Hers, Unbroken: A Science Fiction Romance

by Anna Adler

  Chase considered her words and nodded. “I’m glad you kept your head down. You getting arrested wouldn’t help anyone. I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”

  “I just wish there was some way I could make use of this footage.”

  Her pet looked away, his brow furrowed. His deft fingers worked on her instep. “I’m not a specialist in communications, but if you want to broadcast something without getting blocked, traced and arrested, you’d need to hack into a satellite.”

  Holly rubbed her brow. “I don’t have the faintest clue how to hack into a satellite.”

  “Me neither, but I know people who do.”

  Holly’s heart jumped. “Really?”

  “My friends on Jax’s ship have skills and connections. Jax is coming to pick us up anyway.”

  Holly sucked on her teeth, thinking. “We’d have to leave Silenia permanently.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I know you don’t want to leave.”

  “Leaving this planet might be the only option we have. If we can make this footage public from space, without the authorities shutting it down…it has to be enough.”

  Chase grinned. “You better edit it into one hell of a message then.”

  As soon as it got dark, Holly took Chase out again, new energy thrumming in her veins. They had sent Jax the coordinates of an optimal pick-up spot and planned the best steps to get there. She made him carry the package she had prepared. They went to the park, which was deserted now, and dumped the package into the fountain nearest to the tunnel leading outside the city dome.

  “That’s part one of the plan taken care of,” she said, dusting her hands.

  Chase turned to her. “Mistress, I want you to know…I’m going to help you free the aliens even if we’re out in space and it takes the rest of our lives.”

  “Chase…” Holly could only smile and reach up to caress his cheek, happiness sparkling inside her.

  She had been alone ever since she started to work at the IPT ten years ago. She never had anyone to confide in. Her only friend had been imprisoned for her sake. After years of paranoia and loneliness, all of a sudden she had an ally; someone who was prepared to move mountains for her. It left her speechless.

  “What’s the time now?” he asked.

  “About eight-thirty p.m.”

  “We have about twenty hours left before Jax comes for us. What’s the next step?”

  “Keeping a low profile. Too many people are still around, but somewhere between three a.m. and sunrise we might consider a medical station to get that chip out of your neck.”

  “Excellent. Let’s roam the city in the meantime,” he urged her, excitement in his voice. “Maybe we’ll come up with other ways to help the pets.”

  His eagerness resonated with the excitement bubbling inside her. She chuckled. “Come on, pet. We’ll go get a bite to eat.” She led him back toward the city.

  “Let’s go take a look at the parliament building while we’re at it,” he suggested.

  Holly glanced at him and he flashed her a dark grin.

  She rolled her eyes. “We’re not taking over the parliament.”

  “We should at least consider it,” he said. “Could be fun.”

  “It’d be the surest way to get you killed. No.”

  “Whatever the case, I want to see the building. Sightseeing, and all that.”

  “Fine. We’ll go to a restaurant at the Central Square. You’ll get to see the building.”

  They took the nearest magtrain to the Central Station, where they emerged at the main square of Sky Dome One, as well as the whole planet. The square was framed by glass skyscrapers, connected by dozens of air bridges, their pristine facades illuminated with multiple colors and electronic billboards. Elaborate fountains spewed water toward the night sky, accompanied by music.

  The marble palace of the Silenian parliament stood at the opposite end of the enormous square, lit by countless white lights.

  “Do you know anything about the security in that place?” Chase asked her as they stood gazing up at the pristine façade.

  “No. Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Do they allow pets inside?”

  “Yes. Pet owners are first class citizens and they can bring their pets along if they want to visit the building.”

  “So you wouldn’t have trouble sneaking me in there.”

  “We’re not going in there, Chase. Come on. I see a nice restaurant over there.”

  The restaurant was full, but the waitress found Holly and Chase a good table on the terrace, with a view of the square.

  “We would need weapons,” Chase remarked in a low voice.

  “Stop talking about it already,” Holly said, exasperated.

  “Don’t you think holding the big shots in there hostage would give us everything we want?”

  Holly nudged off her left shoe. She lifted her leg discreetly under the table and pressed the sole of her foot between Chase’s legs, against the bulge of his genitals. He jumped a little.

  “Mistress?”

  She gave him a grin. “It helps me think.”

  And helps to keep his smart mouth shut.

  She wiggled her toes, enjoying the swelling hardness in his crotch.

  That ought to keep his mind occupied.

  Chase stared at her with increasing hunger in his gaze. His throat worked as he swallowed. Holly leaned back and grinned, enjoying having him underfoot.

  Their food arrived. Holly began to eat at her leisure, keeping her foot between Chase’s legs. He ate gingerly, distracted. His cock was pleasantly hot and hard against her instep and she rubbed it casually. His breathing hitched.

  “The thing is,” she said conversationally between bites. “I see what you’re getting at. You want to attempt a revolution. I’d like to try that too, but your idea would fail. We don’t want to be branded as terrorists. Somehow, for a coup to work, we would have to get everyone on our side at once. Not just the few who agree with me, but the entire planet. The entire goddamn population.”

  “Is there any way to talk to the entire population?”

  “So everyone would listen? I have no idea how to do that. Hacking a satellite is our best bet, even though Silenians might simply dismiss our message as lies. Maybe, if we were famous, people would listen to us, even the ones who are brainwashed and can’t see the light on their own.”

  Dramatic music blasted from a nearby billboard and the image of Avalanche appeared on the screen, holding the wrestling trophy on his shoulder.

  “The unbeatable Avalanche remains the champion!” the announcer declared, his voice feverish from excitement. “Tonight, he successfully defended his title, defeating Fury, who holds second place in the tournament.”

  The restaurant broke into cheers and applause.

  “Oh, he won again?” Holly commented with a shrug and put another piece of grilled fish into her mouth.

  She stopped chewing as something crept into her mind. An idea. She looked up at Chase and then at the billboard. Avalanche’s portrait was surrounded by holograms of flying confetti and fireworks. Everyone in the restaurant was talking excitedly. Holly scanned the surroundings, observing the rapturous faces of her fellow citizens, then shifted her gaze back to Chase.

  “What?” he asked.

  Holly pulled her foot from his crotch and slipped it back into her shoe. “Hurry up and finish your meal.”

  His eyes narrowed and the corner of his mouth turned up. “You have a plan.”

  “I might have a plan, yeah. We have to go home.”

  Chase’s golden eyes were sharp with curiosity. Holly called for the bill and they both emptied their plates, barely tasting the food in their rush.

  “Will you tell me about it?” Chase asked as she led him briskly back across the square to the Central Station.

  “Of course. But not in public.”

  They ran to catch the next train. Once they got back to her apartment, she removed his metal collar and r
ushed to the VR monitor.

  “What’s the deal?” Chase asked as she typed and searched through the fields of information.

  “Avalanche,” she replied, her heart beating rapidly with excitement. “He just might be the hero we need. You saw how people greeted the news of his victory?”

  “Yeah. Everyone seems kind of excited about him.”

  “He’s held the champion’s title for ages. Everybody knows his name and he’s in front of the TV cameras all the time. Your word or mine doesn’t carry much weight here…but if someone like Avalanche were to address the Silenian public and ask them to set him free? I think the Silenians wouldn’t refuse. Avalanche is a hero. If he was to say that he wants to be released, or that all pets should be released…we could really set something in motion.”

  “So you plan to talk to Avalanche?”

  “No.” She ceased typing and turned to look at him. “You’re going to talk to Avalanche, and I’m going to keep his owner busy while you do it.”

  “Why me?”

  “You’re in the same position. Both of you are captives here.”

  “But you’re a Silenian and he’s been conditioned to obey you. Couldn’t you just order him to do something?”

  “I can’t order him to do anything against his owner’s wishes. You have a much better chance of persuading him. You can appeal to his former self.”

  Chase frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know about that. I’ll do anything you need me to do, of course, but when I tried talking to another hybrid at the training center, he didn’t react to me at all. Couldn’t even get a name out of him. What if Avalanche just ignores me?”

  “You’re going to have to find a way. Try it, at least. This is important. I’ll try to convince his owner in the meantime.”

  He nodded. “I’ll do it.” He leaned over her shoulder and peered at the screen. “What are you doing?”

  Holly turned back to the screen and rubbed her hands. “I looked up how to get close to Avalanche. There’s no official way to meet him. He’s busy training and wrestling, and his owner, Ms. Reed, seldom lets random strangers near her champion. We’re going to have to…improvise.”

  “Not a problem. What do you suggest?”

  She tapped an image on the screen and it popped up larger, displaying a massive, dome-shaped building covered in screens and searchlights. “This is the wrestling arena here in Sky Dome One. I found out Avalanche has scheduled matches for the next four days, so he’s most likely staying at the arena, in the Champion’s Suite at the top of the building. His owner must be there as well. We’re going to pay them a visit.”

  “An uninvited visit, I gather.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Breaking and entering, then. What’s security like?”

  Holly heaved a sigh. “Well, I suspect the parliament house would be a piece of cake in comparison. This is Silenia’s main sports arena, and they have to consider the safety of thousands of spectators and their pets. The wrestlers taking part in the tournament have millions of rabid fans. The safety of the wrestlers is the highest concern, so getting to the dressing rooms is hard, let alone breaking into the champion’s quarters. And then of course, cameras are everywhere. Security cameras, TV cameras, people with their camera phones…”

  “Sweet.”

  “I haven’t been to the wrestling arena often, so I don’t know the building very well. Study this footage while I buy us tickets for the next available match, all right?”

  “Why bother with tickets?” Chase asked. “Can’t we just scale the wall?” He pointed at the image that showed the building from the outside. “These are the windows of the Champion’s Suite at the top, right? We could get in through there.”

  Holly shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. You can’t enter through the windows.”

  “Why not?”

  “Unbreakable glass, like the walls of the glass cages back at the IPT. It’s because of Silenia’s poisonous atmosphere. If the dome cracks, the air in the city turns toxic. Citizens will have to take refuge indoors. That’s why all windows are made of unbreakable glass, designed so they can’t be opened.”

  “What about the ventilation shafts?”

  “Ventilation shafts on Silenia don’t lead up, but down. They’re connected to an air-recycling unit below the building. Same reason as with the windows—the buildings have to be airtight to protect the citizens. So scaling the outer wall of the building won’t get you anywhere. We can’t get inside that way.”

  “All right. Looks like we just have to go through the front door.”

  “I told you this would be tough.”

  “Good thing I like a challenge.”

  “I have to admit I’ve never broken in to a building before. What do your thief instincts tell you?”

  Chase’s brows knit together. “Looking at these images, I’d say avoiding detection is virtually impossible. We should try to look like we belong there.” He played sports footage from the arena in slow motion, zooming in on the crowd. “All those security guards standing around…we should grab one of them. Knock him out, steal his keys. You could put on his uniform.”

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  He paused to stare at her. “Really?”

  “Of course. Why?”

  He grinned and shook his head slowly, admiration evident in his gaze. “Sorry, Mistress. I keep forgetting how feisty you are.”

  She grinned back and put a hand on his shoulder. “Just remember—don’t touch anyone except me. You have to wear the training collar when we go there, and it has to be active. So if you try to grab or tackle a Silenian, the collar will react and you’ll be hurt.”

  He frowned. “But how am I supposed to help you if I can’t get physical?”

  “You’ll leave the physical to me. I need you to talk to Avalanche.”

  “But what if something goes wrong and we’re caught?”

  “If we’re caught, you’ll simply act like a pet. Trust me. I can pass us off as eager fans who are simply desperate to meet the champion.” She gave him a playful smile. “We’ll be fine; being a fan is not considered a severe offense. Everyone knows pet wrestling drives us Silenians a little crazy.”

  Chase chuckled. Suddenly, he pulled her in his arms and kissed her, making her gasp. He pressed her body hard against his before releasing her.

  “Sorry, Mistress. I just got a bit excited. Can’t wait to do this. It’s going to be fun.”

  She scoffed and straightened her jacket. “Infiltrating the wrestling arena? It’s going to be a pain in the ass.”

  “Like I said, it’s going to be fun.”

  Chapter 19

  Grabbing her and kissing her had been simply an impulse. Bursting with energy, Chase was eager to set Holly’s plan into action. But touching her re-awakened his arousal and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. He wanted more. The creamy skin of her throat and the sight of her cleavage made his cock harden and he started to sweat.

  Holly was working on the VR monitor again, her brow furrowed in concentration.

  “We’re in luck!” she cried out. “The matches are usually sold out, but I got us tickets for a low-ranking match tonight. It’ll be late…1 a.m., but it’s perfect for us.”

  Chase could only produce a grunt from his throat. He couldn’t stop thinking how beautiful she was, how alive, how he wanted to press his face into her skin and inhale her scent.

  Holly went on excitedly, “It’ll be night, it’ll be quiet, but there’ll still be a crowd to blend in with. We’ll get this done before your friend comes to fetch us.”

  She swung her gaze to him. He tried to snap out of it, but he was too late. Holly noticed his glazed stare and a wicked glint appeared in her eyes.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Are you turned on?” she purred.

  Before Chase could respond, she yanked him close and kissed him fiercely. He was amazed how strong her slim hands cou
ld be as she clutched him. She kissed the hell out of him.

  “Thank you, Chase,” she breathed as she broke away.

  “For what?” he muttered, dazed. His cock throbbed painfully in his pants.

  She caressed his face. “For giving me hope. We have a plan…we have several plans…and I’m starting to believe we can do this. We can help the pets.”

  “Of course we can,” he murmured with a grin. “You just needed inspiration.”

  “You’re a gift from the heavens, Chase,” she said, her eyes full of love. “Literally.”

  No one had ever called him a gift. He’d been called a menace, a hybrid freak, space scum… Her praise made him feel so good he clasped her tighter. “I’d do anything for you, Holly.”

  The look in her eyes turned wicked again. “And you have earned yourself a reward.”

  Fuck, yes. Heat rushed through him.

  “Yes, Mistress. I want…” He trailed off, excited visions racing through his mind.

  Holly nipped at the side of his neck. “Tell me what you want, my pet.”

  “Torture?”

  She pulled back and grinned, as if she’d been expecting this answer. “I seem to recall I promised to reward you with pain if you took your training seriously.”

  “Yes. I’m yours, Mistress. Use me.”

  “Use you?”

  “Yes. I want to be your plaything.”

  Holly kissed him. “Mm. My plaything.”

  Next thing he knew, she had collared him, the thick leather encasing his throat. Then she attached the thick chain he had chosen to the collar.

  “Come here.” She pulled on the chain.

  She pushed him down to sit in an armchair. She grabbed his shirt and yanked it up over his head, exposing his upper body. Her hands went to the front of his jeans. Chase tried to help, but Holly swatted his hands away. A dark, wicked look in her eyes, she unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. His chest heaving, he clenched his jaw tight to keep himself from panting aloud as he watched her take his cock out and stroke it. Fuck, it felt so good his balls tightened.

  “Stay still,” she ordered.

  She released him and stood back, briskly removing her clothes, after which she straddled him, grabbed his cock and guided it inside her.