Off World 2: Sanctuary

by Stephanie Vaughn

  “Really?” Sandy paused, running all the information through his head, not liking most of the scenarios he came up with. “Listen, would you do me a favor? Check with The Busted Flush. See if he’s still there. If he got the job, he might be working. I’ll check back with you after I put some dry clothes on.”

  “You got it, Sandy.”

  Twenty minutes later, on the ship’s bridge, Sandy didn’t like the information he was getting. “He’s not there. The manager at The Flush says he never showed up.”

  Sandy stared back at Cal, vaguely conscious of the other faces gathered around the ship’s main computer terminal on the bridge. He stuffed the fear down deep while he tried to process what Cal was telling him. “That was hours ago. If he’s not there, then where is he?”

  Cal’s gaze flicked from Sandy to Sarhaan and Sandy knew some kind of wordless communication was going on, but he couldn’t spare any mental energy to try to decipher it. Cal gave a defensive little shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “But you tried tracking his identi-chip, right?” As the fear built, so did the frustration in Sandy’s voice.

  “He doesn’t have one, Sandy.” Sarhaan moved to stand behind Cal, one hand resting familiarly on Cal’s shoulder.

  “How can he not have one? Everyone has one?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that.” Cal might have come from a sheltered background, but after nearly a year with the team, he and his first-rate brain fit right in. “I think he probably has one, just like everybody else, but it was wiped when he went into that place. Think about it: it’s the easiest, cleanest way to hide someone whose presence -- if discovered -- might be politically embarrassing.”

  “Fuck. They don’t miss a trick, do they?”

  “Listen, Sandy -- and Sarhaan, you haven’t heard this yet, either -- I found something pretty interesting on yesterday’s inbound transfer file. Remember James Van Aukken? He landed on Doradus yesterday.”

  Over Cal’s head, Sandy caught Sarhaan’s eye. “Thurmond’s old business partner.”

  “He was up to his neck in the drugs and prostitute murders with Thurmond. How did he manage to skip hard time on Mars, like his pal?” Sarhaan gave Cal’s shoulder a little shake. “Why didn’t we hear about this sooner? I thought you monitored those daily.”

  Cal leaned back in his chair, the better to face both Sandy and Sarhaan. “The name on the file isn’t Van Aukken; he obviously paid someone to hide his identity. Judging from the low rent quality of the file, it was probably the same people who helped Brasov. Good enough to get him by most screeners -- anyone who didn’t know what they were looking for.”

  “And you do.” Sandy wasn’t asking a question. Cal knew his stuff.

  “I should have given it higher priority. I thought something looked a little off about it, but I didn’t chase it down until about an hour ago.”

  Cal’s serious expression did nothing to reassure Sandy. He’d had a nagging sense of worry as soon as he’d realized the lateness of the hour and the fact that no one had heard from Alex. Nothing he’d found out since had done a damn thing to allay that concern. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  “You did catch it, though.” Sandy gazed around the bridge, only belatedly realizing that everyone present had been listening in -- Vilnius and Sutton from a few meters away. “I don’t know about you all, but this is a little too much coincidence for me. First Brasov, then Van Aukken turning up. Both had ties to Earthly Delights and suddenly Alex goes missing? I’m going to find Alex and if either one of those sleazebags had anything to do with it...” Sandy looked at Sarhaan, not bothering to finish the sentence. He and Sarhaan had been teammates a long time and the actual words weren’t necessary.

  “You want some back-up?”

  A quick nod sealed the deal almost as soon as the words cleared Sarhaan’s lips and Sandy was already heading for the lift. Luckily the armory was on the way to the airlocks into Doradus.

  Now that they were in motion, the calm of battle settled over Sandy. He and Sarhaan had run this drill a thousand times in the past and only the details of the op changed; when Xuwicha greeted them at the first airlock, Sandy wasn’t even surprised. “I thought you were off on stress-relief duty.”

  “There’s more than one way to fuck some ass. This’ll do.” Kai’s face was its usual impassive mask as they climbed onto the tram -- the only form of transportation allowed on the station other than walking. “Loftin’s going to meet us there.”

  “Where is ‘there’? And why is the head of station security meeting us?”

  Sarhaan and Seth Loftin weren’t on the best of terms, so something was up that the sheriff had been alerted. That he was joining them was unprecedented. If Sandy hadn’t been watching for it, he might have missed the quirk of the lips that Kai called a smile.

  “Apparently the good sheriff’s date for the evening fell through. Turns out he’s not only available, he’s a might peeved that disreputable riffraff are abusing his station’s hospitality. And ’there’ is a house not far from The Busted Flush. Brasov rents it and station security shows Van Aukken is there as we speak. Plus infrared sensors picked up an unidentified body there.”

  “A body?” It was a measure of Sandy’s agitation that he grabbed Kai by the arm. Kai didn’t like to be touched and under ordinary circumstances it never happened.

  “It’s hard to tell with IR. Either way, I don’t think it would hurt to hurry.”

  ***

  “Poor Alex -- so neglected. I blame myself, of course.”

  The momentary whistle of the switch through the thick air of the station was Alex’s cue that another line of blistering fire was a split-second from bursting out on his skin. He hoped briefly that it would land on his ass; at least that had some padding. He was unlucky, though, and the pain blazed across his thighs.

  Bound to an X-shaped apparatus made from two pieces of fake wood, Alex’s shoulders ached. Not as much as his backside, but it added to his misery.

  “Look at your skin. So lovely and white -- no one marks quite like you do. Poor beautiful thing. Abandoned. Utterly forsaken. With no one who cares enough to even lash you. Except me.”

  The switch came down again, on Alex’s back this time, and he caught his breath at the pain. If he could go away, to that place in his head, where no one could reach him…

  “Alex, you’re not paying attention.” That voice. If he could close his ears, so that he didn’t have to listen, he could think about other things. “What shall we do to keep you focused on the task at hand?”

  A hand closed around his erect dick. He didn’t want to be hard. He didn’t want it to feel good. But he was, and it did.

  He hated himself.

  The hand squeezed his dick. Slowly pumping the length of the shaft from root to head.

  “Oh, my lovely Alex. Tell me you’ve been faithful. Tell me you haven’t let anyone else put their hands on what belongs to me, because I would have to punish you for that.”

  Alex turned his head.

  He couldn’t go along. He couldn’t even pretend to play the game any more. What would Sandy do in a situation like this? Sandy wouldn’t have gotten himself into a situation like this in the first place. Sandy wasn’t stupid like he was. Sandy would have figured out that things looked wrong and never gone in in the first place.

  “Alex, have you been with anyone else? Has anyone put their disgusting hands on you? Put their undeserving prick up your ass, perhaps?”

  Go fuck yourself, you disgusting piece of slime. The words sounded brave in Alex’s head, but a voice remarkably like his own instead said, “No, Master James.”

  “But can I trust you to tell me the truth still, Alex? We’ve been apart for much too long, I think, and your discipline is entirely gone. We’ll have to start over from the beginning, I’m afraid. How I’ve missed you, my love.”

  The switch whistled again, three times in quick succession, and Alex twisted under the agony of the lashes. It was soaked in salt water
for extra sensation, he could tell. It wasn’t the worst, though. Things could always get worse. At least it wasn’t the cane.

  “Are you telling me the truth, Alex?”

  I hope you fucking die in the most horrible way imaginable. I hope Sandy—

  “You didn’t answer me. Perhaps the problem is that you can’t feel the kiss of this tiny switch through all of your unfortunate… winter weight. Yes? I think we might need our favorite cane again, to put us in the right frame of mind. What do you think, Alex?”

  The cane.

  He knew the remembered pain would be nothing compared to the real thing again. He hadn’t been whipped in months. He cringed inside, tried to draw himself up into a tiny ball of consciousness and take that ball away to another time and place. He’d trust it to Sandy’s hands to care for. Big hands that still knew how to be gentle…

  A bang came out of nowhere. He was bound at the neck, too, and could only turn his head a little. He couldn’t see.

  Footsteps running on the cold artificial floor.

  Shouting.

  Grunting.

  A soft sigh.

  And then… nothing.

  “Alex? Baby, are you all right?”

  There was a hand on his face, a thumb lifting his eyelid. He squeezed his eyes closed. Tried not to look.

  “Alex, it’s Sandy. Honey, talk to me. Please. Can you hear me?”

  Was it a trick? He didn’t want it to be. He wanted it to be Sandy, his very own white knight riding to his rescue, to sweep him off his feet and away to somewhere safe.

  He took a chance and opened one eye.

  “Alex, honey, it’s Sandy. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

  It looked like Sandy. He wasn’t sure. What if it was a trick, something to break him down?

  “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m here. Kai’s here. You’re safe.”

  A soft kiss pressed to his lips. Sandy’s scent. His arms were cut loose now, his legs next. He was supported on either side as he was helped down.

  “Here, baby. Can you stand? How bad does it hurt? Can’t we give him something? Kai, what’ve you got?”

  Nearby, voices argued quietly.

  “Alex, can you go to sleep? We’re taking you back to the ship. It’s okay, baby. I’m here. Sandy’s here. It’s gonna be okay. Everything’s gonna be all right.”

  ***

  Alex woke up screaming.

  Tied down, like in a coffin, unable to move.

  He fought.

  He jerked his arms hard, kicked with his feet, but the restraints held.

  “Alex. Ssh-ssh-shush. Hold still, honey. Vilnius! Get your ass over here! He’s waking up. Jesus! What’re you letting him wake up that fast for?”

  Alex kept fighting, but not as hard now. Where was he? He’d never liked confined spaces, had always been a little claustrophobic. This was awful. His hands and his feet were--

  “Alex? We’re helping you. You’re in re-gen and you have to hold still.” Not Sandy. Alex thought he knew the voice from somewhere. A youngish face was peering down at him now, a mop of carroty red hair and more freckles than Alex had seen in one place before.

  “Who are you?” Alex’s voice was raspy.

  “Jimi Vilnius. We met at Durty Nelly’s, remember? Listen, you’ve got to stay still. You’ve got tubes running in and out of you. You were all messed up.”

  “Where am I?” He craned his neck, trying see what the set up was.

  “You’re on the Vigilant and we’re fixing you up. I was bringing you out of it, but I must’ve miscalculated.”

  “The Vigilant? Is Sandy here? Forget it, don’t bother him. And where’s--”

  “I’m right here, baby. Who did you think was yelling for Vilnius to get his incompetent ass over here and straighten things out?” Eyes bloodshot, the skin around them had more lines than ever; Sandy looked exhausted. Smiling, but more tired than Alex had ever seen him. “Don’t worry about Van Aukken, honey. He won’t bother you again. He won’t bother anyone again.”

  Studying Sandy’s face, it was a relief when Alex finally had a hand free to touch with. He laid his hand along the side of Sandy’s face and held it there, the mere act of touching making him feel a thousand times better.

  Sandy’s word was gospel and if Sandy said Van Aukken wasn’t a problem, Alex knew it must somehow be true.

  “Are they still working you like a dog? Somebody needs to tell Sarhaan that you deserve a life, too.” Sandy’s skin was icy under his hand. “Your face is cold.”

  “Nah, your hand is hot. They have to raise your temperature for the re-gen to work. You probably feel like you have a fever.”

  Alex thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I do. When can I get out of here?”

  Behind Sandy, Jimi Vilnius laughed. “And I thought you were a bad patient, Sandy. You two were made for each other.”

  “You think so?”

  ***

  “Sandy, who’s this?”

  Alex held up the picture of Sandy, looking impossibly young, with his arm draped around a woman. Equally young, she had copper-colored skin like Sandy and wavy black hair that reached down to her waist. They both smiled into the camera.

  “That’s Sai”

  “Look at how much hair you had; you’re beautiful.” Alex couldn’t get over the differences, glancing up at Sandy now, then back to the much younger man in the picture. “Sa-i? Who is she, your sister?”

  Stretched out next to Alex in bed, Sandy took the bottle of lube he’d forgotten he was still holding. In the process of putting it away in the headboard, Alex had found a picture stashed in amongst Sandy’s other personal effects.

  “She’s pretty, isn’t she? No. She was my wife.” Alex’s mouth fell open. He turned his head to stare at Sandy, but Sandy’s gaze remained fixed on the picture. “Long time ago. A long time ago.” Touching the picture with one finger, Sandy traced the outline of the woman’s face.

  “You… you were married?”

  “Yeah. And to a woman, too. Imagine that.”

  “So…” Alex was stunned. So many questions were bouncing around in his head, it was impossible to pick which one to ask first. “So, you’re bi?”

  Finally turning to face Alex, a smile so brief Alex might have imagined it flitted across Sandy’s mouth. “I thought so at the time. I thought I could choose.”

  “Choose?”

  “I’d known Sai all my life. Our families were part of the same community. Mostly Samoan, some other nationalities mixed in, but that only made us stick more to our own. There was always some weirdness about my dad that my mother would never talk about. It only made her more insistent that I marry a nice girl from a family she knew.”

  “But, a girl… I mean, a woman?”

  This changed everything. Like an explosion in a feather factory, Alex was trying to stuff everything back inside, but nothing fit.

  “She was sweet. A really nice girl. So nice. You couldn’t imagine a better, nicer person. I knew her family. Her brothers and I played tuila’epa together. I liked her a lot. I thought it would be enough.”

  Reaching out, Alex touched Sandy’s shoulder. Bulging with more muscles than Alex had in his whole arm, it was part of Sandy. How…?

  “You know what life was like back on earth if you were gay.” Sandy glanced up at Alex’s reflexive snort, instantly apologetic. “Of course you do. That was dumb.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Go on.”

  “I thought -- I was young and stupid. Just stupid. I thought: if you can be either this one thing that will make your life a thousand times more difficult, or this other thing that everyone’s fine with, why would you ever choose the hard thing? It seemed so logical.” Sandy shrugged. “Why would you choose to be this persecuted, despised, hated thing?”

  Alex looked at Sandy with new eyes. “So, the two of you had sex? What was that like? Wasn’t that just… so odd?”

  “We got married right when I joined the Marines. I was gone a lot. I thought everythi
ng was my fault. Turns out I was right about that part. I -- you know what I like in bed. I thought if I could get Sai to--”

  “Oh, no.” Alex couldn’t bear to look, burying his head in the pillow. “How did that go?”

  “Not so good.” Sandy rolled to his back, his elbow jostling Alex’s pillow as he folded his hands beneath his head. “Our people are pretty accepting about a lot of stuff, but that just wasn’t what Sai expected from her husband. We tried to stick it out for a while for the sake of the families, but it didn’t work.”