by Berinn Rae
He’d been genetically altered and his bones and joints were reinforced. Would he go crazy like other genetically engineered people sometimes did? Not long after she’d been born, one had lost his mind, believing he was superior to normal humans, and set out to take over the government. He’d killed a lot of people, and managed to assassinate the Ascendant before they’d captured him and put him and his followers to death.
That had led to the Genetic Purity Movement, and a mass genocide of everyone who had even the tiniest alteration. Eventually they’d stopped due to public outrage. A lot of those people were innocent, productive members of society. So instead, they’d started putting them in Haven districts, like the one they were in now.
They were supposed to be protected and taken care of, but not allowed to pass on their altered genes. Instead they lived in squalor, and were fed slop that dogs wouldn’t eat. They weren’t allowed outside of their districts or to travel off world. They couldn’t have jobs. Housing was overcrowded so some didn’t even have roofs over their heads.
She glanced around. A lot of these people were deeply unhappy. Drinking and drugs were prevalent, but they’d rarely been cruel to her, especially when they’d learned that she was trying to help them.
They turned down Meadow Lane when three children ran by in a rush of laugher. The last one, Jackson, stumbled to a halt. “Miss Clearborne!” He ran headlong into her and threw his thin arms around her hips.
“Ooof! Hey, Jackson. You’re getting too big for that. You almost took me down.” She ruffled his baby-fine blond hair as he stepped back. “Where is Alice?”
“She’s inside fighting with Darion.” He lowered his voice. “Darion’s been sneaking out of the zone to steal again, and Alice is worried she’ll be killed if she’s caught.”
Fear clenched her stomach and she crouched down next to Jackson. “Does anyone else know about this?”
He nodded. “A few of the other kids heard them fighting.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay, make sure they don’t tell anyone. No one can know. Not even people within the district. Do you understand? It’s important.”
He bit his lip. “I’ll tell them, but they’re kids. They might not remember. And lots of them aren’t good at lying.”
She grinned. “I know, just tell them. Now get out of here and go play.”
Her false smile dropped as he rushed past her, screaming for the other children to wait for him. She rolled her shoulders as she stood, trying to get rid of the tension. She had to talk to Darion.
Striding through the open front door, Jamila didn’t bother to announce herself. She walked into the kitchen and grinned when she spotted Darion lip-locked with Alice, her tan hands wrapped in Alice’s blond hair.
She cleared her throat. “I thought you were fighting?”
Alice flushed as she pulled away. “We are.” She spotted Galen and frowned. “Who is that?”
Jamila ignored her and wiggled her eyebrows. “Getting to the make-up part?”
Alice glared at Darion, and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, we’re not.”
“Great, because I’m about to start the argument again. Darion, you can’t leave the Zone. You’re risking your life if you’re caught, and Alice’s. Surely that means something to you, even if risking yourself doesn’t. Who will take care of these orphans if you aren’t around?”
Darion threw her arms in the air. “Who’s taking care of them now? We have no food. We can’t educate them because we have no books. We can’t fix this rat trap, piece of shit house. They’d do just as well on the streets.”
Jamila shook her head. “That’s not true and you know it. Tell me what you need. Give me a list. I’ll get it. I’ve brought food, basic supplies, and medication for the Sobasus.”
Alice sagged against the counter. “Oh, thank the gods for you, Jamila. We have two children who are desperately ill. We were certain they would die.”
Sobasus was fatal if it wasn’t treated. It was very common in the slums and Haven districts, where people couldn’t get meds. It was also very contagious. Before the drugs had been invented for it, it had killed off entire planets of people. She hoped they’d kept those two kids quarantined once they’d found out. If other people in the zone caught it, it would spread like wildfire. It was one of the few illnesses genetically engineered people were capable of catching.
Jamila nodded. “I took enough to treat fifteen cases. I can get more, but only about the same amount at one time. I’ve also brought food and a few water condenser canteens as well as a filtration system, if you’re given water.”
Galen slipped past her and relieved her of the other bags. He opened them and raked his hands through his hair before bracing them on the counter. What was he thinking? She couldn’t see his face, but his body language said she might be in trouble.
Darion stared at his back for a second before she shook her head and turned back to Jamila. “This is my point. I love you, Jamila, but a woman should be able to support her family on her own. She shouldn’t have to rely on charity of others.”
“This is an orphanage, not strictly your family. Even if you could get a job, you’d need help. And it’s not charity. You’ve been wronged. This is the least I can do until it’s put right.”
Unfortunately, her arguments with her father about how these people were treated never went well. He remembered the Genetic Purity Movement and the events that led to it. He’d been friends with the assassinated Ascendant and several senators who’d been killed. He believed he was right, and that made it so much harder to convince him of anything.
Alice nudged Jamila with her elbow. “So really, who is Mr. Tall-Hot-and-Silent?”
“Bodyguard. Galen.”
She grinned. “Does he do a good job guarding your body? If you know what I mean.”
Jamila rolled her eyes. “The walls know what you mean. We haven’t done that. He’s a stubborn pain in the ass.”
Darion nudged her. “But I bet he’s good in bed. You should get under him. Might help you get over that Crougar guy.”
Jamila sighed. “There’s nothing to get over. He was a pompous douche bag, and I drove him off.”
And promptly told her father that if he ever tried to get her to marry another man like Crougar, she’d do something much worse to him. There’d been a big, loud fight over that.
“Either way. I think you should jump Mr. Bodyguard.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. He thinks I’m a spoiled little bitch. And he’s controlling. Hotness only gets you so far. He’s also dangerous.”
Darion and Alice glanced at each other. “Because he’s one of us?”
Jamila wasn’t surprised that they recognized him as genetically engineered. But did they realize he was a cyborg?
“He’s not one of you.”
Darion rolled her eyes. “Even our friend fears people like us, Alice.”
“Darion, that’s not how it is.”
Galen finally turned to me, his face unreadable. “How is it then?”
She glared at him. “I don’t know you, and so far I think you’re a pain in my ass.”
He leaned back against the counter and crossed his ankles. “Because you know the other men you sleep with so well.”
She stared at the ceiling and counted to ten, hoping for patience so she wouldn’t beat him over the head. “You’re an admitted criminal. You’re also a cyborg. Different from being plain old gen engineered. And no, maybe I don’t know every man I sleep with, but the difference is, if it came down to a fight, I could probably take them, or at least hurt them enough to get them to back off. With you I’m screwed if you plan to hurt me.”
He snorted. “You could get me executed.”
“Not before you killed me.”
“We’re linked. You die, I die, honey.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And how do I know you haven’t found a way to overcome that? I saw how you took over my little ship. There was no othe
r way you could have gotten it open. You have some kind of communication going on with electronics. I’m guessing you could break your servant bonds.”
“If I could, I would have. I haven’t managed it so far. They must be more advanced than what I was trained with.” He pulled out a vial of Medicrom 10 and handed it and a syringe to Alice. “You ladies should probably go dose those kids. Sodasus claims its victims quickly.”
Alice took the bottle from him and turned to leave. When she reached Jamila, she patted her arm. “Thank you so much. I hope it’s not too much trouble for you to get this stuff.”
“You’re welcome. It’s no trouble. I’ve got connections.” She wouldn’t dare tell Alice or Darion the truth. They both left to go tend to the sickly kids.
“You’re a great liar.”
She kept her expression blank and glanced at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He advanced on her and she ignored the urge to back up. “Yes, you do. You know giving medical supplies to the genetically altered is illegal. The government decides what they can and can’t have. They would never give them Medicrom 10. They don’t care about this place. They left these people to die. They want the population gone. These people are expected to treat their own illnesses. You’re likely to be executed or at least severely punished if you’re found out. Why do it?”
She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you a story. One night I was partying with my girlfriends when Jackson, the little boy who ran into me outside, took my purse. He was so small I figured I could catch him. I figured he was some little urchin who lived in Forbidden. When he crawled under the wall into the zone, I went right after him. I was drunk and didn’t realize where I was going, or that he shouldn’t have been outside of this place. I had some snacks and water in my purse, because you don’t eat or drink anything in Forbidden unless it comes right from the bartender. There’s a large risk of being drugged, or catching an illness from the food. He must have seen me eating. When I crossed the wall, I discovered that he’d tossed my ident cards, which would have given him access to my accounts if he’d gotten my fingerprints, and since he had my bag, he also had prints. I followed him here. He went into the back of the building and when I rounded the corner, he was handing out food and the water bottle was being passed around. All the children were so thin and frail, like they hadn’t eaten in months.”
She raked a hand through her hair. “Darion stepped out, and asked where he’d gotten the food. He wouldn’t tell her. And then she spotted me. She all but cowed before me, when I told her what the boy had done. She begged me not to turn him in. That powerful bitch you met today, who braves execution, and she begged me. I could tell she wasn’t used to doing that. I knew they’d all be killed if even one was found sneaking to the other side of the wall, and I couldn’t stand how sickly everyone appeared. So the next day I grabbed the codes my father has for the zone so I could land here. I brought food and water, some of my old clothes, anything I could think of that they might need, and I came back. And I haven’t stopped. It quickly went from bringing them food to stealing medical supplies when the Sodasus struck the first time. What was I supposed to do? What would anyone do?”
He stared at her for a full minute before he spoke. “Most people would have left them. Turned that boy in, and never looked back. They’re genetically engineered. They could be insane.”
“They’re just children whose parents made the mistake of having them altered for God knows what reason. What if they were ill or something? You don’t know. They’re innocent. And I’ve only seen two cases of insanity while I’ve been here, and you know what? I was saved by people like them. So don’t tell me — ”
He grabbed her upper arms and hauled her against him. His lips brushed hers in a gentle kiss. “I think you’re incredible. You could have made them suffer.”
He pressed his mouth against hers again, tangling his hands in her hair. His tongue took advantage of her open mouth, dueling with hers. She leaned into him, sliding her palms around his waist. He tasted like rich, creamy coffee, something he seemed to drink by the pot.
He backed up, clutching the curve of her ass. Her butt bumped the counter and he lifted her, placing her on it. He wedged his hips between her thighs and ran his hands under her blouse to skim her ribs, but he went no higher, teasing her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and tugged him closer. His erection ground against her clit and she moaned as she rubbed against him.
There was loud thump upstairs and she jumped and pulled away reluctantly, dazed. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
He grinned. “Yes, we should. Though here isn’t the best place. I’m sure they can hear us. The thump was probably a deliberate warning. You’ve done something extraordinary. Something I haven’t seen a lot of normal people do. They hate us. Think we’re dangerous. And most of these people aren’t nearly as dangerous as I am. They’re innocent, like you said.”
“So you admit you’re dangerous?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I can’t possibly deny that. It’s obvious. I have slaves’ barcodes and cybernetic enhancements out the ass. You would know I was lying if I said I wasn’t.”
Chapter Four
She stared at him for a minute. He took in her beauty. He regretted what he’d have to do now. He might make an enemy of this woman for these people. It was a sobering thought. No, he would do his damnedest not to let that happen. He would have to explain to her. She would understand. He flinched internally. Then again, she might not.
She surprised him. She was a compassionate woman. It was amazing, since she was the spoiled, rich daughter of a senator who hated his kind.
She cleared her throat and hopped off the counter, avoiding his gaze. “We need to go. My father expects me at dinner and I still have to get something from Forbidden.”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes, immediately suspicious. He was supposed to keep her from partying there. It was also rumored that she did a lot of drugs, which she could easily get in that district.
She shrugged and walked away from him. “Stuff.”
He grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop. “I want you to tell me. You’re too good to be out there. It’s dangerous, and I refuse to go if you’re going to get high and drink.”
She glared at him and tugged her arm out of his grip. He let her go. He could have kept his hold on her. “It’s nothing like that. I haven’t been doing either of those things in a long while.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s food, alright? For these people. I have to get them food bricks. I can’t get them anything that goes bad. But I couldn’t possibly get enough bricks to feed everyone through usual channels. I don’t think we even have them at our house. They taste like shit. They’re strictly everything you need to live, with no regard for flavor. The rich don’t eat them. So I had to get them from someone else. I have to meet my contact in fifteen minutes, and he gets antsy if I’m late. He assumes I’m doing something illegal if I’m getting them from him. Luckily, he’s thought of everything but what I’m actually doing. I trust him enough to get me the food, but definitely not enough to tell him.”
He snorted. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. If he’s getting it for you, he’s doing it illegally. Can’t trust criminals.”
She eyed him. “So I shouldn’t trust you?”
He shrugged. “I’m not your average criminal. I went to prison more for what I am, not what I did. It’s a little different.”
Except that she definitely shouldn’t trust him. He couldn’t hint at that, though. He had to make sure she felt she had nothing to fear.
He nodded. “Lead the way. I’ll trust your judgment this time.”
She smiled at him like it meant the world to her that he trusted her. Honestly, he didn’t. She didn’t know how dangerous the world was. She had no idea how much trouble she was in. Though he suspected her father kept her too sheltered. She led him around the house to the fence and stood before a small hole.
She bit her lip and glanced at him.
“I don’t know if you’ll fit. I barely do, and I’m quite a bit smaller than you. The fence is electrified so you can’t climb it and there are spikes on the top. If you would stay here, I’ll be — ”
“No. End of discussion. Not happening. We’ll find a way.” He glanced around and spotted what he was searching for. The small grid that maintained this part of the fence. He walked over to it and accessed the computer that maintained it with his mind. Oh, that was too easy. He could only take it out for five minutes tops but he could almost jump this fence, so he wouldn’t be pressed for time.
“Don’t go under the fence until I’m over it.”
“But how — ”
He shrugged off his jacket and threw it over the spikes at the top of the fence as he shut down the power. The slight humming stopped abruptly. He jumped, landing under the spikes, careful not to land on them.
He crawled over the barbs. If he slipped, he’d kill himself. Luckily, he was barely human anymore. He was unlikely to lose his footing. The sharp tips pricked his hands, and blood spread across his jacket. He shut down the pain receptors in his brain as he crossed. Unfortunately, it was only a temporary reprieve. Eventually he wouldn’t be able to shut out the injury. Luckily, they should be healed by then. He landed on his feet on the other side, pulling his jacket with him.
“Hurry and crawl under there. The electricity is off, but it won’t be for long. I’d rather you get over here before its back on. No matter how many times you’ve made it through without touching the barrier.” He shuddered at the thought. If she touched that fence, it would probably kill her. He reset the strength of the shock while he had control of the system. The reduced level would knock a person out now, but not kill them. It would only last until they updated things. He covered his tracks to make it appear like some sort of power failure had reset it. With the rough weather Larus was having this winter, they wouldn’t double check it.
Jamila pushed her bag through the hole before her arms and head appeared under the barricade. A ringing in his ears told him the fence’s grid was rebooting. He grabbed her arms and tugged her out.