Lin's Challenge

by Mara Jaye

Certain of how long it’ll take before the security bot arrives, I stop working. I face her, taking Lin’s available hand to have her stop and turn to me. Her sad eyes melt me, and I want nothing more but to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I let my fingertips trail down to her hand. “Lin, you don’t understand. You may not be mine, but I’m all yours. Make no mistake. We’re both getting out of here alive. Just because you can’t return to Earth doesn’t mean we won’t be together somewhere else. I can’t explain why right now, but neither of us has a choice about our union.”

  She lets the ax handle fall against her leg and rubs the back of her neck. “You are a little intense right now about this whole union thing. Why don’t we just hang out, work so we’re not zapped by the ray guns from the robot, and get to know each other later when we can rest?”

  Her sudden coolness hurts. I let her hand fall. Lin picks up her ax and adds, “I can promise you you’ll change your mind about me later.” She doesn’t look at me as she hits the wall. “To know me is not to love me. You’ll see.”

  The effort to not argue with her keeps my teeth gritted from the struggle. My words and meaning were clear, so I go back to work, too. It’s easier for me to bust rock until my arms fall off than it is to resist holding her right now. Especially when she sniffs back tears. Pless. “I promise you your faith in me won’t be misplaced.”

  “I’d laugh at that but you’re an Ididnt, right? So you have to live up to your words.”

  I smile at the mistake I’ll have to fix later. Telling her everything about Ghar, taking her home to meet my family, petitioning the Emperor for her citizenship are all things I can’t wait to accomplish once the mission is done. “That I am.”

  We work for a while. I’ve been focused on her and nothing else. The lull gives me a chance to review what my secondary attention picked up during our prior conversation. I missed a lot which makes me grateful for the internal recording.

  I review the report on what the food the Vahdmoshi serve us is. A plant-based material grown on the surface and enhanced with nutrients and hyper water. I don’t smile at the testosterone inhibitors even if it explains a lot about the various behaviors from the long timers here. Just as much as the corporal punishment for slight transgressions keeps the peace, so does limiting aggressive sexual tendencies. G’nar probably shit a charkin when he found out. The guy takes his muscle building seriously.

  Which reminds me to compile a report to send when we connect. I set up a notification last night for his signal, but nothing’s hit so far. We have enough evidence with Lin’s presence alone to convict everyone running the mines. G’nar could signal the director we’re done, and the three of us would be off this rock. The lesser worlders would need reconditioning and relocating.

  So would Lin. I glance at her without turning my head. The Alliance leaders would strip me of my status if I told her much more than what I have already. They’ll dump her and the others here into an eighth world where they’re the only sentient life forms. The refugees won’t interfere with an emerging race nor will they bring back harmful tech to their own kind. I can’t let her go without me.

  “I need to go.”

  I laugh because her thoughts mirror my own too well. “Really? Where to?”

  “Somewhere private. I might be thirsty as hell, but my bladder doesn’t know it.”

  “Oh, to piss. Do you have a place in mind?”

  “Yeah. One of the opened rooms is good. They’re dark, and no one stays there very long.”

  I nod. The punishment system in the translators is effective. “All right.” I watch as Lin puts down the tool. Before she can walk away, I want to make sure she’s safe. “No, don’t leave it. Take the pick.”

  “I don’t need to,” she says over her shoulder. “No one’s bothered me before. The security is too tight.”

  She's foolhardy, I think, but then I'm probably overprotective. I lose sight of her. She’s perhaps found privacy and might appreciate the extra time. I pick up her ax to keep up the illusion she’s here. The one-two strokes into the rock give me time to build an argument for Lin staying on Ghar.

  But, I can’t. She’s a fifth worlder at best, a sixth if I’m honest. If Earthers had been beyond the orbit of their own moon and could internalize tech, I’d have a stronger case. Otherwise, the leaders might let us live together on a third or fourth world, but there’s no way I could bring her home.

  I stop. She’s been gone a little too long for basic pissing. While she might have good reasons for the delay, I want to be sure she’s all right. I put both tools down. Someone talks to me about walking past them, but I ignore the chatter. She went further into the mine, and I need to find her.

  As I walk further away from our area, men catcall to me about following the tail. I ignore them despite the urge to twist their heads off with my bare hands. No wonder they’re down here, useless hunks of meat that they are. Up ahead and on the left, a Blendarian staggers out of an open cave. He’s clutching the back of his neck and is bleeding from a gash on his head. His right eye is swollen shut, and I run up to him. “What happened? Did you see an Earther go by here?”

  “Who do you think did this to me?” He brushes past me. “I gotta get back to work before this thing kills me.”

  I grab his arm. “Where is she?”

  “Fuck away.” He pulls out of my grasp. “Tag her if you want before she dies. I’m done with the little bitch.”

  A rage engulfs me, and I want to murder this being. “If you’ve hurt her, I will kill you.” I can’t tell if he pales. His fur is too thick. He backs away before running up the mine to his place.

  I may not have to kill him myself.

  My own translator is buzzing so I know Lin’s feeling it, too. Sure enough, I hear her moan among the crush of other sounds around me. She’s ahead, so I hurry over and look into the dark room.

  Another moan from her but I don’t see her there even after switching to infrared. I hurry to the next open room and see her crumpled against the far wall. “Pless it all!” She displays against the cold rock but barely. “Lin!” I run to her and gather her limp body into my arms. Letting the automatic information retrieval about her condition begin, I hold her close. As cool as she says I am, unlike her, I’m warmer than our surroundings.

  She begins struggling, just a little, and I can feel why. The sensor at the back of her neck is sending small electrical shocks. I need to get her out of here before the securbot comes. “Lin, beloved, wake up for me.”

  “Mm.” Her hands push at me. “Stop. Make it stop.” She puts a hand where the translator is and yelps. The damn thing shocked her.

  “We’ve been gone too long.” I pick her up. “Come on, sweetheart. I need to get you back to our work area.”

  “Put me down.”

  “Not happening.”

  “I mean it.” She struggles in my arms, waking up a little more. “Don’t touch the translator. I don’t want it to hurt you.” I go sideways out of the door, and she asks, “How does it shock my hand but not my neck?”

  “Relax. I’ll be careful.” There’s a metal disc on the surface to keep workers from removing it when the punishment starts. Out in the light, her neck is already coloring from where the bastard choked her. I should have killed him when I had the chance. We pass by the Blendarian on our way back, and I kick him onto the conveyor. He scrambles off, and I say, “Sorry,” as sincerely as I can. Judging by the glare he’s giving me, he doesn’t believe me either.

  I set Lin down and let her lean against me for a second or two. I pick up our tools, working one at a time. “The next time you need to do anything but work? I’m going with you.”

  “Okay, unless one of us is on the surface while the other is down here.” She reaches for her pick and stumbles into me.

  I won’t let that happen. If I’m not there, I’ll make sure G’nar watches over her instead. She doesn’t know about him, yet. I’m not sure if I should tell her until I need to do so. She winces, re
minding me the translator is still warning her. “Let me work for both of us. A little bit. If the securbot gets here, take your ax back and try to work until it leaves, all right?”

  “I will. I mean, I can work now.” She reaches for her tool again, but before I can give her the ax, she crumples at my feet.

  Chapter Eight

  Lin

  I wake up with a start. There’s nothing but darkness. My head and throat hurt like the devil, but I can feel Turkh’s cool body against my back. I reach forward to check if the rock wall barely visible is really there. It is.

  “How are you feeling?”

  His voice, low and gravelly, sends tingles down my spine. The same spine pressed against his chest and stomach. I’d make the joke about a rock and a hard place, except…yeah, he’s hard. Despite my headache, I smile. He may be a great guy, but he is a guy. “Sore, but fine.” He’s quiet, too much so and I’m worried. “What happened?”

  “Do you remember the attack?”

  His whispers move the hair covering my ears, and I frown because I don’t remember much after going to pee. “I remember pulling up my pants before getting hit on the head. Was there more?”

  “I wasn’t there for the actual attack.” His arm pulls me closer. “I found you afterward, unconscious. You woke but fell again.” He hesitates before asking, “Where do you hurt?”

  I run through everything, tensing muscles everywhere. Even between my legs, just in case the worst happened. “My head and neck mostly. He had his hand on my throat while trying to… Anyway, I kicked him off of me and into the wall.” Unarmed self-defense 101, always use your legs. “How long was I out?”

  “Not long. The shift change started when I picked you up. It solved a lot of potential problems for us.”

  I was out cold after the fox/dog mix of a man went for me. The others could have been next and unconscious, I’d never be able to fight. I didn’t want to use Turkh as a protector until now. Even if we were separated, the mere threat of him killing whoever hurt me might keep me safe.

  But was I using him? Really? With him holding me as if I were a treasure, I might be starting to more than like him. Not love, no. Not so soon, and not more than a lusty affection. He hadn’t needed to care about me and now for me. Yeah, certainly a little more than like for both of us. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  “You’re welcome. You can sleep. I’ll keep you safe until you’re feeling better.”

  What about him? He needed his rest as much as anyone, excellent body or not. Drowsiness meant slow reflexes. “I don’t want to be a problem for you.” I turn my head toward him. “I don’t want to get you killed if something happens to me.”

  “You’ll never be a problem, Lin. I care for you.”

  I’m definitely in love with him. I turn my body entirely to face him and press my lips against his. His people may not kiss, but saying thank you again didn’t seem like enough. He tenses and I pull away a little. I might have crossed some sort of cultural line. “I didn’t mean t—”

  He kisses me back, making my toes curl. Did I think he was cool? His lips are warm against mine. Apparently, people do kiss where he’s from, and it’s amazing. He pulls me closer until I have no choice but to feel his cock pressing against my upper thighs.

  Turkh smells fantastic. His scent drives me crazy, and it’s like fresh soil after rainfall with a hint of mint. There are others in our room, but not many and I almost want to give them a show when Turkh licks my lips.

  “I need to know so I can deal with them,” he whispers against my mouth. “Did anyone hurt you since you’ve been here?”

  He paused before hurt, and I’m sure I know what he doesn’t want to ask. “No. I’ve always stayed in a group. I’ve either had an ax in my hand, or the others were too exhausted to try. When they did, I could defend myself.” He kisses my forehead as I add, “Today, he jumped me from behind because I was careless.”

  “I should have been with you.”

  I run my fingers through his hair, pausing at his stubbly face. The rough texture feels good under my hands. “I don’t expect you to be my keeper. Eventually, you’ll miss a few too many meals and grow and grow weaker,” I pause because I can’t imagine Turkh ever losing his strength. “If several gang up on you, it’s over. And, I need to be honest.”

  He kisses my forehead and says against my skin, “You always have been.”

  I frown. How can he be sure I’ve not been lying to him so far? How is he so sure I’m a good person? I can’t know if he’s decent other than how he’s treated me in the past two days. Maybe three. I put my hand on his arm. I’m scared to believe in his goodness. “Then, I need to tell you I’m not fooled. I know you’re trying to keep my hopes up by insisting we’ll be rescued. Hell, you may even believe it’s possible, and maybe it is for you.”

  He’s silent for a while. “Your honesty is different from mine.”

  I sigh because he’s not getting it. I see through his efforts. He’s not fooling anyone. “Your realistic is different from mine, too.” The next part won’t be easy because I can already see his irritation in the dim light. “Thing is, you’re here, too. If you could have escaped by now, you would have.” I can feel anger from the tension in his body. “We both know it,” I add, and put my hand on his face. He feels so good against me. I press my lips against his unresponsive ones. “You seem like such a good man, and I’m sure you believe in your plans. I don’t mean to ignore what you think.” I kiss him again with still no response. He’s not happy, and I smile because I have the cure. “I want to make love with you, and we need to find a space and time alone before I die.” He inhales sharp enough that I feel his chest press against mine.

  “Challenge accepted. I hope you enjoy sex because you’re not going to die for a very long time.”

  I smile. “I suspect sex with you would be out of this world.” He laughs, and I ask, “An old one?”

  “So old it predates my solar system.”

  “Older than yo’ mamma?” I turn around to face the wall and because I like him spooning me.

  He nuzzles my neck. “She’s not going to like you aging her so much.”

  “Now I’m almost glad I won’t meet her.” When he’s quiet, I try to joke with him. “We’ll have some sex, some laughs, and you’ll hook up with a lovely fox girl they picked up to work here and forget my name.”

  “Lin?” he says so softly that I have to move closer. “When we make love, it’ll be in a place worthy of you. We’re getting off of this rock, and I plan on being yours for the rest of our very long lives.” I begin to rebut until he puts his index finger over my mouth. “No. There’s a lot you can’t and don’t know right now. The only thing you can be sure of is you won’t die here.”

  He’s so sweet and earnest. As soon as his fingertip slips from keeping me quiet, I have to tell him, “I want to believe you, I do, But fighting off that fox man took every ounce of my strength. You helped me today but what about tomorrow? You look superhuman, but you’re not. No one is.”

  “I would fight to the death for you no matter where you are.”

  The idea of him dying from one of the others attacking me breaks my heart. I’d have to watch him die before they turned on me. I imagine the worst before saying, “You can’t help me when we’re separated and I don’t expect you to kill yourself in saving me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Turkh

  There’s a lot I can’t tell Lin, but I can say one thing. “You don’t get to decide what I do when you’re in danger. Not now, not ever.” I hold her close. “We’re not discussing the subject anymore. We’ve found each other, and I’ll be plessed if I’ll let anything happen to you.”

  “Plessed?”

  “A curse, doomed, dammed, hell. Unique to Ghar.” Pless again. I slipped and said my homeworld. If the Vahdmoshi have listening devices in our translators, and why wouldn’t they, I’ve fucked up big time.

  “Gar?”

  Lin shakes me out of my s
elf-recrimination. She doesn’t pronounce her ha sounds. Cute, but gar is not my planet and means something entirely different. “Almost like that, yeah. It’s a planet.” I make a big show of yawning. “Work’s going to be here too soon. We should try to sleep.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Hmmm.” I nuzzle her hair, enjoying one last smell of her. “Don’t be. I enjoy talking with you, but I need to stay sharp.” She’s so warm and small. I know her size is deceiving, making me want to protect her physically. Yet, I love the person she is, too, and want to keep her safe mentally as well. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  The next morning, my internal sensors wake me before I truly come to. They’re picking up irregular voices, and I stir. Only, Lin’s snuggled next to me. I don’t want to disturb her. Not until the showers are closer.

  Just when I’m about to rouse her from sleep, she moans and sits up. “That has got to be the worst alarm clock in the world.

  I chuckle as others groan and get to their feet around us. “Could be worse. They could just start with hosing down the room.”

  “You’re right.” She lets me help her up and smiles. “I didn’t know you were such an optimist.”

  “Give me a few sas, and you’ll know everything about me.”

  “Sass?” The water begins and she yelps. “Yikes! I’d hoped it would be warmer than this.” She began scrubbing as if soaped. “We either get chilled water or food but not both.”

  I watch her and half-heartedly wash myself. Since I never think to look anywhere but her beautiful face, I’m now noticing how torn her clothes are. The fabric is a plant and plastic mix of fibers. I can tell where the weak spots are on the knees and inner thighs.

  “What?”

  I glance up at her. “Nothing. I was just thinking about a real shower.”

  “God, me too. Every minute of every day.”

  When we are back on Ghar, I’m having a buffet delivered every day. She can relax in a tub of whatever temperature of water she wants, and I’ll feed her myself. The daydream helps me ignore the spray. The spray slows to a trickle as the doors slide open. People begin leaving the room. Lin is wringing the water out of her hair as I watch.