She knew how to handle shock. "Let's get you out of those clothes and into bed," she said.
Any normal man's eyes would light up at that invitation. Even Galen's, on any normal night. Tonight, his gaze remained unfocussed and dull. It broke her heart.
"Here." She pulled him to his feet, not bothering to hide her greater-than-Human strength from him. He wouldn't notice. Allie made short work of his shirt buttons, shucking off his shirt more gently than she might have if this encounter had been motivated more by passion than pity. One day, when he was more himself, she would rip his clothes off and have her way with him, she decided. For a man who spent most of his day in a workshop, he sure had some muscle to show for it. Maybe it was moving all those heavy things around, or maybe he spent all his recreational time in the gym. She ran her hands down his chest, telling herself she was checking his core body temperature, while also satisfying her curiosity about the firmness of him.
"Ohh, Allie," he moaned. It was all the warning she got before he grabbed her and kissed her.
Slow and sensual, he made her breath catch in her throat with a kiss that was everything she could have hoped or asked for. If she'd known Galen could kiss like this, she'd have demanded a demonstration on the night they met, instead of running from it.
He broke the kiss, because she didn't want to. "My turn," he said.
"Your turn?"
He nodded. "You undressed me, so I should undress you."
Nudity had never bothered her before, but this was different somehow. This was a man who'd never seen her naked before. And who wanted to do more than just look at her naked body, she was certain. Allie swallowed. "It's been a long time since anyone but my husband has touched me like that," she said. Ten years. Ten long, lonely years. More than enough mourning.
Galen stepped away from her and bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so fast. If you're not ready for this...if the wounds are still too raw..."
Sweet man. Misguided, but still sweet. Allie shook her head. "Oh, I'm ready. I want this. I think even Ceyx would wish me happiness, if he could. I'm just...rusty, is all."
Galen grinned. "Now, that's where you got lucky. Working in Maintenance, I know just how to get rid of all the rust, and rub you up until you feel all shiny and new."
Allie laughed. "Been practicing that line, have you? Is that the first time you've used it?"
"I've rehearsed it so many times in my head, what I'd say and what I'd do if you ever gave me the chance to make love to you," Galen admitted. "I'm still not certain if this is a fantasy or if it's real."
"It's real," Allie promised him. "But I'm all for a bit of erotic fantasy."
Now their clothes couldn't come off fast enough. Allie pulled Galen toward the bed, luring him with kisses as the logical part of her mind reminded her that she had to keep him warm. They'd barely touched the sheets before he was inside her, filling her to the hilt with all the wonderful sensations she'd missed, and a few new ones that she suspected were unique to Galen.
Ceyx had known her all her life, but he'd never given her pleasure the way Galen did now. So much for the Mer being legendary lovers – she could feel the evidence of Human superiority with every powerful thrust into her depths. They fit together so perfectly it was hard to believe they were two separate bodies and not one, so attuned to one another that at the peak of her pleasure, her cries of joy echoed his.
When they were thoroughly sated, she lay in his arms, watching a thunderstorm rip the sky apart outside her window. Her body sympathised with the sky, for in one night Galen had ripped away her loneliness and filled her with so much more than she'd ever expected that it felt like her fingers would spark if she touched them together. She could hear her own heartbeat, the thrumming rhythm nothing but the tempo behind the song humming through her blood.
A siren song indeed. One she had no intention of resisting.
Galen awoke to find sunlight streaming through a window onto a bed where he held a beautiful naked woman in his arms. If he'd died and there was indeed an afterlife, he wasn't sure he deserved one this perfect.
Allie's eyes blinked open. "Oh, good, you're awake. It seemed rude to jump you while you were still asleep." Before Galen could say a word, she threw a leg over his hips and guided him inside her. "Stars, that feels so good," she moaned, grinding against him.
Entranced, Galen let her take charge, content to watch pure pleasure lighting up her face. He'd never met a woman so wild and free and joyful. And he wanted her to stay that way. Free of pain and suffering and fear. He'd do anything to protect her. Anything to make her happy. He held on as long as he could, wishing she could dance on top of him like this forever, but she was too caring a lover to pay attention to only her own pleasure. She soon had him gasping her name, meeting every rock of her hips with a thrust of his own, until he swore by the stars that he'd never felt anything as good, either.
He thought the fun would be over for a little while, as they both had to work today, but when Allie pulled him into the shower to help her clean up, as she put it, he soon forgot about anything except the flow of water, the slide of wet skin on skin and the way she turned his world upside down when she brought her wicked mouth into the mix.
Much later, when he reluctantly dressed, Galen's plan was clear in his mind once more. Yesterday he'd made a mistake, one which had almost resulted in tragic consequences, but that very fact made it even more important that he blame the whole mess on Halcyon. The Intra could hunt her down, catch her and imprison her somewhere where she couldn't hurt anyone ever again. Once she was caught, Allie would be safe, and he could spend the rest of his life making her happy.
Maybe she'd even let him move into her apartment here. It was definitely the bigger of the two, and he wondered how she'd managed to qualify for such a nice place, with a window, no less, when she was just a Maintenance worker and he was her boss, but he didn't have this kind of luxury.
Allie flashed him a joyful smile then, filling his thoughts with visions of her from last night and this morning. He had no space for silly suspicions. He was utterly, irretrievably in love with her, and he didn't care about anything else.
Allie sent Lennox a short message, telling him she'd meet him in his office at eight in the morning, and she'd bring a witness to the attempted sabotage she'd found.
Galen was too busy hunting through her refrigerator for breakfast to notice. "Where's all the food?" he asked. "There's nothing in here but ration bars and a tiny block of chocolate."
"Chocolate?" Allie immediately perked up. She was certain she'd eaten the last of it a week ago, and she had yet to find a chocolate shop in the Complex that could satisfy her craving for the Human confection.
"Chocolate is not a breakfast food," Galen said. With a frown, he added, "And nor are ration bars, unless you're starving and there's nothing else."
Allie wisely decided not to tell him that she'd eaten nothing else for most of her time in the Complex. Cooking was not her forte, and while the Mer had promised her a shipment of fresh fish, it hadn't arrived yet. The only meals she'd eaten that weren't survival rations were the ones she'd shared with Galen.
"Maybe we can pick something up from one of the tea or coffee houses on our way to meet with the Intra. I'm sure some of them serve breakfast," she said.
"The Intra?" Galen looked nervous.
Allie was perfectly calm. "Of course. We need to get this evidence into the right hands, where it will be safe. I don't want to keep explosives or nuclear fuel in my apartment. That sort of thing is dangerous."
She summoned a cab and they were soon zipping through the corridors of the Complex to Lennox' office.
"I thought we were going to the Intra," Galen said. "Isn't this...?"
"The eye in the sky, where the head of the Intra has his office?" Allie smiled. "Indeed it is. For something this serious, I figured we'd go straight to the top."
Galen looked like he wanted to argue, so Allie pushed the bundle of bomb parts into hi
s arms and marched him to the door of Lennox' office. She was five minutes early, but she'd made an appointment before the start of his work day. If he wasn't alone, his companion would be there for the meeting, anyway. Allie knocked briskly on the door, opened it, and led the way in.
She dumped the wadded-up wetsuit on Lennox' desk and gestured for Galen to do the same with his burden.
"What's this?" Lennox asked, poking the wetsuit. Heat from the plutonium had melted it together in places so the canisters were almost completely concealed.
"The makings of a nuclear bomb. In fact, when we found it late last night, it was almost operational. There's enough plutonium in there to destroy the Complex." Allie swallowed as her eyes met Lennox' ice-blue ones. "You were right. There are people who would destroy the fragile peace we've created here."
"Plutonium? Only Humans use that, though quite rarely now, as most of it is spent. In fact, the only remaining stocks we're aware of are in the hands of the Humans First terrorists." Lennox flicked a glance at Galen.
Allie didn't miss the way Galen stiffened, either.
"It's not only Humans who use it," Galen said. "The siren Halcyon has set off radioactive devices on at least four occasions, starting with the sinking of the Poseidon."
Allie stared at him, not sure what to say to that.
Lennox was not similarly constrained. "That's not common knowledge. Where did you hear that?"
"I was there. Only one person survived the Poseidon: me. I managed to get away in a lifeboat before the siren sank her, and when the ship blew up, I was far enough away that all I had to contend with were the waves. I didn't know the explosion was nuclear until the investigation team told me later when they tested my blood for radiation poisoning. I'd asked them to retrieve my parents' bodies when they refloated the ship. The poor guy had to explain to me that there weren't any bodies, as there was barely any ship left to salvage."
Lennox and Allie exchanged a glance, but said nothing.
Galen continued, "If you know about the Poseidon, then you know she killed plenty of others during the war. She targeted Human ships, destroying them all in the same way. More people escaped from the later ones, though, so there were plenty of witnesses. And now she's here, trying to destroy the Complex."
"Why do you believe that?" Lennox asked.
"It represents peace between Metas and Humans – something she's dead set against. I'm surprised she didn't try to attack the peace talks, but maybe those were too well guarded, so she decided to target this place instead. At first, I thought it was only a rumour that she was in the Complex, but last night confirmed it. I know she's here because I saw her. I'd remember that rusty tail anywhere. She trapped me underwater and if it wasn't for Allie here, I'd be dead," Galen said.
Allie swallowed, trying to moisten her dry mouth. "She was present throughout the peace talks. Halcyon was the Metas' chosen mediator. If she hadn't been there, none of the Meta delegation would have attended. There would be no peace, and the Complex wouldn't exist. Since that time, she's been one of the strongest Meta voices for peace."
Galen snorted. "That's complete stardust. She blew up at least six buildings on Wreston after the peace treaty was signed. All places where both Humans and Metas worked in the same building. She's so pissed off the war ended that she's taken to killing her own people now, too."
"All the attacks on Wreston have been traced back to the Humans First party," Lennox said. "There is no mention of Halcyon or in fact any Meta in the official reports. All of the suicide bombers on those occasions were Human."
Galen paled, but his expression grew stony. "I know what I heard, and I know what I saw last night. She was there. Find her, and interrogate her. See what she has to say for herself."
Lennox steepled his fingers together. "Perhaps we will. In the meantime, can you recount the events of last night, please?" He set his tablet on the desk, tapping the screen so that it would record Galen's testimony.
Lennox listened for a long time, just nodding his head, before Galen ran out of breath. Then Lennox had a few questions, just asking him to clarify things he'd said, before he dismissed Galen.
Allie rose to leave, too, but Lennox held up his hand. "Stay. I need to speak to you, too," Lennox said.
Galen looked torn, like he wanted to stay with Allie but he really, really wanted to get away from Lennox. "I'll get you some breakfast, and a coffee, okay? I'll wait for you," he said finally, backing out of the room.
Allie waited until the door had closed behind Galen and his footsteps had faded away. She took a deep breath. "No, he doesn't know. No Human does."
Lennox turned his x-ray stare on Allie. "Did you do it?"
"Like you need to ask. The bomb's been made by an amateur, not a professional. Someone who's never made one before, or trying to make it look that way. If it weren't for the plutonium, and the location, I wouldn't have bothered you. And for the record, all four of those ships blew because of poor Human engineering. All I did was sink them. Water, the pressure, and poor storage practices for the nuclear submarine batteries did the rest." Allie waved at the display on the desk. "If this had been my work, the Complex would be dust right now, and we wouldn't be standing here."
Lennox nodded. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn't bother blowing stardust up his butt. "Is it possible that another Mer...?"
"No. No one else would dare. They wouldn't defy the Council, and any who would...well, then there's me." Allie thought of Galen's strange behaviour last night. Shock or mind control? She still wasn't sure.
Lennox read the doubt in her expression as if he'd read her mind. Perhaps he could. Allie still wasn't certain which race he belonged to, but she had nothing to hide from him. However, if he rummaged too far into her head, he'd stumble across her memories of her bed play with Galen. She almost wanted him to find them, so she could see his expression when he did.
"I want you to speak to the Mer. Make certain it wasn't them. I'll assign some Intra to the investigation, and let you know what I find in the surveillance footage." He eyed the mess on his desk. "I take it it's too much to ask for you to take this with you?"
Allie shook her head. "I think you need to keep it safe. The plutonium alone...and what if there's more? I'll ask Beems to search the Complex. It might help us find the culprit, but it'll definitely make this place safer." She raised her voice to issue an order to the AI.
It was Lennox' turn to shake his head. "You know you're the only person in the entire Complex who talks to the AI, don't you?"
Allie shrugged. "It's intelligent and it obeys orders. Much like any Human or Meta under the control of a siren song. Force of habit, I guess." She rose. "Are we done? If I know Galen, he'll have found something lovely for breakfast and it'll be getting cold. If the Intra find anything useful on the surveillance footage, let Violet know. She'll inform me."
"You're subverting my staff now?"
"Not yet. I don't need to. We're working toward the same goal. I understand you're too busy to keep me informed about everything, so I took the initiative." Allie winked. "In case you're interested, her weakness is chocolate, and I'm sure she'd appreciate some for a job well done. So would I, if you find a good supplier in the Complex. I've run out." She turned and strode out of the office, leaving Lennox grumbling under his breath. Allie hid her smile. It was shaping up to be another beautiful day.
Galen made it back to the entrance to the Intra building just as Allie stepped outside. Her beaming smile as she spotted him warmed his heart. He had done the right thing up in Lennox' office, he told himself. Protecting her was worth any price.
"I brought you a muffin," he said, holding up the bag. Actually, he'd bought half a dozen, but he'd eaten a couple along the way to quiet his roaring belly.
Any other girl would have asked what kind, or reached for the bag to find out. Allie reached for his hand instead and said, "Let's go somewhere a little more private for breakfast. How about the park at the bottom of the Forest Dome?"
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Galen was only too happy to agree. Within moments, they mounted a glyder and the acceleration as it took off pressed her sweet body against his, making his breath catch in his throat. After last night, he never wanted to be separated from her again.
Allie let the glyder carry them deep between the trees before she leaped to the ground. Galen followed more slowly, trying not to spill the coffee. The glyder zipped off and out of sight, leaving them alone in the forest.
Allie let out a blissful sigh. "Much more peaceful than the Main City. Let's sit here." She pointed at a bench, artfully placed on the edge of a clearing filled mostly with a pool of crystal-clear water. It looked like something out of an old Earth painting. It probably was, Galen realised, seeing as someone had created this, just like everything else in the Complex.
They both sat. He passed Allie her coffee before he ripped open the bag containing their breakfast.
Allie clapped her hands. "Oh, you're an absolute sweetheart, Galen. Chocolate muffins. I think I'm in love." The kiss she gave him in return confirmed it.
A crazy idea popped into his head. One he couldn't seem to dismiss. He barely knew her and they'd kissed for the first time barely a day ago, but he already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And life could be so short, with war and terrorists and who knew what else around the corner. That's why he had to ask her. Had to...
Galen opened his mouth to give voice to his heart's most ardent proposal.
"Galen, I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you before," Allie began.
Galen closed his mouth and signalled for her to continue.
"While you were telling Lennox about last night, I realised that – "
A raucous bark of laughter interrupted her, followed by several others.
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