The female looked up at him shocked. “Dear god. Because you fought them?”
Reve shook his head. “No, because we didn’t get there sooner. They’d been on the Station for several days. Once we knew what was happening, we brought the Empire to take it swiftly and people answered for their crimes.”
“Answered to you?” she asked.
Reve shook his head again. “No. To Intergalactic Law. We are not justice we are their hammer. You should know, this world wasn’t registered with anyone before we found you.” He could see that shocked her again, he smelt her fear as it burnt the back of his nose. “It is now.” He quickly reassured her. “You have the choice of being part of the Empire or to stay on your own. Either way, this world is now known to the Courts of Justice and sovereignty has been declared. Anyone who messes with that from now on, will have to answer for it.”
The female recovered quickly from the news of abandonment and isolation. “Does that include you? Your people?”
Reve inclined his head. “It does.” He gave her a moment to digest it all. It was a lot to take on board.
He saw her work though all he’d said. She then looked up. The female was quick and intelligent. “What did Earth Corp do to you?”
Reve smiled. “Everything. They created us.”
He’d shocked her again. “Www.. h… a.. t?” she squeaked.
Reve leant forward, bracing his arms on the edge of her table. “You’re a doctor, you know what that means. They took samples from humans for generations, fertilised human eggs, incubated them, human and artificial, looking for the ultimate soldier combination. They used whatever they needed to make that happen. Prisoners, soldiers, volunteers. You name it they did it. All in search of the prefect military weapon. Us. And when human genetics wasn’t enough, they added Cybernetics and when that wasn’t enough, they used nano’s and animal DNA and spliced that in too.”
“They played god,” the female hissed.
Brenna wasn’t sure how to explain any of that. She felt her grip start to slip. She wasn’t strong enough to cope with this too. She didn’t get the feeling he was lying, and he’d already told her they didn’t lie. She….. believed him. A vague memory of her great grandparents talking about their own great grandparents surfaced. Part of the trials for being part of a seeded ship, required all subjects to give bone marrow, blood, semen and the female’s eggs. Holy shit….
Reve watched her every movement. The female had started to shake. Without thinking, he moved quickly from his chair, around the desk, picking her up he took her seat, placing her on his lap as he sat back down. She weighed too little. He held her securely against him while she gained control of her emotions and reactions. The air around her was full of it. Fear. Something in his words had triggered such a strong response in her and he wanted to know what. “You are safe here,” he told her, “I promise no harm will come to you. I will give my life to protect you.” He found himself cradling her head and body and as soon as the words had left his mouth, he knew them to be the truth.
Brenna tried to get the shaking under control. How had a Company that had offered new life done such a thing? How could it have been allowed? Do no harm. It was the universal code of all doctors and yet, they had done this? It was inconceivable, but she knew the truth when she heard it. She was aware that he’d somehow moved from his seat and was now holding her. She couldn’t find the energy to fight it. He was all strength surrounding her. Hard planes of muscle against her body and surrounding her. Maybe mistaking her shock for something more. She didn’t know and didn’t care. The feel of being in a man’s arms after so long was comforting, his words, were more than that. They held a promise, she wasn’t sure she wanted. Brenna took several calming breaths.
“Tell me how they did this?” she whispered.
Reve recounted their story. It took more than the hour she’d originally allocated him for this meeting, but he didn’t stop until it was all out there. He finished by telling her there were computer backups for all the information he’d shared, if she wished to look at it herself or anyone else did they could. And that it was also all recorded with the Courts of Justice. The Empire had several cases going through against Earth Corp and that was an option for this world too if they wanted it. Earth Corp had much to answer for.
She remained quiet through the whole thing, relaxing into his embrace. His scans told him she was dehydrated and exhausted. He lifted her off his lap and placed her back on her seat, while going to the door and opening it. “The female requires water,” he told Zhai. He looked in and gave a nod to one of his men who went in search of it. Reve re-closed the door and retook his own seat. She looked calmer now, more in control.
She took a couple of calming breaths. “That’s a lot to take in. I will have to share all this with our leaders. I’m not sure how they will take it. If you have it on a compatible uplink that might be useful, I’m not sure I could relay all that.” A knock came and Zhai brought in the water, handing it to the female. Reve watched her thank him and he walked out closing the door behind him. She opened the water and took several large gulps.
“Better?” he asked
Bren nodded and drank some more. Did this mean they were all related? “I’m sorry about that. It’s been a long few days. I err, have a vague memory of one of my ancestors telling a later generation, that before being allowed on a seeded ship, all participants had to give blood, bone marrow, semen and eggs. Do you think Earth Corp used them in their experiments?”
Reve looked at her worried expression. She was unsure of the answer. He could not lie to her. “I do not know but we can quickly find out. I can bring a med bed down and we can scan the people. It will soon tell if they have genetic markers we recognise. If they are injured, it will also fix the damage as well.”
The female stared at him open mouthed. “You,” she frowned and swallowed, “have a medical bed that fixes tissue and bone damage on humans? Serious life-threatening damage?” He nodded slowly. “You would let us use this?” He gave her a sharp nod. “OMG….” He watched as she punched in some buttons on a communication device. “How soon can you get it down here?” she looked at him expectantly. He liked that look on her face. Being the answer to her worries.
The information moved across his optic. “Within 20 of your minutes.”
She clicked something. “Suzann, get our patients ready, we have a miracle bed coming in from our guests, that can fix them all.” He could hear the other female talking, asking questions, asking if she believed it to be true. Without hesitation, his female answered. His? “Yes I do. Get them ready,” she told her putting down the receiver and yelling across the room for Zhai. He came rushing in. She pointed to Reve. “They have a miracle bed that fixes tissue and bone damage. Get a full list of who needs it. Worst first, children, women then the rest.” He left quickly. She looked back at him. “Thank you. It will help many people here.” She fiddled with her hands then looked up. “What’s the price for that help?”
Reve spread his hands wide. He could smell her fear again in the room. She feared what he would ask of them. It burnt the back of his throat this time. He didn’t like it. Reve stood and backed up. “We do not barter to save lives. It is freely given as it was never given to us. Should you wish to trade or pay for a contract for goods or services, we are open to talking about it. You have ore here we would be interested in, precious metals and stones. They have a high value in the Empire but that would remain your decision. We impose nothing.”
“That is a little unusual isn’t it?” she shrewdly looked at him.
“Unusual or not, its who we are. We would not be those who treated us so.” He turned to leave.
He heard the female stand quickly. “Wait, I’m sorry I did not mean to offend. Reve isn’t it?” He turned slightly towards her and noticed her hand extended by way of a formal greeting. He turned fully back around, unable to ignore the offer of touching her. He moved slowly forward so as not to scare her and slipped his h
and carefully into hers. It was the most precious thing he’d ever held.
“I’m Brenna, Bren to my friends.” She smiled at him. This time genuinely.
Reve thought he might burst just looking at her and breathed in, pulling her unique scent into his body recognising it instantly. His systems lit up. It carried no male scent. It was all female. Glorious, beautiful female. And lightly pressed her hand with his own, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. “Mrs Brenna Colman, yes?” he asked unable not to use her full name as given to him that first time.
Brenna’s hand tingled. Her face flamed a little. “Yes, that’s right but most people just call me Brenna, or Bren.”
He gazed intensely at her. There was something there in her eyes. A deep wariness and pain. “Where’s Mr Colman Brenna?” he asked quietly.
He’d called her by her name. Brenna pulled her hand free and sat back down. “My husband is dead. He was killed in the first raid some years back.” The room seemed to compress, she grabbed the bottle and drank some more, retaking her seat and only realised after, that he’d left her office as the door closed behind him. Brenna blew out a breath as she rubbed at her forehead. Her elbows slid down to the table, her head in her hands. How was she meant to deal with this?
***
Reve called down the med beds. All three of them. His men no longer needed them and the people on the ground did. It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Waiting for them to arrive along with his medics had been far more difficult. He’d wanted to spend more time with the female Brenna, but she avoided him as much as possible. There was something more going on there and he needed to find out what. Escorting the med beds in to their medical centre he stood back while they were brought on line. They’d needed adapting to the power source used by the colonists, so in the time being they’d brought their own. Several of the doctors and medical staff in the underground complex, came to look on and watched as the first few patients came through.
They were shown how to do the beds diagnostic and wait for the report to print out on the display. He watched amused as they checked it against their own notes on the patient’s damage. They didn’t believe it, not yet. It only confirmed it was correct or a better diagnostic than they had and then they were shown how to set the bed for what it needed to do. It was simple enough and Brenna’s people caught on quickly. A doctor wasn’t necessarily needed. He caught the itch in the back of his neck told him she was watching. Standing within the room with him. It clawed at him to go to her, but he held back. She wouldn’t be rushed on this. She was still mourning a husband and he was sure, something more. No matter how long ago it was, for her, it was still right there.
For a couple of hours he stood with his men ensuring the med beds were actioned properly and patients, were treated correctly. Reve didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Didn’t want her to worry that they would harm anyone. Eventually, two females moved from the med beds and walked over to him. They held their hands out in the formal greeting. He took one then the other. Dropping them quickly. There was only one female he wanted to touch. “I am Reve, this is Redd and the two medics are Cage and Brok.” He told them. “You are nurses here?” They kept staring at him and nodded. “You are staring ladies.”
They blinked and looked at each other then back at him. The darker one answered. “Sorry I’m Sineta, this is Suzenn. The resemblance is remarkable…” her voice petered out in wonder.
“Remarkable in what way?” he asked.
“Robert,” Suzenn told him. “Brenna’s husband, you are the spitting image of him. He was the leader here, a Doctor. No wonder she was thrown seeing you on that screen.” Reve knew Brenna had left the room. The tingling had stopped 20.4 universal minutes ago. His data registered he was glad she wasn’t there to hear this conversation. He feared it would have upset her again.
The male had been her husband. Several things fell into place for him. Brenna being shocked to see him that first time. Her whispered words of ‘Robert’. How scared she’d been, upset. Her wonder at seeing him made sense. Then being annoyed with his behaviour. Not what she’d expected and the not wanting to look at him. The insistence at using her full name to put him in his place. Further shock and surprise during their meeting when he’d deliberately pressed her about him. Causing her pain, his optic reminded him. Reve knew he might look like her dead husband, but he was not that male.
“Then I apologise if that happened. She only told me earlier that her husband was dead.”
Suzenn laughed. “Wow she told you? That’s unusual. Brenna doesn’t do talking, she wouldn’t tell you if she was dying. It’s her way.”
Reve looked at the two women. His chest felt like it had constricted. No corroborating data showed up on his optic. He was having another emotional response. “Then that will change.”
He pulled up the schematic of the tunnels they had obtained and looked for Brenna’s office. Giving his apologises he made he’s way back to the room. The fact that the female told him Brenna would not tell him if she was dying was ….. unacceptable. His own diagnostic told him his emotions were riding him. He would never allow that to happen. For the female to die because she would not talk, was completely irrational. Reve reviewed the data on their meeting earlier. Her reaction to their talk bothered him. She’d almost broken down at hearing the information. It wasn’t a rational response. The female was running on fumes. Exhausted, undernourished, dehydrated and overly emotional. Why were they not helping her?
Reve pushed the door of her office open to find the room empty. Frustration hit him, he was unable to track her. He was hampered underground. That irritated him. If she had his scent, he could track her easily but he’s data told him she didn’t have enough of his nano’s. Yet. Reve smiled. He would have to change that.
Their ships systems scans could not penetrate the ground, the ore prevented it. Reve realised he’d have to do it the old-fashioned way. Locating her accommodations on the map, he headed in that direction. She was off duty and didn’t usually meet up with people, he’d checked on her habits. She worked and went home, that was about it. No human social life, no hanging out. That was unusual but typical of someone mourning or hiding or both. His data told him he didn’t like that much either. The thought that he might be the cause of some of that, didn’t help. Reve was pissed with himself. His looks were causing her pain. It was important that she knew he was not her husband and that he never would be that male. He was Cyborg and here. She was no longer alone. She was safe now. There was no need to fear. He would do his job and protect her.
His logic and data confirmed this was not an unexpected situation. Finding humans similar to them was logical outcome. There had been a lot of talk between Doctor Mac and her team and the Admiral on this subject. With so many people’s DNA having been stolen or taken in the mix by Earth Corp, there was a good probability that genetically, people would be a match in some form or other. It probably added to the DNA choices the Cyborgs made. Close physical looks would be possible and some human behaviour too. It was still unknown, up to now, no one had been this close a match. Mac would want all the data on this. So would the Empire.
Cyborgs would still be bigger, stronger, probably taller and wider than their human counterparts but it was a logical outcome. He found the door number and knocked, the door moved. Reve reached for his weapon. Had she been compromised? His fear for her rocketed before other options appeared in his data. She was more likely waiting for someone… The lack of security bothered him, it wasn’t safe to leave her door open. Reve was torn between charging in and waiting to be let in, his emotional chip telling him he was confused at finding it left open. It was careless. The female needed looking after…. Her call came from inside. “It’s open, you’re late.”
Reve pushed the door open to find Brenna in a towel drying her hair. He quickly closed the door behind him, not wanting any other male to see her. He cleared his throat and she looked up. “Sorry, but you said to come in.”
Bren stared at him opened mouth. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to see him here. She’d been expecting Suzenn, she’d messaged for an update on those med beds. Bren frowned and swallowed quickly drying the rest of her hair and grabbed a brush needing something to do. He was in her room… “You going to hit me with that?” he asked nodding at the brush in her hand.
Bren smirked. “I don’t think this would have much effect, do you?”
He shrugged and leaned back against the wall not wanting to crowd her. “I might let you try. Could be interesting.”
Bren sat on the bed opened mouthed again, then realised what she was doing and closed it, starting to brush out her hair. Was he flirting with her? She looked at him confused and a little ….. she wasn’t sure what. It had been a long time since a male had been in her rooms. She’d moved out of her married quarters shortly after …. These were different rooms but looked like all the rest. It had helped at the time. She didn’t like him standing, he took up so much room and made her feel small. “Would you err like to sit?” she indicated the chair by the desk. He moved slowly to it and sat down. She stopped brushing to listen to him move. She looked at him. “You don’t make any noise when you move do you?”
Reve Page 6
