“Computer, start showing us the recordings again. Where we left of, please.”
The image picked up where they left off. They watched Kuarto insert each of the DNA’s into the eggs he had cloned.
The readings from them filled the screen and he shook his head. “Nothing, which is what I expected.”
He decided to clone a few more eggs. Once he was done he noticed four new specimens sitting on his desk. Compliments of Al he was sure. He scanned each of them to see what type of DNA he sent. He logged it into his system and tried each of them with the same effect as before.
“I know you’re listening. They didn’t work either.”
“I noticed.” He walked into the room. “And that doesn’t surprise you. Why?”
“It was something Heather and Storm said. They told me they were sterile before Heather became pregnant. I’m assuming you acquired it right before she became pregnant so it could be from the same group that ended up having one fertilized. If that is true then any egg from her would be sterile. Including the one which is now carrying life. So how is her coming child possible?”
“So you think it is something with them, not the egg?”
“I’m not sure, which is why I want to run the tests I have set up, but I suspect it.” He stood. “Unless you have other plans.” Kuarto was taller than Al and planned on using it to his advantage. “You haven’t trusted me since I got here.”
“That isn’t true.”
He pointed to the cameras in the room. “You already have the computer wired to give you any info I learn on the egg. Why would you have so many cameras in here and out in the hall outside our room if trust wasn’t the problem?”
“I am worried about the egg. That is all.”
“The egg isn’t inside our room.”
“Didn’t you have a security system set up at your home? Something to make you feel safe.”
“I did.” He grinned. “And I was as paranoid as you seem to be. Look, you don’t trust me. I get it, but either let me do my work the way I’m used to or lock us up and find someone else. The way you’re doing it right now is driving me crazy. I feel like a prisoner not someone you hired.”
“Trust is a very hard thing to give. I have trusted before and was betrayed.”
“So was I.” Kuarto watched him. He knew so little of the man he was forced to work for. “Who betrayed you?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Al moved then, breaking eye contact. “I will remove some of the security, but I want you to understand I need to feel safe so some will remain. Your room has already been cleaned, as you requested. I’ll also pull the security sensors from the hallways near your room so you can have your privacy, but this room will remain the same. This is my life and I don’t want anything happening to it. I’m doing that for my protection.”
Kuarto didn’t like all the cameras. If he had his way they’d all be gone. Al knew he couldn’t escape. He had made sure they didn’t know anything but the few buildings they had seen of the compound. But at least he would feel more comfortable talking to Toki in the lab. “And if we prove ourselves?”
“Then more freedom will be given to you.”
****
Toki walked into the room first. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned to look at him. After he stepped in, the door was sealed and they were alone. “So you trust him to remove the security near this room?”
“That’s what he promised.” He walked to where she stood and pulled her into his embrace. “It falls into the ‘we’ll have to see’ category.”
“Do you trust him?” She leaned into him, needing his warmth and strength for comfort.
“Are you okay?”
“Frightened, but fine.” She loved the feel of his arms around her. “Sure would like to know what is going on.”
“Would you believe I’m here to rescue you?” He spoke to her softly, just in case.
She laughed. “I think you’re doing a terrible job.”
“I know, but there is a second part to why I’m here.”
“The egg.”
“You got it.”
“I would think you would want to get us away from here before you started your research.”
“The situation didn’t work out that way.” He remained quiet while he figured out what to say. “Once I got here I knew I couldn’t just walk out with that egg. It doesn’t matter what Al said, that egg doesn’t belong to him. Heather and Storm trust me to bring it home or destroy it. I can’t fail them.”
She hoped the system outside had been cleared before they started talking, even if they were speaking softly to each other. Kuarto was revealing things she didn’t expect.
He let go of her and pulled his scanner out. Changing the setting to a security one, he checked the hallway near their room. “It’s clean.”
“Why didn’t you do that before?” asked Toki.
“Because it was a test to see what he would do with the information.”
“So you’re sure we’re safe now.”
He nodded.
“Will you tell me what is going on then?”
He turned the scanner on once more and set up a white noise to block recording devices outside the room that might be close enough to pick up what they say. “I’m wired.”
“What?” She hadn’t noticed anything, and as often as they had been intimate she was sure she would have seen something, but she did a quick look again just in case.
“You remember the old tales of an underground compound?” At her nod he continued. “Heather found it and the technology there rivals anything here. They can see and hear us like they are here.”
“Everything?”
“I’m assuming they aren’t watching every minute.” He frowned at the thought. “That will be something we’ll have to ask when we get back.”
“I will kill him if he is watching.”
Kuarto grinned. “Not her?”
“I know better. Heather would give us our privacy. My brother wouldn’t.” She crossed to the small bed.
“Your brother is the least of my problems right now. I’m worried Al will push me to move on this faster than I want to.”
“Why are you dragging this out?”
“Because I haven’t figured out how to get us out safely yet. And have no clue where we are so they can come and get us. So until we get more information we’re kind of stuck here at Al’s whim.”
“If that computer is so advanced why can’t they have it track us?”
“Heather hasn’t been able to activate the entire system so it will only do so much.” She gave him an odd look. “It’s a long story. Right now we’re on our own and need to find a way to let them know where we are.”
****
Kuarto sat at his desk waiting to see if Al did hear anything they had said. He had a few tricks up his sleeves so he would know if they had been overheard. If Al said anything about the compound he would know the man had been listening in. Heather and Storm had kept the compound under the tightest of securities. Nobody knew about it but four of them.
He got up and stretched. Toki had been too quiet since learning her brother could hear and see everything that they did. She sat nearby, never too far away from him. He walked by a shiny surface and noticed a slight discoloration on his collarbone. “Hmm.”
He walked to another spot where he could get a better look. “What is that?” He pulled his scanner out and ran it over the area.
“What?”
“I seem to have a new mark. It’s nothing that will harm me but I wonder where it came from?”
She came over to look. Her face didn’t show any emotion but her eyes shined with fear. He felt a little jolt when she ran her fingers over it. Did she know what it was?
“Is that where I bit you?” Her voice a little high pitched for her.
He had to think. “I think it is. You saying you caused that?” He looked back at the surface to see it again before he turned his gaze back to her.
&
nbsp; “Um, it’s possible.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye.
“Well?”
“Well what?’
“What about this has you so frightened?”
Chapter 12
Storm watched the screen in shock. “She marked him?”
“Isn’t that what you did to me?” Heather touched the side of her neck where her mark was. It was something she wore with pride.
“Yes, but that was different.” He pressed a soft kiss against her mark.
“How?” Heather sat in front of him so she had to turn to look him in the face. “If I remember, your sister yelled for quite a while when she realized what had happened.”
“That’s because I didn’t follow protocol. We were blessed by our religious leader. He’s not there with them, is he?”
“You’re not getting it, are you?” He could be so dense at times. “Let’s try this a different way. When we were first told we were to marry, did you plan on taking me as your mate as well?”
“My uncle–”
“Don’t care about him right now. Deep down inside. What did you feel?”
“I was attracted to you.” He touched her face gently.
“I was a new toy to play with.”
“You had the stamina to put up with my voracious appetite. No one could do that. You also didn’t fall all over yourself to get my attention the moment I met you. I found that intriguing.”
“And this?” She exposed the little mark on her neck. “Did you plan this?”
“No. It just happened.”
“Exactly.” She pointed to his sister. “It just happened. I think they are destined for each other even though your sister knows her duty. She isn’t very happy about that mark. Just look at her face.”
Her face was frozen on the screen because the computer stopped the video when they started talking. Stark fear shone in her eyes.
****
Toki wasn’t sure what to do. Lying wasn’t part of her nature, but he might not be very happy about what that meant. She took a deep breath. “Um, Vespian mates receive a mark like this when they go through the mating ritual.”
“We haven’t gone through a ritual.”
“I know, but the mark has shown up on people before the ritual was done as well. That is very rare but I know of one instance that happened recently.”
“Really?” He watched her with curiosity on his face. “Who?”
“Heather and Storm.” She stole a quick glance at him.
“The one on her neck?”
“Yes.” He didn’t seem to be too upset with this. She wasn’t sure how to handle that.
“I wondered what that was.” He was quiet for a moment. “Does this mean we’re mates?”
She found herself studying the floor a lot. “I don’t know.”
“You mean you don’t want to commit, even though you were driven to mark me as yours.”
“I’m not supposed to mate.” This was going to be very hard to explain.
“What are you talking about?” He walked to where she stood. His hand slipped under her chin and lifted her head so she would look him in the eyes. “Don’t look at the ground while we’re talking about this.”
“I am to be the next religious leader of the planet. It’s a position I’ll hold for fifty years and I’m not to look for a mate until after I have served my term.” She watched his face as her words sank in.
“Why?”
She shrugged. “That’s part of the job. Why aren’t you upset about this?”
“Did you do this on purpose?” He touched his collarbone.
“No.” She looked at the mark. Good thing he didn’t ask if she was proud of it because in a way she was but for all the wrong reasons. A mate wasn’t part of her life right now, and she wouldn’t dare ask him to wait until she had fulfilled her duty.
“Didn’t think so.” He studied her, making her nervous. “You don’t seem happy about this.”
“It shouldn’t have happened.” She had been groomed for her upcoming position. All the training, all the studying, was done. No one could do it but her. It would take too long to get someone else ready.
If only she could speak to her uncle. He would know what to do.
He wanted to press it further but the door to their room opened at the moment. Their guards ushered them back to the lab.
She was grateful for the reprieve. It would give her time to think everything through.
Kuarto walked beside her, quiet. She wondered what he was thinking. Then he whispered in her ear. “Do you have one too?”
She didn’t know. That would be something they would have to look for when they went back to their room.
****
“Told you.”
“Told me what?” Storm refused to acknowledge what his mate was driving at.
“She knows her duty.” Heather gave him a smug smile.
He grunted. Kuarto was right when he told his sister things weren’t going as planned. The computer hadn’t been able to track Kuarto once he left the bar because of some sort of security scrambler. It was still working on a way to decipher the data to try to get a fix on their location, but hadn’t been successful yet. The mention of the binary stars helped but none of the planets they saw when Kuarto and his sister went for their walk was helpful. They still needed more information.
And now his mate was proving she knew his sister better than he did.
Storm chose to let her comment go.
Heather watched him with that grin on her face. His lack of reaction seemed to work for her as well as any comment he might have made.
****
The readings always came back the same. Nothing would fertilize the sterile egg. “I need to speak to Al.” He knew the room was bugged so waited for one of their guards to answer.
Al came into the room within a few minutes. “Have you found something?”
“Nothing. No matter how I manipulate any of these samples the results are the same.”
“You feel this egg can’t be fertilized.” For some reason he didn’t seemed surprised.
“Not by any normal means.”
“Use this, and put it in the real egg.” He handed him another sample.
“I need to run tests on it before I can do that.” Kuarto looked at the sample. “We only get the one shot.”
“I know.” Al didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no right away either. “I’ll allow you to run your tests, but I want to make sure the data doesn’t leave this compound. I’ll want to wipe your scanner before you leave this planet.”
“That is fine.” He picked up his scanner and held it out to Al. “You want to check it before I run my scans?”
He looked at the scanner for several seconds before he shook his head. “I’m going to have to trust you sooner or later, so why not start now.”
“I’m touched.” He hoped his hand wouldn’t shake as he used it. The scanner pulled the data off and loaded it to the screen. It didn’t take long for the scan to finish, but he knew it would take him a few days to work his way through all the information. He frowned as some of it caught his eye. “Whose DNA is this?”
“Mine.”
“You have a lot of the same markers the egg from Heather does. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Heather had a high percentage of ancient in her. What he saw showed this man as one hundred percent ancient. How was that possible?
“I wouldn’t worry about that.” He headed to the door. “You do what you need to get this egg fertilized.”
Toki came to his side once Al left. “That sounded like an ultimatum.”
“I know.” Kuarto stared at the data. What did this mean?
****
Heather looked at Storm. She had walked in right before Al handed his DNA over. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. We’ve never had any records of an ancient being amongst us.”
“That is not true. He lived on this planet for several years. He found this facility an
d utilized it while he was here.” The computer gave them the information. “His knowledge is the reason I wasn’t able to track the doctor the way I should have.”
“And you didn’t think that was pertinent information?”
“You never asked if he had come to the compound.”
“It is still a computer, Storm.” She could feel his anger starting to grow. “Volunteering information might not be part of its program.”
The glare he gave her would have made anyone else cower, but she understood. “Are you saying there are ancients living amongst us without our knowledge?”
“He and Heather are the only ones who fall into the category of ancients, but the elders are aware of both people.”
“The elders didn’t know of Heather’s ancient blood and I doubt any of them know of Ialog.”
“They were the ones who woke him up.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think we need to speak to your mother,” said Heather.
“You think she’s been keeping information from us?” He had that ‘I’m not in control and I don’t like it’ look on his face.
“I think she’s following the basic need to know basis your planet runs on.” Heather knew she needed to handle this properly. “We haven’t told her about Al so she doesn’t know who has been causing all of our problems. I would think she would have told us about him if she suspected him to be the threat to us.”
“You’re right.” He slipped an arm around her waist as they headed out of the compound. “You always give people the benefit of the doubt.”
“There’s no reason to get mad until you have all the information.” Heather had to walk fast to keep up with his long legs.
“How was she today?”
“Pretty normal. She’s worried about your sister, but I didn’t see a break in her armor this time.”
“Wonder how she’s going to take our questions.” He nodded to one of the men guarding her rooms.
“We’ll know in a moment.” Heather stepped in first. “Anseri?”
“I’m in here.” She came out with a hopeful smile on her face. “What brings you here? Do you have news?”
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