The Rift Coda

by Amy S. Foster

  “I’m not mad at that idea,” Levi tells me with a smirk. “I’ll go upstairs and run the water. Check under the sink, maybe you’ll find something you can use for your hands.” Levi disappears up two flights of stairs that look like they’re floating up the brick wall. I walk into the kitchen area and find some sort of cleaning product that I spray judiciously under my nails. I wash my hands and notice there’s an electronic pad propped up on the counter. It looks like it controls the basic functions of the house, including a sound system. I don’t have my computer on me, but I know it’s here. “Doe, you there?” I ask my cuff.

  “I am,” he answers immediately.

  “Cool. Connect your system to the one at my current location. When you do, play mix fifteen and make sure I’m not disturbed unless it’s an emergency.”

  “All right,” he responds. I look briefly at the wall in front of me; it’s made up entirely of windows except for a sliding door that leads to a patio. The light is almost entirely gone and the sounds of the Village, music and laughter, screeching and singing drift upward. They are right there if I listen. I don’t want to listen, though. Just for a little while, an hour even, I want a reprieve. I want to be on that deserted island again with Levi. I want us to be the only two people in the world.

  This could be it for him and me. So far, our lives have been short but extraordinary, and tomorrow the bill might be due for such a life. If this is it, if this is all the time Levi and I have left, I want us to spend part of it loving instead of hating. I want us to create joy and life and light because tomorrow there is only darkness and blood and the stench of fear and burning things. Levi, for all his strength and power, is a broken boy. In so many ways. I don’t imagine that sex will fix him. But perhaps it will allow him—this kid who’s spent the majority of his life fighting, not just as a Citadel, but well before then, through a childhood that was both unhappy and unfair—to surrender. He deserves a night of letting go, of losing himself to one extraordinary and glorious moment. And I can give that to him. I can make at least one thing totally and completely right.

  Besides . . .

  I want him.

  I don’t know in what way exactly beyond tonight, but I do. I want him.

  A few seconds later, my playlist starts up. It’s a sultry one, the kind of music you only do one thing to—and it isn’t dancing. I walk up the steps and find the bathroom is at the far end of the hall. The lights are appropriately dim and Levi is sitting on the edge of a glorious tub that is placed right in front of the window. It’s kind of a weird setup. The toilet is behind a door but everything else is right out in the open. The bathroom is actually inside the bedroom. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

  Either way, convenient.

  I duck inside and go pee quickly, knowing that the tub has to fill up. This place is crazy; the toilet has a warmer on the seat. As if this situation wasn’t surreal enough, I feel like I’m in some sort of bizarre play where I’m not a soldier at all, but a supercool Manhattan socialite who’s just come back from a red carpet event instead of a war room.

  When I’m done, I walk toward Levi with the zipper of my uniform mostly undone. I go to zip it down again and Levi stops me. He stands and pulls me closer to him so that he can gently ease the metal teeth apart. After that, he peels the rest of my uniform off me. Now I’m just in a sports bra and underwear. I go to take those off, but Levi once again takes over. He whips the bra over my head and slides my panties down with both hands skimming my hips.

  We are inches apart and I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead, he just looks at me. Ten seconds ago, I could have named a thousand things that were wrong with my body, but the way he’s just staring at me, I feel perfect. I reach for the zipper on his uniform, but he takes a step back and shakes his head. He undresses himself quickly. God, he’s gorgeous. Every muscle is defined, he’s solid, and yet there is an easiness to the way he moves, a kind of grace that comes when a person knows the exact limits of their own body.

  He steps into the tub, which doesn’t have bubbles, but the water is a milky blue, so he must have put something in it. Once he settles, he holds out his hand to help me climb in.

  I sit down between his legs with my back to him. The water is the perfect temperature and I can feel some of the tension I’ve been holding start to release. I really have no idea what he’s going to do. He has never had sex, so I’m half expecting him to maneuver me so that he can just slide himself in, which would be weird, but considering that we’ve had weeks of foreplay, not that crazy. Still, I am surprised with what he does next.

  I feel a washcloth on my back.

  I don’t even know where it came from. Levi gently begins to circle my flesh. He lifts up my arms and washes each one, sliding the cloth down my ribs. There is such a tenderness in every stroke, I almost want to cry. I didn’t even know that I needed this, but he did. He said he was going to take care of me and he is. He washes my thighs. He spreads them open just a little to get between them to wash there, too. He doesn’t linger on any particular spot. He’s really just giving me a bath. I suppose it’s a little strange. This doesn’t feel very sexy. It doesn’t feel paternal, either, because that would be awkward. I am delicate in this water. I suppose I used to be delicate at some point, but I haven’t felt that way in years. Levi is treating me like something precious, like something that if not carefully handled will break. I don’t understand this at first because, really, I don’t understand all that much when it comes to relationships; and then I get it. No matter how strong and fierce I am, Levi is afraid for me. Underneath my uniform and without all the tech, I am flesh and bone, easily torn apart, vulnerable. So is he, of course, but I didn’t have to watch him get his arm chopped off.

  I like being pampered in this way. Levi’s fingers are magic when he washes my hair under the running water. It’s really . . . lovely. But now that I feel nurtured and cared for, I think I’m ready to feel something else. I turn to face him, bringing my knees closer to my chest. I reach in the water for the washcloth he dropped. I lift it up and pour some soap onto it. I lean forward to start washing him, sliding it down his chest and abs, but he rips it out of my hand.

  “Uh-uh,” he says with a barely contained smile. “If you do that, this will be over before it even begins and I’m nowhere near ready for it to be over.”

  “Okay,” I tell him as I lift my hands up in the air. Little droplets of scented water fall from my fingertips. Levi washes his body and I drink him in with my eyes as he does. His flesh is turning pink from the heat of the water, and his hair looks dark brown when he gets it wet and slicks it back. I bite my bottom lip and suddenly we are like two magnets. We fly together, our mouths colliding into each other. Levi braces us with one hand on the edge of the tub and effortlessly lifts me up with him as he stands. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. We keep kissing, devouring each other.

  He gets us out of the tub and walks into the bedroom area. I feel his hardness jutting against me, so close. We are both wet and little goose bumps form on the parts of my body that he isn’t touching. He eases me back onto the bed. I expect for him to stay there, between my legs, but he doesn’t.

  “I have wanted to do this for such a long time,” he practically moans.

  “Yeah, but you have to come back up here,” I giggle.

  “Not that. I mean, yes, that, later, but I’m talking about this—”

  Levi drops to his knees. My ass is right on the edge of the bed and I shimmy backward another inch. A million thoughts are flying through my brain. I know exactly what he wants to do and there is this little part of me that feels like it’s too much, too close, too intimate. Thankfully, there is another, louder voice inside my head that’s like . . . yes please.

  Levi grabs at both my kneecaps with open palms and separates them slowly, like he’s opening a letter he shouldn’t be reading. He moves in closer and throws my thighs over the tops of his shoulders. He is hesitant at first. I thi
nk he must know what to do. In theory. But here I am, open, ready, and it must be totally different from watching or imagining it. He brings his mouth slowly to the center of me. And then, whatever hesitation he has is abandoned. He uses his finger to spread me open that much wider, to get to that particular sweet spot. His tongue flickers, darts in and out of his mouth, and my back arches.

  I feel like I’m melting, like I’m all body. The pressure begins to build inside of me, like a rattling steam engine in need of release. I cry out in pleasure when Levi takes his other hand and slides two fingers inside of me. He’s doing something else with his thumb and tongue together, circling. I stop trying to figure it out and just let myself go with it. I feel all the muscles in my body contract and grow taut. My eyes roll back underneath my lids and I see an explosion of color there, like a Rift roaring into life. Everything is incandescent—violets and shimmering greens. I pant and grunt and call out his name. When I come, I am actually shaking.

  Levi slides up my torso and picks me up and throws me back farther on the bed. I have only done this one time before and I can tell already, this is much different. Last time was soft and gentle. Now, I’m burning. Despite Levi’s heart-wrenching tenderness in the bath, he’s well aware of what we are both capable of, what we both can stand. I have a feeling that he, like me, likes a little pain with the pleasure.

  Levi gets on top of me and kisses me again. I can taste myself on his mouth; it’s like burnt sugar and salt. I drag my nails down his abs until I get to where he is rock hard. I wrap my fingers around him and squeeze just a little. He feels enormous and hot and he must be desperate to get inside of me. Levi swats my hand away forcefully. I get it. A strong gust of wind and the guy might blow, which kind of prevents me from returning the favor he just gave me. He keeps rearing up to look at me, like he wants to make sure it’s really me and that I’m here and that we are indeed about to do this. Levi drops down on his elbows. I spread my legs wider to accommodate his frame.

  Even though I know he doesn’t want me to touch him, I have to. He understands where he is supposed to go, but given that this is his first time, I don’t want him to have to worry about doing this part himself. I take all of him in my hands and guide him quickly inside of me.

  The first thrust is slow. The second goes deep and hard. I yelp. It’s the perfect kind of pain. Levi groans; it is guttural, like an animal, and it makes me want to pull him that much farther into me. He licks his thumb and lightly presses it to that throbbing spot between my thighs. He gently starts to move it along with his own body. I bite down on the space between his neck and shoulder. In a few short seconds, I come again—shuddering and pulsing on the bed, which makes him stop.

  “Oh God,” he pants. “I just have to . . . no moving . . . give me a second.” I do as he asks and dutifully freeze. Levi closes his glittering green eyes, clearly trying to focus on something else. I’m not sure why. He’s a virgin. As far as I’m concerned, he’s already impressed me . . . twice. It’s always a competition with Levi, though. He wants to hold out and I will help him. Maybe. Not helping could be just as fun.

  I wiggle myself away. Levi opens his eyes. I sit up and roll over. He may think he can last. He might even have a number in mind, but he won’t last long like this. I rear up on all fours and back up. I can’t see him, but I hear him exhale. He places one hand on my neck and uses the other to guide my hips down to just the right angle where he can enter me. We both moan loudly when he does. This position is new to both of us and it feels insanely good.

  I grip the headboard and Levi puts both hands on my ass. He starts to move faster. Our skin slaps each time it connects. Levi grabs at both hips and squeezes hard, not too hard, but hard enough to make me grit my teeth. His speed increases and we move together in perfect rhythm. I can feel it building inside of him. His heart is racing and his grunting gets even more primal. Finally, his entire body tenses and then, he comes in one long guttural moan. I sigh loudly with pleasure as he collapses on top of me, kissing my spine when his face touches my back. I roll over and bring my lips to his.

  “Yes, right?” I say playfully.

  “So many fucking yeses,” he tells me in a tone that is part relief and partly pure joy. “Give me ten minutes. We’re going to do that again.”

  At some point, we make our way down to the kitchen and eat cold chicken naked. Then we have more sex. We eat some more and we go back upstairs and have sex again. We sleep. It is the deep and dreamless sleep of the exhausted. We curl into each other like two puppies. I don’t know how long we get to sleep for, but it is the best rest I have had in a while. Which is a good thing because we are awakened predawn. Our phones ring. The cuffs start beeping frantically. There is banging at the door. I sensuit my way into a long T-shirt as I race down the steps.

  “What?” I ask as I yank the door back so hard that the handle almost comes off. It’s Henry.

  “They’re coming. They’re attacking,” he tells me in a rush. “We have to go, right now.” It takes me a second. I shake my head, trying to fling the sleep away. A part of me thinks I must be dreaming. “Ryn! Come on!” Henry shouts.

  I hear Levi’s feet scramble down the steps. He already has his uniform back on and is zipping it up. He throws me mine and I step into it quickly, not caring that I’m stark naked now, in front of Henry. The thought is not lost on me that I’m about to go commando. Maybe this is where the saying comes from.

  “How far out are they?” Levi asks in a rush. There’s no point in asking why or admonishing ourselves for getting this wrong.

  No, I admit to myself. I got it wrong. I took a risk last night and it was a bad call. Guilt won’t help the situation, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling it. I have to keep my eyes on the horizon, on what’s coming for us.

  “They’re moving fast. We might have twenty minutes.” Henry tells us as we practically fly out of the apartment, racing down the streets. A siren is wailing, like an old air raid warning. We run full out to the Command Center. The generals begin to file in but the place is already full, soldiers are staring at the monitors, checking in on various patrols and teams as they fall into place. Gomda is the first person to talk to me.

  “Here,” he says as he hands me a version of my utility belt. “Cosmos sent a few thousand of these. They work a bit like your sensuits.” I hold up the strange glowing object, a mash-up of tools and pistols attached to a fabric of starlight. When I bring it close to my waist, it locks on to my torso, winding around me. The guns end up holstered on my thighs and everything else I usually carry molds perfectly around. It’s a much less cumbersome way of carrying what I need and the sensuit fabric stops glittering and turns a dark matte black.

  “Do you want your rifle as well?” he asks me.

  “Eventually. Let me just get my bearings,” I say a little tersely.

  “There’s no time for that.” Navaa steps forward. “Ryn, we need the Akshaji. Whatever misgivings you might have, please put them aside. The SenMachs haven’t broken through the sound blockade. You’re the only one who can do this.”

  “I know,” I tell her firmly. “I apologize, to everyone, for not doing this last night. I thought we had more time, but it seems our enemy is eager to face us at our current numbers.” I address the room. “Look, this isn’t ideal, but to be honest, I’d much rather face them here than at Camp Bonneville. Do we have an idea of how big their force is?”

  “They only left a little over one percent of their troops behind. It appears they are about to hit us with everything they have,” Morning informs me rationally.

  “All right. I’m going to need some space. I can’t open a Rift with all this noise. Too many of you come from different Earths and it’s only going to make my job that much harder. In the meantime, we need to position our troops around the Village. They’ll be coming at us from all angles. Arif,” I say as I pull out both my guns and check to make sure they are loaded and the safety is off before I slide them back into the holsters as smoot
hly as a well-worn key into a lock. “You need to get two squadrons in the air right now. We have the drones, but we’ll need eyes on the weakest areas of the perimeter to shore them up as troops fall. The SenMach troops will remain here in the Village along with the Immigrants and human soldiers. The androids aren’t able to engage with humans, so it only makes sense to keep them back. Iathan?” I bark. “You and the remaining Faida are going to take positions circling the Village. Do not go as far as the forest. Bring them to you where you can see them.”

  “It seems like the center of the Village—where your people will be—is the safest place. Are you saying that my soldiers are more expendable than yours?” he asks, his voice dripping with aggression.

  “There is no mine and yours; we are a single army, and I’m not playing favorites. I’m playing the odds,” I throw out. “They don’t know about the SenMachs. Fuck. I don’t even know what the SenMachs can do. But they are machines, coded specifically to protect human life. You are not human. I can’t risk losing them all or the advantage of them being here in the first place because they won’t kill the Citadels from this planet, regardless of whose side they’re on. They certainly won’t attack one to save a Faida or a Roone. And I understand that it’s not fair, but it is what it is. They’re machines. So don’t get emotional.”

  “Fine, I will put my people in place.” He does not seem fine, though. His narrow shoulders puff outward and I can tell his face is grimacing, even through his sleek long beard.

  “Great,” I say, moving swiftly along. “Henry, I’m going to need you and the rest of Beta Team to stay here for now, coordinating the ops. I know you want to get out there, but I need someone calling the plays the same way I would until I get back.”

  “Roger that,” Henry says grimly. “But where are you going to go? Look at them, they’re starting to break off already.” I crane my neck around to a monitor. I see a swarm of red dots, like an angry welt of hives starting to spread apart, moving to surround the Village.