by Viola Grace
“I am a jerk that way. Sorry.”
He was surprised into laughing.
She smiled at the lightness she could feel coming from him. It was as if a cloud had shifted away from the sun.
They flew along with that bubble of happiness between them until they dropped altitude and parked on a small island with a large structure on the centre surrounded by a wide variety of gardens.
“It’s pretty.”
“I am glad you think so. It will be your home from now on.”
She wrinkled her nose at that but acknowledged the joy that was coursing through his mind. He was very happy about her being confined with him.
“If you don’t mind, Lexi, I will carry you. You aren’t dressed or wearing footwear.”
“Fine, but no funny business. That costs extra.” She winked, and he lifted her up and out of her seat.
He held her tight against his chest and carried her into the structure via a tunnel.
She was treated to the sight of four other males of varying species. She recognized the ice blue of Patches right away.
“Lexi, you know Patches; that is Theory, our tactician; Pulse, our EMP generator; and Strike, our commander and weather controller.” Winger held her close. “Gentlemen, this is Alexia Under or Lexi. She is showing signs of being empathic, and she has had some physical enhancements installed. She will need time to get them under control.”
Strike nodded. “Show her to her room and get her into her suit. She has spent enough time on her back.”
Lexi blushed at the sudden suggestive turn of Winger’s mind. He didn’t say a word, merely carried her into a hall and toward an open door. She was more than ready to get dressed and have a new set of clothes. She was really beginning to miss clothing.
Chapter Four
The suit that was waiting for her was blue and encased her snugly from neck to toes. She smiled. The compression and coverage was the comfort she had needed after the loss of her armour.
Lexi checked her reflection out in the mirror and snorted in surprise. Her hair and eyebrows had turned snow white, but the regenerator had done wonders and the mass now hung just below her shoulders. It was a solid start.
Her eyes looked tired, but their colour had changed in the transformation. They were now a strange blue-green. Her skin was pale pink, and her lips were still full. It was amazing how she had forgotten her own face. With idle curiosity, she exposed her ears, but they were still the same, the tiny divots proclaimed her ears still pierced. “Well, there is that at least.”
Lexi checked her reflection one more time and headed out into the main hall and joined the Guardians in the casual area. She was met with vague distrust and active lust. There wasn’t a lot in between.
Winger was seated on a backless couch and having a drink. He got to his feet the moment she came in. “You look lovely, Lexi. Blue suits you.”
He came up to her and lifted her right hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. She felt a tingle building in her system, and she thought it was a side effect of the arousal, but the next moment, Winger was flying across the room and the smell of ozone was in the air.
The other Guardians were on their feet, Patches was at Winger’s side applying first aide. Strike confronted her with his multiple eyelids blinking and his scales dark. “What did you do?”
Lexi curled her hands into fists. “I was worried about physical attacks, so I had them install a built-in Taser system. That was the first emanation. I am really sorry, Winger.”
He grimaced as he got to his feet. “That one works, too.”
She approached him slowly. The others were blocking her direct path.
He shoved them out of the way and took her into his arms. He whispered. “Apology colour is green, just for your reference.”
Lexi bit her lip and hugged him back. “My people do it with the word sorry.”
Her hands started tingling again, and she pushed away from him. He released her quickly, and she stumbled back.
She fell to her butt, and the men reached for her, but she kicked them away a moment before the arc of electricity snapped from her left palm to her right.
Strike whistled. “What is that?”
Lexi grimaced. “Back home, we would call it a contact Taser. I was caught and unable to defend myself once. I thought this would be a good option for me. I guess that it is going to take some time to get it under control.”
Pulse reached down and lifted her. “Don’t worry. I have immunity. I suck in the energy and excrete it as the shockwave that knocks out electronics.”
She grunted as she got back to her feet. “That sounds lovely.”
He laughed, his silvery skin flexed in a charming grin. “We all have our talents, and they come out in the most unexpected ways.”
Winger carefully moved forward and took her by the arms, turning her crackling hands to face the rest of the Guardians but keeping her firmly in his possession.
“She looks like she is going to be fun to train.” Theory laughed.
Lexi frowned at him. He had the physical appearance of a talking tree and the charm of an irritated bulldog.
She waited for a moment while the Guardians stared at her in silence. “Do you folks have a data jack?”
Theory frowned. “I don’t want you touching my systems without a grounding unit.”
She reached out and grabbed Pulse’s hands. The spark flew between them, and she smiled beatifically at Theory. “I am guessing you have about ten minutes to get me to that jack before I build up another charge.”
Theory protested, “Strike, you can’t expect me to—”
Strike lifted his hand. “Hook her up, Theory. She has Negotiator training; she lives with data coursing in her mind. Hook. Her. Up.”
Theory waved for her to follow him, and he stalked into the control centre. She stepped past him, stroked the panels that raised the connection jacks and slipped the jacks into her ports.
Lexi sat at the desk and downloaded all of the information on the Guardian projects. She grabbed personnel files, information on vehicles and a few tutorials on weapons and flying. This was her true natural skill; this was what had earned her the place in the Second Wave of Volunteers from Terra. She had an empty mind.
Her brain had vast capacity for storage and recall, more than vast; it was exceptional. Her empty mind was her greatest asset and the butt of many jokes in her initial training.
Once she had enough to mull over for a few months, she disconnected and closed the leads back in their cases.
Theory blinked. “Is that it?”
“That is all I need. Thank you.” She smiled brightly and got to her feet. Connection to the data stream gave her the anchor she had been missing. She pulled in the electric energy and flexed her hands. There was a strength in her body and an urge to move that was not usual.
Theory sat back in surprise. “I thought you were going to use the systems.”
“I did. I downloaded everything I needed. I will analyze it as required by circumstances.” She was using her Negotiator voice.
Lexi ran her hand through her new hair and patted it even over her jacks. “Thank you again, Theory. I am much more myself now.” She started toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I am assuming that even Guardians eat. It has been a while since I had a snack.” She waved farewell and headed back into the hall and toward the great room.
Winger got to his feet. “Is everything all right?”
“Yup. Everything is fine. I have what I needed; now, I am going to get something to eat.” She looked around and spotted the gleaming countertops of a kitchen through a doorway near the north wall.
Lexi headed for the chiller and did an inventory of the items she could identify. She made a few selections and headed for the cooking surface.
Winger leaned against the counter, his wings pinned behind him. “You can cook?”
�
��I have downloaded a few recipes that should be palatable for someone in my state of recovery.”
“Can you execute them?”
She gave him a look over her shoulder as she put out a cutting board and prepared to fillet the alien vegetables.
“Probably not. It will be a matter of trial and error.”
“Out of the way, Lexi. I will make your snack. It might save me from the consequences of what would happen if you ate that particular tuber.”
She frowned. “I thought it was safe for me.”
“Not in that stage of ripeness. You would experience agonizing abdominal pain and other less pleasant side effects.” He took the knife out of her hands and moved the hostile vegetable away.
Lexi grumbled but hopped up on the counter and watched the Enjel responsible for her safety and health make her some lunch. He sliced, minced and stir-fried the mass quickly, adding some spices before sliding it onto a plate. “There.”
“Where did you learn to cook?”
“The temple where I got and gave counselling. Being self-sufficient was taught to all of us in case we entered the outside world at some time.” He turned and washed up the pan and utensils he had used to prepare her meal.
Shrugging, she chirped, “Thanks.” With the plate held in her hands, she headed to the nearest table and took a seat.
“It’s good!” She blurted it out before she could stop herself.
He laughed and dried the dishes one by one, putting them away as he went.
She was sitting at the dining table, but she could see all of his movements in the kitchen as well as the other Guardians in the great room.
Strike came over and sat at the table. “So, Lexi, what skills can you offer us?”
She blinked and smiled. “Character assessments, breakdown of terrain and criminal records, all in an instant. All I need to do is jack into the data stream once a day and I can have everything from customs to incoming alien information within this star system.”
Strike grinned. “Excellent. You will give Theory a run for his money.”
“Not really, I can only provide the data. I don’t have skills at weaving it into anything but facts.” Lexi kept eating.
“So, a walking data storage. Good. We can use that.”
She could feel the strange satisfaction in his thoughts. He was setting her into his plan as she watched.
Once she finished the pile of vegetables, her body started to shake. She got up and took her plate into the kitchen, washing it quickly before trying to dry it. The porcelain slipped from her shaking hands and shattered on the floor. A small bot whisked out and cleaned up the pieces before she even had a chance to step back.
Winger was at her side. “What is it?”
“I think I need to exercise. Is there somewhere I can run?” She was shaking more violently than before, but it was her body’s way of telling her to get moving.
“Of course. Come with me.” He offered her his hand, but she was shaking too hard to take it.
They passed through the kitchen, down another hall and into an atrium filled with exercise equipment designed for industrial use. A track was on the far side of the space, and Lexi made a beeline for it.
The suit she was wearing flexed and hugged her as she moved, but as she started to run on the track, it provided a wicking action that kept her comfortable as she approached a speed that she would have been happy to have coaxed out of her first car.
It seemed that an increase in her motion capabilities had locked in and activated. The Whiccins knew what they were doing.
Chapter Five
Lexi groaned as she leaned against the bench press. She gasped and took the water that Winger extended to her. “Thank you.”
“Are you feeling calmer?” He smiled at her.
“Little bit. Feel sweaty though. And hungry. When’s dinner?” She spoke in between gasps.
“Take a shower, change clothing and the bots will have dinner ready. We eat at the same time unless on assignment.”
It was a hint that she was holding up their meal. She clutched the water bottle and held it tight as she trotted out of the gym and back to her room. She could smell dinner, so it wasn’t time to drag her ass.
A quick scrub later, she put her wet hair in a ponytail and slid into a white bodysuit. She headed back into the dining area and everyone sat down when she did.
Bots scrambled out and served them with different meals that suited their biology.
Lexi smiled. A plate of spaghetti was in front of her. When everyone began to eat, she took her first taste. It took some doing, but she got used to it by the time she worked her way through the serving and it wasn’t nearly as strange to her taste buds.
There was a sense of relief when the bot cleared the plate away. If this was an example of food at the Guardian base, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to stay. Even Janial prison used rations that were tested to match their inmates. Rations were looking good to her right now.
She drank some water and watched the men finishing their own meals. There were a few bites left on Pulse’s plate when a chime caused all the men to jump up.
“I am guessing that it is a work call.” Lexi smiled.
Strike whispered something to Theory, and the Guardian took off, returning with an earpiece.
Theory handed it to Lexi. “If you are good at finding information fast, keep this in your ear. If we run into anything odd, we will call you for clarification.”
She slipped the earpiece in. “May I jack in if there is something that I don’t have on immediate recall?”
Theory chuckled. “Yes, thank you for asking. I am having trouble getting used to the idea of sharing my territory.”
She patted his shoulder. “I will be gentle and keep my snacking over your console to a minimum.”
He gave her a mock growl and then grinned before he headed out the door with the others.
Winger was the last one in the room. “Stay safe, get some rest and that earpiece is a two way. Call if you need anything. Theory can send the bots for help.”
She smiled up at his concern. “I will. Now, go and get briefed or the others will misinform you.”
He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. It was as sudden as it was surprising. Lexi blinked as he left her, and the moment he was out the door, she pressed her fingers to her lips. The wild tingle that spread through her from that tiny contact made her worry. If she ever came into full contact with him, she might just zap them both into the next world. She had to get a handle on her Taser.
Lexi had been out and zapping the shrubbery for hours when the call came in.
Theory’s voice was clear. “Lexi, we have a species here. Tall, brown, scales down the spine. Yellow eyes, three of them.”
“Korbali. Species altered for battle with relatively low intelligence. Vicious and pugnacious.”
She heard a grunt.
“Weaknesses, Lexi?”
“Belly scales. Their groins and lower abdomen can be struck to stop them and pierced to kill.”
“Thanks.”
The connection went silent.
Lexi shrugged and went through the shrubberies, zapping every fourth flower just enough to make the petals darken. By the time the sun set, she was exhausted and hungry again. Her recovery was taking its toll on her energy, and she needed a nap.
She returned to the kitchen and rummaged around. The cooking bots chirped at her, so she leaned in. “I need something salty, starchy, crunchy and bite sized. Can you put that together?”
The bots chirped and whirred into action. She guessed that they spent most of their time cooking dinner or dormant. She watched them for twenty minutes, and then, she took the bowl of crunchy objects to her room.
It wouldn’t replace her favourite snacks, but it sort of tasted like pretzels. She took a container of water and put it next to the bed, putting an entertainment vid on while she ran through the finer po
ints of Enjel culture. She was very interested in the gift colours of Enjel courtship. If her uniforms were any indication, he was asking her out on a date.
White was for casual conversation and blue was for a more intimate date and dinner. I have already been curled against him while naked, so how much more intimate could a dinner be?
In the dark of the night, the earpiece woke her.
Theory whispered in her ear. “Lexi!”
“What?” She wiped some drool off her chin.
“How do I tell a male Korbali from a female?”
“A red colouration inside the cloaca is female, a penis inside it is male.”
“I have to check it internally?”
“That is generally how you look within a cloaca. Or just ask it. They have rudimentary language skills.”
She laughed when the line went dead. It was too early to play with him, but damn, it was fun.
She rolled over and settled back against the pillow, grimaced and flipped it over. She was asleep in minutes.
A hand to her forehead woke her. “Lexi.”
She opened her eyes and smiled. “Hey, Winger. How are you doing?”
He was covered with scratches, bits of soot and a smear of something unidentifiable that smelled like grass.
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her, “I am glad to see you well.”
“I am very well. I got the bots to make me snacks last night.”
“That was two days ago. The bots were concerned, so they sent us a ping. I came back as soon as the Korbali were in custody. Theory says he is going to get even with you for the cloaca business.”
She chuckled and rubbed her eyes. Lexi grabbed her water glass and gulped down the first glass and then the second. By the time she was down to the end of the pitcher, she was feeling a little more normal than before. Normal was something to strive for.
“Did the others come back?”
“No, they need a little more time to wrap up the investigation. Someone imported some Korbali, and they got loose in a residential area.”