Fractured Futures

by SY Thompson

  Ronan said she loved her. The thought of those words spoken warmed her through, but Sidney wasn’t sure how she felt in return. She knew she was attracted to Ronan and wanted to be with her physically. Yet she was hesitant to make a similar declaration for fear that she was simply reacting to a fierce attraction that she hadn’t experienced in many years, if ever. She glanced over in the darkness and watched the shadows play over Ronan’s classic features. It was hard to deny the emotions that washed over her whenever she thought of her. Sidney considered the possibility that she really loved Ronan. If not, it was something very much like it.

  Sidney slowed the car as she approached a red traffic light. She’d passed the sign welcoming her to Marathon five minutes ago and took the light as an indicator that she truly had reached their destination. She was aware when Ronan awakened slowly, undoubtedly alerted when the vehicle stopped. She looked up and glanced at the light before smiling at Sidney. The sun had just started to breach the horizon.

  “Good morning,” Ronan said in a voice husky from disuse. Sidney felt a shiver trail down her spine at the erotic images that voice brought to mind.

  “Good morning, sleepy head. Welcome to Marathon. You have good timing. This was as far as I could go without more direction since I’ve never been this far down in the Keys before.”

  Ronan scrubbed the sleep from her face with both hands. “Wow, I can’t believe I slept for so long.”

  The light turned green and she prompted Ronan with an arched brow.

  “Oh, yeah, turn right at the next signal.”

  Sidney pulled slowly away from the light and followed Ronan’s directions. The road narrowed as it approached the beach until it became little more than a trail. A rental car agency stood on the corner just before the sands began. Ronan suggested they leave the car in the parking lot. They’d walk the last few blocks to their destination.

  While they gathered their meager belongings from the trunk Ronan said, “I have a boat docked at the marina.”

  “Do you think we have time for a bathroom break and some breakfast?”

  “Of course, I’m sorry. Would you like to sleep a little before we go on? We could rent a hotel room?”

  “I’m fine, darling. If we just take a small break, I think I’ll make it the rest of the way just fine.”

  Sidney touched her upper arm, her fingers caressing the suppleness of the leather jacket Ronan wore. She was tired and didn’t realize what she’d said until a few seconds later, but she didn’t try to take the words back. Instead, she followed as Ronan led her toward a small café at the base of a pier. The short walk to the café was just what they needed to stretch their legs and shake off some of the fog caused by riding in the car for so long. The front of the restaurant was weather-beaten, the paint faded from the salt air, and Sidney thought it was enchanting in an old-time kind of way.

  Though sparsely populated in the early morning hours, that didn’t prevent the few male patrons of The Oar from watching the women walk toward a table in the back. Sidney didn’t miss the appreciative glances and couldn’t prevent the smug smile on her face at the attention her girlfriend received.

  Girlfriend. Where did that come from? Sidney found it a little amusing that she thought of Ronan that way, but decided just to enjoy spending time in her company.

  They sat down at the small table. Sidney took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of salt and sea. It was like a breath of heaven that whetted her appetite for more than just food. She looked over to where Ronan sat across from her and felt the hormones surge through her veins.

  Ronan looked up unexpectedly and caught the predatory look in her eyes. She froze and Sidney found herself staring into deep blue depths. It was too easy for her to believe that they were a couple of lovers out for an early breakfast after an intense, passionate night of lovemaking. The sound of the bell over the door broke the spell as an elderly man entered and headed for a spot at the counter. At the same time, the waitress came over to take their order.

  Sidney stammered for a moment before she ordered without a look at the menu. She hid a smile behind her hand when Ronan simply told the woman she would have the same. From the look on her face, she was having trouble concentrating and Sidney was happy to be the cause of the confusion. The sexual tension between them was almost palpable and she decided to let up on Ronan by redirecting her attention once the server walked away.

  “So, what’s the plan now?”

  Ronan shrugged. “I’m not really sure, other than taking the boat over to the island and taking a look at the rest of the information on the data file.”

  “And after that?”

  They stopped briefly while their coffees arrived and it gave Ronan a moment to think.

  “I’ve been thinking about that. We need to devise a way to uncover who these people are. If they’re hiding in the wings, that’s going to be hard to do. I seriously doubt they’re out in the open. Without identification on these people, we won’t know where to start.”

  Sidney frowned. “All right, I guess we wait and see. The presidential inauguration is coming up. I could talk to some people and see if I can arrange a couple of invitations. Surely your friend has some fancy gadget to detect when someone is out of phase or something.”

  “Out of phase? I’m not quite sure it works that way, but it’s something to keep in mind. I do think it’s a good idea to get a look on the inside, though. With attendance by invitation only, we could never get close enough without having Secret Service all over us if we tried to do this on our own. I’m afraid we’ll have to trust someone.”

  Ronan leaned back as their server delivered a huge breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, home fries, toast, and the largest pot of coffee Sidney had ever seen. She tucked into her food with enthusiasm, sparing only a glance at her companion before she scooped up a forkful of eggs. After they finished, Sidney sat back to enjoy a steaming cup of coffee.

  “Are you ready to go?” Ronan was looking around as if she expected assassins to drop out of the trees or materialize from around buildings.

  Sidney signaled for the bill and asked for a Styrofoam cup. The young woman was kind enough to bring an extra large cup and Sidney grinned as she filled it to the rim with her favorite beverage. She followed Ronan to the counter, sipping while Ronan paid for their food.

  She saw the humorous look cast her way as they left the restaurant. “What? I need caffeine.”

  Ronan just shook her head as she led the way back to the docks. The boat turned out to be a sporty, sixty horsepower Catalina with twin pilot chairs behind the windscreen. As a speedboat, it didn’t boast a lower cabin, but the trip lasted only about twenty minutes. When they arrived, Sidney was surprised to see no other human beings. That’s when Ronan dropped the next bombshell on her.

  “I bought the island several six months ago.”

  “The whole thing? Why?” Sidney couldn’t imagine how much that must have set Ronan back.

  “I can afford it and it was important to know we had somewhere safe to go.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I didn’t want to be worried about attackers so I bought the island and installed a very sophisticated alarm system.”

  Six Dobermans met them at the pier and for a moment Sidney thought that was what Ronan was talking about, but Ronan corrected her. “Not just the dogs. I also have a security perimeter around the island that is active twenty-four hours a day. Then I hired two women to maintain the house and care for the animals. I contacted them from Homestead to let them know their contract ended this morning.”

  She held up the analyzer that Sidney had seen in the swamps and scanned the area. “There hasn’t been a breach in the alarm and there aren’t any other life forms present.”

  “Wait just a minute,” Sidney said and held up a hand. “You mean to tell me you bought a whole island just to protect me?”

  Ronan turned to Sidney and held her gaze. Then she walked over to stand as close to Sidney as she c
ould amidst the swaying of the boat. “I love you. I think I’ve always loved you. I would do anything to keep you safe.”

  She leaned forward slowly, almost as if she was giving Sidney time to pull back, but Sidney had no intention of drawing away from this. She’d longed for the feel of Ronan’s full lips since their last kiss. She slipped her arms around Ronan’s narrow waist to anchor her in a world that seemed suddenly unstable. Ronan’s body helped to steady her, her own arms encircling Sidney’s shoulders as their lips slowly came together. There was no urgency in this embrace, simply a slow merging as each sought to convey without words what the other meant to them.

  Only when Sidney’s knees threatened to buckle did she draw away, reluctant to break the connection. Ronan resisted briefly and sucked Sidney’s full lower lip into her mouth to nibble gently before she finally released her.

  “Come on. If you purchased an entire island to protect me, I can’t wait to see the house.”

  The house appeared to be an elegant yet simple cabana-style structure, but Sidney soon learned that appearances were deceptive. The interior was warm, decorated in earthy colors and highly polished hardwood floors gleamed under their feet. Sidney learned that while the top floor of the structure was standard and tastefully decorated, Ronan had made a few modifications.

  Ronan had added a sublevel to the residence that held highly advanced computer banks and medical laboratory equipment. With a whistle of astonishment Sidney said, “Don’t tell me you brought all of this stuff with you.”

  “No. Most of this equipment is quite...modern. I simply modified it to perform at peak efficiency.”

  Soon, Sidney had completed the tour. Her head whirled and she decided that she needed some sleep after all. Ronan led her back onto the main floor and to a bedroom decorated with warm cherry wood. A cool white blanket with tassels adorned the four-poster bed and Sidney longed to climb between the crisp sheets.

  “The bathroom is just over there.” Ronan pointed to a door in the corner of the room. “I’ve taken the liberty of stocking the closet and dresser with clothing for you.”

  “You’ve really gone out of your way for me.”

  “I’ve had plenty of time to prepare.” With those parting words, Ronan left her to her own devices saying she would be in the lab.

  Sidney stripped out of the clothes she’d worn for almost twenty-four hours and let them drop onto the floor before she turned the water on in the tub. She found several different types of bath oils on a shelf by the tub and added a generous portion to the water. After watching it foam for a moment, she wandered back into the bedroom and waited for the tub to fill. She opened the drawers of the dresser and found stacks of underwear, socks, shirts, and nightwear.

  She chose a garment of emerald green and held it up to find that it was a long, flowing nightgown of silk. The coolness and light weight of the garment appealed to her and she held the silk against her face for a moment.

  A photograph on the dresser caught her attention. She recognized Ronan right away though she appeared a few years younger. She stood next to an older man who wore a spotted white lab-coat. Wisps of gray hair stuck up all around his head. He had an arm around Ronan’s waist and was clearly quite fond of her.

  Professor Horton.

  She set the picture back down carefully and walked back into the bathroom. Sidney put the nightgown on a low table before she turned off the taps and sank blissfully into the water. With an ecstatic groan, she felt the knots in her shoulders begin to relax and savored the sensation. After relaxing for a few minutes, her mind started to wander and drifted to thoughts of a tall, cool blonde. Rather than push the erotic thoughts away, she welcomed them, embraced them.

  Visions of Ronan kissing her in the hotel room resurfaced and she carried the experience further in her mind. Instead of stopping their embrace as she had in reality, Ronan loosened the towel Sidney wore, moving the flaps aside to explore the tender flesh below.

  Sidney’s breath came faster as her fingers trailed down her body, soft and slick from the mix of oil and water. Her fingers dipped lower and followed the phantom hands of her fantasy lover until they swirled over her swollen clitoris. She jerked as she made contact with hardened flesh, imagining that somehow Ronan’s mouth traveled to that very place. When the first swipe of Ronan’s phantom tongue stroked over her, Sidney jerked and convulsed in orgasm. She was barely able to bite back the cry of release for fear that Ronan would investigate the cause of her distress.

  Finally, the sensations subsided and Sidney relaxed back into the bath, feeling completely lethargic in the aftermath. It was quite some time before she could force her relaxed muscles to support her enough to climb out of the cooling water. After she dried off Sidney slipped on the nightgown, enjoying the feel of silk against her skin. She raised a brow at the rakish slit on one side of the gown that traveled to the top of her left thigh and wondered if Ronan had purchased the garment with an ulterior motive.

  Warm, relaxed, and feeling loved, Sidney pulled back the covers and climbed between the sheets. She was asleep as soon as her eyes closed.

  AS SOON AS she left Sidney in her bedroom, Ronan went down to the basement where she’d set up her most advanced computer. Sidney would probably sleep for a while so she decided to see what was on the data disc. What she found left her astonished. Somehow, sometime, Professor Horton had designed a cloaking technology that allowed the user to take on the appearance of anyone they chose.

  The image of how Boris Kinsky’s face contorted in rage when he had pulled her back to Germany swirled through her head. His features had rippled slightly in his emotional state and she had passed it off as the by-product of gate travel. What if the man who fired on her wasn’t really her old partner? Could it be possible someone had used his face to gather intelligence on her that they intended to report to the government? If so, it meant another trip to the future when all of this was over to ensure they identified all the players. For now, Ronan needed to figure out a way to expose these people.

  Several questions occurred to her. Did Boris’s face shimmer because he was upset or was it a glitch in the professor’s technology? Was there a frequency that would jam a concealing cloak’s transmitter? If she remembered her university advanced technologies class right, it was a distinct possibility.

  The Guard had orders to infiltrate key positions within the American populace. For all she knew that included medical and scientific as well as government individuals. Who else would they go to if they needed help in this time frame? Even if that was true, the Black Guard was only the muscle behind whoever was really pulling the strings.

  Since there was nothing she could do about that now, Ronan set to work on a jamming device. The good thing about going back into the past was that the technology lacked sophistication, making it easy to work on. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any way to test the jammer except by using it face to face with one of the imposters, but she had to try.

  Hours later, Ronan’s eyes started to burn from strain but she felt as though she was close to a breakthrough. She was also starting to lose her concentration. All she could think about now was the woman asleep upstairs. She wondered what Sidney had chosen to sleep in from among the new things and how she looked in whatever it was. She hoped Sidney chose the elegant emerald green silk Ronan had deliberately placed on the top of the stack.

  Wishful thinking.

  Finally tired and bleary-eyed from staring into a high-powered microscope for so long, Ronan stood and stretched. Then she walked away from the desk. As she left the lab, she thought about Sidney. Maybe she should stop by and check on her... just to make sure she was all right.

  The door to the bedroom stood half-open, leading Ronan to believe Sidney was perfectly comfortable with her and didn’t feel the need for barriers. She eased gently through the open door and walked over to stare down at the beloved face. Sidney lay on her side with a hand cupped under her cheek, facing toward the door. She looked completely at peace in
the green nightgown and Ronan couldn’t resist sitting on the edge of the bed to bask in her calming presence.

  Ronan watched a small frown cross the elegant features as though Sidney somehow sensed her. Then dark eyes opened in confusion before settling on Ronan’s stationary form. The expression on the beautiful face slowly changed from confusion to something more primal, heated. Blood surged through Ronan’s veins like wildfire when Sidney suddenly extended a hand in invitation. Ronan looked up quickly to see if she was mistaken, but the hungry look in the eyes gazing back at her left no room for doubt. Almost shyly, she reached out with trembling fingers to take Sidney’s smaller hand. Her grip was sure and steady as she drew Ronan forward to lie on top of her.

  “Sidney...”

  “Shh,” she whispered. “Don’t talk. Love me.”

  What little resistance Ronan might have had crumbled when Sidney raised up to capture her lips in a tender kiss. Small hands avidly caressed her back before sliding down to cup her buttocks and pull Ronan against her.

  Ronan groaned aloud at the sensation that shot through her body. Tongues tangled and danced sweetly as Ronan eagerly explored the inside of Sidney’s mouth, tracing the curve of bone and teeth before she moved away to taste the sensitive skin of her throat. The pulse under her lips pounded in excitement. Ronan sucked more avidly on the tender flesh and forced a moan from her lover’s throat.

  “I need to feel you,” Sidney rasped thickly and smiled when Ronan quickly sat up and began removing her clothes.

  Sidney sat up and started to remove the nightgown when Ronan stopped her. “No, let me.”