by Zoey Indiana
"You don't understand, you are the first fertile man born. Alastor doesn't give a shit if they develop a process because the only person who refuses to see the possibilities is you." He shook his head, attempting to step back but Deja held him tight.
"Let go." It came out as a low growl. He could overpower her, but the punishment he would face wouldn't be worth it. Memories of being chained to a bed fought to overwhelm him.
"Not until you give me what I want." A chilling flat tone replaced her outrage. His palms began to sweat as his stomach clenched. That tone of voice brought back memories he was desperate to keep locked up.
"I can't." That soft whisper couldn't be him.
"Sure you can." She cooed as she released his shirt and slid her arms around him his waist, pulling him flush to her. "Just relax and say yes."
"I promised Lux." The lie slipped out before he could stop himself. Pain burst across his face from her palm before he had time to react. Deja was gone by the time his vision cleared. Lux walked up next to him and slid her arm around his side.
"You need to be more careful."
He hated how Deja was free to abuse him as were any of the women. His fertility was the single part of him protected by the leaders of the camp. The endless reminders from everyone about how he was far too important for any risk to his fertility crushed his soul. Was it too much to ask for one person to care about him? Even when he was a child, they'd raised him under strict supervision of two women appointed to raise him because his mother had died while giving birth to him. They day he turned fourteen, they'd locked him in a room and didn't let him leave until last month. Fourteen long years wasted, filled with horrors he couldn't speak of.
Lux interrupted his thoughts, "Deja has a lot of influence with the leaders here. You know what she can do if you take this too far."
Her warning brought a violent memory he tried to fend off, making his wrists ache at the ghost of pain.
"Come on, let's get you inside." Lux led him inside his cabin. After he sat on the couch, she reappeared by his side with a steaming mug of tea. Setting the empty mug on the light-colored coffee table, he started to feel more like himself. He wasn't sure how he would mitigate the damage from the lie to Deja, but he couldn't stir the energy to start now.
"Thank you for being such a great friend." He paused and fingered the blanket he hadn't noticed Lux put around him. "I think I need some time alone."
"What if Deja comes back? I could stay here just in case."
Bash shook his head, "Please Lux, I need to be alone. Besides, I think Deja needs a while to calm down before she concocts some other plan to lure me into her bed." He reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Please give me tonight."
Lux opened her mouth and took in a breath, then blew it out and nodded. She leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, then without a word she left.
Once he was sure she'd left, he looked over the sparse wooden cabin. It comprised two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen and living area. The chair he sat in matched the old worn looking beige couch across from him. When he'd first moved into this cabin, Lux had pursued him almost as much as Deja did. After a week she'd migrated to acting like a friend and started bringing him books which helped pass the time. He'd ruined all of that the moment he'd lied to Deja. Tonight he would enjoy a moment of peace, but tomorrow he would feel the repercussions.
Lay'ata Base: Freya
Freya followed the Base Major Tas'Ki into an auditorium, noticing four color coordinated teams of soldiers stood organized. The major lead her to a fifth group before standing at the podium addressing the group.
"I will now assign each one of you to a squad. There are four squads: Our primary fighters belong to Kaun'az Squad and represented with a burning torch on a red patch. Our second group of fighters belong to Is'az Squad and honored by an avalanche on a blue patch. Rescuers and medics belong to Man'az Squad and symbolized by with a fist on a yellow patch. Last but not least, our support and resource soldiers belong to Nau'az Squad and represented by a seedling on a green patch." Major Tas'Ki raised her arms and gestured to each team as she spoke.
Rumors about this base ran rampant throughout the ranks of ARI, but she never imagined there was any truth to them. Because the base was so far removed from the city, the command structure of the base devolved into chaos until a new structure formed different from any other base. Freya refocused on the base major.
"From this moment, your team will be your life and soul. All you think about is your team. All you dream about is your team. There is no future except the future of your team." She turned and gestured to each of the teams. "Each one of you have functions that keep Lay'ata Base running smoothly. If you fail your team, you fail your base, and you fail the Sovereign."
"O'Paka Sorasta, please step forward." A cold chill shot down her back at the name. Sorasta was the last name of an officer at Ray'Nia Base. Everyone labeled Brigadier General Zia Sorasta as ruthless. How could the daughter of such a notable officer be stationed as this remote base? O'Paka's sudden paleness to her ivory skin tone broadcast her fear to the others. Freya considered her as a woman of interest and a way to the inner-city.
"Freya El'Sandsa, please step forward." The color red flashed through her mind before the major said, "You're assigned to Kaun'az Squad. Please join your team and await further instructions."
As she joined her new team, one of them glared at Freya. Without a single physical movement, Freya reached out with her mind. At first there was a frenzy of chaotic noise and voices talking over each other, but she narrowed on the mind she wanted. She slid deeper, past the active thoughts to discover who she was.
Her name was Sha'Rah, and she was the Captain of Kaun'az Squad. Sha'Rah broke eye contact to watch the major continue with the proceedings, throwing Freya from the depths of her mind. She heard a thought from Sha'Rah that she focused on.
After the meal… I have to find the problem and eliminate it. It shouldn't be hard to get her away from —
Freya shot to the left, catching herself before she crashed into a squad mate. The major had dismissed them, but she'd been too focused on Sha'Rah to catch the order. When she refocused on Sha'Rah her thoughts were mundane. Shooting pain radiated out from behind her right eye as she attempted to get past Sha'Rah's thoughts and into her mind again. An image of a corridor at the base flashed before she lost the connection. Something bad was about to happen. She needed to figure out who the target was, but something inside of her knew it was O'Paka. Slowing to a few paces behind O'Paka, a hum broke out through her body. A tiny adrenaline surge caused time to slow to a crawl as she recognized the corridor from her vision.
Hands enveloped her neck and threw Freya forward past her center of gravity. A few quick steps got her feet underneath her again. Her right arm shot up as she spun to the right breaking her attacker's hold, following it up with left handed knockout punch to the face. Her attacker was unconscious before their body hit the floor.
She looked over to see O'Paka was lying on the floor face down, a woman from their squad sat on her back kept lifting her head then smashing it onto the ground. Her long hair gave the attacker a perfect grasp. Freya slipped back into the shadows, soldiers fighting among themselves was frowned upon and she was already under too much scrutiny. O'Paka wasn't to the caliber of her mother because she just lay there sobbing while they brutalized her.
Without warning, O'Paka's attacker flew across the room and smashed against a wall, a sickening crack of bones echoed through the corridor. Freya released the attacker from her telekinesis, and she slid down the wall into a broken heap. O'Paka curled into the fetal position and continued to sob. Freya shook her head, she was useless. Not even worth the risk of being revealed as a spy. No one was worth losing her chance at vengeance against the Sovereign. Movement caught her eye as Sha'Rah walked over and kicked the crying woman in the side.
"You worthless piece of trash," Sha'Rah sneered when O'Paka cried out in
pain, but didn't fight back. Sha'Rah growled. "I just don't understand how someone so pathetic can wake up every morning." She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery soon enough."
Distant running footsteps echoed through the corridor. She had to leave now. Deciding recent events would make a great diversion, Freya slipped through a pneumatic door into a nearby room that was silent. Looking around, she saw different computer displays across three of the walls with one long continuous control panel connecting them. The displays represented various aspects of the base indicating this room was under control of the supply squad. Pulling her handheld from a hidden pocket in her jacket, she slipped past three old rolling chairs staggered through the small room and attached it to a computer terminal. The device worked wonders for hacking, and to date, nothing had beaten it. A second later it accessed personal logs and downloaded them.
An image of the door opening slammed into her mind as most of the information downloaded. Without hesitation she imagined the pneumatic system locking up, and the door refusing to open. A heated debate broke out on the other side of the door. Remaining motionless, she listened to the voices on the other side of the door.
"What did you do to this door?"
"Me? I didn't do anything to the door, you were the last one through it."
"Well I did nothing to it." Pounding boomed through the room.
"Wow, that helped so much. Maybe you should try kicking it next."
An even louder noise rattled through the room followed by muttering.
A laugh broke out, "I can't believe you were dumb enough to think kicking a pneumatic truilium alloy door would do anything besides break your foot."
A muffled response, then there was a screech and a crash.
"Come on, I'll help you to the Infirm." There were a few more muffled curses, and the noise faded until she couldn't hear anything.
Freya finished downloading the information then released the door from her telekinesis. Detaching her handheld from the terminal, she slipped it back into its secret pocket and slid out of the room into an empty corridor.
Walking at a casual pace, she headed back to Kaun'az Squad quarters. When she arrived, O'Paka lay on the floor in front of her bunk. A quick scan with her handheld revealed she had a faint heartbeat, three cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and possible internal bleeding. If she didn't get help soon, she might not make it. With gentle movements, Freya picked her up without causing more damage and headed to the Infirm. O'Paka might be the key to getting into Ray'Nia base if Freya could keep her alive that long.
With her recovery time, it would put a stall on her plans to get as much information as possible from her. Deep down in her gut, she knew this was her fault. If she had stayed and protected the woman, then her injuries would be far less severe. This proved that Sha'Rah would be a problem. Those in power always abused it, no matter how little power they had.
Hiro Resistance Camp: Bash
A knock at the door caught Bash's attention as he washed the dirt from the garden off his hands. Before he could call out, the door opened and every muscle in his body tensed. He jerked the faucet so hard the metal creaked in protest. Seeing Lux walk in instead of Deja like he expected all morning made him relax.
Lux dropped onto the couch as he dried his hands. Putting a kettle on the wood stove, he waited for the water to boil.
"Bash, we need to talk."
"Yeah, we do." Turning around, he leaned against the counter and watched for Lux's reaction. "I'm sorry about yesterday."
Lux looked up from her hands. "There's nothing to be sorry about, I'm quite happy."
His balls tightened as ice shot through him. What would make her so happy? So much bad stuff had happened yesterday the memories were a blur. He jumped as the kettle started to whistle. Two mugs, he needed two mugs for tea. Time skipped as he finished making the tea. Arms slipped around his waist from behind just as he set down the kettle, making him jump.
"I know you're nervous, I am too." Lux guided Bash around until he looked down at her. "I've never had sex with a man so it will be new for me too."
Thoughts ricocheted around in his head. Sex? Why would they have sex? Her hips rocked forward into his and he bolted from the kitchen. "I, uh…" He searched for something, anything that would save him. "Uh, Lux—"
A crashed echoed through the room and Bash stared up at the ceiling from flat on his back. What had he tripped over?
Lux's face appeared from his left and stared down at him. "Are you okay? You're bleeding." Her hand reached out for his face, but he scooted back to escape her touch. "Bash, be careful!"
A hard object crashed into the back of his head, then pain exploded on the top. Thoughts became thick, hard to wade through. Lux's voice blurred until it was impossible to make out single words. The light in the room started to fade into darkness. It called to him; whispers of peace drew him into nothingness.
Pain shot through his head when someone forced his eyelids open. He pushed at the person holding the light, but hands grabbed him and prevented it. When his eyes focused, Doctor Clara appeared. He blinked a few times, but she remained kneeling in front of him in his cabin.
"What are you doing here?"
"Lux said you tripped over the chair." She scowled and shook her head. "You need to be more careful." She turned back to him and shined the light back into his eyes again. When he cringed away Clara grabbed his face. "Hold still."
Pain seared through his skull, instinct making him flinch.
"If you move again, I will have you restrained while I examine you."
Bash's shoulders curled over his chest while the doctor finished her exam. Lux watched from the couch with furrowed brows. Before he could analyze her expression, the doctor lifted his shirt and blocked his view. Doctor Clara's hands roamed his chest and ribs applying pressure on occasion. After a while, her hands became gentle and caressing, then they started to drift down to the waist of his pants. As her fingers slipped under the waistband, he decided that was far enough.
"This isn't part of your exam, I injured my head." He paused and then clarified, "I only injured the head on my shoulders, not that one." He gestured to his crotch with his eyes before returning his gaze to hers.
"Are you sure? I'd be happy to examine this one too." Desire lit up in her eyes making his stomach heave.
"Trust me, I would know if I'd injured myself there." It was one of the hardest things for him to do to keep the anger out of his voice. He'd love nothing more than to shove this woman back, but it wasn't worth the hell he would endure for it.
"Let me remind you of the conditions you agreed to. By giving you this cabin, you agreed to seek out no less than three women from the camp. A month has passed and I only see one woman, and you haven't had sex with her which violates the agreement." Her fist clenched around his waistband and she leaned in. "Stop rejecting women, or I'll send you back to the red room. You don't have to fuck me, but you have to fuck someone."
With a huff, Doctor Clara let go of his pants and collected her supplies. The only thing he could do was watch her while she finished up. By the time she left, he wanted to rip the cabin apart and everything in it. With more force than needed, he pulled his shirt down and stood.
"I can't believe her." Shaking his head, he righted the chair he'd tripped over. "Why did you call her here? You know how much I hate having her around. All she does is threaten me."
"You were bleeding, what was I supposed to do?" The hurt in her voice almost made his anger dissipate, but not quite.
"Let me bleed to death."
A loud gasp caught his attention. Lux had her hands over her mouth and tears welled in her eyes. Sitting next to her on the couch, he knew he was acting like an ass.
"Look, I didn't mean it, not like that. I was just dazed, and it was only a little blood." He ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair to show her the small cut. Aside from being tender to the touch, he wouldn't have noticed it.
"We would be lost without you. You're too important to the Resistance and humankind." She put her hand on his knee. "You'll be lucky if the Resistance leaders don't take action right away to protect you further."
To distract himself, he looked over to see what had tried to smash his head in, Quirky Quinn's Guide to Romantic Interludes. Well wasn't that ironic? He'd disguised it as a book about botany so no one else would realize he'd stolen it. Remembering the day he'd found the contraband on the bookshelf in another cabin, he'd snatched it, hiding it under his shirt until he returned to his cabin.
Until then, he'd never read about anything unless they considered it educational. It was a reproduction that had been famous before the plague killed men hundreds of years ago. When he was alone, he thought about loving relationships like the book described.
"If they had their way Lux, I would be back in the red room twenty-four seven unless women wanted to take me out for a ride. Just like the stallion at Ray'Ni's farm." He shook his head and slouched back on the couch. "Life isn't fair, I didn't ask for any of this."
"Who said life was fair?" The incredulous look on her face made him laugh out loud.
"You know, if I could remember, I would beat them." He ran his fingers through his beard and tugging on one side. "Unless it was a guy, then I would round up all the women in this camp and throw him to them, see if he survived."
"You know you shouldn't joke about that, you remember what De'Nara said." Lux started to stand, but he stopped her.
"Don't worry about the mess I made, I'll clean it up." He thought back to the last run in with De'Nara, one of the leaders of this camp. She threatened to take away all of his freedoms again until he gave into their wishes. Her reasoning was he was too precious; the good of the whole was worth the suffering of one. "What De'Nara said was going too far, I'm a human being."
"You may see it that way, but they have a reason to be strong and harsh. They ensure the safety of the whole Resistance, correcting the wrongs those before us created. You only have one role: to be a lover and restore the way nature intended." Her voice was level, the voice one might use to settle a hostage situation.