Zero Factor: A Cybershock Story

by Stacy Gail

She was quiet for so long he thought she wouldn’t respond. Then, “I’m not sure I can help you, Locke. I can’t direct what I see, not even past, present, or future…”

  “You’ve never tried before,” he corrected. “I have a feeling you’d be shocked at what you can do, but we’re going to need help in that department. And I think I know where we can find it.”

  Chapter Five

  There was something both grim and glorious about the city hulking on the horizon some twenty clicks to the west that had built itself out of the ashes of Old Las Vegas. Taking root near Las Vegas Bay, an offshoot of Lake Mead, refugees from all over the West had found new hope in the desert. Even as the last of the zealots had blown the heart out of the old Sin City, a newer version of Vegas had sprouted up, as flawed and vibrant as the human spirit itself. With wide avenues filled with solar-powered people-movers and silent-running monorails, New Vegas was one of the greenest cities in all of UNAS. Rooftop gardens adorned every building that jutted into the vivid blue sky, from the lowest apartment complex to the tallest monoliths of industry. The gardens were a government edict as city planners fought to negate the deadly urban heat-island effect. Each one was maintained with the precious water carefully culled from the still-functioning Lake Mead reservoir, which glistened like a blue-gray mirage in the east.

  For Via, who had only glimpsed the city’s dirty, industrial tip the day before, seeing it in all its battle-scarred glory after eight years brought tears to her eyes.

  Home.

  There was no time for nostalgia or for anything else since they’d awakened at dawn. Roughing it in Sector 1 was not her idea of fun, and forcing herself to swallow a synth-nutrient energy bar Locke had handed her from one of his many pockets and calling it breakfast didn’t sweeten her humor. But considering the situation they had somehow fallen into, she decided that complaining about the fare wasn’t an option.

  Not that it would do any good, anyway, she snorted. Her traveling companion didn’t seem to be a morning person, considering he chose to speak to her only once as they readied themselves, and that was to instruct her to get on the bike or get left behind. His tension was palpable, and as the sun rose in the east, she could feel it clenching Locke’s body as she clung to his back, the strike-bike zipping along the frictionless road with a speed that brought them to the city’s edge all too quickly.

  It was amazing how fast she had become accustomed to touching him, Via marveled, hiding behind his back to keep her eyes from drying out. Despite her many protests, Locke had kept her in his arms the entire night, and to her shock she had fallen asleep without even being aware of it. It had been a deep sleep too, something she’d assumed she could never experience while being in physical contact with another human being.

  Not that any part of her had actually touched him—a veil of clothing had kept her safe and separated from him at all times. But his warmth, his breath in her hair as he slept, had been the most delicious sensation she had ever known, and the weight of his leg when he’d slung it over her hip sometime during the night had been…extraordinary. It was as though every nerve in her body had a sudden and frenzied craving for that masculine weight lying on top of her, and as night had melted into dawn the desire to reject even the thin barrier of her clothing had eaten her alive. But before she could pluck up the courage to explore the possibility of wallowing in what it would be like to have her skin against his, Locke had awakened, soldier-boy alert and laser-locked on executing his plan.

  Now, in the harsh light of day, Via had assumed the restless hunger gnawing within her would fade away. But it only intensified as she held onto him, her legs straddled behind his in a perfect fit. And while she knew she should be focused on the danger of their situation, all she could think of was how tight and solidly round his butt was. How was it possible she’d gone her entire life without noticing the squeezability of a man’s bum? It was all she could do to stop herself from sliding her hands from his waist to cup each muscle-hard cheek and give it a nice, firm—

  “City limits, coming up. You ready to hoof it?”

  Via blinked and realized she’d been obsessing on Locke’s butt. Again. “Oh. Right. Roger that.”

  Her distracted response didn’t seem to inspire his confidence, because he shot her a look over his shoulder. “You remember the plan?”

  “Of course.” Now if only she could forget her fascination with his hindquarters, she’d be locked and loaded.

  Via knew Locke’s plan, or at least part of it, so when he ditched the strike-bike in a garbage-choked alleyway just inside the city limits, she wasn’t surprised. Nor was she surprised when he took a zigzagging route through more alleyways and even up on rooftops via fire escapes to avoid the security-camera-laden streets. But when he led her straight into the heart of the glitzy Gaming Quarter, the splashiest, neon-powered center of New Vegas, she couldn’t help but feel a little exposed. Sure, she might not rate a glance when 3D holograms of overblown virtual-reality sex kittens blazed from every casino opening, but the place was crawling with militia. Then when Locke led her straight to a garish version of one of those ancient, multi-columned antebellum mausoleums she’d seen in history class, she thought maybe he’d lost his mind.

  “Locke,” she hissed as he moved through an arch made by twin palm trees before he rounded to the side of the grandiose manor. “I thought you said you needed to meet up with someone who might be able to help us—”

  “Don’t talk, keep your head down, and whatever you do, don’t make eye contact with anyone,” Locke muttered even as he reached out to grab her hand. It was insurance she wouldn’t lag behind, she knew that. It didn’t stop her, however, from taking ridiculous delight in the solid strength of his hold.

  How pathetic she was, Via sighed. To be so starved for human contact that just a little thing like holding hands made her pulse do its best impersonation of a pulsar.

  “I knew this was going to be the hard part.” Locke’s cyberoptics were trained on a vacant side porch and simple-looking door as if it led to the secrets of the universe. “There’s no telling how many militia are in there now, but—”

  “Militia?” Her heart gave an unpleasant jolt, and she eased back against one of the palm trees as if trying to melt into it. “Why would any militia be in that house?”

  “There’s always militia in that house.”

  She shrank back even farther. “Yet you thought it would be a good idea to come here? At what point did you suffer your mental break?”

  “Via—”

  “Have you forgotten the commander of the Urban Militia in the Las Vegas Territory tried to blow you into microscopic bits yesterday?”

  “The person we need to see owns this house,” came the uncompromising reply. “What I really need to do is make a call to see if I can get this person to come out.”

  “Too bad you ditched your smart-link and my cell phone.”

  “Their tracer pings would have led the colonel right to us.”

  Via searched through their meager options. “Well, unless you feel comfortable with going right up and knocking on the front door, we should find a place around here where we can call to arrange a meeting. Do you have a number for this place?”

  “Everyone has a number for this place,” he drawled, staring at the door that was so close but may as well have been on Pluto. “I vote for option number three—slip in through the side and keep a low profile until we find our quarry. Sound like a plan?”

  “It sounds like suicide.”

  “Outstanding. Let’s move out.”

  Via wanted to point out she didn’t even know who their quarry was when he moved determinedly forward, dragging her along like a pull toy with a busted wheel. He had to be suffering a psychotic episode, she thought while her heart tried knocking her ribs out of place. Every UNAS Militia member from Calgary to Acapulco must have Locke’s digi-photo and data by now, as well as her own information since he had taken off with her. They had to be the most-wanted couple s
ince that infamous duo from the last millennium, Bonnie and Clyde, and undoubtedly were going to wind up just as well-ventilated—

  An involuntary squeak escaped Via when the side door suddenly flew open. Locke stepped in front of her so fast she only got a glimpse of a tall, willowy figure swathed in a pink-sequined sheath, with a long stretch of leg showing through a mile-high slit.

  If that was a member of the militia, then Via was a normal citizen.

  “At last, this day has come,” came a warm, strangely deep voice that nevertheless bubbled over with happiness. “When the flash-news came that you’d gone rogue with a female hostage, Locke, I knew your destiny to deliver my delicate little sister into my loving embrace was finally at hand.”

  Via peeped over Locke’s shoulder, baffled. What the frickin’ hell…?

  “Uh, Madame Cedrine,” Locke began, and Via was relieved to hear he sounded as lost as she felt. “I’m…confused. You were expecting us?”

  “I’ve been expecting this joyous day from the first nanosecond I shook your hand all those years ago, darling boy. Now then, let’s get on with things, shall we? I simply must greet my little sister properly.”

  “Uh…” Locke’s mouth seemed to be stuck in neutral, which was pretty much Via’s state as the vision in sequined pink swayed toward them. Her inability to speak worsened as she got her first full view of Madame Cedrine. Rail thin with a pair of world-class legs highlighted by the dress’s seductive cut, Cedrine was a sight to behold. Café au lait complexion and exotic, Cleopatra-like features breathed of Middle-Eastern descent, and the face that was looking down into hers was so artfully made-up Via thought she had never seen anyone more beautiful, woman or man.

  Which was fitting. Cedrine seemed to be both.

  “Um… Hi there.” Nonplussed that this extraordinary being was looking at her with such joy it bordered on love, Via held out a gloved hand. “I’m Via. Nice to meet you.”

  “Ah, my sweet little lovey-dove, people like us don’t greet each other like that.” With a melodic giggle, Cedrine playfully batted her hand away. “We greet each other like this.”

  Without warning, Cedrine framed Via’s face with manicured hands and covered her mouth in a passionate, lip-melting, tongue-caressing kiss.

  There had been plenty of times when life had thrown him a screwball, Locke thought as he seated himself on a fussy chair situated in Cedrine’s private parlor buried in the depths of the famed Pleasure Palace. There was that time when a pregnant lady delivered her baby almost on his booted feet while en route to the medical facilities. And he wouldn’t soon forget a firefight with a drug cartel down in Phoenix being suddenly interrupted by a random streaker.

  But bar none, the sight of Madame Cedrine kissing Via until she went limp… Hells yeah. That definitely took the cake.

  Locke’s immediate reaction still had him jammed up inside, as if one of his internal apps had crashed and was now refusing to let him reboot. The moment Cedrine had locked lips with Via, an explosion of outrage had bloomed like a mushroom cloud in his chest, and instinct had him reaching out to yank Via away from the unexpected amorous ambush. Via could not be touched. Somewhere along the line, that had become Locke’s new mission in life. He absolutely would not allow anyone to touch her. She wasn’t safe with anyone else.

  No one touched Via but him.

  He had grabbed Via’s arm with every intention of saving her when Cedrine’s hand clamped over his with a grip that was in no way feminine, and it had shocked him further. With the exception of meeting Cedrine years ago when Locke had first been brought to the Pleasure Palace by Colonel Fynn, he’d had almost no contact with the famous Madame of the house, except an occasional nod or wave from across a crowded room. Not only was this because Locke’s personal tastes didn’t lean toward the exotic, but because it was an open secret Cedrine was a well-connected psionic whose touch could melt the will of even the strongest man. To a Lifer like Locke who needed his strength to survive, the whole idea of melting never held one iota of appeal. To have Cedrine touching him after all these years had made him slam all his defenses up hard as he braced for anything. But Cedrine had only lifted her head and smiled, while Via seemed to sink into a half faint.

  “It’s all right, Locke. The one person you don’t have to protect Via from is me.”

  Now, as they sat ensconced in the sumptuous safety of Cedrine’s personal living quarters, Locke couldn’t help but wonder if that was true.

  “Well, now.” Daintily crossing her legs, Cedrine poured thick, rich Turkish coffee into delicate filigree cups from a service set on a coffee table that looked like it was made out of real wood—a true treasure in a room full of treasures. “You two must be hungry, if you’ve been on the run since yesterday. Please help yourselves to this simple repast I’ve had prepared for you—finger sandwiches of prosciutto and mozzarella with a sun-dried tomato chutney, mini spinach quiches and strawberries Romanoff. And if you would like anything else, the Pleasure Palace’s chef is an absolute magician when it comes to satisfying even the pickiest epicurean’s craving.”

  For all his training, Locke was momentarily distracted by the red, juicy goodness arranged like jewels in individual goblets. “Strawberries?” Not quite believing his cyberoptics, he plucked one up and breathed it in. Heaven had to smell like this. “Real strawberries?”

  Cedrine’s smile was a masterpiece of delight. “I simply had to have them. They’re Via’s favorites, after all.”

  That snapped him back to reality like nothing else. Dropping the berry, Locke shot a covert glance at Via slumped in a chair next to him. She looked flushed, feverish and not quite sure where she was. Apparently there was some serious truth to the whispers regarding Cedrine’s abilities. “You seem to know a lot about Via, considering you just met.”

  Cedrine rolled her spectacularly made-up eyes. “Of course I do, silly! That’s why you brought her to me, right?”

  “I brought Via here because…” His attention again slid to Via, who had pulled off a glove to touch her mouth as though feeling for a sore spot. “Madame Cedrine, without going into any details, I’ve heard you have…certain gifts. While I know it would be impossible to ask you to use these gifts to help me, as this would put you in a precarious position with the very militia who allow you and the Pleasure Palace to function as you do, I thought it might be beneficial to bring Via to meet with you in order to better utilize her own set of…certain gifts.”

  “How careful you are to shield her, sweet Locke. For years I’ve adored you for it.”

  “I only met her yesterday.”

  “Darling, don’t confuse me with details,” Cedrine chided with a languid sweep of a hand. “In my mind, you and Via have been together forever.”

  There was no way he could get his gray matter around that. “And…you said you saw this—Via and myself—when you first met me?”

  “Absolutely, soldier-boy. You were so cute when you first walked through my front door,” Cedrine remembered with a little laugh. “Just a noob shave-tail, barely sixteen and still getting used to your new meched-out legs and arm. You very politely offered your hand, and like I do with everyone who comes to the Palace, I took a teeny peek just to make sure I wouldn’t have any trouble with you down the road. Imagine my surprise when I saw this very day unfold before my mind’s eye.”

  Locke thought back to that time and couldn’t remember any reaction in the madame to indicate something extra-sensory had occurred. “That was over a decade ago.”

  “So?”

  “So…” Agog, he shook his head. “It was over a decade ago. You can see that far into the future?”

  “Darling, I looked for anything in your future that involved me,” Cedrine said as if he should know this and was a thick brick for asking. “Psychometry is a funny thing—usually through a mere touch of a person or object, a psychometric might be able to glimpse the past, present or future of that person or object. How I use my gift is to look into the future lives of t
he people around me in order to see if they mean me harm at some point down the road. I call it target-viewing, because really, I just have no interest in any other subject.”

  “Can’t you just grab your own hand and view your own future that way?”

  “Sadly, it doesn’t work like that, for me or anyone else. Maybe it’s because we psychometrics are too close to the subject to get an objective read. Or maybe we’re just not meant to know.”

  Locke shook his head and wondered if he looked as out of his depth as he felt. “Yet through me, you saw…this. Today.”

  Cedrine’s smile rivaled the sun. “I’ve been preparing for it from the moment I let go of your hand. First, I found ways to make my particular psionic abilities known to you, so that when the time came you would bring Via to me. Wasn’t that brilliant of me?”

  “Yes. Brilliant.” Scary, but brilliant.

  “Contrary to what you seem to think, no one outside my regular clientele knows of my special abilities. The only reason I haven’t wound up a brain-dead husk like all the other pitiable psis is because I make it impossible for my well-connected clients to turn against me.”

  “How do you do that?”

  Her smile turned coy. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out in due time.”

  He tried another tactic. “You called Via your sister. Why?”

  “Because she is. My twin, to be precise.”

  Locke stared at the exotic being before him. “Forgive me if I don’t see the familial resemblance.”

  “Silly. You’re thinking outward appearances. I’m talking about abilities.”

  “So I was right. You are similar.”

  “No, darling, don’t you listen? We’re identical,” Cedrine stressed and beamed over at Via, who was now massaging her temples. “Isn’t that right, Via?”

  “I’m fried,” Via said, no louder than a breath. “Too much information, too fast a download. My circuits are blown.”

  “Find a way to cope,” Cedrine suggested brightly before beaming once more at him. “Tell me, Locke. What do you know about Via’s abilities?”