Redx

by Jessie Rose Case

  Logic told him where this was coming from. The words were a bi-play of her life. He’d done this all wrong. “I am not your father.” He told her calmly.

  “No you’re not. He lied too,” she stormed at him an inferno ready to break free.

  His logic flowed as she raged at him. His optical data telling him they were both right. How was that possible? He wanted to say he’d not lied. That Cyborgs did not lie. It was the logical response to her outburst but part of him now wasn’t sure that was true. He had been evasive. It was all Cyborgs had in the face of someone demanding a truth when they could not give it. He hadn’t deliberately lied to her but had failed to tell her the truth. The mission above all things. Until now. She was right too….

  “I apologise,” he told her. “You are right. I was evasive and failed to tell you of my mission. I couldn’t I had my orders. I did distract you and many reasons played a part in that. I could say it was because the pull to you was so great but that would only be partly truthful. I could also say it was because I wanted to complete my mission and that would be true too. Or that I didn’t want to get you mixed up in my work and compromise you. This is your world and your people. There was a 58% risk that you would endanger yourself again trying to help me or them. All of those were good reasons not to tell you. But the main one, I knew you were a possible mate to me and my data tells me I did not want you in harm’s way. For that reason alone, it was enough not to tell you.”

  Some of her anger deflated. “How can I be a mate to you when I don’t know you. You don’t know me?”

  “I know everything I need to know. Your DNA is compatible with mine. My nano’s recognised you as the female for me. The one in a billion. They are never wrong. Every couple in the Empire started this way. We evolved and took the next step in having a future the moment the Admiral recognised his Kim as his mate. The female he would give his life for to protect. But its more than that, she is bonded to his DNA as she is to his. He is incapable of ever deliberately harming her. His own nano’s wouldn’t allow it. Its built into us in every fibre of our being. Every possessive instinct in me is telling me you are my female and each time we are together that bond will increase. I won’t like everything you do. I will be persuasive if I don’t like something, I will try to steer you clear of trouble and keep you safe all the time. I’ll be overbearing and demanding,” he took a step forward towards her, the fear of losing her registered across his sensors, bleeding thought so strong it rocked him, “probably rage and argue, use every tool in my book but in the end, I will honour your wishes and going on what other Cyborg mates are doing, I am likely to cave when you put your foot down and be worried sick, that I should have done more to protect you. It’s how we love in the human way, our females are everything Jamie.”

  “What if you don’t like me? Or I don’t like you?”

  “That is a reasonable question. I can only say that for me right now, I want to do whatever it takes for you to believe in me. I will always want to do that. It doesn’t mean I’ll be…… a push over, in human terms but my first thought will be to make you happy. Be what you need me to be. And although my data tells me I am worried you will reject me, I would never reject you no matter what you did. We do not judge like humans do. We accept the person and make it work.”

  “What if I can’t do that,” she whispered but he caught the words easily and his chest tightened.

  Was she rejecting him? Had he done such irreconcilable damage? “You are free to chose female. You will always be free to choose.”

  “What of this bond you talked about. Haven’t we already crossed that line?”

  He felt the ping on his neuro net and isolated all other input so his feeling for the female would not bleed to the other men connected to him via it.

  We have found it.

  He could sense the relief throughout his system. Affirmative. Disarm.

  RedX looked down on the female he’d harmed without trying. “I am unable to guarantee that I will not do it again, if I think you would be in danger or would worry about what I’m doing. That protective instinct will not diminish. I have a job to do female, I’ll have orders to carry out. Likely other worlds to go to if that is the Admirals decision or I might be offered a post here if this is what you want. But, you still have a choice regardless of the bond. I will not take that from you.”

  Jamie wasn’t sure what to believe. He’d fucked and left her. It wrangled. He’d hurt her not being there when she’d woken up. Not even a blood note! She thought for a minute… Was that it? The fact that he’d left her to do his job rather than stay and be with her? Maybe that was part of it. Did she think he’d not thought of her? Just left? That was so needy it shocked her. She hadn’t thought she would ever be that girl. Was this about her need rather than his work? She couldn’t say she’d been used and left. He’d been the most generous of lovers. So attentive to her needs. Ensuring she was pleasured beyond any of her imaginations in fact. Sex had never been that good. He hadn’t taken and left. In fact, he’d given and given until she was so sated that she couldn’t go on and only then, did he find his own release. No man had ever been like that with her….

  The men coming out of the building distracted her from her thoughts. They held a large reinforced box. She’d not remembered seeing it being carried in and wondered if that was the bomb. “The bomb is inside the box,” he told her. “If it goes off it will protect it from causing more damage.”

  She must have looked confused seeing it. Was he that in tune with her?

  “Can I go back in now? We’re opening soon.”

  “Do you think that wise? It is likely they will try again.”

  Jamie shrugged. “I’m not running from this.”

  “Then you won’t mind if I join you with some of my men. I need to make sure you’re safe. They answer to someone higher in the food chain and we need to find them. Don’t fight me on this Jamie, I’ll be doing it anyway.”

  “I wasn’t going to. I might be mad but I’m not stupid.” She mumbled.

  RedX reached out slowly to touch her. “I never meant to hurt you,” he told her again needing her to understand. She let him touch her with his hand as he cradled her face. The feel of her in his hands once more registering on his sensors.

  She seemed to need the contact as much as he did. Jamie accepted that. She knew it to be true and leaned into the embrace.

  He registered the ping over his neuro net and opened to it.

  Warehouse has been cleared. 19 In custody including Felps and Cannister and 4 others who were inside the building.

  Affirmative. We need information on who is pulling the strings. My mate’s life is in danger from them.

  Agreed. The authorities have been called but first, we will be interrogating them. I’m assuming you’re staying with the female.

  Affirmative.

  I will update you shortly. The connection terminated and the Commander was gone.

  Opening his neuro net to his men RedX gave his order. Two groups one inside and one out. No one harms his female.

  ***

  The night started as expected. Kurt made an appearance and stayed by the bar. He’d looked better but was on his feet. Red’s men were around the place in various places keeping an eye on anyone getting out of order. He put one on the door with a scanner and scanned everyone in. No one got in with a weapon. He asked a couple of questions of everyone who came through the door. She guessed he was reading them too and registering their faces. The computer was relaying new security details due to the attack and people took it in their stride. The show did go on. Jamie did her job. Walked between the tables and talked to the punters. RedX never far behind her. Just enough not to crowd her or unsettle the customers.

  Some came to look at what had happened, others to find their normal place to hang. As long as they spent their money, she didn’t have a problem with either.

  The night wore on and everyone started to relax. The old flow kicked in and people got on w
ith their jobs. Jamie was glad to see it. She’d been worried the staff would take off and the customers go elsewhere but, she needn’t have worried. They’d stuck by them.

  The girls came on stage and started their show. The gamblers were in full swing. Jamie kept the action moving, saying hi to everyone, calling on waiters if needed, asking after loved ones or partners. A word for everyone if it was possible. The personal touch. It went a long way.

  RedX never strayed far from her side. His concern for her was way beyond his data. Always within a milisecond’s reach of her, he constantly scanned those around her. He was in full battle mode. His sensors had brought everything online the moment the bar opened. His men had naturally turned to him registering the upgrade to his systems and followed suit.

  His neuro net pinged. He opened to the communication.

  Twelve men coming your way.

  RedX slowly made his way to her. “We have twelve men coming this way, I need you back at the bar.”

  She nodded, gave her apologises to the customer she was talking to and walked back to the bar with him. He could sense or anxiety. “You could leave out the back?” he told her.

  Jamie shook her head. “If they’re coming for me I want to see it.”

  His female was brave but that didn’t make it any easier to take. Every instinct in him was to protect her. He opened his neuro net to his men.

  Follow them in, don’t make it obvious. Those inside close in.

  A round of Affirmatives flowed across his optics.

  He stood casually by the bar with a view of the front doors. Jamie stood with him next to Kurt. He received updates from his men as they crossed the open area to the bar doors. He saw them approach with two of his men now on the doors. By the way they carried themselves, these were men who were used to being in charge. They were dismissive at being scanned and refused to remove their weapons. His logic told him it was a risk to let them in but a riskier move, to let the leave again and attack in their own time.

  Let them in. Close in. If they move to fire, take them out.

  Affirmative.

  “They are here,” he told her. She nodded and turned to face those that wanted to harm her.

  They strode in like they owned the place. That annoyed him. Then the front runners parted, and a man stepped forward. His confidence was only out stripped by his ruthlessness. This male was deadly. He felt Jamie stiffen and fear filtered into the air around her.

  “Hello daughter, its been a long time.”

  RedX went to make a move and she looked at him and gave a slight shake of her head. For all her fear, she wanted to deal with this. His pride and ore of her, knowing what this male had done stunned him.

  She’d half expected to see him at any time. Just not now. That instant all her olds fears came flooding back, followed by anger and determination. He wasn’t the man she knew, he was likely worse. He certainly looked it and he had tried to have her killed. The memory of her mother surfaced, and she took a calming breath. The knowledge that Red was with her gave her strength.

  “Yeah,” Jamie laughed. “I think you lost that privilege when you killed my mother. No actually before that, when you had her gang raped by your men and tried to do the same with me or was it the years before that, when you came and stole our money and beat us for good measure. It’s difficult to say really. Definitely father of the year.”

  He sneered at her as the bar went deadly quiet. “She was whoring herself out for money what do you expect.”

  Jamie laughed again. “You sick stupid fuck, she was working four jobs to keep food on the table and paying the fucking rent. You gave her nothing from the day you walked out. I was two but you never listened did you. It suited you to make up the whoring, gave you a reason to beat us and steel from us.” She looked him up and down. “A great leader.”

  He took a step nearer. “I want what I’m owed.”

  Jamie waved her hand at him. “You’re owed nothing. Fuck off and take your stupid with you.”

  “You own this, I own you.” His anger was showing. She remembered the tells. He got agitated, his fingers moved.

  Jamie held back on the incredibility of his statement. “Really, what? Because you fucked my mother? Now I think about it, that could have been anyone according to you so wow, that’s a leap.” He started to look fit to burst.

  “You fucking bitch, just like your mother. You’ll not steal from me!”

  “Shut the fuck up old man. What about all that drugs you’ve been steeling. Do they know about that? The deaths you’ve caused.”

  “How do yo……. Don’t know what your talking about bitch. This end now. We’re taking over.” His men went to move and Red’s moved in around them. “What the fuck is this?” He seemed to suddenly register what was going on around him.

  “Red, do you have enough?” she asked turning towards him.

  “More than enough.”

  “Good take him. The charges are murder, attempted murder, rape, inciting gang rape, abandonment and grievous bodily harm.”

  Her father looked from one to the other.

  “And who the fuck is he?”

  Jamie smiled genuinely this time. She knew exactly who he was.

  “My mate. Take him.”

  The end………

  A message from the Author;

  Hello and thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it and look out for the others in this series.

  As a small token of my appreciation, I give you a chapter from one of my other series. I hope you like that too. My best to you and yours. Enjoy! Jessie x

  Mine

  The Awaking.

  Forward:

  Alex Reynolds.

  It had had a shit week. She had a numb bum and a dam headache. And lived on caffeine. The office lights and computer screens giving her no relief. No one goes into social work expecting to be loved or have an easy life but come on! Nearly every day this week she thought, the world was going to shit. Shaking her head. Alex reflected. The kids hate you, the parents hate you, the courts hate you, your colleagues, god love um, support you through thick and thin and your manager, gives you as much as she can but, it does not help you get the work done in 12 hour days that aren’t meant to exist or get paid for.

  Loving this job is what keeps you going she told herself with a sigh and a half smile, picking up another file. Just as well she thrived on the demands and timescales and she was no push over, you need to be a tough cookie managing a team of staff that are were her hero’s. You have to be tough and hard at times or the emotions would drown you. It’s tough making decisions that changes families and children’s lives, even if you are striving to make better lives possible and her team, follow her example.

  Alex looked up as the alert was sounded. Yet another Friday night, when the fat hits the fan at closing time. Why the hell do they leave it to the last minute on a Friday night before calling it in ! Alex knows she has no choice but to send out her team, after a long and weary week to do the job. Getting up from her desk, she walks the floor to the duty team, already on their feet waiting on the word to go.

  Amazing and humbling Alex looks at her team with the greatest awe. And though the coming hours, she would stay by her desk, doing what she does best. Directing and making arrangements as the situation provides. It might be another 11pm finished for both her and the team. Personal relationships take a back seat in this job she reminded herself. But when the jobs done and children are safe in foster care for the weekend that’s all that really matters …… Walking back to her desk after seeing her staff out the door, “who’d do this job?” She asks aloud raising her eyebrows to the ceiling. She nods and sighs. She and her team would every single dam day.

  ***

  Tah.

  Tah’Lai Primera El Getl sat at the console of his craft and observed the planet below him. It was magnificent and beautiful. It was also primitive and dangerous. He liked that. It fed his warrior instincts at its very DNA. But it held a people th
at still fought over land and wars since creation, over insignificant issues that had fractured a world and continued to do so. He frowned. The social feed from their satellites told him all he needed to know. Idiots.

  Did they not understand what would become of them if it continued? He looked at the blue and white planet. A population of many different cultures and beliefs on many different levels. If things did not change and soon, this world in some ways would repeat the history of his own. His sense of loss hit him hard. A raw pain. A dull heavy burden. No. Not this world. War and disease would not destroy so many lives. Not again. He would not allow so many futures to be lost.

  He had a job to do. His world was counting on him. For hundreds of years they had searched for a compatible world. It had not been easy or trouble free. He had lost friends. He had lost family. They were weary of space and travel. They were losing hope. They longed for a home again and the crystal blue waters called to him. He had so many hopes for this new planet before him.

  Tah, watched as his computers continued to upload information from many sources around this planet. He had three Earth months to obtain the answers he needed. His Rama, his King, was depending on him. He was far from being a diplomat. But apparently, this task was too important to give to anyone else. He had to be the one to do it and he would. Whatever it took.