by Susan Grant
Cavin snorted. Jana set the little dog on her paws. In a frenzy of scraping nails and barking, Sadie ran to Cavin, who regarded Sadie with a raised brow as the little dog made clear who was boss in the house.
It was a surreal scene—Cavin, an armored interstellar warrior, in an ordinary suburban home. He seemed to take it all in with wonder and a trace of longing too. After learning of his upbringing, Jana wondered how much exposure he’d had to things like families and homes and pets. Probably little. Now, as a career military man for a society actively at war, probably none. Yet, judging by the look on his face, he liked the experience.
In the abject loneliness of her childhood, in her universe of silence, Cavin had given her so much. She was glad to be able to give him this—the taste of a home, of family. In his grown-up features, she saw something new she hadn’t noticed in the chaos of the last few hours—a hint of loneliness and longing that made her want to hold him until she’d melted it away.
Or she could just be looking for an excuse to touch the body encased by all that armor.
Sadie’s barking subsided to a steady, high-pitched growl.
“They also have three cats, a bearded dragon, a chinchilla and a parakeet. The last two are locked up in cages. I’d warn you about the two teenagers who live here, but they’re away with my sister in Disneyland.”
“Disneyland. A large amusement park located in Anaheim, California.”
“Correct.” She moved aside the baby gate and limped into the kitchen. Wearing pumps in the morning was going to be interesting. Forget the shoes. How would she wake up, period? It was after 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 was the latest she could return to her apartment to change and still make breakfast with the governor’s wife on time.
Cavin inspected the sliding doors in the breakfast nook and checked the windows on the first floor. Jana tried not to dwell on why. Evie would kill her if the REEF cut her house in half.
Cavin returned to the kitchen looking tired.
Jana offered him a glass of water. His hand shook slightly before his fingers closed around the glass. He emptied the glass in a few thirsty swallows, then leaned against the island and winced.
“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I am a little sore”—he winced again— “on the inside. My bio-readings don’t show evidence of internal bleeding. But I suspect I have some minor internal injuries.”
She felt the blood drain from her head. If only she wasn’t so squeamish. “I’ve got Advil. It’s a painkiller. No, with bleeding you’re supposed to take Tylenol. There are Band-Aids upstairs, and gauze pads, Bactine, Ace bandages—whatever you need. My niece and nephew are into about a million sports.”
“Your Terran remedies are not needed. I have nano-bots inside me that will take care of the repairs.”
“Sit down anyway.” Earth needed him. She grabbed his elbow and steered him to the kitchen table. Sadie followed, ears perked. Hungry for fresh blood, the little beast.
He unfastened his jacket. The material had no buttons, zippers or recognizable fasteners, but the seam opened with a stroke of his finger. He spread the armor apart like a clamshell and removed it.
It was like watching the unwrapping of a Christmas present. Underneath the armor, he wore a black shirt made of soft, plush fabric. Like long underwear, it hugged his torso, not an ounce of which appeared to be anything but rippling muscle. “Ah, that’s better,” he said.
It sure was.
She spun away to refill their glasses. Cavin moved stiffly. She suspected he was hurting a lot more than he was willing to reveal. “The REEF did this to you.”
“Indirectly. My ship took damage. It was a wild ride—the anti-grav features are practically nonexistent. The forces were greater than I expected. Hells, being ambushed was more than I expected!” He dashed the back of his hand across his chin and glowered at the water glass in his hands. “Who knew of my whereabouts? My superiors didn’t—only that I signed out on leave. I’m to deliver my father’s ship to a museum. I told no one I was coming here, I wrote down nothing. I know how to disappear because for years I’ve studied how. Yet somehow a REEF jumped me as I exited the jump node. Someone sent it after me, and told it exactly where to go.”
“Because of this, you think? Warning Earth?”
He shook his head, his eyes colder. “Your family has its undeserved enemies, Jana. And I have mine.”
“You’re alive. That’s what’s important.”
Sadie hopped up on the chair next to him. By now, the growling had subsided to an occasional high-pitched gurgle that the dog probably intended to sound threatening. Yet Cavin’s gaze warmed when he observed Sadie. He likes her. “Keep our spaceman safe, Sadie. Aunt Jana needs a shower.”
Jana placed a bowl of Evie’s homemade chocolate kisses in front of Cavin then found the remote Evie kept in the kitchen and turned on a small TV mounted under the counter. She gave the remote to Cavin, who peered at it, turning the remote over and over in his hands with curiosity. His first lesson on blending in as an Earth man.
But he held it upside down. She smiled, spinning her finger until he caught on. She pointed to the down arrow, nodding, and then he was off and running.
The channel changed from a cooking show to sports. It was a college basketball game. Here he lingered before flipping through more channels to a cartoon. He squinted, his mouth set in a funny expression. One thing for certain, this man hadn’t spent a childhood watching Saturday-morning cartoons.
She padded away, feeling Cavin’s gaze follow her from the room.
He’s back. He’s here. So much of who she was today was because of him. And now it looked as if everything she might become would also be because of him. For better or for worse.
Cavin fought his urge to follow Jana, admiring her bare legs and the way her snug skirt molded to her bottom. Her hair was so much longer now than when they were youngsters, and he very much liked the way it looked, the soft tangles, although she combed the strands from time to time with her fingers, as if bothered by its appearance. Nothing was wrong with the way she looked. To him she was perfect.
Was she limping? Cavin felt the heat of shame. He was supposed to be protecting this woman. He’d risked her life when his only goal was to protect her. To shelter her and her people from atrocities they could not imagine.
How had everything gone so wrong?
Danger had followed him here, claws sunk deep like a deadly parasite. An assassin—a REEF. Who was behind the decision to terminate him? Who saw him as a threat? Neppal? Fair Cirrus? That dolt Prime Minister Rissallen? He doubted Prime-Admiral Zaafran, the Fleet Commander, wanted him dead. Cavin respected the prime-admiral. He hoped that respect wasn’t misplaced.
What about the palace? Possible. Perhaps Queen Keira had signed his death order.
He’d gained some enemies—individuals who were highly placed in the government, he’d wager. Whoever they were, they wanted him badly enough to track him to this remote region of the galaxy on what was supposed to be a brief, unsanctioned, and very private mission. The second assassination attempt in the Terran marketplace confirmed it: His foes were serious about getting rid of him.
They’d almost achieved their goal.
Almost.
It added complications to an already complicated situation.
He sniffed one of the candies then popped it into his mouth. It was so tasty he ate another. Ignoring his aches and pains, he pushed off the chair.
Securing the home, making it safe, settled his nerves. Outside, nearly identical dwellings lined the street, a rectangular patch of grass separating each from the road. Landscaping varied from house to house but not widely. Similarity in this neighborhood seemed to be celebrated, or perhaps regulated.
It hardened his resolve to save this quirky planet, because when the Coalition was done with Earth, nothing would be the same.
The REEF moved from shadow to shadow as he searched for shelter for the night. His damaged invisibility sput
tered, but with or without the assistance of technology, he needed to remain unseen. He was an alien on this world, a stranger. A predator. He would not hesitate to disable any creature that came between him and his objective. And he knew how to do so without calling attention to who—or rather, what—he was.
Now his focus was getting inside for the night.
The street was an urban byway, not residential. The air smelled like fossil fuel and rotting garbage. In the distance, automobiles coursed along elevated roads, their roars muffled. In the dark, the precipitation had obscured his sight, which had already led to him losing the visual of his target. Caydinn must be a unique threat—they’d hired this REEF, the best there was. His services were available only to those in the highest echelons of government.
The uploaded mission brief revealed few details. The absence of background information caused him to wonder, but it was not difficult to infer. His job was to read the unwritten, to see the un-shown, to hear the unsaid. The more he knew about his target, the better he could predict his behavior, making for a timelier and more efficient termination.
He tracked, found, killed. It didn’t make a difference what life his quarry had led before he ended it. Life itself meant little to the REEF.
A job well executed meant everything.
Yet why his target had come here—to this backward world—the REEF had no idea. Again, a lack of detail. It made the hunt more challenging. An easy kill would bring no satisfaction—and so far, this soldier had proven anything but easy.
A warehouse loomed ahead. The optical implants on his retinas showed no infrared activity inside. Using an electromagnetic pulse, he disabled the security system—as well as all the computers, clocks and any machinery stored inside the building.
STATUS: Secure
He used a smart-blade to open the door, finding a back corner in the dark to hunker down in. It was quiet. He was alone.
Different planet, same condition as always. A REEF assassin was not programmed to feel lonely. Yet there was enough human in him to know he was cold and hungry. He turned up the temperature control on his armor, but it didn’t respond. It, too, had been damaged in the crash, along with his bioengineered link to his armor. It was the only reason that the soldier, his target, still lived tonight.
Had the REEF been in good working order, the soldier would have died. The REEF would have been on his way out—or rather, calling for pickup. His ship was too damaged to fly. It was what it was. Hundreds of missions and this, his first accident.
His stomach rumbled again. He peered around the dark, hollow building. His retina implant detected a small animal darting across the floor. He lifted his pistol and downed it with a single pulse of energy.
His weapon dangled from his hand as he walked over to the kill. Data scrolled behind his eyes:
Earth Species Identification: RAT
Weight: 6 oz.
Nutritional Feasibility: EDIBLE
He picked it up with his gloved hand and dropped it on the cold storage compartment of his suit. If he needed one, he’d have a meal. It was important that he keep up his strength. Tracking a target manually, as he would be doing now, took energy. The less energy he used, the quicker he would return to full combat mode.
But for now, as hungry as he was, he’d hold out for tastier sustenance. The human part of him enjoyed the nuances of well-prepared food.
The tinkling of glass echoed from the back of the building. He saw the heat signatures of two humans sneaking around outside.
HUMAN
Male
Quantity: 2
Weight: 177 lbs. & 223 lbs.
The REEF dropped into a crouch. According to his enhanced vision, they wore thick upper-body garments with hoods and so-called denim jeans. The REEF didn’t care for the showy jewelry, but he’d take and wear it. Yes, he was cold and they wore warm clothing, but any clothes that would serve to camouflage him as a local were valuable, serving in much the same way invisibility did in keeping him out of sight from his target. Especially now that he was operating without the high tech of his armor.
The REEF slipped out the back door and stepped in front of the two males. “Give me your clothes.”
They stared at him for a moment and broke into laughter. The taller of the two drew a small knife. “How about you give me yours, fucker? Your stash too.”
The REEF kicked the pitiful weapon out of the male’s hand so fast that it skittered across the alleyway.
“Fuck.” The shorter male thrust a hand into his coat. The REEF’s enhanced vision displayed the male’s hand closing around a weapon—a gunpowder pistol. The REEF fired first.
A plasma burst tore through the man’s pocket. A startled yowl interrupted the quiet of the alley. The sizzling pistol dropped to the ground. Before any rounds could explode, the REEF blasted it again and melted the pistol.
“My hand, my hand,” the male moaned, gripping his wrist above the blistered hand.
The REEF aimed. “Give me your clothes.”
The other man’s breaths exited in rapid puffs of steam. “What are you, that Terminator dude or something?”
The REEF accessed his Earth cultural data files.
Terminator
Year created: 1984
Rating: R
Classification: Action/Sci-fi/Thriller
Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a human-looking, unstoppable cyborg that feels no pity, no pain, and no fear sent back in time to assassinate the mother of a future revolutionary leader.
In seconds, the REEF had downloaded and viewed the entire movie. “Worse,” he replied.
The men snickered nervously.
“Take off your clothes.” The REEF imitated the movie’s villain.
“Shit. It’s the Terminator, man. I tell you. Look at him. What he’s wearing.”
The humans were too talkative. the REEF drew out his spare plasma rifle, spinning both weapons before he aimed them. “Strip. Now.”
The two men frantically threw off their clothes.
Afterward, the REEF carried the garments back to the warehouse, settling in for the night. The clothing was warm, which his human body appreciated. He was cold and his head ached. It was a curious sensation, feeling so low, physically, mentally. He sensed changes within him, changes that confused him. An in-depth scan showed no neural damage. Perhaps the damage he’d suffered in the crash was worse than he’d thought.
Rest, give the cycle a chance to complete, and he’d heal.
Before he gave in to sleep, he replayed the day’s events in his head. If only he’d been able to ascertain the identity of the female in Caydinn’s company. But he would as soon as his self-repair cycle was complete. Little was private here. A trove of media would give him the answers he sought. The Terrans made it even easier by “tagging” persons of interest. Caydinn was a wily fellow, but if the REEF used the prime-major’s female to bring him to his prey, then: “Hasta la vista, baby.”
Chapter Six
Sadie was curled up on the chair next to Cavin when Jana returned to the kitchen, dressed in sweats, her damp hair tied in a bun. He’d made a good dent in the bowl of kisses. Cavin’s gaze warmed as she approached, the look that never failed to turn her heart inside out. “Give me your feet,” he said.
“What?” She blinked as she joined him at the table.
“You’re limping.”
“It’s just a little road rash.”
“Let me see.” She let him sweep her legs onto his lap and pull off Evie’s Uggs. From her scalp to her toes and everything in between, she reacted to being near him. No one could fill out black long johns and boots the way he could. As if that wasn’t delicious enough, he must have washed his hands. He smelled like the buttery vanilla soap Evie kept in all the bathrooms. Worse, he’d seen her reaction to him—one look at his smile told her that.
From his belt pack he removed a small medical kit. He squeezed the contents of a tube over the battered soles of her feet and massaged it in. Her head
tipped back, and she sighed. Not magic—but almost as good.
“The nano-meds will do their work quickly. They’re microscopic computers programmed to heal wounds.”
Suddenly she imagined tiny robots too small to see crawling over her skin, making microscopic snail trails in the ointment. “Bleh,” she said.
“I see why you chose politics over medicine.”
“Most people do at some point,” she said. He laughed and their eyes met. Her heart did its usual flip. His green gaze intensified, and she started thinking of kissing him—again. Jana, no. She redirected her gaze to her feet, flexing them. “Wow—they already feel better.”
“I wish I had more of our medical technology to share with Earth.” He leaned close and reached for her glasses, slipping them off. Her physical reaction to his closeness was immediate. Her skin heating, her pulse drumming. Overcome it. Prove you are a higher life form than the sturgeon.
He held her glasses up to the light, squinting through the lenses. As tired as she was, and without the glasses to help her see, the details of his face were a little out of focus. The effect softened his features, took away the creases he had from squinting in the sun, smoothed the shadow above his upper lip where he shaved, and blurred a small scar on his chin. “Primitive eyewear,” he commented.
“Well shucks, we do the best we can here on quaint ol’ Earth.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “Do you use them for magnification?”
“Yes, I’m a little farsighted. I need them for reading, mostly when I’m tired. We do have options. But I don’t like wearing contact lenses, and I don’t have time for Lasik surgery.”
“I like how you look in them.” He studied the glasses.
“So, you’re attracted to nerds.”
