by Biance D'Arc
“She’s coming.” Harry spoke into the silence of the ranch house kitchen. Callie felt the waves of fear his words inspired with her strong empathic gift, and wanted to go to him, but he caught her eye and sent a short burst of telepathic thought. He had to do this alone. She understood, but still wanted to stand by her brother as their family turned to look at him with varying degrees of alarm.
“Your mother? Mara’s coming here?” Mama Jane’s cheeks went pale as Harry nodded. “Dear Lord, why?” Her voice was a terrified whisper.
It had been a long time since the alien scientist called Mara 12 had come out to the O’Hara ranch for any reason. Harry’s biological mother literally had the power of life and death over all the human inhabitants in the small, protected valley. Harry’s gaze shifted to the eldest of the three O’Hara brothers.
“Papa Caleb knows why.”
“What’s going to happen, Caleb?” Jane whispered. The whole family knew Caleb had a strong gift of precognition. He knew things about the future.
He sighed and leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. “She’s coming for me.”
“No!” Her mother got up and went to him. Callie felt the sorrow, fear and flat out denial that surrounded them, but knew from past experience Papa Caleb’s visions were never wrong. “Is there anything we can do?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’ll be all right.” He stroked his wife’s hair with deep affection, turning to nod at Harry. “Tell her, son.”
Mama Jane’s gaze focused on Harry, Justin’s son by the alien Mara 12. Compared to his human half brothers and sisters, Harry had almost supernatural powers, but today he looked fragile where he rarely had before. Like Callie, he was only fifteen years old, and just getting comfortable with his incredible gifts of both intellect and psychic ability.
“I worked out a deal,” Harry said softly. “It was the best I could do.”
“You did good, son.” Papa Caleb reached out and patted Harry’s arm, comforting the nephew who was more like a son to him. “You did the best you could for this family and I thank you.”
“What sort of deal?” Papa Justin demanded Harry’s attention. “What are they going to do with Caleb?”
“They want to study him, sample his DNA, mix it in with their own.” Harry collapsed into a chair by the kitchen table as if he’d run a very long race, ending in defeat. Callie went to him then and stood at his side, touching his arm and giving him encouragement using her empathic gift. He was full of pain, and she soothed it as best she could. She loved her brother and didn’t want to see him hurt.
“But why?” their mother sobbed. “Why Caleb?”
Harry’s sad gaze shifted to her. “My mother thinks the Hara DNA is strongest in Papa Caleb, though it runs true in all three O’Hara brothers. She wanted to take them all at first, but I argued against it. Surprisingly, she listened. She does have some respect for the line of Hara, after all, and I convinced her to compromise.”
“What’s the compromise?” Papa Mick was the youngest of the three O’Hara brothers, and the family doctor.
“You know Alvians don’t age like humans. It’s a gift of their DNA. They’re not quite immortal, but they do live for hundreds of years. My mother’s tests confirm you all carry that part of their genetic code within you, but it’s not active, so you age like humans. She’s agreed to develop a process to turn off your human aging genes in return for Papa Caleb’s cooperation. She wants to keep him for a decade, and she’d already planned to try to stop his aging when she got him. I convinced her to do it to all of you. Even Mama Jane, though she has no Hara DNA. And when the time is right and they’re grown enough, she’ll do the same for every one of my brothers and sisters.”
“Jeez! She agreed to this?” Papa Mick looked stunned as Harry nodded.
Jane crumpled. “Ten years? That’s an awful long time to be apart.”
“Alvians live a lot longer than humans. They think of time differently because of it.” Caleb’s tone was contemplative.
“She’s convinced extending your lifespans will give her more time to study you all and keeping Mama Jane around is supposed to keep you and your brothers cooperative,” Harry said.
“Then she’ll probably come for each of us at one time or another.” Papa Justin slammed one hand down on the tabletop. “Damn!”
“She won’t let the current test subject go for any reason while she’s performing her study, but I’ll be able to go back and forth, to keep the lines of communication open. And of course, there’s no way she can monitor our telepathy.” Harry was the bridge that would keep this unconventional family together, even in the direst of circumstances.
“I don’t want you to go.” Their mother wept as she hugged Papa Caleb. Callie knew he’d been her husband in the old world, before the cataclysm. Only later, she’d been told, when it became clear there would be no mates for the other O’Hara brothers, had Jane and Caleb expanded their relationship to include Justin and Mick. Callie understood it wasn’t the way things used to be, but she’d grown up with the three men all acting as fathers to her and her siblings, but each of the kids knew pretty well which of the brothers was their biological father. Jane was the mother of all the O’Hara children, except Harry. He was half-Alvian, but Jane had opened her heart to Harry when he was just a baby and he and Callie had been raised as brother and sister, here on the ranch.
Caleb quieted Jane, stroking her back with his big, capable hands. “It’s only for a few years, and in return for my time in purgatory, you’ll stop aging. Think of all the time we’ll have to be together when it’s over. And think what we can do with the extra years we’ll have for the rest of our kind.” He took both of her hands in his and looked into her sad eyes. “Janie, I saw this coming. Not all of it, but enough to know this is the way it’s got to be. A few years in return for the possibility of saving countless human lives. It’s worth it, Jane. It’s got to be.”
Harry spoke up again. “My mother also agreed to stop killing captives. She knows from studying us that she could be responsible for losing more traces of their Founders’ DNA if they continue to let their human prisoners die.”
“So we’ve accomplished that much already,” Caleb said with a satisfied smile. “But we have more work to do, right Harry?”
“Much more work,” he agreed. “And I promise, I’ll be there with you in the city. I won’t leave you.”
Caleb smiled at his nephew. “You’re a good boy, Harry.”
Weeks later, thousands of miles away, Davin sat eating his breakfast. The yellow sun of this new solar system warmed his skin as it rose above the treeline. His workday was about to begin, but he had a little time yet to reflect on his observations of this new planet.
Few realized just how easily he could access all aspects of data kept in the crystals he cared for. Even fewer realized just how much he knew about the High Council’s plans for Earth, or their observations of the rather surprising Breeds they’d discovered once the crystal seeding was done. They didn’t understand the natives and seemed to think nothing of the fact that while they’d spent hundreds of years traveling to Earth, the primitive people initially found on the planet had advanced.
Davin kept tabs on the various scientific studies of the natives from his office in the main engineering facility, nestled in the mountains of what the humans had once called South America. He rather liked the name. Most of the human languages had a very lyrical ring to his ears, though his translator implant allowed him to comprehend and speak almost fluently in all the native tongues of this planet, as well as his own. Only a small percentage of words were missing from the databases—some, he knew for a fact, had been left out on purpose—like the term “half-breed” and the shortened form they’d adopted to call the native human population.
Davin had hacked into the crystals that transmitted from the Breed observation labs in the northern city for the first time the week before, and was appalled by what he saw. He’d tapped into fertility repo
rts and discovered the scientists were not pleased that their test subjects had such short lifespans. As a result, they were deliberately trying to breed more and their methods didn’t take emotion into account at all, though emotion was the very thing they wanted to study. That, and the way human and Alvian DNA mixed to create amazing mental powers. But standard Alvian testing methods could take decades and these short-lived Breeds were a problem. Having been raised in the wild, they were uncooperative in captivity. Some in the scientific community had settled on the idea of raising a new generation in captivity that would be more docile and amenable to their plans.
Davin watched, helpless, as a lab tech separated a naked female from three males who’d been fighting with a fourth male in the same enclosure. His heart ached for the pain on the woman’s face and his primitive anger erupted when he got a good look at the damage done to the injured male. Instinctively, he knew that man had tried to defend her.
The lab tech took the injured male and the woman to a separate cell. Davin followed their progress, hacking into various observation stations. He had to do this work delicately, lest the scientists discover him.
It was a couple of days before he could track down the woman and her protector. Work had interfered when he’d wanted to see how they fared, the crystals demanding his attention before he could find the time to hack back into the science center. Then he had to find what cell or cells the subjects had been placed in and hack into those specific observation posts.
It was tedious work, but it kept him occupied and his curiosity would not be denied. He wanted to know the man and woman were all right, though what he could do to help them, he had no idea. He didn’t have regular access to the science center. By rights he shouldn’t even be aware there were Breeds being studied in the cities. But he did know, and it preyed on his mind. He had to make sure the woman and her protector were all right.
Davin found them hours later, in a darkened cell. He could see them both clearly through the enhanced viewing device. They probably didn’t realize they were being observed, but he knew the test subjects were kept under constant watch.
He was somewhat surprised when he realized that the male was on top of the female, quite obviously in the midst of fucking her. Also odd, she didn’t look like she objected. On the contrary, she appeared to be eagerly cheering him on with her passionate whimpers and soft moans of enjoyment.
Davin was shocked to feel his own body respond.
He’d never thought of himself as a voyeur, but found it nearly impossible to look away from the Breeds enjoying sex in a way his people never did. His people had sex, of course, but it was never so carnal, so primal, so downright enjoyable as it looked when these two Breeds did it.
Davin watched as the man rolled, placing the woman on top of him, still impaled and encouraging her to ride him. Her breasts bounced enticingly and Davin’s mouth went dry and his dick hard. He watched the emotions playing out across their faces, building a hunger within him for that kind of feeling, that kind of love¾both physical and emotional.
He didn’t have any doubt as he watched the woman sweat and bounce on her partner that she looked on the man with the eyes of love. It was clear for him to read. Davin didn’t understand how he knew, but even over the monitors, he could hear the hum of rightness between the couple. The crystals in his chamber reflected the brightness in their eyes, even if it was only a transmitted image.
Resonance.
The very idea stole his breath. He’d never witnessed resonance between two beings, though his culture’s history was full of such pairings. In fact, it was something ancient Alvians¾those who’d had emotions¾strove their entire lives to find.
The woman came with an intense moan and the man spasmed a moment later, caught in the depths of her body. She collapsed on him, his arms coming around her, stroking her hair and sheltering her against his heart as he whispered words of tenderness and thanks. He kissed her in a way Davin’s people would never recognize, with deep caring and love—something that was bred out of their very DNA by the geneticists who had seized control of their culture generations ago and still ruled with a cold, calculating, scientific precision.
Davin wouldn’t live by their rules much longer. He had a plan, and seeing this couple and the love they shared only made him more resolved to seek his destiny outside the city, away from Alvians. Perhaps among the Breeds he could find acceptance, some kind of understanding, someone to love him, even if he was a throwback.
Decision made, he finished his breakfast and started to plan. He had a few things to do before he could leave on his quest, but he wouldn’t wait any longer. He would leave the Alvian city behind as soon as possible.
Davin saw her first from afar. She was petite, as most Breed women were when compared to the females of his species, but she was like a breath of spring to his starving senses. She was laughing, playing with a small four-legged creature inside a fenced area. Davin recalled that these creatures were called horses and this one had to be just a baby, judging from its wobbly legs and the larger version of itself that hovered some yards distant, watching attentively.
But it was the Breed girl who caught his attention. She was so full of life and emotion, her happiness shining in her eyes as she played with the baby creature, coaxing it and crooning to it. Her voice was a thing of beauty. Of course it wasn’t the musical tones of his own race, but instead the slightly deeper, sexy human tones that made his blood hot with desire as her soft murmurs reached his sensitive ears.
He was so absorbed watching the small woman in the paddock below, he didn’t hear the two men who came up behind him. He didn’t even know they were there until a cold metal barrel made startling contact with his temple and a low voice breathed a warning.
“Don’t move,” the taller of the two said, deadly menace clear in his voice.
“I won’t. Just don’t shoot. I’m not what you think.”
“And what’s that?” the other man asked, watching him with observant eyes.
“I’m not part of the research team. I’m not like them at all.”
“So what are you doing out here, watching our valley?” the first man asked. “They promised we’d be undisturbed as long as we cooperated, which we are doing—fully. What’s your story?”
“I’m a throwback. I have emotions.”
They smiled. He didn’t know what to make of their reaction, and he was further surprised when the rifle barrel lowered to rest toward the ground, still ready, but not trained on him any longer. The darker man motioned for him to rise.
“No shame in that among us, stranger. What are you called?”
“I am Davin.” He faced the tall man squarely.
“What? No numbers?”
Davin shook his head. “Throwbacks are not given numerical designations since we’re not desired in the gene pool. Davin is the name I chose for myself at ten years of age.”
The big Breed nodded. “I’m Justin O’Hara and this is my brother Mick.”
“What are you doing way out here, Davin?” Mick asked.
Davin sighed, running one hand through his hair. He wasn’t accustomed to explaining himself, but he needed their understanding. It was important these Breeds not report his presence here to their keepers. If the Maras knew he was sniffing around their experiments, there would be increased scrutiny from the High Council, which he definitely didn’t want.
“I need to leave the others every once in a while. It’s hard to be around them. I go into the Waste and try to learn about your planet firsthand rather than from their observations. It helps me in my work and helps me stay as sane as I can among them.”
Justin’s eyes narrowed. “I guess it would be hard to be the only one with feelings for miles around. I’d probably take off into the hinterlands myself. But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing up here, watching us.”
Davin shrugged, unable to give them the full truth. “Curiosity. I’ve never observed Breeds in their natural environment, inter
acting with each other and their surroundings on an emotional level. It’s fascinating.”
“We’re not Breeds.” Mick emphasized the word as if it were a curse. “We’re human. That’s the name of our race.”
“I stand corrected,” Davin allowed graciously. He hadn’t realized they were so touchy about the term, but he’d remember in the future.
“Well,” Justin shouldered his weapon, “there’s only one way to be certain you’re telling the truth.”
“What’s that?” Davin wasn’t sure he liked the man’s tone.
“Not what, but who,” Mick said with a thoughtful look. “We have several strong empaths among our family. Jane, especially, will be able to feel your emotions—if you really have them.”
“One of your females is empathic?” Davin wondered privately if it would be the gorgeous young woman he’d glimpsed in the field. “I’d heard about your mental powers but I’ve never experienced it firsthand.” In truth, he was fascinated by the idea of the Breeds’ extra-sensory abilities. Fascinated and a little concerned they might be able to harm him, even with his advanced technology, but it was worth the risk. He would risk his very existence to connect with another being on an emotional level—something he’d longed for his entire life.
“You are a miracle, Jane O’Hara.” Davin was humbled by the warm reception he received from the mother of the O’Hara clan. Justin and Mick moved to flank her, their arms coming over her shoulders protectively, one on either side as Davin sank to one knee in respect.
“Just so you understand,” Justin said with soft menace, “Jane is our miracle. Women are rare in our world now and we protect them fiercely. Your own people have guaranteed our safety in return for our cooperation.”
“Justin.” Jane turned to him, stroking his chest with one small hand. Seeing her unthinking gesture of love and comfort toward the man who so fiercely defended her, Davin was struck again with the emptiness of his own existence. He held up his palms in a gesture of peace as he remained vulnerable, on one knee before them.
