Night Whispers: The Complex

by Calinda B

  I fall to the ground, weak, in the kind of pain I’d never wish on my most feared enemy. I writhe and moan, my eyes squeezed shut to keep out reality.

  Powerful arms scoop me up.

  A jolt of magnetic energy from the contact sizzles into my back. It’s like my dream. It zings through my limbs, as if my blood vessels are conduits for electricity. I’m pulled close to his chest. The electrical charge becomes the hum of millions of bird wings, vibrating all around me.

  He squeezes me, hard.

  “I told you he was coming,” he murmurs into my hair. “I’ve tried to keep you safe.”

  And that’s the last thing I hear before falling into the bliss of unconsciousness.

  Chapter 14

  “How is she?” a familiar voice says, pushing through my opiated haze.

  A large, warm hand wraps around my fingers.

  I lick my lips. They’re swollen and dry. Even though I’m weak as a kitten, I manage to squeeze back.

  “Sakhi? Are you with us again?” Reve says. His voice sounds urgent, pained.

  “I’m here,” I say, sounding more like the squawk of a Shork Red.

  I clear my throat and blink rapidly, trying to wipe away the sludge from my eyes. And then I open them to a too bright, too white, windowless room and the worried, anxious gaze of my brother.

  He’s perched at the edge of a Smuntine chair, looking fatigued and drained.

  Gizmos, tubes, and gadgets poke me, monitor me, and drip into me. An entire screen of translucent letters, numbers, and graphs floats in a circle over my head. I’m covered by a silvery blanket that rises and falls of its own accord, as if it’s breathing.

  I reach to touch my head and find it’s completely wrapped in something gauzy and medicinal smelling.

  “They, uh…” Reve looks away. “They had to shave your head, sis. You had an awful concussion. The worst. They had to get in there and relieve the pressure on your brain before you stroked out.” He wraps his hand around his mouth.

  “Damn,” I say, letting my eyes fall closed. “Sucks.” My hair’s never been cut. But right now I’m too tired to even care…much. “What’s up, big bro?”

  I’d smile but I think the corners of my lips will split.

  “Same old, same old,” he says. He feigns casual but then his voice breaks right at the end. “Life goes on at the Complex. Business as usual.”

  I open one eye. “What happened? How did I get here?”

  “Don’t really know,” Reve says.

  “And where is here, exactly?” I ask.

  “Uni-med Fourteen. They all look the same. What does it matter?” He shrugs and twists his Uni-issued hat into a wad. “I got a call telling me you were beat up. That someone tried to rape…” His words trail off and his voice cracks, big time. His next words are low and threatening. “Who was it? Do you know who did it to you?”

  The evil face of Paki swims in my mind. I know if I tell Reve who did it, he’s going to kill the son of a bitch. And then he’ll be tried for murder. He’d be executed, no doubt. The thought sends shooting pains through my skull. I can’t have my brother dead. He’s all I have.

  “I didn’t get a good look at his face,” I say. “It was dark in the alleyway. There was some kind of riot going on.”

  “No, shit, there was a riot.” He leans forward excitedly, practically vibrating. “The entire Complex was on lock down for a few days while you were unconscious. We had to be escorted to work and home by armed guards. There we’d all sit, locked in our dwellings, until it was time to be marched to our jobs. Some of the Metas got sent far away.” He lets out a laugh. “I hope they’re shot and released into space to explode like bags of blood and shit. Motherfuckers. Serves them right.”

  I give his hand another squeeze, trying to calm him.

  “I should have been there for you,” he says, changing topics, and swipes his eyes. He bursts to his feet and starts pacing in the small space, his limp hindering his stride. “I’m such an asshole.”

  “Reve,” I soothe. My eyes scan all the devices surrounding me. “I’m afraid you’re going to pull a tube from my arm or knock something over. Sit.”

  He pauses to look at me.

  “Sorry.” He plunks down on his chair. He hangs his head, propping it in his hands. “Oh, sis, I’m sorry this happened. It’s all my fault.”

  “I don’t think so,” I say, trying to recollect my time before arriving here—wherever here is. “I waited for you and then…”

  He cuts me off. “I couldn’t find my deal…I couldn’t find the store that had the supplies you asked me for. And then, when I found it…” He shrugs. “I wanted to make sure it was good quality and I lost track of time.”

  He scans the room, no doubt for signs of listening devices.

  I make a half-hearted effort to roll my eyes. Even my eyeballs hurt. “Don’t worry. I think I got a call…some sort of meeting…with Thras. Yeah, that’s it. He called me in to a late meeting to discuss something or other.”

  “Fucking Meta.” Reve’s voice turns into a sinister growl. “He’s been here. Him and that goddamned elf, Naazira.”

  The intensity rolling off of Reve is so sharp, it hurts.

  “Tone it down. I can’t deal with this much energy at the moment.” My eyelids slam shut, weighted and heavy.

  “Sorry, sis. It’s just that…hold on.” He picks up a remote from the Smuntine stand next to my bed. He fiddles with it until Uni-propaganda blasts through the airwaves from the overhead Uni-holo, spewing the party line and everything they want us to know.

  The information we’re fed is pathetic. Watered down and weak, filled with positive statements like, “Jare Jones got promoted to manager on Uni-Bosk Twenty-Eight for his upstanding service.” And, “Weekend events include a picnic on Uni-parkland, compound-fifteen.”

  “That’s too loud, Reve. Turn it down.” I press my hands over my ears.

  He leans in close to me and whispers, “Listen. There’s something awful going on down here. That riot was only the beginning. You know how they promised us a means to build bridges and find peace, followed by lots of money and new beginnings?”

  I nod.

  “It’s total BS. It’s not working at all. Humans…we’re being hunted.”

  I shiver.

  “No way.” My eyes widen to the point of pain. I fist the silver blanket. “That can’t be.”

  “Believe it, sis. There’s talk of Metas draining the life force from our kind. They grow strong. We get weak.” He shakes his head. “I think they still want to eradicate us. The war continues.”

  An image of the green glowing male flashes through my brain.

  Could he be one of the rogue?

  “It’s awful. Everyone’s paranoid. There’s already talk of mutiny in the lower levels. The work I do is pathetic but think what will happen if we don’t do our job. All bodily filth will pool everywhere. It will back up in the pipes. There won’t be any drinking water.” He’s talking fast, as if trying to force them out before we get caught.

  “Why would you do that? Why would you punish everyone?” I hiss. One of my monitors sounds an alarm.

  “Shh, sis. Easy. Big breaths. Calm yourself.” He places his hand over my sternum, looking intently into my eyes.

  Returning the gaze, I take a few slow breaths, as encouraged, until the beeping goes off.

  He nods and continues. “We’ll do it to make demands. Get our final S-Co payment sooner than later. And then…” He turns his attention to the door, then back to me, pressing his lips against my earlobe. “We escape.”

  “What?” I hiss. The thought of escape is both wonderful and terrible. We’d be back to living on the streets and, we’d no doubt be wanted criminals. But at least we’d be away from here.

  The clap, clap, clap of soft-soled shoes on concrete floors powers in our direction.

  Reve pushes back in his chair and clasps my hand, smiling sweetly at me.

  The door swings open in a gust.
>
  “What are you doing? This is far too loud. The entire wing can hear it.” A stocky, white-clad woman stomps in my room. Her name tag reads Citizen 98342. She grabs the remote from the bed stand and turns the droning propaganda down to a quiet hum. “And we’re short-staffed. I don’t appreciate having to drag my ass away from critical medical procedures to deal with noise levels.”

  “What?” Reve says, innocently. “I thought you wanted us all to hear the daily message.”

  “Not at those decibel levels.” She glares at Reve, and then turns to me. “You’re awake.” She says this like it’s a command.

  “Barely,” I croak.

  She scans the swirling digits over my head and taps a few keys on the medi-console next to me. “

  Your vitals look decent.” She nods. “We didn’t know if you’d join us here, but here you are,” she says, giving me a perfunctory smile. She swivels to face Reve. “Look, buddy. I’m dealing with real emergencies. I need to get back to them. Now scram. She’s awake but she needs her rest.”

  “Got it,” Reve says, getting to his feet.

  The Uni-nurse’s eyes soften. “I’m sorry. We’re completely stressed. We’ve got humans coming in here in droves. They can barely stand. No energy. Metas bleeding and scraped from fighting. It’s horrible. It’s got to stop.” Her lips press flat. “Anyway,” she says to me, smoothing my silver blanket. “I’m glad you’re back among the living. It was touch and go there for a while. We’ll check on you in a bit. And you,” she says to Reve. “You’d best be on your way. There’s no telling what will befall a Human anywhere. It’s not safe, not even in here.”

  With a toss of her curly haired head, she hustles from the room. Reve glances at me, and then follows her out.

  I reach for the Smuntine tray table perched by my bed and wheel it over me. Pushing myself to sit up, I peer at my reflection in the shiny metal. I wince. I look awful. Like a victim of war. I stare at the woman staring at me soberly. The woman-child is gone. She’s been replaced by someone new, someone foreign. Someone pissed off and fed up.

  I release the table and fall back onto the pillows. Reve’s right. We have to get the hell away from here. The person I was before I landed here at Uni-med Fourteen wasn’t capable of escape. The woman I am today has every intention of getting free, and damn the man who gets in my way.

  Chapter 15

  That night, lost in medicinal dreams, I seek my quiet pond. The man is waiting, as always.

  He comes to me, fisting my hair, yanking hard. My throat is exposed, bare. His other hand cups my jaw, squeezing lightly.

  “Who are you?” he growls in my ear.

  His voice makes me throb, wet and wanting.

  Does he mean in the dream? At the Complex? On the planet? Is he fighting the connection? Does he not want me here?

  The two lotus blossoms spin like a top, lighting the pond with flecks of brilliant green.

  “Why, Sakhi? Why are you here?” His teeth skim the tender skin of my neck. Then he bites down and suckles me.

  Completely aroused, I moan. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

  Whatever he means, I can’t answer him.

  His hand wanders along my body. He squeezes my nipples, and then fondles my breast, making them ache. Then, he moves lower, his fingers sliding beneath my hospital gown, finding easy access to my core. One finger slides along my slippery folds.

  “Can you feel this?” he asks, pumping his erection against me.

  “Yes,” I say, grinding into his finger.

  “I want to be inside you. But first…” he says.

  The words fade.

  “Sis. Sis. Sakhi. Sis.”

  Strong hands shake my shoulders.

  “Huh?” I say, coming to, blinking hard.

  “You’re being released today,” Reve says. “Don’t sleep through it.”

  I push him away. “Let me go back to sleep.”

  “No. I have to tell you something. Before the nurse arrives.”

  I tense, pulled from the idea of going back to sleep.

  “What is it?” I whisper.

  He steps to the other side of the bed and pushes my breakfast tray table out of the way. “I got some news today,” he says.

  “Paki’s been shipped off-planet,” he whispers.

  “He has? Why? What happened?” I don’t know whether I’m relieved or angered. I wanted to exact revenge. I’ve been plotting and scheming for days.

  “No one knows,” Reve says. “He’d gone missing for a couple weeks. Or, that’s what I heard, anyway. I usually never see him. Anyway, someone beat the shit out of him.”

  “Wow.” I say.

  “One of my workmates said it was during one of the riots. Rumor has it he got caught in the crossfire.” Reve shrugs, and then holds his hand before his face, his thumb and forefinger a couple millimeters apart. “He was this close from dying. Damn. I’m sure he had enemies. I wish they’d finished him off. Don’t you?” He gives me a pointed gaze. “Are you sure you don’t know who assaulted you?”

  “I’m sure,” I say, forcing my eyes to meet his.

  “Because it’s more than a little suspicious that he turned up beat to a pulp and he supposedly disappeared right after your attack.” Reve’s gaze chisels into me.

  “I’m sure it wasn’t him,” I lie. “I’d know. His energy is off the charts.”

  “Uh-huh. If you say so.” He gives me a steely-eyed glare.

  “I say so. If it was Paki, I’d want you to take care of him. We’d do it together.” I give him a grim smile. It feels weird to lie to my brother. When have I ever?

  “Uh-huh,” he says, and then he turns away.

  The same stocky nurse from the other day, only known to us as Citizen 98342, barrels into the room.

  “Fun time’s over,” she says.

  “When did it start?” Reve asks. He winks at her, his hazel eyes twinkling.

  It’s good to see Reve at ease. He and the nurse have formed a teasing alliance of sorts over the last few days.

  “The moment you arrived, sport,” she says, winking back. “It’s been nothing but fun.” She hustles to my side, shooing him out of the way. She checks my vitals and nods. “Good. You’re back to normal. Sorry, but we need the space. This Uni-med is likely to burst.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” I assure her. “I’m eager to get out of here.”

  “Well, thanks,” she says, a droll expression on her plain face. “So happy you liked the care and service we provided.”

  “I didn’t mean…” I say, my face heating.

  She smiles and holds up her hand. “Stop it. I know what you meant.” Then she grows serious and places her hands on her generous hips. “Things aren’t going well here on the Complex. Someone’s gotta do something. This can’t continue.”

  As if on cue, a figure appears in the doorway. Our heads pivot to see Thras, looking as gorgeous and intimidating as ever as he glances from me to Reve and back again.

  Reve stiffens. His energy turns sharp-edged and jagged, shooting from his etheric body like the blaze from a segif.

  The nurse smiles, her energy rolling from her in gentle waves.

  I’m awash in mixed-up confusion. I want to cover my head with a pillowcase so he can’t see my shaved scalp.

  And yet still, there’s the lingering desperation to simply be liked by him mixed with something I can’t put my finger on. I still hate the guy, right?

  “Is this a bad time?” Thras says. “If it is, I can come back.”

  “Any time you arrive is a bad time,” Reve says. “Fucking Meta.”

  He glowers and folds his arms over his chest.

  Thras’ face grows stonily impassive. “I’m a person, just like you.”

  He does the same arm fold thing.

  The temperature in the room seems to drop ten degrees, sucked into a chill by the two males.

  “Reve! Stop it! He’s my boss,” I say, shooting him a dagger-filled glare. “If I still have a job, that
is.”

  My gaze drifts toward Thras.

  “We’ve kept it for you,” Thras says, allowing a slight smile to form. He stands rigidly in the doorway.

  The nurse glances at the time display. “She’s only got about twenty minutes left for visitors.”

  Thras nods. “I’ll be brief.”

  “I was just leaving,” Reve says. He glares at Thras.

  “Wait—stay,” I say, reaching for my brother’s arm.

  “Not happening. If he’s here, there’s no room for me. Besides the fact that it stinks—stinks like Meta.” Reve leans down and gives me a peck on the cheek. “Watch yourself,” he whispers.

  “Always,” I whisper back.

  After he and the nurse leave, Thras makes his way next to me.

  “You look better,” he says, gazing at me with a somber expression.

  “I look terrible,” I say. “What with the new haircut and all.” I pat my fuzzy scalp.

  “It’s impossible for you to look anything but beautiful,” he says.

  My breath catches in my throat.

  Where is this coming from? I thought he hated me…or I hated him or…gah!

  I smooth my silvery blanket, staring at my hands like they’re the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen. “What can I do for you? I heard you stopped by when I was out of it.”

  “Yes. I wanted to make sure one of my core team members was all right.” He stares at me rather clinically.

  “I see. So I’m one of your core team members.” Something about this stings. It’s as if I’ve been given an impersonal classification, much like my citizen number. But at least we’re speaking.

  “Yes.” He continues to stand, as if at attention.

  “You can sit down, you know. That’s what chairs are for.” I manage a slight smile of my own.

  “I don’t want to take too much of your time. I only stopped by to see how you are. And to ask you something. They tell me you’ll be back at work in seven cycles of the sun.” He clasps his hands behind his back.