the joint where the other should be.
Nell forced herself not to gawk as they approached the one legged crewwoman. “Is she all right?”
“Ensign Oslo undoubtedly donated a leg to her CO,” the admiral answered as if loping off a leg happened all the time.
The ensign looked up, caught sight of Nell, came to attention and saluted. Too bad the cyber woman had no hand to salute with. Instead her wrist glowed a soft white, an oval light at the end of the point of amputation.
Nell shuddered. Maybe swapping body parts was a common occurrence here. She had to remember this was a different era and the Syn-En were cyborgs, part man, part machine. Her gaze dropped to the admiral’s behind. Nice and firm under his black uniform. Was it real or a machine part, like an engine block in a car?
For a Syn-En, human dermis has been replaced by Neodynamic Armor. The plating is layered similar to scales and can be a hundred thousand times more sensitive than regular skin.
Encyclopedia Mom returned. But if Mom really were part of Nell’s subconscious, where had the information come from? Could she have been modified somehow? How would she know? The Syn-En didn’t look any different than her. At least not when they were whole and hadn’t been dismantled like some Lego Bionicle. Yet, the doctor had said she was one hundred percent organic. Maybe while she slept, that stasis thing had fed her information through subliminal messages or brainwashing.
And the near constant sex thoughts?
Time had swallowed her family, friends and everything she knew, but she’d survived. And now her biological clock ticked so loudly it was deafening. A hundred thirty-five years of celibacy had heightened her awareness.
So, how come she couldn’t shake the feeling something fishy was going on? She’d never been a bed bunny, hopping from one affair to another.
Knock it off. For all she knew the Syn-En were celibate. With a spurt of possessiveness shooting through her, Nell focused on the flexing of the Admiral’s gluteus maximus as he towed her down the twists and turns of the damaged corridors. Maybe he couldn’t have sex. Maybe his equipment had been replaced by an adjustable screwdriver. She winced at her poor choice of words.
As if hearing her thoughts, Bei glanced over his shoulder at her. His left brow cocked above one gray eye. “You have a question?”
“No!” Embarrassment burned her cheeks. Last thing she needed was for him to learn she’d contemplated him and his parts.
His eyes narrowed slightly before he turned around.
Mom, the encyclopedia, used the silence to complete her entry. Syn-Ens are capable of reproduction once the gamete blocker has been lifted. As for their secondary sexual characteristics, the appearance and function are preserved, but thanks to recent upgrades, individuals can adjust the size at will.
Nell squeezed her eyes closed. Good God, was there enough brain bleach to rid Nell of the memory of her mother talking about made-to-order erections? An odd whimpering sound slipped past Nell’s lips. Was the information real or just wishful thinking?
“My quarters are close.” The admiral tucked his arm against his body, reeling Nell closer to him.
Raising her free hand to his shoulder, she stopped herself from slamming into his hard frame. As if it weren’t enough to have erotic thoughts plaguing her, now everyone knew she didn’t touch the ground, couldn’t walk like a normal person. “I feel like such a freak.”
“Freak?” The admiral stopped before a set of closed double doors. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“What are you getting so upset about? I’m the one who mooned everyone on your ship with my cellulite dimpled butt.” Anxiety grabbed her vocal cords and started throwing off words. “And to top it off, I can’t even walk. Walk, for crying out loud. I’ve been doing that since before I was a year old.”
“You haven’t enough metal in your body to attract you to the deck and provide your muscles with the resistance of artificial gravity. Clothing will help.” Bei tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers skimmed the curve of her jaw. “As for your ass flash, I do not think anyone has complained.”
Ass flash? For some reason the words struck her as funny. Humor helped her relax into his touch. At least they’d reached his room before she embarrassed herself further, like drooling on him.
He can detect your attraction to him.
You can shut up any time now, Mother. Nell’s cheeks ached from maintaining her brave face. She adjusted the sarong over her breasts. Fortunately, she could blame the cold for their puckered state. “You said clothes. Will I get them before or after my speech?”
“Before.” Bei’s hand dropped to his side. “I do not think there will be time to rehearse your speech, so you will need to read it off the LCD prompt.”
“No problem.” Just get me to your room before the rest of your crew comes on board. The double doors slid open and she gasped. Good God, he lived in a box. A six by three foot box. Prisoners lived in more spacious quarters. And there was no bed, just walls and a bar across the ceiling. Did these people sleep like bats, hanging from the bar overhead? Panic choked her. She shook her head, trying to dispel the anxiety before it drowned her. “I am so not suited for this assignment.”
The admiral tugged her into his room and the door closed behind them. He set his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her down so her feet were flat on the floor. “Would they have sent you otherwise?”
Nell curled her toes against the cold metal deck. “I…”
Releasing him, Nell gestured to the enclosed space. Her hands touched both sides easily. She folded her arms across her chest. How was she to sleep in this place? Maybe she’d just strap herself to the admiral like a leech. Excitement coursed through her. Was she going to sleep with the admiral? Her elbows brushed the smooth walls and claustrophobia caused her belly to dance. Great. That’s all she needed, to vomit. With her luck, it would probably rise up and smack her in the face.
Bei pulled her against him. From thigh to chest, she felt his strength seep into her even as her mind registered the softness of her body settling into the hard planes of his.
Calloused hands cupped her bare shoulder blades and for a moment compassion softened his expression. “You are the right person for this job, Nell. You survived the darkest era in human history and traveled millions of miles from Earth to save us, a people most of your kind don’t care about.”
“How can I save anyone with a speech?” Nell laid her cheek against his chest, felt the rise and fall with each breath and the slow drum of his heart. For a moment, the heat of his body warmed her, but slowly a fire ignited low inside her that had nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with a raw sexual need.
“The words are not as important as you being here to utter them.” He tucked her head under his chin.
“I wish I had your faith.” And his strength. With it, she could get through this speech without throwing up. Behave, she urged her rumbling stomach. The speech gave her a purpose, and afterwards?
He scooped her legs up in one arm and cradled her against his broad chest. “It is not faith but practicality.”
Wiggling in his hold, she tucked the edges of her toga between her legs and felt to make sure it covered her private parts. “Thanks. I think.”
“You’re welcome.” He rocked her slightly, then the doors opened.
Nell bit her lip to keep the hysteria from spilling out. She definitely qualified for the idiot of the year. They’d been in an elevator, not his quarters. She might have figured it out earlier if she’d been able to touch the floor and feel the motion. She was getting sick of floating, of not knowing what was going on. “Did that box Ms. Shang’hai found contain any instructions for me?”
“It is a flight log, unlikely to have other information on it, but I will have her check.” Bei carried Nell down another long gray hall. This one had suffered less damage. Aside from a few buckled sheets at regular intervals along the walkway, none of the panels had popped off and no wires waved from pitted walls.
The crew quarters must be better protected against whatever had happened to the other areas. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about being sucked out a hole while she slept. Better yet, no crewman was around to stand at attention so they wouldn’t have to look at her. Nell looped her arms around the admiral’s neck. “You have interesting names. Shang’hai. Rome. Isn’t anyone called John or Jack or Jane anymore?”
“The Syn-En are named in accordance with our genetic ancestry.” The admiral marched down the hall. The motion was smooth as gliding with only the chink of his heels punctuating his steps.
“So Chief Rome is Italian?”
The admiral’s brow furrowed for a moment before he looked down at her. “He is descended from a member of the European Nation. Chief Engineer Commander Sydney Shang’hai’s parents are believed to be from both the Asian Consortium and the PanAus Island Federation.”
“Believed to be? She doesn’t know?”
“The Syn-En are wards of the state and have been since infancy or close to it.”
“I think I knew that.” How Nell knew was another matter, but that could wait. Maybe after she gave her speech, she’d look at the stasis chamber a little closer. Something told her the answer lay there. “So your name…”
He remained quiet as they reached the end of the empty hall. A single door opened at his approach and he walked across the threshold.
Nell didn’t take her eyes off him. “You’re not going to tell me your name.”
“Beijing York. Although most of your kind address me as Admiral.” His full lips thinned as he looked down at her.
“I can see why. I mean you are an admiral. Which is the highest r
ank, right? And therefore deserving of respect.” Nell flinched at the anger vibrating through his body.
“It also helps for citizens not to see us as individuals.” Pain darkened his pale blue eyes, exotic in their slanted sockets.
“I’m sure that’s not the case.” She kept her hands locked behind his neck to stop from smoothing his ache away. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t interpret anything she did as a sign of comfort.
“It is. We do the same. Prisoners are given numbers and are addressed as such.”
A sliver of fear worked its way under her skin. “Am I your prisoner?”
She watched his face, looking for any sign of truth or lies.
After a heartbeat, the corners of his lips twitched. “No. You are here to save us, remember?”
“I remember, but I’m sure I’m supposed to do something more than give a speech.” For a moment, she played with the soft black hair at his nape, then her fingers explored the rough skin. Was it her imagination or was it just a bit squishy under her touch?
Beijing York winced, quickly released her legs and grasped her hands. “The communication will do for now.”
“Just keep it short. Last time I gave a speech, I threw up on stage.” Doubts whispered across Nell’s brain. She shook them off. If Beijing thought she could do the task she would try. After all, she’d joined the Save Our World Foundation to help, and he had said more than once that her talking to his crew would help. She straightened and saluted while hovering in front of him. “What are your orders, Sir?”
Beijing shook his head.
Dropping her hand, Nell shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t mean any insult by that.”
His mouth opened as if to speak but all that she heard was a loud chirp.
Nell slapped her hand over her mouth to trap a rising giggle. Now might be a good time to check out her new quarters. The queen sized bed took up a third of the rectangular room. Pinholes of white light illuminated the crisp corners of the tucked, silver blanket. Catty-corner to the bed, two green barrel chairs crowded a built-in metal desk and two flat computer monitors with a variety of ports hung above it. To the left of the bed, a set of sliding closet doors, with one tucked neatly behind the other, exposed three navy uniform shirts and folded pants on hangers.
The Syn-En Solution Page 11