Taking Control

by L. V. Lane

  My parents were non-dynamics, and our home was situated in a region that no dynamic of any kind would visit unless extremely lost. My parents wanted no part of that world, considered it ungodly and corrupt and feared for my mortal soul when they discovered I had revealed.

  Many non-dynamic families wept with joy when their children revealed, thinking it was an opportunity for a better life. My parents had wept tears of devastation.

  I remained the object of the recruiter’s unwelcome interest. “You’re a Singular,” he said as if this were explanation enough.

  Maybe it was. As a Singular, my skills were unique. I was valuable, and they wouldn’t want me to be damaged. Everyone was infected with the Copper virus. If it hosted it would alter your DNA, but that didn’t always happen, and even if it did, it might take several years before the dynamic revealed.

  The virus gave benefits to some, but for Omegas those benefits came with unpleasant consequences.

  “But even so, changes are coming,” the recruiter said. “Where possible, we are already assigning all control positions to Alphas. It pays to stay ahead of policy.”

  There were rumors of policy changes, but this was the first tangible mention of it outside the Omega community. We had little enough rights, and I worried that these changes would take more.

  Investment was natural, or so my mentor had explained. Omegas were altruistic and submissive, and this did not mix well with deployment. Better that we yield all judgment to a Controller and apparently, intimacy made for better control.

  No one had consulted me when they made this decision, it had all been established long before I was born. That such information was kept a secret told me that it was wrong. After that first conversation on the subject, a few days after I revealed as Omega, I had refused further lessons. Investment wasn’t mandatory, and I saw no point in learning more.

  “Yes, you caused quite a stir, more than Healers, and they’re always popular because they're so free with their investment. It’s seen as a real career boon having a Singular protection detail on your portfolio. Even without the investment guarantee, many would take a shot at it for that alone. Still, we do strongly recommend that you invest.”

  “I understand that it’s recommended,” I said, hoping to stem his comprehensive information share. Although I didn't understand, not really. Investment was a complex consideration. One I intended to ignore.

  “Good,” he said decisively. “They don’t benefit a recruiter with the details of the operation, but it’s been classified as critical.” He indicated his information tablet. “Critical to the war,” he added as if there were any possibility that I might have misunderstood.

  The Copper virus had been the catalyst for the war. Many fled the initial mass viral infection program, and the Uncorrupted movement formed. There were those within our society who still did not agree with the viral program. They fought for change, for choices, but some also left the Empire, living in the fringe worlds where they swelled the Uncorrupted ranks every year.

  “I’ll notify him you’re on the way, and you can get settled on the ship. It’s not long until launch, but he’s been jumping colonies for the last ten years, and he knows his way around this class of ship.”

  Nerves fluttered in my stomach. My allocated Controller was older than I expected, and although I should have been delighted with an experienced Controller, fresh worries surfaced about the final test.

  A test I must pass.

  I had never heard of an Omega failing, no matter their skills. My Controller wouldn’t let me fail, would he? What happened if I did?

  I frowned. “What happens if I fail?”

  Why had no one mentioned failure? Why had I never thought to ask?

  The recruiter stared blankly for several seconds, and then he laughed long and hard. “He’s an Alpha.” He pointed to his information tablet, which I could not read from here. “Logan Harper.”

  I shook my head in confusion. Was I supposed to recognize the name or merely swoon because he was an Alpha? Although there was something vaguely familiar about the name now that I considered it. The source of this familiarity eluded me.

  Chuckling, he tapped the console on his desk before he stood and indicated the opening door. “He won’t let you fail, Eloise.”

  My mind went blank. That didn’t happen often. Usually, there was a maelstrom swirling around in there.

  Lost under this mindless cloud, I trailed after him, along the empty white corridor, through a security checkpoint, and on to one of many access bays. In the other bays, there would be queues of personnel, but I was a Singular and my status afforded me a more civilized induction for the boarding part of the process.

  Silent security bots flashed us through until we arrived at the final gate.

  Beyond was the ship.

  “Safe journey.” The recruiter smiled and offered his hand.

  Bracing myself, I passed through the final gate.

  There had been a strange notion that I would find chaos on the other side, but what I got was another stark white room.

  My allocated Controller was standing with his back to me, looking out a wide portal window that offered a spectacular view of the Andromeda class ship’s starboard side. The ship was a thing of beauty, vast, gleaming and built for war.

  The man standing before it was also built for war, and in that sharp moment of awareness, I acknowledge that he was a thing of deadly beauty too.

  I had heard Alphas had a presence. He definitely had a presence. Maybe it was part of the training or merely pervasive to the kind of soldiers who went on to reach elite status.

  I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact, but I thought a hint of a smile touched his face. “So, that’s what I’ve been fighting over,” he said.

  As he walked to join me, my gaze lowered to the floor. I wasn’t as petite as some Omegas. Healers, in particular, tended to be tiny. But my build was slight, and this close, he towered over me. It was hard to look at him, even to be in the same room with him. And when he held out his hand, like the recruiter had, it took all my inner strength to return the mandatory gesture.

  I had never met an Alpha before, and I found the experience unsettling.

  “I’m up here.” There was a note of teasing in his tone.

  I found myself staring at our joined hands, and I considered how much larger his was than mine. The rough texture on the pads of his fingers, thick veins crisscrossed the back of his hand…along with mottled bruises in shades of purple, blue and black.

  I was staring at those bruises.

  I jerked away.

  He didn’t let go.

  “I’m still up here.”

  The bruises, I didn't want to think about the bruises, or how he got them, and I worried that I was hurting him although my touch was light.

  Heat flushed my face.

  He was still waiting, and he wasn't letting go.

  Taking a steadying breath, I got as far as his chest, and with supreme effort, touched on his face long enough to glimpse his handsome features—dark hair and a faint prickling of stubble covering his jaw.

  I returned to the more comfortable location of his throat. “They must have warned you?” I said, feeling self-conscious, aware of his fingers wrapped around mine, and that I was now staring at his neck. It was a strong neck, corded with muscles that disappeared under the collar of his fatigues.

  “That your unique singularity makes contact of all kinds difficult? Yes…They didn’t warn me about the way you looked, though. Omegas are always pleasing, but you are exceptional. Are your eyes natural or lenses? They look—violet.”

  Violet? I snapped my head down. “They change color sometimes.”

  “Does it mean anything?”

  Yes! “No.”

  He relinquished his hold on my hand, which helped, although the psychological cloak I used to shield myself from other’s energies struggled to block his dominant presence out.

  “I’m sorry.” He stepped a
way abruptly and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

  The act dampened the prior onslaught enough for me to escape the incapacitating tension. I breathed; I had stopped doing so for quite a while, and the rush of oxygen made me a little giddy.

  “I guess I was giving off—a predictable vibe. I’ve got to admit, you’re a bit of a surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever been gripped by such a comprehensive urge to fuck someone like that before.”

  “Don’t—” I couldn’t get further. I was an emotional sponge. I picked up everything unless I had a mental shield in place.

  At times my defense slipped. It felt like he’d just poured raw lust over me, a word at a time. The accompanying imagery had a strong presence that I could not block out.

  “Open my mouth unless it’s absolutely necessary,” he said dryly. “Sorry, I’m not normally so…uncensored.” He tapped his fingers against his thigh. Not a nervous sort of tap, more—restless. “Let’s get you to your room. They gave you a nice place, better than they give to soldiers, anyway.” He winked. “If I’d known they were giving out swanky accommodation upgrades I’d have applied for Singular protection earlier. And getting the shit kicked out of you for a couple of days isn’t so bad…A training session with benefits.”

  It was barbaric, but he wasn't bothered by any of this. It was all very reasonable to him.

  The difference between us could not have been more profound, and I wondered what the ordinary citizens of the Empire would make of this if they knew.

  A few years ago, before my dynamic revealed as Omega, I’d thought protection sounded chivalrous. I didn’t know people fought for such positions. I hadn’t thought about how they assigned protection at all. And I’d never heard of investing.

  I was naive, then. I was still naive.

  He was standing perfectly still with his entire focus on me, which amplified the alarming sensations rushing through me.

  When he swallowed, I tracked the movement in his throat. I needed to look away; it was safer to look away, but instead, I drank my first taste of his dark, sinful eyes.

  His hands were not the only part of him bruised, and it upset me to see marks on his beautiful face.

  A face that I recognized because it had been flashed all over every news channel—constantly.

  “This is going to be a lot harder than I thought,” he said. His gaze settled on my lips. “I’m going to need to touch you. You know that, right?”

  I nodded, trying to erase a catalog of inappropriate thoughts. I didn’t even watch the news, but this particular story had been all anyone had talked about at the Omega community for weeks, and they had infected me with their disease.

  “I’ve gone through every article and report I can find on Singulars. Not a huge pool of information. There are individual variations, but a surprising number of common themes on what works well.”

  I was surprised that he had researched. Something I hadn’t done myself. I should have researched.

  My naivety in trying to hide from what was about to happen to me was foolish. I should have been prepared. I should have known in intimate detail how this would play out. But I got caught at the first hurdle, the investment hurdle, and had made little progress since.

  I thought then about the lessons I had refused. It was mandatory for the more common types of Omega, but not for Singulars. I had assumed that no one would expect my investment…but after the recruiter’s candid words I was confused.

  I wanted to turn back time, to hide somewhere and look for the missing knowledge, but it was too late for that.

  “It’s time,” Logan said, breaking the spell. “It’s busy out there, everyone always leaves it to the last day so unfortunately, you’re hitting the rush. I’ll get you to your room as quickly as possible.”

  His consideration surprised me. Not at all what I was expecting from an Alpha. The interest was still there but masked, and I was conflicted as to whether his ability to temper it brought comfort or not.

  I felt numb and a little lost. I still could not assimilate that it was him.

  The door before me appeared ordinary, but walking through it would take me into a new stage of my life.

  I didn't like to be near people or to touch them. As soon as my ability manifested, human interactions of any kind became difficult. For some inexplicable reason though, he made me feel safe.

  Dark eyes turned to me, and that weight was back like he could see more than I was comfortable with sharing. “Stay close.”

  At my nod, he opened the door.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Copper virus created the divide. The divide led to societal fracturing, and these fractures became movements.

  It was the catalyst for the war.

  Doctor Lillian Brach

  Eloise

  AS THE DOOR opened, I instinctively shrank back—I hadn’t been in the presence of so many people for a long time.

  Turning back to study me, Logan’s countenance softened, which might have confused me had he not mentioned his research into Singulars.

  “Stay close,” he repeated as he collected my hand in his.

  The touch didn't frighten me, and for the first time in many years, I was able to walk out into a crowd despite the impression overload.

  And I did stay close like he was my anchor to steady me through this storm.

  We pressed through the crowds of people rushing like they had somewhere important to be; like they knew where they were going. He seemed to know where he was going, too. We arrived at a strange tunnel where a bottleneck of people had formed.

  “The transport hub,” he said.

  It amazed me that I was on a ship so big it needed a transport system.

  Someone knocked into me, and his arm circled my waist to hold me close. Leaning into his touch was the most natural thing in the world. I wanted to sink into him, to bury myself under his skin.

  I frowned and wondered if there was something wrong with me.

  The crowd parted as a new carriage arrived and people spilled out and then in. There were no seats inside the packed carriage, but handrails projected from the ceiling and hugged the sides. He positioned me next to an outer wall, forming a cage with his body that prevented anyone from touching me, anyone except him.

  I had been terrified about the upcoming operation, but this attentiveness released some of those concerns.

  I sensed him watching me again. The carriage jostled, and someone pushed him from behind, forcing him up against me. He was staring at my lips again. The pressure had gone, but he didn’t pull back, and if anything, he pressed into me a little firmer, as if testing me, as if testing my reaction.

  My stomach took an unhurried tumble.

  Shaking his head slowly, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I’m going to need to punish you for that.”

  Was he joking?

  I became hyper-aware; something was definitely wrong with me. It made me a little dizzy and disorientated, like the floor beneath me was moving in more ways than the passage of a transport carriage.

  “Keep it together Eloise,” he said softly.

  I didn't follow the rest of the journey, my mind kept stuttering like a poorly streamed movie. Relieved when a door enclosed us safely within our temporary home, I blinked and took in the spacious suite.

  A wide window showcased the busy spaceport. An eclectic mix of vessels were docked in the vast, circular framework, glistening against the star-filled blackness of space.

  The suite was welcoming, and the decor clean and uncluttered in muted earth tones of cream, brown and gray. A long couch before me faced the window, a low table before it. A desk resided in the far corner, and an expansive entertainment screen completed the immediate area. Doors led off to the left and right.

  Logan didn’t move while I took this in, and I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but I had forgotten I was not alone.

  Heart pounding, I stilled. He was behind me, and I could feel the waves of need rolling off him.
>
  Sometimes I wished my singularity didn’t open me to other’s feelings. I thought I might have enjoyed being an artistic Mu, or even a worker Beta with a natural inclination to follow. The virus didn’t offer us any choices, though. It was a lottery, and very few people got to win.

  “Did you read the report on the operation?” His voice was measured, calm, and gave away nothing of that shocking need.

  “Yes.” I had read the reports multiple times, and every new report as it arrived.

  Qix25 was once a prosperous colony that had been slipping for a while. There had been guerrilla war there for more than a decade. A small splinter group who claimed allegiance with the Uncorrupted. The trouble had been small scale, and the military protected zones were the only parts of the capital considered safe.

  Not anymore.

  Qix25 lay in ruins, and the Uncorrupted combed the remains, looking for survivors, killing or imprisoning any that they found.

  “It’s going to be challenging. I won’t lie to you about it,” he said. “I’ve worked with most of my team for nearly a decade. They’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep you safe. And we’ll get the job done.”

  There was a quiet confidence in his words, not boastful, just a determination that this would be done.

  A family was hiding in the destruction; a diplomat, his wife, and their young daughter. Usually, our Empire wouldn’t care about the fate of individuals, but a data stack in his possession held information vital to the war.

  Some Singulars, like bloodhounds, were excellent trackers of people.

  If they were alive, and if I had something of theirs, I would be able to find them and in doing so, recover the data stack.

  I’d been informed about the nature of the information on the stack, which surprised me. It was secret research on the Copper virus. Details on how to lock the virus into reproductive DNA, thus removing the need to infect future generations…And the power to eradicate the virus.