Her dreams weren’t pleasant ones. They weren’t dreams normal twelve-year-old girls had. Not dreams about dolls and cake and bicycles, but instead a recurring nightmare. In it, she was walking alone down this never-ending road, and she knew what was coming every time, but was pulled like a magnet against her will. She couldn’t walk around it; she couldn’t bypass it; she could only walk towards it. Her mind knew what it was, and she screamed out loud like a wounded animal. No one heard her.
The dream had cut off all communication with her body, and her mind was trapped in a skeletal prison. The abyss always got bigger and blacker, and what happened next always was repeated: she’d fall deeper into the black pit, and had that hopeless and helpless feeling each time.
Finally her mind’s nerves connected with her physical body and she screamed. She screamed so loud that she woke up and shivered in fear.
Leea really was in the hole this time.
Chapter Fifty-Six
The throbbing in Connie’s head was in perfect sync with the beating of her heart. It was so intense that it felt like someone had jammed a screwdriver into her head. She had had bad sinus infections before, but this was much worse; it didn’t even subside after a healthy breathing treatment under the fume hood.
Leea’s unexpected blow had felt like it had broken her skull, but a bio scan had come back negative. So Connie just endured the pain and cut into the cadaver’s femur with the bone saw.
The male was six feet tall and weighed about 180 pounds. He was black with short hair and an athletic build. The radioactive preserving isotope had given his ebony skin an eerie yellowish tinge. Death never looks pretty, even in the best of conditions.
The bone saw made quick work of the femur, and soon Connie had a nice six-inch piece that she then split in half. Carefully removing the marrow, she smeared it onto a slide and put it into the gene sequencer. She was almost through with programming when sharp needles dug into her right leg. With a startled cry, she looked down to see Hiccup’s little black body pulling itself up her leg. Her thin space suit offered no protection from the kitten’s claws.
Reaching down, she grabbed the kitten around its belly and pulled her off her leg. Its blue eyes were so full of happy intensity to see Connie that she couldn’t be mad at the pain those little claws had just triggered. Instead, Connie nuzzled Hiccup’s ears. The kitten purred loudly and snuggled closer to her mother.
The kitten had grown a lot, and was much further along in physical development than a similar-aged kitten on Earth would be. Einstein had hypothesized that time stood still at the speed of light; maybe it sped up, thought Connie, pushing the Run button on the gene sequencer’s LED screen.
Just as she did, Susanna came bolting into Med Bay, obviously upset.
“That learning visor has got to go,” she shouted. “Libby is learning far too quickly, and I want my baby girl back.”
“What’s the matter?” asked Connie.
“She won’t talk to me in English anymore and it’s driving me nuts.”
“What do you mean she won’t talk to you in English?”
“She will only speak French to me, and I don’t know what she is saying. I told her to pick up her clothes and take them to the laundry and she said, ‘Non, je ne veux pas.’ Then I told her to speak English or I was going to give her a spanking. Instead of obeying, she said, ‘Attrapez-moi si vous le pouvez.’ When I tried to catch her, she jumped on Dozer’s back and they bolted.”
Connie had a glint in her eye that only made Susanna madder.
“Do you think this is funny?”
“No,” said Connie, “but what I do find remarkable is that your daughter can already speak French, and she is only eighteen months old. Instead of being frustrated with her, I think you should be thrilled. This never could have happened on Earth.”
“I guess you are right,” said Susanna. “It just bothers me that she doesn’t obey me. And I think she is getting smarter than me. I know that sounds stupid.”
“Don’t fear it, embrace it.”
Just then, Hiccup stuck her head out of Connie’s suit. Her black furry head and bright blue eyes were a drastic contrast to Connie’s pale skin.
“Oh my god, is that a kitten?” asked Susanna. “So you broke the genetic code and cloned one. Does anyone else know, sir?”
“Just Libby and Dozer,” said Connie, “and I’d prefer that you not tell anyone, either.”
“I won’t,” said Susanna. “Can I hold it?”
“It’s a she and her name is Hiccup,” said Connie. Reaching into the front of her suit, Connie pulled Hiccup out and handed her to Susanna. “Just keep her away from Leea.”
Just then, the gene sequencer stopped and beeped. The word “Incomplete” flashed on the LED screen.
“Fuck me,” said the chief science officer. “Now I’m back to square one.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
The next few weeks were demanding. Captain Kriss’s orders for the crew to get acclimated to the 25 percent increase in gravity of A-64 were enforced by Smitty, and the first mate was relentless. The gym’s track spun faster to mimic the planet’s stronger gravitational pull, and as it increased, so did the barrage of profanities out of Smitty’s mouth. No one was exempt, not even Dozer. But, the crew transformed, and soon everyone became fit and toned. Even Connie and Spuds leaned up considerably.
Against her will, Captain Kriss even gave the order to allow the prisoner to be exercised, but only at night while the ship slept. But Kriss didn’t make it easy; Leea was guarded by two armed guards and cuffed. Her leg shackles were removed to allow her to run, but Kriss had a special nylon tether made, and it was fastened at one end to the cuffs and the other end to a drone that had been reprogrammed by Merc and Sophi to act as a guard dog. If Leea did anything other than run or walk on the track, it would fly her around in a continuous loop till a guard could reach her. Not only did it stop her from getting away, it also made her extremely nauseous, as Leea found out on her first unsuccessful test of the system.
The crew trained with the bolt guns until everyone was termed lethal by Smitty. Not only did Smitty drill them on loading, firing, and maintaining the weapons, but offhand shooting positions were practiced till there was no firing position not deemed comfortable.
Just when everyone thought they were badasses, Smitty dropped a bomb.
“Let’s learn to shoot with our nondominant hand. If you lose the use of your dominant hand, what are you going to do? Give up?”
Flipping the bolt gun to her nondominant hand, the first mate tore up the metal target with one burst. To prove it was no accident, she jumped up into the air and kicked her left leg high, doing a complete somersault in the air. Each time she spun and the target came into view, she fired a burst. Every bolt hit the target.
Dropping the empty mag, she put the gun between her legs and held it there while she slid another loaded mag into the gun. The mag snapped in and she flipped the gun up to her nondominant eye, taking out another target. This time, she shot at a flat metal target that looked like a pie plate; in it, she had made a perfect smiley face, and the torn metal’s holes glowed like a lit Halloween pumpkin.
Everyone clapped and cheered. That was hardcore shooting and everyone knew it. The first mate bowed to her audience. She was a little embarrassed at the attention, but the continued roar of approval soon brought a confident smile back to her face. “Who’s next?” she shouted.
One after another, every woman went down the line, and Smitty offered words of encouragement instead of the barrage of offensive words she had used in prior training sessions. Her recruits were learning, and she was proud of them. Every army tears a soldier down in basic training and then builds them back up. Smitty’s words of praise soon brought out the best in all the women.
“We have a little army, sir,” said Smitty to Kriss.
“I just hope it’s enough,” said the captain. “We don’t know what nasty surprises A-64 has waiting for us. How is everyone’s fitness coming?”
“Well, sir, I can’t take all the credit for whipping the crew into shape. Brooke has been just as tough on everyone as I have,” said Smitty.
“I have been watching her closely myself. She is Leea’s lover, you know, and I don’t want a mutiny. One bad apple can spoil the whole box.”
“Yes, sir, I will watch her like a hawk.”
With a sharp salute, Kriss left Engineering and headed to Med Bay. She was so quiet that Connie wasn’t alerted to her presence. Connie was extracting a molar from the male cadaver, and was quite upset that the corpse wasn’t willing to let his tooth go. She had been trying for the last ten minutes. She didn’t want to break the molar off or have to section it with a dental drill. She wanted the tooth intact to remove the nerve tissue, which would have the trapped DNA inside for sequencing.
“Can I offer my services?” asked Kriss. Her voice made Connie jump in surprise.
“This tooth is cemented into his mouth and I can’t get it out.”
“Get on the com and get the first mate here, pronto.”
“Yes, sir.”
Within ten minutes, Smitty came barging into Med Bay.
“What’s up, sir?” she asked.
“Help the chief science officer remove that tooth,” Kriss said as she pointed at the cadaver.
Grabbing Connie’s forceps, Smitty squeezed the tooth’s crown and tugged on it.
“Stop, stop!” yelled Connie. “You’re like a bull in a china shop. Make slow, controlled movements in a figure-eight pattern, and increase the pressure as you feel the tooth begin to move. If it doesn’t move, don’t apply more pressure or you will simply shear the crown off. I want it whole, root and all.”
Smitty did as she was told, but it seemed like a losing battle until Captain Kriss cradled the man’s head and didn’t allow it to move. This allowed Smitty to apply more pressure on the root, and it finally gave. To Connie’s delight, it didn’t break.
Carefully, Connie gripped the tooth by the crown with the forceps and used a slow-speed handpiece to cut the top of the crown off. A thin layer of dentin still covered the pulp chamber, but with a pair of cotton tweezers, she broke through and carefully removed it. Inside she could see the white color of the nerve.
Reaching in with the tweezers, she gently tugged until the nerve broke free and slid out. The nerve was pliable and soft, but it still held its shape. Placing it on a slide, she slid it into the gene sequencer.
“Keep your fingers crossed,” Connie said.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Bang, bang, bang sounded as a large fist hit the doors to Captain Kriss’s quarters. The uninvited intruder came into the room.
“Captain, come quick! We can see A-64 on the forward-mounted telescope!”
Kriss pulled on her space suit and helmet and followed the excited crew woman to Command. There was a palpable buzz; you could almost taste the excitement in the room. Everyone was huddled around a large LED screen, and its light reflected on their faces like the glow of a distant moon. No one spoke; they were mesmerized by the strokes of Connie’s fingers on the computer keyboard.
Captain Kriss parted the congregated mass of women until she stood behind the seated form of her chief science officer. Expecting to see a blue Earthlike planet suspended in front of her, she gave a look of disappointment.
“Where is it?” she asked quietly.
Connie’s fingers rapidly responded. Soon, the telescope spoke quietly to Connie.
“There it is!” she exclaimed.
The LED screen was as white as a snowstorm. No one except Connie could see anything.
“She’s a fool,” whispered someone.
Captain Kriss, feeling the crew’s disappointment, snapped, “Where is it?”
Connie said nothing; she just kept typing away. Soon, in the upper right-hand corner, a circular grouping of pixels got brighter. It was hard to tell at first; when you looked directly at it, you couldn’t see it, but when your eyes scrolled away, your peripheral vision could detect something.
As Connie continued typing on the keypad, the grouping became brighter and more focused until it appeared as a tiny point of light.
“Ladies, I give you Alpha-64.”
Everyone started talking at once. Soon their questions were interrupted by Captain Kriss.
“That is A-64?”
“Yes, sir,” said Connie. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It doesn’t look very exciting,” snapped Kriss.
“Be patient, sir,” said Connie. She feverishly typed, and the dot migrated to the middle of the screen and grew a little larger. “I’m using the spectrograph to determine if there is life on A-64, or if it is even habitable. The spectrograph senses the colors of visible light of A-64’s spectrum. The presence of these colors can indicate certain elements conducive to life by emitting certain wavelengths. I have good news, ladies. The spectrograph indicates there is ozone present!”
“What’s that mean?” snapped Kriss.
“It is a very prominent marker for an Earthlike planet,” said Connie. She gave a hoot of excitement. “It’s a binary system!”
“What the hell is that?” Kriss said curtly.
“It means A-64 has two suns.”
“Two suns?”
“Binary systems are inherently more stable because the gravitational pull of both suns reduces the threat of solar winds and increases the chance of life being present,” said Connie.
“English, Commander, speak English,” said Kriss.
“One sun slows the other, one vents to the other, and it’s this marriage that causes the increased magnetic protection of the planet. That is one reason why its gravity is 25 percent greater than Earth’s. Our scientists did a great job predicting this phenomenon prelaunch,” said Connie. “Single-sun systems are less likely to have alien life and be habitable. A-64 just may be suitable for our new home.”
The room erupted like a giant water fountain, but Captain Kriss’s voice cut the levity like a surgeon’s scalpel. “Alien life?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Connie. “I mean sir.”
“We may arrive to a planet where we can survive its atmosphere but not its inhabitants,” said Smitty. “Don’t worry, girls, I’ve trained you well. We’ll either kick the aliens’ butts or we’ll die together fighting.”
“Aye!” everyone cheered loudly.
Instantly, the room was silenced again, this time because the bright white pixel of A-64 disappeared just as the blue image of Earth had imploded on the ship’s aft monitors.
“What just happened?” cried out a crew woman.
“Order, order!” yelled Kriss. “What the hell did just happen?”
“I don’t know,” said Connie. “I don’t know.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Reaching through the bars, Leea grabbed the cloaked figure. “Kiss me.” Their tongues hungrily met, but were cheated the deep warm embrace by the cold metal bars of the Hole. Only the tips of their tongues could meet; their lips were not allowed to touch.
Reaching through the bars, Leea pulled the cloak down, revealing Brooke’s face.
“You are so beautiful. I miss you,” said Leea.
“I miss you, too, baby.”
“Did you avoid all the ship’s cameras to get to me undetected?”
“I think so, but I might intentionally get caught just to be thrown in the Hole with you,” whispered Brooke.
“I would love that, sweetheart. I miss the warmth of your naked body and the ability to touch you all over. But with us both in here, escape would be impossible. You are my only hope of getting out of here alive.”
“But what can I do?” asked Brooke.
/> “I want you to start stealing supplies like food, medical kits, clothing, and if you can, bolt guns. Maybe even a knife and rope and something for shelter,” said Leea.
“I’ll try, but they are watching me carefully. When do you think we should try our escape?”
“Maybe once we reach A-64,” said Leea. “To escape while on board would be useless; there is nowhere to go, and they would track us with our RFID chips—which gives me another idea: try to get some surgical scalpels and blood tape from Med Bay. We need the scalpels to remove our chips.”
“Good idea,” said Brooke, “but why do we need blood tape?”
“In case we get injured during our escape.”
Reaching through the bars, Leea pulled Brooke as close to her as the steel prison allowed. She traced the outline of Brooke’s face with her hands, then caressed her ears. The bulk of the cloak hid Brooke’s body, so Leea by touch was seeing her lover in her mind’s eye. Pulling the cloak open, Leea reached for Brooke’s breasts. They were warm and soft and only covered by a cotton sleeping shirt. She could feel the nipples become erect through the fabric.
“Turn around,” Leea said in a lusty voice. Reaching for her waist, Leea pulled Brooke up against the bars and breathed heavily into Brooke’s ear. Leea’s hands pulled Brooke’s sleeping shirt up, exposing the naked skin of her lower torso. Reaching up under the shirt with her cold hands, Leea cupped Brooke’s breasts. She gently squeezed them together and relaxed her hold. Brooke’s breasts warmed Leea’s hands, which in turn warmed her heart.
One hand traced its way down to Brooke’s navel and explored the concave ring of skin around her belly button, then down to the velvet pad over her pubic bone. For a second Leea’s hand lingered there, but Brooke’s young fruit soon beckoned Leea to slide her hand down to her vagina to rub the freshly shaved lips. They were warm and silky to Leea’s fingertips.
Expertly Leea teased the lips until the moisture within allowed Leea’s fingertip to find the groove between them. She traced this opening gently, spreading Brooke’s moisture closer to her clit. Leea began breathing heavier into Brooke’s ear till the gym commander softly moaned. It was a gentle, sweet moan, but grew deeper as Leea’s finger got closer to the opening of her vagina.
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